Carbless Dieting

Love the idea! I am sooo in!!! I had my normal McDonald's breakfast this morning, a bagel sandwich with scrambled eggs and cheese, only sans the bagel. It was really pretty good. I am not sure how much I sacrificed. Apple for lunch and have a steak with some type of fruit and veggie on tap for dinner tonight. I am in on all the carb reductions and hope for myself to add a significant level of fruits and vegetables to replace carb void within the large cavity that is my stomach. I am not sure how it will help with the overall weight issue but I am adding my own little twist to the month just for me which is I am committing to only one McDonald's cup of coffee per day. No refills, no coffee at the office, no Starbucks, no other coffee. One cup. Half way through day one and holding firm. That is one sixtieth of the way home. 12 hours down and only 1428 to go. Piece of Cake! Or piece of pie, or a doughnut, or a bagel with eggs and cheese. Dang it!!! I knew this would happen. Gotta go to McDonald's. I'll be right back!

Carbo Unloading

New eating challenge for the next four weeks: let's tackle carbs.

I could use a little kick-in-the rear on eating habits to get in shape for the summer, and I've been playing around with a challenge to drastically reduce the carbohydrates I eat.

Notice I didn't say eliminate them.

I think that's a bit unhealthily, and very unrealistic for me. Instead, I want to cut out all the big ones -- breads and snacks and things. I've come up with a list of "Ok to Eat" and a "Don't Eat" list, but I'd like your opinion. I think this is going to be hard, but am I giving myself too many outs? Obviously, there's tons more that can be eaten, but all the "Ok to Eats" are specifically things that have carbs, but I'm going to allow myself.

And, more importantly, who's with me?

I propose the challenge to be April 26th - May 26th. Not enough time before April 26th to "bulk up" on carbs before we start, and end just before the Memorial Day BBQs.

Don't Eat:

Bread (bagels, rolls, sliced bread, English muffins...)

Pastries, cake, cookies, donuts

Rice

White potatoes in any form

Pretzels

Chips (potato, tortilla; baked or fried)

Pasta

Cereal

Pizza

Ice cream

Ok to Eat:

Yogurt

Fruits

Chocolate (come on -- no cakes or cookies? I gotta be able to have M&M's!)

Nuts

Sweet potatoes

Soft flour tortilla shells (used as a sandwich substitute, not a chip substitute)

Alcohol

Orange juice

What do you think? Who wants in? What's the penalty for cheating?

2010???

Who's with me?

http://www.charitytreks.org/index.html

Arms

Many times, I'd heard the spin instructors talk about how the bike engages 80% of your body, and I just quite frankly didn't agree with them.

Until this morning.

Did 25 minutes of weights and abs this morning before class. The spin class I take uses those "Real Ryder" bikes that can turn and lean, and the instructor today luuuuurves the turn and lean. And I thought my arms were going to catch fire they burned so bad.

Back in the saddle

Morning, all! Back in the exercise saddle today! I took a full SEVEN DAYS off of exercise, so it felt really, really good to go to spin class today!

How's this for a good story to get you in a giving mindset today?

Our spin instructor didn't actually show up (no, that's not why it felt good to go to spin class!), and after the several minutes it took us to realize she wasn't coming, the the several minutes of deciding what we should do about it, we tracked down and convinced another person at the gym to be our stand-in instructor! This girl is a crazy cyclist (she has about -1% body fat, and usually is in the 6:30 a.m. classes, after she does her weights, for "fun" and as "recovery" from her long rides).

So she did! How's that for being flexible and going where you're called?!?

A good Monday am class, and lesson!

Pittsburgh Progress!!!

I am here in Pittsburgh for Corey's graduation and hoping to find nap time somewhere during the weekend, but not optimistic. Stevie has a busy day planned with museums, boat trips, lunches and dinners. It will be fun but who will explain to the nap fairy our lack of commitment to her. I just don't like disappointing people. Did wake up early for a jog along the river outside our hotel. 30 minutes and then a little bit of the weight in the hotel fitness room. More later. Gotta go blow up balloons!

They're taunting me!!!

Yay! I got back to the treadmill yesterday instead of the stair machine. The treadmills are way behind where the stair machines are but I still think they could see me. I could hear a snicker! Ran for 36 minutes and then hit the weight, or rather got hit by the weight. Still concentrating on sumpin sumpin! Today, I plan to do 30 minutes on the bike. The bad news is that the bikes are right next to the stair machines. I just know they are gonna be leering at me and laughing and taunting, probably out loud!

OMG! Stairs!!!

Still sticking to my sumpin sumpin and trying to do better at cross training. So, on Tuesday, thought I would just take it easy like the PTA moms and just do that easy little stair machine thingy! 30 minutes on that will be like a vacation for a big bad athlete like me. Holy Leg Cramp, Batman!!! It totally killed me. Eleven minutes in I had to take a break. Oh man! I was dying. Anyway, I will never be able to look at stairs again in the same way! OMG!!!

Sorry you aren't feeling well Maureen. Debbie had Pink Eye too! Is there something ya'll need to tell me??? Maybe if you worked out a little harder or posted a little bit more often you would have the resistance to fight off that cold! P.S. Watch out for the stairs!!!

It's too early for me

Ok, I've been lax in posting because I've been lax in exercise.

Because last week, I was sick, and I tried to push through it! Had a fever Monday, took off Tuesday, but Wednesday, back on the work out. Thursday, back on the work out! And Friday, oh, Friday did it come back to haunt me. Then Saturday I thought my head would explode and it kinda did, only through PINK EYE, and I'm not at all bitter about it because it's not like I had LASIK surgery scheduled or anything that I know have to RESCHEDULE.

Deep breath, deep breath.

Still under the weather. So I'm not pushing it. Taking a few more days off. What's a few pounds if I can finally kick this cold (which I did think for a nano second was Swine Flu since I came down with it the day after returning from the Dallas/ FT. WORTH metro area).

Deep breath, deep breath.

See, who needs exercise to get their heart rate up?

Sumpin sumpin!!!

Look out! I am back! Don't think I am gonna let you guys have as easy of a time not posting as you let me have. My ankle is completely healed (well, still a lot of pain) so I am back on the work out train. Ran for 30 minutes yesterday, did some sit up things on the little sit up thing machine (I'll find a better name for it) and did my weight circuit! I am gonna try to concentrate on more cross training rather than just do the same things every day. My goal is to just do something for 30 minutes everyday. Then do the sit up thing-a-ma-bobber, push ups and weights. Gotta stay focused on just doing something. So that's my plan. Sumpin sumpin!!!