Kicking *kitten* In Our Twenties - January Challenge!!

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  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
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    Rai - Glad to have you back and LOVE your goals for Jan :happy: They all sound awesome!

    Water + fruit/veggies is honestly the easiest way to lose weight IMO without feeing deprived. I eat SO much fruit + veg every day, my boyfriend regularly says "wow... that looks like a really filling snack" with a really judgey "you're eating more than any normal person should eat" expression ... hahah! To which I usually reply "Yep! And it's still 150 calories LESS than your crummy, unsatisfying carb-loaded snack that won't keep you sated for more than 45 mins" because I'm a smart *kitten*. There are days when I cannot believe how much food I eat for 1500 calories. Stock up on raw veg, prep carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell peppers slices, raw cauliflower, etc and keep them in portions in the fridge. Have a variety of fruit on hand (I keep grapes, blueberries, apples, tangerines, pineapple, and bananas all on hand, all the time, and fully prepped to eat) and if you get hungry, grab a serving or two of fruit, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or plain yogurt, and some cinnamon - mix and enjoy. It will honestly keep you full for hours. If you have extra cals, add some almonds or other nuts to bump up your healthy fats for the day.

    I really don't "get" the anti-fruit attitude of so many people trying to lose weight. Is there something I'm missing? :noway: Yes - fruit has natural sugar. And? I've never had ANY issue eating as much fruit as I do. It kick starts your metabolism (specifically apples, peaches, raspberries, tangerines, oranges, etc), it's low cal, mostly high fiber, and really high in all sorts of vitamins and nutrients. 3-5 servings of fruit per day is a perfect healthy way to curb your cravings for sweets, get your vitamins, and enjoy really yummy low-cal snacks without guilt. It's also a great addition to dinner if you want to avoid dessert but still feel like you've had a little treat :happy: Throw some in a salad with balsamic vinaigrette and you've got a perfect side.

    End rant. Can you tell I love fruit? I am so defensive sometimes... hahaha

    Skip - Thanks :smile: Drunken NYE revelers were absolutely terrible. This weekend was by far the worst weekend yet at work (over months and months of bouncing). I am just glad that it's over! :drinker: And glad you didn't take my comments as critical, because they weren't intended to be. If you think your body will be capable of dropping the 5lbs then I say, have at 'er and best of luck :happy: I am sure you're going to kick *kitten* and work your tail off - you'll earn those 5lbs, without a doubt. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

    Meredith - Spinach and cherry tomatoes sound delicious! And so does your snacky food. Great idea to throw it in the oven :happy: I never think to have hot snacks... I always go for raw because it's fast and easy. Love the idea though! Maybe I'll give it a try. What kind of frozen veg do you use?

    AFM - I made a truly kick-*kitten* dinner tonight... Pork tenderloin pan-seared and then finished in the oven, basted with a few Tbsp of BBQ sauce. Spinach, veg + fruit salad w/ homemade vinaigrette, steamed green beans and oven baked sweet potato fries. Although I am still not feeling 100% today, my mom seems to have exactly what I had yesterday and was totally out of commission, so I offered to take over and make dinner and the results were incredible. Simple and yet really delicious. I always forget how amazing pork tenderloin is and how easy it is to cook. Comes out amazing every time! Definitely a repeat dinner in the near future :happy: I abstained from the sweet potatoes and my entire dinner was only 342 calories. Cannot beat that!

    Hope everyone else is having a good evening. I think I'm going to experiment with my new muffin top pans tonight and test out some tasty new recipes. These are the ones I'm going to try:

    http://ohsheglows.com/2009/01/17/flax-oat-breakfast-power-muffins/
    http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9848

    I'll let you know how they turn out!
    Meag :heart:
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Question of the Day!
    What is your go to healthy snack??

    I am right there with you on the yogurt and the veggies and hummus. I also like almonds- but try to pair them with dried apricots- sooooo tasty.

    Also at night i get the munchies after dinner- I usually have a 1/2 cup- 1 cup of chocolate milk or a tablespoon of peanut butter. They help me go to bed with a snuggly full feeling.
  • LaurnWhit
    LaurnWhit Posts: 261 Member
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    Okay, I changed my goal. I think I will go for 7 pounds this month. Coming in at 163.

    My fav snacks are raw carrots, green apples, almonds, grapes and plums

    skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
    Lauratx22-to lose 7 pounds! Weighing 163!
    Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
    kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
    meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
    emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
    wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
    tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
    Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
    Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
    briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
    mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
    GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
    LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
    Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
    seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day. :)
    miss_amy: to lose 8lbs (38 total lbs), work out 5x a week for an hour & log EVERYTHING!
    Ngoat (nancy): Lose 5lbs, Drink more water, and eat healthier dinners!
    rai8759: lose at least 4 lbs (164 by 1/31/11); work out 3x a week; develop a consistent weight training regiment and work my way up to 2x a week weight training; drink 8-10 cups of water per day; eat more veggies; track everything in my food diary!!
  • Roobean33
    Roobean33 Posts: 104
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    QOTD

    Chocolate Soy Milk
    Fruit
    Cheese and Crackers
    Dry cereal
  • Roobean33
    Roobean33 Posts: 104
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    AFM--I am SO freaking glad that the holidays are over! I told my hubby yesterday that I love him, but I am so glad he is going back to work today because he is a bad influence on me! When he's off and we're hanging out I am so much more likely to go out for lunch or have some wine or something.

    I have this same problem. My husband is also on MFP but he has quite a few more calories than I do, especially when he goes to the gym. It's hard to watch him eat buffalo wings and not partake also!!! Don't worry skip, you'll get that "skinny" feeling soon, you work hard!
  • Dteg
    Dteg Posts: 86 Member
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    Hey everyone!!!!!!!!!! this is my first time doing a challenge so i am excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


    skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
    Lauratx22-to lose 7 pounds! Weighing 163!
    Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
    kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
    meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
    emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
    wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
    tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
    Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
    Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
    briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
    mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
    GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
    LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
    Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
    seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day. :)
    miss_amy: to lose 8lbs (38 total lbs), work out 5x a week for an hour & log EVERYTHING!
    Ngoat (nancy): Lose 5lbs, Drink more water, and eat healthier dinners!
    rai8759: lose at least 4 lbs (164 by 1/31/11); work out 3x a week idevelop a consistent weight training regiment and work my way up to 2x a week weight training; drink 8-10 cups of water per day; eat more veggies; track everything in my food diary!!
    Dteg: Scale to lose 5 LBs making under 140 for the first time in 5 years!!!! non scale: to eat more fresh food, eat in more often not going out as much anymore, excerise three times a week
  • Dteg
    Dteg Posts: 86 Member
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    Question of the Day


    I love Sahale Pomegranate and Vanilla Cashews. They are healthy and they take care of my sweet craving when i have one
  • emmarie1630
    emmarie1630 Posts: 58 Member
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    Meag- I totally agree on the fruit thing. People can be ridiculous about the whole "sugar thing." I personally love fruits-- I wish I loved vegetables just as much. :) I'm going to be working a LOT more this month on incorporating both fruits and veggies as snacks and into more of my meals too.
    Also, I know several of you suggested greek yogurt as your fav healthy snack. Is there a good regular (non greek) yogurt out there? I know some of them are loaded down with sugar and what not.. so is there a good one out there? I love yogurt and I've tried the greek yogurt thing but just couldn't get used to it..a little too bitter for me.
  • allie7383
    allie7383 Posts: 865 Member
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    hey all!! hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!! just bumping for now and adding myself to the list.. going back to reread posts in the meantime!!

    skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
    Lauratx22-to lose 7 pounds! Weighing 163!
    Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
    kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
    meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
    emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
    wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
    tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
    Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
    Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
    briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
    mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
    GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
    LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
    Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
    seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day. :)
    miss_amy: to lose 8lbs (38 total lbs), work out 5x a week for an hour & log EVERYTHING!
    Ngoat (nancy): Lose 5lbs, Drink more water, and eat healthier dinners!
    rai8759: lose at least 4 lbs (164 by 1/31/11); work out 3x a week idevelop a consistent weight training regiment and work my way up to 2x a week weight training; drink 8-10 cups of water per day; eat more veggies; track everything in my food diary!!
    Dteg: Scale to lose 5 LBs making under 140 for the first time in 5 years!!!! non scale: to eat more fresh food, eat in more often not going out as much anymore, excerise three times a week
    Allie7383- be at or under 155, eat more fruits/veggies, and drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.
  • rai8759
    rai8759 Posts: 296 Member
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    thanks meag. i was about to put a number of veggies to eat a day when I realized... i didn't even have any in the house!!! to be honest i don't normally buy a lot of veggies bc they go bad before i can eat then. do you or anyone else have any ideas on how to keep veggies fresh? i go grocery shopping once every 2 weeks, and normally veggies that do not get eaten go bad in 1 (maybe 1.5) weeks. i bought some salsa thinking that is a veggie serving. also, i don't really like to eat microwaved/cooked veggies (except asparagus!). i like fresh ones better.

    also yogurt is awesome! i have some in the house now (it is the flavored kind though so i think 2 much sugar for your tastes). i want to try plain yogurt sometime soon. my next shopping trip is coming up so that is going on the list!! cinnamon yogurt and fruit sounds awesome!
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    RR: The best thing for veggies is to buy them fresh- I actually only buy about 3-5 days worth at a time and do a "refresh" veggie pickup on thursdays/fridays to get me through the weekend.

    If you can't buy them fresh, you could try to store them - these are some storage guidelines I found for veggies -
    http://www.ehow.com/how_2049667_keep-vegetables-fresh.html

    Good luck!
  • wardiemelissa
    wardiemelissa Posts: 365 Member
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    Question of the Day!
    What is your go to healthy snack??

    I love hummus and veggies, fruit, apple and peanut butter, raw almonds or walnuts, and fruit smoothies (my girls think it is dessert little do they know that it is healthy) :smile:

    Quick post for me...back down to 123 lbs :love: so I was able to undo the damage of the holidays!!! Made a winter veggie pasta last night for dinner and it got rave reviews!!! Oldest even asked if she could have some for lunch today :happy: .

    Completed day 1 of half training yesterday-strength and stretching. After looking at the Novice Hal Higdon schedule decided to bump it to the intermediate...I am pretty sure that I can accomplish the number of miles set!!

    Meag and gonks I'm glad you both decided to switch it up too!!! I know that we can do it!

    Bell rang...kiddos coming in-check in with you all later!!

    :heart: Melissa
  • wardiemelissa
    wardiemelissa Posts: 365 Member
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    AFM - I made a truly kick-*kitten* dinner tonight... Pork tenderloin pan-seared and then finished in the oven, basted with a few Tbsp of BBQ sauce. Spinach, veg + fruit salad w/ homemade vinaigrette, steamed green beans and oven baked sweet potato fries. Although I am still not feeling 100% today, my mom seems to have exactly what I had yesterday and was totally out of commission, so I offered to take over and make dinner and the results were incredible. Simple and yet really delicious. I always forget how amazing pork tenderloin is and how easy it is to cook. Comes out amazing every time! Definitely a repeat dinner in the near future :happy: I abstained from the sweet potatoes and my entire dinner was only 342 calories. Cannot beat that!

    Meag :heart:

    Meag-I'll trade you recipes!!! Your pork tenderloin for my thai bulgar spinach salad?????
  • mkingraham
    mkingraham Posts: 445 Member
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    Good Morning everyone!

    Meag- Loved the rant on fruit. I also don't get why some people tend to be so afraid of fruit. Like you said- yes it has sugar, but its natural sugar, way better the a snickers bar right! Today I have a clementine and a green apple with me to eat as my two snacks during the work day. I find myself so satisfied after a sweet and tangy piece of fruit that sometimes I have to remind myself to eat lunch before it gets to late in the day.

    QOTD- Love everyone's responses- I am fruit and or mixed veggies (cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper) kind of girl

    AFM- Took spin this morning and had an awesome work out and calorie burn. My work has a very nice gym here that has classes throughout the day, so I am able to even use my lunch break to work out. I typically try and go first thing in the morning to get that jump start to my day that helps wake me up and keeps me motivated to eat well. I find that if I work out in the morning I think to myself, why undo all that hard work with an unhealthy choice. The other thing that helps is the teacher of the class. She is super motivating, and she just so happens to be my boss- which if that doesn't make you push yourself harder I don't know what will!!

    I hope everyone has a wonderful day and I will check back in soon!
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
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    Disclaimer: This post is going to be ridiculously long :noway:

    Melissa - My pork was the easiest meat dish ever. I literally just trimmed it, then pan-seared it in about 2 tsp of olive oil on medium-high (rotating it to sear all sides), placed it on a baking dish and basted it with a few Tbsp of our favourite BBQ sauce (80 cals per 2 Tbsp, so I used about 1 Tbsp per serving total) and put it in a 400F oven for 10 mins, turned it and re-basted and cooked for another 8 mins or so. Let it rest a few mins and it was perfect. Very tender and juicy. Incredibly easy. Tenderloin requires so little work and always comes out tasting incredible... So when it's on sale, we always stock up! I think we got this 1lb tenderloin for about $3.50CA - Cheap dinner, that's for sure!

    Glad to hear a lot of you folks are on board with my fruit-love :happy: I find that whenever I am hungry I always gravitate toward the fruit bowl. 80 calories for an apple and my body is usually singing afterward. Very filling, full of fiber, easy to eat on the go (apples in the car are a godsend!) and so, so yummy. Sweet and crisp and a perfect snack, almost like a dessert. My body recognizes fruit as a kind of treat now because of how sweet and juicy it is and so it's almost always my first snack choice, without any consideration. I am programmed to crave fruit now :happy: Could be worse!

    Rai - Hmm Good question about storage. Right now I live with my parents and on account of how much we cook (all the time), we hit the grocery store 5-6 days a week. It's incredibly excessive but we're always whipping something up at the last minute and running out of ingredients and produce. I eat so much produce that we have to replenish our stocks constantly. The best bet for not letting veg/fruit go bad is to plan to eat it and see your plans through - I know it seems redundant, but only buy what you have planned for in meals/snacks and then commit yourself to not wasting it or letting it go bad. If you see some fruit or veg turning, find a way to use it over the next 24 hours. It'll keep you creative and it will force you to incorporate more fruits and veg into your diet. If you are hoping to get more in anyway, nothing should be going bad.

    With that said, my tips would be
    1) Buy sturdy veg that keeps for a while - carrots, zucchini, squash, onions, cabbage, ruttabaga, etc are all easy to keep in the fridge for a few weeks without fear of them spoiling. They are not as low-cal as other vegetables like spinach, peppers, tomatoes, beans and so they have to be eaten in moderation, but if you want to keep vegetables handy to bump up your intake, these are great things to have around. Try to get a good mix of both.
    2) When you buy produce, clean and prep it and store it in ready-to-eat portions. This eliminates the excuse to eat it and will keep it moving out of your fridge. I do this with both fruit and veggies and it works really well.
    3) Meal plan. Plan to have at least one, if not two, vegetables or vegetable dishes every night at dinner. If you are having something sturdy like squash, replace your carb with it. I have done this for months and I must say, I really don't miss it. Try new recipes and experiment. I know not everyone likes to cook as much as me, but trying new healthy foods and feeling really good about what you're eating can give you a real sense of accomplishment.
    4) When we buy greens like spinach, we find they tend to go bad quickly unless we store them in an air-tight ziplock freezer bag. We buy huge plastic cartons of baby spinach and compress them into a large ziplock freezer bag, squeezing out all the air (so it looks somewhat vacuum-sealed) and then toss it in the fridge. Use it up over 5-7 days and it stays pretty fresh. After 4 or 5 days we usually use it only for cooking, and we add it to everything!

    My biggest suggestion - Add vegetables to every dish you make. Honestly. There is nothing you can't add vegetables to. And add a LOT of them. At least twice whatever the recipe calls for. You'll thank yourself for making a much more filling meal (serving sizes in "light" recipes are stupid and wayyy not enough food), chuck full of goodness, and incredibly delicious since veggies are tasty and fresh and wonderful. If you find something going bad in your fridge and you don't know how to use it, post a question here and someone (likely me, at the very least) will get back to you with a good healthy recipe to use it up.

    Hope that all helps. It's just what I could think of off the top of my head. It's hard to explain how I eat/prepare/store food. I'm such a produce junkie but it's so second nature to me that I'm not sure exactly how other people do things... Or how anyone survives on 1500 calories without a billion servings of fruit/veg a day :blushing: hahaha!

    Maybe I should post more of my veg experiments on here to give you guys some ideas re: veg dishes? Let me know if you ever want suggestions on how to incorporate vegetables and fruits and I'll be more than happy to provide ample recipe suggestions! Just yesterday I experiments with Apple Oat and Wheat Bran Muffin Tops and they turned out amazing! It was a great way to use up a few apples that my mom had bought by accident (wrong kind and I'm very specific about my apples). Here's the recipe, altered from http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9848:

    2 cups finely diced apples, (about 2 medium apples - I used one gala and one granny smith)
    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
    1/2 cup soft white wheat bran
    2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar (or substitute if you like)
    1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
    1/2 tsp. baking soda
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. ground cinnamon
    8 oz. plain low-fat yogurt (1 cup) (Astro 1% Plain yogurt - could not live without it!)
    1/4 cup almond milk (or other milk)
    2 Tbs. vegetable oil
    1 tsp. vanilla extract
    1 large egg (or substitute)

    Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 12 standard muffin pan cups with cooking spray.
    Place diced apple on paper towels to drain; pat dry. Combine flour, oats, wheat bran, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl, and stir with whisk. Combine yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla and egg in small bowl and stir to blend. Make well in center of flour mixture; add milk mixture, stirring just until moist. Mix in apple.
    Divide batter evenly among prepared cups. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until muffins spring back when pressed lightly in center. Remove from pan, and cool on wire rack.
    Makes 12 servings. Per serving: Calories 179 Carbs 35 Fat 4 Protein 5 Fiber 3 Sodium 214

    Definitely a huge hit at my house! And here's what I had for breakfast, if you are interested in incorporating more fruit...

    Vegan Overnight Oats w/ Blueberry + Shredded Coconut

    1/3 cup old fashioned oats
    1.5Tbsp chia seeds (15g)
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1 cup almond milk
    1/2 tsp vanilla
    1/2 banana, mashed
    1/3 cup fresh blueberries
    3 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

    Whisk together oats, chia seeds and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Add milk, vanilla and mashed banana and mix well. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 2 hours). In the morning, add blueberries and coconut and stir to combine.
    Calories 372 Carbs 61 Fat 15 Protein 9 Fiber 14 Sodium 183

    This is a HUGE breakfast and you can easily lower the cals if you omit the chia seeds and lessen the milk by 1/3cup. The chia seeds soak up some milk and add a "yogurt-like" consistency and pack a huge nutritional punch, but if you are watching your cals they can eat up quite a few at breakfast. Instead, put oats, some milk, 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 banana and some cinnamon in your fridge and then mix in whatever fruit you like in the morning. If you want, omit the banana and use 1/2 scoop of protein powder instead. This is a great breakfast to start your day, rev up your metabolism and perfect for before a work-out. It's also a great time saver since all the work is done at night. Just grab it out of the fridge in the morning and enjoy! The coconut cost me 70 calories, not really worth it if you on a calorie budget, so I'd probably leave that out next time.

    Wow - I sure do have a whole lot to say. Obviously I need a day job! :laugh:

    mking - Great to hear about your workout and your love of the gym!! I'm impressed with your motivation for spin class - I wish I could get into it but it's SUCH a hard workout and my legs never forgive me, so kudos to you! :wink:

    Off to the gym later today for a run and some additional cardio to make up for my lazy weekend. I am feeling better today and ready to get moving. Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday! :heart:
  • katecampbell03
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    I'm In! My daughter will be 1 on Friday and it's high time I get my butt in gear so I can look great for Next Year's Christmas Photos!!! I am going to eat reasonably and work out before work, during lunch, or after work, whenever I can squeeze even a few minutes in. Even if it means walking on the treadmill while holding my daughter for 10 minutes because she won't play on the floor while I walk. This is it!!! I am going to loose 5 lbs this month!!!!
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
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    Welcome Kate! Adding you to our growing list...

    skiptomylou32--scale goal: 125, non-scale goal: stop waiting till tomorrow, making excuses, and being complacent with my fitness goals
    Lauratx22-to lose 7 pounds! Weighing 163!
    Roobean33 - cardio 5X/week, lifting 3X/week, try out CrossFit, lose 2lbs, H20 guzzle, take measurements.
    kvr414- 1 hr cardio 3x a week, try 3 new recipes, 12 cups water/day, lose 6 lbs.
    meagalayne- curb late-night snacking and emotional eating, limit carbohydrate consumption after 4pm and experiment with new Low-GI recipes once a week, maintain under 130lbs, and complete first 4 weeks of Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training (Novice)
    emmarie1630- lose 4 pounds, 4x a week workout, use wii fitness games a ton, MORE WATER!
    wardiemelissa-continue to maintain between 120-125lbs; plan healthy family meals at least 5 nights a week; begin training for half marathon (just need to find one in May or June)
    tjradd73-lose 8lbs, 80oz H20 per day, and cardio 3x per week.
    Mike (CaptainJim) lose 5-8 lbs, 3x (30-60 min) cardio per week, fit into size 32 jeans (I'm 34's right now)
    Finncmh- see a loss on the scale, continue strength training 2x's a week and update the routine at the end of Jan, continue running training- increase to 5 min running intervals, 1 new healthy recipe a week, and get back in to yoga/stretching routine in the am and/or pm
    briar_rose: lose 5 pounds, exercise 3x/week, no potato chips
    mkingraham: lose 15 pounds by Feb 1., exercise 5/6 x a week with 3/4 days of strength training, eat breakfast everyday (a healthy one), two servings of fruit a day.
    GuamGrly (Bethany) - DO NOT focus on the scale. Focus on changing my lifestyle by incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet more, drinking my water everyday, planning my meals, working out 120 minutes per week, and getting back to C25k traning.
    LostAlyKat (Aly) : Be under 170lbs for the end of the month. Do weight lifting or strength 3 times a week, be active in some way every day. Get back into doing Yoga do a class at least 1 time this month. Write down my feelings more often.
    Stuartme123: JanSW = 156. Check-in with this thread 3-4x/week, 30 min of cardio 3x a week, Restart and keep up with 100 push-up challenge and C25K, Keep unhealthy snacking to under 200 calories/day, Add veggies that wouldn't normally be there to at least one meal a day, Try one new healthy recipe a week, Lose 1lb a week for a total of 4lbs.
    seripha - exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes each. Try to eat at least 1 cup of dark green food every day and only 1 sweet thing per day. :)
    miss_amy: to lose 8lbs (38 total lbs), work out 5x a week for an hour & log EVERYTHING!
    Ngoat (nancy): Lose 5lbs, Drink more water, and eat healthier dinners!
    rai8759: lose at least 4 lbs (164 by 1/31/11); work out 3x a week idevelop a consistent weight training regiment and work my way up to 2x a week weight training; drink 8-10 cups of water per day; eat more veggies; track everything in my food diary!!
    Dteg: Scale to lose 5 LBs making under 140 for the first time in 5 years!!!! non scale: to eat more fresh food, eat in more often not going out as much anymore, excerise three times a week
    Allie7383- be at or under 155, eat more fruits/veggies, and drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.
    katecampbell03- Lose 5lbs this month and make time to fit in a work-out before/during/after work
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    Bump!

    Happy New Year everyone! I'll be back once I think of some goals for the month!
  • SkipToMyLou32
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    Rai--I'm so with you on a nice gain over the holidays. Now we can get back on track because there is nothing coming up for a long time!

    Meag--I'm with you on the fruit. I suppose the way some people see it is you have to completely cut all sugars, even healthy fruit sugars, to put an end to your sugar addiction. Once you end your addiction you add back in the healthy fruit sugars. I just can't go without my fruits though! I look forward to blueberries and strawberries in my cereal every morning! And oh my gosh you should see how many cherries and grapes I eat in the summer! YUM! Your pork tenderloin dinner sounds so yummy. My hubby has been throwing pork tenderloins in the crock pot a lot lately with some sort of sauce and they are oh so good. So easy and so good! Glad you are feeling better!

    Mary--I suppose we should send our hubbies to another room to eat! That is totally why women (me!) sometimes put on a few pounds when they get married!! I think I need to add something about that "skinny feeling" in my signature so I see it every day!

    Dteg--Great goals!! And yum on the vanilla cashews! I love cashews but never buy them because I have a portion problem! :)

    Emmarie--You should try greek yogurt again with splenda or stevia. I'm telling ya it's good! It totally takes away the bitter taste and turns in into a creamy dessert like taste.

    Melissa--Great job undoing your holiday damage so quickly!

    mkingrahm--That is so awesome that your workplace has such a great gym! You are so lucky!

    Kate--Welcome! Great goals!

    AFM--Did 30 on the elliptical and 10 of running on the treadmill. I am half way to my January goal already just because most of the 5lbs I needed to lose was sodium/a few recent big meals. That said I definitely need to stay focused because I have a tendency to slack off a little after I have some success.
  • ngoat
    ngoat Posts: 97 Member
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    To all of the new comers: WELCOME and it looks like you guys have some great goals mapped out.

    Emmarie: Greek yogurt.. I tried for the first time about a couple of weeks ago.. I had the Dannon brand.. I actually found it to be quite sweet almost like a cream cheese yogurt.. The only down size is the price.. it is pretty pricey compared to regular yogurt

    Meag: Your dinner sounds delicious! . .I am jealous of your motivation to cook such great healthy meals for yourself.

    AFM: I worked a double last night .. so didn't get home until around 9:30. I normally hit the sack around 10 so I just wanted the do some laundry and hit the pillow. I told myself that this is when it counts to get that extra workout in.. I poped in a turbo jam dvd and knocked it out. I am happy with myself this morning :) I am also challenging myself to drink one mini bottle of water (8 oz) ever hour while I am at work.. This is going to be quite the accomplishment if I can make it considering I drink only about 8 oz of water at work.. piteful i know :(.. but i have 3 down so far and I am working on the fourth. I can do this!! I need something positive to focus on.. bc the rest of my life isn't cutting it and this is going to be it.