Post-Workout Breakfast Recipe: Chocolate Protein Pancakes

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No, it’s not a Rorschach test. It’s a delicious chocolate protein pancake.

After this morning’s weight training, I whipped up some chocolate protein pancakes. I used my chocolate favored Whey protein powder.  But you can use vanilla if you prefer.

I started out mixing it by hand. After a few minutes I broke out my hand mixer to break up the banana. As for a topping, I decided to go with a thin layer of almond butter. But you could use fruit or 2 tsp of maple syrup.

How does it taste? As with most post-weight training food, I hope for the best and expect the worst.  This one knocked my socks off.  It was delicious. It’s moist and the chocolate, oatmeal and egg combine to give it a nice flavor with the occasional burst of banana.

Would I make it again?  Absolutely. It’s very filling. I’ve also seen a recipe with plain, non-fat yogurt and I might give that a try.

Why The High Carbs?
Coming in at 55 net carbs, this is not a low carb meal. You need to eat both carbs and protein after an intense workout – and when I mean intense, I don’t mean walking 30 minutes on a treadmill. I’m talking about the kind of intensity where a trainer kicks your ass to the point where you feel like jelly or you ride a bike for 3 hours.

Anyway, the carbs boost insulin levels after a workout. The insulin in turn helps your body to more efficiently use the amino acids from the protein. Essentially you’re repairing and rebuilding your muscles more quickly. But you have a small window to do this after a workout – about 2 hours (1 hour is best).

Also, be smart about the your carb choices. Technically after an intense muscle workout you could eat a candy bar and it would probably get stored as muscle and not fat.  But remember this is a lifestyle change…not a diet.

Protein Pancakes
Serves 1 person
Net Carbs: 55
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 11

Ingredients

  • 4 Large eggs (3 whites and one whole)
  • 1 Scoop Whey protein (chocolate)
  • 1/2 Banana, mashed
  • *1/4 C Oatmeal, steel-cut or old fashion

Directions

  • Spray pan with cooking spray and heat over a medium high heat
  • Stir all ingredients together until combined
  • When the edges of the pancake begin to harden, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes
  • Top with syrup, nut butter or fresh fruit and enjoy

*Steel-cut oatmeal takes 30 minutes to prepare, so suggest you give yourself extra time or make the oatmeal before your workout.

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Everyday Beauty: Picking The Right Lip Color

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With so many colors to choose from, how do you pick the color that’s right for you? Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono and FreeDigitialPhotos.net.

After nearly two weeks since my makeup makeover, I finally went shopping for some lipstick. I headed out to my local drug store and quickly got overwhelmed. So many choices. They all look so pretty. But how to tell if the one I pick is the right color for me?

And it’s not like Walgreens will let me try them on.

I immediately avoided the reds. I’ve never found a red lipstick that looked good on me.

But then I thought, I look great wearing my red shirts and sweaters. So what gives?

Then it dawned on me. When I went shopping with my Glam Squad we selected makeup based on my skin tone and eye color. Hmmmm… it makes sense that my skin and lip colors are key to selecting the right lipstick.

I left the store empty-handed, but more determined.

When I got home I asked The Google to clarify this mystery.  Bobbi Brown’s Lip System had the answer for me.

It turns out picking the right color isn’t all that hard.

Using the natural color of my lips as my guide, I can find my matching lip color. From there, staying in that color family, I can easily find flattering neutral, bright and deep lipstick shades. And I can play with different textures.

Seems like a simple way to start building my lipstick collection.  Of course it only took me 30 years to figure it out.

Tomorrow I head out to Macy’s cosmetics department, much more confident of success.

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Time For This Fat Girl To Start Running

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interval training and weight loss

Yes, I’m interval training again. I may run as fast as a turtle, but dagnabit, I’m running!

I planned to do an easy 2-mile walk this morning. Instead, I ended up interval training.  After my 5K on Sunday and quick recovery on Monday, something inside of me decided that it’s time for this fat girl to start running.

Now the last time I tried interval training, back in February, I weighed about 280.  My doc suggested I lose another 50 lbs. before trying again. Well I’m 243 lbs. now. Not quite 50 lbs., but why not give it a try?

So I dusted off my 5K app and set out this morning.

App of Choice: Easy 5K with Jeff Galloway
Let me start by stating Easy 5K with Jeff Galloway is awesome.  I paid $3.99 for the app and it’s worth every penny.

For those who don’t know, Jeff Galloway’s an Olympian who created the run-walk-run technique for runners. The technique — essentially timed walk breaks between runs — helps to prevent injuries. Perfect for a newbie like me.

The app creates a specialized training program for you, based on the pace you want to meet. Then it provides you with a daily and weekly schedule for interval training.  You do 3 workouts a week for 8 weeks. Your distance increases with each workout. Today I ended up going slightly more than a mile.  That will increase to 1.25 miles on Thursday.

I love walking to music. I work harder with the right songs playing. The faster the beat, the quicker my pace and the better my time. The Easy 5K app actually changes the beat of your music to match your running/walking pace.  Very cool!

Another nice feature is Jeff Galloway…actually his voice. Galloway walks you through the interval training. He provides useful hints and encouragement, tells you when to walk or run, provides count downs, and lets you know how far you have to go.

Easy 5K is a great app for either someone getting off the couch for the first time or a power walker who wants to run their first 5K (like me).

Dot2Trot’s Run/Walk/Run Ratio
Since I’m new to running and still have a ton of weight to lose, I decided to go easy and choose a 15-minute mile pace.  I’ll stick with this for the full 8 weeks. At that point, depending on how I feel, I’ll increase the pace.

So my Run/Walk/Run ratio is: 15-minutes per mile/20-second run/45-second walk

The whole workout lasted 18 minutes: 3-minute warm-up, 12-minute intervals, 3-minute cool-down.

Afterwards I felt great.  I made sure to stretch before and after I started to avoid any problems.

I have tomorrow off, but pick up the interval training Thursday morning.

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Easy Marinade Flank Steak With Grilled Veggies

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Sitting in marinade all day, the flank steak is ready to hit the grill. Oh, the sausage is ready too -- that's for later this week!

Sitting in marinade all day, the flank steak is ready to hit the grill. Oh, the sausage is ready too — that’s for later this week!

I’ve run around a lot today, so I decided to keep dinner simple. I’m going with an easy marinade with just 3 ingredients – extra virgin olive oil, low-carb soy sauce and garlic.   I started the marinade at 10:00 a.m. this morning.

I used to make this with 1/3 cup of olive oil and soy sauce. I needed to cut back drastically since the olive oil killed me on points. I find that adding 2 tablespoons of each gives me the flavor I want without eating up so many points.

Our sides -- and where we get our carbs! Just add 1 tsp of olive oil and toss them on the grill!

Our sides — and where we get our carbs! Just add 1 tsp of olive oil and toss them on the grill!

For the sides, we’re grilling asparagus, white onion and yellow peppers. I’m also steaming Brussels sprouts.  We’ll have enough for leftovers.  The veggies provide about 6 g of carbs for dinner. For those of you tracking your points, veggies are free, but you need to count the olive oil. I’m only using 1 teaspoon — not for flavor but for the grill. So this is a very low point, satisfying meal.

Marinated Flank Steak
Net Carbs: 0
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 6
Serving Size: 4 ounces/person
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbsp. Low Carb Soy Sauce
  • 5 Garlic bulbs, diced or minced
  • 1 Flank Steak

Directions

  • Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch deep knife cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the meat.
  • Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag.
  • Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours.
  • *Take the steak out of the marinade bag and place on the hot grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Be sure to turn the steak over half way through.
  • **Remove from grill and place on a cutting board. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before carving. Recommend wrapping in foil to keep it warm.
  • Make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide.

*When you take the steak out, you can season it with black pepper if you like.
**Flank steak is best medium rare. Cook it too much and it gets tough to chew.

Fat Chick Tricks To Stay Away From The Candy

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A simple game plan for Halloween night will stop this fat chick from eating any candy. Image courtesy of franky242 and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Halloween’s this week and I’ve read loads of articles about what to do if you’re a fatty. The advice ranged from handing out non-candy treats or giving kids candy you hate. What crap! Seems to me you’re just punishing the kids and not learning to control yourself.

So I decided I needed to follow my own common sense and come up with a game plan for Thursday night.

Dot2Trot’s Halloween Action Plan

  • Last Minute Candy – I don’t want the stuff hanging around the house too long, so I’m buying the candy at the last-minute. And I plan on getting the good stuff – M&Ms, KitKats, Reese’s Cups, Hershey bars, Milky Ways.
  • Be Generous – None of this one piece of candy nonsense. Any little ghosts or goblins that knock on my door get a handful of candy.
  • Eat Before The Kids Start Knocking – I’m moving dinner up by 30 minutes. I don’t want to hand out candy on an empty stomach.
  • Treat Myself – After dinner I plan to open a nice, healthy bottle of red wine — something that doesn’t go with chocolate. Red wine is low in carbs and loaded with heart-healthy antioxidants. For me, if it comes down to either chocolate or wine, I’ll always pick wine.
  • Donate Candy — Anything left over, I’ll send off with the hubby to leave at the office.

That should do the trick!

Morning After: Knee Feels Great

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My knees feel great after yesterday’s 5K. No pain or swelling! Image courtesy of photostock and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

After spending the day with the knee on ice, I’m happy to report that I recovered quickly. My knee feels great.

When I woke up this morning the knee was a little stiff, but that wore off with 30 minutes of yoga and stretching. The real test came a couple of hours later when I met with my trainer.

We started off on the treadmill, walking at my fastest pace for a quarter-mile. Immediately after I did the following:

I did 12 of each with a 15 second rest in between each exercise. Then it was back upstairs to do the treadmill and start it all over again.

Through it all no pain. My mobility was great.

Later this afternoon I’ll go for a short 2 mile walk and then give the knee the rest of the day off.

 

 

 

 

 

Tried Running During 5K; Knee On Ice

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Crossing the finish line at today’s Goblin Gallop 5K. I did some intervals during the race.

This morning I finished my 3rd 5K of the year – The Goblin Gallop. I would love to say all went well, but alas, it did not. I completely forgot my belt to hold my iPhone (I must listen to music while walking!) and my water bottle. Oh well, I have hands.

No, the real damage came shortly after Mile 1. For some strange reason, I decided to run during the first mile.  Basically I walked for one minute and ran for 30 seconds for the mile. I felt great. Then I hit Mile 2 and decided to walk during the incline and see how I felt after. It was during the incline my knee started feeling sore and tight.

I kept moving and thought walking at a slower pace might help. It didn’t.

After limping for about 100 feet and thinking about calling the hubby to pick me up, I decided to “suck it up” and start moving. So I picked up my pace and that seemed to do the trick. During the last half of Mile 2, I started the intervals again.

Why? I just felt like it. But when I ran, my knee felt great.

Exhausted at Mile 3, I stopped the intervals. I needed to catch my breath. Thankfully, the rest of the course was downhill.

My knee seemed fine. No pain, no soreness — awesome!

About a quarter-mile from the finish line, I decided to try intervals again. My legs felt like lead. They were so heavy. But I made it across the finish line, exhausted and elated.

I met up with my hubby and we started for the car. At that point, the soreness and tightness came back. Perfect.

knee injury running

My evil cat decided to take pity on me as I convalesced with an ice pack on my knee and the leg raised. Not to fear, he bit me a moment later – he can’t show too much sympathy after all!

On the drive back to our humble little love shack I noticed my knee was swelling. I needed ice.

I got home, downed a protein shake (low-carb!), knocked back some ibuprofen, grabbed the ice pack and sat down.   A moment later my hubby shoved a pillow under my knee to elevate it.

It’s 7 hours later and my knee is swollen, stiff and sore. Thankfully it’s not as painful as it was when I hurt it about 7 weeks ago.

So the moral of the this tale is, I need to drop more pounds before I try running again.

And maybe it’s time to pull the bike out of the shed.

Oh, and congrats to my friend Z who ran in the Marine Corps Marathon today for the first time.  She is a machine!

 

First Eating Challenge On New Diet

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Ruth's Chris Steak House logo

It’s our anniversary tonight. Will I succeed or fail with sticking to my new weight loss meal plan? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Only 3 days into my new diet and I’m already running into my first BIG test. Today’s my 11th wedding anniversary! We made reservations for Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Actually when going low carb, Ruth’s Chris is a great restaurant. But now that I’m tracking carbs, fat and protein, figuring out what I want is a wee bit tricky.

The good news: I’ll stay on track with the petite filet, asparagus (no hollandaise sauce) and broiled tomato. I can even have wine and champagne for a toast. The problem is I want the 9 oz filet. The downside? It kills me on fat by 20g. I have no idea if that is a big deal or not.

I really want to show discipline, but a big part of me is saying, it’s your anniversary…enjoy.

Well, while I decide what to do with this dilemma, the following is for my hubby – who may have a double celebration if his new dark fantasy e-book can crack the Amazon Top 100 today (shameless plug over):

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Building My New Weight Loss Menu

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Some of my favorite things, like Greek yogurt, are back on the menu!

Some of my favorite things, like Greek yogurt, are back on the menu!

This afternoon I’m working on my new weight loss/muscle-building weekly menu. The good news is my trainer took a lot of the guess-work out of it for me. I have very specific meal options to choose from.

I just need to figure out best combinations for those days with muscle workouts vs. days without.

So what are the good carbs I’m adding back into my diet?

That makes me happy. I tried a 1/2 C of the Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain with Almonds this morning with the Almond Breeze (unsweetened Vanilla favor) — both a first — and a cup of strawberries. I prepared myself for a nutty, wet cardboard taste. To my surprise I actually enjoyed it. And I’m not saying that because I have to eat it. I really did like it. Plus it filled me up…always a good thing.

Meal Options
My meal options are straight forward. Nothing starchy, except after my muscle workouts.  Stick to lower carb foods on the days I’m not lifting weights.

Breakfast (300-400 calories)

  1. Omelet (3 egg whites, 1 whole egg) with veggies; 1 slice Ezekiel break or rice cake with almond butter (thinly spread)
  2. Protein Pancakes
  3. Ezekiel cereal (1/2 C) with Almond Breeze or 4-6 ounce Greek yogurt, add berries to either.
  4. Grapefruit (1/2) and old-fashioned or steel-cut oatmeal (1/4 C)
  5. Oatmeal (1/4 C) and 3 eggs (2 whites and 1 whole).

Lunch Options (400-450 calories)

  1. Chicken, fish or turkey (4-oz), sweet potato (1/2), veggies (1 C)
  2. Lean meat (4-oz) on whole grain bread with lettuce and tomato; small side salad or veggies (1 C) or small piece of fruit.
  3. Quinoa salad with lean meat, tuna or chicken (4-oz) with lite balsamic vinaigrette
  4. Green spinach, romaine and/or arugula salad with beans, lean protein (4-oz), lots of veggies with lite balsamic vinaigrette
  5. Black bean casserole

Dinner Options (300-400 calories)

  1. 4-6-oz of lean beef, poultry or fish with green salad or veggies
  2. Stir fry
  3. Meat crust pizza
  4. Veggies and ground turkey
  5. Eggplant lasagna
  6. Stuffed peppers
  7. Spaghetti squash with meatballs and sauce

Morning & Afternoon Snack Options (100-150 calories)

  1. Nonfat plain Greek yogurt (6-oz)
  2. 15 almonds, pistachios or walnuts
  3. Plain rice cakes (2) with thinly spread layer of almond butter
  4. Small apple (1)
  5. Grapefruit (1/2)

Of all the foods I can now eat, I’m least excited about the rice cakes. In fact, I’m passing on them for now. It’s like I’m eating styrofoam packing peanuts. Blech!

As for the food I’m most excited about, that’s easy — Greek yogurt (bananas a very close second).  I’ve really missed my afternoon yogurt snacks. Of course, those had fruit on the bottom, a big no-no for me.  I’m all about the non-fat, plain yogurt now.

I’m most curious about the protein pancakes and meat crust pizza. I’ve found lots of recipes for both online and no two are the same. My trainer is sending me her recipes. Of course I’ll share along with my thoughts on tastiness.

Juggling Carbs, Protein And Fat

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I'm busy juggling my diet now that I'm bodybuilding.

I’m busy juggling my diet now that I’m bodybuilding.

Well my new food regime is interesting. I’m eating fewer calories, same amount of protein and more carbs. The good news, I don’t feel hungry (yet) and I’ve dropped a pound so far.

Truthfully, while I think I’m eating way more carbs, to an outside observer my diet is still very carb restricted. Before the weight training my carb intake ranged from 20-25g. Now I’m upping that to 50-75 on non-strength training days. I bump up the carbs to 100-150g/day on days where I’m lifting weights.

Just enough fuel to recharge my muscles and let me burn fat.

Micronutrient Balancing Act
Since I’m doing a 3-month tracking challenge, journaling what I eat isn’t that much of a challenge. In fact, the change in diet made me more vigilant. My micronutrient breakdown is:

  • 45% carbs
  • 30% protein
  • 25% fat

I’m focused on burning fat and preserving (and eventually growing) muscle, I now need to track my protein and fats. Today was my first real day tracking everything. It’s surprising how quickly I use up my “tiny” 25% of fat.

Oh Man, I Gotta Count Calories
My trainer capped my daily caloric intake to a 1300-1550 range. I eat near the top of that range on days when I weight lift.

I never paid attention to my calories when I dropped the 80 lbs. Looking at my food tracker on My Fitness Pal, it looks like I ate 1600 – 1850 calories/day.

This makes tracking my food even more important.  I don’t want to go in starvation mode. If so, the weight loss stops.