Healthy Living Thread March 8 - 14

[marcy]

Good morning! I hope Lorelei doesn''t mind if I start this week''s thread.

I have been thinking this morning about how important it is we find a balance between making wise and healthy choices but also still be kind to ourselves. I get a lot of emails from people in Sparkpeople who are very obese and once they fall off their diet they find they can''t get motivated again. As Lorelei often points out this is not a race; we don''t have to reach our goals by a certain date or we fail. All we can do it work towards our goals once day at a time. As long as we continue to try we will be fine.

Have a great day.
Marcy

 

[Lorelei]

Of course I don''t mind, thanks Marcy! I had to run out this morning and things took longer than I anticipated, so thanks for kicking us off!!

 

[dragonfly411]

Marcy - That was a great opener, and so true!
I hope you all had a great weekend. I am starting to lift three times a week, and am planning cardio 4-6 days a week. The nights I lift I am also doing some sculpt work with mountain climbers, push ups, lunges, side kicks, and side crunches and what not. Yoga is still several nights a week, but not necessarily every night. I found a new multivitamin this weekend that has iron and also has some components to boost energy as I noticed I was lacking quite a bit in that department. Saturday night I got 10 hours of sleep and yesterday I was sleepy most of the day still. I knew that meant something, so switched to GNC Women''s ultra mega active multi vitamin. I took a dose yesterday, and am going to split it up one in the AM and one in the PM, and I already feel a bit better! I also got us some new whey protein to try that we are liking MUCH more than our old. The old one was gross... would stick to glasses

. This blends smoothly and GNC said it is their best lean protein. They told me to stick to a scoop so that''s what I''m doing. This morning I got 2.5 miles on the elliptical at a pretty good rate, and no back pain so far!!! YAY!

 

[pinki]

Marcy, Great opener. I definitely need reinforcement to keep trudging along if I miss a goal...i.e., last week. I missed by 1 lb but this week I''ll focus really hard on losing 3 instead of 2 to stay on track!

Dragonfly, sounds like you''ve really got your workout dialed in. Glad you can get back to training and not have back pain! I''ll have to check out those vitamins. Right now I''m just taking a women''s daily, fish oil, and flax oil so perhaps when I run out of my daily I''ll give that one a try. What brand protein did they recommend? Last time I was there I accidentally bought strawberry flavored and now I can barely choke it down. UGH.

Well, like said earlier, I missed 172 by a pound, but Aunt Flo was visiting so I was eating like a cow. This week will be back on track. I had a rough start to my day as I found out someone stole my Debit Card number and used it for $700 worth of stuff before my bank caught the fraud. Fortunately it was only two charges. The bank is awesome at stopping my card if there are strange transactions. I only use this account for 3 things: Gym membership, my monthly dues for my business, and my sam''s club automatic payment (having a mastiff we buy 2 bags of food/month and pay it off each month). So when there was a charge for $500 at Motorola and $200 at Justice (little girls clothes?) they stopped the card. Now I have to try and get my money back! Arg. I had purchased 2 pairs of shoes online 2 weeks ago with this account and they stopped the card as well since it was so strange for my history and I was annoyed but thankful...now I''m REALLY thankful!

Cj

 

[dragonfly411]

Pinki - it''s Amp Pro Performance Whey Vanilla

 

[panda08]

Good morning, everyone!

Well, I finally managed to get caught up with work, as well as sleep, over the weekend. But it''s a new week so who know what will happen

Hopefully, things will be manageable. I plowed through my cookbooks and planned two weeks worth of meals. On Sunday, I went to the gym. My back was barking a little while I was on the elliptical but I just pushed through and then did a series of core stregthening exercises and stretches.

Thanks, Marcy, for this week''s opener. No truer words were spoken. I saw that you made a pot roast over the weekend. Do you use a slow cooker? One of the things I want to make for the week is pot roast. I have a recipe in mind but am always interested in hearing how others make it, as this will be my first time.

Dragonfly, Wow, sounds like you''re doing great! YAY for no back pain!

Pinki, yeow, sorry to hear about the fraud on your debit card. Hope your bank resolves it soon. YAY for getting back on track... I hate how Aunt Flo gets in the way of things sometimes...

Rod, I meant to tell you last week... CONGRATS on your condo!!! That''s very exciting! I''m also glad to hear your back''s feeling better.

 

[somethingshiny]

Sorry I''ve been MIA. I''ve been trying to find a vitamin I can take without getting sick. I''m trying a powder drink mix now, so hopefully being able to drink a bit throughout the entire day will keep me from yacking.

Also, I wanted to paint my bathroom. I started stripping wall paper and found TONS of water damage on the drywall (the paper has a vinyl coating so we didn''t actually see water when it was up). We had to pull out the shower surround and discovered that 4 ft up on both walls is mush. We had to rip out the walls and throw away the shower. So, my $20-let''s-paint-the-bathroom project has turned into lots of work and several hundreds of dollars. Still I guess it''s better that we found it now rather than when someone fell outside naked and wet.

My eats are good but I''m definitely slowing down on the workouts. I got the heavier weights which were fine, but I noticed my back was aching after workouts. My back is starting to sway from the pregnancy and my waddle is starting so I think the weights are putting a bit too much strain on it. I''ve walked a ton over the last few days so at least I''m getting some movement.


Marcy~ Great opener!

dragonfly~ SOO glad that you''re able to really get into your workouts again and Yay for finding a new vitamin. I was surprised at how different vitamins really are!

pinki~ Wow, that was great of your bank to stop funds!! I hope you''re able to recoup your losses. I''m sure you''ll make your goal this week.


panda~ Yay for meal planning! It''s such a help. For pot roast, I do several versions. Dh''s favs are my A1 style and Italian style roasts. I always slow cook in stock or boullion. The A1 version uses cracked black pepper, kosher salt, sliced onions and tomato juice or V8. Then I shake a ton of A1 on top and cook for at least 5 hours. You can add whatever veggies that are good with tomato flavor. For the Italian version, I start with stock or boullion, add Lipton Onion Soup Mix, cracked black pepper, Kosher salt, basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary, fresh garlic and sliced onion. Again, you can add whatever veggies that you''d like with those flavors. I don''t sear my roasts because DH doesn''t prefer it that way, but it does give a nice flavor to the meat and keeps it really moist. (I use enough liquid that I don''t have a problem with drying out the meat though) DH usually digs in right away, but if you can let the meat rest for 20 minutes or so, I think it''s better.

Rod~ I just realized I missed a major event!! CONGRATS on your condo!!!




Hello, all!! Hope you''re all doing well! Hopefully I''ll keep up better this week!

 

[BeachRunner]

Happy Monday ladies and gent!

It is gloomy here today. Oof. We had a lovely weekend weather-wise here. Saturday, I did my long run, and I came back with tan lines!

I completed 10 miles, and felt good. As I got closer to my apartment, the more tired I got. So much of distance running is mental, and I’m still working on training my brain, so to speak. Of course, I still have 3miles to go to a half, but I have until May.

Marcy-Thanks for the wonderful opener! I too, bought the jelly beans. I have my husband to help eat them for me. How did Marty like his Denver trip? I ran around a golf course on Saturday and there were so many golfers out. I was praying not to get hit by a ball

Dragonfly- Your workouts always sound so awesome! Go you! I’m glad to hear you are pain free.

Pinki- Don’t get discouraged with weight. AF can also bring water retention, etc. so, we’ll blame her! My bank is great about fraudulent charges as well. They’ve called me a couple times to ensure I made the purchases.

Panda- boo to work on the weekend, but awesome that you’re all caught up!

ss- What a busy weekend you had.

Hope everyone has a great day!

 

[LovelyHearts]

Good afternoon guys!

Sorry I won''t be responding to all of you today, but I will tomorrow. The weekend was crazy busy trying to balance my team project (presentation is tonight, please wish me luck!) and spending time with my husband and kids. My team members didn''t meet deadlines and one didn''t show up for our meeting, so I had to pick up the slack. I worked on our project for 4 hours on Saturday night, and on Sunday morning, I made it to the gym to meet my co-worker. She showed me some moves from the Insanity work out and man, it kicked my butt! My hips down to my calves are so sore today, I am limping as I walk.

Here''s what I''m living by this week. I''ve printed and have it posted everywhere. "One of Thomas Jefferson''s rules for success was to do the worst things first. Go after the things that ou''re afraid to do, that you don''t like to do, that you''d rather not do. Do them the first thing in the morning, if you can. You''ll boost your self-image for the rest of the day and you''ll have a lot more pleasure from that point on."

I hope you guys have a good week and are able to accomplish your weekly goals. I''ll check in tomorow.

 

[Rod]

Hey.......It wasn''t a bad day at all.........I made a placement, and I didn''t even know it was going to happen, so that started the week off on a really good note! I still have between 8 - 10 other placements that may close in the next week or so, which would be simply amazing. Sushi tonight was really good and the weather was super mega spectacular today! May the rest of this week be as good as today!

Thanks for getting us off on a positive note Marcy!! The really obese girl in my office, decided to not go to the Biggest Loser audition. Her boyfriend likes her fat and actually forbid her from going to the audition. And since she decided to not go to the audition, her eating has gotten out of hand. She eats more calories in 1/2 day than I do in 3 days. She''s been out of the office for the last couple days because she hurt her back and can''t even get out of bed. And I''m sure she doesn''t even see a correlation between weighing close to 400 pounds and back pain. It''s sad........

You go dragon!! You''re workout schedule is fantastic!!

pinki, 1 lb., aint nothing. Our bodies fluctuate anywhere from 3 - 5 pounds on a daily basis..........

Thanks Pandora!! While I hate to wish time away, I just wish I could wakeup and the move is over and we''re in our new place already........

Be careful SS. I know you want to work out during the pregnancy, but don''t hurt your back. I''m so sorry about the water damage in the shower. Showers are notorious water disaster''s waiting to happen. You''re lucky you discovered this before the baby and possibly mold..........

Wow for a 10 mile run BR!! I''m sure you''ll have no trouble getting up to the half!!

I like the Thomas Jeffersoon work mantra LovelyHearts (I''m going to call you LH, henceforth....... Great Luck for your presentation tonight, which I''m sure will be fantastic!!

Tomorrow night''s a gym night, so my check in will be late and short.......

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Shout out to the gangaronni!

Looks like we are getting some snow....

Anyway, I am diligent and getting to the gym and pool--working hard as ever. I do notice when I am on the highest incline on the treadmill, my old left knee flares up. Hmmm, then I take it easy, but by then it is time ot get off and call it a day.

Hope everyone is well and taking care of themselves.

cheers--Sharon

 

[charbie]

I don''t have tons of time to write tonight since its getting late, but wanted to fill everyone in:
Friday night we got the news my grandfather had passed away. He went quickly, painlessly, but its still so hard none the less. I let myself be upset, and I''m coping as well as could be expected. We had plans for Andys family to come over for my birthday on Saturday, and went thru with the plans. I indulged in my favorite oreo cookie ice cream cake (reminded me of grandpa, too) plus made some buffalo chix dip. This week is a new week, and actually DH and I are starting P90x in 2 weeks. Our plan is to make it thru that, then start trying to make a baby! Wooohooo! I''m planning on doing the P90x in the mornings and seeing how that works.

Thanks all for the encouragement. I might be a bit sporadic over the next few days or weeks, but I''m cheering for you all!

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey everyone!!! last night I had a very lovely Girls'' Night! We went to a dinner at a culinary school in my neighborhood,. It was great. WE had a few bottles of wine and had a fantasitc time. Today''s the gym Or a run with the dog. Or maybe both? Who knows.

Anyway, tomorrow going to go on on a run with the pooch. Hit the gym yesterday, finally after 2 wks off. Feels good but arms are kinda sore.

Marcy, very true openng! I definitely feel I have my good days and bad days, and one my bad days, I feel like saying "Waht''s the point."

Dragon, sounds like you have a greate handle on the rest oft he week. goood luck

Pinki, Hope things are going well for you. I''m glad your bank stopped the fraudulant transactions, even thought it''s a bit of a PITA for you.

Panda. well done on getting caught up, hope thing sare all sorted with the slow cookdr and your card.

SS, I''m glad you''re doing better. I''m sorrry to hear about the major bathroom work.

Beach, I''m glad things are going well with you. Weather has been pants fo r the past few days but what can you do.

Lovely, I love hte TJ quote too. Definitely is inspiring.

Rod, cograts on the closing. I"m keepingf fingers crossed for you other placements.

Sharon, boo snow Hoepe you''re doing well given then weataher

Charbie, Hope all is well. Your family is in my prayers and thoughts. Big hugs

~Lisa

 

[appletini]

I haven''t checked in a long time, so I thought I''d give an update. My workout partner moved to another office location, so I lost my motivation when she left. I''lve still been working out but not quite as often as I should. However our personal trainer is now teaching my Monday Total Body class and he has a new class on Thursdays called SLAM that is a body sculpt, so now its like I get two free PT sessions a week. I am so excited that the time change is this weekend so I can start walking or walk/jog in the evenings, this always gets me motivated every spring. I also just realized that with Easter around the corner I''ll be able to wear my favorite white pants soon and I need to be able to fit into them.

Also its funny how changing one little thing with your diet can make a difference. One of my healthy afternoon snacks at work was a lite babybel cheese, I always see these mentioned on forums and health magazines. Well last week I didnt'' have them, not on purpose but I had been out of town on a ski trip so DH had to do the grocery shopping and I forgot to put them on the list. I didnt exercise last week so the only differnce was no cheese. Well by the end of the week DH noticed that my tummy was looking slimmer and I really think it was because of no cheese. SIL is a nutritionist so she said that it might have been causing some bloat.

charbie, sorry to hear about your grandfather. I''m sure he lived a full life and you''ll always have your memories of him.

 

[somethingshiny]

Rod~ yay for a placement, hope the rest of your week goes as well! The mold in the bathroom was also halfway up the wall. Unfortunately we didn''t get around that. But, at least it''s out of the house now.

Charbie~ I''m sorry for your loss. Your family is in my prayers.

lliang~ YAY for girls'' night!!

apple~ Hi, there!!

Hey to all. I have a dr appt today and will hopefully find out some weight gain today.

 

[BeachRunner]

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday.

I had a beautiful drive into work this morning. It was sunny and mild. Luckily, I get to leave the office around 1pm and do some field work. Yesterday, I did strength training and stretching. It felt good and I was sure to really stretch out my legs. They feel great today for my run. I’m not really sure how long this run will be, prob 4-5 miles around the neighborhood, or maybe to a park and back. We bought whole trout at the grocery store, and had those last night w/ broc and polenta. Trout is one of my favorites, yum! We don’t change up our eats very much; we buy a huge bag of broc weekly. DH makes a pan of polenta and we have that for the week.

LH- Thanks for sharing that TJ quote. It’s so true. I remember when I was in school I’d always do my least favorite work first. Again, I wish I could run in the mornings. I’m sure I’d feel great all day, but I’d have to get up so early. Maybe in the summer I can change my schedule to workout in the mornings, go into work a little later and work later. It’ll still be light out, and I won’t have to worry about working out! Plus, I’m sure it gets hot here in the summer.

Rod- When I lived in WV, I saw obese individuals like your co-workers everywhere. It’s becoming an epidemic, and it’s scary. I used to see kids gulping Pepsi and screaming for chips and candy. I’d say about 1 out of 4 people in the grocery store was overweight. Media doesn’t make this problem any better either; all you hear is misconception about how there is healthy fast food out there, etc. It astounds me that people think there is still a secret to weight loss.

Hi Sharon! Incline=not BR’s friend. I hate hills.

Luckily, there are few of them in CO, unless I go into the mountains.

Charbie- I’m sorry to hear about your loss. You and your family will be in my thoughts. But, awesome on the P90x and TTC! Hubs and I are not ready for a child just yet. Maybe in a couple of years!

Lisa- Your dinner sounds wonderful! Yay for girl time, and yay for gym time! Is your sister doing the marathon?

Appletini- When I cut dairy out of my diet, I can’t begin to tell you how much better I felt! I’ve read that many people develop an intolerance to dairy as they age, causing bloating and discomfort. I always attributed my bloat after meals to eating too much. As soon as I stopped eating cheese, milk, and yogurt, there was no more bloat. I still eat cheese on rare occasions-only on pizza. I eat soy ice cream, yogurt, and milk, and really, don’t miss dairy anymore.

SS- good luck at your drs appt.

 

[panda08]

Hey guys!

I didn''t work last night, WOO-HOO! It wasn''t because I didn''t have work, but I just wanted an evening off. Made a tasty stirfry with grass-fed beef, scallions and cabbage served with wild rice.

SS, yeow, sorry to hear that your minor bathroom project turned into more than you bargained for! Hope your back is less achey today. Thanks so much for your pot roast tips!

Beach, wow, yay for a 10 mile run! I''d be doing well if I could survive a 1 mile run

Your dinner sounds good. I actually never ate trout before. What does it taste like?

Lovely, thanks fo rthe Jefferson quote, sage advice.

Rod, yay for another placement! Wow, I''m sorry to hear that the woman in your office decided not to try out for the Biggest Loser. It''s unfortunate that her BF actually forbade her from auditioning. I have all kinds of unkind thoughts about him

that I''ll keep to myself.

Sharon, great to hear you''re being so diigent with your workouts!

Charbie, my deepest condolences to you and your family for the loss of your grandpa. *HUGS*

Hi Lisa, oooh, your girl''s night sounded so fun! We have a culinary school nearby with a restaurant that we should drop into.

Apple, sorry you lost your workout buddy. I miss the days when I was in law school and had a GF to get me to the gym. Ooh, I forgot about DST. I''m looking forward to longer days too.

Hope everyone''s doing well!

 

[somethingshiny]

I just HAD to post!!

I just got back from my dr appt (4 lb weight gain, finally!).

While there, dr and I discussed the standard glucose screening that I''ll have in a few weeks. I asked if I was supposed to eat normally that morning. He said not if I normally eat donuts and sugar pops in the morning. Sugar Pops?? Yes, they are now known as Corn Pops! He also said the name of another cereal that is now Honey something or other. I had no idea that there were so many name changes for "health conscious people." For some reason I was appalled at the marketing industry for trying to pull one over on customers! I don''t eat that kind of stuff to begin with so I''ve never noticed a change, but I imagine THIS is a reason why parents don''t mind giving their children crap when it''s labeled as "honey" all-natural-sweetener. Okay, ranting over. I just had to share.

 

[pinki]

Dragonfly - Thanks for the protein name. I look forward to trying it.

Panda - Great job catching up on sleep, work and planning 2 weeks of meals! that is a huge accomplishment!

Shiny - I''m with you, I get sick with vitamins, but I just make sure I take them on a full stomach. Sorry to hear about the water damage! I hate how one little project turns into something massive.

BeachRunner - 10 miles! Man, I wish. I''m still struggling with 3. LOL. I used to do 5 miles every day but with my bum knee I can''t go any longer.

LovelyHearts - GOOD LUCK!!! Great quote, thanks!

Rod - thanks for the encouragement. Sorry to hear about your co-worker. Sounds like her BF is mentally abusive, not supporting her healthy decisions. How awful. You almost wish you could steal her and help her get healthy.

Canuk-Gal - Love the greeting! Hahaha...dang knee, I have similar problems. I just met with an orthopaedic surgeon and its the tendons in my knee. They aren''t strong enough to keep my kneecap aligned so it bounces around and enflames the whole knee area. I have to start going to physical therapy next week.

Charbie - So sorry to hear about your grandfather. Thoughts and prayers!

Lliang - Your girls night sounds wonderful. I need to get my girls rallied! I have a sleepover with my girlies each fall, its such a great hit. We go old school, chick flicks, bad food, lame games like Oija and Mall Madness. Hehehe...

Appletini - Sorry to hear your workout partner is MIA, but hopefully those classes keep you going. I like meeting other people at the gym to keep me accountable when my partner is busy and can''t meet me.

Still dealing with the bank about my accounts, lame. Still working on gathering raffle items for the Special Olympics fund raiser I run; its very hard in our economic times! No one wants to donate like they have in the past. Also still working on assembling invitations which is an every night task. UGG...I did get out for a nice walk last night since the weather is perking up, but I had to miss my morning gym trip this morning due to a meeting so I feel more sluggish. Back at it tomorrow!

Cj

 

[appletini]

I had an easy workout today. I rode the recumbent bike while reading my book...I''m behind on my bookclub reading so it was a good opportunity to multi-task.

I also had one of my new favorite lunches today. I had leftover pork tenderloin from last night so I made a big salad in the cafeteria w/ greens, zucchini, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, edamame, broccoli and then I added my pork. I''ve started doing this when I have leftover chicken, pork, beef.

 

[Lorelei]

Hey Apple,

GREAT to see you!!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.I hope your week is going well so far.

Lorelei, I was glad to help out.

Dragonfly, sounds like you have your workouts planned really well.That is great to hear your back is feeling better.

Pinki, I got very frustrated putting a date on when to reach a goal but if it works for you that is what matters.Aak that someone got your debit card number.My in-laws were telling us a friend of theirs in Arizona was getting gas and used his debit card.They noticed someone watching them and using their cell phone but didn’t pay a lot of attention.Apparently that person was taking a video and got their card number and pin number and put thousands of charges on their card.That is great your bank caught it and stopped it.Good luck getting your money back.

Panda, that is great planning your menus for 2 weeks.Yes, I generally cook my roast in a crock pot but on weekends I use browning bags.They turn out a lot really tender in crock pots though.

Somethingshiny, vitamins make me sick too.I get by pretty well on kiddie’s chewable vitamins.Sounds like your bathroom will be quite a chore.I am glad the doctor appointment went well.

Beach Runner, we had gray skies here too.Yay for running 10 miles this weekend.The baggie of jellybeans disappeared at work in no time.I enjoyed the ones I had this weekend though.Marty at fun on his trip to Denver.He said he didn’t play gold too well but the concert was great.How fun to get off work a bit early.

LovelyHearts, I hope your presentation went well.Yay for the workout kicking your butt.

Rod, PS dust coming your way for more placements this week.I am so sad to hear about that lady at work.Her boyfriend is encouraging her to an early grave or a lot of pain in her life.

Sharon, more snow, huh?We are having weather in the 40’s with chance of rain and snow most of the week.I hope your knee feels better.

Charbie, I am so sorry to hear about your grandfather.Hugs to you and your family.

Lisa, girls night out sounds fun.

Appletini, sorry to hear your workout partner moved but it sounds like you are motivated about the new classes.One little change can make an amazing difference.

Have a great evening.

Marcy

 

[Rod]

Hey......It''s nearly 11 PM, so this will be short. It was a typically long work day. I made it to the gym and worked out hard. Really hard. Charlie baked chicken with steamed brocolli, so I had some of that when I got home from the gym.

I can''t say hello to you all individually, but I did have to say hello to you Apple!! It''s been some time, so it''s nice to see you and I hope you''ll stick around!!

OK....time to shut down and get ready for bed........have a good Hump Day tomorrow!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Evening everyone!!!

Today sister and I worked out at her gym. Her plan was to run but all the cardio machines were taken so we did a quick weight set instead. I was happy because I f''ing hate cardio, but it''s finally getting a bit nicer, so maybe we''ll run outside soon (with the pooch). Eats were pretty good. Salad and soup for lunch, i was STARVING when I came home, so I had a tiny bit (a third cup) of chili. Dinner was chili mac. I never made it before but I had a bunch of leftover (frozen) chili that I wanted to use up. It turned out pretty good, and it was SUPER easy (especially since the chili was already made). Next time to health it up some more, I''ll use whole grain macaroni, and fat-free cheese. James actually liked it, but did comment it was light on the chili. More chili, less mac.

Thanks everyone for your Yay Girls'' Night wishes. I really do love getting together with the girls. It''s a nice change from the hubs all the time. My sis and I often exchange the "Boys are stupid/stinky!" comment (no offense Rob) whenever our husband/boyfriend does something to annoy us.

Apple! WELCOME BACK!!!!

I''m glad you''re getting two classes It''s great when you find a trainer you really click with. You can keep the babybell cheese as a special treat maybe? Sweet lunch trick! I like it!!! And a great way to use up leftovers

SS, YAY!!! 4lbs! I totally agree on your rant.

Beach, Wow, your work day sounds lovely. My friend lives in Denver and always has such nice weather. I''m so JEALOUS!!! We get long cold winters for naught! Awesome your run went well. Do you do stretching days? Yes, my sister is running the Chicago Marathon in Oct. James and I are going to sign up for an Olympic Tri for Sept, so we''ll all spend our summer doing some kind of training. I''m hoping/dreading that the training will curb my wine-ing habit. I heart my wines. Hm, very interesting you bring up about cutting dairy. I was pretty lactose intolerant growing up, but I started getting more into cheese when I started liking goat cheese. I still don''t take much dairy, just a cup for tea and maybe some cheese on some foods. I definitely can tell when I eat normal (e.g. cheddar) cheese compared to easier to digest ones (e.g. goat).

Panda, go you on taking the night off!!! Stir-fry. Mmmm... I''d defiintely suggest you hit the culinary school near you. It''s great practice for the students and the food is always quite cheap. If anyone''s in/around Chicago, I *HIGHLY* suggest Kendall College.

Pinki, I think we might try to do a Girls'' Trip (maybe to Vancouver) this summer. Keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck on your raffle. My friend/trainer donated 5 sessions as part of a charity raffle. Maybe you can find people willing to donate that way rather than monetary or physical goods. Do you know any family open restaurants etc? Just a thought.

Hey Marcy!! How''s the week going for you? How''s Marty doing?

Rod, I''m glad you hit the gym Any more word on the new placements?

A general poll for the group, anyone know a way I can get James to eat more fish? He kinda wrinkles his nose whenever I mention I want to start making fish more. I suppose I can use Lent as an awesome excuse, but really! I need the man to eat more fish! I can''t keep eating red meat and chicken all the time! And some way to get him to eat Indian food while you''re at it. Boys are STINKY! just kidding

~Lisa, out

Last kinda random comment: It was SOOOO nice this evening! James didn''t have the TV on mindlessly! I got to play my music and it was really chill! I never really watch TV and don''t "get" having it on "in the background"

 

[dragonfly411]

Hey all, just a quick fly by. I took yesterday off, as my abs were SO sore. Tonight I''ll be lifting again and doing sculpting, with some jumping jacks worked in. I''m working on getting my eating in gear. I''m eating healthy but I don''t think enough. So working on that.

Lliang - just wanted to offer quick advice. You might try working fish into meals in a non conventional way, like fish tacos, or tuna salads, or shrimp salad. Also, try feeding him some non fishy fish, like tuna steaks, mahi(slightly but not overly fishy) or swordfish.

 

[LovelyHearts]

Happy hump day!

Monday night went horribly wrong. I hate my team. I decided to talk with the teacher during break so that he was aware of the laziness in my group. I feel like screaming...

I''m still sore!! But I''m motivated now more than ever to work out. i did order Insanity, so hopefully, I''ll be getting that soon. I talked Hec into working out with me, so I''m trying to keep him motivated too. Eating healthy sucks. I''ve cut out starch from my diet (well as much as I can). I''m Asian, so no white rice has been hard. No pastas or bread. I do occassionaly have crackers with hummus as a snack. Also, there have been a birthday celebrations each day at my office this week, and I turned down cake... twice. I showed up for the surprise, sang happy birthday and left without even looking at the cake. I knew if I made eye contact, it would''ve been over.

Counting down to Vegas. I booked the show tickets yesterday online. I can''t believe DH wants to see Peepshow, but okay, it''s his trip too, so I''ll go along with it. I can''t believe how expensive show tickets are nowadays.

I hope you guys have a good week. I''ll check in later on.

Rod – Good to hear you had a good start. I hope you get many more placements this week. I feel bad for your co-worker. I can’t believe someone that loves a person would want them to stay unhealthy. Sounds like he needs to be kicked to the curb.

Charb – I’m so sorry to hear about your grandfather. Your family is in my prayers.

Appletini – I agree with you. I have been staying away from chocolates and I feel like my mid section is slimmer. I thought it was just me, but my pants seem to be fitting better. Maybe it’s a coincidence?

Lliang – James sounds like my hubs. He is a hearty type eater. Meat, beans, potatoes, but salad or pasta, not so much, unless it’s loaded with MEAT! LOL. BTW, I hate cardio too. I consider it a good day if I can get through 25 mins on the treadmill.

BR – You’re my inspiration when I’m on the treadmill. Honestly, you keep me going just a bit longer. Sound silly?

 

[Lorelei]

Hey Rod!

* quick threadjack*

I have a poster here asking about treated blue diamonds and wondered if you might have any tips for them please?

Thanks friend!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/does-anyone-have-an-enhanced-blue-diamond-ring.138277/

 

[BeachRunner]

Woo hoo, Hump Day!

We had a department wide staff meeting this morning. Ouch, it was brutal.

I was hot and bored. Oof. I had a good run yesterday; ended up doing about 4.7 miles. I kind of just ran and then came back and used mapmyrun.com to determine the distance. I had a veggie burger with some beans for dinner. Yum yum!

Tonight, I’ll do a tempo run where I’ll warm up for 10-15 min, speed it up for 15-20 min, then cool down for another 10-15 min. It’s kind of gloomy out today, but no precipitation, so, hopefully it stays like that.

Anyone into March madness? I’m so not a basketball fan, but my hubs loves UNC bball. It’s doubtful they’ll even make the tourney this yr, but I graduated from WVU; Lets Gooo Mountaineers!

Panda- Your eats sound wonderful too! And yippee for not taking your work home at night! Trout doesn’t have a fishy taste to me. It’s not hearty or flakey. Hard to describe I guess. But, I’d totally recommend fresh trout! Anyone can run if they want. It take awhile to build up, but once your there, I think a lot of it is mental.

SS- Congrats for your weight gain! I’m glad you and the baby are healthy. I ranted about HFCS in my Special K cereal last week. Unreal…

Pinki- Running injuries can be tough. I really try to ensure I stretch and take my rest days so I don’t injure myself. I remember our invites. Luckily, hubs helped me and we got through them in a couple days. (We had a small wedding, which made things a lot easier)

Apple- We have pork tenderloin once per week, and my co-workers just gawk over my leftovers. I don’t know why, pork tenderloin is soo easy to make! I just eat mine though, no salad. Although, I may need to start; your salad sounds wonderful!

Hi Marcy! The easter candy is starting to make an appearance in my office too. Moderation is key, right?

Rod- Awesome for a great workout, and your dinner sounded wonderful!

Lisa- I do not like indoor cardio either. Denver does get great weather. I looked it up and like 80% of our days are sunny ones. I have a day dedicated to strength/stretch. I take about 20 min after my runs solely for stretching as well. While I don’t have any super crazy stretching plan, it does its job. I enjoy wine as well. A good Zinfandel is my favorite. I also enjoy Torrontes (from Argentina, it’s a white wine). Re: fish and husbands, lol: Luckily my hubs is not picky, but I do recommend a heartier fish like a tuna steak or even mahi mahi (one of my favorites). Although salmon is really good for you, it can have a fishy taste which he may not appreciate. But, if you buy fresh salmon as opposed to farm raised, I find the taste to be far less fishy, and way better. Just to start out, maybe you can buy some cod or catfish, lightly bread it, and pan fry it for the hubs. It’s still fish, and is still good for you if you fry it in an olive oil, etc. Awesome for the tri! I can bike and run, but have never had access to swim. I want to incorporate swimming into my activity. I’ll have to look into pools in my area.

Dragonfly- I love sore abs! Call me crazy, I love sore muscles. I know I’ve worked out well, if my muscles are sore. Looks like we gave Lisa the same advice on fish, although I’m not a swordfish fan.

LH- Hello. Try not to cut out your carbs too much! That’s good energy and carbs (esp whole grain) is good for you. Try brown rice opposed to white rice. There are whole grain breads and pastas that you shouldn’t be afraid of. Just make sure to check the labels; they like to sneak in sugar and HFCS into bread. And no, not silly to think of something other than running while on the treadmill. Once you break a certain point in your running, it totally becomes mental. I’ll talk to myself sayin “you can do it”, and think about the ultimate goal of completing the marathon one day. Those 26.2 miles are very intimidating to me still. If I want to finish it one day, I’ve got to get that outta my head.

 

[appletini]

beachrunner,

Now that I have found my favorite pork tenderloin recipe I make it about once a week too. I coat it in olive oil and then put on a southwest rub and roast at 400 for 30 minutes. I also add a variety of veggies to the baking dish too, so they all cook together and I have minimal cleanup. I''ll do any combo of carrots, new potatoes, onions, bell peppers, etc and I coat those with some olive oil, honey, and tony chacheries.

 

[BubbleBear]

wow!! I''m so behind already this week!! Everyone seems to be doing so well!!

I did awesome last week, got several workouts in and also ate well. This week is going pretty well too. I had ordered a good stability ball and an ab workout dvd last week and tried it for the first time yesterday on my day off. at first I was disappointed because I felt like I hadn''t really done anything. I have a decent amount of fat on my abdoninal region, so I felt like I was hitting the muscles deep enough. I went for a run at the gym after that to make myself feel better. THEN....this morning I wake up and oh.my.God. my abs are killing me!! So I must have done something. Can''t wait to do it again tomorrow or friday. Hopefully, if I can keep at it, I will be able to comfortably wear a bikini in June when I go to Vegas!! That is my motivation - Vegas!! Who doesn''t want to go there at their best and hottest??!!

anyhoo, on a short break at work now, so i need to get back. Keep up the good work everyone!!