NROL4W - Stage 4 - Saturday - Rest Day

I didn't do any workout today.

Food:
eggs w/ avocado, toasted Sandwich Thin w/ butter [2 pts]
cottage cheese & plum
shredded barbecue beef [2 pts for sauce] on Flat Out bread [1 pt], roasted vegetables w/ homemade honey mustard dressing
Cheerios [2 pts] w/ skim milk, small piece of cantaloupe
air-popped popcorn w/ olive oil [2 pts, because I already had my "free" oils in my dressing]

80 ounces of water and four coffees. 12 activity points remaining. I got in all my GHGs.

Tomorrow's workout - I'm going to try to get out for a bike ride.

Days Binge Free: 34

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Friday - Workout B3

I had an apple and cottage cheese after I blogged last night, so I ended up getting that half a dairy serving I was missing.

Stage 4B

wide grip dead lift off box 3x8x80 lbs

90 s rest

Bulgarian split squat 3x8x25 lbs

underhand lat pulldown (assisted chin up) 3x8 - I did 1 unassisted and 7 assisted in each set

90 s rest

reverse lunge from box w/ forward reach 3x8x25 lbs

dumbbell prone Cuban snatch 3x8x10 lbs

90 s rest

(long arm) Swiss ball crunch 3x8

reverse crunch 3x8

Swiss ball side crunch 3x8

90 s rest

prone cobra 3x120 s

90 s rest

Instead of regular intervals, I did the HIIT 15 Class from Turbo Fire. I don't have Turbo Fire yet (I have to wait until I go back to work in the fall), but I found this workout online. It was sent to some Beachbody customers a while back as a sample. It's 16 minutes long, which includes a short warm up and cool down. There are three different drills, each repeated three times. The work intervals are 34 seconds. The recovery intervals are 30 seconds. I really enjoyed it. It was so fast paced that I couldn't get all the moves down, so it will take practice. It's all jumping and squatting and lunging. I was so sweaty right away that my heart rate monitor strap kept slipping so I'm not sure I got an accurate reading. I burned 140 calories, which is about what I burn with the regular 20 minute intervals I'd been doing.

2 activity points for weights, 1 point for the intervals.

Food:
plum - I ate this in between weights & intervals instead of having chocolate milk.
eggs w/ tomato, onion, red peppers, toasted Sandwich Thin w/ butter [2 pts]
baked potato w/ lean beef, part of an apple
pumpkin bar, red pepper slices
meatballs [7 pts] & mixed vegetables w/ cheese [3 pts] - Dinner was a giant mess. I asked my husband to bring home seafood and he didn't so I had nothing to make for dinner. He couldn't decide what he wanted, and all I wanted was a high quality salad, but I didn't want to go buy the ingredients because I'm the only person who will actually eat healthy foods in this house. So he went out for Chinese food and I still had nothing, and nowhere to go buy a good quality salad. We desperately need a salad bar around here. JUST ready-to-eat produce. Anyway, I couldn't stomach the thought of eating leftover chicken breast, so I wasted points on ready-made meatballs. I'm not happy about it, but it was either that or binge because I was reaching a tipping point. When I get really hungry, I get really bitchy. And I was bitchy.

80 ounces of water and three coffees. 7 weekly and 14 activity points remaining. I missed 1 tsp of oil today.

Tomorrow's workout - I don't know yet. I'm too pissy to think about it right now.

Days Binge Free: 33

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Thursday - Cathe Kickboxing & ChaLean Extreme Recharge

I ended up doing the Cathe workout I recorded from FitTV. It was really good. I didn't do the last segment of ab work, and the total time spent exercising was 36 minutes. I burned 286 calories (3 activity points). I followed that with 20 minutes of yoga/stretching - ChaLean Extreme Recharge. I'm not taking any APs for that.

Food:
eggs w/ avocado, toasted Sandwich Thin w/ butter [2 pts], plum
roasted cauliflower, broccoli & zucchini, beef bites
yogurt & banana
dark chocolate w/ fat free whipped topping [2 pts] - I didn't need this, but I wanted it. I probably should have waited until after dinner but I didn't. I'm not going to feel guilty. Okay, I do feel a little guilty.
crumb-coated chicken thighs [1 pt for coating] w/ roasted vegetables

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 19 weekly and 11 activity points remaining. I am missing half a dairy serving from my GHGs.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 4B.

Days Binge Free: 32

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Wednesday - Workout A3

Stage 4A

front squat/push press 3x8x50 lbs

90 s rest

(barbell) step up 3x8x75 lbs

dumbbell one-point row 3x8x25 lbs

90 s rest

static lunge, rear foot elevated 3x8x25 lbs

push up 3x8

90 s rest

plank 3x120 s

cable wood chop 3x8 - purple band

90 s rest

2 activity points for this.

Food:

yogurt w/ cereal & plum

eggs w/ avocado, toasted Sandwich Thin w/ butter [2 pts]
chicken breast w/ raw vegetables & homemade honey mustard dressing
fake Frosty (milk blended with ice & diet hot chocolate mix) - Trigger food. I won't be making this often.
tuna, sprouts & avocado on Flat Out bread [1 pt]
pumpkin oatmeal bar

80 ounces of water and three coffees. 24 weekly and 8 activity points remaining. GHGs - present! I think I ate too many carbs today. I don't feel carb-bloated, but just looking at my menu, it's light on the protein.

Tomorrow's workout - Turbo Fire HIIT 15 OR Cathe Friedrich Cardio Blast (one of the kickboxing shows from FitTV) & ChaLean Extreme Recharge 

Days Binge Free: 31

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Tuesday - Turbo Jam Punch, Kick, Jam

This was the first time I have ever done this workout. I did not do the last minutes, which was a "toning" segment with resistance bands. Aside from that, I got in 40 good minutes of cardio, and burned 345 calories (3 activity points).

Food:
banana
salad (romaine lettuce, sprouts, edamame, tomato, cucumber, celery, red peppers, avocado) w/ soy sauce & mustard dressing
turkey patty w/ sprouts, mustard & ketchup on whole wheat sandwich thin [1 pt]
pepper slices
baked chicken breast & crash hot potatoes
apple & cheese [4 pts]

80 ounces of water and three coffees. 27 weekly and 6 activity points remaining. All GHGs accounted for!

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 4A

Days Binge Free: 30

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Monday - Workout B2

Stage 4B

wide grip dead lift off box 3x8x80 lbs

90 s rest

Bulgarian split squat 3x8x25 lbs

underhand lat pulldown (assisted chin up) 3x8 - I did 1 unassisted and 7 assisted per set

90 s rest

reverse lunge from box w/ forward reach 3x8x25 lbs

dumbbell prone Cuban snatch 3x8x10 lbs

90 s rest

(long arm) Swiss ball crunch 3x8

reverse crunch 3x8

Swiss ball side crunch 3x8

90 s rest

prone cobra 3x120 s

90 s rest

Intervals: 3 min warm up, 1 min work/2 min recovery x 5, 2 min cool down - I did a light jog for my recovery intervals, and for my work intervals, high knees and butt kicks were rockin'! I burned 150 calories.

2 activity points for the weights, 1 for the intervals.

Food:

apple & cottage cheese

eggs w/ tomato & avocado, toast w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt], banana smoothie
salad (romaine lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, edamame, pepper slices) w/ homemade honey mustard dressing
baked oatmeal pumpkin bars - I probably should have just had one. Lesson learned. I'm going to count the points for the second one [2 pts].
vegetarian brown rice sushi, milk

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 32 weekly and 3 activity points remaining. I got in all my GHGs, as I have been, but just forgetting to note that.

Tomorrow's workout - Turbo Jam Punch, Kick, Jam

Days Binge Free: 29

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars - Recipe

I found this one on the Weight Watchers Filling Foods board, posted by FREE BEE.


2 cups uncooked oatmeal (quick or old fashioned)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fat-free skim milk
1/2 cup Egg Beaters or 2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


2. Combine wet ingredients and add dry ingredients. 


3. Bake in sprayed 8" square pan for 35-45 minutes. 


4. Cut into 12 squares.


I used whole eggs and got, per serving: 127 calories, 2.67 g fat, 20 g carbs (3.17 g fiber), 6.25 g protein. 2 WW points/Core friendly.


I ate half a square when they came out of the oven and cooled just a bit. They are really good, not too sweet. Very moist.

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Sunday - Rest Day

I cannot wait for this horrible heat and humidity to get on its way. I truly hate the summer. It's so hot and uncomfortable and I can't be outside much. I want to ride my bike and do other outdoorsy stuff but I simply cannot do it in this heat.

Food:
apple & cottage cheese
seafood omelet (eggs, shrimp, avocado, onion, peppers) w/ cheese [2 pts]
plum, quarter of an apple
dark chocolate w/ fat free whipped topping [3 pts]
meatloaf [1 pt for bread crumbs] w/ broccoli
dark chocolate w/ fat free whipped topping [3 pts] - Yes, more.

40 ounces of water and two coffees. 4 activity points unused this week.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 4B

Days Binge Free: 28

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Saturday - Rest Day

I was supposed to Turbo but there was a glitch with my dvd player and I didn't feel like coming up with anything else to do.



Food:
eggs w/ avocado, toast [1 pt] w/ cottage cheese
cottage cheese & grapes
baked butternut squash, cucumber, pepper & carrot slices, turkey bacon [4 pts]
banana, dark chocolate w/ fat free whipped topping [1 pt] - I really, really, really wanted to eat and eat and not stop. But I did. I told myself I could have more later. I ended up not having more, but I did think about it a lot.
beef & black bean chili w/ romaine lettuce & cheese [2 pts]
air-popped popcorn


I was SO hungry today. I feel like I ate too much though.


80 ounces of water and 3 coffees. 2 weekly and 11 activity points remaining. I got in all my GHGs.


Tomorrow's workout - nothing!


Days Binge Free: 27

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Friday - Workout A2

Stage 4A

front squat/push press 3x8x50 lbs

90 s rest

(barbell) step up 3x8x75 lbs

dumbbell one-point row 3x8x25 lbs

90 s rest

static lunge, rear foot elevated 3x8x25 lbs

push up 3x8

90 s rest

plank 3x120 s

cable wood chop 3x8 - purple band

90 s rest

2 activity points. Ugh, this is brutal.

Food:

apple & cottage cheese

omelet w/ tomato, onion, red pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]

cucumber & pepper slices
crumb-coated chicken thighs [1 pt for coating] w/ macaroni & cheese [2 pts for cheese], mixed vegetables - I made it with whole wheat penne and threw in some salsa.
a bite of cake [1 pt] - I wanted more cake. I wanted to be hungry for it. But I just wasn't. What is happening to me????

80 ounces of water and three coffees. 10 weekly and 11 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - Turbo Jam Punch, Kick, Jam

Days Binge Free: 26

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Thursday - Yoga X

I did Yoga X this morning, everything but the ab work. It felt good, but I'm really out of practice. I'll take 2 activity points for it.

Food:
oatmeal & banana
eggs w/ avocado, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
black beans w/ roasted broccoli, cauliflower & butternut squash w/ ketchup & homemade honey mustard dressing, cheese [2 pts]
beef & black bean chili - I feel guilty for having another half cup of this about half hour after the first serving, but I was hungry!
cereal [1 pt] w/ skim milk

80 ounces of water and three coffees. 15 weekly and 9 activity points remaining. I met all my GHGs today, too!

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 4A.

Days Binge Free: 25

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Wednesday - Workout B1

The craziest thing happened last night. I got a little hungry and instead of wanting cake, I wanted an apple and cottage cheese. I didn't have any, because I wasn't sure I was really hungry, but it was so strange not get that insane, shaky gotta-have-the-junk feeling. I was lurking on some board and saw a post (and of course I cannot find it now) that really resonated with me. It was something along the lines of, "the longer you eat this way (healthy), the less you crave the other stuff." It wasn't exactly those words, but that was the sentiment and I realized how true it is. I haven't had a "bad" craving since I really focused on this over 3 weeks ago.

Stage 4B

wide grip dead lift off box 3x8x80 lbs

90 s rest

Bulgarian split squat 3x8x25 lbs

underhand lat pulldown (assisted chin up) 3x8 - I did 1 unassisted and 7 assisted in each set

90 s rest

reverse lunge from box w/ forward reach 3x8x25 lbs

dumbbell prone Cuban snatch 3x8x10 lbs - I think I left off Stage 2 at 15 lbs but I had to back off because this workout is just exhausting.

90 s rest

(long arm) Swiss ball crunch 3x8

reverse crunch 3x8

Swiss ball side crunch 3x8

90 s rest

prone cobra 3x120 s

90 s rest

Intervals: 3 min warm up, 1 min work/2 min recovery x 5, 2 min cool down - I did high knees and butt kicks for my work intervals and a light jog for my recovery intervals. I burned 138 calories. I was work out, even with a hit of chocolate milk between weights and cardio.

2 activity points for the weights, 1 for the intervals. I swear, this is the hardest I have ever worked out. P90X is easy compared to Stage 4!! 

Food:

apple & cottage cheese
chocolate milk [1 pt]

eggs w/ avocado & turkey bacon [2 pts] on light English muffin [1 pt]
lean pork, raw broccoli & cauliflower w/ light barbecue sauce [1 pt]

pork "fried" brown rice w/ mixed vegetables & toasted sesame seeds [1 pt]
carrot sticks - I couldn't decide if I was really hungry for frozen banana & peanut butter. I mean, heck yeah, I would have eaten them but was I really hungry? Turns out I was not and the carrot sticks were just enough.

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 19 weekly and 7 activity points remaining. I met all my GHGs today!

Tomorrow's workout - Yoga X. I really need a good stretch. This stage is going to beat my body and I think some low impact stuff in the middle of the week will help a lot.

Days Binge Free: 24

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Tuesday - Turbo Jam Fat Blaster

I did Fat Blaster today, as scheduled. I burned 230 calories (2 activity points) and it was fun. I didn't have any problems with my heart rate monitor. I think I was wearing it too high - I lowered it closer to the bottom of my rib cage. My son decided he did not want to go to the playground so no outside play for me today. I'm a bit glad because I am a little sore from yesterday's workout.

Food:
eggs w/ avocado, toast w/ Smart Balance [2 pts]
grilled chicken salad from Burger King [3 pts for cheese & croutons] - I'm really mad at myself. I know this is what my weekly and activity points are for, but I could have made a better choice, as in just get my son's lunch to go and make something Core for myself at home. To top it off, my stupid BK doesn't offer fat free dressings, and their "light" Italian dressing had more fat and calories than any of the stuff I had at home. So I'm not happy with this choice - a dry, overpriced salad that still cost me 3 points, especially after I survived the movie theater without eating any of my normal junk!! Or anything at all, actually. I ate breakfast right before we went to the movie.
diet soda cake [3 pts] w/ frozen banana - I ate my dessert before dinner, hoping that if I got hungry right away, I would eat my real dinner and not more junk. Surprisingly, I didn't want more cake. It was a good hour or more before I wanted anything, and then, all I wanted was dinner.
sauteed red pepper & onions w/ avocado on Flat Out bread [1 pt]

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 25 weekly and 4 activity points remaining. I did not get all my dairy servings today.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 4B

Days Binge Free: 23

NROL4W - Stage 4 - Monday - Workout A1

Stage 4A

front squat/push press 3x8x50 lbs

90 s rest

(barbell) step up 3x8x75 lbs

dumbbell one-point row 3x8x25 lbs

90 s rest

static lunge, rear foot elevated 3x8x25 lbs

push up 3x8

90 s rest

plank 3x120 s

cable wood chop 3x8 - purple band

90 s rest

2 activity points. I'm tempted to take 3 because it just kicks my ass so hard, but I don't want to overestimate my effort.

Food:

yogurt & oatmeal, banana

eggs & avocado w/ light English muffin & sugar free jelly [1 pt]
apple & cottage cheese
black beans & brown rice w/ mixed vegetables

80 ounces of water and three coffees. 34 weekly & 2 activity points remaining. I forgot my healthy oils today!

Tomorrow's workout - Turbo Jam Fat Blaster (I need to make it short - I promised my son we'd go to the playground, and he gets the tv all day, for his birthday)

Days Binge Free: 22

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Sunday - Camping Execution

Well, I'm home, after an 18-hour vacation. It went fairly well. It was hot and miserable to begin with, then a wicked front came through and things cooled off. I went kayaking, and by "I" I mean I sat in the front while my husband paddled. There wasn't any area to do the other things, such as soccer, and the terrain was rocky and full of poison ivy, so I mostly read a book. I can't remember the last time I read an entire book in one evening. Okay, it took me part of this morning, too, but still, it has been a while.

I went into the weekend with 30 weekly/activity points remaining. I ended the weekend with 0 points. Here's how it went down.

Saturday:
oatmeal & banana, Frosted Mini Wheats [4]
eggs w/ avocado, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
apple & pretzels [4 pts]
chicken breast on Flat Out bread [1 pt] w/ grilled vegetables, half a hot dog [3 pts]
s'mores [12 pts] - I ate exactly what I'd planned for - 4 squares of Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate, 4 marshmallows, and 2 whole graham crackers. Did I want more? Hell yes, but there's something about that high quality dark chocolate that is strangely satisfying AND calming.

Sunday:
eggs w/ chicken & banana
yogurt w/ cereal
pretzels [1 pt]
grilled cheese sandwich [4 pts]
ground beef w/ corn, onions & diced tomatoes

Honestly - I did eat things I normally wouldn't eat, such as the Mini Wheats & pretzels (and the s'mores, of course). I don't know if I should feel guilty for "wasting" points like that or not. I certainly didn't need the cereal or the pretzels. The s'mores, however - no guilt at all there.

I was at 7-11 getting my newspaper this morning and they had 4 employees in the store, only 1 of whom was doing any actual work. I had to stand next to the damn donut case for 7 freaking minutes while one employee rang up the first person in line (I was third). At the time, I still had 5 points left for the day and wondered how many points was in a third of a 5-ounce eclair (so I could split it with my husband and son). Life is just not fair.

Days Binge Free: 21

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Saturday - Camping Prep

After I blogged last night, I had some pretzels [2 pts].

So yeah, we're going camping. I am not a camper. I despise the heat and the sun and the outdoors. And we're going tent camping with no electricity or bathrooms. Shoot. Me. Now.

I do have my food all planned. I'm taking chicken breasts, cans of tuna, fresh vegetables & fruit. I am going to do this. I did buy the makings for s'mores but I'm not sure if I'm going to have any. I bought myself some Lindt 85% cocoa bars but I do not care for them (I nibbled a corner), as they are not sweet like milk chocolate. I don't know if it's an acquired taste or what. I hope I can stick with those, rather than the Hershey's milk chocolate I bought for the non-bingers in the family.

This weekend and next week are going to be be big tests for me. I have plenty of points for this weekend (30) and honestly, I am not overly concerned with the s'mores. I am more concerned with the pretzels I packed. Then, on Tuesday, it's my son's birthday, and we're going a) to the movies, b) to Burger King after and c) to Pizza Hut for dinner. That does seem like a lot but I don't plan on getting anything at the movies or BK for myself. My plan for pizza is to bring half (of a personal pizza) home for someone else to eat. I suppose not going out to eat is always an option but we're going anyway - I will deal with it. I am making a cake (a diet soda cake) and I'm going to freeze half of it, already portioned out. So I have a plan. I just hope I can execute. I do not want to let myself down.

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Friday - Active Recovery

I had planned on doing some Turbo Jam but I decided to take my son to the park instead. We are rarely up in time to go before the sun gets too hot. We played soccer and goofed around on the playground equipment. I was climbing up on one of the platforms in front of the monkey bars and decided I'd just haul myself up the "wrong" way and I smashed the top of my head pretty damn hard on the monkey bar at the edge. I didn't realize it was there and I pulled myself up with a good bit of force. It hurt. I cried.

Food:
oatmeal & banana
eggs w/ avocado, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
baked squash fries & turkey patty w/ homemade honey mustard dressing
apple & cottage cheese
tilapia & onion of Flat Out bread [1 pt], mixed vegetables

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 23 weekly and 9 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - nothing formal. We're going camping and I guess kayaking. I'm taking the soccer ball and badminton set. I will post tomorrow before we leave, with my plan of attack for keeping my food straight.

Days Binge Free: 19

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Thursday - Workout B4

Stage 3B


barbell Romanian dead lift w/ bent over row 3x6x75 lbs
105 s rest


partial single leg squat 3x6
wide-grip lat pull down (assisted pull up) 3x6
105 s rest


back extension (on Swiss ball) 3x6
YTWL shoulder matrix 3x6x5 lbs
105 s rest


(long arm) Swiss ball crunch 3x6
prone jackknife 3x6
Swiss ball side crunch 3x6 [per side]
105 s rest


Intervals: 3 min warm up, 1 min work/2 min recovery x 5, 2 min cool down [20 minutes total] - I did some Turbo Jam cross body blocks for my work intervals and a light jog for my recovery intervals. I burned 138 calories.


2 activity points for the weights, 1 for the intervals. This marks the halfway point of my New Rules of Lifting for Women program. I've done 13 weeks of workouts, and have 13 more to go. 


Food:
hard boiled egg
oatmeal w/ banana
baked squash & red pepper slices w/ homemade honey mustard dressing, grilled turkey patty
apple & cottage cheese
cheese [2 pts]
eggs w/ avocado, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]


80 ounces of water and three coffees. 25 weekly and 9 activity points remaining.


It's been on my mind that since I'm doing the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique, I should point out where I am meeting my 9 Good Health Guidelines (GHG):


...have 6-8 glasses of liquids? yes
...take your vitamin? yes
...eat at least 5 fruits and veggies? yes, barely
...choose lean proteins? yes
...choose healthy grains? yes
...have at least 2-3 dairy servings? yes - between the cheese, milk in my coffee & oats, and the cottage cheese
...get your 2 tsp healthy oils? yes - in my honey mustard dressing
...limit usage of sugar and alcohol? yes
...exercise? yes


Tomorrow's workout - Turbo Jam Punch Kick Jam


Days Binge Free: 18

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Wednesday - Turbo Jam Kickin' Core

This workout (about 45 minutes) was fun, fun, fun! It starts out like a kind of amped up Cardio Party, then after the Turbo, there's a series of core exercises involving a stability ball. The moves incorporate some Turbo Jam moves and some traditional ab work for balls. It was awesome. I burned 384 calories. I'm only taking 3 activity points though, to make up for yesterday's less-than-one-whole point.

Food:
apple & cottage cheese
eggs & light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
grilled turkey patty, beans, avocado & red pepper slices
banana
grilled chicken breast w/ cheese [3 pts] & roasted vegetables w/ homemade honey mustard dressing

80 ounces of water and 2 coffees. 28 weekly and 6 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 3B, my last.

Days Binge Free: 17

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Tuesday - Workout A4

Stage 3A

one-arm dumbbell snatch 1x6x25 lbs, 2x6x30 lbs

105 s rest

dumbbell single leg Romanian dead lift 3x6x30 lbs

barbell bent over row 3x6x75 lbs

105 s rest

dumbbell single arm overhead squat 3x6x12.5 & 22.5 lbs

dumbbell incline bench press 1x5x35 lbs, 2x6x35 lbs

105 s rest

plank 3x90 s

reverse wood chop 3x6 - purple band

105 s rest

bodyweight matrix (24 squats, 12 lunges per leg, 12 lunge jumps per leg, 24 squat jumps) - 9:22, 65 calories burned.

2 activity points for the weights, 1 for the matrix.


I watched Turbo Jam Total Body Blast today and I am so giddy with excitement. I've had it for a while but never thought to do it. Well, Saturday, I will. It uses a stability ball and is a mix of cardio, bodyweight training, and abs - all with the ball! It's a long one though - 60 minutes. 

Food:

hard boiled egg
eggs & toast w/ Smart Balance [2 pts]
chicken & beans, red peppers, onions, cucumbers & carrots w/ homemade honey mustard dressing
turkey chili
yogurt w/ pudding mix & cereal

80 ounces of water and four coffees. 32 weekly and 3 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - Turbo Jam something.

Days Binge Free: 16

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Monday - House Cleaning

I know I said I was going to do my last 3A workout, but I changed my mind. I was in such a bad mood when I woke up that I would have thrown my dumbbells out the window if I had to touch them. So I took it out on the house and cleaned the whole damn thing.

My good friend and motivator brought up some good points about yesterdays blog. I am eating too much for weight loss. I'm eating fine for maintenance (my own conclusion) but too much to lose. She asked why I don't go back to counting points for a while. It's a good strategy, but she also knows it makes me crazy. When I have to measure and count every little thing I eat, I feel like food rules my days. I see the numbers at the end of the day and think, "Oh my God, I'm starving" and have already eaten to my numerical limit or "I'm not hungry but I have to eat enough." It's no win that way. I stress and obsess and I tend to eat more processed foods when I'm counting, just because I "can" eat them.

But with Simply Filling and the Filling Foods list, I eat more intuitively. I eat when I'm hungry. Sometimes, yes, I do over eat and yes, I do eat when I'm not hungry. In terms of quality, I think SFT is the best approach for me. Binges aside (because those happen regardless of my eating plan), this is how I want to eat for the rest of my life. It doesn't stress me out, it's uncomplicated, and it fits the goals I have for what kind of foods I want to eat.

I was logging all of my food in Sparkpeople for May and June and I gained 10+ pounds. I didn't log the binges, of course but I did log everything else. It drove me nuts. There was a period of time, maybe early 2009, where I was just eating intuitively and I did very well. I was happy and I was losing weight. Slowly, but I was content. I want that back. So...I need to decide whether losing weight is worth sacrificing my sanity. I know I can still work on eating less. As I've said before, I do portion out my grains, starches, and fats, so I really do think, at this point, it is simply a matter of eating when I'm not hungry, and/or confusing "full" and "satisfied" when I eat. And I need to cut myself some slack. I'm coming off a six-month period of horrible eating. I should consider the last two weeks a freaking victory. I didn't binge. I didn't even eat my usual junk foods. I have not given things enough time to really work. I know that if I can just not binge, I can do this.

Food:
eggs w/ avocado, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
hard boiled eggs w/ red pepper slices, cucumber, a few bites of my son's apple
quinoa bean salad w/ honey mustard dressing - This was really good for throwing something together in a rush.
yogurt w/ cereal

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 34 weekly points remaining. Even though it took me 4 hours to clean the entire house, I'm not taking any activity points for it.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 3A. For sure.

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Sunday - Rest Day

It was nice not to do anything today. Well, I sulked but that doesn't burn calories. Why was a sulking? Because I've been back on plan for over 10 days and I have lost no weight. I know that the scale is not the best guide and I know this stuff takes time. I haven't been measuring everything out but I am 100% sure my portion sizes are not too big. I am certain, because I do measure the important things out - starches, fats, and protein. I don't measure my vegetables or fruit, but I do try to limit the fruit to 3 servings a day. Maybe I'm just eating too much of the Filling Foods, but I don't think so. Last weekend, I did overeat my dinner but all my other meals are to satisfaction. No, I haven't done measurements this week but my clothes do feel better. I don't know why I get on the scale anyway. I did get on yesterday and I was down 1.5 pounds since July 1, but then I gained water right back overnight. So fuck the scale. I know I'm a slow loser and it's my own fault for gaining that 10 pounds back. And just because it doesn't seem to be coming off, that's no reason to bail. It's only been 2 weeks.

Food:
hard boiled eggs,  homemade French toast w/ Smart Balance & light syrup [5 pts] - I really, really, really wanted a second piece of French toast but didn't have it, even though I had the points.
grilled turkey patty w/ honey mustard sauce, red pepper slices & lima beans w/ carrots & onions
apple & cottage cheese - Believe it or not, I got pissed off about something and this is what I wanted to eat, instead of chocolate.
red pepper slices
yogurt & cereal - I really, really, really wanted a grilled cheese sandwich.
grilled cheese sandwich [9 pts] - It was a lot of cheese. I feel guilty, and I shouldn't.

No water today but I had other fluids. 1 weekly and 17 activity points unused. Just because I have points doesn't mean I have to use them. I could have eaten ice cream this week or homemade peanut butter or tons of things that I would normally say , "Oh, I need to use these points - let me eat this, this, and this." It's been 2 weeks since I've lost control and I've really been good about eating the right things. I haven't had any bad cravings. I'd like to go another two weeks before I try to decide whether or not I'm making any progress.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 3A, for the last time.

Days Binge Free: 14

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Saturday - Banish Fat Boost Metabolism

Today's excellent Craig Ballantyne tweet: "Everything you do either takes you closer to or further from your goals......even on weekends."

It has been exactly one year since I've done this workout. I forgot how deceptive it is. You do the warm up and the first circuit and you're wondering what the big deal is. Then you get your ass kicked. I burned 410 calories (and no problems with my heart rate monitor) - 4 activity points. I'm completely drained.

Food:
eggs w/ avocado, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
chicken breast w/ onions & broccoli, mandarin oranges
red pepper slices - I snacked on these while I cooked so I wouldn't be tempted to nibble on the bread I baked for tomorrow's breakfast.
grilled chicken breast & onion risotto [5 pts]
bread [3 pts] - I had to try out the bread I baked, but I under control.
apple & cottage cheese

I also had a very tiny bite of my son's ice cream sandwich and boy, was it sweet! I doubt it was actually 1 point, but I will go ahead and deduct one.

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 15 weekly and 17 activity points.

Tomorrow's workout - nothing, probably. My body is tired.

Days Binge Free: 13

Onion Risotto - Recipe

This was in my Mr. Food cookbook in my Living Cookbook software. My friend made this and she said it made a lot of risotto, so I cut the recipe by a third, but this is the original.


1/4 cup butter
3 onions, coarsely chopped
2 cups long-grain rice (I actually used arborio)
3 cans ready-to-use beef broth - (14 1/2 oz ea)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized, stirring occasionally. (Don't worry about cooking the onions too much -- it takes time for them to turn the light brown color of caramel.)

2. Add rice and stir for 1 minute, until coated with butter. Add broth; increase heat to medium and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in Parmesan cheese until well blended.


This was pretty darn good and I will make it again!

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Friday - Workout B3

Stage 3B

barbell Romanian dead lift w/ bent over row 3x6x75 lbs

105 s rest

partial single leg squat 3x6

wide-grip lat pull down (assisted pull up) 3x6

105 s rest

back extension (on Swiss ball) 3x6

YTWL shoulder matrix 3x6x5 lbs

105 s rest

(long arm) Swiss ball crunch 3x6

prone jackknife 3x6

Swiss ball side crunch 3x6 [per side]

105 s rest

Intervals: 3 min warm up, 1 min work/2 min recovery x 5, 2 min cool down [20 minutes total] - I did simulated jump rope with various foot movements for my work intervals and a light jog for my recovery intervals. I burned 137 calories, but even with my transmitter, I had a few odd readings. I'll give it a few days then call Dick's Sporting Goods to see if they have copy of my receipt so I can send this whole thing back to Polar.


2 activity points for weights, 1 for intervals.


Food:
banana
eggs w/ avocado, light English muffin w sugar free jelly [1 pt]
lean pork, brown rice & stir fry vegetables
cheese [2 pts] & carrot sticks
orange honey tilapia [1 pt for honey] - This was very good!
yogurt & pudding mix w/ cereal


80 ounces of water and three coffees. 25 weekly and 13 activity points remaining.


Tomorrow's workout - Banish Fat Boost Metabolism

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Thursday - Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3

Before my workout Craig Ballantyne tweeted the most awesome advice ever:  "Just wrote a new fat loss book, here it is: Don’t be lazy. Don’t overeat. Don’t make excuses. The end." 

I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 this morning and burned 451 calories. I'll take 5 activity points, using the ones I didn't count yesterday to round up. Now I'm kind of pissed that I may have jumped the gun and spent $60 on a transmitter I may not need. I only lost signal once, for a few seconds, during the anerobic part of the workout. Maybe a loose chest strap has been my problem all along. Maybe my heart rate isn't as low as it has appeared, and maybe I am burning more calories than it was showing. I'll keep trying with this one for another week or so. I don't know if I should keep the new one I ordered or try to sell it. I don't want it going to waste sitting in my closet for a year, or however long before I need it. But it might not really matter because an article recently published suggest that the formula used by heart rate monitors is inaccurate for women.

Food:
cottage cheese & hard boiled egg
eggs & light English muffin w/ sugar-free jelly [1 pt], half a banana
chicken breast & broccoli w/ onions
apple & red pepper slices
chicken "ribs" w/ carrot sticks & red pepper slices
yogurt w/ pudding mix & cereal [2 pts because I had Cheerios and not Shredded Wheat] - I made yogurt from scratch in my slow cooker!!

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 29 weekly and 10 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 3B.

Chicken 'Ribs' - Recipe

I found this in the Mr. Food cookbook I have in my Living Cookbook software. The original recipe calls for 2 pounds of chicken, but I only made 1, so I've cut the recipe in half.

5 oz (1/2 can) condensed beef broth (which I did not have so I used chicken broth)
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup soy sauce
2 gloves garlic, minced
a few drops of red food coloring (optional)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in strips

1. Combine all ingredients and marinate in refrigerator (4 hours to overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place chicken strips on sheet and discard remaining marinade.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the chicken over and continue cooking 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and appears glazed.

Makes 6 servings. I don't have nutritional information for this because the software gave me a number that seemed really low, but I'm too lazy to calculate with Sparkrecipes.com. I don't know what the deal is - all my ingredients are properly linked but really, 40 calories per serving? So I don't know.

What I do know is, it was really, really good. My son loved it, my husband loved it, I loved it. I am going to look for concentrated beef broth, because they didn't really get a glaze on them. They were really flavorful, but I will marinate them overnight next time, instead of the 11 hours I did today.

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Wednesday - Workout A3

Stage 3A

one-arm dumbbell snatch 3x6x25 lbs

105 s rest

dumbbell single leg Romanian dead lift 3x6x30 lbs

barbell bent over row 3x6x75 lbs

105 s rest

dumbbell single arm overhead squat 3x6x10 & 20 lbs

dumbbell incline bench press 3x6x30 lbs

105 s rest

plank 3x90 s

reverse wood chop 3x6 - purple band

105 s rest

bodyweight matrix (24 squats, 12 lunges per leg, 12 lunge jumps per leg, 24 squat jumps) - 10:42. I still don't think I'm going deep enough with my jump moves. Oh well. I wore my HRM and burned 74 calories. I didn't notice any drops in signal from the transmitter. I tightened my band but was getting really high readings (like 175 bmp while walking). I'm still not sure I need a new transmitter. I tried to cancel my order so I could dick around with mine but it had already shipped.

2 points for the weights. I'm not going to take any for the matrix.

Food:
apple & cottage cheese
scrambled eggs w/ onion, red pepper, avocado & salsa, light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
Mexican ground beef & bulgur skillet
tilapia w/ roasted vegetables & homemade honey mustard dressing
yogurt & pudding mix w/ cereal - Again, I really looked forward to this treat!

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 32 weekly and 5 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - Turbo something.

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Tuesday - Active Recovery

I just did some random get off my ass stuff today - Wii Fit, basketball, a walk. I wanted to do some Turbo Jam but without my heart rate monitor, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I feel lost.

Food:
hard boiled egg, cottage cheese, apple
grilled turkey burger w/ avocado, ketchup & mustard on light English muffin [1 pt], carrot sticks & red pepper slices
grilled chicken, brown rice w/ mixed vegetables
yogurt & pudding mix w/ cereal - I can't tell you how much I looked forward to this all day!!!

80 ounces of water and one coffee. 33 weekly and 3 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 3A

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Monday - Workout B2

Stage 3B

barbell Romanian dead lift w/ bent over row 3x6x75 lbs

105 s rest

partial single leg squat 3x6

wide-grip lat pull down (assisted pull up) 3x6

105 s rest

back extension (on Swiss ball) 3x6

YTWL shoulder matrix 3x6x5 lbs 

105 s rest

(long arm) Swiss ball crunch 3x6

prone jackknife 3x6

Swiss ball side crunch 3x6 [per side]

105 s rest

Intervals: 3 min warm up, 1 min work/2 min recovery x 5, 2 min cool down [20 minutes total] - I did bench jumps for my work intervals and a light jog for my recovery intervals. During my first two work intervals, I completely lost the signal from my heart rate monitor strap, so I only showed a calorie burn of 114 calories. I am tired of this crap. I ordered a new strap. 2 activity points for the weights, 1 for the intervals.

Before my workout, I played some basketball with my son to warm up. I've been trying to get him outside every morning before it gets too hot and sunny. It was fun, but man, he's such a cry baby when he misses. I'm hoping that soccer camp at the end of this month will help with that.

Food:

apple & cottage cheese

eggs w/ light English muffin & sugar free jelly [1 pt]
yogurt & pudding mix w/ cereal
carrot sticks & red pepper slices, apple
brown rice & stir fry vegetables

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 34 weekly and 3 activity points remaining.

Tomorrow's workout - not sure. I was going to do tabatas but I think I need to save those for a day before a rest day. I hope to get out and play basketball with my son, maybe take him for a bike ride. 

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Sunday - Rest Day

I took the day off again. I'm trying to catch up on some my dvr stuff so I've been totally lazy. Plus I'm still in a funk about yesterday's sushi, when I really have no reason to be.

Food:
eggs w/ cheese [2 pts], light English muffin w/ sugar free jelly [1 pt]
apple & cottage cheese
Mexican ground beef & bulgur skillet [1 pt for oil], apple
carrot sticks & red pepper slices, banana
grilled steak w/ pasta salad - I probably should not have had a second piece of steak but it was so good. I wasn't stuffed after eating. I was on the upper side of satisfied.

40 ounces of water and two coffees. 4 activity points unused.

One week in control! I think my record is 13 days.

Tomorrow's workout - Stage 3B!!! My favorite.

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Saturday - Rest Day

Food:
mandarin oranges, eggs, toast w/ Smart Balance [2 pts]
side salad w/ fat free Italian dressing [1 pt for cheese]
sushi (California rolls) [10 pts]
apple
salad w/ lean pork ribs - I think I overate the ribs but they were so damn good.

I'm a little mad at myself. We went out of town this morning (out of state, actually) to check out Costco. It's 90 minutes away but we figured once-a-month shopping there might be worthwhile. We left after I ate breakfast and by the time we got there, it was lunchtime, but there were so few choices for restaurants. We went to Hardees and I didn't see anything on the menu that I felt comfortable eating, so just got a drink. I was kind of mad, because I was already getting hungry but there was NO WAY I was getting a nasty burger. That would have set me off for the entire day. Then I finally noticed the very small lettering on the menu - SIDE SALAD. Yes! And they had fat free dressing. Total Core (except for the cheese). So I had a good lunch. Then we went to Costco and did our shopping. I kept eye-balling the sushi. It had nutritional information on it - I would easily be able to figure points. I went back and forth in my head and at the last minute, bought the stuff and ate it in the car (I shared with my husband and son). It was 10 points. I had plenty. But I still felt guilty for eating it. I can't freaking win!

BUT, it turns out that is was a very good thing I bought the sushi because traffic was so horrendous, it took us 4 hours to get home. Had I not eaten that sushi, I would have been living off one tiny side salad in a nine-hour period. That would have sent me into a convenience food tailspin. But I still feel guilty, damn it. And overeating the ribs hasn't eased my guilt. However, I know I won't eat anything else today, and certainly no junk. I'm full and it's almost bedtime.

I wasn't in a water mood today. 8 activity points remaining.

NROL4W - Stage 3 - Friday - Workout A2

After I blogged last night, I had half a serving of pork rinds [1 pt].


Stage 3A

one-arm dumbbell snatch 3x6x25 lbs

105 s rest

dumbbell single leg Romanian dead lift 3x6x30 lbs

barbell bent over row 3x6x70 lbs

105 s rest

dumbbell single arm overhead squat 3x6x10 & 20 lbs

dumbbell incline bench press 3x6x30 lbs

105 s rest

plank 3x90 s

reverse wood chop 3x6 - purple band

105 s rest

bodyweight matrix (24 squats, 12 lunges per leg, 12 lunge jumps per leg, 24 squat jumps) - 8:54. I think I'm not going low enough for my jump lunges/squats. I somehow cut 2 1/2 minutes off my time. That can't be right. Next time I will focus on depth instead of just speed.

2 activity points for the weights, 1 for the matrix. 

Food:

apple & cottage cheese
scrambled eggs w/ onion, peppers, avocado & salsa, toast w/ Smart Balance [2 pts] - I was going to wait until I finished running errands to eat this but before I left, I started feeling just a little hungry and decided it would be best not to wait. I'm so glad I ate. I can't imagine what horrible food decisions I would have made in the checkout line at the store.
salad, so full of vegetables I can't even name them but also with cheese [3 pts] and vidalia onion dressing [1 pt] thinned with some olive oil
half a turkey sandwich [1 pt] - I had to try out the mayonnaise I made. It rocked!
roasted vegetables, lean pork chop

80 ounces of water and two coffees. 7 weekly and 14 activity points remaining.


Tomorrow's workout - maybe a bike ride, but honestly, my legs are shot and I might just rest.