^YES!! It's next to The Common House. It just opened in the past 6 months I think. It's pretty popular and not too pricy. I live in Plaza Midwood and typically hang out in the Plaza Central area. Got some good running loops I do in Chantilly/Plaza Midwood. I want to start running with the Thursday running group that ends at the Common Market for beer but it's at 6 and that's when I have training at the gym.

8/11/2010 4:48:33 PM

That is awesome, I usually get the nachos at Loco Lime but knowing this taco deal...may have to go that way.

8/11/2010 9:11:17 PM

Monday is half-off margaritas too.

Tuesday tacos are just hard to beat though. Meat choices:

Asada (Grilled Steak)
Pollo (Grilled Chicken)
Barbacoa (Soft Shredded Beef)
Pollo (Shredded Chicken)
Carnitas (Roasted Pulled Pork)
Al Pastor (Marinated Chunky Pork)
Chorizo (Mexican Sausage)
Carne Molida (Ground Beef)

SOO GOOOODDDDD.

8/11/2010 9:56:40 PM

I've been bad about going to the gym this week, but I've been preparing for the two soccer teams I'll be playing on for the next few months.

I plan on lifting hard tomorrow though

8/11/2010 9:59:48 PM

High Protein Cheesecake

Server 8
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
2 medium eggs
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup vanilla whey-protein powder
1/4 cup granulated Splenda or stevia
Grated rind and juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract

- preheat oven to 375 degrees
- put all ingredients in blender, and process until very smooth
- spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. pour mixture into prepared pan. place pan on top rack of oven and place a flat pan of water on bottom rack. bake 30 to 40 minutes. chill well before serving.

190 calories, 20 g protein, 7 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 9 g fat (5 g saturated)

8/11/2010 10:20:33 PM

^hell yes

8/11/2010 10:28:07 PM

thank you for that ^^

8/11/2010 11:33:14 PM

hey neodata686, we should eat at Loco Lime on a Tuesday. It would be delightful!

[Edited on August 11, 2010 at 11:56 PM. Reason : ^,^^ you're welcome guise. ]

8/11/2010 11:55:20 PM

Another good cheesecake recipe

http://yanyanxu.com/2008/03/30/chocolate-cheesecake/

I'd use less splenda though and throw in something like Almond Butter or Dark Choc. Almond Butter....unless you can't fit the extra calories, in which case just use less splenda

8/12/2010 5:23:24 AM

do any of you have an issue with artificial sweeteners? i'm on the 'might give me cancer' side of the fence. probably not true!!!

punch complaining about eating 2200 calories made me feel not so bad about my situation . try 3300+ to maintain 150-155lbs. kill me. i sit at the pc and play starcraft2 most days.



[Edited on August 12, 2010 at 8:02 AM. Reason : o well, could be worse. could be short]

8/12/2010 7:56:40 AM

^that's nothing!! I'd be close to 3500 on a typical day to maintain my weight! Although I'm trying to drop a few pounds so I'm closer to 3000. On the weekends that'd be closer to 5500 on a good hike.

I wish I had more time to play SC2.

^^^next Tuesday we'll be going!

8/12/2010 8:31:11 AM

you are either an extreme ectomorph or substantially heavier

8/12/2010 8:34:43 AM

No i'm a regular mesomorph. About 5' 7.5" and 178 pounds. I'll post some photos this weekend. I realized I haven't done that yet in here. I just like staying active because of the desk job. I run/bike and walk everywhere when I can. I also do lots of hiking. It's pretty easy to burn 5000+ calories in a day via hiking.

hey punchmonk have you ever been to Soul Bistro Lounge at Central and Pecan? One of my new favorite places. Tapas food is one of my guilty pleasures in life.

8/12/2010 8:51:48 AM

Soul is great!! I love central ave/plaza midwood!

8/12/2010 10:55:12 AM

hey guys please include me in the Charlotte food discussion. Soul is incredible, the truffle/garlic fries are the best. Cuban panini is good too, not to mention all the dips (spicy feta ftw), skewers, wings.

Brunch is also delicious.

8/12/2010 11:08:54 AM

Of course! The dips are great. I like the mini burgers, lamb drumsticks, cheese and meat plates, and they have some great specials sometimes. Last special I had there was the BBQ hush puppies and the pimento cheese BLT (probably the best BLT i've ever had, but then again I love pimento cheese).

Quote :

"(spicy feta ftw)"

My favorite dip there. They never give you enough pita chips though!

I'm typically at the Common Market on the weekends (love the deli and beer selection) and go to the Penguin, Thomas Street, and occasionally Snug Harbor on Thursday nights.

I also play pool at Elizabeth Billards if you guys ever go there. Twenty Two has some good beer selections and Fuel Pizza is open till 3am.

Dish is pretty good too (chicken n' dumplings). Bistro la Bon just opened up and has amazing dinner (kind of pricy) and an awesome all you can eat Sunday brunch. Cafe Central is pretty cool too. Full menu until 2am and they have bands on the roof.

But for brunch I have to go to Zada Janes. Everything is good. The bunny rancheros or the Booker T. East Side Hasher. Plus they make some mean biscuit breakfast sandwiches.

Philosophers Stone is pretty awesome too and has a great outdoor area. They have some great food and free music as well as beer towers.

And that's just plaza midwood. Don't even get me started on restaraunts elsewhere like in Noda, south end or uptown. I love me some Cabo BBQ Mahi Mahi fish tacos. The thing I like about Plaza Central though is everything I mentioned is within walking distance of each other (if you've never been).

8/12/2010 11:40:03 AM

I want included too!

I'm so thankful Cabo Fish Taco is far away from me, or I'd be broke and fat!

8/12/2010 11:48:16 AM

What's going on in here?

Anyway, Nature's Path organic cereals are BOGO at HT this week for some good clean breakfast nutrition. I know for sure Joie was gonna try these, so now's the time

[Edited on August 12, 2010 at 12:35 PM. Reason : pumpkin raisin crunch, blueberry cinnamon, and the banana one are all delicious]

8/12/2010 12:34:34 PM

I have a question for you health folks. I understand the basic way to loose weight is calories in vs calories out but what if the "healthier" food choice has more calories, then what?

For example, yesterdays seemingly "healthiest" option vs the lowest calorie

Hummus, Veggie, and provolone on 9 grain
calories- 668
calories from fat- 229
protein- 25.5
carb- 84.3
fiber- 9.3
fat- 25.5
saturated fat- 4.9
cholesterol- 19
sodium- 1146

or

Wasabi mayo Roast Beef on focaccia
calories- 374
calories from fat- 96
protein- 36.7
carb- 32.9
fiber- 2.5
fat- 10.6
saturated fat- 2.7
cholesterol- 82
sodium- 921

8/12/2010 1:34:13 PM

^ I think that's what tricks a lot of people into not losing weight. They think "I eat well!" but don't realize that a calorie is a calorie and they add up even if they are coming from healthy sources. And a lot of "healthy" things at restaurants really aren't.

8/12/2010 1:39:59 PM

Yeah it took my mom forever to understand that a calorie is a scientific measure of energy. Yes it's good to eat healthy calories but unless you have that deficiency you're not going to lose any weight. A calorie is still a calorie.

8/12/2010 2:20:28 PM

^^^I'm surprised by how little fat is in the second choice, even though it has a mayo.

You may notice that a lot of times things that are advertised as healthier just contain more fiber than most other products offered.

Almost 25lbs down! I'm worried I've hit a plateau, though. It could be because I've partied hard the last two weekends!

8/12/2010 2:38:27 PM

thanks craptastic

8/12/2010 2:42:32 PM

^^ How long has your weight been steady? If not very long, it's likely the partying. I partied way too much last weekend and a little the two before that. I have two extra pounds to show for it, but that is not going to fly. I lifted and did 4x500 meters on the rowing machine this morning and plan on doing an Insanity workout when I get home.

I have been really hungry lately, particularly the last week. Usually if I just have a day or two where I am super hungry I listen to my body and eat a little more and then am back to normal the next day, but the hunger seems to be staying around this time.

8/12/2010 2:49:39 PM

^totally right.

im in the process right now to really take into acount my drinking at night and add it to my daily calorie total.
i did it before but not very well (in my case its never just one beer )

i was really good at it last year and i need to get back on it.

8/12/2010 3:12:00 PM

Quote :

"do any of you have an issue with artificial sweeteners? i'm on the 'might give me cancer' side of the fence. probably not true!!!"

From what I've read, Splenda is fine. Aspertame/saccharine might be carcinogenic, but unless you eat a shitload of it, you probably are ok.

8/12/2010 11:10:44 PM

I just read an article about women and the perception with muscle.

Is it true that some guys thing Jessica Biel looks like a guy cause of her muscle??

8/13/2010 12:17:41 PM

^ Post the article please.

Also all I have ever heard guys say about her is *droooool*

8/13/2010 12:51:04 PM

I found this article really amazing.

http://www.leighpeele.com/bulky-muscles-and-training-females-the-definition

in it people define her as bulky and then some men say that others say she looks like a man.
I was all like WTF?

8/13/2010 1:38:06 PM

I would say that I'm not super attracted to the super lean, muscular look. I'm being SUPER GENERAL here, but more times than not from what I've seen those types of bodies, relatively, have fewer curves in the chest/ass. Yes, this is a horribly general statement and based solely on anecdotal experiences. The key word used in the first post though was perception. It very rarely meets reality.

For what it's worth, I don't think Biel falls in to this category. She is in great shape with great body tone AND has nice curves.

[Edited on August 13, 2010 at 2:38 PM. Reason : x]

8/13/2010 2:37:43 PM

^^ If you don't think Jessica Biel is ridiculously hot, you clearly love the cock.

After reading the article, I'd definitely say that the Jessica Biel-look is my favorite (although the Jessica Alba and Hillary Swank types are fine).

When we say that aggressively lifting heavy weights won't make you "bulk up", we mean that you absolutely will not look like a female bodybuilder unless you pretty much devote your life to looking like that AND use steroids.

Developing a body even like Jessica Biel's takes either fantastic genetics or a lot of work. You pretty much aren't going to get any more muscular than that without REALLY trying to and it being quite intentional.

That article pretty much nails it, in that the "problem" lies in the level of muscle that most women tolerate seeing before they view it as a negative (i.e., pretty much any, haha). I think that there's a significant disparity between these women's perceptions and most men's perceptions of what makes for a beautiful broad. I, for one, don't care for women who look huge or reaaally ripped, but you WILL NOT get like this accidentally, even if you work out "like a man".


[Edited on August 13, 2010 at 2:59 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on August 13, 2010 at 3:01 PM. Reason : ]

8/13/2010 2:41:50 PM

Jessica Biel - Would smash.

8/13/2010 2:53:38 PM

1) it was women he surveyed, not men
2) he listed out a handful of celebrities and said "which one of these do you think is bulky?" ... so clearly she was the bulkiest option, but that doesn't mean they think she's huge and gross (necessarily, though they might)
3) he never asks any men what they feel about women, only what the women think men want them to look like

Truth:

Quote :

"The majority of women are not suffering from the big muscles they think they are. A lot of women never get lean enough to see the other side of things. This is because your body fat levels are too high to show any definition. Mix that with a lifting program you just end up looking fatter, but firmer."

Though I do think he's right that most women want arms like this that are tiny and soft

8/13/2010 3:00:19 PM

Quote :

"3) he never asks any men what they feel about women, only what the women think men want them to look like"

Exactly.

[Edited on August 13, 2010 at 3:10 PM. Reason : and with that, I'm off to go do some squats and deads]

8/13/2010 3:02:44 PM

I love the cock.

But women don't really do it for men, but the norm set by other women.
Do you really think we dress in those rediculous fashions b/c we think you think it looks hot. not really that much. Fashion is kinda like a female way to visually set up who is more -trying to describe it- but maybe alpha. like guys set dominance with sports and physical nature, women with fashion, clothes, and jewelry - culturely (sp). Women set up what is in fashion and all you have to do is pick up a fashion magazine to know that super thin is in!

I have huge muscles on my arms and long for little anorexic arms, where my elbow is bigger than the rest of my arm. That is ideal that women want now.

8/13/2010 3:19:05 PM

Not all of us. I want to be strong and look strong. But I also don't buy into pillowcase shirts or Gladiator shoes and crap like that, so I guess I don't count in the alpha female discussion.

8/13/2010 3:22:37 PM

Quote :

"Would you rather appear to be… Too Thin-71% Too Muscular-11% Too Fat-18%"

That part of the survey makes me very sad for the women in our country...


I would like to add onto that "alpha" theory... I don't buy it, no offense or anything. I really don't give a shit what most other women wear (and the only times I do care is when it's a friend or family member and they either look silly or it's not flattering). And I certainly wouldn't wear most of the shit I see in magazines.. I feel like that's personal taste, not a dominance hierarchy.


Anyway, I'm a girl and even I can say Jessica Biel is GORGEOUS. No other answer for it. I would kill for her body.

[Edited on August 13, 2010 at 3:26 PM. Reason : muscles are where it's at!]

8/13/2010 3:24:00 PM

Yeah, I get them preferring to be "too thin" to "too fat"...but "too fat" to "too muscular"? What the hell?? Especially when they're defining "too muscular" as "any visible muscle definition to speak of."

No wonder I'm single. Fatties.

8/13/2010 3:27:38 PM

That survey seriously blew my mind. I couldn't believe the too fat to too muscular...

Men: please tell me any muscular definition what-so-ever isn't gross

8/13/2010 3:31:14 PM

jessica b has a phenomenal booty.

8/13/2010 3:31:39 PM

This was the picture they used on that survey, it seems... WTF. She looks HEALTHY, not bulky!

[Edited on August 13, 2010 at 3:36 PM. Reason : holy huge picture... sorry!]

8/13/2010 3:36:00 PM

who posts huge pictures like that.

8/13/2010 3:39:07 PM

I do

The only reason I didn't fix it is because, well, it's Jessica Biel

8/13/2010 3:41:11 PM

it looks like she has hairy legs

8/13/2010 3:48:26 PM

I think J. Biel is super good looking and skinny.
I would never think of her as "bulky", that is why I posted the article, It just blew my mind.

I don't give into fashion much, but some guys play video games and don't work out.

The whole thing that started this is my being self concious about being too muscular, and being called butch. when in asia, I was called sir, and mistaken for a lady-boy

I am genetically muscular and have broad shoulders and was online looking at the different body types to see wich one I was.... wich eventually led to this article.

ok have I explained myself??

8/13/2010 3:49:09 PM

I've been asked if I was pregnant by Asians. Don't let it get ya.

8/13/2010 3:51:03 PM

Yeah, Biel's traps are a little intimidating, but otherwise she looks fine.

8/13/2010 3:53:18 PM

HAHAHA Joie, I thought the same thing at first


I get what you're saying about all that, G.O.D., I was just not following the fashion/alpha thing. No worries

And yeah, don't let it get to you if someone asks if you're pregnant.... Some super fat, redneck biotch in Havelock asked if I was pregnant

8/13/2010 3:54:24 PM

^^ nah, they're fine

8/13/2010 4:30:22 PM

Quote :

"please tell me any muscular definition what-so-ever isn't gross"

Trying not to be to vague with these description I find an Average to Athletic body type attractive.

Thin - (Little % body fat, little muscle; petite but not muscular)
Average - (avg % body fat, avg muscle)
Fit - (little/avg % body fat, avg avg muscle)
Athletic - (very little to little % body fat, avg muscle)
Muscular - (very little to little % body fat, above avg muscle)

8/13/2010 4:30:41 PM