Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Breakfast:
WW Breakfast Sandwich (I was too busy to make anything!) - 4 points
Lunch:
BLT - 2 points
Chips - 3 points
Dinner:
Mexi-tato - 5 points
Snacks:
Milano cookies - 3 points
Chips -3 points
Food Recap - Feb. 23rd
Food Recap - Feb. 22nd
Breakfast:
Well, I got up at 11am today, and past 11, I just go ahead and eat lunch, lolLunch:
BLT - 2 points (I know, if I eat any more of these, I'll turn into a BLT, lol!)
Sweet Onion Chips - 3 points
Dinner:
My Big Fat Greek Pita (I posted the recipe for this a few posts back) - 4 points - so, this was the first HG recipe I wasn't a big fan of, but I also am not sure why i picked to make this, since I don't usually really like the flavors of greek food, there was just something in the spices of this I didn't really love.
Snacks
2 Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies - 3 points
Goldfish - 3 points
Food Recap - Feb. 21st
Monday, February 23, 2009
Day 3 of the Hungry Girl diet, and actually some new recipes today, yay! I really feel like I could stick to this as a normal way of eating, not just as a "diet." I mean, I have only tried like 6 or 7 recipes so far, and like them all, and there are 160 in the book, so I think there's enough here to where every week I could just buy groceries based on which I'd like to make. And it's not a crazy fad diet, or a cleanse, or anything like that - I am not starving myself because it is a month before the wedding, just trying to eat healthier and stop eating sodium-loaded frozen dinners and baked chips, cuz let's be honest, that's not a proper diet for an adult. Anywho, here's what I ate today:
Breakfast:
Super-Duper Veggie Scramble - 183 Calories/3 points/3g fat/22g protein
1 veggie burger patty, thawed if previously frozen (I actually used the morningstar veggie breakfast sausage instead)
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped onions
Chop veggie patty into pieces, cook w/mushrooms & onions over medium heat. Add egg substitute to the pan, and scramble.
Lunch:
A BLT again - um, I kinda love these things, can you tell? (2 points/141 calories)
Dinner:
Veggie Wheels -143 calories/2 points/2.5g fat/10g protein
1 medium low fat tortilla
1/4 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tablespoon fat free cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon ranch seasoning mix
Combine cream cheese and ranch seasoning until smooth.
Lay tortilla out and evenly spread cream cheese mixture on top.
Place spinach, red peppers, scallions and tomatoes evenly over cheese layer.
Very tightly roll the tortilla, creating a pinwheel of layers. Keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting into slices.
Snacks
Pirate's Booty - 3 points
Goldfish - 3 points
Getting Wedding-Worthy Arms
Sunday, February 22, 2009
One of the things Kerry & I have worked on a lot in our PT sessions is buffing up my arms, since that's one of the few things you actually see of my body in the wedding dress. In addition to bicep curls, lateral pull downs, push-ups, etc. we've worked a lot on tricep exercises. Because, let's be honest, a lot of people have arms with the jiggle at the bottom. And the only way to work on this is to tricep exercises. Here's some recommendations:
Tricep Kick-Backs - I know I've blogged out how to do these before, and here's some instructions as well - http://www.myfit.ca/exercisedatabase/viewanexercise.asp?exercise=Tricep+Kickbacks&table=exercises&id=26
Tricep Dips - in this exercise, you basically position yourself on a bench or some other solid surface as you see in the picture above, and then use your arms to move your body up and down - it's harder than it looks! It really hurts the triceps, I can only do 10 at a time then I have to take a break!
Skull Crushers - in these, you lay down on some sort of bench, and hold on to a weight with both hands (choose something heavier than you'd do for your bicep curls, shoulder presses, etc. - for example, I do 12.5 lbs for this exercise, as opposed to 10 for shoulder presses), then lower it right behind your head. The pics above explain the exercise well I think. Just make sure to have someone spot you, so you don't actually hit your head w/the weight, lol.
Hope this helps you girls trying to buff up your arms!!
The Infamous Before/After Photos
Saturday, February 21, 2009
So, when I first decided, oh, like a year and a half ago, that I really needed to lose some weight, not just for the wedding, but for my own health, I thought it might be good to do before/after photos in a swimsuit like they do in all the infomercials. So, I didn't actually get around to taking the pics until I had already lost some weight, but I do have some before pics of me in a swimsuit at a lovely 185 pounds, and when it gets to the day of the wedding, you guys will be lucky enough to see those as well as the after photos - hopefully I'll look much better in the second set :)
Anyone else done their own before/after photos?
Food Recap - Feb. 20th
So, today was day #2 of Hungry Girl week, and so far, it's going really well - the recipes fill you up, taste good and are easy - I am amazed how full I have felt just by having three HG recipes and then a couple little snacks. And I've already lost a pound, yay!
I could have tried new recipes today, but I was running around all day, so I ate a lot of the same things I ate yesterday - so all these recipes are posted in the previous couple posts :)
Breakfast - Yum-Tastic Breakfast Burrito - 4 points
Lunch - BLT - 2 points
100 Calorie dark chocolate almond pack - 2 points
Dinner - Rockin Tuna Melt - 4 points
Snacks - Pirate's Booty - 3 points
So again, I got to have snacks and was under my WW points limit :) So, I don't know if this is the perfect diet for anyone else, but it's the perfect one for me!! If you're interested, you can get the book online - it's got 150+ recipes in it :)
Food Recap - Feb. 19th
Thursday, February 19, 2009
So, today was the first day of my "all Hungry Girl" week. I wrote down breakfast, lunch & dinner recipes that looked interesting, and bought all the ingredients at the the store last night, and so far i LOVE everything, I am so glad my mom got me the cookbook. It's like it's made for me - the food seems like bad food for you - it's not salads, vegetable soup, etc. - it's pizza, BLT's, tuna melts, etc. - the kind of food I love, but all in healthy form! And every recipe is real easy, with a small # of common ingredients; all of these took me less than 10 minutes to make! Here's what I had today:
Breakfast: "Yum-Tastic Breakfast Burrito" - 4 points
1 low-fat tortilla (about 110 calories & at least 6g fiber)
2 slices (1 oz.) turkey bacon or veggie bacon
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
1 slice fat-free American cheese
Cook bacon. Set aside.
Pour egg substitute into a pan & scramble over medium heat.
Heat tortilla in the microwave.
Place cheese in the center of the tortilla. Top w/eggs & bacon.
Heat burrito in the microwave for an additional 20 seconds.
Lunch: "Guilt Free 1-2-3 BLT" - 2 points (yes, seriously, only 2 points, isn't that crazy? For those who aren't big into WW, 2 points generally equals 100 calories, this has 140 calories, but since it's low in fat & high in fiber, the points value goes down)
2 slices light bread (40-45 calories each w/2g fiber per slice)
2 slices extra lean turkey bacon or veggie bacon
2 leaves romaine lettuce
2 slices tomato
2 teaspoons fat-free mayo
Dinner: "Mexi-Tato" - 5 points
1 medium baking potato
2 tablespoons fat free liquid non dairy creamer
2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1/4 cup canned black beans
1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning mix
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
Optional topping - fat-free sour cream
Pierce potato in several places with a fork. Peel the skin off the top of the potato only. Place potato in microwave and cook for 6-8 minutes (until tender). Wait 2 minutes for it to cool.
Gently remove all the pulp from the potato and place it in a microwave-safe dish. Set the empty shell aside. Add the creamer, cheese, taco seasoning, salt & pepper to the potato pulp and stir. Microwave mixture for 45 seconds.
Heat black beans in the microwave.
Place the cheesy potato mixture in the potato shell and then top with half of the black beans. Top w/tomatoes and scallion and if desired sour cream.
Snacks: Goldfish - 3 points
So, somehow, after eating all that food, it's only 14 points (approx. 700 calories)!! - and I am really not hungry right now. I've got 11 points left for the day, and probably will have some kind of little snack, but since this stuff was so low in calories, I can totally do that and still be fine!
Lunch Recipes from Hungry Girl
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
So, while I do love WW recipes, and they generally are really delicious, they do often require a good # of ingredients and prep. On the other hand, while Hungry Girl recipes are not always as elaborate, I still think they taste good and are much easier to make. Most of them aren't even as much recipes as ideas for healthy meals. Since I personally am often at a loss for what to eat for lunch, I thought I'd post some of her lunch recipes:
Rockin Tuna Melt (212 Calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 6g fiber, 24g protein) - this is MUCH better for you than any tuna sandwich you get out. Even at Subway, the tuna sandwiches are 600 calories, and at places like Quizno's, they are more like 1000.
2 Slices light bread (40-45 cal each)
2 oz canned tuna
1 tablespoon fat-free mayo
1 tablespoon chopped carrots
1 teaspoon Dijonnaise
1 slice fat-free American cheese
2 slices tomato
Combine tuna, mayo, carrots & Dijonnaise in a bowl. Toast the bread, then add on the tuna salad, tomatoes and cheese. Broil in a toaster oven, or heat it up on the stove until the cheese melts.
My Big Fat Greek Pita (219 calories, 1.5g fat)
1 whole weat pita
2 oz fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 cup sliced red & green bell peppers
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt, black pepper, oregano and garlic powder, to taste
Combine yogurt w/salt, black pepper, oregano and garlic powder
Cook onion and peppers in a pan over medium heat
Add spinach & tomatoes; cook until spinach wilts
Combine veggies w/yogurt, stuff pita
That's just a couple lunch ideas for now, I'll definitely post more later - I have been bad at making my own food lately, and vow to go to the store tonight and get ingredients for a lot of healthy recipes :)
Food Recap - Feb. 10th
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Breakfast:
Honey Maid Delight Bar (can you tell I've become obsessed with these?) - 2 points
Lunch:
Healthy Choice Natural Entree - Pasta w/mushrooms, tomato, spinach - 5 points
Dinner:
Uncle Ben's "Ready Rice" w/vegetables - 8 points
I love these uncle ben's rice pouches, it really only is 90 seconds in the microwave for it to fully heat up - they have rice pilaf, spanish rice, rice with vegetables, etc.
Snacks:
Robert's Gourmet Organic "Smart Puffs" - 4 points basically, organic cheetohs :)
100 Calorie pack of Emerald cocoa-roasted almonds - 2 points - these are a really yummy snack, I recommend them!
Exercise: 1 hour of Zumba!
ZUMBA!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Today I tried out a new class at the gym - after trying out spinning last week, I was feeling dangerous, lol - and did Zumba today w/Nola. It's basically a mix of latin dance moves and strength training exercises.
It was pretty fun, but you have to be prepared to look like an idiot if you have absolutely no rythym like me. And it didn't seem too hard at the time, but I am definitely getting sore now, so it seems like a pretty good workout! My workout schedule for this week has been pefect, it was a great mix of classes, cardio, strength training etc:
Thu: 1 hour strength training w/Kerry, my PT
Fri: 1 hour spinning class
Sat: Day Off
Sun: Strength training (45 minutes)
Mon: Elliptical & strength training (90 minutes)
Tue: 1 hour of Zumba
Wed: I think tomorrow shall be the elliptical or treadmill :)
Like I've said before, I think switching things up is always a good way to get out of a fitness/weight loss plateau!
Food Recap - Feb. 9th
Breakfast:
Honey Maid Bar - 2 points
Lunch: Spinach & cheese omelette - 5 points
1 cup egg beaters - 3 points
Spinach - 0 points
1/4 cup low fat cheddar - 2 points
Dinner: 1/2 Qdoba veggie burrito - 12 points (yes, seriously, one half of one of their burritos is 500+ calories, they are really not good for you! But I was at a meeting for an organization, and they bought everyone burritos and didn't have anything else to eat). Nutrition info for Qdoba can be found at: http://www.qdoba.com/Calculate.aspx
Exercise: So, I was really proud of my workout today - I did 65 minutes/800 calories on the elliptical, AND 30 minutes of strength training (I didn't do legs b/c I figured the elliptical took care of that, I just did arms & abs).
Food Recap - Feb. 8th
Breakfast:
Apple - 1 point
Lunch:
Subway Veggie Sandwich w/swiss cheese, veggies & spicy mustard - 6 points
Dinner:
Fresh Express Ensalada Supreme Salad Mix - 8 points
Snacks:
1 glass of wine - 2 points
Cracker w/cheese - 3 points
Exercise:
45 minutes of strength training
DIY Strength Training Workout :)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Today I went to the gym to do an hour of strength training, since I had done cardio Friday (then Saturday was my day off) and I planned to do cardio tomorrow, I have been trying to get better at doing half and half. However, I often feel like it's very hard to fill up an hour of strength training when I am on my own. So, I try to always have a "to-do" list. I list out each body part & what workouts I will do for it, and bring it with me to check off as I go. Here was mine for today:
Biceps:
Bicep curls - 12.5 lb weights (generally, the right weight for you is probably the one where the first couple are not bad, but then by the 9th or 10th rep, you really start to feel it) - 3 sets of 10 reps
Lateral pull downs - 30 lbs - 2 sets of 10 reps - this is a machine at the gym where you basically sit down and pull a bar down to your chest, and can obviously be set at various weights
Push-ups - 2 sets of 10 - now, push ups are definitely something you have to work up to, I started being able to do maybe 1, lol. So you can always do modified push ups with your knees on the ground if you can't do real ones yet. I also always use the bosu to help me (if you don't know what a bosu is, the pic above should make it pretty clear), I put it underneath my chest, and make sure my chest hits it on the way down each time, and that my chest hits before my hips.
Triceps:
Tricep kick-backs - 2 sets of 10 reps (per arm - do a set of 10 on the right arm, then 10 on the left, then repeat)
Chest:
Chest fly - 40 lbs - 2 sets of 10 reps
Reverse chest fly - 30 lbs - 2 sets of 10 reps
Legs:
Squats on the squat machine (obviously, you can also just do them w/o the machine) - 3 sets of 10
Side lunges
10 reps on each leg
10 reps on each leg while holding 10 lb weight
10 reps alternating legs while holding 10 lb weight
Abs:
For abs, I did the exact ab workout I had blogged about before- see this link -
Now, I don't do things in the order of the list, and sometimes I don't even do all the reps of, say, the bicep curls at once - I may do 10 bicep curls, then 10 squats, then 10 sit-ups, you can really do it however is easiest for you - just make sure you don't leave before finishing all of them :)
Food Recap - Feb. 6th
Breakfast:
Yogurt - 1 point
Lunch:
Egg scramble - 8 points - I cooked 1 cup of frozen tator tots in the skillet, then when they were done, I added 1 cup of egg beaters and 1/4 cup low fat cheddar, then mixed it all together as a scramble - it tasted like I was eating something super bad for me, but was actually not bad!
Dinner:
So I had breakfast for dinner, too, lol! Almost the same thing I had for lunch, except for out at a local diner & with fake sausage added :)
Exercise - 1 hour of spin class - I'm so glad Nola & I decided to go to this, it was fun new way to do cardio, I could see myself going every week so that I could force some motivation on myself on lazy Fridays when I have no class/no reason to get up before noon, lol
Food Recap - Feb. 5th
Friday, February 6, 2009
Breakfast:
Honey Maid Delight Bar - 2 points
Lunch
Salad - lettuce, green beans, black beans, green pepper, and a hard boiled egg, with fat free Italian dressing - 5 points
Dinner
Egg scramble - egg beaters, veggies, potatoes & fake sausage - got this out at a restaurant (yay for breakfast for dinner!) so I am not sure of the points, but I know generally fake sausage, egg beaters & veggies is a very low-calorie meal, so as long as the potatoes weren't like 600 calories, I should be fine :)
Snacks:
Baked Cheese Puffs - 4 points
Exercise (I forgot that I said I was going to post this too): 1 hour of strength training with Kerry
Food Recap - Feb. 4th
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Breakfast - 2 points
I bought these new 100 calorie pack Honey Maid "Delight Bars" and had one of those for breakfast - I suppose it's really supposed to be more of a snack or dessert than breakfast, but either way, I really liked it!
Lunch - 7 points
During my weekly grocery store trip this week, I discovered Healthy Choice's new "All Natural Entrees" - they are frozen dinners, but made with all natural ingredients. And the best part (at least for me) is that they are all vegetarian, I guess because meat in a frozen dinner form is never quite natural, lol. So, for lunch I had the Asian potstickers, and it was really yummy - you get three veggie potstickers and rice, yum! I'd definitely get it again!
Dinner - 6 points
So I liked my lunch so much I ate another all natural entree for dinner - this one was Pumpkin Squash Ravioli with sage butter sauce, and with asparagus and butternut squash on the side. The squash on the side was mushy and not good, but everything else, especially the ravioli, was really yummy! I don't have any pics or other info on these entrees, they must be brand new b/c there's no info yet about them on the Healthy Choice site.
Snacks - 5 points
Goldfish - yum yum :)
Delicious & Nutritious French Toast
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
So I finally tried my first recipe from the Hungry Girl book yesterday - it was "Cinnamon-licious French Toast" - and I really liked it, and it's really easy to make!
Just make up an egg wash of :
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
And get 3 pieces of light bread (the kind that is about 45 calories each piece) and dip it in the egg wash, then cook it on the stove. When you're done, sprinkle some more cinnamon on top- and 3 pieces is only 190 calories, amazing!
A No-Excuses, No Equipment Workout
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Now that there is a recession, a gym membership may be something people will have to cut out of their budget - I probably would too, if I werent at school, where my exorbitant tuition already includes a gym! (And it better for what they make me pay!)
Well, yesterday on Ellen, she had personal trainer Marco Borges come on to demonstrate a workout you can do with just a chair, that's it - no free weights or anything else necessary. Here's his appearance on Ellen, where he goes through the workout:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBkTulUDQFo
Hope this helps those looking for an at-home workout!
Calorie Counting Tips
So, one thing most dieters agree on is that keeping a food log, whether you're tracking calories, or Weight Watchers points, or just trying to see what you're eating, is key to figuring out what to improve on. And I think it really opens your eyes to how much you are really eating - sometimes, I will think, i really don't eat that much, why am I not losing weight? But then, when I really write every single thing down, I see where the problems are!
Calories Needed to Maintain Weight:
And the amount of calories needed to maintain even a heavier weight is not that excessive - if you take your weight times 10, thats about the number of calories per day it takes to maintain your weight - so, even to maintain a 200 pound weight, you only have to eat 2000 calories a day. S
Calories Needed to Lose Weight:
And to lose weight, it is often recommended that you eat your current weight times 7. So, if you're 200 pounds, you need to be eating 1400 calories. Granted, these are of course just general recommendations, and will fluctuate depending on your personal activity level.
Places to Track Your Food:
Like I have mentioned, I have an online membership to Weight Watchers, and I have found the only way for me to consistently remember to track my food is to keep the "Points Tracker" open on my laptop so that I have no excuse not to jot something down the moment I eat it - the longer you wait, the more you forget, and probably tend to underestimate what you really ate.
For free services, I think www.fitday.com is great - you can track calories, exercise, nutrients, food groups, etc. - it is awesome! I used it all the time before getting the WW membership (which I mainly got so that I could access their recipes).
Food Recap - Feb. 2nd
Okay, so now that I am back from my FL wedding-planning trip, I can finally get back to logging my food every day! I have realized lately that i have been doing pretty good at keeping under the points/calorie limit (which for me, for WW is about 25 points a day/1250 calories), but not as good as making things myself and eating enough fruits and veggies, so I vow to do better at that!
Breakfast:
Nature Valley Oats n' Honey Granola Bars - 4 points
Lunch:
Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli - 6 points
Dinner:
Egg Beater Omelette - it's definitely time for me to get more groceries, b/c all I could find to put in my omelette was the eggs and some low-fat, part-skim mozzarella - the veggies make it so much more yummy, I need to get more! - 5 points
Snacks:
Synder's Whole Grain Cheese Puffs - 4 points - so Andrew picked these up for me at the store, and they sound like a bit of an oxy-moron, whole grain & cheese puff together? I think they're pretty good, and obviously way better for you than Cheetos.
And, what has become my standard dessert, Hershey's chocolate covered pretzels - 3 points - I am telling ya, 7 of these for 130 calories is a great deal! Sometimes you just don't want a 10 calorie jello pack, ya know? I feel like its just everything in moderation - you can have Oreos for dessert, but 2 of them, not 6, at least that's my thought.
