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Setting Up My Withings

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I wasn’t sure if the Withings was going to be worth the outlay, but after talking to several people, both on the comments here and on Facebook and other media, I decided I’d get one.

Why?

Because I’ve been recommended to weigh myself every day and if I’m tracking weight loss (and getting nice graphs) on one of the many web based services I really don’t want to have to login manually and update.

Yes. I am that lazy.

Or put another way, I’m that much of a geek. If I can automate something I will.

Setting up the Withings is pretty easy and the instructions are idiot proof.

You will need:

  • a Withings (doh!)
  • USB cable (they supply one)
  • a computer with a spare USB port for the initial setup but accessible as you need to run the USB cable from the scale to the computer
  • an internet connection
  • Wifi

To be honest the hardest part of the setup was removing the cover of the battery compartment on the back of the Withings. It’s not that hard to open, but it slides and you do need to apply quite a bit of pressure to open it. My main fear with battery compartments is that I’ll be too rough and break the clips and be left unable to close them after..

So once I got past my initial stupidity and managed to open it, install the 4 AAA batteries that it needs (they come in the box) the rest of the setup was easy

You go to the site, create your account, download the software that handles the connection, follow the instructions and you’re pretty much done.

The Withings will work with multiple users on the same device, but you need to tell it about yourself during setup, so that it can work out who you are.

You can also connect it to any of the growing number of partner services via the easy to use control panel:

Withings partner services

At the moment I’ve got mine “talking to” DailyBurn, though I’ll have to find an alternative, since DailyBurn is primarily based around Imperial measurements, which I don’t understand, and everything I’m doing is based on kilos.

I won’t be sharing my weight via Twitter or Facebook. Sharing my struggle to get this body of mine under control via this blog (and elsewhere) is one thing, but I draw the line at actually sharing my weight etc.,

Anyway, I digress ..

After setting up the Withings I wanted to see how it worked, so I popped it in the bathroom, where it will probably end up living, and weighed myself. I’d already done a weigh in this morning, but I wanted to see what else it did.

I’m not sure if it’s just me being a real geek, or if other Withings owners have the same experience, but the first weigh in was really cool.

As soon as you stand on the scale it begins to work its magic. It works out which user you are, weighs you, calculates your BMI and your body fat and shows you a nice progress bar as it works. Very cool

I assume the BMI calculation is based on the height measurement I gave it, though I’ve no idea how it’s able to work out what it does, though it looks pretty accurate.

For the graphs and other stuff to “kick in” I’ll obviously have to wait a few days and do a few more “weigh ins”, but I’m impressed with it so far.

Now to find a web service for tracking all this that I actually like .. (though I could just use the one from Withings if I really needed to)

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Which Exercise Plans Actually Work?

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I’m very conscious of my own limitations and I know that if I’d tried to change my diet AND start doing a lot of exercise at the same time it would have been a disaster.

Exercise machines (284617740)

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So, I’m now eight days into my diet. I’m eating better and more systematically ie. I’m actually having breakfast every morning and I’m eating a couple of reasonable meals every single day.

Now the big challenge is exercise.

Walking appeals to me, as I used to walk quite a bit when I was younger.

Cycling could also be an option, though I haven’t cycled regularly since I left college in Limerick back in 1999 (there’s an interesting story there, but I’d probably be sued if I published it without changing some of the details!)

Swimming is another activity that I used to really enjoy, but I haven’t been swimming regularly for years.

Doing any of the above is a “nice idea”, but unless I have a proper structure to my exercise regime I suspect I will fail.

So I’ve been looking into exercise plans and systems.

Which of them actually work for people and, more importantly, why?

Are any of the “couch to X” type programs worthwhile? Or, put another way, are they suitable for someone as lazy as me? (Obviously the idea being that I’d be able to get past the lazy part .. )

Pitta Bread With Tuna and Mozarella

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Pitta bread is incredibly versatile. You can stuff it with a whole range of different things and make really tasty meals.

I made this for a late lunch today and simply doubled the quantities from the original recipe I had and also added some other bits and pieces to it.

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Pitta Bread With Tuna and Mozarella

Pitta bread stuffed with tuna, tomato and onion with mozzarella
Course Main Course
Cuisine International
Keyword cheese, tuna
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 1 mozzarella ball
  • 3 - 4 to matoes
  • 4 pitta bread
  • 1 onion sliced or diced
  • 1 small can of tuna in brine
  • 1 tbsp Italian herbs to taste
  • 1 tsp Black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to around 180 degrees C
  2. Slice the mozzarella and put the slices to one side
  3. Drain the tuna
  4. Slice and dice the tomatoes and onion and mix with the tuna and herbs.
  5. Split the pitta bread (if it isn't already split) and fill with the mix of ingredients
  6. Top each pitta with a slice or two of mozzarella
  7. Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted fully

Recipe Notes

If you don't have Italian herbs then mixed herbs or oregano with some black pepper would do as a good substitute

 

How Much Are You Actually Eating?

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Pasta all'uovo (egg pasta)

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Food is odd. You put a cup of rice into water and it magically expands into this wonderful food that can feed several people.

Great, isn’t it?

Problem is that you probably don’t really notice how much of this wonderful food stuff you’re actually eating.

Until I started religiously following this diet (probably about the only religious thing I’ve done in a while!) I never really paid attention to quantities.

Cooking pasta? Ah just chuck enough in and it’ll be fine.. Oh wait, there’s way more than I really need .. Ooops!

When you’re weighing out portions of pasta and other ingredients very carefully you begin to notice how much you are eating and how much you were probably eating before. The digital scales I bought just over a week ago has been getting plenty of use and the bowl that came without has held the ingredients of pretty much every single meal of the day. Weighing out the portions of breakfast cereal is a new experience and is an eye opener!

A typical pasta recipe (on my diet plan) has between 60g and 100g of uncooked pasta. Putting that in one of my pasta bowls it looks like I’m missing quite a bit from the plate, but when it’s cooked and you add the sauce and other ingredients you end up with a very tasty meal that won’t leave you hungry.

Controlling the quantities carefully and checking the calories when I “clock in” is making me more conscious of what I have been eating and what I am now eating.

Eating less and probably eating better ie. more fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products, I’m actually feeling pretty good. I’m not hungry, though I still have a very healthy appetite.

Of course, so far it’s been relatively easy. I’ve managed to avoid eating out completely. Temptation in the way of tasty treats that I actually cherish has been avoided. I’m not phased by seeing Cadbury’s, as I don’t particularly like that type of chocolate. I suspect, however, that I will have issues resisting Green & Black when I’m in a supermarket over the weekend laying in provisions for the week. But I digress ..

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Getting My Blood Test

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Blood Sweat and Tears. Number 2When I was in with the doctor earlier this week he took my blood pressure. Unfortunately he couldn’t do a blood test on me there and then as I hadn’t been “fasting” prior to the appointment.

So this morning after “fasting” since last night I was able to have a blood test. I wouldn’t consider it real “fasting” as it simply meant not eating from around 10pm last night, which isn’t exactly hard work.

I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait to get the results of the blood test, though I suspect it will be a few days.

Am I worried about the results?

Not really. I’d prefer to know if there’s a problem than not know about it. If there is a problem I wasn’t worrying about it before now, so why on earth would I worry now?

As for the blood test itself. I’d love to say it was “painless”, but when someone puts a sharp needle into your arm it does hurt. But it didn’t hurt much. So let’s just say it was “relatively painless”! The entire operation took less than 5 minutes and the nurse was very charming and friendly. Seemingly guys have a tendency of passing out more than girls!

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Overdosing On Fruit

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photo : Utilisateur:Wilrondeau

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I’ve always known that fruit was good for me and that I should eat a certain amount per day. While living in Spain and Italy I was able to eat fresh fruit quite regularly, though I never consciously checked how many items of fruit I was eating per day.

As part of my diet, however, I am being “told” what to eat and how much of it. Fruit plays an important part of the diet.

But I honestly don’t think I could actually eat much more fruit after the last few days. I’ve been eating apples and bananas and adding various other fruit to a range of cereals. It’s been great, but I think there’s a limit on the number of bananas you can eat in a single day.

You probably can’t overdose on fruit, but varying the fruits more can go a long way to making it all a lot less repetitive (obviously!)

Wholewheat Pasta With Light Cream Cheese In Tomato Sauce

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Tonight’s dinner was meant to be a pasta sauce with ricotta, but I couldn’t find any in the supermarket when I laid in this week’s healthy provisions. I’ve been cooking pasta (and eating it) for as long as I can remember, so tweaking a pasta based recipe isn’t that much of a challenge.

I also found that the quantities in the recipe were going to render it incredibly dry (1 tomato with a bit of tomato puree doesn’t go very far), so I added a bit more to it.

The end result was incredibly tasty and remarkably low in calories.

If this is the kind of food I need to eat to lose weight and improve my health, then this diet isn’t going to be that much hard work!

Here’s the recipe incorporating my tweaks 🙂

 

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Wholewheat Pasta With Light Cream Cheese In Tomato Sauce

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword pasta
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 100 g. of onion chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/2 pepper
  • 150 g. of lean minced beef
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp of tomato puree
  • 1 pinch of oregano
  • 1 pinch of mixed herbs
  • 63 g. of wholewheat pasta uncooked weight
  • 50 g. of light philadelphia cream cheese
  • 1 tbs of grated Parmesan cheese
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the onion, garlic and pepper until slightly softened.
  2. Add the minced beef, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the beef is browned through. Add the diced tomato, tomato puree and herbs and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Meantime, prepare the pasta following package directions, omitting any suggested fat or salt.
  4. Stir the philadelphia cheese into the beef mix and serve this with the pasta, sprinkling with Parmesan cheese.

 

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