TexasFire

I feel I must add a sidebar to this conversation with a really big complaint: Why the hell is it so much more expensive to eat a clean diet? The crap food is so much cheaper!

HA! I was scared for me, too, believe me! But you know as well as me...there is so much information out there, with so many differing opinions, with studies to back every one of them of course. It is really up to the idividual to educate themselves on this and determine what is right for them. For a person who doesn't excercise, all that protein would be one big expensive waste! (Literally) Yeah, I don't get the protein fear, either. In fact, I would probably say "This has 30 grams of protein. I'd better have TWO!"

The hair is definitely fantastic! That kind of style can be cute and funky if your wearing jeans or just plain hot like in the pic. I wish I could get away with short hair, but #1 it looks like crap on me and #2 hubby would KILL me if I got rid of my long hair again.

Speaking of Protein...here's a tip I just posted on another thread. If I can save just one soul, it's worth it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, I've been all over the Protein Bars lately, right? Well here's another tip/opinion...Stay the hell away from Pure Protein. I got the Double Layer Bar in strawberry Shortcake. Sounds good, right? Uh-uh...has the smell and aftertaste like you've just dined in the catbox. One bite, a couple chews...spit...throw the bar in the trash.

Java - Yes, ma'am...it is yummy! And now I know that the Key Lime Pie is yummy, too! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, I've been all over the protein bars lately, right? Well here's another tip/opinion...Stay the hell away from Pure Protein. I got the Double Layer Bar in Strawberry Shortcake. Sounds good, right? Uh-uh...has the smell and aftertaste like you've just dined in the catbox. One bite, a couple chews...spit...throw the bar in the trash.

BG - That is freakin' hilarious! That would have made the coolest video! I'm glad you were okay, and the bike was salvageable, though! I could SO envision the bee, and the erratic swatting, swerving...and DIVE! You're awesome, ya know?

Same here...done with shopping except for the little stuff. JUST got the tree decorated last night, so I hear ya! Still need to wrap. Fun. Congrats on the restriction!!! Aren't these bands just funny things? Just when you think you know something about them, they change their pattern. Go figure, but so glad you got resolution around that!

WOW! Where the heck IS everyone?!?!?! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LUCY - GOOD NEWS! Lean Body Gold in the Cookie Twist flavor has no nuts! It is GOOD, too, girl!

Almost forgot...180 crunches and hour and a half workout on our back muscles today. Then 30 minutes on the bike in the cardio room, hill trainer program. It wasn't "Leg Tuesday"...partner threw me a curve. Tomorrow is legs and I can't wait to see what I can do on the leg press again!

Thanks, DiBaby! And good for you getting back to spin class! I was all ready to sign up when I realized the class was only one night a week...is that typical?!?!? I'm taking Fish Oil, yes. They are huge, yes. But nothing compared to the CLA I am taking! Gels go down fine for me, no matter how large, thank goodness. The pills just kill me. I am also using Creatine, Glutamine, RedLine, B6, L-Carnitine, Flaxseed, and ZMA. I will tell you what I believe about Protein if no one kills the messenger! When I discussed it on another thread, I felt I was gonna be lynched. But this IS an excercise thread, so I should be safe, right? LOL First of all, that's bull-puckey about only being able to absorb ANY specified amount of protein and expect that to apply to the masses. The amount of protein you can take in at any given time depends on your body weight, your current level of excercise, if you consume it immediately before or after your workout, what KIND of protein you are consuming, etcetera. Example, my smoothie has already "grown up" in just a week and now contains 70 grams of protein. But I only get it immediately after a workout. That is simply preference, as you could/should load up either an hour before or immediately following a workout. I use whey protein during the day, as it is utilized generally within two hours. I use casein protein immediately before bed because it is slow release and lasts up to seven hours while I sleep. How much protein you should consume in a day depends on your goals, but a general rule-of-thumb is minimum one gram of protein for each pound of body weight. That should increase to minimum one and a half grams if you are trying to add muscle mass. My goal is a blend of first body fat percentage reduction and second adding muscle mass, and I go with the one and a half grams per pound of body weight. This is a brand new revised goal for me, based on research through tons of reading and talking with trainers and the folks at The Vitamin Shoppe and Max Muscle. I didn't revise the amount of protein I shoot for, but revised how much and how often I need to eat...meaning I need to eat tons more frequently, resulting in eating a lot more over the course of a day. I just can't keep at the ultra-low calorie intake I've been on since June and get all this protein in, so calorie counting went out the window for me. I finally realized that I work out WAY too much to be concerned with how many calories I'm taking in. I was constantly trying to hit my protein goal and stay under my calorie goal, and it just wasn't working for me anymore. It took a lot of research to convince me, though! We will see if I made the right decision soon enough. You should go get this months' copy of the magazine that The Vitamin Shoppe puts out, "Muscle & Body"...fantastic info. I don't know a flippin' thing about the glycemic index stuff yet. Keep us posted!

Oh shit! I thought we were mailing on the 17th! I won't have time tomorrow, but will Thursday morning. I missed the burnt chickens, but the pic is funny! Never heard about BG taking flying lessons, either! Sounds like something that would happen to me. Welcome, newbies! Don't fear the natives here...they are quite harmless! (And hilarious, I might add.) Sorry about the ice, ZZ...and your insane cold, D...and everyone else who is in the real cold. I know I whine about it here, but I'm just flat not used to it and it goes to my very core. Plus, we don't typically do all the bundling and layering here, and I'm at the gym everyday, so I tend to still go out in my thin workout pants, tee shirt and sweat jacket...not really adequate. Tomorrow is Happy Hump Day...have a good one!

Hi, WHOS! You aren't the typical lurker...what's up with THAT?!?!? Hey, saw the pics MM posted! She's lookin' HOT, huh?

ANGEL - Prayers in progress here! Hope you knock that cold out quick! Boy...we are ALL getting sick! "Tis The Season"!

No, not true for abs. Your trainer is right...I should have mentioned that! I work my abs every day. I don't know why it is different for abs, but I guess it just is. (I'm glad!) So glad you took my response with love. Boy, that sleeping pill I took had me on a roll! SORRY! LOL From what you are saying, I'd be afraid of a fill at this point, too. I "thought" I was possibly needing one there for a day or two, but no...I do not. Definitely don't push it if you are getting stuck...you don't want to be utterly miserable. I wish I knew some answers for you regarding the meat. I think you are right in that a lot of your calories are coming from sauces and such. I eat a ton of fish. Salmon, specifically. Do you like fish? That is usually well tolerated because of the moisture content.

Okay...never, ever been a fan of yogurt...outside of frozen chocolate, that is. But I tried a Yoplait Light Fat Free today that is to die for! Have y'all tried White Chocolate Strawberry? Heaven!

HA! You are so nice! But EVERYONE is looking damn good! I may post...haven't decided.

B - My gosh, man! You are amazing! What a flip! Good for you!

D - You are so right! I'm so sorry you are in that! Do you ever get used to it?!?!?

Hey, my workout partner is 52 years old and he weighed over 300 pounds when he started working out. Now he's the most "cut up" guy in the gym! A real big powerhouse whose body fat percentage I would guess at about 5% or less! So your dad can do it! Also, let me know what you read...I am looking for that one special piece of inspiration to get me pounding the streets. The cold won't bother me a bit to run.

WOW That is one HUGE post! Yikes! :omg: Blame the drugs! Good night, y'all!

JM - I totally understand. That's why I don't let myself take a break...because I might not re-start. So I go the other extreme and work out obsessively. But you recognize it and are wanting to get back on track, and that is the biggest step. The holidays are tough with crazy schedules and so much to do, but make it a priority and you won't miss a workout. About the amount of work you do...I don't know. You and your trainer know best in that area. If you decide to step it up, just remember not to work the same body part two days in a row EVER. You are defeating all your hard work if you do. All that being said, you are likely doing the right things since you have a trainer leading you. About the fill, again only you know your body. Can you eat a cup of food (primarily Protein, then veggies) and be satisfied until the next meal? If not, you may want to discuss it with your doc or NP and get their opinion. Also, if you never have PB issues, you certainly won't be going overboard to get a fill. That is a sure-fire indicator for me. About the amount of calories/food you are consuming. I think most bandsters go on the cup method of eating and not counting calories, but I count calories and food content. What guidelines did your doc give you? I only ask because that amount of calories is on the top end of the spectrum for a normal persons diet and seems very excessive for a bandster. All this is being said in love...I heart you and want you and eveyone else to go by their docs instructions once the doc is informed about your regular eating and excercing habits. Make sure you tell them if you are taking any supplements, also! (I just carry my big bag 'o pills in with me so I won't forget any!) I'm an extremist, consuming between 500 and 800 calories a day. Then you can deduct my workouts from there...when I usually end up in the negative. My weight is dropping, but very slowly. That is because, according to my body fat test, I have gained as much lean muscle while I lost even more fat...so it appears (falsely!) that I am a slow loser right now. Not true! I dropped my body fat by 6% in one month, and that is the true indicator of progress...not the scale. All in all, with the calorie count so high, you may want to revamp the diet, clean it up a lot. Eating a very clean diet will make you feel tons better, too. It all starts with protein: as an example, you now weigh 150# (I have no clue what you really weigh), so you should be consuming a minimum of 150 grams of protein every day to get the most out of your workouts. (MORE if you work out hard and often) whey protein is one of the best during the day because it is rapidly assimilated into your muscles and is used immediately, usually within two hours. This makes whey protein the absolute best for before and after Protein shakes or bars. This is also what makes it terrible before bed. A major muscle building hormone, GH, hits its peak in the middle of the night, when canabalism of your hard earned muscles can begin to take place while you sleep! Casein Protein, however is a better choice (A MUST FOR ME!) before bedtime. Your best bet is to look for a protein that contains some micellar casein. This form of casein is undenatured and will form micella, or globules,when rehydrated with Fluid. They will clump together in your stomach like a gel and slow down its digestion. This allows the protein to provide a slow trickle of amino acids to the body for up to seven hours. All you have to do is mix 40-50 grams of casien Protein powder in skim milk or Water and drink it right before bed. You may also want to consume an equal amount of carbs to stock up your liver lycogen, because when those levels drop during sleep, it signals your muscle burning processes to rev up, and you don't want that. There's more to this, but I don't know how you feel about taking supplements. I think I need to start a blog with all this info I am gathering from all my reading. If you saw what what in my gym bag, you'd freak out. Of course towels and water bottles and gum, but mostly gallon zip lock bags full of the supplements I'm taking along with a schedule of what and how many and what time. The oh-so-kind folks at the gym call my bag "THE PHARMACY". All of it has been reserched that they do not negatively impact one another, and many enhance the performance of others...also confirmed my the doc, who gave me the green light. Anyhow...I really got carried away, but the only subject I feel I could give an opinion on is your diet. If it were me, I would cut it back significantly using more whole foods/clean foods. You might find that you can eat just as much and the calories are significantly slashed. At that point, if you are still hungry between meals, I would talk to doc about a possible fill. Your call on that one. I'm back to debating whether or not I need one myself. Well, this was a huge post! YIKES! Oh well, it's late...the Ambien kicked in long ago and I'm rambling. Love y'all! Be good and have a great Tuesday! Oh! Sissy workout today! No partner today as I needed to be on a different schedule. I did 180 crunches, six sets of twelve calf raises, and six set of concentration curls...MOVED UP TO 20 POUND DUMBELLS! It hurt, but it hurt GOOD! There are a lot of guys who come into the free weight room and can't/won't do more than 10 or 15 pounds! GO ME! :whoo:

I was looking forward to going to Smoothie King all day yesterday. When I pulled in last night, they were closed!!! I didn't check to see if they closed early on Sundays or if they just aren't open. I was SO disappointed! So not only didn't I get my smoothie, I wasn't able to get that protein bar. But I am definitely going tonight!!! I checked out the six month pix thread...everyone looks so good!

BG - I aspire to doing a tri, also. If I can ever get to running, that is! My BIL runs marathons, so I asked him how you find them. Maybe you've seen this site? The American Triathlon Calendar It's pretty cool!

Man! You folks are doing fantastic! Can't wait to see the rest of you! Keep it up! (My six month anniversary is passed, so I don't have to post any pics since I missed it! LOL)

Quote: Originally Posted by Lucy Thanks, Rhonda! It sucks that all the protein bars have nuts in them -- I can't eat nuts I think the Cookie Twist has crisps instead of nuts. I'll verify that tomorrow. Found out that Smoothie King closes early on Sundays and I missed out one, so I will definitely be there tomorrow. I see on a lot of foods disclaiming that their product contains no nuts, but may be processed on equipment that also processes nuts...is that a problem, as well for you? I don't know if thier label says that or not just yet for that flavor. It would be great if we could find a good one for you. Keep your fingers crossed and I will buy one tomorrow so I can put the label up on the board.