Monday, November 10, 2008
Well, it's a start...
So, I just got done with my 'work-out' for today. I got in about 20 minutes of moderate cardio mixed in with some light resistance training. I know it's not great but it is a start that I'm quite pleased with. I would love to write more and leave you all in awed amazement but I'm incredibly hungry and there is pasta and salad calling my name!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Slackers all...
Jenny, I'm calling us out. I feel that we have been slackers on our blog and our eating the last half of this week! I know that last night we were both nursing our emotions by eating things that were probably not the greatest things to be eating. However, today is a different day and we've nursed our wounds and now we MUST move on!
First and foremost a little praise...it's always good form to begin on a positive note! You seem to have good control of your eating for this stage in the game. Sure there are mishaps but for the most part you are making healthier choices and eating at appropriate times. I'm also doing well with the exception of about 2 days per week...which I'm working on. We're still in the initial stages of this and considering the fact that neither one of us has given up we're doing better than expected. Over 50% of people drop out of exercise/diet plans in this initial stage...I remember from Dr. Franke's class...we are WAY above the cut! Kudos to us! There is still a long journey ahead of us but at least we're on the right road and pointed in the right direction!
Now, I feel compelled to address an issue that we have both skirted around since we started this blog and concurrently our lifestyle change. Phyiscal activity. We've both noted the fact that we need to engage in more physical activity, which couldn't be anymore true. However, my dear, I don't think that we've actually mustered up enough gumption to make this a permanant part of our daily routines (I know I haven't and from our talks it doesn't sound like you have either). As lifestly change and blog buddies we need to come up with a way to effectively encourage one another to get our asses off the couch and do some exercise. Now, I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing (I tend to be a glass is half-full kinda girl myself) but due to our current physical conditions small, regular increases in physical activity will allow us to see weight loss. If you've ever had the privillege of reading studies that concerned training (whether it be cardio, weight, balance, flexibilitly etc.) those who have more room for improvement will see more change much more quickly (initially at least). If we can find a way to motivate ourselves to engage in activity I don't think we would see such platueauing in our weight loss attempts. More importantly, if this is truly a lifestlye change and not just a diet, making daily physical activity a part of our lives is something that will make us healthier and happier in 50 years. I don't know about you but I would love to be one of those 76 year olds who is still raising hell.
So, lets put our thinking caps on about this. There has to be a way that we can hold eachother accountable for activity even with this crazy distance. Hell, I'll go out and buy a headset for my phone and a Richard Simmons DVD for us both and we can sweat to the oldies together!
First and foremost a little praise...it's always good form to begin on a positive note! You seem to have good control of your eating for this stage in the game. Sure there are mishaps but for the most part you are making healthier choices and eating at appropriate times. I'm also doing well with the exception of about 2 days per week...which I'm working on. We're still in the initial stages of this and considering the fact that neither one of us has given up we're doing better than expected. Over 50% of people drop out of exercise/diet plans in this initial stage...I remember from Dr. Franke's class...we are WAY above the cut! Kudos to us! There is still a long journey ahead of us but at least we're on the right road and pointed in the right direction!
Now, I feel compelled to address an issue that we have both skirted around since we started this blog and concurrently our lifestyle change. Phyiscal activity. We've both noted the fact that we need to engage in more physical activity, which couldn't be anymore true. However, my dear, I don't think that we've actually mustered up enough gumption to make this a permanant part of our daily routines (I know I haven't and from our talks it doesn't sound like you have either). As lifestly change and blog buddies we need to come up with a way to effectively encourage one another to get our asses off the couch and do some exercise. Now, I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing (I tend to be a glass is half-full kinda girl myself) but due to our current physical conditions small, regular increases in physical activity will allow us to see weight loss. If you've ever had the privillege of reading studies that concerned training (whether it be cardio, weight, balance, flexibilitly etc.) those who have more room for improvement will see more change much more quickly (initially at least). If we can find a way to motivate ourselves to engage in activity I don't think we would see such platueauing in our weight loss attempts. More importantly, if this is truly a lifestlye change and not just a diet, making daily physical activity a part of our lives is something that will make us healthier and happier in 50 years. I don't know about you but I would love to be one of those 76 year olds who is still raising hell.
So, lets put our thinking caps on about this. There has to be a way that we can hold eachother accountable for activity even with this crazy distance. Hell, I'll go out and buy a headset for my phone and a Richard Simmons DVD for us both and we can sweat to the oldies together!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Let them have their pot!!!
I too am so excited that Obama won the race and will be our next president. I really hope that he is able to make some changes for the better. And yes, the state of Michigan did legalize the medicinal use of marijuana!
I LOVE Lane Bryant's Right Fit pant line. I was never able to buy pants that fit me appropriately. They either fit me in the legs and were super tight around the waist (producing that really sexy tire look) or they fit around in the waist and they are baggy in the ass (producing that really sexy I just dropped a load look). I have absolultey no figure so the yellow straight cut pants are PERFECT! It has taken some getting used to when it comes to the sizes and I really, REALLY dislike the variation of size between colors though. It's a bit disheartening to know that someone who weighs 50 pounds more than me wears the same size of jeans as me simply because I wear the yellow (the smallest cut) and she wears a red. It's not really a huge deal but just something to think about.
So, I have been very, very naughty this week. Work has been stressing me out because people are have been so cranky. The bitchiness is such a downer for me because I'm generally a happy go lucky kind of gal. I've definitly been drowning my sorrows in food. Also, my period is late so I'm having terrible cravings. I have decided to do a fast tomorrow. I feel like I really need to get back to a truly hungry state. I know that some people are really against fasting but every once in a while it's kind of refreshing. I need to get my ass back in gear and I think this will be a great way do it.
I LOVE Lane Bryant's Right Fit pant line. I was never able to buy pants that fit me appropriately. They either fit me in the legs and were super tight around the waist (producing that really sexy tire look) or they fit around in the waist and they are baggy in the ass (producing that really sexy I just dropped a load look). I have absolultey no figure so the yellow straight cut pants are PERFECT! It has taken some getting used to when it comes to the sizes and I really, REALLY dislike the variation of size between colors though. It's a bit disheartening to know that someone who weighs 50 pounds more than me wears the same size of jeans as me simply because I wear the yellow (the smallest cut) and she wears a red. It's not really a huge deal but just something to think about.
So, I have been very, very naughty this week. Work has been stressing me out because people are have been so cranky. The bitchiness is such a downer for me because I'm generally a happy go lucky kind of gal. I've definitly been drowning my sorrows in food. Also, my period is late so I'm having terrible cravings. I have decided to do a fast tomorrow. I feel like I really need to get back to a truly hungry state. I know that some people are really against fasting but every once in a while it's kind of refreshing. I need to get my ass back in gear and I think this will be a great way do it.
History has been made!!!
Hello...well I'm thrilled that Barack Obama has won the presidency. I really hope this initiates some change in our country next year because our nation obviously needs it badly. Did Michigan legalize pot Nicole? I wish Iowa voted about cool stuff like that.
So I have done a rotten job of journaling my food intake. I cannot remember the last time I wrote down my point usage so that means for weeks I don't know how much I'm eating throughout the day. I do listen to my hunger though so that helps me stop eating at night when I'm not truly hungry. Being that I'll have less points to use as I lose weight I think it's important to keep track of food intake well so I'm not allowing myself extra snacks. I know I'm going to reach a plateau before I lose my first 20 lbs so I really need to establish some control. However I am conflicted about journaling. I took a class last year that focused on normal eating. The instructor had major issues with Weight Watchers because writing down everything you eat is not normal. But I've justified so much snacking and non-hunger related eating over the years so I feel its important for me to look at what I'm putting into my body each day.
So here's a question about Lane Bryant...what do you think about them changing the size chart for jeans and pants last year? I for the most part don't like it. I have a hard time remembering my size now as well as what color I am. I appreciate that they have designed different styles of pants since women come in different shapes and sizes but I don't see what was wrong with the normal size chart. By changing the size range from 0-7 (or whatever it is) it makes me think that the store is trying to make women feel better by fooling them with a smaller number instead of them seeing a size 20. I thought about it a lot when I was buying an outfit for a wedding last month. I'd feel more satisfaction if I saw myself moving from a size 20 to a size 18 rather than a size 5 to 4.
So I have done a rotten job of journaling my food intake. I cannot remember the last time I wrote down my point usage so that means for weeks I don't know how much I'm eating throughout the day. I do listen to my hunger though so that helps me stop eating at night when I'm not truly hungry. Being that I'll have less points to use as I lose weight I think it's important to keep track of food intake well so I'm not allowing myself extra snacks. I know I'm going to reach a plateau before I lose my first 20 lbs so I really need to establish some control. However I am conflicted about journaling. I took a class last year that focused on normal eating. The instructor had major issues with Weight Watchers because writing down everything you eat is not normal. But I've justified so much snacking and non-hunger related eating over the years so I feel its important for me to look at what I'm putting into my body each day.
So here's a question about Lane Bryant...what do you think about them changing the size chart for jeans and pants last year? I for the most part don't like it. I have a hard time remembering my size now as well as what color I am. I appreciate that they have designed different styles of pants since women come in different shapes and sizes but I don't see what was wrong with the normal size chart. By changing the size range from 0-7 (or whatever it is) it makes me think that the store is trying to make women feel better by fooling them with a smaller number instead of them seeing a size 20. I thought about it a lot when I was buying an outfit for a wedding last month. I'd feel more satisfaction if I saw myself moving from a size 20 to a size 18 rather than a size 5 to 4.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Meat, potato and veggie casserole
Per Jenny's request, here is the recipe for one of my favorite childhood casseroles!
-1lb lean ground beef
-1 pkg. onion soup mix (the beefy onion or onion and mushroom are the best)
-1 egg
-1/2 c. bread crumbs
mix all of the indgredients up and either make and brown meatballs or just brown it and leave it in big chunks (it doesn't have to be cooked through completly but you want to cook it at least half of the way so your casserole doesn't get greasy. It is very important to use a lean beef for this recipe. Once it is cooked spread out evenly in the bottom of a cake pan/baking dish.
Next--
-1 c. baby carrots or 3 full sized carrots peeled
-1 small head of cabbage (or 1/2 of a large head)
-1/2 of a medium onion
Shred the carrots finely (I use a salad shooter, you could do this by hand with grater or buy shredded carrots). Chop the onion well. Chop or shredd the cabbage (you could also cheat and use the dole coleslaw mix...it's usually just cabbage with a few carrots in it). Mix these ingedients and spread evenly over the meat.
Then, thinly slice 2 large baking potatoes (skin on) and layer them on top of the other veggies. I then generally lightly salt and pepper the top of the potatoes and sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese. Over your casserole pour on tomato juice (pour on enough to cover the potatoes...shake it down and make sure there is enough liquid (remember that the cabbage will release some liquid).
Bake, covered with tinfoil, for 2 hrs or until the potatoes are cooked. You can then sprinkle on a bit more parmesan and melt it. Let sit for 5 minutes before you serve it.
Variations and quick fixes.
-instead of the tomato juice use a can of cream of mushroom and cream of celelry soup. Mix with 2 cans of milk and pour over top.
-to make this a faster meal use frozen shredded hasbrowns instead of raw potatoes. Follow all of the directions the same and bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes and cabbage are cooked through.
You can serve this with lettuce salad if you'd like or cottage cheese (if that's your think). We always had garlic bread with it too!
-1lb lean ground beef
-1 pkg. onion soup mix (the beefy onion or onion and mushroom are the best)
-1 egg
-1/2 c. bread crumbs
mix all of the indgredients up and either make and brown meatballs or just brown it and leave it in big chunks (it doesn't have to be cooked through completly but you want to cook it at least half of the way so your casserole doesn't get greasy. It is very important to use a lean beef for this recipe. Once it is cooked spread out evenly in the bottom of a cake pan/baking dish.
Next--
-1 c. baby carrots or 3 full sized carrots peeled
-1 small head of cabbage (or 1/2 of a large head)
-1/2 of a medium onion
Shred the carrots finely (I use a salad shooter, you could do this by hand with grater or buy shredded carrots). Chop the onion well. Chop or shredd the cabbage (you could also cheat and use the dole coleslaw mix...it's usually just cabbage with a few carrots in it). Mix these ingedients and spread evenly over the meat.
Then, thinly slice 2 large baking potatoes (skin on) and layer them on top of the other veggies. I then generally lightly salt and pepper the top of the potatoes and sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese. Over your casserole pour on tomato juice (pour on enough to cover the potatoes...shake it down and make sure there is enough liquid (remember that the cabbage will release some liquid).
Bake, covered with tinfoil, for 2 hrs or until the potatoes are cooked. You can then sprinkle on a bit more parmesan and melt it. Let sit for 5 minutes before you serve it.
Variations and quick fixes.
-instead of the tomato juice use a can of cream of mushroom and cream of celelry soup. Mix with 2 cans of milk and pour over top.
-to make this a faster meal use frozen shredded hasbrowns instead of raw potatoes. Follow all of the directions the same and bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes and cabbage are cooked through.
You can serve this with lettuce salad if you'd like or cottage cheese (if that's your think). We always had garlic bread with it too!
Gotta love daylight savings time!!!
Happy daylight savings ladies (and a late happy halloween too!). Due to th fact that my body thought it was an hour later than it actually was I have been up since 7:30 this morning...go me. While there are a lot of people who I know that would be very frustrated by this I find it quite invigorating! I truly enjoy the early'ish' morning hours and like the quiet time. Even though I live alone I still feel that these hours are a little bit quiter than the others. I never turn on the t.v. or radio. I just spend time doing some things for myself (have a cup of coffee, check up on my news websites, take a long shower etc).
Last week was a bumpy week for me. I did a lot of things well and I did some things that were not all that great. I will share my Thursday with you as a prime example. Thursday morning I got up and headed to work. I was hungry when I got there so I did my first-thing-in-the-morning duties at work and then I headed off to grab my breakfast (a banana and cup of coffee). It was a slow day at work and I had not gotten enough sleep the night before so I kept myself awake and coherent by drinking lots and lots of coffee...yummy, but it makes me not want to eat. Lunch time rolled around and I simply had no interest in eating the soup I brought for lunch...so I didn't (which is the number one rule...don't eat if you're not hungry!). Because I had eaten approximately 150 calories all day I decided that I could splurge on dinner and go out. Well all I wanted was guacamole so I decided to hit up Qdoba...it's a restaurant similar to a Chipotle/Poncheros only WAY better! I got a burritor and chips and guac. Now, calorie wise I was still within a standard daily allotment...infact for the day I probably ended up around 1600 claories which is a number that I should be around now. However, knowing this made me justify eating the WHOLE DAMN THING!!!! It was WAY to much food for me. I was sick all night.
Ever since we've started this blog and I've been paying more attention to how I feel before I eat, what I eat and how I feel after eating I have come to some conclusions.
A) I still eat when I'm bored, lonely and emotional...Jenny your tip from WW (if hunger isn't the problem then food isn't the answer) is helping but I still struggel here.
B) When I eat for hunger I tend to crave and desire healthier, homecooked foods. When I eat for appetite I want crap.
C) I LOVE Chinese food. I crave it more than I crave any other bad-for-me food. I always, ALWAYS feel shitty after eating it. Even if I eat a normal portion. I think it's just too greasy for my stomach to handle.
D) I NEVER feel sick if I don't over eat.
I didn't weigh myself this weekend because mother nature is taking over and I think it would be disheartening to weigh myself right before menstruation (I spelled it correctly just for you Leann)! I've actually decided that to avoid monthly fluctuations in weight that I will refrain from weighing myself every week and do it on a monthly schedule that coordinates with this special time of month. If I do it one week after every month I can't justify weight gain on hormones!
Alright ladies...enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope that you have a wonderful week! Stay strong!
Last week was a bumpy week for me. I did a lot of things well and I did some things that were not all that great. I will share my Thursday with you as a prime example. Thursday morning I got up and headed to work. I was hungry when I got there so I did my first-thing-in-the-morning duties at work and then I headed off to grab my breakfast (a banana and cup of coffee). It was a slow day at work and I had not gotten enough sleep the night before so I kept myself awake and coherent by drinking lots and lots of coffee...yummy, but it makes me not want to eat. Lunch time rolled around and I simply had no interest in eating the soup I brought for lunch...so I didn't (which is the number one rule...don't eat if you're not hungry!). Because I had eaten approximately 150 calories all day I decided that I could splurge on dinner and go out. Well all I wanted was guacamole so I decided to hit up Qdoba...it's a restaurant similar to a Chipotle/Poncheros only WAY better! I got a burritor and chips and guac. Now, calorie wise I was still within a standard daily allotment...infact for the day I probably ended up around 1600 claories which is a number that I should be around now. However, knowing this made me justify eating the WHOLE DAMN THING!!!! It was WAY to much food for me. I was sick all night.
Ever since we've started this blog and I've been paying more attention to how I feel before I eat, what I eat and how I feel after eating I have come to some conclusions.
A) I still eat when I'm bored, lonely and emotional...Jenny your tip from WW (if hunger isn't the problem then food isn't the answer) is helping but I still struggel here.
B) When I eat for hunger I tend to crave and desire healthier, homecooked foods. When I eat for appetite I want crap.
C) I LOVE Chinese food. I crave it more than I crave any other bad-for-me food. I always, ALWAYS feel shitty after eating it. Even if I eat a normal portion. I think it's just too greasy for my stomach to handle.
D) I NEVER feel sick if I don't over eat.
I didn't weigh myself this weekend because mother nature is taking over and I think it would be disheartening to weigh myself right before menstruation (I spelled it correctly just for you Leann)! I've actually decided that to avoid monthly fluctuations in weight that I will refrain from weighing myself every week and do it on a monthly schedule that coordinates with this special time of month. If I do it one week after every month I can't justify weight gain on hormones!
Alright ladies...enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope that you have a wonderful week! Stay strong!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Spelling is overrated.....
Okay....my bad. It is spelled menstruation. Not menstration. Hooked on phonics failed me. I am currently congested (may be due to the flu mist I got) so sleeping is a currently issue. I've done well with the Halloween candy. Gavin actually got a lot of candy that I don't like. It's been easy to avoid the candy bucket. I got a box of Fiber One bars tonight too. They are excellent. They have 9 grams of fiber in one bar. And yet they taste good!
Since my mom and sister visited, a bunch of family met at a local Italian buffet and I did quite well. My stomach is definitely shrinking and I was unable to eat as much as I did in the past. I could have easy eaten 4 plates of food this summer but all i had tonight was one salad plate and one main course plate of food. I didn't even finish my main course plate. The place features stuff like pizza, pasta, soups, and it actually had a lot of comfort food like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, etc. I didn't even eat my macaroni and cheese. I could tell I was full so I didn't want to push it and make myself sick. Oh well. The fact of the matter is that I ate out a lot in the last two days. It's amazing how guests make you feel like you're entitled to eat out when they visit.
I have more to say but no energy to type it so I'll continue this later in the week.
Since my mom and sister visited, a bunch of family met at a local Italian buffet and I did quite well. My stomach is definitely shrinking and I was unable to eat as much as I did in the past. I could have easy eaten 4 plates of food this summer but all i had tonight was one salad plate and one main course plate of food. I didn't even finish my main course plate. The place features stuff like pizza, pasta, soups, and it actually had a lot of comfort food like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, etc. I didn't even eat my macaroni and cheese. I could tell I was full so I didn't want to push it and make myself sick. Oh well. The fact of the matter is that I ate out a lot in the last two days. It's amazing how guests make you feel like you're entitled to eat out when they visit.
I have more to say but no energy to type it so I'll continue this later in the week.
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