Weekend Food Threat Level=Bad

Kids. I didn't journal my food this weekend. And I consumed badness. Bad is worse than "crap"...just in case you are wondering.


But today is Monday, and although I have still eaten like poo poo caca this morning, I have written all of it down. I had a really good calorie burn at circuit over lunch, and Monday night is cardio night in AmyTown, so I should burn some more off.


Yesterday we took our 'pigs' for a walk. Bubba (Codie Clyde) is Heather's (white), Honey May is 2 years old, and Shelby...in the background...is mine. He is 11, old, crotchety...and doesn't enjoy such outings. It was hell to get him to stand still for a picture bc he was making a beeline back for the car. We had a good time on the trail though because we could let them off leash and they enjoyed themselves.

I've Been Holding Out On You

And for good reason....


I found a product (okay, Heather did)...that I really, really like. And I wrote to the supplier to see if they would send me a couple of free samples so I could do giveaways.


Alas, I have not heard hide nor hair from them and I can't wait any longer. Let me introduce you to Jack3d...or as I call it, Jack's. When Heather first started taking it, I thought she was silly. I mean, come on. I have never been a huge believer in dietary supplement, caffeine pills, etc. But one day, I tried it. And now I am hooked.

Here is a summary of Jacks (in my own words).

• You take 1-3 scoops (I recommend...as does the container...starting with just one) with about 8 ounces of water per scoop.
• You drink it 30-45 minutes BEFORE your workout, preferably on an empty stomach.
• I do 2 scoops. And about 15 minutes into my workout, I can feel it kick it. It gives me this extra boost...a little surge of energy. At times, I look like an insane energizer bunny. I swear it helps me with my pullups and dips. It seems to allow me to push a little farther...do a little more.
• If you drink it too soon or too late though, you may peak too early or too late. So figure out what works for you.
• I love it when I am doing circuit or something that involves muscles. I used it once on a pure cardio day, and I am not sure I like it as much bc I already feel like I might die when I do cardio.
• The link to the website is here.

So go check it out, read up, and give it a try if you think you might like it. Heather buys it at our Vitamin Shoppe. Hell, it all may be a placebo...but I enjoy it.

If you do end up trying some, let me know what you think.

BYOC

1. Are you a heavy or light sleeper?

Sleep is elusive for me. It always has been. But I would like to bring up a couple of points.

a) in college, after getting so fed up about not sleeping, I tried several prescriptions for sleeping pills. The first was Ambien. My doctor told me to take the ambien and stay up for about 45 minutes before I went to bed (I came to find out that this was NOT sound advice). Anyways, I did just that and at the time I lived alone in my townhouse in Kansas. I was down in the basement on the computer and the lights were out. I remember the screen getting fuzzy (as in..it had fur) and I could see people out the corner of my eyes whispering. I knew it was a hallucination and I thought it was FUN TIMES. So I kept taking them. Over the course of the next week or so, I saw tiny trolls dancing on my curtain rods, I baked only to realize I had been baking after I woke up, and once...while on the phone with my best friend who lives in Seattle...I was pretty sure that she was right next to me in bed just chatting away.

My favorite memory was when I was letting my dog Shelby lick my face (I dont really let him lick me...especially not my face). But in my Ambien induced haze, I thought he was a prince anointing me into his kingdom.

For some reason, my dumbass told the doc they were making me trip out and she stopped prescribing them.

Oh. Those were the days.

b) I fart a lot in my sleep. I never used to. But for the 10 months I have been dating Heather...no farting (in her ear shot). And if you know me...you know I am farty. So I have figured out that since I don't "let go" during the day, it comes out when I am having sleepy-time. And it wakes me up. The noise...not the smell. And then I lay there, petrified that Heather might have heard. But luckily, she is a sound sleeper. She even sleeps through the times she farts on me in her sleep. Sweet girl.

c) I sleep super sound after a pre-sleep love fest. Amen

2. If you were made into a professor for a day, what topic would you lecture on?

Acting the way you want to feel. I will blog about this shortly.

3. What’s a skill you’ve always wanted that you don’t currently have?

How to style my hair and makeup.

4. Have you ever been in a real cat fight?

Well, once...in 8th grade...I was at a party. This girl, Kellum...she didnt like me. I was sitting on a table and she came up to me and said "You should go on weight watchers"...and my response was "You should go on HO watchers". Man...that was good. Anyways...she slapped me. It was totally worth it.

I would like to get in a barfight just once. Of course, when I picture this barfight in my head...I never get hit. Mama doesnt like pain.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blog land.

Blogland is good. Just typing away.

My real life is good as well. I just found out I didn't get a position I had applied for here at work...so at the moment...I am very very sad. But everything happens for a reason and someday I will understand this one. But I have a wonderful girlfriend, a good job now, and people in my life that love and support me. It could be worse :)

Have a great weekend!

A Healthier Chicken Pot Pie

I love me some chicken pot pies. Sadly, most of them that you can buy from the story have enough fat and calories to cause even Barbie to generate cellulite. So lately, I have been making a "lighter" version and wanted to share it with you.

You will need:

9 x 12 casserole dish
4-6 cups diced chicken (I pressure cook 2 chicken breasts and dice that up)
5 cups of your favorite frozen veggie mix
1 can cream of chicken soup (reduced sodium if you want)
1 cup of milk
1 cup shredded cheese
2 tbls butter
2 cups chicken broth
1 egg
Italian seasoning
salt & pepper
flour
1 pastry sheet (found in the freezer section, usually comes 2 in a box

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook and dice the the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. In casserole dish, combine diced chicken, frozen veggies (I use peas & carrots and a small can of corn), shredded cheese. Mix it up.

Pour the cream of chicken (that you have mixed with the 1 cup (can) of milk and heated up in the microwave). Mix it up with what's in the dish.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add 1/2 cup flour. This creates a weird globby mix. Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth or stock. Stir or whisk until this is hot and mixed. Pour that into casserole as well. Mix it all up.

Now comes the pastry sheet. You have to thaw your sheet for about 45 minutes. Then, spread a little flour out and roll out the sheet until it can cover your casserole dish. Put the sheet over the mixture in the casserole. Seal off the sides. Take your egg (that you have mixed in a little bowl), and use a brush or your fingertips to wash the entire top of the pastry sheet. Sprinkle sheet with Italian seasoning.

Pop in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

YUM!

Depending on the type of cheese, cream of chicken soup, milk, etc...the entire dish has around 1500 calories and you can get 6 good size squares out of it. Play around and make it the way you want. It is a little labor intensive (takes me about 40 minutes to assemble), but it's worth it.

Enjoy!

What Exactly is CRAP

Welcome to Friday!

You all wanna come over for a pedi/mani/backrub session later? Boys can come too!

Yesterday, I thought it was funny that so many of you caught my "CRAP" entry on my food journal. Sometimes if I have several small bits of crap (say one mini peanut butter cup, one mint hershey kiss, and a starburst) I know the calories and just lump them into the CRAP category. My journal is only so big...one doesn't want a lot of clutter!

I wanted to tell you guys again about my Polar F-4 heart rate monitor. I probably bought that thing well over a year ago. When I started journaling my food and decided to take a closer look at my calorie burn, I took it out of hibernation and started wearing it again when I worked out. I recommend the investment to anyone who IS working out.

Mine ran me around $100 from Target. I wear the strap around my chest, right under my sports bra line. It is not uncomfortable, it doesn't hurt. I know there are many different kind of heart rate monitors out there, and I would push you towards the chest strap versus the one where you put your fingers on it to get a read. When Mary and I were doing Zumba, she had that one and found it very annoying to have to stop and get a read out.

I could have spent a little more on mine. Mine for example may get thrown off by other heart rate monitors or gym equipment. This may be an issue for those of you who workout at gyms. I have only noticed it once getting synced with my treadmill at work. It was annoying.
So, the more expensive ones have their own frequency and do not get interference.

I have found that the treadmill and elliptical always show me burning MORE calories than what I am actually burning. For example. My heart rate monitor will say I burned 300 calories, while the treadmill will report 430. That's a good bit of difference. I always go with my heart rate monitor.

I have found that wearing it makes me push myself harder. If I am at 270 calories burned and time is running out during circuit, I start upping my exertion so I will get 300.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. I am taking today off from working out, but plan on working out tomorrow and Sunday (usually the weekend are my days off...but I've got to do a little more).

Be safe, smile at strangers, and give someone you love a kiss!

The Dreaded Food Journal

How do I feel about journaling my food?

I don't like it. I didn't have lapband surgery to have to journal.

And I never really did for the first 160 pounds I lost. Oh, I would get a wild hair every now and then and journal online....but that would last as long as a...as long as something very short.

But, in effort to really see what I have been eating, I started journaling this month. It will not be something I continue for long. But it has been interesting. To journal accurately, it means that I have to measure my food and know my serving size. No more pouring granola in a bag and questimating if it's a cup. No more tossing cheese into a dish and saying, "oh...that's about 100 calories".

It's been a good lesson.

Karin posted her system for journaling. Here is a picture of my little journal. I keep track of my calories expended during exercise as well.

And that's that. Not too exciting. But I wanted to share.

When You Live in the Land in STUCK

Kristin had a post today that inspired my brain. So I thought I would continue the process here.

So many of us find ourselves stuck on our weight loss journey somewhere down the line. For me, the long term "stuckness" didnt happen until after I had reached my initial goal. I am living in the land of stuck as we speak.

It's a frustrating place to be when you feel like you are doing the right things right but you are not seeing results from the number on the scale, or the numbers on the tags of your clothes. And so here is what I recommended to Kristin, to you, and to myself.

It's hard to offer advice when someone needs help because we are all so different in what works for us. Some of you who are losing eat 1000 calories a day. Some of you can lose with 1400 calories. There were times when I was losing that I didnt work out at all. For some, that won't be an option. Some focus on carbs, sugar, water, protein.

You just have to find what works.

And if what you are doing isn't working....

You have to change something.

Eat more. Eat less. Journal. Workout more. Workout harder. Workout different. Eat different foods. Blog. Set goals.

Be HONEST with yourself.

I don't like being honest with myself sometimes. I like to float on fairytale clouds. I like to be able to say "I don't know why that damn scale doesn't move"...

But sometimes I do know.

I have been journaling my calories in and calories out now for almost 3 weeks. And at the end of the day, I know what I ate. And sometimes...like yesterday when I had to write down the ice cream with melted peanut butter that I ate...I see 1600 calories in (670 out through cardio and circuit)...and I know that 1600 calories may be fine if I want to maintain...

But it's not good enough if I want to lose.

I have upped my cardio. Yes. I work out like a beast with weights...but if I am trying to lose on the scale for this competition at work...beasting it up is not going to help. I had to add more cardio. And I did. I was doing at least 30 minutes straight cardio 2 times a week.

It wasn't enough.

So I've added more and cut back on the heavy lifting (just a little).

And slowly...the scale is moving. SLOWLY.

And I know I could do more. For example, I could have chose NOT to consume 600 calories in Mr. Ice Cream.

But I did.

So be honest with yourself. Switch up the game. Try something new. Take it day by day. Push yourself a little. Commit to 2 weeks of hardcore, clean, conviction. See if it makes a difference.

I'm trying it.

And we are, after all, fighting the good fight.

Happy Thursday