Lulu201's Healthy Living Log (comments welcome!)

[Strings]

Wow Erin, I'm sorry you had such a hard week. You sure have come out of it though. That 2 hour walk sounds like a killer. I'm impressed. You are making so many good decisions lately. The house, the cost of the gym, and WW. I know you'll make the right decisions for yourself. I'm proud of you.
Have a great day
Beth

 

[A1A1]

Way to go with the 7 mile walk. It is such a great distance, coupled with a great time. You will definitely be prepared for the 1/2 marathon in January. Who knows, you may be ready for the full!

You sound so resolved. You seem to have managed your D-zone and have come out the other side unscathed. Great for you. I don't have cable tv, and have to have it in order to get any channels on the tv. I am going to get it now with all this talk of running during commercials. What a great idea! It is brutal just looking at a wall. Good dance music gets me going. Only thing is, most cd's mix it up with a balld here and there. I have to skip those, because I notice my pace going so slowly I could be walking backward.

Have a great day/week, and thank you for your support.

 

[septbride2002]

Erin girl - you are rockin! Good for you! Dh and I were going to walk tonight but it is down in the 20's and just way to cold to do that. We may have to join the YMCA. thank goodness we have all spring, summer, and fall to train for the marathon. Once it warms up we are going to be super dedicated.

I know you are going to add a day to your bear today - I just feel it!

~Amanda

 

[honeymo78]

Erin - I just checked out some of your journal after seeing how much encouragement you've been giving Doreen. Let me just say that you are an amazing woman! You rock! 7 miles at one time is just wonderful. Sometimes I struggle with just a mile at 3.0 but I understand it is something you have to work up to. I can't wait to see you reach your weight and fitness goals!

Keep up the great work.

 

[lulu201]

Thanks, everyone, stopping by! When I accomplish the long distance walks in my training program, I feel like celebrating and when I come to my journal and read that Doreen, Mare, A, Beth, Amanda, and Stephanie have visited during the day--it's like a party! Thanks, guys. I appreciate your encouragement and positive .

So, I'm off into the day.

1. Exercise--DAY OF REST! Just my usual teaching schedule.
2. Water--gotta drink lots.
3. Points--I'm going to stay within 24-26.
4. Coffee--Bought green tea yesterday, so I have no excuses not to stop after my morning cup.
5. Vitamins--I'll take 'em, I'll take 'em.

That's the plan; now I just have to do it!

Erin

 

[DoeWDW]

Good morning, Lulu!

You've got your plans in place and will have a well-earned day of rest from your exercise! I bet you'll get lots of movement in with your students today - exercise disguised as fun!

I've just gotten some new decaf green tea with peach flavor - I'm anxious to try it today. What flavor are you drinking these days?

Have a wonderful Tuesday, WISH-sis! :happy1:

 

[marsh0013]

hey erin!

i'm so impressed by your 7 mile walk! and at a great pace too! you are well on your way to being ready for the half marathon. how exciting!

and the plan for today sounds like a good one. you can stick to it, and have a cheat free day for sure! have a great day!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Woo, you've been a busy bee haven't you? 7 miles of walking? I'm impressed! I was telling Beth that I'm going to pick up a WATP this weekend. You guys are inspiring me to get moving!

 

[lulu201]

1/21 Happy Wednesday!

Plans are as follows:

1. Vitamins--they're laid out on the counter, I'll take them before I go to work.
2. Exercise--walked three miles on the treadie this a.m., 45.30
3. Points--With AP, I'm going to try to maintain 26. S.F. jello is in the fridge for tonight.
4. Water--32 oz. gone so far
5. Coffee--working on it now. Green tea this afternoon.

I like how I feel getting that walk done early (5:45-6:30); I'm going to try to do that on Friday, too. It's just best to get it out of the way! It's all much nicer since I'm not going into the garage.

The Whoosh Fairy has been to my house; Doe-Doe, I'm sending her your way next. Watch for her, OK? I'm going to go ahead and post today's weight for no other reason than I'm happy about it and don't want to wait until Monday. I do vow, though, not to change my clippie until Monday a.m. at my regular weigh-in.

Onward and Downward! Step by step, pound by pound.

 

[Strings]

Hello Whoosh Fariy! She is y favorite fairy at the moment. You are doing a great job exercising. I admire your dedication. Erin what kind of green tea do you drink? I need to get off the coffee/ caffinated black tea.

 

[DoeWDW]

Bye-Bye Pounds!!

I can see why you were happy with the scale this morning! Good for you, Erin!! I'll be watchin' for the whooshin' at my house soon!! I'll be so excited to see you wearing that beautiful new clippie on Monday morning!!

Also, congrats on getting your walking finished early! I really must get back into the routine of early AM exercise - thanks for the reminder of how good I feel when I get it done early!

Have a fabulous day, skinny Lulu!!

 

[ZerasPride]

Wow Erin, you are doing so well. I couldn't even imagine walking 7 miles! You will be in such good shape for the marathon. You sound so excited in your posts. I think it's catching! Knowing you are up early getting your work out in will help me get up out the bed tomorrow and not hug my pillow like I did this morning!

Keep it up, you are an inspiration!

 

[lulu201]

It was a really good day, but I am BEAT! This will be me in a few minutes, I hope: zzzzzzz, but I had to stop in here first and wrap up the day.

I'm taking my pedometer off my jeans and it says: 14,110. That was with my 3 mile walk this morning, of course, but still it was a busy day. I only got 7900 yesterday. Monday, with the 7 miler, was 19,000+ . One day it said something unbelievable like 24000, and I knew the setting had to be wrong. Sure enough it was, so I put it back on the least sensitive. Now THAT would've been something!

Food-wise, the day was great. I borrowed 1.5 from the bank, yesterday 0 from the bank, and Monday 3. So, I'm at 30.5 out of 35. I can live with that. Tomorrow, because it's my day off from walking, I'm going to keep my points low--no withdrawals from the bank. It's amazing what life is like on the other side of the D-Zone. The cravings are gone. Everything is easier in life. Truly.
It's a wonderful thing to come out on the other side! Thank goodness you understand what I'm talking about, Doreen. There are so many days that I feel we're standing in almost the same pair of shoes!

Hey, Beth, thanks for stopping in--I'm drinking a green tea cocktail these days: one bag mint plus one bag ginseng. I LOVE my coffee, but I've been trying to cut back in the afternoons.
It's not good for my skin OR my nerve endings. I work long days and I need the caffeine boost in the afternoon, so at tea time, I make myself a little pot and enjoy. Doreen says that she has peach, though. That sounds so good--I bet it smells delish, too. I'm going to try that next.

Lisa, I don't ever think I'm an inspiration--it seems I struggle so sometimes! You, on the other hand, are making it seem effortless; YOU are inspiring ME! Uhh, and I hate to mention this. You're going to have to be the one getting up early tomorrow. It's MY day to hug the pillow. You workout extra hard so it's good for both of us, OK? Oh, definitely do some of those FIRM abs for me. A good rep of 10 will be enough to start.

OK, I'm changing the bear and hitting the sack.

Love to all,
Erin

 

[marsh0013]

yaaaaay erin! those steps are great, and good job with staying in your points! a few flex never hurt anybody! and you've got so many left for the week, i can see this week working out very very nicely for you

enjoy your extra rest tomorrow! you've earned it

 

[lulu201]

Good morning, everyone. I'm running out the door this morning, so I only have time for a quick and plan for the day.

1. Vitamins--done.
2. Coffee--working on it.
3. Water--will drink at least two full mugs.
4. Points--I'm thinking 24. I still haven't lowered myself down to the 22 point range; I'm going to stay where I am unless I plateau.
AP? I'll check my steps and see; if I'm looking high, I might slide myself an activity point.
5. Exercise-- I'm off the treadie today. Tomorrow is a 4 miler.

Marcia, where can I find that WW fudge and chocolate chip muffin recipe? Sounds yummy.

OK, I'm headed into a day of children, music, and smiles.

Erin

 

[DoeWDW]

Good morning, WISH-sis!

All those steps are lookin' good! I figured it would take me 30,000 steps to walk the half marathon - you walked practically half that today!! We are gonna be so ready for that half!!

Glad to hear the D-Zone is just a memorie for a few weeks! I'm right behind you, walking in your footsteps!

Walk tall and proud, WISH-sis! You are living a healthy life!!

 

[Strings]

Good riddance D-Zone! I'm glad you're feeling better. You did a great job on those steps. WOW! Keep up the great work, and enjoy your extra snooze.
Beth

 

[marsh0013]

hey erin, i got the recipes from ww online. i'll post them here for you

chocolate marshmallow fudge

POINTS® value | 2
Servings | 36
Preparation Time | 10 min
Cooking Time | 5 min
Level of Difficulty | Easy

desserts | This chocolate treat is quick and easy to make. And the best part is that it doesn't require fancy candy-making equipment!

Ingredients
1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
14 large marshmallow(s)

Instructions
1. Coat an 8- x 8-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Stir together sugar, evaporated milk and margarine. Bring to a boil in a sauce pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in chocolate and marshmallows. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
4. Pour into pan and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into 36 squares and serve. (Leave fudge in refrigerator or freezer for a firmer consistency.)

marcia's notes: it makes pretty small pieces, but they're good for a chocolate fix. i don't really know how they compare in points to a normal piece of chocolate (hershey's or the like), so maybe it's not really worth it, but i feel better eating something that came from a ww recipe


mini chocolate-chip cookies

POINTS® value | 1
Servings | 24
Preparation Time | 10 min
Cooking Time | 20 min
Level of Difficulty | Easy

desserts | These adorable cookies will satisfy your chocolate cravings without blowing your POINTS budget.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp table salt
1 large egg white(s)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 oz chocolate chips, semi-sweet (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter, oil and brown sugar together. Add vanilla, salt and egg white, and mix together thoroughly.
3. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add chocolate chips and stir to distribute evenly.
4. Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake cookies for 4 to 6 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

marcia's notes: since the serving size was 2 cookies for 1 point, i just made 12 larger cookies instead of 24 baby ones. and they came out to a really nice size! silly me got confused when at 6 minutes, they didn't look nearly done, and my mom says "well, since you made them bigger, they'll probably take longer" duh! so i don't know the exact time they took, i just kept checking every couple of minutes. and i only ended up getting to eat a few of these. my dad and brothers had a few each. they didn't say anything about the taste till i told them it was a ww recipe, then i got a couple "oh, yeah, they weren't that sweet". oh whatever! i like them!

 

[marsh0013]

oops, silly me, you asked for the choc chip muffin, not the cookies! ok, here's the muffin recipe:

low-fat chocolate chip muffins

POINTS® value | 3
Servings | 12
Preparation Time | 15 min
Cooking Time | 38 min
Level of Difficulty | Moderate

desserts | Share these sweet, rich muffins with a special friend. They’re perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Ingredients
1 serving cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 large egg(s)
1 large egg white(s)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Separate the egg, placing the whites in a medium bowl and the yolk in a large bowl. Set the whites aside. Add the brown sugar, applesauce, oil, and vanilla to the yolk. Mix with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
4. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the whites until soft peaks form. Add to the batter along with 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Stir until well blended.
5. Divide batter equally among the 12 muffin tins. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of chocolate chips (4 to 5 chips) on top of each muffin.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in the tins then remove muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

marcia's notes: 23 minutes was waaaay too long in my oven. i took them out at about 18, and i still think they cooked a bit too long. my mom tried one and she said that she really liked it. these are pretty small, but very tasty. i have a few left that i put in the freezer, because i dind't feel like having the same thing for breakfast day after day after day. when i feel like having one, i'll just pop it in the microwave.

 

[ZerasPride]

Hi Erin,

I did do my work out this morning but it was my execise bike day. Tomorrow is FIRM cardio sculpt so I'll be thinking about you as I go up and down on the fanny lifter!

I was so excited when I saw the posting of these great recipes and realized I couldn't have the muffins, cookies or the fudge. Oh well, I'm going to be experimenting with a chocolate peanut butter recipe and some peanut butter cookies over the weekend so perhaps I'll post them if either turns out being tasty.

Keep up the great work and it's nice to have each other to lean on and inspire!