Healthy Lifestyle Tread April 19 - 25

[marcy]

Dragonfly, sorry if I kicked off the week if you had something planned but since nothing was here yet I thought I would post something.

Hi everyone!

Experts suggest you go for 10% when seeking a new healthy lifestyle. Why only 10%? It’s easy to achieve, maintain and not unrealistic.

If you want to lose 50 pounds it seems so hard and far away to reach that goal. But setting a goal of 5 pounds can be reached in a few weeks or months (depending on how much you have to lose). Then set another small goal. This can help keep you motivated because you are meeting your goals and not being overwhelmed by a very distant goal that is so hard to reach.

The same can apply with exercise. If you don’t exercise you can’t expect to go out and run a 5K tomorrow just because you started to eat right and exercise. You have to work up to it. Try to increase your activity level 10% at a time. Then as you get comfortable with that range; kick it up again.

Eating can work with a 10% mentality as well. Eat right 90% of the time and then try to be sensible with a meal or two each week.

Have a great day.

 

[dragonfly411]

Marcy - I wasn''t sure if it was my week yet or not so no worries, great opener though!

Saturday I did a really hard core cardio workout for 40 mins then worked my abs for 40 mins. Yesterday I can''t say I did a traditional work out, but folded laundry, lifted groceries, and rode my horse bareback. I was exhausted yesterday though.

Last week was HORRIBLE for me with eating, so I am trying to get back on track starting today. Birthday weeks make it hard lol.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

 

[NYCsparkle]

marcy...good opener...its def. easier to set and keep small goals. the big picture can be discouraging.

yesterday i ate way too much lasagna and bread....but it was so good. other than yesterdays italian food binge i''ve been eating healthy, although i''m trying to keep my portions under control. how do you limit yourself when you want another serving? i think if i ate 1 serving size instead of 2 i''d be thinner...lol

i''m going to amp up my workout today. i''ve been doing cardio, but lazily...i''m going to try to really make it count.

hope everyone had a great weekend.

 

[somethingshiny]

Marcy~ Great opener! Thanks for starting the thread!

df~ Sounds like you''re kicking butt on your workouts, especially bareback riding--way to work those thighs!!!

NYC~ re: limiting, I leave the food in the kitchen (my table''s not in the kitchen). I put one serving on my plate and walk away. Italian food is my downfall so if it''s sitting in front of me, I''m going to eat it! When I''m eating really rich foods, I always make sure to have a big salad too. Usually I''m not still HUNGRY after the meal, I just still want it because it tastes good.

Hi to lliang, lorelei, rod, apple, maevie, beachrunner, pinki, merrymunky, NYC, deegee, deejay and whoever I may have missed. Hope you''re all doing great!!

We got JT''s room nearly finished. I did all of my painting outside so I was well-ventilated! Things are the same with Baby. No heart improvement yet but she''s still growing and moving a lot. I gained 5lbs in the past 2 weeks!! I was actually dumb founded. I mean I know there''s a baby in me and all, but 5 lbs! I''m thinking of making bruschetta for my entire supper....

JT''s going to a basketball game tonight with my sis so I''m going to veg. House has been sitting on my DVR for days now.


That''s all for now.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Pool and treadmill. Walk outside after supper--gotta love the sunshine!

gangaronni!

cheers--Sharon

 

[PumpkinPie]

the dietician at our work suggests the 80%/20% rule - much like the 90% rule Marcy wrote about in her first post. I think I''m somewhere near 80/20 now and am happy with that I don''t really have weight to lose, I''d just like to get in better shape and feel more energetic

ok - today''s accountability post

eats:

breakfast: homemade whole wheat bread with margarine, crystal light
snack: mini orange, 12 rice cakes
lunch: 3 mini oranges, carrots, sugar snap peas, handful of pecans, yogurt
snack: 2 small tea cookies, apple
supper: small portions of baked chicken and cheese noodles, handful of fresh spinach, glass of milk
snack: airpopped popcorn with margarine and white cheddar seasoning

exercise:

35 minute walk (uphill one way

)

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.

I hope you had a great Monday.I had a talk with my boss today in our one on one.I pretty much told him I was tired of the way my department is treated by his other department.I asked him if their work was more important than ours and when he said no.I pointed out well if they send us something that is wrong they are interrupting our work so the only way I can get our work done is interrupt them.I don’t know how far I got but at least I got it out there.I told him I’ve taken the high road for years but I wasn’t going to take it anymore.It felt good to get it off my chest, if it helps or will come back to bite me – who knows.

We had homemade tacos for supper.Mmm.Not bad healthy wise but I did have wine too.

Dragonfly, I will finish out April if you want to take care of May.That would be easier to keep track of I think.Does that work for you?I will do next week then you can start the thread.Birthday weeks are hard on wise food choices.

NYCSparkle, I so agree the big picture can be overwhelming.We I started at over 320 pounds I was just hoping to get below 300 pounds.You lasagna sounds good.It is hard to not have seconds when something tastes so good but I am pretty faithful about measuring our weighing out my portions.It’s the snacks that get me.

Somethingshiny, that is great you almost have JT’s room finished.You have been doing a lot of remodeling this year.

Sharon, I am glad you had a lovely walk.We have sunshine but the wind is very chilly.

Maevie, the 80/20 is a rule I hear a lot too.Sounds very reasonable to me.Feeling better is always a great motivator.

Take care.

Marcy

 

[BeachRunner]

Hello ladies!
Today was a fine day for a Monday. Did weights and abs and we had pork, sweet potato, and corn on the cob (which was way under-ripe and just not good) for dinner. We watched the special on Tim McVeigh that was aired on MSNBC presented by Rachel Maddow. It was a little slow, but very interesting none-the-less.

marcy- Thanks for the opener. Hubs starts work on Wednesday. yay! And you go girl! Its'' tough to express how you feel at work when you''ve been in a less-than-ideal situation. i bet that felt good!

NYC- If I don''t feel full after a meal, and know I should be, I''ll stop and have a little break. I''ll also drink water. That usually makes me full.

hi SS! Still thinking about you and the LO!

Maevie- Thanks to you and your crazy popcorn addiction, I am now snacking on popcorn. All your posts made me want some!

sharon- Hello, and still jealous that you get to do some laps!

charbie- HUGS!

 

[marcy]

Beach Runner, I bet that special was interesting. I can''t believe it''s been that long since the bombing. It did feel good to get things off my chest at work but we''ll see if it helps or makes things worse. Wish your husband good luck tomorrow. Mmm popcorn.

Have a great day one and all!

 

[BeachRunner]

Hello Tuesday!

So, I will not be working out tonight and will probably not be eating very healthy either. Hubs and I are going to a 3D movie tonight. We went to a music festival in October in Palm Springs, CA and they made a movie about it. There were cameras everywhere, so we’re really excited to see how the movie came out! We’ll probably eat bar food at a restaurant close to the theater, and I just won’t have time to get a run in. I work from home tomorrow, so maybe I can get a longer morning run in.

Marcy- The McVeigh documentary was very interesting. I had no idea he was already in a local jail (driving his get-a-way car w/o plates) when they linked him to the bombing. It’s like he wanted to get caught and to get recognized for what he did. I’ve always been interested in the psychology of how “different” minds think.

Maevie- My popcorn last night was delicious. Thank you! Now I won’t want/crave the overpriced theater popcorn tonight!

Hope everyone else has a great day!

 

[pinki]

I had a whirlwind weekend that is finally over. Friday I held the Charity Basketball tournament that had some big bumps...2 teams didn''t show up totally ruining my brackets, and I have a girl who comes to this tourney every year and is a BEAR! She complains about everything, is very disrespectful to the volunteers (refs and scorers) and in general is a bad person so by the end of the night I was more than ready for a glass of wine. We did end up raising almost $2K to donate to the Special Olympics, and I''ve decided at our org''s wrap up luncheon in July I will be making it clear that either she runs the event on her own (i''m out) or if she doesn''t want to run it but insists on coming she is not to talk to anyone but her team. Her mom is on the committee so that''s why she thinks she can be so involved and it is on my last nerve. After 3 years of her I''ve had enough. She just doesn''t understand all the work that goes into things like this, and she actually came to me to tattle that one of the teams got a technical against her team...DUDE!!! These are 25 year old MEN, not babies I can spank for being naughty! (Although some are cute enough I consider it...LOL...I''m so bad...)

Anyway...enough of her.

Then I headed up to my mom''s for the extended weekend because I took Monday off. Sunday we had a luncheon at a winery we are members at and the food and wine was amazing. We came home and kept going with the wine so Monday was a little bit of a rough go. I finally got motivated and started my 2 hour trek home, stopped in and took my Grandpa out to lunch and watched tv with him for a couple hours and then made it home, took a nap and then the FI and I headed out to dinner.

Marcy - Your opener is spot on. I set 10lb goals so that I stay focused on the attainable. My ultimate goal is 50lbs and I know that I would lose motivation easily so as I chug along hitting my little 10lb goals I get so excited! So far, 22lbs down and 28 to go! Congrats on speaking up to your boss. I''m sure it feels great to at least vent out some of that frustration. I was craving tacos yesterday so we went out for tacos, but tonight I think I''m going to try and re-create the Arby''s SantaFe salad that is no longer...lettuce, tomato, onion, black beans, corn and cilantro with a little cheddar cheese.

Dragonfly - I would say your workout on Sunday was MORE traditional! Hahaha...all that lame housework has to account for something right? You should post some pics of your horse some day! Hope your birthday indulgences were well worth it! I have one coming up in a week myself.

NYCSparkle - Oh man, now you''ve made me really hungry for lasagna! As for me, limiting servings, if I''m still hungry I go for veggies, or I start with really small servings so that I feel like I''m getting 2 even though it''s one. Use smaller plates help me too. To up your cardio try increasing intensity.

Shiney - Hello to you!!! When you''re all done at your house you need to head to Wisco and do some work on our house...we need help! When is your due date again? I''ve never had babies, but if you''re getting to the end I think that rapid weight gain is normal. Don''t they gain most of their weight at the end?

Canuk-Gal - Here here, I second that. What a difference spring makes in everything huh?

Maevie - You always make me soooo hungry for popcorn (ha, I just saw you get BeachRunner too!!), but once I start I can''t stop! Man, that''s one heck of a hill you have by you!

BeachRunner - We watched that same special, very interesting indeed. I didn''t know how "genius" he was...it was sad seeing all the stuff on the news yesterday about the victims too. What if you see yourselves on the big screen! Do we get autographs?

I received my stamps I ordered for my wedding invites so I get to finish them tonight and get them in the mail! Woo Hoo!!!! So my whole night will be my lame assembly line of stuffing and stamping. No backing out now! hahaha....

Cj

 

[lliang_chi]

Happy Tues everyone!!!

Yestreday was a pretty good day workout-wise. I ran to the gym 1+ miles to meet my sis there after her physcial therapy session. We did a 12 min ab set then sat in the steam room for 10 mins. Aaaah!!! Steam room

Dinner was pot roast, potatoes & a curried butternut squash soup.

Today I''ll try to hit a run and work on hub''s cake. It''s his b-day this Saturday and we''re doing a joint b-day thing with all the April b-days among his group of college friends. I''m making chocolate mousse cake.

Marcy, hope your boss takes what you said to heart. He must understand that the status quo is destroying the morale of your team. Great opener.

Dragon, How''s the eats this week. Birthdays do make staying on track hard, but there''s always this week to start anew.

NYC, I totally know what you mean about getting a 2nd serving. I try to tell myself: "wait and drink at least a 1/2 glass of water" It takes a while for your brain to catch up with your stomach in terms of fullness. Otherwise, plate/serve your food first adn bring ONLY plated food to the table. If you want seconds, you have to get up go to the kitchen and serve yourself.

Shiny. Good to hear from you. Glad to hear JT & baby are doing well. Make sure you get rest when you need it, don''t want you to over exert yourself.

Sharon, LOVE the sunshine! It''s actually quite bright @ 6PM now. Yay!

Maevie, Feeling great is definitely a bonus with the healthy lifestyle.

Beach, how was the movie? Did you see yourself in it? How awesome would that be? Hee hee.

Pink, your weekend sounds crazy busy, but Im glad you got so much accomplished. Hooray for family time with your mom & Grandpa. Hope the invites made it out.

~Lisa

 

[PumpkinPie]

I do have a complete popcorn addiction! I think it''s because I used to eat popcorn pretty often but all of a sudden developed INTENSE gastro reactions from it (sooo not pretty!) - I stopped eating it for nearly 5.5 years. I recently got brave enough to try it and it doens''t bother me at all.. now I can''t stop!

I met my husband during those 5 years of popcorn celibacy and I kept telling him how much I missed popcorn - I think he believes me now

 

[PumpkinPie]

ok my accountability post for the day (I''m so glad I have this opportunity - it keeps me so on track!)

eats:
breakfast: apple crisp (soo good!), glass of crystal light
snack: 1 small tea cookie,
lunch: 4 mini oranges, carrots, handful of pecans, yogurt
snack: very small piece of white cake with strawberries, apple
supper: small portion of cheese noodles, handful of fresh spinach, glass of milk, rice cakes (mmm dill!)
snack: 4 small candies - super big sugar craving - very nearly caved and ate chocolate but I did not!

exercise:
35 minutes weeding veggie garden & strawberry patch.. mmm can''t wait for summer!
35 minute walk

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. We had nice weather here today with a little bit of rain. I made pasta for supper and we had a glass of wine with it. Marty made the sauté some tomatoes and garlic to stick in the sauce. We have plenty left for a few lunches. I eat 1 cup of pasta and had a bread stick.
My boss was nice to me today. That’s about the best I can say. We’ll see how things go over the next few weeks.
BeachRunner, I hope you enjoyed the movie tonight. Enjoy working from home tomorrow. I remember they had Tim McVeigh in jail when they linked him to the bombing. I am always very interested in what people think.
Pinki, way to go getting 2K for Special Olympics. That is too bad that lady is such a bear to deal with. I can understand why you don’t want to deal with her anymore. Sounds like you had a great weekend though. How exciting you are almost ½ way to your goal. Congratulations. I do feel better speaking up to my boss. Let’s hope it helps everyone. Did you get the wedding rings for you invitation?
Lisa, the steam room sounds marvelous. I need one of those in the winter. Chocolate mousse cake sounds divine. Good point that the morale of my team has suffered. It is a great group though and I try to let them know I really appreciate them.
Maevie, popcorn and me don’t exactly get along either. Corn is one of my food allergies but some food allergy medicine and a round of alka seltzer get me by. I love popcorn but I like candy and coke with it as well. Too funny you quit for over 5 years and now it doesn’t seem to bother you.
Take care.
Marcy

 

[pinki]

Man, last night flew by. By the time I left work, stopped at the grocery and made Dinner it was already 8:00pm! I was really hungry for Arby''s SantaFe Salad they disco''d so I decided to make my own. I googled a cilantro lime dressing, that I made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it came out amazing. Then I made a salad with romaine, red onion, avocado, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, corn and black beans and put some of the dressing on it. Holy cow was it delicious. I have a ton of it left so I''ll be eating that for the rest of the week, but it was so good that I''m already anxious for lunch today. I also got some low fat, high fiber wraps which is what I used for lunch.

I got half of the invitations done...hope to be able to get the rest finished tonight.

This morning I headed to the gym as usual for my Wednesday Fab Abs class and then I did 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Lliang - is that soup a homemade soup or is it something you bought? Sounds really good.

Maevie - I used to have a co-worker who would bring me fresh popped popcorn every Monday in a gallon sized ziploc. I''d nibble on it all week and it was soooooooooo good. Ever since she left here I try and make it myself at home and its never the same. She tells me how she makes it but for some strange reason mine is never as good. Sometimes we meet up for dinner/drinks and she still brings me a bag. I love her!

Marcy - I didn''t get the wedding rings. Our wedding is vintage themed, and we''re not very traditional people...I also needed over $1 in stamps because our invites are square and heavy! I ordered the Bob Hope, Gary Cooper and Vintage Cowboys for the main invite, and I''ll arrange them so that Bob Hope and Gary Cooper are on each side of the cowboy, and then on the RSVP I went with Bill Mauldin. This way each piece had a 1930-1950''s -ish themed stamp. Our whole house is decorated in 1940''s including pin-ups all over the place so our friends and families would expect nothing less from us! I''ll be taking pics of everything and posting it up in BWW soon.

Hi to everyone else!

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

 

[NYCsparkle]

happy healthy hump day

its going to be a nice day here so i plan to take a nice long walk pushing a carriage.

i took a 2 mile walk yesterday and ate very well. i also played soccer with my son in the yard (that counts as cardio...right?) i made a yummy basil and tomato grilled chicken with string beans and a baked potato for dinner. i ate 1/2 a pb n j for lunch and i increased drinking water and cut out the coffee yesterday, but i missed it....so as i type this i am drinking a cup

.
i''m going to do a full body circut on demand today...its 40 minutes of squat torture.
EXERCISE IS THE POOR PERSONS PLASTIC SURGERY!!!!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Pinki--that dressing sounds good! I often use tzadsiki (sp) instead of homemade EVOO salad sressing.

Lisa--any news on job front/offers?

Marcy--sup[posed to be 23C today. I can handle it!

BR--happy exercise to you--even without the pool!

shoutout to everyone else.

10k walk yesterday in afternoon and walked in pm with DH. Wore flip flops in the eveniing and my achilles are tight today!

cheers--Sharon

 

[somethingshiny]

Marcy~ Yay for standing up for your dept! We have been doing a lot of remodeling. We bought the house a year and a half ago and we''re still not done! Soon though! I also have plans for expanding my garden. Don''t know how I''m going to convince DH to get that ready for me. I would normally do it myself but I''m pretty sure that manually removing sod wouldn''t fall into the "take it easy" category.

beachrunner~ Thanks for the good thoughts! hope your 3D movie was good, I''ve never seen one.

pinki~ You sure did have a busy weekend! YAY for raising 2k!! That''s awesome! My due date is July 14. I''m afraid the rapid weight gain is an indicator of gestational diabetes. I''ve failed the 1 hour glucose test and am in the middle of the 3 hr test as I type. Hopefully I can pass it and it''s just a fluke that I packed on the pounds. I don''t usually venture to BWW so when you get your thread up, please post a link here. I''d love to see your pics!

lliang~ 12 min abs! Good for you!! However, sitting in a steam room on PURPOSE seems odd to me... That''s just signing up to sit in hell for a few minutes! Have fun working on your DH''s cake! Chocolate mousse!!??

maevie~ Yay for not caving into chocolate! You''ve got far more will power than I do! I''m not a huge popcorn lover unless it has m&ms mixed in.


NYC~ Are you trying to cut out caffeine?? And, yes, soccer in the yard does count as cardio!! Basil and tomato grilled chicken sounds great. Yowza to the squat torture!



I''m in the middle of my 3 hr glucose screening. I have two more blood draws before I can eat. I''m SOO hungry! My risk for gestational diabetes is elevated because I''ve previously had a big baby (they actually have a name for babies over a certain weight but I can'' remember it right now.) If I am diagnosed with GD, my risk for developing type 2 diabetes is significantly increased. I''ll have results later today so I''m keeping my fingers crossed for a pass!

I have some weeding to do but going slowly (to stay in my "take it easy" range) doesn''t suit me well. With all of the stuff we''ve been doing around the house, I have to take a break every hour to stop the Braxton Hicks contractions.

I made some delicious pasta last night and can''t wait to have some for lunch in a couple hours!

Hope you''re all having a great day!!

 

[dragonfly411]

HI all - sorry for the lack of posts yesterday. Work has been IN SANE lol. I didn''t get a workout Monday night b/c I was soooooooooooo tired. Last night I did Jillian Michaels'' Fat Blasting Yoga. It''s a workout let me just tell you! I enjoy it a lot though, it''s more fast paced yoga.

So far eats have been good this week save for last night''s dinner. Apparently 4/20 is now a not so wholesome national holiday.... but the good news is .... food deals! Our local pizza place had a special of 2.99 12" cheese pizza... and you could order as many as you wanted! Well duh...we ordered 3 lolololol hahahahahahaha. So that was my dinner. SO has had it for Dinner, Breakfast and today he''s going to have some when he gets home

Oh to have a man''s metabolism.

Marcy - that sounds like a good plan to me. I''m going to gather some ideas together tonight!

NYC - I wanted to respond to your Monday post. First and foremost, it is good to have treats like that Italian food... because it jump starts your metabolism! Second! In terms of portion control. I really take the time to SLOW DOWN when eating... a lot. I pick at it almost. I take time to savor the textures, tastes, smells. I find that it fills me up quicker. Also, you could try having one small portion and then following with a second small portion... which would equal a normal 1 portion, if that makes sense. I also take time to sit after the one serving and think about whether I''m hungry enough for another portion. I also think to myself whether it''s worth it.

Beachrunner - I just love Sweet Potatoes, I wish SO would eat them more with me.

Pinki - If you head over to Hangout, there''s a thread dedicated to horses. I have a picture of me on my oldest horse there, and there''s a head shot of my baby somewheres around here. HEHE

Lliang - Sounds like you are doing well my friend! I''ve never tried a steam room


Have a good day all! I"m going to the gym tonight for a cardio session, then doing weights at home (I''m too embarrassed to use the machines)

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I just wanted to share that my darn husband has lost 20 pounds now in 1 MONTH. He has gone from 250 to 230. We were doing p90x 6 days a week and only drinking water, cooking everything with fresh food, not eating 3 hours before bedtime. Then he hurt himself at work so he took the time to do a whole body cleanse. Now he is down 20 pounds. I am down 2 eerrrrrrr lol

 

[dragonfly411]

Smurfy - if it helps...his weight will probably bounce right back on. "cleanse" diets are just a quick fix.

Also if you feel like you are losing slow, take some time to look at your portions, and also at whether you are snacking heavily? Also you might try altering your diet scheduling wise. I eat 6 small meals through the day.. grazing works with my metabolism better.

Good luck and stay positive! It''ll come.

 

[BeachRunner]

Hello ladies! It was a pretty uneventful day here. It was overcast all day, and rained late afternoon. At that point, I jumped on the treadmill. After 2 miles in, the rain stopped and the sun came out, sooo, I finished my run outside! I did some abs as well. My hubby started work today, so it''s back to dinner by myself. I made stir-fry w/ some brown rice, tofu, and veggies. Yum.

My movie was great. We met some friends for HH and I had a dirty martini (vodka) with bleu cheese stuffed olives. Yum! It was great, esp since I rarely drink. We split some wings, bruschetta, and calamari. It was bar food and bad for you, but again, don''t do it often so I thoroughly enjoyed myself

Haha, I didn''t see myself in the movie. They scanned the crowd so quickly that we didn''t even begin to look for ourselves. They only focused on two children on people''s shoulders (when it came to the crowd). It was cute.

pinki- It''s scary to know that sociopaths are usually very intelligent. A common trait among them is that they are friendly, trustworthy, and social people.

Lisa- I hope your sis''s ankle is getting better! Awesome to hear about your workouts! No big screen appearances for me!

Maevie- Yup, you should change your screen name to popcornqueen

. I enjoy popcorn, a lot! Strawberry patch? yum! When we lived on the east coast we had a killer herb garden. No such thing this year

Marcy- Yeah, we''re suppose to have isolated storms the rest of the week. April showers... Pasta and wine just go so well together. You can''t eat popcorn either?

Man, what CAN you eat?

I guess I''m super lucky to only get an upset stomach from dairy.

NYC- Your eats sound wonderful. PB&J is a staple for me. They are kind of getting old, but, whatever. We use the natural peanut butter just made w/ peanuts and apple butter. No HFCS or added sugars in that stuff!

Sharon- 10k walk! You go! We have a pool in our apartment complex, but it is no way big enough to try and do laps. I''ll have to google some alternative pool exercises. I can def run in the pool though.

SS- Well wishes with your blood tests. My old co-worker has Type 1 Diabetes and she went through a lot of testing w/ her pregnancy, as you can imagine. I hope you pass the 3hr screen!

dragonfly- I''m assuming you enjoy your new yoga video? Would you recommend it? I need to start yoga (I keep telling myself that and haven''t done it yet!) Oof! Ah yes, the infamous munchie food of 420. It''s hard to pass up such a good price on pizza! I hope you enjoyed it! Oh, I know..sweet potatoes are great, and great for you!

smurf- Yeah, detox diets are silly, unless you change your diet from processed foods to "clean eating". Your body will excrete waste by itself naturally. But, awesome that your DH lost 20lbs! I hope you guys get to start P90X back up soon!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable evening!

 

[PumpkinPie]

pinki - how do you find coworkers like her? I would be in love!

somethingshiny - M&Ms mixed in with popcorn?? the good ideas never end! I''ll have to try that some Saturday

BeachRunner - You''re right - I should change my screenname. I''m a total addict

 

[PumpkinPie]

ok - time for my accountability post...

breakfast: apple crisp, crystal light
snack: none
lunch: 4 mini oranges, carrots, handful of pecans, yogurt
snack: small piece of white cake with strawberries (damn colleagues)
supper: small portion of cheese noodles, handful of fresh spinach, glass of milk, whole wheat soda crackers with old cheddar cheese
snack: mini bag (80 calories) doritos, 2 small shortbread cookies and 2 small cranberry oat cookies (both package left over from a flight last summer- I was DESPERATE for sugar tonight!)

I kind of had a minor fall off the wagon today - but I had a stressful day at work and not caving into chocolate is miracle enough that I''m still happy!

exercise:
60 minutes weeding front garden and raspberry bushes

 

[lliang_chi]

Happy hump day! Thank goodness it''s down hill from here.

Yesterday I never made my run (nor worked on the cake). I got sucked into the "Interwebs Time Suck" and next thing I knew it was 8:30 and i didn''t even start dinner! Dinner was some lamb shwerma that Sis made, I made a chickpea, green pea, brown rice pilaf, tomato braised cauliflower. The rice came out really nicely, the cauliflower was just meh, I''d tinker with the recipe more to kick up the flavors.

I made the mousse for James''s cake. Mmmm... I quickly put it in the fridge to keep James from demolishing the whole lot of it. He LOOOVES chocolate. Tomorrow I''ll make the cake. Hm... now that I think of it, I should''ve made the mousse on Friday. Darn! I might need to make the mousse again! UGH! Bad planning on my part. Just told James he can eat as many mousse as he wants now.

We hit the gym today. Sis''s PT is in my gym so we meet up afterwards for a quick workout. James even met us at the gym (from the train) and we all came home together. I did some posturals, squats, failed at pull ups so I did negatives, then some heavy benches (sis was done and we were able to spot each other), seated rows, skull crushers, then another steam.

Marcy, your pasta sounds delish. I said to myself I could really use a glass of wine tonight. Sometimes there''s nothing better than a nice glass of wine to mellow me out. Sounds like you do a lot to make your team feel appreciated. I hope you boss starts doing the same.

Pink, the soup is homemade. It''s quite easy actually.Wow, i actually typed up the whole recipe in this paragraph and it was hard to follow, so I''ll add it on the end. That salad sounds soooo good. I''ve been salad-ing it up at work for lunch. I''m really enjoying it.

NYC, fantastic 2 mile walk! And running after little kids is definitely cardio. How come they never seem to get tired, but we do??? How was your circuit workout?

Sharon, they said they''ll call me on Fri for an offer. I dunno what I''ll do. Right now, without knowing the offer but assuming they''re going to pay me less than I''m making now, I''ll probably decline. Which kinda sucks because I''d like to try out a new company & new industry...

SS, How was your screening? I hope you pass. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Take it easy! Are BH contractions your body telling you to slow down? If so, I''m glad you''re listening. Mmmm... everyone''s pasta dinner makes me want to have pasta now. I feel dry saunas are hell. It''s SO Hot and dry, I dunno how people like it. But I guess different strokes

Dragon, Is JM''s yoga kinda like like "cardio yoga"? Yoga, but more intense and gets your heart rate up? That''s kinda cool. I totally know what you mean about having a man''s metabolism. James looses weight SO easily, it''s so not fair. The steam rm at the gym is eucalyptus scented. SOOOO nice in the winter when I have a cold coming on.

Smurf, So not fair about your hubs loosing weight so easily. Don''t get discouraged, slow and steady keeps the weight off :

Beach, Sis''s ankie is getting better. glad you had a fun time at the movie. Mmm.. brown rice and tofu. I love that! I get to eat tofu and mushrooms whenever James isn''t home or has something else to eat. he doesn''t like either. I loooove them. Especially mushrooms.

~Lisa

Curried butternut squash soup

1 whole butternut squash
1 medium onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1 or 2 bay leaves
.25 to .5 tsp of the following: ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, ground ginger
1 tsp curry powder (my favorite is Madras, it''s like regular curry powder but with less tumeric (the yellow color) )
4 cups chicken stock, low fat or homemade with fat removed
1 cup milk or cream

Take a butternut squash, halve and seed it. Throw it in the oven cut side up on 300 for 2 hrs (this is when I went to the gym). It''ll be really soft by then.

Finish your workout. Saute onion in pot with 1-2 bay leaves on medium heat. Add ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger & curry powder. Saute for 5 mins. Add chicken stock until simmering. Scoop roasted squash out of skin. Add to pot. Puree everything via immersion blender or in a regular blender (when blending hot liquids don''t use clear blender cap, cover the cap-hole with a towel and blend). Return to pot and add cream or milk. Salt & pepper to taste.

 

[marcy]

Hi.I had to go back to work tonight.Got home about 20 minutes ago, graded a few papers and thought I’d check in before getting ready for bed.

Pinki, glad your salad turned out good.Yay for getting ½ of your invitations finished.Some popcorn is definitely better than others.Have you ever tried the popcorn the Boy Scouts sell?It is marvelous.Your stamps sound very cool.

NYCSparkle, glad you had a nice day.We were in the 50’s but it was raining when I came home tonight.Forty minutes of squat torture makes my knees hurt just thinking about it.

Sharon, how nice you and your husband got to go on an evening walk.Flip flops do get your attention at first.

Somethingshiny, I remember when you guys got your house; I am glad you’ve been enjoying remodeling it.We are not the fix-it-upper types but I have friends who are and they really enjoy it.PS dust coming your way for good test results.

Dragonfly, LOL at getting 3 pizzas.We would be throwing them out before we’d get them finished.Yes, to have a man’s metabolism would be great.That sounds good for you to start the thread in May.We’ll see if anyone is interested in June.It’s fun to see different ideas.

Smurfyimproved, once again oh to have a man’s metabolism.Congrats to your DH.

Beach Runner, did you get some hail today?I saw some places around there had some.We are getting rain tonight.I am on the lookout for rainbows so I can get some pictures.I hope you husband’s first day of work was fun.Sounds like you had fun at the movie and going out last night.It’s amazing how obese I got being able to eat so few things.The only meat that doesn’t bother me is beef.Most leafy green vegetables bother me, corn, onion and peppers bother me, turkey makes me deathly ill and gives me hives, chicken gives me stomach pains and makes me nauseous, ham makes me itch really bad, I can’t eat artificial sweeteners; the pit family (peaches, cashews, almonds) swells my tongue, I am allergic to milk (not the lactose) – so trust me it is a challenge.I tend to stick with very basic, bland food.Poor Marty.

Maevie, I love M&M’s after eating popcorn – then with Coke.That’s my favorite movie treats.

Lisa, I bet James was sorry to hear he could eat all the chocolate mousse he wants.I find a glass of wine quite helpful after a bad day at work; Marty’s days are always far more stressful than mine so if he opens a bottle I obviously help him drink it.My boss has been pretty nice to me this week.

Laters,

Marcy

 

[pinki]

Last night was house cleaning (yay) and grocery shopping. I''m having a PartyLite party on Friday and needed to get the goods to make food. Kyle is still on nights so I have my nights to myself to snuggle with Fred and read a book. The weather here has been chilly and has Zapped all motivation to go for a walk or bike ride in the evenings. I had my salad again for dinner with a glass of white wine.

This morning was Body Pump at the Y. We did a new one I hadn''t done before so we''ll see where I hurt tomorrow. Work has been MEH. I''m not really motivated to do much even though I know I have a ton to get done. How many more years until retirement???

Tonight I''m making the food for the party and then heading to a friends to have a glass of wine to celebrate her birthday. Woo Hoo!

NYC Sparkle - Soccer with the kids is definitely a work out. You use so many muscles you never knew you had in soccer! I love your quote that exercise is poor person''s plastic surgery - Totally agree!

Canuk-Gal - I also usually just make a balsamic vinaigrette, one of my favs! Awesome job on the 10K walk, followed by another!!!

Shiny - Hope all the tests went well! Keep us updated. I''ll definitely let you all know when all my pics are posted.

Dragonfly - Holy Pizza Deal! I would have splurged for that too! I love me some cheese pizza. I''ll head over to the Hangout and check out your horse pics. I used to ride when I lived in AZ, my friends all had horses and I miss it so much.

Smurfy - I totally sympathize with you. I always think of that SlimQuick commercial or whatever it is...that is totally Kyle. I work my booty off and the scale barely budges, but he stops drinking soda and he loses 10lbs. Sheeeeesh. Give us a break! Keep up your motivation though! We''re all here for you!

BeachRunner - Bummer you didn''t see yourselves on the big screen, but I''m glad you liked the movie! I love dirty martini''s as well, but I prefer the olives to be stuffed with Feta for some reason. That''s the best part!

Maevie - We work in engineering at a power tool company...we were 2 of 2 women, and we tend to stick together! LOL. She''s an amazing person though. I was definitely spoiled and miss her dearly. I''ll see her Friday and tell her how grateful I am for her!

Lliang_chi - Thank you soooooo much for your recipe! I love the "finish your work out" line in there. LOL. I think I''ll try making this on Sunday. Tell James to send some of his mousse up here, I''ll help eat it. LOL. That eucalyptus scent in the sauna sounds amazing! My gym needs to invest in that.

Marcy - I have tried the Boy Scout popcorn, and it is really good. It''s one of my favs, but always seems so expensive. Boo on your crazy long work day! There''s not much left of this week so hopefully tonight shapes up better.

 

[PumpkinPie]

ditto on the boy scout popcorn - we used to get that when I was a kid - soooo good!

I hear that it''s girl guide cookie time but I haven''t managed to find any small girls selling any

Hopefully they will knock on my door soon!

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for the good test wishes! It worked! I passed the 3 hr glucose test and I''m very relieved!! It appears that first hour after the sugar drink my body freaks out, but then it calms down and figures out how to deal.

I''m finishing cleaning out JT''s playroom today to begin getting it ready for Baby. JT''s not pleased now. He''s finally realized that the playroom is really gone. He actually suggested we let the baby sleep in the basement. lol