<p>I’ve set a new start back to exercise date: Jan 23. I have to write it out here, so that it will happen. This thread really is a good motivator. Even though I’ve fallen off the exercise wagon, I still look here each day and it always makes me feel determined to join you all.</p>
<p>Welcome, faithfirst! I lost 120 pounds in 2010. I had been morbidly obese for years, so if I can do it, so can you! We’ll support you every step of the way.</p>
<p>Did H.I.I.T. (high intensity interval training) with my trainer today. He has me using this duffle bag full of water for certain moves. It’s not that it’s heavy, it’s that the load is unbalanced and requires a lot of effort to stabilize when hoisting. I’m still nursing my glute injury–have only run once in 3 weeks. I miss it! (Whoda thunk?)</p>
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<p>Is that a reference to snow?</p>
<p>5 miles is a healthy distance.</p>
<p>No, it is a really boring series of lectures on tape that were passed on to me by a friend. The other Mr. White was completely gone by the time I got home. Seattle is a really amazing place: 4 inches of snow can come down in a couple of hours and then completely melt in the next several hours!</p>
<p>My usual run is a 5K (3 miles), because as I already mentioned, I get either bored or distracted by my hungry pets and DH. 
I run first thing after getting home from work.</p>
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<p>I am curious what kind of canned soup you eat. I have tried a lot, and most canned soup tastes odd to me. It seems that the only kinds I like are creamed-based, and I don’t like them enough to justify the calories. The onion soup I have been eating is frozen, and comes with croutons and cheese. Tastes like “real” soup. Yesterday I even added a half-cup of water before microwaving, and it still tasted really good.</p>
<p>Welcome faithfirst! This is a great place for motivation! Yep…lots of us needed to lose 50 pounds or more. Great ideas and lots of support can be found here!</p>
<p>Welcome back blankmind! :)</p>
<p>Congrats BB!!! I biked for 70 minutes today…I know it’s a long time but I am addicted! Upped to a higher level today and my legs were burning. I thought I was going to quit but I kept telling myself just a few more minutes. Still surprised that my HR was climbing over 200 at a few moments. Don’t know what to think about that. After biking I did pushups and weights for 20 minutes and then cooled down on the dreadmill for 15. I am gassed.</p>
<p>Today’s lunch for me:
A layered dip of sorts I made with hommus, tabouleh and a little feta. Used fresh cut onion petals and a small tortilla to “dip” into it. On the side, a little left over pot roast with horseradish. A clementine.</p>
<p>A flavor explosion of a lunch! Which is what I require. I need to have different tastes and textures. I could never be satisfied with just sipping soup. All in all though, I think my lunch fit pretty healthy and was filling.</p>
<p>Amesie…not a big canned soup fan either but you can add things for more flavor as idad suggested. I like spicey things so I usually add hot sauce, more veggies, or whatever seasonings you have available. </p>
<p>Was at a friend’s house for dinner last week. She made a spicey vegetarian chili with black beans and sweet potatoes in it. It was wonderful!!</p>
<p>abasket, that lunch sounds wonderful. I also like variety, so if I have soup as my main course, I add other “dishes” to the menu: a cup of yogurt, an apple, some cut up veggies…</p>
<p>My next lecture on tape is about an hour long. I’ll see if it could keep me going through a 10K! I have a suspicion that by the time I get to the end of this stuff, I will be ready to run a marathon! :p</p>
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<p>Mostly Progresso Vegetable Classics. I’m not saying it’s great soup, but it’s $1 to $2 a can, 16 ounces of soup is very filling, they’ve got a variety of flavors, and so forth. In fact, I’m eating a can right now. Chicken Vegetable Rotini. 200 calories.</p>
<p>I quickly sauteed some fresh onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper (from my perpetual “salad-fixin’s” bag) in about a teaspoon of olive oil. Then, I added some creole seasoning blend (cayenne, onion power, garlic powder, paprika, basil, etc.). Dumped in the soup. And added some Garlic and Butter croutons. With the croutons and olive oil, I’m probably looking at 300 to 325 calories. I’ll be full.</p>
<p>Other than the boatload of salt, it’s not a bad option.</p>
<p>I’ve also started making and freezing individual lunch portions of soups and stews. I’ve got the turkey chicken rice soup I made after Thanksgiving (with chicken because we didn’t have any leftover turkey). And, the huge batch of chili is along the same lines. Next up is Paul Prudhomme’s *South Miami Cuban Stew *and a batch of my lamb vindaloo which I may make as a lamb/pork viindaloo. I’ll probably freeze the vindaloo with some rice in it so it’s a one container freezer to plate lunch.</p>
<p>Had this at a friend’s last week. Was really good!
Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili With Sweet Potatoes</p>
<p>I used 1 can of Rotel and 1 can of diced tomatoes… </p>
<p>·Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 4hr 20m </p>
<p>Ingredients</p>
<p>· 1 medium red onion, chopped</p>
<p>· 1 green bell pepper, chopped</p>
<p>· 4 garlic cloves, chopped</p>
<p>· 1 tablespoon chili powder</p>
<p>· 1 tablespoon ground cumin</p>
<p>· 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder</p>
<p>· 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon</p>
<p>· kosher salt and black pepper</p>
<p>· 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes</p>
<p>· 1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed</p>
<p>· 1 15.5-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed</p>
<p>· 1 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces</p>
<p>· sour cream, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, and tortilla chips, for serving</p>
<p>Directions</p>
<ol>
<li><p>In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the tomatoes (and their liquid), beans, sweet potato, and 1 cup water.</p></li>
<li><p>Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7 to 8 hours (total time is 8 hours, 20 minutes) or on high for 4 to 5 hours.</p></li>
<li><p>Serve the chili with the sour cream, scallions, radishes, and tortilla chips.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>We got hit with 26 inches of snow and I spent a good part of yesterday shoveling and moving snow. I wore my heart rate monitor and found that in 60 minutes of off/on shoveling burned 368 calories. Didn’t try to go to the gym–side roads in my town were a mess. </p>
<p>My goal for the next year is to create a spot where I can workout at home on days when I can’t get to the gym or go outside. My H has a dreadmill, but it’s in a small space and no room for anything else. I’m getting a set of kettlebells from the folks who teach the kettlebell class (we can get them at cost and pay for the shipping). I want set up an where I can do kettlebell and other weight-training routines. Don’t have any equipment except a yoga mat–any suggestions on places to purchase equipment like weights, core board, medicine ball, etc.? I know places like Dicks and Sports Authority have them, but I’m wondering if there stuff is any good?</p>
<p>We have two fitness stores in the city where I work and they sell gym-quality stuff. The prices are generally quite a bit higher than the stuff at WalMart or Sports Authority. For simple stuff like barbells and dumbbells, I think that it really doesn’t matter. It is nice to have a bench where you have confidence that the thing isn’t going to fall apart when you’re doing bench presses or other exercises. That’s why I prefer to use a gym for machine-types stuff and for exercises that require specialized equipment.</p>
<p>If I get snowed in, then I do have some stuff to work out with at home. I can always do stretches and floor exercises.</p>
<p>A great place for the simple gym stuff like mats, balls, resistance bands, etc. is TJMaxx. :)</p>
<p>For basic stuff like weight plates and dumbbells, you won’t beat WalMart or Dicks. The shipping is the killer on weights. Must be avoided at all costs. WalMart has a great deal on a small dumbbell set. Jillian Michaels 2 x 3 pounds, 2 x 5 pounds, and 2 x 8 pounds for $29.95. Both Walmart and Dicks have the gray metal hex dumbells in all sizes for 90 cents a pound. Both have weight plates for about 90 cents a pound. WalMart has a huge selection on line and a free ship-to-store option which is good for heavy stuff.</p>
<p>For stability balls, I had bad luck with the cheapies. Wouldn’t hold air and I got tired of having to pump it up before every workout. There are some “professional grade” stabiity balls with a weight capacity of over 2000 pounds and a “burst strength” of 350 to 500 pounds. These typically sell in the $40 to $50 range. I bought the [Swiss</a> Ball Pro](<a href=“http://www.theragear-shop-usa.com/sisabsprobal1.html]Swiss”>http://www.theragear-shop-usa.com/sisabsprobal1.html). It is seriously heavy duty. I’ve added air to it once in eight months.</p>
<p>For more specialized workout stuff [Perform</a> Better - The Experts in Functional Training and Rehabilitation](<a href=“http://www.performbetter.com%5DPerform”>http://www.performbetter.com) is the source that supplied a lot of the stuff the fitness gurus pitch. They’ve got everything:</p>
<p>Airex Pads
TRX and Jungle Gym suspension trainers
Foam Rollers
Medicine balls
GYMBOSS timers
Steps
Elastic bands</p>
<p>and on and on and on. Not real cheap, but a lot of specialty stuff that is either not available in the big box stores or is a much higher quality. For example, the [Airex</a> Pad](<a href=“http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_3551_A_CategoryID_E_231]Airex”>http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_3551_A_CategoryID_E_231) is a Swiss made 2.5 inch thick memory foam pad that is washable and very heavy duty. Best friend your knees or elbows will ever have for any kneeling or plank type exercise on the floor.</p>
<p>If you are looking for heavy duty benches and stuff, the Body Solid brand seems to be popular and is available on-line and at Amazon. It’s heavy duty pro-grade stuff.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/Body-Solid/Benches-and-Racks[/url]”>http://www.bodysolid.com/Home/Body-Solid/Benches-and-Racks</a></p>
<p>The bench that I have at home was about $250 and that was about 15 years ago. It’s just a flat bench - no incline. When you consider that you can get a bench with barbell support, barbell and weights at Sports Authority for $100, $250 seems like a bit much. I’d just don’t want to have to worry that the bench or barbell support is going to give way.</p>
<p>Ran 3.25 miles. Felt pretty good. I felt a little rushed as the office gym was packed and there were people waiting for the machines. I skipped the weight workout because there were other people in the weight area (it’s pretty small). Will hopefully do some weights at the YMCA tonight.</p>
<p>This is a pretty good deal (S&H included - :eek:):</p>
<p>[Costco</a> - Marcy Kettle Weight Set](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11317625&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|589|70718&N=4018981&Mo=65&No=49&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=70718&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11317625&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|589|70718&N=4018981&Mo=65&No=49&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=70718&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=)</p>
<p>Faithfirst, here is a nice article on weight loss for people over 40:</p>
<p>[Weight</a> Loss After 40: Why It’s So Hard – and What Works](<a href=“Health | Yahoo Life”>Health | Yahoo Life)</p>
<p>I agree with the majority of the points it makes.</p>
<p>Well, that pretty much wiped me out.</p>
<p>1) Ran the snowblower again to clear out what fell overnight.</p>
<p>2) Shoveled some more deck for about 30 minutes.</p>
<p>3) Did a *New Rules of Lifting for Abs *workout.</p>
<p>The core section was interesting. This workout calls for plank and side plank with feet elevated. Last time I did them with my feet on a 10 inch step. Today, I did them with my feet suspended in TRX suspension trainer straps about a foot off the floor. Wow. That was seriously hard. 4 x 30 seconds on plank. 4 x 30 seconds on side plank, split between the two sides.</p>
<p>Went from two sets to three sets on the weight lifting exercises. Funniest was the overhead squat. This is done holding a bar in both outstretched arms overhead while doing a full squat down to thighs parallel to the ground. They recommend doing it with an empty barbell (10 lbs) or a broomstick. It’s a core stability exercise more than a weight exercise. I finally broke down and got a barbell bar. I just stuck four little 2.5 pound weights on it, so I had the world’s cutest little 20 pound barbell. Three sets of 12 was a challenge. It’s a tough exercise.</p>
<p>Time for some bar-b-q and butter beans.</p>