FeralGoth’s BodyBlog

So, I was training one of my very first clients today when someone also working out in her apt. complex’s gym asked me (my client had stepped away for a bathroom break) "I noticed you’re a trainer, can you tell me some good snack ideas for trying to lose weight?"

EEEEEEEE!!!!!! :)

And I could tell he wasn’t just trying to hit on me or anything, but was genuinely interested in some suggestions.  I mentioned some of the basics like low fat/ fat free cottage cheese, low fat string cheese (and other low/no fat dairy snacks), as well as a few tips on how to choose a protein bar or shake to help meet your goals.  Made sure to stress the importance of high protein snacks for their hunger satisfaction in a lower calorie package and directed him to some articles on here for beginners.   I was just so thrilled that someone asked me something!  HAHA!!  I know, its silly… but its a start!

And gleefully eating it all!

Do you like guacamole?  Tuna?  You might dig this then, I know I do - I’m probably going to be tempted to make this again and again and again!  Seriously I ate this at noon and I’m still full - its 4pm!  Normally I burn through things in a couple of hours!

If you’d like a nice organized, printable version of the recipe with my nutritional approximations in somewhat of detail, check it out on my fledging new website: GiryaGirl.com

Collect the following:
1/2 Florida Avocado, cut into small cubes
1/2 small tomato, seeded and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 green onions chopped small
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 15oz can Westbrae Naturals mixed salad beans rinsed and drained (you could probably substitute some other beans if you wish)
1 5oz can tuna (I’m an albacore snob and like the low sodium ones as well)
Adobo seasoning to taste, or just salt and pepper to taste

put everything except for the seasoning in a large bowl and mix to combine evenly - taste and season accordingly.

Comes out to about 650 calories for the whole thing (you could share half of it for a mini meal) with 56g of protein!  Yum yum!   If you try it, please tell me if you enjoyed it.

Another workout (yesterday), or how to "make the bottom half hurt like the top half does" part of the "I can’t be bothered to drive anywhere in this heat to work out, so I should do this at home" kettlebell series.

Decided to continue with the multiple sets thing from Monday and apply it to the lower body.

Pistols - with 1 16K (approx 35lbs) kettlebell:
4 sets of 4 on each side

Front Squats with 2 20K (approx 44lbs each) kettlebells:
5 sets of 5

Good Mornings with 1 24K (approx 53lbs) Kettlebell - with strict attention to form:
3 sets of 12

Kettlebell Hack Squats (ala Steve Maxwell) light weight for practice and balance (8K and 12K kbs used)
5 sets of 6

1 Leg Deadlift strict form 1 24K kettlebell
3 sets of 8 per side

Renegade Lunges with 16K kettlebell
2 sets of 10 (would have done more, but had to get ready to meet people for dinner)

Today will be an "easy day" mostly of cardio and ab work - then its back at the ladder from the previous post!   I have to say though, I was getting ready for bed last night and the backs of my arms kept bumping "something" - that something was a lat - I thought the new grip on the "tactical" chin ups was effective OUCH!!!!  Guess it was!!!!

In other news, I was inspired by the Protein Peanut Butter Balls on this page:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/10_beginner_recipes.htm

My variant uses 2 scoops of  BSN Dessert Chocolate Fudge, skips the oatmeal, uses half peanut butter and half almond butter, cuts the honey in half and adds a dash of salt.   This also requires you to mash it all up with your hands - FUN!!!!!

As soon as the British houseguests continue on their journey, I will be picking test date for the ACE certification and paying the fee.   I’m considering taking the online version of the test review as well - just to make sure I didn’t miss anything in that big freaking book.

Ordered the "Protein cookies" book from bb.com and tried the oatmeal chocolate chip ones - they are even "boyfriend approved" (he’s very picky about food and has eaten 3-4 of them voluntarily).  I modified the recipe to use Smart Balance instead of butter, and less of it by adding more applesauce.  Also, the only thing we had resembling chocolate chips in the house were 3 squares of baking chocolate, so I chopped those up into vaguely chocolate chip size chunks and tossed them in - it made for a nice bitter chocolate taste, which is something I like better than overly sweet chocolate.  I caught him spreading low fat cream cheese on one of the cookies this morning though….

Having discovered the joys of lump charcoal this past weekend, I had the idea of making grilled chicken "strips" ahead.  You know how they have bags of them in costco/sam’s club etc. the factory grilled and stamped with grill marks and infused with extra salt?  I thought - why not make my own - at least for a few day’s supply.   Chicken breast w/o skin/bones etc. was on sale so I picked up a 4 pack, rolled them all in a small bowl half full of Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce then tossed them on the grill, wow were they spicy!   I let them cool then put them in a ziplock bag in the fridge for this week… I also grilled some asparagus (lightly spray with Pam first and add a little salt/pepper) afterwards and did the same.

Over the past few days I have been slicing and reheating the spicy chicken and making impromtu quesadillas with fat free cheese etc.   Today I made the "mega taco"

Slice up 3.5 oz of the grilled chicken and reheat it in the microwave with 1 oz of grilled asparagus (in a bowl, covered for less than a minute, stir it up after 30 sec.)
1 Tumaro’s low fat, low carb multi grain tortilla goes into a skillet on medium.   Put 1 oz of fat free shredded cheddar on the tortilla and spread out evenly.   Dice up 1.5 oz of tomato and add it and the reheated chicken+asparagus to the tortilla, fold it over and lightly brown on both sides (copying Tijuana Flat’s "Grilled Tacos")  Get plenty of napkins and EAT IT!

Total Calories: 319.5
6g fat
17.5g carbohydrates
9g fiber
48.5g protein

I was going through my bookshelf the other day and stashed inside the front cover of "Flex Appeal" by Rachel McLish were a collection of printout from May 5th 2003.  The first one was a body composition analysis done by a trusted trainer, and old school bodybuilder Raymond in DeLand who is still currently the only person on this planet who can call me "Little Lady" without offending me (it helps that he’s nearly grandpa age).  Anyway - that page has my body fat AND the mm measurements used to obtain the percentage.  I had been getting paranoid lately that maybe my calculations and measurements were way off since I’m approaching a (at least for me) low 16% while still eating the occasional cheeseburger.   Needless to say this should be accurate since I am willing to be seen at the pool in public on a weekend in a bathingsuit (the real test).   SO… here’s the comparison from then to now:

Then - 26 years old, 118.7lbs (clothed to workout) 19.7% body fat (and still not happy with the booty/cellulite issues)

Now - 31 years old, 123lbs (nekkid!) 16.5% body fat (significantly happier with rear end, thighs, upper body development, etc. etc. things are good)

Other fun things to realize is that at age 26 I had been a strict vegetarian for 3 years eating minimal cheese and having beans/tofu/grains as my main protein source.  Now I eat all sorts of things (steak burritos, eggs, turkey sausage, dark greens, broccoli like mad, brown rice, whey, yogurt, muesli etc.) - but not junk food unless its an "occasion" and that doesn’t happen too often. Yes, I will have the double cheeseburger and split the fries with you at 5 guys… but chances are its because I lifted heavy the day before… :)

The 2nd page is really interesting, it is a typed up mini report I did about my fitness goals at the time, and what I had been doing at the gym before going to see Raymond, and particulars of my diet.  I seriously need to find the old text file of this, because it is a complete 180 from what I do now.   I was doing loads of cardio, light weighted upper body exercises (12lb and 15lb dumbbells?!??! ! WHAT?????), yoga, belly dancing, aerobic kickboxing, tai chi (which I still do with some chi kung) not to mention loads and loads of crunches.

I can’t believe how far I’ve come when I look back at all of this.   Besides being so much happier with how I look now, I am so *significantly stronger* that its a little bit staggering.  This gives me great hope for my future personal training clients - I remember feeling so helpless back then about changing how I looked - like I would never get this sagging behind back where it needed to be.   Not everyone will respond to how I train now, but just knowing that there ARE ways to train that WILL make the changes you want to see is amazingly motivating.   I can’t wait to start helping folks on their way to fitness.   Ok, back to studying!!!

A new smoothie recipe….

"Put these ingredients into that thing there"*
that thing of course meaning blender… but only if your blender can crush ice.
1. small handful of ice cubes (I have a small hand, you have a big hand, adjust accordingly)
2. 2 oz. of FRS low cal orange flavor vitamin drink concentrate
3. 6 oz water
4. 4 oz skim milk
5. 1 scoop Any Whey plain whey protein
6. 1 scoop vanilla Casein protein
Blend and prepare to nom nom nom through a straw**

And the numbers….
Calories: 260
Protein: 44g
Carbohydrates: 15.5g
Fat: 0.5g (!!!!)
Flavor: yummy
Plus you get a @#$load of b vitamins and antioxidents with the FRS plus half a cup of coffee’s worth of caffeine.

*Metalocalypse reference… Nathan Explosion = awesome.
**Boyfriend nabs McDonald’s straws for me when he has to have his filet-o-fish fix…

So I was going through my book collection and found an OLD body composition data sheet… back when I was vegetarian with an ******* boyfriend who hated food and tried to hide my vitamins.   Interestingly enough I also tried to remember what I lifted around then and found that I am now lifting 3-4 TIMES more than back then as well - and at similar rep ranges.  Here’s the then and now:

Then (27 years old) - 118lbs, 18% bodyfat
Now (31 years old) 126lbs, 17% bodyfat

I have nearly 8 more lbs of lean now… WOOWOO!!!!!! :)

At age 28 I stopped being vegetarian/vegan, and after about a year or so, noticed that I had grown 1/2" taller - I had been feeling taller lately, so I decided to take off my shoes and make a mark on the wall and measure it… sure enough, since the last time I did this I have grown ANOTHER 1/2" taller - and I’m 1 month away from being 31 years old.  Crazy stuff!!!  These days I’ve been getting the proper amount of calcium, etc. so I suppose thats the cause.  Some friends of mine claim that their husbands grew taller later in life from "drinking milk in the Army".   If I keep this up I might lose my 5′4" and under "petite" status… dunno if there’s more height in my future, but I’ll take what I can get… because there’s always platform boots…..  hahahah.

That reminds me, I SERIOUSLY need to post a new progress pic - the booty is significantly less dumpy these days.  HURRAH!!!

My boyfriend bought me a super awesome blender for Christmas - and today we’re going to go get smoothie supplies - tasty experiment details to follow! :)   Hope everyone had/is having a great holiday!