Slow week

Sorry for being M.I.A. this past week. Too many to-do's and not enough inspiration contributed to my lackluster performance here on the blog.

At the same time, I sort of wonder if I should force myself to post something every day, even if there isn't much to tell. Is that daily discipline good, or counter-productive? And if I do post something every day, am I being creative or just making stuff up??  I'm really not sure.

In any case, next week the blog will be 'on vacation' since the time has finally arrived for my Foundation of Pastry class at the San Francisco Baking Institute. I'm really looking forward to it.

See you in a week!

R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Time to see how things are going.

So, grades:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: B+ 
• Portion control: B+
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: B+
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: B 
• Treat yourself: C

Some trends continue. Lunch is still the meal most likely to be eaten out, and that means having less control over the quality of the food (and more temptation to mess up on quantity, as well). Dinners were reasonably good, and there were times when I was very good about portion control. On the downside, though, there was almost an emotional eating problem. Started to indulge in an unhealthy snack just because I was stressed and sad, but caught myself and course corrected. At least that's good!

Weekly weigh-in: 165 (+0.5 lbs versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: B

This week I'm going to focus on building in some exercise every day (even if it's just a walk around our local park) and on menu planning. I was really starting to enjoy seeing that lower number on the scale and I want to see it again, soon. :-)

Bienvenue, été! Welcome, summer!

It's a bit hard to believe that the Memorial Day Weekend is already here and summer is upon us.

Summer is by far my favorite season. I live for long days and light evenings, and find the warmth (as long as it doesn't get too hot) very relaxing. But, summer is not without its share of issues.  Bathing suits, for starters.

No matter how strictly I enforce the French diet 'rules', I know there is no way that I will quickly drop enough of my excess weight to feel as fabulous as I'd like for this summer season. Quick-French-Diet-Weight-Loss is a sort of oxymoron. The whole point is to re-evaluate your attitude towards food, diet, health and lifestyle so that, when you adopt the French diet, you slowly but surely reach your body's proper balanced weight.

So, that means that I have to be patient and focus on looking my best as I am currently, whether I'm at home, by the pool, at the beach, or out with friends and family.

It seems to me that planning some fun adventures is one sure-fire way to focus my attention on what summer is all about.

So, welcome back, Summer! I've missed you!

Eating, French Style

I must admit I am still a little surprised by the reading on the scale this week. To make sure I hadn't imagined it, I re-weighed myself this morning. (Now, I know that it is typically best to weigh yourself only once per week and at the same time each time you do it, but I couldn't help myself.)  Today's weight? 164 lbs. Wow! Not only was the other day's reading not off, but now it's even better! Yay!!

Anyway, that got me thinking, "Why??" Whatever I'm doing that is working, I want to keep doing it!  :)

I started looking over my food log and one thing I noticed is that this week (and one earlier week when I also had good results) I had more yogurt at breakfast time. This may be a coincidence, but I'm going to continue to keep watching to see if there's a correlation.

Usually I eat Greek-style yogurt by Fage. Specifically, Fage Total, which is the "full fat" version. Full fat, it turns out, means 10g of fat per serving, as opposed to the 2% or 0% versions which have 2g or 0g, respectively.

The Fage container I get has 7 oz (200 g) of yogurt, and according to the label, it is considered 1 serving and it has 190 calories.  I get about 4 servings out of this same container because I split it with Monsieur over two days. Usually, I add a very small amount of strawberry jam to my yogurt, or some fresh raspberries if I happen to have them. 

A French-style yogurt that I want to try again is from the Saint Benoit Creamery, up in Sonoma County. This yogurt is sold by Whole Foods near where I live. I looove the small glass jar packaging! (I am a sucker for good packaging, so this is no surprise.)

The Saint Benoit yogurt is sold in a 4.75 oz (135g) serving size. I don't know if I would get two servings out of this size container or if I'd be "forced" to eat it all. I guess it would depend on how yummy it was. It is somewhat interesting, though, that the serving is just automatically smaller (almost half the size of the Fage yogurt). That feels very French to me. 

I'll have to pick some up the next time I'm at Whole Foods and report back.

Speaking of reporting back, I did end up deciding to sign up for the week-long patisserie baking class that Monsieur offered for my birthday. That will be the first week of June so I probably won't be blogging much. The class runs from 7 am to 3 pm, M-F. That means I'll have to be up by 6 a.m. Yikes!! Still, I think that good patisserie is worth a little sacrifice, don't you? 

R.E.P.O.R.T. Card

Not sure what to expect this week. Looking back, there were some good things (dinners were mostly had at home, and there was more exercise) but there were still some areas for improvement (again, lunches are not the best and frequently eaten out).

So, grades:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: B 
• Portion control: B
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: B
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: B+ 
• Treat yourself: B

A few things worth noting: Only two servings of pasta/pizza this week, when I split a chicken penne dish with Maman for lunch on Friday, and later split a pizza Margherita with Monsieur during our 'date night'. Also, I had fish twice last week (homemade Crab Louis and grilled salmon) and I think eating fish definitely helps. Finally, I went for an 8+ mile bike ride on Friday afternoon. I rode for nearly 50 minutes on a mix of flat and slightly hilly land.

Where did it all get me?

Tuesday morning weigh-in: 164.5 (-2.0 lbs versus last week and -2.5 to-date)

Final Grade: B+

I'm actually somewhat shocked by the number on the scale this morning. I have to confess, my tummy was a bit unhappy last night and this morning, after feeling very bloated yesterday, so I don't know how much that may or may not have to do with this reading. In any case, I'll take it! Now I have to make sure that is a real number by keeping up what's working and continuing to ask myself WWFD and adding in some more exercise. Yay!

Interesting Article

This morning, before I'd realized it, I had already had my breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee before I did my weekly weigh-in. So, I'll be doing my R.E.P.O.R.T. card tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a link to a pretty interesting article that I found from the NY Times, Always Hungry? Here's Why, which examines whether the prevailing wisdom that calories consumed - calories burned = weight gain (loss) is actually the best way to look at our current battle of the bulge.

There are some interesting insights which track well with the French diet, and it's gratifying to see that people are continuing to look for what might be making us all fat.

Quality over Quantity

One of the things that I think really characterizes the French style and mindset is the concept of Quality over Quantity.  It seems that the French are naturally inclined to think in that way, and to prefer something that is really good, even if it's in a small amount, to a lot of something that's only meh.

In the realm of food, that means preferring something like a filet with Bearnaise sauce, accompanied by vegetables sauteed in butter (real butter) and a bit of a delicious dessert (perhaps Tarte Tatin or some profiteroles) over the all-you-can-eat buffet cooked in hydrogenated oils and desserts made with high fructose corn syrup.

In the realm of fashion, that means having a few basic pieces (maybe from Zara or H&M) but dressing them up with some seriously fashionable accessories (Hermes! Chanel! St. Laurent! Oh my!).

I recently read Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris, by the American writer Jennifer Scott, who spent a year abroad during her college years.

According to Ms. Scott, one secret to the French's incredible sense of style is that they hone down their wardrobes because they just don't have the space for tons of clothes. She advocates getting down to a 10 item wardrobe (10?!?!) and creating multiple outfits through the clever use of accessories. (As a side note: it's no coincidence that her first three chapters are dedicated to diet and exercise. And, yes, she repeats what others have already said--no snacking, don't deprive yourself, and incorporate exercise into your everyday life.)

Anyway, her book inspired me to start a major wardrobe re-evaluation and a closet clean out. I don't expect to get down to 10 items, but I think there's plenty of room for improvement in my wardrobe.

I know that what I really need is to change the way I think and apply these new, basic principles to all aspects of my life. Not just to food or fashion, but to everything, in my pursuit of health, happiness and chic!