Weekly Workout Thread 5th March till 11th March.

[merrijoy]

I bought the Fage at the local supermarket - but ack! it is $2.00 each...Wow! I really liked it, and I have had the Dannon Non Fat as well.
Have you all tried the Dannon? Do any of you notice a difference?

http://www.dannon.com/dn/dnstore/cgi-bin/Nutrition_ProdID_347378.htm

Mer

 

[Sevenwires]

So how do people out there eat FAGE? Is it supposed to be a spread for bagels or something? Or is it supposed to be a yogurt? And did people here on WWT invent the idea of adding splenda to turn it into a yogurt?

 

[merrijoy]

I ate it last night as a yogurt after my workout - you truly don''t need to add anything, but I did add a bit of honey and it was good.

Here is the link for the 0%
http://www.fageusa.com/0_yogurt_info.html

 

[Mara]

its supposed to be what it is. yogurt! but yogurt has tons of uses in general. it''s used to make sauces and replace high fat things like mayo etc. people mix it with chocolate, berries, vanilla, etc and other things for smoothies and desserts. ela uses it as sour cream for some of her recipes. i mix it with honey, splenda and berries and it literally tastes like a creamy dessert. there are just so many uses for it! i only buy like 2 0% ones a week because otherwise i''d eat them every day all day so i like to ration it. hehe.

 

[Sevenwires]

Okay great.. thanks. I learn something new everyday. I think after work I''ll stop by Trader Joe''s and pick me up some. I''m exicted about trying something new... AND maybe I can get bf and family into this new healthy snack/desert too.

 

[TravelingGal]

I always eat mine with about a tablespoon of honey (have been using less lately). I still don''t like the sour taste of it plain, and I have been eating the 2% a long time. I tried the 0% last week and didn''t like it.

Eek, just ate a bowlful of pasta with the emerils gaalic sauce. Since I am using some of it tonight for the turkey stuffed peppers, I thought I''d use it for the leftover pasta we had. It looked like maybe a cup of pasta. Well, it expanded in my bowl! Oh well. So it''s a bigger lunch for me, which is fine because I walked to the market and carried back lots of groceries (I forgot I had walked there...doh!). I don''t have to do any bicep exercises today!

So with all this carb loading, I will go skate on the beach today for an hour. My lunchtime walk wasn''t that cardio heavy so I will just count it as an ICU.

I also bought cake mix and pumpkin...and a muffin pan, so I will make muffins this afternoon. Somehow, I think my calorie count is about to go down the drain...

 

[merrijoy]

Oh yeah, I should say that was my first time with the Fage and it was the 2% - maybe that was why I could eat it plain...

 

[eleguin]

It''s funny how fage has become the popular thing on PS this week. I learned of it for the first time last week when I saw my co-worker eating it for dinner. He had the kind where it was split in the middle and there was honey attached to one cup. I asked him what that was and he said it was fage greek yogurt. It looked really interesting and then suddenly it''s all over the forum here! I am going to Greece for my honeymoon. Do they eat tons of fage there? (might seem like a dumb question)

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/6/2007 4:59:06 PM
Author: eleguin
It''s funny how fage has become the popular thing on PS this week. I learned of it for the first time last week when I saw my co-worker eating it for dinner. He had the kind where it was split in the middle and there was honey attached to one cup. I asked him what that was and he said it was fage greek yogurt. It looked really interesting and then suddenly it''s all over the forum here! I am going to Greece for my honeymoon. Do they eat tons of fage there? (might seem like a dumb question)

I think a lot of us have been eating it since the beginning of the year. I have been eating it for a few years now. I started the TJ''s thread and everyone has been sharing their faves (lots of great recommendations on that thread) and Fage has been a fave of mine.

I didn''t eat yogurt in Greece...too busy eating feta and calamari (not together though). I lost a lot of weight in Greece...biking around some of those hills was exhausting!

 

[Mara]

lol i can''t eat the 2% fage plain, no way no how! it''s too sour for me for sure. so the 0% tastes the same sour-wise to me too. but i like it with honey, splenda and berries. mmmm!!

so i just had an amazing phone conversation with the hiring manager at a huge company out here who has a 6 month contract that could go perm at some point...right up my alley with what they are looking for...the gal seemed to really like me with my ecomm background, and said how happy she was that i had my friend put my resume in for the gig!

so i am going to meet with the team next week at some point it sounds like. i am so jazzed, please throw lots of fairy dust my way because this contract seems perfect for what i am looking for and the company seems awesome, my friend who works there LOVES it. i have also had a bunch of recruiters call me in the last 2-3 days with a few potential things, and i have another phone interview for a contract at another huge company out here at 5pm, so hopefully that goes well as well and i can have 2-3 options! anyway i feel so much more optimistic now...!

 

[TravelingGal]

Whoo hoo Mara...throwing lots of fairy dust your way. Good luck...this all sounds promising!

BTW, muffins are out of the oven. All I can smell is...pumpkin!

ETA: OK, I ate one. That was a fast gobbling down of 180 calories.

The taste is interesting. I do like it. I can taste chocolate...and pumpkin....what a surprise. I like that it isn't totally sweet. All in all, I think it's a good snack.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 3/6/2007 12:13:01 PM
Author: Dee*Jay

Hmm... I wonder if this would work for brownies too since I like the crispy edges more than the smooshy interior ones...

(Didn''t I just say that I had to put an end to the damn brownies--here I am thinking of ways to make them even more appealing to me!

)

HAHAHHA - ROTFLMAO.....sounds like something I''d do, Dee.

 

[lovelylulu]

My pictures take two:

Circa Summer 2005: Plump. While it was delicious, I definitely indulged too much in the food and drink from new orleans

Circa Summer 2006. Happy Bride. Had lost approx. 20 lbs...

Circa Winter 2007. Roughly 30 lbs lost. (Sorry for the cocktail)

 

[aljdewey]

Ok - I absolutely have to put my hands on the dulce de leche puddings. hubby and I are due for a market run tomorrow, so I''m making a shopping list now.

Any suggestions for things to try from you gals? Keep in mind I''m on a white sugar/white flour/cornstarch embargo, so it has to fit the bill. LOL

 

[KimberlyH]

Wow, lulu, what a difference. You were beautiful "plump" and continued to be so after weight loss! Your DH looks like the man who played guitar at my wedding, I loved him it''s a good association.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 3/6/2007 3:54:40 PM
Author: ellaila

Hahah! Yep, blame that TGal for turning us all onto Fage! I''ve eaten one every day for breakfast since I discovered them a few weeks ago (and I even use them in place of sour cream now too). I''m not a honey-eater, so I put splenda (OK, splendaS, as in many!) in mine, and it''s DELISH! The key is to sweeten it up and then whip it up with your spoon, and seriously, it''s like cool whip ... sooo good! I personally like the 2%, but I think that''s because I tried that first and got used to its slight-fat goodness. If you just start out with the 0%, I bet you''d like it just fine. But going from 2% to 0% didn''t do it for me.

That''s exactly the thinking that made me decide to try the 0% first.....and I love it, so I don''t know what I''m missing. Then I was all "Hmmmm - maybe I should try the 2% too just to see how it''s diff."

Decided "why ruin a good thing" and haven''t done it....I''ll stick to 0.

I can''t have the sugar, so honey isn''t an option for me, but I''ve found a few tricks that work......sugar-free maple syrup is one; another is vanilla extract with Walden Farms 0-calorie, no sugar strawberry fruit spread....MMMM. Another is adding cinnamon with the maple syrup. In all cases, splenda, too.

Oh, someone also mentioned the TJ''s generic greek yogurt - I tried that this weekend, and it''s good too, and bit less expensive.

 

[royalasscherlover]

wow, lulu you look great! (as do all the others who have posted photos in this thread)

i am super pysched because i weighed myself at the gym after my workout and, despite my unrestrained eating and drinking this weekend, i am down half a pound from my last weigh-in, roughly 10 days ago. woohoo!

then i made a super delicious thai green curry with tofu, lite coconut milk, and tons of veggies. i served it with a bit of brown rice and had a huge serving for about 300 calories.

does anyone else find that their appetite is suppressed after working out? i find i eat less for dinner if it's right after i go to the gym.

 

[aljdewey]

Woo-HOO - Mara! Shipping a whole ton of fairy dust your way.

Dee, hope the dog is on the mend now!

TG - you mentioned you had just taken the muffins out of the oven. I seem to recall a few folks saying they are better after they''ve sat/cooled a bit. Haven''t tried them yet (largely becuase I think the sugar content would still be a problem for me), but they sound good and I may have to try it at some point.

 

[basil]

Hi All -

It's so nice seeing all these photos. You all look great, plus it's cool putting a face to a name and all. I know I posted pictures of me in wedding dresses a while back, but I can't seem to find them right now.

Someone was asking a while back about tricks to keep going with cardio longer, and I was thinking about it today. My "trick" has been to split up my workout into quarters. So if I do 50 minutes, I stop after 12.5 minutes and get off the bike, get a drink of water, towel off a bit, then get back on within like 30 seconds or so. It sort of gives me something to look forward to, since at any point I'm only 12 minutes away from the next "break". I also vary the resistance and cadence every 2.5 minutes. I spend a lot of time calculating how much time I have left and how much time I have to go. And the various fractions and percentages. Keeps my mind occupied, I guess.

Anyway, today was a day of endless hunger. I woke up hungry, so I had 3 waffles for breakfast. Lunch was one chicken tender that had been breaded and fried. I should have taken the coating off because it wasn't even that good, but I didn't. I had that with a salad, some fruit, and 3 bow-tie pastas. Snack was a 90 cal wrap with turkey and honey mustard. Then for dinner I had TJ's shu mai, and a salad. Then I was still hungry, so I made two pieces of 40 cal toast with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Even after that, I'm still not really full. I decided to stop for the time being, but that didn't stop me from putting sugar in my herbal tea. I haven't put sugar in my tea in years! I still came in at the top end of my range (~1550), but geez.

Workout was 50 minutes cycling (12 miles), about an hour lifting weights. I somehow gained back the 1.5 lbs that I had lost overnight last night. Putting me less than a pound lower than where I started almost a month ago. Which is mildly frustrating since I feel like I'm doing things right for the most part. I'm trying to be patient, but I'm a little nervous because I have 2 weeks vacation coming up, fiance has told me about 5 restaurants he wants to go to, and I don't know where I'm going to be able to work out during those weeks

ETA: Good luck with the job, Mara!

 

[Sevenwires]

*SENDING FAIRY DUST*

*SENDING FAIRY DUST*

*GO GO GO*

Okay, good luck with this gig that you want so bad. Hopefully you get it!

I didn''t get to go to the gym in the morning because I was a little behind on schedule, so I''m going to go after work at around 9 p.m. Going to do the elliptical for an hour, hopefully burn about 500+ calories. Then tomorrow morning I have a training session with the trainer at 8 a.m. I think I''ll get in around 7a.m and do some cardio beforehand though.

Today for snack I had a Promax bar... though that''s a little high in cals. It''s something like 290 for the whole bar.. so I just had half. It''s so good. I got the chocolate one and it tastes so good.. with lots of protein too. I saw them at Trader Joe''s. But I normally get mine from my gym in a whole box so it''s cheaper. It''s actually a meal replacement bar... so if any of you are ever on the go and just don''t have time to eat at all.. this will really fill you up... Then later I had a 100 blueberry bagel from Sara Lee and non fat cream cheese. In fact, I toasted one for 6 people in my office.

Still haven''t figured out what dinner is going to be yet... I''ll think about it as I''m on the elliptical I guess...

oh oh oh! I have the trader Joe''s pizza still!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 3/6/2007 3:24:12 PM
Author: Dee*Jay

Date: 3/6/2007 3:19:42 PM
Author: TravelingGal

I'm off for a lunchtime walk shortly (it will be a shorter one, I think). I never buy a lotto ticket, but at 355 million, I'm buying one. Then I will buy myself a home gym. Heee!

Screw the home gym -- at $355M I'm hiring someone to work out FOR me.

Bought 10 tix today..now I'll just wait it out.

Waiting, dreaming, wishing, losing

Welcome Sevenwires

 

[TravelingGal]

Lulu, you''re gorgeous! I actually lost 25 pounds 4 years ago...from 145 ish to 120. I don''t know how I did it...it was easy somehow. It made a massive difference in my figure/face.

Thanks alj, I''ll try the muffins tomorrow again when they are cooler. And speaking of those muffins...

WHAT is in those things anyway?? Superfood? OMG! I don''t know if it''s because I had pasta for lunch and muffin for a snack, but I was full of energy today! Carbo load big time. I went out thinking I''d do a 4 mile run for 45ish minutes but I ran 5.5 miles and ran for an hour...and I STILL could have run another mile or two I think. Wow...I am impressed with the super-muffins!

So about 550-600 cal on the run, plus my 100 ICUs today brings me up to 650-700. So I am at about 1500 for the week already. Good thing, as tomorrow will be an easy day. Meeting friends for lunch and going to a bday party dinner, so I will have to be careful on the cals. After dinner, it''s bowling, so I will burn about 100 there.

Dinner is stuffed red peppers - Giada''s recipe. If it''s good I''ll post it on the recipe thread.

 

[akw94]

Still doing good as of Tuesday night! I worked out today so one more day for me, possibly 2. Do you think working out 4 days in a row and then not working out the last 3 is ok? I feel like I should space it out more but I like to get it done with (I hate to say it that way but it''s just not my favorite thing to do). Some weeks I won''t be able to do 4 in a row anyway but just wondered if it''s ok. My eating was good today too and still using sparkpeople. Eggo''s multigrain waffles w/lite syrup and some fruit for breakfast YUM! It''s one of my fav. breakfasts now. Lunch was a Healthy Choice- Creamy Garlic Shrimp which wasn''t very good. I really prefer Lean Cuisine but was trying to give HC another chance.. that was a mistake! I have a few more in the freezer so we''ll see. Plus, 2 low-fat fig newtons which I also love! Yogurt for a snack then Shake n Bake chicken and carrots for dinner. Plus, two more fig newtons (seems I''m craving them) and a weight watchers ice cream cone for dessert. I still wanted more after I was done but stopped and feel great about refraining! All in all, a good day. I think it''s time for me to buy another TaeBo tape to add to the collection. Tomorrow is a gym day for me.

All the pics are great! I think I''ll be ready for a before/after picture by summer and am looking fwd to it.

Anyone know how many calories are in the Whole Foods chicken tamales? I just love them but don''t have a great feeling about them.

 

[Sevenwires]

ARgh I totally forgot to buy lottery tix!

I''m going to head out the office real quick and get myself a few bucks worth.

Darn I want a chance to get rich the lazy way too!

 

[Rod]

Date: 3/6/2007 7:49:38 PM
Author: lovelylulu
My pictures take two:

Circa Summer 2005: Plump. While it was delicious, I definitely indulged too much in the food and drink from new orleans

Circa Summer 2006. Happy Bride. Had lost approx. 20 lbs...

Circa Winter 2007. Roughly 30 lbs lost. (Sorry for the cocktail)

OK......So like now we know why you''re handle is lovelylulu, becuase obviously you are, but WOO HOO lu lu, the transformation is fantastic. I love to see people''s progress and you''ve accomplished a lot. Good for you lu lu!!!

 

[Rod]

Wow, it was a busy day Team PS: I had like 96 posts in my box when I logged in tonight. And aside from a few other messages, they're all from today's fitness thread. Wow, I'm afraid I just skimmed them to make sure I wasn't missing some catastrophy or someone's illness or boo boo (I hope your toe is feeling better Lorelei)! Glad to see so many getting involved in their health and fitness!!

No news today, for those keeping up with the Rod and Charlie Roller Coaster. I'll let you know if anything does happen. We're just so tired of the transient lifestyle we have and we just need to be settled either here or back in Tampa. I just want to be home, wherever that may be!

All the bosses are on a cruise this week. It's the Presidents Club from 2006, so since I wasn't part of the team during that time, I get to hold down the fort. It's really busy dealing with all the issues that would normally be handled by our president and the VPs. So, I didn't get to the gym until well after 6 and to be honest, I wasn't really in the mood to go. I'm still not sleeping too well with all the uncertainty in my life and I just didn't get much rest last night. But I knew I had to go to the gym and workout none-the-less. It's amazing how I could go from dragging myself up the stairs at the gym to somehow finding all this extra energy to have a really good workout. And I find that working out really really helps my mental mood as much as it makes my body feel good. So, I had a really good long workout.

And one really nice thing happened. We haven't hired a trainer yet in our new gym, but we have been watching the trainers and there's this one trainer we would so definitely hire if we weren't paying double living expenses. He pushes his people really hard and his people appear to be in really good shape. So, imagine my surprise when this trainer walks up to me tonight (and I'm thinking he's coming towards me and of course I look around to see who else he might be approaching and I realize, it's me afterall) and he says that he's been watching me and Charlie working out and he'd really like to become our trainer if we were looking for a trainer. He commented that he's pretty picky about who he trains, so I'm thinking, hey, it's pretty cool that he would like us to train with him. But of course, I also realize he's in the business to make money by getting people to sign up with him. Still, it was a nice complement to have him approach us, as opposed to us approaching him. If we stay in NC., we'll definitely give him a try. I do miss having a trainer, but with our finances so stretched right now, it's just not in the cards at the moment.

Anyway, I hope you're all having a nice Tuesday and looking forward to tomorrow and all the healthy opportunities available to you!!!

Ps: OK Jeff, so you moved some furniture. That's nice, but what else are you doing for your health and where are you anyway?? Hey, you promised to keep me, the only other guy on the fitness thread company. So, where are you!!??

 

[akw94]

Mara, I forgot to say congrats on the job stuff! Sounds like things are going great for you.

And Lorelei, sorry about the toe! Hope it heals quick.

 

[KimberlyH]

We had a really good meal for dinner, I added it to the WWT recipe thread. It is the first time in forever that I''ve felt sick to my stomach full from eating dinner. Not really a good feeling! I had 1/2 cup of beans, two tacos and a salad and I''m just filled up! Wierd.

Rod: What a compliemtn to your and Charlie''s fitness that a trainer approached you!

 

[TravelingGal]

That''s cool about the trainer Rod. I hope things are less stressful for you soon...not sleeping well is not good.

The Giada recipe was awesome! I''ll post it on the recipe thread along with notes and cal counts, but it was really yummy...

Stuffed Zucchini and Red Peppers


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup dried plain bread crumbs
1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
2 zucchini, ends removed, halved lengthwise and crosswise
1 short orange bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 short red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 short yellow bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly drizzle the olive oil into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Whisk the onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the turkey. Cover and refrigerate the turkey mixture.

Using a melon baller or spoon, carefully scrape out the seeds and inner flesh from the zucchini, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. Be careful not to pierce through the skin. Fill the zucchini and pepper halves with the turkey mixture, dividing equally and mounding slightly. Arrange the stuffed vegetables in the baking dish. Pour the marinara sauce over the stuffed vegetables.

Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown and a thermometer inserted into the filling registers 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Transfer the stuffed vegetables to a platter and serve.

 

[Rod]

Mara, sorry I missed your post about the awsome job opportunity. Sending mounds of fairy dust your way. Not that you need it mind you, as what company in their right mind wouldn't want someone as lovely and talented as you on their team!!

TG, I just love Giada. I get such a kick out of her weekend travels and I love the fact that she puts a "real" mouthfull of food in her mouth when she tastes something. It's one of the things that makes it whimpy for me to watch Rachel Ray. Rachel takes teensie weensie bites of food, but Giada.......She shovels a heaping forkfull in and really takes you on a taste tour of what she's eating!!

I wish we had our kitchen and our kitchen stuff with us in Raleigh. We can barely both get in the kitchen of this retched apartment, so no creative cooking for us. But many of the recipes you all post sound so so good.

Night all!!