Creamy Chicken Chili Recipe - Yummy, Easy and Healthy!

I came up with a super-easy, healthy Creamy Chicken Chili Recipe tonight (the hubby is out of town for work, so I'm free to experiment:):

Ingredients:

1 - six ounce can of chunk chicken breast
1 - individual cup of Fage 2% plain greek yogurt (7 oz)
1 - can of chili ready diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used white onion)
Optional - reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking instructions:

1. spray a non-stick pan with olive oil and start cooking chopped onion over low heat
2. Open containers of chicken, tomatoes and greek yogurt and mix together. Then add them to the pan with the onion.
3. Simmer until onion is soft.
4. Serve and enjoy!
5. Optional - sprinkle with reduced fat cheese

Makes about 2 (large) servings

Nutritional Data per serving:

Calories:    232.5
Carbs:        20 grams
Fat:            3.5 grams
Protein:      31.5 grams

Beginning Chalean week 4!

I'm starting the 4th and final week of the 'Burn Phase' in Chalean Extreme today. I can't wait to take my measurements to see if I got any measurable results this weekend! I will post the measurements along with photos for this phase on Saturday. Once again, my diet was terrible over the weekend, but it was pretty decent during the week last week. I'll be very strict this week in anticipation of my Burn Phase results photos and measurements!

Found my next BeachBody program! Shaun T Groupon!!!

 $20 for Shaun T’s Rockin’ Body or Deluxe Rockin’ Body Seven-Workout Set ($59.85 List Price)
http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-shaun-t-seven-workout-dvd-set?utm_campaign=UserReferral_dp&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu7789253

Shirataki - a 0 Calorie pasta alternative!

I've mentioned zero calorie shirataki noodles several times in my posts (I eat them several times per week). While I wouldn't say that they're just as good as real pasta, they're the best substitute that I've found. They're definitely best when mixed with a lot of other ingredients. I've been using the Hungrygirl.com recipes for them after my sister told me about the website: http://www.hungry-girl.com/biteout/show/2157. HungryGirl.com describes them as "The World's Best Pasta Swap." My favorites are the chicken carbonara and the tuna noodle casserole. My husband really likes them too.  They're made from some sort of weird japanese yam root that smells like seafood, so you have to rinse them after opening.

I've had trouble finding them here locally (I haven't seen them at our Whole Foods). Anyway, the noodles are on sale on groupon today:

 $34 for 24 8-Ounce Packs of NoOodle Zero-Calorie, Gluten-Free Noodles ($79.94 List Price) http://www.groupon.com/deals/dc-bst-gg-nooodle-shirataki-0-calorie-noodle?sd=false&utm_campaign=UserReferral_dp&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu7789253

ChaLEAN Week 2 - Weight Training v. Cardio for fat loss

So, my parents came into town to visit this weekend, and we definitely over-indulged. My husband and I took them to a delicious all-you-can-eat cajun buffet for lunch (I didn't go back for seconds, so that's a small accomplishment), and then to a a delicious traditional German restaurant for dinner. We had a rare "cool" day (the high was only in the 90's), so we sat out on the patio and their was a live band. I had 2184 total calories on Friday, 2015 on Saturday, and I got somewhat back on track on Sunday with 1673 calories.

I skipped my ChaLEAN workout on Saturday, because we were busy with my parents, but I made it up on Sunday (which was supposed to be a rest day). It was a 2-part workout "Burn it Off" and "Recharge." Burn it Off is a high intensity cardio routine. Very light weights are used in a small portion of the workout. Recharge is a yoga/stretching routine. It is about 20 minutes long, but it seemed like an hour to me, because I've never really enjoyed stretching or yoga (too impatient I guess), but I know it was good for me.

I started my week 2 workouts yesterday with my second round of Burn Circuit 1. I really upped my weights on many of the exercises, and felt like I got a much better workout than the first time around. I kept with the same weight on any exercises  which included a lateral raise (their were a few), because I felt it was necessary to keep correct form.

I mentioned before that the main reason I'm writing this blog is to keep myself in check and motivated to complete the entire program. Another things that helps me with this is surfing Pinterest and Fitness blogs for motivational pictures and articles. Here's an article that I found very motivational, specifically with regard to sticking with the ChaLean Extreme program as opposed to going back to my normal daily cardio routine: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_loss_training_wars.htm.

Food Diary:

ChaLean Day 5 - total pig out at lunch...

So, I sort of completely pigged out at lunch today... I met one of my good friends at a Spanish Tapas restaurant (for which I had bought a Groupon), and lost all self-control (see food diary below). We had fun catching up, and I defintely enjoyed the yummy food and a glass of Sangria, but I refuse to let this be a set back or to set the stage for my eating habits this weekend. My new mantra is "Everyday is a Monday." Now, I don't mean this in as far as the icky back-to-work Monday. I've just always had some sort of mental block that wouldn't allow me to start a new healthy eating plan or exercise plan until a Monday (as though there is something magical about that dreaded day of the week). So for me, tonight I will start with my healthy eating habits again at dinner. I'm hoping this will help to avoid one of those downward spirals where I eat so much on the weekend that I completely undo all of the good I've done over the week.

I completed burn circuit 3 today, and I'm really proud of the heavier weights I used today. It all started by accident, as I am still trying to get accustomed to my new adjustable weight dumbbells. The first exercise was a sumo squat with an overhead press, and I thought I adjusted my weights to 10 lbs each. After finishing the exercise (I failed at 11 reps), I realized that I had 15 lbs. Since the goal is to fail at 10-12 reps, 15 was probably the right weight for me. So, for the remaining exercises, if I was debating between two different weights, I went with the heavier one. I even used 20 lbs on a couple of the lower body exercises. My max heart rate was 158, and I burned 210 calories during the 32 minute workout.


Food Diary:

Breakfast:
South Beach Meal Bar (See? I started out with good intentions!) - 180 cals

Lunch:
Spanish Tapas including: golden fried goat cheese with honey, spicy chicken empanadas, fried artichokes, steak tomatillos, crispy rock shrimp in cream sauce, side salad with blue cheese crumbles, sherry vinaigrette and chickpeas, and cheesecake.... - 1261 cals

I borrowed my hubby's "man cave" to do my workout. I think I'll take over and start calling it my exercise room or "she cave." This should work out for me at least until football season starts in a couple of weeks.

ChaLean Day 4 - Burn Intervals

Today's workout consited of both Burn Intervals (45 minutes) and Ab Burner (10 min). The Burn Interval workout switched back and forth between light weight resistance exercises (high reps) and cardio/plyometric exercises. My heart rate stayed up consistently, and I burned 360 calories during the workout.

During the plyometrics, I decided that my saucony running shoes (though super-cute and great for running), are not supportive enough for all the jumping around (sumo burpees and one-legged jump shots, etc.). So, now I have an excuse to buy new cross-training shoes! :) Any suggestions on cute, bright colored ones for people with high arches? Here are the my current running shoes:

http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000026662683&pid=1027472-32157-9.5M&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.famousfootwear.com%2FShopping%2Fproductdetails.aspx%3Fcatalog%255Fname%3Dweb%26pg%3D1027472%26p%3D32157&usg=AFHzDLtyTNe-YtLQ_5pq7zsIvXRB7Cfmww&pubid=21000000000568208

Cute huh?


Food Diary

Breakfast
Fiber One - 90 Calorie Brownie - Chocolate Chip Cookie, 1 Brownie - 90

Lunch
Hungry Girl Super Duper Spaghetti Pie Part Deux - Hg Spaghetti, 5/8 of recipe - 350

Dinner
Skinny Mom - Sour Cream Enchiladas, 1.75 Enchilada - 481
Sweet Corn - 2/3 cup - 89

Snacks
South Beach - Whipped Peanut Butter - Snack Bar - 100
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal - Toasted Berry Crumble, 3/4 Cup dry - 180

TOTAL: 1,290

Skinny Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas - skinnymom.com

GNC Body Fat Scale Groupon

I'm ordering this GNC scale today.

It supposedly measures  weight, body fat, water hydration, and bone and muscle mass:

http://www.groupon.com/deals/dc-hme-gg-gnc-wireless-bath-scale?sd=false&utm_campaign=UserReferral_dp&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu7789253

I have my skepticisms about the wireless body fat monitors (after an unpleasant experience with one used to measure my body fat prior to an exercise boot camp - if it was correct, them I'm complete mush), but it's a good deal so I'll give it a shot. I've been wanting to purchase a new scale anyway, because mine is evil. I'm almost positive that it lies to me.

ChaLEAN Day 3

Today I do my second Burn Circuit with the ChaLEAN Extreme Program by BeachBody. I was too impatient to order any of the adjustable dumbbell sets that I found online, but luckily I found some very reasonably priced ones at Walmart. They are the 25 lb adjustable speed weights by Gold's Gym: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-25-lb.-Adjustable-Weight-Speed-Pack/12441626. They were sold separately for about $58 each (which seems pretty expensive, but you have to consider the fact that they are actually 5 sets/ 10 dumbbells in one). I would have never made it through the store pushing a cart with 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 lb dumbbell sets (150 lbs total)!

I usually workout in the afternoons, as it is all I can do to drag my rear out of bed to get ready for work each morning (and I'm chronically late). I blame this 50% on Pinterest (biggest time waster since facebook), 40% on whichever book I happen to be reading at the time (just finished the Game of Thrones series and starting on the Outlander series due to my sister's reccomendation), and 10% on metabolism spikes due to working out too late in the day (it's a vicious cycle). I will update later tonight with any comments on my workout and an assessment of my new adjustable free weights (Yay! I love new gear! :)

Update: I finished my second burn circuit, and I ended up using the 10 and 15 lb weights! My muscles are definitely fatigued, and I know I will definitely feel it in my hamstrings tomorrow (3 of the 9 sets involved dead lifts). According to my heart rate monitor, I burned about 200 calories during the 37 minute workout.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:
Bing Cherries 24 ea. - 78 cals

Lunch:
Baby Carrots 14 ea. - 49
Sabrae Roasted Pine Nut Hummus 2.5 tbsp - 100
Smoked Gouda Cheese (my favorite!) 2.5 oz - 225

Dinner:
HungryGirl.com Super Duper Spaghetti Pie with House Foods Shirataki noodles x 2 - 280
Extra Mozarella (skim) for spaghetti pie 1/8 cup - 40
Salad w/ Romain, Almond Accents, 2% colby Jack, dried cranberries, Wishbone spritzer - 133

Snacks:
Ghiradelli Twilight delight dark chocolate square - 72% cacao - 55
Fiber One 90 Calorie Chocolate snack bar - 90
Sugar Free Banana Nut Cream Cake (Walmart Bakery) - 1 slice - 110


Total: 1161 cals

Insanity - updated

As I mentioned in a previous post, I completed the first 5 weeks of Insanity by BeachBody before burning out (a.k.a. quitting...). I did take my measurements and weight before and after, and I also took before and after photos. I acutally gained a pound during the five weeks (probably due to terrible diet - I did not follow the reccomended program). But, I did lose some inches and tone up (see photos).

I found these workouts to be much harder than my usual 6 mile runs. I did not supplement the program with any running or other cardio due to time restriction. Many of the workouts are over 45 minutes long. I used a heart rate monitor with a chest strap during most workouts, and surprisingly, I did not burn many more calories than I burn while running. Though, I'm sure I built more muscle than while running, and the muscle continues to burn calories after the workout.

Here are the before and after photos. I think the biggest change is the definition in my tummy (what I consider to be my trouble area). Sorry! Not sure why the "before" photo is sideways... I will update this post with my before and after measurements later this evening.

xoxo,

Fifi


Update: Here are my before and after measurements and weight. I'm 5'5"

Week 1: Before

Weight: 128
Chest: 36
bicep: 10
waist: 28
Belly at belly button: 31
Hips at widest: 37
Upper Thigh at widest: 21.5
Calf: 13.5

Week 5: After

Weight: 129
Chest: 35
bicep: 10
waist: 27
Belly at belly button: 29.5
Hips at widest: 36.5
Upper Thigh at widest: 21
Calf: 13.5

Getting Fit With Fifi - ChaLean Extreme

Hello!

I'm a 30 year old attorney, and I started this blog to share my experiences in getting fit. I am by no means overweight, so the programs and diets that I try are mainly to firm up, lean out, and/or sculpt. I'm an avid runner (sometimes). I go through phases of running 5-6 miles daily, and I have run in a few half-marathons. I have trained for, but have not completed a full marathon due to injury.

In the past I have tried numerous diets, though I have always had trouble sticking with any specific plan for very long. I hope that this blog helps to keep me on track. As far as exercise goes, I have completed several month long boot camps, and I completed the first 5 weeks of the Insanity program by Beach Body. I will post the results (and before/after photos) of that program in a separate post.

I plan to start the ChaLean Extreme program this afternoon (if it arrives in the mail). I will also attempt to follow the diet plan provided. I intend to post my food diary daily along with any comments on that days workout. I don't know much about the diet plan that is included with the ChaLean Extreme diet, but I'm hoping that it involves a cheat day. I have found that these days keep me sane and have the effect of motivating me to stick to the diet the rest of the week.

I would love to hear from any of you who have done the ChaLean Program or who plan to start it soon.

xoxo,

Fifi