Weekly Workout Thread 22nd Jan till 28th Jan

[Mara]

woo hoo so i just had a super productive TJ trip...thanks to the other thread i got a bunch of goodies.

DJ i tried to find your pot stickers but the closest i got was ''shu mai dumplings''...are these related at all? 3 servings in a box, 6 to a serving and 180 cals. so i could eat 2 servings for a box at 260. not too bad i guess for a snack or lunch. but let me know where the pot stickers are? i swear i looked all over!!

i also couldn''t find any fresh soups (someone mentioned fresh corn chowder?) but i did get the better n''peanut butter and i saw the fettucine soy noodles. okay no one said the bag is filled with water, i almost dropped it when i picked it up because i was like oh they are all gooey and soft! lol. so i might try those at some point for lunch with broth and broccoli and a bit of soy.

OH and random find, TJ''s turkey pot pie...it''s 16 oz and 660 cals for the whole pie. whereas the marie calendar''s 10 oz version is 660 cals OR the 16 oz is 1000 cals!! so 16 oz and 660 sounds perfect to me!! so i got one to try.

okay time for lunch. i''m torn now between tomato and red pepper boxed soup or the tortilla corn chowder i got more of.

 

[lovelylulu]

nejarb, that dress is so cute! very grace kelly. when is your wedding?

hello everyone. things are good. i still haven''t returned to the gym, but instead am doing pilates and walking outside (too chilly to run). food-wise, i''ve been great, but have refrained from posting/checking this thread as much, because i felt i was getting a bit too critical/strict/not the right approach for me during a foray with calorie counting.

it was just taking the joy out of food for me. obviously everyone has their own approach that works for them and it''s quite important to understand what we''re putting into our bodies, but i operate better on a more macro level. plus, now i can return to eating avocados without thinking, my goodness so many calories. i''m sticking to the whole grains, lean proteins, good fats, healthy portions method

bonus: down another three lbs

 

[Dee*Jay]

- thanks for posing my question to the dietician. Sometimes goofy things like that just nag at me ("hmmm... I wonder how long... ") so I appreciate that you asked her.

Mara, those are the ones. Aren''t they potstickers? They don''t have the shape that potstickers usually have but everything else about them seems the same.

So I had my sushi for lunch. Since I had decided early this morning that''s what I was having I couldn''t wait ''till lunchtime to go and get it. Yum! I used to eat it for lunch easily 2-3 times a week until I learned on this board how many calories it has.

Tonight I''m running one quick errand then heading to the gym. I''m sure the happy hubby left me a big pile of laundry to take care of from his ski trip so I''ll burn some extra calories dragging all those clothes up and down the stairs too.

 

[Mara]

lulu i know what you mean...i know i am probably one of the strictest advocates on here with what i eat and how it breaks down into calories and nutrients for my body...i think part of why i was so stressed out mentally when i got hurt and had these stomach problems is because i could see my strict disciplined regime just floating out the window. but i was starting to get a little crazy too.

not being able to work out, and then having the eating fest last week...and realizing that i need to chill out a bit really kind of reset my brain a bit. i am bummed that i have lost some muscle definition but this whole thing has also shown me that i can stop working out (or cut back drastically) and still eat well and i won''t balloon back out 15 lbs. AND that i have to still watch what i eat. the whole last week i was freaking out that i was eating so many calories. but this week i am back on track and i find it way easier to not snack and stick with my plan etc. anyway, rambling now but i think we all kind of have our comfort levels and sometimes those are challenged and i have definitely had mine challenged in the last 2-3 weeks with having to be sedentary and still trying to make the right food choices, whereas before i could just add in another workout if i went crazy with 4 scoops of ice cream. i am rediscovering my self-control which is nice too because i think that the workout schedule was letting me get a bit too off track with snacks. and really i love food, so i''m all about finding the right things to eat that taste good to satisfy my buds but in moderation.

anyhow...i remembered i had the rest of the corn chowder and red pepper soup in the fridge and it had about 1.5 cups left (seriously my portions before must have been less than i thought since i have had this soup 3 times and there are only supposed to be 4 1c servings in the container and i thought i was pouring 2c servings but apparently not) so i''m eating that for lunch. i want to try one of those fiber one bars too this afternoon and i have a banana chillin out in the fridge as well for fresh fruit.

 

[Mara]

lol DJ well i thought those were it but i wasn''t sure since they said dumplings. but i was like i think it might be these. i did get a box so i''m excited to try something new.

speaking of sushi, my boss and us two coworkers are going to sushi for lunch tomorrow. which kind of is cool because obviously i love sushi, but on the other than i was trying to be really good with cals this week before greg''s mom got here since we''ll be going out probably almost every day for food with her as we go to diff areas around here etc. so oh well, at least it''s healthy eating out!! and try to remember that...it''s not bad to splurge esp if it''s healthy as long as you don''t go super crazy, hehee. (aka 4 bowls of cereal? i''ll never mentally live that down).

 

[CrownJewel]

Date: 1/23/2007 2:09:52 PM
Author: Aloros
Hello there! I don''t really have a regular workout routine (except riding my bicycle to and back from work), nor am I looking to lose weight, just wanted to say I tried a couple of the recipes in the healthy recipes thread last night and they were delicious!

I tried the tilapia in mustard cream sauce (delectable! It looks very nice as well) and the vegetable quiche cups. The quiches were a big hit with my bf and I - very easy to make, healthy, and tasted wonderful! I''ll definitely be making more of those!

Thanks Mara and CrownJewel!

P.S. Hope you feel better soon, Mara. I had gastrointestinal problems a couple of years back, and all the doctors really did was prescribe me some pain and anti-nausea medication. It went away eventually, and in retrospect, I think it was mostly due to stress. Take care!

You''re welcome Aloros! I''m glad you like the recipes. For the quiches, you can make a million at one time, freeze them all and then just pop them in the oven for a few minutes each morning or for lunch. Tasty, fast and portable!!

Merrijoy that article was a riot.

Lisa, I''m premed so I love reading your posts. Mara, I''m thinking back to when I had a serious bout of acid reflux/hiatal hernia (I asked not to be put under anaesthesia so I got to watch my endoscopy. Pretty cool). My symptoms were nothing like yours, but they also were nothing like anyone else''s. I was nauseous ALL the time, and developed this non-sensical gagging. I would run to the bathroom thinking I was going to throw up because I was nauseous and gagging/dry heaving, but nothing came out (sorry, gross). This went on for several months. I was gagging so much that I couldn''t talk (I got into lots of trouble during Chinese class and French class for not participating!) and I was just MISERABLE. I would gag and heave while walking down the street. Anyway I had the endoscopy. Several months of Prilosec didn''t work. Then the doc prescribed rantidine (histamine-2 blocker...inhibits stomach from producing so much acid). I also cut out coffee (I know! How is that possible?!) and scheduled more sleep time. That combo worked finally. The nausea and gagging come back once in a while, when I''m not sleeping enough. I''ve also had discomfort with what I thought was gas, but different, because it would just make me want to burp a lot. Sleep helps. Another thought that I had was the flax seed that you eat Mara. I had a reaction to it, but from what I''ve read, my reaction sounds like an allergic reaction. I''ve read that some people don''t tolerate it well in large amounts. As long as it doesn''t screw up your bathroom business, you''re not allergic to it...but maybe it''s still affecting your tummy in another way.

My whole body is sore from yoga. Will try to do a less intense session tonight after class.

TGal, glad you''re feeling better.

 

[appletini]

Today I weighed out for the Maintain Don''t Gain program at gym and since November 3rd my weight has stayed the same, but body fat went from 20.9% to 18.6%!!!! So I''m getting leaner and adding muscle....very exciting. Last week I did feel some of pants fitting looser so I''m glad to see some progress.

The gym has a new program that goes through March called "I lost it at the club" so hopefully my body fat will continue to decrease...4 years I went from 22% to 16%. So I''d like to get close to that.

As for my meals today just the usual and I walked on the treadmill for 30 min during lunch.

Mara,
Get well soon!

 

[merrijoy]

Can someone please help me out with a few questions?

Question 1: do you use protein powder and if so what kind? or what kind have you heard the best things on? Whey, Soy, Egg, Rice, etc?

Question 2: I know you all mentioned the Bullet a few weeks back. Have you seen this similar looking one?
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=202523&CategoryID=7565&LinkType=SiteAd&LinkLoc=7497&AdID=30251

Anyone have it? like it? hate it? for reference the bullet is
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=150738&CategoryID=7565&LinkType=SiteAd&LinkLoc=7497&AdID=30251

Question 3: I don''t know whether to post this here or in the "breast" threads

, but I am short - 5'' 0" tall and about 120 pounds with 32 - 34 DD breasts. I am having so much trouble finding good, supportive sports bras for running. I can use the ellipse fine and can walk fine, but I need something ultra supportive for the running bounce. I recently bought 2 underarmours supposedley maximum support and they are not event doing the trick. I really don''t want to resort wearing two sports bras because I don''t think 2 not very supportives are going to equal 1 supportive. I have a 3 year old Nike one that has a second layer, and it was awesome and I ran my half marathon with it, but it is getting old and they don''t make it anymore

.

For the past 3 weeks I have had a muscle pain in the top of my breast near my under arm - I think it is from running and the not as supportive sports bras - but I am stubborn and I love to run outdoors!

If you got this far, thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your help. It is really appreciated.

Mer

 

[jadeleaves]

Thanks Lorelei! I still have a bit of weight to lose, but seeing progress in just a short 2 wks is very encouraging! The weather over here is just weird now. It''s summer, and we have had some really hot days and lots of bushfires all over the place, contributing to bad air quality. Then we had major rainfall and some areas that had bushfires raging were flooded! The rain has helped the fires though, so no one is complaining, plus we''re in a drought at the moment so the rain is very welcome. However, the temperature can be 42degrees celsius in the day and plummet to 15degrees at night, so it''s a bit hard to dress for the weather!

I am convinced fish oil is great for me. I have clinical depression, and had to reduce the dosage of my anti-depressants when we decided to try for a baby, and was feeling the effects of the reduced dosage. My doctor reccommended fish oil capsules 3 times a day, and I started feeling a lot better. I have continued taking the fish oil even after the birth of button, and I swear i feel better than I ever did before. Is that the effect of the fish oil? Or my beautiful baby boy? Who knows, but I''m not going to knock a good thing and I will continue taking them!

Hi bee*! Thank u, and I hope you''re doing well too!

Welcome Jaders!

DJ - Glad you''re feeling better.

Tybee - surely it''s muscle and not the hot chocolates feeling out the pants

. All the exercise must be counteracting the comfort food too, so don''t stress abt it! How do ppl read on the elliptical? I can''t do it, cos I like holding onto the arm thingy and when I need to turn a page it breaks my stride.

oops button is grizzling I have to post more later!

 

[Mara]

this is kind of a fun read, this gal does blogs on healthy foods (mostly) and what to avoid typically.

here's one i thought was particularly helfpul, top 10 frozen entrees!
http://food.yahoo.com/blog/hungrygirl/179/hg-s-top-ate-guilt-free-frozen-entrees;_ylt=AizfmViJt.MU_mwdyAooWt9mY.Y5

on another blog she talks about ice cream/sweets/goodies. she recommends edys/dreyers slow churned (which i love!!) as her top pick, so i was happy to see that.

ETA...okay she also has this section where she basically reviews a bunch of her fave low-cal/healthy kinda makeovers/replacements and also has some recipes.

banana smoothie pie?! YUM.
http://food.yahoo.com/articles/hungry-girl/e5fd76b08fa17aa065ef2443f23c5f5e/banana-rific-smoothie-alert;_ylt=Aq2YqJYlC_.p81RIEwXxUvR7ZuY5

here is the big long huge list of her fave makeovers. i'm on something like page 10. drooling.
http://food.yahoo.com/everyday/makeovers

 

[nejarb]

thanks lulu. wedding in june. too cold to run???! but not too cold to walk? i don''t get it. i love running when it''s cold. warms you up! congrats on the 3 lb! maybe i''ll catch up w/ you soon. i also tried to count calories for a few days, but it''s just too much for me. i''m still doing it sort of--but it''s more like an intuitive thing.

merri joy--there was discussion about this on a wwt a few months back, and some good suggestions. i have some big bouncies too, and i wear a champion--i don;t know the type, but i posted a pic of it. i love it and it holds everything in place. i tried ALOT of bras. whatever bra you get, get a smaller size than you normally wear b/c it holds everything in better.

 

[royalasscherlover]

if you go to www.hungry-girl.com there is a ton more stuff by that same girl. she publishes something every weekday. i''ve been reading it for over a year, and she has some good ideas. there are also several shirataki noodle recipes there, for anyone who likes them!

i had some work done on my teeth this morning and they''re pretty sore, so i am on a diet of soft mushy foods for today. thankfully i brought tj''s creamy tomato soup for lunch, so i could still eat! for dinner i think i am going to heat up some leftover mexican chicken and rice casserole that i made this weekend. and maybe hot chocolate for dessert, lol! after dinner i will probably go on my stationary bike for a while.

has anyone here read the superfoods rx book? i started it last week, and it''s pretty interesting - he goes over his 14 "superfoods" and goes over all the nutrients and why each is important. pretty interesting. it comes back to emphasizing the same types of foods that are usually touted as healthy - lean protein, colorful fruits and veggies, nuts, whole grains, etc - but the science is interesting. there are some recipes as well.

oh, and mara, in the superfoods book, he says that yogurt has anti-inflammatory properties, so maybe that would help you as well? something to think about!

 

[bee*]

Date: 1/22/2007 11:09:10 PM
Author: Rod

Date: 1/22/2007 10:51:59 PM



I absolutely agree with Dr. Mara!!

My experience was that when I was working on losing the 60 pounds I lost, I wouldn''t lose weight when I became calory deprived. The less I ate, the more my body fought to keep the calories. Yet, I was working out really hard and getting discouraged. Then a nutritionist advised me to increase my caloric intake AND keep up the intense workouts and I began to lose weight. The body is well prepared to preserve itself when it thinks you are starving.

That''s really good to know Rod, I was wondering about that. How long did it take you to lose the 60lbs? That''s a huge achievement!

Jadeleaves: So far its going good for me too! Its the start of my 3rd wk and so far so good!

Nejarb-I adore that dress! I love the back of it-its beautiful!

Mara: Sorry to hear about the dr''s appointment! I hope that things are starting to feel a bit better!

Today I just had my usual breakfast, then I had a bowl of soup and 2 mandarins for lunch, a special k bar and an alpen light bar for snacks and chicken and potato for my dinner. I had a small bag of popcorn for 73cals as another small snack along with another 2 mandarins while I was in work.
D and I just took the Amber for a walk but it was so cold that it didnt last very long! The three of us were dying to get back into the car.
We went to the farm today as part of our college course, so I was running after sheep and turning them on their backs to give them medication so I feel like I''ve been to the gym. My arms are killing me-those sheep might look fluffy and light but they''re so heavy!

 

[Selkie]

Wow, this thread grows quickly! I''ve decided it''s time to join in, since I do better when I have a sense of accountability to someone or something other than myself. If I post regularly here, I feel that I''ll be less likely to slack off and fib to myself about how much I''m eating or (not) exercising.

I joined 24 Hour Fitness in late December, and signed up for 10 sessions with a personal trainer to get myself on track. My ultimate goal is to lose 20 (or more) lbs by my wedding in late July and MAINTAIN it. My first goal is to get under 200lbs (I''m 5''9"), and I have 4 pounds to go. Mainly, I''m focusing on my abdomen, back, and arms/shoulders in terms of toning and trimming, but am going for overall improvement. I''ve bought my dress already, and it''s great motivation since it''s about a size smaller than I am right now and strapless

.

I''ve already had 6 sessions with the trainer, and have been going to the gym at least three times a week since New Year''s. My body tends to gain muscle quicker than it burns fat when I start working out, so while I''ve lost only 2-3 pounds, I can already see and feel big differences in my muscle definition. I like it! As for eating, I just started tracking meals again on FitDay, and was given a target daily intake of 1800 calories. I generally manage that easily, with the occasional splurge. I''m not a big fan of obsessively tracking how much and what I eat, but I find that when I put more thought into it, I''m inclined to go for the healthier snack and meal options.

So that''s it for now, thanks for the great forum, and I''m looking forward to hanging out with you all.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Welcome Selkie

Hey everyone..
The Washington Post has a good health editor, Sally Squires (The Lean Plate Club).
They send you e-mails about twice a week with excellent tips on eating, recipes, eating
and stress and other helpful topics. You need to register at the home page of the Post.
Then, go to "health" and you''ll see Sally''s picture. It''s worthwhile.
www.washingtonpost.com

 

[Dee*Jay]

Just back from the gym. Did 40 mins on the bike and another 40 on the treadmill for a total of 430 cals. I sometimes feel like "And WHAT''S the point? WHY am I doing *this* and not the thing that is the most effective?" on the nights when I spend more time and burn less calories than I do in an hour on the elliptical, but I know I have to break it up a bit.

I think I''m coming in right around 1400 cals for the day, maybe a little less but I''m being conservative with my calculations. Trying to be good today so I don''t embarass myself tomorrow at the Wednesday morning weight in, LOL.

 

[Mara]

welcome selkie!!

so i discovered that there''s a mini workout i can do without pain and i feel okay after...it''s basically running in place but by kicking my legs out to the left and right rather than up and down. it actually works up a sweat after about 10 minutes. i did about 10-15 minutes in 3 intervals and i felt okay...i figure if it gets my heart rate up and keeps my body moving then it''s positive!! and i don''t have to go outside and do a 15 min walk in the cold. i also did about 5 minutes of 5 lb arm weights to keep up my arm tone a bit. nothing special and i don''t feel particularly GOOD but i don''t feel worse than before, haha.

i also discovered a new yummy quick snack, hahaha. a slice of 45 cal multi-grain bread and a bit of smart balance whipped butter smeared on it...not toasted. yum. i love bread and butter and this totally hits the spot. i could eat the whole loaf, lol.

dinner is leftover chicken soup but i think i am going to not have sourdough bread with my portion, because it doesn''t pack enough flavor for the cals, i am going to roast up some alexia rosemary olive oil potato wedges in the oven and have those along with my soup for the carbs. and way more tasty than a skinny ole slice of regular bread.

 

[TravelingGal]

Sorry Merrijoy...I did read your post, but being the flattie that I am, I have never had to really search for a good sports bra.

Welcome Selkie!

Just came back from an hour and 10 minutes outside. Tip: running when you are still recoving from a cold is a bad idea. With all the congestion I was having a hard time breathing. Or maybe I am just out of shape. It''s the first time I have gone running for a long time. I jogged most of it but had to take a couple of breaks. Sad to think I ran two marathons not long ago...the body loves to slide back into slothdom! Thank goodness for muscle memory.

Looking forward to dinner, which is that pizza and a salad. It looks like I am going to have a lower calorie day...about 1300, mostly because I didn''t snack today.

 

[nejarb]

hi and welcome selkie!

TG: when/where did you run your marathons? do you think you''ll ever do it again?

 

[AmberGretchen]

Merri - I think the Champion bras are great for running as well. I have the same size bust as you (maybe a tiny bit larger since I almost never wear a 32), and the Champion ones that are really basic but say they are for intense activity in a size small are AMAZING. They are definitely not super-comfortable, i.e. I wouldn''t voluntarily wear one all day long, but for running they really do the trick to hold you in.

OK, I know I''m a little early for the weigh in, but I had to share. Our scale at home has been broken, so I haven''t been able to weigh myself for a really long time, but I finally got up the guts to step on the scale at the gym yesterday, and I''m down just shy of 10 lbs in about 3 weeks of eating better and gradually going back to the gym after being sick. Woohoo!!

So that''s a great motivation to keep going.

I do have a question for everyone though - what do you do for dinner if you''re stuck at work late? Today I had high-fiber cereal for breakfast, and then a small serving of ww pasta with veggies and some raw veggies and a piece of fruit for lunch (about 600 cals total for the day so far), also I went to the gym (50 min on the elliptical) and then walked dogs for an hour. Normally that would keep me plenty full until I get home, but I''m stuck at the lab late tonight (probably until 8pm or so) and I''m starting to get kind of hungry (its about 6:30pm my time right now). So the problem is I LOVE dinner - its my absolute favorite meal of the day so I always try to save plenty of calories for it. I''m worried if I eat now I won''t get to enjoy as much dinner, but if I don''t eat, I''m not sure how long its healthy to let yourself be hungry before it starts triggering any negative effects in your body. It seems like being hungry sometimes, like right before a meal, is good, but I''m not sure how hungry you''re supposed to get or whether it has negative effects to change around your eating schedule frequently? Anyone have any thoughts?

Mara - I''m sorry you''re still struggling with your abdominal issue. Its too bad you''re in SJ not SF, because I have an AMAZING primary care doctor up here who totally listens to everything you say and is just wonderful in helping figure out what''s wrong and work with you to find a good, holistic solution. If you''d be interested in driving up to SF let me know and I can post his name, he is truly amazing. Also, have you considered trying Lactaid milk products? I know that lactose intolerance is unlikely to be your problem, but I know it can be an irritant, and the Lactaid stuff is readily available (TJ''s sells it usually) and tastes the same as regular milk. Just a thought, and I hope you get better soon!

 

[:)]

Date: 1/23/2007 4:28:34 PM
Author: CrownJewel

Lisa, I'm premed so I love reading your posts. Mara, I'm thinking back to when I had a serious bout of acid reflux/hiatal hernia (I asked not to be put under anaesthesia so I got to watch my endoscopy. Pretty cool).

ROFL - spoken like a true Premed!! I am glad my posts are enjoyable/helpful.

I was going to wimp out on going to the gym tonight, but I came to this thread to get inspired - now I will make myself go, and I know I will feel better for it!

As I tell myself when I am running "it is just one foot in front of the other, and the faster I go (meaning don't stop to walk instead!), the sooner I get to finish!!"

ETA: Nejarb, that dress is stunning!

 

[:)]

AmberGretchen - I keep All Bran Oatmeal Raisin Bars nearby sometimes if stuck at work - 120 calories per bar, 5 grams of fiber. 2.5 gm fat with 0.5 of that saturated. I like them because they are low cal and have lots of fiber.

I have also been known to buy the Zen Bakery Blueberry Fibercakes (over in the muffin section in TJs) and put them in a baggie to bring to work. They are 80 calories, 13 grams of fiber, 22 gm carbs, and 5gm protein per muffin. They fill me up pretty quick and are a little sweet so can meet that desire too. Only problem is they don''t have preservatives, so they tend to get moldly quickly - keeping them in the fridge helps delay this.

 

[Mara]

Amber, you might want to bring some snackies with you to work that are healthy...aka the Fiber One Plus chewy bars I got...OMG those are so good. I had one today and I wanted another! I got the oats and chocolate one...yum. 140 cals, 3.5g of fat and 9g of fiber. Also what about oatmeal? That'd be a good snack. Also 90 cal Quaker Oaks granola bars are yummy too, chocolate chip, or oatmeal raisin etc. OR on days you know you will be there late, grab an apple or a banana or something that you can snack on. If you don't want to 'replace' dinner then get a few snacks that will pack a punch and keep you full for longer but not give you too many calories. (Along the same lines of what Lisa suggested...hmm All Bran bars? I might try those!)

Just had my chicken soup and my garlic rosemary baked fries...serious yum. I was craving salt though so I think I ate a bit too much on the fries, hehee. Dessert is supposed to be a 60 cal jello pudding cup. Greg has rehearsal tonite so I'm watching AI when it comes on as a guilty pleasure, lol.

 

[Rod]

Date: 1/23/2007 7:16:16 PM
Author: bee*

Date: 1/22/2007 11:09:10 PM
Author: Rod

Date: 1/22/2007 10:51:59 PM



I absolutely agree with Dr. Mara!!

My experience was that when I was working on losing the 60 pounds I lost, I wouldn''t lose weight when I became calory deprived. The less I ate, the more my body fought to keep the calories. Yet, I was working out really hard and getting discouraged. Then a nutritionist advised me to increase my caloric intake AND keep up the intense workouts and I began to lose weight. The body is well prepared to preserve itself when it thinks you are starving.

That''s really good to know Rod, I was wondering about that. How long did it take you to lose the 60lbs? That''s a huge achievement!

Jadeleaves: So far its going good for me too! Its the start of my 3rd wk and so far so good!

Nejarb-I adore that dress! I love the back of it-its beautiful!

Mara: Sorry to hear about the dr''s appointment! I hope that things are starting to feel a bit better!

Today I just had my usual breakfast, then I had a bowl of soup and 2 mandarins for lunch, a special k bar and an alpen light bar for snacks and chicken and potato for my dinner. I had a small bag of popcorn for 73cals as another small snack along with another 2 mandarins while I was in work.
D and I just took the Amber for a walk but it was so cold that it didnt last very long! The three of us were dying to get back into the car.
We went to the farm today as part of our college course, so I was running after sheep and turning them on their backs to give them medication so I feel like I''ve been to the gym. My arms are killing me-those sheep might look fluffy and light but they''re so heavy!

Thanks, it actually took about a year. So, I lost about 5 pounds a month. I don''t try to lose weight anymore, but I do watch what I eat and I do workout as intensely as ever, infact I tend to work out harder now than I started as my muscles can handle heavier weights and aerobically, I''m in MUCH MUCH better shape than when I was fat, smoked, didn''t exercise and ate fattening foods.

Work was stressful today and I didn''t get out of the office until after 6, but I still went to the gym and did my usual workout. Nothing unusual to report on the workout. I did core, machines, free weights and the elliptical for the requisite 45 minutes. I''ll go again tomorrow night and Thursday night as well.

Mara, I hope you''re feeling better today.

PS: Merrijoy, we often have a Whey Protein shake after a hard workout. I still haven''t figured out if it''s beneficial or not. The "uber" boys at the gym certainly swear by Whey. I think I imagined we''d work out hard, drink a protein shake and our muscles would grow real large. It certainy didn''t work that way for us, but then we''re older guys and maybe our muscles wouldn''t or shouldn''t grow like younger muscles.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Lisa and Mara - thanks so much for the snack suggestions. I think I will definitely try the bars that you all suggested. I like that they are lower calorie so they wouldn''t tank dinner but higher fiber to keep me full. I''ll have to look out for them when I next go grocery shopping. Oatmeal I think would take too much time (not a lot of time to run out of lab while working to snack usually) and the muffins going bad wouldn''t work because the times I get stuck here late are often intermittent and unpredictable. But the others sound like they would last for a while, so the only problem will be protecting them from labmates LOL

 

[TravelingGal]

Nejarb, that was a very cute dress! I somehow missed the post.

As for when I ran the marathons, I ran the first one in 2004, then again last year 2006. Both were the L.A. marathons. It''s quite an experience...the first was miserable as we had a heat wave and I was running in 90 degree heat in March. Last year was the way it was supposed to be...fun and invigorating.

Will I do it again? Even though I had a great experience last year, I said that''s it...no more. The training is too hard and time consuming. But somehow I forget that (hence the willingness to do it a second time) and I was just thinking over the weekend that I may want to do it in 2008 again. Then I ran today for the first time in months and realized why I swore it off. So I''m back to "no thanks."

AmberGretchen, wow, that''s a lot of weight in 3 weeks! Good for you. I''m striving for .5 pound a week, so my total for three weeks is gonna look a bit wimpy compared to 10 pounds. But I guess I gotta have patience. Wed weigh in should be interesting as I have been sick and not exercising. Also, sorry I can''t help you about dinners when working late...I work from home.

Reporting in on the TJ''s chicken, artichoke and mushroom pizza. Pretty good, and for 440 cal for the entire thing, what a deal. However it was just a tad bland for me and TGuy...but easily resolved by a few dashes of Tapatio hot sauce! We love tapatio! We''d definitely do the pizza again, except next time he gets 1/4 of my pizza because with the salad we had, I was actually too full. Good thing, I guess!

 

[Mara]

omg the TJ chicken artichoke and mushroom pizza bland?! NO WAY girlfriend! it''s awesome. we actually put garlic powder on it and it''s perfect. hehee. but i am not a real spicy hot person...but i do like some flava! i have tried some of the other ones but that one is my fave for ''healthy'' pizzas.

i eat the whole pizza and a 100 cal side salad usually, lol. i gots me a big appetite!!! oh and greg typically gets the cornmeal crust sausage and pepper one, i cut them into 4s with our pizza cutter and then i take the smallest triangle from his and he gets one of mine. yum. can''t wait to have them again next week after our schedule turns to normal again.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 1/23/2007 11:25:41 PM
Author: Mara
omg the TJ chicken artichoke and mushroom pizza bland?! NO WAY girlfriend! it''s awesome. we actually put garlic powder on it and it''s perfect. hehee. but i am not a real spicy hot person...but i do like some flava! i have tried some of the other ones but that one is my fave for ''healthy'' pizzas.

i eat the whole pizza and a 100 cal side salad usually, lol. i gots me a big appetite!!! oh and greg typically gets the cornmeal crust sausage and pepper one, i cut them into 4s with our pizza cutter and then i take the smallest triangle from his and he gets one of mine. yum. can''t wait to have them again next week after our schedule turns to normal again.

Mara, you hit it on the head...it''s not bland...it''s a TAD bland. We both thought it needed salt. But I think the garlic powder may be what it needs! Or maybe I''ll add some fresh garlic on it. It just lacked oomph in its original state...but it was good.

 

[nejarb]

TG--90 degrees? i couldn''t have done that! i ran one in 2003 (austin) and one in 2004 (houston). luckily, both times the weather was ideal (50-60 degrees and overcast but not humid). i honestly just don''t know how people can run long distances in 90 degree heat. the human body is amazing though. actually one time i tried to get over my running "issues" (can''t run when it''s hot out, can''t run when i just ate, etc) by just making myself do those things, but i would always come home with a purple face and have to put my head under the faucet and then i''d get dizzy and puke. so yeah, i''m pretty content now on the elliptical at the gym w/ a fan blowing on me. but sometimes i think i might run another--maybe in austin again b/c it''s all downhill (slightly).

 

[TravelingGal]

Nejarb, it was awful. People puking everyone, passed out from heat stroke, etc. I drank double what I would normally drink (I was pretty regimented as I figured it all out during training), which caused some complications that I won''t go into! I felt dizzy, my feet were swollen like you wouldn''t believe and when my dufus of a brother poured water on me after I finished the race, all the salt on me ran into my eye causing stinging blindess for a good 5 minutes!!!

For that first marathon, I did my long (20) run in Austin since I was there for a convention. I love that the river trail has mile markers. It was in the 40s, sunny and so comfortable for running. The run was easy (although I use that term loosely) and I thought I''d be in good shape for the marathon. Little did I know what was in store!

Good for you for doing two. Now I know you are as crazy as I am!