Good morning all!

Had a terrific weekend with dh finally back! I really enjoy it when he goes away (for the first few days anyway) but then I start to miss him.... But then when he gets back ~ I find that we appreciate each other more when we've been separated for a while~~~~~

Anyway, I got in some exercise on Thursday night, Friday morning, and on Saturday morning too, which is highly unusual for me, as you all know. I'm so glad I did too, because I felt so much better all Saturday. I have to get in the habit of working out a little on weekends! One step at a time, right?

Not much else to say, except here's this weeks plan:

Mon - Curves, video
Tues - Curves, bowling
Wed - Curves, video
Thurs - Curves, video
Fri - Curves, video

Most of the time, I don't get those video workouts done, but I'm trying... as long as I watch my eating, and get Curves done everyday, I'm happy

Have a good one!

My weekend was kinda strange. Lost some of my will power with eating and exercise. But to my surprise, when i weighed myself this a.m., i had lost 2 pounds this week (total of 18 pounds since January 1). This was the incentive i needed this morning to get back on track.

I exercised this a.m. on the treadmill for 45 minutes. I am gonna try to get my "Buns of Steel" video done tonight and ab workout. Wish me luck.

I have a lot of celebrating this week. My son turns 21 on March 27 and my husband's retirement dinner is Wednesday so i have a lot of challenges this week. My weekly workout schedule is gonna be kinda light because of all the stuff going on this week.

This is what i am committing to this week.

Treadmill - 45 minutes
Buns of Steel and
Monday, Thursday, and Saturday

Treadmill 45 minutes
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Karen Voight - ad workout (everyday)

MTM - Congrats on the weekend exercise. I know i have a problem with that too.

Sally
158/140/130

Just wanted to pop in and say good morning! I am still here but came down the a cold and the flu all at once starting on Sunday, so needless to say I haven't worked out since Saturday and won't be working out until at least tomorrow. So by then I will need incentive to keep going, or at least a swift kick in the butt!

Hi everyone!

Sorry I couldn't check in yesterday -- I was at home, and our connection was down all day!
Thanks for starting the new thread Marvin!

mustang sally: Congrats on the loss!! That's so encouraging! And it's RESULTS that keep us on track, so it's great to have that little extra incentive! Good for you!

MarvinTM: You must be enjoying your DH's return!! I'm impressed that you got a weekend workout in -- I always DO feel better when I do, but like you, I never seem to find the time!

zookeeper: I hope you feel better soon! It is hard to pick yourself up from a slump (believe me, I know!), but we're all here to cheer you on when you're healthy + ready to get going again!

As for me -- well, you all saw me heading into a slump...and it continued well through the weekend!! Bad eating, + not working out even when I did have an opportunity. I didn't work out for SIX DAYS!!! I didn't eat as poorly as I could have, but I still say we should have never brought those Twizzlers into the house!!
Since I'm feeling burnt out + am heading into TOM, I've decided to lighten up my workouts this week, and also try a little more cardio for a pinch to the plateau (not quite a kick ). I'll head back into the Tortoise/Hare rotation next week, after this "break" -- hopefully much rejeuvenated.

M: Firm: Prime Power Fat Burning + 20 minutes K.Smith Latin Rhythm. [done]
T: K. Smith Kickboxing + 20 mins Latin Rhythm
W: Firm: Prime Power Lower Body + 20 mins Latin Rhythm
Th: K. Smith Peak Fatburning + 20 mins Latin Rhythm
F: (planned rest)
*(note for clarity: the Prime Power tapes are a little harder than the Firm Basics tapes, but not at the level of the H/T tapes, and only about 40-45 minutes long, while the H/T tapes are about an hour)


Hopefully we'll also get some walking in this weekend, now that the weather's starting to improve a little. Hope everyone else is doing okay!

P.S. Yes, I still owe a meatloaf recipe -- haven't forgotten entirely! Will post soon!

Glad to see you all posting in!

Sally! Two more pounds gone! That's great! And so encouraging, to see results, and stop that slippery slide into a slump! Way to go!

Zookeeper You get yourself better quick, girl! But don't overdo it ~ we all know what happens then ~ just concentrate on eating well and getting your rest ~ the rest will wait until you're up to it!

Copperblu I am very patiently awaiting your meatloaf recipe! Since the enchilada pie one went over so well, I can't wait to try more of your recipes! BTW, would you mind if I shared the enchilada recipe with some friends of mine?

Don't worry too much about your slump ~ we all have 'em, but the key is to pick yourself back up and start again. The more we worry, the more we slump, right?

As for me, I did well yesterday. I weighed in a half pound UP, but that's as a result of the two really bad days on the weekend.... Feelin really good about this week though.

I got extra exercise in last night, when we cleaned out the chickenhouse for the chicks that are coming on Friday. We let our barncats live in the chicken house during the winter (it's the only insulated, heated building we have), so we had to kick them out (into the other barn), and shovel out all the "chicken mess" from last season, the straw from the cat's bedding and the "mess" the cats made on top of all that. Let's just say that dh and I got a pretty good workout! I think that counts!

Anyway, I have a massage scheduled for a half hour from now, and I'm seeing the chiropractor this afternoon, so I should be ship-shape again!

Talk to ya later!

MarvinTM: Wow! It sounds like you sure got a workout!!
I don't mind at all if you share my enchilada pie recipe! The more the merrier! And now that I have it written down, I'm posting the meatloaf recipe in a second post right after this one!

Update: I think I had planned to do the Kickboxing tape + 20 mins Latin Rhythm -- WELL, I certainly forgot how hard kickboxing is! I was BEAT after about 20 mins, so I had to stop before I collapsed whining on the floor. I didn't feel like that was really enough of workout though, despite making me tired, so I put in Peak Fat Burning and did that. It wasn't quite the combo I expected, but I still ended up with 40 mins aerobic + 20 mins extra aerobic. The nice surprise was that after feeling demoralized by the kickboxing, I was very pleasantly surprised by how easy I found the Peak Fat Burning workout -- I seem to remember it as being much harder, but I just breezed through it. So THAT was nice!
Ate well PRIMARILY yesterday -- greek salad pita (w/reduced fat feta) for lunch + butternut squash soup and a salad (lowcal/lowfat dressing of course) for dinner. It was the snacking that got me. 2 pieces of bread, one w/margarine + one w/apricot jam, 1 slice Healthy Choice turkey breast, 1 bite chocolate cheesecake (leftover from DH's birthday), 6 or 7 chips, and 4 of those d*mned Twizzlers! After I worked out, I calmed down -- but I was on a rampage! I basically had to workout to stop myself from eating any more! Stupid PMS.
Good news is that even though I should be bloated (and am, by the looks of it), I don't weigh any more than I have for the past 3-4 weeks. If anything, it looks like I've gone down half a pound! So maybe there's a loss waiting for me at the end of this binging rainbow.

Healthy Meatloaf
Ingredients:
nopstick cooking spray
1 and 1/4 pounds ground turkey (or, if your DH is stubborn like mine, extra lean ground beef, which has similar calorie + fat specs)
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup + 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tb Worchestershire sauce (to taste -- I prefer more)
2 egg whites (or 1/4 cup "egg beaters")
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, lightly coat a 13x9" pan or a baking sheet w/nonstick spray
2. Combine turkey, bread crumbs, onion, 1/3 cup bbq sauce, Worchestershire sauce, egg whites, salt + pepper in bowl. Mix well with hands until completely combined.
3. Place mixture in middle of pan + shape into a 10x4" loaf. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup bbq sauce on top.
4. Bake one hour + let stand 5-10 minutes before draining fat and slicing.

Recipe says it serves 6 , with the following specs per serving of two 1" slices each: 190 cal, 3.5 g fat (.9 saturated fat), 17.7g carbohydrates, .7g fiber, 18.7g protein. However, I find that it more accurately serves 4-5, in my opinion -- but that doesn't make a giant difference in cals/fat, so I don't worry about it too much.
Notes:
-This recipe vs. traditional meatloaf: using the baking sheet/larger pan saves about 40 cal + 5g fat per serving, substituting lean ground turkey saves 156 cals + 17g per serving, and replacing one whole egg w/2 egg whites saves 9 cal + 1g fat per serving.
-You can use more bbq sauce to taste (I add a touch more than the recipe calls for), or substitute some of the bbq w/A-1 for extra kick. I've noticed that too little bbq sauce results in a bland meatloaf, so I don't skimp on that.
-I've found that sometimes this meatloaf is more crumbly than others, which is sometimes helped by being very particular about letting it cool before slicing.
-I serve this w/a steamed green vegetable (I sprinkle veggies w/lemon juice + just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes, until cooked but still firm), and healthy mashed potatoes (potatoes mashed w/skim milk + light sour cream rather than butter + cream). DH loves it, and is blissfully unaware that it's only about 400 cals total for the whole dinner.

That sounds fabulous! I think that I can work it into the meal plan for this week and we'll have it on the weekend! I've done the baking before on a broiler pan, and let the juices run into the bottom, and what a difference it makes in the greasiness! I will never make meatloaf in a loaf pan again!

Anyway, still doing alright here! Curves and bowling yesterday, and ate well. The massage and chiropractic appointments I had yesterday were great! I can feel such a difference, especially in my neck, where I had a great amount of tension yesterday! So, I'm feeling pretty good today!

Today looks pretty good too. I am going to Curves (of course) right after work, and then dh is going to a hockey game tonight with his friends, so I'll be alone to work out again tonight. Planned out my meals, so I should be okay that way, and off I go!

WHERE IS EVERYONE???

MarvinTM: I never thought of using the broiler pan! (of course, if you saw how small my kitchen is -- i.e., how hard it is to get the broiler pan out to clean it -- you'd understand why it didn't occur to me! ). Good idea!
Sounds like you're having a great week! Good for you! Keep up the good work!

Update: Had a little brownie + chunk of Edam cheese from an office "thing" yesterday -- which was pretty good, considering my weakness for all manner of "free" chocolate and especially cheese, but still unnecessary. Didn't get to do my workout, as DH + I decided to go out to dinner -- we eventually didn't (went home + made tortellini), but I did get some walking in before we decided to go home instead.
Other than the office treats, I ate pretty well. Had a whole wheat pita stuffed w/Healthy Choice turkey, 2 thin slices avocado, red bell pepper, + some mustard for lunch -- yum! Same for lunch today, and making a light Thai noodle thing for supper. Doing well on calories (1500-1700) and fat (though I'd like to be closer to 25% regularly), and fiber (35g or more) goals lately. Have even forced a friend to start drinking enough water too!
Since I missed my workout, I'll be doing Prime Power Lower Body tonight instead of Peak Fat Burning.

Having a lazy feeling morning today... I just can't get moving today!

Anyway, I only did two rounds at Curves yesterday (25 min) as my knees were really starting to bug me. So I went home and iced them for a while which seems to have helped ~ anyway, I'll take it easy on them today when I go work out....

I will miss my 2nd workout today too, as I am going to a coworkers for a home gift party thing.... I'll try to eat ok there, too.... That's if I even get there... as tired as I feel right now, I just want to go home!

Either way, I'm having sort of a down day, which is ok ~ it balances the rest out. Then tomorrow, I only work a half day before I go home to set up the new baby chicks and turkeys. That should be interesting!

I hope everyone is out there getting their franny moving ~ even if they'r not posting!!!

Have a great day, copperblu!

I'm here. I'm here. What a couple of days it has been. Celebrated my son's 21st birthday on Tuesday and hubby's retirement party last night. Ate three meals in a resturant in 2 days. What a challenge. I made the best choices i could - chicken.

I missed exercise on Tuesday, but walked on the treadmill on Wednesday for 45 minutes. I have a workout planned afterwork because dh is going to the pool to do training for his triathalon.

I'm glad everyone is doing good. Cooperblu - thanks for the meatloaf recipe. Can't find one i really like. Yours looks yummy.

MTM - take care of your precious knees. It is sorta down around here today also. Must be the gray skies after the beautiful sunshine yesterday affecting us.

Have a good day ladies.

sally

Hi everyone. I haven't managed to do any exercise this week. My dad is in hospital about 30 miles away from where we live & I've spent all my time running between home / work / hospital & trying to find time for my boys round everything else.

But I have set myself a challenge for the weekend - 30 mins of exercise on Fri, Sat & Sun - doesn't matter what kind I just gotta get moving again. Dad is still in hospital so time is going to be tight - but if I want this bad enough I will make time for me.

I haven't managed to read all your posts - I can hopefully catch up with them over the weekend. Hope you are all ok & exercising your butts off - to quote my boys.

see you soon

Carol

Hi again! I'm here, just not well enough to workout yet so there's nothing to report. But I miss my Tae Bo something terribly! Since I still am congested, coughing, sniffling, sneezing, well you get the picture, I will probably take this weekend off and start anew on Monday.

Hope everyone else is doing well and staying healthy!

completely off topic, but i went shopping tonight and found a bathing suit i like. HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi all!!

MarvinTM: I'm having a couple of "down" days too -- I'm trying to view them as mini-vacations from which I'll return energized + enthusiastic. That's a bummer about your knees -- women are especially prone to knee injuries, so be careful!

mustang sally: Great to hear from you! My congrats on making healthy choices at the restaurants -- that's the hardest for me! Especially in a "celebratory" atmosphere! Give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back!
And CONGRATULATIONS on finding a swimsuit you like!!! I feel we should have a trumpet fanfare for such occasions! That's GREAT!

Big Sal: I'm so sorry to hear about your dad! That's got to be stressful! I'm really impressed that you're making a point of not letting it completely derail you, and I know that ultimately doing this for yourself will make you feel better. I hope all goes well.

zookeeper: Don't worry -- we stand by you in both sickness and health! Get well soon!

Update: didn't get in a workout yesterday, which leaves me at 2 thus far for this week unless I can squeeze one in on Saturday. I've been randomly snacking, which is annoying, but judging from my totals at Fitday, I seem to have kept it largely in check. I shouldn't gain from this exercise/eating slump, even if I don't lose.
I'm not sure what my rotation of Firm tapes will be next week -- I'm still deciding whether I should try to go back to my Hare/Tortoise challenge, or if I need to slow down and work up to it w/an "inbetween" rotation of the Prime Powers + Basics tapes. I like the challenge of the H/T tapes, and the feeling of accomplishment when I finish -- but I worry that they're actually just a little too hard right now, and I'll end up burnt out again. The Prime Powers tapes feel a little easy, and I don't want to be slacking off...but on the other hand, I need to be doing workouts that I can do without overexerting myself, and that I will do, rather than skipping because I don't have the energy. Still not sure -- that's a debate I'll have to have with myself over the weekend.
Good luck to everyone over the weekend!! Have a fun + healthy one!