PlantMom, I will let you know soon! I plan to sauté the cabbages with some soy sauce and rice vinegar. Have some steaks to grill to go with them. 
Thanks for your Fitbit comments, abasket. I wore a HR strap for a long time and thought it was useful. When I was discussing this purchase with DH, I asked him if he wanted to get a Fitbit too. He gave me an emphatic NO with an explanation when I asked that he just didn’t want one. Very sad face. He has worked so hard on being healthy but seems to be in a real slump about doing the hard work and maintenance for the first time in over four years. It makes me want to scream, but of course that would be especially counter-productive. I’m hoping that after my trip north and his next work trip to China that we’ll be able to settle back into a healthier place overall. Maybe he’ll see my Fitbit and be inspired, I hope, I wish.
Your meal plan sounds great, Bunsen.
Going to try some low heart rate training with some distance this month. Spent 90 minutes on the treadmill tonight so was going back and forth from npr podcasts to pandora to relieve the boredom. Heard the following Carol King song which I think translates to the fitness/weight challenges that many of us are facing (at least for me):
It’s going to take some time this time
To get myself in shape
I really fell out of line this time
I really missed the gate
The birds on the telephone line
(Next time)
Are cryin’ out to me
(Next time)
And I won’t be so blind next time
And I’ll find some harmony
But it’s going to take some time this time
And I can’t make demands
But like the young trees in the wintertime
I’ll learn how to bend
After all the tears we’ve spent
How could we make amends
So it’s one more round for experience
And I’m on the road again
And it’s going to take some time this time
And I can’t make demands
I’ll learn how to bend
It’s going to take some time this time
No matter what I’ve planned
But like the young trees in the wintertime
I’ll learn how to bend
After all the tears we’ve spent
How could we make amends
So it’s one more round for experience
And I’m on the road again
And it’s going to take some time this time
Does anyone here know what Bi Bim Bap is? I eat that for lunch at least once a week at a Korean restaurant near work. We crave it in the legal department and someone will walk down the hall saying “Bi Bim Bap?” Usually 2 or 3 of us will join up and go. It’s a mound of rice with good veggies, lean Korean beef, a fried egg and a spicy red sauce on the top. It seems pretty healthy and is SO good. You can get it in a sizzling skillet or in a big metal bowl.
Love that stuff, MOfWC!
I love Bi Bim Bap!!!
After a day spent watching ice melt (although I did go out with a shovel and create some paths for the dogs), I am restless and underexercised. Hoping for better tomorrow.
@Bromfield2, I have not read the full study but have read summaries and related articles. The up shot is that the conventional recommendation of 150 minutes/week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes/week of higher intensity exercise in of itself is not sufficient to offset the detrimental effects of an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. The study concludes that having regular movement throughout the day is important to avoiding the chronic diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle. This should not be taken, however, as an endorsement of substituting “regular movement” for structured exercise. They both play an important role in fitness and health. Here’s an article that reports on this issue.
I survived the first day back at work - Yay me! I had such a hard time falling asleep last night - I hate when that happens at the end of a break. I had a good workout with my trainer tonight. I did really well with healthy eating today until a couple hours ago. H is in Las Vegas this week at the Consumer Electronics Show - I never eat well when he is out of town. Instead of eating an actual meal, I tend to just graze all evening, which ends up being way more calories and not good ones. Tomorrow is another day…
ohiopublic-I love those lyrics. Haunting.
I love my Fitbit. I am really grateful that when I bought the Fitbits for H and myself two Christmas’s ago that he immediately latched onto it and got into the app. He is religious about logging food in MyFitnessPal and tracking calories in/out (although we both recognize that it’s not an exact science, but helps with directional trends). I am not sure I would have stuck with the running and gym workouts with the trainer and watching the calories that resulted in the 40 lb weightloss if H and I hadn’t gone into this together. I really admire those of you who do it on your own, especially with uncooperative spouses who may be undermining your efforts.
I also love Bi Bim Bap!
Great. Now I go to bed wanting Bi BIm Bap! The egg is the PRIZE!!!
My problem is the opposite of an uncooperative spouse - it’s a spouse who is too obsessed with eating healthfully and exercising, and doesn’t have a lot of understanding for either a) cravings and/or b) not liking exercise!
Ohiopublic - I am seeing the Carole King musical on Wednesday! At least you posted that song and not “It’s Too Late.” Ha ha!
Pizzagirl, I know you say that you don’t really appreciate food - not worth the trouble of going out of your way to cook anything too involved…is your husband a picky eater or does he enjoy food??? Has he always been into healthful eating and exercise???
He’s not a foodie either, so at least we are well matched from that perspective. I can trace it back to a very specific event during his medical residency (we had been married maybe a year or two). We had to go to an event and he had to put on khakis and his khakis were too small / uncomfortable (he’s always been slender, but he’d gained a few pounds during residency) and he kind of flipped and became really into low-fat eating (this was the time when that was big) and exercising. It is not as though he doesn’t indulge - he loves sweets and has a big bowl of ice cream every night, but he’s extremely disciplined, very set in his diet, and just doesn’t seem tempted by things the way I am, and he’s not an emotional eater the way I can be either.
I think the difference is … if he lived by himself, he’d still cook – plain chicken, plain vegetables, salad, etc. but he’d have a “real meal.” I’d eat a bowl of cereal and call it a day!
The cabbages were a big hit!
Did anyone see that Mark Zuckerberg set a challenge for himself to run 365 miles in 2016? Good for him! He’s no MOWC, but I think it’s great he went public. I’m sure with his busy schedule he doesn’t get to exercise.
I just couldn’t resist this. Unimaginable grace and athleticism.
Kiddo’s Fitbit said we walked 4.6 miles to the shopping center and back. I should have worn my boxy Garmin watch (trust but verify), but I think it is close enough.
I saw that about Mark Zuckerberg - hey, I suspect he can find time to do a mile a day - good voice for running though!
So I dragged myself out of bed and went to the fitness center this morning for a 30 minute treadmill run. I think it’s possible I was walking the dog at 6:15 with my eyes closed! But, something done and it is nice to have it out of the way.
After the gym (which is here at work) I went to the cafeteria where they were having a free breakfast for employees - nice I didn’t have to pack breakfast (and was part of the motivation for going to the gym since the cafeteria is an easy walk from it). I took the fruit, eggs, sausage and bottle of water and bypassed the biscuit, sausage gravy, potatoes and orange juice. I’ll admit I’m gloating a little bit at my desk - my co-workers? Some didn’t get the breakfast because “it’s too far to walk” (5-6 minute walk??) or they did go and came back and make egg/biscuit/sausage/bacon sandwiches with sausage gravy poured over the top. Yep, that’s where the mentality is here!!!
Oh, and surprising to me, the gym was no more busy this morning than it usually is in the morning - the same core people pretty much!
While I am no Superman, I have a hard time this year having patience with people who are jumping on the fitness/healthy eating bandwagon- half heartedly. Am I the only one who has a hard time keeping my mouth shut?! No, you can’t eat 6 Christmas cookies even if you are going to a 30 minute exercise class. No, eating only cabbage soup isn’t going to be the gateway to a new bikini ready body! No, sitting in a hot tub is NOT exercise! Get in the pool and do some exercises or laps!
I’m terrible! Need to put some tape over my mouth for the next couple of weeks…
On a more positive note, 
a thought provoking post…about moving from the back “hiding” spot in exercise class to the middle of the pack and the psychological benefits you can gain - I think this is a friend of my D’s - I smiled when I read my D’s comments on the blog: “excellent thought provoking post - tomorrow night, I will be in the FRONT ROW at yoga class!”
http://mydddlife.com/2016/01/04/whats-your-favorite-position/