This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

My weight loss, slower than a herd of turtles

Most weight loss and diet bloggers do a lot of weekly update posts. I haven’t since going back to Weight Watchers earlier this year and starting on their Momentum Plan. You know why? Because reading that I’ve lost 1 pound here, or gained a few pounds back there, is boring.

Well, it’s beyond boring to me that is. In fact, it’s downright maddening.

I don’t know what it is this time around with my weight loss journey. I don’t understand that now that I’m sticking to an eating plan that I love and that fits in so well with my lifestyle, it’s harder to lose weight.

I don’t understand why I’m barely losing a pound a week when I’m exercising. I never used to exercise or I exercised on a few times a week. But I’m working out five to six days a week.

And the times I took my exercise routine to the next level? What a scale disaster. The first week when I joined 24Hour Fitness and worked with a person trainer AND the first week I started using EA Sports Active (you can read my review here) – I actually gained weight (3.5 and 2.5 pounds each of those weeks). Crap.

Winding up my time at 24 Hour Fitness

I went to my doctor for my yearly exam and was told I weighed 10 pounds less than last year. That certainly made my day.

Of course, having a weight loss and fitness blog helps as does rejoining Weight Watchers earlier this year. But for the first time I’m doing Weight Watchers and working out. The new Momentum plan is more “me” plus I’ve become more motivated to improve my fitness levels after my time at 24 Hour Fitness.

See my post Working out at 24 Hour Fitness: personal training and yoga class to read about working with a personal trainer and the yoga classes I took. Or you can read all of my 24 Hour Fitness review posts to find out more about the club and my experiences working out there.

Where do you workout? Home, rec center or fitness club?

I mostly work out at home mostly for the convenience of it. In the past, I’ve done yoga at dance studios or used university or recreation center facilities to exercise.

This summer, after dropping the kids off at summer camp, I plan to stop by the local rec center a few days a week to work out. My goal is to take at least one yoga class a week and maybe a fitness or spin class.

Recently I was given a free 30-day pass to try out 24 Hour Fitness at This Mama Cooks! Reviews. My first review post is now up:

Working out at 24 Hour Fitness: online sign up and club facilities review

Stop by and see what I think of the club so far or to read my other 24 Hour Fitness review posts.

A little inspiration to exercise and stay fit

How do you get yourself motivated to exercise? Do you set a schedule? Or maybe reward yourself with something like a massage or a trip to the movies?

I like trying new things, whether it’s an exercise class or a session with a personal trainer. Even getting a cool new water bottle or downloading a new podcast to listen to while I exercise inspires me to get out of bed and get moving in the morning.

See my post, Getting motivated to exercise with 24 Hour Fitness at This Mama Cooks! Reviews for some ideas on how to get your rear in gear.

And if you have some idea or tips, share below!

Meet me at the club - 24 Hour Fitness

I’ve been approached to review 24 Hour Fitness, a sponsor of one of my family’s favorite TV shows, NBC’s The Biggest Loser. My little local rec center is a nice facility, but it has its limits - namely being overrun with unsupervised tweens and teens in the summer.

So, I’m excited to be given a chance to try out a bigger facility, meet with a personal trainer, try different equipment equipment, and attend a few yoga classes. A chance to sit in a hot tub without my kids jumping all over me would be nice, too.

You can see my first post about it at My workout routine, summer break and 24 Hour Fitness.

Click here to see all my 24 Hour Fitness review posts.

Win a Warner Bros. "New Year New You" kit and get SIX workout DVDs

Is your New Year’s resolution to try a new exercise and fitness routine? Or maybe you’re interested int trying out some new workout DVDs. Thanks to the folks at Warner Bros. I’m giving away three “New Year New You” kits, which includes these six DVDs:

Lisa Rinna: Dance Body Beautiful-Learn & Burn AND Lisa Rinna: Dance Body Beautiful: Jive, Jump, Ballroom Bump

The hip new workout method created and choreographed by “Dancing With The Stars” competitors and fan favorites Lisa Rinna and Louis Van Amstel is the ultimate fitness DVD series.  Encompassing totally unique routines that are super fun and easy to follow, you can do these dance fitness body blasting workouts anywhere or anytime – no partner needed!  So get up! Get moving!

Skinny Bitch Fitness: Boot Camp AND Skinny Bitch Fitness: Body from the NY Times Best Selling Authors of the Skinny Bitch books

Welcome to Skinny Bitch Boot Camp where only the strong and healthy survive!  Make no mistake – a Skinny Bitch is a healthy one. Stop letting life pass you by! You can have the body and life you’ve always dreamed of! So get off your butt, and get ready to have it kicked into shape! Each workout segment is packed with solid conditioning exercises that will define, tone, and strengthen your muscles and get your heart going.

Abs of Steel: Sculpting and Toning AND Buns of Steel: Sculpting and Toning

This intense abs training regime will help you achieve amazing abs and buns of steel!  Cutting edge moves designed to shed inches and sculpt your torso from every angle are so intense your workouts will be shorter, yet much more effective. Variations are shown to allow you to work at a mild, intense, or ultimate pace depending on your fitness level or how you feel from workout to workout.

See below for the rules on how to enter my contest to win one of three “New Year New You” kits.

5 ways to get out of your diet or workout rut

Life has its ups and downs, and so does my weight it seems. I’m back on the heavy side again, even though I’ve been working out regularly when I haven’t been traveling. I’ve decided I’m in a diet and exercise rut and need to change it up to get back to where I want to be with my weight, eating habit and fitness routine.

Here are five things you can get out of your diet or workout rut:

1. Start a different exercise routine. Last year I was working out at the rec center down the street from my daughter’s preschool. Over the summer, I only used the exercise bike and some free weights. I’m not challenged anymore.

To change it up I started working out to Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred. The real title of this exercise video should be “Jillian Michaels comes to your house to kick your ass.” Besides that it’s challenging, I like it because it only takes 20 minutes a day (thank goodness!) and Jillian has you use big and small muscles at the same time for maximum calorie burn. You can view a video clip of the 30 Day Shred at Amazon.com.

2. Eat something different. Are you one of those people who eat the same thing for breakfast every day? Trying new foods that fit your diet or weight loss plan can help you get out of a weight plateau.

I’ve been exploring polymeal cooking based on the book Healthiest Meals on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What Meals to Eat and Why. (You can read my two posts on it at More polymeal cooking: antelope tenderloin with blackberry sage sauce and Healthy holiday polymeal cooking with the Healthiest Meals on Earth.) Even if you’re on a strict weight loss diet, you can use some of the recommended foods like fresh vegetables, garlic, fish, nuts and even an occasional nibble of chocolate or glass of wine in your food plan.

Try looking a old things in a new way, too. Maybe you want to get out your old cookbooks and modify some recipes. One book that I’m going to do this with is Margarita Mama: Mocktails for Moms-to-Be. No I'm not pregnant! However, the book is full of non-alcoholic mocktails that you can modify to make even healthier and lower in calories. Here's a sample:

Basil Pomegranate Lemonade
Pomegranates contain high concentrations of polyphenols, which are antioxidants and have been shown to inhibit the development of certain cancers.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 basil leaves
• 2 oz. of pomegranate juice
• 4 oz. lemonade (substitute a sugar free lemonade or make your own with stevia and fresh lemon juice)
• 2 oz. lemon-lime soda (substitute a sugar free soda or use a lemon-lime flavored seltzer water)

Directions:

1. Mix basil and pomegranate juice in the bottom of a tall glass.
2. Fill the glass with ice.
3. Add the lemonade and the soda/seltzer and stir.

Post-BlogHer detoxing with some healthy fruit drinks

In a few days I’ll be off to the BlogHer conference, which means a great deal of partying, drinking, noshing, and not enough sleep. I’m getting in early Thursday morning, so I’ll work out at the hotel gym before my massage. (I’ve been having back problems lately and haven’t had the time to book an appointment at home.)

Except for plenty of walking, I won’t work out until next week. Four days out of seven isn’t bad, but I’ve been trying to exercise five to six days per week this summer. Yes, the hotel gym is open early, but I know I’ll be out late. I need my sleep, and if there is one thing that makes me overeat is being tired.

I’ll try to make good choices when possible, but I want to indulge a little, too. I’ll make up for it when I get back home by trying some new recipes that I found in the August issue of Living magazine. They remind me of the concoctions in The UltraSimple Diet book.

Cherry-Berry Tea Smoothies
Tofu is a great source of protein and the fruit a great source of anti-oxidants.
Serves 4 – 2 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 2 Rooibos tea bags - Saphara Tropical Rooibos Tea by Celestial Seasonings is one of my favorites
• 6 ounces silken tofu
• 10 ounces (2 cups) frozen sweet cherries
• 6 ounces (1 cup) frozen grapes
• 3 ounces (1/2 cup) frozen blueberries (I may try blackberries or raspberries from my garden instead.)

Directions:

1. Bring water to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat, and add tea bags. Let steep, uncovered, for 8 minutes. Discard tea bags. Refrigerate tea until cold, about 40 minutes.
2. Puree tea, tofu, and fruit in a blender until smooth, and serve cold.

Want tighter abs in three weeks? Do the Russian Twist!

Since the kids have been home for summer break, I've been working out at home. Funny thing, I'm working out more now that I don't have time to go to the gym. That's because we have a recumbent exercise bike in the living room and some light hand weights. I still had to order 10-pound Neoprene hand weights from Amazon, but now I have pretty much everything I need.

My summer exercise routine

First, I get up around 5:30 to 6 a.m. (not hard when it's light so early) do 30 to 45 minutes on the bike at an interval setting, so I can go between low and high tension and speed. (I try not to do the same bike setting every day.) Then I lower the seat back into a bench and do my upper body arm exercises.

I'm finally beginning to see more changes in my body, especially in the arms, thighs and butt. However, my belly was in it's full muffin top glory. Yech! Luckily, I came across a terrific abdominal exercise - the Russian Twist - in the June 2008 issue of Health magazine. It's based on the Russian Twist (there are several versions) from Marty Tuley's Busting Your Butt and Gut: Minimizing Your Maximum Areas.

How to do the Russian Twist

Mark's version is slightly different:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs slightly bent and feet flat on the ground.
2. Lift your feet about 2 feet off the ground. Then lean back and extend your arms so your palms are above your knees. (This way you're using your core muscles to maintain your balance.)
3. Without moving your legs (that's the toughest part) twist your torso and arms to the left about 2 feet.
4. Return to center and repeat twisting to your right. Come back to the center to complete 1 rep.
5. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps, resting for 30 seconds between sets. You should start to see results in 3 weeks.

This exercise is a killer. It's very challenging and at first all I could do is 4 or 5 in a row. Then I realized I was holding my breath! So now I try to remember to breathe as I'm doing my reps. After a week, I worked up to doing a full 10 in the first set and about 8 in the second set before I had to take a break. If I can't do the full 10 in a row, I take a mini break and go back and do 12 total.

What I like about Marty's Russian Twist (besides the challenge) is that you don't need any special equipment, just like the rest of the exercises in Busting Your Butt and Gut. (Great if you travel or don't have exercise equipment at home.) Plus, it's quick and can be done almost anywhere. Believe it or not, I did it at the playground while watching my daughter play on the swings.

So get down on the floor with me and do the Russian Twist for better abs in three weeks!

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Get planked on the exercise floor and on the grill

The plank is a popular Pilates and yoga exercise that targets the core muscles, especially the abs, as well as the shoulders, arms, rear end, and legs. Here's a demo of a plank from Violet Zaki of exerciseTV.

But did you know that planking is also a cooking method? Cedar plank grilling grilling is a great way of giving food a smoky taste without having to use a smoker.