Wednesday, December 31, 2008

NROL - Week 22 - Wednesday

Last day of feeling sorry for myself. I'm going out to lunch with a friend and I will be back on plan tomorrow. There is no more junk in the house, except for that bag of M&Ms I bought myself a few months ago and haven't opened. I can't believe it. All the crap I've eaten in the last week and those are still there. I did make a promise to myself though - I wasn't going to eat them until I had a plan.

Hyper IB, 4x10 with 60 second rests today.

[superset w/ full rest]:
squat 4x10x55
Romanian deadlift w/ shrug 4x10x55

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split-squat 4x10x10 (per leg)
step-up 4x10x10 (per leg)

reverse crunch 3x15xbw

With all the garbage I've eaten today, it's very easy to see how we (Americans) have gotten so fat. Dinner alone was over maintenance calories for me, and I didn't even bat an eye.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

NROL - Week 22 - Tuesday

I didn't exercise today. I just didn't feel like it. Damn this funk. And I tried to make pancakes this morning and screwed up the recipe. "How does one screw up a batch of Jiffy pancakes?" you ask. I meant to cut the recipe in half, and I did cut the amount of Jiffy mix in half, but I used the whole amount of milk. Then I tried to thicken it up and made it too thick to even pour, so I tossed it all, ticked off that I can't even get pancakes right. So I had no bake cookies for breakfast. We're out of those now, thankfully.

Ugh. Just ugh!!

Monday, December 29, 2008

NROL - Week 22 - Monday

I am so mad at myself!!!!!!! I started off great then had such a crappy morning that I lost it by lunch time, then things continued to get worse. I don't even freaking care what I eat for the rest of the day. It's just little stuff getting to me, which makes it completely ridiculous that I can't hold it together long enough to get through a stressful day. I don't know why things are getting to me this way, either. It's not the cold I had - which I'm not even sure was really a cold. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was something stuffed up my nose. I cannot unblock it at all. Nasal sprays, Vicks, blowing, even a Neti pot - useless!

So, breakfast was typical, and I packed appropriate snacks for the drive to Virginia. I was running late, my son's new DVD player wasn't working, I had to drop off the recycling in the rain - that all made me grumpy. The lab techs were rude and weren't going to let me get my blood drawn because if my stuffy nose. I had to call the bone marrow place and my contact is out of the office until next Monday. I was getting upset because I didn't want to have made a second useless trip. I called a number on the switchboard thingy and finally got a human voice in the main marrow office (I think) and talked to them, and told me it "should be fine" to give them my blood. Whatever. The phelbotomist who was pissy when I got there got ready to draw my blood, and I was sure she'd stick me hard on purpose, just because I was defensive. But I never felt the needle so that was a ray of freaking sunshine.

Then on the way home, I stopped at Burger King and got a Whopper & fries. Frak it, I didn't care. I was going to have a salad but it's hard to choke down bland stuff with my nose the way it is. Greasy meat isn't much better but I was at least able to taste the onion. So then I was mad for eating crap, so I ate a stupid granola bar. Then, I got to the post office to mail a package and they were closed. By now, I'm really annoyed and decided that my crappy day needed ice cream. So when I got home, I had ice cream. And no bake cookies. And more no bake cookies. And now here I am, somewhere between not caring and hating myself.

Today was HyperIA, 5x5 with 90 seconds rests.

[superset w/ full rest]:
db incline press 5x5x25
Yates row 5x5x65

[superset w/ full rest]:
db shoulder press 5x5x20
inverted row - 5x5xbw - I love these!! Ok, not love but I like them a lot better than lat pulls. I need to do some flexibility work because my arm felt a little tight. And for the record, I can't pull myself all the way up, so there's lots of room to improve

[superset w/ full rest]:
bb close grip bench press 5x5x50
high pull 5x5x50

Swiss ball crunch 3x15x30

Sunday, December 28, 2008

NROL - Week 21 - Sunday

151 today, that's up 2 pounds from my last weigh in. I'm not shocked. That's what happens when I eat too much junk. I'm going to be weighing (and measuring) again on Thursday, for the new year.

No exercise today. I didn't have any scheduled but since I skipped yesterday, I was hoping I'd feel well enough to do something. But I don't.

7:45 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

9:30 AM - egg salad sandwich; I made this with horseradish sauce, hoping to clear my sinuses because nothing else is working

12:15 PM - pickle

12:40 PM - Havarti cheese, California blend mixed vegetables, chicken breast

2:45 PM - almonds

4:30 PM - corn, grilled hamburger w/ onion, Havarti cheese, mustard, ketchup & horseradish sauce

Calories - 1478
Carbs - 102 (23 fiber)
Protein - 86
Fat - 83
C/P/F Ratio - 27.3/22.9/49.8

Saturday, December 27, 2008

NROL - Week 21 - Saturday

I did have cardio scheduled today but this cold is kicking my ass. I ended up snorting saline last night to get some relief from the plugged up nose. I took medicines that didn't even dent the pain in my head. I feel like I've been sick an awful lot this year, and I'm getting tired of it.

8:30 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda; for some reason, the coffee has tasted pretty sweet the last couple days, so I didn't put the 1/2 teaspoon of granular in; it's still sweet so I might try just 2 drops of liquid next time; I'm sure it's all due to my messed up taste buds

10:45 AM - hard boiled eggs; I only ate these because I had to eat something

12:20 PM - turkey breast w/ mayo & cheese on tortilla

5:15 PM - brown rice w/ onion & turkey; I'm so sick of turkey

6:55 PM - ice cream; I debated having this and hated myself for eating it when I didn't need it; to my surprise, I actually put it in my tracker, instead of ignoring it like I wanted to

Calories - 1583
Carbs - 106 (10 fiber)
Protein - 119
Fat - 71
C/P/F Ratio - 27.6/31/41.5

Friday, December 26, 2008

NROL - Week 21 - Friday

Sick. My son and I have something. It's minor - stuffy head and lack of energy, mostly. Eating was horrible today. Nothing has any taste. My body isn't hungry but my mouth is. I'm mad about it but just can't get a handle on it. I just want to chill out (which is what we did most of the day - even had a good nap). My workout sucked today as a result.

Hyper IB, 3x15 with 30 second rests today, which I hate on on a good day.

[superset w/ full rest]:
squat 3x15x40
Romanian deadlift w/ shrug 3x15x40

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split-squat 3x15xbw (per leg) - no weights, as I had absolutely no energy
step-up 3x15xbw (per leg) - no weights, as I had absolutely no energy

reverse crunch 3x15xbw

Thursday, December 25, 2008

NROL - Week 21 - Thursday

No exercise today. The TV is occupied and there are toys all over my floor. This is why I worked out Sunday :)

I have to say, I am absolutely convinced that too much sugar makes me ill. I felt horrible most of the night and just the thought of eating anything too sweet makes me gag right now. The only "good" thing is that it makes me crave water like crazy, so I drink it, but really, isn't that a sign of something diabetes related??

Not really much to report today. I ate some things that weren't so great but I didn't make myself as sick as yesterday.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

NROL - Week 21 - Wednesday

Today was HyperIA, 4x10 with 60 seconds rests.

[superset w/ full rest]:
db incline press 4x10x20
Yates row 4x10x45

[superset w/ full rest]:
db shoulder press 4x10x15
wide grip lat pull down 4x10x62 - good riddance to these - I am switching to inverted rows on Monday

[superset w/ full rest]:
bb close grip bench press 4x10x40
high pull 4x10x40

Swiss ball crunch 3x15x30


Food today was chaotic, at best. I started off as usual but it was so hectic today, with a trip to Virginia I had to make (more about that in a minute), then I had to come home and make treats for Santa. Between eating on the road and sampling my goodies, I've given up trying to keep track. I feel a little guilty but not too much. I'm also learning that sugar (especially lots of it) makes me really, really sick. I get nauseated and nothing tastes good. I'm just now (it's 3:30 PM as I type this) getting my first cup of coffee for the day and it tastes horrible because of the sugar I've already had while baking. I think I'll leave those no bake cookies (the major sugar culprit) to my husband.

So, about my trip to Virginia. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I am on my third round of testing to be a blood marrow/stem cell donor. I got on the donor registry back in May, when it was free (normally it's about $52, but they were having some sort of drive). I signed up, they sent a kit for a swab from my cheek, and I sent that in. I received a phone call last month that I am a 6 out of 6 antigen match for someone. I went in for my first blood draw on December 4, and received another call Monday. I am a 10 out of 10 match for this person, so they want a second set of blood tests. The lab is 90 minutes away, so I packed my kid up and went up today, after confirming that the kit for collecting samples had arrived there. When I got there, I was told they couldn't collect the blood today because the lab won't be open tomorrow (all samples are overnighted by FedEx to the analysis lab). I was pretty bummed that I'd wasted my time and gas, just to have to go back up next week (Monday, I think). Then I realized that I could be the one needing a blood marrow transplant. I told that whiny voice in my head to STFU, then got on with my day. But anyway, I'd promised my son we'd get McDonald's if he was a good boy, and he was. I did eat a salad, but then I ate his hashbrowns and that screwed my whole day up. Oh well.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

NROL - Week 21 - Tuesday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. I didn't want to do it - I considered doing the 20 Minute Workout or nothing at all - because I woke up with a stuffy and runny nose. I also have a headache, so I must have picked something up. My son was complaining yesterday that he had a headache and was super clingy. Other than that, though, we're fine.

8:00 AM - hard boiled egg

10:25 AM - California blend mixed vegetables, roasted chicken (dark meat)

12:30 PM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

1:55 PM - grilled cheese sandwich; my son ate a quarter of this, the little sneak

5:30 PM - a chicken nugget I snagged from the refrigerator while I was cooking; not logged

6:15 PM - skillet lasagna; I didn't log any of this because I was way too lazy and rushed to bother

No numbers today.

Monday, December 22, 2008

NROL - Week 21 - Monday

I take back everything I said in my rushed blog about yesterday. I feel so crappy! At the time, I just enjoyed myself and didn't worry about what I was eating, but when I went to bed, I felt totally sick from all the chocolate stuff. It was like a delayed reaction. Blah! I don't feel guilty, no, but bloated and nauseated for sure. I don't drink alcohol because I don't like the after effects. I don't like the physical effects of eating too much chocolate. I think I'm going to have to treat them the same. Bummer.

Hyper IB, 5x5 with 90 second rests today.

[superset w/ full rest]:
squat 5x5x60
Romanian deadlift w/ shrug 5x5x60

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split-squat 5x5x15 (per leg)
step-up 5x5x15 (per leg)

reverse crunch 3x15xbw

8:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:30 AM - turkey bacon, toast, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

4:00 PM - green beans w/ margarine & roasted chicken (dark meat)

8:35 PM - egg salad sandwich; I feel all icky from the chocolate still and didn't want to eat, but I was really under my minimum for the day

Calories - 1277
Carbs - 108 (28 fiber)
Protein - 109
Fat - 49
C/P/F Ratio - 32.9/33.4/33.8

Sunday, December 21, 2008

NROL - Week 20 - Sunday

I did my cardio today (TJCP Mix 2) because I know I won't get to do it Thursday. I expect my son to take over the tv for his new Wii games. So, I got it out of the way today.

Oh, and no change in weight this week - still at 149. That's fine.

We're having lunch at a friend's house today so there will be no numbers. I'll write down everything I eat at home, and log that, but I'm just going to enjoy myself at lunch and keep it reasonable.

9:40 AM - eggs w/ toast, coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

11:05 AM - pumpkin flax granola bar

Okay, I snacked all day at my friend's house. It was good. No guilt here. I had the best time I've had in a long time.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

NROL - Week 20 - Saturday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 again, probably the most intense effort so far.

Oh, I forgot to post the picture of my homemade lat pull apparatus yesterday. Maybe someday I'll buy a real pulley system, but I doubt it. I hate cable exercises. I am definitely dumping lat pulls after next week. Anyway, here it is:



I kneel on the floor to do the exercises. Don't mind my crooked picture. Every time I open the freezer lid, I bump it.

10:00 AM - cottage cheese

12:20 PM - turkey bacon, eggs, banana, coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

2:15 PM - pork rinds; I haven't had these in a long time, and my husband wanted to try the new salt & vinegar variety; fortunately, I wasn't crazy about them

4:15-ish PM - I took a few bites of roasted chicken and I pulled it off the bone, then a piece of green pepper while I was chopping

6:30 PM - homemade chili; I had 2 bowls, plus 1 bite of my son's banana

No numbers today because I didn't measure the chili.

Friday, December 19, 2008

NROL - Week 20 - Friday

Today was HyperIA, 3x15 with 30 seconds rests.

[superset w/ full rest]:
db incline press 3x15x20 - I don't remember doing these at 20 pounds last time I did 3x15 - it was hard!!!
Yates row 3x15x42

[superset w/ full rest]:
db shoulder press 3x15x10
wide grip lat pull down 3x15x56

[superset w/ full rest]:
bb close grip bench press 3x15x30
high pull 3x15x30

Swiss ball crunch 3x15x30

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:40 AM - grilled cheese sandwich, coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda; I was late getting this meal because I was at my son's school for an assembly - he was Student of the Month, baby's first award

1:15 PM - roast w/ onion, green pepper & sour cream

4:30 PM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda, carrots, mozzarella string cheese

8:45 PM - roast w/ onion, green pepper & sour cream

Calories - 1362
Carbs - 92 (17 fiber)
Protein - 128
Fat - 57
C/P/F Ratio - 26.4/36.8/36.8

Thursday, December 18, 2008

NROL - Week 20 - Thursday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. I still love this workout.

I'm thinking about making a change to the current lat pulldown situation. I've been doing lat pulls from the beginning, when they are specified and when the program calls for a pull up. I'm not really making much progress, and I think that's due to the awkward set up (which I'll post a picture of with tomorrow's blog). So after next week, I think I'm going to switch to inverted rows. I saw a Craig Ballantyne video that reviews the progression to a pull/chin up and these rows seem to be an acceptable substitution for lat pulls (and pull/chin ups, in the beginning). After next week, I'll be halfway through Hypertrophy I, so that is a good time to make this change. Plus, it will free up weight plates and I can push myelf better with the other exercises in this routine.

9:30 AM - apple & cottage cheese, coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

11:45 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

2:45 PM - cream cheese & salsa on tortilla

6:40 PM - fried chicken wings & broccoli w/ light Italian dressing

Calories - 1139
Carbs - 85 (19 fiber)
Protein - 101
Fat - 41
C/P/F Ratio - 30.5/36.1/33.4

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

NROL - Week 20 - Wednesday

I'm still a bit disappointed with myself over last night's bad decisions. I don't know if it started with the piece of candy or not measuring dinner. One of those set me off. It wasn't horrible - I did write down everything I ate so I feel good about being honest.

After dinner today, I couldn't tell if I was still hungry. My mind definitely wanted more food but I don't think my body needed it.

Today was Hyper IB, 4x10 with 60 second rests. I messed up my neck a bit during squats because near the end of my first set, I coughed really hard. I hate this dry air. I need to find a place for the humidifier so it's not grinding in my ear all night.

[superset w/ full rest]:
squat 4x10x50
Romanian deadlift w/ shrug 4x10x50

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split-squat 4x10x10 (per leg)
step-up 4x10x10 (per leg)

reverse crunch 3x15xbw

6:35 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:25 AM - turkey bacon, toast, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

10:00 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

12:45 PM - turkey meatballs & carrots

3:35 PM - carrots & mozzarella cheese

6:00 PM - roast, onions & broccoli w/ sour cream, coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

Calories - 1582
Carbs - 107 (20 fiber)
Protein - 141
Fat - 64
C/P/F Ratio - 27.3/36/36.7

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

NROL - Week 20 - Tuesday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 again. I still love it. Today I put a lot more effort into it and it was really fun. Except for coughing up something gross at the beginning. The air in my house is dry so I get congested at night and cough a lot. Today was particularly bad but I lived through it. Ick.

I've been thinking about whether or not I want to continue the New Rules of Lifting program. I'm on the fourth routine, and almost halfway through the year long schedule. I like it, in general, but sometimes (like the 3x15 w/ 30 second rest days) I just want to throw the book out the window. Which would be difficult because mine is in e-book format. There are other things I want to try - Rippetoe's Starting Strength, Ballantyne's Turbulence Training, Cressey's Maximum Strength. My limited equipment makes it hard for me to do a lot of things, especially if there's a short rest period in between exericise - supersets are even rougher! I don't have enough time to swap out plates. On the one hand, I feel like I'd be letting myself down if I don't complete the whole year of NROL. On the other hand, I've already made some good progress - not necessarily in strength gains but I think my body is changing shape. I've noticed my butt is definitely rounder and I tried on a size medium T shirt yesterday and it fit beautifully. I also want to finish this program just so I can say I did. It's not an easy program. I am going to stick with it for a while longer, for sure. I have the rest of Hyper I to get through, then Hyper II, before the routine I've really been looking forward to - Strength I. I know I can always give those other programs (plus P90X and ChaLEAN Extreme) - I have the rest of my life to exercise.

7:55 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:45 AM - coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda; buying that travel mug was a smart move - the extra few ounces and insulation pretty much sets me up for being able to drink my 4 cups all day long, rather than just in 2 hours

10:40 AM - chicken breast w/ cheese & taco sauce on tortilla

12:55 PM - almonds

2:55 PM - chicken breast, carrots & ranch dressing; this was actually my son's leftover dinner from yesterday - not a whole lot, just a bite of chicken and two pieces of carrot w/ a little dressing; I added more carrots though

5:00 PM - chocolate; I ate one small piece while I was cooking dinner, to see if I really could eat just 1 piece

5:20 PM - homemade chicken & dumplings; I didn't measure this but I had 2 bowls; I'm worried that not measuring, and eating a piece of chocolate, are going to put me into "screw it" mode, especially since it's still so early in the evening; Still, I need to learn to not freak out when I can't/don't measure thing out

8:30 PM - crackers w/ cheese; I had two of those packs with the six cracker sandwiches; oh, and ice cream

No numbers today, obviously. Plenty of guilt, though!

Monday, December 15, 2008

NROL - Week 20 - Monday

Today was HyperIA, 5x5 with 90 seconds rests. I don't like waiting so long in between sets. It takes forever to finish.

[superset w/ full rest]:
db incline press 5x5x20
Yates row 5x5x65

[superset w/ full rest]:
db shoulder press 5x5x20
wide grip lat pull down 5x5x72

[superset w/ full rest]:
bb close grip bench press 5x5x50
high pull 5x5x50

Swiss ball crunch 3x15x30

6:25 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - round steak w/ onion, green pepper & sour cream, coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda

2:55 PM - tuna, onion & cheese sandwich, peanut butter fudge; I feel guilty for eating two pieces of fudge - eating fudge at all, actually - and I'm still hungry

6:05 PM - roasted chicken breast (w/ skin), broccoli; I made a butter & herb rub for the chicken and I have no idea how much of that I actually ingested after all is said and done, so I'm packing up for the night

Calories - 1498
Carbs - 98 (18 fiber)
Protein - 146
Fat - 62
C/P/F Ratio - 25.5/38/36.5

Sunday, December 14, 2008

NROL - Week 19 - Sunday

Up 1 pound this week, to 149. I'm not in any way surprised. This weeks PMS-induced hunger wasn't really diet friendly. I'm really hungry today, too, but I think it's because I'm irritable. I'm trying to fix a printer problem on a computer 700 miles away and my four year old won't shut up while my phone rings constantly.

At one point in the evening, I got the garbage bag full of ice cream out of the freezer and looked at the options. They were all king sized, and there isn't any one to share them with. The lowest of the calories was 270. 390 for my favorite. I put them back in the freezer until there's a day when I'm really under my calorie goal.

7:45 AM- coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda; the half-and-half is working out well - I'm drinking an almost perfect cup of coffee right now. I actually bought a new coffee (travel) mug today and the spout is so small that it takes forever to drink the 12 ounces. Fortunately, it's well insulated and stays warm as long as I need it!

10:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:55 AM - round steak (pan seared in canola oil) w/ sour cream, onion, green pepper & cheese on tortilla; this was so wonderful and tasty and filling - 366 calories for the whole thing, which is pretty good, I think

1:05 PM - carrots; I don't know why I eat these - I get immediate hiccups

2:10 PM - pumpkin flax granola bar; I'm really hungry

5:05 PM - turkey bacon, coffee w/ half-and-half & Splenda, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & taco sauce; still hungry!!! GRRR!

7:20 PM - grilled cheese sandwich w/ mayo & onion

Calories - 1668
Carbs - 147 (25 fiber)
Protein - 113
Fat - 70
C/P/F Ratio - 35.2/27.2/37.6

Saturday, December 13, 2008

NROL - Week 19 - Saturday

Cardio Party again today. I still love that workout. My energy was good (even though I didn't eat first) and my coordination is getting much better. I'm pleased.

What I'm not so pleased with is the night time eating. I am convinced that I'm not really hungry. I think some of it is just wanting something warm. I am cold all the time and food warms me. I need to switch to tea at night, instead of food.

I'm still at a loss on the light table cream. I've checked every store here and none of them carry it anymore. The best compromise, for now, is half-n-half. I'm not thrilled with the calories (40 per 2 tbs) but if my coffee taste okay with just half a serving, that will be good enough. I'm picky about my coffee, but not a coffee snob. I drink instant coffee, for crying out loud. But the creaminess has to be right. [After having a few cups with just 1 tbs h-n-h, it's perfect. So, in terms of calories and cost, it works out great!]

I think I feel a binge coming on. Every time I open the freezer and see my son's candy (which has been in there since we got home from New York - along with the bag of M&Ms I bought for myself weeks and weeks ago), I want to eat it all. I look at it and just know, without any doubt, that before the end of the month, I will have eaten all of it, probably in one sitting. I just know it. That bothers me.

10:00 AM - cottage cheese & apple w/ cinnamon & Splenda, coffee w/ half-n-half & Splenda

12:40 PM - chicken w/ cream cheese & turkey bacon, carrots

4:10 PM - coffee w/ half-n-half & Splenda; I'm freezing!!

5:55 PM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ green pepper, onion & taco sauce, toast

8:40 PM - air-popped popcorn, peanut butter fudge

Calories - 1640
Carbs - 122 (19 fiber)
Protein - 124
Fat - 67
C/P/F Ratio - 30.7/31.2/38.1

Friday, December 12, 2008

NROL - Week 19 - Friday

Last night's cheese filled bacon roll: tastes good but very, very messy. I used way too much filling. I'll cut it in half next time, and hopefully I'll be able to roll it properly.

Today's workout was HyperIB, 3x15 with 30 second rests. I hate this workout. Hyper IA was hard enough with these parameters, but throw in Bulgarian split squats (which I can't do more than 5 of at a time without crying) and step ups, it turns into iron cardio. DO NOT LIKE!!!

[superset w/ full rest]:
squat 3x15x40
Romanian deadlift w/ shrug 3x15x40

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split-squat 3x15x10 (per leg)
step-up 3x15x10 (per leg)

reverse crunch 3x15xbw

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:10 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ green pepper, onion & salsa, coffee w/ skim milk & Splenda

12:00 PM - chicken w/ cream cheese & turkey bacon, broccoli

2:55 PM - cucumber salad & pork tenderloin

6:45 PM - round steak w/ onion & green pepper, mixed vegetables, hot chocolate

9:20 PM - grilled cheese sandwich w/ mayonnaise

Calories - 1742
Carbs - 133 (26 fiber)
Protein - 171
Fat - 60
C/P/F Ratio - 30.2/38.9/30.9

Thursday, December 11, 2008

NROL - Week 19 - Thursday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. Again, I should have eaten beforehand but I got through it with good intensity.

We don't have to worry about me becoming addicted to that Swiss Miss Diet hot chocolate. I hated it. It didn't dissolve well and it had a funny taste to it. I had to add some Splenda and Capella flavor drops to be able to drink it. My husband can have the rest. He liked it.

9:10 AM - mozzarella cheese; I just needed something while my breakfast cooked

9:50 AM - chicken w/ cream cheese & turkey bacon, sweet potato

10:20 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

11:55 AM - cantaloupe (594) & cottage cheese (206)

12:15 PM - coffee w/ skim milk & Splenda; I'm not sure I like it with the milk, but I definitely put too much Splenda in it!

2:55 PM - carrots & mozzarella string cheese

3:35 PM - homemade peanut butter fudge; I only ate one piece this time, only because there were two pieces left and my son wanted one

5:30 PM - pork loin w/ green beans & balsamic dressing

9:00 PM - Cheese Filled Bacon Roll; I used colby cheese, low fat cream cheese, minced jalapenos and turkey bacon; I was a bad, bad girl but when I saw this, my mouth watered and I knew I was done for!!! It's all good though. This part of me just trying to be normal. It's been a relatively high calorie week but I'm okay with that. Do I expect to see loss on the scale when I weigh in Sunday? Of course not. Any feelings of guilt I've had this week are gone, though.

Calories - 1896
Carbs - 127 (19 fiber)
Protein - 152
Fat - 85
C/P/F Ratio - 27.1/32.3/40.6

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

NROL - Week 19 - Wednesday

I'm pretty bummed. The main grocery store I use doesn't carry my light table cream any more. None of the other stores carry it, or anything similar. I liked it because it was cheaper and had fewer calories than heavy cream. Now, I could either start using heavy cream and use half a serving or I could use skim milk, which I buy anyway. I don't really care for skim milk in my coffee. I don't know what to do. If I buy heavy cream and go with half a serving, it will be fewer calories than my light table cream and last twice as long. Or I could skip the expense altogether and use the milk. Not an appealing option. Maybe I'll try the heavy cream and see how that goes. First my bread (which I found at our other grocery store, thank goodness) now my cream!!

A new item I discovered today - Swiss Miss Diet Hot Chocolate. Only 25 calories, 4 carbs (1 fiber), 2 protein. With a tablespoon of cream, it's killer! More expensive than I like, so it will only be a once in a while thing here.

Today was HyperIA, 4x10 with 60 second rests. I like this better than 3x15 with 30 second rests but not as much as any form of 5x5. And I swear, I am sick to death of lat pulls. If Santa is good to me and brings me an Iron Gym (or builds me one), I am going to swap out immediately for negative chin/pull ups. My homemade lat pull contraption is so awkward and I just get sick of it. I hate lat pulls.

[superset w/ full rest]:
db incline press 4x10x20
Yates row 4x10x60

[superset w/ full rest]:
db shoulder press 4x10x15
wide grip lat pull down 4x10x68 (I absolutely have to drop the weight next round - I had to pause after every 3-4 reps)

[superset w/ full rest]:
bb close grip bench press 4x10x40
high pull 4x10x30

Swiss ball crunch 3x15x20

6:30 AM - cantaloupe & cottage cheese

8:40 AM - chicken breast & brown rice salad

10:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

12:40 PM - three-cheese chicken quesadilla

4:40 PM - fried chicken wings & mixed vegetables

7:35 PM - broccoli; I ate an entire 12 ounce bag of broccoli, hoping it would fill me up enough

8:30 PM - hot chocolate w/ cream; I deliberately waited until close to bedtime to drink this, so I'd only drink one cup

Calories - 1594
Carbs - 137 (28 fiber)
Protein - 143
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 34.3/35.8/30

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

NROL - Week 19 - Tuesday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. I should have eaten before I started because I was really dragging.

I am so tired of thinking about food constantly. The last three days have been rough. I am never satisfied.

7:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

8:45 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:15 AM - chicken breast, brown rice salad

1:30 PM - tuna & cucumber salad w/ Caesar vinaigrette dressing

2:55 PM - homemade low carb peanut butter fudge; again, another hungry day and I feel really guilty for eating 2 pieces - I need to learn to just eat 1

6:20 PM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, tea w/ Splenda, turkey bacon

9:15 PM - grilled cheese sandwich; again - ugh! I am so over this extreme hunger thing

Actually, my numbers aren't really that bad today. Ok, pity party over!

Calories - 1768
Carbs - 132 (17 fiber)
Protein - 147
Fat - 76
C/P/F Ratio - 29.3/32.7/37.9

Monday, December 8, 2008

NROL - Week 19 - Monday

Today's workout was HyperIB, 5x5 with 90 second rests. I love 5x5s!

[superset w/ full rest]:
squat 5x5x60
Romanian deadlift w/ shrug 5x5x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split-squat 5x5x15 (per leg)
step-up 5x5x15 (per leg)

reverse crunch 3x15xbw

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:10 AM - brown rice salad, leftover roast; man I was starving after my workout and I had tons of things to do before I could eat this meal

9:45 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

1:10 PM - chicken breast, lettuce, salsa & sour cream

2:55 PM - homemade low carb fudge; I do feel guilty for eating 2 pieces today but I'm hungry!!

6:20 PM - tea w/ Splenda, stuffed peppers (ground beef, tomato sauce, cream cheese, pinto beans); I am so hungry today, I just want to cry; all I can think about is food and I'm trying to figure out what else I might want tonight that isn't going to do too much damage; I'm just glad I'm freezing my butt off, otherwise I'd probably eat ice cream

8:30 PM - grilled cheese sandwich; I've been trying to avoid starchy carbs after 3 PM but I just can't do it tonight; I was going to lose my mind if I didn't get something warm and filling into my stomach; I do feel a little guilty but screw it

Calories - 2134
Carbs - 165 (33 fiber)
Protein - 161
Fat - 104
C/P/F Ratio - 29.4/28.7/41.9

Sunday, December 7, 2008

NROL - Week 18 - Sunday

148 today, half a pound down from my last good weigh in two (or was it three?) weeks ago. I'll take it. In a way, I'm pleased that I got rid of the water weight from last week, but I'm also disappointed I'm not losing faster. And of course, I know I'm losing at a healthy pace in a healthy manner but it's still frustrating. I have absolutely nothing to beat myself up about, and yet I do. Heck, last night when I wanted ice cream and changed my mind, I should have been proud of myself for that. Instead, I was mad that I denied myself something I could have handled. And I know I could have! I just can't win LOL

9:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

11:50 AM - mozzarella string cheese, brown rice salad

2:30 PM - chicken & broccoli w/ cream cheese

6:15 PM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

8:00 PM - homemade low carb peanut butter fudge; okay, I had two pieces and they were gooooooooooood and guilt-free

Calories - 1729
Carbs - 111 (14 fiber)
Protein - 134
Fat - 81
C/P/F Ratio - 26/31.4/42.6

Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

I found this on Lowcarbfriends.com several years ago and loved it. I finally made it again today.

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup granular Splenda
2 oz cream cheese
2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 ounce natural almonds (or 16 almonds)

Melt butter and whisk in Splenda. Add cream cheese and whisk until melted and well mixed. Whisk in protein powder and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Pour into 8x8 pan lined with wax paper. Chill until semi soft, then cut into 16 pieces. Press 1 almond into the middle of each square and return to refrigerator until fully set.

Nutritional information for my particular ingredients, per piece:

Calories - 134.4
Carbs - 3.7 (0.8 fiber)
Protein - 5.1
Fat - 11.2

Saturday, December 6, 2008

NROL - Week 18 - Saturday

Damn it, I had my stuff typed up and accidentally hit the Clear Content button instead of Save Note. Stupid Scribe Fire extension! Those buttons should not be next to each other.

No Turbo Jam today. I was exhausted and still a little sore from Wednesday. I did manage 30 minutes on the Wii Fit but nothing overly aerobic. I did a couple balance games, a really slow version of step aerobics, and some boxing. Oh, and a yoga pose, because I let my son pick out an activity for me. He likes the yoga.

7:50 AM - homemade protein shake (coffee w/ cream & Splena, egg & vanilla protein powder); way too sweet - I'll ditch the Splenda next time

9:20 AM - orange; just a piece leftover from my son's breakfast

10:20 AM - brown rice salad w/ chicken breast, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

1:20 PM - turkey, salsa & cream cheese on tortilla; I think the brown rice is giving me problems because again, all I could think about was eating after I had it

3:20 PM - carrots

6:30 PM - chicken & broccoli w/ cream cheese, tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

I couldn't decide if I wanted more dinner (later on) or ice cream. I ended up not eating anything else, as I wasn't super hungry.

Calories - 1351
Carbs - 99 (18 fiber)
Protein - 132
Fat - 47
C/P/F Ratio - 29.4/39/31.6

Friday, December 5, 2008

NROL - Week 18 - Friday

Today was HyperIA, 3x15 with 30 second rests. THIS WORKOUT SUCKED!!!!!! It was so freaking hard because it was so fast, meaning so little time between sets. Ugh. I hated it. HATED IT!!! But I really felt like I pushed myself hard, so that counts for something.

[superset w/ full rest]:
db incline press 3x15x20
Yates row 3x15x50 (I think I need to back off the weight on this one - my grip was sucky)

[superset w/ full rest]:
db shoulder press 3x15x10 (you'd think 10 pounds is weenie - no, it's not!! Not with 15 reps and only 30 seconds before you lat pull)
wide grip lat pull down
1x15x68
2x15x62

[superset w/ full rest]:
bb close grip bench press 3x15x30 (good triceps exercise!!)
high pull
1x15x20
2x15x30

Swiss ball crunch 3x15x20

6:25 AM - banana & cottage cheese

9:00 AM - chicken breast w/ onion, cheese, taco sauce on tortilla

9:30 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

1:00 PM - brown rice salad w/ chicken breast

3:05 PM - turkey sandwich w/ mayo & mustard; that rice did nothing for my hunger at all

5:45 PM - pork loin w/ lettuce & Caesar vinaigrette dressing

9:00 PM - turkey w/ cream cheese & salsa on tortilla

Another hungry day!

Calories - 1803
Carbs - 139 (25 fiber)
Protein - 193
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 30.5/42.2/27.3

Thursday, December 4, 2008

NROL - Week 18 - Thursday

My legs are killing me today! Damn all those exercises yesterday. I managed to get through Turbo Jam (Cardio Party Mix 2) well enough but I had to drive to Virginia this morning and every time I got out of the car, my legs and butt cursed me loudly.

7:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:15 AM - granola bar (pumpkin flax); I'm glad I brought this with me - halfway to Virginia I was was starving

1:40 PM - grilled cheese sandwich w/ onion, mayo, turkey & mustard; this was so good - better than any burger I would have picked up on the way home

3:30 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

6:20 PM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, cheese & taco sauce, turkey bacon

8:25 PM - broccoli & cauliflower w/ mayo & mustard dip

Calories - 1555
Carbs - 119 (18 fiber)
Protein - 124
Fat - 69
C/P/F Ratio - 29.8/31.1/39.1

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

NROL - Week 18 - Wednesday

Today's workout was Hypertrophy IB, 4x10 with 60 second rests. I did not enjoy this workout as much as IA. That last pair of exercises sucks. It takes forever because there are two sides. I got really sweaty.

[superset w/ full rest]:
squat 4x10x50
Romanian deadlift w/ shrug 4x10x50

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split-squat 4x10x10 (per leg)
step-up 4x10x10 (per leg)

reverse crunch 3x15xbw

6:25 AM - apple & cottage cheese

8:50 AM - waffles w/ peanut butter, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

12:00 PM - pasta, tuna & peas w/ Caesar vinaigrette dressing; this was really good and next time I'll throw in some chopped celery and onion for crunch

3:35 PM - cauliflower & broccoli w/ Ranch dressing & sour cream dip, tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

7:00 PM - scrambled eggs w/ cheese & taco sauce, turkey bacon, tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

I was HUNGRY today!!!

Calories - 1909
Carbs - 168 (22 fiber)
Protein - 134
Fat - 76
C/P/F Ratio - 35.6/28.3/36.1


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

NROL - Week 18 - Tuesday

153.5 today. That's up 5 pounds LOL Stupid interstate food! I'm not stressed about it at all.

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today, and I almost had the moves perfect! There were a couple times I was distracted but I'm definitely getting the hang of it! I also did Ab Jam (standing segment only) and the 3-mile WATP video (5/3035 miles "traveled" so far). I don't know if this is going to be typical - 90 minutes of cardio + 10 minutes of abs is a bit much. Maybe once in a while when I'm feeling froggy.

9:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese; I finally went shopping

12:45 PM - chicken tortilla soup (w/ salsa, sour cream, taco sauce, mozzarella cheese), coffee w/ cream & Splenda

4:30 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

6:00 PM - fried chicken wings, fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots w/ ranch dressing

9:00 PM - almonds, mozzarella cheese

Calories - 1532
Carbs - 97 (19 fiber)
Protein- 132
Fat - 70
C/P/F Ratio - 25/34.1/40.9

Monday, December 1, 2008

NROL - Week 18 - Monday

My trip went well. There's not much to say about it. I think I behaved myself in the food department. The only day I ate badly was yesterday, on the way home. It was a lack of planning on my part, but I'm not going to feel guilty about it or even dwell on it. For Thanksgiving, I ate small portions, and discovered that chocolate makes me queasy. Sugar shock, I think. I didn't binge at all. I'm proud of myself.

I forgot to weigh in today. It's been total chaos since we got home last night, and I was trying to make sure my new workout fit in the time I had before taking my son to school.

Today's workout was Hypertrophy IA, 5x5 with 90 second rest intervals. I loved this workout. Except for the lat pulls. I never want to do another freaking lat pull again. I'd been subbing lat pulls for pull/chin ups because a) I can't do either and b) I don't have the equipment. But I'm going to get a doorway bar and start doing negative or assisted pull/chin ups. Unfortunately, lat pulls are written into this portion of NROL so I have to wait until it says pull/chin ups.

[superset w/ full rest]:
db incline press 5x5x20 (too easy, but I was out of weight plates - I set up all my equipment so I don't waste time in between sets but I think with 90 seconds, I'll be able to swap out next time)
Yates row
1x5x50
4x5x65

[superset w/ full rest]:
db shoulder press 5x5x20 (too easy)
wide grip lat pull down 5x5x72

[superset w/ full rest]:
bb close grip bench press 5x5x40 (too easy)
high pull 5x5x40

Swiss ball crunch 3x15x20

I also did a 2 mile Walk Away The Pounds segment. Since I'm pretty sedentary during the day, I figured I'd throw in a walk every day. To make things fun, I want to "walk" to my best friend's house in California, 3035 miles away. This was the first time I'd done any WATP and this particular segment was on the boring side, but I have 2 other WATP videos, including one that's kind of kickboxy. So I'm hopeful. I really like this kickboxing stuff.

6:10 AM - mozzarella cheese; I haven't shopped yet so I grabbed whatever for breakfast

10:55 AM - scrambled eggs w/ sour cream, taco sauce, American cheese on tortilla, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I know it was a long time since eating last but I was running around like a mad woman today trying to get things done

2:50 PM - carrots, mozzarella cheese, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

7:00 PM - turkey meatballs, broccoli

Not the greatest day for calories. I was just so busy. It will be better tomorrow.

Calories - 1171
Carbs - 80 (24 fiber)
Protein - 86
Fat - 59
C/P/F Ratio - 26.7/28.8/44.6

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

NROL - Week 17 - Tuesday

I know I said I wasn't going to blog today but I need to in order to keep my sanity. My decision to NOT measure and track today is making me crazy. All I can think about is food, even though I'm not doing anything else differently. I just ate a normal breakfast (apple & cottage cheese) and I'm drinking coffee (there will be lots of coffee today - I have to drive all night), and I'M STARVING!! I'm really worried that my decision is going to lead to a free-for-all. I don't feel like I have any accountability. Frustrating.

I did the Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 again today. I ran out of steam about halfway through, but got a second wind. I really, really want to take the dvd with me but I doubt I'll get to do it. I have a bunch of exercise videos on my laptop, including Slim In 6 - maybe I will bring my laptop and do those. I'll can do them in the guest room, I think. I wasn't planning on taking my computer. Or maybe I will just relax. Yes, I will relax. I'll be hitting it hard when I get back Monday. Ok, that's settled.

I'm watching more of the P90X stuff and it's crazy how many different names a single exercise can have. Bulgarian split squats, as I know them from New Rules of Lifting, are called Balance Lunges here. I've seen them termed differently elsewhere. There's an arm exercise on P90X that I know by a different name (and of course, I can't remember either name right now). Nuts! No wonder people get confused.

Foods packed for the trip:

turkey sandwiches
mozzarella string cheese
carrots
almonds

Sound ok? I hope so.

I made it 2 hours before needing to eat again. Turkey sandwich. I feel like I'm still hungry. Ugh! Will I ever be able to stop measuring and tracking??? I'm making good choices and watching my portions but all I want to do is eat!! I had some carrots, a string cheese, and a yogurt.

Oh, and I've decided to take my laptop with me and do one of the Slim in 6 cardio workouts Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I'll be on the road again Sunday.

Monday, November 24, 2008

NROL - Week 17 - Monday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. Man, I love this workout!! And I was reviewing some of the other Beachbody sets and I am really impressed. I know doing Hip Hop Abs is never going to happen due to my inability to move in an manner that resembles dancing, but P90X and 10 Minute Trainer look great! I have a couple more to review but I don't think I could ever go wrong with Beachbody. And I have some Walk Away The Pounds dvds coming today, so I'm really pleased with my exercise library.

This is probably the only post this week. We're leaving tomorrow afternoon. I'll have access to a computer while I'm away but, quite frankly, I think a break from the Internet will be good for me. I'm not going to track my food at all after today. For the rest of the week, I am going to just try to make good food decisions and watch my portions. I'll weigh in Monday of next week, and hopefully, I won't be higher than 150 pounds. With any luck, I'll be under yesterday's weight. I don't know how much exercise I will get. Tomorrow, I'll do Turbo Jam again, then I have to drive all night. Wednesday, I'll grab a few hours of sleep then I'm taking my step-daughter and her friend to see Twilight (which I've been dying to see since I finished reading the series). I know for a fact that I won't be eating any movie theater foods! I never do any more. I'll admit, I do usually bring in some carrots or lean protein. I wish movie theaters would offer healthier alternatives.

I have food for the trip - turkey sandwiches, apples and carrots, granola bars. I'm in good shape there. I'm even bringing my own coffee and coffee "stuff" so I don't overdo it at my favorite convenience store along the way. I think I can do this. For the first tie in years, I don't think I'm going to gain 10 pounds on this trip!

Hmmm. I was just reading a thread at Lowcarbfriends.com (I won't link to it because it will probably be deleted by the admins there) about eating off plan for Thanksgiving. On the one hand, you have the people who plan to indulge and eat the foods that are "forbidden" on the Atkins diet. I know LCF isn't strictly Akins, but it used to be Atkinsfriends.com and most of the members are on Atkins. So they are kind of fanatics. They are on the other hand. There is a huge debate raging right now, and a lot of the FanAtkins are being typically judgemental. It makes me glad I'm not on Atkins anymore. I can see the point about cheating on a diet causing bigger problems (like falling off plan completely) but they are so "this is the only way you will lose weight and keep it off" about the whole thing. About all eating, actually. I know people get passionate about things in their lives, especially when it's affected them as much as Atkins has. But it's not the only way!! The same mentality from low fatters drives me nuts, too. There's one user on LCF who is making a heck of a lot of sense and, unfortunately, being ganged up on by the militants. For him, the idea of forbidden foods and deprivation makes him obsess about that food. Hello! Sounds very familiar to me! As much as I hate to see people struggle with weight issues, I really wish some of those people could be knocked off their high horses. It's a long fall. I know because I used to sit there.

Unrelated, but something I read on another board has me thinking. Someone posted a poll, just for fun, asking how happy we are. I realized that the last few days, I've been in a much better mood than normal. I have more energy, too. I know last week I commented about cardio not doing much for my mood but I think I have to take that back. The only thing that has changed, that I can pinpoint, is the increase in exercise. I was doing just 20 minutes of cardio, twice a week. For the last (almost) two weeks, I've been doing 40 minutes of cardio and I've done it 7 times (I think - it doesn't seem like that many but I went back through my blog and I think I counted right). And I'll do it again tomorrow. I bet I get depressed and pissy while I'm on vacation. I wonder if I should bring my dvd. I won't really have time or room to do the video. My inlaws have 3+ feet of snow, so outdoor cardio is out of the question. Hmm. I'll have to think.

8:20 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

9:55 AM - toast, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, taco sauce; I probably could have done with just one piece of toast - the bread gave me hiccups for some reason. Usually it's carrots.

1:45 PM - orange & cottage cheese

6:15 PM - taco soup; I had one bowl and went back for a second but it was just too filling; I think eating smaller meals is paying off because I don't feel like I can eat much at one time anymore; then again, the bowl was about 3/4 full, it's a larger cereal bowl, and the soup was very, very rich - hence the high numbers tonight (let's just say I ate at maintenance levels today - actually, still a couple hundred under but nowhere near the deficit I've been running)

7:30 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

Calories - 2076
Carbs - 147 (24 fiber)
Protein - 136
Fat - 108
C/P/F Ratio - 27.9/25.9/46.2

Sunday, November 23, 2008

NROL - Week 16 - Sunday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. It was so much fun. I love Turbo Jam. I'm glad I've found some cardio I can really enjoy.

I got P90X from a friend. I'm going to review that today, to see if it's something I want to do after I finish NROL this summer. A lot will depend on how much progress I've made with my weight loss and ability to do chin ups. Oh, and having somewhere to actually do chin ups. I've been looking at one of those doorway dealies.

Today was measurement day. Compared to the last set, taken on September 8, 2008, in inches:

**********THEN-------------------------NOW**********

Neck            14.25-------------------------13.75
Bust            41-------------------------40
Rib Circ        37-------------------------35
Waist          37.75-------------------------36.25
Belly            42.25-------------------------40.75
Hips            40-------------------------38.75
Thighs
     R           23.5-------------------------23.25
     L           23.5-------------------------23.5
Calves
     R           14.5-------------------------14.5
     L           14.5-------------------------14.5
Biceps (flexed)
     R          12.25-------------------------12

     L          12.5-------------------------12
Triceps
     R          13.5-------------------------13

     L          13.5-------------------------13
Forearms
     R          10.2.5-------------------------10.25

     L          10.2-------------------------10.25
Wrists
     R          5.75-------------------------6

     L          6-------------------------6
Weight       152-------------------------148.5
Body Fat    37%-------------------------35%
LBM           95.8-------------------------96.5 (looks like I gained muscle????)
BMI           27.8-------------------------27.1

I don't know how much I trust these numbers (except the weight) because it's so hard to take my own measurements. But overall, I'm pleased.

9:20 AM - orange & cottage cheese, cheddar cheese

10:15 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

11:45 AM - turkey bacon, toast, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, cheddar cheese, taco sauce

3:10 PM - chicken breast w/ broccoli, cauliflower & carrots

5:00 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

9:00 PM - carrots & celery, tuna w/ mayo on tortilla

Calories - 1444
Carbs - 106 (24 fiber)
Protein - 134
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 29.5/37.4/33.1

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Recipe

This is something I just threw together based on similar recipes I've read on the Internet. It's really filling.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - 1 serving

Mix the following in a sauce pan and heat:

1 cooked chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup chicken broth
60 g (1/4 cup) salsa
28 g (1/4 cup) shredded cheese

Pour into bowl.

Top with:

30 g (2 tbs) low fat sour cream
1 low carb tortilla, warmed in oven until a little crisp, cut into 8 pieces [I kept these on the side and just dipped them in the soup]

NROL - Week 16 - Saturday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. I'm getting the moves down so it's really getting fun! I plan to do it again tomorrow, even though it's a scheduled day off. I hope to do it Monday and Tuesday, too. I know I'll get to it Monday, but Tuesday, I have tons of packing and need to get a little sleep during the day for our trip. I'm hopeful, though!

9:45 AM - orange & cottage cheese; it has been a long time since I've had an orange and it was very satifying

11:05 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, granola bar; I ate the 3/4 of a bar that was leftover from my son's snack the other day

2:00 PM - chicken breast & broccoli

5:40 PM - chicken tortilla soup

Calories - 1421
Carbs - 117 (27 fiber)
Protein - 127
Fat - 51
C/P/F Ratio - 32.5/35.3/32.1

Friday, November 21, 2008

NROL - Week 16 - Friday

Fat Loss IIB today, with 30 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x8x70
push up (on knees) 3x8xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x8x10
underhand lat pull 3x8x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x8x50
lower body Russian twist 3x8xbw (per side)

I am so glad today was that last day of Fat Loss II. I hated it. I'm off next week, on "vacation" with my inlaws, and when I return home, I'll be starting Hypertrophy I. I am really excited about this one. The sets and reps and rest periods are a bit different, and I'll have to consult my notes every time I work out. There's a pattern but I doubt I'll remember it. The way I have it set up, it will take 6 weeks to get through Hyper I, then another 6 for Hyper II. I'm not sure if I'll break in between.

I spent the morning filling out my log with the remaining NROL programs. It took about an hour to enter all the exercises and sets/reps, and in some cases, tempos. Some of the workouts look really, really daunting. I'm excited, though. And since I've put them all in the journal, I'm 95% committed to following through!

My husband brought home half a garbage bag full of ice cream - sandwiches, drumsticks, all the good kinds I like. I don't know if I'm angry or jealous or what. I know I could eat every single one of them in a day, and I want to (even though it's been snowing all morning). This is going to be a horrible temptation and test of my willpower. Of course, I can have one, but they are huge portions. My husband won't "split" one with me.

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:30 AM - chicken breast w/ mashed sweet potato, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

12:45 PM - turkey sandwich w/ mustard & mayo, carrots, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

5:45 PM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, taco sauce, sausage w/ gravy

8:45 PM - turkey sandwich w/ mustard & mayo

Calories - 1731
Carbs - 155 (30 fiber)
Protein - 148
Fat - 66
C/P/F Ratio - 34.3/32.8/32.9

Thursday, November 20, 2008

NROL - Week 16 - Thursday

Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2 today. It was fun, but something Chalene says during the workout bothered me. She talks about exercise releasing endorphins and putting people in good moods and all that. I don't feel that. I don't feel anything after working out.

10:40 AM - chicken breast w/ mashed sweet potato; I got off to a late start with eating today because I had a bunch of errands to run this morning and wanted to get them out of the way; no good excuse - I certainly could have grabbed something

11:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda; still throwing in an extra half teaspoon of granular

2:40 PM - turkey sandwich w/ mayo & mustard

3:30 PM - granola bar; my son brought home some pumpkin flax granola bars made by Nature's Path and wow! I took a nibble of on, expecting it to be horrible and I ate the whole thing; it's very good but not too terribly filling; I'm anxious to see if it triggers any cravings

5:45 PM - chicken curry w/ cauliflower

8:30 PM - Lima beans; I wasn't really hungry but my calories were low and I'll be up for a few more hours, but in bed

Calories - 1436
Carbs - 163 (38 fiber)
Protein - 113
Fat - 42
C/P/F Ratio - 44.1/30.6/25.3

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

NROL - Week 16 - Wednesday

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 30 second rest periods. Thankfully, it was the last day.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x8x40
bent over bb row 3x8x50

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x8xbw
bb push press 3x8x445

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x8x20 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x8x20 (per side)

I don't think I pushed myself as hard as I should have because I'm ovulating. I hate ovulating. It seriously sucks the energy out of me and all I can do is curl up on the couch because it hurts so much. So guess what I did all day.

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:35 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, taco sauce & avocado, toast, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; grrr!!

3:00 PM - avocado

5:45 PM - Lima beans w/ cube steak & onions & sour cream

7:45 PM - Lima beans

Calories - 1777
Carbs - 165 (45 fiber)
Protein - 136
Fat - 67
C/P/F Ratio - 36.5/30.2/33.3

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

NROL - Week 16 - Tuesday

Today's exercise was Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2. My husband is home with a bad back, and he was in the living room. I couldn't concentrate for the first 10 minutes, so I had to kick him out and start over. Even then, I was off, because I was in a bad mood from him distracting me in the first place.

I think I'm going to be adding some cardio. I'm pretty sedentary when I'm not exercising. I'm either on the couch watching tv or at my desk. So, I'm going to do a Walk Away The Pounds segment once a day. I'm just waiting for my dvds to get here. It's not intense and I can do it before I pick my son up from school. It's getting to cold to go outside for walks.

9:15 AM - scrambled eggs w/ taco sauce, onion & green pepper, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I added half a teaspoon of granular back into the mix - I need to rethink my strategy

12:20 PM - chicken breast w/ cheese & taco sauce on tortilla

4:10 PM - mashed sweet potato, ground beef; I ate slowly, knowing it was a high calorie meal and hoping I'd be satisfied when I was done eating; I wasn't

7:30 PM - grilled cheese sandwich; I was hungry and cold and this is my go to meal

Calories - 1687
Carbs - 131 (28 fiber)
Protein - 121
Fat - 78
C/P/F Ratio - 30.6/28.3/41.1

Monday, November 17, 2008

NROL - Week 16 - Monday

Fat Loss IIB today, with 30 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x8x70
push up (on knees) 3x8xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x8x10
underhand lat pull 3x8x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x8x50
lower body Russian twist 3x8xbw (per side)

6:30 AM - apple w/ cottage cheese

11:05 AM - scrambled eggs w/ taco sauce, onion & green pepper, turkey bacon, toast, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I only used liquid Splenda in my coffee. I'd like to get my consumption down to half, then work on eliminating it, or just about, by the end of the year. I didn't like it, but I think I'll just have to get used to it, reteach my taste buds or something.

2:45 PM - leftover beef & vegetable soup; it took me almost an hour to eat this and I'll be surprised if I actually want dinner tonight

7:50 PM - chicken breast, cheese, taco sauce on tortilla

No numbers because of the soup.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

NROL - Week 15 - Sunday

151 today. For those keeping score with the home version of the game, that's up a pound from last week. I'm starting to get annoyed. Next Sunday I'll take measurements, but in the meantime, I'm not sure what to do differently. I know I didn't gain fat - I'm not eating at a surplus. It's probably hormonal. Or stress because I have my holiday trip to New York coming up, and I'm sick. Sick enough that I skipped cardio today. Even though it's supposed to be my day off, I wanted to do it, but when I woke up and couldn't breathe well, I said forget it. I have one more week on this NROL routine and want to be able to finish it. Still, I'm disappointed.

I did end up doing about 20 minutes on the Wii Fit - step aerobics, hula hoop, basic run, and rhythm boxing. It turns out that I can't use the elliptical well during the runs. For some reason, the remote doesn't register the motion. That's okay. I'll use the elliptical for Tabatas. I love the rhythm boxing. It put me in the mood to Turbo. I really, really wanted to Turbo. I was breathing better but didn't want to do it in front of my husband. I don't have all the moves down yet.

I just realized - it's probably the Splenda giving me trouble. Frickety frick. I don't like stevia and I won't use regular sugar. *insert Fred Flintstone cursing here* I know I've considered this possibility before, and I wasn't willing to give up the sweetener. I may need to rethink this. I only log granular Splenda, but I also use liquid Splenda in my coffee and tea - one drop of liquid with one teaspoon of granular. So I'm consuming A LOT of Splenda. Damn it.  I know this is a big problem. I need to wean myself off the artificial sweeteners, including pop. Damn. Damn, damn.

7:15 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

8:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese

12:00 PM - chicken breast, carrots & celery w/ cream cheese & salsa dip

1:30 PM -  tea w/ skim milk; I left out the granular Splenda and only used 1 drop of liquid, and it was drinkable

3:00 PM - beef & vegetable soup; I didn't measure this but there's nothing in it except mixed vegetables and some lean chunks of roast

6:00 PM - soup

7:00 PM - apple skins; my son wanted an apple and refuses to eat the skins; they are my favorite part, but I didn't measure

I'm still hungry and don't know what to do. Yogurt? Banana?

7:35 PM - yogurt (the Breyers YoCrunch w/ M&Ms in it); not satisfying at all, but I'm going to brush my teeth and get ready for bed, and hope for the best

Off Topic - 7 Things About Me

Hayley tagged me in her blog so now it's my turn to post a few facts about myself. It's just taken me a few days to think of stuff.

1. I hunt ghosts.
2. I can't wink my left eye.
3. I've read every book Dean Koontz has published.
4. If I could have any power from the TV show Heroes, it would be Hanna's - the one who can access the Internet in her head.
5. I actually like the taste of instant coffee.
6. Even though my Zune has almost 5300 song on it, since July, I have really only listened to two albums nonstop - The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance and A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds To Mars.
7. If I could be any supernatural creature, I would like to be a vampire.

There you go. Further proof that my life is boring!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

NROL - Week 15 - Saturday

I have a cold. Right now it's just a stuffy nose, and it's really only bad at night. That means I'm not sleeping well, but that's okay. It's not hindering my exercise so far. Speaking of exercise, my husband planned to get up at 4 AM to go bear hunting. I planned on getting up when he did so I could get some cardio in before my son woke up. The crappy night of non-sleep killed that idea, and I stayed in bed until my son woke up. He actually had school today because of bad weather last week. I could have easily just skipped cardio, but when we got up, I dressed in my exercise clothes, so I was committed to exercising after I dropped him off at school. I'm glad I did that because the workout was great. I did the Turbo Jam Cardio Mix 2 again. I love that mix. I love Turbo Jam. I want more Turbo Jam dvds.

7:35 AM - apple & cottage cheese

12:40 PM - tuna salad (w/ iceberg lettuce, carrots, green peppers, celery, black beans, tomato, balsamic vinaigrette dressing); this salad was so huge, I ate half for lunch and half for a snack

3:10 PM - tuna salad

4:00 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

7:30 PM - turkey bacon, eggs, toast w/ margarine

Calories - 1604
Carbs - 152 (36 fiber)
Protein - 110
Fat - 67
C/P/F Ratio - 36.9/26.7/36.4

Friday, November 14, 2008

NROL - Week 15 - Friday

I debated with myself from 5 AM on whether or not I wanted to do cardio today. I usually shoot for 2 days a week but I thought about last night's big meal and decided I'd feel better if I got some exercise. So I did the Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 2, and I have every intention of doing cardio again tomorrow. My schedule this week has been weird because of the kickboxing on Monday and I could really just take tomorrow off, but I won't. I don't know if I'm going to do Turbo Jam again, or use the Wii Fit/elliptical combo. There's a running activity on the Wii Fit but running in place is kind of lame. I'll get a good workout on the elliptical, and get the credit on the Wii Fit. Two birds.

10:45 AM - scrambled eggs w/ green pepper, onion, sour cream & salsa, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I was late eating today because I had about 150 pages to read in a library book that was due today; I needed to focus on that

6:30 PM - tilapia w/ mayo & mustard sauce, black beans w/ onions; I know I went too long without eating but I was incredibly sidetracked

8:00 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

9:00 PM - rice cakes w/ peanut butter, Splenda & cinnamon; all I've done since before dinner is think about the M&Ms in my freezer, but since I still haven't come up with a strategy for eating them, I tried to distract myself

Calories - 1498
Carbs - 103 (22 fiber)
Protein - 120
Fat - 64
C/P/F Ratio - 27.9/32.7/39.4


Thursday, November 13, 2008

NROL - Week 15 - Thursday

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 30 second rest periods.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x8x40
bent over bb row 3x8x50

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x8xbw
bb push press 3x8x445

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x8x20 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x8x20 (per side)

6:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:05 AM - tilapia w/ mayo & mustard sauce, green beans

10:15 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

2:00 PM - rice cakes & mozzarella string cheese; I was on the road, as I had to go back to Virginia today for a checkup; I ate in my car in the parking lot before my appointment

5:30 PM - dinner at our favorite buffet; I kept the portions reasonable and only had one dessert!!

No numbers today.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

NROL - Week 15 - Wednesday

Today's exercise was Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2. I watched it last night (along with a few other Turbo Jam videos) and thought it was something I could do without looking like a total moron. I was wrong. I could do, sure, but I did look like a moron. It was fun though. I'll do it again. I actually like it better than the 20 Minute Workout.

I bought myself a small bag of Dark Chocolate M&Ms today. I had no intention of eating them. I put them in the freezer and I'm going to do an experiment with them. I haven't decided what kind of experiment yet, but I'm not going to even open the bag until I have a plan, and I'm not going to eat the entire bag in one day. I was thinking of splitting it into 3 servings.

6:25 AM - - apple & cottage cheese

10:10 AM - oatmeal w/ peanut butter & Splenda; I did post in the comments of my last entry that I would give oatmeal another try; I have big problems with texture and, while this tasted great, I didn't like the feel at all; however, for the first time, I ate an entire bowl of oatmeal!!

10:35 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

2:10 PM - mozzarella string cheese & rice cakes

3:55 PM - black bean brownies; I am not sure how I feel about these; they definitely came out better than that last time I tried to make them but they need more sweetener or something; or peanut butter or whipped cream on top

5:10 PM - tilapia w/ mayo & mustard sauce, green beans

5:30 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

7:30 PM - chicken breast, cheese, sour cream & salsa on tortilla

Calories - 1712
Carb - 132 (23 fiber)
Protein - 142
Fat - 72
C/P/F Ratio - 30.3/32.5/37.2

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

NROL - Week 15 - Tuesday

Fat Loss IIB today, with 45 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x10x65
push up (on knees) 3x10xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x10x10
underhand lat pull 3x10x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x10x50
lower body Russian twist 3x10xbw (per side)

7:15 AM - apple w/ cottage cheese

10:25 AM - grilled cheese sandwich, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

2:20 PM - chicken & black bean salad w/ lettuce, salsa & sour cream

5:00 PM - tea w/ skim milk & Splenda

7:15 PM - chicken breast, California vegetable mix

Calories - 1347
Carbs - 126 (29 fiber)
Protein - 125
Fat - 41
C/P/F Ratio - 36.8/36.4/26.7

Monday, November 10, 2008

NROL - Week 15 - Monday

I went to my second kickboxing class this morning. It was much different from the one I attended Friday. I still wasn't crazy about it. Then the general manager came up to me after the class and pitched the sale. That did it for me. I politely listened but I won't be going back, even though I still have a free class or two. He was really pushy. I understand that fitness centers are in the business of making money, and I have no problem with that. This particular fitness center just isn't what I'm looking for. There's very little variety and the weight room didn't wow me. I still want to check out the new fitness center that opened up in May, but I'm in no hurry.

Ok, honestly, in class today I felt inadequate. The trainer had us doing 100 crunches, 100 pushups, and more ridiculous amounts of ab work in between the actual kickboxing. I'm not used to doing so many and to be frank, I have no desire to do that many. Ever. I felt like all the exercise I'd been doing at home was sub-standard, and I don't want to feel that way. There is nothing wrong with the way I work out at home.

I did learn one thing from the two classes I took - the 20 minute workouts just aren't going to cut it. I can go for an hour, so I think I'll kick it up a bit and start doing the Turbo Jam Cardio Party routines, which are close to 45 minutes. My biggest excuse is that I just like to rush through my workouts and hit the showers. I have the time in the morning - literally nothing else to do between the time I get up and the time I take my son to school. I will be using those 2 hours to do 45 minutes of exercise and take a shower. There is absolutely no reason not to.

More house cleaning today. I'll be done tomorrow. I could finish today but my son insists on helping shampoo the carpets, and he has no school tomorrow. What a nut!

7:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:10 AM - omelet w/ green pepper, onion, cream cheese & salsa, turkey bacon, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

3:10 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, yogurt; I don't really care for the yogurt with candy/cookies - it just makes me miss real junk food

6:30 PM - roasted chicken legs, green beans w/ cheese sauce

Calories - 1308
Carbs - 103 (11 fiber)
Protein - 113
Fat - 49
C/P/F Ratio - 31.7/34.7/33.6

Sunday, November 9, 2008

NROL - Week 14 - Sunday

Weighed in at 150 again today. I was disappointed not to see any loss, but I do realize that this is how it is. I probably didn't eat enough this week. Oh well. I'm not going to worry about it. I didn't gain, I ate clean, I worked out hard. Can't ask for more than that, really!

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 45 second rest periods.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x10x35
bent over bb row 3x10x45

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x10xbw
bb push press 3x10x40

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x10x15 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x10x15 (per side)

8:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - tea w/ cream & Splenda

11:40 AM - cube steak w/ brown rice, green pepper, onion, picante sauce & salsa; this did nothing to satisfy my hunger

1:20 PM - Cheerios w/ skim milk; I was so desperate for Cheerios that I ate them stale LOL

5:20 PM - stew meat w/ pinto beans, onion & green pepper; I didn't measure this, but had two helpings

6:30 PM - tea w/ cream & Splenda

7:30 PM - cream cheese & chives crackers

No numbers today.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

NROL - Week 14 - Saturday

No exercise today. I'm a bit stiff from kickboxing yesterday. Nothing too bad, but since I'm lifting tomorrow, I've decided not to do anything today. Unless you count scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom. Tomorrow I do bedrooms. Monday, the rest of the house. I've put it off too long, and the bonus exercise will be good for me.

8:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda

1:00 PM - breaded chicken breast w/ mayo & mustard sauce, California blend vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)

6:50 PM - boneless, skinless chicken thighs w/ peas in butter & garlic

9:30 PM - peanut butter sandwich

Calories - 1581
Carbs - 134 (38 fiber)
Protein - 141
Fat - 56
C/P/F Ratio - 33.5/35.2/31.2

Friday, November 7, 2008

NROL - Week 14 - Friday

Today was Fat Loss IIB, with 45 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x10x65
push up (on knees) 3x10xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x10x10
underhand lat pull 3x10x70

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x10x45
lower body Russian twist 3x10xbw (per side)

I also went for my kickboxing class that my husband won for me. Turns out, it's a week of classes and use of the weight room. I wasn't all that impressed with the weight room. The class was okay, but it was hard to hear the instructor. Since it's a martial arts place, and I was just sort of thrown in with a group that is actually taking classes, it was kind of overwhelming. The moves were simple enough - I'd done them with Turbo Jam and Tae Bo. I just don't have the endurance to do an hour of cardio right now, especially after 45 minutes of weights. I'm going back Monday when the main instructor is there, but I'll rearrange my weight schedule so that I'm not doing both in the same morning. Screw that.

6:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:30 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion & green pepper, picante sauce & sour cream, coffee w/ cream & splenda, toast; I WAS STARVING!!!!!!!!! LOL I should have eaten something quick between workouts

3:13 PM - yogurt

6:30 PM - cube steak w/ onion, green pepper, picante sauce & salsa, brown rice

Calories - 1389
Carbs - 149 (19 fiber)
Protein - 108
Fat - 43
C/P/F Ratio - 42.2/30.6/27.3

Thursday, November 6, 2008

NROL - Week 14 - Thursday

Cardio day - Tae Bo Cardio Blast 1. I was really uncoordinated, and my son kept interrupting. His school schedule has changed and he starts an hour later than he was, so I need to workout when he's home. If I wait until after I take him to school, it would be late in the morning before I'm done exercising. I don't want that.

7:55 AM - apple & cottage cheese; I ate after I worked out

10:50 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, turkey bacon, eggs, toast

5:45 PM - breaded chicken breast w/ mayo & mustard sauce, broccoli

Calories - 1219
Carbs - 102 (28 fiber)
Protein - 106
Fat - 49
C/P/F Ratio - 31.9/33.3/34.8

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

NROL - Week 14 - Wednesday

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 45 second rest periods.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x10x35
bent over bb row 3x10x45

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x10xbw
bb push press 3x10x40

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x10x15 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x10x15 (per side)

6:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda, toast (dry), turkey bacon, omelet w/ green pepper, onion, picante sauce

3:20 PM - yogurt

4:45 PM - breaded chicken breast w/ mayo & mustard sauce, broccoli

9:00 PM - yogurt; I am trying something different - the Breyers YoCrunch yogurts (I think that is what they are called) - they have M&Ms, Oreos, or Crunch bars to mix in; hopefully these will satisfy my need for chocolate

Calories - 1538
Carbs - 151 (23 fiber)
Protein - 137
Fat - 47
C/P/F Ratio - 38.3/34.9/26.8

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

NROL - Week 14 - Tuesday

Today's cardio was Tae Bo Cardio Blast 1. It was fun, though I'm still uncoordinated with some of the moves. My balance is horrible. I need to work on that.

Oh, and my free fitness class has been rescheduled for Friday at 9 AM. Yikes!

6:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:25 AM - omelet w/ green pepper, onion, cheese, salsa, sour cream on tortilla

10:45 AM - tea w/ cream & Splenda

12:30 PM - tuna & mayo on rice cakes

3:00 PM - carrots; I don't know why but raw carrots give me hiccups

5:40 PM - mozzarella string cheee; waiting to eat dinner

7:00 PM - baked chicken drumsticks, roasted broccoli, onion & garlic

Calories - 1590
Carbs - 126 (27 fiber)
Protein - 134
Fat - 67
C/P/F Ratio - 30.7/32.6/36.7

Monday, November 3, 2008

NROL - Week 14 - Monday

Wow, 14 weeks in. Of course, with the breaks, it doesn't feel like that long. The change of routine helps a lot, but I'm kind of itching to do another Body For Life challenge. I don't know. I'll think about it. The NROL workouts are just going to get harder and harder. Let's face it - I'm a total wuss. And the more I think about it, the more I want to do BFL again. Actually, I just want to do the weight lifting portion of it. I don't have any cardio equipment and I'm sure as heck not going outside to run. Wait - looking the next NROL program, I think I'd like to do that. It looks like - not fun, but more appealing than the current program. Which I HATE with a passion.

Speaking of, today was Fat Loss IIB, with 60 second rest periods:

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x12x60
push up (on knees) 3x12xbw

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x12x10
underhand lat pull 3x12x68

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x12x45
lower body Russian twist 3x12xbw (per side)

Wow, and while I was looking into high pulls (which I'll need in my next program), I found a suggested Tabata combo - the Sumo Deadlift/High Pull. Crazy stuff, I tell you. Not thank you. I'm planning on resuming Tabatas tomorrow, but I'm not sure what move I'll use. I know what move I won't be using!!

6:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

11:30 AM - chicken breast, cheese, salsa, sour cream, tortilla

2:00 PM - mozzarella string cheese

5:45 PM - pepper jack cheese; just waiting for dinner

6:30 PM - chicken drumsticks & mashed cauliflower

Calories - 1300
Carbs - 67 (7 fiber)
Protein - 119
Fat - 63
C/P/F/ Ratio - 20.4/36.3/43.4

Sunday, November 2, 2008

NROL - Week 13 - Sunday

Ugh! I had half my day typed up and saved, then I accidentally cleared my notes. The SAVE and CLEAR buttons should not be next to each other in this ScribeFire extension.

Anyway...

I got on the scale this morning, convinced I could handle the damage 3 weeks of bad eating did. Imagine my shock when I saw 150, which is where I was when this whole mess started. So, I'm pleasantly surprised.

8:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

8:55 AM - Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk; half hour and an hour after eating, I felt like I hadn't eaten at all - I actually had to check my notes to see if I skipped breakfast

12:15 PM - chicken breast & broccoli; I wanted Caesar dressing with this but opted for salt and pepper instead

1:50 PM - peppermint drops

4:15 PM - ground beef, onions, broccoli & cream cheese; I didn't measure all this but I had 2 big helpings

No numbers today.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

NROL - Week 13 - Saturday

8:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:15 AM - toast w/ butter

1:30 PM - apple & cottage cheese

3:40 PM - grilled cheese sandwich

6:30 PM - carrots

Calories - 1038
Carbs - 90 (13 fiber)
Protein - 71
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 32/25.4/42.5

I know I'm supposed to talk about my emotions here, as they relate to food, but I'm so fucking angry with every aspect of my life right now. I can't deal and I have no real life support. There's just a lot of resentment and rage right now. I don't even know what to do with it.

Friday, October 31, 2008

NROL - Week 13 - Friday

Today was Fat Loss IIA, with 60 second rest periods.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x12x35
bent over bb row 3x12x45

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x12xbw
bb push press 3x12x40

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x12x10 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x12x10 (per side)

6:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

1:35 PM - chicken breast & baked sweet potato w/ ketchup & mayonnaise; I know I went too long without eating but I got busy with housework

5:45 PM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ green pepper, onion, pepper jack cheese, salsa & sour cream

9:30 PM - rice cakes w/ peanut butter & Splenda, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

Calories - 1728
Carbs - 141 (15 fiber)
Protein - 110
Fat - 78
C/P/F Ratio - 33/25.8/41.2

Thursday, October 30, 2008

NROL - Week 13 - Thursday

My body hates me today, and will surely hate me even more tomorrow. Every muscle aches, and I still have my class at the fitness center today. With that in mind, I skipped my regularly scheduled cardio this morning. I will make it up Saturday if I feel like I need to but I really think I'm going to rest. I have 400 more pages to read in the book I'm on, so I have to get that done this weekend.

Okay, I missed my class. Want to know why? As I was getting ready to leave, my son's 45 pound pumpkin burst open and spewed pumpkin stuff everywhere! Part of my living room carpet is ruined. The front of my bar is going to need to be redone. The top of the bar might be shot too, because I can't move the pumpkin until my husband gets home. I have nothing to maneuver it into - did I spell that right?? So now, I've missed my class and I'm sitting here gagging because my house smells like rotten pumpkin. I tried to clean up the carpet but our shampooer isn't the greatest.

8:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:50 PM - apple & cottage cheese

3:15 PM - toast w/ butter

7:15 PM - Tendergrill chicken sandwich & medium fries from Burger King; I was in a bad mood and didn't want salad. At least I accounted for it on my tracker

Calories - 1506
Carbs - 160 (15 fiber)
Protein - 80
Fat - 68
C/P/F Ratio - 40.7/20.2/39.1

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

NROL - Week 13 - Wednesday

FAT LOSS IIB SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! I really did think my legs were going to tear apart while I was doing it. I hate it. HATE IT! But I did it!!! And I'll do it again next week. Twice. I'm sure I'll still hate it.

I forgot to mention in Monday's post that the rest period is 60 seconds.

[superset w/ full rest]:
snatch grip deadlift 3x12x60
push up (on knees) 3x12xbw - these are supposed to be T push ups but I can't even do regular push ups yet, and I don't feel guilty for subbing

[superset w/ full rest]:
Bulgarian split squat w/ overhead db press 3x12x10 - these were the worst bitch of an exercise I have ever done, and I had to do sets of 6 in order to get through them, and no, I don't feel guilty for doing that!!
underhand lat pull 3x12x68 - since I can't do chin ups, these are an acceptable substitution

[superset w/ full rest]:
Romanian deadlift w/ bent over bb row 3x12x45
lower body Russian twist 3x12xbw (per side)

It all sucked.

The fitness trainer from that place where my husband won the sessions called. I start tomorrow. He's a champion powerlifting squatter or something. I'm terrified LOL

6:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

12:35 PM - chicken sandwich; the power went out in the house for about 2 hours and I couldn't make anything to eat

4:40 PM - rice cakes; I've been running around all afternoon and haven't had time to eat, and now I'm just waiting for dinner

6:20 PM - roasted chicken (dark meat) & broccoli in garlic butter

I know my numbers aren't great today. I have no appetite at all.

Calories - 1055
Carbs - 87 (13 fiber)
Protein - 102
Fat - 37
C/P/F Ratio - 32/37.6/30.4

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

NROL - Week 13 - Tuesday

I hate exercising when it's cold in my house. I freeze my ass off from the time I get into my workout clothes until I get warmed up. If I dress in something warm, I'm too uncomfortable during the workout. So it's always a challenge to get motivated on cold mornings. Today was the first of those. I also hate drinking water on cold days, especially cardio days. When I lift weights, there's plenty of opportunity to get my water in. With cardio, I don't get those breaks so I end up with a lot left to drink after I finish exercising. I really need to learn to spread my water out during the day, but there's just something about getting it out of the way that's satisfying to me.

Anyway...

I did the Turbo Jam 20 Minute Workout today. I was going to throw in a Tabata but my legs - especially my glutes - hate me today. I'll try to reintroduce Tabatas next week. It's going to be hard enough to lift tomorrow.

My husband rocks. He won me a free week of something and a free session with a personal trainer at a local fitness place. Finally, I'll have help with squat and deadlift form!!!!

8:35 AM - apple & cottage cheese, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

12:15 PM - tuna fish, mayo & cheese on wheat bread, coffee w/ cream & Splenda; I haven't been able to find my double fiber bread in weeks - it's pissing me off.

1:30 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

6:00 PM - broccoli & cauliflower w/ Caesar vinaigrette dressing, cube steak

Not a stellar day in terms of calories but I'm really not hungry.

Calories - 1179
Carbs - 91 (15 fiber)
Protein - 100
Fat - 47
C/P/F Ratio - 30.6/33.7/35.6

Monday, October 27, 2008

NROL - Week 13 - Monday

I'm back and feeling pretty good. I have no idea what the damage was from my 3 weeks of whatever that was. I don't want to get on the scale for a while. I just want to focus on getting back into things, and I'm worried I'll be discouraged if I see it. So, no scale for a while.

Today's workout was Fat Loss IIA. Except for the front squats, I loved it. I have a hard time with barbell placement, even though I researched and practiced yesterday afternoon. I think it's one of those things that just comes to you with practice. My weights were ridiculously low, but until I'm comfortable with the bar in front of me, I have to keep it that way. It was a bit disappointing, though. And I'm sore already.

[superset w/ full rest]:
front squat 3x12x25
bent over bb row 3x12x45

[superset w/ full rest]:
supine hip extension w/ leg curl 3x12xbw
bb push press 3x12x35

[superset w/ full rest]:
dynamic lunge 3x12x10 (per leg)
upper body Russian twist 3x12x10 (per side)

7:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:50 AM - bacon ranch salad w/ grilled chicken from McDonald's; I forgot we might be going to lunch after voting this morning

3:10 PM - cauliflower; I had forgotten how good vegetables can be

5:30 PM - eggs w/ mozzarella cheese, green pepper, onion, garlic, sour cream & salsa, turkey bacon

7:20 PM - apple, cottage cheese, rice cake

Calories - 1436
Carbs - 111 (18 fiber)
Protein - 133
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 30.4/36.5/33

Sunday, October 26, 2008

NROL - Week 12 - Rest of the Week

It's been a week of horrible eating. Between my son being so sick and me dealing with the other stuff going on, my mind has just not been in this at all. I am disappointed that I couldn't get through this without eating badly. I did have some small binges, but for the most part, it was just a matter of eating bad things, even in normal quantities. All I can really do is start fresh tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

NROL - Week 12 - Tuesday

8:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:30 AM - homemade soup, coffee w/ cream & Splenda, Dibs ice cream; I had a few of my son's Dibs - he won't even eat ice cream :(

3:10 PM - yogurt

4:10 PM - croutons; I ate them out of a huge bag for 20 minutes :(

4:30 PM - hot dog; I think I'm losing control

7:00 PM - sandwiches, baked beans, chips; I no longer think...

Monday, October 20, 2008

NROL - Week 12 - Monday

I was all set to lift weights this morning - dressed, warmed up, equipment ready. I couldn't get into a good position for front squats and that was frustrating the hell out of me. My son woke up while I was making my attempts and he was really, really sick. I decided to try again with weights tomorrow and get him to the doctor. He has ear and sinus infections. Bad mommy. I've been running around all afternoon buying more medications that's I didn't have. Tylenol isn't helping so I had to buy some Motrin to alternate. I just hope his headache and neck pain go away soon so I can send him back to school without worrying whether or not he'll need medication.

6:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

11:20 AM - whole wheat pumpkin muffins w/ butter, coffee w/ cream & Splenda

2:20 PM - scrambled eggs w/ cheese, salsa, sour cream on tortilla

5:40 PM - beef, pasta & vegetable (green beans, corn, peas) soup; it took me 45 minutes to eat 2 bowls of this - it was really hot, but so satisfying

No numbers today because I didn't feel like measuring out the homemade soup. I dream of the day where I don't have to measure everything. If I could just get myself into the habit of eating more vegetables and recognizing portion sizes accurately, I think I'd be good.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

NROL - Week 11 - Weekend

I am desperate for things to return to normal around here. I'm overeating and eating things that aren't the best, but I'm not binging. My schedule is so messed up and I'm completely exhausted and nauseated most of the time. If I don't finish everything I need to get done within 90 minutes of waking up, it is not getting done.

My only decent meal was Saturday's lunch. I had some chicken breast and broccoli with ranch dressing and turkey bacon. High on calories but at least it wasn't pizza and and junk. I have been pretty good about not eating too much junk, but I definitely think I'm over the calorie limits for my days. I'm not eating on a regular schedule because I really can't choke anything down when I'm nauseated.

My 4 year old is still sick. I'm up most of the night with him but I'm going to try to get him in to see his pediatrician tomorrow. This coming week is going to be so hectic. I have five different appointments confirmed, and hopefully his ped. The plan is to resume lifting tomorrow. I'm a bit worried that I'll be too tired for it, but at the same time, I' hopeful it will help me feel better. Eating will be on plan tomorrow, too, damn it.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

NROL - Week 11 - Wednesday/Thursday

Wednesday was not a good day for food. Since we were traveling, there was much fast food and convenience store cuisine. Thursday is not going much better. I'm not eating fast food, but I'm just not hungry at all today. It's well after noon and I've only had coffee and some muffins. Of course, after taking my son to school, I came home and went back to bed. I'm so tired.

My surgery isn't until next week (Thursday), but I intend to resume weight lifting on Monday now that I know I'm not ectopic. That was a big drain on me. With that worry out of the way, I feel mentally well enough to exercise again.

I know this isn't much of an entry, but there isn't much to blog about. LOL

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

NROL - Week 11 - Tuesday

I was feeling a little better this morning. Well enough to take care of my recycling and vacuum my house. I don't know what was wrong with me yesterday. I was in such a panic over things that were probably all in my head. I'm better today. There's so much anxiety over whether or not this pregnancy is ectopic and the symptoms are so "common" that I can't tell if they are normal or not. Yesterday, I started having some pain in my shoulder, which could indicate a ruptured fallopian tube and internal bleeding. But I couldn't tell if I was really having pain or if it was just psychosomatic because of my paranoia. At any rate, I am anxious to deal with this.

I'm not logging my food in the tracker. I don't have the mental clarity to focus on that. I am writing down what I eat though.

8:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:00 AM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

10:35 AM - toast w/ butter, Uncrustables; I was fine until I decided to eat the last 2 pb&j Uncrustables; I didn't need them but I wanted them

12:30 PM - coffee w/ cream & Splenda

1:25 PM - chicken breast & cheese on tortilla

4:10 PM - cheese; just something quick to hold me over until the muffins were done

4:20 PM - whole wheat pumpkin muffins; these aren't as good as the ones I've made with carrots but I'm sure going to eat the heck out of them; I have been craving pumpkin muffins or bread or cake for two weeks now

5:00 PM - chicken breast, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes w/ gravy

6:50 PM - carrots, couple Cheese Its

I was a pig today.