Clarifying the Size-0 Issue

I wanted to clarify the size 0 issue a bit. I really don't want to sound like I'm tooting that horn, because I'm not, and it's not the point. It's back to the 80/10/10 principle. This philosophy has been around as long as bodybuilding has (and fyi, the Eat Clean Diet is based on this principle, though it didn't create it). 80% of how you look is defined by what you put in your mouth (your diet/food-lifestyle). 10% is genetics. 10% is exercise. Yes, you can lose weight with diet alone. No, you cannot look like Jamie Eason without exercise.

Ten years ago, I wore a size 1. I weighed 100 lbs. I was too skinny, and I was skinny-fat, to boot! I looked horrible! Now, my overweight years didn't make me look any better, but my point is this... 1 lb of muscle weighs exactly the same as 1 lb of fat, however, muscle takes up less space. A 130 lb body with low muscle mass will look completely different from a 130 lb body with a high muscle mass. Hence operation marshmallow fluff! I didn't gain weight. I lost muscle mass... and suddenly my clothes didn't fit right (or at all). Same weight, different size.

That 10% of exercise is what shapes our bodies. It's physique. This is why I work out. I could still wear a size 0 and not exercise, but I'd have to weight about 95 lbs to accomplish that... THAT isn't healthy. It's not about the size. It's about the individual body and what's best for it. It's about being healthy, even optimally healthy.  It's certainly not about what society tells us we should look like, or what size and proportions the perfect woman or man is.

Ok, soapbox sermon over. :-)

I wanted to clarify the size 0 issue a bit. I really don't want to sound like I'm tooting that horn, because I'm not, and it's not the point. It's back to the 80/10/10 principle. This philosophy has been around as long as bodybuilding has (and fyi, the Eat Clean Diet is based on this principle, though it didn't create it). 80% of how you look is defined by what you put in your mouth (your diet/food-lifestyle). 10% is genetics. 10% is exercise. Yes, you can lose weight with diet alone. No, you cannot look like Jamie Eason without exercise.

Ten years ago, I wore a size 1. I weighed 100 lbs. I was too skinny, and I was skinny-fat, to boot! I looked horrible! Now, my overweight years didn't make me look any better, but my point is this... 1 lb of muscle weighs exactly the same as 1 lb of fat, however, muscle takes up less space. A 130 lb body with low muscle mass will look completely different from a 130 lb body with a high muscle mass. Hence operation marshmallow fluff! I didn't gain weight. I lost muscle mass... and suddenly my clothes didn't fit right (or at all). Same weight, different size.

That 10% of exercise is what shapes our bodies. It's physique. This is why I work out. I could still wear a size 0 and not exercise, but I'd have to weight about 95 lbs to accomplish that... THAT isn't healthy. It's not about the size. It's about the individual body and what's best for it. It's about being healthy, even optimally healthy.  It's certainly not about what society tells us we should look like, or what size and proportions the perfect woman or man is.

Ok, soapbox sermon over. :-)

I wanted to clarify the size 0 issue a bit. I really don't want to sound like I'm tooting that horn, because I'm not, and it's not the point. It's back to the 80/10/10 principle. This philosophy has been around as long as bodybuilding has (and fyi, the Eat Clean Diet is based on this principle, though it didn't create it). 80% of how you look is defined by what you put in your mouth (your diet/food-lifestyle). 10% is genetics. 10% is exercise. Yes, you can lose weight with diet alone. No, you cannot look like Jamie Eason without exercise.

Ten years ago, I wore a size 1. I weighed 100 lbs. I was too skinny, and I was skinny-fat, to boot! I looked horrible! Now, my overweight years didn't make me look any better, but my point is this... 1 lb of muscle weighs exactly the same as 1 lb of fat, however, muscle takes up less space. A 130 lb body with low muscle mass will look completely different from a 130 lb body with a high muscle mass. Hence operation marshmallow fluff! I didn't gain weight. I lost muscle mass... and suddenly my clothes didn't fit right (or at all). Same weight, different size.

That 10% of exercise is what shapes our bodies. It's physique. This is why I work out. I could still wear a size 0 and not exercise, but I'd have to weight about 95 lbs to accomplish that... THAT isn't healthy. It's not about the size. It's about the individual body and what's best for it. It's about being healthy, even optimally healthy.  It's certainly not about what society tells us we should look like, or what size and proportions the perfect woman or man is.

Ok, soapbox sermon over. :-)

Is Rihanna Right About Size-0??

Quiet day today... Miss my girls. Got my grocery shopping done, then Joey and his roommate came by for dinner. We grilled Bison/Beef burgers (1 lb lean beef, 1 lb bison, mixed with some chili powder, Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb, and 2 tsp low sodium worcestershire sauce), then topped with pepper-jack cheese and mango salsa on a clean wheat bun, along with sweet potato fries. Tasty! :-)  Tomorrow I have a bit of work to do in the office, then I'm off for a workout with Tab (yay!!!!) and cardio, then home for laundry and food prep (I'm doing it tomorrow instead of today).  On another note...

IS RIHANNA RIGHT?  I recently saw a quote from celebrity music artist, Rihanna where she talked about body image. Maybe you've seen it. Here's what she said:  "You have to remember that it's not practical or possible for an everyday woman to look like that. Being size zero is a career in itself so we shouldn't try and be like them. It's not realistic and it's not healthy." 

Now, I'M a size zero! That made me MAD! I got up on my soapbox and poor Bill listened to me rant for several minutes before I suddenly shut up a moment then said, "Damn, she's right! Sort of." Here's why I was mad... I'm an everyday woman. I have a 9-5 job, I have a family, a life... and I wear a zero (most of the time, lol). So it angered me that she said it isn't practical or possible for an everyday woman... then I thought about what she said next... 

"Being a size zero is a career in itself..." Well, it's certainly no accident! I didn't roll out of bed one day and say, "Gosh, look at me! I'm a zero!"  I've busted my arse for several years to get and then maintain that size. I workout, a lot and very hard. I eat clean, every day. I guess you could say it's a second career for me. I know several women who are size zero's, even double zero's, and not one of them got that way without hard work and diligence (I'm not counting teeny tiny teenagers, lol).  But, I still take umbrage at the "not realistic and it's not healthy". That might be her opinion, which she is certainly entitled to, but it is realistic and it is healthy... for some women. This is the healthiest I've ever been - which has more to do with my food & fitness lifestyle than my dress size, but the dress size is a result of that lifestyle.

I am certainly not saying that every woman should aspire to the size zero. Each of us has an ideal body weight/size... it is to that which we should all strive. I've seen some very enviable bodies that couldn't possibly squeeze into a zero, and why should they? They're perfect at their current size. I've also seen some zero's that need to be a 6 (painfully thin!). It's important to note that your weight doesn't always dictate your size! I weigh more than most zeros! Significantly more! Let's talk frankly here... I'm short. I'm 5'2". I currently weigh in at 130, with 89 pounds of lean muscle mass (according to the dreaded Tanita) and I have a too-high-for-me body fat percentage. Yes, I wear a zero, sometimes a 2.  Does that mean my body is perfect? No way! The thought makes me laugh! If it was, I wouldn't be saving my pennies for a tummy tuck and boobs, lol! There are women who look amazing in a size 12, I think they look better than I do in my zero! It's all perspective, isn't it?

So I guess what my soapbox rambling is getting at is that no matter what your ideal weight/size... achieving it will require focus, dedication... action. It won't happen by accident. Is a size zero the end all, be all? Absolutely not. Should we allow the fashion industry, or society in general, to dictate what our bodies (or our daughter's bodies!) should look like? Abosfreakinlutely not! I'm pleased that beautiful women like Rihanna are speaking out regarding body image, but as with all things, I believe that balance is the key. Beauty is not a size. But... let's not toss out the size zero's with the bathwater, please :-)     

Quiet day today... Miss my girls. Got my grocery shopping done, then Joey and his roommate came by for dinner. We grilled Bison/Beef burgers (1 lb lean beef, 1 lb bison, mixed with some chili powder, Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb, and 2 tsp low sodium worcestershire sauce), then topped with pepper-jack cheese and mango salsa on a clean wheat bun, along with sweet potato fries. Tasty! :-)  Tomorrow I have a bit of work to do in the office, then I'm off for a workout with Tab (yay!!!!) and cardio, then home for laundry and food prep (I'm doing it tomorrow instead of today).  On another note...

IS RIHANNA RIGHT?  I recently saw a quote from celebrity music artist, Rihanna where she talked about body image. Maybe you've seen it. Here's what she said:  "You have to remember that it's not practical or possible for an everyday woman to look like that. Being size zero is a career in itself so we shouldn't try and be like them. It's not realistic and it's not healthy." 

Now, I'M a size zero! That made me MAD! I got up on my soapbox and poor Bill listened to me rant for several minutes before I suddenly shut up a moment then said, "Damn, she's right! Sort of." Here's why I was mad... I'm an everyday woman. I have a 9-5 job, I have a family, a life... and I wear a zero (most of the time, lol). So it angered me that she said it isn't practical or possible for an everyday woman... then I thought about what she said next... 

"Being a size zero is a career in itself..." Well, it's certainly no accident! I didn't roll out of bed one day and say, "Gosh, look at me! I'm a zero!"  I've busted my arse for several years to get and then maintain that size. I workout, a lot and very hard. I eat clean, every day. I guess you could say it's a second career for me. I know several women who are size zero's, even double zero's, and not one of them got that way without hard work and diligence (I'm not counting teeny tiny teenagers, lol).  But, I still take umbrage at the "not realistic and it's not healthy". That might be her opinion, which she is certainly entitled to, but it is realistic and it is healthy... for some women. This is the healthiest I've ever been - which has more to do with my food & fitness lifestyle than my dress size, but the dress size is a result of that lifestyle.

I am certainly not saying that every woman should aspire to the size zero. Each of us has an ideal body weight/size... it is to that which we should all strive. I've seen some very enviable bodies that couldn't possibly squeeze into a zero, and why should they? They're perfect at their current size. I've also seen some zero's that need to be a 6 (painfully thin!). It's important to note that your weight doesn't always dictate your size! I weigh more than most zeros! Significantly more! Let's talk frankly here... I'm short. I'm 5'2". I currently weigh in at 130, with 89 pounds of lean muscle mass (according to the dreaded Tanita) and I have a too-high-for-me body fat percentage. Yes, I wear a zero, sometimes a 2.  Does that mean my body is perfect? No way! The thought makes me laugh! If it was, I wouldn't be saving my pennies for a tummy tuck and boobs, lol! There are women who look amazing in a size 12, I think they look better than I do in my zero! It's all perspective, isn't it?

So I guess what my soapbox rambling is getting at is that no matter what your ideal weight/size... achieving it will require focus, dedication... action. It won't happen by accident. Is a size zero the end all, be all? Absolutely not. Should we allow the fashion industry, or society in general, to dictate what our bodies (or our daughter's bodies!) should look like? Abosfreakinlutely not! I'm pleased that beautiful women like Rihanna are speaking out regarding body image, but as with all things, I believe that balance is the key. Beauty is not a size. But... let's not toss out the size zero's with the bathwater, please :-)     

Quiet day today... Miss my girls. Got my grocery shopping done, then Joey and his roommate came by for dinner. We grilled Bison/Beef burgers (1 lb lean beef, 1 lb bison, mixed with some chili powder, Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb, and 2 tsp low sodium worcestershire sauce), then topped with pepper-jack cheese and mango salsa on a clean wheat bun, along with sweet potato fries. Tasty! :-)  Tomorrow I have a bit of work to do in the office, then I'm off for a workout with Tab (yay!!!!) and cardio, then home for laundry and food prep (I'm doing it tomorrow instead of today).  On another note...

IS RIHANNA RIGHT?  I recently saw a quote from celebrity music artist, Rihanna where she talked about body image. Maybe you've seen it. Here's what she said:  "You have to remember that it's not practical or possible for an everyday woman to look like that. Being size zero is a career in itself so we shouldn't try and be like them. It's not realistic and it's not healthy." 

Now, I'M a size zero! That made me MAD! I got up on my soapbox and poor Bill listened to me rant for several minutes before I suddenly shut up a moment then said, "Damn, she's right! Sort of." Here's why I was mad... I'm an everyday woman. I have a 9-5 job, I have a family, a life... and I wear a zero (most of the time, lol). So it angered me that she said it isn't practical or possible for an everyday woman... then I thought about what she said next... 

"Being a size zero is a career in itself..." Well, it's certainly no accident! I didn't roll out of bed one day and say, "Gosh, look at me! I'm a zero!"  I've busted my arse for several years to get and then maintain that size. I workout, a lot and very hard. I eat clean, every day. I guess you could say it's a second career for me. I know several women who are size zero's, even double zero's, and not one of them got that way without hard work and diligence (I'm not counting teeny tiny teenagers, lol).  But, I still take umbrage at the "not realistic and it's not healthy". That might be her opinion, which she is certainly entitled to, but it is realistic and it is healthy... for some women. This is the healthiest I've ever been - which has more to do with my food & fitness lifestyle than my dress size, but the dress size is a result of that lifestyle.

I am certainly not saying that every woman should aspire to the size zero. Each of us has an ideal body weight/size... it is to that which we should all strive. I've seen some very enviable bodies that couldn't possibly squeeze into a zero, and why should they? They're perfect at their current size. I've also seen some zero's that need to be a 6 (painfully thin!). It's important to note that your weight doesn't always dictate your size! I weigh more than most zeros! Significantly more! Let's talk frankly here... I'm short. I'm 5'2". I currently weigh in at 130, with 89 pounds of lean muscle mass (according to the dreaded Tanita) and I have a too-high-for-me body fat percentage. Yes, I wear a zero, sometimes a 2.  Does that mean my body is perfect? No way! The thought makes me laugh! If it was, I wouldn't be saving my pennies for a tummy tuck and boobs, lol! There are women who look amazing in a size 12, I think they look better than I do in my zero! It's all perspective, isn't it?

So I guess what my soapbox rambling is getting at is that no matter what your ideal weight/size... achieving it will require focus, dedication... action. It won't happen by accident. Is a size zero the end all, be all? Absolutely not. Should we allow the fashion industry, or society in general, to dictate what our bodies (or our daughter's bodies!) should look like? Abosfreakinlutely not! I'm pleased that beautiful women like Rihanna are speaking out regarding body image, but as with all things, I believe that balance is the key. Beauty is not a size. But... let's not toss out the size zero's with the bathwater, please :-)     

Questions, and a Kiwi Mojito Recipe

9:00am:  I'm about to hit the road, gotta stop at the dealership and drop off some paperwork (still waiting for the bank to say yes, but they wouldn't have let me drive away in the new car if they weren't pretty  darn sure they'd get me approved, right?).

Anyway, I'm hoping ya'll can offer me some feedback. I've been tossing around some ideas and before I commit to them I need to know if it's got a shot at meeting your needs. This is two-fold... 

A) Years ago, I ran a business (cottage industry, actually) selling skin care products I created. Over the last few years, I've honed those recipes and I'm thrilled with the results. I have body creams, face  creams, body scrubs (including face)... that kind of thing... all natural and very effective. Is this something anyone is interested in? Would you consider buying a skin-care product from me? Again, these are products I  make, for me and my family (male & female), not products I endorse from some company. 

B)  I've got a ton of info on my site, things I've learned and such through the last few years about clean eating, exercise, cooking/baking... You can find all this info on my site, but it might take a while, lol. If I were to put together a downloadable "manual"... Clean Eating made Easy, or something like that... would you want it? Would you consider buying it?

If you guys could email me and let me know what you think of these ideas, I'd really appreciate it. You can use the contact form to the right, or email me directly. inkgoddes@gmail.com  Any feedback would be great! :-)  Thank you!!!!

7:30pm update... Back home. Long drive, great car! :-)   New favorite cocktail recipes...

Cucumber Mint Mojito:  1/4 english cucumber sliced, 4 mint leaves, 1 tbsp agave, white rum, club soda (low sodium). Muddle the mint, add the cucumber and mush that, too. stir in the agave, then add ice to the glass and add equal parts rum & club soda. Stir and enjoy! Very light and refreshing!

Kiwi-Mint Mojito: 

1 whole kiwi, peeled & sliced, 4 mint leaves, 1-2 tbsp agave, white rum, club soda (low sodium). Muddle mint, then add kiwi and mush that just a bit. Add agave, stir well. Add ice (fill glass 3/4 full), then equal parts rum & club soda. Stir, and enjoy. The longer the kiwi mixes with the rum, the more fragrant & flavorful the drink becomes.     

9:00am:  I'm about to hit the road, gotta stop at the dealership and drop off some paperwork (still waiting for the bank to say yes, but they wouldn't have let me drive away in the new car if they weren't pretty  darn sure they'd get me approved, right?).

Anyway, I'm hoping ya'll can offer me some feedback. I've been tossing around some ideas and before I commit to them I need to know if it's got a shot at meeting your needs. This is two-fold... 

A) Years ago, I ran a business (cottage industry, actually) selling skin care products I created. Over the last few years, I've honed those recipes and I'm thrilled with the results. I have body creams, face  creams, body scrubs (including face)... that kind of thing... all natural and very effective. Is this something anyone is interested in? Would you consider buying a skin-care product from me? Again, these are products I  make, for me and my family (male & female), not products I endorse from some company. 

B)  I've got a ton of info on my site, things I've learned and such through the last few years about clean eating, exercise, cooking/baking... You can find all this info on my site, but it might take a while, lol. If I were to put together a downloadable "manual"... Clean Eating made Easy, or something like that... would you want it? Would you consider buying it?

If you guys could email me and let me know what you think of these ideas, I'd really appreciate it. You can use the contact form to the right, or email me directly. inkgoddes@gmail.com  Any feedback would be great! :-)  Thank you!!!!

7:30pm update... Back home. Long drive, great car! :-)   New favorite cocktail recipes...

Cucumber Mint Mojito:  1/4 english cucumber sliced, 4 mint leaves, 1 tbsp agave, white rum, club soda (low sodium). Muddle the mint, add the cucumber and mush that, too. stir in the agave, then add ice to the glass and add equal parts rum & club soda. Stir and enjoy! Very light and refreshing!

Kiwi-Mint Mojito: 

1 whole kiwi, peeled & sliced, 4 mint leaves, 1-2 tbsp agave, white rum, club soda (low sodium). Muddle mint, then add kiwi and mush that just a bit. Add agave, stir well. Add ice (fill glass 3/4 full), then equal parts rum & club soda. Stir, and enjoy. The longer the kiwi mixes with the rum, the more fragrant & flavorful the drink becomes.     

9:00am:  I'm about to hit the road, gotta stop at the dealership and drop off some paperwork (still waiting for the bank to say yes, but they wouldn't have let me drive away in the new car if they weren't pretty  darn sure they'd get me approved, right?).

Anyway, I'm hoping ya'll can offer me some feedback. I've been tossing around some ideas and before I commit to them I need to know if it's got a shot at meeting your needs. This is two-fold... 

A) Years ago, I ran a business (cottage industry, actually) selling skin care products I created. Over the last few years, I've honed those recipes and I'm thrilled with the results. I have body creams, face  creams, body scrubs (including face)... that kind of thing... all natural and very effective. Is this something anyone is interested in? Would you consider buying a skin-care product from me? Again, these are products I  make, for me and my family (male & female), not products I endorse from some company. 

B)  I've got a ton of info on my site, things I've learned and such through the last few years about clean eating, exercise, cooking/baking... You can find all this info on my site, but it might take a while, lol. If I were to put together a downloadable "manual"... Clean Eating made Easy, or something like that... would you want it? Would you consider buying it?

If you guys could email me and let me know what you think of these ideas, I'd really appreciate it. You can use the contact form to the right, or email me directly. inkgoddes@gmail.com  Any feedback would be great! :-)  Thank you!!!!

7:30pm update... Back home. Long drive, great car! :-)   New favorite cocktail recipes...

Cucumber Mint Mojito:  1/4 english cucumber sliced, 4 mint leaves, 1 tbsp agave, white rum, club soda (low sodium). Muddle the mint, add the cucumber and mush that, too. stir in the agave, then add ice to the glass and add equal parts rum & club soda. Stir and enjoy! Very light and refreshing!

Kiwi-Mint Mojito: 

1 whole kiwi, peeled & sliced, 4 mint leaves, 1-2 tbsp agave, white rum, club soda (low sodium). Muddle mint, then add kiwi and mush that just a bit. Add agave, stir well. Add ice (fill glass 3/4 full), then equal parts rum & club soda. Stir, and enjoy. The longer the kiwi mixes with the rum, the more fragrant & flavorful the drink becomes.     

New Car!

It's been a loooooong day, but a good one! I was able to trade in my car (2008 Hyundai Santa Fe) for a 2010 version... and it has a direct iPod plug! Yeah, I know, it's silly, but when we take these long drives to CA and back (for the kids' visits to their dad) it drives me nuts to hit the radio dead zones, and then the iTrip adapters are so squirrely that they get fuzzy and it's so very frustrating! I need my tunes! :-)  Plus I got XM radio free for a year! Yay! I'm super-excited! The kids are laughing at me but I just keep saying "it's so shiny!"  Lol! 

No gym today, as I spent the whole day at the dealership, and probably no gym tomorrow due to being on the road from 9:30am till about 7pm. Hopefully there will be no "issues" with the exchange of the girls tomorrow.

Food throughout the day was sketchy... but dinner was fabulous! Bethany was having a serious pizza craving, but Bill and I wanted mexican, so I put together a clean pizza for Bethy, and taco salad for Bill and I. YUM! I wish I had remembered to take pics, because mine was so pretty, lol!

Now I'm chilling out and catching up with Chuck :-) One of these days I'll pick up that t-shirt Sarah wore for the geek episode that says "Frack Off"... LOL! SciFi Geeks Unite! :-)

It's been a loooooong day, but a good one! I was able to trade in my car (2008 Hyundai Santa Fe) for a 2010 version... and it has a direct iPod plug! Yeah, I know, it's silly, but when we take these long drives to CA and back (for the kids' visits to their dad) it drives me nuts to hit the radio dead zones, and then the iTrip adapters are so squirrely that they get fuzzy and it's so very frustrating! I need my tunes! :-)  Plus I got XM radio free for a year! Yay! I'm super-excited! The kids are laughing at me but I just keep saying "it's so shiny!"  Lol! 

No gym today, as I spent the whole day at the dealership, and probably no gym tomorrow due to being on the road from 9:30am till about 7pm. Hopefully there will be no "issues" with the exchange of the girls tomorrow.

Food throughout the day was sketchy... but dinner was fabulous! Bethany was having a serious pizza craving, but Bill and I wanted mexican, so I put together a clean pizza for Bethy, and taco salad for Bill and I. YUM! I wish I had remembered to take pics, because mine was so pretty, lol!

Now I'm chilling out and catching up with Chuck :-) One of these days I'll pick up that t-shirt Sarah wore for the geek episode that says "Frack Off"... LOL! SciFi Geeks Unite! :-)

It's been a loooooong day, but a good one! I was able to trade in my car (2008 Hyundai Santa Fe) for a 2010 version... and it has a direct iPod plug! Yeah, I know, it's silly, but when we take these long drives to CA and back (for the kids' visits to their dad) it drives me nuts to hit the radio dead zones, and then the iTrip adapters are so squirrely that they get fuzzy and it's so very frustrating! I need my tunes! :-)  Plus I got XM radio free for a year! Yay! I'm super-excited! The kids are laughing at me but I just keep saying "it's so shiny!"  Lol! 

No gym today, as I spent the whole day at the dealership, and probably no gym tomorrow due to being on the road from 9:30am till about 7pm. Hopefully there will be no "issues" with the exchange of the girls tomorrow.

Food throughout the day was sketchy... but dinner was fabulous! Bethany was having a serious pizza craving, but Bill and I wanted mexican, so I put together a clean pizza for Bethy, and taco salad for Bill and I. YUM! I wish I had remembered to take pics, because mine was so pretty, lol!

Now I'm chilling out and catching up with Chuck :-) One of these days I'll pick up that t-shirt Sarah wore for the geek episode that says "Frack Off"... LOL! SciFi Geeks Unite! :-)

Thanks for the Reminder

What a crazy week! And it's not nearly over! I'm really looking forward to my gym-time tonight. I need it, need the outlet.   I still feel like I have a million things to do, and not enough time, but... such is life :-)

A wise friend (you know who you are) recently reminded me of the importance of pursuing dreams... but not just pursuing them... knowing them. She's been encouraging me to consider some bold moves, and while the shy girl in me is terrified to consider bold moves (I duct taped and stuffed her in a closet when I did my burlesque thing), the adventurer in me is getting louder. I've been focused the last several years on goals, challenges... milestones. In the last 10 years, I've moved from just surviving life to thoroughly thriving in it (which I much prefer).  I've grown, I've conquered... I've hurt and been broken. These are all parts of living... but I've allowed my grasp on dreaming to become lax and it's time to change that. I'm not sure where my dreams will take me... what roads I'll travel, sights I'll see... but I will dream. I've a lot to think about. Thank you, Friend, for reminding me.

What a crazy week! And it's not nearly over! I'm really looking forward to my gym-time tonight. I need it, need the outlet.   I still feel like I have a million things to do, and not enough time, but... such is life :-)

A wise friend (you know who you are) recently reminded me of the importance of pursuing dreams... but not just pursuing them... knowing them. She's been encouraging me to consider some bold moves, and while the shy girl in me is terrified to consider bold moves (I duct taped and stuffed her in a closet when I did my burlesque thing), the adventurer in me is getting louder. I've been focused the last several years on goals, challenges... milestones. In the last 10 years, I've moved from just surviving life to thoroughly thriving in it (which I much prefer).  I've grown, I've conquered... I've hurt and been broken. These are all parts of living... but I've allowed my grasp on dreaming to become lax and it's time to change that. I'm not sure where my dreams will take me... what roads I'll travel, sights I'll see... but I will dream. I've a lot to think about. Thank you, Friend, for reminding me.

What a crazy week! And it's not nearly over! I'm really looking forward to my gym-time tonight. I need it, need the outlet.   I still feel like I have a million things to do, and not enough time, but... such is life :-)

A wise friend (you know who you are) recently reminded me of the importance of pursuing dreams... but not just pursuing them... knowing them. She's been encouraging me to consider some bold moves, and while the shy girl in me is terrified to consider bold moves (I duct taped and stuffed her in a closet when I did my burlesque thing), the adventurer in me is getting louder. I've been focused the last several years on goals, challenges... milestones. In the last 10 years, I've moved from just surviving life to thoroughly thriving in it (which I much prefer).  I've grown, I've conquered... I've hurt and been broken. These are all parts of living... but I've allowed my grasp on dreaming to become lax and it's time to change that. I'm not sure where my dreams will take me... what roads I'll travel, sights I'll see... but I will dream. I've a lot to think about. Thank you, Friend, for reminding me.

Clean Hot Dogs, Sausages and Chips!

Ahhh, junior high is no more! I now have two seniors and a freshman at home :-)  Bethy looked beautiful, and even received an award for perfect attendance. She was sad to say goodbye to so many friends, but is looking forward to summer and high school. Shiloh & Ariel are just glad to be seniors, lol. "Upper Classmen Rock!"  LOL! 

The bbq went well... cupcakes a'la ElanasPantry.com, of course, plus cucumber dip & potato salad, then we bbq'd hot dogs and sausages... Applegate Farms The Great Organic Hot Dog... Can I just say YUM!? Paired with a whole wheat bun and a bunch of onions and mustard... yeah, it was pretty darn tasty :-) I highly recommend! And the boys, who of course are too manly for hot dogs enjoyed the Aidelle's Sweet Basil and Roasted Garlic Organic Sausages... another great (clean) choice.

When you eat clean, you, or at least I, tend to think that the old standby's are no longer welcome in this new lifestyle... summer things like hot dogs and burgers, or even just buns, are off limits... it's so nice to know that they're not. There are clean options. I have to pay more for them (though if it's not reasonable, I simply won't put my money down), but there are options. Even chips... my family loves the new PopChips brand barbecue flavored... they're incredible! And as I mentioned previously, Tostitos and Ruffles both make a "natural" chip now that can be part of the clean eating lifestyle. I wouldn't eat these things every day, not like I would quinoa or vegetables or lean protein or whatnot, but for a treat, like a family bbq... I can enjoy the foods I grew up with, without undoing all my hard work. I'm a simple gal when it comes to my day to day foods... I eat the same things day after day... eggs, chicken breast, quinoa, steamed veggies, olive & coconut oils, seasonal fruit... but when it comes to entertaining, I've often felt like it's a real challenge to feed my guests something that I "can" eat, too. I've spent so many years with "my" food and "their" food... it's nice to be able to really see a blending now. A lot of that is trial and error, some is simply the availability of clean choices that actually taste good to people who are used to eating fully processed/preserved foods (or non-foods). If you've been at it awhile, you're aware of that challenge. So when I find a product I can recommend, I do so :-)

On the fitness topic, I weighed in today, I don't know why. I'm weird. But.... I am now down a full 3% body fat and my metabolic age is..... 28!! Wooohoo! I wish I had been this healthy at 28, but I'll take that metabolic age as the success it is! (I know you weren't curious in the least, but my actual age is 39, I'll be 40 in October).  I wasn't in the gym yesterday, nor today, due to the various events going on. I feel incredibly guilty, but I'm trying to quash that. Tomorrow I will be back in the gym. Friday I will be in the gym. Saturday I'm driving to CA. And Sunday will either be gym time plus Sunday Food Prep  & The Counter of Chaos .... or.... Lucy & Ethel Time and Sunday Food Prep & The Counter of Chaos.  LOL! I'm hoping for the Lucy/Ethel time... feels like I haven't seen Tab (aka The World's Greatest Trainer aka my best friend) in forever! Too long! So, I know that my exercise caloric burn will be low this week, but I'm hoping that will work in my favor (confusing the body and all that), then next week I can hit it hard again. Oh, and I've also gotta get this darned toe healed. 'Bout lost my mind when a giddy 8th grader stepped back onto my toe today. OUCH!

Now the girls are all off to various "last day" activities, Bill is at bowling, and Nakki and I are sitting here enjoying the quiet. I'm about to turn on my iPod boombox and sit out on the patio, enjoy the breeze and just chill.

Happy Wednesday!

Ahhh, junior high is no more! I now have two seniors and a freshman at home :-)  Bethy looked beautiful, and even received an award for perfect attendance. She was sad to say goodbye to so many friends, but is looking forward to summer and high school. Shiloh & Ariel are just glad to be seniors, lol. "Upper Classmen Rock!"  LOL! 

The bbq went well... cupcakes a'la ElanasPantry.com, of course, plus cucumber dip & potato salad, then we bbq'd hot dogs and sausages... Applegate Farms The Great Organic Hot Dog... Can I just say YUM!? Paired with a whole wheat bun and a bunch of onions and mustard... yeah, it was pretty darn tasty :-) I highly recommend! And the boys, who of course are too manly for hot dogs enjoyed the Aidelle's Sweet Basil and Roasted Garlic Organic Sausages... another great (clean) choice.

When you eat clean, you, or at least I, tend to think that the old standby's are no longer welcome in this new lifestyle... summer things like hot dogs and burgers, or even just buns, are off limits... it's so nice to know that they're not. There are clean options. I have to pay more for them (though if it's not reasonable, I simply won't put my money down), but there are options. Even chips... my family loves the new PopChips brand barbecue flavored... they're incredible! And as I mentioned previously, Tostitos and Ruffles both make a "natural" chip now that can be part of the clean eating lifestyle. I wouldn't eat these things every day, not like I would quinoa or vegetables or lean protein or whatnot, but for a treat, like a family bbq... I can enjoy the foods I grew up with, without undoing all my hard work. I'm a simple gal when it comes to my day to day foods... I eat the same things day after day... eggs, chicken breast, quinoa, steamed veggies, olive & coconut oils, seasonal fruit... but when it comes to entertaining, I've often felt like it's a real challenge to feed my guests something that I "can" eat, too. I've spent so many years with "my" food and "their" food... it's nice to be able to really see a blending now. A lot of that is trial and error, some is simply the availability of clean choices that actually taste good to people who are used to eating fully processed/preserved foods (or non-foods). If you've been at it awhile, you're aware of that challenge. So when I find a product I can recommend, I do so :-)

On the fitness topic, I weighed in today, I don't know why. I'm weird. But.... I am now down a full 3% body fat and my metabolic age is..... 28!! Wooohoo! I wish I had been this healthy at 28, but I'll take that metabolic age as the success it is! (I know you weren't curious in the least, but my actual age is 39, I'll be 40 in October).  I wasn't in the gym yesterday, nor today, due to the various events going on. I feel incredibly guilty, but I'm trying to quash that. Tomorrow I will be back in the gym. Friday I will be in the gym. Saturday I'm driving to CA. And Sunday will either be gym time plus Sunday Food Prep  & The Counter of Chaos .... or.... Lucy & Ethel Time and Sunday Food Prep & The Counter of Chaos.  LOL! I'm hoping for the Lucy/Ethel time... feels like I haven't seen Tab (aka The World's Greatest Trainer aka my best friend) in forever! Too long! So, I know that my exercise caloric burn will be low this week, but I'm hoping that will work in my favor (confusing the body and all that), then next week I can hit it hard again. Oh, and I've also gotta get this darned toe healed. 'Bout lost my mind when a giddy 8th grader stepped back onto my toe today. OUCH!

Now the girls are all off to various "last day" activities, Bill is at bowling, and Nakki and I are sitting here enjoying the quiet. I'm about to turn on my iPod boombox and sit out on the patio, enjoy the breeze and just chill.

Happy Wednesday!

Ahhh, junior high is no more! I now have two seniors and a freshman at home :-)  Bethy looked beautiful, and even received an award for perfect attendance. She was sad to say goodbye to so many friends, but is looking forward to summer and high school. Shiloh & Ariel are just glad to be seniors, lol. "Upper Classmen Rock!"  LOL! 

The bbq went well... cupcakes a'la ElanasPantry.com, of course, plus cucumber dip & potato salad, then we bbq'd hot dogs and sausages... Applegate Farms The Great Organic Hot Dog... Can I just say YUM!? Paired with a whole wheat bun and a bunch of onions and mustard... yeah, it was pretty darn tasty :-) I highly recommend! And the boys, who of course are too manly for hot dogs enjoyed the Aidelle's Sweet Basil and Roasted Garlic Organic Sausages... another great (clean) choice.

When you eat clean, you, or at least I, tend to think that the old standby's are no longer welcome in this new lifestyle... summer things like hot dogs and burgers, or even just buns, are off limits... it's so nice to know that they're not. There are clean options. I have to pay more for them (though if it's not reasonable, I simply won't put my money down), but there are options. Even chips... my family loves the new PopChips brand barbecue flavored... they're incredible! And as I mentioned previously, Tostitos and Ruffles both make a "natural" chip now that can be part of the clean eating lifestyle. I wouldn't eat these things every day, not like I would quinoa or vegetables or lean protein or whatnot, but for a treat, like a family bbq... I can enjoy the foods I grew up with, without undoing all my hard work. I'm a simple gal when it comes to my day to day foods... I eat the same things day after day... eggs, chicken breast, quinoa, steamed veggies, olive & coconut oils, seasonal fruit... but when it comes to entertaining, I've often felt like it's a real challenge to feed my guests something that I "can" eat, too. I've spent so many years with "my" food and "their" food... it's nice to be able to really see a blending now. A lot of that is trial and error, some is simply the availability of clean choices that actually taste good to people who are used to eating fully processed/preserved foods (or non-foods). If you've been at it awhile, you're aware of that challenge. So when I find a product I can recommend, I do so :-)

On the fitness topic, I weighed in today, I don't know why. I'm weird. But.... I am now down a full 3% body fat and my metabolic age is..... 28!! Wooohoo! I wish I had been this healthy at 28, but I'll take that metabolic age as the success it is! (I know you weren't curious in the least, but my actual age is 39, I'll be 40 in October).  I wasn't in the gym yesterday, nor today, due to the various events going on. I feel incredibly guilty, but I'm trying to quash that. Tomorrow I will be back in the gym. Friday I will be in the gym. Saturday I'm driving to CA. And Sunday will either be gym time plus Sunday Food Prep  & The Counter of Chaos .... or.... Lucy & Ethel Time and Sunday Food Prep & The Counter of Chaos.  LOL! I'm hoping for the Lucy/Ethel time... feels like I haven't seen Tab (aka The World's Greatest Trainer aka my best friend) in forever! Too long! So, I know that my exercise caloric burn will be low this week, but I'm hoping that will work in my favor (confusing the body and all that), then next week I can hit it hard again. Oh, and I've also gotta get this darned toe healed. 'Bout lost my mind when a giddy 8th grader stepped back onto my toe today. OUCH!

Now the girls are all off to various "last day" activities, Bill is at bowling, and Nakki and I are sitting here enjoying the quiet. I'm about to turn on my iPod boombox and sit out on the patio, enjoy the breeze and just chill.

Happy Wednesday!

Cupcakes and Workouts

Gym time last night included 40 minutes of lifting & 25 minutes of cardio. Dinner was more leftover kabob & a yummy vanilla cupcake (see recipe here: http://billandchelle.com/fitness/recipes/cupcakes.html#Vanilla_Cupcakes). I had actually underestimated my exercise burn for last week. My polar tells me I burned 2631 calories! Woohoo!

Today, I won't be able to do my workout... we have a business event tonight and I only have enough time to dash home, change, and dash back out the door. Then tomorrow is 8th grade grad. and the teen-party right afterwards. I'm so glad I baked the cupcakes already! All I have to do is pull them out of the freezer and frost!     

Gym time last night included 40 minutes of lifting & 25 minutes of cardio. Dinner was more leftover kabob & a yummy vanilla cupcake (see recipe here: http://billandchelle.com/fitness/recipes/cupcakes.html#Vanilla_Cupcakes). I had actually underestimated my exercise burn for last week. My polar tells me I burned 2631 calories! Woohoo!

Today, I won't be able to do my workout... we have a business event tonight and I only have enough time to dash home, change, and dash back out the door. Then tomorrow is 8th grade grad. and the teen-party right afterwards. I'm so glad I baked the cupcakes already! All I have to do is pull them out of the freezer and frost!     

Gym time last night included 40 minutes of lifting & 25 minutes of cardio. Dinner was more leftover kabob & a yummy vanilla cupcake (see recipe here: http://billandchelle.com/fitness/recipes/cupcakes.html#Vanilla_Cupcakes). I had actually underestimated my exercise burn for last week. My polar tells me I burned 2631 calories! Woohoo!

Today, I won't be able to do my workout... we have a business event tonight and I only have enough time to dash home, change, and dash back out the door. Then tomorrow is 8th grade grad. and the teen-party right afterwards. I'm so glad I baked the cupcakes already! All I have to do is pull them out of the freezer and frost!     

New Recipes Up

Ok, the potato salad & cucumber dip recipes are up, and I've included the nutritional information (as close as I can calculate it). Food today is wonky... I normally eat breakfast at my desk, but we had clients in the office and I didn't want to microwave my eggs & broccoli while they were here, lol, so I switched up a few things. Had snack 1 for breakfast, snack 2 for snack 1, and I'll eat lunch in a couple hours. I'm fully in sodium bloat from my treats yesterday, lol! Sucking down water like crazy!

This week is shaping up nutso, we've got so much going! Along with various other activities/events, we've got a business deal on Tuesday evening, Wednesday afternoon is Bethy's graduation then party, then Wed night Bill has bowling (and I have party clean up), Thurs & Fri are all post-school year stuff, then Saturday we're driving the girls to Coachella to meet up with their dad for summer visitation. Through it all, my boss is in and out of Canada presenting seminars, so my brain is overflowing with hotel reservations, venue details, printers, etc. Crazy! I am going to absolutely need my gym-time this week, just to stay almost-sane.

Ok, the potato salad & cucumber dip recipes are up, and I've included the nutritional information (as close as I can calculate it). Food today is wonky... I normally eat breakfast at my desk, but we had clients in the office and I didn't want to microwave my eggs & broccoli while they were here, lol, so I switched up a few things. Had snack 1 for breakfast, snack 2 for snack 1, and I'll eat lunch in a couple hours. I'm fully in sodium bloat from my treats yesterday, lol! Sucking down water like crazy!

This week is shaping up nutso, we've got so much going! Along with various other activities/events, we've got a business deal on Tuesday evening, Wednesday afternoon is Bethy's graduation then party, then Wed night Bill has bowling (and I have party clean up), Thurs & Fri are all post-school year stuff, then Saturday we're driving the girls to Coachella to meet up with their dad for summer visitation. Through it all, my boss is in and out of Canada presenting seminars, so my brain is overflowing with hotel reservations, venue details, printers, etc. Crazy! I am going to absolutely need my gym-time this week, just to stay almost-sane.

Ok, the potato salad & cucumber dip recipes are up, and I've included the nutritional information (as close as I can calculate it). Food today is wonky... I normally eat breakfast at my desk, but we had clients in the office and I didn't want to microwave my eggs & broccoli while they were here, lol, so I switched up a few things. Had snack 1 for breakfast, snack 2 for snack 1, and I'll eat lunch in a couple hours. I'm fully in sodium bloat from my treats yesterday, lol! Sucking down water like crazy!

This week is shaping up nutso, we've got so much going! Along with various other activities/events, we've got a business deal on Tuesday evening, Wednesday afternoon is Bethy's graduation then party, then Wed night Bill has bowling (and I have party clean up), Thurs & Fri are all post-school year stuff, then Saturday we're driving the girls to Coachella to meet up with their dad for summer visitation. Through it all, my boss is in and out of Canada presenting seminars, so my brain is overflowing with hotel reservations, venue details, printers, etc. Crazy! I am going to absolutely need my gym-time this week, just to stay almost-sane.

8th Grade Grad Madness

9:00 am:  The weekend party went well. Lots of clean choices, I'll share more about those tomorrow, and add some recipes. A terrific benefit to all the food prep for yesterday is that most of my work for the week is done already. I need to make my grains and a few other things but it won't take long. The goal for this morning is to find Bethany a new dress for her 8th grade graduation, so I'm off to the mall. Once we find what she's looking for (and what Mom approves, lol) I'll hit the grocery store for some odds and ends, then finish up my sunday food prep. I also have one last cardio and abs session slated for today, and then I'll have met my fitness goals for the week. I did my weigh-in (Operation Marshmallow Fluff) and in the last few weeks I'm down a total of 2 pounds, up 4.5 pounds in lean muscle mass (can you say bulking, lol) and.... wait for it.... DOWN 2% BODY FAT!!!  Yeah Baby! :-)

Ok, I'm off to the mall(s)... I'll update ya'll later! Happy Sunday!

8pm Update. Bethany's graduation dress found, shoes, jewelry... check. so pretty! :-) And, I discovered that shopping with a 14 year old girl burns 125 calories per hour, lol! I'm thoroughly exhausted... I've spent days on my feet, and yesterday in one of my more graceful moments, while removing the leaves from the dining room table I broke my toe. Grace. Bill asked if I wanted to get it set, and I just laughed. If this toe heals straight, it would be my only digit that isn't crooked! Over the years I've broken every finger, every toe in various sports and grace-idents. But walking for hours today was no-bueno on the toe. I'm hurting now, so skipped cardio. :-(  However, even without it I was over 2200 calories burned through exercise this week, so I think I'm good.

I actually cheated/treated tonight. I got my salty, got my sweet, and (shhhh don't tell anyone) got my Pepsi One. Can't even think of the last time I had a soda. Tastes kinda funny, lol. And as soon as I poured it over ice I realized what I really wanted was hot tea. Ha! Silly. 

Two of my all-time favorite family recipes are a potato salad and cucumber dip. These are mainstays of my childhood, and every family gathering. Each time I prepare these dishes I feel connected with my family, regardless of how far away they are. I've never really tried to "clean" them up as they're... well... traditions. But, this time I made an attempt. With the exception of one ingredient, they're now "clean". And they taste just as wonderful as they always have. I have ideas to replace the last un-clean ingredient, but it's not a priority as I only make these dishes a few times a year. I'll post them tomorrow. 

Anyway, what I was getting to was my cheat/treat. I've been pushing hard, eating super-clean for several weeks without cheats so I felt comfortable enjoying a little yesterday, and a little more today. Yesterday I had a 1/2 cup serving of my potato salad, and probably about the same of my dip. Traditionally the cucumber dip is served with Ruffles potato chips (yeah, I know). But while shopping for party supplies I found that Ruffles now comes "Natural" (remember the tortilla chips I mentioned a few days ago?)... ingredients are potatoes, sunflower oil and sea-salt. So for the party (and a treat today) I enjoyed a serving of wonderful salty potato chips with my cucumber dip!  And yes, my fingers are swollen, lol! But it was my treat and I enjoyed every bit of it. Any dip I have during this week I'll enjoy with my more-usual raw cauliflower and sliced turnip, but it was sure nice to enjoy those chips. Aaaahhh. Then after dinner tonight (leftover kabobs) I had one of the ElanasPantry.com cupcakes (I didn't have one yesterday)... and I have to agree with Bethany, the Vanilla cupcakes are the BOMB! :-)   Plus I've now packed away two huge ziploc bags of banana pieces in the freezer so anytime we want banana "ice cream" it's ready to go :-)

So, treat done. Food prep done. Grad shopping done. Birthday party done. Resting and icing the broken toe, and washing the laundry so I have clean gym clothes for tomorrow. Sipping on my hell-must-have-frozen-over-soda, which I'll  probably dump out shortly and trade for a glass of red wine, and I'm ready for a new week. Lol!

     

9:00 am:  The weekend party went well. Lots of clean choices, I'll share more about those tomorrow, and add some recipes. A terrific benefit to all the food prep for yesterday is that most of my work for the week is done already. I need to make my grains and a few other things but it won't take long. The goal for this morning is to find Bethany a new dress for her 8th grade graduation, so I'm off to the mall. Once we find what she's looking for (and what Mom approves, lol) I'll hit the grocery store for some odds and ends, then finish up my sunday food prep. I also have one last cardio and abs session slated for today, and then I'll have met my fitness goals for the week. I did my weigh-in (Operation Marshmallow Fluff) and in the last few weeks I'm down a total of 2 pounds, up 4.5 pounds in lean muscle mass (can you say bulking, lol) and.... wait for it.... DOWN 2% BODY FAT!!!  Yeah Baby! :-)

Ok, I'm off to the mall(s)... I'll update ya'll later! Happy Sunday!

8pm Update. Bethany's graduation dress found, shoes, jewelry... check. so pretty! :-) And, I discovered that shopping with a 14 year old girl burns 125 calories per hour, lol! I'm thoroughly exhausted... I've spent days on my feet, and yesterday in one of my more graceful moments, while removing the leaves from the dining room table I broke my toe. Grace. Bill asked if I wanted to get it set, and I just laughed. If this toe heals straight, it would be my only digit that isn't crooked! Over the years I've broken every finger, every toe in various sports and grace-idents. But walking for hours today was no-bueno on the toe. I'm hurting now, so skipped cardio. :-(  However, even without it I was over 2200 calories burned through exercise this week, so I think I'm good.

I actually cheated/treated tonight. I got my salty, got my sweet, and (shhhh don't tell anyone) got my Pepsi One. Can't even think of the last time I had a soda. Tastes kinda funny, lol. And as soon as I poured it over ice I realized what I really wanted was hot tea. Ha! Silly. 

Two of my all-time favorite family recipes are a potato salad and cucumber dip. These are mainstays of my childhood, and every family gathering. Each time I prepare these dishes I feel connected with my family, regardless of how far away they are. I've never really tried to "clean" them up as they're... well... traditions. But, this time I made an attempt. With the exception of one ingredient, they're now "clean". And they taste just as wonderful as they always have. I have ideas to replace the last un-clean ingredient, but it's not a priority as I only make these dishes a few times a year. I'll post them tomorrow. 

Anyway, what I was getting to was my cheat/treat. I've been pushing hard, eating super-clean for several weeks without cheats so I felt comfortable enjoying a little yesterday, and a little more today. Yesterday I had a 1/2 cup serving of my potato salad, and probably about the same of my dip. Traditionally the cucumber dip is served with Ruffles potato chips (yeah, I know). But while shopping for party supplies I found that Ruffles now comes "Natural" (remember the tortilla chips I mentioned a few days ago?)... ingredients are potatoes, sunflower oil and sea-salt. So for the party (and a treat today) I enjoyed a serving of wonderful salty potato chips with my cucumber dip!  And yes, my fingers are swollen, lol! But it was my treat and I enjoyed every bit of it. Any dip I have during this week I'll enjoy with my more-usual raw cauliflower and sliced turnip, but it was sure nice to enjoy those chips. Aaaahhh. Then after dinner tonight (leftover kabobs) I had one of the ElanasPantry.com cupcakes (I didn't have one yesterday)... and I have to agree with Bethany, the Vanilla cupcakes are the BOMB! :-)   Plus I've now packed away two huge ziploc bags of banana pieces in the freezer so anytime we want banana "ice cream" it's ready to go :-)

So, treat done. Food prep done. Grad shopping done. Birthday party done. Resting and icing the broken toe, and washing the laundry so I have clean gym clothes for tomorrow. Sipping on my hell-must-have-frozen-over-soda, which I'll  probably dump out shortly and trade for a glass of red wine, and I'm ready for a new week. Lol!

     

9:00 am:  The weekend party went well. Lots of clean choices, I'll share more about those tomorrow, and add some recipes. A terrific benefit to all the food prep for yesterday is that most of my work for the week is done already. I need to make my grains and a few other things but it won't take long. The goal for this morning is to find Bethany a new dress for her 8th grade graduation, so I'm off to the mall. Once we find what she's looking for (and what Mom approves, lol) I'll hit the grocery store for some odds and ends, then finish up my sunday food prep. I also have one last cardio and abs session slated for today, and then I'll have met my fitness goals for the week. I did my weigh-in (Operation Marshmallow Fluff) and in the last few weeks I'm down a total of 2 pounds, up 4.5 pounds in lean muscle mass (can you say bulking, lol) and.... wait for it.... DOWN 2% BODY FAT!!!  Yeah Baby! :-)

Ok, I'm off to the mall(s)... I'll update ya'll later! Happy Sunday!

8pm Update. Bethany's graduation dress found, shoes, jewelry... check. so pretty! :-) And, I discovered that shopping with a 14 year old girl burns 125 calories per hour, lol! I'm thoroughly exhausted... I've spent days on my feet, and yesterday in one of my more graceful moments, while removing the leaves from the dining room table I broke my toe. Grace. Bill asked if I wanted to get it set, and I just laughed. If this toe heals straight, it would be my only digit that isn't crooked! Over the years I've broken every finger, every toe in various sports and grace-idents. But walking for hours today was no-bueno on the toe. I'm hurting now, so skipped cardio. :-(  However, even without it I was over 2200 calories burned through exercise this week, so I think I'm good.

I actually cheated/treated tonight. I got my salty, got my sweet, and (shhhh don't tell anyone) got my Pepsi One. Can't even think of the last time I had a soda. Tastes kinda funny, lol. And as soon as I poured it over ice I realized what I really wanted was hot tea. Ha! Silly. 

Two of my all-time favorite family recipes are a potato salad and cucumber dip. These are mainstays of my childhood, and every family gathering. Each time I prepare these dishes I feel connected with my family, regardless of how far away they are. I've never really tried to "clean" them up as they're... well... traditions. But, this time I made an attempt. With the exception of one ingredient, they're now "clean". And they taste just as wonderful as they always have. I have ideas to replace the last un-clean ingredient, but it's not a priority as I only make these dishes a few times a year. I'll post them tomorrow. 

Anyway, what I was getting to was my cheat/treat. I've been pushing hard, eating super-clean for several weeks without cheats so I felt comfortable enjoying a little yesterday, and a little more today. Yesterday I had a 1/2 cup serving of my potato salad, and probably about the same of my dip. Traditionally the cucumber dip is served with Ruffles potato chips (yeah, I know). But while shopping for party supplies I found that Ruffles now comes "Natural" (remember the tortilla chips I mentioned a few days ago?)... ingredients are potatoes, sunflower oil and sea-salt. So for the party (and a treat today) I enjoyed a serving of wonderful salty potato chips with my cucumber dip!  And yes, my fingers are swollen, lol! But it was my treat and I enjoyed every bit of it. Any dip I have during this week I'll enjoy with my more-usual raw cauliflower and sliced turnip, but it was sure nice to enjoy those chips. Aaaahhh. Then after dinner tonight (leftover kabobs) I had one of the ElanasPantry.com cupcakes (I didn't have one yesterday)... and I have to agree with Bethany, the Vanilla cupcakes are the BOMB! :-)   Plus I've now packed away two huge ziploc bags of banana pieces in the freezer so anytime we want banana "ice cream" it's ready to go :-)

So, treat done. Food prep done. Grad shopping done. Birthday party done. Resting and icing the broken toe, and washing the laundry so I have clean gym clothes for tomorrow. Sipping on my hell-must-have-frozen-over-soda, which I'll  probably dump out shortly and trade for a glass of red wine, and I'm ready for a new week. Lol!

     

Sugar, Diabetes, and Stupidity - A Vent

Bethany graduates 8th grade next week, and we'll be having a little get-together at the house... planning is sort of piggy-backing on the birthday party planning. Bethany got her taste of the cupcakes last night and promptly declared her favorite... The Vanilla cupcakes that Ariel nixed! Lol! I guess I'm making FOUR different cupcake recipes today! I'll freeze a variety for Bethany's party next week, and get the others ready for tomorrow's party.  Here's the nutritional info for the vanilla cupcakes (without frosting, see the frosting nutrition info below).

On the subject of nutritional information... I want to point out that number in the image above... the Glycemic Load. Recently, someone came over one evening to visit. This person LOVES the coconut cookies I make (see nutrition data below), so I made a batch, knowing that this person was coming by. Once  said person arrived, they would not eat even one of the cookies I had made specifically for them, because said person is diabetic. I explained again, that these cookies are a good choice for a diabetic treat and the reasons why. 


Then the truth came out. You see, this person, just before coming over to my house, ate a store bought donut.  Therefore, my coconut cookie would just send this person into a diabetic coma (really??). 


Now, I did a little research because A) it really miffed me in general, and B) I get really angry when people blame my food for their poor diet choices (and yes, there's a lot more behind this situation than a simple donut). So below you can see the nutritional data for a standard store bought donut. Looks like an excellent choice for a diabetic, yes? (you're correct, that's sarcasm you're reading here).

Now here's the data for my coconut cookie: (yes, it's high in sat fat, but if you've done any research on coconut oil, you understand that it's a VERY GOOD FOR YOU sat fat, because it takes nutrients and "saturates" your body's cells)

Oh, and did you notice the Inflammation factor? 115 for the donut, NA for my cookie???

Now, if you read yesterday's post, you have an idea of what I'd like to say to people who eat donuts while telling me that my lifestyle & food choices are too extreme and therefore unhealthy. Here's what frustrates/hurts me... I work hard to find tasty treats that are acceptable choices for the people in my life who either have a condition that would limit their treats, or just need to eat healthy... I love cooking/baking for people... I've always had the home that no one ever leaves hungry. I feed people. It's a need. When I do the research and the testing, when I provide a healthy wonderful treat for someone who couldn't (or shouldn't) otherwise enjoy a brownie or cookie or cupcake, it frustrates the hell out of me to have someone tell me that "I/he/she can't have that, it's too sweet... diabetes... blah blah blah." It pisses me off when I feel like I know more about the glycemic loads of foods than the persons who SHOULD, and yet I get argued with or sniped at or whatever. 

Don't effing sniff your nose at my food while effing stuffing your face with burger king and donuts.  And don't effing tell me that you can't have one of my treats because you just ate an effing donut and there's too much SUGAR in mine!

I know it sounds like I'm pissed over the donut. I don't care about the donut. It's the attitude, the deliberate poor choices, and then the snobbery against my food, and frankly, against me. <sigh> I guess I just needed to vent.      

Bethany graduates 8th grade next week, and we'll be having a little get-together at the house... planning is sort of piggy-backing on the birthday party planning. Bethany got her taste of the cupcakes last night and promptly declared her favorite... The Vanilla cupcakes that Ariel nixed! Lol! I guess I'm making FOUR different cupcake recipes today! I'll freeze a variety for Bethany's party next week, and get the others ready for tomorrow's party.  Here's the nutritional info for the vanilla cupcakes (without frosting, see the frosting nutrition info below).

On the subject of nutritional information... I want to point out that number in the image above... the Glycemic Load. Recently, someone came over one evening to visit. This person LOVES the coconut cookies I make (see nutrition data below), so I made a batch, knowing that this person was coming by. Once  said person arrived, they would not eat even one of the cookies I had made specifically for them, because said person is diabetic. I explained again, that these cookies are a good choice for a diabetic treat and the reasons why. 


Then the truth came out. You see, this person, just before coming over to my house, ate a store bought donut.  Therefore, my coconut cookie would just send this person into a diabetic coma (really??). 


Now, I did a little research because A) it really miffed me in general, and B) I get really angry when people blame my food for their poor diet choices (and yes, there's a lot more behind this situation than a simple donut). So below you can see the nutritional data for a standard store bought donut. Looks like an excellent choice for a diabetic, yes? (you're correct, that's sarcasm you're reading here).

Now here's the data for my coconut cookie: (yes, it's high in sat fat, but if you've done any research on coconut oil, you understand that it's a VERY GOOD FOR YOU sat fat, because it takes nutrients and "saturates" your body's cells)

Oh, and did you notice the Inflammation factor? 115 for the donut, NA for my cookie???

Now, if you read yesterday's post, you have an idea of what I'd like to say to people who eat donuts while telling me that my lifestyle & food choices are too extreme and therefore unhealthy. Here's what frustrates/hurts me... I work hard to find tasty treats that are acceptable choices for the people in my life who either have a condition that would limit their treats, or just need to eat healthy... I love cooking/baking for people... I've always had the home that no one ever leaves hungry. I feed people. It's a need. When I do the research and the testing, when I provide a healthy wonderful treat for someone who couldn't (or shouldn't) otherwise enjoy a brownie or cookie or cupcake, it frustrates the hell out of me to have someone tell me that "I/he/she can't have that, it's too sweet... diabetes... blah blah blah." It pisses me off when I feel like I know more about the glycemic loads of foods than the persons who SHOULD, and yet I get argued with or sniped at or whatever. 

Don't effing sniff your nose at my food while effing stuffing your face with burger king and donuts.  And don't effing tell me that you can't have one of my treats because you just ate an effing donut and there's too much SUGAR in mine!

I know it sounds like I'm pissed over the donut. I don't care about the donut. It's the attitude, the deliberate poor choices, and then the snobbery against my food, and frankly, against me. <sigh> I guess I just needed to vent.      

Bethany graduates 8th grade next week, and we'll be having a little get-together at the house... planning is sort of piggy-backing on the birthday party planning. Bethany got her taste of the cupcakes last night and promptly declared her favorite... The Vanilla cupcakes that Ariel nixed! Lol! I guess I'm making FOUR different cupcake recipes today! I'll freeze a variety for Bethany's party next week, and get the others ready for tomorrow's party.  Here's the nutritional info for the vanilla cupcakes (without frosting, see the frosting nutrition info below).

On the subject of nutritional information... I want to point out that number in the image above... the Glycemic Load. Recently, someone came over one evening to visit. This person LOVES the coconut cookies I make (see nutrition data below), so I made a batch, knowing that this person was coming by. Once  said person arrived, they would not eat even one of the cookies I had made specifically for them, because said person is diabetic. I explained again, that these cookies are a good choice for a diabetic treat and the reasons why. 


Then the truth came out. You see, this person, just before coming over to my house, ate a store bought donut.  Therefore, my coconut cookie would just send this person into a diabetic coma (really??). 


Now, I did a little research because A) it really miffed me in general, and B) I get really angry when people blame my food for their poor diet choices (and yes, there's a lot more behind this situation than a simple donut). So below you can see the nutritional data for a standard store bought donut. Looks like an excellent choice for a diabetic, yes? (you're correct, that's sarcasm you're reading here).

Now here's the data for my coconut cookie: (yes, it's high in sat fat, but if you've done any research on coconut oil, you understand that it's a VERY GOOD FOR YOU sat fat, because it takes nutrients and "saturates" your body's cells)

Oh, and did you notice the Inflammation factor? 115 for the donut, NA for my cookie???

Now, if you read yesterday's post, you have an idea of what I'd like to say to people who eat donuts while telling me that my lifestyle & food choices are too extreme and therefore unhealthy. Here's what frustrates/hurts me... I work hard to find tasty treats that are acceptable choices for the people in my life who either have a condition that would limit their treats, or just need to eat healthy... I love cooking/baking for people... I've always had the home that no one ever leaves hungry. I feed people. It's a need. When I do the research and the testing, when I provide a healthy wonderful treat for someone who couldn't (or shouldn't) otherwise enjoy a brownie or cookie or cupcake, it frustrates the hell out of me to have someone tell me that "I/he/she can't have that, it's too sweet... diabetes... blah blah blah." It pisses me off when I feel like I know more about the glycemic loads of foods than the persons who SHOULD, and yet I get argued with or sniped at or whatever. 

Don't effing sniff your nose at my food while effing stuffing your face with burger king and donuts.  And don't effing tell me that you can't have one of my treats because you just ate an effing donut and there's too much SUGAR in mine!

I know it sounds like I'm pissed over the donut. I don't care about the donut. It's the attitude, the deliberate poor choices, and then the snobbery against my food, and frankly, against me. <sigh> I guess I just needed to vent.      

Workouts - Cupcakes - Nutritional Data

9:00 am: Yesterday was a great day, but I ended up way too low on calories :-(   After work, I went to Whole Foods for supplies, dropped them off at home, changed and hit the gym... GREAT workout... Back & Biceps, with some abs, then 20 min treadmill lower intensity intervals. Burned 546 calories. Got home and grabbed a baggie of grilled chicken and munched while I began the cupcake baking marathon. We tested 4 cupcake recipes with 2 frosting recipes (all from www.ElanasPantry.com - see below for more info) to find Ariel's fav for the party saturday. Wouldn't you know she picked the frosting that was uber-messy! Lol! I was covered in it! Crazy! But it was really, really good :-) During all this, I boiled a pot of whole grain pasta and added the ground turkey & mushroom/tomato sauce I made on Sunday for the family. I took a couple bites, but was so busy making cupcakes & frosting that I spaced actually sitting down and eating. Then, when Ariel got home from her dinner date, I had her taste-test the cupcakes... narrowed it down from 4 recipes to 3. Lol. Guess I'm baking 3 different cupcakes for Saturday. I had mini-uber-mini bites... just enough literally to get a taste. So even with that, my calories were too low. Today however is a whole new story and I'm on track so far. :-)

Yesterday's workout was:

Round 1 -
Assisted pullups - wide grip
Lat Pulldowns - wide grip
Lat Pulldowns - narrow, reverse grip
Low Rows
Medicine Ball floor crunch
Repeat 3x

Round 2 - Assisted pullups - narrow grip
W-lifts with 12# dumbbells
Medicine Ball floor pulse-crunches
Repeat 3x

Round 3 - 21's with 12# dumbbells
Hammer curls w/12# dumbbells
Medicine ball floor crunches with twists

Cardio: 20 min med-intensity intervals, 5 min cool down. Stretching.
Calories burned: 545

Cupcakes! Elana (www.ElanasPantry.com) is doing a cupcake month... should I love her or hate her? Lol. Seriously though, her recipes are great, and I love that they make small batches :-) I still ended up with 4 dozen cupcakes but the kids will be sharing them with friends at school over the next few days, and they're "healthy" treats. I forgot to take pics last night, but I'll try and add those tomorrow.

Here's the ones Ariel decided on...
Coconut Cupcakes with Key Lime Icing
Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting on some, Key Lime on the others
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting

I ran the recipes through nutritiondata.com's recipe analyzer and here's what we get per cupcake (actually a little less as I made 12 out of each recipe, but the data is for 10 per recipe)...

Coconut Cupcakes (without frosting - see below for frosting)

Key Lime Frosting (per cupcake)

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes (without frosting - see below for frosting)

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Vegan Chocolate Frosting (per cupcake)
 

9pm update:  

Gym time complete. I did my 2nd leg day, but I am not split-savvy, so I don't feel I'm doing this quite right... at least not on the leg front. I'm going to have to do some research to get this right. I ended up hitting my hamstrings today and I think it was too much. Nothing I can't recover from, but I certainly don't want to overtrain any areas. My goal is to sculpt. I need to consult my expert fitness guru (aka The World's Greatest Trainer) but she's been pretty swamped with stuff recently.

Anyway, I did:

Round 1 -  3x
Walking lunges with body bar and kickbacks
Stiff legged deadlifts on a step
Exercise Ball Hamstring Roll/Tuck
Exercise Ball crunches

Round 2 - 2x
Bosu push up/hurdler stretch/burpee/press
Bosu side lunges
Bosu forward/reverse lunges

Round 3 - 3x
Seated calf raises w/ weight

Cardio - 25 min elliptical - med intensity intervals. Then stretching.

Total calories burned: 545

Dinner was 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta with 1 cup of my tomato/mushroom/turkey sauce, a kiwi and 4 oz of milk. Then I enjoyed a cupcake from yesterday's marathon baking :-)  I had the flourless chocolate one with the chocolate frosting.  Yum! Now I'm relaxing with a lovely glass of no-detectable-sulfites Frey red wine and watching back Fringe episodes :-)

I've been pushing hard, I know this. I'm not anticipating that I can maintain this pace, I know this too. I am determined to reach my no-more-marshmallow-fluff-goal. I'm sore, all the time. While the sick-twisted part of me likes that, lol, another  part of me realizes that to keep pushing this hard is courting injury, exhaustion. I'm trying to be sane, trying to stay focused. I'm very excited about the new definition I'm seeing in my shoulders, arms and back. My butt is distinctly higher and more rounded, I'm losing some of the extra girth in my thighs. My waist has narrowed. 

But I have to be careful, knowing myself, of becoming so focused on those changes, that I cross over to obsession. Just something I must be watchful of. I want to be healthy. Not obsessed. That said... some view my lifestyle as obsessed anyway. Frankly, screw 'em.  Those people have no  right to comment on my life or my lifestyle. As a friend of mine stated on her own blog today, "Shut the f#*%k up and eat your donut".  LOL!
  

9:00 am: Yesterday was a great day, but I ended up way too low on calories :-(   After work, I went to Whole Foods for supplies, dropped them off at home, changed and hit the gym... GREAT workout... Back & Biceps, with some abs, then 20 min treadmill lower intensity intervals. Burned 546 calories. Got home and grabbed a baggie of grilled chicken and munched while I began the cupcake baking marathon. We tested 4 cupcake recipes with 2 frosting recipes (all from www.ElanasPantry.com - see below for more info) to find Ariel's fav for the party saturday. Wouldn't you know she picked the frosting that was uber-messy! Lol! I was covered in it! Crazy! But it was really, really good :-) During all this, I boiled a pot of whole grain pasta and added the ground turkey & mushroom/tomato sauce I made on Sunday for the family. I took a couple bites, but was so busy making cupcakes & frosting that I spaced actually sitting down and eating. Then, when Ariel got home from her dinner date, I had her taste-test the cupcakes... narrowed it down from 4 recipes to 3. Lol. Guess I'm baking 3 different cupcakes for Saturday. I had mini-uber-mini bites... just enough literally to get a taste. So even with that, my calories were too low. Today however is a whole new story and I'm on track so far. :-)

Yesterday's workout was:

Round 1 -
Assisted pullups - wide grip
Lat Pulldowns - wide grip
Lat Pulldowns - narrow, reverse grip
Low Rows
Medicine Ball floor crunch
Repeat 3x

Round 2 - Assisted pullups - narrow grip
W-lifts with 12# dumbbells
Medicine Ball floor pulse-crunches
Repeat 3x

Round 3 - 21's with 12# dumbbells
Hammer curls w/12# dumbbells
Medicine ball floor crunches with twists

Cardio: 20 min med-intensity intervals, 5 min cool down. Stretching.
Calories burned: 545

Cupcakes! Elana (www.ElanasPantry.com) is doing a cupcake month... should I love her or hate her? Lol. Seriously though, her recipes are great, and I love that they make small batches :-) I still ended up with 4 dozen cupcakes but the kids will be sharing them with friends at school over the next few days, and they're "healthy" treats. I forgot to take pics last night, but I'll try and add those tomorrow.

Here's the ones Ariel decided on...
Coconut Cupcakes with Key Lime Icing
Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting on some, Key Lime on the others
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting

I ran the recipes through nutritiondata.com's recipe analyzer and here's what we get per cupcake (actually a little less as I made 12 out of each recipe, but the data is for 10 per recipe)...

Coconut Cupcakes (without frosting - see below for frosting)

Key Lime Frosting (per cupcake)

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes (without frosting - see below for frosting)

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Vegan Chocolate Frosting (per cupcake)
 

9pm update:  

Gym time complete. I did my 2nd leg day, but I am not split-savvy, so I don't feel I'm doing this quite right... at least not on the leg front. I'm going to have to do some research to get this right. I ended up hitting my hamstrings today and I think it was too much. Nothing I can't recover from, but I certainly don't want to overtrain any areas. My goal is to sculpt. I need to consult my expert fitness guru (aka The World's Greatest Trainer) but she's been pretty swamped with stuff recently.

Anyway, I did:

Round 1 -  3x
Walking lunges with body bar and kickbacks
Stiff legged deadlifts on a step
Exercise Ball Hamstring Roll/Tuck
Exercise Ball crunches

Round 2 - 2x
Bosu push up/hurdler stretch/burpee/press
Bosu side lunges
Bosu forward/reverse lunges

Round 3 - 3x
Seated calf raises w/ weight

Cardio - 25 min elliptical - med intensity intervals. Then stretching.

Total calories burned: 545

Dinner was 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta with 1 cup of my tomato/mushroom/turkey sauce, a kiwi and 4 oz of milk. Then I enjoyed a cupcake from yesterday's marathon baking :-)  I had the flourless chocolate one with the chocolate frosting.  Yum! Now I'm relaxing with a lovely glass of no-detectable-sulfites Frey red wine and watching back Fringe episodes :-)

I've been pushing hard, I know this. I'm not anticipating that I can maintain this pace, I know this too. I am determined to reach my no-more-marshmallow-fluff-goal. I'm sore, all the time. While the sick-twisted part of me likes that, lol, another  part of me realizes that to keep pushing this hard is courting injury, exhaustion. I'm trying to be sane, trying to stay focused. I'm very excited about the new definition I'm seeing in my shoulders, arms and back. My butt is distinctly higher and more rounded, I'm losing some of the extra girth in my thighs. My waist has narrowed. 

But I have to be careful, knowing myself, of becoming so focused on those changes, that I cross over to obsession. Just something I must be watchful of. I want to be healthy. Not obsessed. That said... some view my lifestyle as obsessed anyway. Frankly, screw 'em.  Those people have no  right to comment on my life or my lifestyle. As a friend of mine stated on her own blog today, "Shut the f#*%k up and eat your donut".  LOL!
  

9:00 am: Yesterday was a great day, but I ended up way too low on calories :-(   After work, I went to Whole Foods for supplies, dropped them off at home, changed and hit the gym... GREAT workout... Back & Biceps, with some abs, then 20 min treadmill lower intensity intervals. Burned 546 calories. Got home and grabbed a baggie of grilled chicken and munched while I began the cupcake baking marathon. We tested 4 cupcake recipes with 2 frosting recipes (all from www.ElanasPantry.com - see below for more info) to find Ariel's fav for the party saturday. Wouldn't you know she picked the frosting that was uber-messy! Lol! I was covered in it! Crazy! But it was really, really good :-) During all this, I boiled a pot of whole grain pasta and added the ground turkey & mushroom/tomato sauce I made on Sunday for the family. I took a couple bites, but was so busy making cupcakes & frosting that I spaced actually sitting down and eating. Then, when Ariel got home from her dinner date, I had her taste-test the cupcakes... narrowed it down from 4 recipes to 3. Lol. Guess I'm baking 3 different cupcakes for Saturday. I had mini-uber-mini bites... just enough literally to get a taste. So even with that, my calories were too low. Today however is a whole new story and I'm on track so far. :-)

Yesterday's workout was:

Round 1 -
Assisted pullups - wide grip
Lat Pulldowns - wide grip
Lat Pulldowns - narrow, reverse grip
Low Rows
Medicine Ball floor crunch
Repeat 3x

Round 2 - Assisted pullups - narrow grip
W-lifts with 12# dumbbells
Medicine Ball floor pulse-crunches
Repeat 3x

Round 3 - 21's with 12# dumbbells
Hammer curls w/12# dumbbells
Medicine ball floor crunches with twists

Cardio: 20 min med-intensity intervals, 5 min cool down. Stretching.
Calories burned: 545

Cupcakes! Elana (www.ElanasPantry.com) is doing a cupcake month... should I love her or hate her? Lol. Seriously though, her recipes are great, and I love that they make small batches :-) I still ended up with 4 dozen cupcakes but the kids will be sharing them with friends at school over the next few days, and they're "healthy" treats. I forgot to take pics last night, but I'll try and add those tomorrow.

Here's the ones Ariel decided on...
Coconut Cupcakes with Key Lime Icing
Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting on some, Key Lime on the others
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting

I ran the recipes through nutritiondata.com's recipe analyzer and here's what we get per cupcake (actually a little less as I made 12 out of each recipe, but the data is for 10 per recipe)...

Coconut Cupcakes (without frosting - see below for frosting)

Key Lime Frosting (per cupcake)

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes (without frosting - see below for frosting)

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Vegan Chocolate Frosting (per cupcake)
 

9pm update:  

Gym time complete. I did my 2nd leg day, but I am not split-savvy, so I don't feel I'm doing this quite right... at least not on the leg front. I'm going to have to do some research to get this right. I ended up hitting my hamstrings today and I think it was too much. Nothing I can't recover from, but I certainly don't want to overtrain any areas. My goal is to sculpt. I need to consult my expert fitness guru (aka The World's Greatest Trainer) but she's been pretty swamped with stuff recently.

Anyway, I did:

Round 1 -  3x
Walking lunges with body bar and kickbacks
Stiff legged deadlifts on a step
Exercise Ball Hamstring Roll/Tuck
Exercise Ball crunches

Round 2 - 2x
Bosu push up/hurdler stretch/burpee/press
Bosu side lunges
Bosu forward/reverse lunges

Round 3 - 3x
Seated calf raises w/ weight

Cardio - 25 min elliptical - med intensity intervals. Then stretching.

Total calories burned: 545

Dinner was 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta with 1 cup of my tomato/mushroom/turkey sauce, a kiwi and 4 oz of milk. Then I enjoyed a cupcake from yesterday's marathon baking :-)  I had the flourless chocolate one with the chocolate frosting.  Yum! Now I'm relaxing with a lovely glass of no-detectable-sulfites Frey red wine and watching back Fringe episodes :-)

I've been pushing hard, I know this. I'm not anticipating that I can maintain this pace, I know this too. I am determined to reach my no-more-marshmallow-fluff-goal. I'm sore, all the time. While the sick-twisted part of me likes that, lol, another  part of me realizes that to keep pushing this hard is courting injury, exhaustion. I'm trying to be sane, trying to stay focused. I'm very excited about the new definition I'm seeing in my shoulders, arms and back. My butt is distinctly higher and more rounded, I'm losing some of the extra girth in my thighs. My waist has narrowed. 

But I have to be careful, knowing myself, of becoming so focused on those changes, that I cross over to obsession. Just something I must be watchful of. I want to be healthy. Not obsessed. That said... some view my lifestyle as obsessed anyway. Frankly, screw 'em.  Those people have no  right to comment on my life or my lifestyle. As a friend of mine stated on her own blog today, "Shut the f#*%k up and eat your donut".  LOL!
  

Legs & Abs - Workout

Today is Ariel's 18th Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Bill and I hit the gym yesterday after work... he did legs with me :-)  He didn't do the whole workout, as he had to get back home for the game, lol, but here's what I did:

Round 1: Leg Press
Stiff-legged deadlifts w/30 pound EZ bar
Squat Press with 30 pound EZ bar
Repeat 3x

Round 2: Lying Leg Curls (10 each leg)
Plie Squat
Walking Lunges Holding 12# Medicine ball overhead
Repeat 3x

Round 3 - Abs: Reverse crunches with toe-touch (view similar)... I do the reverse crunch but lower my toes (maintaining the knee bend) until they touch the floor then go back up.
Hip push... lay flat on bench, raise straightened legs until they're at a 90 degree angle to your body, then lift straight up raising your behind.
Side Crunch on the machine to the right
I don't know what the majority of my exercises are called, but you can see the images to the right... I do all those, lol.
Decline Crunch with 12# Medicine Ball raise/push

Cardio:
20 minutes on Stairmaster
5 min. Stairmaster cooldown

Calories burned: 600

I ran my numbers for last week. The previous week, according to my trusty Polar heart rate monitor,  I had burned 2346 calories in exercise. Last week I burned 2847! Wooohooo! Progress! :-)

Dinner, post-workout, was great. I did taco salad. Ya know, sometimes you've just gotta have a chip... so I used these... Tostitos Natural Corn Tortillas. They're a great option when you need that corn crunch. My caloric intake for the day ended up right around 1400... a little low, but still in range.   Click on images to view.

     

Today is Ariel's 18th Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Bill and I hit the gym yesterday after work... he did legs with me :-)  He didn't do the whole workout, as he had to get back home for the game, lol, but here's what I did:

Round 1: Leg Press
Stiff-legged deadlifts w/30 pound EZ bar
Squat Press with 30 pound EZ bar
Repeat 3x

Round 2: Lying Leg Curls (10 each leg)
Plie Squat
Walking Lunges Holding 12# Medicine ball overhead
Repeat 3x

Round 3 - Abs: Reverse crunches with toe-touch (view similar)... I do the reverse crunch but lower my toes (maintaining the knee bend) until they touch the floor then go back up.
Hip push... lay flat on bench, raise straightened legs until they're at a 90 degree angle to your body, then lift straight up raising your behind.
Side Crunch on the machine to the right
I don't know what the majority of my exercises are called, but you can see the images to the right... I do all those, lol.
Decline Crunch with 12# Medicine Ball raise/push

Cardio:
20 minutes on Stairmaster
5 min. Stairmaster cooldown

Calories burned: 600

I ran my numbers for last week. The previous week, according to my trusty Polar heart rate monitor,  I had burned 2346 calories in exercise. Last week I burned 2847! Wooohooo! Progress! :-)

Dinner, post-workout, was great. I did taco salad. Ya know, sometimes you've just gotta have a chip... so I used these... Tostitos Natural Corn Tortillas. They're a great option when you need that corn crunch. My caloric intake for the day ended up right around 1400... a little low, but still in range.   Click on images to view.

     

Today is Ariel's 18th Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Bill and I hit the gym yesterday after work... he did legs with me :-)  He didn't do the whole workout, as he had to get back home for the game, lol, but here's what I did:

Round 1: Leg Press
Stiff-legged deadlifts w/30 pound EZ bar
Squat Press with 30 pound EZ bar
Repeat 3x

Round 2: Lying Leg Curls (10 each leg)
Plie Squat
Walking Lunges Holding 12# Medicine ball overhead
Repeat 3x

Round 3 - Abs: Reverse crunches with toe-touch (view similar)... I do the reverse crunch but lower my toes (maintaining the knee bend) until they touch the floor then go back up.
Hip push... lay flat on bench, raise straightened legs until they're at a 90 degree angle to your body, then lift straight up raising your behind.
Side Crunch on the machine to the right
I don't know what the majority of my exercises are called, but you can see the images to the right... I do all those, lol.
Decline Crunch with 12# Medicine Ball raise/push

Cardio:
20 minutes on Stairmaster
5 min. Stairmaster cooldown

Calories burned: 600

I ran my numbers for last week. The previous week, according to my trusty Polar heart rate monitor,  I had burned 2346 calories in exercise. Last week I burned 2847! Wooohooo! Progress! :-)

Dinner, post-workout, was great. I did taco salad. Ya know, sometimes you've just gotta have a chip... so I used these... Tostitos Natural Corn Tortillas. They're a great option when you need that corn crunch. My caloric intake for the day ended up right around 1400... a little low, but still in range.   Click on images to view.

     

New Recipe, New Workout Music

9:00 a.m.:  Yesterday ended up a bit crazy... had to work late, which put me home late, which nixed my workout... but... food was great, and I still ended my day strong. Today will find me in the gym for sure. I'll update more later....

1:30pm... Updated the recipe page and added the Mushroom/Tomato sauce recipe. I included the changes I made, as well as a link to the original recipe. Last night we made the steak tacos out of the same Clean Eating Magazine issue (May/June). They were good, but I didn't think they were any better than the usual steak tacos I make. I did however like the avocado sauce... Mix 1 6 oz container of greek yogurt (I used Skyr), with a chopped jalapeno, cilantro, and one avocado. I food-processor'd it until it was creamy. Quite tasty. But... someone who works with paper all day long should think before handling jalapenos. Paper cuts. Jalapeno juice. Yeah. NO BUENO. LOL! My hands burned all night long! Next time, gloves.

I've also added some new playlists to the Workout Music page.     

9:00 a.m.:  Yesterday ended up a bit crazy... had to work late, which put me home late, which nixed my workout... but... food was great, and I still ended my day strong. Today will find me in the gym for sure. I'll update more later....

1:30pm... Updated the recipe page and added the Mushroom/Tomato sauce recipe. I included the changes I made, as well as a link to the original recipe. Last night we made the steak tacos out of the same Clean Eating Magazine issue (May/June). They were good, but I didn't think they were any better than the usual steak tacos I make. I did however like the avocado sauce... Mix 1 6 oz container of greek yogurt (I used Skyr), with a chopped jalapeno, cilantro, and one avocado. I food-processor'd it until it was creamy. Quite tasty. But... someone who works with paper all day long should think before handling jalapenos. Paper cuts. Jalapeno juice. Yeah. NO BUENO. LOL! My hands burned all night long! Next time, gloves.

I've also added some new playlists to the Workout Music page.     

9:00 a.m.:  Yesterday ended up a bit crazy... had to work late, which put me home late, which nixed my workout... but... food was great, and I still ended my day strong. Today will find me in the gym for sure. I'll update more later....

1:30pm... Updated the recipe page and added the Mushroom/Tomato sauce recipe. I included the changes I made, as well as a link to the original recipe. Last night we made the steak tacos out of the same Clean Eating Magazine issue (May/June). They were good, but I didn't think they were any better than the usual steak tacos I make. I did however like the avocado sauce... Mix 1 6 oz container of greek yogurt (I used Skyr), with a chopped jalapeno, cilantro, and one avocado. I food-processor'd it until it was creamy. Quite tasty. But... someone who works with paper all day long should think before handling jalapenos. Paper cuts. Jalapeno juice. Yeah. NO BUENO. LOL! My hands burned all night long! Next time, gloves.

I've also added some new playlists to the Workout Music page.     

On track...

I was off-line quite a bit this weekend, so have a lot to catch up on. The boys (Joey, Joe and Robbie) were over this weekend which was fun. It still seems odd to me that they're not underfoot all week long, lol. Sunday was my usual Counter of Chaos and Sunday Food Prep, followed by a very chill evening catching up on some Bones, Fringe, and Chuck ;-)

Food... I've got my fitday ratios updated on my Today's Cooler page. 

Recipes... Major error! I had the wrong size Egg Beaters in my egg muffin recipe! Yikes! I'm so sorry! I've corrected it now, the actual size is 32 oz. 

Workouts... On track! I feel good. Strong. Solid. Operation Marshmallow Fluff is fully engaged. I even had 2 workouts with my husband! Woohoo! He NEVER lifts with me, has absolutely refused to lift with me (kinda gives me a complex, ya know?) but this last week, he lifted TWICE with me! Awesome! He promised to do a leg session with me today, too! Haha, as long as he can be home before the Lakers-Suns game, lol! 

Goals for this week... 4 strength training sessions, 5 cardio sessions, tight diet. I'm still aiming for between 1400 and 1600 calories per day (plus or minus my coconut oil).

This week is packed... we've got one daughter turning 18 on Wednesday, with a pool party on Saturday (and all the planning, shopping, baking & cooking that go with), plus this is the last full week of school for all three of the kids (translated: trauma, drama and tons of activities). Our air conditioner died on us (Saturday) and it's HOT. Thankfully, we're not in the 120's yet, haven't broken 100 so far (cross your fingers!), so it's not as bad as it could be. We're hoping it'll be fixed today. (Hoping, hoping, hoping). My food prep is complete, and even tried a new recipe last night! In the most recent Clean Eating mag, there was a recipe for a mushroom tomato sauce... I made a few alterations and came up with an awesome pasta sauce! And it smelled so good simmering on the stove while I did my Sunday Food Prep! I'll post the recipe tomorrow.     

I was off-line quite a bit this weekend, so have a lot to catch up on. The boys (Joey, Joe and Robbie) were over this weekend which was fun. It still seems odd to me that they're not underfoot all week long, lol. Sunday was my usual Counter of Chaos and Sunday Food Prep, followed by a very chill evening catching up on some Bones, Fringe, and Chuck ;-)

Food... I've got my fitday ratios updated on my Today's Cooler page. 

Recipes... Major error! I had the wrong size Egg Beaters in my egg muffin recipe! Yikes! I'm so sorry! I've corrected it now, the actual size is 32 oz. 

Workouts... On track! I feel good. Strong. Solid. Operation Marshmallow Fluff is fully engaged. I even had 2 workouts with my husband! Woohoo! He NEVER lifts with me, has absolutely refused to lift with me (kinda gives me a complex, ya know?) but this last week, he lifted TWICE with me! Awesome! He promised to do a leg session with me today, too! Haha, as long as he can be home before the Lakers-Suns game, lol! 

Goals for this week... 4 strength training sessions, 5 cardio sessions, tight diet. I'm still aiming for between 1400 and 1600 calories per day (plus or minus my coconut oil).

This week is packed... we've got one daughter turning 18 on Wednesday, with a pool party on Saturday (and all the planning, shopping, baking & cooking that go with), plus this is the last full week of school for all three of the kids (translated: trauma, drama and tons of activities). Our air conditioner died on us (Saturday) and it's HOT. Thankfully, we're not in the 120's yet, haven't broken 100 so far (cross your fingers!), so it's not as bad as it could be. We're hoping it'll be fixed today. (Hoping, hoping, hoping). My food prep is complete, and even tried a new recipe last night! In the most recent Clean Eating mag, there was a recipe for a mushroom tomato sauce... I made a few alterations and came up with an awesome pasta sauce! And it smelled so good simmering on the stove while I did my Sunday Food Prep! I'll post the recipe tomorrow.     

I was off-line quite a bit this weekend, so have a lot to catch up on. The boys (Joey, Joe and Robbie) were over this weekend which was fun. It still seems odd to me that they're not underfoot all week long, lol. Sunday was my usual Counter of Chaos and Sunday Food Prep, followed by a very chill evening catching up on some Bones, Fringe, and Chuck ;-)

Food... I've got my fitday ratios updated on my Today's Cooler page. 

Recipes... Major error! I had the wrong size Egg Beaters in my egg muffin recipe! Yikes! I'm so sorry! I've corrected it now, the actual size is 32 oz. 

Workouts... On track! I feel good. Strong. Solid. Operation Marshmallow Fluff is fully engaged. I even had 2 workouts with my husband! Woohoo! He NEVER lifts with me, has absolutely refused to lift with me (kinda gives me a complex, ya know?) but this last week, he lifted TWICE with me! Awesome! He promised to do a leg session with me today, too! Haha, as long as he can be home before the Lakers-Suns game, lol! 

Goals for this week... 4 strength training sessions, 5 cardio sessions, tight diet. I'm still aiming for between 1400 and 1600 calories per day (plus or minus my coconut oil).

This week is packed... we've got one daughter turning 18 on Wednesday, with a pool party on Saturday (and all the planning, shopping, baking & cooking that go with), plus this is the last full week of school for all three of the kids (translated: trauma, drama and tons of activities). Our air conditioner died on us (Saturday) and it's HOT. Thankfully, we're not in the 120's yet, haven't broken 100 so far (cross your fingers!), so it's not as bad as it could be. We're hoping it'll be fixed today. (Hoping, hoping, hoping). My food prep is complete, and even tried a new recipe last night! In the most recent Clean Eating mag, there was a recipe for a mushroom tomato sauce... I made a few alterations and came up with an awesome pasta sauce! And it smelled so good simmering on the stove while I did my Sunday Food Prep! I'll post the recipe tomorrow.     

Leg Workout & Cardio

How is it 1:30 pm already?? Yikes! My leg workout and cardio are done, I've worked several hours today (from home), but eaten very little. No bueno. After my workout, I grabbed a Vanilla Siggi's and a baggie with a kiwi and 1/2 cup of blackberries in it (Vitamin C after a workout helps reduce cortisol levels.. which helps lower belly fat). I haven't posted my ratios yet, but I'm all goofy since this is all the food I've had so far today. But as of this moment I'm back on track. I'll eat again in a couple hours and recalculate.

My workout was 30 minutes of weights then 30 min of cardio. I did:

Leg Press
Stiff legged  deadlifts w/30 pound EZ bar on bosu
Squat press w/30 pound EZ bar
Repeat 3X

Stiff legged deadlifts on step w/ body bar
Bosu pushup with hurdler stretch
Swiss ball rolls (lay on back with heels on ball, raise pelvis, using feet roll ball back until it touches your butt then roll back out and repeat)
Repeat 3X

5 minutes on rowing machine
25 minutes on elliptical
Stretching... Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh.  :-)

I feel good. I feel sore, but not "hurt". Yay progress!  

How is it 1:30 pm already?? Yikes! My leg workout and cardio are done, I've worked several hours today (from home), but eaten very little. No bueno. After my workout, I grabbed a Vanilla Siggi's and a baggie with a kiwi and 1/2 cup of blackberries in it (Vitamin C after a workout helps reduce cortisol levels.. which helps lower belly fat). I haven't posted my ratios yet, but I'm all goofy since this is all the food I've had so far today. But as of this moment I'm back on track. I'll eat again in a couple hours and recalculate.

My workout was 30 minutes of weights then 30 min of cardio. I did:

Leg Press
Stiff legged  deadlifts w/30 pound EZ bar on bosu
Squat press w/30 pound EZ bar
Repeat 3X

Stiff legged deadlifts on step w/ body bar
Bosu pushup with hurdler stretch
Swiss ball rolls (lay on back with heels on ball, raise pelvis, using feet roll ball back until it touches your butt then roll back out and repeat)
Repeat 3X

5 minutes on rowing machine
25 minutes on elliptical
Stretching... Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh.  :-)

I feel good. I feel sore, but not "hurt". Yay progress!  

How is it 1:30 pm already?? Yikes! My leg workout and cardio are done, I've worked several hours today (from home), but eaten very little. No bueno. After my workout, I grabbed a Vanilla Siggi's and a baggie with a kiwi and 1/2 cup of blackberries in it (Vitamin C after a workout helps reduce cortisol levels.. which helps lower belly fat). I haven't posted my ratios yet, but I'm all goofy since this is all the food I've had so far today. But as of this moment I'm back on track. I'll eat again in a couple hours and recalculate.

My workout was 30 minutes of weights then 30 min of cardio. I did:

Leg Press
Stiff legged  deadlifts w/30 pound EZ bar on bosu
Squat press w/30 pound EZ bar
Repeat 3X

Stiff legged deadlifts on step w/ body bar
Bosu pushup with hurdler stretch
Swiss ball rolls (lay on back with heels on ball, raise pelvis, using feet roll ball back until it touches your butt then roll back out and repeat)
Repeat 3X

5 minutes on rowing machine
25 minutes on elliptical
Stretching... Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh.  :-)

I feel good. I feel sore, but not "hurt". Yay progress!  

Workout, Check. Food, Check. Sleep, Check Check!

12:00 noon:  Bowling went well last night... last match of the season. I'm taking the summer season off, though Bill and the rest of the guys will continue. I'll start back up again in the fall when, hopefully, I can buy a new ball. I've been bowling with the same ball I got 4 years ago... and having lost so much weight, the finger holes are way too big and I have difficulty throwing consistently. I did manage to win some small money prizes last night too! How's this for odd... I took 8th place (out of 150) in three different categories. LOL! So I celebrated by hitting up Best Buy today for a new pair of ear-buds for my iPod :-) I'm trying out some new playlists today through the weekend, so hopefully I'll have those to post for you on Monday :-)

My quads are finally quieting down today. I just feel sore now. Vast improvement! Tonight I will be doing an easy (steady-state) cardio session after my weights (back & biceps). Tomorrow will be another easy cardio session with abs and light legs. Saturday will be chest, shoulders and triceps (and abs). Sunday cardio. I plan to be able to start doing a couple HIIT sessions next week. I just want to make sure my legs have time to really recover before I start tearing them up again.

Food has been really consistent. If you've been looking at my daily cooler, you've noticed that I've added my Fitday.com summary.  I update it throughout the day, and it helps me be sure I'm on track.

8:00 pm update: gym time is complete. I did 40 minutes of back & biceps and a bit of abs. Then followed up with 30 minutes cardio. I meant to do steady pace, I really did. I just couldn't hack it! I had to do intervals! There was this voice in my head telling me, look at your heart rate... let's bump that up! Aye yay yay. Whatever, it's done now. Tomorrow is more cardio, so we'll see how my legs feel when I wake up in the morning.

Dinner was a yummy steak taco... Ezekiel sprouted grain corn tortilla with 1 tbsp lowfat cottage cheese, 1/4 cup shredded cabbage, taco sauce, sliced red pepper, 2 oz sliced lean grilled beef and taco sauce. Followed by my new favorite desert, Banana "ice cream".  My daily food totals are up on the cooler page.

And now I'm crashin... g'night!

12:00 noon:  Bowling went well last night... last match of the season. I'm taking the summer season off, though Bill and the rest of the guys will continue. I'll start back up again in the fall when, hopefully, I can buy a new ball. I've been bowling with the same ball I got 4 years ago... and having lost so much weight, the finger holes are way too big and I have difficulty throwing consistently. I did manage to win some small money prizes last night too! How's this for odd... I took 8th place (out of 150) in three different categories. LOL! So I celebrated by hitting up Best Buy today for a new pair of ear-buds for my iPod :-) I'm trying out some new playlists today through the weekend, so hopefully I'll have those to post for you on Monday :-)

My quads are finally quieting down today. I just feel sore now. Vast improvement! Tonight I will be doing an easy (steady-state) cardio session after my weights (back & biceps). Tomorrow will be another easy cardio session with abs and light legs. Saturday will be chest, shoulders and triceps (and abs). Sunday cardio. I plan to be able to start doing a couple HIIT sessions next week. I just want to make sure my legs have time to really recover before I start tearing them up again.

Food has been really consistent. If you've been looking at my daily cooler, you've noticed that I've added my Fitday.com summary.  I update it throughout the day, and it helps me be sure I'm on track.

8:00 pm update: gym time is complete. I did 40 minutes of back & biceps and a bit of abs. Then followed up with 30 minutes cardio. I meant to do steady pace, I really did. I just couldn't hack it! I had to do intervals! There was this voice in my head telling me, look at your heart rate... let's bump that up! Aye yay yay. Whatever, it's done now. Tomorrow is more cardio, so we'll see how my legs feel when I wake up in the morning.

Dinner was a yummy steak taco... Ezekiel sprouted grain corn tortilla with 1 tbsp lowfat cottage cheese, 1/4 cup shredded cabbage, taco sauce, sliced red pepper, 2 oz sliced lean grilled beef and taco sauce. Followed by my new favorite desert, Banana "ice cream".  My daily food totals are up on the cooler page.

And now I'm crashin... g'night!

12:00 noon:  Bowling went well last night... last match of the season. I'm taking the summer season off, though Bill and the rest of the guys will continue. I'll start back up again in the fall when, hopefully, I can buy a new ball. I've been bowling with the same ball I got 4 years ago... and having lost so much weight, the finger holes are way too big and I have difficulty throwing consistently. I did manage to win some small money prizes last night too! How's this for odd... I took 8th place (out of 150) in three different categories. LOL! So I celebrated by hitting up Best Buy today for a new pair of ear-buds for my iPod :-) I'm trying out some new playlists today through the weekend, so hopefully I'll have those to post for you on Monday :-)

My quads are finally quieting down today. I just feel sore now. Vast improvement! Tonight I will be doing an easy (steady-state) cardio session after my weights (back & biceps). Tomorrow will be another easy cardio session with abs and light legs. Saturday will be chest, shoulders and triceps (and abs). Sunday cardio. I plan to be able to start doing a couple HIIT sessions next week. I just want to make sure my legs have time to really recover before I start tearing them up again.

Food has been really consistent. If you've been looking at my daily cooler, you've noticed that I've added my Fitday.com summary.  I update it throughout the day, and it helps me be sure I'm on track.

8:00 pm update: gym time is complete. I did 40 minutes of back & biceps and a bit of abs. Then followed up with 30 minutes cardio. I meant to do steady pace, I really did. I just couldn't hack it! I had to do intervals! There was this voice in my head telling me, look at your heart rate... let's bump that up! Aye yay yay. Whatever, it's done now. Tomorrow is more cardio, so we'll see how my legs feel when I wake up in the morning.

Dinner was a yummy steak taco... Ezekiel sprouted grain corn tortilla with 1 tbsp lowfat cottage cheese, 1/4 cup shredded cabbage, taco sauce, sliced red pepper, 2 oz sliced lean grilled beef and taco sauce. Followed by my new favorite desert, Banana "ice cream".  My daily food totals are up on the cooler page.

And now I'm crashin... g'night!

Reality Check and Banana Ice Cream

No gym today or last night. I had my a$$ handed to me by the World's Greatest Trainer over my workout/training schedule & too-low caloric intake. <sigh> and she was absolutely right. I know better. I let my fear push me into an insane plan. Damn.   :-(    I'm tellin' ya, folks... Maintenance phase is a bitch! Here I am, a year and a half into maintenance and I'm still trying to figure it all out.

So... here's the new plan. Cardio 5x/week, Weights 4x/week. Calories 1400 - 1600/day. No more twice a day's unless it's cardio only in the morning and weights only in the evening. I will absolutely reach goal doing this, and hopefully avoid injury or over-training. I have to admit,  that I am hurting. I've been pushing so hard that my muscles haven't been able to sufficiently recover before they're called into duty again, legs in particular. I've been telling myself I'm just "sore". I'm ok with being sore, sore means progress. But this? This goes way beyond sore. This is a fraction of a centimeter above curling up in the fetal position and whimpering. I've been so set on getting it done, that I haven't truly been taking stock of my body, and now that I've had more than 24 hours since my last workout (and yes, the irrational panicky fat girl in my head is yelling "no! get your a$$ in the gym! You don't have time for this!"), my muscles are absolutely screaming. No bueno. Yes, my overachieving, Type-A, highly competitive nature can handle a lot, but this kind of pain is just dumb. And I'm really glad Tab caught me before I did any damage. The way it stands now, I've given myself a 10 day jump start and shocked my body, now I'm reigning in and pushing steadily forward. Marshmallow Fluff be gone, Sanity remain. And please, oh please, let my quads recover before I truly do whimper out loud.

On another note... AMAZING recipe! Banana Ice Cream! One ingredient, totally healthy banana ice cream! Now, if you already know about this wonder, just ignore me as I gush and bubble about this wondrous treat :-) YUM! This was truly amazing and I can't wait to enjoy it again! We sliced banana on ours and drizzled with melted coconut oil peanut butter fudge... the fudge froze solid like a shell (remember those dipped ice cream cones when we were kids? like that!). So darned good! I just have a cheap $30 food processor from Wal Mart, and it handled the frozen bananas just fine (ok, for the first minute I had to hold it down on the counter, lol). If you've never tried this before, you simply must! It's a new favorite in our house!

No gym today or last night. I had my a$$ handed to me by the World's Greatest Trainer over my workout/training schedule & too-low caloric intake. <sigh> and she was absolutely right. I know better. I let my fear push me into an insane plan. Damn.   :-(    I'm tellin' ya, folks... Maintenance phase is a bitch! Here I am, a year and a half into maintenance and I'm still trying to figure it all out.

So... here's the new plan. Cardio 5x/week, Weights 4x/week. Calories 1400 - 1600/day. No more twice a day's unless it's cardio only in the morning and weights only in the evening. I will absolutely reach goal doing this, and hopefully avoid injury or over-training. I have to admit,  that I am hurting. I've been pushing so hard that my muscles haven't been able to sufficiently recover before they're called into duty again, legs in particular. I've been telling myself I'm just "sore". I'm ok with being sore, sore means progress. But this? This goes way beyond sore. This is a fraction of a centimeter above curling up in the fetal position and whimpering. I've been so set on getting it done, that I haven't truly been taking stock of my body, and now that I've had more than 24 hours since my last workout (and yes, the irrational panicky fat girl in my head is yelling "no! get your a$$ in the gym! You don't have time for this!"), my muscles are absolutely screaming. No bueno. Yes, my overachieving, Type-A, highly competitive nature can handle a lot, but this kind of pain is just dumb. And I'm really glad Tab caught me before I did any damage. The way it stands now, I've given myself a 10 day jump start and shocked my body, now I'm reigning in and pushing steadily forward. Marshmallow Fluff be gone, Sanity remain. And please, oh please, let my quads recover before I truly do whimper out loud.

On another note... AMAZING recipe! Banana Ice Cream! One ingredient, totally healthy banana ice cream! Now, if you already know about this wonder, just ignore me as I gush and bubble about this wondrous treat :-) YUM! This was truly amazing and I can't wait to enjoy it again! We sliced banana on ours and drizzled with melted coconut oil peanut butter fudge... the fudge froze solid like a shell (remember those dipped ice cream cones when we were kids? like that!). So darned good! I just have a cheap $30 food processor from Wal Mart, and it handled the frozen bananas just fine (ok, for the first minute I had to hold it down on the counter, lol). If you've never tried this before, you simply must! It's a new favorite in our house!

No gym today or last night. I had my a$$ handed to me by the World's Greatest Trainer over my workout/training schedule & too-low caloric intake. <sigh> and she was absolutely right. I know better. I let my fear push me into an insane plan. Damn.   :-(    I'm tellin' ya, folks... Maintenance phase is a bitch! Here I am, a year and a half into maintenance and I'm still trying to figure it all out.

So... here's the new plan. Cardio 5x/week, Weights 4x/week. Calories 1400 - 1600/day. No more twice a day's unless it's cardio only in the morning and weights only in the evening. I will absolutely reach goal doing this, and hopefully avoid injury or over-training. I have to admit,  that I am hurting. I've been pushing so hard that my muscles haven't been able to sufficiently recover before they're called into duty again, legs in particular. I've been telling myself I'm just "sore". I'm ok with being sore, sore means progress. But this? This goes way beyond sore. This is a fraction of a centimeter above curling up in the fetal position and whimpering. I've been so set on getting it done, that I haven't truly been taking stock of my body, and now that I've had more than 24 hours since my last workout (and yes, the irrational panicky fat girl in my head is yelling "no! get your a$$ in the gym! You don't have time for this!"), my muscles are absolutely screaming. No bueno. Yes, my overachieving, Type-A, highly competitive nature can handle a lot, but this kind of pain is just dumb. And I'm really glad Tab caught me before I did any damage. The way it stands now, I've given myself a 10 day jump start and shocked my body, now I'm reigning in and pushing steadily forward. Marshmallow Fluff be gone, Sanity remain. And please, oh please, let my quads recover before I truly do whimper out loud.

On another note... AMAZING recipe! Banana Ice Cream! One ingredient, totally healthy banana ice cream! Now, if you already know about this wonder, just ignore me as I gush and bubble about this wondrous treat :-) YUM! This was truly amazing and I can't wait to enjoy it again! We sliced banana on ours and drizzled with melted coconut oil peanut butter fudge... the fudge froze solid like a shell (remember those dipped ice cream cones when we were kids? like that!). So darned good! I just have a cheap $30 food processor from Wal Mart, and it handled the frozen bananas just fine (ok, for the first minute I had to hold it down on the counter, lol). If you've never tried this before, you simply must! It's a new favorite in our house!

Time to Re-Evaluate

5:30 found me at the gym again, this morning. I did my cardio... 15 min on the elliptical (hiit), 15 on the treadmill (steady-state), and 10 on the stairmaster (steady-state). Stretching was glorious, lol. Came home and had a protein shake - I don't normally do this but I wanted to compare the "taste" of my unclean protein powder to the new "clean" one... it's for sure, the unclean is waaaaay better. Way. Hmm. 

I realized last night that I need to revamp my workout routines... I'm starting to feel a little redundant and unfocused in the gym... and since I'm there twice a day, to meet my goals, I can't afford any listlessness. I'm also worried about the stress I'm putting on my knees. All my cardio is leg-based, added to the leg workouts and I'm starting to feel it.  I don't want to risk injury. There is a funky rowing machine at the gym, I think when I go back this afternoon, I'll ask a trainer to show me proper form, and then start using that.  I also want to update my playlists, but my work schedule has me scrambling right now. Doesn't seem to be time for much of anything.      

5:30 found me at the gym again, this morning. I did my cardio... 15 min on the elliptical (hiit), 15 on the treadmill (steady-state), and 10 on the stairmaster (steady-state). Stretching was glorious, lol. Came home and had a protein shake - I don't normally do this but I wanted to compare the "taste" of my unclean protein powder to the new "clean" one... it's for sure, the unclean is waaaaay better. Way. Hmm. 

I realized last night that I need to revamp my workout routines... I'm starting to feel a little redundant and unfocused in the gym... and since I'm there twice a day, to meet my goals, I can't afford any listlessness. I'm also worried about the stress I'm putting on my knees. All my cardio is leg-based, added to the leg workouts and I'm starting to feel it.  I don't want to risk injury. There is a funky rowing machine at the gym, I think when I go back this afternoon, I'll ask a trainer to show me proper form, and then start using that.  I also want to update my playlists, but my work schedule has me scrambling right now. Doesn't seem to be time for much of anything.      

5:30 found me at the gym again, this morning. I did my cardio... 15 min on the elliptical (hiit), 15 on the treadmill (steady-state), and 10 on the stairmaster (steady-state). Stretching was glorious, lol. Came home and had a protein shake - I don't normally do this but I wanted to compare the "taste" of my unclean protein powder to the new "clean" one... it's for sure, the unclean is waaaaay better. Way. Hmm. 

I realized last night that I need to revamp my workout routines... I'm starting to feel a little redundant and unfocused in the gym... and since I'm there twice a day, to meet my goals, I can't afford any listlessness. I'm also worried about the stress I'm putting on my knees. All my cardio is leg-based, added to the leg workouts and I'm starting to feel it.  I don't want to risk injury. There is a funky rowing machine at the gym, I think when I go back this afternoon, I'll ask a trainer to show me proper form, and then start using that.  I also want to update my playlists, but my work schedule has me scrambling right now. Doesn't seem to be time for much of anything.