Posts tagged calories

Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health


by Melissa

on
March 1, 2010


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“Birthday” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

Who else is celebrating a birthday during the challenge? I celebrated mine this last weekend and had to make a few modifications to my normal traditions. My kids were especially disappointed that there wasn’t any cake this year. I wasn’t sure how much FUN it was going to be without having all the “normal” food, dessert and alcohol. I was so wrong. I didn’t really end up missing those things. We went out for a sensible dinner and even went out and burned a few calories dancing. I had lots of FUN minus the calories. I admit that in the moment it was tempting but it was great to know at the end of the night that I didn’t blow my whole diet. Thank you to my friends and family for making my birthday a special one. I realized how blessed I am by having so many wonderful people in my life. I realized that I don’t need “emotional comfort” from food to make me happy. It was a much better feeling to have my friends and family see how far I’ve come on my weight-loss journey. And I got to do a little clothes shopping for my birthday too…it felt awesome to be shopping and FITTING in smaller sizes!
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Classes, Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health


by Melissa

on
February 18, 2010


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“Kickboxing” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

I love Tuesday nights, because it’s my kickboxing class. I was surprised to discover how much I enjoy kickboxing. Remember I’m the girl with the two left feet in class usually, but somehow I manage to survive and have fun in this class. I guess I can kick and punch just not dance or step on boxes. There is something really empowering about doing all the punching and kicking and blocking. It’s a great way to rid yourself of any aggression. Mary does a wonderful job of explaining the moves and makes it fun and easy. But by “easy” I don’t mean that you won’t feel it, you will definitely be sweating and burning lots of calories. It is an awesome full body cardio workout! The only problem is that the class is really full. Last week, I “literally” got kicked in the rear. So I’m holding out hope that more classes will pop-up on the schedule. (I loved Angela’s Wednesday night Turbo Kick too….please come back Angela!) If you’re like me and have a hard time finding your “rhythm” with your two left feet, maybe give kickboxing a try. Come join me in kicking and punching calories away!
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Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health


by Melissa

on
February 15, 2010


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“Making Calories Count” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

So I survived Valentine’s Day without a single piece of candy.  YAY! I can’t say I wasn’t tempted though. (I even had a chocolate protein shake at the gym to try and curb some of the chocolate craving.)  I looked at how many calories were in a small piece of chocolate candy and was amazed that it was 45 calories for a quarter size piece of candy. Ugh!  My calories are too precious to me right now to waste them on candy.  Wouldn’t it be great if calories came off as easily as they came on?  You know…I just ate a cookie and BOOM a hundred calories would be gone.  I wish! Instead what takes you mere minutes to eat, can take hours to burn.  A nibble here and nibble there adds up quickly.  I was reading Aron’s post on Calories vs. Cardio, http://www.goldsgym.com/healthy/newsletter/2009-10/calories-vs-cardio.php?ref_id=2374&ref_t=Z&originid=54711880,  and about died. It’s amazing to look at things in that perspective. So instead of grabbing that candy, I think I’ll head back to the treadmill…
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Health, Nutrition, Recipes


by Kari

on
February 11, 2010


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Healthy Ranch Dip

For the most part we all love Ranch!  But let’s face it, it’s not too healthy.  Here’s a recipe that will fit into your healthy lifestyle! 

4 containers of FAGE greek yogurt

Three large spoonfuls (heaping) of light or fat free sour cream

1 packet of hidden valley ranch seasoning

 Mix all together and serve with Snap peas, celery, peppers for a tasty, low cal, nutritional snack…..6oz is only 95 calories!!!

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Gold's Gym, Health, Nutrition


by Melissa

on
January 27, 2010


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“Recipes” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

I’m always looking for new, healthy recipes. I’m probably one of the pickiest eaters on the planet, so when I find something I actually like I’m really excited about it. If anyone has a recipe to share, I’d love to see it. I tried the Lentil & Chicken Sausage soup recipe from the Challenge playbook and thought it was great. I decided to try and make a favorite soup recipe a little healthier. So, I took Paula Deen’s Taco Soup recipe (you know, the southern gal from the Food Network) and changed a few things. It’s great because you can dump everything in a crockpot and at the end of the day you’ve got dinner. So here it is:
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Gold's Gym, Health, Nutrition


by Melissa

on
January 20, 2010


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“Food Tracking” by Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

Is anyone else amazed at how much mindless eating we do? Since I’ve started tracking my food, I’m shocked at how many times I’ve caught myself reaching for food when I really wasn’t hungry. Sitting down to watch television or a movie always seems better with a snack, right? Do you finish your child’s plate because you don’t want to see the food go to waste? What about just being bored and wandering into the pantry for something to do? I know that I’m guilty of all these eating scenarios. I know that mindless eating has definitely contributed to my weight. Food tracking has been a great way for me to really put my eating habits in perspective. It’s amazing to see how quickly the calories can add up (and realizing how long it takes to burn them off). Sometimes I don’t eat the food just because I don’t want to take the time to record it. Lazy, right? At least, I know I didn’t need to eat it as much as I thought I did.

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Classes, Fitness, Gold's Gym


by Melissa

on
January 15, 2010


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“New Class”- Blog from Melissa Schwab, Gold’s Gym Challenge Participant

So I tried a new class today. Apparently, I have two left feet. I learned that if it involves choreography and any kind of rhythm or bouncing, I’m not good at it. Thank goodness for friends because I had a friend with me and we enjoyed laughing with/at each other. There were many coordinated people out there who rocked the class. (A little shout out to Lisa, the instructor, who is awesome!)  Despite my uncoordinated attempt at the class, I still know I burned some calories and had fun. I find classes are a great for me when I need the extra push. Besides some of you might catch me in a class, and have the added entertainment of watching my attempt at coordination with my two left feet. See you there!
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Health, Nutrition


by Maureen

on
August 7, 2009


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A Return to Common Sense

I hardly need to quote statistics to convince you that we live in a perpetually dieting society. As a dietitian, I have seen it all. The grapefruit diet. The cabbage soup diet. The Atkins diet. The list goes on and on. And what do all of these diets have in common? Calorie restriction, elimination of foods (or entire food groups!), hunger, boredom, cravings… Though such diets all promise quick weight loss, the eventual punch line is almost always regain.
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