Blueberry Bran Muffins (from Bodybuilding.com)

These little treats are made from low-GI carbs, so you don’t have to worry about eating one or two after a P+C meal. They also have a bit of flax meal to add moisture, and just a couple of polyunsats. I’ve been eating these for a while and loving them, so recently I gave them the final test by taking a batch to a dinner party, complete with professors and their wives. Success! They were reduced to crumbs, followed with compliments about their taste, rather than their ingredients.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup oat bran
* 1/2 cup flax meal
* 4 scoops protein powder, flavor of your choice (I like chocolate with this recipe).
* 2/3 cup frozen blueberries (or one apple, diced)
* 1 cup granulated Trans-Plex Sweet-n-Up or granular Splenda
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 jumbo egg whites
* 1 teaspoon maple extract
* 2/3 cup water

Instructions:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the egg whites, extract, and water. Stir until mixed well. Scoop into a muffin pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350-degrees for 25 minutes.

Makes 6 large muffins or 12 regular size muffins.

Macronutrient Profile (each large muffin or 2 regular muffins):

* K/cal: 176
* Fat: 4 g (1s, 1m, 2p)
* Carbs: 20g (4 fiber)
* Protein: 21 g

The first week of every challenge usually goes very well for me. I stick like Super Glue to my plan, mark down some good progress, and think to myself, “Geez, this is easy. Why do I even slack off?”

The Lean, Mean Halloween challenge has been following this pattern to the letter so far. I’ve been hitting all of my workouts, my meals have been on target, and I can’t seem to understand why other challengers are not following their own written plans.

Yes, I’ve been tired some mornings as I’ve adjusted to waking up at 6:45 AM. Yes, I’ve had to force myself to go to bed on time. Yes, I get a bit hungry on cardio days. Yes, working out for 75-90 minutes a day is a bit daunting.

But this is Week 1 of my own custom plan. I am constitutionally incapable of punking out of my own plan in the first seven days.

Things might be very different by week three, my traditional slack off threshold, but for now, I am pleased with my plan and my progress. My newest rule–Read my plan first thing every morning–seems to be the most helpful in staying on track. I am reminded of the things to which I have committed for the month every day, and I’ve learned enough from the last 16 months to pretty much address all of my behaviorial weak points.

I am able to stay on my plan so easily because I have enabled myself to succeed by removing my obstacles, working around my admitted and recognized triggers, scheduling my days, planning ahead for my meals and workouts, and providing concrete strategies and solutions for every step of my challenge.

I even signed the bottom of my printed plan to make it a binding contract with myself. :biggrin:

(Have I mentioned that I can be a bit OCD about my fitness and food?)

I just found out that I will need a Halloween costume this year after all. There will be a party thrown by Chris’s married friends Skip and Becca on the 28th, so I need to dig into my closet and pull out the stash of fabrics and patterns to see what can be made from the materials on hand. If all else fails, I can always recycle last year’s Flying Snow outfit, but I hate to repeat myself when it comes to the best holiday of the year.

The social commitments are starting to pile up as winter approaches; thank goodness my plan requires morning workouts on weekdays and home-based video/YF workouts on the weekends. There’s no way I’d be able to do any resistance training on the weekends now.

I’ll be taking more pics and measurements tomorrow. I know I just took my “starting” photos on the 4th, but I need to get into the Friday progress report habit now. I don’t expect to see many differences in just 4 days. C’est la vie. I said I’d take weekly pics and stats, so Friday it will be.

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Nutrition: Non-Training Day Menu
(SGX nutrition details omitted by request of trainer)

1: 3×1 spinach omelette with 1 slice high-fiber carrot-raisin bread
2: 3 oz. BBQ Cajun chicken, 1 c. mixed veggies, 1/2 c. rice
3: 1 scoopy chocolate whey, 1 slice high-fiber carrot-raisin bread
4: 2/3 c. LF cottage cheese, small orange, 1 T. oatmeal
5: SGX Meal
6: SGX Meal

Daily Supplements: multivitamin with iron, calcium 500 + D, 1 T. flaxseed oil or natural peanut butter
Water: 16 cups minimum

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Workout:
7:00 AM HIIT Run (20 minutes / 0% incline / 4.5, 6.2, 7.2, 8.2, and 9 mph)
7:30 AM LISS Recumbent bike (30 minutes / levels 2-3)
8:15 AM YF Cardio (20 minutes)
3:00 PM 1 Mile Walk (15 minutes / 4 mph)

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The Awful Truth:
1. Move along now; nothing to see here. :claplow:

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Brownie Points:
1. 5/31 Perfect LMH Challenge Days
2. Baked carrot-raisin bread and apple cinnamon muffins.
3. Woke up for PT–oops, I mean workout–at 6:45 AM.
4. 134.8 lbs this morning, and bf% is dropping according to Omron and Tanita.
5. Took car to mechanic for oil change and repairs instead of putting it off some more.

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Short-term Goals:
1. Update HandBase workout module.
2. Organize desk.
3. Skin, bone, and portion out fresh chicken.
4. Cook Napa and green onions and mix up some salad dressing.
5. Buy cheap plastic shelves from Target or Ghetto-Mart and move plants to balcony.
6. Read a few chapters from NASM book.