My Toxx

Miscellaneous babblings from the Wildfire Riders and friends!

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Grendrak
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Grendrak » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:23 pm

Israia wrote:
Dalbarr wrote:Spinach is full of tasty awesome healthiness. If you don't like lettuce just forget about it. It doesn't have much nutritional value anyway. If you want to get into eating salads make them with spinach.


I had no idea you could make a salad with spinach. Now I need to find out if I like spinach.


Spinach is a beautiful plant, tasty when it is fresh plucked, you can eat it raw, or cooked and it is always good for you.

Cabbage is another thing to look into, I don't have any (healthy) recipes for it handy but it is very good for you and generally very cheap.

One thing to note about the McCann's oats is that they are not a fast 30 second nuke to eat-ability, to make them well and tasty you need a stove top and 20+ minutes but it is completely worth it, and after some is fully cooked up you can refrigerate it and nuke that up later with some milk and all is well.

Watch out for the crystal light, they use Aspartame which is not very healthy for you in other ways more than it is good for you in lack of calories ( my own personal opinion medical research still has the book out on it.)

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Kyraine
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Kyraine » Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:13 pm

Spinach salad with some grated cheese and fresh tomatoes is bloody fantastic. It's not bitter at all and tastes great with just about every other veggie out there. I need to see if I can find my mom's stuffed cabbage recipe. It's easy to make- you take fresh ground beef, mix with rice, wrap the entire mess in cabbage and put some tomato sauce on it in a pot on the stove. I'll have a look for the recipe tonight and see about starting a recipe thread.

And yes, that's what the stuff is. Aspartame, it gives me migraines, so I avoid it like the plague. It's amazing how much stuff they put it in, I bought some low fat yogurt that was on sale, got a headache, and finally read the label. Sure enough. I'd rather have a smaller amount of real sugar, anyway though, so no real loss.
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Dravir
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Dravir » Sat Sep 18, 2010 12:21 am

Don't be afraid of workout elastics, they are quite user-friendly.

For run training, I'd suggest the links a little ways down on this page. I've used thewalk 10k and Run 10k guides; they can be taxing some days, especially if it's been a long work day or just a crappy day, but ultimately very, very manageable. Avoid any ugly hills or trails for the first while is my advice, but after a few weeks, do not be afraid to take on some challenges like that.

On the subject of workouts: high reps, low weight. Aerobics, as Gabby said, no cocaine. Push ups, while excellent for building muscle and strength in a very timely manner, are a double edged sword for big guys like us. You will lose fat, but the muscle will come on, slowing that goal of weight loss. For exercise for the arms and chest, I'd say go check out if the local place, if you're interested in it, has a good rowing machine (you can get wicked cardio and leg workouts at the same time!)

Light exercise in between the scheduled hard days is good. Get your stretching in, maybe a little light cardio (a good walk will even suffice,) and some light weights/aerobics to get those arms going. The rest days are to rebuild your body, but (carefully) keeping it limber will still speed along your training.

Toss me a PM or hit me up in game if you have any questions.
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Effie
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Effie » Sat Sep 18, 2010 11:17 am

Oh wow, reading all of this was quite inspiring! The goal to "lose this extra weight" has been one I've carried around for years and lately started working on again.

Since this seems to be a popular topic, I wanted to put forth some of my own ideas/thoughts and see what y'all think of them.

I've been reading a lot about the Glycemic Index, about the different ways people store fat (and where) and the best ways to diet within your body fat-storing profiles, etc. It's interesting to me, because I've always been more inclined toward the simple math of Calories In < Calories burned. It's a good idea and mathematically sound, but ignores completely things like nutrition. So I've been paying attention to nutrition, and so far, it's helped. In 3 years, my weight has stabilized, instead of inching up 5lbs or so a year. Now it's time to reverse that trend completely!

So my recent forays into 'eating healthy while slimming down' have brought me to a few rules that I try to follow: (Your opinions on these are gladly solicited.)

    *Eat food that is as close to it's natural state as possible. Steel cut vs rolled oats, cooked whole-grains like wheat berries, etc.
    *"Whole grains" doesn't mean healthy; if it's processed into a fine powder and smushed together in a chip or a cracker or a bread, most of the benefit is gone.
    *Eat colorful foods: Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries Pomegranates, etc. In nature, color= healthy.
    *Fix that sweet tooth with naturally sweet things; brightly colored fruit, for example!
    *Don't hate fat; just eat smart fats in smart amounts: Almonds, non-hydrogenated fats, etc. (Let's face it; fat gives food flavor, and the years of eating "fat free" foods didn't make me any skinnier; instead I put on 40-50 lbs.)
    *Drink that weird-looking, almost translucent low-fat milk; I'm not getting any younger and my bones could use the calcium!
    *Salads with every vegetable imaginable are my friends. Friends I can EAT! I've started having a salad every day for lunch; instead of a lot of dressing, I put chopped up hearts of palm with chopped up almonds and some balsamic vinegar dashed around on top.
    *Beans are also my friends. (But the refried beans-with-lard at my favorite Mexican restaurant are not. :( )
    *And of course... limiting restaurant eating, where the portions are too big, the salt/fat/sugar contents far too high, and where even if they offer a poached chicken breast with steamed vegetables meal, I'm going to order the bacon-wrapped filet mignon.

I also endorse Kashi cereals, Kashi granola bars if you need something you can take with you for a snack, sparkling water to drink, etc. I noticed the suggestions to make iced tea; I am not a fan of typical black tea, iced or otherwise, but you can make some fantastic sun tea / iced tea using Celestial Seasonings herbal teas.

And a last thought: Izzy, you inspire me; always have. Thanks for starting the thread and conversation. I needed a kick in the pants to remind me I'm not the only geek out here wanting to upgrade the Real Life avatar. ^.^

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Aelflaed
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Aelflaed » Sat Sep 18, 2010 4:39 pm

(Let's face it; fat gives food flavor, and the years of eating "fat free" foods didn't make me any skinnier; instead I put on 40-50 lbs.)


^ The reason for this is pretty simple. When people remove fat from food, they add things like sugars and "gums" to make it taste good. As you're familiar with the glycemic index, you can see how taking a cracker and removing fat (which slows down the process in which the sugars in the cracker hit your insulin system) and adding more sugar would, in fact, not actually be all that helpful.

One of the things I've done is swear off anything with the word "diet" in it. Usually "diet" anything is gross, and not worth eating. I'd rather eat one or two real oreos as a treat than suffer through crappy diet oreos and then think I've done something "good" for myself. In reality, the "diet" ones aren't much better, and when I eat the real ones, I know I've eaten a treat and make sure not to eat other treats that day.

The other thing I've done is start to make my own bread (or make most of it) using the "Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a Day" system. It's still bread, and I still don't eat it much, but when the ingredients list is Whole Wheat Flour, Whole Rye Flour, wheat germ, flax seeds, a little AP flour, yeast, water, and salt, I can feel pretty good about it. 90% of bread you buy in the supermarket is... well, crappy. Even the so-called "whole grain" stuff. And not just from a health perspective, it's generally kindof shitty as bread too. Homemade is much better, and not that hard. (for testimonials, ask Arrens or Dauganimir, both of whom aren't huge fans of store bought whole wheat breads, but whom are quite fond of the bread I make >.>)

but you can make some fantastic sun tea / iced tea using Celestial Seasonings herbal teas.


This! Especially their "zinger" teas - like raspberry or wild-berry zinger teas, which are made with fruit and hibiscus flowers. Yum.

I should post my recipe for black bean and brown rice "burrito bowls". Basically you cook black beans and brown rice in the oven with onion and hot pepper (in a big dutch oven or heavy pot) and then serve it with sliced avocado, salsa, and sour cream. It's the yum. Also the cheap.
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Grizz
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Grizz » Sat Sep 18, 2010 6:55 pm

This is the part of the thread where I pimp out http://www.warriorxfit.com/. It's an exercise program started by the head instructor of Karate America, one of the martial arts schools headquartered here in Jacksonville. There are different workout schedules for each day of the month, mainly using things like resistance bands instead of weights, and they allow you to chart your progress on the site so you can see how you're doing.

It's only about 20-45 minutes a day, and they encourage people to just do what they can and work on improving that. 6 20-second sets of each exercise, doing however many reps you can. 6 exercises a day. There's videos on the site to demonstrate how to properly do the exercises, too.

It's a fantastic workout, and it's free. Check it out!

Edit: Unfortunately the videos and the information on the site don't include any stretches to warm up or cool down. (We actually paid to take the class at one of the Karate America schools.) I will see if I can find a little more information on what we did to warm up and cool down, but defintiely, definitely stretch before trying these exercises.

Edit #2, electric boogaloo: The video on the front site only lists the exercises you'll be doing; however if you create an account there's actually a cool little thing with a video to run you through the warmup and then voice prompts/music for the exercise set. Of course, you will need room to workout with a computer nearby.

The music loops can be really bad, I believe you can disable them and have the voice only. >.>

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Lansiron
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Lansiron » Sun Sep 19, 2010 1:55 am

Oh! This goes in with the "leafy vegetable" thing anyway, but I wanted to just add:

Romaine lettuce forever.

It's much healthier than the standard iceberg variety, and it's got a great flavor and texture (plus it's shape is perfect for putting on sub sammiches).

A bowl of romaine with a bit of vinaigrette dressing (which unlike most salad dressings actually tastes good in it's lowfat variety, and isn't even particularly high-fat in it's regular) and whatever other veggies you want mixed in is damn good as a snack or a meal.

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Kestil
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Kestil » Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:19 pm

Lansiron wrote:Romaine lettuce forever.


If you go the lettuce route. I agree with other posters in that spinach can make some of the TASTIEST salads I've ever tasted. It's also a great addition to a sandwich, instead of just regular romaine. The greener salad, the better.

Alfalfa sprouts are a pretty nommy addition to salads and sandwiches, and are pretty decent sources of protein and vitamins (see here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/veg ... cts/2302/2)

Ovaltine + milk isn't too bad of a source for vitamins, either, and the calorie count is pretty low if you mix it with water (80cal; although I prefer it with milk, but it bumps it up to ~170cal per 4tbsp of Ovaltine, depending on the milk you buy).
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Effie
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Effie » Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:51 am

Aelflaed wrote:
The other thing I've done is start to make my own bread (or make most of it) using the "Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a Day" system. It's still bread, and I still don't eat it much, but when the ingredients list is Whole Wheat Flour, Whole Rye Flour, wheat germ, flax seeds, a little AP flour, yeast, water, and salt, I can feel pretty good about it. 90% of bread you buy in the supermarket is... well, crappy. Even the so-called "whole grain" stuff. And not just from a health perspective, it's generally kindof shitty as bread too. Homemade is much better, and not that hard. (for testimonials, ask Arrens or Dauganimir, both of whom aren't huge fans of store bought whole wheat breads, but whom are quite fond of the bread I make >.>)

Can you share the recipe? I grind my own whole wheat flour for bread-making(it tastes SO MUCH BETTER than store-bought!) and I'd love to try your bread.

I should post my recipe for black bean and brown rice "burrito bowls". Basically you cook black beans and brown rice in the oven with onion and hot pepper (in a big dutch oven or heavy pot) and then serve it with sliced avocado, salsa, and sour cream. It's the yum. Also the cheap.

Yes, please! This sounds fabulous.

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Arrens
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Re: My Toxx

Postby Arrens » Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:37 pm

Aelflaed wrote: (for testimonials, ask Arrens or Dauganimir, both of whom aren't huge fans of store bought whole wheat breads, but whom are quite fond of the bread I make >.>)


My name is Arrens and I approve this message. (Actually, no. My name is Steve. But she didn't ask you to ask Steve for a testimonial. She asked for Arrens. And now I'm having a personality conflict. WHO AMI?!)


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