The widening gyre...

2 years!!!

Big night last night - we had a work party for my peer group to mark two years at the firm! It has gone so quickly, hard to believe that we have been there that long.... We went to the Apartment first, which was good - though not quite as nice as its usual role as a lunch venue (they do a nice steak and brilliant prawns!). It was great to catch up with everyone again - especially since I have just got back from secondment.

Love that beer.... a little too much?

Afterwards a few of us went to Kum Den Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown - which had great food, though we had to send back our first bottle of wine. The hot and sour soup I had was very good, as was the sizzing Seschuan beef. I just love getting a few dishes and sharing when you have a big group. A good night all in all.

Guide to the good life - GoodLiving - www.smh.com.au

A good Epicure feature with some great dining tips:

How to tell if a wine is off Corked wines have a chemical, mouldy smell and an un-fruity, lopsided taste caused by a contaminated cork. Oxidised wines - caused by contact with air due to a faulty cork, being opened too long, or simply being too old - will have a fortified smell and dull taste.

Read on: Guide to the good life - GoodLiving - www.smh.com.au

Weekly weigh in

I had my weigh in this morning, a somewhat dissapointing 94.4, or only 600g down on last week. I guess it was to be expected - too many steaks and too much beer this week, though I did get a reasonable amount of exercise. I will have to step things up in the coming weeks. My plan is to cut back a little more on carbs, cut out some non-essential snacks and get heaps more exercise.

Herald Sun: Booze biscuits hit the shelves [04feb04]

I wish I wasn't on a diet, these look great: Herald Sun: Booze biscuits hit the shelves [04feb04]

CNN.com - How far will low-carb go? Pizza may be next - Feb. 3, 2004

An interesting article in CNN re: Low Carb Pizzas notes:

Although industry sales haven't taken a hit yet, some pizza operators are considering offering customers low-carb pizzas.

Kate and I are already onto this one - we make Pizzas with low fat cheese, chicken, mushies, vegies etc (same old) but instead of using a pizza base use a very thin sheet of 'Mountain Bread' which is like a very thin pita. It is very low carb and low fat - great to have something in the diet which feels naughty but is actually a healthy meal. This is a great example of how you don't have to go without to lose weight and get healthy - it is just a question of eating intelligently and where possible using alternatives. While low-fat has a bit of a bad stigma, I honestly believe I am eating tastier foods on this diet. I can certainly say I am feeling much better as a result.
Anyway, read on: CNN.com - How far will low-carb go? Pizza may be next - Feb. 3, 2004

Weigh in - 95kg!!

For those of you following the '74 challenge' I weighed in this morning at 95kg, or around 1kg less than last week. I was a bit anxious about getting on the scale this morning, as despite being fairly good for the rest of the week (and getting a fair bit of exercise), I went out for a few beers last night with Azza and had a great meal at Bopha Devi (a great Cambodian restaurant in Yarraville). Despite that I actually lost 200g since yesterday.
You will note that the loss rate is slowing down, which is to be expected I guess, but I will redouble my efforts in the coming weeks as despite being ahead of target, last weeks loss wouldn't get me to my target weight in the projected time - especially as one must expect to lose weight quicker at the start.
I will update the front page / 74 challenge page tonight.

Weight Loss

My weigh in this morning was 96.2 kg - a loss of almost 2kg since last week and still well ahead of target! I will update the weight loss page tonight, including the graph etc.