Journey to Becoming a Fit & Healthy Bride

Food Planning Philosophy

2010-05-04T14:31:00.003-04:00

I am always impressed with people who can plan out specifically what they will eat for each meal, but I just never know what days I'll have time to make dinner, or eat a more elaborate breakfast, etc. so instead I try to get enough supplies to have some easy meal options and some more complicated recipes, etc. for when I want to cook. Here's an example for what I have this week:

Breakfast:

- As far as the simplest, quickest option, I get Nature Valley Trail Mix bars.
- Another pretty simple option is 100 calorie whole grain english muffins and light veggie cream cheese. I also ordered some Bagel Thins from Lender's for Andrew, they are a lot less calories than regular bagels.
- For when I want to make something, I got ingredients to make breakfast wraps of egg, light American cheese and fake bacon in a tortilla (Hungry Girl's breakfast burrito recipe); and also ingredients to make HG's cinnamon vanilla french toast.

Lunch:

- I decided this week to try ordering Weight Watchers' fresh meals instead of frozen, so even when I have to eat something on the go, these should be healthier with less salt, preservatives, etc. than frozen meals.
- I got ingredients to make sandwiches to bring to work - either a healthy egg salad (no mayo, light bread, etc.), HG's BLT recipe, or HG's caprese sandwich recipe.
- I also bought some Dole salad mixes - love those!

Dinner:
- Kashi frozen pizzas - probably one of the healthiest frozen pizza options out there, but still delicious - love them!
- Ingredients to make HG's 7-layer burrito blitz (recipe is on this blog) - so yummy!
- Ingredients to make HG's Mexi-tatos (recipe on the blog as well)
- Whole weat pasta and tomato basil sauce or pesto sauce

Snacks:
And of course, I got a variety of little 100 calorie or less options for snacks - Light n' Fit vanilla yogurt, apples, string cheese, some 100 calorie packs of veggie chips, etc.

Thank goodness for Peapod, I never have time to go to the store!

Snack Recommendation

2010-05-04T12:40:00.001-04:00

My newest snack obsession is Food Should Taste Good's multigrain chips:

They are made with sunflower seeds, flax, etc. - they have lots of fiber and less fat than regular potato chips or tortilla chips. Yum!!

Product Review: Reebok Easy Tones

2010-02-21T15:12:00.003-05:00

I was totally sucked in by the Reebok Easy Tone commercials they kept airing in the fall, and so I put them on my Christmas list. My mom very kindly bought them for me (and she actually had a coupon & free shipping on http://www.shoes.com/ so she got them for $75, so they were about the price I'd pay for sneakers anyways), and since I've now had them for a couple months, I thought I'd give my thoughts (oh, and I got the Easy Tone Inspire, pictured below):

- They are very comfortable to wear/walk in. You feel a bit of a burn in your butt mainly, and some in your legs, if you do serious walking in them (like if you do a brisk walk for like 2 plus miles), but on a normal day of walking to work in them, you feel only a tiny burn. But the burn is good, cuz it means they're doing something, and like I said, on a normal day it's quite minor, you wouldn't get to work and be like exhausted or have sore legs. Even when I did a 3 mile brisk walk in them, my legs only felt a little sore for like 30 minutes after the walk.

- For awhile I was just walking in them, but this past week I tried them to run in on the treadmill and really liked them. I ran faster in them, and also felt afterwards like I had both ran and done a leg workout. I think I will be using them for this more in the future, though I can't attest to how they'd do running outside - it's been way too cold here for that!

- I have honestly noticed a difference in the tone of my legs. Previously, I had done leg workouts with a trainer, running, classes, the elliptical, etc. - and although my legs might have burned, or I might have lost weight, there had been NO difference in the tone of my legs, they still looked all jiggly. I don't wear the Easy Tones on a daily basis, but even from the amount I have used them, I have seen a difference, my butt and the upper part of my legs in general just looks smoother and more toned, I don't see all the cellulite bumps.

In short, I give these two thumbs up! Anyone else try these out?

Interval Running - Sample Workout

2010-02-03T15:16:00.003-05:00

I have been doing a good bit of running lately to try to start training for another half-marathon. But I am not someone who can just get on the treadmill, set it to 7.0 and go for miles - not even close! I usually have to change the speed frequently so I can get a little rest, then do some bursts of faster running.

I found a good sample interval workout on the treadmill, and just wanted to share it:

1 - 5(minutes) brisk walk at 5.0
6-7- jog at 5.5
7-8 - run at 6.5-6.8
8-9 - jog at 5.5
9-10 - run at 6.5-7.0
10-11- brisk walk at 5.0
11-12 - run 6.5-7.0
12-13 - brisk walk at 5.0
13-14 - run at 6.5-7.0
14-15 - jog at 5.5

Also, this can of course be adjusted for however fast you can go - you can start out the walking at 3.0 or 4.0 and adjust the other speeds accordingly.

WW Classic Corn Bread

2010-01-18T21:51:00.002-05:00

To go along with the chili, I also made Weight Watchers' Classic Corn Bread. I thought it was pretty good for diet corn bread, though much better fresh out of the oven than re-heated. Here's the recipe:

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg

(1) Preheat the oven to 400F, spray an 8 inch square pan or a 12-cup muffin tin with a nonstick spray

(2) In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg. Pour over the flour mixture; stir just until blended (do not overmix).

(3) Transfer to the pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes;serve warm.

Per Serving (1/12 of loaf or 1 muffin) - 100 Cal, 2 Points.

WW Hearty Meatless Chili

2010-01-18T21:38:00.003-05:00

I have tried so many good recipes lately, but keep being too lazy to post them, so I am officially going to do that tonight. I will start with a really good vegetarian entree I tried, Weight Watchers' Hearty Meatless Chili:

This makes 6 Servings

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Large onion, finely chopped
1 Green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, minces
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minces
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12 oz) package frozen soy crumbles
1/2 cup water
1/2 medium eggplant, unpeeled and diced
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

(1) Heat the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno pepper; cook, stirring, until softened. About 8 minutes.
(2) Add the tomatoes, soy crumbles, water, eggplant, chili powder, oregano, cumin and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmeer, partially covered, until the vegetables are well softened and the flavors are developed, about 20 minutes longer.

Per Serving: 197 Cal, 3 Points.

This chili was really hearty and also quite spicy. It sounds complicated to make, but really wasn't so bad to do once you chop everything. I'd recommend it!

Same Taste, Fewer Calories

2010-01-07T13:18:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite "bad for me" foods is Domino's Buffalo Chicken Pizza (well, except i don't eat meat, so for me, it's just buffalo pizza). It's SO yummy!

But of course, it's also so bad for you. So, I decided to come up with my own lower-calorie version. I took an english muffin (100-130 calories, depending on which kind you get), about 1/4 cup of low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella (80 calories) and 1/2 tsp of Frank's Red Hot sauce (35 calories). So, for around 200 calories, you get two little english muffin mini buffalo pizzas, and with a lot less fat too. I recommend it! (And if you do eat meat, I am sure these would be yummy with chicken too).

Push-Ups for Beginners

2009-12-10T15:56:00.004-05:00

When I first started doing personal training, I was really bad at push-ups, since I hadn't done them in years. Eventually, though, I was able to do about 30 real push ups in a session. Push-ups work your arms as well as your chest, abs, back, etc.

If you can't do a push up on the floor at all, you can always start with push ups on a wall, on a bar at the gym, on your stair railing, etc. - and you can keep practicing this way until you can go all the way down and get the technique down.

And of course, there are always knee push ups:

But my favorite thing Kerri taught me was doing push-ups using the Bosu ball (they have these at most gyms, probably near the free weights - you can also buy them yourself, but they're $100+). I can't find a picture of exactly what we did, but essentially all you need to do is place the bosu ball, dome side UP, right under your chest, and when you come down while doing your push up, lay your chest on the Bosu ball, and lift your arms up.

Then, place your arms back on the floor and push yourself up for the next push up. After doing the push-ups this way for awhile, you'll eventually be able to do them without the ball underneath you at all.

One Mile at a Time

2009-12-07T14:01:00.002-05:00

I crazily agreed to run a half marathon with my mom a few days ago - crazy because the race is on Dec. 20th. So I have stepped up my casual 2 miles of running, 3 days a week, to doing a lot more. And while I am still in no way a runner, I have realized that if I just keep doing a bit more each day and do one mile at a time, it isn't so bad.

This past week, I got up to 4 miles, and today I will try for 5. Since I am doing a longer distance, I know I can't run the whole thing, so what I have been doing is running 2 minutes at about 5.2mph, then walking 1 minute at 4mph. It evens out to a good pace overall, but the slowing down to do a brisk walk for a minute really helps me to keep going. Usually, I don't like slowing down to walk, I like to just go for it, run the whole thing and be done. But that only works for about 2 miles, so if I am going to have any chance of doing 13, the walking is necessary.

So, wish me luck!

Delicious & Nutritious Pizza

2009-12-07T13:56:00.003-05:00

Andrew and I decided to make homemade pizza last night, because we wanted something healthy, but we were getting a little sick of salad, whole weat pasta, etc. So we went to whole foods and got ingredients to make a healthy BBQ pizza.

We got refrigerated dough (1400 calories for the whole package), organic barbeque sauce (we used half the bottle, which only added up to 125 calories), low moisture part skim shredded mozzarella (we used a cup, which is about 320 calories), and then peppers and onions to go on top. We don't eat meat, but this would definitely be great with chicken on it too of course.

So all totalled it was about 230 calories for each slice of the pizza (we cut the pizza into 8 slices), and was so delicious, I would have ordered it at a restaurant. And it really didn't take too long to make - we baked it at 375 for about 25 minutes. I definitely recommend it!

I'm Intrigued

2009-11-05T16:53:00.003-05:00

Although I am sure this is mainly a gimic more than anything else, I am intrigued by these new shoes Reebok is making, the Reebok Easy Tone. They are supposed to help tone your legs & butt when you walk, run, etc. in them. I would be quite impressed if they did work since my legs never get very much tone no matter how much I run, do the elliptical, the bike, etc.

Has anyone actually tried these? I'm mainly considering them since I need new sneakers anyways, but they're about $100, so I'd need some reason that they are better than getting a new pair of Asics (I love Asics, I've had this same pair for years and they're still in great condition).

Finally!

2009-11-05T16:52:00.001-05:00

For the longest time, Blogger was not letting me log into to this blog, so I couldn't update it - I don't know why, but it had a different log-in than my other blogs, so it wasn't working. But I finally got it figured out so I can blog here again, yay!

I am going to be signing up for a new personal trainer soon so hopefully I'll have soom good workouts to share!

Running for Beginners

2009-09-24T17:29:00.000-04:00

So I am the first to admit that I have never a "runner" nor will I really ever be - well at least in the sense that I'll never just get up and run 5 miles, no problem. 3 miles is still my maximum, and that wasn't at any great speed. Anyways, my mom has always been the same way, and in seeing in how we both "learned to run" I've realized that everyone definitely has their own method of doing it, and it's definitely very individualized.

The Walk/Run Method - so my mom is definitely a walk/runner; and she made it all the way from not being able to even go a half mile to doing a half marathon, all in about a year's time, which is impressive! She basically just started out with a method of like Walk 4 min/Run 1 min; and then slowly worked all the way to Walk 1min/Run 4 - every day she just ran a little bit longer than the day before. And this really works well if you just are the kind of person who could never run a mile all at once, but could do a good distance if you just were able to do some walking breaks in between.

The "Just Do It" Method - so, there's really not much to teach in terms of my method of how I learned how to run finally - for me, I think it was mainly mental. I did try doing some walk/running, but for me, every time I would slow down to like 3 mph, it was SO hard to go back up to running like 5mph. So, I just always do like a 1 minute warmup at around 3mph, then crank it up to 5-6mph, run at that speed until I can't take it anymore, then dial it down to like 4.5mph. And I basically just run as much as I can - and then if say I could only run a mile, I'll still do other cardio so that I didn't only have a 15 minute workout. And over time, if I really do it every day, I can run a little farther each time. And I realized that I really need to start out at like the highest speed I can handle and go down from there; because like I said, a lot of this is mental, 5mph doesn't seem as bad when you've just been doing 6, right?

These Actually Do Help

2009-09-23T20:20:00.003-04:00

So despite my failure in posting them, I really have been trying to keep up with taking pictures of myself throughout the weight loss (or attempted weight loss lol) process. I think I realized when I did that perhaps I really do see myself a lot differently than I actually look - not to say I look at these pics and think, wow, I look perfect, but I definitely think I look better when I see myself in these as compared to when I look at myself in the mirror.

Anywho, this one is my latest, I think I should title it "the magic of dark jeans" - lol. Stacy & Clinton are right, they really do always make me feel slimmer :)

7 Layer Burrito Blitz Recipe

2009-09-07T22:26:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting of recipes, accountability photos, etc. - it's not that I've fallen off the wagon, it's that my computer has, lol.

But I have been making some yummy new recipes, mainly from Hungry Girl. Here's one of them, I'll definitely post more this week :)

7-Layer Burrito Blitz

(1 Burrito - 277 Calories, 3g Fat, 14.5g Fiber, 22g Protein) - these are so yummy and remind me of taco nights as a kid, a flavor I've missed for a LONG time! I may be biased in saying the fake meat HG has you use in this is actually really good, since I haven't had real ground beef in like 7 years, but I dunno, I'd say at least give it a try and if you hate it, you can probably substitute some other kind of lean meat or just stick to black beans

1 medium low fat flour tortilla (110 Cal, at least 6g Fiber)
1/3 cup canned black beans
1 ounce ground beef style soy crumbles (you'll find the Morningstar version in the frozen food section)
1/2 cup chopped iceberg lettuce
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped onions
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheese

Prepare crumbles according to directions (this isn't in the HG recipes, but I season them with taco seasoning - I'd really recommend it, it makes them much better)

Microwave tortilla until slightly warm. Layer ingredients in a long strip down the middle of the tortilla, starting with black beans, then the crumbles, then sour cream, lettuce, onions, cheese & tomatoes.

Getting Your 8 Glasses A Day

2009-08-21T15:01:00.005-04:00

I am the first to admit that I am a diet coke addict and am bad at drinking enough water. Although I know I'll never be able to give up diet coke, I am still at least trying to reduce it and get in my 64oz of recommended water a day. There's just one problem - I hate water. I really only drink it when I am really thirsty after a run.

So, I use drink mixes to make the water more appealing to me. My faves include:

OceanSpray On the Go Cran-Pomegranate Juice Mix - 5 calories, and it has 100% RDV of Vitamin C.

Crystal Light drink mixes - I especially love the lemonade mix.

Propel drink mix - this is also a good way to save $, so I don't have to spent $1.50 for a Propel from the machine at the gym, and can just buy cheap store bottled water.

Hope this helps others who are trying to get in their 8 glasses!

My First Paycheck Splurge Will Be...

2009-08-21T14:52:00.005-04:00

A BodyBugg for sure! ( http://www.bodybugg.com/) If you haven't seen these, they are devices that you strap on to your arm and they can track (with around 90%+ accuracy) how many calories you are burning. Then, it goes along with a computer program where you can track your food. They use this on the Biggest Loser, and it looks very cool. It's somewhat expensive, but not prohibitively so, and since I don't have to pay for a gym membership (I have one in the building), I think I can justify it. And I like the idea behind BodyBugg, b/c, at the end of the day, despite all the diet tips & tricks you hear, it is ultimately a #'s game - burn more calories than you eat.

I was talking to a friend of mine who is getting a PhD in physiology and he was telling me that, yes, there are some differences between the calories burned from running vs. elliptical vs. strength training, etc. but at the end of the day, just look at everything as a numbers game, don't get too caught up in all sorts of crazy theories.

Salad Love

2009-08-21T00:09:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the blogging delay - now that my computer is finally fixed, I'm back for good! So, I am the first to admit that, even though I don't eat meat, I still don't often order salads when I go out to eat - I worry they'll just be this plain garden salad that won't be filling, and then I'll binge on fries later or something. However, I think places are getting better now at making more interesting & filling salads, which is a definite plus :)

Anyways, I went to Qdoba tonight, and Andrew and I both got salads - I got their traditional taco salad (I got it "naked" - so it was just in a bowl, no tortilla shell - don't get me wrong, I love the tortilla shells, the scale doesn't, lol), and Andrew got their summer mango salad. Both were really good - I especially love their light ranch chipotle dressing that goes on the taco salad. And you can put beans on for protein, add some salsa (which is like basically no calories), and a little shredded cheese, and it's a super yummy meal.

So, just wanted to recommend it. This makes me think I need a whole post just on my favorite salads...perhaps that will be to come in the future :)

Accountability Photo #1

2009-07-24T16:08:00.005-04:00

Let's be honest, I was far too lazy to put a swimsuit on. But, I did take a photo of myself using my camera's self-timer. I am trying to really push myself to finally lose this last 15 pounds and get into better shape, I feel like Phase 1 of my diet was just ridding myself of junk food, amping up the cardio to drop pounds, etc. and now it's time to get into toning & fitness much more.

(sorry it's so blurry, not on purpose, it's just my self-timer skills are quite sub-par). So hopefully as the weeks go by, these pics will get hotter & hotter :)

Gym-Free Workout, Strength Training Edition

2009-07-24T14:59:00.006-04:00

In addition to running, I've been doing strength training in my living room. I have minimal supplies - hand weights & an exercise ball - but that's all you really need. I figure I'll go through what I've been doing, one body part at a time.

Abs -

I've been doing a rotation between three kinds of sit-ups - (1) bicycles, (2) sit ups with my legs straight up in the air (for these, I hold a 5 pound weight with both hands, and bring it up to my ankles, then bring it back behind my head, and keep repeating that), and (3) sit ups with my legs held up like in the 3rd pic (better than doing the same thing but with your feet on the ground). I do 10 of each, then repeat this. If you're doing them right, doing 60 will be plenty and your abs will really feel it.

Also, for a good ab stretch, you can do a "superman" - see the pic below (just without the exercise ball of course) - keep your legs & arms above the ground for 5-10 seconds after your ab set.

Happy ab-work-outing :)

Accountability Photos

2009-07-24T14:55:00.002-04:00

I've decided that, in addition to tracking my cals, weight, etc. on Fit Day, I'd try to also focus on other factors - in terms of how I look, inches lost, etc. As part of that, I've decided to do weekly photos of myself. That way I feel like I can really see the things I need to work on, changes in my body, etc. I'm going back and forth on doing these in swimsuit form, as that would obviously show the changes best, but yikes, that's scary.

Either way, I am trying not to be 100% focused on having lost or gained X number of pounds, b/c at the end of the day, no one I walk by on the street nows how much I weigh - it's about how I look and feel, and weight is just one indicator of that.

FitDay Fun

2009-07-24T14:24:00.004-04:00

Although Weight Watchers has a lot of cool features, FitDay is almost as cool - and, most importantly, free. And I am thinking on focusing on logging my food there to take lot closer look at how much fat, carbs, protein I am getting, as opposed to just looking at "points" or calories. And also, I can save $17/month, lol.

So, in addition to setting weight loss goal, you can set goals like "no more than 50g of Carbs" or "at least 20g of protein." It even tracks how much you're getting of different vitamins.

And when you do a weight loss goal (I want to be X weight by Y day), it will tell you exactly how you need to change your diet to get to that. And since I am trying to allow myself quite a good amount of time to get to my goal weight, it makes me feel better to see I don't need to be drastically reducing calories or anything. And it takes into account your usual lifestyle to show you how many calories you burn, takes away your "calorie restriction" and tells you how much you can eat per day:

And you can also log your activity on there too, including regular daily activities. I love it! Try it at http://www.fitday.com/.

A Gym-Free Workout?

2009-06-27T16:41:00.005-04:00

So, my school gym plan expires on June 30th; I am moving into an apartment with a gym in the building on Sept. 1, so I've got a 2 month gap, too short to really start a gym contract somewhere. I can renew the school membership for July for $75/month, which I was going to do, but now I have come up with a new plan. I'd say it's high risk, high reward - I will either fail miserably or become a much better runner, lol! As for strength training, I have Jillian Michael's workout video at home, along with a mat, free weights, a weighted exercise ball, etc. - not to mention squats, lunges, etc. don't need equipment. So I am good there, I just needed to figure out cardio.

I had gotten decently okay at doing running on the treadmill - I definitely am not good, but there is improvement. However, I am terrible at running outside. So, I have decided to use this time to do some running outside. There is a Target 2 miles from my apartment, and today, Andrew & I ran there (well, I ran 1/2, walked 1/2) and then walked back. Obviously, I am nowhere near being able to run 2 miles outside without stopping, but this is Day #1, so I am planning on trying to run there and back 5 days a week - well, run as much as I can, and walk the rest. Either way, I'll need to get back, so I'll be forced to do 4 miles of some kind of exercise!

Weight Watchers Online: New & Improved!

2009-06-25T18:42:00.006-04:00

I have decided to recommit myself to really using my Weight Watchers online membership because, heck, I am paying for it, right? And they have actually got a ton of new tools and stuff on there, I really like it much more now!

Here's the basic screen where you track what you ate for the day, and your physical activity as well:

And they now have a customized weight loss chart, and you can also make a chart of your change in dress size, and in a variety of body measurements.

In case you can't tell, I really haven't tracked my weight at all since the end of March, lol - the chart after that is a big blank - I told ya, I am starting to get back into it.

They also have a restaurant finder where you can find calories for all sorts of restaurants.

They also have a recipe builder where you can either look up recipes or insert in what you used to make something, and then have them give you all the nutritional info for it.

Overall, there's a lot of new features, I am glad I still have my membership, and vow to use it every day :)

Route 11 Sweet Potato Chips

2009-06-23T15:07:00.002-04:00

I love sweet potato fries, and today I discovered the chip version in a vending machine - Route 11's Sweet Potato Chips.

They are just sweet potatoes cooked up and lightly salted, not a lot of artificial flavoring or anything. I'd recommend them!

Easy Veggie Stir Fry Recipe

2009-06-22T20:09:00.003-04:00

I have started trying to just make up my own recipes so I don't have to go out and buy tons of specific ingredients; and instead, I just make stuff with what I have. Tonight, I made veggie stir fry with brown rice.

I made mine with:

3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup snow peas
1/2 cup chopped red peppers
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
2 cups cooked brown rice (1/4 cup dry rice, 1 cup water)

It was so easy, I just cooked all the veggies, along with 1 tbsp of the soy sauce, in a pan together; cooked the instant brown rice; and then combined it all together, and topped it with another tbsp of soy sauce. It made a big portion, and only had 340 calories. Obviously you can make this with any veggies you want, and add in other Asian spices as well.

New Yummy Weight Watchers Dessert

2009-06-17T15:56:00.003-04:00

I tried a new Weight Watchers frozen dessert this week - the frozen candy bar - they're basically WW's version of the Snickers ice cream bars.

They're really yummy, and only 3 points - I recommend them :) Obviously the pic above is of the Snickers version, I couldn't find a pic of the WW version.

Easy Caprese Breakfast Pizzas

2009-06-17T15:40:00.004-04:00

I made this HG recipe for lunch today and it was so yummy - it reminded me of Au Bon Pain's Caprese sandwich, but WAY better for you! It's super simple, and only 185 calories!

Ingredients

1 light English muffin
2 large tomato slices
1 tbsp spreadable margarine
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 piece low-fat or fat-free mozzarella string cheese
6 leaves fresh basil

Cook the two slices of tomato on a pan on the stove until slightly blackened.

Mix together the garlic and spreadable margarine.

Spread the garlic butter mix on each side of the english muffin. Top each side with cheese, 3 basil leaves and one slice tomato. Put into the oven at 350 for 5 minutes/until cheese melts.

Kitchen Sink Salad Recipe

2009-06-05T14:58:00.004-04:00

Well, perhaps more a suggestion for a meal as opposed to a true recipe, but you know what i mean. Like a lot of you, when I am hungry, and someone suggests a salad, I'll often be like, really? That's all I am gonna eat? Don't get me wrong, I like salads when they are done right, but too often they are just veggies and fat-free italian dressing, and I need more than that for it to be a meal (which is kinda hard when I don't eat meat, I know). So, lately, to encourage myself to eat salads, I try to always keep spinach leaves and hearts of romaine around, and then from there, I make what I like to call a "kitchen sink salad" where I essentially throw anything I can find around my fridge & cabinets into a big salad bowl with the greens. Today, this was my salad:

Fresh spinach leaves
Hearts of romaine, chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
5 baked tostitos, crushed up (to add some crunch to the salad, it really adds to it)
4 tbsp. Kraft Free bleu cheese dressing

I ate the whole giant bowl of salad (I eat salad from like a mixing bowl, not some wimpy soup bowl, cuz I mean, for WW, you can have unlimited veggies, so why not stock up?) and it was all for about 300 calories. So, it's a good way to eat healthy and get rid of random stuff in your fridge!

$10 a Month for the Gym?!

2009-06-05T14:50:00.004-04:00

I have never really had an official gym membership, since I have always used the gyms at college/law school or in my apartment buildings. However, my membership to the law school gym expires at the end of this month, so I am considering joining one. There is a cool all women's gym, Healthworks, but at about $80/month, that is so not happening.

My sister-in-law recently joined Planet Fitness and loves it, and says it is an amazing deal. They recently opened one by me, and it is only $20/month (with no start up fee); and they also have a deal for $10/month(but that one has a $60 start up fee). Any one else go to Planet Fitness/if so, do you like it? My needs aren't super high, I do the elliptical and the treadmill, and for lifting/strength training, I mainly do free weights as opposed to machines.

Lululemon Love

2009-06-05T14:42:00.003-04:00

For my birthday, April got me a pair of awesome workout pants from Lululemon (http://www.lululemon.com/) and I am so in love - I usually only wear shorts or capris to the gym b/c work out pants are not really made for people 5'11" (neither are pajama pants or evening gowns for that matter!). However, Lulu Lemon's pants come in short, regular or tall - and the tall are even a little long for me, which is awesome, that never happens!

And the best part? They have a pocket in the waistband where you can hold your gym membership card - perfect for me, since I have to have my student ID for the gym, and always come to so close to leaving it on the elliptical or on the gym floor. Now, they are definitely way expensive, but I figure I may splurge on a couple pairs for myself when I start my job :)

Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast Nuggets

2009-05-31T18:48:00.004-04:00

I tried my first recipe out of the new HG book today, and as per usual, it was delicious. For one serving, you just take:

1 hot dog bun

1/3 cup egg substitute

2 dashes cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

And you split the bun into eight nuggets, and just dip it into the mixture of egg, cinnamon and vanilla; and you can also top it with sugar-free syrup. I thought they were very yummy - here's the nutrition info:

PER SERVING (8 nuggets):151 calories, 2.25g fat, 299mg sodium, 24g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 3.5g sugars, 8.5g protein POINTS® value 3*

New Hungry Girl - 200 Under 200

2009-05-28T16:06:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine bought me the new Hungry Girl book for my birthday, it's 200 recipes under 200 calories. I am so excited to share some recipes in it with you all! It even has a whole section on healthy cupcakes, yuuum!

It's only $12 on Amazon, as is her original book - I recommend them!

Low-Cal Dessert Faves

2009-05-28T15:33:00.007-04:00

I am one of those people who just can't give up snacks and desserts, I at least have to have something. Here are some low-cal dessert faves:

Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwiches - only 2 points, and they are really delicious, they don't even taste diet at all to me.

As I mentioned before, Del Monte Fruit Chillers are awesome; on a similar note, so are Edy's Fruit Bars. They're super low calorie (all less than 75 calories I believe) and actually have some real fruit/Vitamin C.

Oreo 100 Calorie Snack Cakes- these obviously don't have the nutrition of the fruit bars, but are great if you're craving something chocolate.

Goldfish Chocolate Grahams - you can have 50 of these for 140 calories, and it seems like quite a big snack or dessert. They basically taste like Chocolate Teddy Grahams.

And when I get to go out for dessert, I love getting frozen yogurt and fresh fruit (Mmm, BerryLine - I love it - we don't have PinkBerry here, but I assume it's the same idea)

Del Monte Fruit Chillers

2009-05-03T14:26:00.002-04:00

I decided to try Del Monte's Fruit Chillers ( http://www.delmontefruitchillers.com/) the last time I was at the store, and they are a really yummy snack - I had the Fruit Chillers Tubes, they are like fruit popsicles, except they are sold not frozen, in the aisle with canned fruit, then you freeze them yourself. They also sell fruit chillers in little bowls.

They are 55 calories each, and contain real fruit, and 25% daily value of Vitamin C - I had the strawberry ones, yum! They're a good way to get in one of your fruit servings.

Lifetime Teaches You How to "Cook Yourself Thin"

2009-05-01T15:58:00.003-04:00

I heard an ad on the radio today for a new Lifetime show called "Cook Yourself Thin," and it sounds pretty good - it's sort of a similar idea to Hungry Girl, where instead of eating no-carb, or doing a fast, or just having juice or whatever, you just learn how to make healthy versions of your favorite foods.

And the cool twist is that each week features a different contestant, and at the end of the show, you get to see how each contestant did with keeping up with the new healthier lifestyle -

http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/405759_tvgif1.html.

The show premieres Monday, May 4th at 5pm- I am totally gonna watch and then if it looks good, perhaps I'll buy their book.

Healthy Restaurant Picks - Uno's

2009-04-30T16:04:00.005-04:00

On a better note, like I said, a lot of restaurants do have good healthy options. Here's some faves of mine from Uno's, as well as some other healthy options that, if I ate meat, I am sure I would love from Uno's:

Uno's lists all their nutrition info online, and even has a whole "under 500 calories" section on their site. (www.unos.com)

Veggie Soup - 150 calories
Cuban Black Bean & Lentil Soup -180 calories
Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa - 220 calories (without side dishes)
Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Mango Salsa - 240 calories (withous side dishes)
Gorgonzola Walnut Salad - 280 calories
Grilled & Skewered BBQ Shrimp - 300 calories (without side dishes)
House Salad with Grilled Chicken - 320 calories
Eggplant, Spinach & Feta Flatbread Pizza - so, this entire pizza is 810 calories, but you can easily split this with someone for 405 calories each, it's plenty of food - and it's really yummy! (Also, the cheese & tomato flatbread is the same # of calories)

Some things on their menu that i thought were not bad as far as calories were actually pretty bad, so it's always good to check online before you go to a restaurant!

Diet-Busters!

2009-04-30T15:56:00.003-04:00

As much as restaurants are getting better at including healthy options, they also keep adding things that are like 1000+ calories (like the giant omelette breakfast sandwich from Burger King, the Double Thickburger at Hardee's, etc.). The newest diet buster I keep seeing ads for is this, the Domino's Bread Bowl Pasta:

Now, the website doesn't give the nutrition info, but this just CAN'T be good for you, right? I mean, pasta inside a bread bowl? I found these calorie listings online for them on another site:

670 calories - Pasta Primavera
700 calories - Chicken Alfredo
730 calories - Three Cheese Mac-N-Cheese
730 calories - Italian Sausage Marinara
740 calories - Chicken Carbonara

Diet Pills & How NOT to Lose Weight

2009-04-28T14:25:00.009-04:00

I think if I went through my ENTIRE weight-loss journey of ups and downs in life, you'd be reading for hours; but I wanted to do a brief summary just as a warning, to tell you how NOT to lose weight.

I've been 5'11" since 7th grade. At that time, I was a lanky middle-schooler and was 135 pounds. Over the next few years, I grew up, went through puberty, etc. and not surprisingly gained weight. I was at about 165 pounds my junior year of high school. My mom noticed and decided we ought to go on a weight-loss plan together that summer. Except, I took it way too far - it went from "oh, I should eat a little healthier" (not hard to do, given that in my meat-eating days of high school, I went to McDonald's or Chick-Fil-A basically every day!) to "how few calories can I eat in a day" to "perhaps some diet pills would help me lose more" - this turned into a bad eating-disorder situation, where I became convinced that 600 calories a day and 6 Metabolite pills was great for me. Well, I did lose weight - I got down to about 140 pounds, which is pretty low for someone 5'11" - and also started to develop a heart condition from all the caffeine/ephedra in the diet pills. That's when I knew it had to stop.

Me in 2002, Senior Yr. of High School, about 140 lbs - look how bony my shoulders are - eww!

In college, I didn't use any diet pills anymore (thank goodness), but I did still struggle with eating habits. I was working out 5 days a week with the women's boxing team, and yet eating 1,000 or less calories a day. I was still only about 145 pounds.

Me freshman year of college.

Luckily, after freshman year, I wised up and realized I could maintain a healthy weight of between 155-165 just with my boxing workouts and eating, well, almost whatever I wanted, given the calories I was burning. I'd usually gain some weight in the spring in the off-season, but then lose it again in the summer/fall. I, of course, again thought I was fat all the time at 160 pounds or so, which is laughable now - I'd die to be 160 again!

Hey, look, I finally look healthy in this pic - this is junior yr. of college

So, the real trouble began 2nd semester senior year - no more boxing...like ever...and I was continuing to eat whatever I wanted. In the last three years of law school, I have gone between 169 at the low end and 192 pounds at the high end. When I finally realized I was 192, and just couldn't get married in that kind of state.

The dreaded "before" pic

I started to get my butt into gear - over the next couple years of the engagement, I went up and down a lot, but did get to at least my 20 lb goal and got married at 172.

Me at the rehearsal dinner

So, now I am trying to see if I can work hard to lose that last 10 pounds, but more importantly, I want to do so in a healthy way, no matter how long that may take :) Oh, and the best news of all is, I have FINALLY gotten my resting heart rate down to a healthy level, meaning I can finally run!!

A Novel Cardio Warm-Up

2009-04-28T14:10:00.005-04:00

Even when doing a full hour of just strength training with my PT, she always has me do a cardio warmup to get my heart going. Here's some cardio warm-ups that she's had me do that I definitely would not have done on my own :)

Elliptical Intervals - Often, instead of just a few minutes on the elliptical at a medium intensity, Kerry would have me do a minute of lower intensity (about 130 stripes per min) then a minute of super high intensity (at least 180 strides per min). Try it, even just for 5-10 min, it's hard to do!

Bicycle Arms Workout - So, this is a cardio warm-up, but also an arm exercise - and it is pretty darn hard! (Note - you need two people to do this). Here's what you do - get on a stationary bike, and start going; have someone behind you hold the middle of a workout band, and give you the handles of the band. Then, push the band forward while holding a handle in each hand. The motion should be like a chest press:

Good luck with your warmups :)

What to Do at the Gym

2009-04-28T13:57:00.007-04:00

I think there's a lot of conflicting messages out there about what to do at the gym - for example, look at the two trainers on Biggest Loser - if you read their books, etc. you'll see that Jillian feels that strength training is #1 priority, and cardio is secondary, and Bob feels just the opposite. Personally, I do about half and half, I do about 3 days of each a week, and then one day off.

I've posted several workouts in the past (http://becomingafitbride.blogspot.com/search/label/workouts), but here's a refresher on some workout ideas:

Cardio:
I used to do all elliptical because, well, it's easier than the treadmill, at least for me. I used to just do an hour on it a few days a week, and that was my entire workout routine. After meeting with a personal trainer, I realized (1) I need to do strength training as well; and (2) I need specific goals to step up my time on the elliptical. So, if you're doing cardio, try to do a certain distance, a certain intensity, strides per minute, etc. and up that goal a bit each week.

I now sometimes add in the treadmill as well because for me, it's quite a challenge. I can't burn as many calories on it, but I have been pretty proud to have gotten from 1/2 mile without stopping to 3 miles now. So, even if you're like me, and think you could NEVER run, trust me, you probably can, it just takes some work!

Legs: Aside from doing the elliptical and treadmill, the best leg workouts are the tried and true classics of squsts and lunges. There's no excuse not to do these, since no equipment is even needed!

Arms:
I think this right here is probably the best arms workout I have gotten from my PT - http://becomingafitbride.blogspot.com/2009/03/kick-butt-arms-workout.html - keep in mind that this is basically a full hour of arms, and if you're doing other strength training, you should reduce this to 20 minutes by just doing one set each of the exercises as opposed to 3. And if you're low on equipment, just doing push-ups, while hard, will be GREAT for your arms!

Here are some 1-hour sample strength training workouts, one created by my PT, and one by me, that include arms, legs, etc. -
http://becomingafitbride.blogspot.com/2009/02/diy-strength-training-workout.html
http://becomingafitbride.blogspot.com/2009/01/full-one-hour-strength-training-workout.html

Hope this helps those needing some inspiration of what to do at the gym!

Snack Time

2009-04-21T13:50:00.006-04:00

I could never ever be on a diet without snacks - which is why I love things like Weight Watchers, where you eat a reduced # of calories, and are supposed to eat all of your fruits, veggies, etc., but also aren't banned from eating certain kinds of foods. Because, well, I love snacks. Here's some of my favorite low-cal snacks:

Pringles Baked Wheat Stix (I like the pizza and cheese ones)

Smart Food Popcorn Clusters (I have only tried the chocolate cookie caramel pecan ones so far, but am going to try the others soon!)

100 Calorie Guacamole Packs (you can eat this with something like fresh veggies to make it a super healthy snack)

Fresh snow peas and light salad dressing

Dannon Light n' Fit with Fruit

Happy snacking :)

Yummy Lunch Recipe

2009-04-20T13:53:00.004-04:00

Andrew and I have decided to start our own weight loss competition amongst ourselves; and so, we went to the store last night and got lots of healthy groceries with which to make a lot of new recipes. My first recipe was from Weight Watchers' Take Out Tonight, it's a Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Sandwich, and is soo easy to make, and has very few ingredients - my kind of recipe! They are between 175-250 calories each, depending on what kind of english muffin you use.

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

1 large red bell pepper, halved and seeded

1/4 lb (4 oz) goat cheese

4 english muffins

Arugula leaves

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil; place the bell-pepper pieces, cut-side down, on a baking sheet. Broil for about 10 minutes, until lightly charred. Then, wrap the pieces in the foil and let them steam for 20 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and cut in half.

Spread 2 tablespoons goat cheese on the bottom half of each muffin. Top cheese with roasted red pepper and fresh arugula; cover sandwiches with muffin tops.

Fitness Video Roundup

2009-04-17T10:53:00.004-04:00

So, I am thinking of getting a fun fitness video that involves dancing or something like that - the only video I own now is Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, which is definitely a good workout when I do it, but I'd like something that's more fun. Some things I am considering:

Flirty Girl Fitness DVD's (pole dancing type stuff)

Dancing with the Stars Cardio Dance

Core Rythms

Anyone tried any of these? Any suggestions?

Delicious & Nutritious Breakfast

2009-04-17T10:43:00.002-04:00

I know I had kinda given up posting all the things I eat, but now I am thinking I might get back into it, and even with pictures this time! Here's my breakfast today:

60 Calorie pack of Dannon Light n' Fit Yogurt (they sell them in packages of 6, it's 1/2 vanilla yogurt packs and 1/2 strawberry)

1/2 Granny Smith apple

1/4 cup Trail Mix Crunch cereal

Less than 200 calories of yumminess - and it has dairy, protein, fruit, etc.!

The Incredible, Edible Egg

2009-04-14T13:54:00.005-04:00

One thing I ALWAYS have on my grocery list is EggBeaters - they're just always good to have around for last-minute recipes, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can make breakfast wraps, omelettes, frittata, spanish tortillas, quiches, etc. And Egg Beaters are so incredibly low in calories - 1 cup has about 100 calories.

I have already posted some recipes I like with eggs, but here's some more:

Broccoli & Cheddar Quiche (Weight Watchers) (makes 8 servings, each serving is 5 points/about 250 calories)

6 oz pie crust, 9-inch, refrigerated
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup(s) red onion(s), chopped
1 1/4 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 large egg(s)
2 large egg white(s)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or more to taste
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan or a 9-inch pie pan; refrigerate until ready to use.
To make filling, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl and add ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well and fold in broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and level surface with a wooden spoon; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Spanish Tortilla (Weight Watchers) (6 servings, 3 points/150 calories per serving)

3 medium potato(es), baking-variety, peeled, thinly sliced**
3 large egg(s)
3 large egg white(s)
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion(s), chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes (potatoes should be about halfway done); drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, salt and pepper; set aside.
Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and potatoes; cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Spoon potato mixture into egg mixture; mix thoroughly.
Reheat skillet over medium-low heat. Add potato-egg mixture and let cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until eggs are set, about 2 minutes more. Slice into 6 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Overnight Scrambled Egg Bake (Weight Watchers) (8 servings, 7 points per serving/350 calories per serving)

16 oz fat-free egg substitute
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
6 slice(s) white bread, or potato bread
6 oz extra-lean ham, approximately 11% fat, cubed (I substitute fake meat)
1 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Beat eggs well and add milk.
Place bread on bottom of baking pan. Toss ham and cheese over bread. Pour egg mixture over top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
Bake covered egg mixture at 350°F for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Cut into 8 portions and serve.

Low Fat vs. Non-Fat

2009-04-08T23:42:00.003-04:00

In making recipes from the Hungry Girl book as well as Weight Watchers, the one big difference in a lot of these is that the dairy products are all either low-fat or non-fat. Although I already was eating a lot of low-fat items, I was wary of non-fat cheese. However, I have actually come to like the Kraft Free singles for use in things like tuna melts:

And the Kraft Free shredded cheddar is good as well:

However, there are some things I have just never really liked fat-free. I really dislike both fat free cream cheese and fat free mayo, so I substitute the low-fat versions, and in small quantities, I find that to be just fine. Anyone else out there come around on some non-fat stuff? Any favorites?

My New Fave Breakfast

2009-04-06T09:11:00.002-04:00

So, I have been trying to get away from eating breakfasts that are all egg, fake bacon, etc. all the time, because although they can be low in calories, they often don't have a ton of nutritional value. So, one of one of my new fave breakfasts is to make my own fruit & yogurt parfait.

I just cut up a few strawberries in half, get out some Vanilla Dannon Light n' Fit, and then soem low fat granola, and layer them together in a cup. It's also really yummy as a dessert!

I'm Baaaack!

2009-04-06T09:05:00.006-04:00

Sorry for the long delay, I was a little busy, ya know, getting married, going on a honeymoon, etc. :) Some highlight pics showing off my 20 lbs that I lost for the wedding :)

But of course, I am still looking to lose more, and to keep up being healthy and get back into working out daily after my week of laziness on the honeymoon. So, I am back, and will be posting recipes, workouts, etc. again!

Weight Watchers Recipe Favorites

2009-03-17T08:35:00.003-04:00

I realized I should post some of my favorite Weight Watchers recipes that I haven't yet posted on this blog, especially since I am paying for the online WW membership after all, and have access to tons of recipes. One of the easiest recipes from WW, and one of my favorites, is their nachos recipe.

Ingredients:

4 oz baked low-fat tortilla chips
9 oz fat-free canned refried beans
1 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese
1 cup(s) salsa
1/2 cup(s) guacamole

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place chips closely together on a nonstick baking sheet. Top with beans, cheese and salsa.
Heat until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Serve with dollops of guacamole. Yields about 12 chips per serving.

And that's it, pretty darn easy right?

Mmmm...Flatbread

2009-03-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

Basically any time I don't make my own food, I go to Subway, I love it so much. However, since I only eat one type of sandwich there (the veggie), Subway can get a little boring.

So, my new favorite thing there is to get the flatbread for my sandwich instead of the regular bread (or the wrap, which as I mentioned before, actually has 100 more calories than the regular bread). It has 10 calories more than the regular bread, which to me is worth it cuz it's really yummy - I recommend it!

A New Take on Food Posts

2009-03-12T12:05:00.002-04:00

Wow, so I have been a COMPLETE blogging failure lately, I have been so busy lately there's hardly time to make anything to eat or work out, much less blog about it, lol! Anyways, I have decided that posting everything I eat every day doesn't really seem too feasible or necessarily helpful anymore, since I think everyone already has a good idea of what I eat. So, what I will do is just share all the new recipes I make, along with any good food finds at the grocery store or out at restaurants. Sound good? I think so :)

And of course, I've got some workouts to share too, I am way behind!

A Kick-Butt Arms Workout

2009-03-02T18:08:00.003-05:00

If you're really into getting your arms fit for your wedding, then this workout is for you! But warning, it really is a full hour of just arms, and your arms will likely kill. My trainer made the whole thing, and she recommends it be done 3 times a week; and says it takes about 3 weeks to really see the visible results. You can google any of these exercises for more info on how to do them. The weights listed below are what I use, but do whatever works best for you!

Circuit One (repeat 2-3 times)

Bicep curls with dumbbells - 12.5 pounds/12-20 reps
Tricep pushdowns - 30-40 pounds/15 reps
Seated Row - 30-40 pounds/15 reps
Push-Ups on Bosu - 10 reps

Circuit Two (repeat 2-3 times)

Preacher curls - 2o lbs/12-20 reps
Tricep kickbacks w/dumbbells - 10 lbs/15 reps
Standing row - 40 or 50 lbs/15 reps
Push ups on floor, not Bosu - 10 reps

Circuit Three (repeat 2-3 times)
Dumbbell chest press - 12.5 lbs/ 12-15 reps
Front raises w/dumbbells - 5 lbs/8-10 reps
Side raises w/dumbbells - 5 lbs/8-10 reps
Hold high plank - 10 seconds
Side plank - 10 seconds on each side

I did this today, and hopefully it'll help make my arms buff :)

Sorry for the Blogging Failure!

2009-03-02T09:54:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been doing pretty well with the diet, but terrible with blogging about it, having been out of town this weekend, and crazy busy with other wedding things. But I promise, today I will be back to posting new Hungry Girl recipes and workouts :)

I've got less than three weeks to go, so it's crunch time! Though, I have to say, I think I do want to keep up the blog after the wedding - after all, I want to be a fit & healthy woman, not just a skinny bride :)

Food Recap - Feb. 23rd

2009-02-25T14:22:00.001-05:00

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. 22nd

2009-02-25T14:17:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:

Well, I got up at 11am today, and past 11, I just go ahead and eat lunch, lol

Lunch:

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

2009-02-23T16:31:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-22T14:02:00.008-05:00

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

2009-02-21T16:03:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-21T14:05:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-19T19:01:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-18T11:13:00.007-05:00

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

2009-02-11T13:21:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-02-10T19:00:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-10T08:23:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-10T08:20:00.003-05:00

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 :)

2009-02-08T20:40:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-08T18:06:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-06T12:09:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-05T15:56:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-04T12:04:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-03T10:40:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-03T10:33:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-03T10:27:00.002-05:00

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.

Food Recap - Jan. 29

2009-01-30T02:09:00.001-05:00

Breakfast:
Breakfast trail mix - 4 points

Lunch:
Fresh Express Medittearanean Supreme salad mix (I ate the whole bag, but why not? It's lots of veggies & good for you!) - 6 points
100 Calorie pack of Cheetos - 2 points

Dinner:
Tuna Melt - 8 points

Snack:
Quaker Cheddar Rice Cakes - 3 points

Hibernation Mode

2009-01-30T02:05:00.001-05:00

So, I have been such a failure with this blog- mainly because I have been crazy busy with exams, my wedding planning stuff, etc. But I also have just felt so whatever about weight loss efforts lately. I feel like, not a single person has even mentioned to me that I look any better, or that I've lost weight, my wedding dress still looks the same on me as when I first tried it on (i.e. I look terrible in it). So, I just feel like, I'll only be truly happy if I can get down to like 160 by the wedding, which won't happen. So now I am in the mode of just having to accept the way I am now. I mean, I have still been eating well & exercising lately, but I dunno, I just feel like it doesn't even seem worth it sometimes.

I know, this isn't a very inspiring post for a diet/exercise blog - I apologize!

Weekly Workout Schedule

2009-01-24T16:18:00.002-05:00

So, at first, I said to myself that I would work out every single day in the 60 days left until the wedding. But then I was reminded of something Kerry (my trainer) said, which is that it is often the days off in which your body really loses the weight and kinda catches up to what you've been doing to it, etc. and that they are really necessary. So, I have changed my plan to 6 days a week, with my 1 day off being Friday, because that is the day after my personal training when I generally want to die. And I used to just go to the gym 5-6 days a week, and do the elliptical every time, which wasn't working.

Kerry mentioned as such to me, saying that doing the same workout all the time, no matter what that workout is, is nowhere near as good for you as switching things up. So, taking that into consideration, here's my new weekly workout plan:

Sunday: 1 hour circuit training at the gym
Monday: Elliptical, 1 hour
Tuesday: 1 hour circuit training at the gym
Wednesday: Swimming, 1 hour (this is gonna be my new thing next semester, because I don't have class until 3pm on Wed. and I'll have time to walk to the undergrad gym to use their pool):
Thursday: 1 hour strength training/circuit training with Kerry
Friday: Day Off
Saturday: Running on the treadmill, 30-45 min; 30 min. strength training at home

Food Recap - Jan. 22nd

2009-01-24T13:50:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:
Yogurt - 1 point

Lunch:
I ate out at Harvest today and the only vegetarian thing they had was pasta which looked really unhealthy, so I had a grilled cod sandwich (I generally don't eat fish anymore, but have decided to make exceptions when there is nothing else to eat). And I had a salad on the side, not fries! I have no idea on points, but I thought it was a good healthy selection :)

Dinner:
Boca Italian sausage w/bun - 4 points
Chips - 2 points

Exercise: 1 hour of strength training with Kerry, it made my whole body ache the next day but was actually pretty fun at the time, which is like the perfect workout! We did squats, push-ups, bicep curls, shoulder presses, tricep kick-backs, some super painful ab work, etc.! I am so proud at how I have progressed physical fitness wise, the first meeting with Kerry, I couldn't even do one good push up, and today I did three sets of 10!!!

New Blog Gadgets!

2009-01-24T13:43:00.001-05:00

So I thought I would spruce up the blog design a bit, so I added a Weight loss ticker (from www.tickerfactory.com) and also added some gagdets. For the record, my goal weight of 155 on the weight loss ticker is definitely NOT a goal I am trying to acheive by the wedding, I am not crazy or planning to starve myself or anything! It's just the weight I would ideally like to be at, and I know it's a healthy weight, I have weighed it before (actually, senior year of college, which isn't so long ago, I was 157 to start the year).

And the WW points thing is helpful to any of you who have no idea what I mean when I calculate everything in terms of points. The points system is close to calorie counting, but with some differences. 1 point roughly equals 50 calories, but if something is high in fat, the points value goes up, and if something is high in fiber, the points value will go down. And under the WW system, vegetables are always 0 points, even though they do of course have some calories. And also, WW recommends you get a requisite # of servings of fruits, veggies, dairy, etc. so it's a good way to calorie count and also be healthy. Basically, you can just use the WW points calculator here and it's about the same thing I get by paying for the online membership, lol!

Food Recap - Jan. 21st

2009-01-21T21:14:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:
Nature Valley Oats n' Honey granola bar - 2 points (I was proud that i ate one of them and threw the 2nd away - why do they have to come in packages of two? It's just tempting me, lol!)

Lunch:
So I didn't have a second for lunch today because I went straight from the gym to court, and from court to class, so I hate to say this, but I had to have my lunch out of the vending machine (I know, I know, I should no better!). So yeah, lunch was Baked Lays - 3 points.

Dinner:
Since I was starving from not eating lunch, I ate dinner at like 4:30 :) I had two vegetable maki rolls, yum! I of course do not know the exact nutritional info for these rolls in particular, but it's probably about 400 calories/8 points for both rolls.'

Snacks:
More Snyder's chocolate covered pretzels - they're so good! - 3 points

Exercise: 50 min/600 calories on the elliptical.

Running Update: 2 Miles!!!

2009-01-21T21:07:00.002-05:00

I went to the gym with Andrew this weekend (it's so frustrating because I am a morning gym person but he always wants to go at like 2pm, at which point my motivation to work out is pretty much gone, lol!) and he has been pushing me to try to get better at running, and so he hopped on a treadmill next to me and did his 5 miles at some ridiculous 8 mph pace or whatever he does, while I did my more leisurely 5mph pace - I often wanted to get off but he kept giving me the thumbs up, telling me to keep going, it was nice :)

And although I had to take a couple 30 second breaks, I did manage to run 2.25 miles! I am so proud of myself! I am never going to be a runner, nor am I really trying to be, but i figure it's good to switch up my exercise between the elliptical, running, strength training, classes, etc. I definitely had a hard time, and wanted to get off after a mile, but I somehow made it! I've just got to try to get better at stopping less! (I have made a pact not to slow down & walk at all because then I never can get started again, but if I really am failing, I will press the stop button and take 10 seconds to get a sip of water and then get back on).

Food Recap - Jan. 20th

2009-01-21T20:57:00.004-05:00

Breakfast:

None, but only because I didn't wake up until 11am, lol!

Lunch: Healthy Choice Panini - 6 points

So I don't know if anyone else has tried the paninis they now sell in the frozen food section (both Lean Cuisine & Healthy Choice make them now), but I have always been curious about them, and I finally found a vegetarian one (Healthy Choice Basil, Tomato & Mozzarella Panini) so I went for it, and I thought it was really good! The bread actually did get crispy in the microwave, it was pretty darn good!

Dinner: Two Boca Italian Sausages, two hot dog buns (I was super hungry, lol!)- 8 points

I am sure most people reading this eat meat and are not so much interested in fake meat products, but I will say, my brother & my mom are big meat eaters & they totally love the Boca Italian sausages, and they are much healthier than actual pork sausage.

Snack: Baked Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream - 4 points

Snyders Chocolate Covered Pretzels - 3 points (I feel like if you're really craving a chocolate dessert, 7 of these for 140 calories is not bad at all, they are made w/Hershey's chocolate and are really good!)

Exercise: 30 minutes of strength training at home - I did a workout of just arms w/my free weights and with doing push ups, cuz let's be honest, they're the only thing you're going to see on the wedding day really, so they ought to look nice!

Food Recap - Jan. 16th

2009-01-18T15:13:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:

Hash Browns - 6 points

Lunch:

Amy's Spinach Feta Pocket (very yummy, and you get a serving of veggies, unlike a lot of frozen food) - 5 points

Dinner: So, I totally made Andrew take me to the UFood Grill by the movies because of how yummy it was when I went to the one at the airport. And it was just as good the 2nd time around, I really hope this place expands, because I feel like healthy fast food is a great idea - I mean, why can't you have a cheeseburger & fries that's not 1500 calories?

I had half of a Ceaser Pita (4 points) and UnFries (5 points), yuum!

Food Recap - Jan. 15th

2009-01-16T16:55:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:
Apple - 1 point

Lunch:
Fresh Express Ensalada Supreme - 5 points

Dinner:
PF Changs Lettuce Wraps - 6 points
Spring Roll - 4 points

Snacks:
Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwich (so yummy, definitely try them!) - 2 points
Goldfish - 4 points

I Know This Is Selfish...

2009-01-16T14:44:00.003-05:00

But sometimes, I just feel like I wish at least someone noticed all the hard work I have put into losing the 18 pounds I have lost so far since last year (well, besides Andrew, but he's too biased to count, lol). I just am beginning to feel like it's not even noticeable, and I am still wearing almost all the same clothes/sizes I was wearing before, and because I am tall, maybe this weight loss on me looks like 5 pounds would look like on someone 5'2", I don't know.

And I just feel like, looking at pictures of myself, I still think I look really overweight, I just don't look different to myself either. I mean, if I get down to 155, then I think I'll look better, but right now, I don't know, my initial excitement about being 174 has kinda died when I think about how that is still 10-20 pounds heavier than I was in college. Basically, I just feel blah, like I haven't done enough to really amount to anything, and I basically have to lose 20 pounds in 2 months to really be a fit bride.

Food Recap - Jan. 14th

2009-01-15T15:31:00.003-05:00

Breakfast: WW English Muffin Sandwich - 4 points (I love these things, and they're a great healthy alternative to the delicious Egg McMuffin - I actually found a whole article comparing the two, lol http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/238678/weight_watchers_smart_ones_english.html?cat=51).

Lunch: Lean Cuisine - 6 points

Dinner: Omelet & Hashbrowns - 10 points - I wanted breakfast for dinner, made myself a healthy version of my favorite breakfast from the diner - a broccoli cheese omelette & hash-browns, yum! I used EggBeaters (4 points), Broccoli (0 points) and low-fat cheese (2 points). The hashbrowns were 4 points - I just bought the frozen kind, they're really not that bad for you.

Snack: Organic Lite Cheddar Puffs, 4 points

Delicious & Nutritious Fast Food

2009-01-13T13:48:00.005-05:00

Since I knew I'd be eating tons of junk during the weekend, I thought I'd try to eat a healthy lunch Friday afternoon - problem being that I was at the airport food court. I really wanted McDonald's, but I found a place I had never seen before called U Food Grill. They have lots of burritos & rice bowls and some sandwiches, fries, etc. They even have fliers with the nutritional info. right at the counter, which is pretty cool.

They don't have tons of locales, but check out the website for locations: http://www.ufoodgrill.com/. They have one at Downtown Crossing, yay! The UnFries I had were SO good, just as good as any other fries, and only 225 calories for the whole thing. I totally recommend it, there needs to be more fast food like this!

Long Time, No Blog!

2009-01-13T13:35:00.002-05:00

Sorry for my failure/lack of food recaps for the last few days, but I was out of town for my bridal shower & bachelorette (SO much fun!!!). I wouldn't dare recap my food for these days, as it basically consisted of pizza, fries, cake, mexican food and lots of alcohol units (as Bridget Jones would say, lol).

The crazy thing is, by some miracle of miracles, I lost a pound this weekend - perhaps my scale is broken, ha ha! So I am so excited to finally be firmly in the low/mid 170's. I spent a good 8 months just wavering between 177 and 183, every time I'd get into the 170's, I'd go back up again to the 180's, and I was honestly about to just give up! So, I am very excited to now be down 18 pounds, SO close to the 20 pound mark! I am going to try to get to 170 by the end of January, and 165 by the wedding, but even what I have done so far is pretty great I think :)

Success!!

2009-01-08T17:02:00.003-05:00

Today was a day of great success, diet/exercise wise. In addition to my awesome workout this morning, I feel like I am really getting somewhere in terms of how fit I am - the exercises seem easier to do now, and my arms feel much more toned, I feel like I am beginning to see the results!

And, I weighed myself today before going to the gym and I am FINALLY 175, I have been trying to get to that for so long! This means that according to the lovely BMI calculator, I am no longer overweight :) My BMI is at 24.4 now (I am 5'11"), so I am just below the "overweight" level. I haven't weighed this since Summer/Fall 2006, so I am very excited!

And finally, I fit into a pair of jeans I got for Christmas 2006, that I wore all the time for about six months, then after May 2006 and all the things I ate that summer, they have not even come close to fitting since. But today, I was finally willing to try them on again, and they fit, yay!! (Above is me in these jeans back in January 2007)

So it is good after like a year of trying to lose weight for the wedding, I am 17 pounds down and really have good momentum to lose that final 10 pounds!

A Full One Hour Strength Training Workout!

2009-01-08T16:26:00.007-05:00

Today was my return to personal training, and it was my favorite workout ever, Kerry's new plan for me is circuit training and I LOVED it!! See, before, we'd been doing things like doing all my bicep curls all at once - 3 sets of 10 or whatever; and by the last set, my form was bad and I was tired. So now I'm doing 1 set of bicep curls, then one of triceps, one of sit ups, etc. and then repeating, and doing it all consecutively without breaks. For me, it seemed much easier even though I was doing the same things ultimately; and I actually did much better on the 2nd & 3rd sets of each thing as opposed to doing worse and being tired. So, anyways, here's the entire workout - aside from the cardio warmup, the only equipment needed is free weights (pretty cheap to get at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) and a mat would be helpful.

Cardio Warmup:

10 minutes of the elliptical - 5 minutes of doing a decent pace; and then for the second 5 minutes, we switched off - 30 seconds of around 140 strides per minute and then 30 seconds of going all out, like 190 strides per minute. We always do a cardio warmup like this to get the heartrate going.

Circuit One (Do This Three Times) (Do all the he exercises below one time through, and then do the whole circuit two more times):

Overhead Press w/free weights (I did 7.5 pounds), 12 Reps - we did this with a step (also can just be done on stairs) where I would step onto the step, do the press, then go back down & repeat - to make it harder, don't let the weights all the way down to your side, always keep them like what you see in the picture on the left above, and when you step up, press them all the way up like the picture on the right.

Bicep Curls, 12 Reps (I did 10 lb weights) - Kerry had me do these while in a half-squat position which makes it a bit more difficult.

Tricep Kick-backs, 12 Reps (I did 7.5 lb weights) - I also did these in a half-squat position; you can see above what you do, you hold the weights by your side like the first picture, then move then straight back til you feel it in the triceps.

And finally, 5 push-ups and 10 sit-ups (I did sit-ups with the stability ball, but you can do any kind really).

Circuit Two (Do This Twice Through)

One Leg-Lunges, 10 Times Per Leg (Do 10 reps where you the right leg is in back and moving up and down, then 10 reps where the left leg is in back and moving up and down - see picture above for what the exercise should look like)

Sliding Lunge, 10 Times Per Leg (We used Gliders for this, but I bet if you just took your shoes off, your socks would allow you to slide your back leg in the same way - basically, you take a regular lunge position, and then slide your back leg all the way back like in the pic above, and them slide it forward again). For more info on how to do a lunge slide, go to: http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/l/blglideresist.htm.

Bicycle crunches (see earlier post on ab workouts)- 15 Crunches

Squats - 10

Circuit Three (Do This Just Once)

5 Push-Ups

20 High-knee kicks or 20 Jumping Jacks (something cardio related)

5 Push-Ups

15 Kicks or Jumping jacks

5 Push-Ups

10 Kicks or Jumping Jacks

This may seem like a lot, but I promise it all fits into an hour, and the time goes by quickly since you're constantly moving around (we just took breaks in between the circuits).

Food Recap - Jan. 6th

2009-01-07T17:29:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:
Apple - 1 point

Lunch:
Salad - fat free italian dressing, lettuce, veggies, black beans & cheese - 5 points

Dinner:
Green Giant Microwave Steamer (it's broccoli, rice & cheese, so yummy) - 6 points

Snacks:
Goldfish - 4 points
Pirate's Booty - 4 points

I really shouldn't be using as many points on snacks as I do on real food, but I mean,cutting out snacks entirely just doesn't work for me -so at least I have been doing well on points lately, I am really proud to be sticking to a much healthier diet and workout plan (I am almost down to 175 pounds for the first time since 2006, I am SO excited to be almost there, only one pound away!My ultimate wedding goal is 165 which I think is definitely doable, I mean, I'd love to be 155, but I am trying to be realistic here people!)

New Weight-Loss Show: DietTribe

2009-01-06T00:00:00.005-05:00

So, I definitely judged when I first heard the radio ads for Lifetime's DietTribe - I mean, the title itself is already pretty ridiculous. However, I watched the first episode tonight and thought it was pretty good. It's about five overweight friends all trying to lose 30 pounds in 90 days.

They have a personal trainer, but they are on their own other than that (I think people somehow imagine a personal trainer just makes you fit magically, and I also used to be one of those people who said "Oh, well, if I had a personal trainer/nutritionist, I would be fit too!" - but I mean, you have to sit there and do the hard work - and for me at least, I only go once a week, so the other 6 days, and for all the nutrition aspects, I am on my own). So, I like that it is much more like what people deal with in real life as compared to the Biggest Loser. Anyways, it's a fun thing to watch if you're into reality tv!

Food Recap - Jan. 5th

2009-01-05T23:56:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:
1/2 Apple - 1 point

Lunch:
Fresh Express Ensalada Supreme - 5 points

Dinner:
Fresh Express Ensalada Supreme - 5 points

Snacks:
Pirate's Booty Organic White Cheddar Popcorn - 4 points
Cracker Crisps - 3 points

Exercise: Elliptical for 30 minutes/350 Calories; 20 minutes of strength training

Food Recap - Jan. 4th

2009-01-05T23:50:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:
My adorable fiance made me breakfast, and it was healthy too! (I feel like having a healthy/fit fiance is nice when you're trying to lose weight, but I really hated it in those times I weighed more than him!)

Omelette w/ Egg Beaters, Red Peppers, Broccoli & Low-fat cheese & veggie sausage - 5 points
2 Pieces Light Toast - 1 point (yes, seriously, I found white bread with only 40 calories per piece!)

Lunch:
Subway Veggie Wrap w/Swiss Cheese & Mustard - 10 points (now, I must say, this was surprisingly high, much higher than I thought, especially since I got mustard instead of southwest sauce or whatever; but apparently the wraps at Subway have 7 points just for the wrap itself, yikes - I won't make that mistake again, I'll get the regular bread!)

Dinner:
Fresh Express Ensalada Supreme (this is quickly becoming my favorite meal!) - 5 points

Snacks:
Cracker Crisps - 3 points

Exercise: I ran again today, and I not only ran a mile again, but I cut my time down by 25 seconds in just one day - yay! I also did strength training after that :)

Food Recap - January 3rd

2009-01-04T09:30:00.002-05:00

Breakfast
Egg White & Vegetable Omelette - 4 points
Home Fries - 5 points

Lunch
Fresh Express Ensalada Supreme - 5 points (this is so so good - it's a healthy version of taco salad, and the pack comes with everything - cheese, sour cream salsa dressing, tortilla strips, etc. - to put on the salad).

Dinner
Boloco Buffalo Burrito (definitely not healthy, but ya gotta cheat sometimes!) - 10 points

Exercise: Running 1 mile!! (this was only like 100 calories of exercise, but I just wanted to see if I could do it, so that was all I did for the day)

One Mile at a Time

2009-01-04T09:17:00.003-05:00

On Friday, like I mentioned, I decided to try some running just to switch things up. I generally have always been terrible at running - it makes my heart rate go up really fast, and it gives my stomach cramps, and no matter how much people said I would get used to it if i just did it enough, it didn't happen. I have done the treadmill for like an hour before, but that was like walk 1 minute, run 1 minute - the furthest I had actually consistently run without stopping was like 1/4 mile. So on Friday, I did "run" a mile - but it was a walk/run situation, so I only really ran 1/2 mile, and not all at once either.

Anyways, so I went to the gym yesterday and decided that perhaps the walk/run thing just wasn't helping me at all, and I needed to just go for it. I got on the treadmill, set it at 5 mph, and then, somehow, I just ran a mile. I have no idea how I did it, b/c I have tried this many times before and never gotten even to a 1/2 mile. But somehow it just happened, and I was very proud of myself - no stopping, no walking - I am going to try to see if I can keep increasing this :) I think the whole walk/run thing actually makes it harder for me personally, because once I slow down, it's so hard to get going again.

Food Recap - Jan. 2nd

2009-01-03T14:19:00.002-05:00

Breakfast:
Broccoli, Cheese & Egg White Omelete - 4 points
Home Fries - 6 points

Lunch:
Veggie Maki Roll - 5 points

Dinner:
PF Chang's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps (yumm - I would eat these every night if possible! They are truly delicious and nutritious!) - 5 points

Snacks:
WW Ice Cream Sandwich - 2 points

Activity: (I realized I should add this in too, since WW lets you eat more if you exercise and gain "exercise points) - I actually ran today, shocking I know - I did the elliptical for 30 minutes, and then Andrew pushed me to very slowly run a mile, I am going to try it again today so I can truly run the whole thing eventually at like a 5 mph pace.

Food Recap - Jan. 1st

2009-01-02T15:09:00.003-05:00

Ahh, the first day of a new year, perfect time to start being diligent about my diet! (especially since my dress fitting is at the end of January!). I am proud, because I already went shopping and gots lots of healthy food; and I even made a new WW recipe last night :)

Breakfast:
Egg Whites & Tomatoes - 3 points
Roasted Potatoes - 4 points

Lunch
Mediterranean Salad Mix - 3 points

Dinner:
Weight Watchers Vegetable Quesadillas - 3 points
(I can't find this recipe online, but I'll copy if from my book later on today, I promise!)

Snacks:
Lay's Cracker Crisps - 4 points
Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwich (so yummy, you can get them in the frozen foods) - 2 points

So, 19 points, pretty good for starting a new year :) I was a bit wary of the quesadilla recipe when I realized that all they had was veggies, flour & milk and no cheese, but I thought they were really good - they have a little kick since they have cayenne and green chilis; and for a whole quesadilla, it's only 3 points!

Lunch in a Bag

2009-01-01T15:08:00.003-05:00

One of the hardest things for me to do diet-wise is to find something to eat for lunch besides frozen meals - while Lean Cuisine & WW meals are low in calories, they often have lots of salt and really not very nutritious or filling (that's not to say I don't eat them, but I am really trying my best to cut down!). I actually like salad, if it has more than just plain lettuce, but I almost always buy it out somewhere, b/c it is way too much trouble to keep enough ingredients for salad at your house, and to use them before they go bad.

So this week I decided to try out the pre-packaged salads from the store that already come with dressing, toppings, etc. (they're made by Fresh Express, you'll find them by the bagged lettuce in the vegetable section). Today I tried the Mediterranean Supreme, which has spinach (much better for you than the iceberg lettuce, which has little nutrition), a 3-cheese blend, foccacia croutons and honey dijon dressing. Since I had them around, and veggies are 0 points on Weight Watchers, I added snow peas and bell pepper as well. The best part is, for an entire 1/2 bag, it's 150 calories - that includes the cheese, dressing, croutons, etc. So even if you ate the whole bag of it, that's 300 calories - and I thought it was really yummy, and cheaper and easier than me going out to buy a salad somewhere.

New Cookbook/Website Find: Hungry Girl

2009-01-01T15:02:00.005-05:00

My mom bought me this book for Christmas, and it is based on the popular http://www.hungry-girl.com/, a site that gives out tons of recipes and diet tips totally free. The best thing is, it's written by a lady who is not a doctor, nutritionist, chef, etc. - it's just her own personal super simple recipes for healthy versions of almost anything out there - eggs benedict, pizza, cake, nachos, etc. I especially love it because, although she is not a vegetarian, she is a big proponent of fake meat as a healthy alternative to regular meat, so she uses it in quite a few recipes.

I haven't made anything out of it yet, but my mom has and has loved everything so far. The best thing is, compared to Weight Watchers, you need far less ingredients and cooking skills, so if you just want to make something simple & healthy without going to the store for 10 new spices, this seems great! I am currently writing out my weekly food plan, and am going to be trying some new WW recipes as well as some Hungry Girl recipes this week, so I will report back on all of them! (one of my new years resolutions is to try to stay away from frozen dinners & other processed foods, and make more things myself).