Okay ladies, I need your support and for you guys to help hold me accountable for getting exercise and toned!

Thanks especially to Jenn and Shannon for giving me the extra motivation to stop talking about doing it and actually do it! You both are doing amazing!

So I went ahead and weighed myself today (twice because I was wondering if the scale was lying to me). So it seems I've actually lost weight already with all the walking, gardening and yard work lately. In the past 14 weeks I've lost 3 lbs and my current weight as of today is 110 lbs. We'll see how much that changes over the course of the year but that's my official starting weight as of now.

With that said, my goal for now is not to lose weight but to get myself toned and in better shape. That means exercise and muscle toning. Not my idea of fun but I need to lose some of the belly fat and love handles and turn that into firm muscle!

I'm NOT very motivated at all when it comes to exercise (except walking the dogs) so I really want to change that and get fit! I need to come up with an exercise plan and routine to put into place and it would be great to have you ladies' support and help holding me accountable. Without any accountability I am liable to just continue the way I am.

Didn't get any exercise today because I had a massive headache , I will try to get something accomplished tomorrow.

Well - you've started by starting this thread for yourself! So that's a good start!

I've worked with trainers, talked to friends in fitness cometitions, and have been up and down with my weight, so I know motivation and lack thereof all too well.

My big weight gain came from 100% travel for work and eating out almost the entire week for all meals slowly packed on the weight. Of course I had healthy options, but when you're on an expense account for meals, and different cities month to month or on a weekly basis, you tend to want to eat 'very well' especially after a looooong, stressful day at a client site. That means a glass of wine, or in my case, a big fat martini or two, a nice juicy steak, and some side dish that probably makes up the entire day's caloric intake (just in the side dish itself!) Add that to sitting on your a$$ at the office all day, and voila! Sure, I'd get on the eliptical machine some nights at the hotel, but that sure wasn't enough!

In any case, I just got to that breaking point, and decided to get into P90X...worked great! And have maintained well until this past Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then visitor after visitor after visitor...and I was STILL trying to lose that 6 lb holiday weight gain!

...until Storm came along that NEEDED to lose weight!

SO...I've lost 3 lbs since Storm - that was April 17. And I think that last 3 lbs will come off easily in the next month or so just by working on Storm's weight loss.

In the end, from what I've learned from trainers, and friends in competition, 90% is what you eat....and I LOVE to eat!! I LOVE food! I love authentic ethnic foods and trying different stuff!....and lately, I've been preoccupied with Storm!

Anyway - maybe my little story may give you some motivation, maybe a little tid bit of information, or make you take a look at what you're eating and how much...but I'll share whatever I know about toning, food, and creative cooking because I love cooking and I've also learned how to get creative to cook healthy options while still having BIG flavor.

I love this!

Val, just curious...how tall are you? 110lbs is nothing girl. Are you planning on joining a gym or working out at home?

I'm 5'1 and weight 112lbs. After the weekends I go up to 114lbs some times from stuffing my face! I lose the 2lbs right away though. I do exercise almost everyday though...sometimes twice a day when I go to cycling in the evening. I have a gym in my office building so it's very useful. Most days I run 3 miles on the treadmill and work out either arms, legs, or abs during lunch. Then walk Mya for a mile and then Kody for another mile. Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to cycling after their walks. Everybody keeps telling me how toned my legs and arms are, but I don't see it too much. My main issue is the belly fat too! It like doesn't go away no matter what I do.

I love to eat too Claudia, that's my main problem!!!! Oh, and the wine...oh the wine...that's even a bigger issue..lol!!!

wow claudia, props to you for doing p90x!!!!!! that is such an incredibly hard program! i can't do it because of my back issues but i'm very envious! i do power90 a lot and it gives a great workout for beginners (hint hint val ) and tony is enjoyable to watch as well :p

i would never see 110lbs, haha...but then again i'm 5'7 and that would just be SCARY!

also, to add to what claudia said, you will NEVER lose the pudge and have a flat stomach unless you eat cleanly. Beachbody has this great thing called "Michi's ladder" that really helps you figure out what you SHOULD be eating for ultimate results.

snrose wrote:

wow claudia, props to you for doing p90x!!!!!! that is such an incredibly hard program!

After I did P90X, I did P90X Plus, and Insanity, and Insanity was THE hardest workout program I've ever done! Even after P90X and at the end of Insanity's 60 days, I STILL wasn't able to get through the warm up without stopping!!! But I was remember after Insanity, I could get through a double-black bump run on my snowboard with only stopping once or twice! That was only 2 seasons ago...

Since we adopted Ginger in August, this past snowboarding season was more about snowshoeing with Ginger...and now with Storm, it'll be getting into hiking to get in shape for snowshoeing this coming winter season.

Did you know....snowshoeing can burn an average of 600-700 calories an hour for females?

a hike i do once a week burns 1300 calories for me in 94 minutes! at least the first time i did it. was amazed

Wow you girls are just awesome! I have never heard of P90X or Power90. I have seen commercials for Insanity and it makes me exhausted just watching! No way do I have the motivation for something that intense.

MelissaI wrote:

Val, just curious...how tall are you? 110lbs is nothing girl. Are you planning on joining a gym or working out at home?

Well, I normally tell everyone that I'm 5'5" but in all honesty I'm actually 5'4". I normally hover around 112-116 lbs so I was quite shocked that I lost 3 lbs in the past few months and am down to a new low of 110 lbs. You'd never guess it from all the fat in my mid section. I've done the gym thing in the past but unless I have a partner I don't like exercising out in public...plus gyms are so gross and stinky and I have my OCD/germ issues. I fully intend to exercise at home and around my neighborhood!

snrose wrote:

also, to add to what claudia said, you will NEVER lose the pudge and have a flat stomach unless you eat cleanly. Beachbody has this great thing called "Michi's ladder" that really helps you figure out what you SHOULD be eating for ultimate results.

That's not what I want to hear! I love my food! I don't eat great but I don't eat bad either. I've always been lucky in that I've been able to eat what I want, when I want, and however much I want without having to worry about any real weight gain. A blessing, I know! But while I don't have to worry so much about the actual "weight" part I do have the belly fat and love handles that love me too much to go away. lol I hope I won't have to change my diet too much but I am willing to make some changes for the sake of getting healthier and in better shape.

I will make a note though that I do have to eat fairly frequently, like every 4 hours or I am absolutely STARVING! I feel really weird about it as I'm the only person I know of that just has to eat this often and it is awkward when you're out with family or friends and you're the only one who is getting hungry all the time and has to stop to eat. Then the other thing is that my doctor says I have a lot of ketones in my urine and is concerned that I am burning fuel too quickly and that my body is basically "starving". I eat a TON of food and am always snacking just to keep my stomach from eating itself. Weird. I guess one of the first steps should be replacing my snacks of Reese's peanut butter cups and chips with healthier things like fruit. Lately (as in the past couple months) I have been eating larger dinners than my husband who weighs more than twice what I do and I still managed to lose weight. Is something wrong with me?!

I am definitely open to some healthier recipes, snacks and meal ideas that taste good. I'm the type that won't eat it if it doesn't appeal to me!

Oh and by the way, I did end up getting some exercise last night. I shoveled out all the grass around the mailbox and planted my 3 pincushion flowers there. It had me sweating and huffing and puffing so I know it was a decent workout! lol

Okay, now I'm off to walk to the dogs for 2 miles now!

cmanding wrote:

snrose wrote:

wow claudia, props to you for doing p90x!!!!!! that is such an incredibly hard program!

After I did P90X, I did P90X Plus, and Insanity, and Insanity was THE hardest workout program I've ever done! Even after P90X and at the end of Insanity's 60 days, I STILL wasn't able to get through the warm up without stopping!!! But I was remember after Insanity, I could get through a double-black bump run on my snowboard with only stopping once or twice! That was only 2 seasons ago...

I did P90X too about a year ago and boy was I SORE the entire first week! I didn't finish the entire 3months though. I got bored of the same thing over and over even though there are a few different work outs that you alternate. The push up/pull ups were no JOKE! I couldn't even do one pull up without my husband helping me..lol

Huskyluv wrote:

I will make a note though that I do have to eat fairly frequently, like every 4 hours or I am absolutely STARVING! I feel really weird about it as I'm the only person I know of that just has to eat this often and it is awkward when you're out with family or friends and you're the only one who is getting hungry all the time and has to stop to eat. Then the other thing is that my doctor says I have a lot of ketones in my urine and is concerned that I am burning fuel too quickly and that my body is basically "starving". I eat a TON of food and am always snacking just to keep my stomach from eating itself. Weird. I guess one of the first steps should be replacing my snacks of Reese's peanut butter cups and chips with healthier things like fruit. Lately (as in the past couple months) I have been eating larger dinners than my husband who weighs more than twice what I do and I still managed to lose weight. Is something wrong with me?!

nope! its actually better for your metabolism to eat smaller portions more often! so you dont go into starvation mode and overeat. your body will also cling to fat if it feels like its being deprived! of course i would replace PB cups with things like carrots and apples

The summer months I'm better about eating fresh fruits and veggies. I LOVE berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries....and Costco has great prices on fresh berries during the summer months.

Sometimes, to get fulfill my craving for 'ice cream', and to get my serving of fruit in for the day, I'll use frozen fruit (frozen berries are actually the lowest in calories), and make sorbet:

1 cup of frozen fruit
1/4 cup of non-fat milk or soy
splash of vanilla
1 tablespoon of honey or agave (agave has a low glycemic level than honey)

Blend it up and you have sorbet! It'll be thick so you'll have to scrape down and mix it in between pulses. Or, add a little milk at a time to losen up the mix.

I'm like you Val. I seem to gain my weight more around my mid section. Our body types sound very similar. You're just a way smaller version of me! LOL! And if the food isn't interesting, I just won't eat it...that's where I learned to be creative with recipies. I'll look some up and send them along - let me know what kinds of proteins you like, and what your favorite cuisine are - I got a few in alot of different flavors: Indian, Moroccan, Asian, Hawaiian, Spanish, Cajun...(told you i LOVE food!)

Congrats on the mission to get toned!

I've heard of P90x and have seen some people do it, but it just looks too gruesome for me. My problem is I get really bored of work outs. I started doing Turbo Jam last summer and so far lost 24lbs. I also tried Hip Hop abs, it was kinda fun, but it didn't feel challenging at all.

Turbo Jam is the home version of Turbo Kickboxing at 24 Hour Fitness. I'm a certified instructor for the class, but have never gotten up the balls to teach a class! I used to go to TKB classes religiously, then got bored with it after a year and started P90X. It's not that hard as people think. The more you push yourself in the workouts, the better off you'll be. So as with any workout, it's as good as you make it.

oops... 14lbs* not 24lbs lol.

you should teach the class! that could be fun!

I'm more of an aerobics kinda girl. I have loved doing aerobics since I was a child. I went through a kickboxing phase that lasted about a year and got bored of that. Anybody else go through a Billy Blanks Tae Bo phase? lol I've also tried cardio dance workouts, that fizzled after about a year as well. But aerobics I have never tired of.

I'm thinking of dusting off my aerobic VHS tapes (guess how old those are! ) and my step to get back into that. We also have the Wii Fit Plus along with the Active (Wii) and the PS3 Active 2. Maybe if I get into a routine of rotating those that will help and be low key enough for me. I really should look into new aerobics DVD's or Blu-rays. Hubby wants to get a Bow-Flex and also an elliptical machine for the house. He wants an elliptical and I want a treadmill and neither of us wants to budge.

I'd love some recipes Claudia! I'm more of a meat and potatoes type gal. Veggies that I do on the side are pretty low key. As for cuisine I'd say I typically steer toward American, Asian (I'm part Japanese), Spanish (the hubby is Cuban), and Cajun (my parents lived in New Orleans!).

I went through Billy Blank's Tae Bo phase too! In fact, I still have his bootcamp DVDs!

I'll shift through some recipes and pull out some I think you'll like!

I'll throw in some ethnic dishes with fish since they are lower in fat and calories for a protein source

I want recipes too!!! Can you throw in some chicken please???? =) LOL

Oh, and I too went through the the Billy Blanks TaeBo stage years ago. It actually works, but yep, gets boring after a while.

My hubby also has family in Louisiana - Hammond! And so he loves Cajun! I do too, but I'm always trying to find ways to make an ethnic dish healthier without compromising the taste and flavor.

Here's one I came up with:

Healthier Jambalaya

Traditional Jambalaya uses Andouille Sausage, which is flavorful and spicy and 'fatty'. If you replace it with your favorite low-fat turkey sausage, and put the more herbs, spices and seasoning, you still get most of the flavor without the 'fat'.

I made mine with Hillshire Smoked Turkey sausage and shrimp.

To make it even healthier, use chicken breast instead of turkey sausage.

Buy the shrimp with the shells on, and use the shells to make 4 cups of shrimp stock which will add a big flavor boost! (Boil shells in 4 cups of water).

Here's the recipe:

1.5 lbs shrimp (shells on, and use the shells to make shrimp stock)
Your favorite low-fat Turkey or Chicken Sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green bell peppers, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 pkg freish thyme, wrapped with cooking string to make a bundle
2 big, whole bay leaves
2 cups long grain rice
28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
4 cups shrimp stock
crush red pepper flakes (add to your taste)
cayenne pepper (add to your taste)

1- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a big pot, and add sausage and cook until brown.

2- add green peppers, oinons, and celery and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

3- add garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper and saute for 3 minutes

4- add tomatoes, thyme, rice, 1 teaspon of salt, bay leaves and a dash of cayenne pepper and mix well

5- add shrimp stock and bring to boil

6- when it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and bring it to a simmer; cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally

7- add shrimp and cook uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes on low until shrimp is cooked through

Optional: garnish with chopped green onions and additional hot sauce if you like it spicy.


This makes a big pot...6 to 8 servings.

So cut the recipe in half if you don't want too much leftovers or you can freeze half of it in single serving containers!

Mmmm, now I want some Jambalaya. This is going to be hard I can tell, I normally make my Jambalaya with sausage, shrimp, chicken breast, and ham.

Never heard of shrimp stock! Is it actually good? Will it make the Jambalaya have a strong shrimp flavor because my hubby is not a huge fan of shrimp. I normally use chicken broth and tomato paste, is the shrimp broth healthier?

Thanks for the recipe, I'm sure my hubby will be happier to eat a healthier version as well since he's trying to lose weight also.

It doesn't make it 'shrimpy', it just adds more flavor. You can certainly use chicken broth instead! And instead of regular tomato paste, you can use sundried tomato paste to boost up the flavor!

Shrimp broth by boiling the shrimp shells are just as healty as chicken broth. So use what you prefer!

I know you didn't list Morroccan, but this recipe got a lot of compliments from a lot of friends looking for healthy Quinoa recipes...and it's a mild Morroccan flavor...

Quinoa with Moroccan Stew

Stew:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of saffron
1 cup water
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 cups combination of protein (shrimp/seafood, chicken, lean beef) and veggies (carrots, sweet potato, parsnip, butternut squash, acorn squash) - cut in 1/4" dice

You can use all veggies, or use tofu to make it vegetarian.


Quinoa
1 cup quinoa*
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint, divided


For stew:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For quinoa:

Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Stir in half of cilantro and half of mint. Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming well in center. Spoon stew into well. Sprinkle remaining herbs over.


These recipes may sound hard because it lists a lot of ingredients, but it's a lot of spices and/or herbs to boost the flavor.

I'll send some asian and spanish ones later

Wow, thanks for that! I'll have to try that out!

Claudia, you're good! I'm so trying out the Healthier Jambalaya soon. I'm thinking of making it for Mother's Day!! I'm so tired of making the same things over and over again. Do you think brown rice would work instead of long grain? I know brown rice is tricky as s**t. I still can't get it right so I use the instant one..lol

I think I had a healthy dinner tonight...almost. I made some broccoli, carrot, rice and cheese soup. It was delish and surprisingly filling! The bad part was that I threw some Bagel Bites in the toaster and had those on the side. The worst part is that the soup was sooooo good that I stuffed myself to the point of being uncomfortable...*sigh*...this is why I need a support network to hold me accountable so I think before I do.

MelissaI wrote:

Claudia, you're good! I'm so trying out the Healthier Jambalaya soon. I'm thinking of making it for Mother's Day!! I'm so tired of making the same things over and over again. Do you think brown rice would work instead of long grain? I know brown rice is tricky as s**t. I still can't get it right so I use the instant one..lol

The trick to brown rice to getting it 'sticky' like white rice is you soak it overnight. If you have one of those rice cookers with a 'Warm' option, you could rince the brown rice, measure the water level by putting your middle finger right on top of the rice, and fill with water up to the first line one your finger for the first knuckle (if you didn't know how to measure water for rice already). Leave it on the 'warm' option for a couple of hours, then 'cook' it...when it's done, it'll be 'sticky' brown rice.

I haven't tried the jambalaya with brown rice yet...I've been meaning to. I think it could work because sometimes the white long grain rice will absord too much liquid and get really mushy...so brown rice might just work!