Happy BFL Tuesday

Sherry K

Cathlete
Good morning and here’s to getting us rolling for the day!

I made it yesterday - clean eating! Lunch was the oriental grilled chicken salad at Applebee’s, which with dressing on the side is fairly clean. The rest of the day was very easy to stay focused. That’s one day down.

Today (day 37) was cardio – 4DS Low intensity step. I really like how the 4DS cardio are ~ 30 minutes. Fits my time frame just fine.

I have time for personals before I get rolling:

Heidi – Hope the dr’s visit went well.

Michelle – Don’t fret about one week. I’m trying to stay focused on inches and body fat%. The eating part is so hard!

Susan – Did the clean eating vibes work?

Belinda – Yes, drink the water! It’s helps lots (‘course then you keep running to the bathroom). A few days off the legs should continue to help.

Carolyn – I find that I can do just about any (taped) workout that is under an hour without eating, but I can’t do more than that, nor can I run. For a longer workout, I’ll eat a banana, but for a run, I need to eat breakfast, and not the normal protein shake but something with some carbs, or I boink.

Jennifer – We’ll still be here. Just keep checking in as you have time.

Kathy – Way to go heavier on the weights. The first time is the worst, right?

Melissa – I use Cathe’s workouts since that’s what I have. I need a tape, or someone else, to keep me going or I tend not to push myself even as hard. However, I’ve now talked back to Cathe so often that now the kids are doing it for me (on the weekends when they’re up)

Gayle – Glad you were able to do the things you wanted on the day.

Everyone, have a great workout and a clean eating day!
 
Good morning!

I'm here I'm here!! Its 5:30 and I just finished my workout. Yahoo!!!

I have to admit last night after work I almost (well maybe for 15 minutes) fell asleep on the couch. It was a LOOONNGG day after getting up at 4:30. But it felt so good to have it done. This morning I hit the snooze once. So, how many days before this becomes a "habit" ???

Okay, I feel totally stupid about this. I remember before having the kids I would run, do the stair climber, whatever, I was pretty fit cardio wise. However, what has happened to me??? This morning I was on the elliptical and sweating buckets, counting down the seconds for my 20 minutes. Never mind about trying to do my HIIT or sprints or hills -- I'm just trying to get through the 20 minutes. How long does it take to get past this stage??? :)

I'll be back later -- I have more time to type while I'm at work -- he he!! :)

Michelle
P.S. Heidi - can't wait to hear how the hubby is.
 
Good Morning Everyone,

What a long day yesterday with DH having that knee surgery all over again! He started off at his reg phys to have him decided what to do next. The ortho doc kept calling us and trying to sway my DH to get in to have the surgery done. Then the surgeon called his the reg phys to try to get him to send my husband over. Weird I tell Ya! They ended up in an arguement over all the mistakes the ortho made since day one.
My DH was on his way to have an x-ray done on the area to see what was in left in the knee when his doc came down and told him that he should get the surgery ASAP. Because the ortho doc said he thought there was an infection setting in and this needed to be taken care of quickly. You can just imagine the thoughts running through my mind. (Is the ortho doc trying to cover up something? He doesn't want my DH to get an x-ray to actually find something in there?)

I can tell you if it were me I would still have the x-ray done and waited on the surgery or had someone else do it! My husband got scared and went through it on the advice of his reg phys. He told my DH that if it were a staph infection it could get serious and he wouldn't want my husband to regret not having it taken care of earlier. (I think this is a bunch of c... from the ortho!)

Well....we will never know now what was or wasn't in there.

We came home pretty late and totally exhausted from the experience. My DH hadn't really eaten in several days and wanted Chinese food for dinner. I couldn't feel like letting him down so I went out and got him some. Ya...bad for me I know! I had just a little because I was just too tired to cook anything else.
My DS and his girl came over and stayed until 1am. I went to bed at 12:30...I know....again a bad thing. My DH just wanted to spend time with us all and watch a really stupid movie. I think it was called "Attack of the Shrew" It was a really old horror movie. My DS had bought a set of old "B" horror movies for his girl for christmas.

It is 7am now...time to get dear son up. I will be back later.

Great job Sherry and Michelle for getting in your workout early. :)

Heidi
 
Morning everyone!
Sorry, I'm running out the house again for work. I have to be in early again!

I got up and ran 6 miles using iTread 24 Run Intervals. I also weighed myself and I'm down a bit.


Starting stats:
Age: 44
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 136.2 lbs.
Bodyfat on Tanita Scale: 25.8%

Today's stats:
Starting stats:
Age: 44
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 135.4 lbs.
Bodyfat on Tanita Scale: 23.8%

The scale only moved down about a pound but my bodyfat decreased by 2% so that's good! My tanita scale always measures body fat about 2-3% above what calipers say so I'm getting close to 20% again, woohoo.

Be back at lunch,
Kathy
 
Good Morning!
Sherry you the vibes totally got to me. Yesterday was a great eating day. I finished off clean and 1650 calories! We can do it agian!!!
Michelle, it will get easier..just keep truckin on! Next week when I start back working out early youll already be a pro at it!
Heidi-it really sounds like the ortho doc was trying to avoid that x-ray!!! I do hope your dh gets back on his feet soon.
Im headed to get DD up and off to school then I will work out.
Gayle--How was your HIIT this morning??
Jennifer-hope you are feeling brighter today!
Melissa-HEY
Kathy-HEY-excellent on the pound loss!
Hi to everyone else!
 
Good morning, everybody!

Heidi-WOW! What a day for you and DH. How is he feeling???

I want to re-post my personals from last night. Maybe you saw them, maybe not. But I didn't want you to miss it in case I said anything EARTH-SHATTERING to you! LOL Here ya go:

OK….wow. FINALLY have some time to sit at the PC. I’m on a mid-day endorphin HIGH, so be forewarned! lol And you guys have been chatty while I’m away playing!

I hit the road and ran for 1hr, 8 minutes. It was GORGEOUS outside and just a perfect day for a run. I kept my pace slow and steady, remembering that I have HIIT early tomorrow morning. But it was hard to keep myself from kicking it out fast! lol I timed it perfectly and got to the busstop with 3 minutes to spare (and to stretch). I figure that slower pace was about a 10min mile, so that gives me about 6-7 miles. Felt SOOOOOOOO natural once I got in the groove!

Right now, I have a pot of Beef Barley Soup on the stove, from the EFL cookbook. I’ll review it after I try it, but it’s looking and smelling OH-SO-YUMMY! I’m also going to make Tuna Macaroni Salad. This is a recipe DH and I used when we did BFL like 7 years ago. It’s got tuna, macaroni, veggies and some seasoning. I’ll share that one as well, later. Promise!

Let’s see, for personals:

You guys are cracking me up with the one-line posts!!!!

Belinda-the BFL weight work is a LOT like the Pyramids. I don’t count calories at all. I don’t count anything, other than clock so I know when my next meal is! I became such a slave to counting things (points for Weight Watchers, calories for this, fat grams for that), that this BFL portion concept is very free-ing to me!

Susan-which leg workout did you end up doing? As for SIL’s birthday dinner, I have to admit it sounds yummy! LOL

Heidi-GREAT JOB on your cardio workout. How is that iTrain???

Sherry-on the protein powder, I’m no help, to be honest. The only time I use regular protein powder is in recipes like baked goods, or in the kids’ milkshakes.

Michelle-I laughed when you called it “Gayle’s Chicken Soup”. HA! I agree with your comment about not getting up in the WEE hours of the morning to ruin it with bad food!! And thank you for your kind words!!! Oh, and Michelle, I LOVE that Enriched Chocolate Pudding recipe! YUMMO!!!! Think it would work just as well with vanilla Myoplex and Vanilla pudding???? MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Melissa-that strawberry cake sounds yummy too! You guys are all making me hungry! lol As for workouts, I switch back and forth between the BFL workouts and Cathe. I watch Biggest Loser, I admit it! lol I use the Last Chance Workout as well and kick it EXTRA hard on Saturdays!

Carolyn-that is so kind of you to say! Thanks! Ad for working out early, I’ve always, even before BFL, done my workouts on an empty stomach if it was early in the morning. I’m just so used to it! If you need something before you workout, then by all means….you certainly don’t want to end up passing out and facing the ceiling when you come to! LOL And AWESOME JOB on a week’s success. One down…..bring on the next one, right???

Kathy-yup…..DOMS for several days is a GOOD thing, remember that! LOL

Jennifer-I was thinking about you during my run this afternoon. I was going to PM you if you didn’t post here today! Thanks for checking in. I think you need to be gentle with yourself…emotionally, not just physically. You’re dealing with a lot and it plays mind games with us. I suggest sitting down…write out your goals (for workouts, work, home, BF, whatever). What do you want to do? What WILL make you feel better? I really hope you resolve this quickly. I know it can be hard, so hang in there and be sure to check in with us, regardless of how things are going. Sometimes, just chatting (or typing) is therapy, and IT’S FREE!

WOW.....I'm out of breath from all that! lol

My house smells SOOOOOOOOOOO good from this soup!

Gayle
 
OK, having done that. Here are is my TODAY post:

First, workout DONE! I opted for an iCycle today so I wouldn't overwork my legs after yesterday's WONDERFUL run. iCycle 21, 30 minute Intervals, then Core Max 2 on stability ball. It's supposed to be in the 60s today, so I will walk to work this morning and back, and I am seriously thinking about another outdoor run this afternoon before the bus. I'll decide later.

My fridge is once again STOCKED full of stuff. Yesterday I took the time to make some salsa chicken, so I made a few wraps and saved the rest of the chicken to top on salads. Then I also made a big pot of Beef & Barley Soup, and a pot of Tuna Macaroni Salad. The recipes for these two are at the bottom of this post for you guys! Enjoy!

Tuna Macaroni Salad

1 ½ C elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 lb. pkg frozen mixed veggies (cauli, brocc, carrots), thawed
2 (6 oz. @) cans water packed tuna, drained and flaked
4 scallions, sliced
¼ c minced flat-leaf parsley
3 T fat free Italian salad dressing
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 t dried basil
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes

v In a large pot of boiling water, cook the macaroni for 6 minutes, until almost tender. Add the mixed vegetables. Return the water to a boil, then cook until pasta and veggies are just tender, about 1 minute longer. Drain and then rinse under cold running water.
v Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tuna, scallions, parsley, salad dressing, vinegar, basil and pepper flakes. Add the pasta and veggies. Toss well. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Numbers: 291 calories, 1g total fat, 32mg cholesterol, 417mg sodium, 39g carbs, 4g fiber, 30g protein, 75mg calcium
Makes 4 servings, 5 WW points each

Original Source: Weight Watchers: Simply the Best

Couple of notes: sometimes I add a 3rd can of tuna, and sometimes I vary the mixed veggies! You can also add more balsamic vinegar for more zip without adding a lot of calories or fat.

Beef & Barley Soup
1 T olive oil
1 ½ lbs. top sirloin cubes
4 C low fat, low sodium beef broth
1 C water
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ C pearl barley
1 bay leaf
10 oz frozen green beans
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
10 oz. frozen green peas

· In a large pot, over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add beef cubes and cook for about 8 minutes; stirring occasionally until browned on all sides.
· Stir in beef broth, water, onion, celery, carrot, oregano, pepper, garlic, barley and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
· Stir in green beans, tomatoes and peas. Simmer, covered, until meat and veggies are tender, about 15 more minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Original Source: Eating For Life Cookbook

Makes 6 servings (pretty large)
Numbers per serving: 365 calories, 30g protein, 23g carbs, 16g fat

Note about this recipe: the numbers are for pretty large portions. I actually doled this soup out into 9 bowls and each was about 1 ¾ cups of soup!

Gayle
 
Hi Gayle and Kathy,

Wow...Gayle the soup sounds great! You are making me hungry now. Do you use Whole Wheat pasta for your Tuna Salad? I am trying to stick to the Eating-Clean diet as best I can. It has been really good for me on keeping my blood sugars level. I noticed that as long as I eat this way my headaches are less...which is really important now with my DH off his feet for another 2 weeks. Thank you for the recipes!

I too was wondering about the vanilla pudding recipe. I have sugar free vanilla pudding right now and also vanilla Wild Harvest Protein powder. (I still have not found the myoplex protein powders.)

Your outdoor run is what I have in mind for today too! }( It is going to be about 60 degrees here.:) Love this crazy weather! It isn't normal by any means but nice while we have it.

Missouri was hit hard with many tornadoes and this is worrisome to say the least. My heart goes out to all the people there that lost their homes or any family members. :-(

Kathy: Way to Go Girl! Love that iTread. The time just flies by and before you know it your done. Looking at the total miles at the end is really impressive! :D

Have a great day everyone! BBL Heidi
 
Hi girls,

I just got back to see a doctor; I couldn't get an appointment so I ended up seeing a nurse! She thinks I pulled a muscle in my leg! She also wants me to take ibuprofen for the next two day's! She doesn’t want me to workout! I don’t think so! I will lay off heavy leg lifting for a few days! I will try to do a cardio workout today!

My eating is very good!

Off to clean up my house and later cardio??
I will be back for personals!

Belinda


http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid16930497
 
Belinda-as a MOM and a FRIEND, I need to say TAKE IT EASY and BE CAREFUL! There....now that that's out of the way, I'll say what Cathe would say, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! If you start a cardio and it feels too much or the pain increases, slow down or stop. However, I may be incorrect in saying this, but a pulled muscle will heal even while it's being used. All thru my college sports, my whole BODY was a pulled muscle, and ONWARD we went. JUST LISTEN to your body, my dear!

Heidi-yes....an outdoor run is NEEDED when we get these temps in January, don't you think? I've definitely made up my mind that I WILL be getting that run in...no doubt. I was on such a high yesterday afternoon and evening, it was AWESOME! I'm actually going to shoot for 30 minutes, then get home and do a Stretch Max segment to loosen up! Oh, and yes...I use whole wheat pasta!

HEaded out the door!

Gayle
 
Hi Belinda and Gayle,

Belinda: I would say the same as Gayle. Can you do a bike routine instead of step or running? This would hit your muscles differently than the other two. Be careful anyway because you wouldn't want to make it worse or be completely out of commission!x(

Gayle: On to my run! See you on the trails...;-) Wouldn't that be great if we could do a run together sometime.:7

Have a great but safe day you two! Heidi
 
Good Morning Ladies,

This morning I did Drill Max drills. My gosh those are hard! I did a little better with not having eaten anything. I may just have to have a bite of something for energy, but I want to burn as much fat as possible. I don;t have a problem lifting weights on an empty stomach, it's the cardio that get me.

Belinda - Sorry to hear about your pulled muscle. I had an intense calf muscle strain last week that lasted 5 days from the GS legs w/o. I could hardly walk. Definitely rest and take it easy.

Kathy - Congrats on your weight loss. It's such a good feeling!

I had protien pancakes this morning. Those are my new favorite food. Gayle, thanks again for the receipe.

Keep up the great work and EAT CLEAN!! I has gotten much easier to eat clean now that I am seeing results.

Carolyn
 
Good morning everyone. I am really trying to fight off the urge to have a cup of coffee this morning. Or really, a cup of sugar w/a splash of coffee;-) . That's being honest!!

Sherry - congrats on the clean eating. I LOVE the oriental grilled chicken salad from Applebees...:9

Michelle - I hear ya on the cardio. I used to be able to do Step Blast right through to the end, no problem! The last time I did it, I could barely get through the step portion, never mind the interval part at the end. What is happening to me?!?!?!

Heidi - WOW, what a fiasco. Sounds like yesterday was quite a trying day for you and DH. Don't beat yourself up about the chinese food. Hopefully you enjoyed what you ate and now you can just MOVE ON!!!

Kathy - great job on 2% bodyfat loss!!

Susan & Belinda - HI! and hope you both have a great day.

Gayle - thanks for the Beef & Barley Soup recipe. Looks delish. I'll make it this weekend.

BBL to post meals and such.
 
My workout is done. PP ubx2 and Imax2. Hi Belinda..take it easy girl! I have had a sore IT band for a few months now..I was so afraid my PT was going to tell me not to workout..but luckily she didnt...in fact it hurts worse when I do nothing!
Melissa..stay away from that sugar girl..it will just make you feel like crap. I lovvvee coffee and lucky for me I like it black and bitter!
I do wish I could run..but it literally hurts my whole body. I powerwalk and get in 6 miles in just over an hour so thats the best I can do. Its warm here too, but rain and storms expected soon.
I just ate my pb/oatmeal and Im off to do chores etc.
Hi Carolyn!
Hope everyone feels good and perky today!
 
Just checking in to post my meals..

M#1: scrambled egg whites (3) & 1/2 sweet potato
M#2: veggie chili
M#3: salad w/1/2 c black beans
M#4: apple, cheese stick
M#5: stuffed pepper
M#6: 1/2 c oatmeal, 1/2 c 1%

Belinda, I use the below recipe for protein pancakes:

1/2 c oatmeal (old fashioned)
1/2 c 1% cottage cheese
4 egg whites
cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend it all in a blender and cook on a skillet on low heat. If I remember correctly, the whole batch is 350 calories.

ETA: I did a search in Open Discussion and here is the recipe (courtesy of Tess_ATL) that I use. I just use vanilla instead of splenda and I haven't tried the blueberries yet. Oh, and I add cinnamon to mine.

1/2 c. Quaker Old Fashioned oatmeal (non instant / dry)
1/2 c. 2% cottage cheese
4 egg whites
2 splenda packets
a handful of fresh blueberries

Blend it all up in a blender, consistency will be like batter. Cook on a non stick skillet with Pam cooking spray...they cook remarkably just like pancakes. I had a little s/f syrup on the first 2 but ate the rest plain (it made 5 medium sized pancakes). I added up the nutrition info as follows:

Cal 332
Fat 6
Carbs 39
Protein 32
Fiber 5
 
Belinda,

I did do PLB 2 days after my calf muscle started to hurt. It hurt from the calf up to the back of my knee. Probably not a smart move but I thought it might stretch it out. I did not do the calf work in PLB but I did do everything else. What helped me the most was wearing my splint to bed that I got for my plantar fascitis. It kept my muscle stretched out all night and the next day felt much better.

Hope this helps, BTW which leg muscle did you injure?

Carolyn
 
Hey guys. QUICKIE for me, the bus is coming SOON! I just got in from another GORGEOUS outdoor run (37:00) and it's WONDERFUL outside!

Belinda-here's the protein pancake recipe that I use:

Protein Pancakes
1 C oats
1 C cottage cheese
6 egg whites
2 packs Splenda (I omit this)
¼ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cinnamon

· Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender, until smooth.
· Allow to sit a few minutes to let the oats absorb some of the liquid.
· On a preheated skillet, cook pancakes slowly over low-medium heat. It will take longer than normal pancakes for the centers to cook thru.

Notes:
· This makes 2 servings, each a LARGE pancake. What I like to do is use my Pampered Chef muffin-sized scoop (don’t know the measurement of that) and make small pancakes.
· These freeze extremely well, and I LOVE these reheated in the TOASTER!!!!

Heidi-I saw you while I was running. I tried to catch up, but you were too fast! lol Hope your run was as AWESOME as mine was! I tried to take it easy, but everytime I saw a HILL, I just HAD to run up it! lol Have I ever mentioned I LOVE RUNNING HILLS? I don't understand it, but I do!

Gotta scoot, sorry!

Gayle
 

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