Working on Weight Loss and getting Lean!

[Creativebeth]

Yeah Cindy! Have a good time!!!!!

Beth

 

[rubato]

Cindy, you are amazing and you've got this!!!!!!!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning, Leanistas!

It is a holiday for me, but I'm at work anyway. My dh also has the day off, so I figured why burn a vacation day on a very light day? Of course, I made that assumption thinking my boss would not be in. Then she showed up about 45 minutes after I did. I'm hoping she'll leave at noon so I can get some good DISing in, but right now I'm just taking a short break. It is April School vacation week in MA, so many, many people have the week or portions of it off. That means generally lighter days, since people who I need to deal with are not working. I'm off Thursday and Friday, so those will be harder days for me to DIS -- gotta entertain ds, he's already requested we play Scrabble. He does Wii with his dad, I'm the parent for the quieter games and puzzles.

It was a good weekend for me. I walked my 6M yesterday, and got up and ran 6M this am. I overslept until almost 5, but realized with not taking ds to school and being able to eat breakfast at work, I still had time to do the full workout. I'm really glad I did! Of course, I finished and then I was thinking -- Cindy is going to run 20 more miles than I did today

My eating was great this weekend, largely due to the Challenge. I was determined to get those fruits and veggies in! I'm even feeling smaller today, so that's a good sign

Tandy -- I don't know if this will help you, but since I've started eating more at breakfast it has really helped with the night eating. I just moved about 100 calories from lunch to breakfast (my yogurt), and for some reason, it has made a big difference. I'm truly less hungry at night. Dancing sounds like so much fun! My dh avoids dancing as much as possible, so it's not something I get to do very often. I'm glad you had a blast! I'll give you the same reminder Beth gave me -- when you go down a bra size, make sure to change your exercise bras if you need to!

Beth -- I have my new food! I told dh about the extra point for trying a new food before he went grocery shopping, and he brought home Jello rice pudding. I had never had rice pudding before, so this was new! I tried it for my lunch dessert yesterday. It was only 2 pts, but I'm disappointed to say it had 0 fiber, so not much help on that front. It was a little more dense than regular Jello pudding, you could definitely tell it had something in it. I thought it was fine, but not something we will start buying since it's a fiber bust, and not a treat I think I'll ever crave. I would have probably never tried it, so thank you for the impetus to step outside of my comfort zone!

Congrats to everyone, we are all off to a fantastic start on our Challenge! And a big to Beth for gathering all our data!

Maria

 

[bunnyfoo]

Morning leanies!

Tandy - How's your knee doing today? You could try using a foam roller or a stick and using it on your IT band. I've also found hip opening exercises to be really great like kettlebell swings but you'd probably get the same benefits just by doing the movement without the weight.

Jackie - Love it when other people run and pass me! I love pacing them and trying to catch up And I agree with Tandy - can't let the stroller lady pass you! And congrats on that 3.1 lb loss! That's fantastic!!

Beth - I'll have to remember the smoothie recipe! Just curious - have you ever tried making them ahead of time? Like overnight? I usually don't have a lot of time in the morning and I hate leaving a dirty blender in the sink (I feel so irresponsible ) I was thinking that maybe I could just shake it up in my travel mug but am not sure it would be the same.

Maria - Did you watch Lost yet? What did you think? Fantastic time on your 8 miler For my dairy, I usually get in a yogurt and a Babybel cheese but I can't imagine that's enough. I'm not a fan of drinking milk so maybe I'll have to have it with dinner or breakfast.

Jeanne - Another wedding? Wow! You should be a wedding planner, you'll have enough experience at the end of the year.

Debra - My PT has me take my shoes off for deadlifts from the floor because the shoes absorb a little bit of energy as you're lifting. I guess sometimes that little bit is just enough to get the weight off the floor. Yeah, I don't know about DL either... do I want to spend the money for that medal? On the one hand, I've never been to DL but on the other hand it's going to cost me how much Well, if you need a roomie, let me know!

AFM - I made my energy/protein bars on the weekend and they turned out pretty good. DF and I halved the recipe so my half had nuts, raisins and a touch of semi-sweet chocolate chips and his had nuts, raisins and unsweetened chocolate melted throughout. Both were pretty good but his were a lot more heavy. Calorie-wise, they're close to what a Clif bar is but they have a touch more protein and definitely lower in sugar. The next time I make them, I'm going to take out the nuts and add in more protein powder. I also forgot to buy oat bran so I'll have to figure out what that is.

Tonight, I'll be doing my training session. I hope to get my push ups in there Btw, has anyone tried the 100 push up challenge? http://hundredpushups.com/index.html

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Vicky -- Well, the babybel and yogurt count as two servings for WW, so that's what I've been counting...I also add milk to my hot tea twice a day, so I get a little extra. It may not actually be enough, but I think it's not bad

The protein bars sound interesting, I'm glad you tried a couple of different ways so you could compare them.

I did watch Lost, and I think I need more Desmond I was glad Hurley and you know who got to meet again (don't want to spoil Debra!), but I thought that person looked really old -- which surprised me. I think I'm glad we're getting to the end, because I'm kind of ready to have it all wrapped up.

I cannot imagine doing 100 pushups, it is all I can manage to do 10 on my knees -- but I do try a real one each night just for Beth!

Maria

 

[rubato]

My run went well. I ended up doing a little over 3 miles in no pain (except for that darned hill). Got the pushups in. Water and fiber are going well, I just need to work on that dairy. Since my knee is feeling good, I'm going to push it and go to zumba tonight. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. At least tomorrow is just a walking day!

Vicky: I work on hips a lot. I think I just tweaked the knee. It's better now that I've taken the 2 days off, so we'll see. Your energy bars sound yummy! I looked at the 100 pushups. I would have to start at level 1. Plus, I just don't WANT to do 100 pushups!

Maria: I don't have to worry about the sports bras. They were too small to begin with. I have to buy a DD or DDD because I just couldn't find anything bigger. But, then I have to take them over to the sewing machine and make the band smaller. So, they are very customized! They are actually starting to fit the way they should.
My hubby and I have the same setup for our son. I don't play video games, but I'll play board games and cards. I am also in charge of making my son run when he doesn't have school. Needless to say, that love didn't get passed down. I have to fight him to get a mile out of him!


Tandy

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I am also in charge of making my son run when he doesn't have school. Needless to say, that love didn't get passed down. I have to fight him to get a mile out of him!

You made me , I'm glad it's not just me! My ds doesn't want to run at all, and he has the perfect runner's body -- lean and long legs. Irony is just something, isn't it?!

Maria

 

[Creativebeth]

Well, here's a proper posting! I just came in early to send my to Cindy! Been thinking about her this morning!

Maria: You are doing a fine job at this challenge. I feel the love! Good for you trying something new.....even if it wasn't a winner. It's good to step out of the box sometimes, and not get into a rut! Good workout this morning too! Feeling thinner is the BEST! It's almost better than losing weight....you carry the thin feeling with you all day! Thank you for trying a standard push up for me, I appreciate all your efforts! (thank your dh for me for the support with the Challenge!)

Tandy: Glad your run went well!

Vicky: Your bars sound yummy! I don't premix the smoothie cause I like the frozen feeling with a just mixed one. I use a hand blender that is super easy to clean! I am sure that if you kept the smoothie in the fridge it would be fine to drink the next morning. I should try it out and let you know!

AFM: I got up extra early today and got 7 miles in this morning. The one thing I noticed from that though is intense thirst and I was extremely hungry before 12 today! That extra mile really had me starving! (good or bad? Not sure!)

I got 48 miles in last week! Not bad! The extra miles in the morning sure do help the totals!

Beth

 

[Hockeychic]

Hi gang sorry I am here just extremely busy weekend. Also have kept to all my workouts. I am loving the P90X.

Can anyone bring me up to speed how is eveyrone doing? I hope to be able to read the posts later but just wanted to check in before everyone thought I jumped ship.

 

[Creativebeth]

Kim: I need your weigh in for last Friday....I put all the totals in one post for the first week and I am missing your information.

Beth

 

[rubato]

Good morning everybody!

Kim: Good to see you back and good job on sticking with the P90X!

Beth: Amazing miles last week! When is your marathon? I'm sure you've posted it before, I'm just scatterbrained. I have a question about the new food. Is that once daily or once a week? I think I can manage once a week, but daily, there's no way!

Maria: My son is not built for running. He's tall, but he's not lean at all. He's stocky. His dad is built like that too. But, over the winter, I had him on the treadmill, and, to get his mile done as quick as possible, he was running at 6 and 7 mph! I forced him to be in the running club at school, but I think he walks at least half the time. Must just be the age. At least I know I am not alone!

Cindy: Well? How did you do? We're anxiously awaiting the news.

AFM: I did go to zumba last night and had so much fun. And, my instructor is taking over the Wednesday class from the teacher that's no good, so I have options now! I'm trying for a 6 to 8 mile walk today. I need to lift as well.

Eating was great yesterday. I lost 1 of the 2 pounds that I gained.
And, Beth, you would be proud. I have done my pushups everyday and none on my knees. I have a hard time after about 5, but I'm doing it!

Have a wonderful day!
Tandy

 

[Hockeychic]

Oppss sorry Beth, I was the same no gain or loss

 

[Creativebeth]

Tandy: The extra point is only once this week for a new recipe or new food. WTG with the push-ups! I have done them too, but 1/2 of them on my knees!

Kim: Weigh-in are on Fridays, but it's fine to post it any time over the weekends!

AFM: Well, I made a new recipe last night. I got the new cookbook by Rocco Despardo (sp?) who has created healthy ways to prepare 150 comfort foods. I made his brownies. They had no flour at all.....he uses black beans! Each brownie was only about 50 calories.....and the boys liked them! Needless to say they know nothing about the black beans! The are high in fiber too!

I got up and ran 6 this morning....really wanted 7, but ran out of time!

I made a new pancake recipe too, and am having them the mornings I work. They have oatmeal, cornmeal, and whole wheat flour in them. They are really good!

Beth

 

[deekaypee]

Strange, I thought I'd posted this weekend. I guess it was something I meant to do....

First, WTG Cindy on Boston! And Happy Birthday!!!

Second, congrats to everyone on the BL. What a great week you all had.

Jackie: Fabulous job on running 3.5 miles without stopping. Your mind just needed that challenge! You just listen to your masseuse when it comes to rest days.

Beth: Wow, for YOUR massage. It does sound like a torture session. But I assume it hurt "so good." WTG with getting your fiber intake in, with grams to spare! Oh, and ITA with what you say about the challenge--it brings in new ideas, helps us tweak things we know we should do, and keeps us all in a healthy state of awareness (or is that a state of awareness regarding healthy living?).

Yay for your 7 miles yesterday, but I wonder about the intense thirst? I can't imagine you went into your run dehydrated? And 48 miles for the week? I've heard of black bean brownies and keep meaning to try them!

Jeanne: Ah, the demands of the Mii. Our avatars certainly are needy! So, you've got a trifecta going with the weddings. I say go for broke and get all four in! (And you really would be broke, then.)

Vicky: There are times when the hardest thing about the BL challenge seems to be keeping track! (I'm not very organized.) I imagine, though, that you are getting all your fiber in. Your diet seems very healthy.

Did you do a taste comparison between your half of the bars and DF? I'm wondering if the difference in taste was substantial with the unsweetened chocolate? Less sugar for a bar is always good. I keep meaning to rejoin the 100 push-up challenge--I'll start it, then drop it as its seems like it will take me forever. I think I need a long-tail plan.

Cindy: Oh, the expo sounds like it was fun! I hope the race was as well.

Maria: Fabulous on your miles & your time. I hope you're so proud of all you're accomplishing! And you've got a fabulous weight loss, too! I'd think that, given your activity level, 20 points is more what you want to shoot for with WW? Oh, that your DS requests Scrabble play just tickles my fancy!

Vicky & Maria: Caught up with Lost. I thought she looked old too, and now she's on House! I'll be happy to have things wrapped up, as the more they "reveal" the less interested I am. I think Lost broke its word on what the show was/wasn't about. Beyond that quibble, which really is me being persnickety, it's now all wrap-ups of character stories. It feels like it's winding down, you know?

Tandy: Baby that knee for now, with short runs (and no hills if you can get away with it). Better to pull back on running a bit & avoid injury over the long haul. Women's knees are particularly susceptible to injury. I do think the dancing contributed to the pain. Maybe some overuse? I'm doing the up and down with the weight, too, but I figure as long as more stays off than comes back on, I'm good.

Kim: YAY for being here! I hope all is well, and that you're just busy, busy, busy!

AFM: Well, I got a 3 miles Saturday and today, a pittance compared to you all. It's hard, though, as I'm not hungry yet and am forcing myself to eat. I have gained back about .5 pound from the weight loss from last week's illness, probably because I'm not working out as much as I do normally. But I gain a little stamina every day, so I'm hopeful.

My new food/dish will be something with shirataki noodles & tofu. Usually I just order take out, seeing as I live less than a block from 3 Asian food places, but I'm hoping for something tasty & low-cal.

And I have to share this NY Times article: "Weighing the Evidence on Exercise." It says that exercise makes women hungry but not men, necessarily. How unfair!

Oh, the DOOD thing. I probably shouldn't have dumped on you all, as I kind of know it's a "man" thing to do. But it's so frustrating. No, Maria, he didn't go straight from his mom's care to mine. He'd lived on his own (and with other women) many years. When I met him, DOOD not only cooked fabulous meals but made homemade goodies to share with everyone. When we live apart every summer, his bachelor pad is spotless when I visit. He's very capable of doing things to maintain the household. He just doesn't do most of them any more. Probably mostly because I'll do things since I work mostly from home. (Full disclosure: he will microwave his meals – we don't eat the same foods/same meal times most nights. He'll also vacuum, iron his own shirts, and make the bed on occasion.) I'm just surprised and less than happy that the 50-50 split we had at one time isn't anywhere close to that anymore.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning, Lovely Lean Ladies!

It's yoga day, so nothing to report from this morning. I did change my eating plan a little since I need to have an early lunch before yoga. Instead of have chips and hostess cupcakes after yoga, I'm going to have a Kashi bar. I figure it has to be somewhat better, even if it's one less gram of fiber...

My dh is taking ds to see "Diary of Wimpy Kid" today. I'm actually thrilled, this means I have an excuse to take him to see "Alice in Wonderland". DH would never take him, and we have alot of time to fill to entertain him this week.

I'm also toying with changing up my routine for the weekend, doing my 8M Friday am instead of Saturday since I have the day off. It might be a little dicey coming off of two days of 6M running, but it would also give me a day to really sleep in and relax, I'd just add something light in later Saturday. I guess we'll see how I feel when I get up Friday.

Debra -- I know this may not be the time, and you can always grumble here -- but if you want a 50/50 split in household duties you're going to have to point it out and ask for it. After 17 years of marriage, one thing I've learned is that if I don't ask, it's not ever going to happen. It sounds like he just might need a gentle, loving nudge (after you explain what you want him to do -- hinting probably won't get you anywhere) Thanks for the heads up about our Birthday Girl!

Cindy -- I hope you can celebrate as you recover from Boston!

Kim -- Maintaining is highly underrated, you kept a gain away!

Beth -- Those brownies sound good, and I love that the kids ate them! How is baseball season treating you? I hope you are still having plenty of time for your evening workouts.

Tandy -- Great news on the Zumba front! I think that when you take a fitness class the instructor can really make or break it, I'm glad you are about to have more options. My ds also has his father's build -- fat takes one look at him and backs away. It's very sad. My dh eats three times what I do and weighs 20 lbs less...I'm working on that, though!

Jeanne -- If you're going to have one more wedding, I think this one should be at WDW!

Jackie -- You are getting some great endurance, I hope you are proud of all you have accomplished!

to Vicky! -- Hope you are having a Terrific Tuesday!

No one was in my office when I arrived today, so I was able to walk laps for an hour before anyone showed up. It's nice to get a little extra movement in. I am really thinking about doing the Princess next year. DH put the kibosh on the DL Half (too soon with too many other financial obligations), but seems more amenable to me doing the Princess. Anyone else contemplating?

Maria

 

[bunnyfoo]

Good morning ladies!

Cindy - Happy birthday! Hope today is a relaxing day for you! Can't wait to hear all the details about your race

Maria - When I'm training for a race, Friday is usually my rest day. Is 8 miles your LR? I'd imagine you could do it since a LR tends to be a slightly easier pace than the other days of training. My favourite Kashi bar is the dark chocolate cherry Yum! I also discovered last month that Starbucks is making dark chocolate cherry drinks when the barista came by and offered me a sample of a dark chocolate cherry frappacino. This was before I started the no sugar diet. Boy was that good! I think about the Princess 1/2 every year but it's so close to the January races ... but it would be cheaper than going to DL... Hmm...

Debra - I clicked on the NY Times link and noticed that the article on exercise and weight loss is the most popular story of the day. And the 2nd most popular story of the day is a recipe for Pad Thai Do you have a Japanese take-out/restaurant near you? Soba noodles are pretty good - there are a couple of places near my office that make a really great vegetarian soba noodle soup. They use daikon (a radish-like veggie that's supposedly good for digesting starchy meals), mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers, tofu, radishes etc. I was also going to suggest sashimi but that's not going to work

I liked my bars better I thought the chocolate flavour was a little over powering - they were actually very similar to the chocolate almond fudge bar that Clif makes. I'd tell DF to melt the chocolate on the bottom for next time but I think he likes the flavour. I'll post the recipe for the bars later tonight.

Beth - You're going to have to share your pancake recipe! I love pancakes I found a 10 grain pancake mix but it's not cheap I forgot about the extra point for new foods and recipe. I guess mine for the week would be the energy bars and I bought some asparagus to try. It was actually pretty good. I also started eating blackberries. Those are yummy too but the stores need to sell them in bigger containers!

Tandy - WTG on losing the pound!! I think it's great that you put your son into the running club. I wish my parents would have encouraged me to be more active, especially in a group or team sport.

Kim - Glad to hear you're keeping up with PX90! You are going to be super fit by the time we get together in September! WTG!

AFM - The eating has been going well - I don't miss sugar as much as I thought it would. Sometimes it gets a little bit annoying though like when I'm trying to decide where to eat out. Like this weekend, I would love to go to an Indian restaurant but a lot of their foods (well, the ones I like anyway) are fried and I love naan - no surprise there Actually, it's not easy to find places that serve alternatives to or don't have fried foods, rice, bread or that have whole wheat pasta.

Worked out at the gym with Darryl and my PT again - did a ton of metabolic exercises again which were pretty tiring because I had the extra set of something in between and fewer rest breaks. At one point, we were doing dynamic planks and my PT tells me to do 8 sets while Darryl gets to do 4. Darryl looks over and says "You're wishing you had the 4?" And I said "No, it's a compliment that I get the 8"

No plans for tonight except for Lost - will get in my pushups during Biggest Loser.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Cindylou]

Hello Leaners.

I wanted to post a quick race report. I'm trying to fit a nap in between my massage and dinner out tonight, so it might be brief.

I got to the Athletes' Village about 2 hrs before my starting time. Spent 30 minutes in line for the porta potty. Chatted with a nice man from NC. The AV was amazing. Just tons of people everywhere. The time passed quickly between people watching and another porta potty line. About 1/2 hr before the start headed towards the chutes. Had to drop my finish line bag off and walk 0.7 miles to the start, so with the crowds, I didn't get there until 5 minutes before the gun. It was good because I didn't have much time to get nervous. The gun went off, it took 2 minutes to get to the start ( I was 7 corrals back). But once we got to the starting line I was able to run my pace right away since everyone in my corral qualified with a similar time. The sun was out at the start and it seemed very hot running. Luckily the clouds came for miles 8.5 to 18. The first 1/2 mile is down hill so several times I had to tell myself to slow down since I was at 8:45 pace. Everybody tells you to run the first half slower than you think you should or else you pay for it in the hills in the second half. I knew this, but just couldn't seem to practice it. Every time I'd try to slow down some little kid would give you a high five, or someone would call out your name (I had mine on my shirt) and before you knew it you were running fast again. I went thru the half way point doing 9 minute miles. My legs were already tired, so I knew I would be suffering at the end. After 15 miles the hills start I really started slowing down at this point. I spent most of the last half of the race looking at my feet and just wishing I was done. I knew I wasn't going to quit, but I was so extremely miserable. I didn't want to walk at all because I knew that would just slow me down and make be out there longer, so I did run every step of the way. I'm glad I had my name on my shirt, because the cheers I got over the last 6 miles helped me to the finish. I can't help but feel a little disappointed in my race. I finished in 4:17:11 which would have been OK if I felt I ran a smarter race. The one goal I had was to run a smart race so that I wouldn't be miserable for the last half of the race. I did just what I didn't want to do. I'm hoping that in a few days I can just think about the positives of this race and let my negative feelings diminish so this ends up being a happy memory and not a disappointment.

Well I guess this didn't end up as a quick post after all.

Congratulations to all of you who are doing so well with the challenge.
Have a great day.
Cindy

 

[Creativebeth]

Cindy:Now I am so glad you stopped here to tell us about the race. DO NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!! You actually ran the Boston Marathon! Good lord woman! We are all so proud of you, you have no idea. No race will be perfect.....you knew what you wanted to do, but it didn't work out perfectly. Who cares. You finished in a great time, with the crowds shouting for you. That is a moment to bottle and remember forever. There are so many of us that can only dream of those moments. You lived it. What percentage of runners will never run Boston????? A great many!

Consider this your head slap by Beth! (we, in my family, call it the Dinozo from NCIS). And to top it all off, it's your BIRTHDAY!!!

Now is the time to celebrate all your accomplishments!!!! I am so proud of you!

Beth

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Cindy -- What Beth said! What an amazing accomplishment! You did it! Enjoy your birthday and please be happy with having run the Boston Marathon!
And be sure to have something you really enjoy at dinner tonight, although I hope you are smiling so much you barely have time to take a bite!

Maria

 

[rubato]

Well, I wrote out a whole post and, then, my computer locked up. Hopefully, I can remember what I wrote.

Cindy: You ran the Boston Marathon! Please don't beat yourself up about it. I made the same mistake you did in my half. Of course, it was just a half! You did great! You are amazing and everyone of us looks up to you for even attempting it! And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Vicky: It sounds like you are doing great with the gym and with eating. Good job on the workout!

Maria: Yah, extra workouts! I love when I get to sneak on extra walk or something in!
My hubby feels like you do. I eat double what he does, and he's 100 pounds more than me. Of course, unlike you, he doesn't do any physical activity at all. You work hard, so it must be frustrating to be married to someone who has no worries. My husband was giving me a hard time on the night of my half because I ate 2 entire boxes of donuts. I just told him to come back and talk to me when he runs 13.1 miles! He shut up quick!

I think you could definately change the long run to Friday. As long as you wake up feeling like it. I've rearranged my schedule many times. I have had to put the long run off until Sunday and then, in a few weeks, move it up to Friday. I like that better, because then I'm a day ahead.

Debra: I'm glad you've been able to run. Don't worry that it's not up to your old distances yet. At least you weren't in bed feeling horrible! I hope you get your appetite back soon. Not good to not eat!

And, don't worry. We weren't picking on DOOD. It's just that we can all sympathize with you because we've all been there!

Beth: You are just going to town on these new recipes! Good for you! I've got a new one all lined up for dinner. I got a salmon/lentil recipe out of Runners World that looks healthy and tasty. We'll see if I ever get around to it though, because we have baseball every day this week! Ugh!!!!

Don't beat yourself up about missing a mile of that run. We all run out of time once in awhile!

AFM: Got a 6 mile walk in. The dog pooped out, or I would have gone for 8. I also got the weight lifting in. Thank goodness, because I just dread it!
I got a really nice compliment last night. Someone new came to our zumba class and she told me that she recognized me as the woman that walks her dog everywhere and runs all the time. Then, she told me that I was really fit and looked great! I'm glad my hard work has paid off. Now, if I can just drop these last pounds, it's all good!

Tandy