It's Friday-moment of truth!

It's Friday and that means I have to hop on that scale and see if all that calorie counting had any effect! Be right back......
Okay.....2 lbs down! That is just perfect....although it would be instant gratification if it had read 10 lbs....like on The Biggest Loser....but I want to be slow and steady ....and actually be able to enjoy my food! If I do the math, it worked out just like it said it would. I ate about 800 to 1000 calories less than my BMR of 2409, plus burned off a little more with my daily walks. A 550 calorie deficit each day equals about one pound lost in a week, so 2 lbs is exactly what I should expect. If I want to lose more each week, I have to eat less ( not gonna happen) or burn more calories by doing more exercise. I'll keep doing what's working on the food front and I think I'll add in some daily strength training......so follow along.....

This week's Exercise challenge

Hopefully you've been wearing your pedometer and trying to get your 10,000 steps in every day.

This week, I'm adding in some strength training. There are a lot of reasons for women to add it to their to-do list. Here are just a few that should convince you to get started:


Increased Metabolic Rate - Here is one of the most important benefits of strength training for women. We always want to discover the secrets to weight loss... well here is the first secret! Strength training increases your metabolic rate by increasing the calories you burn on a daily basis. The more calories you burn, the more chance you have to drop body fat.

Increasing and Restoring Bone Density - Strength training prevents and fights osteoporosis. After I began strength training, my bone density test showed an Increase in bone mass! Very important for someone my age

Increased Lean Muscle Mass - Note: You will not get big and bulky by strength training! You simply do not have enough testosterone in your body. Simply lifting weights as part of a regular strength training routine will not cause women to bulk up. With that said, for every pound of lean muscle mass that you have, you burn 35-50 calories per day!

Injury Prevention - Strength training strengthens our muscles and tendons. The stronger we are the less chance of an injury. This is especially important as we grow older. The benefits of strength training for women and men are highly touted for injury prevention.

Improved Balance - Especially important as we grow older. Strength training builds a strong foundation. Strengthening our legs and core section means an increase in overall balance and coordination. Anything that will help me stop stumbling into things is a good thing!

Decreased Risk of Coronary Disease - Strength training can reduce your blood pressure. It can also decrease your cholesterol levels. These benefits of strength training for women alone are a great reason to begin your program today. Heart disease is one of the highest (if not the highest) killer of women in America every year.

Do you have 15 minutes a day to reap all the benefits listed above?

You can build muscle and burn fat in just 15 minutes a day — no cardio and no gym! After a few weeks of this compound strength program, you'll end up with lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories than fat does, even when you're just sitting in a chair. It's a no-fail weight-loss workout, and here's the only catch: You need to do it four to six days a week. Grab your hand weights and set your timer ...... See the photo of that woman having so much fun with her weights on the right? To find this 15 minute a day workout go to Good HouseKeeping Fitness

Recipe of the Day

Making your own salad dressing adds a fresh taste to a boring salad and is a great way to get creative. Here is a favorite of mine.... I'm having it for lunch:

Turkey Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt dash of pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 cups torn salad greens
2 cups cooked turkey breast - cut into julienne strips
1 can (11 ounce) drained mandarin orange segments
1/2 cup sliced celery

In a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine all vinaigrette ingredients; shake well. Or mix well with a whisk.

In large bowl, combine all salad ingredients; toss gently. Serve with vinaigrette.

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups.
Calories-200 Carbs-13g Protein-23g Fat 6g sat fat 1g

Tip of the Day

Potato or potahto...who needs it? Well I do love potatoes but these days it is a sweet potato at least twice a week. Center for Science in the Public Interest ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. The reasons the sweet potato took first place? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The sweet potato received a score of 184; the vegetable ranked in second place was more than 100 points behind with a score of 83. The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves: almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories! And they are so quick and easy to make! I microwave two sweet potatoes for about 8 minutes till they're nice and soft. I add a little Smart balance spread and some cinnamon....very yummmy. If you think you don't like them ( maybe you are remembering those gross candied yams from a can from Thanksgivings past) just try them and I think you'll change your mind.

Yesterday's Menu

Breakfast-2 egg on toast, fruit- 400 cal
Lunch- turkey burger on roll, onion, red pepper, pineapple-500
Dinner- chex cereal ( nice light dinner!) with strawberies, blueberries and banana, 1% milk--300
small handfull of almonds--170

So, how did you do this week? Just click on the word'comments' below to post your thoughts