Back on the Wagon

Today was day two back in the gym! Yesterday I walked 1.9 miles and ran 0.1 miles. Today I did weight training. I love weight training. I'm good at it. My lungs don't feel like they are about to collapse and my heart doesn't feel like it's beating out of my chest when I lift weights. Occasionally my limbs feel like they may fall off, but the feeling is short lived.

I'm eating fairly well... I've been trying to steer clear of HFCS and CS. I am sure they sneak in ways I don't think of, but I know I am eating drastically less of them. July is feeling like a really long month because I have not had any Mexican food. August 1st I think I may have to go to Los Compadres! I definitely have been eating a new age breakfast. I have 1/2 sprouted grain English  muffin with 1 ounce of raw cheese toasted. If you have never tried sprouted grain bread I highly recommend it.

In fact these English muffins are going to be the first of my Friday Favorites.
You'll find it in the freezer section. I like the Food for Life brand personally. These pictures are from the Food for Life website. There is no flour in these! It's all sprouted grains. You can microwave them but I found them a little chewy when warmed up that way. They are much better toasted. You can try it like I do, with some raw cheese, try peanut butter, or top it with an egg! (I'll talk about raw cheese next week.)

 

Today's question: Have you eaten sprouted grain breads before? Yes? What did you think? Any tasty suggestions?



 

 

Guest Post!!

Seeing as I am doing pathetic right now, I feel like we all need some real inspiration.
I met Megan when she was a sophomore in high school. I was the new youth ministry intern and the youth minister took us to one of the high school's softball games. Both Megan and her sister were playing, Megan being the pitcher, and a really good pitcher too. That was just over 10 years ago! She has since grown into a beautiful woman (not that she wasn't always beautiful).Today she is my guest blogger!! So without further adieu...

My journey began in October of 2012. I have always struggled with my weight and always had excuses. While shopping with a friend at Bed Bath and Beyond we both ended up walking out with a scale. I weighed myself that afternoon and was shocked by the number... I immediately went and signed up for weight watchers on line. Then I did nothing else until December.  I don't know exactly what clicked but something did... I started tracking my food, weighing once a week, cutting out sodas, and what I have found to be the biggest part of my success, exercising! Fast forward to 6 months and 2 weeks into my weight loss journey and I am at -50 lbs. I have been blessed by friends and co workers that are willing to exercise and encourage me.  There are days where it is difficult but I have to remind myself that it took me 26 years to put the weight on and it will not disappear in a year.  I have mini goals and big goals. I also made a "Weight Loss Bucket List" of things I want to do throughout my journey or by the end of my journey.  Next goal is -75 lb total by end of September and -100 lb loss by end of December. I have found that rewarding myself is something that works for me. I have also had to make myself first and not let work and other distractions keep me from bettering myself.

End of October 2012

Beginning of June 2013 (Down 43 pounds)

July 2013 (50 pounds down!!)

What an inspiration!

Where's the Wagon?

I've fallen so far off the wagon I'm not sure I can find it! I can feel it too. I feel horrible. I miss my energy! I think I'll be starting back at square one. The key IS to start again though, right?

Grad school is on hold for now, just looking for a job. There are no papers to be written, no projects to do....just calls to made and emails sent, all of which can't take place till at least 8:00 am. No excuses!

I'm really excited about tomorrow's post! I have someone very special that has written her story. I can't wait to share it with y'all! She's such an inspiration!

Okay, tomorrow I will share that AND what I did at the gym...because I AM going to the gym tomorrow!

Thanks Beth for sharing this with me!



So here I go....yet again!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's Just Blisters

I have been off track the last couple of days. I have 2 blisters, one on each heel. I know where one came from, last Sunday when I had on too low of socks. I have no idea where the other one came from. It's like I woke up with it. I finally went to the store today and got some special blister band aids. Hopefully, I will get back on track tomorrow. Other than not going to the gym, I have been eating out more too this week. This grad school class leaves little time for anything else and pretty much fries my brain. (Hence the lack of blogging.) The time I am not in class, driving to and from class, or reading and writing papers, I want to do NOTHING.....except sleep. I am procrastinating today. My professor gave us the day off so we would have time to write our really big paper that the rough draft is due Sunday night. So I spent the day doing everything but working on it.

At least I am still on track with my no Mexican food and no HFCS/CS. That's something, right?

Oh, I forgot to tell you I weighed Monday and had a 1.8 pound loss. I wanted at least 2 but I'll take what I can get. I am sure this Monday will not look pretty.

Today's question: What little ailments keep you sidelined?

Sunday 5K

I was up at 5:00 this morning and walking by 6:00. I have decided that Sundays I'm going to take the route of Sherry's Run. It starts just a few blocks from my house. I didn't do too bad, all things considered. First, my socks. They were cushiony but too low cut. I ended up getting a blister where my shoe rubbed. Thankfully I thought to bring an extra pair of socks, which I did in case of rain. A little past half way I ended up changing socks. I also ended up walking in grass and climbing a guardrail which didn't help my time any either. I think I have all that worked out now though and I have a starting point. The hill was torture but I made it. It just gets steeper towards the top I think. I may have ran 10 seconds of it. That really wasn't my goal today though. All the same, I can't imaging ever running the whole thing without walking. It feels like I'll never get there! In the end I did 3.2 miles.

Yesterday I did weights. I did some calf work on the leg press. Hopefully by strengthening them they'll stop burning!

I really hope I can complete day one of my training this week but I know that doing something is better than doing nothing. Tomorrow is weigh day too. Surely I've lost something...right?

This week will be particularly stressful at school. I will try to blog everyday, but they may be short!

Today's question: How much water do you drink a day?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pathetic

Had I started this blog earlier this morning, before I went to the gym, I would have told you that today was the day I would complete day 1. I had breakfast, a sprouted English muffin with 1/2 pay of unsalted butter and water, before 5:30 and didn't start my workout until 6:30. I felt pretty good. I was dreading it, but I always do.

I warmed up for 5 minutes, did my first 1 minute run and felt great! It was easy. My legs weren't tired and I could breathe. I just knew I was going to complete day 1 as intended.
Well it all went downhill from there. I skipped # 4, only did the last 30 seconds of #5, and then skipped #6,7,8. My calf burned like crazy and I just plain didn't feel good. I walked pretty much the entire 2nd half! PATHETIC!! The only good news is that my breakfast and timing kept me from hurting under my ribs.

I really thought resting yesterday would have helped me. Instead, I feel like I'm starting over.

This last grad class was a bad idea. It's insane. I have no idea how I ever learned to read. I was already scared to teach kids to read, now I'm terrified!

Compound a bad morning with a stressful afternoon and being completely overwhelmed and you get a bad evening meal. I may have very well negated all the calories I burned this week. I guess I'll see Monday if I did.

It's 7:40 and I think I'm just going to bed.

Today's question: How do you recover from a bad day?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Day of Rest

I have been to the gym every day since last Monday. That's 10 days in a row... so I took today off. It's a rainy, gloomy day anyway.

Yesterday I did a little better on the Couch to 5K but I still didn't do all of day 1. I walked through run #5 and ended up walking 30 seconds of runs 6 and 7. My right calf just burned, not to mention I couldn't breathe. I'll keep doing day one until I actually complete day one as it's intended.

I also went grocery shopping yesterday. Goal: Buy nothing with high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup in it. CHECK! I even bought ice cream! I love ice cream but finding it without HFCS or CS, that wasn't easy. One word...Breyers. I know it is full of sugar and still not particularly good for me, but if I'm going to eat ice cream I might as well get the good stuff. Heinz Natural Ketchup is made with sugar instead of HFCS. Pretty much everything else I bought didn't have any sugar in it at all. The almond milk has cane sugar in it, I think.

Lunch today (of hamburgers, baked beans, and potato wedges) had no HFCS in anything. YAY!!! You can eat normal food without it, you just have to look for it.

Tomorrow it's back to school and back to the gym. Maybe tomorrow will be my day to finally complete day 1!  We shall see. I am so close!

Today's question: Do you read food labels normally? If you do, what are you looking for?

I'm Still Here!

WHEW!!!!! Yesterday was my first day of class. I am taking a 2 1/2 week intensive class for grad school. It's a whole semester jammed into 13 days. I had to read 2 chapters and write papers on each. This will be a nightly thing, plus other papers and readings. I just have to survive for 2 1/2 weeks.

Okay, so what's been going on...

Sunday I fulfilled my goal of walking 5K at 3.0 mph. It felt really slow, but I made this goal 6 weeks ago when I couldn't walk 5 minutes without my heart hurting. I didn't even break a sweat. The bottom of my foot did hurt, but it was topical, something was making it raw.

Monday I started my Couch to 5K training. I went with the run 1 minute/walk 1 1/2 minutes 8 times. Before yesterday I had only run for 20 seconds. Of the 8 runs I ran 6 of them. I know that wasn't the ultimate goal, but it is twice as much as I had done before and for 3 times as long each interval. I'm happy with that! I skipped run s #4 and #6 and just kept walking through them. One thing I noticed was that I burned 243 calories and I found myself resisting temptations because I didn't want to negate those hard earned calories!

Today was not a run day so I did arm and leg weights. My arms are so weak!!

My challenges this month are not buying any HFCS or CS, drinking 2 1/2 liters of water a day, eat NO Mexican food and to do a Couch to 5K training program. So far, so good! 

I know several people are joining me in a couple of these. Let me know how it's going! If you don't think you can do a whole month, try a week!

Today's question: When you exercise is it normally a chore, or an escape? (I found that today it was an escape from reading and papers.)

I Did It!

Today at the gym I felt pretty good and decided to try the challenge of doing every other high interval (of 20 seconds) at a jog (4.6 mph). I DID IT! Well, I did it all but the last one.... which I did at 5.0 mph. After I did legs...
Adduction 3/10/70                      Abduction 3/10/70
Leg ext 3/10/30                           Leg curl 3/10/50

The leg extension is the hardest for me. You'd think my quads would be stronger than that! Maybe they were just tired.

Tomorrow I am going to walk 5K at 3.0 mph. Yes, that is slow compared to what I've been doing, but it is also a further distance than I do daily. It was also a goal I made for myself 6 weeks ago. I have been to the gym 6 days in a row this week, an hour walk at that pace should be like taking a day off, right? Plus, then I know I can at least do Sherry's Run in an hour.

I'm scared about Monday actually. According to my training schedule I am supposed to walk for 5 minutes, jog for 2 minutes and then walk 5 more. Me jog for 2 straight minutes??? If I don't blog on Monday, check the local hospital. I have another Couch to 5K plan on my phone. It is also 9 weeks. I had forgotten about it. Here's what it looks like...

Week 1

Runs 1, 2, and 3 - Run 1 minute, walk 1 1/2 minutes (repeat 8 times)

Week 2

Runs 1, 2, and 3 - Run 1 1/2 minutes, walk 2 minutes (repeat 6 times)

Week 3

Runs 1, 2,  and 3 - Run 1 1/2 minutes, walk 1 1/2 minutes, run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes (repeat twice)

Week 4

Runs 1, 2, and 3 - Run 3 minutes, walk 1 1/2 minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 2 1/2 minutes (repeat twice)

Week 5

Run 1 - Run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes (repeat 3 times)

Run 2 - Run 8 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 8 minutes

Run 3 - Run 20 minutes (no walking) TERRIFYING TO ME!

Week 6

Run 1 - Run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 8 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 5 minutes

Run 2 - Run 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 10 minutes

Run 3 - Run 25 minutes (no walking)

Week 7

Runs 1, 2, and 3 - Run 25 minutes

Week 8

Runs 1, 2, and 3 - Run 28 minutes

Week 9

Runs 1, 2, 3 - Run 30 minutes


It seems more doable in the beginning to me. What do y'all think?



Tonight is my monthly Girl's Night Out! I am so excited. I will attempt not to ruin everything I have accomplished in one evening.

Today's question: Who wants to train for a 5K along with me? We don't have to live in the same town. just knowing others are going through it to will be enough! Are you in?

TMI

I pride myself on being really honest on this blog. Today, I may be a little too honest. BUT, I figure if you have already blazed this trail then you may have some knowledge to pass on. If you are just now starting, my experiences my help you along the way. So here is my issue.... My lower digestive system really starts to act up at about the half mile point. I can suppress it, but as soon as I am done and stretch my calves and quads I have to go #2. I always go before I start my workout too. All I have for breakfast is a protein shake made with chocolate almond milk. It makes me nervous to do a 5K! What if I have to poop??? Just keepin' it real here, folks, just keepin' it real.

Now for more reality.... today's workout. It wasn't bad, but my goal was to do every other high interval at least at a 4.6 mph pace. My body said, "NO!" I really just wasn't feeling it. I haven't really taken a day of rest, and I add a challenge everyday so I guess I should listen. But my body and mind did compromise and I did my last 20 second high interval at 5.0 mph. After that, I stretched, pooped (as was previously mentioned), and did arms.

Bicep Curl 3/10/30
Tricep Ext. 3/10/30
Chest Press 3/10/30
Lat Pull Down (to the front and back) 6/10/37.5
and I added a Back Extension today 3/10/75

I went up 10 pounds on the bicep curl and 5 on the tricep extension. All in all, a good workout today.

Those of you that know me, know I am a crafty person. I just made my notebook for my 5K training log which starts on Monday. Oh, and I was wrong, it is a 10 week program, not a 9 week program. I only have an extra week to play with! YIKES!

Going into the weekend..... I saw this on a Facebook group I am in. the blog listed on the picture is worth checking out. Overall, it is a little advanced for me right now.... but not for long!

 

Today's question: Do you tend work hard during the week and take it easy on the weekend, or are you a weekend warrior?

2 in 1 and HELP!

I didn't have a lot to talk about yesterday so I am combining 2 days into one post. (Thank you Lea Ann for noticing and calling me on it!)

Yesterday I did 5 high intervals at 4.6. That's a total of 1 minute and 40 seconds of running. After I did arms. I did tricep extensions (3/10/25) (sets/reps/weight), bicep curls (3/10/20), lat pull-down to the front and to the back (6/10/37.5), and the chest press (3/10/30). Shouldn't my biceps be stronger than my triceps? I find it interesting that I can do more weight with my triceps.

Food was a complete FAIL yesterday. I ate out for lunch and dinner. Lunch was okay, baked tilapia, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and macaroni and cheese. (So the last two items weren't all that great). Then for dinner I had a calzone. It come in two HUGE pieces. One is plenty for a meal, but alas, I ate both. Next time I just need to ask for a to go box right away and get the second half out of my sight!

                                                                                                                                                                          

Today I tried to challenge myself to run every other high interval. I didn't do that exactly...BUT I did run 8 of the 18 high intervals! That was just one less. The first 4 I did at 4.6 mph and the other 4 I did at 4.7 mph. I didn't do every other one, some I did in a row, with a 20 second low interval in between. I just did what I felt like I could do and a little more. I kept telling myself, "I can do anything for 20 seconds." Then I refused to look at the timer and just focused on my stride and my music. After, I did legs. Hip adduction (3/10/50), hip abduction (3/10/50), leg curl (3/10/50), and leg extension (3/10/30). Again, I do more weight with my hamstrings than I do my quads. Weird.

Today I have an unpleasant task ahead. It involves attempting to clean out my dad's condo. I say attempt because he doesn't like to get rid of ANYTHING. Should be interesting. I have a feeling lunch will be fast food of some sort....sigh. I should take a lunch but I am not going to.


Okay, starting next week I am off of my commitment to do interval training. Have no fear, I am not going to stop training! I am trying to decide which course I should take. There is a  5-week walk/run 5K plan and there is a 9-week run plan (which I'm leaning toward.) I have 10-11 weeks to prepare for Sherry's Run. I just look at all of them and laugh. Of course if you had told me 6 weeks ago, when my chest hurt just walking at 3.0 mph for 5 minutes, that I would be running for almost 3 minutes during my workout, I would have laughed too. But I do 20 second spurts.  This is running it in one stretch. I am going to need lots of encouragement no matter which I choose.

The 9-Week Run Plan

Week	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
1	5 min walk 2 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 2 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 3 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
2	5 min walk 3 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 4 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 5 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
3	5 min walk 6 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	4 min jog 5 min walk 4 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 7 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
4	5 min walk 7 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 8 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 9 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
5	5 min walk 9 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	6 min jog 5 min walk 6 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 10 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 11 min jog 5 min walk
6	5 min walk 11 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	13 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	15 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
7	15 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	8 min jog 5 min walk 8 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	16 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	17 min jog 5 min walk
8	17 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	18 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	20 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
9	20 min jog	Relax!	12 min jog 5 min walk 12 min jog	Relax!	24 min jog	Relax!	25 min jog
10	25 min jog	Relax!	27 min jog	Relax!	30 min jog	Relax!	Race Day!

(On some of the "Relax" days I'll do weights or the elliptical)

The 5-week Walk/Run Plan

Week	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
1	Walk for 4 minutes, then jog for 1 minute. Repeat 4 more times. (Total workout time: 25 minutes)	Walk for 4 minutes, then jog for 1 minute. Repeat 4 more times. (Total workout time: 25 minutes)	Walk for 4 minutes, then jog for 1 minute. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 30 minutes)
2	Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 1.5 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 27 minutes)	Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 1.5 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 27 minutes)	Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 1.5 minutes. Repeat 6 more times. (Total workout time: 31.5 minutes)
3	Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 2 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 30 minutes)	Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 2 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 30 minutes)	Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 2 minutes. Repeat 6 more times. (Total workout time: 36 minutes)
4	Walk for 2 minutes then jog for 2.5 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 27 minutes)	Walk for 2 minutes then jog for 2.5 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 27 minutes)	Walk for 2 minutes then jog for 2.5 minutes. Repeat 6 more times. (Total workout time: 31.5 minutes)
5	Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 3 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 36 minutes) Well, what do you think?	Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 3 minutes. Repeat 5 more times. (Total workout time: 30 minutes)	RACE DAY! Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 3 minutes. Repeat 5 or more times until you finish the 3.1-mile race!

Today's question: Have you ever attempted or completed a Couch to 5-K program? How did it go?

1 Minute 20 seconds!

I really challenged myself today. I ran the 1st two high intervals, at 4.3 mph and 4.4 mph respectively, and the last two high intervals, at 4.4 mph and 4.5 mph respectively! That's a grand total of 1 minute and 20 seconds! Then I did the leg abduction and leg adduction machines.

This waking up at 5:00 in the morning is starting to catch up with me. When I got home, I sat down and went to sleep.

For lunch I made me a chicken sandwich from my leftovers. I got the recipe from a clean eating magazine. I realized I have already posted it once. Click here or on the picture to see it! It's been a while.

 

                                                                                                                                              

 





I had two bowls of ice cream today!! I'm glad I ate really well other than that! I think I am going to have to keep it out of the house. :(

 

Okay, so I promised a shocking discovery regarding high fructose corn syrup. I've said to check your pantry, now check your vitamins! Here is the front and back of a popular brand...

 

 

It's important to know how ingredients are listed. They are listed by how much of the product is made up of the ingredient. So the 1st ingredient is the highest percentage of the makeup of the product. The first ingredient of this vitamin is corn syrup and the second is sucrose. THE FIRST 2 INGREDIENTS ARE SUGAR!!!! Sugar is also mentioned later. This is a vitamin! I did some investigating at Kroger and found that the gummy vitamins are just like this and Flintstones vitamins lists sugar as it's first ingredient. I think these companies are taking Mary Poppins a little too seriously! I understand that if you're going make a chewable vitamin, especially one that kids will take, it has to taste decent, but why not use cane juice or something? There are better options! And adults, just swallow your vitamins! I'll post more on vitamins later, there is a BIG difference in brands.

 

Today's question: Do you take vitamins? If so ,what?



 

                                   

40 Seconds!!!!

I have had quite a productive morning. I got up at 5:00 even though I don't have class this week. I don't want to get out of the habit. I went to the gym and hit the Big Bad Treadmill. I warmed up at 3.0 mph and then did my intervals, high at 4.0 mph and low at 3.0 mph for the 1st 6 minutes. The last 6 minutes I did my high intervals at 4.1 and low at 3.1. THEN the 2nd to last high interval I ran at 4.3 and the last high interval I ran at 4.4! That's a grand total of 40 seconds of running! I know it doesn't seem like much, but 5 weeks ago I couldn't run for 10 seconds!

After my workout I spent a little quality time in the restroom, I'll spare you the details, but let's say my lower digestive system isn't cooperating with me today. Since I don't have class I decided to do a couple of weights. I would have stayed and done more if I had felt better. But I did do 3 sets of bicep curls and 3 sets of tricep extensions.

Then it was off to the grocery store. I am going to a Recipe Night hosted by my chiropractor. I am making "fried" quinoa. It's like fried rice, but much healthier. I needed some bean sprouts for it and NO ONE HAS ANY! I had to settle for alfalfa sprouts. If you came to my house right now you would see an abundance of fruit. I am on some sort of a fruit kick. I have bananas, oranges, kiwi, watermelon, and black seedless grapes.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Well, the votes for the Recipe Night are in. The good news is I tied for 1st place! The bad news is a 2 year old picked a hand for the tie breaker and I didn't win. The prize of a $50 gift card to Whole Foods went to the other lady. If I had only voted for myself, but I didn't. Everyone raved about the "fried" quinoa though. The kids there liked it too.

There wasn't much there I did like, I am a really picky eater, so I was hungry after. Instead of just coming home and finding something, I decided to stop at Chick-Fil-A. I got a chicken sandwich with extra pickles and in unsweetened tea. I SHOULD have gotten the charbroiled chicken sandwich...actually, I should have just come on home. On a good note, I had a really healthy sandwich for lunch. I think I'll post the recipe for it tomorrow. Click on the links above for the "fried" quinoa recipe.

I don't like getting home late. I still need to make my shake and take and set out my vitamins for in the morning. I am ready to sleep!

This pretty much sums up how I feel about this whole weight loss thing.....

 

Today's question: Do you cardio and weight training? Which is your favorite?

Maybe Next Summer

Today my Life Group from church had a pool party. We have one every year and every year I say next year I will look decent enough in a bathing suit I'll actually swim. Well, once again, I didn't, and I said it again. But this time I am actually on a journey to see it a reality next year.

I have been thinking about what my next commitments will be and for how long. I have this week to finalize them. I am thinking NO Mexican food for the entire month of July. If you know me, you know this may be worse than no soda. I, of course, thought about this at lunch today, which may or may have not been at Los Compadres, while eating from the Sunday buffet. No Los Compadres, no Blue Coast Burrito, no Salsarita's, no Moes, no Qdoba....this is serious. Just look...
'

Something else I want to commit to is to drink 2 1/2 liters of water a day. I already drink 2 liters a day and most of the time I drink 2 1/2 to 3, but I want to commit to doing it for the month.

Then there is my July Challenge, which I am inviting all of my readers to join me in. I am not going to buy anything from the grocery store with high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup in it for the entire month.

What do y'all think?

I am ready to get back in the gym in the morning! I think I may do some weights too since I don't have to rush home to get ready for class.

Today's question: Do you have any frequent diner cards? Where to?

What a Difference!

I didn't blog yesterday. I spent every waking moment last night making yard sale signs and cooking a nutritious dinner. I had salmon and roasted asparagus parmesan quinoa. For the latter, I made my asparagus like I normally do, click the link for the recipe, and then cut it up and put it in my cooked quinoa with some parmesan cheese. It was delish! My salmon was a little dryer than I like it. I rarely get it just right. I always cook it too long, but it scares me to not cook it long enough! I had to be up at 4:30, so I went to bed before 9:00. But, yesterday morning I did go to the gym, WITH my headphones, and I ended up jogging the last 5 seconds of my 2nd to last high interval and all of my last interval. That's 25 seconds! I felt like I could do more but I am sticking with my interval training till the end of June. My heart rate still gets above 90% of my max when I run, but it only got to 92%. My legs feel like they can go longer though.

This coming Tuesday will be 5 weeks working out consistently. Today, I helped host a club yard sale and had to load and unload 20 8' tables.....twice. If I had done that 5 weeks ago, I think I might have died! Today, my arms are a little sore, but other than that, I felt great doing it! I didn't need any breaks and my heart wasn't beating out of my chest. To me, this is as big of an accomplishment as losing weight!

One week and one day till my weigh in. Come July 1st I am going to do it once a week. I hate this waiting 15 days to see any progress. I just won't allow myself to do it everyday.

I hope all of my readers are considering accompanying me in my July challenge of not buying anything from the grocery store (for you, your husband, kids, etc.) that contains high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup in it. I say from the grocery store because we don't always have access to labels when we eat out. I will have a post this week that may surprise you and have you checking somewhere besides your food pantry for this ingredient!

I found this today and I need to think about it when I feel like giving up because something else is more enticing.

 

Today's question: What are some of your measurements of success in getting healthier besides the scale?

 



The Silent Workout

I could have named this post the longest workout...EVER. I made the mistake of leaving my headphones at home this morning, which meant NO MUSIC!!! It was horrible, just horrible! I wanted to quit the entire time. There wasn't even any music playing in the gym! All I had was the hum of the machines, the pounding of feet, and the clanging of weights. It was a mental test today as well as a physical one. I made it through, but I WILL NOT forget them again!!

I did the same treadmill workout again, except I did 4.1 mph the 2nd to last interval and jogged at 4.3 mph the ENTIRE LAST INTERVAL!!!! A whole 20 seconds. That doesn't sound like much, but remember, I am quite overweight, out of shape AND.....I DIDN'T HAVE ANY MUSIC!!! My heart rate hit 92% of my max HR....yikes. but it came down quickly. I think I will try it again tomorrow. Heck, I may even try to do the last 2 intervals jogging.  

I did make the tortillas tonight. They were delicious but they took a lot of time. The actual mixing of the ingredients didn't I guess. Let's just say it is much easier to get one out of a package. But these are made with real ingredients and use coconut oil instead of shortening or vegetable oil. Plus they are whole wheat. It made 31 small tortillas. I have NO CLUE how I would adjust it to make less. Instead of pasting the whole recipe here, I am just going to let you go to the link yourself. It has step by step instructions and pictures. I would suggest 2 people be involved in making them too. My dad rolled them out and I cooked them. I am going to freeze some and refrigerate some. I think they will be great with hummus!


They are not pretty, but they are really good!


Well, I just finished my final project for my grad class! That is why I am so late posting. I figured that should be my priority. I still have to make my protein shake, take and set out my vitamins, and fill up my water bottles.  5:00 isn't too far away....sigh.

Today's question: Do you listen to music while exercising? What's on your playlist?

When Will I Be a Runner?

How long does one have to run to be considered a runner. I'm not talking about days or months, I'm talking about second and minutes. Today I did 10....seconds that is. I do not consider myself as a runner yet. But when will I?

I went to the treadmill again today and did the same workout as yesterday except the last 20 seconds I walked at 4.1 for 5 seconds, at 4.2 for 5 seconds and jogged at 4.3 for 10 seconds. 4.3 mph is my "breaking point". You know, the point you can't walk and keep up, you have to break into a run. I did it for 10 seconds today and I didn't fall off the treadmill or die. I was going to do the elliptical tomorrow but I think I'll stick with the treadmill. I want to try to increase the amount of time I run gradually. I am just a little concerned for my knees till I get some of this weight off. If they start hurting I will go to the elliptical for a while.

I did really well with my eating....this morning and afternoon. Then I went to out with my dad and ate an entire calzone! A big one. I was so hungry! The tuna fish, cheese, and orange for lunch are not doing the trick!. I did drink over 2 liters of water today though.

I was sent this today by a friend via my Suzanne's Rocks Facebook Page. I love it!

 

I think I need to see this every day! Thanks Terry! It was 5 seconds yesterday, 10 seconds today, soon it will be 30 minutes. Okay, maybe not soon, but I'll get there! I am torn between being optimistic and realistic. Sometimes my realistic seems more pessimistic but I don't mean for it to be.

 

Only 2 more days of grad school then I have a week off! I will have to say, I HAVE done very well at taking my lunch to school with me. That's something!

 

Today's question: What is a medium range goal you have and what are you doing to reach it?

 

Well, I had better get my protein shake made and vitamins taken and set out for the morning. 5:00 am comes early!

 

 

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Treadmill?

That would be me! You see, for a statistics project class in my undergrad I had to keep track of something I did several times a day. I tracked how many times I tripped. Tripping and treadmills DO NOT mix! I can literally imagine myself flying off the back of one....the image plays vividly in my mind. This morning I piddled a little to long and got to the gym just 5 minutes after I normally do. That 5 minutes meant I didn't get an elliptical! Really, why are so many people at the gym at 6 in the morning. Don't people sleep? There was a bike available but I decided it was time to really test out my new shoes, the ones I got from Fleet Feet in Murfreesboro. Before today I had only used them on the bike and the elliptical. So I found a treadmill.

Let me back up, because I seriously don't remember if I mentioned this in a past blog and I am too lazy to go back and look. About a week before I made my 3 commitments I set a goal to be able to walk 3 miles at 3.0 mph by June 30th. Doesn't sound like much, but I was going much slower starting out because of my foot pain. I kind of put that on the back burner to focus on the metabolic training. I now really believe that was the perfect thing for me to do. There is no way I would have been able to do what I did today without some prior conditioning, not that what I did today was very impressive, but it was impressive for me where I am now, new shoes or not!

Okay, back to the Big Bad Treadmill. I walked for a minute at 2.5 mph, kicked it up to 3.0 for the rest of my warm up. NO FOOT PAIN... YAY!!!!! now for the real testing of my fear. I wanted to still do interval training. but I didn't truly rest for 20 seconds. Instead, I bumped it up to 4.0 for 20 second then back down to 3.0 for 20 seconds. I did this for 12 minutes. My heart rate made it into the 80%-90% zone easily. By the end of my workout, 3.0 felt slow. And NO FOOT PAIN!!!! Did I say that already? Oh, the last 20 second interval I did 4.1 for 10 seconds, 4.2 for 5 seconds and 4.3 for the very last 5 seconds! I had to jog a little the last 5 seconds. It was a little proof that I am not going to fly off the back.

So, tomorrow I think I am going to find me a Big Bad Treadmill. I'm going to mix it up though, Thursday I think I'll make sure I get there on time and get an elliptical.

I am postponing my recipe till Thursday. I wasn't planning on eating out for lunch but I got out of class early and was able to eat with my nephew, his wife and new baby, my sister and dad. They were in from New Jersey. I don't mind getting off track for something like that. Life happens. But I am not really hungry, so I am saving my fajitas for Thursday night. This is a victory in itself. Before I would have gladly eaten another big meal for dinner.

My dad and Aubrey

 



Today's question: Is there a piece of exercise equipment that scares you?

Snacks.... but I like them!

I have been tracking my food today on Spark People. I tend to do better when I record everything. I ended up just a little bit over my calorie allowance for the day...thanks to snacks. I had very sensible meals and I didn't have bad snacks really, just too many. I like recording everything in Spark People because I can easily see what I could have done without or traded out. I do get frustrated with food journaling though. There is no way for it to always be exact and that bugs me. This is especially true for me when I eat out. I rarely eat things the way they come, like I won't get mayonnaise or special sauces on burgers or sandwiches. That one ingredient can make a HUGE difference in the calorie and fat content of a food!

I hit the gym this morning. I felt much better today while exercising. My energy was back. I am walking faster and climbing stairs even easier at school. OH! And I saw my resting heart rate in the 70s for the first time in a very, very long time! It was 78 BPM but I'll take it! It is more consistently in the 80s and 90s though.

I am going to attempt to make my own whole wheat tortillas with coconut oil tomorrow night. If they turn out that will be my recipe post for tomorrow. I am excited about dinner tomorrow night, fajitas, my favorite! The only problem is, I know I won't lay off the cheese. Moderation....yeah right!

I am going to be on my anti-high fructose corn syrup kick at least till I start my challenge on July 1st. Here is an interesting report that likens HFCS to cocaine. It's only 2 and a half minutes so take a couple of minutes to watch it.

Today's question: Do you or have you ever kept a food journal? Does it help or do you get frustrated with it?

Trying to Stay Positive

15 days and just 2 measly pounds! I am trying to stay positive and tell myself it's better than a gain. I am a little frustrated though...okay, a lot frustrated! Then I also think, it's not just about the weight loss. I feel a lot better. I can climb stairs without having to recover at the top, my heart rate is lowering, BUT 2 POUNDS????!!!



Normally, I would call it quits now. Instead, I took an inventory of the freezers and planned out every dinner this week, including the ones I'll eat out. I planned my breakfasts and my lunches. I must have a plan this week! I'll continue my no soda and workout commitment too.



I have failed at the blogathon, too. I missed 2 days in a row (and NO ONE held my feet to the fire and asked me why I hadn't blogged.) Friday, I just didn't. Yesterday, I drove to a wedding in Virginia and drove for over 12 hours round trip. I was busy from 5:00am to 3:00am.  (It was lovely by the way.) I feel very off track, but I'm back, scratching to get back on track.

Thought this was fitting to take a look at...

I have had several people say that they are interested in joining me in July to not buy anything with high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup in it at the grocery store. At the very least it will be an exercise in reading the ingredients of the food we buy. I want to start with HFCS because I think a month without buying anything with sugar in it is a little drastic for me right now. Let's start slow and fairly easy. I say fairly easy because you will be surprised what all it's in! And be careful, they are getting more clever at trying to hide it. If you are big on protein bars, go check the ingredient list, oh, and go check your sandwich bread, yogurt and cereal too. And before you say that you won't make your kids be burdened with your decision to eat different, there are major studies out there that link HFCS, CS, and fructose that link to learning and memory problems. (And they make a distinction between the fructose they put in foods and what you get from eating natural fruit. There is a difference.) Just some things to think about and asking that you give it a try.







So, I am going to need your help this week staying on track! I want at least a healthy 5 pound loss by the 30th!



Today's question: Go through your pantry and fridge. Did you find anything with HFCS, CS, or fructose that surprised you? (And let me know if you're on board for the July Challenge, that's what I'm going to call it.)

High Fructose Corn Syrup

SOURCE

High fructose corn syrup or corn syrup seems to be in almost every product we consume today! If you read labels, which you should be reading labels, it should be shocking! Go ahead, go to your cabinets and take a look. Then also notice how many of your foods have sugar in them as an ingredient. Today I want to harp in high fructose syrup (HFCS) though. Many studies have shown that it is downright dangerous to consume. Our bodies just don't process it like we do sugar. Now, there are commercials out there that tell you it does, but biochemistry disagrees. I don't want to bombard you with a ton of articles but here are two that you might find interesting.

This one is a study done with rats. Some were given water sweetened with sugar and others water sweetened with HFCS. I won't spoil the ending.
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

This one is just a good article about HFCS. It's longer, but well organized.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/high-fructose-corn-syrup-dangers_b_861913.html

It is really hard to find foods that have no sweetener of some kind in them. Bread, for instance. It is nearly impossible! I'm very close to making my own. You can find it made with sugar instead of HFCS though. One of my goals is to rid my diet of HFCS as much as possible.

I think one of my commitments next month may have something to do with HFCS.

Today's question: Would you commit to one month (July) of not buying anything with a label on it that lists HFCS or corn syrup as an ingredient? You will still probably consume some if you eat out, but it's a start.

Was It Worth It?

Yesterday I blogged as I was drinking my Mexican Coke. It was wonderful! Today I think I should blog about what happened after drinking it.....

About 10-15 minutes after drinking it my heart started racing really fast and I really didn't feel good. About 20 minutes after I got really, really, really sleepy. I could barely keep my eyes open. As I was going through it I realized that it was exactly how I used to feel most of my day! When you stop, I guess the change to feeling better didn't happen all at once, so when I had the sudden onset of "symptoms" it was very noticeable! I now find myself arguing with myself! Is that feeling worth another coke? This morning a lady in my grad class asked me how my Mexican Coke was and I told her what happened. She suggested I taste, swish, and spit...as she laughed. Hey, I might try it!

As for eating out last night, I brought most of my food home! I knew I was full and actually had the control not to make myself miserable! This is a pretty big deal for me.
Today, however, I fell off the wagon and stopped at Wendy's for lunch. It's the first time I fell into that trap since my classes started. I made it a whole week and a half.....pitiful! I have to shake it off! I need to print this off and put it on my steering wheel!


 

Today's question: What do you do when you "fall off the wagon?"

My Ultimate Treat!

I have lot's of things I like to eat and drink. Most of them are not good for me. I have always been a big fan of cokes, aka soda. (In the South all sodas are called cokes.) Anyway, I used to drink at least 3 a day. Now that I have committed to go without them for six weeks, except for today, I can see that was a bit much. So for my one day I can drink a coke, I want THE BEST! I present to you.... Mexican Coke! I find it in the international section of Kroger. It is made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup and found in a glass bottle. That ice cold bottle combined with the ice cold Coke touching my mouth... lovely! I think this may be the only coke I drink for a while. I'll find a way to ration it out.

Mexican Coke

 

I went to the gym this morning and when I scanned my card the little voice that usually says, "Welcome," instead yelled, "Happy Birthday!" I also get entered into a drawing for working out on my birthday. How cool is that?

 

This was day two on the elliptical. My legs burned a bit at first but they quit whining after a couple of minutes. I stayed at 1:1 (incline:resistance). I had no trouble getting my heart rate to my goal, but it seems easier than the bike. Weird, huh? My legs have hurt all day thought!

 

I am having dinner at Olive Garden tonight for my birthday. I just know I am going to put on everything I have lost in one sitting! But I only turn 26 I mean 37 once!

 

Today's question: What is your absolute favorite treat? (Lea Ann S. JUST ONE!)

 

 

 

Back to Square One

That's what it felt like this morning at the gym. I have switched from the recumbent bike to the elliptical. I feel kinda awkward on the elliptical actually. During my warm up I was just trying to get used to the motion, it has been so long since I have been on one. I am not even thinking about attempting the one that makes you move your arms too, yet! I kept it on level 1 and resistance 1. My legs weren't really burning during my high intensity intervals but I had NO TROUBLE getting to my target heart rate. I was usually up to 86% or more! I think I'll keep it at 1:1 till my heart rate shows me I need to bump it up.

I have been in a funk the past few days. I don't know why. Tomorrow is my birthday, but I don't feel like that is what is causing the funk. I just don't feel like doing much of anything. I would prefer to sleep. This is more noticeable to me because I have been extra energized since I started working out. Maybe it's school. This is the week that all but one thing is due. I just don't have any drive.
I don't even want to sew or paint!

Anyway, enough pity partying.  I need to be thinking of a recipe to post for tomorrow! Looking through recipes sounds much more fun than reading a chapter that I have to lead the discussion on Wednesday or starting my research paper that's due Thursday, doesn't it?

The Post You Have All Been Waiting For.... Right?

WARNING: This post is long, but hopefully worth it!

No, I am not posting my weight or weight loss today. I don't weigh in till the 15th which is Saturday. But I have talked some about metabolic training. I am NOT an expert in it and I am still learning a lot about it, but it is basically interval training. I am patterning mine by the Max T3 which is 12 minutes, plus warm up and cool down. I am currently doing this on a recumbent bike since my foot was hurting. My workout looks like this...

5 minute warm-up (I warm up at a 4.5 resistance, but do what is comfortable for you)
20 seconds ALL OUT (80%-90% of my max HR! At first this is easy to reach but read on!)
20 seconds rest
repeat this for 12 minutes (so you are really only working out hard for 6 minutes!)
3 minute cool down.

That's it!

I didn't want to blog about it until I knew it was giving me some sort of results. I started this on May 21st, that is a couple of days short of 3 weeks ago. The first week I went 5 days (Tues-Sat). The 2nd week I did 6 days and this past week I did 5 days (which means I have to do 7 days this week to make up and keep my commitment!) The first day on the bike I did my first 20 second interval at 6.0 resistance and I thought I was going to die pedaling as hard as I could. The first couple of days I didn't have my HR monitor but my heart was beating out of my chest! I ended up my last 20 seconds at 4.something. The 3rd day I had my HR monitor. I checked it as I was working out and, sure enough, I was between 83% and 85% of my Max HR.

The next week I noticed that I had to start at a higher resistance to feel challenging that first interval. I also noticed than I had to work a lot harder to get my HR up high enough. I thought my legs were going to fall off! I felt like I was pedaling 100 MPH and my HR was only going to 79%! My heart was already getting stronger! Steadily I would bump my first interval up a little bit and do higher resistances longer (multiple intervals, always 20 seconds at a time.)

Fast forward to today. First of all, I DID NOT want to go to the gym today. But I had to, I need all 7 days this week.

              Time out: Let me put a plug into my secret Facebook group, Suzanne's Rocks. They are some of my Facebook friends that I have asked to help keep me accountable and they really are my rocks! I just posted that I needed someone to tell me I needed to go to the gym and several came through for me! (Thanks Terry, Jami, and Elaine!) Ok, time in.

Today I started at a 10.0 resistance and did it 3 or 4 intervals before working my way down. I personally go down 0.4 each time. That's just what I do now. There is no rule. I listen to my legs. Sometimes I tell them to quit whining so much but I still listen to them. :)  I did my last interval at 8.8 resistance! Sometimes I do my very last 20 seconds at a higher rate than I started (like at 10.5, but I didn't realize it was my last one.) The human body truly is amazing! My legs were able to work hard to keep my HR up the whole time.

Now, let me tell you about my resting HR. This is how I know I am getting more than just results during my workout. I have something called an overelectrical heart. My niece had the same thing and she had something snipped in there. My cardiologist said if they do that they like to do it when you are pretty young. Basically I have a pretty fast heart rate and always have. My resting HR can be over 100 but it is usually in the 90s. I have worn the fancy heart monitor for 2 full days, even playing a basketball game in it and my cardiologist said it goes up normal and back down at a good rate, though sometimes it races for no reason whatsoever. Anyway. it's got a big long word that I can neither spell nor pronounce.  I haven't seen my HR below 90 in...well, I can't remember! I have seen it in the 80s several times this past week when I randomly check it at the house. The first time I didn't believe my monitor so I checked it again and then I took it manually. 84 bpm!

Now true metabolic training will involve other things as well, but it is still done in intervals. The main things are to keep your heart rate between 80% and 90% of your max HR (220-age to calculate your max HR) during your intervals and DO NOT EAT ANY CARBS FOR 2 HOURS AFTER YOUR WORKOUT!!  Not even good carbs like fruit. Your body is still burning calories after your workout. You want it to take those calories from what you have stored. If you give your body carbs it will burn them first since that is the easiest. I usually eat a boiled egg white if I really want something.

My motto with this is that I can do pretty much anything for 12 minutes and I can surely do anything for 20 seconds! I am tired of sitting on my butt working out so I am going to try the elliptical tomorrow. I really don't think I'll do this on the treadmill. I would prefer to do it on the road as to a treadmill. I will be starting some treadmill work soon though, I have to start training for a 5K! (more on that later.)

Sorry if this completely bored you, if you even made it this far! But this is something that anyone can do, but is also challenging for everyone. If you are in horrible shape, you will reach the HR range fairly easily, while elite athletes are challenged because they have to work really really hard to get their heart rates that high.

I need a picture.... blogs are not complete without a picture.  Maybe I can get him to be part of my Suzanne's Rocks group!

I have to go read a book now that I have no desire to read...ahhh grad school.

If you have a chance this week, go give this workout a try. (you can do it at home running in place if you have to!) When you do, comment and let me know!

New Shoes!

I would like to thank my dearest friend Leslie for going to Fleet Feet in Murfreesboro with me today! It was a GREAT experience! I was afraid to go in there by myself (so silly). I was afraid they would look at me like I was crazy for going into a running store. I obviously don't look like I run. I didn't know what kind of questions to ask. Leslie runs, she'd know. Lisa helped me and she was wonderful! Leslie told her I'm going to be training for a 5K. Lisa didn't act surprised or anything! She just said, "Wonderful!" She measured my foot sitting and standing, watched me walk, and asked me a few questions. I told her about the foot pain I was having, too. I walk with my toes pointing away from each other, the opposite of pigeon toed. If I point my feet straight I feel like I am pigeon toed. I also walk on the outside of my foot. This was extremely obvious when she watched me walk. She went to the back and came out with 2 pairs of shoes, a pair of Asics and a pair of Adidas. The Asics felt better but my left toe felt like it was hitting something.  She went back and brought another pair out. and I tried them on. Much better! Now, I have worn a size 9 for a long time, occasionally an 8 1/2. The first two pairs were 9s. I asked her if these were a 9 1/2 and she said no, they were a 10! I would have NEVER tried on a size 10 in a shoe!. She made sure they "broke" in the right place when I bent my foot, they did, and I decided these were the ones. They are quite bright. I think I'll just wear them when I walk/run. I'll get more time out of them if I do it that way anyway. I'm excited to try them out this coming week!

This week will be a booger for me at school. I may be gasping for air from drowning in technology and literacy articles and chapters but I'll be blogging (hey, it's technology)!

I definitely recommend Fleet Feet! They are wonderful!

Day Down the Drain

Well, I am just giving up on counting anything today. I should have been really good today but this lady brought in doughnuts for class. I just had one, normally I would have had at least 2. Then I ate the lunch I brought like a good little girl and some one offered me some hummus with warm pita bread. How do you say no to that? To top it off, tonight I am going to Chuy's and eating a Chuychanga. I'm pretty sure it will contain more calories than I am allowed for the rest of today and all of tomorrow.

Well, I did at least work out today and worked really hard!

Tonight after Chuy's I'm going to finally get to see the Grand Ole Opry! I listen to it on the radio all the time. Carrie Underwood and Josh Turner will be there. I'm pretty excited even though we are on the top row. It's my early birthday present from my sister.

Well, I better get ready!

Tomorrow is a new day! (I know I shouldn't have given up for today, but honestly, I just have! My commitments are still going on strong though!)

It's the Little Victories

This morning was a challenge. I needed to be in Cookeville (at least an hour drive from me) by 8:00 am. I had a conference that lasted till 3:00. If I was at the gym when the doors opened at 6:00 I could make it. 5:00 am came mighty early! It was oh so tempting to just say I'd go in the afternoon. I was even contemplating after I was up for 30 minutes! I finally decided to just GO... and I made it to the conference just in time. And then I sat on butt pretty much ALL day! That's the problem with conferences, too much sitting. I had a victory by default too. They had lots of snacks at the conference, but I didn't like any of them! They had honey buns, and cinnamon rolls, banana nut muffins.... YUCK! None of it even tempted me. The ice cold sodas did, but I steered clear.

I did have Blue Coast Burrito for lunch but I got a small burrito instead of the large. I did eat 4 ounces of cheese dip all by myself.  BUT, I had unsweetened tea. I just don't think I can give up this type of food forever. I might try a short term commitment though, like going a whole week without it.

Sorry, today's blog is kinda boring. All I seem to have on my brain is that I have a book I need to read before Monday and a research paper due Wednesday, that I don't even have a topic for yet. Oh, and a 1 1/2 hour discussion to present and lead on Thursday. I'm so glad I get my Mexican Coke next Tuesday!

Today's Question: What do most of the people you are around find tempting that you don't care for. (Some others of mine are pie, cheesecake, anything with nuts in it, and anything with chocolate and peanut butter together.... yuck, yuck, yuck!)

I'll leave you with this (since I'm all about the commitments)....  Are you in or out?

My 5 Favorite Apps

Today is the first theme day of the blogathon. We are supposed to blog about our 5 favorite apps. I'll try to connect them to the purpose of this blog.

1.

Lose It is a great app for keeping track of your calories and activity for the day. Best of all, it's free! (At least it was when I got it.) You put your current weight, your goal weight, how much you want to lose a week, and it gives you how many calories you should be getting a day. If you add exercise, it adds those calories you burned to what you can eat for the day. My favorite thing about this app is that you can put your recipes in. Just list the ingredients and amounts, how many servings it makes, and it will tell you the nutrition facts per serving. It is the easiest one I've used for figuring out my own recipes. You can scan barcodes and find almost everything already in the system, which saves a lot of time. I am not using it to keep track of my calories right now because I am using Sparkpeople, but I still use it for my recipes.

2.

Okay, let me just say that this is not my favorite app. I LOVE Sparkpeople online but the app itself isn't capable of doing all that you can do online. The app is very helpful for keeping track of my food and water intake and exercise on the go. Since I am using Sparkpeople as one of the tools I use to stay motivated, it is helpful. This app also allows you to scan barcodes of products. I have found the nutritional information for everything I've scanned so far. That saves a lot of time!

3.

BlogPress: My blog is on blogspost.com and this is the best app I have found for blogging on my phone. It is also incredibly easy to post pictures from my phone (where almost all of my pictures are) to my blog. I can save my blog as an online draft and work on it again from my laptop, and vice versa. You can also manage more than one blog from it.

4.

Pandora? How does this help you lose weight? Music is what gets me through my workout! I love podcasts, but I seriously can't listen to someone talk to me while I'm pedaling my heart to 85% of its max heart rate! I have found so much music on Pandora that I would have never heard on the radio. Lots of these songs have made it onto my exercise playlist.

5.

IntervalTimer is my newest app. I do metabolic training right now. (I promise a blog about it soon!) I do 20 second intervals and this app keeps track of all of it for me. I can also connect it to Facebook, but I haven't done that yet. It doesn't give me the option to only show it to my group.
                                                                                                                                                                      

So, now onto me. I was up at 5:00 and at the gym when it opened! I ate the lunch I packed for myself and then when I got home I fell off the wagon. I ate ice cream and hot fudge, and now I don't have the calories I need for dinner, because I had more than just a little serving. I'm going to eat dinner, but this is a strong reminder that I have to measure and have a little more willpower! I didn't need it, I wasn't even hungry!

Tomorrow I am in a conference all day and I am planning my trip to Blue Coast Burrito. I will have to have a calculated and healthy supper!

Today's question: What is your favorite app?

Tuesday's Theme and Terry

I seem to have a "T" thing going on today! First I want to show off my friend Terry. I am so proud of her! She has lost 30 pounds in 3 months and is down 2 pant's sizes!! Go Terry! She is another one of my inspirations and one I get to see every once in a while. You'd think we'd see each other more since we just live 2 doors down from each other! Anyway, I am very proud of her!

I have had a really good day so far! I was up at 5:00 am, went to the gym, made it to class on time, ate the lunch I packed for myself, locked the keys in the car, and I am about to go to the chiropractor. Okay, so it wasn't perfect, but the campus police took less than 3 minutes to find me and about 15 seconds to open the car door. Plus it is beautiful outside! I will likely go out to dinner with my dad tonight but I will try to be sensible. This morning did prove that I am capable of getting up and going to the gym before class. I really don't have many valid excuses not to now.

In order to keep me motivated to keep blogging I have decided to do a couple of weekly themes. Tuesdays will be recipes! These will be recipes that are either Clean, Cleaned-up, or in some way better for you.

I'm going to start SUPER simple! I have a lot of people that ask me how I make my asparagus. STOP! Before you say, "EWWW!" I used to HATE asparagus. Just give it a try. A little tip on buying asparagus: it is one of the vegetables that you don't have to worry about buying organic. I'll have a post soon on the "dirty dozen." Those are the foods that you should buy organic.

 

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

Asparagus, fresh

olive oil or coconut oil (I use coconut oil personally)
sea salt

shredded parmesan cheese

Notice, I did not put any numbers. It's really all according to taste and you can make as much or as little as you need..

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Take your fresh asparagus and either cut or break the woody ends off. Rub the stalks with the oil. I just put it on my hands and rub the stalks real good. I find I use less oil when I do this. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. (Cover the sheet with aluminum foil for super quick clean up!) Sprinkle the asparagus with the sea salt. Put in the oven for 6 minutes, toss around a little then put back for 5-6 more minutes. As soon as you take them out the final time sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese. Asparagus is best when eaten warm, in my humble opinion, and it cools off quickly, so make sure this is one of the last things ready.

 

I hope you enjoy it!

Today's question: Who inspires you to do something that stretches you?

 

 

 

 

Not a Total Loss...

Today was my first day of class this summer. I'm in grad school and I am finishing up my last two classes, before I have to start the dreaded problem paper, this summer. They are both only 3 weeks long. Imagine, a whole semester crammed into 3 weeks! I have to have a book read by next Monday and I have a research paper is due next Thursday. That's only two of the things I have to do! I am slightly overwhelmed. I just keep thinking, it'll all be over in 3 weeks. I just hope it's all over with an A at the end!

I started the day off with my Shaklee Cinch protein shake and vitamins. Then I, well I didn't go to the gym. I am glad I went yesterday! Of course that means I have to go every day the rest of this week to keep my commitment. I did take my lunch! I had tuna fish with just enough Miracle Whip to hold it together, a boiled egg white, and an orange. I ate in the Learning Resource Center because I thought it would be safe, except there was food in there for a birthday party and they welcomed us all to it. I had four slices of some cheese. I stayed away from the sweets just fine! My weakness is CHEESE! My mom always called me the cheese kid. I think I could live on cheese and bread for the rest of my life! I went 100 days without caffeine and 100 days without chocolate, but I only made it 10 days without cheese before I gave up! Anyway, all in all, not a bad lunch. Oh, I guess I should mention that my professor passed around a container of fun sized candy and I had 3 fun size Twix felt obligated to take some. They just have 80 calories each...which quickly turned into 240 calories! Yikes! Evil little things!

When I left campus, I pulled out on the main road and heard a horrible bang and then a clunk. No worries, it was just my favorite water bottle flying off the car! I did a U-turn in the middle of the street, stopped in the turn lane and ran out to pick it up! I love that thing! It was no worse for the wear and only sustained a little road rash on the bottle and on the spout. I think I 'll have to file down the spout a little.




It's hard to see but the spout is now a little rough around the edges.

It should have been easy from here on, right? I mean, I'm home! I resisted the temptation of fast food, and most of the junk at school. Well, I could have gone to the gym, but I decided to lay on the couch and commiserate the three weeks I have ahead of me. (I did get to have a wonderful chat with my dear friend from Virginia, Susan Noe too!) I then cooked dinner, chicken carbonara. Not the healthiest meal, but I made it at home so it wasn't full of fake junk. I used 100% whole wheat pasta. I put it in the Lose it Recipe section and it came out with 270 calories per serving. The actual food wouldn't have been a problem IF I hadn't set it on the table instead of measuring some out and putting it in my plate. From now on, I fill my plate and that's it! I had at least 2 or 2 1/2 servings! Then after dad and I had ice cream and homemade hot fudge. The homemade hot fudge is something I am not willing to give up. My mom made it and it is one of the few things I can make that tastes just like her's. I'll work the calories and sugar into my day.

So the day wasn't a total loss, but there was no real excuse for it not to be a great day. I have portioned left-overs for lunch tomorrow and I am determined to go to the gym. I just thought, I have to turn in a research paper 2 days before my weigh day gets here! Perspective! Suddenly a day that felt so far away seems so close now.

Well, tomorrow is a new day. I am thinking blackened salmon, asparagus, and quinoa for dinner. I'm pretty excited about my blog tomorrow! I am starting                                Tuesdays. You'll have to come back tomorrow to see what Tuesday's will have in store!

Question of the day: My biggest weakness is cheese. What's yours?