[podiumchick]

Trish, we had that very casserole last night-ground beef, zucchini slices, onion slices, tomato slices and cheese. Yum.

[scrappinchar]

Okay ladies...y'all need to ask me tomorrow or sometime how I did...

I decided today that I will no longer swing my McDonald's (or Chic-fil-A) for a LARGE sweet tea! (Or any size.)
lol
I know it doesn't sound like a huge thing...but in my mind, it is!


Ack! This Southern gal with no sweet tea? I won't die, will I? lol

[PhotoshopScrapper]

Jan - do you have a recipie for those smoothies? Are you talking about using frozen yogurt for them (wondering how you make a smoothie if you don't use something frozen)? I am not a peanut butter gal (I know ... the horrors right?) and I can't drink diet drinks anymore (found that I was getting a TON of headaches from the sorbitol in them if I didn't drink them constantly).

I'll be doing my cardio workout in a few minutes (have to cool the house down a little before I start sweating). Hips are feeling much better this morning so I should have no problem (well, that's a stretch but no pain) while doing my full workout.

I stayed pretty close to my lowered intake yesterday (not sure how but I did manage since my calorie allotment without a workout was like 1200 calories on MFP). I think I wound up in the 1500 range - which is pretty amazing to me.

Christy - I'm with you ... don't know HOW some of these gals are having problems getting enough calories! I can get enough without thinking it's eating the LOWER amount that is difficult for me!

OK - house is cool ... need to work out before my belly is too full of water.

[ChristyVW]

Sounds like a great idea Charlene! Actually, it is a big deal. Google shows that there are 230 calories in a large Sweet Tea! Consuming that many 'extra' calories everyday add up to about an extra 15 lbs of weight (over time).

Did you all here a big WAHOO this morning? Well, that was me, breaking the 150# barier. This has been my nemesis all year in all my other attempts to drop some weight. It is where I would plateau and give up!!

[podiumchick]

Go Christy!!! I broke the 150 barrier (going up...) this year and that had a negative mental effect on me. Breaking the 140's when I turned 40 did too. I see the pattern and I'm NOT going there. Time to stop it for good. I tried ediets to keep me straight. Then online weight watchers. I know I need the exercise to do the job. Cutting calories or food is not the total answer because I'd hit that plateau and quit. So gooooooo Christy! I hope to be breaking barriers on the way down SOON.

[ScrappingForever]

I was wondering what that sound was, Christy! WOoo-HOOO!

You go, Denise! And just like Charlene needs to stay away from that Sweet Tea, it's a good thing to stay away from diet drinks. They are garbage, and actually studies have shown that those who drink diet drinks are more likely to gain weight!

I will find some smoothie recipes and post them here in a bit. I'm on my way to get my sweat on right now, and boy, I really don't feel like it. There was a certain kitty who was very needy last night. Said kitty NEVER gets on our bed. Last night, he must have been up there 5 times, purring, purring, purring, laying on me, rubbing on me, purring, purring, purring, very loudly! What's up with that??

Anyway, my energy level is down on the floor some place at this point. I'm hoping I'll be able to find it when Shaun T has me doing all of those push-ups!

See ya in a bit.

[ScrappingForever]

Okay, got it done. Whew! Only 361 calories burned today, since I only did the Insanity workout and didn't feel like pushing too hard. This is recovery week, after all.

Kim, that's exactly what happened to me. My weight kept going up and up and I finally reached the point where I KNEW I had to do something about it. No more excuses, to more procrastinating. That was last June, and look at me now! Woo-hooo! Believe me, if I can do it, you can, too! You call can! I don't have any secret formula. It's just a matter of determination and consistency. Like a said, a change of mindset and lifestyle.

Boy, someone get the soapbox outta here! I just keep climbing up on it! ACK! Can't tell I'm passionate about this, now can you!

[PhotoshopScrapper]

OK ... after a false start (I did drink too much water while waiting for the house to cool), I got all 35 minutes done ... wooo hooo! 320 calories burned ...

Now after I cool down I'll go have breakfast

[scrappinchar]

Jan...I'll nail the soapbox down (or should I use duct tape ) so that you can hop up any time!

Well, after I dropped the boys off at school, I did NOT get me a McD's tea! And to think, on some days, I'd get 2. (Not at the same time. lol)

I'm munching on some carrots just to keep me from grabbing Cheezits or such. Not because I'm hungry so much...but because I am an emotional eater, boredom eater, habit eater. Whatever.

I need to get in some exercise this morning...

[podiumchick]

I just did Burn Circuit 1, then chased that down with a 1/4 mile run/walk. I hoped to be able to make most of it running, but I only was able to run about 1/8 mile. Now the sweat is dripping down my back. Ate a handful of raw almonds to refuel. Legs feel okay from the run--shins a little stiff. I do not want shin splints. Got them in HS while on the track team. No fun.

On to the shower!

Yay, Char for turning down the McD tea! I should have been so good yesterday when tempted with the mushroom swiss angus burger. Veggies today!

[PhotoshopScrapper]

WTG KIM!

[PhotoshopScrapper]

Char ... good job turning away from McDs for ANYTHING!

[ChristyVW]

Good job Char! Maybe everyday that you skip the tea, put the $1 in a jar and save up for something special for yourself! A manicure, new top or something just fun!

Great job Kim! I remember running that first 1/4 mile, I thought I was going to die. I was so out of breath. I ran another 1.25 miles today, plus walking too. I remember getting shin splints so bad in HS too. Haven't had any troubles yet. Good shoes make a lot of difference, I think.

Way to go Denise! You must feel great!

[Shari PV Mom]

Yay Christy!!!! I've passed the 150 mark (both ways) multiple times. Usually in the process of having babies. These last 2 pregnancies are killing me though. Didn't lose nearly as much as I should have been able to do (like I did after Kalyssa.) But I'm changing that now!

I think most of you know that I recently had back surgery, right? Well, I've been trying to go off of my pain pills for a week now. Last night was night 7 and I expected it to be over (been through this before) but I kept having withdrawal symptoms until midnight! If I don't get up by 5:45 or 6:00 then there's no way I can get a workout in because the kids just climb all over me and make it impossible. So I got up at 6:08. I still got my 50 minutes "Ramp It Up" workout and my "Slim & Limber" 15 minutes stretch workout in but it was tough, tough, TOUGH. I forgot to put on my heart rate monitor so I don't know how many calories I burned but I imagine it was about the same as yesterday. I worked just as hard.

Okay, just so you don't think I don't ever eat because I can't seem to make my calories for the day, that's not true. I feel like I'm eating all the time! I'm used to only having an Ensure drink for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now I'm eating actual meals but they are all low calorie meals. I'm eating clean and not cheating at all. I mean, dinner last night was 433 calories, including my 16 oz glass of nonfat milk. That was a full chicken breast (grilled chicken parmesan) and a caprese salad. So I'm eating a lot more food than I was before, I'm just not eating the high calorie junk. With all the food I ate yesterday I still only got about 1100 calories in. I've entered my entire day of planned meals so I have a better idea of how many calories I need to add and in what categories. It looks like I might need to have a ww english muffin for a snack extra, at least. Probably something else too. I'm still over in my protien so I have some wiggle room in the fat and carbs. I'll get the hang of it someday! I found a recipe for low fat pumpkin cookies on Beachbody today and they are only 67 calories each. Maybe I'll make some this weekend and add a cookie for dessert.

So, I'm not nearly as sore as I was on Tuesday and Wednesday but I'm still sore. I'm completely kicking myself for not getting a heart rate monitor that gives me my avg heart rate. I'm almost positive I'm not getting that average right. I write down (or yell out to KC to write down) my number every 10 minutes and get the avg from there. It's probably close but the perfectionist in me doesn't like not knowing the actual spot on number. LOL! I looked into the Bodybugg (the monitor you see the Biggest Loser contestants wearing on their arms) and that's what I really want! I don't have the money for it but it's on my wish list. I bet I get one by Christmas (and my birthday - they are 2 days apart so I can ask for some good gifts ). I'm ordering another 2 cookbooks (I think I'm actually starting to like cooking too ... what have you done to me Jan???) and a kitchen scale from amazon today.
I sure hope I can keep up with this new lifestyle. I had some moments this morning where I was thinking "how can I keep up this pace, getting up so early every morning? Eating right 95% of the time?" I've never been able to stick to it before, why would this time be any different? So I'm trying to kick those negative thoughts out of my head and keep encouraging others so in the process I encourage myself. I really want to do this! I want to be fit and healthy! So I can't let those evil thoughts take over, I just can't.

Okay, I'm done with my pathetic little pity party! The kids are over at Oma's playing so I have a choice ... I can take a nap (and then not be able to sleep tonight) or I can dig out the Wii Fit and play some games. I think I'll do the dishes in peace and dig out the Wii Fit! And try to get in bed by 9:00 so I will hopefully be asleep by 11:00. LOL!

[Shari PV Mom]

That last post sounds like I used to eat only 3 ensure drinks a day. LOL! No, and ensure drink for breakfast and then high calorie meals for lunch and dinner. LOL! I would have been 80 pounds if that's all I ate! LOL!

[scrappinchar]

Shari PV Mom, on 20 August 2009 - 12:15 PM, said:

That last post sounds like I used to eat only 3 ensure drinks a day. LOL! No, and ensure drink for breakfast and then high calorie meals for lunch and dinner. LOL! I would have been 80 pounds if that's all I ate! LOL!

lol
You're right...I was like, "Dang. How did she do it?! Just an Ensure 3 times a day?!"
lol

I need to sit down sometime and reread this whole thread. Love the inspiration here.

[Blesha]

I did walk to school with our youngest child, and then home again. Later I walked to the doctor's office and back home, and then to after-school-care and back home. Even stopped at the grocery store on my way back from the doctor's office. That counts up to over a mile today.

Tonight I so fancied something sweet. Instead of getting chocolate milk, I had an apple. Yum!

[tiza126]

WOW there is a lot of inspiration here. I need to bookmark this thread. I'm impressed by all of you ladies doing these ChaLEAN Extreme and Insanity and other intense programs! I just don't have the hours in my day for something like that, between my full-time job and long commute times. So Jan hooked me up with Tony Horton's 10-Minute Trainer program. And let me tell you, the name is deceiving. Despite being short 10-minute workout segments, they really kick my butt!! And so far I'm down a pound this week!! Now if I can just get my eating back on track, we'll be in great shape....figuratively and literally!!

[Shari PV Mom]

Good for you Blesha! Just do what you can. Every little bit helps! And good choice on the apple!

[podiumchick]

Nothing new to add really except I'm loving the activity on the thread. I also pop on to see if Jan has a new message of wisdom (she's my coach so she's allowed a soapbox...)

Keep up the good work ladies!!

[ChristyVW]

Wow Shari! I am impressed with your commitment to be up at 6:00 am. Way to go girl!! You know we are just picking on you about your eating!! I know this is a major lifestyle change for you, and you are doing great! I hear ya on wanting to know the 'real' numbers!! lol! May have to check into a heart rate monitor myself.

I just picked up a new cookbook yesterday too! It is along the lines of 'Deceptively Delicious', but it is called the Sneaky Chef. I liked it better because it has the nutritional values for the recipes and uses a whole grain mix for flour, instead of white.

Jan, I thought of you when I read her Chocolate chip cookie recipe. She adds 1/4 cup of 'White Bean Puree' to hers (1 can white beans (navy, butter, etc), blended with 1-2 Tbs water) and 1/4 cup oat bran. adds a little extra fiber and protein.

Blesha, good job on the walking! Every step adds up and just being outside is so good for the spirit!

Theresa, I have wondered about those 10 minute workouts. I thought they might be great for those days when I can't get to the gym! Glad to hear they are a good workout!

[tiza126]

ChristyVW, on 20 August 2009 - 01:01 PM, said:

Theresa, I have wondered about those 10 minute workouts. I thought they might be great for those days when I can't get to the gym! Glad to hear they are a good workout!

Oh yeah they are great. Unlike a lot of exercise videos I've tried in the past that focus on one body part at a time, these workouts use several muscles at a time. For example, an exercise might be focusing on the arm muscles using resistance bands, but at the same time you are either standing on one foot or in a lunge position...so it works the arms, legs, AND abs. The program also comes with a fancy contraption to hook the resistance bands between the door hinges and a waistbelt, so you can add extra resistance while doing "simple" moves like lunges or kicks or jogging in place. So far I've tried the Cardio, Total Body, and Yoga Flex segments. The yoga one is my favorite. I haven't tried the Abs or Lower Body workouts yet...they just haven't come up in the scheduled rotation chart yet.

[Vaughnde]

Sounds like something I need Theresa...so when my finances get back in gear after this move, I'll look into those. I don't have Wii Fit or even a Wii but I would love to. I'm gonna see if I can put that on my wish list for Christmas but we'll see. The economy hit my parents as well as everyone else so they don't have as much funds as usual either.

[PhotoshopScrapper]

Jan,

What heartrate monitor would you suggest ... hopefully between $50 and $100 in price .

Thanks!

[Silly]

Blesha, on 20 August 2009 - 12:46 PM, said:

I did walk to school with our youngest child, and then home again. Later I walked to the doctor's office and back home, and then to after-school-care and back home. Even stopped at the grocery store on my way back from the doctor's office. That counts up to over a mile today.

Tonight I so fancied something sweet. Instead of getting chocolate milk, I had an apple. Yum!

Great job on all the walking - I wish things around here were close enough to walk to. Excellent snack choice too...you go!!!

[ScrappingForever]

Denise, I'm afraid I'm not an expert at heart rate monitors, so I would just do a Google search to see what's out there. Mike and I have Garmin 405s which are really meant for runners, but give me the basics of average heart rate and time. And it has GPS in it, so when I do go out and run, I can keep track of all kinds of things. But it's definitely out of that price range.

There are different kinds of heart rate monitors. The more traditional ones are the kind that have the strap that wrap around your chest. That's what we have. Some people don't like those, but it doesn't bother me at all. The other kind is ones that have sensors on the wrist device, usually that you have to put your thumb and forefinger on for it to register your heart rate. I don't really care for that kind, because I need to stop what I'm doing and hold still in order for the heart rate to register.

I have seen rave reviews of the BodyBugg, Shari. Chalene Johnson got one and talked about it on Facebook and her blog. She loves it, and when she loves something she lets everyone know. In fact, she even got a BodyBugg to offer a discount for those who put in a code they created just for her. lol I've thought about getting one, but I don't know if I'd like to have to wear it all the time in order to get its benefit. I thought about asking for one by Christmas, but by then, I had darn well better be at my goal weight, so I don't even know how much I would use it, since I'll be in maintanence mode at that point. But anyway, it really works for people who have gotten it!

Also, if you want me to take a look at what you're eating, and see if I can offer some additional ideas/thoughts to help you get your calories up, I'd be happy to. You can take a screenshot of your MFP log and post it here. That's probably the easiest way. I'm happy to do that for any of you, btw. Also, your attitude it spot on. Get rid of those defeating thoughts and just do it. Every single day. Just do it. Before you know it, it will be a habit, this will be your new lifestyle, and you won't even be thinking those thoughts. And with the great results that you're going to see, of course you're not going to go back to that other way of living!

Christy, I tried making cookies once using ground up navy beans to add protein. They were fine taste wise, but I didn't have a grinder to grind them up fine enough, into a powder, so the boys didn't particularly care for having crunchy parts in their cookies. (Should have told them they were Heath Bars! ) But using a bean puree would be perfect. No worries, there! I'd love to have that recipe, if you wouldn't mind posting it here.

[PBarnes]

I did 50 minutes walking again this morning. I have to say that I am a little discouraged at this point. I've been walking 45-50 minutes 5-6 times a week for two weeks, up from 30 minutes a day 4-5 times a week for the two months prior to that. I started adding some strength training (from Strong Bodies Stay Slim book.) I've been writing down my food intake for two weeks (just started MFP on Monday)and except for yesterday, have been under the calories and carbs allowed for each day. And I haven't lost anything in two weeks! But, over the last couple of weeks, my blood glucose levels have improved considerably. That's a BIG positive. Enough to keep me going with what I'm doing.

Jan, if the weight doesn't start coming off soon, I'd really like to have you take a look at my MFP log, but I will give it a bit more time since I've only got 4 days on it so far.

It's very inspiring to see everybody else's successes! Keep it up ladies.

[Silly]

PBarnes, on 20 August 2009 - 03:12 PM, said:

I did 50 minutes walking again this morning. I have to say that I am a little discouraged at this point. I've been walking 45-50 minutes 5-6 times a week for two weeks, up from 30 minutes a day 4-5 times a week for the two months prior to that. I started adding some strength training (from Strong Bodies Stay Slim book.) I've been writing down my food intake for two weeks (just started MFP on Monday)and except for yesterday, have been under the calories and carbs allowed for each day. And I haven't lost anything in two weeks! But, over the last couple of weeks, my blood glucose levels have improved considerably. That's a BIG positive. Enough to keep me going with what I'm doing.

Jan, if the weight doesn't start coming off soon, I'd really like to have you take a look at my MFP log, but I will give it a bit more time since I've only got 4 days on it so far.

It's very inspiring to see everybody else's successes! Keep it up ladies.

Pat,

I'm sure Jan can chime in here with a more scientific explanation but it's my understanding that your caloric intake has to be in balance with your exercise output - in otherwords, if your exerting a certain amount of energy and you're cutting the calories down below a certain point, then your body will say, oh no, not getting enough, I need to hold onto this much in order to continue putting out this much energy. Although it sounds backwards, you may be cutting too many calories.

[ChristyVW]

Ok...have not tried these...so no promises!!

Unbelievable Chocolate Chip cookies:

1 Cup Flour Blend (the blend is 1/3 white flour, 1/3 wheat flour and 1/3 wheat germ)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 Oat bran
8 TBS Unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup White Been puree (make 1 cup of puree in blender from one can of beans and 1-2 Tbsp of water)
1/2 cup semisweet Chocolate chips

Whisk together flour, soda, salt and oat bran

Beat butter, sugars together, beat in egg, vanilla, bean puree. Add dry ingredients and mix on slow speed. Stir in choc. chips. Make two bite cookies by dropping rounded teaspoons onto non-stick pan or parchment lined pan

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.

She says this makes 4 dozen cookies...which must be VERY small cookies, but here is her nutritional info per cookie.

46 calories
2.6 g fat
.5 g fiber
5.6 carb
3.0 g sugars
0.8 g protien

From 'The Sneaky Chef to the rescue'

Made the 'Brainy Brownies' from this book today. They are pretty good! They use the same flour mix and have spinach and blueberries in them!

And Jan...you can have the diet soda, but keep my coffee off your soapbox!! LOL!!

[tiza126]

Well ladies, since I have "get fit" on the brain today, I decided to walk part of my commute home today. When I got off bus #3, instead of waiting for bus #4, I decided to see how far away my apartment was. It was a nice day, with temperatures only hitting a high of about 80, so I knew I wouldn't pass out from the heat. So I just started walking. Total walking time was 25 minutes...with my bus passing me at minute #18. According to Google Maps, I walked approximately 1.6 miles!! I must have been walking at a good pace to make that distance in 25 minutes, while lugging my 8lb work bag. :-)

Time to make a nice healthy garden salad for dinner!