Weekly Workout Thread 22nd Jan till 28th Jan

[bookworm21]

I''ve been bad, food wise, the past two days. yesterday, I ate at a pancake house with a couple of friends. Had a veggie omelette. And bacon. And half a pancake with syrup. Not to mention buttered toast. (Whole wheat though, if that''s a saving grace.)

I felt so bad after. We did an entire day of shopping, so hopefully, that burned off half the meal. And THEN dinner rolled around. Met up with some other friends for Korean food and had BBQ short ribs. OMG, what a bad day.

Today was pretty bad too. Breakfast, I had a Trader Joe High Fiber cereal. Then I had some potatoes and green beans as a snack. And then I caved and had a small cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream. For dinner, it was Korean bbq chicken with rice and kimchee.

I need to stop going out for dinner. I feel sooooo guilty. And it doesn''t help that I''ve gained some weight back around my waist area. Sigh.

Hopefully, I''ll be able to jump back on tomorrow.

 

[sumbride]

I had every intention of going to the gym today but went on a spontaneous road trip dress shopping expedition instead... which is all the more reason to go to the gym in the morning!

 

[jadeleaves]

Ahh cinderella I hear ya. I had every intention of eating well today, but hubby went out and passed by my favorite bakery and bought me some chocolate scrolls. The thing is, I knew he was going to be passing by that bakery and I was contemplating getting him to get me ONE, but I decided against it and didn''t say anything to him, but he got them anyway! And he got FIVE!!!

*wails*

I had one for lunch

. We went shopping afterwards, and had planned to have some pho for dinner, but he got the munchies around 4ish, so we went to this dutch pancake place and I had 1/4 of his ham and cheese pancake. Dinner was a bowl of pho, so hopefully that wasn''t too bad in terms of calories. I think 500ish? I didn''t finish it though.

I am craving some vanilla icecream with some fresh berries now. The good thing is, I am training at the gym tmr, so I can do some extra cardio.

So don''t feel too bad! Lets jump back on tmr!

 

[Lorelei]

Great job all - wow we have hit 10 pages this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No workout yesterday, but should be able to later. I am noticing on the half hour programme on the ellip, I no longer have to turn down the resistance when it goes up which is great, but goodness can I feel a burn in the old legs!

 

[bee*]

I havent had a great weekend food or exercise wise. I met my friends on friday night and shared nachos with them for starters and then had the most amazing chicken fajitas followed by 3 glasses of wine. I had great intentions of going to the gym yesterday but instead D dragged me shopping for the day. We went to this amazing tapas bar for lunch and I got a spanish omelette which came with a delicious salad, homemade bread with hummus, olives and some sliced cheese. It was so tasty-although I gave D some of the cheese and half of the bread. I had a small bag of popcorn and an alpen bar for a snack and then later on we went out for something to eat but I was good and had a salad with some bacon and chicken with it and I had some of D''s chips. I also had a tiny tiny bit of chocolate when we went to our friend''s house.
So today is a whole new day and I will definitely go to the gym today. D said that he''d come up with me so Im looking forward to going up. Our friends are getting married in April and I bought the dress that Im going to wear to it. I actually fitted into the UK size 12! I couldnt believe it! So its giving me some more motivation to slim down more so that it looks amazing on! Its a beautiful dress and it was so cool when it zipped all the way up!

 

[ljmorgan]

I ate well yesterday, but I feel bloatish this morning, and not hungry at all. I think the problem is... diet soda again! Last week I limited myself to one every other day... yesterday I had 3! So I think that today is the day to say... no diet soda at ALL this week. Water and unsweetened tea, thank you. It''s amazing how when you''re eating healthier, you notice when certain things are upsetting your body more.

Hubby and I will hit the gym today, I''ll probably do weights and then 45 minutes on the elliptical. I like bringing my ipod but I think today I''ll watch a movie with the husband. At gold''s gym they have a movie theater with a huge screen and cardio equipment in the room. It is so nice! They always play newer movies, and the room is pitch black, so no one sees you sweating up a storm!

Today''s food will go like this...

Breakfast: Fiber One honey clusters w/ milk
Snack: 3 clementines
Lunch: TJ''s Tomato & Red Pepper bisque w/ a salad
Snack: 80 cal TJ bran muffin (they only had pomegranate ones yesterday, so we''ll see)
Dinner: Lemon chicken w/ roasted vegetables

OK I have to say... the lemon chicken is SO delicious! I got the recipe from a magazine that I get called Cooks Country. The original version calls for bone-in chicken breasts and I made it for company and it was sooo delicious. But tonight I am modifying it to use boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins.

You brown the chicken in a bit of olive oil, and add minced garlic. then you add chicken broth, and add the "veggies" which are 12 shallots whole and 16 cloves of garlic, whole. That may sound like a ton of garlic but since they stay whole, they are NOT strong... so mild. In fact when the dish is done, you can eat the garlic cloves whole because they''re so soft and mild. In this dish, the whole shallots and garlic are treated as veggies. Anyway you let the chicken stock cook down, add lemon juice, and then when it''s done, a bit of sour cream to make the sauce creamier. It is the most divine creamy flavorful lemon chicken. I worked out the calories and it comes to 300 something. It also has a really great presentation for company. The roasted vegetables are something that I actually learned from Weight Watchers, that everyone raves about! Asparagus, red bell pepper, sweet vidalia one, zuccini, squash... slice them all up, throw them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (high quality, so that it''s not bitter.) You roast them and all of the vegetables carmelize and get deliciously sweet... these veggies are SOOOO good paired with anything that you might want to grill.

I think I will post the recipe for the lemon chicken and the veggies over in the recipe thread!

 

[nejarb]

yesterday i had van''s multi grain waffles w/ smart balance light and sugar free syrup for breakfast and then a caprese salad for lunch. we went to see The Queen, but the 1st was sold out so we had over 2 hrs to kill and decided on dinner at a very busy italian place that we were a little underdressed for, but i told my guy we were too cool for school and reminded him that woody allen wore sneakers to the academy awards. we tried to eat pretty light--we split a caprese (again!) salad and split some chicken tortellini dish w/ a yummy mushroom sauce.

today, more waffles plus a small smoothie that''s soo good--frozen strawberries, fresh banana, fat free milk, a little plain yougurt, and sweet & low. i gave some to my guy and he asked me why i was feeding him a milkshake for breakfast! i''m going to the gym this morning, and i''m not leaving until i''ve burned 700 cal. also, my guy wants to go on our 4 mile walk this afternoon, so my goal for the day is around 1000 cal.

 

[KimberlyH]

John and I were discussing weight this morning, he told me he''s lost about 8 lbs. since I started counting calories. So I got on the scale, and it says:

133.6!!!

I know it''s not weekly weigh in day, but that is just pretty darn exciting. It means I''ve found the right formula for me: eating about 1500-1600 calories per day and burning about 1500-2000 calories per week.

I''m feeling much more motivated today than I was yesterday, so I''m going to spend some time on the elliptical. Tonight it''s out to dinner, as I mentioned.

Hope everyone is having an awesome day.

 

[Mara]

yay kimberly, sometimes your body just needs a bit of a shake up in order to achieve the goals you have. you have been doing wonderfully!!

nejarb, you go girl, 1000 cals in one day!! that''s awesome...and YES i love the vans waffles with sugar free syrup as well. if you ever find that you want a bit less of a calorie eat in the mornings but still want waffles, i discovered eggo nutri-grain lowfat waffles which have the same amount of fiber as the vans i think (or maybe 1g less) and they are 140 cals for 2 instead of the 170 that van''s is. not a huge deal but honestly i like them just as much so if i don''t get the vans at TJ''s then i get these instead.

i basically decided to let go for the rest of greg''s moms trip and eat whatever i want, hahaha. it''s way too hard to be good with this woman around. she loves bread so we got this huge loaf of sourdough and she eats it between meals..so of course i want some too. and then yesterday the danish cinammon bread, yikes!! that''s a favorite of mine. and then dinner again tonite, so i figure i''ll get back on the wagon next week and limit cal intake a bit more than typically.

sushi last nite was wonderful!! so yummy. breakfast this morning is coffee, cereal and toasted breads...and i am thinking i might try to go hit up the gym for a bit. the walk yesterday gave me some hope that maybe i should try the elliptical a little and see if it feels okay. if not i can just do a bit of walking. but i figure i will go and test things out since today is kind of a slow day for us...we might go visit a museum later or something but it''s kind of sunny and raining on and off, odd weather.

lorelei i am so jealous girl...you do better each and every week and seemingly with not much holding you back. you''re my role model...hehe after rod of course!! rod...definitely get over to TJ''s at some point and at least try a pizza (and they have a ton of other things to eat, check out the TJ faves thread!). lindsey that chicken sounds delish, definitely post it.

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks for the kind words Mara. It''s easy to get stuck in a rut and then fight with that last 5 lbs or so (no one knows it better than me, I''ve been fighting with them for the last 4 years). It was great to play around a bit and figure out that there is an alternative to being frustrated and it didn''t take much to make the switch.

I spent a bit more than an hour on the elliptical and burned 610 calories. It felt really good.

 

[bee*]

Thats great news Kimberley! Well done!

I went to the gym today and burnt 462 calories on the cross trainer and then I did some weights and ran on the track so not sure how much calories I burnt. I cheated and weighed myself too just to see how much weight I put on after my bad weekend, I was delighted to find I put on nothing!! Woohoo! The exercise is obviously starting to work!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Hey nejarb,
I eat Van''s multi grain waffles too.
To me, they taste like cardboard without the syrup.

 

[Mara]

i love the waffles with just a bit of butter or spray and no syrup sometimes too. get them nice and crunchy and it's a nice snack.

hit up the gym and did 30 minutes on the elliptical (YAY for being back on the elliptical!!) and 15 minutes on the treadmill. i burned 350 cals, i did each on really low levels and took it easy, but it felt good to be back at the gym and working out. my body was a little sore and my stomach was kind of going 'whats this??' but afterwards i feel pretty good after a nice hot shower. so i am going to continue to try to do that, taking it easy...but going 3-4x a week, basically every other day to give my body a rest in between. i totally feel like how quickly your body forgets...i definitely wasn't tired or winded or anything but my body and muscles are sore, esp from yesterdays walk!! my butt muscles are like WOAH. and i've only been down for the count for a few weeks. it's amazing. and it makes me even happier to be giving my body something again.

also i just ate one of the fage yogurts with a teaspoon+ of honey and a touch of vanilla and whipped it into a frothy consistency. i think it needs a wee bit more honey, more like a tablespoon but not sure how many cals that adds in...so i'll have to mentally experiment and see how to make it a little sweeter without making it too high calorie for a snack. greg liked it too, we shared the container. and someone said that yogurt has anti inflammatory properties so maybe my stomach will like it as well. i actually think it might be better without whipping the honey in, because when i came across a bit of honey that hadn't gotten mixed in, and ate that spoonful it was much sweeter that way. i also can mix some berries in next time too. but definitely a yummy low-cal high protein snack...i am going to try to eat one of those a day for a week and nix a carb snack instead. i gained 2 lbs from a week and a half ago weigh in at the gym...it's to be expected based on how i have been eating more this last 3-4 days and also not really working out hardly at all, so i'm glad it was just 2 lbs and i'm sure it's all in my belly!!! my belly really reflects how i eat...i gain and lose easily there first and last kinda thing. so while the rest of me looks the same, i look a bit bloated in the belly from a side view. could be a combo of my stomach thing also, but i figure 2 lbs is easily hiding there, lol. so i am going to try to up the protein and eat a little less of carbs for a week or two til i get a better handle on the workout consistency etc. and eat more natural carbs aka fruits rather than popcorn snacks and stuff that probably are not AS beneficial for me. greg is so funny, when i told him i gained 2 lbs he's like 'that okay you are still skinny'. he's probably mentally calculating how many more lbs i need to gain back to get my butt more inflated or something. lol.

so today i'm still in vacation mode and we're having chinese tonite at our fave place (chinese chicken salad to die for) for greg's mom's last night with us..and this place has fab mai tais so i might indulge in one. then tomorrow she heads back to the east coast and we go back to our 'normal' schedule! i love having people visit but having the schedule mentally be different is a little tiring after a while. not happy about having to go back to work though lol!! more vacation please.

kudos bee on the great workout and kimberly on continuing to push it! you are definitely one of my food inspirations on here, you are so dedicated about what you eat. i CAN be like that typically but lately i have not been as much and so i like reading about your discipline because it reminds me that i need to get back to that! i miss it actually. anyhow, we are about to head off to a museum then an outdoor mall for some walking around and getting greg's mom some more french bread from this awesome bakery there...and then later tonite it's dinner !! have a wonderful 'rest of sunday' everyone.

 

[Dee*Jay]

We are back from Las Vegas!

I was really VERY good on all but the first night's dinner at Smith and Wolensky. I had a 10 oz filet (which I ate almost all of!) more than half of the truffle mac and cheese, and 1/2 bottle of red wine plus as extra glass at the bar while we were waiting. I really could have done with just one more glass of wine with dinner since we ended up waiting at the bar but there was a bottle that the happy hubby wanted to try so I let myself get sucked in. Oh, and one piece of bread when we sat down because I was already feeling a little loopy from the first glass of wine on an empty stomach (can you say Dee is a light weight?!).

I weighed myself on the scale in the room the next morning, but I didn't discover it until I had eaten a banana and had a lot of water and it said I was up 1.5 lbs from the previous morning. Ack! It said the same weight (up 1.5) the next morning too even though I had been so good on Friday (fruit cup for breakfast, salad with chicken [dressing on the side] for lunch, chicken lettuce wraps [with the tiniest bit of sauce] and wrinkled green beans for dinner]). I did break down and have 1/2 of a Three Muskateers bar for dessert because we went to see Zumanity and I really wanted a little something after than.

Yesterday I had a banana to keep me going and then we went to brunch at Bouchon. The roasted chick with lentils, pearl onions and carrots was divine! For dinner I had grilled salmon with vegetables, but I think there was some cream in the sunchoke puree. And then that extra 1/2 Three Muskateers somehow made it's way out of my purse and into my mouth, LOL.

We got back to our house about 6:00 this morning and I just got out of bed a few hours ago. My scale says I weight 2-1/2 pounds LESS than I did on the morning when we left. I don't belive it for a minute!

I just had a LC pizza with 1/2 spaghetti sauce to dip the little slices in (370 cals total) and tonight the happy hubby is making wilted spinach with giant prawns for an appetizer and salmon with julianed vegetables in parchment paper for a main course.

I'm going to go to the gym at some point, I just don't exactly when yet. My left calf is a little sore but I think that will work itself out on the elliptical. We walked a lot on Friday, and then yesterday we went on a HUGE trek up and down the strip. I just looked at Yahoo maps and from our hotel to the farthest one that we walked to was 3 miles in each direction, and that doesn't include all the zig zagging to go into shops and casinos and everything else.

And our *intentions* were good as far as working out... We called the front desk and asked where the gym was and what the cost would be (keep in mind this is at 4:30 in the morning becuase that's really 6:30 my time and I was WIDE awake for some reason!). They told up it was $35 for a weekend pass. OK, so we get ready and go down there. Well, it was $35 PER PERSON PER DAY. So, it would have been $140 for us to work out for two days. Forget it! We only pay $160/MONTH for the happy hubby to go to the best gym in Chicago so I just couldn't bring myself to do it. (Yes, there are some things I've cheap about!)

Sorry for the long post but I missed you guys and wanted to let you know I'm home and we're not broke! As a matter of fact we ended up *a little bit* ahead. Of course though my luck didn't turn good until about two hours before we had to leave. Oh well, at least we had a good time!

 

[Mara]

lol welcome back DJ...i wouldn''t believe your scale one way or another...sometimes it takes a few days after a vacation for my body to catch up...but if your measurements are the same then who cares. honestly weighing yourself on a scale daily in my opinion can be detrimental to long-term success, it''s so hit or miss and it''s confusing too. i''d just take your measurements on wednesday and go from there. plus as long as you stay on the gym track with working out now that you are back, chances are the vacation will just be a blip on the scale/measurements for like one week and that''s it. that''s what i found anyway.

so funny you said that about the gym thing...they definitely try to stick it to you!! our gym was like $35 for a weekend pass (fri-sun), but i found out if you got a spa treatment it was free for that day. so i was getting a spa treatment anyway and i used the gym that day...and tried to make the workout count with the time i had. but yeah i didn''t want to pay any more after that for sure and we didn''t have time to work out daily, we were just there for 3 days.

 

[nejarb]

good job kim w/ the weight loss! and that''s great bee that you got to splurge and you didn''t gain any weight! mara, i''m glad you finally got back to the gym. that''s funny what greg says about your butt--my fi is already telling me to be careful at the gym so i don''t come home one day without my ghetto booty, and i tell him i was 6-7 lbs thinner when he met me, and my booty was just fine for him then!

so i got the 700 cal at the gym out of the way, but still no 4 mile walk/jog w/ the fi. looks like it''s not going to happen today unless we go now b/c it''ll get dark pretty soon.

i don''t think i''ll meet my goal of 145 by wed, b/c the scale hasn''t been moving at all. i may just stop weighing myself for a few weeks. it really is a little bit discouraging for me, and i definitely don''t think that it''s keeping me from gaining weight or anything like that. it''s not like if i don''t check to see that i''m not gaining weight, i''m going to go out and eat a huge cheeseburger tonight! so i''m skipping this wed and waiting until next wed.

 

[Skippy123]

DeeJay, Mara is right about the scale. I tend hold on to weight when I get back from a trip.

I am excited to post that my husband and I went for a nice long vigorous walk!!!

I love TJ''s string cheese (light) it is only 1PT!!!

Thanks for the motivation!

 

[Rod]

YAY Kimberly and Nejarb. Way to go both of you!!!

Welcome home DeeJay. Sounds like a foodgasmic time! Don't feel too guilty about the filet. At least the tenderloin is the leanest (least fatty) of all the beef parts. Now, it's time to hit the gym. And we missed you too!!

So, even thought the weatherman said no rain and we had our cars washed yesterday, it rained today. I'm used to winter being drier in Florida this time of year. Oh well.

They opened a new Gold's gym about 1/4 mile from our apartment, so we went and checked it out. It's smaller than the one we've been using. And while the equipment is certainly new, they chose to use only Precor Ellipticals (and not too many of them at that) and while some people may like them better, as I mentioned earlier this week, I find them unnatural in motion. So, I guess I'll continue at the Gold's we've been working out, because they still have LifeFitness machines. The new gym did have some cardio machines I've never seen before. They're called the Wave and they are sort of ellitptical in nature ( no arm movement), but your feet move more side to side than back and forth like an ellitptical. It wasn't too odd feeling, but I was wondering if anyone else has ever used a Wave machine?? And if you have, what did/do you think of it??

So, we went to our regular gym, which just fits right. It's only about 3 miles further, so it's not like a big deal to get to. And we really prefer the location (North Hills, with no less than 3 Starbucks and our favorite Sushi restaurant to boot). We had a good workout at usual.

It's turning cold again. It will be in the 20's when we get up tomorrow morning (brrrrr). At least no snow is in our forcast.

I hope you all had a good Sunday. And here's to a bright new week coming up.

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks for all of the kind words, everyone.

I''m glad I inspire you, Mara, but it''s definitely a trade off. You inspire me to push my self in regards to working out, I push you a bit in regards to food, what a great balance!

We had a lovely dinner and a nice little dessert (we split one but I shoved most of it towards, him...more on the food tomorrow). But the best part was spending an afternoon/evening alone with my wonderful husband on the tail of a whilrwind month or so. I trhink we needed some "just the two of us" time to connect and relax. I''m more than happy to give up an evening of stict calories on an occasional evening if it means getting to spend some time with my fabulous husband!