Got Built?

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Monday, December 24, 2007

A new spin on a very old-fashioned ice-box cookie

You KNOW it’s an old-fashioned cookie recipe when the recipe calls for sour milk and no eggs. My great aunt Lucille used to make these as currant cookies - and as she grew old, and then very old, it fell upon my mother to bake these for her at Christmastime. This year, it was my pleasure to bake The Sacred Currant Cookies. Mom mailed them off with the note “MariAnne made these for you this year”. My mom’s so sweet. I wouldn’t have minded if she took credit, but to her, it made her proud that her daughter would do this for her.

(more…)

posted by MariAnne at 12:23 am  

Monday, December 3, 2007

Lisa’s pre-Christmas Meltdown!

Lisa’s gradual, post-baby melt has gone really well. Having lost over twenty pounds since July, she’s doing REALLY well - but with Christmas approaching, Lisa would really like to ditch a few extra pounds so she can relax her diet and enjoy the holidays without being set too far back.

Fast, short term crash diets like this can only be done safely with a PSMF - protein sparing modified fast. This is what she has set for herself, brave soul. We all wish her well.

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posted by MariAnne at 8:42 am  

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Eleven Eleven Eleven

Remembrance Day here in Canada. My husband and I went to the downtown Vancouver ceremony at Victory Square. It rained; somehow it just isn’t right if it doesn’t rain for Remembrance Day celebrations. In a way, the cold grey splatter of rain is a comfort for those of us who cry in the open without shame.

I always have such mixed feelings on Remembrance Day. Today is no different. War itself seems such a terrible waste of resources, energy, money, and life. And still, we must hate the war but love the warriors. Their country called and they stood up for all of us. (more…)

posted by MariAnne at 10:17 pm  

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Easy as (Coconut-Milk Sweet-Potato) Pie - and completely dairy free

Pumpkin pie is a funny thing - for one, pumpkin isn’t a naturally delicious food, and it certainly isn’t particularly sweet. Neither is it easy to prepare.

I used to make my own pumpkin pie - from an actual pumpkin - and it was truly a pain in the ass to make (more…)

posted by MariAnne at 2:49 pm  

Thursday, October 4, 2007

My new life as an extremely slow sprinter

<blows dust off gym blog>

Well, let’s see. Bit of an update.

I’m training up at the Simon Fraser University gym ’cause it’s 59 bucks a YEAR if you sleep with a staff member (hubby works there). Killer facility, I sort of have access to a glute ham raise, there’s a proper official sprinting track, BRAND freaking new with a granular rubber surface, so springy it’s just to DIE for… treadmills that go to - get this - SIXTEEN MPH, and I’m kinda trying to nudge my way into the Masters sprinting group that meets on Saturdays. (more…)

posted by MariAnne at 9:58 pm  

Friday, August 31, 2007

Apricot Almond Biscotti (completely dairy free)

Biscotti are funny little things - you’d think they wouldn’t be all that appealing - no butter, kinda hard, not particularly sweet - and yet, strangely addictive. I usually make these at Christmastime, but they’re wonderful for any occasion. Packed with apricots and almonds, they’re more nourishing than an ordinary cookie. Toss a few dozen in your backpack along with shaker cups full of your least unfavourite protein powder and you have instant food that actually tastes good. And because they really don’t break or go stale, they travel really well. (more…)

posted by MariAnne at 12:08 am  

Friday, August 17, 2007

Superior(ity) Complex(es)

It’s funny how these things come and go. Back in the day, many of us performed circuit-training in our collective and never-ending quest to drop bodyfat. Circuit training promised us the world: stronger muscles and a leaner body, all at once. The problem, of course, was that circuits were inappropriately used as a substitute for heavy, low-rep strength training. Because of this, over time, this practice fell out of favour among those of us who consider ourselves the lifting bourgeoisie: 

WE don’t DO circuits!” <Sniff!> (more…)

posted by MariAnne at 11:46 am  

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Get Bent - my adventure into the land of bendy holdy technology*

“So you wanna do the splits hey?”

That’s what my friend - dance instructor Kate Miller - said when I asked her to take on the daunting task of turning my un-bendy make-believe-bodybuilder-self into a pliable image of grace. Okay, I’m exaggerating. A lot. But I haven’t been able to do the splits since I was a kid and I thought it would be kinda cool to once again “assume the position”.

Here’s what Kate suggested. (more…)

posted by MariAnne at 10:50 pm  

Monday, August 6, 2007

Get Built - Q & A with the Iron Geek

My doctor gave me ‘roids. I think. ‘Cept I’m not getting jacked… why, why, why…?Cows still baby moos? Tips on how to bring up your lagging calves (I should be so lucky…)

Dieting you can live with - yep, it’s all about you! - FINALLY! (and of COURSE you can eat at bedtime!)

Issue 11 >>

How to track progress; should I spend my hard earned cash on supplements; tuna and mercury - is it safe?Issue 10 >>
Another reason for creatine on a cut; functional training may not be that functional; meathead-friendly bodyfat-cut math (with an online calculator so you don’t have to think!)Issue 9 >>
Training with antagonist pairs; managing maintenance; and the downside of eating raw eggs (in case “because it’s icky” wasn’t enough for you)Issue 8 >>
Palm oil in peanut butter a problem? Knees diving in during squats? Colleagues asking you how to diet and it’s driving you nuts?Issue 7 >>
Dropping water weight in a flash - three days before a powerlifting contest, no sauna suit. Also, creatine and caffeine together or not - exploring the available literature.Issue 6 >>
Allergic to exercise? Also, insulin resistance and glycogen replenishment.Issue 5 >>
Bringing up a lagging chest - block training vs alterations to Baby Got Back; incorporating loaded passive stretches.Issue 4 >>
Men, women - do they need to train differently? A discussion with an aspiring personal trainer.Issue 3 >>
‘The number one most important variable to fat loss success’ and ‘Sugar and it’s role in the body in relation to exercise.Issue 2 >>
‘Feminine Fat Loss’, ‘Fish oil, flax oil?’ and ‘Help - I’m cutting and I’m freaking HUNGRY!!!”Issue 1 >>

Me me me me! - All of my wannabebig stuff. Click for updates - they’ll show up here before I get around to the individual posts.

posted by MariAnne at 11:21 pm  

Monday, August 6, 2007

How to set up a diet - basic carb cycling

Okay - I get asked for this a LOT.

My cutting diet is the same as my bulking diet: I carb cycle.

All meals are protein and fat EXCEPT the one before and the one or two after I train - those are protein and carb.

Note that there are conflicting thoughts on whether or not fat and carb should be in the same meal, and why (or why not). My own reasons are comfort-driven: carbs are yummy, but they make me hungry. Since I don’t really NEED starchy carbs outside the training window, I leave ‘em out of all other meals.

I find I have a better workout if I’ve had SOME starchy carbohydrate before training, so I have a small serving of carb an hour or two before I train. If it’s more than an hour before, I’ll use slower food - sweet potato, meat and broccoli with a little butter. If it’s closer to when I train, I stick with faster carb and protein - maybe oats and cottage cheese - but I’ll avoid going higher in fiber and fat.

On the other hand, you want the post-workout meal to get to work right away, so it’s prudent to keep fat and fiber out of that meal.

Read What a bodybuilder eats… for food selection ideas.

This is how I design a diet: (more…)

posted by MariAnne at 12:11 am  
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