Friday, March 19, 2010

Friday Randomness

Back in the olden days - before my journey - I had a favorite item to order when I was at the drive-thru. It made no difference whether I was at Taco Bell, McDonalds, Wendy's - you name it - they all had it. Can you guess what it was?

"And a..."

The phrase "and a" was uttered a lot during my orders. For some reason, I got it in my head that one meal was never going to be enough, so there was always the "and a" - be it an extra double cheeseburger, bean burrito, junior bacon cheeseburger...this was in addition to my Big Mac meal, or the crispy taco meal...you get the idea. Crazy that I could (and would) routinely eat that much! The only time I didn't order an "and a" was when I got the Box Meal at Taco Bell. That one was extra big...perfect for me. Imagine my chagrin and shame when I later discovered that they were marketing it to hungry men. Not 5' 1" women. Oops.

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Sometimes I entertain the thought of quitting my workouts (usually after a tough one when I am incredibly sore) in favor of just running, because running is so much easier than what Brad puts us through. But then I remember that running IS easy (to a degree) because of the strength training that I do - I truly believe that I've had an easier time, with less pain, because I had so many months of conditioning under my belt before I started running. And really, who am I kidding? I am as addicted to my workouts, trainers and my group as I used to be to Taco Bell. I'm not going anywhere!

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What's been working for me lately: Starbucks Via coffee - those little tubes of instant (and very good!) coffee. I have one every day after lunch and it really seems to stop my brain from wanting to eat. Hey, anything that turns off the munching machine AND keeps me from wanting to take a nap is a good thing in my book!

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Speaking of what has been working, adding the good fats seems to be helping tame my extreme hunger. I will say that after a few days of eating 1/4 cup of almonds in my morning yogurt, I cut that amount back to 1/8 of a cup and added 1/4 cup of the Kashi Golean Crunch cereal. I missed the sweetness of the cereal, and the almonds were getting a little strong for my taste. I will try that meal with walnuts in the next couple of days and see if there is any difference. I've also been LOVING the avocado at lunch! I bought a bunch of little avocados - they were 50 cents each - and that size equals out to about 125 calories for the entire thing. They are so good, and again, I'm not ready to gnaw my arm off an hour after I've eaten.

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Finally, here's a shout out to my little brother, Jeff, who had to undergo heart surgery yesterday and will have to go through some more in a couple of weeks. Hang in there, dude. Love from your sister and the rest of the gang.

26 comments:

  1. I was wondering about those little tubes of instant coffee...I was skeptical if they did taste any good, since most instant coffees are loathsome. Thanks for the info!

    Hope your brother gets better soon, too!

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  2. I've recently succumbed to the siren song of Starbucks, as well. I've given up daily coffee, but needed a little something between work and a 6pm meeting that I attend. So, I pop into Starbucks once a week for a tall, skinny vanilla latte. It's a big old treat for 90 calories. And I can then stand to wait to eat when I get home!

    And girl, I could tell you stories of my old days, as well. Sheesh. Today, I cannot even imagine.

    Best recovery wishes for your bro.

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  3. Ahhh, the good old days..LOL! Sometimes on my way home from work I think about all my old regular fast food places I used to stop and eat at--whatever I wanted. I don't ever think of them with longing, just a detached observation as I am munching on my sunflower seeds!

    I'm a walnut girl through and through. To me a decadent treat is greek yogurt (must stop at Trader Joe's tonight...) walnuts, and one medjool date cut into bite size pieces, all mixed together with a little cinnamon (and yes, splenda too...)

    Been loving your comments on doggies and food over on my blog. And you gave me an idea. It has become a real fight to get Sophie to go outside. Why not give in to the siren call of the 'cookies' for that too...

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  4. My good old days never really included fast food. I did all my damage at home. Take it from someone who did nothing but running for years - you need to counterbalance that with other workouts. You will be a stronger, better runner because of your stronger core and legs and shoulders! Best wishes to your brother for a speedy recovery. Have a great weekend.

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  5. Used to joke with my ex-fat (WLS) sister about going thru the drive thru and ordering a buttload of food (for one person) but then ordering a couple of extra cokes to make it look like the food was for a group of people. Was funny at the time, not now. Neither she nor I have eaten fast food in 20 years or so.
    Now back to my morning cup of coffee.

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  6. Um, I used to hit the drive through on the way home, eat it in the car, throw the evidence in the garbage and then cook dinner! We've all come a long way!

    Hugs to your brother - fingers crossed the rest of his surgeries will be successful!

    My husband had an artificial heart valve put in 3 years ago, so I know it's a long road!

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  7. Oh yeah - double cheeseburger value meal for me! I cannot believe I actually *liked* eating that stuff. Now it tastes gross. Funny how tastes change.

    Fat is an amazing thing for satiety, isn't it? I try to have some with each meal so it lasts longer.

    For me, I sometimes think about just biking all the time with nothing else, and that does happen to a degree when the weather is warmer. You might find that with running during the summer that you will just naturally do more of that and less strength, but as the weather gets cold again - you workouts will change.

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  8. I would go to McDonald's and get a #2 meal (two cheeseburgers, fries and a soda) AND A Mc Flurry...Yeah. I know.


    I think I've been running so long that it does nothing for my weight loss anymore. I definitely need to do some strength training but can't afford a gym at this point...I know there are plenty of DVDs I could do, and yet I'm too stubborn to just do them, I'm comfortable in my jogging "rut."

    I hope your brother is doing well, I'll keep him in my thoughts.

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  9. I was either the "and a" kinda guy or worse, the "two for" kind of guy. You mean I could get two double cheeseburgers for $3 dollars? Why, it'd be an insult to ignore such a great offer...I'd be stupid really. Sure, I'll die young, but they'll talk about my thriftiness at my funeral. Oh wait, I kept my shame eating secret...damn.

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  10. I hope your brother has a speedy recovery and does well with the next surgery.

    In my morning yogurt, I add 7-8 whole natural almonds, 1/2 cup Go Lean Crunch (love the Honey Almond, but do the plain most of the time), and just a sprinkle of Great Value brand dried mixed berries. Not sure of the caloric content of the berries, but they add just the right sweetness.

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  11. Isn't ironic how the switch is flipped? You go from being addicted to fast food to being addicted to exercise.

    I'm addicted to exercise too and I never thought I would say that...

    Hope that all will be well with your brother.

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  12. Hope your brother will be ok.

    Have a great weekend!

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  13. I haven't had anything that was delivered to me through a window in gioing on 7 weeks now, and I can't believe what a difference it has made in my aility to lose! Not to say that I don't miss it...I TOTALLY do, but the pounds I have managed to lose over the last 6 weeks by PLANNING my eating and doing "Couch to 5K" and weights has helped keep me away. (But I still think anout Frostys..) :)

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  14. Sending good thoughts to your brother!

    I just realized that your starting weight was exactly what mine was - 256. We're only a couple inches off in height too, I'm 5'-3". It's so inspiring to me to see your progress pictures knowing this.

    I used to always order "and a" too. In fact, my favorite was the whopper combo from BK, king sized with a coke...and a whopper jr on the side.

    Thankfully those days are behind me!

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  15. My good old days was to go through Wendy's and get a frosty and fries. Ohhhh my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

    Hope your brother gets better.

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  16. You could never fool me by saying you are thinking about quitting your workouts: I know how you love them! And I still wish I had such great trainers like you!

    Have a great weekend my dear friend.

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  17. And hope your brother gets well soon and all the surgery's go well.

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  18. What kind of strength training do you do?

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  19. Wow, I hope your brother gets well soon! Hugs!
    I love Via too, very convenient! Re: strength training... I totally get it...doing strength training is SO challenging for me even though I "thought" I was fit cardiovascularly...now that I'm doing strength training I feel really wimpy! GO girl, you are strong!

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  20. I hope all goes well for your brother.

    And a......I have been there that is for sure.

    I like to eat healthy fats, too. I love almonds and all-natural peanut butter with apples.

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  21. Girl, I didn't have to order double meals or try to fake the person out, I lived in such a small town that McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, the local drive in burger joint, a couple of great cafes and the best restaurant in town were all within a couple of blocks of one another - with my apartment smack dab in the middle. I lived alone, I hated to wash dishes and it was just easy to eat out all the time. So I'd eat a burger and large fries from McDonald's, then pop over to the burger joint for onion rings and a blizzard-style shake. If I got hungry later I could always order a pizza. I didn't even question it for the longest time. I'm glad that's not me anymore.

    I'm walking a lot but not able to run yet. I don't know how those bigger people do it on The Biggest Loser, I can't jog for more than short spurts -- my knees won't last! Arthritis runs in my family big time, but I'm hoping getting more weight off my frame will help my knees. I'm also looking at buying a bike as it's low impact, but my husband said because of all the hills and valleys in the the area we live in, it won't be easy on my knees.

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  22. What a great insight about "and a" at the fast food places! I do still stop at them from time to time, and I am going to keep that in mind the next time I order. I bet it will make a big difference in the amount of food I think I need to eat versus what I actually DO need to eat. Thank you!

    Adding a little extra fat really does work. Thanks for proving that.

    Good thoughts to your brother and your family.

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  23. Gosh, I completely used the "and a..." for two decades. One meal was never enough!
    I love your realization that the healthy fat addition keeps you full longer. I find that too and therefore love to add avocado, nuts, etc to meals.
    Glad the Starbucks Via coffee packs are good, I'd love them in a pinch!

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  24. After I started watching my calories I was AMAZED to find out how many calories some of the things I ate had. No wonder I got so big!

    I must get some of those Via packs. I keep putting it off because of $$ but I've only heard great things about them. Bonus that they help with hunger!

    I've noticed that fats and proteins really keep me satisfied. I love walnuts in my honey greek yogurt. It's also hard to binge on scrambled eggs. There's only so many of them you can eat before getting full. :)

    Wishing your brother the very best and a speedy recovery.

    PS You would totally miss your workouts! And I'd miss hearing about the new ideas Brad gets for torturing you guys. LOL Maybe you could take a break from them if you are nearing burnout. Just a thought. :)

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  25. Shelley, so sorry to hear about your brother, will put him in my prayers tonight!

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  26. I don't know if I had fave food at any one place. I don't think I really paid much attention to the taste, really, I just wanted food.

    It's hard to stick with it when you dont want to. I worry that I won't want to start back up. So I just do it. That seems easier. It's worked so far.

    Hope all is well with your brother, I am sure it will be!

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