Fitness doesnt come overnight

OY! one of my connections on my myfitnesspal page is complaining because she gained 2 oz (yes ounces not pounds) after a day off from her plan. When will people learn that its normal to gain a pound or two with in a week (espec for women). Heck if I weigh on a monday Ill have gained a few pounds, when i weigh on thursdays ive lost the monday weight plus some more. weight fluctuates people! thats why they dont recommend weighing in on a regular basis or at all, using measurements are much more accurate.

I also wish people would realize that weight doesnt just melt off cause you go to the gym a few times a week just because you stayed under your calorie count (aka they arent eating enough). Its about treating food as fuel for your body and fitness is a lifestyle.  In fact starving yourself is counter productive because your body slows your metabolism waaaaaay down because it is trying to save your fat reserves cause it thinks your starving. Think of a car, you need to keep gas in the tank for it to run. The body is the same way it needs fuel to run. You need calories and ::gasp:: carbs to keep your body running. You dont run around stuffing your face with whatever and you dont even need to eat much, a simple apple between meals can keep the engine running smoothe. Also the quality of the food you eat makes a huge difference, if you are “allowed” 1400 calories a day, and you stay under but you ate taco bell or mcdonalds and such, your still not doing you weight or health any justice. Of course you can have treats now and then, i certainly do not believe in deprevation because it leads to disaster in my book, but you need to find a balance and moderation. Trust me once you cut the crap out of your diet, you feel much better and wont want to go back to your old habits anyway. I made the mistake a few times and ate a bit too much junk, i felt like hell the next day (the way i had felt when it was a larger part of my diet). Even if you have to eat on the run, there are all sorts of healthier options available. I usually have a purse filled with things like apples, nuts and granola bars. I figure this way i can eat one of those first so I dont end up filling up on junk when the menu is out of my control.

Some people have high expectations for how much weight they want to lose and how fast. I technically need to lose 100lbs but my starting goal was 60 lbs in 8 months. I know some people who are talking about wanting to loose 20 to 30 in a month. thats not only going to darn near kill you but its also gonna prevent your progress when you give up after not seeing the results you want. When you see shows like the biggest loser where they lose 30 lbs in no time flat, you need to remember 1. these people are monitored at all times by a team of health professional and 2. their fulltime job has become getting fit. They work out 6 or more hours a day, they are 100% focused on proper diets, they get their sleep. Their fitness is all consuming. In the real world majority of us are not that lucky to have all that time. My 10 lbs per month loss was contributed to being off work and off school. I had the time for 3 workouts a day and the time to focus on healthy cooking and my diet. now that school and work and volunteering and life in general and…. have come back into play Im way off that pace but still plugging away.

more people need to approach weight loss as a lifestyle makeover instead of a diet. When you worry about it from the angle of wanting to be healthy vs being skinny, i think you tend to stick to it much better. Speaking of which, time for me to get back off my butt and back to work.

 

 

The Green Thing

 

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days.” The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations.” She was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

Fettuccine with Black Olive Pesto

ingredents

9 oz can of pitted black olives rinsed

1/4 teaspoon of cayanne pepper

1 garlic clove

1 medium shallot or small onion

2 tbsp of fresh parsley

1/2 tsp of fresh thyme

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp of salt

1/3 cup of olive oil

8oz of fettucine

1/4 tsp of fresh groung black pepper

4 scallions fine sliced on the diagonal

zest from a small lemon

 

Place the olives in a food processor and process untill coarsly chopped

add the cayanne, garlic, shallot or onion, parsley, thyme, vinegar and salt

while the machine is running dribble the oil in, in a thin steady stream thru the feed tube.

 

prepare the fettucine according to the package, divide on to the plates and serve with some pesto

scatter the scallions on top and sprinkle with black pepper

 

serves 6

Yellow Curry and Pineapple fried rice

Yellow Curry

1 tsp coriander seed

1 tsp caraway seed

4 dried red chiles

pinch of ground cinnamon

pinch ground cloves

1.4 cup minced red onion

1/2 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp salt

1 tsp mustard powder

2 tsp mild curry powder

roast the corriander and caraway seeds in a dry skillet over low heat untill browned. crush the seeds and set aside. remove and discard the seeds from the dried chiles. soak the chiles in warm water for 15 minutes. Drain and chop finely. In a food processor blend the chilie, ground seeds and remain ingredients to a paste.

Fried rice

1 medium yellow onion

4 carrots julienned

1/4 lb of snow peas

2 to 5 tbsp of veg oil

1 to 2 tbsp of curry paste

2 cups of cubed pinapple

4 cups of cooked brown rice

1 cup baby corn

In a pot of boiling water, partially cook the onion, carrots and snow peas for about 3 mins. Plunge them in cold water, drain and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the oil. stir in the curry paste and the pineapple, then cook stirring for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir fry 5 more minutes. stir in the baby corn and the cook vegetables. Cook untill hot

Hearty Bean and Macaroni Stew

1 cup of chopped tomato

3/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1/4 cup of chopped onion

1/4 cup of chopped green pepper

1 3/4 cup of vegetable stock

1 tbsp fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp of dried basil leaves

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 clove of chopped garlic

1 can 16 oz kidney beans drained

1/2 can (15 oz size) of garbanzo beans drained

 

mix all ingredients in a 2 qt saucepan. heat to a boil, stirring occasionally, reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 mins untill pasta is tender.

serves 4

Potato-topped lentil bake

Ingredients

1 generous Cup of lentils

4 tbsp of butter

1 leek sliced

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 celery stalk chopped

4 1/2 oz of broccoli florets

6oz of smoked bean curd cubed

2 tsp of tomato paste

salt and pepper

fresh thyme for garnish

 

Topping

1 lb of potatos diced

2 tbsp of butter

1 tbsp of milk

1/3 cup chopped pecans

2 tbsp of fresh thyme

 

How to

preheat the oven to 400

to make the topping:

cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 10 to 15 mins or untill cooked through

drain well and transfer to a bowl

add the butter and milk to the bowl and mash thoroughly

stir in the chopped pecans and fresh thyme

set aside

 

place lentils in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 20 – 30 mins or untill tender

drain and set aside

 

melt the butter in a large skillet

add the leek, garlic, celery and broccoli

cook, stirring ferquently for 5 mins or untill softened

add the bean curd cubes

stir in the lentils and tomato paste

season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to an oven proof dish

spoon the potato topping on top of the lentil mixture spreading to cover

cook in preheated oven for 30 to 35 mins or untill golden brown

garnish with fresh thyme and serve

 

Vegetable & Lentil Casserole

Ingredients

1 onion

10 cloves

1 cup of lentils

1 bay leaf

6 1/4 cups of veg stock

2 leeks sliced

2 potatoes diced

2 carrots chopped

3 zucchini sliced

1 celery stalk chopped

1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped

salt and pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

 

preheat the oven to 350

press the cloves into the onion

put the lentils into a large casserole, add the onio and bay leaf and pour in the stock

caver and bake for one hour

remove the casserole from the over

take out the onion and discard the cloves

slice the onion and return it to the casserole with the leaks, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, celery and bell pepper

stir thoroughly and season to taste with salt and pepper

cover and return to the oven for 1 hour

remove and discard the bay leaf

stir in lemon juice and serve

Vegetarian Moussaka

Ingredients

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 onion chopped

4 celery stalks chopped

1 garlic clove chopped

2 cups chopped tomatos*

1 1/4 cups of green lentils*

2 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper

1 eggplant sliced

* the recipe as written called for canned, i used fresh tomatos and dried lentils, therefor I added about a cup of water to my mix to make up for the lack of juice from the can.

Topping

2 tbsp butter

2 1/2 tbsp flour

1 1/4 cups of milk

pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

1 egg

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan

 

Preheat the over to 350

heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet

add the onion and cook untill softened

add the celery, garlic, tomato with juice, lentils with juice and the chopped parsley (add water if you used fresh vs canned)

cover and simmer until mixture has thickened

heat remaining oil in a large skillet, add the eggplant and cook untill golden on both sides

remove from skillet and drain on towels

Layer and oven safe dish with the lentil and tomato mixture, then the eggplant slices alternating with the final layer being eggplant

Make the topping by putting butter, flour, and milk into a pna and bringing to a boil over low heat, whisking constantly

season to tste with nutmeg, salt and pepper

remove from heat, allow to cool slightly the beat in the egg

pour the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with parmesan cheese

bake for 30 – 40 minutes, untill golden brown

Feta and Potato Cakes

 

Ingredients

1 lb of potatos peeled

salt and pepper

4 scallions, chopped

4 oz of Feta cheese, crumbled

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 egg beaten

1 tbsp lemon juice

all-purpose flour for dusting

3 tbsp of olive oil

fresh chive for garnish

 

cook the potatos in lightly salted boiling water until tender

drain and peel

place to potatos in a bowl and mash well

add the scallions, feta, thyme, egg and lemon juice then season to taste

mix thoroughly, cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour

take small handfuls fo the potato mixture and roll into ball about the size of a walnut

flatten each one slightly and dust with flour

heat the oil in a skillet on high and cook untill golden brown

drain on paper towels then serve

Ratatouille

Ingredients

 

2 eggplants

4 Zucchini

2 yellow peppers

2 red peppers

2 onions

2 garlic cloves

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon of chopped basil

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme

3 large tomatos

salt and pepper

 

roughly chop the eggplants and zucchini, and seed and chop the bell peppers.

slice the onions and fine chop the garlic

heat oil in a large pan

add the onios and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally untill softened

add garlic and stir frequently for about 2 more minutes

add the eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers stirring occasionally until the peppers being to color

add the basil, parsley, and thyme, reduce the heat,, cover and simmer for 40 mins

stir in the chopped tomatos and season to taste with salt and pepper

recover the pan and simmer for 10 more minutes