Saturday, April 3, 2010

Kathy Week 14: Two Great Websites & Cauliflower Soup

Current Weight: 141
Last Week's Weight: 141 
Starting Weight: 151
Total Weight Loss:  10 pounds

Yawn...Same ol', same ol'...

Ok, so weight loss has gone weird on me. I'm still eating 1600 calories a day. I'm exercising more than ever. But I weigh the same I did a month ago.


And yet...my clothes fit waaaaay better than they did in early March. What on earth is going on??

I don't know. Sometimes weight loss is just plain weird. I went in to have my measurements taken at Curves this week, and here are the numbers:



Jan 29, 2010
Mar 31, 2010
I lost…
Bust
37 ¾”
37”
¾”
Waist
33”
30 ¾”
2 ¼”
Abdomen
42 ½”
41”
1 ½”
Hip
42”
40 ½”
1 ½”
Thigh
22 ¼”
21 ¼”
1”
Upper Arm
13”
12 ½”
½”

And...not only am I more slender now, but I feel so much stronger now than I did a month ago!

So here's my theory: for the time being, while I'm in training for the Goat Mountain Gallop, my body is busy converting fat to muscle, and building more muscle in general, and weight loss is just not happening for now. I don't want to reduce my calorie intake while I'm in training, and while I do want to eventually get to my "happy weight" goal of 134 pounds, for now I'm thrilled with getting stronger and leaner.

I'd welcome any comments or suggestions about my theory. What do you think? Am I on the right track, or am I just kidding myself?

But enough about me, because now...drum roll please...
Here are two great websites I want to share with you!

MapMyRun.Com
I've been using mapmyrun.com to calculate how far I'm walking on my training walks. It's really easy to use. I just type in my home address, and then click each corner where I turn. It tallies the mileage for me. Pretty slick! Try it out for your neighborhood. Then, when you go walking in circles, you'll know how far you go.

RealAge
The RealAge  website is great for assessing your overall health. It asks a series of questions about your eating, exercise, family health history, and some miscellaneous questions that tie into whether we are truly younger than or older than our calendar age. Guess what? I'm the same "real age" (49.8) today that I was a year ago! Does that mean that I get younger as I get healthier? Maybe so...

The RealAge calculator will give a more accurate result if you know a few facts about yourself ahead of time. Your resting heart rate (here's how to calculate that), your blood pressure (I checked mine last week at the local pharmacy in their funny machine that you stick your arm into), your cholesterol levels (ummm...not sure, but it's a good reminder to get mine checked again), etc. If you don't know those things, you can still put your information into the calculator, but some of the recommendations they give you will be a little more vague.

Well, all those interesting numbers can make a body hungry, so here's a great recipe to add to this week's menus. We had it for dinner last night, and it was quick to make and deeeeelicious! And I'm not even a big fan of cauliflower!

Cauliflower Soup
Diane magazine, Winter 2009, pages 17-18

(Do you like potato soup? This has many similarities, but it has more fiber, more vitamins A and C, and fewer calories! The smooth flavors of the vegetables are complemented by the kick of the spices. Yum!)

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 large potato, peeled and cut in chunks
1 head cauliflower, cut in florets
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1-2 teaspoons paprika (I use 1)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-to-high heat. Add the onion and carrot. Stir and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Add the stock, potato, and cauliflower, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove 3/4 of the soup and in small batches puree in a blender until smooth.
3. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the remaining ingredients. Heat again for 3 minutes over low heat. Divide among 4 bowls. Lightly sprinkle with paprika.

Serves 4; Per 2-cup serving: 198 calories, 11 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 6 mg. cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 921 mg. sodium.

Well, I'm spending some time with my sweet husband today, and then I'm headed out this afternoon for a 7-8 mile training walk...getting ready for the Goat Mountain Gallop! My dear friend Dorothy (Walking in Circles) has agreed to walk in a BIG circle with me today. The forecast calls for sprinkles, so we'll be in our rain gear, and you can bet that we'll have our cameras in our pockets...watching our step and watching out for the Easter Bunny!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and Happy Easter tomorrow!

3 comments:

Katie Lewis said...

Congrats Mom! Those measurements are exciting! :)

Dorothy said...

I'm sure hoping we don't have much need for the rain gear...but it's certainly cool out there today. Might need a stocking hat! Brrr!

emmalou said...

Kathy, I agree with your theory about why your weight is staying the same. It happened to me when I was training for my marathon. I lost weight for a couple months and then I was at a constant 141... same as you! Since I have not been in marathon training I have been able to lose weight again. It sure feels great to notice your improved musculature, though, right? Way to go! The Goat Mountain Gallop sounds fun.

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