Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores
Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
banana
tomato and cheese sandwich
graham cracker
shrimp scampi, rice, zucchini, watermelon
You certainly had more will power than I with buying the cake! I probably would have bought both of them!
I sure am loving this weather! Sam bought some biodegradable black fabric mulch to try in the garden. The weeds always seem to get away from us. We'll give it a try and see how it works.
Meals
Tofu scramble
Egg and cheese muffin
Cheese and Tomato sandwich
1 cup of ice cream
I hope the black fabric mulch works out for your garden tackling the weeds. I noticed I have a few more lilies coming up, so perhaps the oriental variety just take longer to emerge from the ground. I think they bloom in the summer. So I will be doing some weeding this weekend.
I got home late again today. Since it was hot, I had some ice cream and just skipped supper. I can't wait for the weekend, just to relax. Have a great Friday!
Tip of the Day:
17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight (continued).... Reason Number 11 = You Have Poor Gut Health
Years of unhealthy eating can knock your digestive system so out of whack, it could be blunting your weight-loss efforts. That's because the beneficial bacteria that live in your gut play a critical role in your health, controlling everything from protecting you from colds to keeping you happy. But most importantly, these bugs have a huge influence over your hunger hormones and weight. So when the bad bugs stay in control, it puts you at risk of uncontrollable hunger surges and unwelcome weight gain.
Counter It:
Just because you've lost the weight doesn't mean you will automatically have a cleaner, healthier gut. To mend your tummy, cut out the bad-bug-feeding sugars from your diet, and load up on sources of both prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are a source of food for the good guys in your gut to help them build strength, and probiotics act as reinforcements, helping to drive out the bad guys. Good sources of prebiotics are legumes, onions, artichokes, spinach, and oats, and probiotics can be found in fermented foods as well as yogurt.
Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores
Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
banana
tomato and cheese sandwich
roast chicken, sweet potato, corn, watermelon
Today will probably be a disaster. It's Sam's birthday and we are going to Ruby Tuesday for dinner, then he wants to check out an ice cream shop that was named one of the ten best places for ice cream in PA. And to make matters worse, I always make him a special chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting!
Took Steel for a drive yesterday. I kept it short because it was so hot. Does Jack mind the heat?
Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores
Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
2 slices of pizza
steak, broiled zucchini, baked potato
cake and ice cream
No change for me.....
Sam and I spent yesterday buying perennials at garden centers we had never been to before. We had lunch and dinner out and had a very nice day. I have a shady spot on the side of the house and want to make a flower bed with mostly hostas. Tomorrow we're going to plant the vegetable garden.
Yikes, no change for me today. I thought for sure I might be at least 1/2 pound down. Hmm.
When it gets real hot outside, I usually prep Jack for the walk by spraying him down with some water or having him lay in the pool for a bit. It seems to help keep him from getting too hot. Plus I walk in the early morning or evenings when it is cooler out too.
I went to look at some Irises at the Farmers market today. I want to put some up around my house, and I want to get one that has purple, yellow, and white. That is the colors that my mother had around the house when I was a kid. I liked them. My oh my, I learned a lot today from the woman who sells them there. I was told that I have to wait to pick them up in July/August, because they will be dormant then and ready to plant. Also the colors and varieties are numerous, and hybrids are always being developed. So...I may never find exactly the one I wanted because it is an older variety. Well, I guess I will keep looking until I find one that is close enough for what I want. I just never new.
Glad Sam and you had a nice day together. Birthdays always have to have cake and ice cream.
Tip of the Day:
17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight (continued).... Reason Number 12 - You're Suffering from Chronic Inflammation
Whether it's because of seasonal allergies, hidden food allergens, or eating way too many of these inflammation-inducing foods, chronic inflammation can be a dieter's worse nightmare. Even though inflammation is a natural defense response your body uses to target and get rid of potentially-harmful invaders, when your immune system runs haywire, it can be bad for your weight. That's because when your body is constantly under attack, levels of inflammatory biomarkers build up and either circulate through your blood or are stored in fat cells—and specifically, belly fat cells, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. So even though you've lost weight, if you've only lost subcutaneous fat, and not belly fat, researchers hypothesize that your belly fat may still be releasing these inflammatory biochemicals, which will continue to worsen inflammation, cause weight gain, and force an increase in fatty acids in your bloodstream. Bottom line: it drives your body into a waist-widening downward spiral.
Counter It:
Avoid foods full of saturated fats and fructose, as these two things have been associated with direct abdominal fat gain, and talk to a food allergist to see if anything you're eating may be worsening your inflammation.
Hi all I am new to this site and would love to jump in....I need to be accountable.
I am sooooo counting my barn chores as exercise...after all they ARE exercise :-)
Exercise
1 1/2 hrs. morning barn chores
1/2 hr. evening barn chores
11,682 steps
Meals
oatmeal with blueberries
chicken sandwich
banana
watermelon, shrimp scampi, rice
another small piece of chocolate cake
Hi HorseChick50 Tell me all about your horses. I've had them for over 50 years! I've downsized to miniatures as I can't ride anymore, but I do a lot of showing in-hand and driving.
Went to a huge flea market yesterday and found someone selling hostas. I bought a few more for my new garden. We had rain here yesterday morning. Hopefully the garden will dry out enough to plant.
The hay fields look good. We'll be starting to bale in a couple of weeks, weather permitting.
Meals
Eggs and hash brown
Taco salad
Mock turkey cutlet
Ice cream
Hey Renee, sorry I have missed a few days. I have been having migraine headaches again since the weekend. They keep coming and going. I made it through work today somehow. Sunday, I went for a walk, but the whole rest of the day I was out of it. So nauseated and head pounding. I am a little better this evening, and I did walk. Hopefully I will be better tomorrow.
Sounds like you are getting all those flowers planted. I bet they make the area look beautiful. Hope we get some sunshine this weekend to perk up your tomatoes, and also our local strawberry patch for the upcoming strawberry festival.
Hi HorseChick50! Welcome to the thread.
Tip of the Day:
17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight (continued).... Reason Number 13 - You Avoid the Scale
After months of daily weigh-ins, grueling workouts and adhering to a strict diet, you finally hit your goal weight. But now, just two months later, your skinny jeans are starting to feel a tad tight and you're not sure why. If you're like the majority of dieters, you're still eating well and exercising, but you stopped stepping on the scale—a major no-no. Although the number on the scale isn't the only way to judge your continued success, research shows that those who avoid the ritual tend to pack on more weight than those who don't.
Counter It:
There's no need to be a slave to your scale; checking in once a week should do the trick. And here's a tip: Since weight naturally fluctuates throughout the week, researchers say that Wednesday weigh-ins are the most accurate.
Meals
Banana and lettuce on wheat/grain bread
Fried okra, curry potatoes, peas, on rice
Shish kabobs (Tofu, green pepper, onion, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms) with avocado, cheddar cheese, rice wrap.
Gummi rabbits
Hi Renee, today I am feeling much better. Yes, I need to schedule an appointment with my Doctor about them. I have nothing but aspirin for now, which is not helping too much. I need to figure out the real cause though.
With all this rain, you should have a good start for your flowers and garden this year. Hopefully, it won't get moldy. I think the sun will peak out for a little while in the next few days here. Hope you get some too.
Memorial Day weekend is sneaking right up on us. Time is just flying by. Do you have any horse shows?
Tip of the Day:
17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight (continued).... Reason Number 14 - You Opt for Coffee Over Green Tea
You probably think you need your skinny, double shot latte to wake you up in the morning and give you the extra boost to get through the workday—but if you always opt for coffee over tea, you could be missing out of some major metabolism-boosting effects. And that's super important after weight loss, as your metabolism can slow down drastically. In a recent study, participants who added a daily habit of drinking 4 to 5 cups of green tea to their 25-minute workout routine lost an average of two more pounds and more belly fat than the non-tea drinkers. How does it work? The brew contains catechins, a type of antioxidant that triggers the release of fat from fat cells and helps speed the liver's capacity for turning fat into energy, which will help rev up your metabolism so you can continue to look bikini-ready.
Counter It:
Start sipping the green brew for a slimmer, more efficient calorie-burning you. We like the Lipton and Yogi varieties of green tea, but you can also reap the benefits from a powdered matcha.
Meals
Scrambled eggs and hash brown
Veggie pizza
Mock pork barbecue in pita pocket
I finally scheduled a doctor's appointment next week to get my head examined. Haha.
You must be getting excited about the horse show.
Not doing very good eating this week. I have been really busy and my routine is off track.
I hope next week I can get back to my regular schedule.
Have a great Thursday!
Tip of the Day:
17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight (continued).... Reason Number 15 - You Sit All Day
Many of us are spending prolonged periods of time sitting, either at our desks or while we binge-watch Netflix. And experts are saying this can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as early death—regardless of whether you still carve out time to exercise. In fact, a report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that those who concentrate their workouts into a single session and spend the rest of the day sitting are susceptible to the same negative health risks as those who don't work out at all, including regaining all that hard-lost weight. Yikes. According to experts, when you sit all day at your desk, the bulging biceps and washboard abs you worked so hard to build at the gym begin to break down. This slows your resting metabolism and can make it harder to maintain your weight loss goals.
Counter It:
You don't have to give your two weeks notice to your goal weight. Simply getting up from your chair and taking a two-minute walk once every half an hour can do the trick, according to studies published in the journals Diabetes Care and BMJ. When middle-aged overweight and obese adults interrupted sitting time with short bouts of walking every 30 minutes, they lowered self-reported fatigue, minimized spikes in blood-sugar, and lowered insulin levels after eating meals, which translates to keeping your hunger pangs at bay and helping you scorch more fat! Set your phone alarm so you don't forget to take a break.
Meals
Eggs and hash brown
Tofu scramble
Egg omelet
Got pounded with rain today running from the grocery store to my car. It came on suddenly. Cooler now.
I am starting to believe my headaches are somewhat weather related, but I need to track them awhile to really confirm it or not.
The weekend is almost here. Yeah! Don't know just what I will be doing yet. I will find something fun to do. I always have chores, but I need to find something slightly different to do for a day.
Hope you have a great Friday!
Tip of the Day:
17 Reasons Why You're Regaining Weight (continued).... Reason Number 16 - You Continue to Cut Carbs
It may have worked to drop water weight and melt away the pounds at first, but completely slashing your carbohydrate intake will leave you with some not-so-pleasant side effects that can make it hard to go about your daily routine, like exhaustion, irritability, and lethargy—all emotions which have also been connected with overeating. "Carbs are essential [in our daily lives] as our brain and [central nervous system] require them continuously to work properly," says trainer and RD, Tim McComsey. Restricting carbs completely will cause any newly-added, fat-burning muscle mass to be metabolized for energy, rather than carbs.
Counter It:
So as long as you keep carbs to a reasonable percentage of your daily calories, and choose the right ones, these starches don't have to hit the curb.
Tell me all about your horses. I've had them for over 50 years! I've downsized to miniatures as I can't ride anymore, but I do a lot of showing in-hand and driving.
