It's good to be back!

First, here is the link to the piece Channel 13 ran about our Warrior workout last night.  Thanks, Sonya and Erin for joining us!
http://whotv.com/2012/09/18/weekly-workout-warrior-training/

Went back to Aspen with Scott last night.  It was obvious I hadn’t been there for training in weeks. I was totally out of my routine but I figure it will come back to me, just like riding a bike.  It was soooo nice to be with Boss again.  Even though our weigh in was less than stellar, I feel good about being back with him and training.  We put us through a tough workout to the point I was shaking when I walked to my car but it was awesome. It’s the good kind of shake.  And I can’t wait to go back next week and get things on track.  We will be switching from our normal Tuesday nights to Thursday mornings thanks to Molly’s mom and her willingness to trade us spots so I don’t have to kill 2 ½ hours in town after work on Tuesday nights before the workout and get home to Rob and the kids late.  Thanks, Char! 

We laid out some specific plans and talked about goals and I’m feeling good.  I will continue doing Warrior on Monday and Wednesdays as my schedule allows and throwing some Biggest Loser Resort workouts back in on the other days.  Sounds like a great mix of ingredients to me!  Now, if I can just get my food back under control, we will be golden.  

How is where you hang your sweat towel

Today’s the day.  It’s finally here! The band is reuniting.  Ok, there’s no band but Scott, Molly and I will be training together again after an almost three month hiatus.  I cannot wait to see Scott and get bossed around and sweat and curse him under my breath! Woo hoo! 

Remember me telling you upon my return from Malibu how California law forces restaurants to list calories on their menus?  I love, love, love this!  It helps consumers make much better informed decisions and is very eye opening to what you are putting in your body.  I’ve been ranting since April that I wish Iowa would do this as well.  Guess what?  Some Iowa restaurants are beginning to follow the trend.  How awesome is that?  According to KCCI McDonald’s has started posting their calories on the menu already.  My favorite paragraph is the last one about Obama's health care overhaul.  I think this is wonderful news.  Now no one can claim they didn't know that the double quarter pounder with cheese and bacon and a super-sized fry is some people's daily calorie allowance in one meal.  

McDonald's said it has started posting calorie counts on menus in restaurants and on drive-through signs across the country, ahead of a new regulation that will require the information.

The new signs are already up at the drive-through at the Ames location on South Duff Avenue.  

The world's largest hamburger chain plans to officially announce the move Wednesday morning.  It's making the change as it tests healthier menu items.

For example, McDonald's Corp. said it's testing an Egg McMuffin that's made with egg whites and a whole grain muffin.

It's also testing versions of the McWrap, which are already sold in Europe and clocks in at less than 350 calories. And the chain said it will offer more seasonal fruits and vegetables through its limited-time offers.

President Obama's health care overhaul will require chains with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts as early as next year.

Read more:   http://www.kcci.com/news/health/McDonald-s-menu-changes-already-appearing-in-Iowa/-/9356934/16575170/-/15a1yk7z/-/index.html#ixzz26p6loN9F

Runs can be fun!!

Saturday night I went to a birthday party for a dear friend.  This was anything but typical and we had a blast! She went above and beyond in organizing an amazing night.  When RSVP’ing for the party you could opt for a 1 mile fun run or a short group walk.  Rob and I opted for the fun run.  When we arrived for “packet pick-up” we received a race bib, swag bag including pamphlets, a raygun t-shirt designed for the race, cowbell and healthy snacks.  We then took an adult Gatorade shot.  There was a beautiful rendition of national anthem sung before we started the race.  It wasn’t competitive but a great way to get everyone together and active before an evening of food, drinks and cake.  There was a also a band if you wanted to sweat away some more pounds dancing.  This was such a neat idea.  Teresa has been a key motivator, mentor and friend to Molly and I so I was honored to share in her special night. 

 Tomorrow night I start with Scott again. I am so excited!! I have missed the crap out of my Tuesday night workouts with Scott and Molly.  And I’m looking forward to having that accountability of weekly weighins again.  Weird, I know.  I may also be doing the fall warrior program on Monday and Wednesdays as my schedule allows. I have a couple big projects in the work that will require much of my free time but I would love to continue to train with Todd and his band of warriors too.  One can never have too much fitness or great friends around them.  We had a group outing on Friday to celebrate our wrapping up of the summer program and it was a lot of fun. 

Remember to tune into Channel 13 WHO-TV tomorrow night for the Warrior Workout of the Week with Erin and Sonya.  We taped this a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to see the piece and for everyone to watch what Warrior is all about.  

Workout of the week

For those of you that are wondering, WHO Channel 13 will air the Warrior workout of the week on Tuesday, September 18th.  This will be on the 5 pm newscast.  Tune in and see all the wackiness that was Warrior Training with Todd and the crew.  Sonya and Erin did a great job and it should be pretty entertaining stuff.

I Remember

I can’t tell you what I wore to work last Wednesday.  I can’t tell you what I had for dinner Thursday night.  But I can tell you that 11 years ago this morning I was in the shower listening to Danny and Jamie on the radio, a normally outlandish talk show.  It was around 6 am and a beautiful morning in Los Angeles.  As the music stopped I realized that Jamie was crying. They said that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center.  At first I thought it might be a hoax but something in their voices told me that it was real.  I jumped out and ran to the tv and watched the smoke billow from the tower.  I fell into a heap on the couch.  Oh my god.  I heard the tv talk about an accident, possibly a terrorist attack…I couldn’t believe the latter.  I went to my sisters room and woke her up.  I think I woke up my other roommates too.  I returned to the tv just in time to see the 2^nd plane hit.  I cried and cried.  The words hijacked and terrorism now rung across the air waves. This was not happening, I thought.  Who could do this?  I watched people jump to their deaths.  I saw people racing down the sidewalks for their lives.  I remember they were covered in ash.  My heart broke over and over again. 

The local news issued alerts for Los Angeles saying the planes were headed here.  Panic spread that our city was the next target.  I called my mom and told her we were okay.  My roommates didn’t go to work that day but I did.  I remember being on the normally chaotic 101 freeway.  There were no horns, no music blaring, no one road raging and screaming obscenities.  It was dead silent.  With my window down all I could hear were the voices on the radio talking about Flight 11, Flight 175, Flight 93, Flight 77…I could see and hear people crying.  Everyone was in shock. Everyone was watching the sky. 

They closed down the studios and businesses in high rises in LA.  They closed down the airport. My boss still thought we should work through the day.  I told him that if I was going to die today, it will be at home with my sister and my friends, not in a tiny recording studio in Hollywood.  I left and went home to cry and watch the news and ask questions that had no answers and scream at God in my head and then pray for those that were involved.  

I will never forget that day.  As long as I live.  The fear that beat through our hearts.  The way we jumped when we heard a plane fly overhead.  The deafening silence when all the planes stopped flying.  It was a day that changed everything.  Not only am I a long ways from my former life in LA, but I’m no longer the girl I was that day either.  I guess remembering the event today kind of puts things in a really harsh perspective.  I didn’t lose anyone I loved directly that day but I felt so empty for a long time.  So today I want to be grateful and thankful for the life and blessings around me.  The incredible love that I wake up to each morning, the chances I’ve been given to make a better life for myself and my family and the knowledge that each day I strive to be a little better than the last.  Time is short.  Nothing is promised.  Count your blessings.  Live each day to the fullest.  Honor the victims.  Help those less fortunate.  Shine and be brilliant.        

Rocking the warrior shirt

At the completion of warrior training, Todd gave us t-shirts.  They are pretty cool.  Here is the front and back.  I can’t tell you how many times I heard him say “for warriors, not wimps” so the back makes a lot of sense to me.  He loves to pound that mantra into our head.  And now, we can proudly display it on our backs.  It’s a great reminder.  Thanks, Todd!

Tailgating and Triathlons

Tailgating and triathlons...they go hand in hand, right?  Ha! Good luck to my triathlon partners in crime, Melody and Molly as they conquer some tri's this weekend.  Molly will be doing LeMars tomorrow and Melody doing the Cy-tri on Sunday.  I will be cheering them on from afar and testing new recipes for tailgating.  Good luck ladies. I know you are going to rock it out.  Next year, I will be with you again.

That's a wrap

Last night was the final night of Warrior training.  The best way to describe it was hell in the sand pit.  There was no easy workout for our final farewell.  This was balls to the wall, down and dirty and brutal.  Wheelbarrows, bear crawls, burpees, sprints, crab walks and resistance band around the stomach pulling your partner through the sand tough.  By the time we finished I was caked in sand and sweat.  If you threw me in an oven I would’ve possibly turned into a brittle little piñata.  I will really miss everyone there and all the wonderful support they showed me, especially Kara and Audra.  Those ladies ROCK! I can’t wait to see everyone again next Friday for our Warrior celebration.  And good luck to our Wisconsin Tough Mudders this weekend.  Todd, Desi, Joel and Beth…kick some butt!!  We will all be rooting for you and know that you will do awesome.  Todd, thank you for pushing us all beyond our comfort zone, even when I wanted to strangle you.  You are a great coach and we are blessed to be a part of your program and have you as a mentor for Mitchell and Michael’s wrestling.  I will let everyone know as soon as I find out when our workout of the week will be airing on WHO Channel 13. 

Kara, Lyndee & Audra

Also...

For those that have been looking for my pinterest princess experiment blog we have changed the name!!  Sorry for any confusion.  You can find us at http://testingtrendy123.blogspot.com/ and on facebook as testingtrendy123.  Thanks!

I am the warrior

Tonight is the last night of Warrior training.  It is bittersweet, of course.  This program has definitely been a change up from my normal and my comfortable.  Sometimes that’s just what we need to do, right?  I loved this program and felt that it pushed me to try a lot of new things.  I also met some really amazing friends in my co-warriors.  Let me tell you, these people rock!  As does Todd, who runs the program.  The support I’ve received from my warriors has been a bit mind boggling.  We are all at very different levels of fitness and looking for many different results from the program but we are indeed a team.  I would recommend this program to anyone that is looking to add some variety and spice to their training, as long as you don’t mind getting a little dirty and being out in the elements.  If you want to be pushed to the next level, this will definitely do it. 

Next week is a free for all which will be weird.  Molly and I don’t return to Scott until the 18^th so I have a week of no one telling me what to do.  I have been missing the gym, familiar faces, the treadmill and some of the classes I learned at Biggest Loser Resort.  I’m looking forward to doing some of the old goodies next week.  Maybe they will remind me how this all got started in the first place.  There are days this summer that I’ve just felt like I’ve been on auto pilot, especially with my cardio workouts.  I haven’t pushed like I know I could.  I just get on the machine and go through the motions like a robot.  It’s showing on my scale, my mindset and my overall attitude.  I have become a bit complacent.  This is no good and needs to stop.  It’s been 2 ½ years on a journey to a healthier Lyndee and well, some days I just get tired of it.  There’s the truth that I never want to admit.  It’s not easy.  I’m not whining, I swear.  No one ever said it would be easy and I know that nothing worth having comes easy.  But some days I just wish it wasn’t so damn hard to stay on track!!  I also know that short of having my jaw wired shut that this all lies on me.  I chose this.  I wanted this.  These are my choices, good and bad.  I have to live with them.  I guess that’s why I haven’t been writing as often lately.  I’m not proud of some of the choices I’ve been making with my food and portions.  I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve gained back some of the weight I lost while I was in Malibu.  I’m not proud that I have been caught up in life and all the demands that come with it and have pushed myself as a priority to the side.  I haven’t kicked it to the curb or anything but I haven’t been zoned in like I was at my most successful times.  I’ve been distracted and it’s easy to push healthy eating and workouts to the back burner when life gets hectic.  I just have to remind myself how important it is to keep improving, getting stronger, finding that mental fire again and start conquering the scale like I know I can if I take the right steps.  It’s funny, all the times that I had heard people from Biggest Loser or those that have lost incredible amounts of weight, when they would start gaining it back I just couldn’t comprehend it.  I didn’t understand how someone could go through all that hard work and then just “throw it all away” and return to their old habits.  I guess I shouldn’t have been such a judgmental witch.  That karma, she’s always knocking on our door, isn’t she?  I don’t want to be another statistic and I know that I need to get it back under control as soon as possible.  Motivate, dominate, destroy.     

Happy Friday

Happy Friday!  Hope everyone had a fabulous week.  Mine has been super duper busy but in a good way. I have a lot of new projects going on and some exciting stuff in the works.  I'm looking forward to going home this weekend to hang with the family. I love long weekends.  Next week is the last week of Warrior which is crazy.  The time really flew by.  I'm excited to be back at Aspen with Scott and Molly though.  I have missed them very much! I've had to try and be careful with my Pinterest Princess Experiment's as there are so many tempting and not healthy foods for me to try on there.  The recipes we've made so far I have tried to healthify in some manner or practice portion control.  I am loving the breakfast casserole and have been enjoying that every morning this week.  Breakfast has always been tough for me when it's so easy to go get a big, yummy and totally unhealthy bagel. And the fact that my tongue would often get bored with egg beaters and spinach.  So the casserole has been a great way to mix it up a little bit and still feel really satisfied throughout the morning.

What are you up to this weekend?  Any fun Labor Day plans?  Who is checking out the Hy-Vee triathlon?  Anyone competing?  Have a super weekend and safe travels!

LeMars Triathlon

I tried to make the tri work but due to circumstances beyond my control, I will not be able to participate in the LeMars triathlon this year.  No, I wasn’t ready physically and hadn’t been training like I should but I’m still sad because I will miss this opportunity to share this with Molly again this year.  Also because I wanted to meet Mom On The Rocks! I’m hoping next year I can compete again and really rock it out.  Sometimes life just pops up and gets in the way and we have to make choices.  The choice not to participate is what’s best for me and my family this year. 

I will still be doing the Principal 5K at the Des Moines marathon in October and hoping I can still get into the Color Run in early October.  Who knows what other cheaper, local races will pop up that I can be a part of.  I’m hoping there are plenty more.   

Too many choices?

Maybe I lived a sheltered childhood but when I was little I remember your potato chip options being very limited.  You had basics like Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos, tortilla, plain Ruffles or Lays, Pringles, sour cream & onion, barbeque and maybe a cheddar sour cream on a special occasion.  Now they have every flavor imaginable available on a potato chip.  BLT, dill pickle, loaded baked potato, sweet potato, cool ranch, salt & pepper, lime margarita, garden salsa, French onion, vinegar, pizza, cheeseburger, you name it and it’s on a chip.  And there’s no such thing as a standard type of chip anymore either.  Now you can have it fried, baked, pita, organic, pop chips, special K, sweet potato, vegan…and the list goes on and on.  Does this seem like chip overload to anyone else?  The chip aisle at my local grocery store is larger than the health section.  And we wonder why we’re obese?  Don’t even get me started on the cookie/snack aisle and at any given time you have six to eight varieties of Oreos on a shelf.  Even a classic candy bar like Snickers has had to add variations like almond, peanut butter, marathon protein bar and more to keep up with the consumers demand for more, more, more! And have you ever tried to make an informed decision in the ice cream aisle?  Regular, low fat, sugar free, fat free, yogurt, all natural, popsicles, drumsticks, sandwiches, cookies, bite size, pint size, quart size, gallon and every flavor imaginable. I don’t know about you but this causes serious shopper overload for me.  Sure, variety is the spice of life and companies today aim to please every person’s changing palate but sometimes I think, it’s just too much.  I don’t think that processed, twisted, flavored and altered should be standard fair in everything we eat.  Sometimes, I prefer not having a million choices.  Sometimes my mind is happy when I just have to figure out if I want vanilla or chocolate, white or wheat, plain or barbeque.  I have enough on my mind on a daily basis than to have grocery shopping be an adventure or treasure hunt.  Maybe I’m the minority here and that’s fine with me but I can’t help but think that sometimes too much is not a good thing.  I mean, really, do you need BLT chips?  Just go make a yummy BLT with fresh tomato and lettuce.  I bet it will be much more satisfying.   

I'm in!

It’s a great day here at The Principal.  As I’ve told you before, the company threw down the “I’m in!” race challenge encouraging all employees to participate in a road race this year.  You don’t have to run a marathon to be part of the challenge, just walk a 5K and you’re doing your part.  Everyone that signed up got one of these awesome t-shirts to wear.  Today is a company wide jeans day and you’re encouraged to wear your shirt.  I love jeans days about as much as I love chocolate chip cookies, possibly more, so I am proudly rocking my shirt.  I may have been a little ambitious when I ordered my shirt.  It’s a tad “snug” in all the wrong places but it’s bright blue, dri fit and I love the slogan:  Life isn't lived on the couch.  This is so very true.  You can sit on the couch watching TV and other people living their life or you can get up and get moving and experience your own.  Seems like a pretty easy choice to me!!

I have Warrior tonight for the 3^rd time this week.  It’s a make-up session from a night that we got rained out.  Hopefully I can still move all my appendages tomorrow.  My shoulders are a little tight today but I’m sure I can push through it.  We gotta keep moving because the weekend is just around the corner.  I can’t believe there are only a few sessions of Warrior left.  The 10 weeks flew by and it’s been an amazing experience.

What are your plans for the weekend? Anything fitness fun?  My "I'm in" challenge to you is to squeeze in some fitness fun and enjoy the beautiful weather.  Remember, life isn't lived on the couch so why are you wasting your time there?  Hmmmm?  That's what I thought.  Get moving!   

Are you ready for some fun?

Good morning!!  I’m in a great mood today.  I have a new project under way that I think will mix well with this blog every so often.  I’m a huge fan of Pinterest.  It’s a great tool for finding some really amazing things.  The problem is that I pin like a maniac but I never actually do the projects that I pin.  What sense does that make?  So I’ve decided to do a Pinterest experiment.  I’m actually going to follow through on some of these great ideas and then, lucky you readers, I’m going to create a cheat sheet if you will to let you know what I thought of the project to help you figure out if it is one you would like to try or not.  The blog will contain pictures, instructions, cost, time spent, practicality, alternatives and anything else I decide is relevant to the pin.  I will give it a recommendation whether I think it’s worth trying or not.  And once in a while, there may even be some fun how-to videos.  I’ve enlisted the help of two wonderful and creative ladies so that we can bring many great pins your way.  We’re super excited to start sharing these experiments with you!

The other day I shared a kale chips recipe on here that I wanted to try.  Well, I finally made it last night and it is the first entry on my http://pinterestprincessexperiment.blogspot.com/  Go check it out if you want to see if they turned out or not.  I also posted and rated a breakfast casserole that I tried this week!  There will be recipes, crafts, do it yourself projects and many random experiments posting out there so stay tuned and be sure to enter your email on the page so you can receive updates.  If there is a pin that you’ve been dying to try but haven’t gotten around to or maybe you’re nervous, send the link to the pinterestexperiment@gmail.com and we would be happy to try it out for you! 

This blog will stay dedicated to my fattofitinthe515 journey but if there is a great healthified recipe we find on Pinterest, I will definitely share the information.  

Fair 1, Lyndee 0

I made it out to the Iowa State Fair on the last day.  It was perfect weather and a good time with great friends.  We spent about 7 hours there walking around and enjoying a Boyz II Men concert.  Yes, Wanye Morris still makes me heart go pitter-patter.  I did partake in some bad fair food.  A tenderloin, my favorite fried cheese curds, a gyro and a rice krispy bar on a stick.  The good news is that I had over 19,400 steps and walked 8.3 miles.  I climbed approximately 15 flights of stairs or the equivalent of the statue of liberty.  When you put it like that, it sounds like I was way more productive than I thought.  It was probably not enough activity to work off all the bad food but definitely better than not moving around at all.  Next year I will skip the tenderloin and go with the gyro and cheese curds.  I will also skip the free sample of 5 hour energy and the endless diet mountain dews that kept me awake most of last night.  Props to our friend Sarah who was courageous enough to try the fried butter on a stick.  She said it was amazing and tasted kind of like a cinnamon roll.  I kept staring at it thinking fat and calorie content.  Sometimes my brain is no fun. 

I knew that we were going to get home from the fair late and that I would be tired so before we left I made sure to prepare healthy lunches, breakfast and snacks for the week.  I'm trying out a new breakfast bake this week and will let you know how that turns out. I knew taking the time to do that would ensure I could not be lazy and continue my crappy eating into this week.  It’s a new week and I feel like I need to recommit in a big way.  So hello Monday, let’s see if we can make this a stellar week food and activity wise.  I have been using my fitbit the last few days and so far, I’m loving it.  I think it’s helped me to feel a bit renewed on this journey and I’m enjoying earning badges and fun motivators online.  Sometimes it’s the little things that make my day.  It’s like having a victory journal that I don’t have to write in.  The program points out when I accomplish good things.  Thank you fitbit and loseit for the little pats on the back to keep me going.

I’m looking forward to getting my butt kicked at Warrior tonight.  I can’t believe there are only a few weeks of the program left.  I’m still waiting to hear when our segment will air on the Channel 13 news but promise to let everyone know when I find out.  Today, my challenge to you, is to get a little crazy and make one small change towards healthy living.  Just one.  I’m not asking that much. Log your food, plan your meals for the week, cut out a processed dinner, walk a few extra stairs or get away from your desk over lunch and get your blood pumping.  Anything that makes you happy.  We’re all in this together, right?  Motivate, dominate, destroy my friends.  What have we got to lose? 

Yesterday's fitbit stats

Sarah enjoying butter on a stick

Warriors Rule

Warriors rule

We all survived Warrior Wednesday night.  There was a few times when I was afraid that Sonya and Erin weren’t going to be my friend anymore, judging by the looks on their faces during some of the exercises.  Not only did they survive but I they totally kicked butt in our hour long craziness.  Todd pulled out some real doozies for the night. My least favorite by far was the Turkish getups with a heavy bag.  What is wrong with the Turks?  Just stand up, fools.  No need for all that nonsense and definitely not with a 40 pound bag of sand on your shoulder.  Come to think of it, I wasn’t a fan of the 2 minutes of moving planks using the heavy bag either.  Apparently, it was not my night for heavy bags.  There was kettlebells, Bulgarian bags, sand pit sprints, suicides, high knees, etc., tractor tires and resistance bands for the cherry on top.  It was a butt kicker and I think WHO got some really great footage of everyone.  Hopefully nothing too embarrassing though.  We shall see when it airs, along with the interviews with Todd and I.  It was a lot of fun having them out there so thank you again Sonya and Erin!  Great job to everyone that participated!!! 

This week has been pretty stressful in general and I’m trying to find my happy place that is non-food related.  Some days are better than others.  Lack of sleep and stress have been wreaking havoc on my scale and I’m not too happy about it.  Maybe I need some meditation…or medication.  Just kidding.  I’m hoping to catch up on sleep this weekend and release some worries.  Looking forward to a fun luau with friends and catching the last day of the Iowa State Fair.  No, I'm not attending for the food, Boyz II Men is on the free stage and I heart them. They were the first concert I ever went to. *sigh*  It looks to be a great weekend.  Have fun, shine and be brilliant, everyone.  

  

Life is a beach

Oh my goodness my calves are tight.  They hurt a little bit yesterday but today they are burning with every step I take.  No wonder the Olympic beach volleyball players have the best legs I have ever seen.  My Monday workout was only an hour of running and exercise in the sand pit and they practice and play in that stuff all day long.  I love the sand.  *Insert visions of my Biggest Loser Resort hikes along the beach in Malibu here* But that was a nice two hour hike, not suicides, sprints, jump squats, lunges and more.  I did a double workout last night trying to loosen them up a bit but apparently, I made it worse.  Total bummer. Might need to go scarf down a banana or something before Warrior tonight and hope that helps.  I certainly don’t want to be limping around when WHO-TV is filming us.  I gotta be tough! I have not felt very tough lately, mentally or physically so it’s time to get my game face on.  Where is that fire that raged so bright within me a few months ago?  I’m just looking to get a little spark back.  That’s all it would take to light the inferno again.  It’s amazing how long it takes to revamp your life to healthy living and how quickly one can backslide back into the abyss.  I feel it should definitely be the other way around, but alas, no one asked me for my opinion.  I’m breaking out some of my Biggest Loser Recipes tonight and hoping that will help get me back on track.  It may be time for a clean eating cleanse as well. 

If you haven’t seen any of the pieces WHO has done with Molly and I in the past, here are two links. I can’t find the original story they did on us (another total bummer) but here is a follow up and the story they did about my winning the Year of You contest.  As soon as I know when the new one will air, I will be sure to spread the word.  It will be a Tuesday night during the 5 pm news but sometimes it takes a few weeks to get it on the tube.  Have a wonderful hump day and remember to fan your fire!

/http://whotv.com/2011/04/12/weekly-workout-erin-sonya-check-in-with-lyndee-and-molly-about-their-successful-weight-loss-journeys/

http://whotv.com/2012/03/30/winners-and-losers-iowan-heads-to-the-biggest-loser-resort/

Triathlon terrors

I didn’t get a chance to try my kale chips or the chick peas snack this weekend, but I plan to soon.  It’s another busy week at the Hugen house.  One would think we would be used to this by now.  Had a great Warrior workout last night.  I was covered in sand from head to toe.  Even after two showers I’m still finding bits of sand all over the place.  I’m taking that as a sign of kicking some serious butt.  Tomorrow night WHO TV will be joining us for a workout of the week at Warrior.  I can’t wait to see Sonya and Erin again.  They are two terrific ladies and it’s been awhile since we’ve gotten to workout together.  I’m hoping they enjoy the sandpit torture just as much as I do.  I always feel great after Warrior.  Exhausted and depleted, but great, nonetheless. I’m excited that Todd is extending the program for an additional 8 weeks in September.  I probably won’t be able to do it since I go back to training with Scott and Molly in a month but I know that other people can transform their bodies through the program and get great results. 

I did some swimming this weekend.  This triathlon is going to be tough.  I am unprepared and off of my game.  Last year I trained for LeMars for six months.  I’m less than a month away and have yet to be on my bike for an outside ride.  Ugh.  Where did the summer go?  It felt like I had all the time in the world to get ready for this.  Now it’s knocking on my door and I’m terrified. 

I’ve decided to sell my bodybugg and switch to a fitbit.  I love bodybugg and it helped me lose 100 pounds but I’m tired of paying for the subscription. The database is ancient and hard to use.  I’ve been using the LoseIt! application and website on my iphone and loving it. It’s so easy!  There’s even a bar scan code reader so I don’t have to input a food if it’s not in the database. I just scan it in and it appears in my log.  How awesome is that?  Plus, the fitbit gives a lot more readouts like miles, flights climbed and tracks your sleep.  The best part?  The program is free to use online and on your phone.  It also sends you daily or weekly reports of your nutrition, activity, sleep, miles, flights, weight, etc.  And you can set reminders for logging your food, as well.  If you have a profile on LoseIt add me as a friend and we can do challenges and receive badges together.  Yes, I’m a big fan of badges.  Everyone needs little rewards and motivators and they make me feel like I am accomplishing something.  It’s been rough not having my bodybugg on for the last two weeks and not knowing my burn but I’m hoping I can get a fitbit this weekend.  

Salty crunchy cravings

I’ve been craving salt lately.  That’s weird for me.  Molly and Sissy are the chip lovers.  I’m more of a “drown in a vat of brownie batter” kind of over indulger.  If it’s sweet, I’m in.  But the last week or so I’ve been wanting salt and crunch.  Possibly because when I was home I had a lot more salty foods than I’m used to.  Maybe my body is going through Cresco withdrawal in the form of sodium or something.  I’ve been doing some research and I found two recipes for healthy, salty and crunchy snacks to try this weekend on snack-girl.com.  (She's got some really great stuff so check out her page!) Resist the ruffles, people, these two fun finds look to be awesome.  What are they?  Kale and chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans.  Don’t go gagging out just yet.  Let me explain.  Kale is a super food.  It has over 300% of your daily value of vitamin A.  It is loaded with other nutrients as well.  Two cups of kale only has 39 calories.  That’s a LOT of snacking and happy tongue time.  I’m going to try making kale chips.  It sounds simple enough.  And cheap!  Did I mention healthy? 

Kale Chips Recipe

(2 servings)

1 bunch fresh kale (or 1/2 pound)

2 teaspoons olive oil or non-stick cooking spray

salt to taste

Heat oven to 500 F. Line rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Tear the leaves off the thick stems into chip sized pieces. An easy way to do this is to fold the leaf in half and just rip toward the stem. Put in bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt to taste.

Bake 5 minutes or until edges are brown and kale is crispy when moved in pan.

For one serving = 90 calories (if use olive oil), 5.2 g fat, 10.1 g carbohydrates, 3.3 g protein, 2.0 g fiber, 121 mg sodium, 1 PointsPlus

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas Recipe

(4 servings)

1-15.5 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 450 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drain chickpeas, rinse, and put them in a bowl. Mix oil, salt, and pepper with chickpeas and spread them on baking sheet.

Put them in the oven. After 15 minutes shake the pan to ensure that the chickpeas brown evenly. Roast another 15 minutes until brown and crunchy. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

For one serving = 161 calories (again, cut down calories and fat by using spray instead of oil), 4.7 g fat, 25.0 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 5.5 g protein, 4.9 g fiber, 329 mg sodium, 4 PointsPlus

If you don’t like spicy, leave off the cayenne pepper and use some garlic powder.  Or if you want sweet and crunchy, try a little sugar and cinnamon.  Does it get any easier than that to add some variety?  And again, cheap, easy and a much better alternative than chips. If you have any other ideas for salty substitutes or ways to spruce up kale or chickpeas, please share! I will definitely let you know how these turn out!