The staff of life

Maya, Theo, and Max

I had a routine doctor's visit on Monday, which I had been dreading because I knew that I had gained weight since my last visit. Indeed, I had put on 10 pounds in the past six months, 10 pounds that I had previously found hard to lose. I had really slacked off on the exercise program during May and June. Plus, I had gone back to thinking that I could eat like a man again. I was aware of the weight gain, but not the actual number. The number was probably worse because in July I did log over 114 miles of hiking on the trails, putting me back on track, at least in terms of exercise.

I'm putting in the miles, all I have time for, so the only way to get the weight off is to address the second half of equation, food intake. So, the staff of life: bread and beer, along with potatoes and most other forms of carbohydrates are now off the table, or at least severely restricted. I'm eating various sources of protein and lots of fruits and vegetables. This is a great time of year for that at least. I'm going to try to limit the beers to two per week, which may be the toughest part of the diet.

Theo cooling in the stream.

The pics are from recent walks. I've got everyone outfitted with harnesses now, which minimizes leash entanglements and makes walking three dogs much easier.

Max, resting in the shade

Theo, alerting on something in the woods.

Theo and Maya, tails up, right after
a deer spotting.

Trooper and Maya

Maya, Trooper, and Gigi

Map of today's hike, just over seven miles.
2+ miles with Maya and Max
3 miles with Maya and Theo
2 miles with Maya, Trooper, and Gigi

Gigi likes to go occasionally, and I usually
take her and Trooper together on a short one.