More Pictures and Stuff

This week like last week has been craziness. David went out of town right in the midst of a huge series of data reading and meeting presentations for me. This of course caused our childcare applecart to upturn and I survived on 4 hours sleep (but happily good food choices) for the week while juggling my daughter, my grandson babysitting duties, teaching and researching.

In addition to that a host of contractors descended on us to fix all of the valid inspection items before the house sale is completed. We now have a new roof, a re-stacked chimney and under-house stuff on the radar to be fixed. We signed yet another offer agreement last night (I think this is number 6 or 7 back and forth). Hopefully this will be the last and we can begin the process of finding a new place to live and packing and culling all of our crap (I do love weeding personal goods).

Now back to calmer and more enjoyable things-vacation!!



Castella Di Amaroso Winery: David and I in front of the Castle



Grace in the vines at the winery



David and Grace in front of barrels full of wine



Grace near wine barrels: Red wine!!

The food choice thing:

I had an epiphany while in the midst of my week. I have developed a soft food habit and a sneaky snacky habit. The realization that I have shifted from normal food and meals to lots of sweet coffee and cookies. This downward spiral began at Christmas and has in on again off again ways continued since.

Over the last week I rediscovered the joys of real food and less 'treating'. It started with the purchase of a milk frother. I have really hopped off the Starbucks train. This means that I am also not privy to any cookie or cake purchases. On the other hand my coffee consumption has gone up a bit.

The loosening of my band, I have discovered, also means that I can eat raw fruit, and (drum roll please) salad!!! This week I have had a few salads. I cannot eat too much of any of these but they really stick with me. I mix in a bit of fish, ham or chicken with the salads or fruit with cottage cheese.

I am recommitting to being aware and conscious of what I put in my mouth. I do not need to treat myself every day or even more than once a day although I don't think I have managed this completely.

So far things are good. It is funny really-I had this epiphany right after I made an appointment to go in an get a tiny fill...I had to cancel the fill because of the crazy David out of town work thing but I am, after all, happy it triggered this latest development.

Speaking of which...this Dr. Oz craziness that everyone is talking about...I cannot believe that Oz would be stupid enough to have such an unrepresentative example of people with a lapband. For goodness sake there are highly effective well known lapband surgeons out there and all Dr. Oz had to do was contact one of them to get him a good lapband example...it is completely a shame really.

What I eat:

Thursday:
Breakfast-nonfat peppermint mocha
mid-morning snack-cottage cheese and pineapple
lunch-happens very late in the afternoon: chef salad with cottage cheese as dressing. I ate this while i taught two classes (so a bit here and there and between class)
Dinner-lunch continued.
Nightime snack: 1/2 a peanut butter cookie.

Friday:

Breakfast: nonfat peppermint mocha
Lunch: 3oz cheddar cheese and 3 crackers
Snack: 1/2c nonfat frozen yogurt Costco
Dinner: salad with honey mustard dressing (honey mustard with water and poured over the top), 1 cheese ravioli, 2 oz havarti cheese.
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream.

Saturday:
Breakfast: nonfat peppermint mocha
snack: banana
Lunch: 3/4 oz havarti cheese, two broccoli spears two bites steak.
Snack: Grace made chocolate cake: one small piece.
Dinner: 1/c paneer curry with 1/4 cup rice and two bites of naan bread.
Snack: another coffee