Weekly Workout Thread 8th Jan till 14th Jan

[Dee*Jay]

Boy, I didn't realize how much I needed a night off (not just from working out, but from EVERYTHING, LOL) until I collapsed onto the sofa at 7:30 with a pile of house magazines and promptly fell asleep. The happy hubby had to come drag me up to bed about 11:00 or I would have spent the night there I'm sure!

Anyway, I am back in the saddle today. Had whole wheat pasta for breakfast and will do some quick fruit and fiber one for lunch because I always get my nails done on Thursdays during lunchtime. Tonight, probably just fend for outselves (translation: Progresso Soup--it's about the limit of my cooking!). And of course back to the gym. I feel like I should do the eliptical again to make up for last night because that's where I burn the most calories, but I really want to get in the habit of incorporating the bike and the treadmill into my workouts too so we'll see.

Lorelei, how is your back feeling?

Mara, don't forget to follow doctor's orders and take it easy--even though I KNOW you are just dying to go and do a big hard workout!

Rod, three hours... I can't even imagine...

Lovely, the happy hubby also grills our asparagus, but he puts a bed or red onion under the asparagus and drizzles it with a little lemon as well as olive oil. Yum!

TG, don't let my husband hear there are open invitations to the Frency Landry or he'll be at the airport SOOOOO FAST!!!

Tybee, I don't know what kind of dressing you like but I picked up some fat free balsamic vinagarette (sp?) at Whole Foods last weekend and it actually pretty good. Only 15 calories for two tablespoons.

Kimberly, how is John feeling?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/11/2007 10:05:51 AM
Author: lovelylulu
TG: i roasted a chicken the other night and we had grilled asparagus as a side. it is my absolute favorite way to prepare asparagus and couldn''t be simplier. just need a wee bit of olive oil and then i simply season with salt and pepper. use either a real grill or grill pan and throw on the spears for roughly 5 minutes, turning occassionally. i like mine a little overcooked, so just i tend to leave them on longer. delicious.

On using a pan for the asparagus, how high of heat do you use? and do you cover with a lid while cooking? sounds delish!

 

[Lorelei]

My back is feeling much better thanks Dee

It is something I will never be free from, but I try to make the most of my good days.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/11/2007 10:25:02 AM
Author: Lorelei
My back is feeling much better thanks Dee

It is something I will never be free from, but I try to make the most of my good days.

I don''t know the story on your back (what exactly is wrong with it), and don''t want to hijack the thread, but would back exercises help (there are some to help bad backs)? or do you already do them?

 

[Lorelei]

I have quite severe scoliosis Ellen, I have seen many specialists but there isn't anything to be done. So I just try to keep as fit and active as I can. The worst is when my back muscles go into a spasm, that is unbearable, but apart from that I am in pain all the time, but I can keep it in the background mostly.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/11/2007 10:42:25 AM
Author: Lorelei
I have quite severe scoliosis Ellen, I have seen many specialists but there isn''t anything to be done. So I just try to keep as fit and active as I can. The worst is when my back muscles go into a spasm, that is unbearable, but apart from that I am in pain all the time, but I can keep it in the background mostly.

I''m so sorry. {{{hugs}}}

 

[lovelylulu]

ellen: i don''t use a roasting pan for the asparagus. i cook it on either an indoor grill pan or if the weather permits an outdoor grill. use high heat. it is so simple, minimal clean up (always a bonus) and really tasty. i used to hate asparagus

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks

I have been dealing with it a long time, so I manage quite well overall.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/11/2007 10:57:36 AM
Author: lovelylulu
ellen: i don''t use a roasting pan for the asparagus. i cook it on either an indoor grill pan or if the weather permits an outdoor grill. use high heat. it is so simple, minimal clean up (always a bonus) and really tasty. i used to hate asparagus

OK, I don''t have an indoor grill pan, but I do have a gas grill, so no big deal to fire it up. I used to hate it too!

How I''ve been cooking it is to steam it, drain and let dry a bit, toss in a small bit of olive oil, butter, salt and pepper, heat.

 

[Mara]

yeah some days DJ you just need to take a rest. last nite i was lolling my head at 10pm so we went up to bed at 10:30 after cleaning up and taking out P etc...which is about an hour early for us to go to bed. i slept like the dead til 6am and typically i wake up at around 3am to go to the bathroom or something, not today. and my alarm at 7:45 was NOT welcome. i guess i should get a little extra sleep this wkd as well. it seems like everyone is sick and of course i was at the doctor yesterday and where else do sick people congregate?!?! i took a vitC pack yesterday and will take one today to just give my system a little boost for a while. and man it was chilly last nite! it felt like the outside was trying to suck all our precious heat out. hehe.

lol to whoever was talking about the gym and all the crowdedness (tybee?) .... i so hear ya. so far i have not had a problem finding at least one open machine to use (knock on wood, i know now that i said that, tonite is the night !!) but it''s REALLY crowded right now at the gym. i don''t feel bad staying on for my 45 minutes though because our gym doesn''t really have one of those rules about 20-30 minutes (and yes who can get a real workout going on unless you bop around to diff machines then) because typically people don''t have to wait too long to find something available and i don''t just stand there waiting, i go ride the bike or get on another type of machine and watch until the ones i want open up. or i go do my arms first then come back to the machines etc. it''s odd too because it seems like the crowds come in waves. at 5:30 when i get there it''s crowded but i can find 1-2 machines. then suddenly at like 6pm there are 5 people waiting. 5 minutes later there''s no line anymore. then 6:30 there''s 5 more. it''s really weird. and at intervals in between i''ll look around and see like 4 machines open. so it''s really cyclic...kinda random. anyway on the weekends is my fave time since it''s pretty dead on sunday afternoons and also on friday nights it''s typically pretty dead. so i know at least friday and sunday i am good for a nice workout, it''s more the whole tuesday thursday thing.

anyhow, tonite i am going to the gym, but i am going to do the ellip on level 1 and just do an easy workout and get an hour in hopefully. i might burn a bit under the 500 i want, but that''s okay. it''s better than doing nothing!! no arms tonite or til MAYBE sunday....i want to be sure i''m not hurting my abs by straining doing my arms and all that. my side and lower abs feel better today than yesterday so i guess i really should just be chilling out but man it''s soooo darn hard. at least the ellip on the lowest level should be okay for a slow workout. and i can walk too. so i might do a 1/2 with treadmill and ellip to see how that feels.

breakfast today was oatmeal with maple and brown sugar, yum. i am almost out of oatmeal so i will have to get more today!! oh and TG be sure to put a bit of brown sugar in with the maple because i think that it''s too flavorless without it. though sometimes i do like the taste of bland oatmeal, it''s kind of soothing to your taste buds after all the flavorful days we typically have don''t you think?

lol TG re not putting the mushrooms in, i thought i had noticed that and written it in, woopsie! yes you add them like right after the turkey is almost done, they take about 5 minutes to cook. hehee. and yes i always omit salt from recipes because it''s more to taste for me, but the sauce and turkey and all that could use some salt and pepper while cooking. though it sounds like you are leaving it to eat tonite and that''s perfect, i bet you will like it way more. it might get quite thick in the fridge, so use some of the extra can of the regular tomato sauce to help build it out in the pan if you feel the whole thing needs more moisture to cook the pasta.

JL yeah i calculated the muffin recipes myself...those two were the ones that looked most interesting. also the berry one uses no butter so that cuts out a lot of calories and fat right there. i like that they are not labeled ''healthy'' which hopefully means they will be really yummy and still not bad for me. i typically subsitute eggs in recipes though, where it calls for 3 large i will do like 1 large and 3 egg whites or similar. paying attention to the consistency. anyway i am almost out of the pumpkin spice muffins so depending on what i do tonite for dinner (i might just have greg get us some burritos from this yummy healthy california mex place near us...it''s been a while since we did burritos. i plan to ask if they have a childrens size because while their burritos are awesome, they weigh like a lb each!!), if i don''t cook anything for us...i might make the berry muffins. i have fresh blueberries in the fridge so i just need to another type of berry and we''re all set.

congrats on doing well lulu and lorelei and rod and everyone else. oh and on salad dressing, i swear by the emeril''s balsamic vinaigrette (any regular store) or the girards light stuff. and i love mixing and matching. you can also make your own dijon mustard vinaigrette with some evoo, balsamic, salt, pepper, and add some dijon mustard to taste. it''s got a kick!

oh and TG the emerils sauce is at my regular store...do you have another non TJ or WF kind of store to visit? we have a few options here, but the one i get it at is raleys/nob hill though i think i have seen it at safeway as well.

 

[ellaila]

I went to both WF and TJs last night, and WOW, now that I''m aware of it, I see flax stuff *everywhere*! WF had a display of it near the front registers, and TJs had a display of those sesame/flax chips, and they''ve got TONS of flax cereals too -- who knew!? Those chips, by the way = yummy! I tore into those on the ride home because I was so curious about them. They smell the slightest bit like peanut butter but they taste more or less like regular tortilla chips to me. Delish!

I also got a flax raisin bran at TJs. Most of the other cereals sounded a bit too health-food for me. I eat cereal dry (no milk) as a snack, so I really need to like the taste of it, and I just can''t see myself ever being like "Wow, I could really go for some soy flax muesli honey cluster bran twigs" right now! So went with good old fashioned raisin bran.

I made those pumpkin bran muffins last night, too. I wasn''t thrilled with them last night but I think they improved with time, b/c I really did enjoy it this morning

Next time I''m going to add more cinnamon and other spices though I think. I don''t tend to like raisins in things but I do loooove dried cranberries, so I''m thinking about maybe adding a few of those as well. So thanks for sharing that recipe, shortblonde!

 

[Eva17]

I made the pumpkin muffins too. I really liked them. I don''t think they are sweet enough for the kids, which is a good thing.

Because then I won''t have to hide them.....

 

[lovelylulu]

Those chips, by the way = yummy! I tore into those on the ride home because I was so curious about them. They smell the slightest bit like peanut butter but they taste more or less like regular tortilla chips to me. Delish!

LOL! My DH is actually the one that threw the chips into our cart and when we were unpacking I was like what is in those chips! little seeds, how odd. i was totally skeptical about the taste, but they truly are delicious.

 

[royalasscherlover]

hi all! i have been good with my eating the past couple days, sticking to about 1300 calories each day (sparkpeople says my range is 1200-1500). tuesday i spent 45 minutes on the elliptical for about 375 calories, and last night i went to bikram yoga. i''ve tried to find out how many calories bikram burns, and have found figures on the internet that range from 400-900. i''m sure there''s some play in it based on your body weight and how far you can go with the poses, but that''s a huge range! i figure i''m probably in the lower half of the range, cause i''m small. in any case, it gets my heart pumping for 90 minutes, so that''s good.

that information about chili''s is just disgusting! i think it''s so sad that most of the food that''s cheap and readily available in this country is soooo unhealthy.

glad you liked the muffins, el. i usually add more spices too, actually, but i always figured that was just cause i really like cinnamon, lol.

 

[appletini]

I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes today and am having a turkey sandwhich on wheat with lettuce and a slice of swiss for lunch...oh and a large side of fruit.

Last night we had dinner with DHs family and I managed to not drink a margarita (the place that we went to doesn''t have the best ones anyway) and not have a bite of pecan pie.

Y''all mentioned asapargus recipes...

I coat mine in EVOO and lemon pepper and bake in the over for 12-15 minutes at 350/375ish..

 

[Mara]

i actually liked that the pumpkin muffins weren''t too sweet...i would think that adding something like cranberries or apples would be yummy too. i adore cranberries but i don''t adore their calorie count. same with raisins. something like 1/4 cup is 100 cals of each. whereas a whole medium apple is like 100 cals. so i tend to use less of cranberries and raisins and more apple in things.

so today i am trying something new at starbucks since the gbread latte is going to be gone soon. they have been pitching the sugar free cinammon dolce syrup at our sbucks so i tried it today in a short nonfat. not bad, the sugar free def has that taste of sugar-free going on...like artificial sugar, but it''s not bad. and the tall nonfat one is only 90 cals, and i get a short so it''s more like 60.

funny thing about flax and all that and those chips, i actually love things like multigrain chips with salsa. multigrain anything seems way more ''flavorful'' than white in general. plus it''s good for you so it''s even better mentally.

 

[lovelylulu]

I am a huge fan of soup for lunch, especially when it''s cold outside. I''ve been eating a lot of trader joe''s creamy tomato which is very good. however, today i was out and didn''t realize it. i decided to go out for lunch and went across the street to au bon pain. there soups are generally quite tasty, but today i tried the wild mushroom bisque and it was incredible. really filling, tons of mushrooms, so yummy. 190 calories for 12 oz. Not too shabby.

 

[ellaila]

Date: 1/11/2007 1:43:14 PM
Author: lovelylulu
I am a huge fan of soup for lunch, especially when it's cold outside. I've been eating a lot of trader joe's creamy tomato which is very good. however, today i was out and didn't realize it. i decided to go out for lunch and went across the street to au bon pain. there soups are generally quite tasty, but today i tried the wild mushroom bisque and it was incredible. really filling, tons of mushrooms, so yummy. 190 calories for 12 oz. Not too shabby.

Hee, Lulu, I live on TJs tomato soup! The kind in a box, right? Yum! I just bought two more last night and also a butternut apple soup, which I've never tried before. A fast meal that we eat a lot (too much) is TJs chicken & rice burritos with tomato soup

ETA: I think the TJs soup is better than similar kinds sold at WF.

Also, I'm eating that flax raisin bran for lunch right now, and it's kind of cardboard-tasting ... not horrible, just bland. Though I guess you can't expect too much from raisin bran.

 

[Mara]

elailla..i am not crazy and i eat the fiber plus with honey clusters dry. it''s GOOD. i am not a dry cereal person but i eat this stuff by the handfuls. i mix it with honey bunches of oats though, maybe that is the secret.

anyone see the new kellogs all-bran with yogurt clusters or whatever...it''s something bran with yogurt clusters...i saw an ad on tv about it yesterday and it looked kinda yummy but i have yet to see it at the store.

 

[lovelylulu]

ellaila - i''ve test tasted a few tomato soups

and by far my favorite is TJ''s creamy tomato. I wasn''t as keen on the butternut squash with apples. the apples give it an interesting sweetness and consistency, but it''s still a good quick food for sure.

 

[mrchips]

hi all, good to see how many people enjoy working out.

i''m a fanatic. i have to workout. my doctor and health tells me so. i have extremely low chlosetrol (yes i said low) and i have to raise it, so not only do i have to workout but i have certain foods i eat. i''ve been training for about 5-6 years now pretty regular and within the last year or two just took it serious about what i eat and everything like that. i''ve done plenty of research on this stuff too.

in regards to oatmeal. i just buy the plain oats in the Quaker Oats bag and they''re totally fine for me. they''ve been checked out by my nutrionist and everything.

here''s a quick tip. BUY YOURSELF A MAGIC BULLET. they work wonders.

here is my morning meal(s) post gym at 5. oh yeah, its best to do cardio AFTER you''ve lifted weights. you''ll tap more into fat burning zone.

meal 1

2 scoops protein powder
4 caramel rice cakes

this meal helps the sudden insulin spike post gym

meal 2 - one hour later

2 scoop protein powder
1/2 cup or 1/3 cup oatmeal (i put this through the magic bullet and make it a nice fine powder)
1/2 cup EGG WHITE from carton
1 small to medium bananna
2-3 teaspoons of OMEGA 3-6-9 fatty oils - helps in losing weight - can burn an extra 400 calories just by taking the oils on a regular basis

sometimes i add ice or crushed ice or maybe a forzen yogurt square. but rarely do i add these.

blend it all and you''re off
1/2 cup PURE EGG WHITE (in carton)

Oatmeal is a slow release energy. it''ll keep you full, and burn off slowly throughout the day giving you energy.

its great if you''re losing weight.

any questions just ask away.

 

[bee*]

wow-everyone seems to be eating so well! Todays my rest day so Im just taking amber for a walk with D later. For breakfast I had my crunchi nut cornflakes again. I had peach slices for my break and then a wholemeal pitta bread with hummus, tomato, a tiny bit of egg, lettuce and onion. It was delicious! I just had a small bit of lasagna with lots of greens for dinner.
Im trying so hard not to eat crisps. Over here we have about 30 or 40 different types and different flavours-and I adore about 99% of them. Its day 4 of me having none and its getting tough, especially seeing as my mother bought a 20 pack earlier and had left them on the kitchen table when I came in from work. I didnt eat them though so I gave myself a pat of the back for it!

I am really going to have to check out that wholefoods place when I go to New York-it sounds amazing!

Keep up the good work everyone!
Hi Nejard, I''ll stick around from now on! Im not going to quit this time! Have to keep thinking of the engagement in the summer and how I do not want to be fat when he proposes! We will be together 8 years then and I want to knock him sideways when he sees me in a nice dress!

 

[TravelingGal]

Welcome MrChips! I agree on the magic bullet thingie...I have something similar and I love it. It just sits on my counter and is great for making smoothies. I actually went to TJs yesterday and bought some frozen mangos and strawberries in anticipation.

Lovelylulu, that is my FAV all time way of making aspargus. I have to do them on the outside grill though, or it doesn''t taste the same. Usually we make steak and while they are resting I will throw the asparagus on. Yum!

Kudos also to your alchie-free time so far. I have not bit a nazi on myself. If someone opens a great bottle of wine, I will have a taste (all I have done so far) but I am allowing myself 2 oz/half glass if I really want one. So far I have found this to be very easy...and last weekend was full of parties/get togethers! This weekend will be a test though...my cousin in law is doing their 30 day party for their newborn son...I guess that is a big thing in Vietnamese culture. They are catering in mexican food which will be grilled by an attendant. I''m being proactive and have offered to make tortilla soup, as I KNOW what goes in that and can prevent some calorie overdose!

DeeJay, have you been to the French Laundry? I am very curious to see if it was worth it. I think another poster (KristyDarling) said it was absolutely fab. I love food so much that if I hit my weight loss goal, I''d rather treat me and hubby and maybe a couple of friends to FL rather than getting the diamond studs I was thinking about. Sacrilege!!!

Lorelei, I really felt for you when I read about your pain. I have suffered lifelong back/shoulder/neck pain as well...although my scoliosis is mild. My shoulder muscles often go into spasms and I have to just stop what I am doing and breathe it out. I have been doing pilates for a month and I have to say, it is helping...maybe it is something you can look into?

Mara, just tasted the sauce...nice and thick! Yum! You are right though and I should have seasoned it during turkey cooking. But I thought with the parm and cheese that it would add the salt. No biggie though...I may add a bit of salt into the sauce in a bit. It is still good, but could use a little *something*. TGuy may like it as is (he is not a heavy salt person) so we''ll see. Oh, and I did find the sauce at another grocer...my local Albertsons just didn''t carry that particular flavor of sauce. I''ll let you know how it turns out!

Even my gym (which I call the ghetto gym) is more crowded than usual...and I go at 9 pm! It tends to calm down by feb, so that is good.

Breakfast today was egg white omelette with a bit of cheese. I also had a cup of TJs roasted tomato garlic soup. YUM, I love garlic! Would not suggest this for lunch if you work at an office though...stinky!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jadeleaves]

DJ - hope you''ve enjoyed your night off! I love how you eat dinner stuff for brekkie, cos I do that too when we have leftovers, and hubby gives me a disgusted look when I do that because breakfast to him is all about cereal and toast and eggs etc.

TG & LLL - We love asparagus too, and I steam mine and pour a home made balsamic glaze over them. Positively yummy! I cut them up for salads too.

Lorelei - sorry to hear about your back! Hope today is a good day!

Mara - hope you didn''t catch anything at the doctor''s. I think I might make the banana muffins. I have an apple and walnut one that I used to make all the time.. I might dig the recipe up and try to make it healthier. Do you find that using egg whites instead of the whole eggs affect the taste much?

I see everyone talking about nice low calorie stuff but most of the items mentioned are not available here down under

. I''ll just have to check out the labels next time I go grocery shopping!

I''m out of maple syrup, so I didn''t have oatmeal for brekkie today. Instead, I had some carman''s natural museli with skinny milk & some fresh cherries.

As I''m going to be out and about today, the challenge will be to find healthy stuff to eat for lunch.

Hope everyone''s had a good day!

 

[Mara]

lol JL i love how you refer to it as skinny milk. that''s way cooler than ''skim'' or 1% or whatever. hahaa. in terms of egg whites vs regular egg, i don''t notice a difference personally. i have been making cupcakes and cookies with egg whites for years. if the recipe just calls for one egg, i typically do 2 egg whites. if it calls for something like 3-4 eggs i do 1-2 full eggs then 3-4 egg whites. so it just depends on what it is. in some recipes the egg is just a binder, so in reality you don''t really need the yolk part necessarily. aka in making hamburgers it''s just a binding agent, and white works as well as yolk. a whole large eggs is like 80 cals and about 4g of fat i think. whereas a yolk is 0 fat and about 20 cals. so depending on what you are making, it can add up. honestly in the muffins, if it''s like 2 eggs, that''s 160 cals divided by 12-15 muffins really it''s not ADDING much per muffin (aka 10-12 cals) and maybe it''s worth it to follow the recipe. so it really just depends..sometimes i modify, sometimes i don''t.

TG...i recently read an article in food and wine or gourmet or whatever where it listed the top 100 restaurants around the US. FL was one of them and there was one other one in SF that i can''t remember. but i was like wow that''s pretty impressive. so i''d love to eat there at some point...just not sure when!!

in terms of seasoning the meat/sauce, you can still add it in, i''d also add more herbs if you want some more flavor. if it''s sitting for a few more hours especially.

for those of you talking about TJ''s soups...are you talking about the ones that come in their rectangular pantry kind of containers or are they fresh found in the pre-pack area? i think i have seen the pantry type not fresh ones but never really knew how they were.

 

[turtledazzle]

Hi all ~ Yesterday was a rest day for me, but overall a pretty decent food day. My tummy wasn''t too happy, though, so that''s why I didn''t end up eating very much. But feeling much better today, so that''s good. Tonight is another workout night ~ a step circuit class if I get out of a meeting in time. Otherwise it will be some time on the elliptical or treadmill, or whatever machine I can find that is free. Like others, my gym has also been crazy busy lately. People will start to slack off in early February, though ... so I''m trying to be patient!

Tybee -- Hope your knee does well on your skiing trip. Have a blast!

Mara -- like the new avatar!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/11/2007 3:08:11 PM
Author: Mara


TG...i recently read an article in food and wine or gourmet or whatever where it listed the top 100 restaurants around the US. FL was one of them and there was one other one in SF that i can''t remember. but i was like wow that''s pretty impressive. so i''d love to eat there at some point...just not sure when!!

in terms of seasoning the meat/sauce, you can still add it in, i''d also add more herbs if you want some more flavor. if it''s sitting for a few more hours especially.

for those of you talking about TJ''s soups...are you talking about the ones that come in their rectangular pantry kind of containers or are they fresh found in the pre-pack area? i think i have seen the pantry type not fresh ones but never really knew how they were.

Mara, FL consistently ranks as the BEST restaurant in the U.S. The number one spot. That''s pretty impressive. I am interested in trying number one restaurants to see if they are worth the hype. I tried Tetsuyas in Sydney which also consistently ranks tops in Oz (in fact it was #5 in the world in one reputable mag) and wouldn''t ya know it...I had the flu so I couldn''t taste much.

I think the herbs you added were perfect. I just threw in some salt to let it sit and it did it for me. I know I will make this again so I will add the seasoning in the beginning next time. In fact, I think it''s nice as a pasta sauce if I get lazy (I normally like to make sauces myself, but I forgot how good some of the jarred stuff is!)

I haven''t tried too many TJs soups, but I hear many of them are bland? The roasted tomato garlic one I just had comes in a jar. It''s far far far from bland.

 

[lovelylulu]

mara: the TJs soup i''m talking about is not the fresh variety, but the boxed. It says there are four servings(8 oz.), but I normally pour a bit extra, so it''s more like 3.

TG: i really only love the Creamy Tomato from TJs. The others are ok, but not so much that i''ve actually bought them again.

 

[royalasscherlover]

lulu and tg, are the TJ''s tomato soups sweet? i love tomato soup (especially creamy or garlicky, yum!), but it seems like all the prepared ones i''ve tried have a sweet taste that i don''t like.

 

[jadeleaves]

*heh* Mara, skinny milk is the name of the brand of skim milk I use over here. Just for fun, here's a pic:

ETA: Oops forgot to rotate the pic!