Anyone want to shape up in 2018? A continuing journey.......

Thoughts_Arrive

FoxyRedLa said:

rr165892 said:

Foxy,it's a never ending battle fighting the good fight.lol

Gotcha

Thoughts_Arrive said:

FoxyRedLa said:

Thoughts_Arrive said:

I've put on 4kgs this summer WTF! :-(

Kgs=kegs??

lol, nah I don't drink alcohol

Just teasing

haha I know

Ms. Haiku

PJ tour is inspiration! Yay!

Sprunkn7

I Have my date! April 28th

Natashapearljamfan

Today's tour announcement is so inspiring. Keep up the hard work everyone.
It's great to see we have so many people challenging themselves, with going to the gym, eating healthier and even training for a marathon. It's hard work, so keep at it. Every healthy bite keeps you stronger and healthier

Today's tip:
Quick and healthy lunch/dinner ideas- always keep tinned beans, chickpeas, and tin tuna in your cupboard or cooked chicken breast in your freezer. These foods are high in protein and will keep you fuller for longer. Everyone is always busy, when I’m extremely busy during uni semester I poach 3-4 chicken (skinless) breast fillets it only takes about 20 minutes (depending on the size of the fillets). I drain them and chop them up and freeze in 2.8 ounce portions, perfect size to add in a salad, toasted sandwiches, omelette (with your favourite vegetables) or toasted wholegrain wraps with some chopped up bell pepper, mashed sweet potato and mixed herbs or dried chilli flakes.
Lunch or dinner suggestions: make a salad (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, spinach leaves, bell pepper, shallots, mint leaves, whatever veges you have) add ½ can drained and rinsed beans, chickpeas or tin tuna, drizzle over 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar. If you are having friends over and want to make a special salad roast the tomatoes, bell peppers, pumpkin or sweet potato and add raw nuts or seeds (nuts give any salad crunch and by changing the texture it satisfies the eater).
A quick healthy creamy style dressing for your favourite salad: in a container with a lid add ¼ cup natural or Greek yoghurt, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon mustard (any mustard is suitable, wholegrain or Dijon are yum) and a sprinkle of black pepper, then place lid on container and shake well (serves 2).

Ms. Haiku

Natashapearljamfan said:

Today's tour announcement is so inspiring. Keep up the hard work everyone.
It's great to see we have so many people challenging themselves, with going to the gym, eating healthier and even training for a marathon. It's hard work, so keep at it. Every healthy bite keeps you stronger and healthier

Today's tip:
Quick and healthy lunch/dinner ideas- always keep tinned beans, chickpeas, and tin tuna in your cupboard or cooked chicken breast in your freezer. These foods are high in protein and will keep you fuller for longer. Everyone is always busy, when I’m extremely busy during uni semester I poach 3-4 chicken (skinless) breast fillets it only takes about 20 minutes (depending on the size of the fillets). I drain them and chop them up and freeze in 2.8 ounce portions, perfect size to add in a salad, toasted sandwiches, omelette (with your favourite vegetables) or toasted wholegrain wraps with some chopped up bell pepper, mashed sweet potato and mixed herbs or dried chilli flakes.
Lunch or dinner suggestions: make a salad (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, spinach leaves, bell pepper, shallots, mint leaves, whatever veges you have) add ½ can drained and rinsed beans, chickpeas or tin tuna, drizzle over 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar. If you are having friends over and want to make a special salad roast the tomatoes, bell peppers, pumpkin or sweet potato and add raw nuts or seeds (nuts give any salad crunch and by changing the texture it satisfies the eater).
A quick healthy creamy style dressing for your favourite salad: in a container with a lid add ¼ cup natural or Greek yoghurt, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon mustard (any mustard is suitable, wholegrain or Dijon are yum) and a sprinkle of black pepper, then place lid on container and shake well (serves 2).

This sounds yummy, Natashapearljamfan

Natashapearljamfan

I hope you try my salads Ms Haiku. Because they are yummy, especially including a spoon full of chopped walnuts and the yoghurt dressing.

Sprunkn7

Salad is my go to lunch. Even on the run the grocery has a bagged salad with chopped kale and cabbage. It comes with a package that you can add toppings so you can add as much (or as little) as you want. I always have a protein to keep me full.Yesterday and today it was roast beef from the deli. It looked sooooo good, nice and bloody, just the way I like it. A big salad with lots of color and all the things good for me AND it was yummy!

Natashapearljamfan

Sprunkn7 said:

Salad is my go to lunch. Even on the run the grocery has a bagged salad with chopped kale and cabbage. It comes with a package that you can add toppings so you can add as much (or as little) as you want. I always have a protein to keep me full.Yesterday and today it was roast beef from the deli. It looked sooooo good, nice and bloody, just the way I like it. A big salad with lots of color and all the things good for me AND it was yummy!

Keep the salads up. Just check the fat, salt and content of the dressing and the aactuactual calories, sometimes dressings are very high, so good to make your own. I know time constraints is hard, I make dressing at start of week and mid week if I run out.

Natashapearljamfan

Today's recipe

Frittata
serves 6 - you can take extras for lunch the next day (takes an hour or so to cook, but not much to prepare a good recipe when you are at home and can start dinner early, then walk away from it while it cooks and do whatever needs to be done or relax!

Ingredients:
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon water
2 zucchini (courgettes), grated (could be replaced with 2 carrots and 2-3 tablespoons of frozen spinach)
7 ounces sweet potato, peeled and grated
4.2 ounces (4 rashers) lean middle bacon, trimmed of visible fat, finely diced
1 cup grated reduced fat tasty cheese
1.5 cups wholemeal self raising flour
7 eggs
Green salad or steamed vegetables, to serve
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 356 Fahrenheit and rub baking dish with olive oil, or line with baking paper. (I use metal baking tray with baking paper and no oil)
2. Place onion and garlic into a saucepan with a tablespoon of water and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until softened.
3. Place onion and garlic mixture into a large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients until well combined.
4. Pour into baking dish and bake for 60-70 minutes,
5. Stand in dish for five minutes and slice into 6-8 squares.
6. Serve with a green salad or steamed vegetables.

ldent42

Natasha, I think I want to pick your brain. A dear friend of mine has just been given some pretty awful dietary restrictions. Could I pm you?

Natashapearljamfan

ldent42 said:

Natasha, I think I want to pick your brain. A dear friend of mine has just been given some pretty awful dietary restrictions. Could I pm you?

Yes please do, Happy to help.

ElderlyWomanOH

One of the best resources I've found is My Fitness Pal. It has a huge database (ok, not always entirely accurate, you have to be careful with some of the entries) and it has a recipe calculator for home made stuff. It is a free app for your phone or you can use it on your computer.

It has been so helpful to me for portion control. I know WHAT to eat - I taught Nutrition at a local university for several years - but I found out I was way underestimating how MUCH I was eating.

Tonight's dinner is Cauliflower Cheddar Soup (homemade), 308 calories per serving.

ehbacon

running in the cold snow is actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Good first week of training so far, going up to 4 miles tomorrow. Still not that much compared to what I would do in cross country but soon enough I'll be way passed that (farthest I've ever run without stopping is 8 miles)

Natashapearljamfan

ElderlyWomanOH said:

One of the best resources I've found is My Fitness Pal. It has a huge database (ok, not always entirely accurate, you have to be careful with some of the entries) and it has a recipe calculator for home made stuff. It is a free app for your phone or you can use it on your computer.

It has been so helpful to me for portion control. I know WHAT to eat - I taught Nutrition at a local university for several years - but I found out I was way underestimating how MUCH I was eating.

Tonight's dinner is Cauliflower Cheddar Soup (homemade), 308 calories per serving.

I'll have to try that app, it sounds great.

Natashapearljamfan

ehbacon said:

running in the cold snow is actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Good first week of training so far, going up to 4 miles tomorrow. Still not that much compared to what I would do in cross country but soon enough I'll be way passed that (farthest I've ever run without stopping is 8 miles)

That's impressive, running in the snow. Good luck tomorrow sounds as if you'll be able to handle the increase. How's your eating going? If you are eating healthy you'll be able to push yourself further. Pm me if you want some tips.

FoxyRedLa

don't let EH fool you natasha. But then again getting into shape doesn't always mean losing weight.

Thoughts_Arrive

I've lost 1 kg by skipping lunch yesterday, all I had was a banana and muesli bar.
3 kgs to go!

Sprunkn7

Natashapearljamfan said:

Sprunkn7 said:

Salad is my go to lunch. Even on the run the grocery has a bagged salad with chopped kale and cabbage. It comes with a package that you can add toppings so you can add as much (or as little) as you want. I always have a protein to keep me full.Yesterday and today it was roast beef from the deli. It looked sooooo good, nice and bloody, just the way I like it. A big salad with lots of color and all the things good for me AND it was yummy!

Keep the salads up. Just check the fat, salt and content of the dressing and the aactuactual calories, sometimes dressings are very high, so good to make your own. I know time constraints is hard, I make dressing at start of week and mid week if I run out.

Thanks, will do. I know making my own is better, but on the run I'll take it. I'm not afraid of fat, I'm afraid of sugar. Sugar is my enemy! Higher fat dressing (ex, avocado ranch that I make) is one way I have salad as the main meal and keep myself full. Good fats and protein and lots and lots of veggies!
I'm having a "free" Saturday. Snow is coming and I wanted some warm comfort food. Mac and cheese for dinner tmr. And a few drinks I think

FoxyRedLa

Yum mac n cheese!

I haven't seen any lbs come off the scale yet but my buttons appear to not be under as much pressure -

I hope to see more results in another week.

Sprunkn7

FoxyRedLa said:

Yum mac n cheese!

I haven't seen any lbs come off the scale yet but my buttons appear to not be under as much pressure -

I hope to see more results in another week.

My scale needs a new battery....lol. will get one after the storm.

My idea to share today? If you get discouraged that you "only" lost one pound? Take a pound of butter out of the fridge and put it on a plate. Thats pretty impressive, losing a pound