Feel Good Friday

Good morning, ladies! Check out this article on losing weight during stressful times and let me know what you have planned for this weekend to "calm your mind."

Stress and Weight Gain

This was my favorite part: "If you're facing twin battles against stress and weight, calming your mind should be your first priority, Gluck says. "Addressing stress would be more effective than going on a diet," she says."

Keep up the hard work thoughout the weekend! You ladies all push me to do my best :) Thanks for everything!

Feel the Burn Thursday!

Yeah! Last Chance Workout :) Well, you're going to have lots more workouts, but ya know, amp it up in the last week of this challenge- you can do it! So what workouts are on the radar this week? Laura, have you gotten in any swims lately? Jessie, how's boot camp going? Linds, are you fitting in more-active-than-usual everyday activities w/ the girls? Nicki, I heard you got in a run last night- good for you! Kristin, how's the workout routine w/ the studying routine going? Tara, any fun classes you've done this week? Val, how have your runs been this week? Jamie, are you getting excited for your sprint triathalon coming up in two weeks? Sarah F, any fun interval walks around the neighborhood? Meghan, any more long bike rides? Shanda and Michele, have you found any "me" time amidst the busy-ness? Take care of yourselves! This picture's for you, Linds! :)

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday!

I hope you all were busy doing active and healthy things last night :) I loved Abby's comment on Biggest Loser last night- something to the effect of "you keep moving, and you keep counting calories, and it works." Their basic idea is the same as ours...minus the f-bombs and 10 hour cardio routines :) Did any of you learn any good food ideas from their kitchen lesson? I want to try the fresh raspberries w/ dark chocolate sauce drizzle. Or the pineapple chunks skewered and grilled. Yum! So what have you been eating this week? Any fun new recipes?

So I haven't made this in a few months, but I ate this a ton in the spring. So yummy! I pulled it off the My Fitness Pal recipe forum, but I believe it is from Cooking Light originally. I added a few comments as did the MFP girl who posted it this spring.



Meatloaf in a Mug
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon onion soup mix
1/4 pound lean ground beef (this is key- it's got to be the leanest possible so there's no grease in the cup)
Additional ketchup, optional

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the milk, ketchup, oats and soup mix. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Pat into a microwave-safe mug or custard cup coated with cooking spray.

Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°; drain (I didn't need to drain b/c I got 98% lean meat).

Let stand for 3 minutes. Serve with additional ketchup if desired.

Yield: 1 serving.

Nutrition Facts
One serving: (calculated without additional ketchup) Calories: 248 Fat: 10 g Saturated Fat: 4 g Cholesterol: 72 mg Sodium: 440 mg Carbohydrate: 14 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 24 g Diabetic Exchange: 3 lean meat, 1 starch.

Tips:
-"Was out of ketchup so I used cocktail sauce! Might do that permanently! The horseradish in it is great with meatloaf!"
-"Used extremely lean ground turkey and there wasn't any grease left in the bottom...so nice..."
-"Didn't trust my mugs in the microwave so I just made it in a one-cup pyrex measuring cup. Didn't look as great but it worked perfectly."
-"Think I'll quadruple this recipe and cook one mug while I line 3 other mugs with plastic wrap and freeze them. When frozen I'll bag them up and save them for a rainy day!"
Edited by ChubbyBunny on Tue 03/10/09 10:02 AM

For me, I didn't freeze them, but I did make 4 at a time (buy 1 lb ground beef or turkey & split into 4 portions), cook them all, and cover and put in the fridge. We would eat them before the end of the week. This recipe is so yummy! And it helps w/ portion control. If you've got a big family, there are also lots of recipes out there for meatloaf "muffins" or meatloaf made in a muffin tin and baked which would get accross the same portion control idea but on a family scale.

Can't wait to hear about all your yummies :)

Tuesday Motivation

"I've forgotten what I've started fighting for" is more than just an REO Speedwagon song :) Do you remember what you are fighting for in this challenge in deciding to take on your bad habits and excuses?

Sarah: To lose weight and feel sexier, more confident, and healthier
Sarah F: To reprogram her brain to reprioritize exercise, to tone up her legs
Nicole: To lose weight to feel better in her own skin again, to teach her kids a healthy lifestyle
Linds: To maintain her weight, exercise regularly, get toned, and eat healthily
Jessie: To get back into her playing-sports-every-day-body, exercise 3x a week, eat healthy foods
Kristin: To feel strong, healthy, and confident, to develop good eating and exericse habits so it's easier to keep good study habits
Valerie: To lose weight and be able to run a 4 hour marathon again
Meghan: To lose weight to look and feel better, to take better care of herself so she can take better care of those she loves
Jamie: To lose weight and keep running half marathons
Michele: To lose weight
Shanda: To lose weight to have the energy she used to have
Laura: To lose weight to fit into her pre-baby jeans
Tara: To lose weight and not eat fast food anymore

All of us have noble causes we're fighting for. YOU are worth improving and strengthening! YOU are worth all the time and effort you've been putting in the last 5 weeks. YOU deserve to hit your goals. No one is going to change you but you. Don't be afraid of the sweat sessions this week, pushing it hard, eating lots of healthy veggies, fitting in extra workouts, and just loving yourself.



Sometime today, close your eyes for a minute and visualize your goals above being achieved. Dream in HD :) Imagine you having hit your goal. How do you feel? How do you look? How is your energy? How does that affect other aspects of your life and relationships? How is your confidence? Are you smiling? Are you doing things you weren't able to do previously? Are you happy?

Monday Check-In

How did this last week go for you? Did you hit your weekly goal? Let us know how much you're up or down and any changes that you've noticed or felt.

Also, let us know how you've been getting your 8 glasses of water! We haven't heard how any of you are doing on that since the first week of this challenge.



If you're sick or have a cold, you might feel it derails your progress, but check out this Cold Guide that links to other articles about what to eat, how exercise can help keep away the cold & flu or jumpstart your immune system if you already have a cold, and how moderate 20-30 min workouts with a cold are fine. Hope you feel better soon, Nicole & Michele! (Michele's had a cold for the last 3 weeks!)

Are you ladies ready for the last week of this Ten in Six Challenge? It's the LAST CHANCE WORKOUT from Biggest Loser :) You all can do it. Push extra hard & be extra good this week. Hit your goals and be proud of yourselves! You can do it!