Week 11 Menu and workout

Got all my workouts in this week and ate exactly as the menu stated, no cheat meals. I didn't get a fat analysis this week but I did get measurements. Down .2 lbs from the scale this week. Lost 1.25" from my arm, 4" from my waist, 2" from my hips, 1" from my thigh, and .5 inches from my calf since the beginning of this program. They have hired a dietician to shadow my trainer, I think because of this she cleaned up my menu by a lot... and dropped my 6th meal which I am nervous about since I can't sleep without having something on my belly. We'll see how this week goes. I am being naughty but this menu is way too clean for me (one can only eat so much plain turkey breast and broccoli) so I found some healthy recipes online to jazz it up. It doesn't look like it increases my macronutrients by much so I'm hoping it doesn't affect next week's results. I'll link the optional recipes in the menu--I have no idea how they will taste but they sounded good to me. I'll post my review in the next day or so to let you know if it sucks or not.

Menu

Breakfast
Turkey and Broccoli Frittata (see official recipe below)
1 Apple
.25 c oatmeal (measured dry)

* I decided to put the apple and the oatmeal into a slow cooker along with some cinnamon and top it off with sugar free maple syrup or splenda.

1st snack
.5 c non-fat cottage cheese
1 rice cake
1 peach

Lunch 
3 oz skinless chicken breast
.5 c wild rice (I did wild rice rice a roni, but didn't add the butter)
1 c broccoli
1 pear

* I found a recipe for a balsamic chicken with pear sauce recipe at http://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/BalsChickenPear.htm, and plan to eat the broccoli and wild rice on the side. I will probably increase the pear just a bit to get the macro nutrients closer to what the trainer outlined for me.

2nd snack
1 Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt
8 Almond Nut-Thins crackers
4 Almonds

Dinner
3 oz Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 c cooked broccoli

* I found a recipe for Broccoli Stir Fry at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-and-broccoli-stir-fry-recipe/index.html, and will adjust the recipe so it fits the macro nutrients the trainer outlined for me.

Workout: 5 days of cardio/3 days of strength training. For strength training days, cardio is after workouts. Rest day should be after the extra cardio day.

HIIT Elliptical, 2 minutes Slow/1 Minute Fast - 20 minutes

Strength Training

3 Sets / 8-12 reps. Focus on pushing more weight and last set should fail. Speed 3/1.5  Rest 20-30 seconds unless noted otherwise

Day 1:
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Dumbbell Skull Crusher
Dips on Bench
Narrow Grip Dumbbell Triceps Press

Day 2:
Standing Rope Hammer Curls
Standing Dumbbell Curl
Standing Hammer Dumbbell Curl
Assisted Pull up machine
Bent over 2 arm dumbbell row
Reverse Narrow Grip Pull ups
Smith Machine Shoulder press

Day 3:
Squats
Leg Extension
Walking Lunges
Leg Press Machine
Prone Leg Curl
Seated Leg Curl Machine
Inner Thigh/Outer Thigh

Day 4:
Standing dumbbell shoulder press
Incline dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell shoulder lateral raise
Forearm bridge (hold 60 seconds)
Ball crunches

Week 10 Menu and workout

This week has been kind of hectic/stressful due to some family issues. I was only able to get 2 of my 5 workouts completed. Despite this, I still lost 2.5 lbs from the scale, did not add any muscle mass. This week's goal is to complete all of my workouts.

Menu

Breakfast
1 Orange
4 egg whites
2 slices Sara Lee Delightful bread
1 tbsp sugar free jam

1st snack
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 Kashi Honey Almond Flax granola bar

Lunch 
1 cup Lettuce, Romaine
1 Lean Cuisine any flavor under 240 calories

2nd snack
1 light string cheese
1 rice cake
4 large baby carrots
.5 cup cucumber slices

Dinner
Turkey Chili (See Recipe below)

Late Snack
2 oz Deli Turkey
2 cups Lettuce, Romaine

TURKEY CHILI RECIPE

Canned beans can offer convenience, but choose reduced-sodium varieties and rinse them to keep the sodium content low. Feel free to turn up the heat with diced jalapeno, more cumin, dried oregano or all of the above. You can also swap in lean ground beef for the turkey or go meatless by using a third can of beans.

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp olive or canola oil, divided
1 lb ground 100% turkey breast
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
28 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp ground cumin

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey to the pan. Brown the meat, breaking it up into very small pieces as it cooks.
2. Remove meat from the pan and season with salt and ground pepper if desired; reserve.
3. Return pan to the stove. Add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and pepper. Cook until soft.
4. Add meat back to the pan, and stir in beans, tomatoes, and cumin. Heat to boiling, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

 NUTRITION PER SERVING:

Calories: 267
Protein: 27g
Carbs: 27g
Fat: 6g
Fiber: 9g




Workout: 5 days of cardio/3 days of strength training. For strength training days, cardio is after workouts. Rest day should be after the extra cardio day.

HIIT Elliptical, 2 minutes Slow/1 Minute Fast - 20 minutes

Strength Training

3 Sets / 8-12 reps. Focus on pushing more weight and last set should fail. Speed 3/1.5  Rest 20-30 seconds unless noted otherwise

Day 1:
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Dumbbell Skull Crusher
Dips on Bench
Narrow Grip Dumbbell Triceps Press

Day 2:
Standing Rope Hammer Curls
Standing Dumbbell Curl
Standing Hammer Dumbbell Curl
Assisted Pull up machine
Bent over 2 arm dumbbell row
Reverse Narrow Grip Pull ups
Smith Machine Shoulder press

Day 3:
Squats
Leg Extension
Walking Lunges
Hamstring Drops
Seated Leg Curl Machine
Inner Thigh/Outer Thigh

Day 4:
Standing dumbbell shoulder press
Incline dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell shoulder lateral raise
Forearm bridge (hold 60 seconds)
Ball crunches

Week 9 Menu and fitness plan

Dropped 3 lbs off the scale this past week! Woohoo! Here is this week's menu and fitness plan.

Menu

Breakfast
.75 c Kroger Carbmaster Milk
.75 c Kashi Go Lean Cereal
1 Vegan Morning Star Patty
1 apple

1st snack
1 baby bell light cheese
10 Rice Crackers
1 Peach
2 oz Deli Turkey

Lunch 
1 cup Lettuce, Romaine
1 Lean Cuisine any flavor under 240 calories

2nd snack
carbright bar

Dinner
Turkey Meatloaf Muffins (see previous posts for recipe)
1 Cup Cauliflower
1 Cup Broccoli

Late Snack
2 oz Deli Turkey


Workout: 5 days of cardio/3 days of strength training. For strength training days, cardio is after workouts. Rest day should be after the extra cardio day.

HIIT Elliptical, 2 minutes Slow/1 Minute Fast - 20 minutes

Strength Training

3 Sets / 8-12 reps. Focus on pushing more weight and last set should fail. Speed 3/1.5  Rest 20-30 seconds unless noted otherwise

Day 1:
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Dumbbell Skull Crusher
Dips on Bench
Narrow Grip Dumbbell Triceps Press

Day 2:
Standing Rope Hammer Curls
Standing Dumbbell Curl
Standing Hammer Dumbbell Curl
Assisted Pull up machine
Bent over 2 arm dumbbell row
Reverse Narrow Grip Pull ups
Smith Machine Shoulder press

Day 3:
Squats
Leg Extension
Walking Lunges
Hamstring Drops
Seated Leg Curl Machine
Inner Thigh/Outer Thigh

Day 4:
Standing dumbbell shoulder press
Incline dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell shoulder lateral raise
Forearm bridge (hold 60 seconds)
Ball crunches

Week 8 Menu and Fitness Plan

This week my personal goal is to PUSH, I want to see some awesome results next time I get my stats... No off meal plans, and really PUSH higher weights.

Menu

Breakfast
1 Eggo Nutrigrain Waffle
1 TBSP sugar free pancake syrup
1 oz turkey sausage
1 peach

1st snack
1 Quest Bar

Lunch 
1 cup Lettuce, Romaine
1 Lean Cuisine (Beef Portabello)

2nd snack
.5 scoop Whey Protein Powder
1 TBSP Peanut Butter
.5 Banana
1 Whole Wheat Tortilla

Dinner
3 oz roasted chicken breast
1 cup cooked green beans

Late Snack
1 Light String Cheese


Workout: 5 days of cardio/3 days of strength training. For strength training days, cardio is after workouts. Rest day should be after the extra cardio day.

HIIT Treadmill, 2 minutes Slow/1 Minute Fast - 20 minutes

Strength Training

3 Sets / 8-12 reps. Focus on pushing more weight and last set should fail. Speed 3/1.5  Rest 20-30 seconds unless noted otherwise

Day 1:
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Dumbbell Skull Crusher
Dips on Bench
Narrow Grip Dumbbell Triceps Press

Day 2:
Standing Rope Hammer Curls
Standing Dumbbell Curl
Standing Hammer Dumbbell Curl
Assisted Pull up machine
Bent over 2 arm dumbbell row
Reverse Narrow Grip Pull ups
Smith Machine Shoulder press

Day 3:
Squats
Leg Extension
Walking Lunges
Hamstring Drops
Seated Leg Curl Machine
Inner Thigh/Outer Thigh

Day 4:
Standing dumbbell shoulder press
Incline dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell shoulder lateral raise
Forearm bridge (hold 60 seconds)
Ball crunches

Yeah, don't laugh...

So this week (well Labor Day weekend) kind of sucked as far as my workout plan is concerned...

I didn't do as well with working out as I had hoped. I did get them all in but I was really careful.

It started around 11:00 Saturday night. I had been home all day, did a home workout earlier that day and was playing around on the computer. It started with an itch behind my ear, of which I didn't think much about since I live close to wetlands and we get a lot of mosquitos. I figured one had just snuck into the house. About an hour of furious itching went by, and I decided to go to bed and put on some hydrocortisone to stop the itch. I noticed huge hives going from ear to ear and down my neck. I took some antihistamines (it's kind of a second nature reaction for me since I do suffer from hayfever pretty bad). In the time it took me to get the antihistamines out of the cabinet and take them, a very large rash started spreading down my chest and starting down my back. Another reaction was to jump into a cold bath to see if that would reduce the swelling. When I got out the rash was quickly spreading more on my back and into my face. I didn't notice any sort of fever or difficulty in breathing which I know is a very serious sign of an allergy... I was monitoring my rash progression and told myself after 30 minutes if it didn't slow (or if it got worse before then) I would go to the emergency room... I figured 30 minutes should have given the antihistamines a little bit of time to go through my system. Luckily, that did stop the progression of the rash. It itched all night but I felt fine otherwise. The next two days, in the AM the rash was pretty colorless (ugly though, like REALLY bad acne) and it itched mildly... but by about 11:00 it started to flush and looked like a rash again. So through the long holiday weekend I watched it closely, and was very careful with my work outs and food.

Finally got in to see an allergist on Tuesday. We still don't know what caused it but the closest guess is I have some sort of very mild food allergy that with exercise induced a reaction. We don't know if it's from foods that were closer to when I worked out or if it was closer to the onset of the reaction. It's all foods I have eaten before and I have never had any known sensitivities to before.

Allergic to exercise. Isn't THAT my kind of luck? On a holiday weekend too. sheesh.

But the good news is, I got some prednisone and have been doubling up on antihistamines. I haven't seen it since the doctor's visit. And I hope not to again, that was NOT fun.

But yeah, I learned if you tell someone you're allergic to exercise (which is misleading because really you're allergic to something else, it's just that histamines are dropped while you exercise) they kind of fall on the floor laughing hysterically... or they think you are making it up.

So as of right now I am down about 5.5 lbs off the scale since I started, I am gaining muscle faster than losing fat so that's why it's not very spectacular on the scale. Despite my weaker efforts to workouts this week, I did gain almost a pound of muscle, which is nothing at all to be ashamed of.

In other news, I survived Comic Con! I feel like I walked my little legs off--I am still fun hung over from 3 days of it... But I had a great time and I can't wait for next year's.