Long Bones

Dang it, I didn’t start the braise early enough so now I’m stuck sitting around into the night waiting for tomorrow’s dinner to cook.

I had a really good work out today after work (the reason the braise is so late…) I managed to push myself harder than I ever have before and I’m pretty proud of myself. Still haven’t experienced anything akin to an exercise high though.

1 large or 2 medium zucchini
1 tbs olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 – 3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Either using a carrot peeler or mandolin slice the zucchini into long thin strips (it tastes just as good diced but it doesn’t look quite as cool)

Dice garlic fairly fine and sautee in olive oil until soft

Add zucchini and sautee. Add lemon juice and let it stew for a bit (sorry I’m really bad with cooking times!!) the skin will change color and the zucchini will look cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.

Just not until I get back from the gym. But Jess I promise that it will involve garlic (and Aulika, I’ve made it for you and your Hubby who I haven’t made up a fake name for)

Actually for all you people in my life who read this blog (I count three…) I’ve been tossing around in my head how to refer to people and still preserve their anonymity. I’ve decided to use what you go by online to make life easier for everyone, so Mom will be Nelly Plum and Aulika will be Aulika, Kromey will be Kromey, etcetera. Unless you use your real name like some little sisters I know in which case I’ll just use that.

Tonight is going to be interesting – I’m going to run home, medicate kitty, change clothes, go to the gym, work out for close to an hour and half (or at least that’s how it’s been working out before) go grocery shopping, come home, make/prep tomorrow’s dinner (Braise the roast, prep the bread and veg) and then make dinner. And then blog a recipe. So I may be a little brief.

Tomorrow will be fun though, I expect a pretty full house at Kromey and Nini’s place and I’m doing a beer braised roast with roasted winter vegetables and fresh whole wheat bread. And a whole lot of kale for people (me) who eat small portions of things like beer, roast beef, and bread. That is the moral of the story by the way for all those who fail at diets because they deprive themselves of their favorite foods:

You can eat whatever the hell you want to. Just don’t eat too much of it. It’s all about the portion control.

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-how-to-date-a-tall-chick/

This is a tip that has been very near to my heart over the course of the past two years. It is one of those things I have to keep on telling myself over and over again so I don’t get discouraged.

Do not worry about the small gains.

Most people I know who have been successful at weight loss either weigh themselves once a week or once a day. I have heard arguments for both and personally I am a once a day girl. But weighing yourself once a day has its hazards. You see, weight loss is never going to be a smooth slope downwards. You won’t see the scale go down by .2 on Monday, .2 on Tuesday, .2 on Wednesday on through to Sunday. For me I’ll have a week or two of really rapid weight loss, then a modest gain, then slow weight loss, another modest gain and then we’re back to rapid loss.

I could be eating perfectly, the exact number of calories a day that I need, and exercising regularly, and I would still see that pattern. There are several culprits for this weird weight gain, two of which I’m going to review here.

1. Watch your Sodium.

This is a biggie. Seemingly healthy meals can be rife with excess sodium. Salt makes everything taste better true, and sodium is a very good preservative so lots of prepared foods rely a lot on it. So keep an eye on how much sodium you’re taking in and try to keep it at a healthy level. What is a healthy level you ask? The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says less than 2,400mg per day and that 1,500mg seems to be more helpful. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/sodium.htm Decreasing your sodium intake will make you retain less water and have less random weight spikes because of it.

2. Watch your Hormones.

The second cause of random weight gains is your hormones. Both men and women (though obviously more apparent for menstrating women) go through monthly hormonal cycles which do very much affect how much you are going to gain or lose on a daily basis. There is nothing you can do to fight it. As far as I know. And even if there were I don’t think I would recommend it. Let your body do its thing and if you have a small gain and can’t get rid of it for a week, remember it isn’t your fault, it’s your body being human.

http://www.slate.com/id/2229523/

Starting Weight: 280
Current Weight: 206.4
Pounds Lost: 73.6

Bust – 43
Waist – 36.5
Hips – 44

BMI – 28.0 (overweight)
Hip to Waist – .81

The question is, did I really lose that many inches (1 inch off bust, 1.5 off waist) or did I manage to measure wrong last week?

I only had a small drop in weight this week, but a new all time low so I’m really happy. Mid-week I had a mysterious uptick, gained about two pounds with no good reason that I could think of, but those seem to be gone now. I’ll go into it more tomorrow (tip of the week) but the human body is a strange and mysterious thing and if you weigh yourself on a daily basis like I do, you must be prepared for strange increases and weird rapid losses. It does all average out in the end though.

Today was a really good day in general with one big glitch. I did have a weird weight uptick that I can’t explain with hormones, salt intake, or excess calories. Just a random extra pound that shouldn’t be there. So I was a little grumpy. But I walked to work and back and I went to the gym and managed most of the training plan they suggest for the Fitness Challenge. I’ve discovered that the pull-up machine is in conflict with my fear of heights (if it’s more than a foot from where I would be standing I don’t want to be there.) But the gym manager was there and he set me up with a more ground level machine that worked the same muscle groups. So I was peachy. Came home and had a really simple good dinner of an Al Fresco garlic chicken sausage link, sauteed brussel sprouts with leeks and mustard and a roasted potato. There was also olive oil involved, lest you think I’m not eating enough

But the main thing I wanted to chat about is moments ago I was shutting everything off, not to go to bed (I’m not that much of a dork to go to bed before 10:00 on a Friday!!) but to take a long hot bath and relax away the pain in my muscles. And I look outside…

And it is snowing. Big, fat, heavy clumping snow but it is snow.

It is not yet October.

Welcome to Fairbanks. Why does this surprise me year after year?

Here is this week’s Fitness Friday brought to you with love and care from my lovely sister Aulika. Fitness Fridays are going to mostly be brought to you by Aulika or our mom, Nelly because where I am really really awesome at eating well and logging calories, I am a complete and total fitness novice.

Anyway, here is my dear sweet sister:

• Not all gyms are the same, so find a gym that works for you. Some people like large gyms, seeing all those other people working out is motivating, and they like the social aspect of a large gym. For others, they prefer the privacy of a small, local gym. For those whose excuse is that they don’t have time, pick a gym that is on your way to and from work, or close to your kids school, etc.
• Remember, getting to the gym is the hard part. There will always be something that comes up that could prevent you from getting to your workout. Having to work late, kids surprise you with a bake sale at school tomorrow, in-laws are visiting… there will always be something. You just have to do it. Get in the door and the rest is easy.
• If you are unfamiliar with the gym layout or the machines, schedule an appointment with a personal trainer. They’ll show you how to use the equipment properly and make you feel more at ease in the gym environment.
• Warm up, cool down, stretch and drink water! These become more and more important as we age.
• Pay attention to your posture. Keep your shoulders down, your neck relaxed, your back straight and your abs tight.
• Variety is the spice of life, and will keep your workouts fun. Your body will get used to a routine and you’ll see less progress if you do the same thing over and over.
• Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see progress right away. Getting fit is a marathon, not a sprint.

But then I had a panic with my boiler and my house getting very very cold (all fixed). And then I went out to spend time with my friends as I do every Thursday. So I’ll talk to you later!