Thursday, July 30, 2009

Body To Be Envied: July

Every month I want to highlight a celebrity who’s body I admire. I’m gonna call it the monthly “Body to be envied”

This doesn’t always mean that I want to look just like this person. Every body is different and beautiful in it’s own way. I’m a firm believer in making the best out of the body you have instead of trying to make yourself a carbon copy of someone else. However, the women I want to feature here are women who are healthy (i.e. not scary skinny) and have an overall great shape.

So with all that being said my very first “body to be envied” is…….

Scarlet Johansen! Enjoy!

What’s your favorite ScarJo Pic?

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Loveland Personal Trainer reveals the #1 Reason People Fail at Losing weight

Loveland Personal Trainer, Ryan Ehmann reveals the #1 reason people fail at losing weight…

People are GUESSING…
     Your body is a complex system that most people do not understand how it works.  When it comes to getting in

I quit...I quit....I quit

shape people guess about their workouts and foods. 3 weeks after going on some crazy diet and doing endless hours of cardio they don’t get much results, are sore, tired, get frustrated and quit!

This is a vicious cycle that people repeat every year and finally they give up on trying to get in shape, worst off they give up on themselves. People then back up quitting with plenty of valid reasons like, I have one of those bodies, obesity runs in my family, I have a slow metabolism, I have a thyroid problem, don’t have time, it’s to expensive, healthy foods are to expensive and the list goes on.  The real reason people don’t get in shape is because they have NEVER been taught about how their bodies work. Your body is a system that you MUST learn how it works otherwise it’s impossible for you to ever achieve your ultimate fitness goals. We have spent years learning how it works and have developed the Fat Loss Formula  So if your ready to finally get real results then we have the answers for you. visit www.LovelandPersonalTrainer.com

Monday, July 27, 2009

Depressed? Foods that can help

Sometimes I think I’m depressed…not sure if it’s just a bad day, or getting my period (sorry guys!).  Check out this article titled “Foods That Fight Depression“. 

Things that can help:

  • Omega 3s found in salmon, sardines, tuna, canola oil, and walnuts
  • Uridine found in sugar beets and molasses
  • Eating fish twice a week
  • Vitamin Bs
  • St. John’s Wort
  • Limiting alcohol
  • Amino acid tryptophan (makes serotonin, the answer to everything, right Amy?!)
  • Carbohydrates (complex, not refined)

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Day 16 of 30: How to Eat Out Successfully

Just before bed last night I weighed 104.2 pounds. I wanted the scale to say 103 again, but I wasn’t too shocked that it didn’t. I don’t usually drink water after my dinner at about 5:30 or 6:00 each night. Last night I went for a run after dinner and drank a bunch of water, and water is pretty weighty stuff. This morning I weighed in at 102.8. This was just what I was hoping for. All those trips to the potty during the night took care of that excess water I consumed.

My pancakes are getting smaller! That is a salad plate folks, not a full-size dinner plate.

On weekends my breakfasts get very exciting. We usually have pancakes or waffles – homemade healthy, vegan recipes, of course. Healthy or not, I did feel last weekend like my serving size was a bit too big. So I cut the batter back today and made myself two smaller banana pancakes – at least 25% smaller than the “old standard.”

Workout 1 We had plans to head south for the day, so I squeezed in a short, high intensity workout with my buddy Jillian Michaels. I threw in my 30 Day Shred DVD and did the 20 minute level 2 workout.

Lunch The whole point of our trip down south was to take our boy, Romero, out to lunch at a very special spot (and maybe just to get away for the day). The Park Bench Café in Huntington Beach is an outdoor café that is super-duper for doggies. They have people food and even a menu for dogs.

This is my half of the sandwich and my fries.

Shauna and I split their veggie sandwich. It was on wheat bread, spread with guacamole, and filled with lettuce, onions, tomatoes. I let myself have french fries once every few weeks, so today was my day. I had 12 with my sandwich. I was not full or stuffed and felt that I had made the healthiest choice for my lunch. Romero loved his ice cream and peanut butter snacks.

Dinner We were on the road when dinner time hit and boy was I hungry. I should have brought some nuts along to have as a snack. A small, healthy, low-calorie snack about midway between lunch and dinner keeps me from getting completely famished and making stooopid decisions at dinner time. If I let myself get to “starving,” I can definitely slip into overeating without thinking about it. Shauna and I were both wanting Mexican food. We weighed our options as we passed through Ventura and chose to go with Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill. This is a much healthier choice than that good old, yummy authentic Mexican food. I don’t care how good it tastes, I am not eating lard, thanks. By the time we got to Sharky’s, I was so fricken’ hungry. I really thought I’d want to eat the whole veggie burrito I ordered. Instead I only ate half of it– made with black beans, zucchini, rice, bell peppers, onions, some salsa, guacamole, all wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. I also had about 10 tortilla chips and water. I was plenty satisfied. I would have been totally stuffed if I’d eaten the whole thing.

As we came back into Santa Barbara, we stopped and gave our uneaten halves of our burritos to some homeless men. Why stuff ourselves eating more that we should? And why let it go to waste? Either take your leftovers home and eat them later, or give them to someone who will really appreciate them.

Workout 2 I brought my workout clothes with me, just in case . . . And it worked out wonderfully. I switched clothes and had Shauna drop me off a few miles from home and I ran the rest of the way home. That felt so good. What a great way to end our day out. I think I ran for about 25-30 minutes or so.

Dessert After my run and my shower, we had dessert and guess what?? Prepare to be shocked. If you have been following my blog over these last 16 days, this next piece of info may actually cause you to fall out of your chair, so please secure yourself or call for assistance. (Drum roll builds . . .) I did NOT have a cookie tonight! See, I told you! Shocking, to say the least.

Just enough to enjoy the taste.

Instead I had one scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons) of  Purely Decadent Chocolate Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert - coconut milk “ice cream” –  with two blackberries sliced and tossed on top. Ahhhh, so refreshing.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Optimal Nutrition Now Offers Cooking Classes!!! Yippeee!

Did you know??? Optimal Nutrition Inc. (ONI) has a new offering!!! we are offering 6 nights of great fun, friends, and healthful eating. Sign up for a few classes, or sign up for all of them and receive a great discount! Come check out the wonderful recipes ONI has crafted for you, your friends, and your family! You are sure to gain tons of knowledge about preparing fresh meals from scratch, using seasonal products, and a newfound confidence in the kitchen! Whether you are a beginner or an expert ONI can help you expand on whatever cooking means to you! www.optimalnutritioninc.com or call 858-202-0445

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Day 13 of 30: Functional Fitness

Weighed in at 105 at bedtime and at 104 when I got up this morning. I weighed myself after this morning’s workout, just for kicks -  -  – 103.

Breakfast Had my standard weekday breakfast minus the blueberries. Just a few slices of banana, strawberry, and blackberries, topped with a spoon of vanilla coconut yogurt and Ezekiel 4:9 Golden Flax Cereal.

Workout 1 We returned to the Wall (see Day 6 of 30) and did that great workout one more time. This time Laura was able to join us as well. This wonderful cement wall is about 150 yards long, I’d guess. We worked a section on the wall doing fun things like side to side vaulting while moving forward, bear crawling, plank walks and all sorts of good stuff. In between these wall-working sections, we ran down the sidewalk that runs the length of the wall and back. It felt good to run, even if it was in bite-sized pieces. I tape my toes daily to make running possible. It still hurts, but it’s totally manageable. I did so much better this week with my forward moving side to side vaults. I got up and over – no feet touching the top at any point. I could feel it in my arms, chest, core and legs. Fantastic.

[I have a video or two to post here, but YouTube is down at this moment. So I'll post it a bit later.]

Then we got Laura to do the Run to Jump to Land and Roll. She was so funny. Instead of doing the shoulder blade roll, she kept doing a somersault right on top of her head. That girl didn’t give up though and she got it. Why is this important? Well it’s all about functional movements. Running, jumping onto an object, jumping off and knowing how to land in a safe way is all functional stuff that you may need. You don’t know when you’ll have to jump out a window to get out of a fire, or to help someone else, or just to play with your kids. People get hurt because they don’t know how to land in a good, safe way. Doing this in our workouts gets us all prepared for whatever life throws our way. We jump off things and land with bent hips, knees and ankles and then transfer that force and energy into a roll so that our bones don’t have to absorb it. We were doing this from a low jump today, but the same principles apply for bigger distances. We should never roll with our head on the ground, taking all the impact. That’s a sure way to hurt your neck. Instead we worked on doing it safely, getting ourselves to roll onto our shoulder blade. Training functional movements is also a fantastic way to give yourself a full-body, multi-dimensional workout.

Working out here does it all – cardio, core, upper, lower . . .  strength everywhere.

Very daring!

We even got all daring at the end and held some nice strong chaturanga poses in the bike path.

We ended the morning sandy, sweaty, and strong.

 

Lunch Homemade falafel pita. I list all the ingredients in yesterday’s blog so check that out if you haven’t already seen it. On the side I had 10 Honey Dijon Kettle Chips. Eating whole wheat pitas instead of bread is a healthier option and one I haven’t really done until lately. I used to think I couldn’t get by without bread, and lots of it. I was sure I’d self-destruct. Can you tell I just love bread? But I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all eating pitas.

Snack 5 red grapes and 5 raw, unsalted, mixed nuts (cashew, almonds, brazil nut, and hazelnut). And a big glass of water – my second since lunch. I’m doing better at drinking more water between meals.

Dinner I made some pasta with chard tonight. I cooked up some Ezekiel 4:9 Pasta along with some Rice Pasta (I was low on the Ezekiel 4:9 so I supplemented). Then I sauteed some garlic and onions, added some chard (from our garden), then some sundried tomatoes and pine nuts. I mixed this with the cooked pasta and sprinkled some Parma Vegan Parmesan Cheese on top. Shauna made a great salad using green and red lettuce from our garden, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, tomatoes, and a few pepitas. I had a small bowl of salad – about a cup and a half – with a tablespoon of my homemade vegan ranch dressing. I also had a piece of sourdough garlic bread.

Here’s the exciting part. I served  myself too much pasta, though I didn’t realize it at first. I had put less in the pasta bowl than I used to have so I figured I was good. Then, as I was eating, I had one of those moments. It was just a moment, a pause, and I realized I felt good. I knew I could actually stop right there and be satisfied, but there was still half my serving of yummy pasta in my bowl and a bit of salad. I finished the last 3 bites of salad and didn’t take another bite of the pasta. It was wonderful, really. Being strong enough and aware enough to just put the bowl of pasta down and say, “I’ve had enough.” For dessert I had the tiniest of my homemade Cocoa Hazelnut Cookies. I mean it was teeny, tiny.  A perfect way to end. I felt satisfied and not full.

Workout 2 I pulled on the gloves and spent 30 minutes jabbing, punching, throwing hooks and uppercuts, kicking, bobbing, weaving, and ducking. It was a great workout and a great way to just de-stress at the end of the day. And then, as I was putting the cover back on the bag, I got to use that functional fitness stuff I was talking about on Workout 1. I had to climb up on a storage container. It was too high to step down from, so I jumped and landed in a nice low squat. No roll necessary.  Actually this second workout was also very functional. Doing moves that emulate self-defense are not only a great way to stay fit, but also a good idea just in case you ever need to defend yourself.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Day 12 of 30: Hang On to Your Panties

I weighed 105 pounds when I weighed in last night just before bed. When I got up this morning I was 104 . . . exactly. I know I was at the 104/103 spot just before the weekend and now I’m back up, but I’m not bugged. I’m feeling good about what I’m doing. I know I’m trimming the serving sizes. I know I’m doubling my workouts. These two things are making me feel really, really great. Time to get personal, so hang on to your panties. I always seem to put on a pound or two when on my period, which happens to be happening now, so I’m thinking this being up a pound thing could be because of that. At least that’s what I’m hoping. If I’m right, I’ll be back to my 104/103 in a couple of days. After my workout this morning I was at 103. I am really keeping that number in my sights right now.

See, it’s my opinion that the best way to deal with losing weight is in 5 pound increments. For people to look at the scale and say, “I have to lose 20, 30, or 50 pounds,” just sounds so overwhelming, so impossible, almost hopeless. But to keep yourself to thinking about 5 pounds at a time is much more doable.

Breakfast The very simple, not-so-thrilling, weekday breakfast of some sliced fruit (banana, blackberries, and blueberries), with a spoonful of coconut milk yogurt, and a spoonful of Ezekiel 4:9 Golden Flax Cereal. This really works for me. It’s a small amount of food (may 1 cup altogether) that fuels me for my workout and gets me through until lunch. The one thing I want to improve is my morning water intake. I am in the habit of having about 8 ounces of water with breakfast, then nothing else to drink until lunch. I am going to start making myself drink another glass between breakfast and lunch.

Workout 1  I am so over this fricken broken toe!!! I want to run like normal. Today’s workout only had about 4 minutes of running total, but I have to do it with adjustments. And downhill . . . that always hurts. Today’s WOW was all about the medicine ball and making myself do each of the 11 exercises powerfully and then move on quickly. It’s a torturous, wonderful workout. When it was done I felt strong, enabled, and ready to take on anything. There were moments during the workout where I just felt so tired, so fatigued. When I push through that, that’s where fitness happens, that’s where strength is born – inside and out!

Lunch Falafel Pita with Kettle Chips. I put three of my mini falafel patties on top of a four inch pita that was spread with hummus. Then I added red leaf lettuce, a bit of chopped carrot, chopped cucumber, chopped red and green bell peppers, sliced green onion, a sliced snap pea, and a bit of diced tomato. Then I topped it all off with a tablespoon of my homemade vegan ranch dressing. On the side I had 8 Honey Dijon Kettle Chips. I fell in love with these when I lived in Palau. This was my first day having them since I’ve been home. So pat me on the back! I only ate 8 of them!! That’s like 100 calories of crap-free goodness.

Dinner It was leftover night. We had what was left of Dolores’ Dish (AKA Veggie Casserole). I definitely and consciously served myself about 20% less than I used to serve. It has Yukon potatoes, sweet potatoes, three colors of bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, garlic, red onions and tomatoes in it, along with some olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. I love this dish so much.  On the side I had a piece of Rudi’s Sourdough. I so missed that bread while we were in Palau for 7 months. Then I had dessert: a Cocoa Hazelnut cookie. Boy did I make these small. They are less than half the size I used to make.

Workout 2 After this morning’s strength training workout, I decided I needed some cardio tonight. I would normally just strap on my shoes and go for a run. And you have no idea just how badly I want to do that. I love to go for a run. It’s so therapeutic for me – gives me time to zone out, to just watch, and listen, and breathe. It totally lets the air out of any stress I have. It’s a great second workout. It’s been 3 weeks since I broke my toe. Hopefully I’ll be all better in the next three weeks so I can get back to running. But for tonight, it’s a substitute. I came up with 13 movements and activities I could do that would get my heart rate up and my body working without making my toe hurt. I did each one for 1 minute, one right after the other. At the end I took a quick breather and did them all again.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Give and Take: A Healthy Relationship

Anyone in a relationship knows that you have to give in order to get back in return. The pleasures of a relationship that remain after the moonlighting days subside can be preserved by giving time and energy in return for let’s say a girl’s night out or a back rub for instance. There’s minimal guilt involved in receiving a perk after giving a perk and the sky is the limit when deciding what you would do for a klondike bar.  The concept of giving now in order to receive later is a fulfilling one especially when dealing with food. For example, “giving” up the tortilla from your breakfast burrito and the bun from your sandwich at lunch can easily translate into “getting” that glass of wine for dinner or that toothsome dessert that you just can’t get out of your mind. See how no guilt equals good pleasure?  This concept can be used for anything you consume from downsizing your steak portion in order to have another helping of your host’s famous casserole dish to deciding which side dish gets that extra pizzazz through a variety of toppings.  A real life example that happened to me just the other day:  I gave up the sour cream and cheese on my baked potato in exchange for a mayo dipping sauce on my artichoke.  I compromised the taste of my fully loaded baked potato for the savor of the succulent mayo dipping sauce I used for my artichoke.  It was without doubt worth the swap and proved merely to be a small price to pay to sustain my healthy relationship with food.  I knew that the next time I wanted a baked potato with all the fixings I would just forego a vegetable that tempted me to slather on the extra mayo calories.  Yes, a bit of self-control and planning is exercised in the production of each meal; but like in a healthy relationship it takes hard work and dedication.  Once you open yourself up to different options to manage your food allowances, similar to the compromises you make in your relationships, you will see that the best things do happen to those who wait.  Enjoy having your cake and eating it too!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Day 6 of 30: The Wall

Weighed in at 105 at bedtime last night and at 104 when I got up this morning. And . . . here’s a little something that gave me a even more encouragement. After this morning’s workout, and subsequent much-needed shower, I stepped onto the scale and was cheerfully greeted by these numbers: 103! I’m on the right track.

Breakfast Back to my standard weekday breakfast of ½ banana, 2 small strawberries, 4 blueberries, 2 blackberries, a tablespoon of Ezekiel 4:9 Golden Flax Cereal and a tablespoon of vanilla coconut milk yogurt.

Workout 1 I didn’t do my WOW workout today. I’ve been having lots of workout ideas every time I pass the long wall along Cabrillo Blvd. here in Santa Barbara between the harbor and the pier. So today I headed out there to act out some of my workout fantasies.

Dolores and I worked the wall, while Melina did her own version on a smaller wall for her and her baby in the belly. Shauna and Romero did another version – sometimes joining Dolores and I and sometimes doing extra top-secret stuff.

Dolores and I did Dip-Flips down one segment of the wall. That’s a tricep dip, followed by a pushup.

Then we went for a run down the wall and back.  Then Dip Walks. We walked along the top of the wall, lowering one leg toward the ground with each step. Another fantastic run, a bit further down, and back.

Then we Bear Crawled the next section of wall. Another run then we repeated that same section doing Sideways Bear Crawls. Another run, a bit further, then we vaulted back and forth over the wall as we moved down another segment. You guessed it, another run down the length of the wall and back.

Next up was some Leg Launchers. We would step up with one foot, launch high and land in a squat. We went for half a segment of the wall working one leg, then the other.  The we took those wobbly legs for another run out and back.

Then we did Samurai Squat Step Ups – boy do these work the legs and hips! Another run – all the way to the pier and back.

Now for the best and most fun activity of the morning. We ran, jumped onto the wall, then off, landing in a squat to a forward roll.

This was so much fun, Dolores kept begging to do “one more.”  We finished up with the wall with a some butt kickers and a nice declined plank walk. Then we got even more sandy by going from a kneel to a lunge over and over. Then we had Melina help us with some Disturbed Planks – that means she pushes, pulls, and messes with us while we are trying to hold a steady, strong plank.  And last but not least, we did Kneel Up. Kneel in the sand, extend both arms overhead, then stand up one leg at a time. Keep going up and down, keeping those hands high the whole time. This was a great workout. We loved it to pieces and it worked us in just about every way imaginable.

Snack Four red grapes from the farmer’s market.

Lunch I had one and half falafel balls left from my lunch in Ventura on Monday. I used those and made a Falaco. Yes, another of my own creations. I made spelt tortillas, spread the hummus Shauna just made on it, then put in my broken up falafels, veggies (lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion), and a bit of sundried tomato pesto (that I made using basil from our garden). See it’s a falafel-taco . . . or a falaco! On the side I had 8 Kettle Brand Baked Hickory Barbeque Chips. Washed it all down with a big glass of water.

I spent the next 3 ½ hours cleaning and re-arranging our garage. That meant non-stop movement, lifting, squatting, pushing, pulling and carrying stuff.

Dinner I made veggie fajitas. I sauteed red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini strips, corn in olive oil with some seasonings (no salt and no “fajita mix”). Once I put my fajita together I added some sliced tomatoes, avocado slices, cilantro, and a spoonful of vegan sour cream. On the side I had ¼ cup of homemade black bean and ¼ cup of homemade whole grain Spanish rice. And once again, I had my small homemade chocolate chip cookie for dessert.

Workout 2 I did a 20 minute, hard core workout with Jillian Michaels once my dinner was settled. Oh, by the way, this is a great indicator about your meal size. You should be able to workout or do something active within an hour to and hour and a half after eating. If not, you most likely ate too much. I did level two on Jillian’s 30 Day Shred DVD and it was short and sweaty. Eat your dinner before 7:00 then try going for a walk, jog, bike ride after dinner. Get out and enjoy these longer days and if you happen to pass the wall on Cabrillo Blvd. or some other great wall, have some fun with it like we did today.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Day 5: Spoke Too Soon

I weighed 106 when I went to bed last night and 105 when I weighed in this morning. Bummer. I guess I spoke to soon yesterday when I announced that I had lost 1 pound. Or I did something wrong yesterday. I don’t really think I overate. Maybe it was the falafel pita. I bet they fried those little falafel balls. (I bake mine.) Maybe my low-intensity workout should have been raised a notch or two.

Breakfast 4 blackberries, 1 tablespoon of vanilla coconut milk yogurt, and 2 tablespoons of Ezekiel 4:9 Golden Flax Cereal. Gotta hit the farmer’s market today and stock up on my fruit.

Workout 1 We did the Just Keep Going workout for our WOWs today. It’s a set of 11 exercises, most using a medicine ball. Moving quickly from one to the other gets really tough as your muscles start to fatigue. But that right there – the pushing when tired, the making the body go when it wants to stop – that is what I am there for.  I made a few adjustments to raise the challenge level of this workout – and thus my PF Level. 1 second breaks between sets of squat thrusts; instead of jogging in place, I did high knee runs at a rapid tempo for the minute; I engaged and really squeezed my abs for every second of the plank hold (not one second of cruising allowed – and you know you can so do that with planks); and on the Umpas, first, I did them declined, with my head lower than my feet, and every time I pulled the medicine ball back to my chest I released as I pulled it, then caught it at my chest. This was a great workout physically and mentally.

All my groceries fit in those cool orange bags.

After the workout I jumped on my bike and rode to the store to do some grocery shopping. It’s not far to the store, but the ride home is all uphill. Even though it was a bit of a workout for my quads, it didn’t count as Workout 2. It was just the active, human-powered way I want to live.

Lunch Half a sandwich – sort of “chicken”-veggie-pesto sandwich. Let me describe it for you. I toasted one slice of Rudi’s Sourdough bread (the healthiest version of sourdough I have found, thus far), then spread some sundried tomato pesto (that I made this morning from the basil in my garden) on it. I cut the bread in half and put four Trader Joe’s Chicken-less Strips between the slices of bread. These are the vegan substitute for chicken. They don’t “taste just like chicken” but they’re close enough. I also put in two tomato slices, some chopped red bell peppers and grated about a teaspoon of VeganRella Natural Cheese Alternative. This is a really yummy sandwich. And did I mention is tastes good too? On the side I tried the Kale Chips we bought from Lazy Acres, but they were too “cheesy” for me. They have a cashew cheese topping that was just overpowering. So after one of those, I had 10 Kettle Brand Baked Hickory Barbeque Chips.

Workout 2 I went for a 35 minute run, from our house to downtown Santa Barbara for the farmer’s market that takes over State Street every Tuesday. Time to stock up on veggies and fruits for the next few days.

Dinner Experimental meal night. We do this a lot. Tonight I tried out a recipe for making pasta out of zucchini (from our garden). Then I sautéed some garlic, onions (from the farmer’s market), and some chopped up swiss chard (from our garden), and garbanzo beans (gotta get our protein). Then I tossed in some broccoli (from the farmer’s market). While that was warming up I heated up some of my homemade sundried tomato pesto (made this morning). Then I put it altogether. It ended up being a tiny bit of zucchini pasta, lots of the veggies, some pesto, then a bit of fresh chopped tomatoes and even some avocado (added after the picture), and a sprinkling of Parma (vegan parmesan). This experiment, yet to be named, actually tasted quite wonderful. That zucchini pasta ain’t bad at all. On the side I had one slice of Rudi’s sourdough bread, topped with a tiny bit of Earth Balance Buttery Spread Soy Free and some granular garlic. Of course, since I’ve been such a good girl, I got to have my one sweet treat for the day – a small homemade chocolate chip cookie with nothing nasty in it.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Weight Loss: on Track

Losing weight takes perseverance especially when faced with summertime barbeques, vacations, ice cream trucks and the like.  The temptations abound, it seems, during warm months.  So, what do you do if you’re trying to lose weight?  The good news is that you can eat what you want….as long as you make room for it.

So many people get off track by throwing in the towel (no pool pun intended!)  If you think that one day of bad eating means your whole week is a waste, you need to change your mentality now.  You will probably over do it while at your neighbors BBQ, but the very next day you have a clean slate to start with.  The longer you stay out of the saddle, the harder it is to get back on.  Don’t lead yourself down the weight-gain path by continuing the cycle.  All diets need wiggle room in order to be successful.

Planning is a key component of achieving your weight loss goals.  Making room for the little slips is important.  That way, when they happen, you haven’t failed.  You’ve simply stayed on course.  Start by knowing when you will be seduced by food.  Then, in the days leading to the event, eat less and/or exercise more.  If you struggle to get to the gym, schedule yourself an appointment by actually writing your workout time down in your planner.  When that hour block is filled, it’s hard to plan something else at the same time.  It’s a mind trick that actually works!  You’ll think:  Hey look – I have something planned at 5pm today.  Try it:)

Another trick is to have a mantra.  I love dessert.  It’s my absolute weakness, but many times I remind myself of my mantra.  I ask myself two questions when deciding if I’m allowed to have it:  1) did I workout today? and 2) am I happy with the way I look in the mirror?  If my answer is no, I can sometimes convince myself to skip dessert.  Notice I said “sometimes.”  It’s not 100% foolproof, but it is powerful enough to stop me most of the time.  Find a mantra that works for you and see how it can lower your caloric intake.

Never deprive yourself of any food you love.  It will only lead to overeating when it is sitting in front of you or calling your name from the grocery shelves.  Enjoy in moderation.  Best of luck to you for the remainder of the summer!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Dear Diary

 

July 12, 2009

Dear Diary,

Today was a good day – saw my bf off to NJ by 7am.  Had lots of food, but good food and worked out.  I ran 4km in 30min this morning.  I did sets of 50 push ups – 30, 50, 50, 50.  I think I can do more than 50.  So I will be able to do 100 push ups and complete the 100 Push Ups Challenge!  I also did some ab work while watching Transformers (first one).

Breakfast 5:30am 2 eggs, ham, ancient grain toast dry, coffee, water

Breakfast 10:0am 2 eggs, ham, water

Snack: apple, part skim mozz cheese stick

Lunch: hamburger patty, peach, cheese stick

Dinner: salad bar (again, yes, but went to Blockbuster and “happened” to find myself at the salad bar)

Snack: apple, cheese stick, water

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Eat More to Lose More

Why Eating More Food, Not Less, Is My New Weight Loss Secret

I’ve done other weightloss programs before. I am a four-time loser at Weight Watchers. I have had and wasted 5 gym memberships, and I have a whole stack of workout clothes in my closet. I have overeaten, undereaten and not eaten at all. Everything was successful, at first, but it was impossible to maintain. Up, down. Down, up.

I thought I had the answer, just not the willpower to mailtain it: Eat Less, Move More. Seems completely obvious. But I was really only into half of it. The Eat Less half, of course. Moving more was going to happen after I lost the weight. Some plan.

So you can imagine how shocked I was when, after my second workout, Coach Ryan sat me down and talked to me about food. I’d been tracking all of my meals, snacks and nibbles on mycaloriecounter.com. I thought I had done poorly. The first day I ate about 1350 calories, the next day about 1250 and the third day about 1300 again. I had always heard that the ideal calorie count for losing weight was 1200 calories a day, and I was over the mark. But this is what Coach Ryan said…

EAT MORE

You read that right. Eat more, but eat better. Ryan told me that my optimum calorie range, once my fitness improved, was 1600-1800 calories. 400 more calories a day than I thought was correct for me. And right away, as soon as I started training, I was to increase my calorie count to 1500 a day, but there were rules. Those calories had to be 50% protein, 30% fat and 20% sugar.

Translated, that equals 183 grams of protein, 50 grams of fat and max of 50 grams of sugar.

You’d think a fat girl being told to eat more food each day would be like winning the lottery – I didn’t get fat because I have an aversion to food. It didn’t work that way, though. Getting that many grams of protein was almost impossible, especially without getting the fat and sugar grams out of whack. One yogurt in the morning was 12 grams of sugar and about 6 protein.

Coach Ryan suggested protein shakes and protein bars, which ended up being the perfect solution for me. I get to have chocolate milk and chocolate-covered bars every day and still be within my diet. I’ve also found cookbooks for diabetics to be helpful – they’re high on protein and (obviously) light on carbs. Try www.diabetic-recipes.com.

Why eat more? To fuel our bodies, yes, but to make our bodies use the fuel WE want our bodies to use – body fat. More on that next time in “getting in the heart rate zone”.

Of course, increasing my calorie intake would be stupid if I also weren’t increasing my output. I’m at the gym three days a week @ 6a.m., and I don’t want to waste those workouts because I didn’t eat right.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Road Map To Success

Current blast officially started back on May 13. I have not started a cruise yet as my weights are still progressing nicely and overall I feel pretty good.

A1 – Upper Torso

  • Inc. Smith Machine Press (15-25r) RP
  • Hammer Delt Press (15-25r) RP
  • Reverse Grip Smith Bench Press (15-25r) RP
  • Lat Pulldown (15-25r) RP
  • T-Bar Row (6-8) SS / 10-12 SS

A2-Bi’s / Legs

  • Inc. DB Curl (20-30r) RP
  • Reverse Curl (10-20r) SS
  • Seated Calf Raise (DC recommended reps/but soon changing to R-P sets)
  • Romanian Deadlift (10-20r) SS
  • FreeMotion Squats (Still putting a few exercises in to figure out which feels best for my back) – (8-12r) SS
  • Goblet Squat – Widowmaker (I really like these and I only learned about them in mid-June. I may use them for the 8-12 set as well)

B1 – Upper Torso

  • Inc. Hammer Press (15-25r) RP
  • Military Press (15-25r) RP
  • Parallel Bar Dips (15-25r) RP
  • Chins (may take these out as I’m now finding it hard to progress in weight) (15-25r) RP
  • Rack Pulls (6-8) SS / (10-12) SS

B2 – Bi’s /Legs

  • Hammer Preacher Curl (15-25r) RP
  • Preacher Reverse Curl (10-20) SS
  • Sliding Calf Raise (DC style)
  • Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (10-20r) SS
  • Leg Press (8-12r) / Widowmaker

C1 – Upper Torso

  • Dante’s recommended Pec Dec rep scheme
  • One Arm DB Press (15-25r) RP
  • Seated Cable Overhead Extension (15-25r) RP
  • Hammer Iso-Row (15-25r) RP
  • Hammer Hi-Row (6-8r) SS / (10-12r) SS

C2 – Bi’s /Legs

  • Barbell Curl (20-30r) RP
  • Hammer Curl (10-20r) SS
  • Donkey Calf Raise (DC style)
  • Leg Curl (10-20r) SS
  • Hack Squat (8-12r) – I’ve been having a really hard time with these as my back feels like it’s the weak spot. Therefore I do my first SS here, and then I move on to…
  • DB Reverse Lunge – Widowmaker

No set morning cardio is done as I am a married father of 5, so I get it in whenever time allows. To get up in the morning before work is tapping into sleep time and I already have no idea what it is like to sleep a straight 8 unless I’m sick, which is usually what happens. However I park a good distance from my office, only take the stairs (on the 5th floor) multiple times a day, do a planned 15 minute walk at work, and bike ride at least 25 miles a week and play ball with the kids regularly. So the only time I’m really sitting on my butt is at work.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Cooking healthy with the ResultsBy chef-Turkish Delight

Turkey was one of my surprisingly favorite places I have been to, the beaches in Bodrum, the ruins in Ephesus, the white salt deposits in Pumukkale which make you feel like you are in Alaska in winter  but with 100 degree weather, the breath taking beauty of Istanbul and the pure culture shock. Each place was so unique, I drove from Bodrum to Ephesus and would have sworn I was driving through the Red lands in Northern California except for the insane drivers. I stayed in the Sultanahmet district in Turkey which was amazing, in one direction I could see the Blue Mosque and in the other just 200 meters away, the Hagia Sofia, two of the most awe inspiring structures I have ever seen!   The real circus in Istanbul is the Grand Bazaar, miles of anything from huka pipes, ginormous rugs, beautiful dishes, Turkish delights… The most pleasing to the eye though was the spice market, the aromas were so good that I did not want to leave, ever.  So when I had the Kabobs I thought I was going to flip, the spices tasted even better than the smell. I wanted to bring back these flavors and every time I have these Kabobs, I’m brought right back to that spice market, smiling and never wanting to leave. So join me in my Turkish delight and let’s cook up some Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kabobs.

Break out the grill and let’s get the ingredients.

What you need:

Let’s get the ingredients together

2 tsp. of dried crushed red pepper

2 tsp. of paprika

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

3 tblsp. of olive oil

2 tblsp of red wine vinegar

2 tblsp of tomato paste

a dash of sea salt

fresh ground pepper

2 lemons, 1 sliced into thin rounds and the other in wedges

2-4 organic fresh chicken breasts

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 zucchini

Lets get prepped!

Let’s get prepped

In a large mixing bowl put the dried crushed pepper and paprika in with 2 tblsp. of hot water and stir until it becomes a paste. Then add the yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste red wine vinegar , salt and pepper to taste in  the mixing bowl and stir until  everything is mixed together. Add the chicken and stir and cover and put in the fridge, let it marinate for at least a couple of hours. Then cut the peppers into 1 and a half inch squares and the zucchini into one half inch and thread on the skewers.

Heat up the barbecue on medium heat for 10 minutes and oil up the grill rack. Thread the chicken and lemon circles on the skewers. place the chicken and veggies on the grill for about 12 minutes, flipping the skewers occasionally.

You can serve this on a nice platter with some hummus or just place it on the plates and serve up a beautiful, healthy and delicious meal.

This is my Turkey dish, next time I will do my pistacio sirloin Kabobs but I am sure you will enjoy this. Happy eating all and happy 4th of July!

Let’s chop & mix Almost ready…let’s set up the table. And here we are Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Day 2 Raw

So, I think I’ve eaten 100% raw for 2 days. I don’t know that I will stay 100% but the more I look around the more ideas I get. Also…my local supermarket has a full like of Lara Bars so I sampled the Apple Pie flavor and it was soooo good! Loved that there were practically no ingredients lol I’m used to everything in a package having a laundry list of weird ingredients!!

Today I made my first Green Smoothie. I somewhat feared the thing but it was soooo good!! If that was my first attempt then it can only get better! If you have a great smoothie recipe that can be made in a blender (i have no juicer or food processor) please share!!!

So, it was about 2 cups of spinach, 5 or 6 small local strawberries, 2 bananas. It was supposed to be 1 but i freaked out last minute because it looked thin and I added another banana. I look forward to making another one tomorrow – it was cool, yummy, inexpensive and filling!

To backtrack… here’s what I ate:

Breakfast
cantaloupe

Lunch
Green Smoothie

Dinner
1/2 mango
about 3/4 c crushed walnuts

Snacks throughout the day
cherries
green grapes
1/2 avocado
Lara Bar
Blackberries

Goal for tomorrow: Learn more about combining foods. Eat more protein. I am soaking 3 kinds of beans to make a bean/cucumber salad that I love and eat more veggies.