I Flip Tires for Fun!

[AbramsAM]

After looking around the site - I decided to start a journal

ABOUT ME -
I am 24 and have been involved with fitness and nutrition for as long as I can remember. I was always in sports year round while in school and loved to learn about healthy eating. I enjoyed power lifting throughout highschool as well as voleyball, basketball and track. My husband and I now workout together regularly and are both on a mission to make a difference in our bodies - to go from average to GREAT

MY WORKOUTS -
My typical week has three weight training days, three long cardio days, and three shorter cardio days with one day off (sample below)

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT-
I have been working out and eating right for a long time now and blame my lack of progress on my portion control. Maybe also on combination of foods. I eat 5-6 meals per day and although most food I consume is "healthy" i am sure a better balance of it all would help. I appreciate any feedback you would like to give I am torn between the need to track all calories consumed or not. Sometimes I log them on Sparkpeople. I know i need to find a calorie range and nutrient ratio that works for me in reducing body fat (in addition to working out)

GOALS -
My goal is too look great naked but isn't that everyones goal? I am presently 27% body fat and would like to reach my first goal of 18% and evaluate from there where I want to go. I would like to drop at least one pants size (from a 7/8 to a 5/6) and have a target weight for myself of 145. I presently weigh 159.

SUPPLEMENTS -
I just started incorporating CLA, creatine, and flax oil into my daily intake. I also use protein powder and take a multivitamin pack.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE - April 9-15

Monday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
B2: Hashbrowns and eggs
~~~pre-workout: 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein, creatine
~~~post-workout: 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein
L1: 3 oz chicken breast, small baked potato, 1 Tb. ICBINB, 1 Tb. rf sour cream, CLA, Vitamins
L2: Orange, cheese stick
D: Eating out for MIL's b-day - planning on ordering a spinach salad

E: Lower body weights, 12 min stair stepper - 400 cals burned - DONE

Tuesday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
B2: Egg sandwich
~~~pre-workout: 4 oz. juice, 1 scoop protein, creatine
~~~post-workout: 4 oz juice, 1 scoop protein
L1: Brown rice, salmon, broccoli, vitamins, CLA
L2: Apple and cheese stick
D: Chicken curry, brown rice and veggies

E: 45 mins cardio - run outside

Wednesday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
B2: Protein pancakes, 2 egg whites
~~~pre-workout: 4 oz. juice, 1 scoop protein, creatine
~~~post-workout: 4 oz juice, 1 scoop protein
L1: Chicken curry, brown rice, veggies, vitamins, CLA
L2: 1/2 c. cottage cheese, yogurt
D: Meatloaf, sweet potato, salad, CLA

E: Upper body weights, 20 mins cardio

Thursday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
B2: Protein pancakes, 2 egg whites
~~~pre-workout: 4 oz. juice, 1 scoop protein, creatine
~~~post-workout: 4 oz juice, 1 scoop protein
L1: Meatloaf, baked potato, veggie, vitamins, CLA
L2: 1/2 Cottage cheese and yogurt
D: Pork Chops, sweet potato, veggie, CLA

E: 45 mins Cardio

Friday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
B2: Crockpost breakfast casserole (new recipe)
~~~pre-workout: 4 oz. juice, 1 scoop protein, creatine
~~~post-workout: 4 oz juice, 1 scoop protein
L1: Pork chop, sweet potato, veggie, CLA, Vitamins
L2: cottage cheese with pecans
D: Hamburger noodle bake (new recipe)

E: Lower Body weights, 20 mins cardio

Saturday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
~~~pre-workout: 4 oz. juice, 1 scoop protein, creatine
~~~post-workout: 4 oz juice, 1 scoop protein
L1: Chili and corn bread, Vitamins, CLA
L2: fruit and cheese stick
D: Chili and corn bread, CLA

E: 45 mins cardio

Sunday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
B2: Breakfast burrito with leftover breakfast casserole
L1: Chili and corn bread, Vitamins, CLA
L2: Fruit and cheese stick
D: Chicken Tortilla soup, CLA

E: OFF

~~~so that is a little about me Thanks for stopping by and for any feedback you may have - I love hearing about different inputs!

[Kristih2002]

good luck w/ your hard work

[GyMgrrrL]

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT-
I have been working out and eating right for a long time now and blame my lack of progress on my portion control. Maybe also on combination of foods. I eat 5-6 meals per day and although most food I consume is "healthy" i am sure a better balance of it all would help. I appreciate any feedback you would like to give I am torn between the need to track all calories consumed or not. Sometimes I log them on Sparkpeople. I know i need to find a calorie range and nutrient ratio that works for me in reducing body fat (in addition to working out)

That's my problem too... not so much eating healthy, I absolutly love healthy foods, however, portion control kills me. I all too often (before starting low-carb) would just eat more than I needed.. thinking "I can have another bowl of oatmeal, its healthy" when I was trying to justify the excess calories because they were "healthy" when it really only boils down to calories in vs. calories out. So, I know how it feels to struggle with portions. And although I HATE it, tracking on fitday really has helped... it keeps me accountable and knowing really how much I'm consuming. Anyway, just thought I'd pop in with my little comment, and a big Hello!
I'm sure you'll reach your goals.. I'll definitly be checking in here more

[AbramsAM]

KRISTI - thanks for the support! I see that you are new around here too, I'll have to come and find your journal

GYMGRRRL - You explained it perfectly! just eating too much of what we know is healthy and how that can sabatoge our goals too! I guess it all comes down to having to track calories Thanks for the welcome and support! Hope to see you around

************************************************** ****
YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT
Squats 12 @ 95
10 @ 115
8 @ 135
6 @ 155
12 @ 95
Leg presses - 12 @ 270

Deadlift 12 @ 95
10 @ 115
8 @ 135
6 @ 155
12 @ 95
Hack Squat - 12 @ 90

12 mins stair stepper
Total calories burned = 400 in 45 mins

ACTUAL FOOD
Monday:
B1: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 4 strawberries, protein powder, 1 T. Flax oil = all blended, and CLA
B2: Hashbrowns and eggs
~~~pre-workout: 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein, creatine
~~~post-workout: 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein
L1: 3 oz chicken breast, small baked potato, 1 Tb. ICBINB, 1 Tb. rf sour cream, CLA, Vitamins
L2: Orange, cheese stick
S: hand full mixed nuts
D: 1/2 a breadstick, bowl of beef and veggie soup, half order chef salad with probably 4 T. blue cheese dressing. CLA

MEAL TOTALS (according to Sparkpeople logging)
CALORIES ~~~CARBS ~~~FAT ~~~PROTEIN
2,206~~~ 177 ~~~~~104 ~~~~144
~~~~~~~~~31.9%~~~~42.4%~~~25.9%

Woah! the nuts and the dressing put me way over for fat! i probably guessed high for the dressing, but still! gotta keep an eye on that when I eat out. So yesterday wasn 't the greatest food wise!

Today I have cardio scheduled and a friend got me a few pilates dvds, so i might throw one of those in - we'll see how I am feeling. I'll be back soon with more updates

[AbramsAM]

*whew*

Cardio is DONE

Four miles outside at the park, took me 49 minutes, burned 580 cals during the 49 minutes. Not too bad - i would like to work on my time though, but that will come

I was past 600 cals burned on my HRM by the time I walked home. then I had a post workout shake of 5 oz 100% juice and about 14g protein poweder. I will eat lunch in about half an hour.

[GyMgrrrL]

Great workout! I like the deadlifts! I cant do those too heavy because of my back, but I love them so Im envious of anyone who can add weight to them!

[Kristih2002]

Wow, i can;t believe you ran that much. i can go ahead and admit i dont really like cardio and can barely do a mile!

so congratulations!

[AbramsAM]

SARAH -
Ohh - sorry to hear about your back! what happened to it? that must be awful to try and lift while having anything wrong with your back!

KRISTI -
hehe - yea, I used to hate running too! i would do everything possible to not have to run - aerobics, TaeBo - whatever. But I am starting to learn to like it i take my dog out with me and time seems to go by pretty fast. i have a feeling that I really need to increase my cardio if I want to drop some of this body fat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterdays Food
Cals~~~~Fat~~~Carbs~~~Pro~~~Fiber
1,424 ~~~21 ~~~183 ~~~126 ~~~22
~~~~~~13%~~~51%~~~36% ~~~~~

Todays Food Plan
M1: Smoothie: 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 1 T. flax, 5 strawberries, Protein powder, CLA
M2: Protein pancakes: 4 egg whites, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 1/2 c. oatmeal, Vitamins
***preworkout - 4 oz juice, 1/2 serving protein powder, creatine
***post workout - 4 oz juice, 1/2 serving protein
M3: 3 oz pork loin, 1/2 c. sweet potato, 1/2 c. steamed broccoli, CLA
Snack: (i got hungry!) 1 apple, 2 T Peanut butter
M4: 3 oz pork loin, 1/2 c. sweet potato, 1/2 c. steamed broccoli
M5: Chicken curry with veggies, 1 c. brown rice

DAILY TOTALS
Cals~~~~Fat~~~Carbs~~~Pro~~~Fiber
1,894 ~~~59~~~~178~~~~163~~~ 26
~~~~~~26%~~~35.3%~~~38.7%~~~~

So i feel a little lost of what ratio to keep my cals at for fat loss. I read a lot to keep about 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat - so i guess I can shoot for that - and knowing that - these past two days are off, yesterday being better than what is planned for today. I could make a few modifications to my curry recipe to lower some fat and change things a bit.

Workout today is upper body and about 20 minutes cardio. I'll post what I did after i get back this afternoon.

Happy hump day

[twinnett]

A lot of people do 40/40/20 for fat loss, but really, whatever works for you! I wouldn't let your fats drop below 20% though! they're important!!

[AbramsAM]

TWINNETT -
Thanks! 40/40/20 sounds good to me there is always so much fluxuation with what "works" and trial and error that needs to be done with each individual - I always forget what I already tried! (not good, i know ) hehe
Thanks for stopping by I'll try and aim for the 40/40/20 these next few weeks to see what happens - it'll be a good starting point to measure progress!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TODAY'S WORKOUT
Biceps - (curls)
20 @ 30
18 @ 40
15 @ 50
12 @ 60
20 @ 30 (no rest)
20 hammer curls w/ 8 lb DB

Triceps - (extention thingys )
20 @ 30
18 @ 40
15 @ 50
12 @ 60
20 @ 30 (no rest)
20 Push downs @ 30

Stair Master - 20 mins

360 cals burned total in 45 mins

I was going to do more, but today was a first going a little higher reps - and I was exhausted!

Weigh in today was 160

[AbramsAM]

Today was a weird day for food for me. I had meetings throughout the day and it is almost 4:30 and i am barely getting to my desk, but about to go home

M1: 1/2 serving protein pancakes, 2 eggs
snack: cheese stick
M2: Myoplex deluxe bar, starbucks NSA green tea lemonade
M3: Cliff Z bar
M4: meat loaf, veggies
M5: protein shake (if I am still awake)

so yea - not too good in the food area. I need to plan better when I know i will be away from a fridge.

Workout today will be cardio at the park as soon as my husband comes home from work - he had to go out of town today, but when he gets back we will go run together. I am shooting for 45 minutes but this time might do about 20 minutes of a jog and the rest interval stuff.

I can't wait for tomorrow since it will be Friday - YAY

[twinnett]

Ehh...we all have weird food days...at least you know now what you have to do to plan..have fun jogging! I wish I could go outside...it's freezing rain here..yuck!

[AbramsAM]

Thanks TWINNETT

Aww - sorry that it is cold out - that is a bummer.

I was thinking of asking you more about if your weight is something you struggled for at your height? I have found that most people our height rarely get into the 120's - or even 130's for that matter! Just wondering if it is something you work on or if it is something that has just been a result of your way of life. I would assume eating right and nutrition IS something you work on, but whether or not you are aiming for a low weight some people just seem like they just weigh less!

[AbramsAM]

Happy Friday

Food today -
M1: 1.5 c. Kashi go lean crunch, 1.5 c soy milk
M2: 3/4 c. egg beaters, 1 serving turkey bacon, mushrooms
***pre-workout - 3 strawberries, 1/2 serving protein, creatine
***post workout - 3 strawberries, 1/2 serving protein
M3: 4 oz. meat loaf, small baked potato, 1 Tb. rf sour cream, ICBINB
M4: Large orange, lf part skim cheese stick
M5: Chicken and veggies

Workout - Lower body and cardio

Leg Presses
12 @ 90
10 @ 180
8 @ 270
6 @ 360
12 @ 180 (no rest)
Squats - 12 @ 95

Weighted Lunges on smith machine
12 @ 65
10 @ 70
8 @ 75
6 @ 95
12 @ 75 (no rest)
Hack squat - 12 @ 90

Cardio
20 minute jog

Total time - 50 minutes , 400 cals burned
weigh in - 159
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I started the day out a little crappy because after my evening run yesterday - i came home around 9:30, drank some water and didn't eat anything - so i woke up starving! I was so sleepy though! My run last night was tough - I ran 20 minutes at a steady pace, then did 25 minutes of interval sprint/fast walk. I would walk the equal distance of my sprint - and I either sprinted a 200 or a 100 and alternated those every few. I was fatigued when I was done. I didn't take my creatine yesterday and am not sure if that had anything to do with how tired I was -- or if it is all a placebo effect. but I didn't drink enough water yesterday, my food was off, and i was working out later than usual - so a lot of factors to consider!

Tomorrow is my cheat day i think I am going to limit my cheat a little though - I have been going all out and eating whatever I wanted, but i might just have one thing that I want instead of many little things. i need to stick to the concept of a cheat "meal" not a cheat "day".

Tomorrow I have hill runs so i will probably do the same 20 minute jog to begin and get warm then sprint hills for my HIIT. they are like tiers at a park - really tough! so I do those once per week, usually on the weekend.

Thinking of making something different for dinner tomorrow since I will be home - so I am off to find something yummy but healthy to make. This won't be my cheat meal

[twinnett]

Thanks TWINNETT

Aww - sorry that it is cold out - that is a bummer.

I was thinking of asking you more about if your weight is something you struggled for at your height? I have found that most people our height rarely get into the 120's - or even 130's for that matter! Just wondering if it is something you work on or if it is something that has just been a result of your way of life. I would assume eating right and nutrition IS something you work on, but whether or not you are aiming for a low weight some people just seem like they just weigh less!

Oh, well, here goes...lol...I was a twig until 5th grade, then I just blew up..lol..my whole family is obese (like 300#) and we always ate like crap and did NO exercise. In high school, I was around 160#, then I became anorexic and ate like 800 calories a day and get down to around 125#...in college, I blew up again and topped out around 190#. I slowly changed things, but then again, the anorexia and exercise addiction seized me and in July, I was around 108#!!! Thanks to Emma Leigh, I have discovered weight training and eat correctly and I've gained around 18#!!! So in short, if you're still reading, I've never really tried to maintain, so we'll see! I've either been way overweigh or way underweight! lol

[AbramsAM]

Oh, well, here goes...lol...I was a twig until 5th grade, then I just blew up..lol..my whole family is obese (like 300#) and we always ate like crap and did NO exercise. In high school, I was around 160#, then I became anorexic and ate like 800 calories a day and get down to around 125#...in college, I blew up again and topped out around 190#. I slowly changed things, but then again, the anorexia and exercise addiction seized me and in July, I was around 108#!!! Thanks to Emma Leigh, I have discovered weight training and eat correctly and I've gained around 18#!!! So in short, if you're still reading, I've never really tried to maintain, so we'll see! I've either been way overweigh or way underweight! lol

Of course I am still reading! wow - amazing story. Great job getting everything under control and working towards a whole, healthy self Isn't it awful we can be twigs growing up then something, whatever it is, just happens! and we aren't so small any more! hehe.
Thanks for sharing your story! I find everyones story inspirational in many different ways and like hearing about people

[AbramsAM]

Yesterday's Workout -
20 minute jog, 25 minute interval sprints up a hill (that was so hard!)

50 minutes on HRM, 520 cals burned

Yesterday was my "free" day of food - but i don't think i did too bad.

B: Cliff Bar, Chai tea
S: cheese stick
L: 2 chicken breast sandwich things from Artic Circle (white bread )
S: SF caramel machiato
D: 1 taco, 1/2 c. mexican rice, 1/2 an amaretto sour
S: Ben and Jerrys Ice cream

So that was my day yesterday - it was by no means great - but it definatly could have been worse!

Back on track today and for the week - so now I'm gonna plan my meals and relax after that by doing some scrapbooking

Hope you all had a good weekend

[AbramsAM]

Sunday - was nice and relaxing.

Something new I did...
Made THREE dinners and put them in the fridge for this week! I haven't ever done that before - sometimes i prep stuff in advance but not to make it ALL. so I made enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch.

Food today -
M1: 1/2 egg sandwich: 1 slice bread, 1 egg, 2 strips turkey baon, 1/2 serving protein mixed with water
M2: 1 c. cottage cheese 5 slices strawberries, a sprinkle of Kashi ceral on top, CLA
**pre-workout - 4 oz juice, 1/2 serving protein, creating
**post workout - 4 oz juice, 1/2 serving protein
M3: steak, pasta casserole thing and salad with ranch
M4: other half of egg sandwich
M5: thai chicken and steamed broccoli

Calories ~~~Fat~~~carb~~~protein~~~fiber
1,666 ~~~~43~~~ 172~~~~150~~~~~ 24
~~~~~~~23.1%~~41.1%~~~35.8%~~~~~~

Not too bad on the macros and the ratios. Would like to get protein up a little for tomorrow and the fat down just a little - but ovreall not too bad in my opinion.

Feel free to let me know your opinions because I feel like I am not making any progress! and don't know what else to change!

One change that I will do this week is I am going to try and limit the carbs after the post workout meal.

Workout today is upper body and 20 mins cardio. when i am done I will post my calories burned.

Happy Monday

[AbramsAM]

Breakfast - This morning for breakfast i mixed egg beaters with steamed asparagus and steamed broccoli and had cantaloupe and strawberries diced up on the side - and it was sooo good! just really hit the spot today. I have lower body weights today and i will do a little cardio after that -but my body is really feeling burned out! i am at the phase of feeling like I want to move half @ss while working out or just not go at all - i need to get over that! so I will try my best to get a good workout in today.

Water - I have been trying to get all of my water in today - and so far have 1/4 of it in at 10am - not too bad

Workout last night was 45 minutes of cardio -
i did a 20 minute jog - nothing fast, just a warm up - then 20 minutes of sprints where I alternated between sprinting 50's and 100's at the track while walking back to my starting point. Then i did two fast laps around the track (half a mile) in a little under 4 minutes. so that wasn't too bad for me i burned 500 cals, but i think my HRM is a little off because i need a new battery. It seems like it is reading my heart rate and lowering too quickly.

Today for workout I have lower body and then 20 minutes of cardio following that. Normally I go heavy on leg days instead of higher reps, but I think today i will go higher reps for a change.

I made a new recipe this week and it was Soooooo good!

Thai Chicken Breasts
Recipe #10810536

4 servings 35 min 10 min prep

2 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper, to season flour,to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce or anchovy paste (optional)
1 cup sugar snap peas (mangetout)

combine the gingerrot, garlic and red pepper flakes in a cup and set aside.
Mix flour with salt and pepper to taste and dredge chicken pieces in this.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
Saute the chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through.
Remove the chicken and put in a warm dish, set aside in low oven to keep warm.
Add the ginger-garlic mixture to the skillet and saute until lightly browned.
Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and fish sauce (if using).
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces in the warm serving dish and keep warm until ready to serve.
Trim and shred the sugar snap peas diagonally.
Just prior to serving sprinkle the top of the chicken with the shredded snap peas.

I added broccoli instead of the peas and it was great - i liked the way the broccoli absorbed the sauce. Next time i will try and experiment how to make it with replacing the brown sugar with something else.

Well - thats it for now

[GyMgrrrL]

Lookin' good!

That meal plan with ben and jerry's sounds delicious

What macros are you aiming for? 40/40/20?

Tupperware is my best friend. I ALWAYS cook massive food in preparation for the week. I just moved and totally forgot my tupperware at my old place so I was pretty lost without it Monday and Tues... the creative side of me came out with tin foil

[AbramsAM]

Hey there Sarah -

Yea, i am aiming for 40/40/20 and have been getting close most days, and I am going to research more of the carb loading, re-feed stuff because i have been stuck forever at my present weight body comp. not much progress in either direction! I'm not sure how that will effect my changes of percentages, so we'll see

I read about you forgetting tupperware! i don't know what I would do without it! I get soooo frustrated times that I forget to empty my containers of food out - and they stink! then instead of washing them, DH will just throw them away! some of them are the cheap-o ones, so I don't care about them as much

Food today -
M1 - shake: 1/3 c. oatmeal, 1 c. soy milk, 4 strawberries, protein powder
M2: 1/2 small carton egg beaters, 1/2 c. broccoli, 1/2 c asparagus, 4 strawberries, 1 wedge cantaloupe
M3: (post workout) shake: 1/3 c. oatmeal, 1 banana, 4 strawberries, protein powder
M4: 1/2 small carton egg beaters, 1/2 c. broccoli, 1/2 c asparagus, 4 strawberries, 1 wedge cantaloupe
M5: 6 oz salmon, grilled asparagus

Calories ~~~Fat~~~carb~~~protein~~~fiber
1,355~~~~33~~~ 120~~~~152~~~~~ 23
~~~~~~~21.2%~~34.8%~~~44%~~~~~~

Kinda low on cals today - might throw in a 6th mini meal or protein shake after dinner if I stay awake - i am feeling kinda tired today.

Workout today - Lower body weights (squats and leg presses) and 20 mins cardio. 400 cals burned in 50 minutes.

[AbramsAM]

I'm excited!

Just got back from getting my body fat percent done and I am at 22.9% which is MUCH better than I was four weeks ago. I have also gained muscle while losing fat - which is something I have not done in the past, generally i have lost fat AND some muscle at the same time.

The person that did my calipers was also excited asking what I have been doing - so it was nice to hear that from someone who sees other people and their progress on a regular basis.

So that is my good news for today

[Kristih2002]

I'm excited!

Just got back from getting my body fat percent done and I am at 22.9% which is MUCH better than I was four weeks ago. I have also gained muscle while losing fat - which is something I have not done in the past, generally i have lost fat AND some muscle at the same time.

The person that did my calipers was also excited asking what I have been doing - so it was nice to hear that from someone who sees other people and their progress on a regular basis.

So that is my good news for today

way to go! that's awesome. good news to start off your weekend!

[AbramsAM]

Kristi - Thanks!

Sorry I have been MIA for a while :P

Everything here is going well, and I am still hanging in there.

This last weekend was a long weekend where I had my final exam (over two years of course work) for my Masters program and also had a party for DH's 40th birthday. Yesterday I slept SOOO much, but I must have needed it

workout today is 45 minutes of cardio and I will begin tracking my food again tomorrow.

Well, off to meetings for work!

[twinnett]

Great progress!!!

[AbramsAM]

Thanks Twinnett!

Today I am going to log my food again - i have been slacking a little. still eating right, but I either need to write it down on paper or on Sparkpeople to be accountable.

I have a dinner to go to tonight and am supposed to take a salad - but I haven't gotten that ready! i think i will go to the store at lunch time to pick up some things to throw a green salad together.

Yesterday I did 45 minutes of cardio and was at 500 cals burned with my HRM at the end of 50 minutes (5 minute cool down) I thought that was pretty good for the amount of time I put in. Today is upper body weights and 20 mins of cardio.

***copied from a post I posted in the nutrition section***
CARB CYCLING

Basic Principles
---------------------
- Five meals per day
- Protein for every meal
~ Four of the five meals from lean protein sources (less than 10%
cals from fat)
~ One meal with high fat protein source (20%-25% cals from fat)
- 30-50 g. protein post workout
- Three of the five meals include 1 C. green veggie (veggie must contain less than 50 cals per cup)
- Fish oil at 10-20 g. per day

HIGH CARB DAY
----------------------
- Three of five meals include protein and as many carbs as desired from
approved list AND a small piece of fruit
- Pre and post workout meals must include carbs
- Two of the five meals must consist of protein and veggie ? NO carbs
-One of the meals with carbs must have 1c. veggies (To meet three serving
requirement)

LOW CARB DAY
----------------------
- Two of the five meals may contain carbs
- Meal following workout must contain carbs
- 1 g. carb per pound of body weight (ex. For me, 80 carbs for each of the
two meals)

NO CARB DAYS
-----------------------
- Only protein and fats from approved list for all meals
- Must include three servings of veggies throughout the day

Additional information
-----------------------
- No Carb Days: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday
- High Carb Days: Monday, Friday
- Low Carb Days: Wednesday, Saturday

- Heaviest workout days on high carb days and low carb days
- Off days on no carb days
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My plan is to start implementing this next week. I want to take some time to really plan out a week worth of meals so I can see what a nearly perfect week looks like - and I have a training that will last all day friday, saturday and sunday - so i don't want to start this out expecting to fail! lol

So monday will be my first high carb day and a challenge will be to eat that many carbs! i read about the experiences others have and hope I can stick with eating so much! i dislike the feeling I get now when I eat too many carbs and I feel all blocked up and heavy I need to remember to drink a lot of water

[AbramsAM]

Today -

Weigh in: 161
upper body weights - biceps, tris, chest, shoulders
20 minutes stair climber
Total time: 46 minutes, Cals burned: 360

Food today:
M1: smoothie: 1 c. cooked oatmeal, protein powder, 1/2 c. cottage cheese
M2: 1 c. egg beaters, 6 asparagus spears
**post workout - gatorade powder, protein, creatine
M3: yogurt, fruit, - whatever else i find in the fridge!
M4: Hummus (1/4 c.) and veggies (broccoli and cauliflower)
M5: tri tip, salad (dinner party - so i will make good choices with my options!)

DH was telling me the other day that raw/dry oatmeal was not good to eat - he wasnt sure if that was true, but heard it somewhere - so I need to look up and see if there is any truth to that!

I have a training this weekend to become certified as a Guardian ad Litem and will be locked in the room for friday, saturday and sunday! so I am not sure of what I will bring for the duration of the weekend. I will work on my planning this afternoon to be sure that I have enough food on hand to take meals that don't require refridgeration or to be heated up. And one day of extra protein shakes/bars i can usually handle - but not three!

QUESTION: how do I change the color, size and bold my text? I haven't found an option for that but see that others do it - HELP!

[AbramsAM]

So today is day two of the carb cycling - and i am on a low day today. Food so far includes -

M1: eggs (egg beaters), potatoes, protein shake with 5 strawberries
M2: 4 oz. chicken, 1/2 c. steamed carrots, 1 c. whole wheat couscous, SF latte
M3: protein mixed with water
M4: 1 c. cottage cheese with splenda and cinnamon and a few chopped pecans
M5: pork tenderloin and salad

So if I had to redo this meal plan, i need one more serving of veggies, i would trade the carrots for some green veggie (but i am all out - need to go grocery shopping!) and make sure that i took in the 80 carbs per meal.

I am about to log it all to see where all the macros really are.

Workout today - cardio
35 minutes stair stepper
15 minutes intervals on treadmil (would have done more but shin was hurting )
Total calories burned : 500

Tomorrow is a "no" carb day, so we'll see how that goes

[AbramsAM]

Back from Vacation!

The first week of vaca, my dad and his gf went. At first everything was fine - but WOW did I see a different side of her! lol she was yelling at a particular street vender she felt ripped us off and was walking down the street at night saying "leave me alone" and nobody did anything to her - She was quite interesting at times to say the least.

The first week we spent a lot of time walking around and with my dad, so by the time they left - we were really able to relax on the second and third week. We spent a few nights with some nice dinners, then some dinners with street vendors which were great.

DH and I spent a night on our real anniversary at a place with bungalos where there are no windows, bug nets, chefs making the meals - it was really great. There were three couples total staying there and we each had our own little house and came to a common area for meals where they had private tables waiting for each of us. The food was delicious - for one of the meals we had a pecan soup that was amazing. Never had anything like it before - it was like a cream based, blended nutty flavor.

By the time the third week came along, we had made friends with a lot of the workers at the resort we were staying at. Friends with the bartender, cashier, security - we went out with them one night to a place where all the locals go and it was so much fun. There was a full band with horns and everything cramped up into this tiny space playing music and everyone was dancing all over - I think my dh was the only white guy there! :lol:

The downer of the trip was while i received a massage the first week we were there - i had to take off my diamond necklace. I put it back on and went on with my day - we had lunch nearby then rode the bus back to the resort. At the time we arrived at the hotel, I realized the chain to my necklace was parted open (unclasped) and hanging. I HOPED i would find the diamond pendant on the chain still - but it has slipped off and was gone. I am still kicking myself for putting the necklace on myself - i really feel that I didn't clasp it right - but *sigh* what can i do now.

So now I am in high gear on trying to drop some of these unwanted pounds! Clothes that at one time were fitting me loose enough that I didn't wear them are now TOOOO tight. So for the next couple weeks I am going to be on a tight schedule to drop some of this extra padding

Food and exercise today looks like this -
E: 20 min TaeBo, pushups, crunches
B: protein w/ water, coffee, veggie omelet
S: 1/2 c cottage cheese, raspberries, 1/4 c. Golean crunch
L: 4 oz chicken, 1 c couscous salad thing
S: 1/2 mission spinach wrap with turkey
S: Protein w/ water
E: Run at park
D: Pork tenderloin, asparagus

So here I am, back at it with a vengence - needing to meet goals that I have had set for what seems like forever and i feel like I am starting at square one again! lol.

[AbramsAM]

Okay - I haven't been here in forever!

I have been posting in another forum - but it isn't as strict and with as much fitness emphasis as this one.

My measurments are the same - which isn't good - no progress! and my BF was only down 0.5 since before I went on vaca (got that tested last week)

Food for today
B: Chile Relleno casserole
S: SF breve
pre-workout - 1/2 serving protein
E: upper body weights and 20 mins cardio
post workout - 1/2 serving protein
L: Chicken Salad
D: Chicken marsala and salad

Gotta get out of whatever rut I am in - i feel like I am doing things right - but don't know what to change to lower my BF% - been lurking around this percent since forever! *sigh*

My Reward - I think my reward for when I get to where I want to be is to buy a whole new lingerie wardrobe. hehe. I want to throw out everything that doesn't match and start from scratch. Right now I wear whatever is clean - lol - but I think getting little things every now and then will be my reward for getting in shape.