Wednesday, June 27, 2007

It wasn't a bad workout

It wasn't great either.

Pancho's back in town but he's bailed on going to work out. Since he was my ride I didn't go Monday or yesterday. Boo. Today I finally got my car back with a shiny new transmission that actually works. So, today I went and lifted on my own and it wasn't too bad- I've probably had worse workouts but I've certainly had better.
I'm going to start taking a notebook to more closely track what I'm lifting and then set goals before I go- I think it will help me focus.

Oh, the weight is 238.5 which is just a bit less than last time, but I seem to fluctuate pretty much between 238 and 242 and it's been that way for over a month now. I know that I need to eat better and do more cardio if I'm going to move on from this plateau.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Tough Guy

I shaved my head again but left my beard long- so this is my requisite tough guy pose. I don't think it's working.

I busted out the tape measure last night and I'm doing ok on my goals. I've lost just over an inch from my waist and just over an inch from my chest since February when I made my original goals. I certainly haven't been as on the ball since then as I should be- an inch in five months makes it seem likely I'm not going to lose the rest by December, but I still think it's not an unrealistic goal but I'll actually need to work a bit harder at it.

I'm the same weight as I was when I updated my goals back in late March, but my arms and thighs are bigger, so I think if I've gained muscle and stayed the same weight I must have lost some fat- just not sure how much muscle I 've gained or fat I've lost. Overall I think things are good, I need to be a bit more committed but at least I'm still making progress.

even when I'm trying to eat healthy...

This meal that I ate earlier this week:


was 13 weight watchers points. I have no idea how many I'm supposed to have for a day since I'm not doing weight watchers, but it seems 13 points is a lot for one meal. It especially seems like a lot for one meal of chicken and pasta and veggies. I suppose it was a whole lot of chicken and pasta and veggies, (and about 70 grams of protein) so it makes sense. I also used a bit of butter in cooking it and I can cut that out to make a big difference. I'll figure out a good recipe and then post it and the points.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Spicy Shrink Yer Butt Salad

Not Martha recently posted a link to a Spicy-Shrink-Yer-Butt Salad recipe over at SundryBuzz.

Really, the last thing I need to do is shrink my butt since I barely have a butt anyway. However, if I have to shrink my butt to also lose my gut, so be it.

This really isn't a bad salad at all. If you haven't thought before to add beans to your salad to make a meal of it, you really should. Miss Sundry likes small white beans with this salad- I say that's absurd. Go with black beans and chili beans/red beans. I use one can of each to go with my bag of pre-washed salad mix. The combo of those and the salsa basically means you are eating chili. But it's a chilly chili instead of being hot, which is great for summer. I don't use salad oil or vinegar- the lime juice and salsa really mean you don't need any other dressing at all. Just be sure to go easy on the salsa a little really does go a long way.

One big tip she doesn't mention- rinse the beans and the corn. Especially black beans. Put them in the strainer and make sure they are really well rinsed before mixing them in with your salad. With chili beans you don't have to rinse them if you get the spicy kind and you're wanting that chili powder sauce stuff on the salad to make it more like chili- but I'd still give them a light rinse or at least drain them. If you don't rinse the beans and just mix a can of beans with your salad it will be gross. Really

As for Sundry's statement that you'll feel like you're cheating? Complete and utter bullshit. I feel like I'm eating a salad because it's an f-ing salad, I certainly don't feel like I'm cheating. But it's ok because I really don't have to feel like I'm cheating. I feel like I'm being good- but I don't really feel mad or ripped off.

Oh, and as for using chicken or shrimp as your protein with this meal they're just fine but pale in comparison to citrus/chili crusted grilled salmon. Yes, the salmon is higher in fat. But they're good fats, right? A piece of Salmon should be about 300 or 400 calories and 20grams of fat, so that would put it at about 9 or 10 WW points which is a pretty big indulgence. It is, however, an indulgence with 40 grams of protein.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Better than Bisquick Pancakes?

One of the Body for Life authorized recipes over at the website is the really simple "Better than Bisquick" pancakes.

So, I enjoyed them this morning, but are they really better than Bisquick?

Well, they are surprisingly good but you won't confuse them with light fluffy home made pancakes or even good pancake mix pancakes. But, they are lighter than expected and really taste very good. The big bonus is they are very high protein and fairly high fiber when compared to normal pancakes.

BTBQ Pancakes:
4 Egg Whites
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
Combine ingredients in blender, pulse till blended, scrape sides and blend again till you have a fairly smooth batter, but don't over do it they don't need to be perfectly smooth. cook on 325F skillet. Makes between 4 and 6 small pancakes
Calories: 283
fat: 2g
cholesterol: 9mg
sodium: 680mg
Total Carbs: 35g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 35g
weight watchers points: 5 (really 4.8)

obviously using 2% cottage cheese gives nearly the same nutrition, and you can of course go for low sodium cottage cheese too. I think the 2% cottage cheese changes the weight watchers points to 5.27 so I'm not sure how the rounding works.


Conclusion:
These are surprisingly good- and just a small bit or syrup or peanut butter really makes them a big winner. I don't know that they're for everybody- but definitely try them- they can be a good way to get in a lot of protein without having to choke down shakes or eat tons of eggs every morning for breakfast.

Thumbs up!

Friday, June 15, 2007

wowsers

You ever have one of hose dreams that seems completely normal until you wake up and then it's just totally weird?

I woke up at 6:09 from this dream where I was in Mexico at some bar/restaurant outside on a patio with some other people who were obviously Americans but who I met there in Mexico. Some of them bought me drinks so I had to give them to other people at the table. Some kids were coming and going from the table and tried to drink some of the drinks but thought they were gross and wanted to know why they weren't good like the paletas.
It was mostly college age (or a little older) guys at the table, but it was a mix of people and who was there seemed to kind of fluctuate. There were people walking around and kind of dancing on the patio as well. Then some women who were apparently American tourists as well but looked like bald trolls came and were dancing and hanging out on the patio. They looked kind of like the giant disgusting guy with swords for arms in the 300, except they were about four foot six and didn't have swords for arms. I think one of them did have 6 or eight breasts instead of two and was wearing bikinis or something that made it apparent. Instead of being shocked by the strange troll people it was just more of a "man those women are ugly" type of response in my head. It inspired one of the guys at the table to say it was time to cut off the drinks and head on out- otherwise who knows who they might go home with. I wanted to pitch in some money to pay - people were just putting cash on the table, mostly American dollars. In my wallet I just had 20s in American dollars and I didnt want to pay that much, but I also had pesos. I saw with frustration that I only had 200 peso bills to go along with the 20s- since all I drank was some juice or something and I didn't get any beer I didn't really want to pay that much. I gave a 200 peso bill to one of the guys anyway (strangely it was pink like 50 peso bills rather than 200 peso bills) and he just gave it to the waitress along with some other money (the waitress strangely happened to be an American girl with kind of blonde curly hair- and in my dream this seemed stranger than the troll women)

Yeah- it must have been the paint fumes from the bathroom because I have no idea where that came from. I guess the lesson learned is that if I get to go to Mexico again I need to remember to carry smaller bills so that I can easily pay for small meals or drinks.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Thursday!

I'm trying to blog more on the regular- I think it will keep me more accountable in weight loss terms- though when I'm crappy I don't really want to blog. I've had good days in the gym- but not been good when it comes to food.

Tuesday night I went to Hideaway Pizza with a group of friends. It was great. But see, the thing about hideaway on Tuesday nights is they just keep bringing you pizza, you have to eat it... right?

Then last night we did a little pot luck thing at my house. Robert's enchilada casserole was amazing. Seriously, it was great.

But- I couldn't sleep last night. I don't know if someone put some crack or msg in their potluck dish or something- so I didn't get to sleep till well after 3 am. So, I didn't get up early today and go to the gym and I took a nap in the afternoon as well.

I'm not going to go to the gym tonight- I'm going to paint my bathroom. (or finish painting it actually.)


And little sister, if you're still reading this I am still of the opinion that you should totally get a blog.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Happy Day!

So, I joined a different Gym, the newly opened Athletic Loft here in Norman. Why did I join a new gym when I'm probably moving in a couple months?
Well, there's no contract and no sign up fee. Like my previous gym it's open 24 hours so Pancho and I can work out when he gets out of work. But, the big bonus is it isn't all the way across town- it's just around the corner.

There are some ways in which it is much nicer than the 24hr fitness express where I was going before, and other ways in which it isn't as nice. The cardio area is bigger while the free weight area has as about as much equipment but is a bit more crowded than at fitness express. They do have unlimited tanning included with pretty nice tanning beds, but I'm pretty darn sure that's a service I won't be using.

My first couple days there have been pretty good. I had a good day lifting and good cardio too. So, I think the new gym will good for me. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

I'm so freakin patriotic, and I didn't even know it.

I didn't go to church today, instead I went to the urgent care facility to get all shot up with steroids. Why did I do this? Because on Thursday some poison plant decide to attack me- which meant I swelled up more and more since then. This mornint I couldn't open my right eye and I felt like what I imagine a pile of dog crap feels like.
So, I got the shot, got a prescription and went home.
Side effects of said shot and prescription include an increased appetite, so I ate a whole bunch today. That combined with not going to the gym for nearly a week means I've got to do better tomorrow. I've stayed right under 240, which is god but I should be much further along than this.

Good news- it seems to be working. I still look like a monster, but at least I can open my right eye all the way. I really should have taken a picture before the swelling went down.


The swelling going down is nice, but the best part was that as I was getting naked this evening so that I could shower I realized there was a bandaid on my ass. Makes sense, that's where I got the shot. But, you know what the amazing part was? It was an American flag bandaid. I guess they took me for a loyal Bushie. Either that, or a passionate hippy in opposition to our government's policies. It really seems those are the only two groups that ever wear an american flag on their bodies at or bellow the waistline.

How did I not know about these bandaids before? Why would I ever use any other bandaid if it is possible to display my patriotism (despite not being a loyal Bushie) every time I have a wound. I think that I would take a cue from Left Eye and company, or even Nelly and wear them as fashion statements even when I didn't have an injury that required them.

As I got in the shower thinking of the American flag that was previously on my derrière and I somehow got "The Babysitter's Here" by Dar Williams stuck in my head. The king of romance wore an American flag on the seat of his pants, but I think in the end he was kind of a butt-head, so I'm still not sure about the company I keep.
Regardless, I figured I should share some Dar, Babysitter first, and then Christians and the Pagans (which isn't really a video, just the song with a lovely nature pentagram background) I certainly hope you enjoy them as much as I just did.

Babysitter's Here



Christians and the Pagans