Weekly Workout Thread 12th Feb till 18th Feb

[Rod]

Date: 2/15/2007 10:35:25 PM
Author: basil

Date: 2/15/2007 10:24:23 PM
Basil, If you''re hungry most of the time, you''re probably not eating enough and your body could be in deprivation mode and that could be one reason you may not losing the weight you want to lose. Since I don''t know your height or weight, 1500 calories a day could be enough, but for most of us, that''s probably not enough, particularly if you''re regularly exercising. Use sparkpeople and sites as a help, not the gospel. Don''t starve yourself. I used to do that and it''s not a good thing to do.

Hi Rod,

I''m about 5''5'' tall and as of this afternoon, 123.5 lbs. I did lose 2 lbs in 6 days averaging 1350 calories per day and burning around 500 calories daily for exercise. I''m thinking maybe I should aim for the upper end of the range, around 1450-1500 calories and hopefully continue to lose.

Doesn''t seem to me you''re overweight to begin with. Don''t starve yourself, eat healthy and exercise!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 2/15/2007 10:35:25 PM
Author: basil

Date: 2/15/2007 10:24:23 PM
Basil, If you're hungry most of the time, you're probably not eating enough and your body could be in deprivation mode and that could be one reason you may not losing the weight you want to lose. Since I don't know your height or weight, 1500 calories a day could be enough, but for most of us, that's probably not enough, particularly if you're regularly exercising. Use sparkpeople and sites as a help, not the gospel. Don't starve yourself. I used to do that and it's not a good thing to do.

Hi Rod,

I'm about 5'5' tall and as of this afternoon, 123.5 lbs. I did lose 2 lbs in 6 days averaging 1350 calories per day and burning around 500 calories daily for exercise. I'm thinking maybe I should aim for the upper end of the range, around 1450-1500 calories and hopefully continue to lose.

Basil,

I am 5'5 so I know the following:

The AMA recommends a body weight of 127-144. I am not telling you this to say that you are too thin, just to inform you of what is considered healthy for your height. Perhaps your body won't let you lose the weight because it doesn't want to let go of the lbs. you currently carry around.

Our bodies hold on to a certain amount of weight as reserves so that if we get sick it has something to sustain itself. Sometimes it is best to listen to what our bodies are telling us, and sometimes the message is that you are fine just the way you are.

Keep up the good work of exercising and eating healthy, but don't eat too little and don't become obsessed with a number on the scale, it's simply not good for you.

ETA: This post sounds preachy, not my intent, I just hate to see someone who is healthy and takes good care of themselves beating themselves up for something more.

 

[Rod]

Date: 2/15/2007 10:54:27 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 2/15/2007 10:35:25 PM
Author: basil

Date: 2/15/2007 10:24:23 PM
Basil, If you're hungry most of the time, you're probably not eating enough and your body could be in deprivation mode and that could be one reason you may not losing the weight you want to lose. Since I don't know your height or weight, 1500 calories a day could be enough, but for most of us, that's probably not enough, particularly if you're regularly exercising. Use sparkpeople and sites as a help, not the gospel. Don't starve yourself. I used to do that and it's not a good thing to do.

Hi Rod,

I'm about 5'5' tall and as of this afternoon, 123.5 lbs. I did lose 2 lbs in 6 days averaging 1350 calories per day and burning around 500 calories daily for exercise. I'm thinking maybe I should aim for the upper end of the range, around 1450-1500 calories and hopefully continue to lose.

Basil,

I am 5'5 so I know the following:

The AMA recommends a body weight of 127-144. I am not telling you this to say that you are too thin, just to inform you of what is considered healthy for your height. Perhaps your body won't let you lose the weight because it doesn't want to let go of the lbs. you currently carry around.

Our bodies hold on to a certain amount of weight as reserves so that if we get sick it has something to sustain itself. Sometimes it is best to listen to what our bodies are telling us, and sometimes the message is that you are fine just the way you are.

Keep up the good work of exercising and eating healthy, but don't eat too little and don't become obsessed with a number on the scale, it's simply not good for you.

ETA: This post sounds preachy, not my intent, I just hate to see someone who is healthy and takes good care of themselves beating themselves up for something more.

You go Kimberly!!!! And Basil, please listen to what she said. Smart lady that Kimberly!!

 

[Mara]

Well, SparkPeople will give you a caloric range based on what your goals are. They also don't let you lose more than something like 1 lb a week or something like that. So you have to be sure and put a realistic goal in for your future goal date. aka don't aim to lose 5 lbs in 3 weeks. The caloric intake will be really low to meet that goal if it even lets you. If you give yourself the goal of 5 weeks or similar for 5 lbs, you will probably see that SP will give you more calories to eat. Play around with it a bit and see what it says. Also yes you can stay at the higher end of your range and probably still lose the weight, there is a range after all. But yeah I have to kind of agree with Kimberly and Rod. Your weight seems fine for your height and if you want to tone up, that's different from losing weight. Do you know your body fat %?

Lastly, WHAT are you eating? There's 1350 calories per day..and then there's 1350 calories a day. How are you spending your calories? Lots of fiber, protein, low fat and healthy, fresh stuff? You'll probably find that you stay fuller longer. The days I eat less I don't feel hungry necessarily...I eat if I do. But I make sure I get a ton of fiber and I am eating the right things for me. BUT if I am still hungry...I definitely eat! Something easy. 60 cal yogurt or smoothie or 1/2 a luna bar or something. Some days I just DO feel hungrier, and if I do, I eat. For me it's not worth it to lose 5 lbs and be hungry all the time, it's really not. That's not enjoying life.

Kimberly, your casserole sounds yummy!! Rod, glad to hear you had a nice lunch and a sweet treat today. DJ..congrats on 699, are you actually beating yourself up for not making 700??!?!

I hit the gym and burned 575 cals doing treadmill, elliptical and some arm weights. So 75 more than I wanted (and I had raised my goal from 450 to 500 today so I beat the original goal by 125 which is nice). I also got my lb back...so I'm back to 134...probably thanks to my big meals yesterday, lol. I might work out tomorrow as well because Greg won't be home til 7ish..or maybe I'll just take a long walk with P. We'll see. Tomorrow is a day off...but we'll see how I feel.

Dinner was super simple, vegetable beef soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for us..yummy. Dessert is going to be the banana cream pudding and maybe a bite of a truffle, we'll see. Hope everyone is having a great night...tomorrow is Friday! Whee!

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks for the advice KateBar, Rosebud and Rod

I will nix the fish oil for today I think. I didn''t work out last night as I was feeling fragile after having ralphed

, but I feel better this morning, it is breakfast time for me and I am not looking forward to it in case it happens again... Oh blimey....

 

[basil]

Hi All,

Oh, dear. Honestly, I''m really not too thin, and I''m not wasting away! I have a really small frame. I weighed between 115-120 for several years with no effects of malnutrition (no skipped periods, my hair, nails and skin were healthy). Then I gained 10-12 lbs last year after I met my fiance and his love of sushi buffets and chinese carry-out. I lost 5 lbs watching my portion sizes and eating a little healthier, but then I got stuck at 125 so I tried Sparkpeople. I put in to lose 5 lbs by mid-March (which was about 6 weeks away when I started). Yes, it''s all about vanity and not about health per se, but I do have a wedding gown to buy, and I still can''t fit into half the clothes in my closet!

Kimberly - I''m not sure where your calculations come from. According to the BMI chart, I am not underweight, and I won''t be underweight at 120 either.

Mara - my body fat % (as measured by my scale at home, so I don''t know how accurate it is) consistently reads 28-28.5%.

My meals have been approximately this:

breakfast: steel cut oatmeal with better''n PB, flax seeds, green tea

lunch: half-turkey sandwich on wheat bread with mustard, tomato, pickles + side salad with low fat balsamic + baked lays OR can of soup + whole wheat crackers OR LC pizza + side salad with low-fat balsamic OR small Wendy''s french fries + side salad (got stuck in the middle of nowhere with no lunch yesterday!)

dinner: quesadilla (2 tortillas) with fat-free refried beans, low-fat cheese, chicken breast, salsa, yogurt OR taco salad with lettuce, chicken breast, red pepper, refried beans, salsa, yogurt, and baked doritos OR Trader Joe''s chicken shu mai (the whole box) OR beef stew and large salad with blue cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, and low-fat balsamic.

after-dinner snack: blackberries OR strawberries OR 100 cal bag of popcorn OR small piece of Belgian chocolate, +/- small glass of skim milk

 

[lovelylulu]

seriously, what are the health benefits of fish oil. my curiousity is piqued.

made it to the gym last night. i''m definitely in a honeymoon phase for working out seeing that i rested the ENTIRE month of January. i was ready to get moving again.

dinner was broccoli, chicken breast and brown rice. topped with a tablespoon of this super delicious peanut butter sauce. no peter pan was used. smucker''s all natural

.

the rice was the trader joe''s frozen variety and i must say it''s pretty darn good and couldn''t be easier. perfect for later nights when i don''t have the time/energy to prep big dinners.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I was going to stay on the lighter side of cals today since we're going to a French restaurant for dinner and then to a party, but I remembered that I had a pumpkin muffing waiting for me in my office so I stopped for coffee too and now I'm in breakfast heaven, LOL.

Lunch will be a LC; I really like some of these new Spa ones.

I'll be able to work out for the next three days (Sat/Sun/Mon) but I think I'm going to try to mix it up a little and do some of the bike and the treadmill because I don't think I've been off the elliptical for a few weeks now.

And I'm with Lulu -- what's up with the fish oil?!

 

[Aurelia]

Date: 2/16/2007 8:41:10 AM
Author: lovelylulu
seriously, what are the health benefits of fish oil. my curiousity is piqued.

Here's a brief overview:
Fish oil benefits? You bet! Fish oil health benefits are important and wide-ranging. Proven by numerous clinical studies, fish oil benefits range from brain health to heart health to pregnancy health. Fish oil health benefits come primarily from the two Omega 3 essential fatty acids in fish oil -- DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and to a lesser extent EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). While plant sources such as flax seed will provide the body with Omega 3 oil, the body must convert it into DHA and EFA, and that conversion can be difficult for some people or for elderly people. However, fish oil provides the body with DHA and EPA in a natural form that can easily be assimilated.


Here are a few benefits:

-Lowers blood triglycerides - high levels of triglycerides are known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

-Helps reduce likelihood of blood clots - fish oil benefits include the prevention of blood platelets from sticking together & forming blood clots.

-Lowers mild high blood pressure - fish oil helps lower blood pressure when it is due to high cholesterol and hardening of the arteries

-Reduces inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and gout - fish oil health benefits come from the DHA and EPA that reduce the amount of inflammation-causing substances.

-Lowers risk of developing Altzheimer's Disease - studies have found that fish oil seems to help protect the nervous system.


-Reduces depression rates - the lack of DHA has been linked to higher incidence rates of depression.


-Improves immune system function - fish oil benefits and studies have linked lowered risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer to the consumption of fish oil.


And there are even more fish oil benefits! From lowered risk of age-related macular degeneration to reducing the risk of osteoporosis to benefits for Type II diabetics, fish oil health benefits are truly spectacular.


However, there are some precautions that you should be aware of when considering your sources for fish oils. Some fish oils can contain:
* Contaminants such as PCB's and heavy metals like mercury
* Additional additives to keep the fish oil from becoming rancid during the transporting and encapsulating process
* Low DHA levels


Inferior and contaminated fish oil products do exist, while at the same time fish oils are available that are harvested from pristine ocean waters. Be sure the fish oils you consume to enjoy fish oil health benefits contain high levels of DHA and EPA and are free from the heavy metals. Read as much as you can about even more fish oil benefits that provide an amazing array of health benefits.

ETA... formatting!
Aurelia

 

[nejarb]

fish oils are good for heart function and lower blood pressure. it''s probably not too important to take the supplements if you''re young and healthy, but preventative nutrition is of course important, so it''s probably a good idea to eat salmon and flax seeds (which also contain similar oils).

sweet basil, i also become ravenous when i try to go too low w/ calories. even if i''m eating high protien & high fiber foods, and even if i eat frequently. by the way, you''re body fat % is probably incorrect on your home scale. mine says the same thing (28%), but when tested w/ callipers & the electric hand thing at the gym, it was several % lower.

i can''t remember the last time i didn''t go to the gym in the morning (definitely >1 week), so i think i''ll take the day off and clean my apt this morning. yay me, i got a job! but i still have my mornings free to work out & go shopping (groceries, mostly), etc.

i made my best soup ever a few nights ago. split pea. i''ll post my recipe if there''s interest--for some reason though it''s hard to imagine that anyone else likes the stuff!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 2/16/2007 7:07:23 AM
Author: basil
Hi All,

Oh, dear. Honestly, I'm really not too thin, and I'm not wasting away! I have a really small frame. I weighed between 115-120 for several years with no effects of malnutrition (no skipped periods, my hair, nails and skin were healthy). Then I gained 10-12 lbs last year after I met my fiance and his love of sushi buffets and chinese carry-out. I lost 5 lbs watching my portion sizes and eating a little healthier, but then I got stuck at 125 so I tried Sparkpeople. I put in to lose 5 lbs by mid-March (which was about 6 weeks away when I started). Yes, it's all about vanity and not about health per se, but I do have a wedding gown to buy, and I still can't fit into half the clothes in my closet!

Kimberly - I'm not sure where your calculations come from. According to the BMI chart, I am not underweight, and I won't be underweight at 120 either.

Mara - my body fat % (as measured by my scale at home, so I don't know how accurate it is) consistently reads 28-28.5%.

My meals have been approximately this:

breakfast: steel cut oatmeal with better'n PB, flax seeds, green tea

lunch: half-turkey sandwich on wheat bread with mustard, tomato, pickles + side salad with low fat balsamic + baked lays OR can of soup + whole wheat crackers OR LC pizza + side salad with low-fat balsamic OR small Wendy's french fries + side salad (got stuck in the middle of nowhere with no lunch yesterday!)

dinner: quesadilla (2 tortillas) with fat-free refried beans, low-fat cheese, chicken breast, salsa, yogurt OR taco salad with lettuce, chicken breast, red pepper, refried beans, salsa, yogurt, and baked doritos OR Trader Joe's chicken shu mai (the whole box) OR beef stew and large salad with blue cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, and low-fat balsamic.

after-dinner snack: blackberries OR strawberries OR 100 cal bag of popcorn OR small piece of Belgian chocolate, +/- small glass of skim milk

Basil,

It's not a calculation, it's American Medical Association's recommendation. It does assume that you have a medium frame (to determine this, wrap your hand around your wrist your thumb and middle finger should touch, but not overlap a great deal or measure your elbow or for your height it should be 2 5/8" - 2 7/8").

No need to "oh dear." As I said in my previous post, I wasn't insinuating or bluntly telling you that you are too thin. My point was simply that sometimes what we want for ourselves doesn't mesh with what our bodies need and there are reasons for it. I don't think you're unhealthy and I don't think you are harming yourself, I was just trying to provide you with encouragement to keep up the good work, but not beat yourself up or start being extreme about food intake and calories burned to push yourself to a level that your body isn't comfortable being at and will be hard to maintain. If you are hungry after a 1300 calorie day then you should eat a bit more. But first, I would recommend that you break up your lunch meals before eating more though just to see if it helps; have the can of soup or sandwich at 11 (when you said you were getting hungry) and then have some fruit or the baked chips at 3pm, that should tide you over until dinner.

Good luck!

 

[KimberlyH]

nejarb, I love split pea soup, please post the recipe!

I woke up HUGNRY this morning. I ate 1200 cals yesterday and my body is saying "feed me, feed me!" Too funny. Only one more day of eating this low cal to maintain my 1500 cal average for this week.

I''m meeting up with a friend for lunch and have already planned my meal. Not my favorite place (Greek and fast food should not be paired!) but she loves it and needs to eat quickly. I''ll have a greek salad and eat 1/2 a pita and be at about 300 calories for lunch, which is pretty good. John is in charge of dinner, I don''t know what he''s making, he promised it would be good for us!

Mara, the casserole turned out delicious w/o the sour cream! It wasn''t to watery/saucy, just really yummy. And I figured I lopped off about 50-70 calories per serving by leaving out the sc and only using two tortillas (the recipe calls for two per person and we ate about 2/3 of one per person).

I think I''ll do a short workout today. I''m 700 calories away from my goal of 2000 calories burned this week so I''ll do a shorter workout, 300-400 calories and then have one more to complete this weekend.

Happy Friday Everyone!!

 

[Mara]

basil, i also think your bf scale is incorrect as 28% seems high since if i recall correctly you are pretty fit? but the reason i asked about bf is this...i am 134 and 5'7". but visually i look thinner. my husband thought i was more like 120. a few friends think i could gain a few lbs. but my weight is right smack dab in the middle of my weight for my height i think, from ranges i have seen it's like 125 to 150 or something like that for an okay healthy weight. and even if it's 130-150 or whatever, i'm still a few lbs over it. but my body fat is 18.9..i have had it measured 3x in the last 3-4 months and at first it was 22 then 20.5 and now 18.9. so i am pretty 'lean' in terms of how much fat my body is carrying, even if the scale # is not super low. i think it's also the way my frame is. i have broader shoulders and curvier hips so there's only so 'small' those areas can get. and i don't want to look gaunt...so i am trying to pay attn to how i am eating and working out etc to maintain what i have done but not get any lower. i also don't want my bf to really get any lower so i have to figure out how to maintain that too. anyway the other thing i wanted to say is that our bodies change as we get older. so maybe at one time you were 120 but maybe now that's just not the right weight for you. sure i think i was smaller in high school or early college or maybe the weight was just distributed on my 'younger' body differently. in any case, i agree don't be too hard on your body if it doesn't want to do what you want it to do, you are in a good spot right now, so maybe add some additional weight training in to get your bf lower and see if that changes anything...rather than cutting back food anymore. also i have read for some plateaus that they encourage you to eat a little bit more and more often (aka break your meals up more) and work out a bit harder, intensity wise. so eating less is not the only way.

so i remembered last nite that greg is going out of town for a boys skiing weekend starting next wed! i hate staying alone so sometimes i have my sister come stay with me hehe, but i am all excited now because it means i can do whatever i want regarding food! i will probably meet up with friends on fri and sat for dinners but on wed and thurs it's all me. i'm already planning on eating breakfast for dinner (mm egg white omelet with cheese and toast?!) or eating the box of chicken shu mai that i have been eyeing in the freezer for a month now. then i'll be like hey this is what DJ does! hehe.

so last nite's work out was kind of tough on my legs, they were sore and i don't know why necessarily. this morning they are still kind of sore, it's actually my outer quad/thigh area...so i am putting heat on them this morning. greg has some work thing til like 7 tonite so i was thinking of going to the gym to do a mini workout just for like 25 minutes to burn off the donut we'll be eating tomorrow morning LOL and because i have the time to kill and the weather won't be very nice today....but i don't know if i want to overdo it with the leg. esp since i am walking 3m tomorrow and then on sundays i do a longer gym workout. so i really should take today off but i'm like darn i have the time, i wish i could just do something small. we'll see how i feel later today. don't want to put myself in traction!!

on a random note, does anyone have any idea (or lisa if you are out there maybe you can ask your dietitican friends) on how to redistribute weight or target certain areas with cardio for fat loss? my little hip love handles are almost gone but there is still this small amount i can grab with my hand, like 1/2 of what used to be there but still...enough to make some jeans fit tighter on my lower waist. however...my upper body and especially my chest area is really extremely lean, and sometimes i can see my breastbone while lifting weights or even while just combing my hair in the mornings. i really wish i could take some of the fat from the hip area and put it up on my breastbone, because it makes me feel TOO skinny when my breastbone shows. but i'm not too skinny overall, it's how my body and frame is carrying the weight and i have wide shoulders and long arms (my upper half is kinda gangly!), but is there anything that can be done to kind of target a certain area for cardio or similar and maybe stop working my chest area as much without realizing it? maybe not and i'm just stuck but i figured i'd ask.

gosh this post is long. i think i write the longest posts EVER. anyway, breakfast this morning was fiber one and honey bunches with coffee. last nite i ate the last banana pudding for snack (love that stuff, going to make more next week!!) and also greg ate a huge slab of my coworkers chocolate cake so i noshed on that a bit too. i'm giving some of our truffle stash to my mom but we still have like 10 huge ones. we'll have to slowly eat them over time, haha. for snack i'm having a pumpkin muffin (this batch is definitely turning out to be one of my faves and i want to make more already), and then lunch is italian wedding soup.

have a great day everyone!!

 

[basil]

Kimberly - I was just curious where that AMA recommendation is documented. I did a google search and could not find it. I definitely do have a small frame (fingers overlap beyond the first knuckle when wrapped around my wrist).

Mara - I agree with you that weight is a very small part of one''s overall fitness and look. Though we have very similar BMIs, I''m sure you have much more muscle mass and more bone mass than I do, and probably look thinner. You''re built more athletically and I''m built more...uhm...fragily? There are people out there who are 10 times fitter than I am who weigh 20-30 pounds more and have less body fat. It''s really difficult to determine someone''s fitness on paper based on weight and height. However, for a given person, if you lose weight you will lose fat if you have fat to lose. Just because my weight doesn''t look high on paper doesn''t mean I don''t have fat to lose. I don''t really know a way to illustrate this in this format, other than taking pictures of my bits of pudge and posting them (which is NOT going to happen!!)

Suffice to say, I can''t see my chest ribs, my shoulder blades do not protrude and neither do my hip bones. I don''t have a defined muscle anywhere. My body is just the type that doesn''t build muscle easily. I have been lifting weights 3x/week for 1 hour each session for the past month and a half, so I am working on building muscle but I''m also aware that it may be that I need to lose a small amount of fat to uncover my puny muscles

Anyway, I know that losing 5 lbs for vanity''s sake isn''t a big problem to have. But it''s just something I wanted to accomplish for reasons that I''ve already posted. There are others who post here who do not need to lose weight for health reasons. I don''t think what I''m doing is any different than someone my height who weighs 135 and has a larger frame wanting to lose 5 lbs, but somehow it got misconstrued when all I really wanted to know was if other people get hungry when they reduce their calories!

 

[Mara]

It''s really a tough call because there are times when my body gets hungry aka between breakfast and lunch...but I know I ate a big breakast aka 1/2c fiber one, 1/2c honey bunches of oats, 1/2c 1% milk and about a cup of coffee with 1/4c 1% milk. That should keep me full and my body fueled right? well it does, from about 8am to 10:15am!! and then I feel hungry. I guess the thing is, how do you tell the difference between ''my body needs fuel'' and ''my mouth just wants to chew on something'' or ''my mind is bored so i want to eat something''. Technically I think gosh I gave my body a ton of nutrients this morning, why does it want more 2 hours later? But also I think well AM carrying a lot of muscle right now which supposedly raises your metabolism right? But sometimes I have a hard time telling that difference myself. But typically if I am HUNGRY and I feel distracted by the hunger and it''s not just a slight feeling, I eat *something*. I love those 60 cal yogurt smoothies because they seem to coat my stomach and give me some protein yet don''t add a lot to my calories and they keep me full from 10:15 to 12 so it''s a great ''filler''.

 

[KimberlyH]

Basil: My doctor gave me a sheet on healthy weight ranges from the AMA during a check up last summer, I don't have it anymore. I did a web search too, and couldn't find it.

I don't think your message got misconstrued at all, and again, I don't think anyone is saying you're too thin. There were several people who were discussing that "last 5 lbs" or "last 10 pounds" this week and the message from most posters has been the same, don't worry so much about the scale, just eat right, exercise and let your body do what it will. It's definitely not a message of "you're thin enough" it's an attempt to help you not getting discouraged because of a number. I too have struggled with those last lbs., I totally relate to what you are saying and I know how crappy it feels to keep hoping for a weight change and having it not happen, even if it is simply for vanity's sake.

I hope that your continued workouts provide the results your seeking, but don't forget to be proud of yourself for the good things you are doing for your long term health!

So I burned 500 calories on the elliptical today, I'm on track to burn more cals than I planned for the week. Tomorrow is going to be a no workout day. We're going to take advantage of the great weather we're having and head to the zoo for the afternoon. I'll workout on Sunday, I'm going to aim for 500 calories and end up burning almost 2400 calories for the week. With all of life's interruptions it's been a long time since i could say that!

 

[TravelingGal]

Kimberly, have fun...I LOVE the SD Zoo!

I am 5'5' and much smaller frame...my wrists are tiny. My hands are small and I can still wrap my finger and thumb around my wrist and overlap a bit...thumb can reach the first knuckle. My goal weight is 125, but I am still not overly skinny at that weight. When I got down to 117, I began to think...oh uh...can't lose any more weight.

As for hunger...I am like a baby now...must get fed every two hours!

I eat breakfast at 9ish, a snack at around 11, lunch at 1, snack at 3 or 4 and then dinner at 6. Sometimes a snack before bed at 9ish (I go to bed at about midnight). I'm an eating machine.

I try to not to look at the scale too much. I would like to lose weight, but I do feel so much better eating healthy. This was further evidenced this week when I porked out on V-day. Still not feeling quite right after that one! When we went out last night, I only had one beer at dinner and one beer at the bowling alley. We had two appetizers to share - ahi tuna and chicken lettuce wraps and shared a main of kung pao scallops with brown rice. All in all, it could have been worse.

Today, I feel good and happy to be back on the wagon. Breakfast was one egg and two egg whites scrambled and 2 thin slices of ham (115 cal for both slices). I think I am going to have a fruit shake for a snack here shortly and have tuna salad for lunch. Afternoon snack will be pineapple and who knows what I'll have for dinner. I am hoping to be good this weekend...I have been bad for the last two. Nothing like a weekend of indulgence to screw up all the hard work you've done during the week!

ETA, I did do a gyrotonics class yesterday and it kicked my booty!!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

TG, The SD Zoo is awesome. Whenever we travel we include the zoo in our plans. We visit the Licoln Park Zoo in Chicago every time we go there (about 3-4 times a year), we''ve been to the Bronx Zoo, the St. Louis Zoo, the little Zoo in Honolulu, the Living Desert in Palm Springs, I think that''s all of them so far. It''s seems a strange thing to make part of one''s travels, but it really is so enjoyable. We''ve only been to the SD zoo once since I moved here 2 years ago, so it will be a fun day, for sure!

DH just walked into my office while I was entering my lunch calories into my spreadsheet (I haven''t gone to lunch yet), he was cracking up.

 

[Rosebud8506]

For those counting the calories: whereabouts are you at for #''s after you''ve eaten breakfast and lunch? I guess I just need to know how many calories you''ve consumed before you eat dinner. I feel like maybe I''m not eating enough during the day.

as for the fish oil, I don''t really too much about the benefits of it other than my hubby takes them! bad - I know, but its gotta be a good thing, right? We eat salmon occasionally, but not enough to reap the benefits of the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish. so that is why I try to take at least one a day.

Happy Friday

 

[Mara]

ended up having some TJ's chicken tortilla chowder for lunch, just one serving...the company catered in chinese again and i just wasn't feeling fast food today (like when ever?!). plus we are having yummy burritos tonite so i wanted to save myself...hehe. for snacks i'm having fage with honey and splenda; and also a chocolate and oats fiber one bar (yum!).

rosebud...typically my day looks like this til dinner.

breakfast: 200ish cals (aka 2 nutrigrain waffles, butter, coffee; fiber one & honey bunches, milk, coffee; etc)
snack: 100ish (60 cal smoothie or yogurt, and 1/2 a muffin, or a 90ish cal muffin etc)
lunch: 250ish (campbells canned soups or progresso; lean cuisine meal; TJ's soup; turkey sandwich on wheat bread)
snack: 250ish (fiber one bar; granola/luna bar; yogurt; popcorn etc)
total til 5pmish: 800ish
dinner ranges from 600-700 depending on the day
dessert after dinner is usually 60-150 cals depending on how many i have 'left' for the day.

the reason i have a lighter lunch is because i tend to get really bored and snacky during the afternoon. i've tried to NOT have any snacks during the afternoon but then i thought well why bother, just have a lighter lunch which satiates me for 1.5ish hours, and then i have typically more healthy snacks in the afternoon. i've found this works out way better for me than eating a larger lunch and then wanting something sweet but not wanting to eat til i get home. and we don't have dinner til like 7pm-ish so having the afternoon snacks keeps me fueled for longer and i tend to not want to snack when i get home at all.

so, i try to save about at least 1/3 of my calories for dinner because my husband likes to eat real meals for dinner. but on nights i can get away with it, we have cereal or a light soup and salad or soup and grilled cheese etc. so last nite i had a heavier lunch (600ish) and then for dinner only ate about 350 cals and a 150 cal dessert.

 

[Rosebud8506]

Okay. Hmm. I should probably start snacking more. I am at 535 currently, and that is just from breakfast + lunch, and a handful of choco covered raisins. Not sure what dinner will be, since its Friday, and we usually do carry out on Friday nights.

I need some lighter snack ideas that I can eat throughout the day. I will usually eat a muffin, or some grapes, but I''m thinking that might not be enough.

 

[KimberlyH]

My day usually looks something like this:

Breakfast: 160-200 calories (oatmeal, tea)
Lunch: 200-300 calories (soup, protein bar)
Afternoon snack(s): 70-200 calories (12 almonds, yogurt, fruit)
Dinner: 500-600 calories (varies, usually includes a glass of wine)
Evening treat: 150-240 calories (frozen yogurt, dark chocolate)

I always have one afternoon snack, sometimes I skip my evening treat.

 

[Mara]

here are my ''staple'' snack ideas for daytimes...i tend to keep these around the house or in my desk or fridge at work:

bomemade muffins: anywhere from 90-180 cals depending (i make these 1x or 2x a week then store them at home and just bring them in daily)
dannon light n''fit smoothies: 60 cals
dannon light n''fit yogurts: 60 cals
fage 2% yogurts: 130 for a large portion (add honey and splenda or vanilla, etc)
rice crispie individual treats: 75 (great for something sweet)
100 cal popcorn: pop secret: 100 (kettle corn or regular/salty)
fiber one chocolate and oats bars: 140
fiber one peanut butter and oats bars: 150
luna bars: 180-190 (sometimes i only eat half for 90 cals)
banana: 100 cals
fuji apple: 100 cals
jello sugar free snacks: 10 cals
jello sugar free pudding snacks: 60 cals
kudos m&m''s or snickers bars: 100-120 cals
red vines: 40 cals
peppermint candy canes: 60 cal for full size (i just break off a piece)
blow pop suckers: 60 cals

 

[nejarb]

hmm, i''m usually over 1000 just from breakfast, lunch, and snack. i think lunchtime is where i need to cut out about 100-150 cal a day. i''ve been eating lunch and then maybe 30 min later i have a snack like a fiber one bar or something (b/c i''m worried i''m going to be famished at 4pm and eat a full meal and then another dinner at 7 or , then later at 4pm i have another snack. but i just started a job where i work from 1-6, and today i just had one small (100 cal) snack around 3pm and now it''s 6 and i''m not hungry yet, so this should work out pretty well.

i''ve been making alot of soups lately, and some have turned out really well, but i didn''t start writing down the recipes until recently when i started counting calories. the best so far have been the ministrone and the split pea. i''ll make the ministrone sometime in the next few days and write down how i make it. i''ll post the split pea on the recipe thread right now. it''s low cal and really super good!

 

[indecisive]

Ugh! I slipped and fell on the ice last night and hurt my hip and side so no workout for me today. I hope I can workout tomorrow but it will probably be lighter than usual. I am just kinda sad because I was doing so well with the exercise and I know this isn''t a big deal but I want to work out! I am doing really well with the food though. I had the most amazing veggie stir fry today

and then some 0% fage with splenda and vanilla. I love that stuff! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[Rod]

Happy Friday Team PS:

I ate well until dinner tonight. My day started with my normal healthy high fiber cereal. My lunch was normal, consisting of a cup of low fat veggie soup with 1/2 sandwhich (I did have a few chips, but not the entire bag). I had a couple pretzels this afternoon to curb my appetite. Then we went to our favorite Sushi place. We had Shrimp Tempura for an appetize. That wasn't so bad. I ordered a small Sapporo Beer, but our server (the same waiter we have EVERY Friday night) decided I should have the large one. Ok.......lot's of extra carbs, but it was good. We odered 3 rolls, all pretty healthy ones, but the kitchen made an error and sent out 4 rolls. And we ate every last piece. I was actually quite stuffed. Then we went to Starbucks and I had bought a Tart Cherry Scone to have with coffee later and so, I ate the whole scone on top of the meal. It was one of the bigger meals I've had in quite a long time. I'll have to do pennance tomorrow and work harder on the elliptical. But, I had fun none-the-less. Sometimes, it's nice to just eat what you want and not worry so much. I work out hard. I doubt I'll suffer much from over-indulging on a Friday night!!

Tomorrow, it will be a normal Saturday. We'll have a good long workout tomorrow afternoon (and Sunday afternoon), so I'll burn off the extra calories I consumed tonight.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a good start to their weekend.

Ps: Mara, we wouldn't want you to shorten one word from your posts. I enjoy reading every word you write and we all eat vicariously (well, I eat vicariously) through you. Hope you're not too lonely next week..........

Lorelie, hope you're feeling better!

 

[Mara]

awww inde sorry to hear you are hurt!! that sucks..take care of yourself. maybe do some light walking tomorrow?

i hit up the gym after work since greg wouldn''t be home for a few hours and did a light workout on the elliptical at the lowest level, just enough to get a sweat going and my heart rate up. burned 300 cals in about 35 minutes. then came home, showered and now i''m waiting for greg to come and get me so we can get our burrito order from this local ''fresh cal mex'' place (they have the yummiest cilantro rice in the burritos!) and bring it back home to veg on the couch and watch some tv. we''re both kind of tired tonite so it''s nice to have a night at home relaxing. since i added in the extra workout, if i meet my goals for tomorrow and sunday i''ll be about 400 exercise cals burned over my weekly goal which helps offset the v-day bread gorge, lol.

i was pretty snacky this afternoon so i had the fage with honey and i also had TWO fiber one bars, hahaha. i don''t know why but they tasted SO good! and i figured they were healthy so why not...but my body is probably like WOAH what''s this additional bar. i was pretty full after...it''s only been in the last 30 minutes that i feel even remotely hungry. kinda funny. for dinner i''m having a grilled chicken burrito with cilantro rice, salsa, pinto beans and cheese in a whole wheat tortilla. i''m also going to have a small homemade salad with my burrito so i can get some crunchy greens going on as well. i feel really salad-y but i have been looking fwd to having a burrito since it''s been a few months since i have had one!! greg typically gets them for lunch when he is at work so we end up really not having them much around home.

anyway sounds like everyone had a great day...does anyone have monday off from work? i do and it''s such an unexpected treat, we had no idea we had it off til this week!! so it''ll be a nice 3 day weekend. rod your sushi dinner sounds yummy! greg loves the big sapporo''s...hehee. kimberly hope the zoo was fun. nejarb, i''m not a split pea fan but greg loves it so maybe i will make the soup one day for him..hehee.

have a great rest of the evening everyone. off to get our burritos!!

 

[jadeleaves]

Thks TGal!

We''re in sunny singapore at the moment, and waiting for the Chinese New Year''s fireworks display starting in a couple of hours. Singapore really puts on a great fireworks display for major holidays, and we have a prime spot on the 60th floor of the tallest hotel in Singapore to watch it.

I have not been to the gym since arriving the night before last because I forgot to pack my workout shoes. However, I have bought a new pair today and will try to go tmr morning, "try" being the operative word, because it''s the first day of CNY tmr, and we need to get up very early to get ready and will running around all day.

Foodwise, I have been pretty good except I found myself at Carl Jr Burgers this afternoon and had to have a burger. I chose a low carb burger though, with lettuce instead of the burger bun.

We just had our CNY reunion dinner and it was a major gorgefest, but it''s mainly seafood which you cook in s steamboat, so it wasn''t too bad.

Lorelei - I have never got nauseous having fish oil! I take 3 a day, 1 in the morning and because I always forget to take 1 in the afternoon, I just take 2 at night. I have only got to page 6 of the WWT, so I don''t know if you''ve worked out if it''s your multi vitamins or the fish oil, but I wanted to let you know that one of the multi vitamins I took when I was pregnant made me nauseous, so it might be the vitamins! Some brands of fish oil gives me fishy burps, so it''s a bit of a trial and error to find one that doesn''t. I hope the bit about increasing calorie burn is true though!!!

TGal - I love kiwi whites. Somehow the aussie whites just doesn''t come close to most of the kiwi whites I''ve had. Cape Mentelle does some nice sauv blanc though, but at the prices they command I would much rather get the kiwi ones.

Ok I have to go and will catchup on the rest of thr WWT soon!

Bye guys, I am thinking of u all!

 

[Rosebud8506]

It''s the weekend! Yay!!

So last night we went to the gym and did 378 cals on the ellip. I was a bit sore in the thighs, but it was a good sore.

Today I might try and lift some arm weights - but go easy.

I wanted to say I found these Pillsbury reduced fat cinnamon rolls at the store and I''m going to try them out this morning. They are 140 cals, 3.5 grams of fat per bun. I hope they are good! Will let you guys know if they are worth getting or not.

Have a wonderful Saturday everyone!

 

[Mara]

ooh rosebud i'm glad you mentioned the pilsbury reduced cinammon rolls because i keep forgetting we have them in our fridge!!! i bought them i think over xmas holiday and never got to try them out and i always forget we have them. maybe next wkd i will test them out. if you try them let me know what you thought.

this morning we decided to nix the donut travels and stay home for some cereal and cinammon raisin bread instead, as greg says 'it's probably healthier' hehee. but how much not sure, but anyway i am having a piece with fiber one and strawberry bunches of oats and coffee. yum.

today i have a few appts this afternoon then tonite we are going to my mom's for a family dinner of couples (she got a new dining set and now it's any excuse to have dinner parties!)...i think she is doing rubbed steak, salad, a veggie, toasted bread, and i am bringing my lemon roasted garlic potatoes. dessert she mentioned something about a strawberry chiffon cake, i said no chocolate as i am on choco overload this wk! so dinner should be really yummy. and i tend to eat less at these home dinner things because of all the talking and visiting you are doing, but i do love how she makes her bread (fat pieces with margarine toasted in the oven!) so i'm sure it will be another breadfest..lol.

but i am taking a ~3m walk today, it's nice and sunny so that will be a nice afternoon thing. anyway hope everyone is having a great saturday!!! enjoy the weekend. oh and have a great trip JL!!! enjoy!