Weekly Workout Thread 18th Sept till 24th Sept

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/18/2006 4:48:20 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
hi All,

I hope i can get a good massage here? Rod told me I would

Last tueday my massuer (weekly at home for Drena and I) went in very deep and hard around my shoulder blades. (I hold stress there when nasty stuff happens; we had 2 rahter nasty interactions with GIA at the Symposium the week before).
Anyway, he worked me over very hard.
Next morning at the gym, after 30 minutes of bike and treddle thingy, and doing the last of my 6 weights - pull downs - something popped just under my shoulder blades.
So my massuer (Alah from Bagdad) had better not go so hard tonight!!!!

Does this mean you will be reporting in regularly Mr Holloway?

Did 30 mins treadmill and 20 ellip this morning, I forgot to write yesterdays down - 50 mins treadmill and 25 mins strength training - oh me legs.....

Rod you remember you said about my tastebuds changing and I said maybe a little? Well, the past few days WHAMMO have they changed! I have really improved my diet and trying to avoid chemicals, I had a cottage cheese sandwich and tinned pineapple for lunch yesterday, hows that for saintly????

Mara I think it is the way you describe your food and things, makes me hungry!!!!

Maybe you should be a food writer as well as a diamondadviser/diamondphotographer!

Great job everyone and Jeff!!! Like you Jeff, I am now getting into the groove with our multi gym and learning how it works and getting used to the exercises. I am so glad you are enjoying it!

 

[lovelylulu]

morning all. i love the positive energy of this week''s thread. it makes me *almost* forget it''s only tuesday

my beau and i had a wonderful weekend because we got a CAR!! We''ve been without one since last February and thought we''d be okay. We live in a city and take mass transit for nearly everything. However, going to the airport, getting out of the city for camping, going to do a proper grocery shopping, etc. all became very difficult. plus, we have a pup (avatar) and she isn''t allowed on the metro...

so, for the first time in a long time, we were able to go to safeway and get all sorts of delicious and healthy foods, a whole week''s worth!!! last night we made baked salmon with dill. so fast and easy and delicious! i brought in the leftovers for lunch -- sorry office mates

we''re planning on taking a day trip out to annapolis this weekend and go canoeing while the weather is still nice and the following weekend we''re headed to shenandoah for a weekend of early fall camping (no bugs, mild weather, perfection) i''m really happy. it''s a lot of freedom that we''ve been missing. plus, we''ll likely never actually use the car except for errands and trips and still always choose mass transit on a daily basis!

i also made it to the gym and powered through three miles sans ipod. let''s just say i made it through. then i went home and did a milder pilates workout because my muscles were feeling a bit overworked. today i''m resting and have a book club to attend -- perhaps, i''ll skip the wine

we''ll have to wait and see.

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/19/2006 5:47:45 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 9/18/2006 4:48:20 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
hi All,

I hope i can get a good massage here? Rod told me I would

Last tueday my massuer (weekly at home for Drena and I) went in very deep and hard around my shoulder blades. (I hold stress there when nasty stuff happens; we had 2 rahter nasty interactions with GIA at the Symposium the week before).
Anyway, he worked me over very hard.
Next morning at the gym, after 30 minutes of bike and treddle thingy, and doing the last of my 6 weights - pull downs - something popped just under my shoulder blades.
So my massuer (Alah from Bagdad) had better not go so hard tonight!!!!

Does this mean you will be reporting in regularly Mr Holloway?

Did 30 mins treadmill and 20 ellip this morning, I forgot to write yesterdays down - 50 mins treadmill and 25 mins strength training - oh me legs.....

Rod you remember you said about my tastebuds changing and I said maybe a little? Well, the past few days WHAMMO have they changed! I have really improved my diet and trying to avoid chemicals, I had a cottage cheese sandwich and tinned pineapple for lunch yesterday, hows that for saintly????

Mara I think it is the way you describe your food and things, makes me hungry!!!!

Maybe you should be a food writer as well as a diamondadviser/diamondphotographer!

Great job everyone and Jeff!!! Like you Jeff, I am now getting into the groove with our multi gym and learning how it works and getting used to the exercises. I am so glad you are enjoying it!

Oh my........no matter how my tastebuds have changed since I quit the weed, I don''t think I could stomach that sandwich, but hey, if you liked it that''s all that matters........LOL

 

[Rod]

Congrats Lulu on the new car and the canoe trip to Annapolis sounds wonderful. I''m originally from the DC area and my grandparents (who lived to be 102 and 98 respectively) lived on the Little Magothy River till they passed away. Beautiful area to say the least.

So, if you recall I was looking forward to my run last night and as a reward I had bought these 99% pure chocolate bars. Well, the run was terrific. I''m getting better and better aerobically at running and soon 5 miles will need to be increased. So, yeah on that. But, trust me, DO NOT BUY CHOCOLATE THAT IS 99% PURE. God awful, I''m telling you. About as enjoyable as eating bakers chocolate, which when you think about it, is virtually what I bought. But, since it came from a chocolatier (Lindt), I assumed it would be a real treat. Wrong to the max.

Tonight it''s back to the gym for our regular three nights on routine.

Hope everyone''s having a good Tuesday.

Edit: Funny about the treadmill Mara.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/19/2006 10:55:28 AM
Author: Rod

Date: 9/19/2006 5:47:45 AM
Author: Lorelei



Rod you remember you said about my tastebuds changing and I said maybe a little? Well, the past few days WHAMMO have they changed! I have really improved my diet and trying to avoid chemicals, I had a cottage cheese sandwich and tinned pineapple for lunch yesterday, hows that for saintly????

Oh my........no matter how my tastebuds have changed since I quit the weed, I don't think I could stomach that sandwich, but hey, if you liked it that's all that matters........LOL

Oh blast - does that mean I haven't got you salivating about my lunch then Rod?

I can feel your revulsion loud and clear!!!!

I had the same again for lunch today!

That is a shame about the choc Rod - Lindt is one of the top companies too

Our Martha Stewart equivalent, Delia Smith, advises when buying chocolate for cooking and eating to get one with 70% cocoa solids as this is the best apparently. She also says the way you can tell that you have a quality chocolate is in the 'snap' - it should make a distinct snap when you break it. Sorry about your treatie - what a let down....

That reminds me Rod, do you use the treadmill much or just prefer the elliptical?

 

[ammayernyc]

Well, I must say I''m proud of myself since I didn''t want to go to the gym this morning but I did anyway. I did only 30 minutes of cardio, but I was starving so I had to get some breakfast/lunch. Ate well too.

I''m trying to make my motto be ''nothing tastes as good as thin feels.''

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning All,

Hubby and I walked for about an hour through our neighborhood last night which equates to about 3.5-4m. It was a good walk at a great pace.

Today I''m going to spend 30 min on the treadmill but my feet still aren''t quite right so I''m not going to push it.

Lorelei: I love cottage cheese mixed w/ fruit but I am not so sure about the sandwhich!

lulu: glad you and your beau have a new means for transportation. As a native Californian I can''t imagine not owning a car, when we visit Chicago it''s such a novelty to us to take mass transit, I rather enjoy it though!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/19/2006 11:11:39 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
Well, I must say I'm proud of myself since I didn't want to go to the gym this morning but I did anyway. I did only 30 minutes of cardio, but I was starving so I had to get some breakfast/lunch. Ate well too.

I'm trying to make my motto be 'nothing tastes as good as thin feels.'

Actually Amanda - it works! I have used this for a few years now and it does make you think when that piece of chocolate cake is calling your name!

Another one - a moment on the lips = an inch on the hips

 

[Mara]

lol amanda, i like that motto!!

my knot is still kind of sore this morning but i think my back just gets tight at night while sleeping. so hopefully class tonite will be okay. it doesn''t ''spasm'' anymore when i move in the wrong way, it''s just sore, but it could also be because i keep poking at it and massaging it so the muscles could also just be bruised! what a pain getting hurt is!!

wow my butt and legs are SORE from the treadmill workout, so i guess that''s a good thing...!! i like soreness because it makes me feel like i am REALLY doing something. not like dehabilitating sore but just a little reminder.

i am still trying to adjust to having more calories to eat per day...yesterday i ended up consuming about 1700 which is my new target. i have to rethink my old ''schedule'' to add in the 200-300 more per day that i am supposed to be getting now that i am working out every day basically. an extra fruit here or there mostly covers it. but it also allows me a slightly bigger lunch or dinner or whatever if i want to.

the scale is basically stuck at 148 so its like i gained back 2 lbs but i lost 2 lbs from the original #. but since 2 lbs can be water weight i don''t really make anything special of the movement or not. i just know i look good and that is what really matters. also ms flutter you said the scale may be evil but it tells the truth. in a way it does...it tells weight. but it doesn''t break out fat vs muscle. and i know that i have converted a ton of fat into muscle which is how i lost a clothing size and inches in my waist and hips etc without actually LOSING any weight on the scale. interesting anyway. so it''s very hard to use that weight # as anything serious. also my BMI is 22 which is smack dab in the middle of the range for my weight height etc.

anyhow hope everyone has a fab day...and congrats on the new car lulu. lorelei, happy to hear you are doing strength training but man that cottage cheese sandwich does not sound that yummy, girl!!! what exactly is in it? hehe.

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/19/2006 11:03:21 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 9/19/2006 10:55:28 AM
Author: Rod

Date: 9/19/2006 5:47:45 AM
Author: Lorelei



Rod you remember you said about my tastebuds changing and I said maybe a little? Well, the past few days WHAMMO have they changed! I have really improved my diet and trying to avoid chemicals, I had a cottage cheese sandwich and tinned pineapple for lunch yesterday, hows that for saintly????

Oh my........no matter how my tastebuds have changed since I quit the weed, I don''t think I could stomach that sandwich, but hey, if you liked it that''s all that matters........LOL

Oh blast - does that mean I haven''t got you salivating about my lunch then Rod?

I can feel your revulsion loud and clear!!!!

I had the same again for lunch today!

That is a shame about the choc Rod - Lindt is one of the top companies too

Our Martha Stewart equivalent, Delia Smith, advises when buying chocolate for cooking and eating to get one with 70% cocoa solids as this is the best apparently. She also says the way you can tell that you have a quality chocolate is in the ''snap'' - it should make a distinct snap when you break it. Sorry about your treatie - what a let down....

That reminds me Rod, do you use the treadmill much or just prefer the elliptical?

I don''t really use the treadmill. I feel that personally, I get a more balanced overall benefit (upper body as well as legs) on the elliptical. Perhaps I should alternate since I''ve started running. I was in a hotel not too long ago and they didn''t have an elliptical, so I did 45 minutes on the treadmill. But I guess I''d rather go outside and run as opposed to do it on a machine. Hmmmmm.......need to think about this?????

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/19/2006 11:18:44 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 9/19/2006 11:11:39 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
Well, I must say I''m proud of myself since I didn''t want to go to the gym this morning but I did anyway. I did only 30 minutes of cardio, but I was starving so I had to get some breakfast/lunch. Ate well too.

I''m trying to make my motto be ''nothing tastes as good as thin feels.''

Actually Amanda - it works! I have used this for a few years now and it does make you think when that piece of chocolate cake is calling your name!

Another one - a moment on the lips = an inch on the hips

Lorelei you edited this???? I liked your point about the slim lady only eating a few bites! It reminded me of a show I saw recently, where the lady, who was French, ultra elegant and slim commented that the difference between French and American, is that the French eat small portions and don''t typically finish everything on their plates, including deserts. Not that they don''t enjoy a nice piece of cake, they just don''t clean their plates. I know for me cleaning my plate is a problem. I grew up in the age of "Starving Children in Biafara" and my parents made me feel guilty for leaving any food or desert on my plate. Pity, as they contributed to my being an obese child, adolescent and adult and as you know I''ve had to completely change my entire life to overcome the sins of the past.

Lately, I have begun to slowly introduce sweets (something I truly missed) back into my diet. But, I always think about the French lady and how I don''t really have to finish the desert, just enjoy a little bit of it and it''s really helped me.

 

[Lorelei]

I did edit it Rod as it I didn't feel I had written it well. But if you liked it here goes.

It was something I read a few years back, about a slim and glamorous lady in a restaurent. She ordered dessert and ate only a couple of bites and pushed the dish away. Her dining companion was amazed and asked if she intended to waste the dessert? The slim lady just smiled and said ' after all the work I put into keeping slim, I think it would be even more of a waste if I finished it!"

That was helpful to me, in as much with desserts I don't have that kind of willpower

but that tomorrow is another day to eat some more, just because all this food is available doesn't mean I have to eat it all now and if I do it can undo all the hard work! The chocolate cake will be there tomorrow and the trick is to eat small portions - enough to enjoy the taste but no more.

My sandwich was quite yummy, cottage cheese with chopped up pineapple on wholegrain bread! You can buy cottage cheese with pineapple here in the UK!

It definitely seems the French way of eating is a good way. They don't deny themselves but have smaller portions of rich foods.

 

[Mara]

we went to this restaurant over the weekend, it was kind of like a glorified typical american place like a TGIF but a little nicer but everything you can think of kind of thing on the menu, and huge portions!!! like HUGE. but the interesting thing for me was that they had MINI Desserts on their menu!!! i was shocked that a place like that with huge portions and typical american food would have mini desserts! anyway they had about 4 and they were $2.95 or $3.95. i didn''t get dessert but i was thinking why don''t more places do that?!?!!

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/19/2006 12:33:50 PM
Author: Mara
we went to this restaurant over the weekend, it was kind of like a glorified typical american place like a TGIF but a little nicer but everything you can think of kind of thing on the menu, and huge portions!!! like HUGE. but the interesting thing for me was that they had MINI Desserts on their menu!!! i was shocked that a place like that with huge portions and typical american food would have mini desserts! anyway they had about 4 and they were $2.95 or $3.95. i didn''t get dessert but i was thinking why don''t more places do that?!?!!

Funny you mention that Mara. We met two couples from our old neighborhood for dinner a couple of weeks ago and we went to Timpano (national chain, but higher end fare) and when desert time came, they came out with the requisite tray of goodies and they were all these really really small displays. Two people in our paty ordered one, believing the demo display was just representative and they would get a larger American Sized dessert. Low and behold, the desserts that arrived were exactly as displayed and I remember the look''s on the faces of our friends as........."What the?????" I didn''t order anything, but the next time we go there, I just might!

 

[Mara]

I know Rod I loved it!! They had a creme brulee, an English toffee pudding, a ''world''s smallest hot fudge sundae'' (i''d assume with one scoop of ice cream) and a small version of a mud pie. Kind of interesting!! I didn''t LOVE the place, food was good but nothing special but I loved the small dessert. Wish more places did that. Sometimes all you want IS a few bites of something, literally!!! Most desserts are way too big for my taste. I love sharing with Greg or other people if possible. BUT sometimes there are the times you just do need your own dessert!

 

[KimberlyH]

Mara, I just wanted to share that your treadmill story inspired me. I intended to do 30 min. on the elliptical and I ended up doing 1 hour and burning 510 calories. So thanks for being my inspiration this morning, I feel great, except for the sore foot from Saturday''s walk, that I''m not sure what to do with.

Lorelei: I prefer my elliptical to the treadmill as well, just my .02 since you asked Rod. And I have the same reasons, I like that I get to work out my arms as well.

The scale budged a bit this morning, only 1lb but I feel better. And I noticed after running that the little love handles right above my butt are GONE! Woo hoo, that''s cause for celebration.

There''s a local restaurant that has the same titled sundae near our house, it''s .79 and literally a spoonful of ice cream, a bit of fudge, some peanuts and a cherry on top. I have only had it once but I really enjoyed it as I got ice cream without it being too much.


I have a stupid question...how do you copy the text boxes into your message? I''ve tried and I just can''t seem to figure it out.

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/19/2006 2:27:37 PM
Author: KimberlyH
Mara, I just wanted to share that your treadmill story inspired me. I intended to do 30 min. on the elliptical and I ended up doing 1 hour and burning 510 calories. So thanks for being my inspiration this morning, I feel great, except for the sore foot from Saturday''s walk, that I''m not sure what to do with.

Lorelei: I prefer my elliptical to the treadmill as well, just my .02 since you asked Rod. And I have the same reasons, I like that I get to work out my arms as well.

The scale budged a bit this morning, only 1lb but I feel better. And I noticed after running that the little love handles right above my butt are GONE! Woo hoo, that''s cause for celebration.

There''s a local restaurant that has the same titled sundae near our house, it''s .79 and literally a spoonful of ice cream, a bit of fudge, some peanuts and a cherry on top. I have only had it once but I really enjoyed it as I got ice cream without it being too much.


I have a stupid question...how do you copy the text boxes into your message? I''ve tried and I just can''t seem to figure it out.

Took me a while to figure that our myself.

1. Choose Reply to the actual message you want to respond to
2. Choose the Quote feature

And voila the text you want to respond to will appear in your response.

 

[Mara]

YAY Kimberly!!! That''s awesome. I was so jazzed after my workout yesterday..I felt literally thinner (even though the scale didn''t agree...hehe) because I knew I''d really pushed myself.

My old trainer used to say that the little love handles of pudge above hips/butt kinda thing are the LAST to go. My little hip ones are almost gone and it''s almost an absolute smooth line. So I hope that means that I''m almost a SOLID ROCK HARD BODY OF MUSCLE! lol.

 

[KimberlyH]

Mara: I checked out your picture in the charlotte pants and you are a solid mass of muscle!

I never thought that stupid roll above my butt would go away. But what I can''t get rid of is the little pile of fat where my waist turns into hips. Here''s my dramataziation of what it looks like (and I am being dramatic, but it really annoys me).

\ /
{ }
| |
| | |
| | |


I never had this issue until I gained all that stupid weight and then lost it...it seems like no matter what I do it wants to hang on as a reminder of what it is to be fat! Any suggestions on how to get rid of it? I know you can''t weight loss in spots (just legs, etc.) but there has to be a way to minimize it!

 

[Mara]

kimberly that area is what i am talking about re: being the LAST to go. my trainer told me that and it''s true for me too. everywhere else gets smaller and then FINALLY that little pudge above the hips and under the waist goes too. mine is ALMOST gone. incremental changes.

putting it on is SO EASY and taking it off TAKES FOREVER. another reason why a moment on the lips kinda thing!!!

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/19/2006 5:25:18 PM
Author: Mara
kimberly that area is what i am talking about re: being the LAST to go. my trainer told me that and it''s true for me too. everywhere else gets smaller and then FINALLY that little pudge above the hips and under the waist goes too. mine is ALMOST gone. incremental changes.

putting it on is SO EASY and taking it off TAKES FOREVER. another reason why a moment on the lips kinda thing!!!

And it''s not just women who suffer the dreaded love handle handles. I carried love handles forever and only recently have I noticed that they''re gone. And indeed they are just gone. As I''ve been known to promote on this thread. CORE CORE CORE. It includes abdoman exercises of all kinds and I''m pretty confident the core training has been mostly responsible for getting rid of my handles. Get the book! Core Performance Essentials by Mark Verstegen. Best small investment you can make. Promise!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 9/19/2006 5:38:37 PM
Author: Rod

Date: 9/19/2006 5:25:18 PM
Author: Mara
kimberly that area is what i am talking about re: being the LAST to go. my trainer told me that and it''s true for me too. everywhere else gets smaller and then FINALLY that little pudge above the hips and under the waist goes too. mine is ALMOST gone. incremental changes.

putting it on is SO EASY and taking it off TAKES FOREVER. another reason why a moment on the lips kinda thing!!!

And it''s not just women who suffer the dreaded love handle handles. I carried love handles forever and only recently have I noticed that they''re gone. And indeed they are just gone. As I''ve been known to promote on this thread. CORE CORE CORE. It includes abdoman exercises of all kinds and I''m pretty confident the core training has been mostly responsible for getting rid of my handles. Get the book! Core Performance Essentials by Mark Verstegen. Best small investment you can make. Promise!

Rod''s right...those love handles are dreaded by both men and women! I''m slim and still the weight goes right to my handles.

 

[Mara]

worked out tonite at kbox and then came home and did 300 jumping jacks and some glute exercises. then i had a chicken burrito...yum! i spent some time checking out calorie counts for burritos as we love them and una mas's chicken burrito is about 700 calories for the whole thing which is not that bad considering that many places have burritos that are 1000 calories! even with chicken. the tortilla is like 300-400 calories just by itself as is i guess typical for tortillas as they are dense with calories (but not much USEFUL stuff going on there except for carbs)....so i kind of only ate half the tortilla. i had the extra calories available but figured why eat them if i didnt really need them and wouldn't taste them.

working out tomorrow at kbox. my back felt good tonite, guess the knot is working itself out! hope everyone had a great evening!!

 

[Rod]

Check.......First of three in a row workouts complete. But, boy was it hard to find the motivation to go last night. Just as I left the office around 6:15, the skies opened up and with lightning and thunder and massive amounts of rain falling, I was like so so tempted to just go home and get under the covers. But, the gym was calling me and I had to go. Since I was there, I put in my usual 2.5 hour workout and pushed as hard as I usually push. My partner (I don''t think I''ve ever actually said his name. It''s Charlie) usually spots me on the free weights, but he wasn''t feeling well last night, so he did go home and get under the covers. So, not wanting to miss that part of my weight workout, I just starting bench pressing all by myself and this guy walks up to me and offers to spot me without me asking for any help. Then he comments that he''s never seen anyone make such a remarkable change in their physique as he''s seen me do. Man, did I ever feel like a million bucks over that!!!

So, tonight it''s back for the second of three in a row workouts for me!!

It''s Wednesday and I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and remember, if you''ve been avoiding the gym or been eating less than the healthiest fare, there''s still time to make the week a healthy one!!

 

[Lorelei]

Did my treadmill this morning for 50 mins, incline on 15% for 25 mins so that went well. Did strength training and I am definitely getting more familiar with the machine. Speaking of bad weather, we are supposed to be getting severe winds this weekend and disruption I have heard. Congrats on the comps Rod - you so deserve them and I hope Charlie feels better soon

Give him our regards!

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:18:01 AM
Author: Lorelei
Did my treadmill this morning for 50 mins, incline on 15% for 25 mins so that went well. Did strength training and I am definitely getting more familiar with the machine. Speaking of bad weather, we are supposed to be getting severe winds this weekend and disruption I have heard. Congrats on the comps Rod - you so deserve them and I hope Charlie feels better soon

Give him our regards!

Thanks Lorelei...........we've been concerned he had a mild case of E Coli. Don't know if you've heard about the raw spinach recall in the states, but there are now well over 100 people who have come down with the dreaded bacteria from eating raw spinach. And until the recall, we were eating loads of raw spinach in our salads several times a week. He went to the doctor and they can't find anything wrong, so maybe he just had a low grade virus. He seems to be feeling much better today. Back to the spinach recall. Really Really Really Really irks me that the spinach growers were warned about cleaning up their act some time ago. Baiscally nothing was done. [Can't interrupt commerce ($$$$$) or protect the health of our citizens you know.] So, they let people become sick, and in some cases die before they doing anything to protect us. Makes me a little more than mad........

 

[Lorelei]

Yes I did hear about it Rod, as my Hubby is from the States we keep in touch with what is going on there. This spinach business is terrible, I can well imagine you were so worried that was what was wrong with Charlie, but hopefully it is just a virus and he will be back to normal soon. Glad to hear he is much better today and I hope they get this spinach problem sorted out soon and will be more vigilant in future.

 

[ammayernyc]

Good morning.
I had a good workout this morning -- 25 minutes of light cardio before the trainer and then 60 minutes with her. I''m so tired right now I''m not sure how I''m going to stand for school!

I discovered a very cool thing -- tofu noodles. 1 package, which is two portions, is only 40 calories. Lots of protein and total noodle consistancy. I''m going to have to buy out the Japanese market now! I made a great stir fry with those noodles, musrooms, broccoli, carrot and chicken thighs (a little more fat but so much more flavor). So yummy and not many calories!

Although I had to taste beef yesterday at class I didn''t eat too much and only had a little sushi for dinner. And no drinks. Yeah me!

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:37:27 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
Good morning.
I had a good workout this morning -- 25 minutes of light cardio before the trainer and then 60 minutes with her. I''m so tired right now I''m not sure how I''m going to stand for school!

I discovered a very cool thing -- tofu noodles. 1 package, which is two portions, is only 40 calories. Lots of protein and total noodle consistancy. I''m going to have to buy out the Japanese market now! I made a great stir fry with those noodles, musrooms, broccoli, carrot and chicken thighs (a little more fat but so much more flavor). So yummy and not many calories!

Although I had to taste beef yesterday at class I didn''t eat too much and only had a little sushi for dinner. And no drinks. Yeah me!

Yeah You is right!!! Keep it up and you''ll be amazed at the progress you can make Amanda!!!

 

[Mara]

awesome amanda, congrats on avoiding the alcohol and the stir fry sounds yum!

what do the tofu noodles taste like? i love rice noodles for stir frys but they are very dense with calories, about 180 for 2 oz. so when i make us stir frys'' most of the calories come from the noodles. i''d love to find an alternative.

speaking of dense with calories foods....doing the research on my tortilla in the burrito yesterday really kind of opened my eyes a bit. i was interested to read that there were such incredibly dense foods, that have a not-proportionate amount of calories for relatively little nutritional value. i mean how insane is it that a 13" tortilla has between 350 and 450 calories (conflicting reports)? if you get a wheat one it''s a little less in calories aka 50 but it has WAY more fiber, about 8g instead of 2g for flour. but who eats a tortilla and gets full? and there are so many other things you could be doing with those 400ish calories!

so this morning i was trying this new cereal i got called Optimum Slim (whole foods cereal aisle is packed with these types of things which is cool since i get bored with my staple cereals very quickly) which has 11g of fiber and 9g of protein in it but looks fairly uninteresting so i tend to mix those cereals with some other organic lowfat crunchy and fun cereals like Peace''s Mango Passion (my FAVE right now) so that it gives the healthy cereals more taste and yet i still get the benefit of the high fiber/high protein kick. anyway on the back of the box of this new cereal it says something about how to to eat lean in a land of plenty. one of the suggestions was to avoid calorie dense foods...just like the tortillas. they mentioned a bagel as an example, it has something like 350 calories in one with fairly no nutritional value unless you get wheat or something...they said instead of having that, have an apple at 80 calories and you will probably feel as full. not sure if that is true since a bagel makes me more full than an apple but the jist was along the lines of what i was thinking anyway. aka how to SPEND your calories during the day. it''s like having $1400 in cash or $1700 in cash to feed your body. what do you buy?

anyway just some ''food for thought''...hehee. but i know i will be more aware of what i eat now and it''s usefulness to my body vs what i could eat instead which might have more ''value''. chocolate of course is exempt from scrutiny. hehee.

lorelei sounds like you are getting the hang of the machines! i''m sure it''s doing good things for your bones and muscle tones. do you have small free weights? you might want to pick up a pair of 5 or 7 lbers next time you go to the store, lifting them can be great for arm toning and it''s fairly simple and quick in case you don''t feel like working on the machines. i got mine for about $5 at target.

congrats rod on getting the kudos at the gym!! my dad asked me last nite if girls in my kbox class say i look super fit now. i''m like not really dad...hahahaa...he''s like why don''t they see it? i said well girls aren''t necessarily going to walk up to another girl and go ''you look really hot now!''...he''s like oh yeah. hehee. too cute. but he has told my mom that he is super happy that i am back into shape and that i look ''much better now''....he''s a workout fiend with his marathons and he also dances salsa and goes to salsa-robics classes and the gym almost every day so he''s always been super healthy. i know he loves it when we are active too.