1. Artery Crust

Judging by the label, Marie Callender’s (16.5 oz) Chicken Pot Pie has 520 calories, 11 grams of saturated fat, and 800 mg of sodium. But look again. Those numbers are for only half a pie. Eat the entire pie, as most people probably do, and you’re talking 1,040 calories, 22 grams of saturated fat (more than a day’s worth), and 1,600 mg of sodium (an entire day’s worth).

10. Stone Cold

Cold Stone Creamery’s Oh Fudge! shake (chocolate ice cream, milk, and fudge syrup) starts at 1,250 calories for the “Like It” (16 oz) size. That’s more than a large (32 oz) McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake. The “Love It” (20 oz) has 1,660 calories and the “Gotta Have It” (24 oz) reaches 1,920 calories (an entire days’ worth) and 69 grams of saturated fat (3½ days’ worth). It’s two 16 oz T-bone steaks plus a buttered baked potato, all blended into a handy 24 oz cup.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK!

Marcus Brugger

 

 

  

 

“EATING OUT

      HAS IT’S

      CONSEQUENCES!”

But forget about your alleged high-revving metabolism, says Doug Kalman, director of nutrition at Miami Research Associates. “Most lean men who can’t gain muscle weight are simply eating and exercising the wrong way,” he said.

Here’s your fix: Follow these 10 principles to pack on as much as a pound of muscle each week.

Maximize Muscle Building

The more protein your body stores—in a process called protein synthesis—the larger your muscles grow. But your body is constantly draining its protein reserves for other uses—making hormones, for instance. The result is less protein available for muscle building. To counteract that, you need to “build and store new proteins faster than your body breaks down old proteins,” said Michael Houston, a professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech University.

Eat Meat

Shoot for about one gram of protein per pound of body weight, which is roughly the maximum amount your body can use in a day, according to a landmark study in the Journal of Applied Physiology. (For example, a 160-pound man should consume 160 grams of protein a day—the amount he’d get from an 8-ounce chicken breast, one cup of cottage cheese, a roast-beef sandwich, two eggs, a glass of milk, and two ounces of peanuts.) Split the rest of your daily calories equally between carbohydrates and fats.

Eat More

In addition to adequate protein, you need more calories. Use the following formula to calculate the number you need to take in daily to gain one pound a week. (Give yourself two weeks for results to show up on the bathroom scale. If you haven’t gained by then, increase your calories by 500 a day.)

A. Your weight in pounds.
B. Multiply A by 12 to get your basic calorie needs.
C. Multiply B by 1.6 to estimate your resting metabolic rate (calorie burn without factoring in exercise).
D. Strength training: Multiply the number of minutes you lift weights per week by 5.
E. Aerobic training: Multiply the number of minutes per week that you run, cycle, and play sports by 8.
F. Add D and E, and divide by 7.
G. Add C and F to get your daily calorie needs.
H. Add 500 to G. This is your estimated daily calorie needs to gain 1 pound a week.

Work Your Biggest Muscles

If you’re a beginner, just about any workout will be intense enough to increase protein synthesis. But if you’ve been lifting for a while, you’ll build the most muscle quickest if you focus on the large muscle groups, like the chest, back, and legs. Add squats, deadlifts, pullups, bent-over rows, bench presses, dips, and military presses to your workout. Do two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, with about 60 seconds’ rest between sets.

Have a Stiff Drink

A 2001 study at the University of Texas found that lifters who drank a shake containing amino acids and carbohydrates before working out increased their protein synthesis more than lifters who drank the same shake after exercising. The shake contained six grams of essential amino acids—the muscle-building blocks of protein—and 35 grams of carbohydrates.

“Since exercise increases bloodflow to your working tissues, drinking a carbohydrate-protein mixture before your workout may lead to greater uptake of the amino acids in your muscles,” said Kevin Tipton, an exercise and nutrition researcher at the University of Texas in Galveston.

For your shake, you’ll need about 10 to 20 grams of protein—usually about one scoop of a whey-protein powder. Can’t stomach protein drinks? You can get the same nutrients from a sandwich made with 4 ounces of deli turkey and a slice of American cheese on whole wheat bread.

But a drink is better. “Liquid meals are absorbed faster,” says Kalman. So tough it out. Drink one 30 to 60 minutes before your workout.

Lift Every Other Day

Do a full-body workout followed by a day of rest. Studies show that a challenging weight workout increases protein synthesis for up to 48 hours immediately after your exercise session. “Your muscles grow when you’re resting, not when you’re working out,” said Michael Mejia, Men’s Health exercise advisor and a former skinny guy who packed on 40 pounds of muscle using this very program.

Down Carbs After Your Workout

Research shows that you’ll rebuild muscle faster on your rest days if you feed your body carbohydrates. “Post-workout meals with carbs increase your insulin levels,” which, in turn, slows the rate of protein breakdown, says Kalman. Have a banana, a sports drink, a peanut-butter sandwich.

Eat Every 3 Hours

“If you don’t eat often enough, you can limit the rate at which your body builds new proteins,” said Houston. Take the number of calories you need in a day and divide by six. That’s roughly the number you should eat at each meal. Make sure you consume some protein—around 20 grams—every 3 hours.

Make One Snack Ice Cream

Have a bowl of ice cream (any kind) two hours after your workout. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this snack triggers a surge of insulin better than most foods do. And that’ll put a damper on post-workout protein breakdown.

Have Some Milk Before Bed

Eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein 30 minutes before you go to bed. The calories are more likely to stick with you during sleep and reduce protein breakdown in your muscles, says Kalman. Try a cup of raisin bran with a cup of skim milk or a cup of cottage cheese and a small bowl of fruit. Eat again as soon as you wake up. “The more diligent you are, the better results you’ll get,” said Kalman

Walking the dogs can be great exercise.

For my program at NIWH, we had three sessions on exercise physiology.  At first I was dreading the 6 hours of videotaped lecture that I was going to have to watch, thinking it would be dull and boring.  But I have to say, I really enjoyed the lectures, and learned a great deal about how even our daily activities can have a great impact on our health.

According to Dr. Joseph Libonati, exercise physiologist and professor at Temple University, you don’t necessarily have to “exercise” in order to gain the benefits so often talked about.  Daily physical activity will also give you the same physiological results as exercise, though of course more activity will give you more results.  Here’s an example: when you engage in an increased level of physical activity, whether its running on a treadmill or walking the flight of stairs to your office, multiple things happen inside your body.  Your heart rate increases to pump more blood, your blood pressure rises to more effectively deliver blood, your lungs take deeper breaths to bring in more oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, your muscle cells produce more energy in order to fuel the work you’re doing,  and your nerve fibers release more acetylcholine in order to signal your muscles to move.  Whether you exert yourself for an hour or for 15 minutes, any time you challenge the system, your body responds in the same way.  The more often you challenge the system, the more accustomed your body becomes to the increased activity.  All of a sudden your heart is stronger and doesn’t need to beat as fast during your normal activities, your blood pressure drops because your heart is pumping more effectively, your lung capacity increases, your muscles become more effective at producing energy, and your nerves actually increase the amount of acetylcholine they’re producing, enabling your muscles to sustain the increase in activity longer.  Not only that, but your resting metabolic rate increases, and you burn more calories even when you’re not doing anything strenuous.  All of a sudden, your daily trips up the stairs or the walk from the end of the parking lot to the grocery store start to add up, and you’ve changed your health without ever entering a gym.

So the moral of the story is this: don’t be intimidated by the recommendations to do a certain amount of exercise so many times a week.  Start where you can.  If you don’t have a lot of endurance or time to run to the gym after work, that’s ok.  Start by taking the stairs to your office, or parking at the far end of the parking lot, or even just walking a little bit faster when you take your dog out every night.  It’ll add up, and before you know it, you’ll be able to do more and more.  Find the change that works for you, and go with it.

If you missed the first post in this series, check it out to learn all about the many benefits of exercise.

This post is part of Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist.

While summer can be the time for an abundance of outdoor activity, more often than not we can be found lounging by the pool sipping on Margaritas or frequenting the closest ice cream shop. Follow these few tips to ensure that you look good and feel good all summer long!

Exercise: When the sun is shining no one wants to be cooped up inside a smelly gym. The best way to stay active this summer is to take your dreaded indoor exercise regimen outdoors! Try going for a jog, or even biking or rollerblading. Try organizing an outdoor tennis match or soccer game. The opportunities are endless, so mix it up and have fun with it!

Drink Water: Water is crucial to any diet all year long, but is most important to remember in the summer months. With all the time spent outdoors in the sun, it can be easy to dehydrate your body. Not only will this cause health problems, but it will also leave you feeling weak and sluggish. In order to feel refreshed and energetic, drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially after excessive sun exposure or exercise. If plain water doesn’t thrill you, try enhancing the flavour with citrus fruits, cucumber, mint leaves, or berries.

Eat Lots of Fruits and Vegetables: The summer months usually mean a lot more options when it comes to fresh produce. With an abundance of fruits and vegetables widely available at local grocery stores, there is no excuse not to incorporate more into your diet. So when at your next bbq party, avoid the creamy potato salad and ditch the sugary desserts for the fresh fruit and vegetable options.

Soak up the sun- But not too Much: When it is hot and sunny outside who wouldn’t want to embrace the weather! While the sun can do good things for our bodies, it can also do a lot of damage as well. Therefore you should Limit your exposure to the sun and always wear sunscreen even when you think you don’t need it.

Sleep, Exercise and Time Alone – good for our mental health

I recently read in article on USA Today website regarding salt and figured I would post some comments about the article. Salt is not only table salt but it is Sodium found in almost every food especially frozen foods, chips and fast foods. Very important that you look on the nutrition label and keep track of the sodium amount. Sodium increases water retention in the body so you weight more, increases blood pressure levels, may lead to kidney failure and clogs the blood arteries.

Most recently, a study published in the journal Stroke made headlines confirming a direct link between sodium intake and increased stroke risk. The Institute of Medicine estimates that 100,000 deaths a year could be prevented with population-wide sodium reductions. And while the U.S. Dietary Guideline’s sodium cap is 2,300 milligrams, the American Heart Association has lowered its recommendation to no more than 1,500 milligrams a day. That’s less than one teaspoon of salt. But most of us are getting at least double that — a whopping average of over 3,400 mg. daily.

• An estimate of over 100,000 deaths per year could be prevented just but a reduction of sodium. This is a powerful statement and eye opening that this amount is as high as it is. The recommended amount for sodium intake is about 1,500 mg a day. However on average people are consuming 3,400 over twice the recommended amount.

Things to do to lower your sodium intake according to the USA Today article:

1. Focus on fresh
Up to 75% of the sodium we eat comes from prepared and processed foods, so simply cooking at home from fresh, minimally processed ingredients will give you a big head start. For example, pre-cooked seasoned chicken breast can have more than 500 mg. sodium in 3 ounces. If you buy it fresh and season and cook it yourself, even if you use some salt, it will likely have half the sodium.

2. Boost flavor healthfully
Instead of leaning on salt for flavor, amp up healthy seasonings such as citrus and citrus zest, fresh and dried herbs, ground spices, chile peppers, vinegars, onion, garlic, and ginger.

3. Buy low-sodium
When you do use products in cans or jars, buy the low-sodium or no-salt-added versions. You can always add other seasoning and even add a touch of salt if necessary, but this way you are in control of how much.

4. Add salt sparingly and reduce incrementally
Don’t think “all or nothing.” A little salt can go a long way in terms of boosting flavor and there’s no need to eliminate it completely. Cut back a step at a time so your taste buds can adapt, starting with three-fourths of the salt you might typically use, then reduce to half over time.

Foods with high sodium levels according to WebMD:

• Frozen dinners= 787 mgs per dinner
• Cereals= 250 mgs of sodium per cup
• Vegetable juices= 479 mgs of sodium per cup
• Canned vegetables=730 mgs per can
• Packed deli meat=363 mgs
• Soy Sauce= 1,024 mgs

Things that you can do to start limiting your salt intake:

• Don’t go cold turkey and cut all the sodium out at one time. However, make smalls strides to cutting it. Every day try to reduce your sodium intake by 3-5 mg.
• Use garlic salt or sea salt as a substitute.
• Avoid eating frozen foods and eat fresh foods instead.
• Drink more water to help flush the sodium out of your body. Drinking water helps to flush the sodium out of your kidneys when filtered.

Lets spread the word today and help reduce the illness and death toll by educating friends, family, coworkers on some of the health benefits of reducing sodium intake.

Thank you for reading as always!! -LJayHealth

And this ride is different.  The first two miles are pretty deceptive.  They are on a very gradual downgrade… so gradual that you really don’t perceive it until you’re coming back the other way and you have the two mile climb.  After that first two easy miles, though, it kicks you in the face.  The route turns onto a continual 2-3 mile climb, and you know it right away.  The grade is just steep enough that you lose 3-5 mph almost immediately.  No problem, you think, I can power through this and keep up the rpm and speed.  Until you turn the corner, and there’s the category 5 climb… 150 feet of elevation change in a little under a mile, after the 120 feet you’ve already climbed in the last mile. I know it’s not possible, but I think I saw the hill grin.

The route has 3 of those climbs, which means it’s also got some great downhills as well.  In fact, coming back down the same hill I hit 45 mph… without pedaling.  In fact, I couldn’t pedal.  I’d run out of gears.  No matter how fast I pedaled, the crank was freewheeling.  No resistance.  Quite a thrill.

On one of the more remote stretches of the ride, I passed by a really impressive property.  There was a businessman in our area (big fish, little pond sort of personality) who was very well known for his philanthropy and his tendency to live large.  When his only daughter married, he bought her this property… a horse farm with the white fence, pond with a fountain, barns, the whole bit.  It added to the list of other big properties he owned in the city.  He passed away this year, and things began to unravel.  It turns out that the family fortune was pretty well leveraged, and the only thing holding it all together was his personality and presence.  Once he was gone, the financing dried up and everyone began to see how shaky the whole thing had been in the first place.  A classic case of form over substance.  As long as he was around, it all looked good.  But peer beneath the surface, and there was nothing there.  Now there are huge properties all over the city (and around the state) up for auction to pay the debts, and his family in struggling to deal with reality.

My point?  Our training is a lot like the businessman’s situation, and my ride decision this morning is a great example.  It is easy to be satisfied with seeing big numbers in the training log (miles, average pace, etc), and lose sight of the quality of the effort they represent.  On paper, any of the three 20 mile rides I had to choose from would have looked similar.  In fact, the flat ride would probably have looked most impressive, as I can bet my average speed would have been highest.  But I know that workout would not have been as productive.  I can honestly say that at some point in today’s ride I pushed my heart rate, my legs, and my lungs to their reasonable limits; even if my average speed was pushed lower by the hills.  The same could be said of any given swim or run.  Choosing the easiest workout format might make for good numbers in the training log, but the training log isn’t what matters… it’s how much you improve that really counts.

Amazing how much training resembles real life…

1. If you took your measurements once a week and saw a lower number would you continue doing what you are doing?
2. If you stepped on the scale and saw no change in the numbers but could visibly see a change in your body, would you continue doing what you are doing? 
3. Would you work out harder, stay on track with your food, be more committed if you experienced noticeable results?

Time’s up….the short answer is YES to all of the above.

The reason…RESULTS!

When you experience results that fuels your motivation to keep on keepin’ on!! There is nothing more motivating than results!

I know both sides and I can tell you as I have said many times, nothing tastes as good as how I feel being fit.

Here is where I have to shake my head.  I see people, yes former boot campers who are doing the latest and greatest fad and their bodies have not changed for the good.  Often, they are worse off then the last time I saw them.

How can you continue on doing the same thing with no results? Maybe because it’s easy, its convenient, your pals are doing the same thing, you aren’t required to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

There are tons and tons of programs that claim to be the best program for fat loss, but are they?  I think it is truly amazing that after all of these years, very smart people still fall for lies, scams and BS. I think we all have that high hope that this new product/program is the fat loss magic bullet but in reality are expectations are low knowing full well that it isn’t.

Quiz time again!!!

1. Have you seen people or have you been one of those people who says they are going to walk off the weight and go for a 5km walk each and every day and still no results?
2. Have you seen people or have you been one of those people do extreme or crazy diets and watch your weight not budge?
3. Have you seen people starve themselves (something I cannot even comprehend) and royally screw up their metabolism and not have any results and in fact GAIN weight?

Sure you have….we all know these people or we are one of these people.

So after all of that, then what happens?? NOTHING HAPPENS AND YOU QUIT, YET AGAIN! 

I don’t blame you, I have been there and I have tried it all as well.  The weight loss industry is the only industry that can continually sell programs/products/fads with NO RESULTS and people keep buying and believing.

I preach and will continue to preach about old school methods because they work….we get results-end of story.

Eating real food and working your muscles the way they need to work produces results—not a lot of glitter or sparkles.

Take a good look at what you are doing and come to terms with why you are not getting the results you actually want.

You need a solid commitment–stop being a fitness and food flake! Stop wasting your time and money on fast fixes.

The one thing that you need to help keep you on the “wagon” is results.

Commit to doing and being better and watch out, those results will be coming in like a gangster trying to hold up a 7-11…fast, furious and leaving dust trail behind!

Water stops are well-provisioned, there’s good food at the end (the one I did today had pizza and chocolate milk), the course is accurately measured, the event starts on time and the T-shirts are nice.

But there’s one constant that’s difficult to avoid. It’s the Port-A-John. That’s right, the blue box, the rank rectangle, the stink station.

Don’t get me wrong. I am grateful for the fact that they are provided by race organizers. There was one race I did a few months back, where a mere four of them were offered for 400 runners. Four hundred female runners, that is. It was a women-only race. That kind of math did not go over well, and other means of relief were sought. By that I mean two gas stations near the starting line were overwhelmed and inundated by begging runners. Not complying with their pleas was pretty much out of the question.

But for the most part, there are enough provided. And if you avail yourself early, they are certainly clean and presentable. But it’s strange how the mob mentality takes over in a short period of time, and people treat them in no way resembling the way they would treat their bathroom at home. How bad does it get? Forget the idea of a nice little post-usage wipe-down. Let’s just say that the only thing these need when it’s all done is a serious blast hosing with detergent and disinfectant. 

It’s always nice to find a race at a local park, with “real” restrooms. Not that these cannot go down the “Dang, that smell makes my eyes water” way in a hurry, especially in the warmer months, but at least most of these have sinks and soap and sometimes even hand dryers. Note to road race newbies: if your squeamish or scared of germs, brings wipes.

So in the end, all runners and cyclists hail the presence of the portable potty. We may say we hate to use them, we open the door to enter them as if we are entering the home of an aunt we hate, and the faces we make as we exit tell those in line, “It ain’t smellin’ like lilacs and roses in there.”  But thanks to thoughtful race directors and technology we have them, for better, for worse and for that last-minute dash known as “racing stomach.”

Still on My Way to the Gravel

Current Time – 2:49 pm – When I Made it to the Gravel

Next: “Long Day Cut Short With Fun in the Sun! Part 5

The weekend kicked off with a bang here. My husband and I banged out 2 pickup truck loads of mulch, stained the playground and I even managed to get in a few 5K’s! Then mix in some BBQ’s and some fun adult beverages it’s been a fabulous way to kick off the summer season! It was a picture perfect weekend great weather and no rain.

Some photo highlights from the weekend….thus far:

Some new mulch along the driveway:

The completed project:

It looks like new!

Some slip and slide fun!

Got my new SILVER Sparkly Soul Headband. True to its word it didn’t slip at all!

It’s hard to get a good picture of your head with a cell phone…hense that face

A great weekend has been had so far! One more BBQ today then back to the grind tomorrow!  I’m off to get culinary…posts and recipes to come!

Glucose AC: 5.8 Dinner (should be 4.0-7.0)

Exercise:       30 min Spinning

8 min Weights (25 bench presses: 40 lbs x 5 sets)

30 min Spinning

8 min Weights (25 bench presses: 40 lbs x 5 sets)

HUGE Day:   If you remember, I started this “Geezer Fitness Program” on December 1st to address a rather frightening conversation I had with my Doctor about my obesity and the urgent need to get my Type II Diabetes/Blood Sugars in line.

She had told me that, as my sugars were out of control (see Aug. 24 blood work below) and as I was maxed out on my pills (4 Metformin & 4 Diamicron), I only had two choices: Add Insulin injections or; Die!  (so I chose option 3 =D)

Option 3: included me getting immediate control of my sugars (see Dec. 7 blood work below) and an appointment with an Internalist. First, my comparative blood work recap:

          Blood Work/Stats                                 Target          Aug. 24          Dec. 7          

Haemoglobin A1C (%) (3 month Avg.):    4.0-7.0          11.3    =(       8.5      =|

Glucose AC (Current Reading):                 4.0-7.0          14.7    =(       8.2      =|

Cholesterol:                                                    0.0- 5.2         3.5      =)       3.4      =)

Triglycerides:                                                 0.00-1.69      3.62    =(       2.01    =|

LDL Cholesterol  (bad stuff):                       1.6-3.4          1.06    =)       1.66    =)

HDL Cholesterol (good stuff):                     1.03-1.55      0.80    =(       0.83    =|

Chol/HDL Ratio                                              < 4.0             4.3      =(       4.0      =)

          Blood Pressure                                       110/70          140/82 =(       110/74 =)

          Weight                                                     185-200 lbs   268     =(       252     =|

The Internalist:      Life Changing conversation #2!  Wow, I learned so much about my health to date and where I was going from my Internalist.  If you have health issues, I urge you to get a referral to a Doctor of Internal Medicine ASAP, here’s some of the reasons why:

• Medications: While family physicians are awesome at putting out fires, one fire at a time; an Internalist is awesome at looking at the big picture.  It’s not that I was taking anything lethal, I mean they were all doing the job, and there was nothing in the mix that wasn’t OK; however, they just were not all the right/best one for the specific job.  In fact, at least one pill was horribly wrong for me…
• Background: I had been noticing one thing that troubled me in my workouts up till now.  I have a heart rate monitor function on my watch.  During my workouts I was noticing that I could not get my heart rate up to where it should be.  I had calculated that my max. Heart Rate for my age was 167 and that target training Heart Rate should be 117 – 140.  The issue was that I had trouble getting it over 105.  Despite going hard, pouring with sweat, upper edge of breathing zone, I just could not get my HR up.  I further noted it was harder in the AM (when I take my medications) than in the pm.  I tried an experiment this week were I would workout in the am BEFORE taking my pills and sure enough, I got my HR up to about 120. 
• Revelation:  I mentioned my HR frustrations and relationship to my medication timing discovery to my Internalist who had been reviewing my medication list and I had noticed he was smiling.  He looked up and said; “Do you have angina?  I don’t see it in your file”.  “No”, I said!  His eyebrows raised and he said; “So, why on earth are you taking 100 mgs of Atenolol?”  “That is the very first Blood pressure Med I was prescribed way back when I was 18 years old and I have taken it every since” was my horrified response! To this came a string of questions:
  • Did you almost immediately gain weight in the following years? (hell yes)
  • Do you find it is very hard to exercise for long periods? (you bet)
  • Do you tire easily after any physical activity? (sure…)
• Turns out this was the absolutely wrong way to control simple High Blood pressure!  This is an old style overkill Beta Blocker!  First, Beta Blockers are more for Angina that I never had, and not for Blood Pressure issues.  Second, this pill closes all the Beta receptors on the outside of the heart.  Even for Angina, there are far more specific ones that just effect the few required areas.  Look I am not a Doctor, and I don’t get all this, but suffice it to say that since I was 18, I have been; Fat, Tired, unable to stick to a fitness program, and while I had many really stupid but just as harmful reasons for this (like laziness, business, selfishness, glutinous, etc.), I sure as hell didn’t need my heart constrained to the point where I could not get my heart rate into working mode when ever I did try to do something about it!
• The Plan: Atenolol had to go!  In case I had developed Angina over the last 30+ years, eliminating it carte blanche was not a good idea, so this was the plan:
  • cut it down to 75 mgs immediately, go to 50 mgs in a week, down to 25 mgs in two weeks, and on January 1st replace Atenolol altogether with a new specific 5 mgs of Apo-Bisoprolol
  • we also set up a stress test for January, and he told me that based on my exercise plan (which he loved by the way) and my plan to increase the minimum routine to at least 45 minutes of aerobic exercise per day (60 minutes as it turned out), he fully expected to see the weight loss continue, the need for all my pills to diminish and my overall health to improve almost daily!  No need for Insulin =D
• Sounded like a plan, making me One Happy Camper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Intermediate Geezer Program – Day 179 – May 27, 2012 (Part two):

Glucose AC: 5.7 Lunch (should be 4.0-7.0)

Exercise:       30 min Spinning

8 min Wts (25 press 60 lbs x2, 30 leg ext, 30 leg & 30 arm curls 45 lbs)

30 min on Speed walk on Treadmill – (at 4.2 MPH)

FYI: It will be 6 months tomorrow, and as you will see if you continue to follow my Blog, the pills continue to vanish, as do the lbs, and I have never felt better, looked healthier.  And make no mistake; I am not done yet, still 30 lbs and a few pills to go!  =D

Our friends dogs, Murphy a large German Shepherd, loves to swim just for the sake of swimming.  He will paddle around in circles, back and forth enjoying the moment, just being in the water.  Stella, a Belgian Malinois Chow mix loves jumping off the dock to retrieve a pink Frisbee.  She’s also good at retrieving the wayward drop or Frisbee that one of the other dogs gives up on.  We’ll just point at or throw a rock out where we want her to go and she’ll jump off and go get it just like a champ.   

The afternoon is not just swimming though.  Oh no, in between the dock diving and swimming, there is tag, keep away and MMA Style wrestling.  Charlie is the usual instigator of keep away, he’ll come out of the water with a drop in tow and take off running begging everyone to give chase.  Tail tucked, butt down and head up jinxing and jagging running around like a lunatic with three other dogs giving their best effort to run him down.  If one of the other dogs catches up with him, then the chest bumping and neck chewing begins.  Orso is the usual recipient of the neck chewing.  A rousing game a tag follows neck chewing, Orso runs away and the other try to tag him and drag him down.  Finally a cooling dip in the water rejuvenates the gang of hooligans.  This is repeated about three or four times before the dogs are finally spent and ready to walk back home for a bath and dinner.  Frosty pumpkin pops for dessert.  Life doesn’t get much better than this.  I wish my life was as simple.

My goal: 135lbs (1lb a week for 15 weeks)
How I’m going to get there: creating a weekly 3500 calorie deficit by vigorous exercise and staying under 1300 calories a day.

My first weigh in:
5/28/12 9:45am – 150.4lbs

What I hate:

Beer belly

My back/love handles look like flesh colored clay!!!!!!!!

I’ve started taking some raspberry ketone which leaves a delightful hint of raspberry on your breath. It seems natural and safe, what have I got to lose?

Everything I’ve read about weight loss says green tea can help jump start your metabolism for the day. I take my tea at night, so I’ve been trying some green tea supplements. They have 50mg of caffeine per capsule which is less than a can of Mountain Dew, so I don’t think I’ll have a heart attack.

I’ve been taking these little slim shot things. They look like coffee creamers and taste like complete shit. They really fill up your tummy and help with portion control! They are 15 calories each. The only downside is I may have noticed a correlation between the slim shots and debilitating headaches I’ve had lately….. These may end up in the garbage can.

I’ve been keeping track of my calorie intake with my fitness pal app. I love this app! You can search and find what the calorie content is in just about anything. I’m going to stay under 1300 calories a day.

Last night I did 30 minutes on my elliptical trainer and 30 minutes of toning exercises. I happened to catch a sneak peak on an infomercial for Brazilian Butt Lift and was able to steal a couple of exercises without buying the DVD(suckers). I’ll post more about them when I have my wonderful husband to take pictures of me in embarrassing poses…

Thanks for taking the time to read! Stay tuned!

I have decided to give up my weight watchers membership for a while and try a free app called Noom which is attached to the cardio trainer that I have on my android.  I was just finding that having to use a separate device for it was getting on my nerves.  I know…spoiled, right.  But I am one of those people who has to have easy access to it or it will start to feel like an annoyance.  Not only that…but Noom is free where as WW was 23 bucks a month. 

I was a real slacker last week.  I got a few workouts in and one of them was a 7.67 mi run.  But I was totally feeling unmotivated.  Then, I was at a party on Saturday night and wearing a 14 petite pant (a far cry from the 22/24 I USED to wear) and people were telling me how great I look.  That has motivated me to get my head back in this game!  There are people I know that think I am crazy for trying to attempt this Ironman business but there are FAR MORE that are completely supportive.  This also motivates me. So, it is off to the gym today for a 45 min run and a 2500m swim.  Does it sound like a lot?  LOL!  It totally is!  The 45 min run is not so bad, but the 2500m is 100 laps in the pool where I swim.  That can get tedious feeling after about 70 laps.  LOL!  I know, after that there are only another 30 to go.  But sometimes I find that around that point i am literally thinking, “Ok…I am ready to be done now.”  As much as I am really enjoying swimming, it is my least favorite of the 3 events.

Like I said before, it is time to get my head back in the game.  I still have  a lot of work to do, not only on the workout program but as well as in the diet department.  I am finished reading The Thrive Diet book and I am in love most of the concepts in there.  It is just going to cost a bit to get some of the things I need to make it all happen.  It will be a slowly incorporated thing,  Also, I am still having a love affair with dairy and have been eating meat.  I am ready to give up meat full-bore again but I am not so sure about cheese and yogurt.  We will see what happens…

That sounded like a dare to me.

So I did it. 100 times.

Then I did it 100 more times on the opposite side.

Whew!

So now I dare YOU. Follow the above link, learn that turn, practice it 100 times – on both sides. I DARE you!

Now I’m going back to bed. See you tomorrow!

I remember the first time a did a real Plank…I couldn’t believe how much my whole body hurt after doing three rounds of a 30 second plank!  Now, I do so many variations of the Plank in my daily routines; my core and balance are leaps and bounds from my pre-Plank days!

The Standard Plank is stomach to the ground, balancing on your knees or toes and on your elbows.  However, for more of a challenge, you can hold in push up position, on your hands.  Instead of just holding the Plank for 1 minute or 30 seconds, you can add even more instability by touching your knees down to the ground for 15-20 reps.  Or, you can hold full “Push Up Plank” but transition down to your elbows and back up for 10-15 reps!

The Side Plank kicks your obliques into high gear and also really challenges your balance.  Like the prone Plank, you can start balancing on one elbow and knees or toes and straight arm.  To add more challenge to Side Plank, you can pulse the hips for 15-20 reps.

The Reverse Plank adds more emphasis on the Triceps and Booty, but still burns those abs!  Master the Prone Plank before adding this to your routine.

I could go on and on and on about the Plank!  Plank Jacks, Half Burpees, Side Plank Crunches, Oblique Prone Planks…but I’ll save that for another day! Happy Planking!!

Nothing but love for ya!

Friday: I was running around with the babies so I didn’t have much time to do anything, almost forgot to eat.

Saturday: was when the little fiasco happened with my daughter’s hair so because I was stressed I pigged out alittle… Thank GOD it was low calorie food…

Sunday: I actually exercised that morning which help clear my mind a little and put me at ease.  I am still pretty much meat free, however I did add a tiny bit of crab meat to my salad last night.

Monday: Hopped on the scale.  I weigh 174 now cant complain about that!  I will exercise this evening and i’m going to go ahead and order that rebounder tonight!

Until we meet again, *STAY ENCOURAGED, DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF*

KiKi

MEMORIAL DAY ’06:

It has been six years since you passed mommy, I love you dearly and miss you a lot.  I cannot wait till I see  your beautiful face again.  HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

I’ll explain a little about what I’m planning to do for each goal. Mostly, this is an online journal for myself, but if anyone else wants to join me on my journey, I’d love the camaraderie.

I admit that my self-image isn’t very good right now. I’m still carrying about 25 lbs more than I’d like to be , and it’s starting to weigh on me (no pun intended). Of course, I am so grateful for this body that nourished, created and birthed my beautiful little girl, but now that we’re almost six months out, I’m starting to become much more aware of myself again and I don’t like what I see.

I’ve always battled a little with my weight. I’ve never been overweight by the medical definition, but there’s always been that extra 10 lbs I thought I could lose (but I suppose most people feel that way).

One of the worst things about it is that I had a pretty rough labour and it left me swollen as a pumpkin all over my body for weeks afterwards. The result is that I have hardly any photos of myself with Alice during the first weeks of her life because I cringed at any picture I saw and began to avoid the camera.

And now, I can never get that time back. It sucks.

I spent a lot of time avoiding the mirror and just dressing up Alice, figuring she looked cute enough for both us.

I look at my still-stretched out stomach and its maze of stretch marks and I wonder if it will ever look even close to the same again. I know the stretch marks will never really leave, but it’s hard to believe that skin will ever be smooth again. It’s gotten better with time–my belly button has an actual shape again–but it seems impossible. I remember when I was in the hospital, a nurse told me it would take a month for it all to go back to normal and I thought “oh wow, that’s great.”

Turns out she was a filthy liar.

I still can’t fit my wedding rings on and I hate not wearing them. Of course, most of my pre-baby wardrobe is out of the question (easy-access to breastfeeding notwithstanding), so that I’m confined to same 10 items of clothing, day in and day out. I’ve bought a few new items to tie me over, but I really don’t want to spend anymore money on “fat” clothes.

But lately, I’ve also made a decision to stop this downward spiral. Yes, I give 98% of my energy to taking care of Alice, but I need to remember that I am important too. I have about six more months before I go back to work, and I’ll be so angry with myself if I still can’t wear any of my old clothes. (I got some cute stuff y’all.)

With that said, I’ve been slowly making some changes. Last week, I put Alice to bed at her usual time and then I went to the gym (more on the hilarious consequences in another post). It had been more than a year since I’d done any serious exercise and I was scared. It turned out to be amazing–I felt so good afterwards, even if I was a little sore.

I’ve also been doing a little dieting–slowly and safely, so as not to affect my milk supply in any way. I’ve lost three pounds so far, and I can’t believe what a difference such a small amount has already made to my psyche. And I’m in the zone. It always takes a few tries when I’ve let myself get to heavy to get into that zone where nothing can knock me off the wagon, and I’m there now. I love the zone.

Ultimately, what I’m realizing is that it’s okay to be here. We were discussing this topic at my breastfeeding group last week, and it certainly seems most of us suffer from these feelings one way or another. Of course things are different now. Of course my body will be forever changed. And that’s okay. I’m not 20 anymore either. That’s life. I’m just going to have to learn to be the best I can be for me and my daughter.

PS–If anyone else is on My Fitness Pal, I could use some more buddies. Add me!

And something to think about……..

Pictures from Pinterest.

Guest Post coming tomorrow – Bluenose Marathon 5k by Jennifer!

Happy Monday!

However I feel like I need to detox to rid the junk I’ve been scoffing. Detoxes always help your digestive system a rest and revive your skin etc. And also I wouldn’t mind dropping a couple pounds to ready me for my bikinis when I’m on holiday.

So starting today I’m going to do a 3day detox. Followed by a low carb diet for another week or so then just eat balanced meals from then on.

The three day detox will be based on a juice diet I once did. Where you loose 7bls in 7days by only having fruit and veggie juices. I did it for 6.5days (had to go to a wedding on the last day and was forced to eat) and lost about 7bls. It was great for the first 4days then after that I was miserable as anything just wanted to chew lol! I did look a bit skeletor by the end though.

This time I will just be using the recipes as a detox and only for 3days as I’ll be studying at the same time.
From thursday onwards I’ll introduce salads, with chicken/turkey pieces, seafood and tuna.

The juices are really good I actually have them all the time anyway to add to m 5-a-day but haven’t just had them with no other food since I did that diet. The recipes are from JM Juicemaster book I had a document with all the recipes but can’t find it but you can search them easily on the internet for anyone who’s interested. You might think ewwwl spinach and apples and celery but trust me all the juices taste great. I don’t even use a juicer too much work I just use a blender it works fine.

I’ve also not done any exercise in forever so I’m going to try and squeeze in a zumba class or two this week between revision and more regularly again once exams are over- missed being active.

Yeah that’s it really I’ll let you know how it goes. There are no snacks in my cupboards so I’ll have no choice but to stick to it.

Kisses

Dollm