I love reading everyone’s accomplishments (and struggles). I love this group!
This morning I had weights 7-8 and Pilates 9:30-10:30. The weather here has finally turned bearable (mid 70s - I am not a summer person and don’t like it when it’s much above 80) and it was a nice morning so I suggested to my trainer that we “play” outside. So he brought some weights and I did circuit-type stuff - lunges then bicep curls, mountain climbers then bent row, jumping jacks then windmills, etc. Fun! But I have to be honest, I hate the feeling of being out of breath and I have to get past that if I’m ever to drop the remaining weight.
@C3Baker --I’d like to urge you to do Boston next year. You’ve qualified; celebrate that and go do it. Your husband can be the support spouse if he doesn’t qualify–and that’s not a bad thing!
I love this group too. Motivation, accountability, education, camaraderie, Support!
I hope you can do that marathon too, C3B. You just never know what these years will bring to add even more challenges to these older (but young at heart, for sure) bodies
Good workout PG! And busdriver, wow the sleep flipflops must be so difficult, but you’ve got what’s best for you figured out. I hope you enjoy Michael Pollan’s Food Rules. He has done such a good job in that little book of summing up common sense eating for real life.
I chickened out of the heat and went to the gym for 2 miles of treadmill running and weights. The free weight and mat areas were busy so I used the machines. My fitness challenges today were electronic. Fitbit HR number 2 croaked, so I spent a chunk of time arranging for a replacement. The battery stopped holding a charge, and it doesn’t sync anymore. At any rate, I guess I’ll have a week to grow out the indentation this thing leaves on my arm. H and I walked tonight after work, but it was still 93 degrees. Even now it feels like an oven out there. We’ve done a cold mishmash salad dinner the last couple of nights. Tonight was a taco salad with some garden arugula,romaine, tomatoes, turkey meat, chilied black beans,TJ’s reduced fat chips, avocado, a sprinkle of cheese, and a creamy yogurt green chimichurri dressing I whipped up. And ice cold watermelon.
Speaking of education, I need help. I bought the Instant Pot back on the Great Amazon Sale. My wife laughed at me and my purchase back then. She was still laughing at me tonight as she left for writer’s group pointing to the unopened package.
Well I decided that I was going to prove that I wasn’t cooking challenged and make me some of Gertrude’s famous steel cut oatmeal.
I’ve already called the help line because I couldn’t get figure out the Initial Test Run.
Put the steel cut oatmeal in a bowl inside the pot, pressed manual for 10 minutes. Waited the 10 plus the extra 10. Nothing happens. Doesn’t cook.
Please CC group don’t laugh! Do I need to put water in the stainless steel bowl around the oatmeal bowl? Is so how much. What am I doing wrong? Should I just stick to running?
I am pretty desperate. If I can’t cook a simple bowl of oatmeal, then my wife will have this over me for the rest of my life!
So if Gertrude, Bunsen. Abasket. Sabaray or other experts are out there, please lend a brother a hand come to my aid. My credibility and Amazon purchasing privileges are on the line.
Never fear, Ohio, we’ll help you figure it out! And yes, you must always have some liquid in the stainless steel pot. This is what will create the pressure & seal the valve. So insert the trivet into the stainless steel pot, pour in one cup water, THEN put the 1 cup oats mixed with 2 cups water in a glass bowl & set on the trivet. (I also have been mixing in salt & cinnamon at this step). Put on the lid & ensure the the indicator is set on “sealing”. Then manual (high pressure) for 10 minutes & 10 more minutes of waiting for the pressure to release naturally.
It sounds like you did everything right except for adding the one cup water to the stainless steel bowl. Give it another go & keep us posted!
I have not cooked oatmeal myself yet in the Instapot - I think Gertrude has…but this recipe sounds right - and it DOES require water in the bottom - this link has pictures that might help you as well: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-oatmeal-how-to/
Tell us something else your wife likes to eat and hopefully we can hook you up with a recipe so that YOU can be the one to say, “I told ya so!!!”
Busdriver, I’m not surprised that you lose weight at first with the South Beach diet. Most people do in Phase 1 primarily due to water loss and loss of lean tissue as the body looks to protein to replace carbohydrates as an energy source. I’m also not surprised that you get tired on the diet. The absence of carbohydrates will do that. Even in the maintenance Phase 3, carbs are limited to 28% of caloric intake which on a 2000 calorie is about 140 gms of which 130 gms, as I noted previously, is needed for brain function alone! Doesn’t leave much for for an active lifestyle!
No, it doesn’t help you be active, that’s for sure! Though I don’t know about water loss, because I was drinking a ton of water. I’m not sure how you lose water eating mostly lean protein and vegetables, with some lowfat dairy and nuts. But it gets boring, and it’s hard to stay on it for very long.
Carbs in your diet promote water retention. (This is not per se a bad thing; carbs are converted into glycogen which is stored in your muscles with water to provide energy sources for muscular exertion.) When you cut carbs from your diet, your body sheds stored water. Here’s a link to an article that explains the process without getting too technical.
And, btw, that’s why low carb diets at first appear to be so successful. The first several weeks, there can be very significant weight loss due to water weight but then things start to plateau. Unless you are actually eating at a calorie deficit, you are only going to get so far with a low carb diet in terms of weight loss and when you stop eating low csrb, the water weight comes back on.
Michael- I hear you on that one! I’ve seen SO many people get very excited about the huge weight drops in the first week or two of a carb-restricted diet, and then get very discouraged after that when it doesn’t keep happening. Then the whole thing goes out the window. I understand psychologically that it is great to see the initial success (I’m like that, for sure…) but it just doesn’t keep going at that rate once the water thing settles down.
Easy 5 miles this morning, humidity holding steady this week at 94% but it was only 59 degrees. Makes a huge difference.
I had plenty of carbs last night. Dinner at our favorite wood fired pizza place - no sauce pizza topped with fresh mozzarella, peaches, basil and prosciutto. And a green salad. And only one glass of wine! Red, of course - keep that heart healthy!
@ohiopublic that’s good to hear! What recipe did you use?
Speaking of carbs and breakfast, I’m trying a new breakfast option this morning. I had a couple really ripe mangos and was looking for recipes to use them up. I came across this overnight oatmeal one - I’ve not ever had one of these “overnight” oatmeal recipes that I’ve liked - but this one is good! I used almond milk, a little honey and I put in some chopped pecans because I need some crunch with my “mush”. And I added the coconut they suggested. Wasn’t sure how I’d like eating oats cold, but I’m enjoying it!
All of this talk about your delicious sounding oatmeals makes me feel very deprived. As much as I know how healthy and good for you it is, as much as I’ve recommended it to clients, I just can’t bring myself to eat a warm mushy breakfast of oatmeal. Maybe it’s because I found the Maypo commercials traumatizing when I was a young kid, lol ;).
The closest I’ve come to eating oatmeal as an adult has been my daughter’s protein pancakes. A cup of steel cut organic oats, 2 egg whites, half a cup of plain Greek yogurt, and dark chocolate chips mixed in. Then the pancake is finished with 2 tablespoons of organic no sugar added peanut butter. Yum!!
^^ Now there’s a chocolate chip pancake that IS pretty good for you!
The thing with me is that the oatmeal of my youth included lots of sweetner (brown sugar or jam) and lots of butter. If I have hot oatmeal I still want the butter. I do like hot steel cut oats better than rolled oats. And I could not be an everyday oatmeal person - oatmeal just feels heavier on my stomach than my usual egg and yogurt/fruit/dab of granola breakfast. But this overnight oatmeal is a nice change of pace. I think the pecans and the little bit of coconut gives it some texture which my mouth likes.
Great job Ohio! Enjoying steel cut oats here in SD as well! We never ate oatmeal when I was a kid - maybe that makes it seem exotic to me. I just add diced apple, cinnamon & brown sugar.
@MichaelNKat – I like hot oatmeal in the winter but in the summer, I eat extra thick rolled oatmeal raw, with cold milk, blueberries, and pecans. If I’m feeling very self-indulgent, I sprinkle on some brown sugar. It’s chewy and satisfying.
