Hot Healthy Geek Brides

Hot and Healthy Out the Window

2011-12-02T13:22:00.001-08:00

Fitness and nutrition have gone completely out the window the last year. Job uncertainty, lifestyle changes from starting a family and general "getting oldness" has been the norm for me the last 2 years. I need a mind shift from planning exercise into my life to planning my life around exercise and nutrition.

The Geek in Me

2011-06-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my entire life I have a product in my hands before its publicly available. I feel an obligation as a geek to post something about it. The Samsung Google Chrome laptop becomes avail on Tuesday June 14th. I tried to get on their beta test list to get a free one in Dec 2010, however didn't make it. They did however give me the chance to order one early with an email last week!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/stub-official-samsung-reveals-chrome-os-laptops/

I like it. Still working through some printing issues (seems to not like sending duplex jobs to my network attached printer), and will have to figure out how well it works with my current digital cameras and picture organization. Also some confusion on plug in's (doesn't view embedded windows media player file out of the box).

Power on time is really nice compared to my Thinkpad x60, and suspend/wake time is awesome. I look forward to trying out the 3G this weekend when we do some travel.

This laptop doesn't run windows, doesn't run linux, is just an environment running a super browser and it keys in to my extensive use of Google Applications. Because of this people will complain that the cost of $500 is too much, but I disagree. Its got a specific purpose and it does it well. ALSO in my personal use, web based content is 95% of what I need.

Pro's

Camera/Mic/Speakers are serviceable
Web browsing without the bloat of a zillion installed programs, virus scanners, task management
Responsive and intuitive setup of wireless and login to access existing google information
Multi SD card readers and USB 3.0

Cons

Duplex Printing to our printer seems not possible
Heavier than I expected for the size of screen (mac books have ruined us all on this front)
Won't be possible to store and manage even the last 3 months of my personal photo and video content

If you have not made any attempts to get into or understand "the cloud" this device combined with a google account would be a feasible place to start. If you already leverage google documents, contacts, calendar in your life this device will be GREAT!

Updated Goals

2011-01-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

Friends,

Anyone have a change in goals for health or fitness? Mine were stale so I updated them today.

-Danielle

I resolve to...

2010-07-05T21:28:00.001-07:00

Resolutions should not just be on your mind in January, this last week has brought some big changes in my life and it has made me re-evaluate some things in my life.

#1) Health - I have started going to a class at my gym.
#2) Stuff - I am having a garage sale, forcing me to go through some piles with a critical eye!

Have you had any mid-year resolutions come up? Are you in the process of working towards a goal, where are you at with it?

Cloth Diaper Blog

2009-12-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

I am entering a contest for some free cloth diapers and I get an entry for posting this on my blog :)

http://www.clothdiaperblog.com/fysf-super-sized-giveaway-nov-20-dec-4-2009/#comment-20026

Anyone want to chat cloth diapers sometime just give me a call!

-Danielle

Health Plan

2009-12-01T20:29:00.001-08:00

Step 1: Any time I feel like eating a chocolate bar, I will drink a full glass of water first. If I still feel like eating it fine.
Step 2: increase my intake of Omega 3 Fatty acids with a supplement AND having fish once a week.

This is kind of a joke, but its because I'm not a dieter. Never have been, never will. I just plan to start making some better choices.

I do have a serious goal, I weigh 191 today. When I lose 10 lbs I will get a reward of a ladies night out up in the cities! Who is with me?

Habits

2009-11-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

Have you developed any new good habits? Bad habits?

I have a bad chocolate eating habit right now... I'm planning on weaning myself off of it as the Halloween candy disappears!

I think I developed some good habits when visiting my in-laws a couple of weeks ago. I didn't avoid the treats, just made sure I filled up on real food first, and then if I still had room/cravings I would have a treat.

Baby Lydia is HERE!

2009-07-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

This won't come as a surprise to any of my close friends, but baby Lydia was born on June 14th.

Next week is my 6 week post birth appointment, and I will find out how my C-Section scar is healing and what the outlook is for exercise, swimming, sex etc :)

I hope everyone is taking advantage of the cooler than average week we are having in the upper midwest and getting outside!!

No Gestational Diabetes!

2009-02-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

No problems on how my pregnant body handles sugar! Horay!

I'm celebrating by eating jelly beans :)

February Fitness Goals

2009-02-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

To start out with in 2009 I just wanted to ease back into exercise after a prolonged break.

January - 0-3 short periods of light exercise and stretching.

February 2nd - 20 minutes on the treadmill at any speed/incline 3x this week.

February 9th to 20th - 1 mile on the treadmill at any time/speed 3x a week. (substituted one day walking around the Home Show).

February 23rd - 1 arms, 1 legs strength training session per week.

One thing that has been concerning me lately is my hereditary predisposition to Gestational Diabetes, and I have that test this coming Thursday along with my regular monthly pregnancy checkup. I'm obsessing a bit about it this week, but I'll know for sure by the end of the week if I have it or not!

2009 Goals

2009-01-19T18:57:00.000-08:00

Anyone making 2009 goals?

As most of you know I'm pregnant, so my fitness and health goals involve having a healthy baby and staying active throughout my pregnancy.

To quantify that..
30 minutes of aerobics and stretching 5 days a week.
Veggie or fruit with every meal (shooting for 1/2 my plate each meal)

What are some of your 2009 goals?

Food For Thought

2008-11-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/15/AR2008111502467.html

Some food for thought on the current economic times. Perspectives from the older generation.

Some additional thoughts from my Grandpa "People these days don't know how to stretch a dollar like we had to, one batch of cornbread would be lunch for the whole week".

And from my Granny Lou "You never know when you might need it and might not be able to get it. so you saved it. It didn't matter what it was".

New Program

2008-11-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have started a new program at our gym that focuses on both diet and exercise. We are starting our 4th week and I can finally say I'm getting results! The first 3 weeks I stayed the same weight or went up. I lost 2 lbs in the past week and probably 3 lbs overall so I have now reached the weight where I was when I started to loosely follow "You on a Diet". I have a target weight in mind, but my goal is to lose a couple inches in the waist.

Meeting with a trainer has helped me stay consistent with strength training. Its helping strengthen and stretch the muscles I need to improve my poor posture (which is another goal). For cardio, we are doing target heart rate exercises; they definitely have made me bump my cardio up a notch (or 2). I really feel like I was slacking during my workouts for the past few years!

Its the first time I've tracked calories and I'm surprised of how many calories are in things when paying attention to the number of servings and the portion size. Or when comparing the calories in one food to its "healthier" counterpart. I don't mind fruits and veggies, but now I make a point to eat the 5-9 everyday. Since I'm keeping a food log, the dietitian has helped me understand why I may have been really tired or starving on certain days and avoid it in the future (too many carbs, not enough protein, etc). We've only been changing one thing each week in our diets so I hope that it will make it maintainable after the program is over.

So far it has helped me go to the gym A LOT; I feel like I've made a commitment to 4 people during the program so it helps make me go. Its especially challenging now because this time of year when it is dark after work, I just want to go home and stay there but I fight the urge and go anyways. Or I go in the morning.

The dollar diet

2008-10-20T14:35:00.001-07:00

This is not a diet in the conventional sense of the word, but this is a blog of 2 people who decided to learn more about poverty and the food they were eating by spending $1 or less per person on food for every day in a month.

Inspiring and interesting! What do you think?

http://onedollardietproject.wordpress.com/

-Danielle

How cheap can they get?

2008-09-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

If you are talking about laptops apparently the "new" cheap is $98 USD.

http://rj3sp.blogspot.com/2008/09/hivision-mininote-98-linux-laptop.html

Wouldn't be something I would want... but might be a great child's starter laptop, especially due to the size and quality of video it plays.

Christmas 2008 hot pick anyone?

-Danielle

Update

2008-07-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's been 7 weeks since I made up my mind to stop making poor choices and to start living a healthy life. I feel strong as ever. I don't even have to think about eating veggies, fruits, etc because it's just part of me. I fit into all my old clothes, this is what my hubby is most happy about since I don't have to go out on a shopping spree :-)

It's been 3 weeks today since I joined the RAC (a local gym) and I have consistently gone 5x per week. I don't feel pressure to go because I have a treadmill and some weights at home so if I'm tired or don't feel like working out hard, I do something lighter at home. The gym has really been a blessing for me and the money is not even an issue. I waited about 4 weeks after I decided to turn my lifestyle around to get a membership at the RAC and I think it really helped because I don't feel like I have to go just because I'm paying a (high) monthly fee. For me it's just a way to facilitate an active lifestyle so I can always have something to do if I'm bored of the same activity.

We always say we'll never weigh as much as we did in high school, and while that is true in so many levels, the most important thing isn't about becoming someone you used to be...it's about becoming someone new that you can really understand.

I never wanted to weigh 100 pounds again (as I did in high school), but I'm at my ideal weight which is what I weighed in college. I have a completely different mindset about what it means too.

I wish every single one of you the best healthy life that you choose for yourself.

~Jossie

Fitness centers...I give in!

2008-06-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

I was at the RAC (Rochester Athletic Club) on Wednesday for a department outing and I felt sucked in. The RAC has all kinds of activities and I can no longer hold out...the locker rooms are clean, the sauna is private, they offer all kinds of classes, there are tons of machines and they have a pool!!! On top of it all, they were really nice at the front desk...which I would expect since I'll be paying $70/month for a membership there. The membership is month to month and I'm going to try it for at least 1 month and see how things go...I'll let you know!

~Jossie

Fitness Games?

2008-06-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

I read this article on a finance blog the other day and thought it had some good basic advice for starting an exercise plan.

http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2008/06/05/the-parallels-between-fitness-and-finance/

I found his point about making it a game very interesting. Does anyone make a game out of their fitness or diet routines? In Jazzercise they have games all the time, the one right now is get 30 points in June and July and get a free water bottle. You get a point for going to class of course, and then there will be bonus points sometimes and you get 5 points for inviting a guest that signs up to join etc.

I have never been able to create my own game for fitness that works for a prolonged period of time. I usually can go about 4 to 5 weeks before something interrupts me. Starting this blog was supposed to create kind of a competition and support structure for Mel and I with our goals lined out but it only works if there is reward of some sort. Other than staying in contact with my friends the only reward I have ever sought is the goal of being in shape. Once I did give myself a weight loss target and bought an iPod when I reached it.

Jazzercise

2008-06-05T08:02:00.001-07:00

The last time I was truly in good shape was in the spring of 2005 when I was doing Jazzercise about 3 times a week. I signed up for Jazzercise for June to get in better shape for the summer vacation season and to lose my "winter weight".

Yesterday was my first class this week and I had a great time! I was surprised to see so many familiar faces after 2 years away! The instructor is the same of course and there was a group of about 10 women who I recognized from before. Its amazing to see how many people are that dedicated to one thing to keep themselves in shape year round!

If anyone wants to attend a class with me I have a guest pass and am going tonight at 4:15 and Saturday morning at 8 am.

consitency(eating better + exercise + dedication)===great results

2008-05-27T11:35:00.001-07:00

It's been a week since I made changes to my workout (even though I last posted on Friday) and I have lost 3 lbs...2 that I gained on the trip and 1 for fun :-D

There's no magic to the formula...consistently eating healthy with regular exercising and a dab of dedication goes a long way :-D

~Jossie

Kicking it up a notch

2008-05-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

I recently got back from my 1 week road trip with my husband. We stayed at 6 different hotels and I managed to exercise 5 out of 6 days during our trip. I made sure every hotel we stayed at had some sort of exercise room. The one in Mackinac Island didn't but we hiked 3.5 miles and biked around the 8.5 mile island...I'd say we got some exercise that day. The one day I skipped was the day after our friends wedding because ... well the night before was a little rough :-) I ate better than most people do during vacations, at least better than my husband did (but I usually do anyway so that's not saying much :-). I got home and still gained 2 pounds, not bad but still disappointing.

I'm going to kick it up a notch (like Emeril would say) and increase my cardio workouts. I'm now running 5 days a week (was doing 2-3 days per week) in addition to my 30 minute daily walking and my strength training. It has been working out really great with this awesome weather we haven't seen in a loooong time. I feel refreshed and strong...that's what its all about :-D

~Jossie

No more excuses!

2008-05-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, no more excuses I have to start working out. I just purchased a double stroller so I don't have any more reason why I cant go outside. I just did 1/2 mile yesterday but now I got shin splits. I HAVE to be down to 150 by Aug. 12th any more weight after that would be great. My current weight 164.

5 out of 6!

2008-05-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

I created some goals for myself to help in being healthy. Yesterday I hit 5 out of 6 of them!

Bring/eat a healthy lunch
Include Fruit/Veggies with every meal
Exercise every other day
Cut down on carbs from grains 1 meal
Eat a light dinner
Don't eat 3 hours before bed

I didn't have a healthy lunch, but I did limit myself to only 2 pieces of deep dish pizza at Pizza Hut.

I put these 6 goals on a "To Do" list on my google homepage. As I go through the day, or at the end of the day I can check which ones I accomplished and get a qantified # to evaluate how I am doing in the healthy department that day.

Its not something I heard about anywhere, but it reminds me of when I was going to a "thin and healthy" counselor. They would have me rate how I thought I was doing this week in terms of sticking to the diet and how I felt. I am a more realistic hard numbers woman, so this method will be good for me!

Healthy Environment

2008-05-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

Some of you may find this a bit off topic for our blog, but I think it fits well. Being Healthy is not just about being fit but about having healthy things around you and being nice to our environment.

I already started doing "more" lately to help the environment. Getting more strict with the thermostat, starting to recycle thin cardboards and office paper and a few other things. This article here takes it so much further than I have gone... and it might give you some ideas as well. In the comments section there are even some humorous ones like "use your toothbrush to clean the toilet, a little bleach and you are sanitized and as good as new".

More than anything I just wanted to document this link so I can refer back to it later.
http://www.cleverdude.com/content/50-ways-to-save-money-by-not-wasting/

What do you think? One thing we do that I didn't see mentioned there is not throwing away plastic silverware. If it can live through the dishwasher (and most of it does) we wash it and re-use. This was more important when we were bringing lunch each day.

Spring is here

2008-04-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends!

Anyone making any changes to their routines now that spring is here? Maybe some workouts outside?

I have a goal to help more with the yard work and garden this year. Also we are getting ready for summer hiking trips so some more afternoons at Quarry Hill will be a lot more fun than the treadmill... even if I can watch TV while on it.

Initiative and Action

2008-04-11T07:54:00.001-07:00

Some of the blogs I read focus on career aspirations. A couple of these caught my eye today related to developing your initiative (not just by practice as most people say) by focusing on results and following something you are passionate about.

http://www.brazencareerist.com/2008/04/08/6-keys-to-developing-your-initiative/

http://jonathanmead.com/2008/03/27/whats-keeping-you-from-taking-action/

Its an interesting shift of your focus from external definitions of success to internal, and making use of what you are passionate about to drive that focus, instead of the brute force method which has never worked very well for me. I don't want to do this, but I'm going to make myself do it every day for 30 days etc... Those plans never work out long term.

On the way...

2008-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

...to achieving my short term goal. I ran 3 miles on my treadmill yesterday at 5.0 for 2.75 miles and 6.0 for the last .25 mile. I pushed myself hard because I knew I could do it even if I would end up almost dead. Brian made it all better by giving me a leg massage :-) All joking aside, I was extremely sore after the run, but this morning I'm not sore at all!!! I strongly believe it's a result from the massage last night...now I know the cure of sore muscles after a good workout :-D

I plan to run 3 miles on Saturday or Sunday, that would be 3 miles twice this week. I will work towards running for 3 miles 3 times next week and continue this for at least 3 more weeks. Then I'll add .5 miles at a time until I reach my 5 miles 3 times a week goal! In the meantime, I'm going to add some strength training 2 or 3 times a week to build stronger leg muscles.

I'm so excited about getting this close to my goal...I'm determined to achieve this by mid July!

~J

Slow and Steady

2008-04-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

My working out and eating plans can be described as slow and steady.

Walking outside or on the treadmill 30 min.
Introducing healthier options for my favorite fatty or otherwise bad for me snacks.
Include fruit with every breakfast, and veggies with every lunch and dinner.

I think I'm going to introduce some weightlifting this week in addition to the treadmill. I might design my own routine or follow a portion of the Beach Body Power 90 routine.

How is everyone else doing with the April showers?

Down an inch

2008-03-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

I don't want to jinx my progress, but I've lost an inch from my waist! bye-bye! I don't know if I've worked out any more than I did before, but I am definitely eating more veggies and not eating right before I go to bed. I think that is helping a lot. And I'm loving my soup. I just made a curry soup. Yum. I love the smell. I'm hoping the light in the evening and warmer weather will make it easier to get out and walk or bike after work more often.

Only 25 more pounds to Go

2008-03-25T18:45:00.001-07:00

I'm at 174 today. My goal weight is 150. I haven't started working out yet, but I hope to start soon. Now since it's been past 6 weeks I can start working out. Now I just need some time and energy.

How is everyone else doing?

Just keep walking....

2008-03-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm shooting for the 30 min of exercise every day recommended by "the experts". So far I have chosen my treadmill downstairs as my M.O.

The weightlifting program I never really got started. I'll see where I am in a week or so on getting that started again.

Tomorrow is the busiest day.

2008-03-18T20:59:00.001-07:00

Well instead of working out after work which was the plan we went to Macaroni Grill for a "last meal" since they are closing.

I had my fill of the yummy bread there and even was able to bring some home to enjoy later.

We finished some more of the clean up we need to do before our out of town visitors arrive later this week, and watched some NEW episodes of our favorite Monday night comedies.

Not exactly a healthy day, but a day of note nonetheless.

One day at a time...

2008-03-13T10:38:00.001-07:00

The 1 day workout goal..... Today I will workout again!

I have been on a break the last few weeks, had a couple of false starts on the BeachBody Power 90 plan, and pretty much done zip for exercise.

So my goal today is to get outside and do something with my husband on this beautiful day. 47 degrees when we were at lunch!

A bike ride might be a bit muddy with all the snow melt but it would be fun, just have to put on some old clothes and sneakers.

What are YOU doing today?

OK, I'm really doing it

2008-03-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before I've been reading You on a Diet and doing a few things it recommends. It was especially motivating to hear that Jossie followed it for the past 3 months and hasn't hated it. So here I am! Last Saturday I've started following "the diet" with my husband. The biggest thing it is doing for me is eating more vegetables, not eating after 8:30, and think about how hungry I am before I eat. I do well while I'm at work, but when night comes around, I love my snacks. They're not even that bad, its just the volume. Another good thing is when I don't have enough time for a workout, I make a point to get a walk in. Usually I'd skip it altogether.

I really need to work on my arm strength. I recently started going to a weight-lifting class that I haven't done in about 5 years. Its a lot harder than it used to be. When we work on arms, I use the smallest weight possible and it is still way too much. Meanwhile all around me, young and old, are easily using 4x the weight I'm using. Sigh.

Weigh in

2008-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

OK fine, I weighed myself because I was curious...

I found out that I have lost 50% of the total number of pounds to reach my target weight. I'm excited about this because it has truly been painless. I have adjusted my eating habits and incorporated exercise as part of my life. This is a great motivator for me to continue to do what I have been doing, which is beginning to feel normal now :-)

~J

SIKE

2008-03-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

SIKE is what my older brother used to say to me all the time. Its the 80's equivalent of "NOT".

SO this post is titled SIKE because I didn't actually start Week 1 on Beach Body's Power 90 program last week.

This week I start anew.

I would also like to point out that if a beach ready body for summer is your goal March is a great time to start. We are 3 months from summer!

-Danielle

Hooray!

2008-02-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hey ladies, like I promised, I haven't weighed myself yet. First time I can weigh myself again is on Saturday (March 1st)...that's 3 months after I made my 'no weighing myself for 3 months' rule. Not sure if I'll be stepping on the scale from now on, it feels great feeling healthy and not having the scale tell me otherwise. I have measured my waist and I've lost 1.5 inches :-)

I have to admit that it's been easier because my husband makes lunch and dinner (hey...I do breakfast, clean and do laundry :-) He's prepared some really awesome meals that have ton of great flavors and most of them happen to be vegetarian. The vegetarian thing kinda just happened because we got tired of meat. I have to admit that I don't miss it, the meals are so great without meat, I rarely even notice it. I'm not doing it out of animal cruelty or anything, just laziness - cooking meat takes time and not to mention that our grocery bill has gone down by $20 or $30.

My goals continue to be to eat healthy and if I feel like having a bag of oreos one night (this actually happened Friday night, but I regretted it, felt kinda sick afterwards), then I will. Won't weigh myself and definitely drink coffee as much as I want (which is usually once or twice a week now). I've been drinking 2 cups of green tea daily and would like to keep that up, especially in the winter months when I need something really hot to warm me up. Walk for 30 minutes everyday and do some sort of strength training (whatever I feel like at the time) 3 times a week. I'd like to train for a 5k so I'm starting to run for 15 minutes at least 3 times a week. I plan to progressively up the number of times per week as well as the duration of these runs to achieve a steady 5k pace.

Hope everyone is doing fantastic with their goals!!

Week 1 - Power 90

2008-02-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

Last week I was pretty wiped out with the FLU. I am still recovering but feeling well enough today that I am starting week 1 of 90 days of the BeachBody Power 90 program.

The program alternates between cardio and weight lifting on different days and encourages 6 workouts a week, as well as has a diet plan associated with it.

My starting stats are not totally figured out yet, but I do know my starting weight.

176.5 yes I lost weight, but sadly it is just because of the flu, not from the working out I did in Jan/Feb.

Week of Feb 3 - 9

2008-02-13T14:55:00.001-08:00

Kat and I went to 2 classes at the gym together last week plus I did one class on my own and an hour of snowshoeing on Saturday. I was quite proud as it was the first week I got 4 workouts in this year. Thanks Kat for keeping me motivated and thanks Danielle for joining me for snowshoeing so I'm not the lone female. :)

Top 5 Favorite Snacks

2008-02-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

I read this article today about good snacking... which I know I can improve on!

http://www.beachbody.com/product/293.do?code=NEWS_293_10SNACKS#article2

So what are your 5 favorite snacks?

Mine are not healthy snacks... but there are what I tend to eat when I'm hungry and its not really lunch or dinner time yet.

Wheat Thins and cheese
Chips and Salsa or Guacamole
Snack Crackers (like cheese its)
Microwave Popcorn
Chocolate (fudge, mini bar, whatever I can find)

Week 5 Came and Went

2008-02-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

Week 5 came and went, and so went all my working out effort!

Last weeks excuses were:

Monday night my workout got interrupted by a phone call, and so I skipped the weights, pushups, leg lifts and crunches of the DVD
Thursday Girl scout meeting at 6:30
Voting in primaries had to be there by 7, so I ate dinner first... never managed to work out after getting home at 9:15
Wednesday night felt like a good night to spend some down time with my husband. We cooked together and ate together early in the evening
Friday - Duh its Friday and I had plans

Overall I think the real reason for the drop off is the increased time commitment to 60 min made it too hard to get through without interruption or get through if I only had 90 min from when I got home to workout, eat and then get somewhere. With the 45 min one at least that was possible. And why I didn't just do the 45 min workout instead of the 60 min?

If I could answer that question I would probably have the key to being in shape all the time! My commitment level over 4 weeks was decent, but not stellar. That 5th week must have had a few too many hurdles that I did not overcome.

A REALLY good recipe! :)

2008-02-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

My boss had this salad last week and it looked so yummy that I had to have some.

Asian Crunch Salad

3 ounces uncooked whole wheat spaghetti (it gives it this GREAT nutty flavor!)
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I put in a bunch more because I love garlic!)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup frozen baby peas
1/4 cup red bell pepper strips
1 (12 ounce) package broccoli slaw
1/4 cup chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

1. Break pasta into 3 inch pieces; cook according to package directions, ommitting salt and fat. Drain.

2. Combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl. Add pasta, onions, and next 4 ingredients (through slaw) to vinegar mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Top with peanuts.

Calories: 126 (30% from fat)
Fat: 4.2 (sat .6g, mono 2.4g, poly 1g)
Protien: 4.7g
Carb: 18.6g
Fiber: 3.6g
Chol: 0mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 430mg
Calc: 24mg

I actually made this recipe with a whole box of pasta. It was still just as yummy and it got better as it sat. I highly recommend it!

Me and the Skinny Bitch(es)

2008-02-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, while waiting for my parents to get to Maple Grove with my offspring, I purchased the book Skinny Bitch. So far, I'm almost done reading it. It's had a couple of surprising side effects.

1. Me. Vegan? Maybe. I'm out surfing VeganPeace.com. I swear the parts of the book talking about animal cruelty made me nauseous yesterday.

2. I'm realizing that maybe I just need to eat more of good things! Less or no meat. Less or no dairy. It's so sad!!! :)

3. Yes, I can do this.

4. I like books with the f-bomb sprinkled throught! :)

I'll update y'all later on what I end up doing.

That being said - I'm back at 208 after a long week of being fatter than I should. I started eating more yesterday and I guess that worked!

Week 4

2008-01-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

My goodness its week 4 already! Week 3 fizzled out with me missing Saturday, Sunday and Monday's workouts. Sunday was just me being lazy, Saturday and Monday were due to busy schedules.

Oh well, moving on.

I should be able to workout Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri this week. I have other evening events, but I can be a bit late for them.

This coming Saturday and Sunday should be easy to just get up in the morning and workout (whatever time that is). So that will give me 6 workouts "this week" to be back on track.

I think if I get a time crunch I will have to do a shorter workout, maybe even just make use of the treadmill and then do weights and crunches on my own.

This longer workout is harder, but OH so much better for me. I really like the added core work in the cardio and then the crunches section seems to be easier.

Plans to eat healthier are going 50/50. Sometimes I still pig out and eat too much. I still go to places like Taco Johns and eat chocolate candy or cookies. I started some healthier habits too though and I hope to keep up with those.

Regularly adding fish to my diet
Cutting back on meat, not every meal has to have a meaty main dish
Actually using up lettuce before it goes bad
Trying to get a fruit or veggie with EVERY meal
Eating larger lunches but smaller dinners

I give up.

2008-01-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

Seriously. I'm back up to 209.5.

I've been in the gym just about every day - at LEAST 5 times a week - 2 hours/day for the last 4 weeks.

I've lost precicely 5.5 lbs.

I don't get it. I'm eating under 1200 calories a day. I'm working out all the mother f'ing time. I'm doing everything that the books tell you. Drinking 2-4 liters of water a day. Lifting weights to build up strength. Running to burn off fat the quickest.

My body is just not cooperating.

I cried myself to sleep last night. While I was at the gym, a girl came in looking like I used to. She was tall and thin - about a size 8. Just like I was at her age - probably 17. She ran and she ran. I watched her and wondered what made me think I was fat at the time.

I then went home after my 2 hour workout, took 1 look at my naked self in the mirror and sobbed. I can't even look at myself anymore. I want to quit and eat bowls and bowls of ice cream. I want to just lay in a vat of lard and absorb it thru my skin.

I can't seem to lose weight. I don't know what's wrong. I was doing so well. 2 lbs/week blah blah blah.

I fell asleep crying last night. The bf held me while I sobbed.

I ache today from the workout last night, but I think my heart hurts more than anything...

blech...going into week 3 update...

2008-01-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

Well - so far, so good on this diet.

I'm stuck at 7 lbs down in 3 weeks. I suppose that's one better than the 2 lbs/week average, but still, it's frustrating when I'm working out 5 - 6 times a week for 1.5-2 hours a day that that's all I've lost!

Everything is going quite well. I'm still sticking under 1200 calories a day and eating a lot of chicken, though steak is still my favorite. I'm trying to stay away from too much red meat - so maybe once or twice a week - tops.

This is going to be a short update, it's just an ucky day here today! :)

Congrats on the momentum ladies. I think we're all doing quite well down our chosen paths!

Week 3

2008-01-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

Anyone annoyed by my weekly updates yet?

Well I finally noticed a change in the scale. 1.5 lbs. Some other great changes...

I can now do 2 sets of 12 push-ups! It was very hard to get that #12, especially since I have been working out harder earlier in the routine as well so my arms seem more tired by the time we get to the end to do push-ups!

It's not really THAT hard to find 45 min in the evening to work out. You just have to make your husband cook dinner every night :) He has complained at the bigger pile up of dishes though since apparently I don't do them any faster than I did before. Maybe as this becomes more of a habit I will start feeling more invigorated instead of tired after workouts and things like dishes and housecleaning will step up.

I have had more salads this week and plan to continue that trend. I have a fat free dressing that I love (western) and put sunflower seeds on it. Unfortunately my husband is having a hard time finding any dressing at all that he likes! Salads and steamed veggies with a bit of butter and pepper are my favorite ways to get veggies in my diet. I'm not a fan of raw veggies.

Up for next week to work on...

Moving on to hardest workout in my set, Burn It Up for the next 4 weeks.
Keep it up with more salads and veggies with every meal, and bring my lunch more than the 1 time a week I am currently.
Break out the fish for a meal at least once a week.

My goals for 2008

2008-01-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

I have begun 2008 with some motivation, and so far, I am doing pretty good.

My personal goals to start 2008:

1) Workout 3 times a week
2) Making working out a priority and a normal part of my day
3) Drink more water
4) Up my daily fiber
5) Eat more home cooked lunches/dinner (try to reduce eatting out)
6) Reduce sodium intake

Danielle Week 2

2008-01-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

After a 2 day break from the Ramp it Up routine I came back to it and it felt so much better! I guess my body needed a bit of a break!

Last week I made only very small efforts to change my eating habits. This week I plan to slowly increase the amount of salads, vegetables and other good for me dishes I include with each meal. I think I even have my husband on board for a change!

Thursday is going to be a challenge because I have Scouts at 6:30. I plan to try and get in an abbreviated version of the workout after work but before scouts. Dinner might be an instant cup of soup or something quick.

What percent of my fat is body?

2008-01-16T03:10:00.000-08:00

Huh?

Quick - before you go any futher - take a guess at what you think my % of body fat is. I'm 5' 8". My weight yesterday morning was 209.5 - at the gym last night, fully clothed and after a day of eating was 214 (yeah, I almost cried when I saw that number again). K - go record that number down in the comments and THEN read on...

Well, I joined the Biggest Loser competition at the gym. I think I'm the thinnest woman there, but alas... It was $30 and you get a $20 card to go to classes that I was planning on buying anyway, so I'm only out $10. Plus it's good motivation for me to get my ass in the gym for the next 4 months - did I mention that it goes thru April? They are going to have competitions every other week and weigh-ins every week.

As part of that, I had to weigh-in (of course), get my measurements taken (oh God, I couldn't look. My hips alone are 47.5"!!!) and get a body fat test with a fancy little computer gun. I love the fancy little computer gun. What % of my body is fat, you ask? You're going to have to wait a little longer.... ;)

We all know that the CDC goes by your BMI. Well, my BMI is 32.5. Obese. Yep. Did anyone question that? I certainly didn't. Though, I have none of the health problems that occur in obese people. My BP is low. It usually runs about 103/60ish - though when they take it at the doctor when I'm all stressed out or sick, it puts me right at 'normal' 120/70ish. Even when I was 9 months pregnant with Logan, my 10 lb gigantor baby, I topped out at 140/87 or something of that sort. My blood sugar, which gets checked EVERY appointment when you have a parent with Diabeties mind you, is perfectly normal. I was borderline GD with Logan, but let me restate - HE WAS A 10 LB BABY! :)

BMI is tough for a person like me who does have a lot of muscle - albeit hiding under a candy coating. I work out - a lot - when I'm going to the gym. Monday night alone I was there for an hour and a half and I STILL felt like I didn't get everything done! I was a figure skater who, in season, with high school 6 hours a day, still spent 6 hours on the ice. In the off season (summer) I was on the ice 8-9 hours a day. In the summer when I wasn't on the ice, I was taking dance classes for 3 hours or so! I didn't even have time to eat (yeah, I got a little too thin that summer - I was about 146 and a size 6 - 7) ! :)

Imagine my surprise when the readout said that my body fat was at 27%. Completely within the 'healthy' range. Albeit on the high end - but that will change. According to fancy little computer gun, even with almost 0% body fat, my lowest weight without losing muscle - drum roll please - 156.2. So, needless to say, my 160 that's listed as my goal, might have to change. Lord - I can't get to 0% body fat, can I? I'd be too hot to handle!!! LOL

Needless to say, today is a good day and the start of a new outlook.

Time to tackle a diet

2008-01-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm a couple of weeks behind the new year momentum but my foot is mostly better now so I'm ready to get started.

I had mentioned it in a couple of post comments, but I am also starting You on a Diet like Jossie. It had been sitting on our shelf since it came out and while I was off at the end of the year and bored, I dug it out and started reading.

I know I can break bad habits and make good ones: I'm taking my multi-vitamins and other supplements without thinking about it. I've always have loved drinking water, but I hardly drink soda anymore. I limit myself to 1 coffee in the morning.

I personally felt I had to fully adapt to the gluten-free diet before I could add anything else to complicate the food equation. This is the year! I have gluten-free routine down at home -- mostly I'm used to eating at home or bringing something so I don't feel the need to eat out as often or grab a snack at work. It took a while, but I also don't feel the need to overeat like I had to before in order to feel full, and since I was used to not gaining weight like a normal person would I didn't see the negative side affects until a year ago when all of my pants didn't fit. I can really see that just comparing the size of my lunch I take with me a year and a half ago to the ones I take now.

More good habits I'm working on: make workouts a routine and eating more fruits and vegetables.

Older post responses

2008-01-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

There's been a few posts on foods that I hadn't gotten a chance to respond and since they are not on the main page I'll respond here.

I tried Karen's recipe from October, but adjusted it a "tiny" bit - I replaced the tofu with chicken. It was delicious.

Kathryn, regarding lunch ideas...we usually bring our lunch. We had been doing sandwiches for a while but whenever we have leftovers we try to bring those in. We were getting tired of sandwiches as well, but started changing it by using pitas instead of bread or put everything in a bake potato. There are other great recipes on the Food For Life book I often use, I highly recommend this book.

Being healthy without thinking about it

2008-01-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

I'm trying a new thing, might not work but I'm trying it. I've read enough books about exercising and eating healthy in the past that I know what's good for me and what's not, I'm also learning a whole new set of information about the human body and food from the current book I'm reading - You On A Diet. In the past, I have written goals nightly for the next day and recorded all the foods I've had for the day and will have the next day. I've weighed myself when I was supposed to and wrote down recipes that are healthy. All these things, for some reason, make me feel that my world is revolving around dieting. I'm so hard on myself when I mess up once because I've put so much work into it...they (the pros) say not to worry if you mess up, just keep going, but that doesn't work for me. Also, when all I think about is eating healthy and working out, the temptation to avoid it grows immensely for me.

So my new thing is that I'm not going to keep track of my health, (just like I don't keep track of how many times a day I brush my teeth) this includes any goals, workouts, foods, etc. The reason I'm trying this approach is because I want to be healthy without thinking about it. I'm working out everyday, but I'm not patting myself in the back for it, because it's just part of my life...I don't pat myself on the back when I shower or brush my teeth. I've also been drinking lots of water and green tea everyday, not using salt at all, and eating lots of fruits and veggies, but I don't record it. I'm not going to weigh myself for at least 3 months - I know how I'm doing depending on how my clothes fit.

This might seem odd to you, and it's odd to me too, but I don't want to think about being healthy anymore because I have let myself down a lot in the past, I'm just going to make it second nature to me. This method goes against everything I've read, so I'm not saying it's going to work, I'm just saying that I'm going to try it.

Small Tips for Weight Loss

2008-01-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

Small Tips for Weight Loss

Even before I read this I have been using #1, wait 2 min when it comes to my afternoon pop or snack. Sometimes its drink a glass of water and wait 2 minutes.

I think the reason this works for me is that I am not in tune with my body enough to tell the subtle differences between hungry, thirsty, tired and bored. Sometimes they all feel the same!

Goals Check In

2008-01-10T09:38:00.001-08:00

January is a good time to check in with the goals we have set. I just changed mine to reflect the 6 week program I am starting to jump start a healthier lifestyle.

How is everyone else doing? Do we need to update any goals? Any you have found too difficult to maintain and need to back off on?

Danielle Week 1

2008-01-08T10:23:00.001-08:00

This is week 1 for me too! I am doing BeachBody.com's Slim in 6 program with a few others on the beachbody message boards. Its a DVD workout with some online tools and support you can use if you want to. Working with others towards a common goal is always easier than going it alone!

The best thing about it is that the workouts start out at 25 min, and gradually get harder and longer. So for now I'm doing good but then I'm only 1 day in! Even on the easy workout I could not do everything the instructor did. Shows how out of shape I have become!

Not making any life altering changes to my diet yet, one thing at a time. As they say on BeachBody.... Just Press Play!

-Danielle

Diet 2008 - Week 1.

2008-01-08T06:27:00.001-08:00

There's more details on my blog over here - but just thought I'd let everyone know that I'm down 2 lbs this week.

Only 8.6 million more to go. :)

My fitday journal is up to date - so check it out; workouts and all (or lack thereof.... ).

I'm aiming for 160 by 8/1. That means I have to lose about 1.77 lbs/week. Should be a sinch if I can stick with it.

I made some killer sweet-n-sour chicken last night. I'll have to post the recipe later this week - it was really great. Even the kids ate it - with a SALAD! YAY!

Oh - goal for this blog - post once a week from me. Daily posts on my personal page - hopefully!

Happy 2008 girls!

Happy Holidays

2007-12-19T09:36:00.001-08:00

I am about a day away from my Christmas Vacation, so there might not be a lot of posts from me the next 2 weeks.

My other Authors can post though if they have any resolutions, or fitness tips for the holidays.

Evil Evil Goodie Day

2007-12-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hello friends.

Anyone else have an office goodie day where there are chocholates and candies all over the office? And then for lunch we have a big potluck with food and food and food..... TONS.

Well mine was last week, and I am SO proud of myself for the restraint I showed. Don't get me wrong, what I ate would have blown any diet or calorie count for a sane day, but I did good!

For any mothers out there...

2007-12-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

I found this article very interesting even though I don't have kids.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/284.do?code=NEWS_284_QUIZ#article3

Also I saw Jerry Seinfeld's wife on The View a couple weeks ago plugging this book (#7 on the list). (Mel see the comment about pink pancakes, I bet Alley would love it!).

http://www.beachbody.com/product/newsletters/284.do?code=NEWS_284_NUTRITION#article2

Lunch ideas?

2007-12-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

I am looking for lunch ideas. I know a lot of you bring lunches everyday to work...I would like to be better about bringing in my lunch...but I am tired of sandwiches...what other things do you girls bring in?

Confession: Yesterday I had...

2007-12-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had...

Honey bunches of oats cereal
Arby's Big Beef and Cheddar combo with curls
8 oz prime rib w/Veggies and salad
Tall Screwdriver
2 pieces of fudge
the rest of a bag of Cheeto's (maybe 3 servings?)

Tuesday was even worse, so I wont reiterate here, but sometimes just confessing my bad habits helps.

Are you getting enough sleep?

2007-12-06T11:06:00.001-08:00

I am not sure if I have been getting enough sleep lately. Without mentioning what time you go to bed or get up, how much sleep do you average?

I get between 7 and 8 hours a night, but sometimes I feel like that is not enough!

Find time to Exercise Tips

2007-11-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

I often read beachbody newsletters, and saw something in this one that really caught my eye.

I'm going to try combining the tip from "Big Bang Theory" (Women wake up faster to high pitched sounds) with the touch your toes as soon as you wake up in the morning to get the blood to go through your brain!

Beachbody Newletter: 7 Tips to help you find time to exercie

Instead of...

2007-11-27T13:21:00.001-08:00

Instead of talking about how much we ate (fudge, chicken, stuffing....) lets talk about how much we exercised!

Anyone manage to get in some? I did ONE a treadmill, weights and crunches workout on Sunday. Felt nice.

After the holidays

2007-11-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

Because of my circumstances (I had a tonsillectomy 1 week ago) I haven't been able to eat much of anything lately and everything I eat tastes like crap - Brian made a delicious 7 cheese mac & cheese for me and all I could enjoy was the smell. I'm really just eating because I have to right now.

This might sound odd, but during this time I've learned to enjoy food by savoring it in my mouth because I'm chewing it much slower - also end up eating less. I've adopted this method because of pain in my throat, but I'm going to try to continue to eat slower and smaller portions once I'm recovered - lets see if I can do this.

Since the holidays are always a difficult time to stay healthy I've decided to focus on enjoying myself BUT also only eat small portions when I'm hungry, even if it's not all healthy stuff.

I was all up for the "virtual recipe club" but for one reason or another I haven't yet tried the recipe Karen posted (which was due on 10/30). I probably won't be able to try it till December so I vote for starting this club back up after the holidays...any thoughts?

An open letter to my stalker...

2007-11-14T05:49:00.001-08:00

No, I'm just teasing! :)

What have I been up to, you ask? Let's see...

Up until about 2 weeks ago I'd been going to 3 classes a week - Monday was bootcamp - Wednesday is yoga - bordering on POWER yoga - and Saturday morning is a nice easy yoga at 9am.

Halloween brought me a chance to skip that Wednesday night class, so I did. :) I haven't missed a Saturday yet, but I haven't been to my Monday night bootcamp in 3 weeks. 1 week was cancelled - the next my kidlets were sick and this week I have a horrible backache.

My eating habits have been horrible too! Alas, the boyfriend likes to eat poorly just as much as I do. :) We're happily gaining weight together! LOL

This week was meant to be the week that I got back on the horse so to speak. However, my back hurts so badly that I can barely walk. I cleaned the garage like a mad woman this weekend. I also put away all 30 (yes, I had 30!) pots that were outside my house with various annuals in them. There was a lot of bending and twisting.

I keep teasing the boyfriend that I think I'm preggers. Of course, we all know there's no way that's possible, but it's fun to tease. I have all the symptoms. Boobs are bigger. Smells make me nauseous. My back hurts. See - it all fits. Alas, I know there are no more babies in my future, but it's fun to dream!

Needless to say, I keep telling him that I won't marry him until I'm a size 8. Now don't go getting any big ideas that there are plans in the work, becasue there aren't. There's no ring on this here finger (yes, I'm pointing) either - so no jumping to conclusions. But someday, I'd like to. Therefore, I need to get my ass in gear because it's going to be a while until I get to be a size 8.

So, Mr. or Ms. Stalker, there's my update. I'll get my buttox back in gear when the back stops hurting. Hopefully sooner rather than later because not being able to pick up my kids really sucks.

Fight It

2007-11-13T13:49:00.003-08:00

This is what we are fighting against!

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2007/11/its-a-fat-world.html#more

November 2007

2007-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Only 2 months left in 2007!

You can do a lot in 2 months health wise, but the holiday season is notorious for trips out of town, big dinners and snacks galore.

What are your plans to keep sane during the holidays?

Quick Easy Dinner

2007-10-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick and easy dinner I made last night with food I had in my kitchen. Just thought it might help someone...

Time: Less than 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Pasta (I used Ziti, but you can use anything)
Onions
Mushrooms
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Any other veggies you have in the house

Cook Pasta
Saute Onions and Mushrooms in Olive Oil til done
Mix cooked pasta, sauted vegetables, and shredded parmesan cheese

Solution for our Fitness woe's? I don't think so.

2007-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.happynews.com/news/10272007/product-combines-workstation-treadmill.htm

Solved Karens Problem

2007-10-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Blogger has solved Karen's problem of not being able to get back out to the website to read when someone posts a comment on a thread out here!

When you post a comment on a thread look for the checkbox if you would like to know what people comment after you!

It's called:
Email follow-up comments to ...

-Danielle

My Goals

2007-10-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

I have not yet hit my goal of working out every other day in a week. I have however went from no working out at all to 3 times the 14 - 20th, and 2 times the 21st - 27th!

Thanks again to my husband for going on walks with me the last couple of weeks and for setting up my treadmill in front of the TV downstairs so I can entertain myself while I work out.

How is everyone else doing on working out?

Anyone else cooked the October dish?

Haven't post forever!

2007-10-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I have some new goals.
To be at 150 by Aug. 12th 2008.
Drink 10 glasses of water a day!

Since I'm having a baby I haven't worked out at all. I have been trying to eat healthy but I'm always hungry because of this little guy. If anyone wants to have a cooking day some weekend we can all cook over at my house.

Meal Ideas

2007-10-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

One of the things I struggle with is ideas for meals...seems like I start repeating after 1 week and that is pretty boring. Just to get the discussion started, how about next week we each post what we had for dinner each evening (assuming it is homemade :) ).

My turn to focus

2007-10-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks for including me girls! It is really time for me to focus...and I mean it this time. The recent health scare of my dad with the quadruple bypass surgery has really gotten me thinking about the importance of taking better care of myself now. I am going to need a lot of support from you guys. My first goal is to get back to tracking everything I eat. My biggest challenge is sticking with it, but I am going to go with Jossie and do "one day at a time."

The Gluten-Free Geek

2007-10-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

I figure I should at least introduce myself. Hello!

I have been gluten-free (no wheat, barley, rye, and oats) for a year after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. For someone that has never dieted before in her life, I think I adapted pretty well. I have never cheated, even though I have been tempted. I was one of those sickening people that could eat anything and everything since I was always hungry, and not gain a pound. I'm surprised no one thought I was bulimic. Not anymore. You have gotten your revenge people! Celiac isn't always accompanied by weight-loss, which makes it so hard to pinpoint it in those that don't have the classic celiac symptoms.

Some of the challenges with a gluten-free diet involve time, price, taste, and convenience. It takes a lot of time to shop for groceries, cook from scratch, and do the dishes. Or when in a rush, there are quicker options, but they are generally more expensive and not very healthy. Taste -- well, we're dealing with some new ingredients with different flavors and textures. Sometimes it is hit or miss. Going out always requires planning ahead. I usually plan on failure, so I always stash food in my purse. For the most part it is easiest to eat my meals at home and pack a lunch for work. I go out to eat occasionally, plus I've got some great friends that have taken on the gluten-free challenge and cooked for me too.

I've been pretty lazy for about 2 years since I started getting more sick, then once I was better, I just wanted to give my body time to heal and not push it at the gym. Now I have to push through it and I'm trying to work out more regularly (whenever you ask me, I'm always trying to work out more regularly, its been an ongoing goal that I really haven't been successful with).

Since everyone else has goals, I figured I would share mine.

Work out 4 times a week and make it a habit
Find fast and easy meals to cook that are still healthy and meet the GF criteria
Cook meals ahead of time to have when I'm busy
Start by losing 5 pounds

Karen, the Gluten-Free Geek

New Authors?

2007-10-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have invited Karen and Kathryn to be authors with us!

Kathryn is interested in our cooking club, and Karen so that she can have blog post comments emailed to her if she wants!

-Danielle

2007-10-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

I've already revised my mini-goals a bit. Here they are...

Previous:

Cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner myself
Wake-up on weekdays at 6:15AM to exercise, 8AM otherwise
Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily
Cut out coffee completely
Don't miss a day - one day at a time

New:

Eat home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Wake-up on weekdays between 6:30 - 6:45AM to exercise and 8AM on weekends.
Drink 8 - 10 glasses of water daily.
Drink at most 2 cups of coffee.
Don't miss a day - one day at a time.

(what I meant by "cook myself" is eating at home, Brian helps out A LOT and I definitely don't plan or can cook all the meals myself :-)

Tidbit on coffee -
Find it here: http://www2.oprah.com/health/yourbody/slide/slide_yourbody_healthfood_108.jhtml

Coffee actually has been shown to reduce liver cancer and to be effective with (or with symptoms of) Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases," Dr. Oz says. "So there are a bunch of different places where coffee can play a role. The reason it got a bad name is because it does have side effects, for example, migraine headaches and heart palpitations. But if you're not having them, coffee is reasonable."

Did we mention, it's good for those bowel movements, too? Dr. Oz suggests 24 ounces of coffee a day is a rational amount.

Recipe Club #1 October 2007 DUE October 30th

2007-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here is our first official recipe! I have changed its format a bit and included the composite nutritional information. For those avoiding certain foods please try it with whatever modifications you like!

Recipie Club #1 October 2007 Due Date 10/30

Ingredients
* rice (brown, white, wild, basmati, jasmine, black)
* vegies (usually go for a frozen blend with broccoli)
* firm or extra-firm tofu (I like the refrigerated tofu
* about a tablespoon of olive oil, enough to coat the pan
* Bragg's or a soy sauce
* powdered garlic

Instructions
1. Cook the rice.
2. Cook or steam the vegies.
3. Cook the tofu -- I cut the tofu into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the tofu. I put in about as much soy sauce until the tofu is covered (Bragg's is lower-sodium). Then some garlic on top. Stir it up.
4. Cover and stir once in a while to make sure it doesn't burn. It takes about 10 min or so to cook so it isn't squishy/raw anymore. Not sure if that is the best way to cook it, but it gets the job done. ;-)

I like to layer the rice, then veggies, then the tofu in the proportions you like/want on your plate or bowl. The tofu helps flavor the rice. And save the rest for leftovers.

Nutritional Information:
1 cup cooked brown rice
3 oz tofu
1/2 cup cooked broccoli
1/2 tsp Bragg's
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Calories....: 423
Protein.....: 13.29g
Carbohydrate: 52.8g
Total Fat...: 18.25g (this is counting the whole 13.5 g for 1 tbsp of olive oil)
Fiber.......: 6.5g
Sodium......: 110mg

Superfoods

2007-10-10T08:26:00.001-07:00

Last night Karen mentioned the superfoods book that Brandon loaned her, I thought this article fit in well with that conversation.

Fish 2 times a week! Shouldn't be that hard, but for some reason it is!

http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1591547,00.html

I worked out again today. :)

2007-10-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

Bootcamp class at 8 pm.

I hurt already and it's 9:30.

Someone else tell me they are working out. ;)

And here's a current weigh-in: Today 209. Talk about sucky. I was at 206 on Saturday. It's PMS -- totally, so I hope that it'll go away just as quick as it came.

Oh yeah - does everyone have a fitday account? I keep mine accurate - do you? It's here...

Blogging from my couch!

2007-10-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all. (I really wanted to put in It's Britney Bitch somewhere in here... but since I'm not Britney... well, you get the picture!)

I'm blogging from my couch while watching my children play play-dough. How cool is that!? I finally got my wireless access set up again in the house. If I had known my router was so nearby, I would have done it months ago!

I'm currently reading a book called The Beck Diet Solution: How to Train your Brain to Think like a Thin Person. Week 1 is all about getting ready to diet. No dieting involved yet, though. It's just preparing and making sure that you have the tools to be able to resist temptation. Week 2 is about getting ready to diet. I'm somewhere in the middle of week 2 even though it's been 3 weeks since I started reading the book. :) So far I'm down 6 lbs. 6 lbs in 3 weeks is SO SLOW compared to what I'm used to, but if it stays off, who gives a rats ass, right?

My goal is to be down to 170 lbs (hopefully a nice solid size 10-12) by my birthday Feb 11. I love that Mrs. Schulz gave me a 10 day buffer zone in my goals!

Here's my workout schedule currently:
Monday: Boot amp class - I did the first one last week. It was painful, painful, painful. I was sore until Wednesday!

Tuesday: Off. Walk with kids -- if I can after that damn Bootcamp Class!

Wednesday: Yoga class. It is so wonderful to have that night of stretch after having a day to recover from Susan's (the instructor for the Bootcamp Class) brutal class. Allison, the Wednesday night teacher does a good 10 minute ab set at the end of class. Eventually I'm hoping to do Step at 7 and then Yoga at 8 on Wednesday. We'll work up to that. :)

Thurday: Off.

Friday: 45- 60 minutes on the elliptical + weight lifting

Saturday: 9am Yoga class. Kathy teaches this. It's far more relaxing than the Wednesday night class. She does things slower and more methodically than Allison. :)

Sunday: Still up for debate. I'm trying to decide between taking Step at 6 or just having another day off!

My Mr. Wonderful likes the fact that I'm working out, so he's watching the kids for me while I hit the gym.

Meanwhile I'm trying to eat more balanced meals more often. Lately I'm kind of stuck eating home made breakfast burritos (3 egg whites, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, turkey sausage in a 8" whole wheat tortilla) for breakfast at 7. I eat a snack at 9. It's usually a handful of homemade trail mix (toasted almonds, unsalted cashews, peanuts, dried cranberries and some chocolate chunks). Lunch is a sandwich and salad or soup at about 11. There's another snack between 1 & 3 - sometimes popcorn, sometimes yogurt. It all depends. :) Dinner is something very, very low carb. I'm trying to stay away from carbs after 5. My body just holds onto them. It sucks. I'd love to eat bread without problems!

While I'm eating all of this I try to drink 4 liters of water a day. Yes, you read that right - 4 liters. I've got a 2 liter pitcher on my desk. My drawer is full of crystal light because there comes a point where I can only drink so much water flavored water. :)

Jossie - welcome. I probably should have put this at the top, but well - I was just so excited! :)

I actually made this great recipe the other day and it was SO easy. Now - you think I can remember it? It had whole wheat pasta, ground seasoned turkey, brocolli, dried aprocots and peacans. It was fabulous.

Oh - the other thing that is my go to fast food is 1 Morningstar Farm's Black Bean Burger on top of my salad with 1/4 cup shredded cheese, refried black beans and a couple of tablespoons of salsa. I sometimes crumble some tortilla chips over the top like they are crutons (is that speled right??!)! It's so good! I've found that the key to the tofu stuff is to cook it the right way. Well, I didn't really find on my own, I was told, but ya know - I know it anyway. :) The Black Bean burgers work really well in a frying pan on each side for 6-7 minutes until they carmelize and get a little crunchy. And I TRULY adore the damn tofu chicken patties. They remind me of Elementary School Lunch. :)

And to Anonymous - no, we do not have another bride yet. She's picked out the dress though. LOL I'm just waiting for the very large diamond ring. He was asked about when he was going to marry me by one of our customers last week. He said he figured I wouldn't live with him in sin forever. I told him he'd better have a more solid answer then that. I told him again that I wouldn't wait 6 years for my ring like he made his ex-wife wait. Hopefully that's enough of a hint. :)

Ok - did I cover everyting? Gosh - I hope so.

I just have to shout out to Karen. :) I read your blog all the time girlfriend. You, Jossie and Dani should come up some time and we have a girls night watching chick flicks or going out and drinking or something!

K - Done now.

Aideu mis amies.

My view

2007-10-05T20:32:00.002-07:00

Hi Ladies,

Like Danielle said, I have been invited as an author to this blog so I can post now.

I'll start with a bit of my background. As a teenager I was very active and never had to worry about what I ate because my mom always cooked healthy, delicious, Spanish meals and I never learned how to cook because I didn't have to. Since I was active, I never thought of "being healthy" but then I went away from home for college. I had no clue how to cook so I'd call my mom to help me make a grocery list and talk me through cooking the meals I would eat for the next 3 days. I didn't always have time for that so I ended up buying a lot of frozen foods, like pizza. I started gaining weight and my activity level greatly decreased.

Then I got married to Brian (which you have all met I'm sure) and he IS an amazing cook. That worked out great because I didn't know what I was doing in the kitchen. Well, it turned out that it wasn't so great because I kept on gaining weight. I took notice that my clothes wasn't fitting me anymore and tried a couple diets that worked, until I stopped doing them :-)

To make the long story short....I've grown up and figured out that it's important to be healthy for other reasons than just appearances. My father has diabetes and so does everyone else in his side of the family. Chances of me getting diabetes are huge, but I am 26 years old and ready to prevent ever having to deal with that.

My ultimate goal is to never ever feel like I'm on a diet or that I'm restricting myself from eating anything yet still live a healthy life. If it wasn't for my jeans feeling tighter and my shirts smaller, I wouldn't worry about my appearance...I don't want to spend tons of money in new clothes when I know that I'm working towards a goal that will solve that.

I'm very far away from my ultimate goal, but I have milestones, which I like to call mini-goals, that will help me get there. Here they are in no particular order...

mini-goals

Cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner myself
Wake-up on weekdays at 6:15AM to exercise, 8AM otherwise
Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily
Cut out coffee completely
Don't miss a day - one day at a time

I'm sure there are more mini-goals that I'm forgetting, but these are the most important ones to me right now.

The most difficult one is #1. I have to admit that Brian has learned to cook healthy and even though he complains, I think he's OK with it. Since this is the most difficult one for me, I need help in this area and that's why I want to propose to you to help me begin a virtual recipe club. I was hoping that you all can help me figure out all the details, but it will require commitment. It shouldn't be difficult because you have to cook at least once a week (or month?), right?

I was thinking that each one of us could post a healthy recipe once every month, this will change later I'm sure. Ideally the recipe should be hearty and contain carbs, vegetable, and protein. Since it's only 3 of us, we will each have 2 recipes to try out in that month and we can then comment on it. That's it, easy isn't it?

Let me know of your ideas :-)

I promise this will be the only post that is this long!!

~Jossie

The new me

2007-10-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Posting as the new me!

Weeks goals:

Pack and be ready for departure 6 AM Friday morning (going to ND)
Start Thank you Notes from Wedding. (eat that frog, so do the hardest ones first).
Make progress on changing my name.

I added Jossie as an author to this BLOG, Jossie feel free to create your own posts!

I'm probably going to scrap our tracking pictures, are they accurate for anyone? The little slide ruler things?

You may ask why I didn't start working out this week... or at least why I'm not reporting that I worked out..

This weekend I got a well needed break from the world with a couple of rainy days, and this week am focused on getting things done at work so I can earn my Friday flex day. My weight is holding steady at 170 lbs.

Anyone else starting exercise or healthy eating plans? Give us an update (as anonymous said we need some inspiration out here !).

-Danielle

So... Now that I'm married...

2007-09-10T14:12:00.001-07:00

I want to wait about a week before starting anything crazy workout wise because I was killer sick last week, but B and I read an article about a diet called "the abs diet".

Anyone heard of it?

It's Official

2007-08-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

The engagement is OFF and the married life is ON!

Still not quite all sunk in yet, but i'm still processing.

The week with family and friends helping us celebrate was amazing. I was so glad to see everyone.

Good Advice

2007-08-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

Add Years to Your Life with 6 Changes
Source: Woman’s Day magazine

Doctors and scientists concur: the way you live your life today has a big impact on the number of years you have left to live and how fully you are able to enjoy them. Sally Brown, author of Live Longer: Your Whole Health Route to Longer Life suggests making one small change a week. This, she says, can make a big difference in the long run. She suggests these changes:

1) have more “date nights”
2) dance to stimulate mental and physical coordination,
3) sleep more,
4) stand with good posture,
5) visualize yourself as youthful, energetic, and
6) laugh and giggle.

One of those days...

2007-07-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

It started out as one of those days.

The days when you get up, decide to not shower, do your hair or dress up at all.

Throw the hair back in a ponytail, put on your boyfriends baggy shorts and an old top you bought so long ago you don't even know where it came from.

Take the time to put lotion on your face (cuz after all we are just about 30, have to worry about wrinkles and sun damage)...

Then get to work and have someone say " You look nice today"?!?!?!

What the...

PS. Gained 3 lbs on the long weekend...Back to the drawing board.

MSN Articles on Emotional Eating

2007-07-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

I know I do this sometimes... and sometimes I don't realize it till the whole bag of chips is gone.

This is also one of the reasons why I try to stick to sensible eating instead of calling it a diet. As soon as its a diet then its something I can cheat on, which gives you a thrill you know? Makes it Forbidden and all the more fun.

Emotional Eating:
http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100166042&GT1=10212

One quote that really struck me as key..

"Many people report to me that as they're approaching their goal weight they often sabotage themselves and all of their efforts. They wonder why that is. It doesn't seem to make any sense. In fact, you may be able to relate to that experience.

The answer, time and again, proves to be simple: if you didn't have your weight to think about you might have to think about what's really bothering you, and that's very frightening, because I know that you feel powerless to change the things that really bother you. "

Monday Check-In

2007-07-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

Feel decent today. Worked out "hardcore" Saturday morning.

Kept up with the small meals and threw a bit of a fit last night when Brandon was trying to plan too much food for dinner. Made sure to include Fruit with our starch and meat :)

Did go to the movies though and a bit of unconscious eating made the small popcorn go away before the previews were even done! After that I had brought a snack of pretzels to keep me from other bad things at the movie theater.

Weight today 166.5

Goals this week. Work out Monday, Wednesday Friday. Bring lunch to work 2 days.

Ugh

2007-07-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should be thrilled with losing 6 lbs in 2 weeks. However, I'm just plain not.

I've been working out every fricking day. Hard. Not this easy 'workin in the garden' crap. ;) Ok - so it's not crap for you, but I'm in good shape already (yes, you can be fat and in good shape damnit). So for me to lose so slowly pisses me off. I'm eating really well. Though, I think my body really, really, really doesn't like carbs. I'm easing back on them now. Upping the protien and throwing out that damned Fat Smash diet. My Good God, I ate tofu for 9 days straight. No meat. All fruits and veggies. It was great and all. I felt good by the end of it. However, you'd think that I would have been down 10 lbs by then, but alas...

Needless to say I'm frustrated. REALLY Frustrated.

Anyway - if I keep up this way, but the time Christmas rolls around I might weigh 175.

2007-07-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

My flower girl :) Isn't she cute! And precocious... She was in the middle of beating my sister over the head with the ballon when I took this picture.

Mondy Check In

2007-07-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

I'm a little late for my Monday check in but I remember my weight from Monday.

168.5

So not going anywhere. BUT Here IS what I did this week.

1) Lots of gardening, pulling weeds etc, good workout for the butt muscles (gluteus maximum).

2) 2 nights of "clean up the basement" work. Last night resulted in my treadmill, weights area and TV all being in good shape downstairs and ready to use. Brandon did a lot of the work, but I was the "run things up and down the stairs" person.

3) Passed up a Peanut Butter and Chocolate desert today.

4) Been eating healthier when I can, trying to eat less food, earlier dinners and lighter lunches. Even packed up 1/2 my sub sandwich from lunch yesterday and saved it for dinner.

Yep. I'm back on the wagon

2007-07-04T13:36:00.001-07:00

Since my bridesmaid dress didn't fit, my boyfriend decided to go all Harvey (from Celebrity Fit Club) on my ass. Since Monday, I've been on the first phase of the Fat Smash Diet. Yep. Fruits & Veggies - all I want. Tofu. 2 cups of brown rice. 1 cup of Oatmeal. 2 cups of milk. 2 - 6oz containers of yogurt. That's all I get to eat for 9 days. I'm on day 3. So far -- so good.

Along with that, I've been working out every night. 500 calories on the treadmill. :) It isn't so bad... it's just... tiring. It helps that my kids are gone. Add to that the weight lifting every other day.

If it kills me, I'll be down to 180 by the wedding. AND my dress will fit!!!

First Monday in July

2007-07-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to July. I can't believe its here already. 1 1/2 months to wedding!

My Monday check in is this...

Did a good job this weekend of not eating till I was stuffed. I tried to only eat when I was hungry.
Did not so great on the car snacks for the drive (Lots of Cheezits, and licorice)
Thanks to Linda's variety of food I had a good mix of fruits along with higher fat foods like hamburgers and bratwurst.
Weigh in about 166 lbs. I say about because I ate breakfast and got partway dressed before weighing myself so I subtracted 2 lbs off what the scale said.

Future Plans

Three 30 min exercise sessions this week. Starting after work today, mow grass or walk if its nice out, treadmill and weights if it is not. One session will be more than covered by Thursday's Kayaking adventure.
The holiday week means no overtime for me, and I am taking 1 additional vacation day. No overtime means more time for wedding stuff and for working out. Like a vacation almost!

It's Official

2007-07-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

We are engaged :) Kind of late I know, but we didn't get or engagement announcement in the paper till just this week.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=42337%A7ion=celebrations&freebie_check&CFID=41492045&CFTOKEN=89546500&jsessionid=883026676c414f2d553e

We put it in the New Salem ND paper, Bismarck Tribune, and the Grand Forks Herald.

Monday Check-In

2007-06-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Monday June 25th. 8 weeks till the wedding. I have about 7-10 lbs to lose to start to feel a bit better about fitting into my dress and all that. Not to mention just maintaining muscle mass now that I am almost old.

Monday June 25th: 166.5

I have been hovering around this weight for many weeks now. Being too busy to workout and eat healthy.

Enough is enough...

2007-06-24T09:33:00.001-07:00

Something happened to me the last few days. Something made me really tired of not looking my best physically.

My friend Jossie's getting back into eating right and working out, it has inspired me quite a bit.
I tried on my wedding dress for a fitting and they couldn't get the top clasp together in the back.
Conversations recently about family history of various diseases.
Trying to be a good role model for young ladies in my Girl Scout troop and my siblings.
Its summer and hot and I have shorts and tank tops that I used to wear that now look bad on me or just plain don't fit.
I came up 1 flight of stairs on Friday and was out of breath enough that I couldn't carry on a conversation right after getting to my desk at work.
I have been having digestive issues lately and I have been eating pretty much anything in sight and indulging in fast food, big meals out and other food vices a lot lately.
Having a clean house makes me feel like I want to get other areas of my life in order as well.
Seeing the garden start to grow reminds me of how great it is to grow and eat fresh vegetables!

That is a lot of reasons, but they all culminated into an action.

This morning I went for a walk outside. It was a bit hard especially since I chose a hill to walk up first thing, but it felt great. I followed that up with reading a bit of my old diet book "Change One: Lose weight simple, safely and forever" and following one of their breakfast guidelines.

FF Cottage Cheese,
wheat toast (with strawberry preserves),
watermelon
and a couple glasses of water.

I'm not to the point yet where I am going to commit to a 6 day a week workout plan, a restricted calorie diet, or a weight loss goal of x lbs by x date.... but I am to the point where I just want to do something... so I did.

Wedding Website

2007-06-05T11:57:00.001-07:00

For those of you who were not on my email a few weeks back, here is my wedding website!!
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/DanielleBurkhart&BrandonSchulz

Tell me what you think, and if I misspelled or said something wrong as far as you know!

-Danielle

Hot Healthy Geek Brides

Hot and Healthy Out the Window

The Geek in Me

Updated Goals

I resolve to...

Cloth Diaper Blog

Health Plan

Habits

Baby Lydia is HERE!

No Gestational Diabetes!

February Fitness Goals

2009 Goals

Food For Thought

New Program

The dollar diet

How cheap can they get?

Update

Fitness centers...I give in!

Fitness Games?

Jazzercise

consitency(eating better + exercise + dedication)===great results

Kicking it up a notch

No more excuses!

5 out of 6!

Healthy Environment

Spring is here

Initiative and Action

On the way...

Slow and Steady

Down an inch

Only 25 more pounds to Go

Just keep walking....

Tomorrow is the busiest day.

One day at a time...

OK, I'm really doing it

Weigh in

SIKE

Hooray!

Week 1 - Power 90

Week of Feb 3 - 9

Top 5 Favorite Snacks

Week 5 Came and Went

A *REALLY* good recipe! :)

Me and the Skinny Bitch(es)

Week 4

I give up.

blech...going into week 3 update...

Week 3

My goals for 2008

Danielle Week 2

What percent of my fat is body?

Time to tackle a diet

Older post responses

Being healthy without thinking about it

Small Tips for Weight Loss

Goals Check In

Danielle Week 1

Diet 2008 - Week 1.

Happy Holidays

Evil Evil Goodie Day

For any mothers out there...

Lunch ideas?

Confession: Yesterday I had...

Are you getting enough sleep?

Find time to Exercise Tips

Instead of...

After the holidays

An open letter to my stalker...

Fight It

November 2007

Quick Easy Dinner

Solution for our Fitness woe's? I don't think so.

Solved Karens Problem

My Goals

Haven't post forever!

Meal Ideas

My turn to focus

The Gluten-Free Geek

New Authors?

Recipe Club #1 October 2007 DUE October 30th

A REALLY good recipe! :)