woo hoo!

Still weighing in the 133 range this morning--133.4. That's five days in a row now. Looks like those two pounds may be staying off.

Glad I ditched the butter! Why didn't I do it sooner?! I bought hazelnut butter, cashew butter and almond butter, and we've been having those on our toast with low sugar strawberry jam or organic honey for breakfast. It's the only change I've made to my daily routine. No wait, I've also decided to stop having coffee every morning. Instead of coffee, we've switched to Whole Earth No Caf  on weekday mornings and real coffee as weekend breakfast treat. I wonder if the decrease in caffeine has helped? Who knows!

Work work--control your body

It's Saturday and I've just finished Jari Love's 'Get Ripped.' It is by far the easiest of the Get Ripped series. That's not to say it's easy, but it's the easiest of that series. (There's a song that plays during an endless series of chest presses and pec flyes that has some person in the background sort of rapping, 'control your body...control your body...'   like a robot. Club style. It's in my head now.)

There's this one segment of delt lifts where she kind of chants, 'Three times a week, three times a week,' and I answered, 'I'm doin' it, babe!' because this month is the Get Ripped rotation that I've created that has me doing these workouts three times a week. (See below for rotation). Jari is a really good instructor; she's not perky but she's friendly and down-to-earth in her approach. Give her a go!

So tomorrow is Firm Calorie Killer, then rest on Monday, then on Tuesday it's 'Get Ripped 1000'--man that is a KILLER work out! Break me down and build me up, buttercup!

We're going into Birmingham today for a shop and a wander round. It's finally warmed up after being unseasonably cold and terribly rainy at the beginning of the week. (It was 42 F earlier in the week. Today it's mid 70s).

Have a great weekend, all!

buh-bye to buttah

I'm sure I've mentioned that our one concession to dairy has been butter--real butter--every morning on our toast. A few months ago when I suggested to the DH that we might ought to give up butter, he really balked. I mean, this guy never balks, but this time he was like, no way, I have to have butter for bread. So I didn't say anything more. But about 10 days ago, he announced that he never wanted to eat butter again, so I threw away the last of it. He says that it finally clicked with him that butter comes from cows and our comsumption of butter does continute to contribute to their misery and suffering, (see Diet for a New America) in addition to being bad for our bodies (see The China Study).  We have been having nut butter and sugar-free jam on our toast in the morning instead. Guess what! I weighed 133 for three days in a row! Seven days without butter and I drop two pounds. That is awesome. We'll see if I continue to maintain at 133. Must get to the health food store and stock up on almond butter, hazelnut butter and more cashew butter! (DH doesn't like peanut butter). This is a small change that I can keep for life, no problem.

I've been thinking about changing the name of my blog to reflect my personal philosophy of NO TEMPORARY CHANGES. My bottom line advice to everyone is always 'Never make a change you don't intend to keep for life. Anything you do for a finite amount of time is going to yield temporary results.' Can you think of a catchy way to word that?

I don't really like 'No deadlines' anymore, because I've been at goal for quite some time, having lost it super-duper slow. At one point I was losing about a half a pound a MONTH. So I gave up the notion of deadlines. Now I'm seeing the light about 'diets'. And by 'diet' I mean temporary programs that people go on, somehow thinking that there'll be an end to it and then they'll be able to go back to their old habits and be slim and trim forever. It really does NOT work that way. Every little change you make has to be one that you intend to keep, if you expect to keep the weight off.

Anyway, I'm sitting here all sweaty from doing Ultimate Calorie Blaster. Better get up and go fix hubby some dinner--he just walked in from work!

I used to love these in high school

Found this on Gwynn's blog. Everyone post their own answers on their blog; let's see how many pick it up! If you do it, leave a comment so we can link to your blog and read your answers!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?  Yes, my dad. I was born the day after his birthday and I am his first child.

 2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? About two weeks ago

 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's okay, kind of spikey. 

 4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I don't eat meat, but my favourite sandwich filling is smoked tofu topped with grated carrots, red cabbage and alfalfa sprouts, sliced tomato and lettuce.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? One

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? If I were a social person who likes to go out I'd probably find me boring and a stick in the mud, but if I were another quiet type who enjoys staying in and watching movies, then yes.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not as much as I used to, and not as much as I'm tempted to!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?Yes

9.   WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?  Absolutely not. I have a tendency to frown upon activities that nature never intended.

10.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?  Anyone who reads my blog will know it's home made muesli! But I also really like Jordan's Superfoods Breakfast flakes and Optimum Power.  

11.  DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE  THEM OFF? Yes

 12.  DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes. I've been through some thangs.

  13.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? I don't eat any dairy products--the cows that produce them live unnaturally short lives (on average four years as opposed to their natural life span of 20-25) of misery and pain, artificially inseminated with their offspring abducted at birth while they spend up to ten months of the year in chained confinement.  I do sometimes eat chocolate frozen soy dessert in summer.

  14.  WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?  I don't know. It depends on the person.

15.  RED OR PINK?   Red

 16.  WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I am touchy and emotional. 

17.  WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I try not to hang on to the past.

 18.  WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU  WEARING? black pinstripe pants and purple Isotoner big bow velour slippers 

 20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Dinner is in the oven, so it was licking the spoon from making bean enchiladas.

 21.  WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My tinnitus and the whirring of the computer. 

  22.  IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD
YOU BE?   Burnt umber

  23.  FAVORITE SMELLS? Coffee, cinnamon, fresh cut limes, lavender, the pages in new textbooks

 24.  WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?   Hubby

   25.  DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO  YOU?
No one sent it to me, I nicked it from Gwynn's blog. She's cool.

26.  FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? World Cup Football, but only when I've had a glass of chilled pink wine or three

  27.  HAIR COLOR? Brown

 28.  EYE COLOR? Brown

   29.  DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I used to.

 30.  FAVORITE FOOD? Asian--I love Thai and Chinese in particular

31.  SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Thrillers are good.

  32.  LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Last King of Scotland

  33.  WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
  Fuschia

  34.  SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer in England (rarely gets hot)

35.  HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

 36.  FAVORITE DESSERT?  I don't eat dessert, really. I like a bit of chocolate cake.

   37.  WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
The End of Faith by Sam Harris

 40.  WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Rainbow (70s British childrens TV show)

41.  WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? The Apprentice and a countdown of  20 of Madonna's music videos.

42.  FAVORITE SOUND? Hm. The sizzle when chopped onions hit hot oil.

 43.  ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?  Beatles

 44.  WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM  HOME? Depends on what you mean by home. 

 45.  DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? If I do, it has remained as of yet untapped.

June Rotation: 'GET RIPPED'

My workout rotation for June has two objectives in mind: increase upper body strength and sculpt muscle. It is a tough rotation that has me doing a Jari Love Get Ripped workout three times a week, with cardio or yoga in between.

(Jari Love, The Firm, Cathe, Rodney Yee)

1 Ultimate Calorie Blaster
2 Get Ripped
3 Calorie Killer
4 REST
5 Get Ripped 1000
6 Firm Bootcamp Maximum Calorie Burn
7 Get Ripped Slim & Lean
8 Yoga Burn
9 REST
10 Get Ripped to the Core
11 Low Max Time Saver cardio mix
12 Get Ripped Slim & Lean
13 REST
14 Get Ripped
15 Maximum Cardio Burn (different workout from June 6)
16 Yoga Burn
17 Get Ripped 1000
18 REST
19 Get Ripped to the Core
20 Low Impact Circuit--cardio circuits only
21 Get Ripped
22 REST and citizenship ceremony!
23 Sculpt and Tone Pilates
24 Low Impact Circuit--full workout
25 Express Cardio
26 Get Ripped
27 REST
28 Get Ripped to the Core
29 Basic Step
30 Get Ripped 1000

This is a very ambitious rotation, and may see me subbing shorter cardio workouts for the long ones scheduled, but I will give it my best shot.

Does anyone else use these workouts? Or do you have your own favourite home exercise DVDs? I'd love to hear about them!

May Assessment

My traditional monthly fitness assessment for May:

BMI 21
Body fat percentage according to calipers 20.2%
Weight 135.1
Resting Heart Rate not yet measured (will do tonight)
Chest measurement 32.5
Waist measurement 26.5
Hip measurement 36.25
Upper arm 11.25
Upper thigh 20.5
On-toes straight-leg military style pushups 20
Modified pushups in one minute not yet tested (will do tonight)
Workouts done 16
Miles walked on holiday 27 (thus accounting for missing workouts--I normally do 23 workouts in a month)

My weight is the lowest so far this year, although it's only been fluctuating within 135. It peaked in April at 135.8. (I do have to add, because I am SO chuffed about it, this morning I weighed 133.4! But averaged with the weigh-ins of the entire month, it came to 135.1).

I would really love my monthly average to be 133.

I have increased my on-toes pushups from 18 last month to 20 this month. (To recap in Jan I could do 10, in Feb I could do 12, in March I managed 15 and in April I did 18.) My goal at the beginning of the year was to be able to increase my pushups by 2-5 each month. So far so good. I would love to be able to do 35 by the end of the year.

June's workout rotation is called 'Get Ripped' and features Jari Love workouts three times a week. I will post it tonight after work.

Hope everyone is doing well. Why not post a monthly retrospective? It's a really motivating and rewarding habit!

A date with destiny

I become a British citizen on 22nd June!

I know it's not over yet. I still have two more goals: the UK passport and the UK driving licence. But I'm so nearly there!!!

Oh well

Got an email from the website where I found the image of the girl I had for my background and they said they'd paid for it as a stock image and couldn't authorize me to use it. So, back to the Union Jack!

I'm calling the council today to try to find out something about when my citizenship ceremony will take place. Fingers crossed that I can get an actual human being on the line and get some answers!

Playing with Blog Wizard!

I've been playing around with my blog design. This is kind of cool, I think! No, the girl in the background is not me; I don't think her look is completely out of reach, though. I sent an email to the website where I grabbed the image (www.boxingfitnessinstitute.com) asking permission. If they say no, out it goes, obviously! 

So what do you think? Isn't she inspirational???!!

Right, I've done my Jari Love 'Get Ripped 1000' workout this morning and we are off to find a muffin tin and and a cast iron skillet today. Big time fun on a rainy bank holiday Monday!!

----------------

Okay, we're back! I got the skillet and muffin tin--it wasn't easy! Apparently these are specialty items over here. Had to go to several shops. I also popped into a sports store and bought a new sports bra and shorts on sale. I'm very excited because the bra actually fits in the bust and is very comfortable. I'm going back ASAP and buy a couple more in different colors.

Tried a new recipe today and it was YUM!

Crustless Egg-Free Mini-Quiches

1 box silken tofu
1/4 cup soy milk
2 heaping Tbs nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp cashew butter or tahini
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt and black pepper to taste
2 green onions, chopped
1Tbs cornstarch

Combine above ingredients in blender or with hand blender (I used a hand blender).

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
5 or 6 mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
(or you could use small amounts of whatever veg is on hand)

Saute the above until done and add to tofu mixture.

Grease muffin cups with a bit of olive oil (optional) and spoon in the mixture until cups are half full. (Should be just enough for 12). Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

We just had this for lunch with steamed cabbage. Hubby loved them and said, 'Wow, this is real cooking!' 

Thanks to SusanV at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen once again! Word of warning, she says she tried doubling the recipe and baking in a regular pie pan and it didn't work. Stick to mini-quiches until she fiddles the recipe a bit. Yum!

Plan for dinner?  I'm making eggplant and vegan pepperoni pizza! Yum yum!

Read any good books lately? Want to?

It's been a while since I recommended books and websites, so here are a few good ones I don't think I've mentioned yet.

BOOKS

Food Politics by Marion Nestle

This books unravels the tangled old-boy network that is the American food industry and the government bodies that supposedly protect consumer interests. It is an infuriating, terrifying and important read. It made me so angry at one point I threw the book down!

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

This book examines the nature of the choices we make when we choose what to eat: what drives us culturally, morally, ethically, environmentally, and physiologically. The point is, in the 21st century world of endless choice, many of them harmful indeed, we cannot afford to just grab something and eat it. But what's the thinking eater to do?

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio

Hungry Planet

This one's a little different. It's a humongous coffee table book with a message. The book is a series of portraits of 30 families in 24 countries, posing with their typical groceries for the week. The food is detailed in lists, with market value in US dollars. Each family has also offered a favourite recipe using some of the ingredients from their weekly shop. I found this book fascinating and pored over it off and on for a week.

Perfect Portion by Linda Gassenheimer

This is a wonderful guide. It's filled with full color, life-size photos of real food, in perfect portions, with nutritional breakdowns. The point of the book is to help teach you how to eyeball proper portion sizes so that you can wean yourself off point and calorie counting. You learn to use your hand, fingers and fist to judge portion sizes, as well as common household items such as a computer mouse. It's really interesting and useful! Even though the book is marketed as 'it's how much you eat, not what you eat that counts', rest assured that in the book the author goes to great lengths to promote high fiber, unsaturated fats and all the usual healthy choices we all know and love!

WEBSITES

Fat Free Vegan

This fantastic site, by Jackson, Mississippi resident SusanV,  has a truly wonderful blog. You must take a look and be inspired! (See Ashley, some people from 'that part of the world' really do eat this way!)

The Post Punk Kitchen

This site supports a public access vegan cooking show and is maintained by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of the equally wonderful cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance. It's mostly recipes and message boards about vegan cooking.

Ellen's Kitchen

Another goldmine of recipes and ideas for the vegetarian kitchen.

Look, even if you aren't vegetarian or vegan, the recipes found in these websites are absolutely fantastic--and what have you go to lose by trying a vegetarian meal a couple times a month, other than a few points off your cholesterol?

Happy reading!