"Vacation" Challenge - Day 10

After I blogged last night, I had a slice of ham [1 pt] and some cheese [2 pts].

Warm Up – squat, row, curl, raise

Metabolic Workout A – 4 circuits - 30 second segments, 40 seconds to transition between exercises, 90 second rests between circuits

single leg squat

atomic push up

low row

balance lunge

side plank

Four circuits is exhausting! It took about 35 minutes. 2 activity points for this hot mess. I also had to do it in the lat afternoon, rather than the morning like I am used to. Today was chaos.

I ate fairly well today. I didn't keep track of it all because I was in a crazy, mad rush all day, between work and school stuff for my kid and prepping for my trip. I also managed to get in almost a gallon of water.

I'm not sure when I'll post again. I'll try to do an update Saturday, then some time before I head home. For the trip up, I have some quinoa bean salad w/ chicken thighs and some carrot sticks & red pepper slices. I'm also packing some apple slices and bottled water. I should be able to resist convenience store cuisine.

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 9

I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party Remix again, and did slightly better - 216 calories (2 activity points). I was still uncoordinated because I'm used to certain moves together, and Chalene throws some curveballs into this workout. It is fun, though! Oh, and I got Turbo Kick Fan Volume 5 in the mail yesterday. I haven't even reviewed Volume 4 yet. Lots of Turbo watching in my future. I won't be able to actually do more until after Insanity.

"fried" eggs on light English muffin [1 pt]

tilapia on Romaine lettuce w/ baked butternut squash "fries" & jicama slices

pumpkin nuggets

steak w/ brown rice & mixed vegetables

carrot; I was still hungry after dinner

Two cups of coffee, three cups of tea and 80 ounces of water. 28 weekly and 4 activity points remaining.

Pumpkin Nuggets - Recipe

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers Filling Foods board and figured I'd give it a shot.

1 1/2 c pumpkin
1 1/2 c oats
2 eggs
2-3 tbs Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tspt ground ginger
1 tbs canola oil (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.


2. Mix the ingredients well. Spoon into muffin cups.


3. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Each 2-muffin serving has 141 calories, 5.5 g fat, 18.9 g carbs (4.6 g fiber), 5.6 g protein - 2 WW points/Core friendly.


I love these! My kid loves these. They are quick and easy to make, and kind of a cross between a muffin and cheesecake? I just loved them!

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 8

It's Meatless Monday again. I had difficulty with it because I'm getting ready to leave in a few days and I normally make a batch or two of something that lasts all week. I didn't want leftovers in the refrigerator while I was gone. My husband wouldn't eat them. I also needed to get rid of a lot of things that I still had, like the huge bowl of jicama slices. To top if off, I was called in to work at the last minute so I couldn't get a decent breakfast. I just grabbed a piece of fruit in between my workout, shower & drive to work.

Speaking of workouts, I was going to do some cardio and Recharge from ChaLean Extreme, but work called just as I was starting my cardio, so I only did that. I'm hoping to Recharge Wednesday after my metabolic workout. Today I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party Remix. It's just over 30 minutes and is "the best" of the different Turbo routines. It was fun, but I was distracted. I was planning on declining if work called needing a sub because I have tons of crap to do to get ready for my trip. But since they called when I was already distracted, the words, "Yes, I'll be there" just tumbled out of my mouth before I could think. So I could have done better with CP remix. I only burned 211 calories (2 activity points) and I'll see if I can bump that up a bit tomorrow.

apple & cottage cheese

banana

jicama & red pepper slices

rice cake w/ peanut butter [3 pts]

corn frittata w/ cheese [2 pts], light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [1 pt]

oatmeal w/ banana

Two cups of coffee, three glasses of iced coffee and 100 ounces of water. 29 weekly and 2 activity points remaining.

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 7

Warm Up – squat, row, curl, raise 

Metabolic Workout A – 3 circuits - 30 second segments, 40 seconds to transition between exercises, 90 second rests between circuits

single leg squat

atomic push up

low row

balance lunge

side plank

Sundays are usually my rest days but with my trip later this week, my schedule is out of whack. For the next two weeks:

Monday & Tuesday - cardio
Wednesday - metabolic workout
Thursday - sleep all day, drive all night
Friday - recover from driving all night
Saturday - metabolic workout
Sunday & Monday - cardio
Tuesday - metabolic workout
Wednesday & Thursday - cardio

Friday- sleep all day, drive all night

Saturday - recover from driving all night

Sunday - last day before Insanity, you can bet your ass I'm resting

I'm not bothering to log my food today. I had a quick ham sandwich for breakfast, then went out for burgers & fries for lunch with a an old friend. For a restaurant everyone raves about (Five Guys), it was pretty disgusting and tasteless. I was disappointed. Dinner was tilapia & mixed vegetables. Jalapeno poppers for a snack.

My friend gave me a stern talking to today. It was the kind of tough love no one likes but needs to hear. It made me mad, at first, but it turns out, she is 100% right in everything she said. It's not going to completely solve my eating problems but it's a hell of a place to start addressing them. I owe her. Again.

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 6

Holy bloating, Batman!! I'm doubly regretting yesterday's Chinese.

I did Plyo X today (387 calories), testing footwear options for Insanity. Today's test was on the interlocking mats, with socks, no shoes. The mats worked great!! The only problem is, the set I have is missing 2 squares, so I don't have a full 9-square area to work in. Oh, and on some jumps, they slip a bit. So I'm going to buy another set and combine them. This will give me more room and fit the entire space so that there is no room for slippage. I'm very relieved. I was not looking forward to going out and buying another pair of expensive shoes right now, with my trip less than a week away. Maybe at some point after I get back and have really tested out Insanity on the mat, I may need them but I don't want buying them to cut into my budget for going home for Easter.

cereal w/ yogurt & apple

candy bars; Yes, plural. Yes, again. I am beginning to think I am using my "binge eating" as an excuse. I don't have massive binges any more. I do make poor choices and tend to overeat. But certainly not classic binge eating. However, I do rationalize it - "Oh, I can't help it, I'm a binge eater." Bull. Shit. I am impulsive when it comes to bad food. I can help it. I choose not to. But more on this in a few days. I have to stew on this idea for a while, and reading Tony Horton's Tough Love chat transcript.

salad w/ light ranch dressing & crumb-coated chicken thighs

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 5

What I did right today:

Turbo Jam Fat Blaster - 189 calories.
Drank 80 ounces of water

What I did wrong today:

Didn't plan my breakfast and lunch properly, so I ended up eating a cinnamon bun and nasty grease & carbs in the cafeteria at work
Ate 3 candy bars in half hour
Went out for dinner - CHINESE!!! The kiss of death. The worst possible thing I can possibly eat when trying to salvage a crappy day. I may as well have followed that enormous carb & fat fest with a giant candy bar. Oh wait, I did. My fortune cookie said, "You're a weak, fat fuck and you're never going to get a handle on this. Have another eggroll, heifer."

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 4

Warm Up – squat, row, curl, raise

Metabolic Workout A – Week 1 (3 circuits) & 2 (4 circuits) - 30 second segments, 40 seconds to transition between exercises, 3 minute rests between circuits 

single leg squat

atomic push up

low row

balance lunge

side plank

Again, I only took about 90 seconds rest between circuits. I like this workout quite a bit.

banana, "fried" eggs w/ light English muffin [1 pt] & cheese [2 pts]

three bean salad, apple

homemade veggie burger on Romaine lettuce

venison meatloaf w/ mashed cauliflower [2 pts for light cream cheese]

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Tough Love by Tony Horton

This is a transcript from a Tony Horton chat, and I think it's a good reminder to just shut up and stop making excuses. I've really been needing to hear this. I cleaned up the formatting a bit.



Alright, sit back, and relax. Let's go over a couple of things. There seems to be a general lack of willpower, and there also seems to be, like cani said, poor planning. Showing up to a party hungry, never a good idea, you're screwed.

Now I could sit here and I could tell you little tips about how to help you control your eating habits, improve the quality of your food, and I do it week after week, month after month,year after year and it seems like the same people (I know who you are - you know who you are) continue to just let food win. Am I correct?

I mean, you do the programs, and you come into the chat rooms and you go into message boards  and you're part of the community and you have been for years, and you lose some weight, and gain it back  then you lose some more, and gain back more, and it's just a cycle that continues.  Sometimes you take it seriously, sometimes you don't. Blah, blah, blah!

Sad, boring and pathetic, really...You blame it on your parents and you blame it on work and you blame it on stress and you blame it on poor planning, or on the weather or lack of sleep and you sort of take the blame, but not enough to make any changes. I mean, if it doesn't matter cuz apparently it doesn't cuz if it did this would no longer be a problem for most of you. But the sad fact of the matter is, you know what to do! It's not like this company is selling you some silly weight loss diet program that is asking you to eat funky portions of stupid food for the rest of your life. You have temptations and you succumb to them. Period.

Now my job tonight is not to sit here and point fingers and call you names, and say that you are losers. But it's time for a little tough love people. As some of you know, I'm 50 and life is extraordinarily short. I feel like I've lived 10 lives already and as we all get older, it doesn't get any easier, unless we do the right thing. Succumbing to temptation based on outside influences and influences inside our heads just makes life such a dull boring frustrating drag. Ick!

Is this what we want? Is this good enough? Is it? But what the hell you gonna do about it? Because change is a bitch man. But if you want the life that I think you think you deserve, then you have to do the opposite of what you're doing.  Cuz I gotta say, when I show up to events (Team Beachbody events or camps) and I see people who used to be fit who aren't, I just think, what happened? And I know the economy is rough and things happen in life that are brutal, but since when does food solve any of our problems? It makes things worse! We need something to make us feel good for 10 seconds, but all it's doing is making our situation worse!

[lisaerin82] Tony - how did you get into fitness? What keeps you going day in and day out? Do you take 'breaks' throughout the year?

Lisa, good question. Which ties into this topic. Because I have to! Because you have to! Because the alternative sucks! Many people in this chat room know that it’s too vital, it's too important. It makes life so much better. Not to do it makes for a lesser life. So if you don't mind your lesser life keep on eating crap based on all your lame excuses. I got into fitness because I wanted to look better, I stayed in fitness because I like feeling better. I like the quality of my life to improve, because I understand that exercise and eating right does that. I like being fit and I like being healthy. I understand the importance of those things. I also understand that to achieve them, I have to eat right and exercise at least 6 days a week.

My poor eating has diminished less and less over the last few months. I've almost cut chocolate out. Which is hard for me. I notice that when I get to that rough patch of 2 or 3 weeks when I'm trying to get off of any kind of a particular bad food habit the cravings go away and I feel better more often. I sleep better. My digestion is better. My energy is up. My moods are upbeat and positive more often.

BTW, for those of you that are struggling with your diet (which I know is probably more than 11 of you) if you notice you're struggling in life, guess what? That struggle comes with what you put in your mouth first, not visa versa. One causes the other. It's not coincidence that your wack diet is part of your wack life. Everybody read me? Hearing me? Feeling me? Anybody think I'm talking to them directly? How does that feel? Kinda crappy, right? As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that working out for you?"

When this chat is over tonight I want you to walk away with some thoughts in your head that might not exist after a normal chat. One thought or question I should say is... What am I gonna do about it? Because right now you're not doing anything. You're just letting life push you around. Super lean, super ripped, super healthy, super strong people do everything right. People that are pretty ripped, pretty healthy, pretty strong, do most things right people that are not overweight, not unhealthy, but look okay do about half of the important things right. I could keep going but you understand where I'm headed.

3 months ago, I was doing my 90/10% plan and that was pretty good, you know, 6 pack, etc. But when I cleaned it up more, I'm just leaner and I feel better. It worked for me and I don't miss the chocolate. You kids need a plan. Anybody want a plan right now? Free of charge? Now this plan is so simple it's gonna freak you out! You have your pieces of paper and writing utensils ready?

At the top of a piece of paper write this:
I, [write your own name], hereby declare that I will follow the Tony Horton food plan for the next 30 days. I'm gonna give you kids the hard core version not modified versions of the food plan. Okay, pick up your pencils again.

#1 For the next 30 days I will not eat white bread or anything made with enriched flour or processed flour, Snickers bars. Done! Out! Gone! Bye bye! See ya later! No mas! Sayonara! Got it? Get it? Do it!

#2 I will greatly reduce my dairy intake. And for some of you no more dairy! Get it? Do it! No more pizza with a ton of cheese! No more milk! No more ice cream! Gone! Out! Go buy some almond milk or rice milk. Or I'll smack ya.

#3 No more carbonated beverages. No more Pepsi. No more Coke. No more 7 Up. No more Sprite. No more Dr. Pepper. No more Diet Pepsi. No more Diet Coke. No more Zero Coke. No more Mountain Dew. None!

#4 Water and tea only! If you're a coffee psycho, 1 cup a day. Shut up and do it!

#5 At least 2 of your meals a day there'd better be vegetables on your plate. 1 meal a day, there'd better be fruit. Do it!

#6 Here's how you're getting your protein. Nuts, beans, fish, turkey, and chicken. That's it! Shut up and do it! Get off the red meat for a while. Off! I don't care about lean red meat. Just get off of it!

#7 For the first 2 weeks of your 30 day plan, write it down! Write it down! Every morsel!

"Oh, but Tony, that's so hard, it takes time, what if I forget a pen? What if I've lost my pad of paper to write down what I've eaten? Does that mean I have to write down everything in my salad? What if there's avocado, peppers, mushrooms, nuts, in different kinds of salad, do I have to write it all down?"

Shut up you whiny little bitcher! If you want to live large and you want this microscopically short life of yours to be worth showing up for then you'll make a plan. You'll do what I say and things will be good! Or you'll keep doing what you've been doing and then you'll just be what you are right now, or worse. Okay?

This country has turned into pre-Rome, and the empire's about to collapse. The only way we can begin to turn it around is to start taking care of ourselves first, so that we have the energy and enthusiasm to take care of the rest of the crap that is going south in our lives. Poor eating habits and lack of physical movement has turned the vast majority of us into whiny little cry baby losers. Far too many people are living in this state of quiet desperation.

It's like Joe the Plumber...Good grief! The guy, and not to get political, because it's not political at all. Here's a guy pretending to be a plumber when he's actually an unlicensed contractor who does plumbing, proclaiming that he has the money to buy this $250,000 plumbing business, when in actuality the plumbing business is actually a $100,000 plumbing business. He still owes back taxes and he makes less than $40k a year. Joe is making things up to make a point. So Joe the Plumber needs to read law #5. Get real Joe!

We have to stop pretending that life is something other than what is actually happening to us. The point I'm trying to make for those of you that are still a little confused is that we have to take control of our lives. The one that is happening, not the pretend one. We have to take control of our eating. We have to stop the fantasy version and start believing in the real one. We have to stop pretending that things are going to get better because we just bought a new crystal, or our palm reading went well, or somebody else'll do it for us, or if we just hope or pray it'll get better on its own. Good grief! If you are not happy, it's because of you! It's just you. You and no one else. Not your husband, not your wife. Not God. Not your parents. Not your work. Not the weather. None of it. It's you and the information or lack thereof, inside your brain. The more you know, the more you can do.

I can get in here and show you little tricks about how to eat better or do pushups on your knees but the fact of the matter is success is a deeper more profound look within. Are you with me people? Can you dig it? If you stick with the simple pieces to that puzzle or that plan, weight will come flying off. Your body will change. I don't want you to count calories. I would like you to eat smaller meals. I would like you to not eat a couple hours before you go to bed. I also want to say that there's a list in life. The good life list, things like:

Getting 7 1/2 to 8 hours of sleep. It's not like you have to pass an exam to know how to do that.

Exercise 5-6 days a week. It's not like you have to ask for permission from someone else. You just do it!

Eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein and not all the other garbage is how you stay healthy. That’s not rocket science.

You know, stuff like brush your damn teeth twice a day. Floss once in a while. Don't blow out your credit card so you can't pay it off. Choose patience over rage. Be in the moment. Enjoy the journey. Don't be attached to the outcome. Don't sweat the small stuff, because it's all small stuff. Open the door. Try new things. Change is good. Surround yourself with like-minded, upbeat, good humored people.

Okay, here's the book of the week. It's called "made to stick." This book will help you formulate new habits, that stick. The amazing thing about exercise and eating well...the outcome. If you're consistent. It's the same for everyone. I know I got on my box nice and tall here today but I just hate seeing smart people make the same mistakes over and over again. It's got to be frustrating. When it come to health and fitness (in general) there’s 3 groups of people.

The first group is, people who don't know better. They haven't come across this information yet. They're still buying into Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Herbal Life and other programs that work as long as you use them. But I don't know anybody who's been doing Weight Watchers for 15 years. They’re "weight loss only" products that are temporary fixes. These same folks are buying stupid ab chairs, ab lounges and some rotating pushup stands. This stuff is supposed to change your entire body? Give me a break! They don't know better so they get to be stuck.

Then there's Category 2. People that come here and understand that exercise has to happen 5-6 days a week. Variety works! There has to be intensity and consistency. These people also understand that healthy food is part of the equation. When folks in Category 2 discover this information they understand it's importance like air and water and live it.

Far too many people (there are some of you that are in this chat room) are in Category 3 .People who know better but aren't willing to apply the information. It's like knowing how to breathe but deciding to constantly hold your breath to be miserable. It's such a bummer. This group of people are the saddest of all. Not from my perspective, but from their own. Does this sound like it makes sense to anyone in here?

So we know our plan, correct? We know what to do, right? We're gonna do it right? Why not? The end result will be awesome! You can all have what I have and I'm not that smart. I just follow the rules. I'm like Scott Fifer. Just follow the rules. Alright, kids, that's it!
10
9
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3
2
That's it, I'm out!

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 3

I decided not to work out on the suspension trainer today. My original alternative (LOL!) was to do Plyo X barefoot on my foam mats, but then I was called in to work, so I had to do an alternative alternative - Turbo Jam Fat Blaster (182? calories - I don't remember). I will do my metabolic workout on the suspension trainer tomorrow. I have to work, but at least I know ahead of time, As a sub, I'm sometimes called 10 minutes before I need to be there. Oh, and I sub in the cafeteria, which is very eye opening, especially considering Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution officially premiers on Friday.

"fried" eggs on light English muffin w/ avocado & cheese [2 pts]

salad w/ fat free honey dijon dressing  [2 pts for cheese]

three bean salad, banana & green pepper slices

grilled cheese sandwich [4 pts]

steak & three bean salad

apple & cottage cheese

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 2

You  know the drill...

After I blogged last night, I had a piece of cheese and some candy, so 6 more points down the drain. I was literally on my way to bed when I made the kitchen detour. I wasn't even hungry!! God, I piss myself off sometimes.

Today's exercise was Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3. I switched back to my cheap sneakers and they don't make as much noise when I jump and step as my NB running shoes, but they are worn out and slippery so I need to go buy new shoes soon and break them in before Insanity starts. I will probably just get a basic pair of cross training shoes and some gel inserts or something. Anyway, as always CP3 is a blast and I love it. I burned 382 calories for 4 activity points.

banana

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ reduced sugar jelly [1 pt], apple

homemade veggie burger w/ mustard on Romaine lettuce, pepper & jicama slices

chicken breast w/ jicama & peppers

cream of broccoli soup w/ chicken breast & whole wheat pasta

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water. I ate a bunch of crap and have no idea where I am. Again.

"Vacation" Challenge - Day 1

This kicks off my three week "vacation" until Insanity starts. It's also Meatless Monday!!

All my resistance training this week is in the form of metabolic workouts with the suspension trainer.

Warm Up – squat, row, curl, raise 

Metabolic Workout A – 3 circuits - 30 second work segments, 40 seconds to transition between exercises, 3 minute rests between circuits

single leg squat 

atomic push up

low row

balance lunge

side plank

I took about 90 seconds between circuits, instead of 3 minutes. Unless I'm lifting super heavy, I find 3 minutes to be too long to do nothing. The whole thing took 20-25 minutes. During my first circuit, I was getting my bearings and it was kind of lame. By the second circuit, I had my form down and was able to focus and it started kicking my ass. By the third circuit, I was just hoping I survived. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but this is definitely a good, hard, short workout. Since it's so short, I'm only taking 1 activity point for these workouts.

banana

omelet w/ onion, red peppers, avocado & picante sauce, light English muffin w/ reduced sugar jelly [1 pt]

three bean salad  & baked squash fries

yogurt w/ cinnamon & Splenda, apple

chocolate [12 pts]; Idiot!! It didn't even taste good, and it gave me heartburn :( I'm so mad. I couldn't even make it through the day, and I honestly wanted to pretend it never happened. This is why I can't lose weight. I forgot I was  trying to save most of my points for Sunday. I'm meeting some friends for lunch and have no intention of choosing healthy options because there are none where we're going. And that's fine with me. Oh well.

veggie burger w/ avocado on Romaine lettuce wrap, baked squash fries

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water. 22 weekly and 1 activity point remaining.

Veggie Burger - Recipe

I stumbled across a recipe for homemade veggie burgers and figured I'd give it a shot for Meatless Monday.

1 (15 oz) can beans
1/2 c dry oats
1/2 oz minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs seasoning mix of your choice (I used 1 tsp each of cumin, salt, and chili powder)
2 1/2 oz water

1. Rinse the beans and mash them with a fork, desired consistency.

2. Add add the oats, onion, garlic, and seasoning.

3. Add the water a little bit at a time and mix to desired consistency.

4. Form 4 patties and fry in pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

The exact nutritional information will vary depending on what beans you use, but I used pinto beans to calculate, because that is what the original recipe calls for. Each patty has 131.8 calories, 1.2 g fat, 24.3 g carbs (6.9 g fiber), 6.8 g protein. 2 WW points/Core friendly.

Turbulence Training - Day 84 of 84

So this is it, my last day of Turbulence Training. I weighed in at 130 pounds, down 9 from my start weight. Before you go get all excited about my 9 pound loss, remember that my start weight was 12 pounds above my post-P90X low, so I am still 3 pounds up. It's all good, though. I have learned a lot in the last three months. I will take my 130 pounds and be happy. I've accepted that I am not going to lose quickly. My inability to stay on a strict diet hinders that and that is okay. I'll get there. A few months ago, my step-daughter gave me some clothes she'd outgrown. I tried on about half of them today and everything I picked out of the bag, I could put on and button/zip. Some of the material is stretchy but the jeans (mostly size 5/6) look pretty good. Those will be my success meter this year. When I can wear those without any weird body shifting, I will know I've made goal.

The plan for the next two weeks is this: 3 days a week, I'm going to do some exercises on my suspension trainer, 2 days a week I will do some kind of cardio (probably Turbo, but I'd like to get into Tae Bo again), 1 day a week do some yoga and Wii stuff for fun. The third week is tricky, as I will be in New York. I'm taking my suspension trainer with me, but my travel schedule will probably only let me get in 2 workouts. Well, if I exercise on Easter (and there's no reason not to), I can get in 3 workouts with it, and probably 3 days of cardio (I'll probably bring Cardio Party 3 with me). I'd also like to do some walking. My inlaws live in the country, so there are long, lovely roads to walk and breathe in the scent of horse and cow manure.

I'm still undecided on my food for the trip. I want to bring some of my own stuff (like quinoa and bulgur and oatmeal) but I don't know if I should just bring a few portions (like, enough quinoa to make a quinoa & bean salad) or just bring my whole package and my scale. My son wants me to make some granola protein bars and pumpkin carrot muffins for the trip. I will probably do that, as well as make some mini meals for me to eat along the way. It's a 12 hour drive and I make the trip at night to avoid heavy traffic. I also want to stick to Meatless Monday while I'm there. This is definitely going to require planning, but I also need to be flexible. My mother-in-law is planning her traditional Easter dinner. Portion control? Let's hope so. I won't be able to count points all that well that day. I will just do my best, and forget the rest, as Tony says. Maybe I'll forget that I ate Easter candy or something, too.

banana

shrimp & cheese [2 pts] omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce, light English muffin w/ reduced sugar jelly [1 pt]

apple & yogurt

sloppy joes; I had mine on a slice of extra fiber bread [1 pt]

Lots of junk I haven't listed. Well not lots, but I definitely was not good today :( I hate screwing up and not knowing how much I've actually eaten. Without a reference point, I have a harder time staying on plan. If I hadn't lost count of my points earlier in the week, I know damn well I would not have eaten the junk food I did today. I don't know why I do this to myself.

20 ounces of water and various other "calorie free" drinks. Well, except for the milk in my iced coffees.

Turbulence Training - Day 83 of 84

I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2 today, at my son's request (341 calories). It's his favorite. I tried doing it barefoot but I couldn't. So I'm going to need to buy some different shoes for Insanity. I cannot do cardio on the floor, and I can't do it on an area rug (because it slides all over). Now I'm regretting spending all that money on running shoes, because I only used them a few times. I'll probably try Insanity with them, but now I'm reading that they are not good for the high impact moves. Everything I read before I bought them said they'd be fine. WTF ever!

It occurred to me this morning that spend a lot of time pointing out where I've failed, and not enough time highlighting my successes. Last night, for example, I wanted some cookies. I passed on them. TWICE. This morning, I wanted some 1-point-per-slice turkey bacon but settled for half a slice. Okay, I confess, I just stole it off my son's plate on a whim. But I didn't make any for myself. I also wanted toast this morning, and then held off on it. I did take the cheese, hoping a little fat and a bit more protein would keep me from being hungry right away. It wasn't even 2 hours before I was looking for something else to eat. I gagged down some nonfat plain yogurt. God, that shit is nasty. Cinnamon & Splenda help.

scrambled eggs w/ onion, cheese [2 pts] & salsa, half a piece of turkey bacon [1 pt]

yogurt w/ apple, cinnamon & Splenda

venison tenderloin, carrot slices & chick peas, 1 rectangle of a Hershey bar [1 pt]

walnuts [5 pts] & string cheese [1 pt]; I needed something portable and filling (in the fat & protein sense, NOT fiber. Fiber doesn't do jack for filling me up) to hold me over for several hours on the road.

baked shrimp w/ romaine lettuce & chipotle mayonnaise [1 pt]

Two cups of coffee and 60 ounces of water.

Turbulence Training - Day 82 of 84

This is my last TT workout! Woohoo! Let me tell you, Craig Ballantyne really knows his stuff. These workouts have really pushed me. If I were rich, I'd buy everything he offered. Be sure to check out his blog!

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout D - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) db push press (3x5x 25 lbs)

A2) one-leg ball jackknife (3x10 per side)

B1) db close grip press (3x8x25 lbs)

B2) bb split squat (3x8x45 per side)

C1) assisted pull up (7/7/7)

C2) dips (16/16/16)

Interval Workout A - 3 min warm up, 30 s bodyweight exercises very hard pace, 30 s moderate pace bodyweight exercises x 6, 3 min cool down - burpees/shuffles again. 83 calories burned, but I was exhausted!

chocolate oatmeal w/ banana [1 pt for protein powder]

salad w/ chicken, salsa & light sour cream [1 pt]

pork loin chop w/ mixed vegetables

apple & cottage cheese

Three cups of coffee and 20 ounces of water.

Turbulence Training - Day 81 of 84

After I blogged last night, I had a pack of peanut butter crackers. Yes, I suck.

I did Turbo Jam Fat Blaster instead of treadmill intervals. I just can't stand that damn machine any more. I can't wait until my father-in-law comes to visit so he can take it back home with him. Now it's just another thing to clean. My HRM said I burned 219 calories but it was reading my heart rate kind of high. I have no idea what's up with that. Every once in a while, it reads funny, then works perfectly for weeks.

I might do this workout again on Saturday. With the new flooring in our house, my workouts are loud! I want to see if I can do it barefoot. I know I cannot wear these running shoes when I do Insanity, and I can't wear just socks. I'd break my ass. My concern with bare feet and Insanity is the puddles of sweat on the floor. I'll have to keep an extra towel close by to wipe up every so often. But I've never done plyometrics with bare feet. Oh, maybe I'll just do Plyo X in bare feet to get a feel for it.

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, avocado & salsa, light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [1 pt]

banana; I got called in to work unexpectedly for a short shift so I just grabbed this on my way out the door.

salad w/ chicken breast & pinto beans, honey mustard dressing [1 pt]

salad w/ chicken breast, avocado, red peppers, salsa & light sour cream [1 pt]

apple & cottage cheese

Two cups of coffee and 40 ounces of water.

Turbulence Training - Day 80 of 84

Ugh! I had not one but TWO peanut butter & Nutella sandwiches last night. I didn't measure anything, I just slopped it on! I'm not really mad at myself but I freaking know better. I'm going to try like hell to stick to Filling Foods AND eat light for the rest of the week. No sense counting weekly & activity points now. Damage control time.

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps 

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout C - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) wide squat (3x8x65 lbs)

A2) stability ball crunch (3x15)

B1) front squat (3x8x40 lbs)

B2) Romanian dead lift (3x8x70 lbs)

Bodyweight circuit (1-3 rounds):

C1) Y-squat (20)

C2) diagonal lunge (10 per side)

C3) inverted row (10)

C4) burpees (10) or jumping jacks (60 s)

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, avocado & salsa, light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [1 pt]

chicken breast w/ salad vegetables & honey mustard dressing[1 pt]

round roast & couscous w/ mixed vegetables

yogurt

iced coffee w/ Bailey's Irish Cream [2 pts]

apple & cottage cheese

Three cups of coffee and 20 ounces of water.

Herbed Couscous with Mixed Vegetables - Recipe

This one is ever so slightly modified from here.

3/4 c vegetable stock
2 scallions, sliced
2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 c dry whole wheat couscous
1 c mixed vegetables (I used a mix of broccoli, cauliflower & carrots), warmed

Bring the broth, scallions, and parsley to a boil. Add couscous and once it simmers, cover the pan and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in mixed vegetables.

I didn't run the numbers for this but it is Core friendly.

Turbulence Training - Day 79 of 84

I have to confess that last night, when I ate my apple & cottage cheese, I wasn't really hungry. Often, I'm not hungry when I eat for the last time but if I don't eat, I wake up absolutely starving. I don't really like to eat immediately before workout out, and I don't have time to eat and wait because I never know when I'm going to be called in to work (which is always a "can you be here in 10 minutes?" kind of thing).

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout B - 60 second rest between rounds, none between exercises

A1) bb complex (1-3 rounds, rest 1 min at the end of each round): 8 reps (per side when applicable) of split squat, good morning, row, dead lift

Bodyweight ciruit (1-3 rounds):

B1) jumping jacks (60)

B2) Spiderman push up (8 per side)

B3) Siff squat (25)

B4) waiter's bow (15)

B5) burpees (10)

I used a 45 pound barbell this week, up 5 pounds from last week. 2 activity points.

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green peppers, avocado & salsa; light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [1 pt]

salad (greens, jicama, peppers, chick peas) w/ tuna fish & honey mustard dressing [1 pts]

raw vegetable slices & chick peas

yogurt [2 pts]

roasted chicken breast & carrots

chocolate [3 pts]; Grrr. Again, I so badly wanted to just eat and eat and eat junk. I wish I could turn off my chocolate button, just remove it completely. I wish I'd at least thought to chop up the chocolate and put it in my oatmeal.

oatmeal w/ chocolate protein powder [1 pt]

Four cups of coffee and 40 ounces of water. 15 weekly and 4.5 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 78 of 84

Meatless Monday! I semi-planned my day.

This is my last week of Turbulence Training workouts. It feels like I just started! P90X seemed to take forever, but this has just flown by. Maybe because the workouts are shorter and I didn't have to worry about surgery in the middle of my rotation!

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout A - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) db flat press (1x4x35 lbs, 2x6x30 lbs)

A2) one-arm db row (3x6x30 lbs)

B1) db triple press (3x6x20 lbs)

B2) bb row (3x10x55 lbs)

C) dead lift (3x20x55 lbs)

I really wanted to increase that flat press weight but just couldn't keep decent form with 35 pounds. I debated whether or not to go to 32.5 but I hate an unbalanced dumbbell. I really need some adjustables. 2 activity points.

Interval Workout A - 3 min warm up, 30 s bodyweight exercises very hard pace, 30 s moderate pace bodyweight exercises x 6, 3 min cool down - again with the burpee/shuffle work combo, and I did a much lighter jog than normal and only burned 75 calories for half an activity point.

banana

"fried" eggs w/ cheese [1 pt] on light English muffin [1 pt]

salad w/ honey mustard dressing [1 pt]

candy bars [9]; Damn it. While I'm really disappointed that I caved and ate not one but two candy bars, I am pleased that I did not let it keep me from staying on plan the rest of the day. I almost gave up on Weight Watchers AND Meatless Monday. As soon as I was able to log my points though, I felt better.

sweet potato salad w/ falafel; I really have to work on stopping when I hit satisfaction. I get that "sigh" they talk about and I know it means I'm satisfied but sometimes I can't put the fork down. I really, really need to work on that.

apple & cottage cheese

Three cups of coffee, two glasses of iced coffee and 30 ounces of water. 23 weekly and 2.5 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 77 of 84

After I blogged last night, I had some crackers with pizza toppings [6 pts]

I decided not to run intervals, and to do Turbo Jam Fat Blaster instead. I hate running so damn much, I can't even suck it up for the last two weeks. It was my best burn ever for this workout, I think - 222 calories. I was so motivated when I started and it just carried through the whole workout. I wish I felt that way about running, but I just don't. Would running intervals for 21 minutes be a better overall option? I don't know. I do know I can't put my heart into those 21 minutes, and I'd much rather Turbo for 30 minutes (or even 50, because I almost did Cardio Party 3, but I was short on time).

cereal w/ yogurt, banana

baked tilapia on salad greens w/ honey mustard dressing [2 pts]; This is a great, simple dressing recipe - 5 tbs honey, 3 tbs Dijon mustard, 2 tbs rice vinegar

apple & yogurt [2 pts]

lean pork w/ jasmine rice w/ mixed vegetables

waffles w/ light syrup [6 pts] & banana

Three cups of coffee and 20 ounces of water. I have turned my iced coffee into an iced mocha by mixing up some Nestle Quik [1 pt] with a cup of skim milk and using that throughout the day. I used up all my points this week.

Turbulence Training - Day 76 of 84

I wanted to skip my warm up because I'd spent 45 minutes moving everything (including furniture) out of our guest room so we can finish putting down the new flooring. But, I did it anyway, because these aren't just "warm up" exercises - they kind of wear you out as much as the workout does.

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout D - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) db push press (3x5x25 lbs)

A2) one-leg ball jackknife (3x10 per side)

B1) db close grip press (3x8x25 lbs)

B2) bb split squat (3x8x45 lbs per side)

C1) assisted pull up (7/6/6)

C2) dips (16/15/15)

Interval Workout A - 3 min warm up, 30 s bodyweight exercises very hard pace, 30 s moderate pace bodyweight exercises x 6, 3 min cool down - again, I alternated burpees and shuffles for the work interval and jogging for the recovery interval. I burned 91 calories in the 12 minutes, and I'm taking half an activity point for it. I suppose I could take one, but I'm rounding down to give myself some cushion. I don't know why they hell I bother with activity points anymore - if I'm hungry, I can always eat off the Filling Foods list and it won't count against me. But I'm still trying to master the whole "eating to satisfaction" thing. Plus, this might keep me from eating junk. Lately, I have been pretty good about not using my APs for real crap. I save it for cheese and whole wheat bread. I need to give myself some bread rules though.

After my workout, I went for a walk with my son while he rode his bike. I really need to get one of those.

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ reduced sugar jelly [1 pt]

banana

turkey patty w/ cheese [1 pt] on bread [1 pt], mixed vegetables

raw vegetable slices

shrimp, kidney beans & mixed vegetables

apple & cottage cheese

Three cups of coffee, four glasses of iced coffee and 40 ounces of water. 7 weekly and 9 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 75 of 84

Like last week, I've pushed my final two workouts of the week to the weekend. I don't know why I never built my rest days into the week. I have more time on the weekends.

banana

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast [1 pt] w/ cottage cheese

ground turkey patty w/ cheese [2 pts] on light English muffin [1 pt], roasted broccoli & cauliflower

quinoa bean salad & rice cakes [2 pts]

sweet potato, spicy honey-brushed chicken thighs [1 pt]

oatmeal w/ yogurt & banana

Three cups of coffee, four glasses of iced coffee, and 20 ounces of water. 9 weekly and 6.5 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 74 of 84

After I posted last night, I ate some cantaloupe. Lots of cantaloupe. Probably way too much cantaloupe.

I didn't do my intervals today. I will do them Saturday. I woke up with a bad headache (I've switched to decaf coffee and I think that's causing problems.) and my son is still sick AND he has another allergy appointment today. It's just been total chaos this week.

I have re-discovered cold coffee. I don't know one coffee product from another. The recipe is 1-2 tsp sugar (I use 2 drops of liquid Splenda) and 1-2 tsp of instant coffee, in a shaker with an ice cube and enough water to cover the ice cube. Shake that up, pour it in a glass. Add water. The recipe didn't say how much water. I used about 3/4 cup of milk. And let me tell you, this very well could be my next addiction. It takes me 30 seconds to drink, whereas the same amount of hot coffee takes me over an hour to drink. I made a second glass, this time with just 1 drop of Splenda, 1/4 cup skim milk, and 3/4 cups of water. It wasn't as delicious as the first glass but it was enjoyable. This could mean trouble. I have to find a way to make this novelty more substantial, otherwise, I'm going to be drinking a lot of milk (not necessarily a bad thing) and a lot of Splenda (something I'm trying to wean myself off). I could add some protein power, but then I'd need to drag out the blender because a shaker just doesn't cut it. I could add an egg - I think I can use the shaker to blend it well enough. I will have to play with it. I'd like to make something that will last longer than a minute.

"fried" eggs w/ cheese [2 pts] light English muffin [1 pt]

roasted broccoli & cauliflower, ground turkey on bread [1 pt]; I am so proud of myself for using only one slice of bread!! Normally, I'd use 2, but I need to cut back on the breads. Which means I probably shouldn't have had it on bread at all, since I had an English muffin earlier, but I didn't have any lettuce leaves.

yogurt [2 pts]

grilled steak w/ vegetable risotto [3 pts for cheese & butter]

yogurt bowl [2 pts for nuts]; I found this in the Insanity nutrition guide, and wanted to try it. I'm not a fan of plain, nonfat yogurt. This recipe is 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt, a chopped apple, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbs chopped walnuts. I hope I learn to really like it.

Two cups of hot coffee and a lot of glasses of cold coffee. 16 weekly and 6.5 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 73 of 84

I was lying in bed last night, watching The Biggest Loser, when I put my hand on my lower abs and felt a lump. After some probing, I concluded that I was feeling the scar tissue from my c-section on my muscles. At first, I was happy that I could feel scar tissue on my MUSCLE but then I was kind of grossed out that I could feel SCAR TISSUE on my muscle.

My workout kicked my butt today. 2 activity points.

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout C - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) wide squat (3x8x65 lbs)

A2) stability ball crunch (3x15)

B1) front squat (3x8x40 lbs)

B2) Romanian dead lift (3x8x70 lbs)

Bodyweight circuit (1-3 rounds):

C1) Y-squat (20)

C2) diagonal lunge (10 per side)

C3) inverted row (10)

C4) burpees (10) or jumping jacks (60 s)

apple, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [1pt]

cantaloupe & falafel; Odd combination, I know.

quinoa bean salad w/ raw vegetables, chicken breast w/ light barbecue sauce

raw vegetable slices

"fried" eggs w/ cheese [3 pts] on light English muffin [1 pt]

quinoa bean salad; It was either this or a bowl of not WW-friendly chili. My eggs & English muffin did not satisfy me at all, and I was still hungry even after eating the quinoa.

more raw vegetables; I wish I'd thought to have some meat thawed out for protein - other protein sources just aren't cutting it.

Four cups of coffee, three cups of tea and 20 ounces of water. 27 weekly and 6.5 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 72 of 84

I am so exhausted!! I haven't been sleeping well/much and I've been super busy on my feet.

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout B - 60 second rest between rounds, none between exercises

A1) bb complex (1-3 rounds, rest 1 min at the end of each round): 8 reps (per side when applicable) of split squat, good morning, row, dead lift

Bodyweight ciruit (1-3 rounds):

B1) jumping jacks (60)

B2) Spiderman push up (8 per side)

B3) Siff squat (25)

B4) waiter's bow (15)

B5) burpees (10)

I increased my weight to 40 pounds this week. I'll go for and go up again for my last week. It's not so bad, except for the split squats. And again, regular push ups. Those Spideys scare me. 2 activity points.

banana, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [1 pt]

quinoa bean salad w/ chicken breast, carrot sticks, mandarin oranges

apple & string cheese [2 pts]

cantaloupe and various raw vegetables I was chopping

tilapia & roasted vegetables; I liked the lemon-mustard chicken so much, I made the same sauce for the fish & vegetables 

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water. 32 weekly and 4.5 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 71 of 84

I was prepared for Meatless Monday!

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout A - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) db flat press (3x6x30 lbs)

A2) one-arm db row (3x6x20 lbs)

B1) db triple press (1x6x35 lbs, 2x6x20 lbs)

B2) bb row (3x10x55 lbs)

C) dead lift (3x20x50 lbs)

2 activity points for the weights.

Interval Workout A - 3 min warm up, 30 s bodyweight exercises very hard pace, 30 s moderate pace bodyweight exercises x 6, 3 min cool down - I alternated burpees and shuffles for the work interval and jogging an dbutt kicks for the recovery interval. I burned 86 calories and gave myself half an activity point.

banana, cereal w/ yogurt

quinoa bean salad, carrot sticks, mandarin oranges

banana smoothie (banana, milk, egg)

sweet potato, quinoa bean salad, falafel; I had no idea what the hell it was but the recipe sounded good.

cottage cheese

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water. 35 weekly and 2.5 activity points remaining.

Falafel - Recipe

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers board. 


1 cup dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans. 
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
salt & pepper to taste

1. Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans.

2. Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil.

3. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour.  Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

4. Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add baking powder.

5. Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want the result to be a thick paste.

6. Form the mixture into 12 small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten and place on cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.


7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (Actually, I just got tired of waiting, and I had no idea what they were supposed to be like - I've never seen falafel before.)


This makes 6 servings, each with 77.5 calories, 0.8 g fat, 14.6 g carbs (4.7 g fiber) and 4.5 g protein. 1 WW point/Core friendly.

Turbulence Training - Day 70 of 84

I weighed in at 133 today, up 2 from last week. I know it's not fat. I'm frustrated with the lack of progress but I'm going to wait until I'm done with Turbulence Training in two weeks and I dig out my tape measure. I didn't take measurements when I started so I will go off my post-P90X numbers. I am still hoping to find my "before" Turbulence Training pictures with the newspaper date visible so I can still enter the conference. I keep going through my hard drives looking but so far, nothing.

Oh, and I had a mandarin orange after I blogged last night.

I've been doing more prep work for Insanity. It turns out that I actually have a 10 1/2 week block between trips to New York, so I am going to do an extra week of Insanity, with the last week being just like the recovery in week 5. I don't want to do anything overly strenuous the week after, and I also don't want to take 2 whole weeks off. So it will be a recovery week, and I think I may include Yoga X as well as the Core Cardio & Balance routine from Insanity.

Another thing I'm considering for that time period is following the Insanity nutrition guide, and planning out all my meals for the entire 70 days. I've never planned more than dinner for a week, so this is going to be challenging (and fun!) to get on paper. The Weight Watchers philosophy isn't all that different from Beachbody's. It's all pretty much the same food, just packaged and phrased differently. Of course, Weight Watchers allows for indulgences and Insanity does not. That, obviously, is going to be my rough patch, but I think if I can visualize the entire experience and have contingency plans, I may be okay. The only problem is, my birthday is in there somewhere and I want my cake, damn it.

Interval Workout B - 3 min warm up, 60 s very hard pace, 90 s moderate pace x 6, 3 min cool down - This was really hard with my chest rattling. Not really rattling, but it's hard to breathe, like the air is super dry or something. So I almost quit halfway, but once I got to the halfway point, I figured I might as well keep going since I was halfway there.
Distance: 1.59 miles
Calories: 171

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa

cereal w/ yogurt; I've overcome my dislike for Shredded Wheat (plain or the wheat & bran type) by dipping it in yogurt. It's not ideal but it will do, since it's Core. I still prefer Cheerios, Rice Kripsies, and Corn Flakes.

chicken breast, cream of broccoli soup

red pepper slices & carrot stick

lemon-mustard chicken w/ mixed vegetables

more chicken & carrot sticks

Three cups of coffee and 40 ounces of water. It was rough to stay completely Core two days in a row. That will teach me to use up all my weekly & activity points before the weekend!

Lemon-Mustard Chicken - Recipe

This is from page 421 of the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, 75th Anniversary Edition.

2 1/2 - 3 pounds meaty chicken pieces (I used boneless, skinless thighs)
2 tbs canola or extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano or basil
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1. Skin chicken. Place chicken pieces, bone side up, on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4-5 inches from the heat about 20 minutes or until light brown.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together oil, mustard, lemon juice, and seasonings. Brush the mustard mixture onto chicken. Turn chicken and brush on remaining mixture. Broil for 5-15 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink.

I didn't run the numbers for this because it will depend a bit on what part of the chicken you use. It's all Core though!

Cream Of Wheat Pancakes - Recipe

This is a scaled back (1-2 servings) version of this recipe.


2 tbs cream of wheat
1/8 c egg substitute
1/4 cup of skim milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 cup of Splenda

Mix and let sit for about 10 minutes. Spoon by 1/4 cup into med/med-high sprayed skillet.

The entire batch has 279.2 calories, 0.1 g fat, 51.2 g carbs (2 g fiber), 12.2 g protein. 5 WW points/Core friendly

Turbulence Training - Day 69 of 84

I snacked on some Frosted Mini Wheats last night. I don't know how many I ate - it wasn't tons, but I think I'm going to take away the 4 activity points I had left, as well as any I earn from exercise this week. So for the rest of the weekend, it's Filling Foods only.

Finally back to the exercise. It felt great!

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout D - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) db push press (3x5x25 lbs)

A2) one-leg ball jackknife (3x10 per side)

B1) db close grip press (3x8x25 lbs)

B2) bb split squat (3x8x40 lbs per side)

C1) assisted pull up (6/6/6)

C2) dips (15/15/15)

Interval Workout A - 3 min warm up, 30 s bodyweight exercises very hard pace, 30 s moderate pace bodyweight exercises x 6, 3 min cool down - I alternated burpees and shuffles for the work intervals and jogging and butt kicks for the recovery intervals. This was ass-kicking and I think I'm going to do it this way for the last two weeks. I loved it, and burned 104 calories in the 12 minutes. Awesome quickie!!!

cereal w/ Fiber One yogurt, banana

apple & cottage cheese

chicken breast, red pepper slices, baked rutabaga "fries"

venison steak & cream of broccoli soup

oatmeal w/ banana

Three cups of coffee and 20 ounces of water.

Turbulence Training - Day 68 of 84

No workout again today. I'll do today's workout tomorrow and yesterday's workout on Sunday. I need to get some drugs for this sinus pressure.

"fried" eggs w/ cheese [2 pts] & light English muffin [1 pt]

salad w/ fat free dressing [1 pt for cheese on salad]

banana & Fiber One yogurt

homemade pizza [7 pts]; I made this dough, and added spinach to it. My crust was topped with cheese, chicken breast, onions, red peppers & sugar-free sauce.

apple & cottage cheese

Three cups of coffee. 4 activity points remaining.

Turbulence Training - Day 67 of 84

Today was supposed to be treadmill intervals but I was up all night with a sinus headache and I can't really breathe all that well, so I will run on Saturday.

oatmeal w/ banana & 1 tsp brown sugar [1 pt]

"fried" eggs w/ cheese [2 pts] and light English muffin [1 pt]

green pepper slices & almond joy pudding cookies; I ate every single one I made and I feel sick. These were so good but they gave me heartburn and made me cold.

homemade vegetable soup

banana; I only ate this to get rid of the hiccups I got from eating half a raw carrot while I chopped vegetables for dinner.

roasted vegetables, beef w/ light sour cream [2 pts]

No water and I lost track of how much tea I had. 8 weekly and 7 activity points remaining.

Almond Joy Pudding Cookies - Recipe

I modified this recipe and used what I had on hand.

1 (1 oz) box sugar free fat free chocolate pudding
2 cups skim milk
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp coconut extract

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until it sets up. Spoon by tablespoons onto a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze until well set. Keep them in the freezer until you are ready to eat them.

I only had two single-serving packets of pudding, so I made half a batch, and I used flavor drops from Capella. Actually, I used almond because I didn't have the recipe in front of me. Maybe next time (because there will be one), I will use both. I have some vanilla pudding mix that I want to play around with - maybe a banana nut flavored cookie.

This makes 12 2-cookie servings, each with 44.6 calories, 0.5 g fat, 7. g carbs (0.7 g fiber), 2.3 g protein - 1 WW/Core friendly.

Turbulence Training - Day 66 of 84

I really tried to get my 80 ounces of water in today but I was so damn cold that I couldn't force any more down. I drank 60 ounces, and that's good compared to how most of the winter has gone. This cold intolerance thing is making me crazy. I'm certain I'm hypothyroid AND have Raynaud's. My fingers started to turn blue last night. They are never warm, unless I've got them in warm water. But I get so cold coming out of water that I wonder if it's worthwhile. I'm eating to keep warm, I think, and I need to nip that before it gets out of control. I drink coffee and/or tea all day long to try to keep a little warm (though it never helps my hands, feet, and nose) but I end up using too much Splenda. I have to kick the sweetener habit, artificial or real - doesn't matter. It all needs to go. And I don't have the slightest idea what to do about it. I don't want a substitute. I want the desire for sweet things gone.

Warm Up

Y-squat - 10 reps

Decline push up - 8 reps

Bulgarian split squat - 8 reps per side

Spiderman lunge - 10 reps per side

repeat

Workout C - rest 1 minute after each superset

A1) wide squat (3x8x65 lbs)

A2) stability ball crunch (3x15)

B1) front squat (3x8x40 lbs)

B2) Romanian dead lift (3x8x70 lbs)

Bodyweight circuit (1-3 rounds):

C1) Y-squat (20)

C2) diagonal lunge (10 per side)

C3) inverted row (10)

C4) burpees (10) or jumping jacks (60 s)

Good workout. I love RDLs!! I love using the suspension trainer for inverted rows. I am not a fan of the Y-squat. Or the T-squat. Or bodyweight squats in genera. 2 activity points.

cereal w/ Fiber One yogurt, banana, part of a homemade granola bar [2 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ reduced sugar jelly [1 pt]

ground venison w/ mixed vegetables; I tried to wait longer to eat but I was so hungry after 2 hours.

carrot & celery sticks; Snacking before dinner :(

beef stroganoff [2 pts for light sour cream]; I think one whole serving of pasta was too much. I definitely ate beyond satisfaction. If I didn't claim my whole serving, my bottomless-pit husband would have eaten it, whether I told him I was saving it or not.

toast w/ banana-ricotta spread [3 pts]; I have a bunch of ricotta cheese to use up and I'm desperate for recipes that don't involve pasta & sauce.

Four cups of coffee and 60 ounces of water. 15 weekly and 7 activity points remaining.