Determined To Be Fit

Wordless Wednesday

keyalus — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:00:14 +0000

I wonder where he learned that mean-mugging?

I Tried It

keyalus — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:58 +0000

Barney Butter

The big deal: A lot of CrossFitters follow the Paleo diet. I guess I’m a rebel because I haven’t gotten sucked into the Paleo cult yet. While there are several flavors of Paleo, they all share a common disdain for legumes. Legumes apparently spike your insulin levels which is not really a good thing. This is one type of food that isn’t unhealthy compared to a lot of things you could be eating. I mean really green beans = bad for you?!? I guess that legumes can be taken as a YMMV type food – sort of like dairy. If it doesn’t bother with you or affect your weight loss go with it but you might be better off without it.

The Precision Nutrition plan doesn’t instruct banish legumes from your diet, but encourages you to place them in the appropriate context based on your carb tolerance. So beans and such are generally not eaten at every meal.

I said all of that to say that since peanuts are a legume and not a nut, I decided to try out almond butter. I can take or leave peanut butter, so trying something new for the sake of my insulin levels was not a problem.

The verdict: I really like it! I ordered a 3-pack of the crunchy style from Amazon.com and thank goodness it is so tasty! Barney Butter tastes a lot like peanut butter to me, but it is a little richer in flavor. I love the chunky bits of whole almonds. Yum.

Barney Butter is not made from almonds alone. The addition of palm fruit oil (not the same as palm kernel oil) and a little evaporated cane sugar might bug some super healthy people. Overall, Barney Butter only contains 3g of sugar so we aren’t talking about a huge issue here.

MaraNatha Almond Butter

The big deal: See looong description for Barney Butter above!

The verdict: I don’t like it at all. This tasted really bitter to me and it was a weird consistency…sort of runny. MaraNatha almond butter contains only almonds and nothing else so it is definitely the purer product. However, I’ll take the cane sugar if it makes the product taste 100x better.

This stuff can be pricey too! Pub.lix sells a tiny jar for $11.99 and I’m so glad I didn’t buy it there. I was roaming the aisles of Costco one day for free samples and noticed a huge jar for only $5.75 so I decided to try it. I doubt I will dip my knife in it again. I don’t like wasting large amounts of calories on stuff that doesn’t taste good.

Kale Chips

The big deal: Duh! Leafy green vegetables are good for you!

The verdict: I’ve read about kale chips on numerous blogs but only tried them out last week. They are freakin’ delicious! Comparisons to real potato chips are sort of laughable because come on…this is kale. I do see a slight similarity in that both are salty and a little oily though. These chips come out really light and crispy and sort of melt in your mouth. Once I started eating these I couldn’t stop. As I type this, I have a big bunch of kale in my office refrigerator and all I can think about is getting back home to make some more kale chips.

Cooking was tricky to me as some chips came out soggy. I’ll have to play around with the baking a bit but I’m about to work that situation out so that I can increase my yield of yummy chips. I can’t wait to experiment with different seasonings although a simple olive oil and sea salt combination was excellent.

Note: No one sends me anything free to try (how I wish they would!) so my opinions not influenced in any way by the need to please sponsors.

Minimize Me Monday

keyalus — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:07:09 +0000

I was down 2 pounds this week to 191 even. I swear it seems like one week I’ll be down a few pounds, the next week up a little bit and then down 2 pounds the next week. Whatever! I’ll take it. Again, I know I’m doing the right things so the scale just needs to follow my lead.
I take pictures every month for my Precision Nutrition program. This is the third set of pictures I’ve taken. When I compare this month’s pictures with the first month’s set I see a dramatic difference in the stomach area. There is still a lot of work to be done but I am so encouraged.
I went biking yesterday at the Silver Comet. So.much.fun! We did 10 miles in about an hour. After logging into SparkPeople, I realized that this is a pretty slow pace. I haven’t ridden a bike in years though so it worked for me. I want more.
The first 5 miles of the ride was easy…almost too easy. I had to shift gears to 7 (the max) so that I could feel like I was doing some work. The second five was a lot more challenging and my thighs were really feeling it. I found myself going much faster (and leaving behind the crew I was with LOL) because I just wanted it to be over.
The fun bike ride has me thinking triathlon again. There is a sprint tri here in August that I am really considering. I’m going to have to think hard on this one. My swim skills are limited (even after taking lessons last year) and very rusty. I never managed to swim a full lap of the pool. How can I swim 400 yards?
I took Lewis and my new BOB Revolution out to the park to test out the 5K course for the race in a few weeks. The BOB has a really smooth ride and pushing the kid around didn’t seem too bad. This was a much better experience than my attempts at running with my Graco Snap-N-Go frame. It is kind of awkward to run without pumping your arms though.
We are doing the baby tour thing next week so I will be on the road for a week heading to Charleston and Richmond. I am working hard on getting a workout plan together so I don’t lose my momentum on the trip.
Nutrition is HARD when you don’t have control over your food because you are staying with someone else. I feel fine hitting the grocery store at my parents’ house, but I feel funny doing the same at my mother-in-law’s house. I don’t know what I’m going to do about that. I can only eat so many fast food salads.

First Foods

keyalus — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:28:45 +0000

We introduced Lewis to rice cereal a few weeks ago when he turned 5 months old. Maybe it was too soon because he didn’t really enjoy it very much! Why in the world do parents rush to start solids?!? Feeding someone who has barely learned to accept a spoon and has the attention span of – well of an infant – is no fun!

The rice cereal was not very successful. I only tried it a few times. I also tried avocado a few times and he didn’t appear to like that either. I will try both again because I know a few attempts is too soon to write off a food. We did have some success with banana…he actually willingly opens his mouth for that one! Yay! Let me have any kind of food in my mouth though and he will stalk me with his eyes and open his mouth all extra wide. The Mister put a fruit snack (yeah I know) in his mouth and nearly got his finger gummed to death. Go figure!

Minimize Me Monday

keyalus — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:28:05 +0000

I was up .5 pounds on my home scale on Saturday. I haven’t taken my measurements yet so I don’t know what the deal is there. I’m not freaked out. I know I’m doing the right things so the weight loss will follow.
I was down .6 pounds for the weigh-in for our office Biggest Loser contest. I discount that number because it is taken after I exercise in the morning. I appreciate it for contest purposes though…better down something than up in weight!
Feb bootcamp ended Friday and I improved a lot in the benchmark workout we did at the beginning of the month. I’m looking forward to March’s go ’round.
Last week was fairly light on exercise. I took three (planned) rest days. I feel like a lazy slob! I made it to three days of bootcamp but I didn’t do a long run and I only had one other day of cardio.
I decided to do a 10K sometime in May. It is really hard to find races that time of year because it is so freakin’ warm here.
I find that I don’t run when I don’t have a race planned. The downside is that training for a race means that I can’t do other types cardio that I enjoy. Catch-22 much?
I need to start drinking my water again. I am terrible about hydration at home! Terrible! There are days when I don’t drink anything from 6PM-10PM. It seems like I’m always holding the baby or scarfing down dinner really quick before he starts fussing. This must change.
I fit into another new pair of jeans. Yay! I bought some jeans from Old Navy that fit in one wash but were too tight in a different wash (same size, same style). Now they fit!
I love Old Navy for transitional clothing. $22 jeans work for me when I am losing weight and not trying to spend a lot of dough. They might not last a long time but they work for now.
I still can’t fit into the Size 12 Long and Leans from Gap. The 14s are too big (or maybe it is too stretched out?) to the point where I don’t want to wear them anymore. I still can’t get in the 12s though. How is this possible?

I Tried It

keyalus — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:51:52 +0000

In the name of good health and nutrition, I sometimes try to broaden my horizons and try new foods. I’ve been on a real bender lately since starting Precision Nutrition and beefing up my protein/trying to eat better quality carbs.

Fage – 0%

The big deal: Greek yogurt is packed with protein (16g in a 6oz cup). Lots of diet and health bloggers worship this stuff.

The verdict: Yuck! I tried this before and was hoping that I could put chocolate protein powder in the yogurt to make it taste pudding-ish. Yuck! It is thicker than normal yogurt which is fine. It is the sour taste of Greek yogurt that is just gross to me. I ate most of my concoction but felt ill for a few hours afterwords.

Chobani Greek Yogurt – Strawberry

The big deal: See above

The verdict: I must be a glutton for punishment to try this stuff yet again right? I figured another brand might taste better. I was right! This stuff is good! It isn’t as sickly sweet as your average cup of Dannon yogurt. It contains real sugar and real fruit – nothing artificial. Alas, the real sugar is the downfall – 20g in one cup. Sheesh! The plain kind only has about 7g of natural milk sugar so the strawberry stuff is just rolling in sugar. I will eat this occasionally but not add it to my regular rotation.

Ezekial 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread

The big deal: Precision Nutrition encourages you to eat unprocessed and unrefined grains. That meant that suddenly my normal 100% whole wheat bread was not good enough. Ezekial bread is a sprouted grain bread and that means it meets the qualifications above and is really good for you. It is also low on the glycemic index so it won’t make your blood sugar go crazy.

The verdict: Not bad! I now eat a slice of this when I wake up in the morning before I workout. This is a better option than my usual 1/2 whole wheat bagel. Ezekial bread is really dense and filling. I toast it and it has a nutty kind of flavor. This slice carries me from 6-ish to 8:30 when get in to work and have a fuller breakfast. If you decide to try it buy from Tra.der Jo.e’s if you can. It costs $3.99/loaf here as opposed to $6 at Who.le Foo.ds or Kro.ger.

Steel Cut Oats

The big deal: Everyone knows oatmeal is good for you and foodies rave about how good steel cut oats taste.

The verdict: Yuck! I hate oatmeal so I don’t know why I thought this would be any different. I doctored it up with butter, some Splenda, a banana and some slivered almonds but oats are still gross. The mushy texture is what kills me. I love grits and want to replace them with a healthier option but this just isn’t it for me.

Brussel Sprouts

The big deal: I don’t know if they are a big deal other than being a green veggie that’s new to me. They are full of fiber, vitamin A, potassium and calcium though! I’ve never tried these before and the average TV show makes Brussel sprouts seem like the worst tasting vegetable in the world!

The verdict: Loved them! I love cabbage and since they are part of the cabbage family I figured they’d taste similar. I roasted them according to this recipe and popped them like veggie candy. The only problem is that they really stank up the house. I’m going to have to find a way to cut the smell or The Mister won’t let me make these again LOL.

Do you ever try to broaden your horizons with healthier foods? Any suggestions for foods I should try? Nothing extra processed please!

Minimize Me Monday

keyalus — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:13:40 +0000

I’m down 2 pounds again as of this Saturday to 192.5. What a great 2 weeks this has been…down 5 pounds total! I’m also down a total of 5 inches (all over) since starting my Precision Nutrition program measurements.
A few people have told me that I look like I’m losing weight. Yeah! It is so hard to see it yourself.
A lot of my workout pants are starting to feel loose. This is good news too but kind of annoying when you are trying to do mountain climbers in boot camp.
This was a great exercise week. I worked out every day this week. Four CrossFit bootcamp sessions, 2 step aerobics cardio days at home and 1 outdoor running day.
I truly do believe in the need for rest days though so this will not become a weekly habit.
The ATL weather was fabulous this weekend so I made the long drive to the Silver Comet Trail on Sunday for a long run. I’ve really missed running outside and this is my favorite place to run. I like running here because once you get out on the trail you can’t cut your run short!
I ran out to the 2.4 mile marker (started running at .3 miles), took a 2-minute break and then ran back to the 1.2 mile marker. So I ran a little longer than a 5K in total. I wasn’t trying for any particular time. I’m just trying to get my endurance back.
I had to swap out my running shoes. My running has been off and on since becoming pregnant so I had no idea how many miles I’d logged on my Asics. I felt shin-splinty after my last run so I figured it was time to toss my old shoes. Luckily, I had bought an extra pair last year when they were on sale super cheap. The new pair is a crazy gold snakeskin color but they were $30 cheaper than the normal cost. No shin split feeling after Sunday’s run.
I’ve got 7.5 pounds to lose by March 12th. This is going to be close! I would be encouraged if I hit that target, but things are going well right now so I’m fine if I get close.
I bought two pairs of pants from The Limited for extra cheap. They are a (tight) Size 14 and about 3 pounds from being wearable but at least I could zip them all the way up this time. The last time I tried a pants search there in mid-December, I had to hang my head in shame and head to Lane Bryant.

Warrior

keyalus — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:30:45 +0000

DiscoDiva mentioned the Warrior Dash race to me a few weeks ago and I immediately remembered that it was featured on an episode of Bravo’s Workout (love that show!). The Warrior Dash is a crazy 5K with lots of cool obstacles thrown in like a wall climb, fire walk and mud crawl.

I didn’t give it much thought at the time because the race was already sold out. However, DiscoDiva kindly pointed out that an extra day was added and I joined her in signing up for Sunday morning! I am so excited…I live for this kind of stuff! I love getting the chance to do stuff you usually only see on TV. I’m not one for mud really but I guess I’ll suck it up.

If this might be your type of thing and you are in the Atlanta area – sign up! I got $5 off the fee by using the code CROSSFIT (but it isn’t a CrossFit sponsored event so don’t get scared). They are having this race in other areas too – don’t miss out on what should be a really unique experience.

UPDATE: Sister P is coming down from Richmond to join in the fun. Yeah!

Minimize Me Monday

keyalus — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:07 +0000

I know, today is Tuesday! I was off work for President’s Day yesterday and when I’m at home with the baby I lose all track of time. Lewis and I had a great day though!
I’m down 3 pounds this week to 194.5. Whooo hooo…finally breaking the two-week choke hold at 197.5. I was probably just retaining some water or something before but seeing the same number on the scale gets really discouraging.
I had good girth changes in my waist, bust and shoulder. My upper body is shrinking. Now if only my hips and thighs would get the memo.
I hit the track for a run on Sunday and man am I out of practice after only 3 weeks! I intended to run 4 long slow miles but that turned into 3 miles at normal pace with 1/2 track lap walk break between.
I have so much trouble consciously going extra slow (even though I run slow now anyway). Every mile was run at 12:00 min/mile with one mile at 11:30 min/mile (yeah!). I wanted to run extra slow so that I could go for 4 miles without stopping. Maybe next time.
I did Seasun Zieger’s Straight Up Step this morning and it is still one of my all-time favorite step videos.
CrossFit bootcamp is almost halfway done and it has been a great ride so far. I feel a lot stronger – probably because I’m getting that extra day of strength training in that wasn’t there before.
I have about 4 weeks left to hit my goal of 185 on 3/12 (6 months post-partum). I don’t know if I’m going to make it but I am going to try my hardest. I am definitely encouraged with the 40 pound loss in 5 months though (even if it that was 8 pounds of baby LOL).

Five Months

keyalus — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:57:14 +0000

Happy 5 Months Lewis! You are growing up so fast! You used to be this little blob that sat there and pooped and cried. Now you smile at me and try to talk and grab the cat. You let me make you laugh. You think you can feed yourself with your bottle. You are desperately trying to sit up like a big boy (and demonstrating more core strength than I’ve had in months LOL). You try to type on the computer like Daddy. You put *everything* in your mouth.

Having you has made my life so much richer. You are totally worth the weight gain, the pregnancy discomfort, the late nights, the insane sleepiness, the frustration – everything that comes along with becoming a mother. Mommy loves you baby boy!