My first 10k

So guys. I finished! My first 10k. Slowly but surely so I feel good about it. Here's the days diary in case anyone feels like doing on. I learned a lot.

Friday: picked up my bib and chip (the number you fasten to yourself and the electronic chip you attach to your shoe so they record your time.) I also got a t-shirt and picked up some gloves.

Sat.: It was gonna be cold today, so I got an Adidas hat and some legging style running pants and some windbreaker pants to wear over them. Tip to the ladies: Filene's Basement has a ton of workout gear and sneakers at awesome prices. I got my shoes, top, jog bra, windbreaker jacket and the pants there.

Sun.: Woke up at 6:30. Took a shower and ate some oatmeal. Watched NY1 to confirm it was cold as balls (34 degrees when I left.) I got to the subway around 7:20 and saw a bunch of other runner types. This was reassuring since I wanted to make sure I was on schedule and didn't have anyone to check with. I fastened my chip to my shoe and got off 103rd. We all walked over to the race site and I checked my bag. I forgot the little claim check thing that was attached to my number but luckily they let me check it anyway. I jogged over to the start and got there about 2 minutes late. I looked at my phone and it said 8:33. So off I went. I jogged slowly for almost the first mile until we hit the rolling hills in the NW corner of Central Park. At that point I walked for a bit. This was basically my M.O. for the rest of the run. Mostly jogging, sometimes walking and just basically looking ahead. I was with the other mellow types, some older, some younger, all shapes and sizes. The only annoying guy was one of a pair of two who seemed to be pushing his partner on with marine style chants a la "one two three for, we can run to-wards the door" or some such irritant. But, I managed to distance myself from them and finished in an hour and 27 minutes. I stopped to pee once and had three cups of water along the way. Because it was so cold it was hard to concentrate on much more than moving forward.

I'm excited to try a 5k where maybe I can think about going a little faster but just finishing this one was a great feeling.

when we fall off the wagon

So the last two weeks have felt like a bust. I was sick all last week and this week has been so busy and so cold, I've had a hard time getting my motivation back. I leave for vacation on Sunday and I have signed up to run the 10k on Dec. 7th. I think if I run a little every day on vacay I should be alright, but it's so easy to just park it on the beach! Ok, send me good vibes and I'll send you warm ones and we'll see if I can pull this crap off.
Love,
Molly

the galloway method of running

if your getting started as a runner or training for a longer race, i highly recommend checking out the Galloway method. it's designed to help you with endurance and protecting you from injury by building in active rest time, which basically means that you build in really brief walking (active rest) into your longer runs. i used this method when i did the seattle half and it was a great experience. there are training schedules and more info on the website - there are even local running groups in some areas - there's a group in NY molly! http://www.jeffgalloway.com/index.html

Oh it's hard

Guys,

I decided to try and run a 10k on Dec. 7th. In preparation I'm trying to run longer and just get my endurance up and it's not easy with my schedule and honestly with my lack of passion for running. But I'm trying. Today I went to the gym and did 2 miles on the treadmill in 25 minutes and 2 miles on the elliptical in 20. I had hoped to do all 4 on the treadmill but it was making me anxious and I decided to just take it a little easier. So basically I have a month to be able to complete the 6.2 miles straight and I'm nervous but will try to do it no matter what.

In today's times I saw an article about stretching and wanted to share it with you. Basically, over stretching can be really bad so check this out!

Love,

Molly

p.s. remember to eat something small before your workouts and a decent mix of complex carbohydrates and protein after. Ideas:
handful of almonds before and oatmeal with whole milk (or protein enriched soy milk) after.
piece of toast with peanut butter before, breakfast taco (one tortilla with one egg and a small bit of cheese and salsa) after
today I did neither and about 5 hours later (after I had eaten) I got a migraine style headache that really blew!

get this, literally...

i love veggies, but sometimes it seems like a lot of work to slice and dice them - and i am lazy, so i end up eating other things that aren't as good for me.

all that changed when i got a ceramic slicer (it's like a handheld mandolin). i can have perfectly sliced cucumbers and julienned carrots in seconds, and they look absolutely gorgeous -which makes them that much funner to eat. ....the best $25 i've spent in a long time.

Marathon 09 - Team in Training!

why dont we all sign up for team in training and do a destination marathon (or half marathon). do you guys know about team in training? basically you raise money for lukemia and they train you and put you up in lodging, etc for the event. http://www.teamintraining.org/

who's in?
-danielle

Grain ratios and cooking times

Guys,
In class this weekend we cooked tons of grains in various ways and I wanted to share some knowledge. These were the most delicious of all the grains we cooked and the best for you. There are lots of recipes and preparations available but if you need any tips, hit me up!

Long grain brown rice, 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water, cook for 45 minutes, (dry roast the grains beore you add the liquid)
Millet (super grain), 1 cup millet to 1 3/4 cups water, cook for 30-40 minutes at a simmer (pilaf the grains quickly in oil before you add the liquid)
Kasha, 1 cup kasha to 1 3/4 cups water, cook for 45 minutes (pilaf grains before you add the liquid)
Quinoa (super grain), 1 cup quinoa to 1.5 cups water, bring to a boil and and after one minute take off heat, let sit until all water is absorbed.
Bulgar Wheat, 1 cup quinoa to 1 3/4 cups water and afetr one minute take off heat, let stand until all water is absorbed (dry roast before you add liquid)


for quick reference:

• to pilaf is anytime you roast the grains in oil or butter before you add liquid.
• to dry roast is to cook dry in the pan to develop the flavor of the grain.
  
• always use liquid that is close to boiling when you cook with grains.
• super grains means the grain is a complete protein, which means it has all nine essential amino acids.
• unless you're making risotto, don't stir your grains while they're cooking until all liquid is absorbed, the steam channels created naturally are essential to even cooking and distrurbing them will make cooking time take longer.
• once you've taken grains off the heat, let them rest for 5 minutes before stirring and serving.
  

Is thinking about the marathon in 2009 too crazy?

I just got home from Berlin, 3 days and 3 nights. I was there for a conference which meant erratic eating opportunities and little time for working out. I did get in two 20 minute cardio workouts but noticed my right hip felt wonky, from the flight. Rolling around in a comfy Euro bed is hard to resist, so two mornings it won out over the gym! If I was more ambitious and less sleepy a quick run around town would have been to see some of the streets up close. Also a good way to get lost I bet.

I bought the Runners World on my way over and didn't read it until I was coming back. This issue is all about the upcoming NY Marathon. So yes, it's 26.2 miles. And yes, no matter how in shape you are it's brutal. But I started thinking about it. Anyone else remotely interested? If so having a little over a year to train is a awesome head start. We could devise a training plan and maybe try to do a half marathon in June to gauge our fitness? If anyone is into it comment back or email me ok?

yours in kookiness,

Molly

The ethical gourmet

My instructor yesterday on spice, herb, grain and bean identification was Jay Weinstein, author of The Ethical Gourmet. Class was mostly just discussing and learning the details of herbs and spices, their applications and discussion of whole grain and bean properties and preparations.

Among the revelations:

Beans older than a year in your cupboard probably have lost all their water content so no matter how long you cook them, they might never get soft. Nicole, could this have been the issue with your chili a few weeks ago? Even dried beans are 20% water when they are fresh, so rotate them out if they're old.

Buy dried spices in small quantities because they really lose their potency after a year. Better yet, buy them whole and grind them as you need. Whole spices should keep for about 2 years. Keep them in a cupboard and away from your oven/stove so the essential oils aren't activated.

Chef Jay's area of focus is sustainable and ethical food and his book is interesting and controversial in it's discussion of genetically modified food systems. We had a healthy discussion about seafood business and fish farms. This website has a cool breakdown about sustainable seafood for anyone who is interested http://www.blueocean.org/

OK! Off to the gym!

Some food ideas!

Hey!

Here are some revelatory cooking tips I want to share. You might know these already so forgive my enthusiasm!

Banana Sorbet

If you have a juicer you are already psyched but especially now when you hear about this! Freeze some bananas, run them through the juicer and you have the smoothest creamiest most delicious banana sorbet ever. Add some berries and it's even better. You may want to freeze it more before serving but this blew my mind.

Greens

Blanch and shock your greens to soften them and hold the color before you saute. It makes a huge difference! Do a bit at a time so you don't lower the temperature of your cooking water and as soon as they have softened, pop them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. When you're ready to finish, pop them in your saute pan and cook as you like, with a bit of garlic, olive oil etc.  We had some collards with garlic and smoked paprika and they were fantastic.

Roasted Potatoes

These aren't necessarily diet food but a little insane deliciousness is a good thing I think.

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut potatoes into 8 pieces. Put in a pot with water just covering them and bring to a boil. using a fork or a bamboo skewer, cook until about halfway or 3/4 the way done. Remove from the water and drain, (you might want to use a dishtowel to remove any excess water.) 

Lay potatoes on a cookie sheet and toss generously with olive oil. Roast for about 45 minutes until they are golden brown and you see a nice crust.

Toss with coarse salt, pepper and some rosemary or whatever herb you are feeling. Eat about 5 minutes later and you will have your mind blown.

Poached Pears with Apple Cider Reduction

Peel pears, cut in half, remove seeds and inner spine and cover with a bit of lemon juice to prevent oxidation.

Bring 3-4 cups of apple cider to a low boil. Add some cloves, star anise, Cinnamon or whatever hard spices you like. Don't over do it!

once the cider is boiling, add pears so they are covered. In class we put a piece of parchment paper  cut to size above the pears to keep them in the liquid. Using a bamboo skewer, test the doneness of the pear, it should be soft but not mushy. 

Remove from the liquid and set aside. 

Let the cider continue cooking until it is the consistency of a syrup. 

Pour over the pears and serve on their own or with ice cream (soy cream, frozen yogurt?)

More soon!!

tiny victories

i did my abs today.

tomorrow i start my one month experiment

running and flying dreams

This morning I decided to sleep a few extra minutes instead of jogging my new mapmyfitness route I had scoped out last night (two miles going south and coming back up court st.) The plan was to do the run and pick up my dry cleaning, deposit my tax refunds and be ahead of the game. Instead my bed was too comfy so I turned off the alarm and rolled over.

The dream I had is a bit foggy but I remember running in a place like Richmond. I had a dream this summer where I was hitting these insane bouncy strides and could fly for about 15 seconds before I would come down and jump forward again. Totally gazelle like! This mornings had long and bouncy strides but no flying. There was a moment where out of a fully sunny day I all of a sudden appeared in a pitch black tunnel turned around and thought I saw George Chen. WTF??

I sort of woke myself up at this point in complete confusion but sort of happy that even if I didn't physcially do the workout, my brain has it on my mind in a positive way. I WILL do something after work today!

Super soup supper

I'm with DJ Eiffel Tower- I think soup is the way to go, especially as the weather gets chillier. I think it is inherently more satisfying to eat something warm and comforting when you're trying to cut back on the fat, especially in the evening hours. I'm also a believer in breakfast for dinner...eggs (or egg whites) with a little cheese and some veg are also really easy and healthy for dinner too.

But back to soup- today's NYTimes features a recipe similar to Molly's, and sounds just as good. Check out today's Recipes for Health: Pureed Red Pepper and Potato Soup.
Here's a picture to whet yr appetite:

roasted vegetable soup

I ate this before I took a pic so if I can hold off before I finish it tonight I'll update.

At class we chop a lot of vegetables and divide them up at the end of the day. This past Saturday we were working with a lot of autumn vegetables and I was lucky enough to grab about a pint each of Butternut Squash, Onion and Red Pepper. So I made this too easy recipe last night. I know there are a ton of roasted vegetable soup recipes so this is just a reminder of how easy and yummy they can be.

roast all vegetables +  garlic at 450 degrees for 45 mins.-1 hour

(I added a little olive oil because I love it but if you want to go fat free don't use any or a little bit of cooking spray. Watch the vegetables so they don't burn.)

remove from oven and put in a soup pot. I have an immersion blender so I smoothed them up in there and added about 3-4 cups of water and heated them through before I served. If you don't have one, add the water and salt and pepper to taste to the vegetables until they're nicely combined and smooth them out in a blender or eat chunky.

I think a serving of about 2 cups of this must have about 200 cals and it makes you so happy!  I served it with a little fat free Greek yogurt on top as the creme freche replacement and it was perfect.

big plans

i have a fair idea what i need to do to "live right" and i get parts of it right all the time, and almost never get it all right. i'm going to make a deal and a promise to myself, and do it all for just one month, to see what living that way would be like.

specifically, i mean something like this:

1 "long run" meaning my current maximum per week (currently 4 miles but it goes up 10% every week if i am running regularly), with heart rate at 80% of maximum (i have to resist the temptation to run at a higher heart rate, which feels good when i am doing it but leaves me dizzy and weak afterwards)

2 "short" runs that are half as long as the long run per week

1 run that is 3/4 of the long max run

stretch before and after every run (this is something i

2 one-hour training sessions per week. one using machines for legs and free weights for chest and shoulders and upper back, the other one doing free weight leg exercises for the legs (squats and lunges and knee drives) and machines for chest and shoulders and upper back. biceps and triceps with free weights both times. starting with big muscles and working down to the small muscles, of course.

"core" workout 6 days a week including abs and stretches and squats

brush teeth twice per day

floss once per day

eat less than 2400 calories per day

eat a bowl of salad and a piece of fruit every day

eat less than 2400 milligrams of sodium per day

for my choleserol issues - take metamucil any day that breakfast isn't oatmeal

take my vitamins every day

because of my allergy issues and sleep apnea:
irrigate my nasal cavity twice per day with the machine i have for this purpose
use my cpap machine every night
use my nasal spray every day as directed
wash the bedding and vacuum the carpet in the bedroom once a week

because of my various food issues:

no red meat or pork
about 1/3 turkey, 1/3 chicken, and 1/3 fish as my meat dishes over the course of the week
filet mignon is ok occasionally
no legumes whatsoever, including no soybean oil or soy lecithin
no chocolate
no wheat
no dairy

so the summary is i am making a commitment to do all this stuff every day and every week, for the calendar month of october, to see what it feels like and if it feels constricting to my lifestyle and the timeflow of my everyday life.

also to see if i can remember to stay on track

9/28/08 Quick Run

I finally signed up for map my fitness and although there are too many steps to logging your workouts it is cool if you want to map a run or ride and calculate what your activity will generate. Let me know if you sign up! My user name is mollydneuman.

Here is the two mile run in my neighborhood with the prettiest views. I felt good after doing it and a little worked!

On the positive tip

I watch a lot of bad TV because I enjoy it. One of the things I flipped through last night was a show on TLC  called 627lb Woman: Jackie's Story. I was transfixed and stopped flipping. The story was about Jackie's plight after her gastric bypass which is fascinating in and of itself, but what struck me most was how positive she was. Now I know we moan about the 15-30 pounds we might want to lose and that shit is still hard. But here's a woman who has life threatening challenges in her quest to lose weight. The best she can do is get moderately morbidly obese. But she's doing it with a positive energy that is truly inspiring. 

We can not be sniveling brats. We know what we have to do. We need to love ourselves for who we are and know that others love us unconditionally. We need our motivations to be honorable and try to resist the disgusting influences of our culture to make us hate our thighs and butts. We're loving beautiful people with great hearts. Let's make our hearts stronger!

When Your Age is Ageist

Some of you know, that about 2 years ago my fitness routine took a sudden >hault< when I realized that that small pain I had in my knee (with swelling) was a much larger issue in need of greater inspection, physical therapy and ultimately surgery. So, I’m 35 at that point and wondering, well, when can I get on the run again? I’m missing my kickboxing class right now! Put me in coach!!

Since then I have gotten back into shape on the bike, in the pool and just plain old living around NYC. Molly is a big inspiration for getting to the Y, a huge bonus you all should get one!!

Fast-forward to Sunday. I felt some back pain as I put my drunken self to bed on Saturday thinking… damn heels, why did I run to the subway in heels? Owww. Turns out I REALLY hurt my lower back, which was (I think) to do with the huge cleaning task I tackled early on in the day Saturday. I was out on the fire escape washing windows, loving my new apartment and ignoring the pigeon shit everywhere. I also ignored how difficult those windows and screens were to open and close… and I think that’s what did it. Normal human operation – opening and closing windows – up and down, inside and out. It happens every day, right? Washing the soot off the glass! I should be able to do this without warming up, stretching or having to see a SPECIALIST!!??

Boo. I can’t help but feel… aged. I am not overly bummed, not like I’ll-never-clean-again type bummed… but am taking this as a call to arms to really get myself into better shape, front-back-top-bottom so that as life dishes out dirty windows… I can tackle those and whatever else comes my way. That is, without having to resort to prescription drugs the next day.

Take care my people.

Hitting the wall

So a month ago or so I decided I needed to kick up my diet and fitness. Since then I've been pretty good about working out 5 days a week or so. I've been trying to bring my lunch to work and monitor my cals but I'm not noticing any weight lost. It's a little depressing. I'm not going to give up of course and I think I need to be much more strict about the cals but it's REALLY HARD. I LOVE TO EAT!

I had class on Sat. so I skipped the gym, I went yesterday for 30 minutes of cardio and it was hot so I was insanely sweaty and gross. This morning I had my session with Malcolm and am gonna try and get a few miles of a walk in this evening. 

So... this weeks goals are, cals limitation, more exercise and a positive attitude. Everyone with me??? 

GOOD NEWS! BAD NEWS?

Yesterday I was able to meet my decreased calorie goal!!
Except guess what?
417 of those calories....came from three cans of Modelo beer.
The scene was a common one:
I am at home innocently listening to Hank Williams, stewing some figs.
The radical husband walks in ready to make some dinner and watch the season premiere of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and what does he have in his posession......an icy cold and delicious 6 pack of Modelo!!!
Now, to his credit IASIP is perfectly accompanied by beer, in fact I would say it's almost mandatory.
However, I am trying to be of the not-drinking-so-much-brew persuasion, right? SO.. I have one. and then. another. and then a third! WTF! To MY credit, I did have a bunch of water as well and for that reason I think only ate two of the fantastic black bean and kale tacos we had (instead of the usual 3....uh okay and sometimes 4).
So let me ask you this? Is this Good? Is this Bad? Is it wrong to substitute nutrition calories with....um..brain cell reducers?

Running: strength v. fat burning

So, thanks to the example set by the rest of this board, I re-started what I hope will be a more constant running program today.  The thing is, the route that I usually do around here is only 2 miles, but there are two really good hills (one at about the half-way point, and one right at the end), and the reason I run such a short course (aside from being out of shape - ideally the course will get longer as time goes on, but...), is that I go at it pretty hard - I have a problem with this (in regard to running) - I'm not comfortable running at a slower pace.  I average the two miles in about 12-13 minutes.  So my question is, what is it gaining me?  Is it mostly aerobic at that distance and pace?  Am I building strength (definitely "feel the burn" on that last hill)?  Am I burning fat?  Am I wasting my time?  Should I slow down and go longer?  Keep it at this pace and increase the length as I get stronger with it?

Anybody?

Fighting the Geat Metabolism Slow-Down Since 2004 (or thereabout..)...

Hey Gang - thanks to DJEiffel for the invite - I used to think it needed was freedom, but now I realize I need support!  Looking forward to the conversation...

Sept. 18, MDN

25 minutes of cardio, 20 at heart rate of over 150 BPM

Another day

with lofty goals and meeting them halfway. I did make it to the Y this morning. I did my usual schizo cardio routine based on which machines had working TVs and what was getting my heart rate up. I started with 5 minutes on the bike after various elliptical and treadmill disappointments. I went back to the elliptical a bit later after most of the before work crowd had split and did 15 there. heart rate got up to about 156 which is decent. Then the bottom of my feet felt numb (anyone else have this issue? any tips?) and I went over to see if there was a treadmill with NBC working. The Y claims they're "working on this issue" but it's been a long time with varying stages of lameness in regard to the TVs.  I started jogging next to a dude who was at about my same pace aka, pretty slow and realized not only did he sort of smell, he was whistling "hoo hoo" after every few steps, to his rhythm. When I had my headphones on it was OK, but it was the end of the hour, the reception was bad and it was mostly commercials so I took them off and really couldn't take it. I know I'm becoming a mixture of Jerry, George and Elaine, but I can't help it!

So in summary, 25 minutes of cardio and some abs and arms. Still climbing. Hopefully I don't blow it all at the Yankees Game tonight.

I FELL INTO THE VOID

So after leaving Molly's the other night (see below) where we had some wine and some delish healthy foods, I promptly fell into the void and had three beers in the city with the hubs and then of course the obligatory "slice" on the walk to the subway afterward. AHHHHH! So I effectively trashed any progress I had previously made trying to tame my calorie intake. I need a will power transfusion!

Map My Run Map My Ride

Two sweet things!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/

http://www.mapmyride.com/

I'm gonna join both. If you join let me know and we can be buddies!

Comfy and Cushiony

So one of the things I've talked about with some of you before is the fact that getting happy with your sweetie can make you cushiony. I can tell you that in the last two years since I've been happy taken with my guy I've certainly put on some pounds, about 20 to be exact. Before this I was basically on the gin tonic diet and since we started hanging out we've had way more delivery and way more cozy nights watching tv on the couch! So... part of my new plan is:

• in general no take out
  
• cooking at home, if we don't feel like cooking go out, it's way harder to justify eating two apps and your whole pad thai in public
  
• as I've already said, walk more places
  

Am I a ree ree like Carrie Bradshaw to ask "does being in love always make you pack 'em on?"

Today's Plan

Last night was fun, we had some wine and didn't eat too much together but I did snack after the girls left. It's so hard!

Class starts tonight and I didn't want to be too tired so I didn't go to the gym this morning. I did walka mile at lunch and will try to walk two miles to class so I get a little more in.  It's amazing how close things in NY are when you actually look them up! So let's walk more!

Tomorrow I'll try to make it in to the gym before work for 45 minutes of cardio. Who's with me???

Interesting article from today's NYTimes...

"Instead of Eating to Diet, They’re Eating to Enjoy"

my trainer malcolm

originally posted at www.simplesocialgraces.blogspot.com

For the last two years I've been seeing a personal trainer Malcolm Milton, at the  Dodge Y in Brooklyn.  This also has coincided with love and happiness which has brought a lot of delivery meals to my door, all of which I have been able to consume in massive amounts. The sum of this equation is while I am stronger than I've ever been, my lung capacity is up and I feel healthy, I have gained weight. I'm finally facing that reality and not wanting it to remain the case I've decided to actively try to lose what I've put on over the last two years. I just want my clothes to feel right and to feel right again. 

My new program is:

Malcolm once a week (generally on Monday) for a workout that looks something like:

3 sets of core and cardio

• 3 x 20 bench press w/ leg lift or push ups
  
• 3 x 20 squats or lunges
  
• 3 x 20 kettle bell swing
  
• 3 x 30 crunches on stability ball  
  
• 3 x 100 revolutions on the jump rope or 3 minutes on the summit trainer
  

2 sets of isolated arms, legs and abs

• 2 x 20 bicep curls
  
• 2 x 20 triceps curls
  
• 1 x 30 adductor exercises
  
• 1 x 30 abductor exercises
  
• 100 bicycle kicks
  
• 2 x 30 additional abs
  
• 1 x 30 calve exercises
  

cool down stretching

stretch arms, back, quads, hamstrings, calves, core

The other days I'm trying to do cardio, walk more and generally be outside moving whenever I can. 

I'm trying to eat less, cook more and generally eat better.

I'm really only telling you all this so you can check out Malcolms You Tube page and see how sweet he is!  And to wish me luck on my journey!

resident natural foods know it all

oh you people have no idea what you're getting yourselves into! As some of you may know, I start my chefs training program at the natural gourmet school tomorrow! Be sure to note that I'll be posting lots of tips and taps for you as they seep into my brain. Ooo la la!

Howdy

hi all, thanks for inviting me molly!

slim and i both signed up with a personal trainer in the spring and i go to her twice a week -- i love weight training!!  however, my current problem is that i have totally dropped running, inexplicably.  i was running pretty consistently 2-3 times a week, and now i just stopped two weeks ago and don't seem able to get back to it.  there is no good reason for it, it's like a mental block.  any suggestions? 

MY ARSENAL

Here is a list of my current bff foodstuffs for weight management:

-of course water water water water water water water water water. If I start to get sick of it, in goes lemon or Emergen-C.

AT WORK
cottage cheese (some hate it, but it makes me feel full cos it has a teeny bit of fat)
baby carrots (no brainer)
arugula (thanks Kat, I am converted. Kicks baby spinach's ass in terms of flavor)
beets (beets are amazing, low calorie, flavorful, versatile and avail. ready to eat)
fennel (more props to Kat)
avocado (again with the delish fattyness)
pickles (sodium watch but man can they kill hunger pangs)
cheese sticks (possibly the enemy? Man I eat way too many of these a day)
hummus ( duh, I know tasty protein)
whole wheat eng muffin (endless snack options there)
fat free yogurt ( breakfast, snack, dressing, dip etc)
figs (love em! in season right now)
banana and a piece of dark chocolate (decadent taste w/out decadence)


HOME
salsa (dump on stuff. stuff tastes good)
sweet potatoes (trump reg potatoes except for "new reds" in flavor every time..wicked good for you!)
egg whites (no yolk, this way you can add more cheese!)
lemons (dump on stuff stuff tastes good, use less oil)
frozen vegetables (can oomph up vitamins and decrease carb usage in a meal, obv fresh trumps, but you know)
cashews (cashews make a MEAN cheese sub, like stunningly so. I want cheese all day long so trust me on this or see here)
cauliflower (we roast it and eat it like popcorn, so good!)
tortillas (the flatter the bread, the flatter the tummy..right?)
greek low fat yogurt and honey w fruit (see banana and choc above)
hot cocoa and fluff(forget a big dessert and have cocoa! I put it in water or soy milk)

What do you guys use to be creative with food when you are trying to curb the fat intake?

Yay, nay, or ok?

What do you kids think of food diaries or other daily calorie/point food tallies? I've been debating joining Weight Watchers to check out the whole point system thing, since so many people seem to have success with it.

I just joined SparkPeople yesterday because it's similar to Weight Watchers- except it's FREE. I figure I should give it a shot before paying for WW.
The website is visually overwhelming... a little too busy, but I'm hoping that if I take advantage of their food diary tool, I might become more aware of everything I eat. For example, I need to understand that popping mozzarella balls into my mouth as a 'snack' is not the same as, say, raw almonds, and that each one of those babies destroys my daily caloric goal.

It's already interesting to see how I totally forget about things I've consumed throughout the day. So for that reason alone the website might be worth it. The site itself has all kinds of stuff on there- most of which I'll likely never utilize, but the daily food tracker alone might make it worthwhile.
Now I just need to get myself on the elliptical...I'm working on a good mix of workout tunes. Maybe down the line we should send exercise CD mixes? Too much?

I'm going to make a fennel, english cucumber, and apple salad tonight for dinner. I'll made a light dressing with fresh lemon juice and olive oil and shallots and I'll sprinkle on some unsalted roasted pistachios for protein, otherwise I'll get hungry again after an hour. Nom, nom, nom!

hi

i really need some inspiration to eat right and exercise regularly. i've experimented with enough different things and had some stretches where i stuck with it, so i know it works and makes me a happier person, and yet i have trouble staying consistent. i let work get in the way of exercise and convenience get in the way of good eating.

also though, i need new food ideas.

yesterday i had a one hour session with my personal trainer - we do some squats and steps and stuff, and then a bunch of resistance stuff, machines and weights. i ate pretty light yesterday.

BABY STEPS

Ok so here is my dilemma. ADIDAF.
All Day I Dream About Food.
I read about food. I watch food TV. When I get home, I make food. I blog about food.

In an attempt to get healthy and shed some of my extra 15lbs I have put on being in love and sedentary I signed up for Spark People. After being confused for the first half hour looking at it, I think I got the gist.
I made a plan. That plan goes like this:

burn 460 cals a week
consume 1200-1500 per day
lose 11 pounds by Nov 16th

In order to achieve my goal, I am to
burn 153 cals just three days a week
exercise 15 minutes a day while watching TV

Should be easy!

Except for the part where I physically move my body. Cos' that just did not happen last night. Those 153 calories are still with me.
Last night I made a pasta sauce from cauliflower. I added some tomato paste, garlic and onions. (Maybe too much) olive oil.. I used whole wheat pasta. Threw in some frozen peas for some green and because I love them. Before creating that masterpiece I could have thrown in my "Crunch Boot Camp" dvd. (I have done yoga and pilates at home before and have toned up a tad.) So I could have popped it in and got down on the mat.
Except, instead of doing that, I made 'rich roll' cookies from Joy of Cooking, in the shape of the State of New York. I ate three fresh out of the oven, while I was prepping the pasta dish. While I watched people making pizzas on TV.
Now today, all I have eaten is a container of 1% cottage cheese with some cracked pepper. (delish!) And a green tea cookie. It's 315pm. What is my problem. Baby Steps?! I am not even in the crawling stage, I am like a confused baby in one of those lil' baby sacks, where the legs and feet don't come out. I am now going to force myself to eat some arugula and tofu that I brought with me today, wish me luck.

welcome!

I am thinking this will be a shared diary of fitness and health plans.

Today I went to the gym and did 30 minutes of cardio. It was hard and I wanted to not go and not stay but I did.

I went home and made breakfast: a bowl of whole grain cereal and 1/2 a banana and two veggie sausage links.

I made my lunch: a huge salad with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, mushies, tofu and cheese. I grilled the tofu with cooking spray and soy sauce.

Tonight I'll probably blow it with wine and some cals but we're taking baby steps.