I've been in a 5 year lunch rut, but I don't mind. BIG salad with some sort of protein and a small bit of carb dumped on top. My favorite is cold turkey chili, though the past couple of days I've been tempted to scrape the chili of and microwave it at work.

Hey everyone! I’m here but I’m frozen!! It is -30C with the wind right now…I think that’s about -22F, if I did my math correctly. FREEZING!!

I was in LA last week, my friend that it was a bit chilly when I got there at about 65F but it went up to closer to 80 and wow…was that nice. I hope I got a little Vitamin D in.

So, DH joined the gym, as I think I mentioned. He went for a fitness assessment, which he called an exercise in humility and to visit the nutritionist. Do you know the first thing he tells me? “I need more protein.” No!!! Really?? I’ve only been saying that for a year or more. I think he’s slowly coming over to our side. Yay!

He also got a few personal training sessions, which I’m thrilled about since hopefully he’ll learn a lot, but not thrilled about the cost! Can’t have everything right? Oh, and he also went shopping and came home with brown rice, chicken breasts, cottage cheese and eggs!

Lunches? That’s a tough one. We’re struggling too. I tend to do soups or salads or leftovers. When I’m really stuck at work, it’s a protein bar or natural peanut butter on Wasa crackers. Not great, but good when you’re really stuck.

Lydia - are you home for that lunch or do you make it in advance? I need ideas that carry to work, but I think I could do that. We have a fridge and a microwave so that helps.

Shannon - I too would make a "donation" if I could. I don't think mine are ever going anywhere!!

Pat - your taco salad sounds good! I know I am also still too low on the protein. I tend to struggle for "breakfast protein" the most. I got some new protein powder that I guess I might have to start having sometimes. It's the easiest, I guess.

Time to do some work! Have a great day.

Elisa - sorry you're suffering from the high pressure area - which results in the cold - that we sent over from Alaska. We had it for 3 weeks, and I was not a happy camper! I'm loving this 40 degree weather, esp today as the wind has died down from the past two days.

Mel - why not take the chili and salad in separate containers? I do that and put warm chili over my salad. Really good over spinach. I've been known to do that with Smart Ones or Lean Cuisine Beans and RIce lunches too.

DePalma - yum - your lunches sound great. I actually have at least one jar of curry sauce in my cupboard. May have to try this one. I bought some lean turkey meatballs last week, with Italian seasoning. They are really good, even DH liked them.

Re: protein. I'm really trying to have it at every meal. I just had a snack of a hard-boiled egg mushed up with a smidge of mayo spread on a FlatOut ww wrap (light original, 90 cals, 9g protein). I don't know what's for lunch (eating out with a friend), but we're having a spinach salad with grilled chicken for dinner (with some carb on the side for DH - probably a roll).

Today is a rest day, but I'm planning to be at the gym by 8 am tomorrow, as I have a quilting meeting at 10, and then I'd have the rest of the day without worrying about when I'll get to the gym. I do so wish they'd open on Sundays.

Pat - 40 degrees sounds balmy today! And I should look at our WW wraps. I wouldn't have thought that you could get 9g of protein from the wrap. That sounds like a great snack. Thanks!

So, hold on to your seats people, I have the newish BFL "Champions" book and I'm toying with doing a 12 week challenge. I've never done a real one. But last nite in the fear that evening brings, I really thought I had it in me to eat 12 weeks of brown rice, ckn breast, and steamed broccoli. All things that I eat just fine anyway, just not so often as 100% of the time, all the time, for 12 weeks. I asked dh if he would consider joining me, but he gave me a laundry list of why it wouldn't work. Hmm, no help there. Could I really eat that clean that long? Would it really make that much more of a difference than the way I currently eat? Questions, questions. I almost want to say I feel VERY strongly that I'm committed enough to mark off the next 12 weeks on the calendar and commit to it. And then follow that with the next 12 weeks of doing it my way and see the difference. I'm already doing the workouts - except I do 3 sets, not 5, which is what is recommended (not sure if that is new or original). I think I will try their recipe for the HIIT cardio tho, that would be new for me, 20 minutes. But more than 3x/week I think. I do realize that this is no longer written by Bill Phillips and instead it's done by Abbott Labs now.

Anyway, I feel my muscles getting bigger/stronger now from my lifting, it's just a renewed focus on burning off the fat with some good cardio that i think needs to be my main focus. (and finding lo-sodium ctgchs that I will choke down if it kills me!)

Once you find it Fran (and let me tell you I had to look at ctgchs for a full minute before I figured out what it said ) try blending it, maybe add a spoonful of yogurt, then mix with fruit. Am I right that it's the texture that bothers you? THe yogurt alone without the blending will smooth it out.

As for the 12 weeks - do you mean really just brown rice, chicken and broccoli? You're a braver woman than me! My next-door-neighbor's son-in-law is a bodybuilder and this (or grilled salmon) is what he eats getting ready for a competition. I even watched him pass up everything at a Thanksgiving dinner.....

I've been doing really well eating clean this week, though I succumbed to a peice of homemade cake - without frosting - last night at a church council meeting. Back on the wagon today though. DH even made oatmeal on the stove this for us this morning - he almost never eats oatmeal, so this really surprised me.

Well, no, not entirely only that. But that would probably be my mainstay since I don't like fish and can't do the protein shakes or supplements. But as dh reminded me just now as we were planning for dinner, with kids, I better be prepared to make 2 meals each nite. While they LIKE chicken and broccoli, they probably won't want it every nite. sigh My plan would need to include having spaghetti one nite a week, a breaded chicken breast, maybe a chicken/cheese quesadilla, then i could fill the other 4 nites with grilled chicken, turkey chili, and 2 repeaters.

If it's calories in vs calories out and I'm staying at my limit, I guess the "really clean" food will lean me out more/faster, but would it be that more dramatic than being "just" a calorie counter? And I'm not talking a CC who includes going to BK for breakfast or other fast food in the plan - I mean a fairly, relatively healthy CC.

I'm a little embarrassed here, cuz I pretty much live on brocc, spinach salad, chicken breast and salmon. I'm a calorie counter who doesn't like counting, so I just plug in a day's worth at TDP, and when I get the macros and calories right, I eat that same stuff till I'm sick of it, then I figure out a new menu when I change something out. No brainer CCing, lol.

Still stuck at home with a broked van. I'm out of ideas for what's wrong, since electrical isn't my strong suit, so I've called for help. Haven't heard back, but hopefully I can get somebody who knows more than I do to take a look and help me get a diagnosis, since replacing the wrong parts could get expensive quick. Unfortunately, the Y doesn't allow dogs, or I'd just drive the team over there.

Cheryl, what exactly is broken re your van? I seem to remember that your wipers went dead and that you replaced the switch and the motor? Did you test the old motor with a separate voltage source? Did you check the electrical circuit with a voltmeter to see if you have the correct voltage at the switch and at the motor ? Often in winter it is the electrical connectors that give the problems for instance from cossosion, either from the battery side or from the mass side. Or if the wipers went dead during a drive it could also mean that a connector was shaken loose. If the connectors are accessible it might be a good idea to check them with the voltmeter and use the spray stuff on suspect connections.

Good luck on the repairs. no fun having to work on a car in the cold and wet and dark of winter.

Rabbit

Wow. You go Rabbit!

Don't mind me...I just know how to change a flat and check the fluids every once in a while. What else do you know Rabbit? You amaze me!

Fran - Let me know what you decide! I've also given some thought to following the BFL food. I'm torn on the 12 weeks...I go back and forth between thinking that it's not that long at all, and thinking holy crap, that's a long time! For now I'm trying a modified version. My DH's visit to the nutritionist has put us closer to the BFL system, without calling it that.

Still crazy cold here today. I could really use a little of this

Rabbit - very impressive!!

I wrote this long post earlier, addressed different people, etc - had two different windows open so I could scroll up and down in one and type in the other... Then, I clicked back a page in the wrong window and lost the entire thing...

Fran - good luck with the 12 week program, if you decide to go for it.

Rabbit - Wow!

Cheryl - bummer about the van. And, I tend to do the same thing as you on TDP - I put in a few meals and just have them over and over and over and over...

Pay - I just found those Flat Out light wraps last week, love them!

Elisa - I think if my DH went to a fitness assessment right now he would come home with the same kinds of things I've been saying for a while, also! I bet it was nice to have the validation of the trainer to back up what you've been saying, though! Maybe now he will pay more attention!

Mel - I've never done chili on a salad before, but it really sounds yummy. I have to try that!

It has warmed up here today, so now is 36 degrees, instead of the 17 it was when I got up... It is supposed to be warmer than this in Georgia!

Rabbit, I don't know what's wrong with it now. The battery was bad, no big surprise since it was about time for that, but I think it burned some connection or link somewhere, and I have to track that down and see what the damage is. I'll be taking another look at it today, and maybe I'll get lucky with the tester and track down the problem.

Did UB lifting at home last night. Was fried from a long run the night before, and really should have taken a rest day, so the workout was a slog. Might take a rest day today and see if it helps, because I am still feeling pretty beat and my everything hurts, but maybe I'll feel better later.

Today will be spent dealing with a few of the urgent projects at home. I'd like to clear the "it's a freakin' emergency" projects out today, so I can spend some time with the taxes and the '09 budget/calendar tonight or tomorrow.

Shannon, glad things are warming up a bit. 36 is normal for our winter temps, but I understand if you're not used to it, you're probably freezing!

Cheryl, Yeah, that's what I would do as well: try to follow the electric path from the battery & check the connections with the tester as you go along. Bad connections are always difficult to find. Good luck!

Hi to all the other maintainers! I'm not out to impress you people...I just have a lot of sympathy for any other mother who is stuck with car repairs in winter. Been there, done that, did not buy the T-shirt.

I'm still mostly lurking because I fell of the wagon big time & am struggling to get back on...thanks for all the inspiration !

rabbit

Oh so true! But I keep thinking, you know what, 12 weeks is going to come and go whether i'm on a good plan or not. So I should just do it, kwim?