I LOVE SATURDAYS!!!

Got up at 7:15 this morning, which is late for me!! But I enjoyed 8.5 hours of nice sleep :) We're headed to see Davidson play Duke at noon today. Go Davidson! Go Duke! I'm torn!

I had a cup of tea when I got up.



Workout:
I was having fun working on a new project (which you all will see soon!) and all of a sudden it was 9:00!!! We had to get to the gym by 9 to be on time, so we rushed and got there at 9:30. I had a quick piece of toast with PB (the end piece - so it's all funky shaped!)



Luckily, I got in a good workout - Stairmaster, ET, and weight lifting and burned a nice 465 calories!

Breakfast:
Of course we're in a huge rush, so husband made banana oatmeal. WOW! It's really good. He just added finely chopped banana while it was cooking and it kind of melted in. I'll have to see exactly how he made it so I can post the recipe.



It's 11:15 now and I'm just having breakfast (brunch??), so I added some walnuts and PB for more protein to hold me over until 2:30 when the game is over for a late lunch. I shouldn't need a snack while at the game since this breakfast usually holds me over about 4-5 hours.



Breakfast calories (including pre-workout toast): ~550.

We're headed to a wine tasting later this afternoon with 36 wines for sample, so it should be an interesting day!

See you then!

FRIDAY!!!!!!

Oatmeal with Peanut Butter, Almonds, Pear and Flax
made with Skim Milk and Water

I think I'm coming down with something. Woke up with a sore throat and that "I'm getting sick feeling" :( I'll be sure to get 9-10 hours of sleep tonight.

Had toast before workout....

Went to my regular Friday morning hour-long cycle class to burn 475 calories!!! I feel so strong during cycle classes. And it's always a great workout!

Breakfast was pear, almond and PB oatmeal with some ground flax and hot tea....





I've got a GREAT lunch and snack planned today (thanks to my handy husband who packed it for me b/c of my late class). I can't wait to eat them already!

Off to the lightrail!!

Long Day Ahead!

Tonight I have my nutrition class, which I'm taking at a local university to learn more about the body and the physiology behind nutrition, so I won't be home until 9 p.m. It's gonna be a long day!! But I get to have dinner at the dining hall, which is always exciting and will try my best to post dinner after class.

Got great sleep last night. I told the husband I was NOT allowed to be on my computer past 8pm, so he had to pry my hands from the keyboard to get me off! I was so glad he did though, because 30 minutes of reading (I'm reading the novel Rise and Shine) was just what I needed to unwind. Lights out at 9:00, and I got a great 8 hours of sleep. Much improved from Tuesday!!

Workout:
I decided on half a Kashi bar before my workout this morning and saved the other half for a snack during class tonight. Mid-workout I started to get really hungry. Although my normal toast + jam isn't that many more calories, it certainly holds over better.



Workout was ET and upper body lifting. It's not good to have RAGE at 5:30 in the morning, but this woman on the ET beside me was hacking up a lung - rhythmically - and I just couldn't take it anymore, so after 7 minutes I picked up my magazine and went to another ET in another room. Uggggg. If you can't get through 2 breaths without eating your snot, GO HOME!!! Gross. 426 calories burned.

Breakfast:
Had my favorite: Peanut Butter + Walnut Oatmeal with a small amount of chopped pear and banana in there somewhere. It was quite filling!!





And decaf coffee:



Back to volumetrics, I just love oatmeal because it's so voluminous (but not instant because then you get half the amount but the real kind!) and I'm always full when I finish it. Volume eaters love to feel full :) I just eat the Old Fashioned Oats, but I like the Quick Oats and Steel Cut as well. Quicks are better for oatmeal pancakes and steel cut when you have an hour to cook them, which isn't often!

Breakfast calories: ~500 (not including half of Kashi bar for tonight's snack)

I can't take the lightrail today because of my class tonight, but I'll be back on it tomorrow!

Morning in the Future!

As many of you know, I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. We just got our first form of mass transportation - a lightrail - and the first line opened over the weekend. I was scared to ride it, but the station is a mile from my house and goes right to my office building, so I knew I had to give it a try. The results? It took me 7 minutes longer to get to work (about 35 minutes door to door) but the stress level was GREAT!! I read SELF magazine and relaxed the whole trip. No traffic. No brakelights. Ahhhhhhh. I can't ride tomorrow because I have my nutrition class, but I will again on Friday! I think the evening commute will be even better!

Workout:
Woke up a little sluggish this morning, but I got in by at 8:30 and was asleep by 9:15, so I should have gotten about 8 hours. Had a half serving (1/4 cup) of oatmeal with a bit of PB before the gym.



At the gym, I was so excited because I had a new magazine to read that I couldn't wait to get there! I usually read magazines while I do cardio (even running sometimes!) and it makes me enjoy the time so much more. I get TONS of magazine subscriptions (all the health and fitness and all the home and garden), so they keep me busy :)

30 minutes Stairmaster, level 12
15 minutes stat bike
5 minutes abs + ab roller (my new favorite toy :)

= 415 calories burned!

"Part of This Complete Breakfast!"

I was craving eggs last night, so I had them for breakfast - and a little bit of everything! It reminded me of those commercials that say "Part of this Complete Breakfast." All that was missing was the OJ - and I had a sip of the husband's, which we only had on hand because of Thanksgiving guests.



Omlete made with 1 egg, 1/2 cup carton egg whites, spinach and 1/2 oz blue cheese (more leftovers!)



Grapefruit, which I sliced and prepped last night when I was making dinner.



Toast with jam...



And decaf coffee, which I guess should be a 6 oz glass of milk to be a true "complete" breakfast!



Breakfast calories: ~500.

I want to blog about volumetrics and food weight (I don't think this breakfast is going to hold me very long because it wasn't very "heavy" compared to my oatmeal) but I don't have time!

Early Morning Oats

Peanut Butter Walnut Pear Oatmeal



Recipe!

Here's my oatmeal recipe. Sometimes I switch the walnuts to slivered almonds and I change out the pear to banana, apple, or frozen fruit sometimes, but this is the general gist of it:

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 4-5 oz chopped bosc pear
• 1 tsp vanilla
• LOTS of cinnamon
• 10 grams walnuts (used a food scale to weigh these, it's about 1 tbsp)
• 10 grams of PB (about 2/3 a tbsp)

I put the oats, milk, water, pear, cinnamon and vanilla together in a pot and set the heat to medium high. Meanwhile, I put the walnuts in another skillet to toast and weigh out the PB. I continue to stir the oatmeal with a small spoonula until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes or so. Take the walnuts off the heat when you start to smell them. Put oatmeal in bowl, top with walnuts and scoop PB onto a spoon.

It's all about 450 calories, depending on the fruit.

NOTE: Kath's Instructions for Eating Peanut Butter in Oatmeal:

You have to keep the peanut butter on the spoon instead of stirring it in. That way you get a little lick in every bite. If you stir it in it gets too diluted and you can't really taste it. It's just all "PB flavored" then. You can also get by with much LESS PB if you keep it on the spoon. I just put a little pile of oats on the spoon and am careful not to bite off too much PB per bite. This is ALSO good because you eat more SLOWLY!!

********************

4:26 a.m.
I usually go to bed at 9:00 every night - in order to get 8 hours of sleep - but of course the one night I NEED to be asleep by 8:30, I toss and turn for an hour!!! Needless to say, I slept horribly last night. I'll be going on adrenaline until about 9 or 10 a.m. and then I'll need a nap. Hopefully I can leave work around 2 or so.

Hot pumpkin tea with splenda:





Total Breakfast Calories: 435

Since I missed my workout, I feel a little funny eating this HUGE bowl of oatmeal in the middle of the night, but I need it to carry me through the morning, so I'm chomping it down. I guess I'll have to have a 10:00 a.m. snack today since that will technically be my "lunchtime!"

See you all later!!

Amazing Breakfast!!!!

Pumpkin Pie Yogurt

Wow, this breakfast was amazing!!!

Started with an oatmeal pancake topped with microwaved mashed banana and 10 grams of walnuts.



On the side I had a new creation: pumpkin pie yogurt!!

Recipe:

Mix together...

• 1/2 a cup canned pumpkin (80 grams)
• 4 oz plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 packet splenda

It really was like a tangy version of pumpkin pie. Maybe I'll try a Fiber One crust later this week :) ~100 calories.

Also had DECAF hazelnut + french vanilla coffee. Should solve my shoulder tension problems - and it was just as delicious as any other coffee!



Breakfast calories: ~420.

Had toast with 5 grams PB before the gym at 5:15:



I was on fire at the gym this morning. My body knew it needed a good recovery workout and my heart rate was in the 160's and 170's on the elliptical. 45 minutes of ET + upper body weight lifting (biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders) = 486 calories burned.

Total AM calories: 530.

Off to work on this disgusting rainy overcast Monday :(

Wrapping up with Sunday

What a cloudy overcast day! Fits my mood somewhat :( Since we were staying at someone else's house, we decided not to get up and run in the morning. I think I'm actually going to take today off of exercise, as I haven't had a day off in a long time. It's raining out, but we're going to try to get in a walk before dinner to get some movement in.

Breakfast:
I brought some plain instant oatmeal and a pear for breakfast. Also found some almonds in my purse (which I keep in there for emergencies) so I had all of that for breakfast. It was delicious!!



Plus coffee with some skim milk:



Breakfast calories: ~289. Rather low! But that's a good thing, I suppose!

Lunch:
I couldn't decide what I wanted for lunch. Husband's mom came over with her friend and we were still with his brother as well, so there was a crowd. I decided on a bowl of leftover vegetables and a piece of Ezekiel toast. Along with some tea.







I was still a little hungry, so I had plain yogurt with cranberry sauce afterwards.



Lunch calories: 469.

Snack:
Went grocery shopping (LOVE grocery shopping!!!) and got healthy food for the week. I'm so excited about the meals I have planned. I definitely want to have my curry tuna salad for lunch tomorrow :) Anyways, I have been enjoying Carnation Instant Breakfasts in milk as hot chocolate, but I always have to use half a packet and hate having to save the other half, so I investigated other options in canisters (I can't find the No Sugar Added kind in a canister). So I got some NSA Nesquik. It's great!! It's very similar to the CIB's but isn't made with dried milk and doesn't have as many vitamins, but I think it'll do find until I get the courage to just order a canister online. I've hesitated because I think I might not drink it all if I buy it and pay for shipping and all. Dumb excuse, but at least I have a temporary solution.

8 oz of milk with 2 tbsp Nesquik. It was delicious!!! 125 calories.



We're making homemade butternut squash soup for dinner tonight. I'm pretty starving now at 4:30 and hope I can make it without needing another snack.

See you then!

Sweat it Out!

There are millions of Americans hopping on the scale this morning proclaiming:

"I gained 5 pounds at Thanksgiving!"

Now for 10% of Americans, this might be true, but for most of us it's just plain old water weight.

Folks, you're going to retain water and feel bloated and gross the day after eating. It's factual physiology and your body trying to deal with an excess of food. But you need to realize this will come off with some good, old fashioned sweat (and getting back to eating fresh healthy meals!)

Rather than trying to starve yourself the day after overeating, hit the gym. Go for a walk. Get active. SWEAT!!! And resume eating whole, unprocessed, fresh foods with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables. You'll feel good as new in 48 hours.

As for me, I got up this morning and burned 480 calories at the gym. I feel 90% better! Did the sweaty Stairmaster, the funky elliptical and some pushups/abs.

Pre-workout toast:



Now I'm having an oatmeal pancake sans sides (to keep calories lower for my dinner tonight). I did add some walnuts for staying-power, as I have reason to believe walnuts do something magical to my body.



Also gave in a had butterscotch coffee. It smelled too good to pass up. If I get shoulder tension, I'll just have to relax in the car with a good book.



Breakfast calories (plus toast): 415.

Off to Spartanburg, SC for the night. Lunch today is most likely make-your-own sandwiches. I'm bringing a pear as a side dish. I'm hoping to get a walk in this afternoon around my father-in-law's neighborhood.

I'll be back tomorrow after lunch with my report!

Enjoy the rest of your weekends :)

Thanksgiving 2007 Recap

I did great!!!! I'm full, but not stuffed. Very satisfied. Got lots of exercise today, and ate a little of everything. I'm guessing I had about 2200 - 2300 calories. I had planned for 2000, so I consider being just a hair over a great success. I also can't believe how easy it was to eat a small amount for breakfast and lunch since I was so busy. I think being the chef for Thanksgiving really helped me eat less (if I was a guest at a more traditional (and more unhealthy) dinner, I'm sure I would have eaten more).

Our guests had a great time and we got lots of compliments on all the foods!

I do feel pretty full and uncomfortable, but I think I'm more full from drinking lots of water than lots of food!! I also did eat most of my calories at one meal, so it's no wonder I'm full. I'm reallllly thirsty, but other than that, I feel like I just had a big meal, that's all. Go me!!!

Here's a recap................

Thanksgiving Run:
Woke up to a drizzle outside - so cozy!! After a small bite of banana and PB, husband and I set out on our run just in time to have the sun poke through the clouds!! It was a wonderful run (despite my aching hamstrings, which took a while to warm up!). 5.3 miles; 450 calories burned. Perfect weather: overcast with bouts of sunshine, 60* and a slight breeze.



Breakfast:
Since I'm obviously trying to eat light today, I just had an oatmeal pancake and coffee. Yum! The coffee made me rather jittery and my shoulders did their tension thing. I am giving up caffeinated coffee forever!





Breakfast calories: ~310 (including pre-run banana)


Morning Meal Prep:
We spent the morning prepping for afternoon cooking. Veggies were chopped, ingredients measured, and everything was put in tupperware so it can be dumped right into the recipe when we're under time pressure.


Lunch:
Kept things simple and light with a smoked salmon sandwich.



And some sliced apple:





Lunch calories: 310.

Afternoon:
Of course we spent the afternoon cooking. I went for a 30 minute walk with my mom, sweet! Got in all my required exercise. I was pretty hungry after our walk, but I had a few grapes and a virgin tonic and lime and felt much better to make it until 5pm.

There are a few bites missing of things throughout the day, but I kept an eye on my bites and don't think I had more than 100 calories of extra bites of things like Brussels sprouts and 1 bite of cornbread.

Afternoon calories (sips of husband's beer, apple core, grapes, cornbread): ~100.

Chopping apples:



Virgin Tonic (everyone else had liquor in theirs!)



Table Decor:
Here's our beautiful table....











Kitchen centerpiece:



Cocktail Hour:
I assembled the appetizer plate and put it out at 4pm. I only had a few grapes and one piece of cheese. No crackers and I certainly didn't nibble. Nice!! The guests gobbled it up like turkeys!

Cranberry cheese, crackers, grapes, almonds, apricots:





5:00 Dinner is Served!

Pumpkin Bread and Blue Cornbread:



Vegetables on the grill:



Bleu Cheese Smashed Potatoes:



The most amazing wild rice, mushroom and sourdough dressing (with homemade bread!)



Apple-Bacon Brussels Sprouts:


Mom's Corn Pudding:



My cranberry sauce (made with brown sugar...). And in the words of my 21-year-old brother in law "This cranberry sauce is DEE-licious!!! The best I've ever had!!"



Gravy..stovetop homemade



And our favorite: roasted vegetables:




Turkey!!!!



Carving the turkey!



My plate:

A little of everything, in moderation of course! I was full about 1/2 way through but kept eating. Was just perfectly full when I was done. Only had a little seconds on the dressing (which I usually hate) and the cranberry sauce, but not enough of either to do damage. Also had exactly 6 oz of wine - go me!!! Dinner calories: ~1,000 (including 6 oz wine).





Dessert:
We cleaned the entire kitchen before eating dessert, so I built up another appetite. I had the exact portions I had planned but they seemed SO SMALL!! I had a few more nibbles of pie, but not a significant amount (although with pie, it's always significant!). But my initial pieces may have been a bit small, so who knows what my exact calories were! We also had a dessert wine with dessert (duh) and I had my planned 2 oz. I pretty much ate exactly as planned.



My grandmother's Staffordshire turkey plates:



The pies!! Pecan and Pumpkin Chiffon (so much better than regular pumpkin!)



The table all set up with the turkey plates:



Dessert calories: ~500, including dessert wine.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!

Tomorrow is a hike up Crowders Mountain with turkey sandwiches at the top and leftovers for dinner. Can't wait!