Calorie Cycling?

I'm curious to know if anyone has tried calorie cycling before. The idea is that your cycle the amount of calories you eat (or the percentage of reduction/overage) to keep your body constantly working and guessing.


Anyhoo~! A little update. I thought I'd share some photos of me doin' my photography thang.

June 28th.....................................................July 18th



And for fun, here's the photo I was taking on the right:




Not too bad. I finally fit back into my size 14 pants on the 18th!

So, here are the numbers for my weight loss:

09-Jul-2009 214
10-Jul-2009 211.4
11-Jul-2009 210.4
12-Jul-2009 209
13-Jul-2009 208.4
14-Jul-2009 208
15-Jul-2009 209.4
16-Jul-2009 208.8
17-Jul-2009 208
18-Jul-2009 207.8
19-Jul-2009 207.2
20-Jul-2009 207.2

Almost 7 pounds in 11 days isn't too shabby. But, a lot of it was also likely water weight. BUT, it still looks AWESOME. HEH! :)

~J

Zumbariffic and Subway...

I went to the gym today and did Zumba... seriously, I LOVE it. Here are the stats for the day:

703 calories, 45% fat - Max HR = 179 (92%), Avg HR = 158 (81%)


One hour, 703 calories! I LOVE IT!

SO, I weighed in this morning at 207.4. I am on my way back down to the 205 mark (My initial weigh-in at the start of all this was 220, so I'm still not even 15 lbs down.) It gets SO frustrating! I just need to stay committed to the gym at LEAST three times a week, keep running and eat well. I'll get there, I swear. I just dreaaaam of the day I get down to 175. For some reason I keep envisioning 175 as the magic number of happiness even though a healthy BMI for me would be 155 at the very top of that range.

I'm gonna throw a party with watermelon and spring water when I hit 199. Anyone with me? HA!


Okay, also I wanted to blog about Subway. Everyone knows it's the Eat Fresh option, and it gives you the opportunity to eat out in a healthy way. SO... I want to post an "Eat This, Not That" comparison of what I could order.

12" veggie on wheat with provolone, oil/vinegar and honey mustard = 635 calories
1 bag Baked Lays = 130 calories
2 White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut cookies = 440 calories
TOTAL = 1205 calories!

OR

12" veggie on wheat with oil/vinegar and honey mustard = 535 calories
1 bag Baked Lays = 130 calories
TOTAL = 665 calories!

:)~

So, here's what I actually DID eat today:

12" veggie on wheat with provolone, oil/vinegar and honey mustard = 635 calories
1 White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut cookie = 220 calories
TOTAL = 855 calories

I got the chips too, but I'm not eating them with dinner. :) I don't know why I got the cookies (I'm gonna give two to Dan) - I need to STOP with the sugar!!! But ... considering I got 700 calories out of the way with exercising, I'm doing okay! :)

And post-workout, sorry, I just CAN'T do a 6" sub. :)
~J

A torture machine.

But it was a good one. Anybody done "Gravity" Classes yet?

They really are great. 45 minutes to work every major muscle group, and it's NOT boring like lifting weights. It uses all of your own body resistance and... gravity... to work you out. I was on level 2 and 3 for most of my upper body stuff, and then for squats I was on level 6. It's tough, fun, and my arms are still shakey. I'm gonna be SORE tomorrow!!! If your gym has it, I would definitely recommend going to a class or a dozen. I really liked it!

I don't know how many calories I burned... I was all sweaty like a Josie Grossie, but I plan on getting a heart monitor watch thing so I know how I'm doing from now on. I would like the Bugg, but I'm WAY too cheap. ;)

HYC Weigh In

I'm not supposed to reveal my weight loss anymore because of the + size girl summer challenge.

Now I'm torn because I'm involved in two conflicting challenges (+ size girl and the Healthy You Challenge.)

Okay. I will say that I'm on track and though I ate well and exercised, I didn't see a drop on the scale this morning, but I think I'll see it back down tomorrow. I think my sodium intake has just been too high. But really, though that would make me retain water... it isn't THAT high (under 3,000mg most days) and I've been active.

Seriously. I should be losing quicker with all this freakin' healthy eating and being active.

After all, I'm certainly not eating a McGangBang sandwich every day. (A McChicken Sandwich inside a Double Cheeseburger. UGH!):



Oh yeah, with the Lent challenge, I suck because I didn't work out Saturday OR Sunday. Both really busy days and by midnight I didn't want to get all sweaty and then keep myself awake all night. :(

I'll do better this week.

I did Jillian's 30 day shred yesterday, and I can tell you that level 1 is WAY easier than the workout I streamed of hers on netflix. Oh, goodness, was I happy about that. I still was dying - the jumping jacks and jump rope cardio parts are so hard for me not because of the cardio aspect, but because it makes my calves BURN so badly. I'm looking forward to being lighter just so I can exercise better. :(

So we'll see where the week takes me. Here's my recap of last week:

I have been chicken and beef free. Haven't let go of fish and I don't plan to. I'd like to cut out dairy products but that's tougher. I've switched to soy milk, but still eat cheese and yogurt for now.


Caloric intake:


Fitness:
Tuesday - Zumba 60 minutes
Wednesday - Pilates - 30 minutes
Thursday - Zumba 60 minutes
Friday - Tae Bo - 30 minutes (Remember Tae Bo? Still a GREAT workout)
Saturday - 0
Sunday - 0
Monday - 30 Day Shred - 30 minutes

Total minutes = 210

According to this recent discovery, I'm shy on minutes by 40. Dammit!

~J

Caloric Intake Wakeup Call

I saw this on a thread at Livestrong.com where I frequently lurk. It is quite eye opening and somewhat confusing, particularly to me... someone who obsesses to stay between 1400-1800 calories a day. I know I've posted about this issue before, but my daily caloric maintenance is something around 2200 calories, and should still be around 1400 a day to lose two lbs per week. That means I should be consuming the amount of calories it takes to feed a healthy, growing child.

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Although it was inspired by a recent post, I don't want anyone to think that I might be bashing those who ask about relatively low caloric goals. Rather, I think that some real-world examples might just give you an idea of where you stay above, calorie-wise.

All of these recommendations are straight from doctors, or where applicable, vets.

A 22 pound cat


Calorie recommendation for weight maintenance - 660 cals

Moderately active 1 year old human child


Calorie recommendation for healthy growth - 1300 cals

Average adult coma patient


Calorie recommendation for weight/health maintenance - 2400 cals
(American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)


Alehmer (the guy in the middle)


Exercise Days - 4692
Rest Days - 3942
(Based on John Berardi's calculator, set for maintenance)

189lbs lean mass
2x exercise sessions daily


While you probably won't need as much as me, please eat more than a housecat or small child!

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So! For those of you who are counting or recording calories... what is your intake? I'm just curious. And does this information sway your decision? For me, it still doesn't change what my eating looks like.

On that note, here's my little chartadoodle for lately:

I was sabotaged by a waitress tonight.

She brought us carrot cake and said, "It's on me."

And this wasn't any old carrot cake. This was the MONSTROUS, amazing carrot cake from Rock Bottom Brewery. The carrot cake that has got to pack at least 2000 calories in one serving.

I didn't have my camera on me but found this photo with a quick Google search. It's accurate.




I had a really lovely salad with roasted chicken, walnuts, Gorgonzola, grapes, celery, arugula, cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette. I did a quick calculation of my caloric intake for the day and I had to have been around 900 already. At least.

So, I am probably around 1900 calories for the day after my 1/2 of that carrot cake.

Pretty hilarious considering I just did a post about how I don't eat cookies anymore. Holy crap. But I will tell you two things:

1. I savored every single bite. To the point that Dan was saying, "Would you stop the theatrics???" I said, "NO!! It's SOOOoooo GOOD!"

2. I feel so jittery after eating that sugar (after not having sugar like that since roughly December 1st) -- I think I might explode.

I left her an $11 tip. Though she sabotaged, me, it wasn't intentional... and who gets free carrot cake at a restaurant anyway? We didn't complain about anything, we were really nice and the service was great.

If you're in the Milwaukee area, go eat at the Rock Bottom downtown and ask for Courtney. Don't expect free carrot cake, and don't say I said she'd give you some. What you can expect is great food and even better service. :)

~J

A Week In Food - Part II

So, here it is!




And here's the list:

Tortilla chips – 6 oz
Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich – 1
Quaker Simple Harvest – 2 packets
Pulp Free OJ – 1 cup
English Muffin – 4
Better wheat buns – 3
Balsamic vinaigrette – 2 tbsp
Fresh blueberries – 1 cup
Frozen Pineapple chunks – 2 cups
Frozen Strawberries – 1.5 cups
Frozen mixed berries – 1 cup
Baked Potato – 3
Raw medium apple - 1
Green grapes – 3 cups
French bread slices - 2
Oven roasted turkey breast – 4 oz
Strawberries – ½ cup sliced
Dannon Strawberry Banana – 2
Reduced fat swiss – 2 slices
Whipped cream cheese – 10 tbsp
Black Bean Tomatillo dip – 6 tbsp
Low sugar red raspb – 2 tsp
Fat free cottage cheese – ½ cup
Tomato slices – 8
Whipped butter – 2 tbsp
Mushrooms – 1/2 cup
Avocado – 1.5
1 slice pumpkin pie
Raw baby carrots – 1 cup
Mixed fruit – 5 cups
1% milk – 3 cups
Light mayo – 2 tbsp
Lettuce – 2 bowls
Raw spinach – 1 cup
Flax Fiber Bread – 4 slices
Light raspb dressing – 2 tbsp
Almond Butter – 6 tbsp
Eggs (whole) – 2
Egg whites - 3
Vanilla protein powder – 5 scoops
Chocolate protein powder – 2 scoops
Chicken Broccoli casserole - 1 svg
Salmon – 6 oz
Skim milk – 2 cups
Large banana – 4
Corn bread taco bake – 1 svg
Brown rice – 2 cups
Chunky Guacamole – 6 tbsp
Sour cream – 3 tbsp
Crumbled feta cheese – 1 tbsp
Meat patties - 1
Flax seeds – 2 tbsp
Cod – 6 oz
Perch – 3 oz


Unfortunately the photo doesn't have everything exactly like the list - I didn't have all of it in the house and I wasn't about to go buy extra food for this photo. :)~

~J

Calorie Sticker Shock?

I just found this article (from July 2008) about New York requiring food establishments to post the calories for any food they sell in the same size and font as the price!

This is BRILLIANT. Wouldn't you love to be able to see this when you go out someplace?



I know I would. Man, I want this in Milwaukee.

Tell me what ya think... would you like this where you live?

The thing that most amazed me about this article was not the law. It was the part about the woman who ate at TGI Fridays and was all pissed off that they'd done it. (By the way, the fines start at $2000 if these places don't comply.) She saw the menu and that many of the meals were over 2000 calories each, and one of the desserts was 1500 calories. She said, "I wish they wouldn't have done this," and then asked if they had any of the old menus without the calorie count on them! Talk about denial. Seriously? You'd rather eat foods and have no idea how bad they are for you? Or, you know how bad they are for you, but you somehow think you'll feel better just blindly eating these foods without the facts in front of you? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. We should be HAPPY with this kind of information. Sheesh!

So... Anybody reading live in New York? How do you like it? Do you find it helps you stay on track with healthy eating?

You really don't know what is in the food you get at some places. A muffin could cost you 630 calories. When getting your morning coffee, I bet that would keep you from buying it.

~J

Frickin' Delicious Hamburgers

Also known as "Meat Patties," which sounds disgusting... these hamburgers rocked our faces off.



I served these on Natural Ovens Better Wheat Buns:
Serving Size: 1 Bun

Calories 170
Total Fat 2.5g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 140mg
Total Carbohydrate 30g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 5g
Protein 7g

Meat Patties:
1/2 cup oatmeal or oat bran
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute (I forgot this, but they came out fine)
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp ground mustard (omitted for mine)
1 tsp dried or 1 tbsp fresh minced onion
1/2 tsp salt (omitted for mine)
1/4 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey (7% fat)

Mix the first 9 ingredients. Add ground meat and mix well. Shape into four patties. Cook in the microwave, in the conventional oven, or on the grill.

Conventional Oven:
Preheat to 425 degrees. Arrange patties on a baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.

Microwave Oven: Arrange meat patties in a circle, on a microwave-safe dish, leaving the center empty. Cover with wax paper and cook on high for 7-8 minutes, rotating 1/4 turn halfway through cooking time.

Grill: Cook over hot coals, turning once, until done. *I used my George Forman. Because I forgot the egg, it was super juicy and didn't stick together 100%, so I just sprayed the grill with nonstick cooking spray and it was fine. They were delicious and I saved a bit of calories too! :)

Nutritional Info:
(makes 4 servings)
222 calories
9g fat
3g saturated fat
71mg cholesterol
127mg sodium
9g carbohydrate
1g dietary fiber
2g sugar
26g protein


With these kinds of nutrition numbers... you just can't beat a delicious, juicy, healthy burger with the kind of staying power that hungry guys (and girls) need! :)




Oh, and don't forget a nice salad! :)

This Working Out Thing is Working Out!

So... I've been good this week. Not GREAT, but good.

My workouts for the week:
Monday - 30 mins on the elliptical (level 3) + 30 mins strength training
Tuesday - 30 mins on the bike (level 5)
Wednesday - off -- really sore muscles
Thursday - 35 mins on the elliptical - interval training
Friday - 40 mins on the elliptical - interval training


I need to do more strength training, and should have done some tonight. I skipped it because I planned to do the "CoMMotion" workout class tomorrow morning, which I knew I could NOT do if my legs were as sore as they tend to get when I do lunges and bosu work.

Unfortunately I'm not going to be going to the class tomorrow because my car battery is dead. Poor Dave had to give me two jumps today!

So, overall it's been a good week. I averaged (Since Saturday, not including today) 1316.33 calories per day, not including the caloric deficit from working out. My net calories averaged 1150.83 per day. The net calories are a little low, but I don't usually feel like eating back my workout calories, because I'm usually not hungry.

With my working out 4 days this week, I really feel like I did a good job.

And with my caloric intake, I should hopefully see a drop of 1-2 lbs on the scale next Tuesday (assuming I keep it up through the weekend!) :)~

~Jenn

PS... Yesterday a man collapsed in the men's showers at my gym. I hope he's okay

Okay, NOW I'm confused.