Weekly Workout Thread 8th Jan till 14th Jan

[sevens one]

Date: 1/9/2007 1:26:00 PM
Author: Mara
aww sevens sorry to hear about your sprain, that totally sucks. i hate when an illness or injury derails me!! it''s like your mind is in the right place but your body doesn''t want to cooperate. i hope you feel better soon. what about trying something like pilates where you are stationery and mostly on your back during the workout? now might be a good time to get some core work going, and do things like situps, pushups, and also various types of leg lifts and kicks (on all fours, these work your butt big time!) etc.

i''m eating a muffin right now, they are soo good. i love that they are not too sugary. you can definitely taste the bran which is a flavor i like and the flax gives it that slight nutty taste. also they firmed up really nicely to where they are a little hard and crispy on the outside and then inside they are just the perfect consistency, so i guess that it all worked out in the end regarding cooking them longer and them being a bit softer inside. i actually like the contrast between outside being harder and inside being gooey-er...hehee.

oh and how i mixed it together was not following the recipe. i just put all the dry stuff together in a bowl and mixed in the wet stuff separately, it''s how i made my other muffins with bran and all that. so not sure what the differences are between one way vs the other...kinda interesting.

that sounds good. I have been doing my stomach stuff.
Any good pilates tapes?

 

[TravelingGal]

Sevens, I don''t have too many tips for you, but wanted to say I hope you get better soon. That does sound painful.

Jadeleaves, do you by any chance have a good recipe for pumpkin soup? My hubby is from Oz and hates that everything pumpkin here is sweet...he thinks of it as savory. He ordered soup the other day and was so excited, but it had hints of sweetness (cinnamon, etc) and he was a bit bummed. I have looked for recipes on food.com but they all seem to be sweet...

 

[CrownJewel]

oh dear Sevens!!! I don''t know if you have access to a gym, but when I was bound up in a knee brace and crutches and couldn''t do any cardio involving my legs, my trainer put me on a "hand bike." It''s a machine where you sit and put your hands on two pedals and just go. It''s pretty tough!!! I was winded after 15 minutes!

I''m sure you''re getting quite a workout just walking around on crutches, so just take it easy and work on strengthening your ankle. And mat pilates sounds like a great idea. My sister loves the Windsor pilates DVDs, we have them at our public library.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hmmmm... I guess I never considered leftovers for breakfast unusual. Maybe it''s because I just don''t like breakfast food that much in general? Cereal, pancakes, eggs -- can totally take it or leave it.

I hope this doesn''t mean I''m *weird* in some fundamental way, LOL.

Sevens, so sorry to hear about your ankle. One of my best friends called me from the emergency room on Monday night. She (literally) tripped over a crack in the sidewalk while she was walking her dog and broke her left ankle and pulled a muscle in her right thigh on the way down. (She saved her canary diamond through by pulling her hand up in the nick of time and rolling onto her shoulder--now there''s quick thinking!) Anyway, I hope you heal quickly, and be careful not to overdue it when you get back to running.

BTW, I''ve been DYING for a pumpkin muffin all day now (wonder why that would be... ?) so I went on the Starbucks website to see how bad theirs could possibly be. Holy cow! 480 calories and 25 grams of fat. (Not even including the cream cheese I would want to smear on there.) Forget it!

 

[sevens one]

thanks so much
TG, Crown and Dee Jay (thank goodness she spared the Canary-

)

I like that hand bike idea.
I''ll try to "crawl" to the library for some good pilates tapes. Thanks Again.

The pt said the main problem is the scar tissue that can occur around the ankle. He''s going
to give me some more "excercises" next week. I did enjoy the swimming. The left ankle
jsut lags behind. Suprisingly my time wasn''t that much slower.

 

[Dee*Jay]

TG - my friend made pumpkin soup as part of Christmas Eve dinner. It had apples it in, but I don't think it was overly sweet. I'll ask her for the recipe if you're interested.

 

[Mara]

lol i am sure you are not any more weird than before DJ...!!! food tastes are so personal.

and YES starbucks stuff is really bad for you for the most part. i love looking up their stuff online...their croissants are actually worse for you than a chocolate plain cake donut is!! even their cookies are worse than a donut. and i love donuts, hahaha. it''s good you are familiarizing yourself with their nutrition, i go to sbucks a few times a week since my boss is a coffee-aholic and we walk to one near us, that way i don''t get totally derailed by wanting something that i know it ssoooo bad. now when i see their pastry box i am like yikes, get me away. they do have good fruit cups and parfaits and some of their sandwiches are not bad at all, aka 300 cals with turkey and cheese on sourdough.

 

[turtledazzle]

Sevens ~ So sorry you sprained your ankle! I''ve sprained both of my ankles so many times. The last time was a couple of years ago when I mis-stepped during a step aerobics class and ended up flat on my butt (and, of course, I was in the front row

).

My best advice to you is to try really hard to be patient and let it heal properly. I was able to use the stationary bike a bit when the ankle was healing, so that is a good idea you have. Otherwise, I did lots of strength training. It''s not cardiovascular, but it kept me active and gave my mind that mental break that I love when I exercise.

Once your ankle has healed a bit, maybe ask your PT friend or a doctor for a set of exercises to do in addition to the flex/point thing. My doc told me that it was important to strengthen the muscles in the leg and foot to help prevent reinjury. He gave me a set of exercises to do that included using a stretchy band. Some of the exercises were like what is found here: http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/Handouts/anklesprain/anklesprain.html


Oh, and regarding all of this talk about hiking boots, backpacks, and exercise machines ~ I''ve actually seen people doing this at the gym. I think it was training for a Grand Canyon hiking/camping week -- so I saw people in hiking boots and the frame backpacks (probably loaded) on the stairmasters. Seemed like pretty good preparation to me!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 1/9/2007 1:50:33 PM
Author: Mara
lol i am sure you are not any more weird than before DJ...!!! food tastes are so personal.


and YES starbucks stuff is really bad for you for the most part. i love looking up their stuff online...their croissants are actually worse for you than a chocolate plain cake donut is!! even their cookies are worse than a donut. and i love donuts, hahaha. it's good you are familiarizing yourself with their nutrition, i go to sbucks a few times a week since my boss is a coffee-aholic and we walk to one near us, that way i don't get totally derailed by wanting something that i know it ssoooo bad. now when i see their pastry box i am like yikes, get me away. they do have good fruit cups and parfaits and some of their sandwiches are not bad at all, aka 300 cals with turkey and cheese on sourdough.

Ha ha about the weirdness!

Oh Starbucks... I do love it (I actually met my husband at one!) but I have even recently given up my moring decaf with whole milk because I put so much milk in that I figured out it was more calories than a white chedder rice cake or a snack pack of Jello chocolate pudding -- both of which I would rather have than the coffee. Maybe at some point I'll add it back in (and I'm not on a complete moritorium or anything; just trying to plan my calories better) but for now I'll take the snack over the drink!

 

[Mara]

DJ i know that whole milk lovers turn up their nose at anything else but i gotta say as a reformed whole milk lover that you can slowly kind of wean yourself down into 2% or 1% or *gasp* nonfat... but i used to drink whole milk but over time i went down to 2% in just things like cereal and other things, and got used to the slightly thinner consistency. then 1% for the same things. so now i basically use 1% for all my cooking, baking, cereal and coffee at home. i get nonfat at starbucks with drinks because they don''t have 1%, they only have ''lowfat'' or ''blended'' and i''m unsure what that means so nonfat is pretty self-explanatory, lol. if i ever have whole milk now i know it because it''s so darn thick...and i don''t really like it!! so anyway, you don''t have to give up something entirely if you can kind of modify it, it might take some time but i think it''s possible. greg loves 2% and always whines when i bring home 1% but he doesn''t even actually know the difference which is funny, it''s just the thought of 2% vs 1%...haha.

 

[sevens one]

Date: 1/9/2007 1:56:20 PM
Author: turtledazzle
Sevens ~ So sorry you sprained your ankle! I''ve sprained both of my ankles so many times. The last time was a couple of years ago when I mis-stepped during a step aerobics class and ended up flat on my butt (and, of course, I was in the front row

).

My best advice to you is to try really hard to be patient and let it heal properly. I was able to use the stationary bike a bit when the ankle was healing, so that is a good idea you have. Otherwise, I did lots of strength training. It''s not cardiovascular, but it kept me active and gave my mind that mental break that I love when I exercise.

Once your ankle has healed a bit, maybe ask your PT friend or a doctor for a set of exercises to do in addition to the flex/point thing. My doc told me that it was important to strengthen the muscles in the leg and foot to help prevent reinjury. He gave me a set of exercises to do that included using a stretchy band. Some of the exercises were like what is found here: http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/Handouts/anklesprain/anklesprain.html


Oh, and regarding all of this talk about hiking boots, backpacks, and exercise machines ~ I''ve actually seen people doing this at the gym. I think it was training for a Grand Canyon hiking/camping week -- so I saw people in hiking boots and the frame backpacks (probably loaded) on the stairmasters. Seemed like pretty good preparation to me!

thanks for that link

very helpful

 

[royalasscherlover]

hehe, i love that everyone wants to make pumpkin muffins now. i am a WWT recipe success! now if i could just get someone to volunteer to try my weird spinach smoothie recipe...lol.

mara, to me the oat bran has a milder taste than wheat bran and blends in more with other stuff. it''s a pretty subtle difference, though. plus i just love the taste of oats.

tg, i have a fabulous pumpkin soup recipe that is not sweet at all. not so healthy with the butter and half and half, but yummy as an occasional treat. it''s spicy, so reduce or omit the red pepper flakes if you''re not into that.

Pumpkin Soup
2 T butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t curry powder
1/2 t salt
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (15oz) solid pack pumpkin
1 cup half and half

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft. Add curry powder, salt, and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute. Add broth, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Add pumpkin and half and half; stir well. (Original instructions say to pour into blender, cover and blend until creamy - I usually skip this step or use my immersion blender.) Serve warm or reheat to desired temperature.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 1/9/2007 2:03:26 PM
Author: Mara
DJ i know that whole milk lovers turn up their nose at anything else but i gotta say as a reformed whole milk lover that you can slowly kind of wean yourself down into 2% or 1% or *gasp* nonfat... but i used to drink whole milk but over time i went down to 2% in just things like cereal and other things, and got used to the slightly thinner consistency. then 1% for the same things. so now i basically use 1% for all my cooking, baking, cereal and coffee at home. i get nonfat at starbucks with drinks because they don't have 1%, they only have 'lowfat' or 'blended' and i'm unsure what that means so nonfat is pretty self-explanatory, lol. if i ever have whole milk now i know it because it's so darn thick...and i don't really like it!! so anyway, you don't have to give up something entirely if you can kind of modify it, it might take some time but i think it's possible. greg loves 2% and always whines when i bring home 1% but he doesn't even actually know the difference which is funny, it's just the thought of 2% vs 1%...haha.

Actually, regular coffee is the ONLY thing I use whole milk in. For some reason it's not just the taste for me, but also the texture (translation: fat, I sure!). But cereal and anything else I would put milk in or on I use skim for. I even get skim when I do the occasional mocha or latte. Do they have 2% at Starbucks? I only ever see half 'n' half, whole or skim. But if I could find 2% I would definitely try it. (ETA: Oh, I see you said they don't have 2%...)

 

[TravelingGal]

Shortblonde, I think that willl be perfect! Thanks much!!!

DeeJay, thank you, but I know that my hubby will taste the apples...plus he doesn''t dig fruit in savory food. He says everything in US is sweet...it''s been hard to find breads he likes because they are all sweet (thank goodness for sourdough). He even says our beers are too sweet.

I married a bitter man!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

DeeJay,

It doesn''t make you weird! That woman in people lost a crazy amount of weight (over 100 lbs) by eating dinner for breakfast.

Sevens, I have never done pilates, but I love yoga. I fractured my foot a few months back and used a yoga tape to keep myself moving. It''s called Yoga for Weight Loss, it was not that great a tape so I wouldn''t recommend it, but I would recommed modified yoga to keep exercising. Hope you heal quickly!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 1/9/2007 1:19:00 PM
Author: sevens one

I need some *extra good vibes*

Did I mention that this sucks?

Thanks

HI:

SO--sorry for your trouble, no suggestions, just good vibes!!

I added an hour of swimming laps/tredding water, etc to my workout and I really enjoyed it. Was tired by the time I hit the gym, but did 30 minutes on the treadmill and ellipitical anyway. I really love the water, but the marks my new goggles left on my face were frightening. Wore my sunglasses to hide them!

cheers--Sharon

 

[katebar]

Date: 1/9/2007 2:28:48 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Shortblonde, I think that willl be perfect! Thanks much!!!

DeeJay, thank you, but I know that my hubby will taste the apples...plus he doesn''t dig fruit in savory food. He says everything in US is sweet...it''s been hard to find breads he likes because they are all sweet (thank goodness for sourdough). He even says our beers are too sweet.

I married a bitter man!!!

TravelingGal I just think Aussie food is just less sweet than yours so we are not used to it. I found breads and dressings to be very sweet over in the US and my 18 year old son has just returned from 2 months in Canada and the US and he couldnt believe how sweet your breads were.
I too have recipe for pumpkin soup if your interested its a Donna Hay one and its similar to Shortblonde but your roast the Pumpkin whole (Cut in half) with garlic and onion and then add similar spices (cumin).
On a side note I have been doing Pilates on and off for 10 years and it is the best thing for making my body function. I came to it with some serious old injuries. Two knees destroyed by surgeries, a prolapsed disc in my back and a chronic shoulder injury from lifting weights.
Today after deciding to incorporate Pilates seriously (twice a week reformer sessions) into my life I have a virtually pain free body. MY knees will never allow me to run but they don''t swell or give way anymore and despite being full of arthritis (thanks to the surgery) they cause me little problems. The elliptical has helped them enormously too as my quads are so much stronger. In fact my DH is a doctor and says that he has never seen a patient recover as well as I have from knee problems and that is soley through Pilates. If I left it to the ortho docs recomendations I would have had further surgery that probably wouldnt have worked and I life time of anti inflamatories. The only thing I take for my knees is Glucoasamine and this has made a HUGE difference I believe in restoring my knee to pre arthritis functioning,

 

[sevens one]

Date: 1/9/2007 3:50:26 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 1/9/2007 1:19:00 PM
Author: sevens one

I need some *extra good vibes*

Did I mention that this sucks?

Thanks

HI:

SO--sorry for your trouble, no suggestions, just good vibes!!

I added an hour of swimming laps/tredding water, etc to my workout and I really enjoyed it. Was tired by the time I hit the gym, but did 30 minutes on the treadmill and ellipitical anyway. I really love the water, but the marks my new goggles left on my face were frightening. Wore my sunglasses to hide them!

cheers--Sharon

Amen to that. Geez- it makes me look 20 years older.

 

[jadeleaves]

Nan I have no tips for u either, but i am sending u loads of get well vibes!

TGal - I don''t have a recipe for pumpkin soup as I usually just ''guesstimate'' the amt of ingredients I need. Here''s what I put in mine:

1 butternut pumpkin, peeled and chopped into roasting size pieces
2 cloves of garlic
1 brown onion
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into 3cm rounds
2 big potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 cups of chicken stock (I use venison stock for extra flavor when I can get it)
2 tsp curry powder (omit this if u don''t like curry, but I find it adds the extra oomph to the soup and is very good for cold winter days!)

I put all the ingredients except for stock and curry powder into a roasting tray, pop it in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for an hour, then I process everything using a food processor and add warmed chicken stock gradually until u get the consistency you want. Then I add the curry powder to taste.

Serve with a dollop of cream or a drizzle of EVOO. Sprinkle some parsley as garnish (I like the taste).

I usually double the recipe and make a big batch and freeze some for later.

 

[Ellen]

sevens, so sorry to hear! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks Jadeleaves...that sounds easy so I will have to try it. Doesn''t sound that fattening either.

I think that what you call butternut pumpkin, we call butternut squash (not sure if this is the case for your recipe katebar, and yes, I sure would love it). Here, pumpkin means the big orange things that we carve for halloween. I think there''s I keep getting confused as to what TGuy wants.

And yes, Katebar, we sure do like our things sweet. However TGuy did not complain when I found a recipe for self saucing chocoate pudding...now THAT was something he couldn''t complain was too sweet!

Just came back from an hour skate, which I think burns between 400-500 calories...probably close to 400. I checked my pulse and it was going as fast as it does when I go for a run, so I was surprised. Gorgeous day today...too nice not to be out.

Breakfast was cottage cheese and mandarines (I''m hooked on this stuff for now), lunch was a can of wolfgang puck chicken soup. Snack was a GIANT asian pear. Looks like the entire pear is 200 calories...a splurge for fruit, but man I am stuffed from eating this thing and it was so refreshing!

Dinner looks to be chicken salad.....

 

[Dee*Jay]

607 calories on the eliptical -- whew! Now I don''t feel so bad about those fries, LOL.

Today has been a light calorie day. If my calculations are correct, and even with a 60 cal pudding snack for dessert, I''ll still be just under 1200 for the day (which is the low end of what sparkpeople recommends for me).

I have a frozen meal in the microwave right now. 440 calories but 15 grams of fat--is that a lot of fat? The happy hubby is making pasta sauce but it won''t be ready until LONG after I need to eat something (think 2-3 hours from now) so I''ll have that tomorrow. Maybe for breakfast.

My right knee feels great from using the knee brace. I''m kind of surprised because it''s really the least substantial of the knee braces that I have (really it''s just a glorified ace bandage that was woven into a tube) but I''m definitely going to get one for my left knee too. A life without pain on the stairs--imagine!

 

[sumbride]

I went to the official water aerobics class tonight! The instructor actually remembered me from when I used to go all the time... 6 months ago. I felt bad when she knew my name after all that time. The workout was great though, really intense for in the water. Alas, this was her last class so I have to hope the gym hires somebody new that I like. I''ll be asking about it tomorrow to see what they''re going to do. It''s so nice to have something besides the gym equipment and I''m not ready for "Body Pump" classes just yet.

 

[katebar]

Date: 1/9/2007 5:59:19 PM
Author: TravelingGal
.

I think that what you call butternut pumpkin, we call butternut squash (not sure if this is the case for your recipe katebar, and yes, I sure would love it). Here, pumpkin means the big orange things that we carve for halloween. I think there''s I keep getting confused as to what TGuy wants.

And yes, Katebar, we sure do like our things sweet. However TGuy did not complain when I found a recipe for self saucing chocoate pudding...now THAT was something he couldn''t complain was too sweet!

Yes TravelingGal it is a butternut pumpkin just a small one makes a good pot of soup.
Don''t get me wrong I love sweet things too especially Sticky Date pudding

it just seems that my family is certainly use to unsweeten things.
On that note and keeping on topic Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate is very ''healthy eating'' friendly. One sqaure a day satisfies all choc craving for me and it packed full of antioxidants plus it is very low carb apparantly

 

[Rod]

Date: 1/9/2007 5:59:19 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Thanks Jadeleaves...that sounds easy so I will have to try it. Doesn't sound that fattening either.

I think that what you call butternut pumpkin, we call butternut squash (not sure if this is the case for your recipe katebar, and yes, I sure would love it). Here, pumpkin means the big orange things that we carve for halloween. I think there's I keep getting confused as to what TGuy wants.

And yes, Katebar, we sure do like our things sweet. However TGuy did not complain when I found a recipe for self saucing chocoate pudding...now THAT was something he couldn't complain was too sweet!

Just came back from an hour skate, which I think burns between 400-500 calories...probably close to 400. I checked my pulse and it was going as fast as it does when I go for a run, so I was surprised. Gorgeous day today...too nice not to be out.

Breakfast was cottage cheese and mandarines (I'm hooked on this stuff for now), lunch was a can of wolfgang puck chicken soup. Snack was a GIANT asian pear. Looks like the entire pear is 200 calories...a splurge for fruit, but man I am stuffed from eating this thing and it was so refreshing!

Dinner looks to be chicken salad.....

Don't be so surprised. Skating is a really good aerobic exercise. In fact, according to an article I read once in Inline Magazine, skating two miles can be as effective as running one mile. I love to skate, but probably won't do much of it in Raleigh, NC. It's just to hilly here and I'm use to skating on flat paths in Florida. But, I've gotten into running and that I can on hilly trails even here in NC!

Sevens, so so sorry to hear about the sprain. What a bummer. I'm a big believe in core training and that's something you can do lying down. Get a copy of a book (yep, here goes Rod again) by Mark Verstegen called "Core Performance Essentials."

Mara, those muffins sounded fantastic. I live vicariously through your food adventures!!!

On the milk front, I weaned myself off whole milk long ago, but I draw the line at having something less appealing in my coffee. There are just a few things in life that one shouldn't compromise on. And for me, coffee is one of those no-compromise treats. I not only use half and half in my coffee, but I use real sugar in the raw. Sometimes I do this two or more times a day and I still lost loads of weight and body fat. What I did cut out was Frappucino's. Now, Fraps have too much fat and calories, and while I used to have at least one (sometimes three) a day, I haven't had one in many many months now.

I was super good on the food front today. High fiber cereal with fat free milk and berries for breakfast. nice tossed salad and an apple for lunch, then our normal long workout and a new Lean Cuisine, Asian Dumplings and Rice for dinner. It was actually really good. Then I had two pieces of Lindt Dark Chocolate (super Yumm) and another apple.

We still haven't heard whether they're going to accept our offer. They said they're waiting for the company that provides the Brazilian Cherry wood floors to tell them how much it will cost to completely replace the carpeted areas (bedrooms really, all other areas are already wood) with the wood. We don't really care much for wood, so our offer included having the entire condo finished in the Brazilian Cherry floors.

Charlie has a business dinner tomorrow night, so I'm going to the gym on my own and then again Thursday night. My weight hasn't changed in quite some time, which a long time ago would have worried me, but I keep pushing the weights and I am gaining muscle, so if my weigt isn't going down, but my muscle is going up, I know I must be continuing to lose body fat. It's still amazes me what a person can do at the ripe old age of 52 when one was sendentary his entire adult life. Life does indeed get better after 50!!!

From North Carolina, Y'all Take Care........Rod

 

[TravelingGal]

Rod, I hope they accept!!!

Yeah...I knew skating was decent exercise, but I really didn''t know how good! Especially when there is a big headwind and all...I was huffing and puffing along. It''s just so fun as well...gotta love it. I skate anywhere between 8-10 miles in an hour, so that makes sense that it would burn 400+ calories. I actually checked online and it says I burn 466 calories skating in an hour, but it just doesn''t seem that strenous so that is why I put it more at 400. I do skate pretty fast so who knows.

Chicken salad was good...and a splurge at about 600 cal (I may have overestimated though). I was really good today and had quite a few calories to use up, so I poached some chicken (1 cup shredded) and added one bell pepper, some parmesan cheese, pepperoncinis, carrots and of course lettuce. I found some Olive Garden Dressing in my fridge that someone gave me as it was leftover when they threw a party and saw that it was 80 calories for 2 TB...not too sinful and I don''t know why but I love that dressing. I am sure there is crack in it...I had to have 3 TB, not 2, for my big salad.

So I am right at where I should be on calories for the day. I have been targeting somewhere from 1250-1600 per day.

 

[jadeleaves]

Date: 1/9/2007 5:59:19 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Thanks Jadeleaves...that sounds easy so I will have to try it. Doesn''t sound that fattening either.


I think that what you call butternut pumpkin, we call butternut squash (not sure if this is the case for your recipe katebar, and yes, I sure would love it). Here, pumpkin means the big orange things that we carve for halloween. I think there''s I keep getting confused as to what TGuy wants.

Hello!

Yes I think you''re right. I use the bigger pumpkins when I can''t find butternut pumpkins too, it''s just that I find butternut better suited for soups.

I forgot to add that I spray the pan of vegies with a fine mist of EVOO before I put them in the oven.

Let me know how you go if u make it!

Katebar I am seriously craving lindt chocolate now, but alas, I didn''t think to buy any when I went grocery shopping just now.

 

[katebar]

I think its great that the supermarket stocks it and its such a popular thing and so ''healthy'' at the moment even our little village chemist stocks it

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks again for the tip!

I love lindt. But we have had a few visits from Aussies over the last year and we have lots of Haighs chocolate in the house. I just LOVE that stuff. Think I will go and get some as a treat now....

 

[Mara]

lol re the salad dressing TG...i know i feel that way about girard''s dressings. their light caesar i swear to god tastes like the full fat version AND it''s 90 cals for 2 tbls. i mix it with 30 cal balsamic to lighten it up a bit so it spreads easier and then i get a little more kick with it. their girards light champagne is awesome too and it''s like 60 cals. gotta love a big salad sometimes.

went to the gym and did 50 minutes on the elliptical for 490 cals. then i did weights for a bit...so i figure my total is around 525 or so. i was thinking about what i wanted for dinner since it''s ''fend for yourself'' night...haha...and was thinking oatmeal then cereal but when i was at the gym i got an idea...i ended up making an egg white omelet with sauteed tomatoes, green onions and mushrooms and some monterey jack cheese. i had 2 pieces of the sara lee low-cal bread i bought (multi-grain, and it''s GOOD!!!!) last week with some of the ''smart balance light'' spread...which is a new thing i am trying thanks to this thread, lol. it was pretty good and the toast hit the spot...i had been craving toast and not even realizing it. so YUM dinner was awesome, i got some serious protein from the eggs and fiber from the toast, and the best part was that i am really full and the whole thing was only 350 cals. so i actually have about another 200-300 cals to go before i even meet my minimum for the day according to sparkpeople, so i might have some ice cream in a bit or do a mexican hot chocolate which both are around 200 cals.

i ended up having a light day today...oatmeal with the brown sugar and josephs syrup for breakfast (big super yum, can''t wait to have it again tomorrow); then one of the pumpkin spice bran muffins for snack. lunch ended up being chicken and wild rice soup from campbells (old fashioned style); then a snack was popcorn and half of a short gingerbread latte in the afternoon. i probably would have snacked more but i was in a really long meeting for 2 hours so it was perfect, lol. took my snacking time and chopped it out basically! ate a 1/2 muffin before working out and then made the ''breakfast dinner'' when i got home.

at the gym i look through magazines and i also saw something else that would have hit the spot tonite. so i''m making it tomorrow night for us. grilled cheese sandwiches! with the multi-grain bread and the new 2% milk american cheese singles it looked so yummy in the mag. and then we''ll supplement with one of my caesar salads with romaine, wheat croutons, the girards caesar and balsamic mix and some parm cheese. i can''t wait already, hahaha. tomorrow morning is my yummy oatmeal concoction. i want to start making shakes, maybe next week as i need to get ingredients. and i can really see doing that in the summer big time as well.

dJ on the fat...15 is not a huge amount for a dinner meal, but it''s a fair amount. what does sparkpeople say about your fat intake? mine is insane, like 35-70g of fat to maintain my weight. but i eat definitely more like 30-40...of course going higher when we go out or whatever. so if i eat something like a 15g fat dinner, i don''t really worry about it because typically my days are pretty light on fat. so i wouldn''t worry since you had a very light day today.

anyhow, sounds like everyone had a great day...!! rod i know what you mean about the whole fat vs muscle thing. i have still been losing a few lbs here and there but really if i stopped i wouldn''t care because i know i still can build a bit more muscle and still have a few more areas of fat i need to get rid of. but i''m really getting there in terms of ''firming'' up, i can''t wait til bikini season and seriously, that is the first time i have *really* thought that in YEARS.