lbs and inches week 7

I made a comment in the MD office this morning that I thought that this diet plan was creating even more bad habits for me. For example, things that I was always able to pass up I have been eating like a starved child hiding in a closet. This is the last week of the program that I am supposed to only eat their food products. My plan, give it my all. See what I can accomplish with a week of concentrated effort on staying on target. Starting next week I begin adding regular food into my diet plan. According to the MD scale I did not lose anything this past week (not surprised). According to my home scale I am down one more lb which has me at a 40 bl loss for the last two years. I am wondering when I can demand a new photo for my work ID card :)

Adventuring: 40:40:18 Horsfall Beach

Horsfall Beach

Horsfall Beach is located right here in my hometown area. Growing up it was the place we brought all our out-of-town family and guests. It is an impressive beach with miles of walking and shell collecting. My favorite time to go, which maybe I don't want to share... lol , is first light in the AM. Sometimes the fog is so thick I can barely see the Snowy Plover gathering their food. Other times the skies are blue and the water reflects the happy rays of light. Of course be careful in walking along the beach and keep your eyes open for the sneaker waves! (This is a Fee area).

Old Shipwreck Remains

Shells, Shells, Shells!

The beach connects with the Oregon Dunes. From the main entrance if you head to the right you will come across the ATV tracks mostly from the campers from the nearby sites. If you lead to the left, after a few miles, you get the access from the autos that like to drive out on the sand. Either way it is nice that there is designated people areas, as well as areas that can be accessed by those that enjoy to travel the sand a little faster!

You never know what you'll see!

lbs and inches week 6

They say that the greatest sabotager of your goals is yourself. I have to agree full heartedly. I have entered a pattern the past couple weeks of going off program over the weekend, and then playing catch-up until Thursday, so I'm not up in lbs when I weigh in. Then I sit there in the MD office with the knowledge that yes, I did loose one more lb, but what could I have lost if I would have stayed on program all week? The other fear I am facing, since I am at the half way mark, is what will happen to me when I go back to regular food? My scrubs are getting more and more baggy and I am afraid to let them go and give them away! What if the weight comes right back? See? Self-Sabotage.  Total lbs down: 25

(On a good note, since the above was sounding such a downer, folks I am around have started to notice the loss. Yay me!)

Adventuring: 40:40:17 Floras Lake- Blacklock

As mentioned in my previous post I found Blacklock point by doing a random internet search for hiking in the Coos Bay area. Blacklock point had been listed by a travel blogger as one of Oregon's best kept secrets. The cliffs that they had mentioned are accessible from walking along the sandy shores heading south down the coast from Floras Lake.

Floras Lake

Floras Lake itself is a great spot for windsurfing and kiteboarding. The day I adventured there I was mesmerized by the folks learning and mastering these skills. Beautiful! After I trudged (which is what I call walking in soft sand) along the edge of the lake I entered out onto the shoreline. I knew to check tide levels since one can easily misjudge the height of waves and get caught out in a dangerous situation. After walking a short while I came to see what had been documented before. Shear cliffs to the left that headed straight up. The day was sunny so it was hard to photograph the actual beauty of the cliffs without the shadows. But they were beautiful!

 

 

 

On my way back I took a trail up from the beach and followed the Oregon Coast hiking trail back to Floras Lake. I cannot remember how many miles I went. I do know that it can be marked as moderate of ease since there was quite a bit of trudging, and besides checking the tides check the wind level. Crazy winds can be had in this area.

Oregon Coast Trail

Adventuring: 40:40:16 Blacklock Point

Blacklock Point

Blacklock Point. I first came across this hike by doing a random search on the internet for hikes near Coos Bay Oregon. A travel blogger had listed it as one of Oregon's best kept secrets. In researching it further I realized that there were a few different Blacklock Point hikes. One would start you from the Floras Lake area and then have you follow the beach heading south along the shore. Another could start you again from the Floras Lake area and then have you head south along actual trails. I found that the later could also be accessed from another starting point along an old airport road.

My first adventure out in the area I started from the old airport road. This is found by driving south along 101 from Bandon and then turning right when you come to Pacific High School. The trail head is at the end of this road. You start your along the well known Oregon Coast trails that are dry and clay packed.

As you continue you enter a more dense forest area. At one point I laughed and thought I might have been on the film set of Empire Strikes Back and looking for an Ewok.

Past this point you see a faint blue sky through the trees and enter out into a breathtaking view of the Oregon Coast. To your left you have Cape Blanco Light House in the far distance. Taking the trail to the right you can walk out onto the actual Blacklock Point. Looking to the right you see the black cliffs and then further the sand cliffs. I felt that I had been transported to Ireland or England. The contrast with what I have seen on other parts of the coast was amazing.

 

 

I continued on this trail and found even further changes in scenery with tree tunnels that reminded me of Lord of the Rings, and bare lower branches of trees that had me on the set of Red Riding Hood.

There are quite a few choices in taking the trails in looping around and customizing the distance you want to travel. You can follow this trail all the way to Floras Lake creating a 9-10 mile trek, or loop for a shorter 4-6 mile trek. The trails themselves are easy. In the spring expect boggy areas and in the summer expect a wind that can blow you right off the cliff.

lbs and inches week five

Almost an epic fail week. Friday I had planned dinner with family. We looked at the menu beforehand and chose what we would eat. Last minute decision had me with a bit more than I needed on my plate. This came mainly about by a desire of not wanting to bother/annoy the waitress with me changing my order. This poses the question. Should I have? She was still standing there with the ticket with an irritated look of her face from my picky ordering. Do I risk the even further irritation by apologizing and asking if I could start over? I figure I may be in this situation again and may need some further insight into the matter. At the end of the night I had consumed of course too many calories and fat and carbs and and... I did feel ok though since the previous week I had binged on Taco Bell and had recovered.

Saturday brought me to a friends house for homemade fish tacos. I was excited that I was still being invited to food gatherings since I have been on the program. I need to learn how to manage cravings and make wise choices. I stood well in the face of temptation for quite a while until.... that first scoop chip hit the been dip and landed in my mouth. I couldn't stop! I finally succumbed to a taco later since "Oh well, I've been eating chips and dip all night".

Needless to say I stood on my home scale this morning with an epic fail on my mind (and on the scale). Up one pound. In a way it was a good reminder that adding regular food back into my life is not going to be easy. In fact, it is going to be darn right hard. Lucky for me and my self-esteem I was down a pound on the doctors scale. so, not an epic fail after all.

We had our first group session with the new Behavior Health Coach. I can say she was fabulous. Down to earth, engaging, looks at everyone as a real person, shared great examples, and kept us going. She talked about how she did not like to hear about the goals set that were "I want to loose 25 lbs by my class reunion", or, "I need to be this certain size". She talked about setting realistic goals and accomplishing them in steps that will eventually change lifestyle behaviors. For example, focusing on increasing and decreasing frequency. I currently am drinking diet soda about 6 days a week. Starting this next week my goal is to drink diet soda only 4 days. Then after I master that I will decrease this frequency even more. The same can be said with increasing exercise in my life. Going from 0 to 2, and so on.

So this week has been mental and in a way strengthening. I know I will eat out of program Saturday at book club, and I am OK with that. I will however focus on other ways I can continue to reach the goals I have set for myself.

Adventuring: 40:40:15 Eel Lake

 

William Tugman Oregon State Park was a place that as a child I only heard about. I just knew it as the place where my friends got to camp and play. As an adult I find that it not only has a nice camping area, but is home to Eel Lake. At Eel lake you are able to fish, boat, or like me, take advantage of the hiking/walking trail that follows to the right side of this lake.

The trail is stated to be 5 miles in length. Personally I only went 3.5 miles deep and then found the trail to be more overgrown. The trail is beautiful though, and provides resting spots that overlook the lake. Bring a snack and plan to take advantage of these places. The view, gorgeous!

Adventuring: 40:40:14 Gold and Silver Falls

 I have posted about the Gold and Silver Falls before in my post Adventuring: Above the Falls. This is a place that has historic meaning to me and many Coos Bay/Coos River/Allegany originals. The falls are located approximately 23 miles up the Allegany side of the Coos River from Coos Bay Oregon. Although most of it's visitors are locals it is a State Park and many fun adventures await those that take the time to drive out there.

Once in the park the short walkable road to the left brings you to a view looking at the Silver Falls. At one time this road/path extended across the bottom of the falls and then continued up the path to the top of the Golden Falls and beyond. My uncles tell stories of my grandmother driving back down from the top and then they (the boys) would have to get out when crossing the Silver Falls to make sure the planks were there for my grandmother to drive across, and that she was not missing them.

Starting at the beginning again at the park entrance, if you take the path to the right and across the wooden bridge you come to two other trail possibilities. This trail splits. Taking the trail to the right will bring you to the base of the Golden Falls. This is a favorite photo spot to travelers and a fun rambling area for kids to climb on rocks and logs.

Taking the trail to the left will take you first to the bottom of the Silver Falls where you can adventurously climb up and stand a little under the falls, and then the trail continues up and up to the top of the Golden Falls. This is a breathtaking view of the forested valley.

 

Continuing on this trail you enter some forested lands that once were great homesteads. Only a trailer or two may remain from the mid 1900's, but the history goes far and beyond that time. My Uncle laughingly tells the tell of having Boy Scouts up there and throwing a rock, aimed for a friend, that hit his instructor in the head. What a mischievous family I have.

Plan for easy to moderate difficulty depending on how far and how long you adventure. 1/2 - 10 miles depending.

lbs and inches week four

I had a food melt down this past week. After the melty cheese craving for a couple weeks I lost control and devoured a feast of Taco Bell crunchy-melty-ness. The outcome: 1). It really did not taste as good as I remembered. 2). The stomach ache almost prompted an immediate rush to the bathroom. 3). The guilt was heavier than the stomach ache. This prompted a need to do better the rest of the week and hopefully make up for my lapse in taste bud judgment. I was able to stay strong at work and resist yet more Taco Bell and even Abby's Pizza. My results are another four lbs gone and finally being able to wear my jeans that have been hanging out in the bottom of my closet! 

Adventuring: 40:40:13 New River

A few miles south of Bandon Oregon you can follow a sign on the right towards New River County Park. New River has an unique short trail system that will provide paved, sandy, and dirt trails to ramble and explore the areas natural habitat. The park provides a map that explains a little of the history of the area, as well as an easy to read lay out of the trails. You can bring your kayak or canoe out and access the river itself for a fun paddle. As you wind around the trails you can see what can become of a cranberry bog when it goes unattended for years, and see what can be provided by flooding in the existence of a "new river".

 

Adventuring: 40:40:12 Oregon Coast Trail Whiskey Run

 

About a 1/2 mile before you get to the entrance to Whiskey Run Beach there is a little OCT sign on the right. It is easy to miss, as most of them are, but there is a pull off area to park. The trail is not long and ends at the actual beach where you can follow to it's entrance and then walk the 1/2 mile on the road back to your car. The trail is interesting though, and provides a glimpse at some of the farms that still survive in the area. The part of the trail that descends down to the beach provides beautiful views of the coastline with benches and a picnic table. Easy trail :)

lbs and inches week three

I can readily admit that I can be selfish at times. I think we all can have selfish tendencies. For me my selfishness came out when I weighed in this morning. "Only three lbs? Kinda makes me wonder why I gave up all that wonderful New Years food". Yes I did say this. I did also apologize to the medical assistant who patiently weighs and interviews me each week. In three weeks it is a total of 19 lbs. Not too shabby in the total amount sense. Sacrifice brings blessings. And as I sacrifice all the yummy food that I dream and drool over (today it is the bagels and pastries in the Bandon Coffee Cafe) I know I am coming closer to my goal and coming closer to learning restraint with food and myself.