Turn your knowledge into Power Challenge

Hey all, I am sorry that I haven't been on here this past week. I've been working too much and I have not been eating very healthy and I did not exercise very much. This coming week looks about the same except that I am going away for the weekend. Meeting my cousin in Kentucy so we can scrapbook for the weekend. I don't envision our weekend filled with healthy food, but I plan to try not to 'over do it'.

I was 272 on Friday. That is down .8 from last week. I am happy with that, as it is 2 pounds down from the last time I did MFP check-in.

I will try to get back and read everyone's postings. I miss my time catching up with you all.

Hi girls! Looks like several of you took camping trips this weekend. We went to the fair on Saturday, and I promised my family I wouldn't watch what I was eating too much, so I did splurge, but it was so fun. My total for fair eats were one roasted ear of corn, half of an Indian taco, half of a funnel cake, and a few bites of smoked turkey leg. The rides totally wore me out, we came home and crashed.

Sunday was much quieter, went to church in the a.m., then home, took out the garbage (we don't have trash service here, so we have to hook up our trailer and take the garbage to the transfer station ourselves), and then played video games the rest of the day.

Today is supposed to be a running day, but it's really rainy outside, if it doesn't clear up soon it'll be too muddy to go running on our dirt roads, so maybe doing a DVD instead, we'll see. So glad we got the break this weekend from exercise as my muscles were really sore last week, feeling much better today. I do my strength training like you said Dorothy, one day we do arms, shoulders and chest, then the next day we do legs, back and abs, then back to the arms, etc. so we don't ever work the same body part two days in a row. Doing some strength training everyday keeps us in the habit, but also lets the muscles rest. If you keep going, the soreness does get better, and seems to go away quicker. Make sure you have enough protein in your diet to feed those muscles and you'll do great!

Friday: 2.8 mile jog, 30 pushups, 100 jumping jacks, upper body weight workout
Sat:
Sun:
Monday: 30 pushups

~~Veronica

Crazy Days are here again, put on a happy face!

Well, I thought I would rush in, apologize for being MIA, post my recipe and rush out. Looks like everyone's week must be as crazy as my own. I am getting to the final countdown for school starting. It is a crazy time of year, but usually after the first month or so, things fall into a groove and the going gets easier. Not for the next week though, and the following week, I get to meet and start working with all my new kiddos!

Exercise has been nearly non-existent this week, and I have not been filling out my food log.

Power Challenge: (Use interval training)
Friday: -
Saturday: -
Sunday: -
Monday: Water aerobics 60 min, current walking 30 min.
Tuesday: -
Wednesday: Walking and trying on clothes (that has to burn something, I sure do sweat!) 45 min.

Knowledge Challenge (Share a healthy recipe)

I am posting one of my meals that I can make in a pinch. It includes a main dish, sides, and dessert for 507 calories (varies according to individual products used). It is nice enough to serve to company, and the family enjoys it as well.

Menu
* 4 oz. Glazed pork Medallions
*3/4 cup Stir-Fried Carrots
*1/2 cup Seasoned Brown Rice
* Wonton Sundaes

Glazed Pork Medallions
1 pork tenderloin (1-1/4 pounds)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup reduced-sugar orange marmalade
2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. Worchester sauce
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Cut pork into 1 in. slices and flatten to 1/4 in thickness, sprinkle with salt. In a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook pork in batches over medium high heat until juices run clear. Reduce heat to low; return all meat to the pan. Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over the pork and turn to coat. Heat through.

yield: 4 servings
Nutrition facts: 4 oz. cooked pork equals 200 calories, 5 g fat, 79 mg cholesterol, 231 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 28 g protein.

Stir-fried carrots
1-1/2 pounds fresh carrots, julienned
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the carrots in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the broth, rosemary and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until liquid is reduced

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition facts: 3/4 cup equals 106 calories, 4 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 176 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Seasoned Brown Rice
1-1/3 cups water
2/3 cup long grain brown rice
1 TBS reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper.

In a small saucepan bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition facts: 1/2 cup equals 118 calories, 1 g fat, 157 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Wonton Sundaes
24 wonton wrappers
refrigerated butter-flavored spray
1 TBS plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 package (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans
24 maraschino cherries with stems

Place wonton wrappers on a work surface; spritz with butter-flavored spray. Combine 1 TBS sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over wontons. Press into miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray

Bake at 350 for 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove wonton cups to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or untilo bottom of cups are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon into wonton cups. Top each with a cherry.

Yield: 2 dozen

Nutrition facts: 1 sundae cup equals 83 calories, 3 g fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 74 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrates, trace fiber, 2 g protein.

Enjoy Everyone!

Interval training - hard stuff! I've never really worked out without a video and my newer videos are all about interval training. Last Saturday I did Biggest loser last chance workout. I challenged myself to do it completely and I did it. When I first got it last winter I think I gave up 3/4 of the way in - too hard. But now - I actually have leg muscles that can do it! I think the interval training really does work you harder. Bursts of intensity that you know are short lived but really make you sweat. I also did a Denise Austin Video on tuesday? It's a warm up - 20 min cardio interval, 20 min cardio strength and cool down. You can choose to some or all of it. I've only ever done warm up, 20 min and cool down - never all. But Tuesday I did them all consecutively along with some swimmer presses in between because they were a part of another challenge I am in. So my NSV is actually working up a sweat and feeling like I'm accomplishing something!
I sure hope everyone else is pushing through and feeling proud of their accomplishments. If not - don't give up - every day is a chance to do better.

Woo hoo! a loss for me! 158.3 this morning. I was a 157 once a couple of months ago. My original goal was 160 , modified to 155, and now I'm pretty sure I can get to 150. I still have a lot of belly fat I'm not happy with. I remember I got to 150 my second year of university. I was 19, I had started smoking that summer. Plus my summer job was a horse riding stable. I shoveled for 2 hours for 5 days and then 6 hours on Saturday. Then back at school it all started to come back on.
Dorothy - I seem to always be working on the same pounds too. It seems to take 6 months or more get below a milestone of 3 pounds for me. I think that's healthier and easier to keep off though. ( if you don't let yourself binge for 3 weeks at time like I am prone to do - but not anymore=) You just have to keep doing what your doing and continue to challenge yourself. It will come off as long as you don't give up.

McHeather- Congrats on your loss, I am sure you can get to 150. Look at how far you have come already! It is amazing the things our bodies are capable of in our early days. The schedule I kept then was crazy busy, and I was very unhappy at 130. Now, I have a goal of 150 and that seems so far out of reach.

Veronica- Your numbers are amazing! I couldn't believe the improvement in all areas, but especially the squats and calf raises! I wouldn't worry too much about the gain, especially if your rings are tight. Could be anything, and I am sure you will see a loss next week. Keep doing what you are doing, it's working!

Tami,

What a wonderful weekly loss. You are well on your way to meeting your goal for the challenge. It's starting to sound like we all have a couple of pounds that we tend to work with quite a bit. Your inches lost look really good- 5.5 inches overall is great! It shows that what you are doing is working. Keep up the great work. I don't know how accurate mine are, it's difficult to make sure the tape is in the same place each time!

Laura- So glad to have you back! I hope your camping trip was great. I think that your NSV is an important one, I know how difficult it can be to get off the air mattress. I always have to roll onto my knees and hope that there is something to hold onto to get the rest of the way up! I am sure you are doing great. Keep up the great work, little steps still lead to the same finishing point.

Stepbystep6- I am buying the ingredients for your recipe today! It is something that I would really enjoy. I agree with the interval training giving you a much more effective workout. I LOVE your NSV this week! I can just imagine it, and the pride you must have felt! Keep up the great work!

Power Challenge

I am really slacking off in the power portion of our challenge, and I owe all of you an apology. I had good intentions, but life got in the way. I have not yet found that balance and desire to make exercise a priority in my day. It is the first thing I let go of if my day is busy, and we all know that potentially that could be every day. I continue to work at improving it, and making the changes that I need to make. This is one I struggle with, but I continue to try.

Fri: -
Sat: -
Sun: -
Mon: Moving classroom (2 hours)
Tues: Moving classroom (3hours)

Dorothy you could check out the website about the recipe book THE SNEAKY CHEF. It's about sneaking veggies into other foods so you family doesn't know. You do need the nutrients that veggies provide. The least cooked the better, but these ideas might be a good start. Vegetable are more filling too.

My Knowledge challenge is a bit of a vent and frustration with food companies. I really watch the ingredients on the foods that I buy. I'm trying to limit the chemicals and preservatives that myself and my family consume. I don't usually worry about salt other than I don't add it to my cooking until after a taste test determines it's needed. One day I was grocery shopping with my 6 year son who is in Kindergarten. He pointed out a character on a soup box. The drawn character looked like a cute friendly salt shaker and the caption said something about him being missing. Blake wanted to buy the product because he'd heard about it at school in a healthy eating program. So I picked up the box and read the label. Yes the salt was missing from it but the ingredients listed Monosodium Glutamate instead. The regular version had salt, the "healthier" version had MSG. There was no way I would buy that product. MSG makes my hands swell up so I can't get my rings off and make my hands, elbows, knee and ankles ache terribly (trans fats do it to me too)

I found this information on MSG on a website:"Not only is MSG found to induce asthma and migraine attacks, but is also linked to diseases such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Metabolizing glutamate after a MSG-rich meal induces the release of glucose into the blood stream. This in turn triggers the secretion of insulin by the pancreatic islet cells, so that muscle cells can take up glucose. Obesity is characterized, in part, by high levels of plasma glucose and insulin. Studies have shown that mice injected with MSG became obese and eventually lead to insulin-resistance and the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, MSG has been shown to stimulate appetite in humans. Subjects that had MSG-rich meals exhibited more stimulation to eat and ate more often than control subjects. The elderly are more susceptible to over stimulation of the brain caused by MSG, and risks degeneration of nerve cells in the brain leading to Alzheimers."

So just because the food company tells you it's taking away something you think is bad for you - check to see if it's being replaced by something even worse. Like low or no sugar cereals and yogurt usually have aspartame or other harmful fake sweeteners. It's better for your body to have the real stuff in moderation than any of chemically engineered stuff.

Some thing to think about - that's my rant!

Week 7 Results-

Weigh-in 262.0 (+1.6)

Power Challenge
Fri: -
Sat: -
Sun: -
Mon: Moving classroom (2 hours)
Tues: Moving classroom (3hours)
Wed: -
Thurs: -

Not a good week at all for a power challenge.

Knowledge Challenge:

Thanks to McHeather and Veronica for responding to my question about the knowledge challenge. You both had some great ideas I am going to try. I made a mini goal to eat a side salad each day with at least 3 different veggies in it with either lunch or dinner. I also do a recipe search for some vegetarian sides and main dishes to try.

NSV: I actually made a meal out of a salad. I used spinach leaves, radishes, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, red onion, and tomatoes. It was pretty good. I also had a chicken breast with it for protein, but on the side. My past experience with salads is that I will fill my plate with sunflower seeds, eggs, cheese, bacon bits, croutons, meat and dressing...with about 1 tong full of lettuce or Romain. Apparently that does not really qualify as a salad :laugh:

Hope that everyone else is having a healthy week. If not, pull yourself up by the bootstraps and try again. (and again, and again, and again) We can do this!

Halloooo? Is anyone there? Today is the last day of our challenge is it not, where's all the chatter?

Final Weigh in: 226.0
Total weight loss: 7 lbs
Total inches lost: 1.5 - not so hot?!

How did everyone else do?

Wishing you all the best as you continue striving to reach your goals. On to the dimaond challenge for me...

So i hit a wrong button this is what meant:

I was thinking the same thing - anyone else out there?
so my husband did my measurements both times and this is what we got -

SW 162 today - 158.5
neck 14 neck 14 13.5 (didn't think i had any to lose there)
bust 36 1/2 bust 36 1/2 37.5 (hahaha maby different bra?)
hips 38 hips 40 ?????
waist 34 1/2 waist 30 Yahoo! lots of crunches from my other challenge or another mistake?
thigh 23 thigh 23
arm 11 arm 10

I don't think I rocked the challenge like could have, but I'm still doing it and not giving up - i made some great friends with this challenge and I hope we still keep encouraging each other! Lets see some more results!

Here are my final results.

Starting Numbers

Weight: 259.6
Left Arm: 20
Right Arm: 19
Left Thigh: 29.25
Right Thigh: 28.75
Chest: 53.25
Waist: 47.25
Hips: 56.75
Neck: 15.25

Ending numbers and changes

Weight 261.3 (+1.7)
Neck 15.0 (-.25)
Bust 52.75 (-.50)
Waist 45.25 (-2.0)
Hips 56.5 (-.25)
Arms L 20.5 (+.5)
Arms R 19.5 (+.5)
Thighs L 30.5 (+1.25)
Thighs R 29.75 (+1.0)

Here are my thoughts on the challenge.
I loved the friendships I made and met some wonderfully supportive people that I would love to follow and keep in touch with. I learned a lot from the articles, and I liked that I tried new things that I would not have done before, such as eating veggies, strength training, and interval training.
As far as the actually purpose of the challenge, I did not meet my goals. I gained weight instead of losing, and I managed to change my inches around to different places on my body. I learned that my time spent responding to a challenge was time that I could have spent working out more, or on other things. Maybe the time is not right for me to go hard and heavy at it. I am not giving up, but I need to find something (a balance and moderation) that meets my needs, ability, and time frames.

Stepbystep: you did great 7 pounds in 8 weeks is a healthy weight of loss.

McHeather: COngrats on the inches lost! That's fantastic!

Best of luck to the rest of you! Hope to see your future successes on the wall!