The photofinishing diet

As promised in MMX, here is the Photofinishing diet. I’ve been told I have to start every post with a photo, and I was pleased to find this shot of the apple harvest from the tree in the backyard. I was even more pleased that the apple made excellent apple pies.

In serious photofinishing, the condition of the processing chemistry is measured and plotted on a graph several times every day with the ideal outcome of having the plots stay right on or near the the centre of the graph. Each of the plots is connected to the next one by a line which allows you to see trends as they develop. On either side of the ideal centre point, running lengthwise and parallel to the centre point, are two sets of two lines. As long as your plot falls between the first pair of these line, the chemistry is doing fine. If your plot crosses the first line on either side of the centre, it indicates that you should start paying more attention and initiate corrective adjustments. If the plot moves across the second line on either side, it means the chemistry is “out of control” and if not brought back under control quickly it will lead to serious quality control issues and having to replace all the chemistry with a new batch.

The individual plots are interesting, but the trend of the plot tells the story and the same is true with the weight issue. I weigh myself every morning on the same scale, and have an ideal weight that I would like to be at. When I get to +5 lbs I know I need to pay more attention to the situation and at +10 lbs I trip self imposed flashing lights and klaxons crisis situation.

This past several weeks have been difficult with the holidays and mom dying, and by the time I got back from her funeral I was almost 10 lbs up from where I want to be. I am now paying much more attention to my caloric intake and working a lot harder at exercising so I’ve managed to shed 5 of those new pounds.

Unfortunately it’s not a magic diet – it requires that you pay attention to how much and what you eat every day. Cutting out the snacks is a start, but it also means more salads and fresh fruit and vegetables, and less fast and junk food. But I can tell you my back is very happy I’m doing this, and it’s also fun to have people get all excited about all the weight I’ve lost.

good luck

Am I really back?

Very interesting – This is really just a quick test to see if the site is really back up and working properly or if it’s still down. I guess I’m somewhat encouraged as I see the MMX post I did earlier this month but which didn’t work then now seems to have appeared, but I won’t really feel better until I see this post on the site.

Sorry to have been away for so long – technical difficulties and all that, but hopefully the glitch has been resolved and I’m back in business. If that’s the case let the fireworks begin!

MMX

I’ve been working at finding excuses to not write here for some time, but now I think I’m finally ready. The Christmas tree is down, and the house is pretty well back to normal. There’s a few Christmas goodies left that I can try to eat today, but tomorrow marks the start of the serious salad and back to the pool in the morning season. The cat has been patiently sitting just at the edge of being in the way, watching as the living room transforms itself once again.

It’s been several weeks since I’ve done anything here, what with the site being down in the fall and then me having to go off to Connecticut to deal with Mom, and then the holidays and so on and so forth. But now 2009 and the decade it was part (the Oughts) of are over and we can begin to get on with what happens next.

2009 for me was a year of letting go. In the fall of 2008 I started having back problems which I took as a sign that it was time to make some changes in my life. Rather than try to figure out specific details, I tried changing lots of things all at once. This included quiting my job and taking the last 9 months to try to figure out what I really want to do when I grow up (Trouble is the answer’s always the same – I don’t want to grow up!)

I did try to make a number of changes that will work in my favour – I lost 50 lbs, try to sleep an hour later in the morning, and made myself undertake a more rigorous swimming/exercise program. To make the weight control work, I’ve had to readjust my priorities so that I’m no longer on a see-food diet (if I saw food, I’d eat it) and faithfully get on the scale every morning to chart my progress. I call my diet the photofinishing diet because it works like photofinishing. I will not go on at length about it here, but will do a separate post on it for the advice section, right after I get this one finished.

Gerda and I were talking earlier about the past year and decade, and how surprised we are at how much’s whizzed by when we weren’t looking. 10 years ago my daughter was starting her adventures as a teenage and my son hadn’t learned to drive yet. Now they’ve both moved out and started their own lives and homes with other people. Wow! when did all that happen? I don’t want to miss the next ten years so I need to decide what I want to do so I don’t spend my time just running in circles. I saw a blog yesterday where the author was asking people if they had a plan for what they plan to do for the next seven years, and I thought “Hey, that’s a good idea”, as I’m done with the “oughts” and letting go.

Now it’s time to face the future and get started on the new decade.