So I joined WW today. I will start the program soon enough.
If --heaven forbid, because I hope I like this program and that it works--this fails, there's always this option which apparently is "failsafe":
http://www.getleanin15.com/lean-and-mean-in-15/lean-and-mean-in-15-monthly
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Funny Fitness Facts
I am amused at the fitness industry. You have so many different theories and different attitudes and it is hard to really figure out which one is right. I suppose it's just a matter of finding out which one is right for you.
The interesting thing is that the people with healthy, happy and motivational attitudes, like, let's say Leslie Sansone, famous for her chatty instructional videos - specifically Walk Away The Pounds - often give good advice but not much information to back it up in the nutrition department.
Then the people who do give you specifics - which is what I believe is fundamentally important in building and maintaining a healthy looking physique - often have the strict, bulldog mentality, like Mike Geary, author of The Truth About Six Pack Abs who spouts hilariously harsh one liners that you would only expect to come out of Bruce Campbell's mouth.
I recently read a blog entry written by the former fitness guru where he signed off his post saying:
The interesting thing was that he actually gave some useful diet and exercise information. Instead of spouting off something that vaguely sounds informative and motivational, like most fitness bloggers who don't want to give away their secrets without getting people to pay for their books, he gave concrete information, which would actually inspire someone to purchase his book once they see that he knows what he's talking about!
For example, eating before a workout is important, especially in the morning. True.
That is something that my mother has been barking at me for years, insisting that I would go to the gym fed, at 5am or 6 am while the other women there, including the instructor, would talk about "finally" eating breakfast afterward, making me feel left out and pudgy... but eating before and after is crucial to building and maintaining muscle. The question is "what" to eat (and how much, but that also depends on the individual)... he goes on to say that carbs are important, but more important is the type of carb. He even gives a recipe for a pre-workout drink:
Since he gives information that I can find useful, I give him credit. However, the funny thing is, some people just cannot handle the type of attitude that comes with the information, and just won't give his advice a shot. People like my husband, who hates being told what to do, would never consider hiring a trainer like him, listening to their advice or purchasing their book... when really, the information in there could be quite helpful in attaining one's goals.
I'll admit that after my health incidents and my issues with my joints and heart, I have come to find Leslie Sansone's workouts helpful, energizing and effective. I really love her attitude, but I am embarrassed to admit it and to do my workouts in public. Whenever I have to do my workouts around my husband, he laughs and wonders how I can actually focus with that chatty instructor, but I've come to really enjoy her "chatter" and find it makes the workout move faster when you focus on what she's saying--she knows her stuff!
But I also know that I could do her workouts and without the proper nutrition, still look like a puff pastry on the outside.
This also applies to the crazy workouts I have done in the past, ranging from hours upon hours at the gym, running outside, lifting weights combined with endurance cardio, to even following step programs, spinning, pilates or tapes like Billy Banks' and Jillian Micheals. You name it, I have most likely done it and have found that in order for anything to work, I need to monitor my nutrition.
For me, working out does not mean that you can eat "anything", you need to combine diet and exercise (or just diet) to become healthier and trim the waistline.
That's where I need help. Nutritional advice, like Mr. Geary's power drinks, but I also need something I could realistically follow for life. Which is why I need to find the right combination of fitness facts that work in my favor.
So which tips work for you?
The interesting thing is that the people with healthy, happy and motivational attitudes, like, let's say Leslie Sansone, famous for her chatty instructional videos - specifically Walk Away The Pounds - often give good advice but not much information to back it up in the nutrition department.
Then the people who do give you specifics - which is what I believe is fundamentally important in building and maintaining a healthy looking physique - often have the strict, bulldog mentality, like Mike Geary, author of The Truth About Six Pack Abs who spouts hilariously harsh one liners that you would only expect to come out of Bruce Campbell's mouth.
I recently read a blog entry written by the former fitness guru where he signed off his post saying:
Til next time,
Don't be lazy... be lean.
The interesting thing was that he actually gave some useful diet and exercise information. Instead of spouting off something that vaguely sounds informative and motivational, like most fitness bloggers who don't want to give away their secrets without getting people to pay for their books, he gave concrete information, which would actually inspire someone to purchase his book once they see that he knows what he's talking about!
For example, eating before a workout is important, especially in the morning. True.
That is something that my mother has been barking at me for years, insisting that I would go to the gym fed, at 5am or 6 am while the other women there, including the instructor, would talk about "finally" eating breakfast afterward, making me feel left out and pudgy... but eating before and after is crucial to building and maintaining muscle. The question is "what" to eat (and how much, but that also depends on the individual)... he goes on to say that carbs are important, but more important is the type of carb. He even gives a recipe for a pre-workout drink:
Yes... he actually wrote that... and he actually gives the recipe for it.
"Geary's Pre-Workout Energy Serum." This is 10x better than any ripoff energy supplements or any other crap that the supplement companies will try to lure you into paying top dollar for.
Since he gives information that I can find useful, I give him credit. However, the funny thing is, some people just cannot handle the type of attitude that comes with the information, and just won't give his advice a shot. People like my husband, who hates being told what to do, would never consider hiring a trainer like him, listening to their advice or purchasing their book... when really, the information in there could be quite helpful in attaining one's goals.
I'll admit that after my health incidents and my issues with my joints and heart, I have come to find Leslie Sansone's workouts helpful, energizing and effective. I really love her attitude, but I am embarrassed to admit it and to do my workouts in public. Whenever I have to do my workouts around my husband, he laughs and wonders how I can actually focus with that chatty instructor, but I've come to really enjoy her "chatter" and find it makes the workout move faster when you focus on what she's saying--she knows her stuff!
But I also know that I could do her workouts and without the proper nutrition, still look like a puff pastry on the outside.
This also applies to the crazy workouts I have done in the past, ranging from hours upon hours at the gym, running outside, lifting weights combined with endurance cardio, to even following step programs, spinning, pilates or tapes like Billy Banks' and Jillian Micheals. You name it, I have most likely done it and have found that in order for anything to work, I need to monitor my nutrition.
For me, working out does not mean that you can eat "anything", you need to combine diet and exercise (or just diet) to become healthier and trim the waistline.
That's where I need help. Nutritional advice, like Mr. Geary's power drinks, but I also need something I could realistically follow for life. Which is why I need to find the right combination of fitness facts that work in my favor.
So which tips work for you?
Monday, October 18, 2010
No thanks NoOodle
A few months back I ordered what turned out to be two boxes of NoOodles (I think that is how it is spelled). Basically, it is calorie free noodles.
]
Yay? Not so much.
They smell like rancid fish. What's worse is that even after you manage to drain them completely, they still stink up the sink, the sponge, the strainer and the place. One package may be virtually calorie free, but at what cost? I had to toss out my brand new kitchen sponge the first time I strained a pack, since no amount of cleaning was able to penetrate that stink.
The taste is ok when you put it in a sauce, but they make everything watery and they do not separate very well and clump together like see-through creepy stands of Lord knows what.
I feel obligated to use them up, since I have two cases of them and they will expire in a few months. I just don't want to face that smell again, nor does the husband.
I looked up some recipes that I could use, like the fettuccine one here:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=1933#alfredo
The question is, will I be brave (...or stupid)... enough to try them? I wish I could return these damned NoOodles and get a full refund. What a waste.
On a side note: I will be eating "REAL" pasta tonight, and what better to celebrate pasta than a free mile of walk-at-home, that can be streamed online?
Click on the 1 mile express here and have a blast: http://www.walkathome.com/
]
Yay? Not so much.
They smell like rancid fish. What's worse is that even after you manage to drain them completely, they still stink up the sink, the sponge, the strainer and the place. One package may be virtually calorie free, but at what cost? I had to toss out my brand new kitchen sponge the first time I strained a pack, since no amount of cleaning was able to penetrate that stink.
The taste is ok when you put it in a sauce, but they make everything watery and they do not separate very well and clump together like see-through creepy stands of Lord knows what.
I feel obligated to use them up, since I have two cases of them and they will expire in a few months. I just don't want to face that smell again, nor does the husband.
I looked up some recipes that I could use, like the fettuccine one here:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=1933#alfredo
The question is, will I be brave (...or stupid)... enough to try them? I wish I could return these damned NoOodles and get a full refund. What a waste.
On a side note: I will be eating "REAL" pasta tonight, and what better to celebrate pasta than a free mile of walk-at-home, that can be streamed online?
Click on the 1 mile express here and have a blast: http://www.walkathome.com/
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Monday October 4, 2010
Trying to cut back after the vacation/honeymoon is tough money wise and calorie wise.
Bank Account is low, calorie intake is high.
This is the first leg of married life for me, and I guess I just have to figure things out.
On a side note, when I got back from the wedding and 'honeymoon', I felt so sick from all the junk we ate on our trip, I was craving nothing but salads and sour items... essentially, based entirely on my cravings to cleanse my system, I created a craving-based-cleanse that helped my body feel like normal.
The "Cleanse":
Pretty much every day I had the same thing to eat: Kefir and fruit (a kiwi or a banana or raspberries and strawberries, etc...) for breakfast, a salad for lunch (with tomatoes and a home made dressing of garlic (lots of it), basil (fresh and enough to barely cancel out the overpowering garlic smell), maple syrup (100% pure), vinegar (white balsamic), oil (extra virgin olive oil), and salt (sea salt).
At home I would sprinkle some hemp seeds on top and add some crumbled feta to the salad. I would walk around significantly during the day and to finish, I had a piece of lasagna for dinner (which was early evening).
Sometimes I had it with beer (husband's choice--yikes!!! calling him "my husband" still takes getting used to), and fruit (fresh or frozen) with a little whip for desert.
It helped me get back to a healthier groove and eating fresh items was really nice.
The bonus was that I did lose about half the weight I gained on the trip already, but I've been slowly gaining the past few days due to late night snacking.
Last night, I was about to go to bed without eating anything for dinner--it was a nice feeling and I was used to making my meals smaller and smaller and I was just watching an episode of 'The Gates'... my teeth were brushed, we had a great day out, I was content. Unfortunately for me, the husband felt sick, and wanted to snack...
He made popcorn, which (was hard to resist), and that was our gate-way snack which lead to chocolate and needless to say, it was hard to stop.
Of course, when we did stop, we had eaten enough calories to keep us awake and long after he went to bed, I was still up watching 'The Gates'. I decided to stop sometime passed 3am because it was just too late to be up and I was trying to kick my jet lag, not enable it.
I tried to trick my body into sleeping by ingesting 3 melatonin tablets before bed, and that didn't work at all. I couldn't even sleep until sometime past 7AM.
I think the reason I couldn't sleep all night was all due to the late night energy boost I got from those late night calories. Calories give you energy--at least they give me energy. When most people eat to much, they get sleepy... when I eat too much, I feel like running a marathon.
The suffering continues, as I am still tired today.
The positive side of all the suffering is that I have an opportunity to teach myself a lesson. That eating late enables me to have a bad sleep schedule and that I only sabotage my own weight loss efforts. Why ruin it at night when I worked so hard all day to stay on track?
My punishment is to write down this lesson, so I won't forget it. In other words, I am admitting my failures so I remember to say 'NO!' in the future.
I need as many reminders as I can get, because let's face it... It is so hard to say no to snacks.
But... if I don't say no, it pretty much always piles up and then I am a few pounds heavier, wondering what happened and whining about why I can't fit in high-fashioned clothing and look as good as my friends who don't snack at night do.
The truth is, that the extra calories feel like they come out of nowhere, but it is from my late night indulgences.
The other reason it is hard to kick the habit (not just because it is a habit) is because my husband really enjoys quality time on the couch. He works all day and does not respond well to activity. He likes to stay in and enjoy the quiet of our place, enjoy the feel of relaxing in our couch and watching a movie with me, or some t.v. shows like American Dad, Futurama or Family Guy, or playing Mario, Monopoly, Game Show King or Tetris together on our Wii... and we do this all while snacking. The snacking completes our ritual and it feels so good to bond and just relax, couch potato style, that it is hard to notice when you are getting carried away. It is hard to admit that each time I do it and think I'll do better tomorrow is another day I am enabling myself to stray further off track... that the nice feeling I get when snacking leads to a lower self esteem later.
The woman who cannot fit into most clothes in the store, the woman who's weight is high on the scale... I don't see her. I see a thin woman, a nice fun and beautiful woman, but the woman I think I am... she doesn't exist. The woman I see (that beautiful one) is all in my head. I don't see myself clearly, and it's not working in my favor. I can't fit in most clothes, I can't just buy a pair of jeans and walk out happy, I have extra fat on my body, I don't look so good in photos, my health isn't perfect and I do weigh an absurd amount on the scale.
It seems to me that I really do need to do something to be healthier and ultimately happier with my weight and how I feel, and ultimately, how I present myself to the world.
When I look good on the outside, I will feel better on the inside. So no more late night snacks!
That's how the scale goes up in the morning instead of down... Should have just said no to the popcorn.
I don't know if I will say no right away, but maybe next time I come to post an update I will read this post and become inspired, or reminded to stay on track.
Here's hoping...
Bank Account is low, calorie intake is high.
This is the first leg of married life for me, and I guess I just have to figure things out.
On a side note, when I got back from the wedding and 'honeymoon', I felt so sick from all the junk we ate on our trip, I was craving nothing but salads and sour items... essentially, based entirely on my cravings to cleanse my system, I created a craving-based-cleanse that helped my body feel like normal.
The "Cleanse":
Pretty much every day I had the same thing to eat: Kefir and fruit (a kiwi or a banana or raspberries and strawberries, etc...) for breakfast, a salad for lunch (with tomatoes and a home made dressing of garlic (lots of it), basil (fresh and enough to barely cancel out the overpowering garlic smell), maple syrup (100% pure), vinegar (white balsamic), oil (extra virgin olive oil), and salt (sea salt).
At home I would sprinkle some hemp seeds on top and add some crumbled feta to the salad. I would walk around significantly during the day and to finish, I had a piece of lasagna for dinner (which was early evening).
Sometimes I had it with beer (husband's choice--yikes!!! calling him "my husband" still takes getting used to), and fruit (fresh or frozen) with a little whip for desert.
It helped me get back to a healthier groove and eating fresh items was really nice.
The bonus was that I did lose about half the weight I gained on the trip already, but I've been slowly gaining the past few days due to late night snacking.
Last night, I was about to go to bed without eating anything for dinner--it was a nice feeling and I was used to making my meals smaller and smaller and I was just watching an episode of 'The Gates'... my teeth were brushed, we had a great day out, I was content. Unfortunately for me, the husband felt sick, and wanted to snack...
He made popcorn, which (was hard to resist), and that was our gate-way snack which lead to chocolate and needless to say, it was hard to stop.
Of course, when we did stop, we had eaten enough calories to keep us awake and long after he went to bed, I was still up watching 'The Gates'. I decided to stop sometime passed 3am because it was just too late to be up and I was trying to kick my jet lag, not enable it.
I tried to trick my body into sleeping by ingesting 3 melatonin tablets before bed, and that didn't work at all. I couldn't even sleep until sometime past 7AM.
I think the reason I couldn't sleep all night was all due to the late night energy boost I got from those late night calories. Calories give you energy--at least they give me energy. When most people eat to much, they get sleepy... when I eat too much, I feel like running a marathon.
The suffering continues, as I am still tired today.
The positive side of all the suffering is that I have an opportunity to teach myself a lesson. That eating late enables me to have a bad sleep schedule and that I only sabotage my own weight loss efforts. Why ruin it at night when I worked so hard all day to stay on track?
My punishment is to write down this lesson, so I won't forget it. In other words, I am admitting my failures so I remember to say 'NO!' in the future.
I need as many reminders as I can get, because let's face it... It is so hard to say no to snacks.
But... if I don't say no, it pretty much always piles up and then I am a few pounds heavier, wondering what happened and whining about why I can't fit in high-fashioned clothing and look as good as my friends who don't snack at night do.
The truth is, that the extra calories feel like they come out of nowhere, but it is from my late night indulgences.
The other reason it is hard to kick the habit (not just because it is a habit) is because my husband really enjoys quality time on the couch. He works all day and does not respond well to activity. He likes to stay in and enjoy the quiet of our place, enjoy the feel of relaxing in our couch and watching a movie with me, or some t.v. shows like American Dad, Futurama or Family Guy, or playing Mario, Monopoly, Game Show King or Tetris together on our Wii... and we do this all while snacking. The snacking completes our ritual and it feels so good to bond and just relax, couch potato style, that it is hard to notice when you are getting carried away. It is hard to admit that each time I do it and think I'll do better tomorrow is another day I am enabling myself to stray further off track... that the nice feeling I get when snacking leads to a lower self esteem later.
The woman who cannot fit into most clothes in the store, the woman who's weight is high on the scale... I don't see her. I see a thin woman, a nice fun and beautiful woman, but the woman I think I am... she doesn't exist. The woman I see (that beautiful one) is all in my head. I don't see myself clearly, and it's not working in my favor. I can't fit in most clothes, I can't just buy a pair of jeans and walk out happy, I have extra fat on my body, I don't look so good in photos, my health isn't perfect and I do weigh an absurd amount on the scale.
It seems to me that I really do need to do something to be healthier and ultimately happier with my weight and how I feel, and ultimately, how I present myself to the world.
When I look good on the outside, I will feel better on the inside. So no more late night snacks!
That's how the scale goes up in the morning instead of down... Should have just said no to the popcorn.
I don't know if I will say no right away, but maybe next time I come to post an update I will read this post and become inspired, or reminded to stay on track.
Here's hoping...
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Something Old
A little off topic...
I found this poem I wrote a long long time ago...
strange
...after reading it I remember so many things about that time so vividly, things I had long forgotten...
it came up while I was cleaning out my computer -- apparently I ran out of memory.
So I had to delete files and I found this among the dusty corners of the hard drive
interesting to find some stuff you created years ago
like the time I ran into the comic I used to write when I was 11.
I'm posting this for my memories (as I often like to do, so I can one day run into them and look back on some things in my life and laugh in embarrassment, coo at memories or ponder with wonder).
Once again: for the memories:
The Uberkrept
Steer clear of the Uberkrept:
Eschew the kind that measures time with bottles
That reek of yeast
And, calls five hours passed midnight,
Laments over mistakes and spoiled
Time
On One humid evening, before the contract
Expired
And the mice turned into rats,
And they ate the moon
The wonderful moon,
…The one you loved, that made you cry…
Like the spice from cinnamon hearts,
Evaporated in a pot, like a cloud of dry heat.
Once the suction sealing the lid to the pot
breaks
and the cloud steams musk into your eyes,
blinding, burning,
what was once hot and sweet became dry and painful
Like that Uberkrept
Who wronged you, hurt you, clung to you and
took more than you could give …and you want it back
Who gave you nothing, and left you with everything you wish you never
had
Who stole your moon and ate it
But…
You still have the Sun,
Too hot for rats to eat, like that sad, Swiss cheese moon you once loved
It burns them and warms you… long live the sun. The sun after the moon.
So, Feuer schmilzt Käse, sowieso
(No more Uberkrept)!
Side note: I just noticed how much food references I added... I guess it's always on my brain :P
Keep positive, and move forward.
Each day you make choices that lead you to your own personalized tomorrow. Is it going to be better or worse? You decide. Will you act good? Or will you behave badly? -D.H.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Are we still not getting some of these products?
I wonder why I cannot find the Simply Well product line of KozyShack. Is it a US thing?
http://www.kozyshack.com/puddings-simplywell-green-tea-chai
http://www.kozyshack.com/puddings-simplywell-green-tea-chai
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