No weigh-ins for me, no sirree

Vivek found our weighing scale Sunday in one of the few remaining "chowder" boxes from the apartment -- and promptly weighed himself. He even carried the scale around the house to test it out on tile and carpeted floors to make sure it was accurate.

It lurks -- our weighing scale.

I won't be weighing in right now. In fact, maybe not until February. Who knows? Maybe not at all.

In the past three months, I've survived a move and a job change and then spent an incredibly relaxing, rejuvenating and delicious week celebrating Christmas with my family and loved ones on the East Coast. Have I gained a pound or two -- or even a few? Probably.

But you know what? I know I'll work off those pounds as I get back into my normal eating and exercising this month, so I'm not gonna sweat it. (No pun intended.)

My jeans still fit, and that's good enough for me.

A recap: How the week went

So: How did it go? How was being gluten-free (-ish) for a week (-ish)?

It was marvelous. Not quite heaven, but enough to keep me going on a path of less gluten -- or, at the very least, less bread.

To be clear: I had a bit of a cold mid-week, so that made this kind of a weird time for this experiment. I never really like to eat much bread (or anything) when I have a cold -- and I certainly wouldn't normally drink so much hot tea in one week. But casting that aside, I still felt better.

What made it so good? I felt more energetic, for one. I had fewer cravings. I ran better. I was lighter, more upbeat -- and by all means, less bloated. I can't say definitively if gluten is causing my tummy to be so puffy -- but my clothes fit way better this week. And if the scales are to be believed (take this with a giant grain of salt, as we're quite skeptical on ours) -- I lost three pounds between Sunday and Friday. 

As several people noted to me this week, it's fairly easy to go gluten-free these days, especially in San Francisco -- and especially if you work at a fancy technology company where there's always a salad bar at lunch. I'm also married to an Indian -- and while we didn't cook Indian food this particular week, rice tends to be more a part of our routine than bread anyway. So I don't feel exactly deprived when it comes to food, which makes the whole experience better, I'm sure.

I promptly quit Friday evening, when, of course, the opportunity for a slice of Friday pizza presented itself -- and I've been breading it up since then. It's been nice to be open to all restaurants again -- but after a feast at Pizzeria Delfina tonight, I'm ready to get back to feeling a little less sluggish tomorrow.

As I noted in my first post on the subject, I don't intend to focus on completely clearing gluten from my life. I still love pizza, and cake, and baking (sometimes all three at once!) -- and I don't see a need to avoid my beloved wheat flour entirely. But I do think that limiting it to weekends, as some people do with desserts, might make a difference for my overall well-being. I'll keep trucking for a few weeks and report back here.

Et tu? Yeah, I'm gonna try gluten-free

I’m starting an experiment this week: Trying to go gluten-free. Or at least bread-free. OK, gluten-free. Actually, OK, I’m going to try to minimize my exposure to gluten. (As I wrote this, our neighbors delivered a slice of custard-and-apple pie.)

I’ve suspected I might do better without gluten for a few years now -- ever since I did the food experiment that helped me find my citrus issues. I don't think I'm gluten intolerant, or that I have celiac disease -- as I feel otherwise fine. But during the week where I skipped gluten, I felt amazing. I dropped a lot of foods during that week, of course (so I could slowly add them back the next week) -- dairy, wheat, any white flour, eggs, corn, peanuts, bananas, beef, tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, soy, chocolate, pork, sugar (including all candy), yeasts. (I also avoided alcohol and caffeine, save for a spare glass of red wine or cup of black tea.) But that’s a laundry list of suspected irritants that seems impossible to eliminate completely from my daily intake -- even more so when you consider that many of those things listed are either favorites of mine (chocolate?!) or so integrated into what I currently eat (eggs).

So I’ll start experimenting with gluten.

Why now? I read yet another article this weekend (in The New Yorker) in which an athlete, this time Novak Djokovic, is revealed to be someone who avoids gluten. I don’t know that I buy into the diagnosis method Djokovic’s doctor used -- but the concept of avoiding gluten is still food for fodder, so to speak. And as I’ve been feeling oh-so-tired after my workouts this summer, I’m open to new possibilities at the moment.

So off to the gluten-free (as much as possible) races we go. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Simplicity is bliss

I spent a few hours today consolidating posts from all of my blogs into one. All the posts in one place. How lovely! Can you feel the simplicity? I can.

I'm going to continue to maintain several of the existing blogs -- Russian Hill Article Review and Half-Desi, to name two -- where there's a clear theme and/or a finite time period where the story should be told. I'll import those posts here, to beckybowman.blogspot.com, with the appropriate labels. But for all other writings, I'll just be posting here.

That is, of course, until I dream up my next great idea for a blog.

I also worked on my website and got my Etsy shop in order today. (It's never too early to shop for Christmas, y'all!) Not too shabby for a Friday.

Last Post -- At Least For Now

Well hello, hello.

Yes, it's been a month. A busy month. I've actually continued to work out more and eat less (I'm down 5 pounds, at last count!) -- I just haven't been blogging about it. In quick summary, I worked out at a hotel, skiied, did yoga by candlelight at home, did bikram yoga at a studio on Union, and ran a few times. It's been fun.

Now, however, I'm crazily trying to get ready for my upcoming trip to India and, thus, am going to cease posting here.

Thanks, all, for reading and being so supportive! I've definitely enjoyed having you along for the (albeit short) journey.

Workout #18

Grade: B+ (Good effort, but run still short, no time for lunges)

Today I am most proud to report that the work-out-at-home (or wherever I happen to be) experiment is going well. I'm now 4 for 4 in attempts at getting up early enough to make it happen -- so even though the workouts have been shorter than desired, I'm feeling good.

Workout #17: Hotel Gym

I thought about calling this post 'Scary Hotel Gym,'  but it wasn't the gym so much as the gym-goers that made yesterday's workout so frightening.

Frightening, though, in a good way, because, at 5:55 a.m., I practically had to fight for a treadmill.

On my way into the gym, a woman exiting said to me, "Watch out, they're fighting in there." Seriously? Turns out she was right; I found only one open machine out of eight: a treadmill. And I hate treadmills. But I hopped on, hoping an elliptical (there were two) would open up soon.

After 16 minutes of interval running/walking, an elliptical opened up. I stepped off my treadmill and, in a moment's hesitation, lost both the open elliptical and my treadmill to new gym-goers. Amazing.

So I stood in line, waiting 10 minutes until the other elliptical opened up. I don't think I probably would have toughed it out, under normal circumstances -- but I've decided that workouts are just that important. And I was very, very glad I stayed.

In Recovery

I'm feeling much, much better since posting the Dorito and Pepsi photo Monday night. There's something sweet about confession, truly.

I did better yesterday. I ate a Fage before meeting a friend for breakfast, so that I was only hungry enough for one IHOP Harvest Grain pancake (instead of the four they served me). I had Pinkberry pomegranate fro-yo w/shaved milk chocolate for lunch (nutritionally devoid, I'll admit -- but substantial enough to carry me for a few hours and sweet enough to take care of the day's cravings) and In-N-Out around 4 p.m. I ate fast at In-N-Out (was in the midst of a long driving trip and wanted to get back on the road), but I stopped before finishing both burger and fries. And, since I still felt full when I got home at 9 p.m., I just had water instead of snacking. While not the most nutritious day, I controlled the damages.

Today: Tiny bit of yogurt and Kashi 7 Grains for breakfast (was in a hurry), scrambled egg w/veggies and an apple for a snack at work, and healthy (no, seriously) pad Thai for lunch. Chicken ravioli coming up for dinner.

Look Here For Guilt

I'm making this post to remind myself of how disgusting I feel at this moment, hours after consuming both a Pepsi (150 calories, HFCS) and an entire bag of Blazin' Buffalo & Ranch Doritos (490 calories, 24.5g fat, 3g sat fat).

That's right. Look at the empty packages. Remember how disgusting your stomach feels. Think about all the edamame or pretzels with peanut butter or even dark chocolate Hershey Kisses you could have eaten instead. But mostly, think about miserable it feels to be going to the gym in the morning, knowing you're working from a deficit.

Workout #16

Grade: B- (good effort, low energy/time constraints)

I went to the Presidio to run on the path I ran the 5k on in November. I had a nice run, but it only lasted about 30 minutes because I made a wrong turn early on that cut out a sizable portion of the path. By the time I got to the end, it was too long to repeat the whole thing (I needed to get home to accomplish other chores).

But -- loved the trail. Planning to try this again soon. I've always wanted to do trail running -- there are tons of races in my area to train for, of all sorts of lengths. And, even better, there are tons and tons of excellent trails to run on.

Calorie Counting

I caught a sideways view of my behind earlier today (i.e., I wasn't standing at my thinnest angle, the one I usually use in front of a mirror), and it was a frightening sight -- frightening enough to make me do a little experiment for counting my calories over the past week.

I've been tracking my eating every other day or so during the past few weeks, so that made this a bit easier (and more honest). Thanks to the tons of online calorie data resources, I think I've been able to come up with a reasonable estimation of what I'm consuming. The results? Shocking, but in a good way that should help me cut back a bit: I'm consuming between 300 and 400 extra calories each day. Good grief! That's insane! What have I been doing?

So, off to fewer snacks and smaller portions today, in an effort to conserve a couple hundred calories for an after-work drink. (It is Friday, after all.)

Workout #15

I overslept again yesterday, this time somewhat knowingly. I didn't get up until 6 a.m., but I decided to go for a run anyway and take a later-than-ideal shuttle to work so I wouldn't get off schedule. (We had planned to go to a movie last night, and I knew I wouldn't wake up in time to run today).

The run, then, was short -- around 25 minutes -- but still got my day off to a good start. Running on the hills in my 'hood is fabulous -- definitely not dull in its challenges.

Workout #14: The First a.m. Workout At Home

I did it! I had a few hiccups along the way, but I did it: I worked out at home today, before work, before the sun came up. Woohoo!

The stumbles: I snoozed until 5:20 a.m. and then stood in the living room, gazing out the windows, debating if I should be running outside before 6 a.m. So I didn't start running until just about 5:45, which meant I had to cut the run short (at 29 minutes) and only had time to do arm weights (I opted to run longer and skip lunges, since I'm finding cardio's most important for me in losing weight). But I can do this: If I can just get out the door by 5:15 a.m. most days, I think I'll be able to do a run, weights and lunges. Testing that on Thursday.

In this inaugural workout at home, I did discover a few benefits to forgoing the gym for a more home-grown effort:
-- No chance I'll forget my concealer, pomade, belt or, God forbid, bra. (It's happened before.)
-- My apartment's water & shower products are much nicer to my skin.
-- I get to eat fresh, cold Fage for breakfast after working out. (The yogurt at my office just isn't good. It's one of the few foods we do poorly.)
-- The hills around my home provide for an awesome urban workout space -- more challenging than the flat-to-rolling trails I've been running at work.
-- No lugging my gym bag around. (Particularly important when I want to meet anyone for a drink after work.)

I just updated my workout calendar item to show that I'll be working out from 5 to 7 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. That should keep me honest and make it seem like a normal and expected affair each Tuesday and Thursday.

Woohoo!

Workout #13

We hiked in Muir Woods on Saturday for about two hours, on a Dipsea-joining loop of about 4 miles. I'd never been on Dipsea, so it was a nice change of pace from the somewhat-touristy main trail.

(In researching this post, I also found out why the mysterious Ocean View Trail, which I hiked last year with my bud Judy, offers no ocean views.)

This hike is steep on one end and more gently graded on the other; we chose to climb up the steep side and down the gentle side. This means we got a good 30 minutes of cardio, but after that it was a leisurely stroll, so I'm not sure it counts as much of a workout. I'm counting it anyway.

Workout #12

Not a stellar one for the books. In fact, it downright sucked. I don't know why, but I just couldn't seem to move. I did the stationery bike and elliptical -- those weren't so bad. But running was awful. I'd estimate I ran maybe 1/3 of the time I was outside (and supposed to be running), rather than the other way around (I'm doing a 2:1 interval this week). What gives?

Weight: 159.0. I'll take it, at just 0.4 pounds more than last week, since I'm at prime bloat right now.

Eat This, Not That! (from Women's Health)

OK, one quick item and then off to the rest of my day: Women's Health has launched a fascinating feature, apparently featured yesterday on Oprah, with guides on what to eat at typical fast food locales. Check it out!

Beck Solutions No. 4

You know, I just read this section in the book like 90 minutes, but I'm having trouble remembering what it was about. That's probably not good.

Um, let's see ... ah, giving yourself credit! OK, I gotta admit, when I read through this section, I just kept thinking about how I didn't want to blog about it. But here goes: It's important to give myself credit for even little wins and successes.

I'm doing that, I think, with this blog. It's nice to have to folks to brag to -- so thanks for reading!

Workout #11

I stayed home from work yesterday with an upset stomach in the morning. By afternoon, however, I was feeling much better -- so I set out to complete an awesome workout. I rode my bike for about 20 minutes, ran for 30 (both on the hills in my neighborhood) and then did weights and lunges* at home. Woot woot!

This is an important development, since it's likely I won't be hitting the gym at work as much any more and need to find a way to do weights at home. (My 'gym' bus, the one that gets me to the office in time to work out before my morning meetings, is stopping at the end of this week.) And the weights are key, as I've noticed my legs seem to be turning to Jell-o two-thirds of the way through my runs.

I'm feeling good. It was a good day.

*NOTE: Very few lunges. Like, 3 of each kind. The last time I tried to incorporate lunges in my workouts, I way over did it and swore them off for life. This time, starting small.

Beck Solutions No. 3: Sit Down To Eat

Done and done. This seems like an easy one, since Heather's already posted about it and sold me on its importance. I've been trying to work on this in the past few weeks, so I feel good about working on it again today.

I have a few things working against me on this one: I eat at my desk. I like to read while eating -- and I mean read anything: Cereal boxes. Milk jugs. The Times magazine.

I find this rule to just sit down and eat, however, liberates me to look those few things in the face and say that no, I deserve to just eat, to revel only in taking each bite while doing nothing more than talking to the boy, a friend or a coworker. In other words, eating is itself worth the time involved; I don't need to justify the time by also reading, watching TV or, as is so often the case, working.

I also liked Dr. Beck's idea of eating raw vegetables while cooking. I'm absolutely prone to I-have-to-taste-it-right? compulsive nibbling while I cook. Last night, it was chips, salsa and a fresh-baked corn muffin while I made white chili. This resulted in me being too full to eat any of the chili. (How disappointing!)

Workout #10

Wow, the workouts don't stack up very quick when I'm skipping them. Must remember this.

So, in this blog post, I first need to give some kudos to the boy, who has, without being an annoying cheerleader, been quite supportive so far of my workout and diet efforts. He's spurring me along by going to the gym himself during the week and by asking me to go for a run or bike ride together on the weekends. For instance, as I drowned my defunct-vaca blues in a ridiculous 2.5 hour nap Saturday afternoon, he would periodically call out from the next room, "Hey, want to go for a run?"

Now, I don't particularly enjoy running with the boy on the whole -- he runs faster and continuously, while I'm of course doing the whole interval bit. He enjoys running ahead and waiting for me or, worse, running ahead and circling back to get me. BUT, on Sunday, he got me out of bed and onto the trail at Crissy Field, despite the biting wind, and saved me from a 4-day workout slump. (I curbed it at 3 days.)

The run: My first 2:1, for 40 minutes solid. It was harder then I thought, but I'm not letting it get me down, for two reasons: 1) It was seriously cold at Crissy yesterday -- I kept my sweatshirt on for the first 20-25 minutes because I couldn't get warmed up, and 2) I had eaten a semi-dark Hershey's bar* too close to the run, which made me nauseous. I had a few nice moments of finding my pace, though -- enough to keep me going.

*OK, so I lied a bit about not binging on emotion this weekend. I had an unfortunate chocolate incident Sunday a.m. Not to make excuses, but I was PMS-ing, in addition to everything else. And I won't repeat the offense -- running afterward was awful.