So I dropped a footstool. Well, not the way you might think. Relax. No innocent furniture was hurt in the research for this article. But since February I lost the weight of the footstool that lives in our bedroom. This morning I hoisted it (right word, the piece is heavy) on my shoulders and stepped, thus burdened on the bathroom scale. Pleasantly, the scale registered one pound less than it did with me alone as recently as February. The comfy piece designed by brothers Charles & Ray Eames weights in at 19.5 pounds. Today, I came in at 20.5 pounds less than on February 10. Continue reading “Down 15, Five To Go”

Somehow I’m having a hard time getting going with the column this week. I tell myself that it’s because I’m a little tired. It’s been a big week with lots of new experiences and there is the added pressure of the approaching deadline. My first choice would be to just avoid this. Can I just get a quart of ice cream and curl up on the sofa? Or how about those Entenmann’s sheet cakes? Last week I told Jeff that one of them used to replace a lonely dinner. One was my limit only because I didn’t want to face the cashier with two cakes and a half-gallon of milk in tow. Continue reading “Food Blues”

With seven weeks left to go until the big day and seven pounds left on the bathroom scale, serious measures are called for this week. Yes, there has been a lot of progress but I’m not ready yet to say: “Close enough.” I could settle for 175 and, with some justification, claim that it was a 20-pound drop. Compared to the (documented) number in February, that’s true. However, I did set out for a different goal. Back in April I said I would get to 170 by October 25 and the goal still stands. Continue reading “Serious Measures Required”

Sometimes, a new discovery takes extra data and a new interpretation. This week, the two came together on my weight loss program. Since I got serious about losing weight back in April, there have been periods of steady decline in weight, well explained by my more or less rigorous adherence to my eating plan. In the middle of these good periods, however, a few times for no apparent reason my weight shot up. Continue reading “Found a Culprit”

Coming around the last turn, the goal is in sight. Not sure yet whether it will be an up-hill battle all the way to the finish or a gentle cruise toward the cheering crowds. Perhaps it’s just a break along the way and the goal is really much further off than I think. In any case, I’ve arrived in the 170’s and the 180-pound mark has fallen. Continue reading “A Break”

Last week I asked for a one-time waiver from the no-dessert and no-alcohol promise. Well, it was a grand party and sure worth the investment. For the week, I managed to stay pretty much at the weight I was. Continue reading “Sticking with it”

I just reread my first entry from back in April. Such enthusiasm and commitment. Well, I said it, wrote it down and I’m sticking with it. Again I’m approaching the half way mark, in good spirits and, I believe, without gimmicks. Will I make it beyond the so far elusive 180-pound barrier? Continue reading “Approaching the halfway point. Again.”

Yesterday, like most Thursdays just before 7 pm, I was waiting in Griffith Park for the regular hiking crowd to arrive for an awesome midweek break from the desk in friendly company. Yesterday, I had extra time and stretched out on the little park bench under a California Live Oak tree where we always gather before the hike. Continue reading “Strong Roots”

It’s been seven weeks since my last entry. I just did a double take and recounted the weeks on the calendar. Seven weeks is a long time. I didn’t think it had been this long. On the upside, Jeff and I had a wonderful trip to Germany and France. Lots of new things to see and good food to eat. Continue reading “A New Beginning”