Chickie - LOL I know it wasn't garden gnomes... it was ice cream, twix bars and sour cream and cheddar chips. Okay, some pizza too. (Um, and more over those 2 days). I guess I'm just mad because there was no real reason for it. Usually I indulge guilt-free because it's a special occasion type thing or I just work those goodies into my everyday meal plan, but there was just no excuse for eating that badly last weekend.
I have heard that being on steroid pills like that can do wonky things to your body and definitely make you hold onto some water. That's got to be frustrating to see, even though you know that's what it's from.
I do love oats actually.
My standard is just plain oatmeal, and then I'll cook up 3 egg whites and sprinkle in some cinnamon and stevia while I'm cooking them to make them sweet. Then I just toss those in a bowl with my oats.
Before I went "natural" I would add SF/FF Jello pudding mix to the oatmeal and let the oats sit overnight in the fridge. In the morning I would just pop it in the microwave while I cooked my eggs and then combined it. Sooo creamy and delicious! Now I am still experimenting with different things, but I just ordered a variety of natural extracts to try with it. I also love to add peanut butter.
I'm not huge into the fruit in my oatmeal, but only because I have fruit with my post workout shake and usually with my third meal of the day, so I don't want to totally overdo it on the fruit for the day. Its not that I think fruit is bad, but too much of it takes the place of calories I could be using for healthy fats or protein.
My other favorite breakfasts are quinoa flakes instead of oats, and I make some awesome pancakes out of egg whites and wheat bran (as a base).
Congrats on buying a Kettlebell! I love them so much, so I use them whenever I can. You can do some excellent workouts with them and really get the heart pumping. Let me know if you need ideas!
I totally feel you on being a homebody too. I also love my friends and I know I need to nuture those relationships, but I'm happiest at home just doing my own thing. It doesn't make it any easier when most social events around here are centered around food and alcohol.
Philana - I can see how it would look like I am too hard on myself, so I don't totally disagree with you. It's just that unlike most people, I plan on making my living as a fitness model and personal trainer. My body is my calling card, and I've been doing my best to keep myself close to optimal shape so that the next time I have a photo shoot or if I'm meeting a potential client or sponsor I look credible as a fitness professional. Fluxuating by a few pounds is okay, but I don't want to get into a routine of stuffing my face for no good reason and gaining almost a pound per day.
It sounds like you are going to be super busy for a while, so it's a good thing that you can maintain by just eyeballing things and guesstimating! One good thing about calorie counting is that if you do it consistently enough you get good at recognizing how much a serving of something is. It may not help you get any closer to your goal, but not gaining can be just as nice as losing when you're as busy as you are! I think as long as you don't toss it all aside you'll be just fine, especially if you keep up all the biking and running you warrior woman!
Turbo - Hahaha, I was just giving you crap, you totally didn't pressure me into anything. I have realized that I need that accountability, because it's easy to "just not look" and slowly pack on the squishy pounds. Muscle pounds are one thing... squishy pounds are another!
Good luck tonight... I'm sure you can make good choices, and even if you don't do as well as you would like it's always just a matter of getting back on track tomorrow.
You are at 140.8 pounds now... where would you like to be?
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Ahhh Sundays. I love Sundays. I get a nice long relaxing cardio workout done, all that house cleaning and meal preparation, and its generally just a makeup-free relaxing day. The only thing that would be better is if my hubby were here to enjoy them with me, but I get to see him again in 18 days! Whoot!
My latest concoctions today in my newfound natural eating adventure have turned out pretty well. I made some peanut butter "ice cream" today by blending cottage cheese, PB2, cinnamon, stevia and almond milk with a bit of glucomannan powder (it's a natural thickener made from konjac root). Then I stirred in a bit of natural peanut butter and left it fairly chunky, like ribbons of peanut buttery goodness. Popped it in the freezer for about 45 minutes, and it was marvelous!
Then, I threw some cooked quinoa, baby shrimp, tomatos, mushrooms, spinach, fresh garlic and lemon juice into a skillet and made a fantastic lunch. It was amazingly good, especially with a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Nom nom nom. (Second picture)
For dinner I just made chicken with spinach, sushi ginger, garlic, tofu noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili paste. Wow. Perfect combination of hot, slightly sweet from the ginger. Amazing! (first picture)