*CLOSED* September Challenge (AggieCass & Friends)

ecmcnamee

I definitely think we should share recipes more often ... I get in ruts and seem to have the same thing over and over again. Not because I don't like to cook ... I do ... I love it but because I'm lazy about figuring out the calories, etc etc and it's easier just to go with what I know. Lame I know.

I am struggling this week ... I am really tired and lacking a lot of motivation. I'm getting it done but I totally caved and inhaled 4 chocolate chip cookies for dinner last night. I blame myself and lack of control. The kids completely stressed me out, work was stressful yestersay and PMS. I let it all get to me and the cookies ... well they did the trick. My calorie burns have been low and I've been struggling to hop out of bed at 4;45 a.m. even though I'm normally asleep by 9:30. This time of year is bad for my allergies so for me .. that makes me sleepy ... I'm hoping that the lack of motivaton and general sluggishness is due to PMS cuz it's happened before.

I'm making myself stay on track it's just a struggle this week and I'm nowhere near rocking it like I did last week .. but I'm hanging in which I guess is what matters the most. Ok .. I feel better now that I vented. Have a great day everyone!!

ecmcnamee

Okay, I know we're supposed to do this on Sunday (and I will) but I have to share anyway.

Today, I did 31 pushups in a single set. Hands and feet. No stopping. Good form. I've never been able to do over 20. This challenge rocks. You all rock. The world rocks! Rock on!

WOW!!! 31 .. that's awesome!! I did 28 last night and thought I was going to die. Pushing myself up those last 5 was killer and I collapsed on the floor afterwards. My arms/shoulders still hurt this morning. GO YOU!!

shannonaufman

I know it's already been said, but most of my 'healthy' recipes come from Gina's Skinny Recipes at skinnytaste.com. I have tried her pan seared shrimp, bangin' good shrimp, turkey taco chili, skinny chicken enchiladas, lettuce blt wraps, and skinny egg salad. I love that her recipes are normal food, just made skinny! I don't feel like I'm eating 'diet food' when I make her recipes!

Recently, though, I have been trying to incorporate more seafood into my diet. So my favorite healthy food is lemon herb cod.

Ingredients:
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- Pam (or other non-stick spray)
- 1 lb cod filets (or other white fish like tilapia)
- oregano
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
- parsley
- sweet basil


1. Spray baking pan with Pam (or other non-stick spray)
2. Lay out filets in pan; salt and pepper filets
3. Sprinkle filets with lemon juice and olive oil (I have a misto oil sprayer, it works best)
4. Sprinkle herbs on fish filets, to taste
5. Bake at 375F for 15 minutes

We usually eat steamed red potatoes and broccoli with this fish recipe.

AggieCass09

thats all the recipes we got? come on group!!!!

ecmcnamee

thats all the recipes we got? come on group!!!!

This made me laugh ... I told you I'm lazy when it comes to food!! But yes ... come on ... inspire me!!

thedreamhazer

Oh man -- planks AGAIN today? UGH. Lol. Can't we just do pushups? I don't know why, but pushups are about 1000x easier for me than trying to hold a plank for 60 seconds, let alone 90 seconds! What are you trying to do to me, AggieCass?!

In any case, it's Wednesday! We're halfway through the work week, and I hope everyone's doing well! Remember, all the challenges you faced this week are learning experiences that you learn from, but never dwell on! Good luck going forward!

theemstress

Hello beautiful people! I've been sick the last couple days so I'm really sorry this is coming a day late.

This is my most favorite salmon recipe:

Quick salmon tikka with cucumber yoghurt
678 delicious calories. You can cut each naan bread in half to lower the serving size (and calories) and pair with a salad to get a serving of around 400 calories.
(This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver. I love it as much as I love Jamie which is amazing because I've eaten so much salmon that I've practically tired myself of it.)

2 naan breads
1 fresh red chili
1/2 a cucumber
1 lemon
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh coriander (i usually omit this)
2 x 200g salmon fillets, skin on, scaled, deboned (I usually do about 6 oz)
1 heaped tbsp Patak's tandoori curry paste
Olive Oil

Preheat oven 110*, pop naan breads into oven to warm through. Halve, deseed and finely chop chili. Peel, halve, scoop seeds out of cucumber then roughly chop it and put into the bowl. Add yogurt, pinch of salt and pepper, and half of chopped chili. Pick coriander leaves and put to one side.

Slice salmon filet across lengthways about three 1.5cm wide slices. Spoon heaped tandoori paste in a small dish then use a pastry brush or back of a spoon to smear the tandoori pase all over each peice. (Tip: If your tandoori paste is too thick to spread, mix in a tiny amount of olive oil until you get a good consistency.) Heat a large frying pan on high heat, add about a tbsp of olive oil, cook salmon about 1.5 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Place a warmed naan bread on each plate, top each with a good dallop of cucumber yoghurt and 3 peices of salmon. Scatter over a little of the reserved cucumer, chili, and coriander leaves and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

jalysons

Lentil Chili (since Cass is a vegeterian) - By the way my 2 years old will eat this too.

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (add more to make it hotter)
4 cups (or more) water
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed (I used green ones)
1/2 cup tomato puree


Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano leaves, and cayenne pepper; stir for 30 seconds. Add the 4 cups of water, lentils, and tomato puree. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam from the surface. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls as needed if dry, about 30 minutes. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the chili among 4 bowls.

thedreamhazer

In celebration of fall, I bring you: Pumpkin Curry! And this one is for the vegans/vegetarians out there!

Pumpkin Curry

4 cups cubed, skinned pumpkin
2 cans lite coconut milk
3 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup chopped serrano peppers (or less! These are spicy!)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 diced yellow onion
1 cups chopped zucchini
1 tbsp cumin
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp fresh grated ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
Salt to taste. Great served over brown basmati rice!

Serves: 4
Calories: 236
Sugar: 6
Fat: 12
Protein: 3
Sodium: 37 (without salt)
Carbs: 20


I made this after looting the campus garden in college for some veggies to prepare for my house. I grabbed a couple of small pumpkins (I was feeding 9) and then went home to figure out what the heck to do with them. This was a HUGE hit with my vegan homestead!

Also -- add some firm (or extra firm) tofu patted fry and sauteed in a little olive oil for some extra protein and oomph! This one is definitely protein-lacking, but it is delicious, I promise you

nicolina823

This injury is killing me! I can't work out, the stabilizer hurts my knee more than without it and I can't drive. I've slept through two calls from the insurance guy. Today I have to see an orthopedic doctor and my soon to be mother inlay as driving up from MA to bring me. She is a worse driver than the girl who hit me.

thedreamhazer

This injury is killing me! I can't work out, the stabilizer hurts my knee more than without it and I can't drive. I've slept through two calls from the insurance guy. Today I have to see an orthopedic doctor and my soon to be mother inlay as driving up from MA to bring me. She is a worse driver than the girl who hit me.

I'm so sorry to hear that! Take it easy and focus on healing!

And wear a seatbelt today

ronda_gettinghealthy

Okay, I know we're supposed to do this on Sunday (and I will) but I have to share anyway.

Today, I did 31 pushups in a single set. Hands and feet. No stopping. Good form. I've never been able to do over 20. This challenge rocks. You all rock. The world rocks! Rock on!

WOW!!! 31 .. that's awesome!! I did 28 last night and thought I was going to die. Pushing myself up those last 5 was killer and I collapsed on the floor afterwards. My arms/shoulders still hurt this morning. GO YOU!!

D@mn....I am totally totally impressed...so ya I am still doing the 60 degree pushups, other wise my big whopping number is .......drum roll please.........TWO!!!!!!

ronda_gettinghealthy

Favorite recipe.....hmmmmm I like a lot of things...but this is a staple that I have fallen back on for many many years when I had kids in school and it was chilly outside...I will give the basics and then tell you what I add...


Ronda's 5 bean soup

1 can of large lima beans and juice
1 can of pork and beans and juice
1 can of kidney beans and juice
1 can of green beans --drained
1 can of wax beans --drained
3 tablespoons of mustard
3 tablespoons of ketchup
mix in a sauce pan till heated--serve with corn bread

makes 8 servings

cals= 194
carbs = 36
Fat = 1
Protein = 11
Sodium = 545
Fiber = 10


** now I like to brown ground beef or use polish sausage to make it more "growing boy" friendly and I also use a bit of brown sugar and bake it in the oven for an hour if I have time....for a pinch I do the above**

the kids love it...it is filling and really really cheap!!!

AggieCass09

i don't even care what the scale says tomorrow morning...my shadow had TWO distinct thighs (not ONE massive thigh with two legs forming at the knee) during my afternoon eight miler today!!!!

I HAVE A LEG GAP!!!!

Yea for this new, more athletic body!

ecmcnamee

i don't even care what the scale says tomorrow morning...my shadow had TWO distinct thighs (not ONE massive thigh with two legs forming at the knee) during my afternoon eight miler today!!!!

I HAVE A LEG GAP!!!!

Yea for this new, more athletic body!

That's really awesome!!!!!

ecmcnamee

Not a stellar week ... I mean it wasn't horrible .. I had one day where I inhaled chocolate chip cookies ... it happens. I'm ok with it. BUT ... I really did not kill myself working out (I got some good burns, don't get me wrong but I wasn't pushing myself) ... I got my workouts in and I took a rest day yesterday and I'm up 3 pounds and I gained a half inch. Horrible in the scheme of things ... nope, not at all. Frustrating? You'd better believe it. I started zig zagging so that may very well be where the pounds have come from. I took a rest day yesterday .. which I never do but I think it's something that I really need to start doing. Give my body one day where I'm not beating the hell out of it.

Here's my frustration ... I feel like I can't "let my guard" down so to speak. I have to consistently burn 600 to 800 calories a day to maybe see some weight loss ... I don't feel like my thighs are toning up .. stuff still jiggles ... and when I don't "kill" myself like this .. this is what I get in return. I can guarantee you if I had 3 weeks in a row like this, I'd gain back half of what I have already lost.

I'm not in bad shape aerobically ... I could run circles around people half my age. I can hang on the elliptical for 90 minutes or put in 40 miles on my bike and be in the saddle for over 2 hours ... only stopping to grab a protein bar out of my pocket cuz I'm just not really good at doing that while cycling (and you can laugh ... I was thrilled the day I was able to grab my water bottle and drink without falling over).

I'm not giving up ... but I find myself getting very frustrated reading people's posts who consistently drop 1.5 to 2 pounds a week .. hell even a pound and are just going for a walk here and there or just logging grocery shopping and cleaning their house as activity. I get that that's all some people need .. but geez .. they've dropped like 40 pounds in 5 months and I can't even stay around 30 consistently for 9! I'm not knocking those of you who do that ... in fact, I'm jealous as hell as that's all you need to do to drop weight ... I'm frustrated ... I'm beyond frustrated, but I refuse to give up.

Thanks for letting me rant.

thedreamhazer

ecmcnamee -- I really sorry you've had a rough week. I know how frustrating it can be when it feels like you're just not losing. Almost all of the weight loss I've logged so far for this contest has been weight that I've lost before. It's very frustrating but, like you said, it's not so horrible in the scheme of things.

Be proud of how healthy you are! And definitely take up that rest day -- I find that if I workout straight through the week, I don't lose anything and sometimes gain. Plus, my workouts start to get sloppy. It happened to me this last week, and I'm paying for it. It's hard to give yourself a rest day sometimes -- it feels like slacking. But it needs to be just as much a part of your workout routine as all the other days! (And I'm saying that for myself as much as for you!)

This week will be a great week!

jalysons

Hi,

I am up half a pound. This has to stop.

I did cardio 7 days and strength training 3 days.

I am going to try to cut my workouts this week and next week. There is no way my stomach could handle all the calories so my nets were not close to 0. Only week I lost is when I averaged 81 calories below my goal.

Keep you good works girls.

Water 6/7 days
Challenge 5/7 days

Happy Monday all.

ecmcnamee

ecmcnamee -- I really sorry you've had a rough week. I know how frustrating it can be when it feels like you're just not losing. Almost all of the weight loss I've logged so far for this contest has been weight that I've lost before. It's very frustrating but, like you said, it's not so horrible in the scheme of things.

Be proud of how healthy you are! And definitely take up that rest day -- I find that if I workout straight through the week, I don't lose anything and sometimes gain. Plus, my workouts start to get sloppy. It happened to me this last week, and I'm paying for it. It's hard to give yourself a rest day sometimes -- it feels like slacking. But it needs to be just as much a part of your workout routine as all the other days! (And I'm saying that for myself as much as for you!)

This week will be a great week!

Thanks I like how you said rest days should be as much a part of your workout routine as all the other days ... I like thinking about it that way better!

AggieCass09

I gained 0.4 lbs since last week bummer...BUT i'm starting this week off lower than usual so I"m hoping the losses even out this week. Again, the leg gap thing really made me happy yesterday and I KNOW that i'm doing way better than what the scale is indicating. I'll measure tonight.


*~*~*~*~* Please remember to update your numbers tonight so winners can be announced~*~*~*~*~*~

AggieCass09

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And this week's challenge is:

To accomplish 3 out of the following 5 choices each day. It doesn't have to be the same three that you accomplish each day, just pick three and go for it!

a) Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep
b) Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies
c) Drink at least half your body weight in ounces
d) Plank, Push Ups, OR Wall Squats (your choice on reps/sets)
e) Share some progress pictures, another recipe, OR your favorite work out with us on the message board

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thedreamhazer

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And this week's challenge is:

To accomplish 3 out of the following 5 choices each day. It doesn't have to be the same three that you accomplish each day, just pick three and go for it!

a) Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep
b) Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies
c) Drink at least half your body weight in ounces
d) Plank, Push Ups, OR Wall Squats (your choice on reps/sets)
e) Share some progress pictures, another recipe, OR your favorite work out with us on the message board

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This is WICKED. So challenging! I love that it really covers all the different aspects of healthy lifestyle: sleeping, eating, drinking, exercising, and socializing! Awesome challenge week, AggieCass!

And to complete a part of my challenge for the day: photos! Some of you may have seen these already on my profile, but I'm resharing!

My arms are shaping up:





...but my biceps are still non-existent. Oh well! I'll keep pumping!



(PS -- In case any of you are particularly observant...yes, that is a tattoo on my stomach. One I plan on flaunting just about 10 lbs from now!)

ecmcnamee

I'm sharing my favorite exercise today ... I LOVE my elliptical but I just started adding HIIT intervals to the workout .. basically I do 40 minutes and every 3rd minute, I hop off and do a minute of butt kicks, high knees, burpees, jumping jacks etc ... all holding 5 pound weights (well not the burpees) ... these 1 minute bursts really rocket my calorie burn up so I can get a 500+ burn in just 40 minutes ...

AggieCass09

my favorite exercise (aside from 10+ mile runs, because those aren't universally applicable) are stair-master intervals:

set stair master to intervals with work level at 110-120 steps per minute and "rest" rate at 70-90 steps per minute...intervals are 1-2 minutes of each...repeat as long as possible (15 min is about my absolute max...this burns about 1.5 times the calories that a run does)

my 2nd favorite workout: kickboxing....i FEEL like such a fierce lady afterwords!


oh i must share about today's work out NSV...
bench press: today 75 lbs.....1 month ago 45 lbs (just the bar)
squats: today 115 lbs.....1 month ago 45 lbs (just the bar)

BALLER!!!!!

AggieCass09

Week Three Winners:

Goals (all seven days met in terms of calories, exercise planned, and water)
Cass (aggiecass09)
Apryl (aprylcross)

Challenge (all 7 days met)
Beth (ecmcnamee)

Week 3 Weight Loss

1) Apryl -5.4 lbs (-3.48% of starting weight)
2) Claudia (claudiaV05) -2.6 lbs (-1.43% of starting weight)
3) TIED- All the following Lost 2.0 lbs:
Sue (gatorflyer) (-1.23%)
Kayon (candykay89) (-1.33%)
Nicolina823 (-1.1%)
Joanne (soccermum75) (-1.3%)

Overall Weight Loss
1. Apryl -6.4 lbs (4.12% of starting weight)
2. Claudia 05.2 lbs (2.86% of starting weight)
3. Sue -4.4 lbs (-2.7% of starting weight)

Week 3 Inches Lost
1. Sue -2. inches
2. Aprl -1.5 inches
3. Kayon -1 inch
3. Jessie (ashkay2) -1 inch
4. Susan (thedreamhazer) -0.5 inches

Overall Inches Lost
1. Kayon -5.5
2. Dawn (runningAggie) -5.0
3. Sue -4.0
4. Susan -3.8


Great Job!

thedreamhazer

My favorite workout is...

Weightlifting! Here's my rotation:

Day 1
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (3 of 10-15)
Reverse crunches (3 of 10-15)
Narrow-grip Seated Row (3 of 10-15)
Butt-ups (3 of 10-15)
Standing Bicep Curl (3 of 10-15)
Crunches (3 of 60-100)

Day 2
Squats (3 of 10-15)
Pushups (3 of 10-15)
Split Squats (3 of 10-15)
Dumbbell Bench Press (3 of 10-15)
Deadlift (3 of 10-15)
Overhead Press (3 of 10-15)

Day 3
Rest

Day 4
Repeat Day 1

Day 5
Repeat Day 2

This rotation feels great! It takes about 30 minutes and your muscles are shaking afterwards! Enjoy!

aprylkemper

my favorite exercise (aside from 10+ mile runs, because those aren't universally applicable) are stair-master intervals:

set stair master to intervals with work level at 110-120 steps per minute and "rest" rate at 70-90 steps per minute...intervals are 1-2 minutes of each...repeat as long as possible (15 min is about my absolute max...this burns about 1.5 times the calories that a run does)

my 2nd favorite workout: kickboxing....i FEEL like such a fierce lady afterwords!


oh i must share about today's work out NSV...
bench press: today 75 lbs.....1 month ago 45 lbs (just the bar)
squats: today 115 lbs.....1 month ago 45 lbs (just the bar)

BALLER!!!!!

Awesome job on the strength gains!!!!

aprylkemper

My favorite workout so far has been Rachel Cosgrove's Female Body Breakthrough Fine Tune Phase alternating between 2 workouts 3 days per week for 4 weeks
I liked these so much because they contained a barbell complex at the beginning and were really tough. If you are wondering about the numbering, you go 1, 2 and then superset 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D

Workout A
1 Plank with Alternating Arm/Leg Reach 10/arm for 2 sets
2. COMPLEX Deadlift, High Pull, Push Press, Reverse Lunge 8 reps per move fast pace for 4 sets
3A Bulgarian Split Deadlift
3BSingle-Arm DB Chest Press on Swiss Ball
3CBack Squat
3D Chinup
Foam Roll and Stretch

Workout B
1 Swiss Ball Crunch with Weighted Resistance 10-15 for 2 sets
2 COMPLEX High Pull, Front Squat with Push Press, Back Squat, Good Mornings 8 reps per move fast pace for 4 sets
3A Deadlift
3B Dumbbell Rotational Overhead Press
3C Single-Leg Squats
3D Bent Over Row
Foam Roll and Stretch

These also changed the reps and sets each time, so you were lifting high weight/low reps some days and then lower weights higher reps.

Good times

For cardio, I do love to do HIITs and also Turbo Fire if I am in the mood to punch and kick and really sweat a lot

thedreamhazer

I just found this recipe, and I promise you that I will be making it TONIGHT! I'm so excited about this!

Here's the link:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/mark-bittman-on-shine-espresso-black-bean-chili-2554454/;_ylt=Ag0MQTcsbsde92FkaeZNgljkgKU5

Black Bean Espresso Chili
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours, largely unattended

3 tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups chopped ripe tomato (about 1 1/2 pounds whole; canned is fine; don’t bother to drain)
1/2 to 1 cup freshly brewed espresso, 1 to 2 cups brewed coffee, or 2 tablespoons espresso powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 cup dark brown sugar or 3 tablespoons molasses
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 pound dried black beans, washed, picked over, and soaked if you like
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the oil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Stir in the tomato, espresso, chili powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and beans and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the liquid bubbles steadily but not violently. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are beginning to soften, 30 to 40 minutes. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Continue cooking until the beans are tender, anywhere from another 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more sugar, salt, or pepper. Serve or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

As is, split into six servings, nutritional value is:
Calories: 375
Sugar: 14
Fat: 9
Protein: 17
Sodium: 32
Carbs: 70

And of course, it's chili so you can play around! Cut out some oil, sub molasses for sugar, throw in some barley/lentils/ground turkey, etc. etc. etc. This recipe has me so excited! I would love to find a way to work coffee into all of my recipes

gatorflyer

Congrats to all the winners. Hope everyone is having a great week.

My workout routine is usually varied, and here's one rendition:

Monday - Lunchtime walk/jog (3.5-4 miles); Evening Bob Harper's Weight loss yoga
Tuesday - Lunchtime walk (2-3 miles); Evening leisurely 2-3 mile walk OR evening rest
Wednesday - Personal Challenge; 3.5-4 mile walk/jog at lunch; Bob Harper's weight loss yoga
Thursday - Lunchtime 3.5-4 Walk while exercising with hand weights;
Friday - lunchtime 2.5-3 mile walk; evening rest
Saturday - 4-7 mile Hike OR 8+ mile walk
Sunday - easy leisurely 3-4 mile walk OR rest