Push up Challenge

3rd and final challenge for March. PUSH UPS!! It works so many muscle groups at once! One of the best workouts for tank top season! It's fast approaching! If you need to start with "lady" push ups. That's ok! Start there. Or do as many regular and finish with them. All that matters is you attempt them. This one is going to be rough, but that's the point! It's a CHALLENGE! If you do 1 or all 3 this month, I applaud you! Print it off, hang it up in your bedroom and think of me cheering you on.

March AB Challenge

I hope you will join @myweighttloss and I on this March Madness Challenge :) Summer is around the corner. Hard work in the gym + clean eating in the gym CAN get you the body you want this year! Don't give up. You can achieve your dreams.

Inner Thigh March Challenge!

Let's do this!!

My 3 favorite cookbooks

I have three that I take recipes when I need to change something up. I've had them for a few years but I am pretty sure you would be able to find them. I get asked often if I have a go-to website, and to be honest I don't.

When I find a photo of hear of something I want to make I run to Google and usually gravitate towards the following websites:

Martha Stewart - which isn't healthy most of the time.
Weight Watchers - Which is usually great!
Paleo diets- they have variations of things!
Cooks.com - definitely found a few favorites on here
Taste of Home - reminds me of my mom and grandma's cooking

Now my 3 favorite cookbooks!

The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook

Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (was a gift a few years back)
Taste of Home Simply Delicious Cookbook

They all have fantastic quick meals and of course you can substitute but I've found snack, lunch, dinner, breakfast and dessert options in all of these. Highly recommended. They are thicker too and totally worth the price.

Another meal prep week!

I love meal prep days. My apt always smells amazing and I love being able to change things up. People ask me often how I come up with my meals. Obviously I stick to lean ground beef, turkey breast, fish (tilapia/salmon) and chicken. It can get boring but I play with SPICE! Spice and sauces. BBQ, Mustard, Honey, etc. I watch portions for those sauces but it gets fun.

This week, especially for carb cycling.

Green beans, peas, edamame & corn. Sweet potato and sweet potato chips! Hard boiled and scrambled eggs. My protein shakes post workout. BBQ& spice chicken & dill tilapia. YUM!

I've cut out cheese, almond milk, candy, chocolate, pastries, chips, etc. Even though the February challenge is coming to a end I'm not gonna quick. But I do get Peanut Butter back!!

Fish- brushed with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with dill. Baked at 375* for 25 minutes

Chicken- BBQ brushed with table blend spice and backed at 375* for 40 minutes

Sweet Potato chips- brushed with extra virgin olive oil (very very lightly) and sprinked each pan differently. One with cinnamon, table blend and sea salt.

Carb cycling - giving it a go!

Happy Monday everyone!

 

I'll be posting more blogs this week with recipes and on Friday an update of my Feb progess from the no junk food, 2-a-day cardios, challenges and new meal plan Shaun put me on.

 

Today I start carb cycling. My body is very stubborn and we have had to find something to change and carb cycling has worked before, I did it to a small degree about a year ago. Shaun carb cycled for his last show and had success and felt it would work for me. (if you want a meal plan focused on carb cycling we are now offering those too!) And I have gotten lots of questions on Instagram and my personal FB from friends/family asking what carb cycling is. I found a resource online that can break it down for you and give you an insight into what it is and how it works.

 

http://www.cutandjacked.com/Carb-Cycling-Made-Easy

 

Now let me say that I am NOT saying that everyone should do this. This is what works for my body and I will only be doing it for 3-4 weeks. At around 3.5 weeks I start to plateau and need to change up my eating habits and workouts. Today I hit week 4 so this is the change we decided would be best for my body. I will always tell you that you should research for yourself and make sure this is something that is right for you. Every person's body is different and this might not be the right choice for you, and that's ok!

 

 

Vanilla Banana Peanut Butter Prtein stuffed French toast

 

2 slices whole wheat toast

1/2 banana

2 tbsp of your favorite PB

2 egg whites

a tbsp unsweetened almond milk

1 packet of raw stevia

1/3 scoop of vanilla whey protein

dash of cinnamon

 

mix all ingredients (minus bread, pb and banana together)

dip bread into the mixture coating one side

place in pan and spread PB onto slice

do the same with second slice of bread.

cook on both sides until desired browness

 

top with bananas and enjoy!

 

seriously- gooey and delicious in your mouth! 

Protein Vanilla Cake

Have some of you heard of the mug cakes that many clean eaters eat for a night time snack? Well here is one for a morning treat or a before bedtime.

 

2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 egg
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce (optional)

2 tsp coconut flour, or other flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp sweetener
1/3 cup milk or water

Mix all together in a bowl. Microwave for 1 minute in a mug or bake in the oven at on 200 degrees for 12 minutes

 

ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Whole Grain banana french toast!

Ingredients include;

2 whole grain pieces of toast

eggs

egg whites

 stevia

 ground cinnamon

unsweetened almond milk.

 

Depending on your serving size you can mix together what you need to. I just eye balled this one and didn't measure.

 

Pan fry the slices on each side.
I also in a separate pan warmed up some banana slices with ground cinnamon. No real syrup needed folks! 

Homemade Strawberry Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Who is looking for a new clean dessert day or night?!

 

 

 

 

2/3 cup greek yogurt (low fat)

3-3.5 oz of frozen strawberries
1.5 tbsp granulated stevia
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Put everything in a blow and mix with a hand blender. It is okay if everything does not blend, you will get a nice yogurt flavor if some of the mixture is vanilla and some strawberry. Put in the freezer for 20 minutes, take out and stir, put back in for 10-20 min.

27g of protein, 12g carbs, 3g fat

Death by Chocolate Protein Pancakes

 

 

I mean really? Need I say more? GO TRY THEM!!!!!!!

 

Thank you Ms. Chelsea Blush!



Lemon Blueberry Muffins!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins!

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cut 0% fat cottage cheese
1/2 scoop vanilla protein
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp stevia

1/2 lemons juice

Blend together and place into a muffin time.

Add blueberries to the top and cook at 365* for 30 minutes

Totally clean and a little bit of heaven!

Meal Prep Sundays - Chicken and Tilapia

 

Many of you have asked how I prep my food. Well here is the nitty gritty!

 

I go to school and work fulltime Monday through Saturday so meal prep for me is key. I buy frozen vegetables because they have the most nutrition without the added sodium from a can and easiest to re-heat while I am on the go. I usually stick to corn, green beans and edamame.

 

 

CHICKEN

For my Chicken I usually put a tbsp of BBQ (which you can do any flavor you want, I often try to switch it up monthly so I don't get bored but I know Shaun has a specific brand he likes.) Pay attention to the serving size and amount of sugar and fat when you are deciding because it can add up quickly! I also use a variety of Mrs. Dash's seasonings to make give it a kick too.

 

Turn oven on to 375*.
I cut each chicken breast in half (so it cooks quick and evenly)
I put in a glass pyrex lined with tinfoil  (sprayed with PAM!) because I have found clean up is SO MUCH EASIER!

I then brush on 1 tbsp of BBQ on each breast and along the edges.
I sometimes sprinkle a Mrs. Dash flavor on them, this week I choose not to.
I place in the oven for 30-32 minutes
I then take it out, cut them down the center and make sure the juices and center are completely white/clear
I hate dry chicken so I don't usually cook it for longer than that.

 

TILAPIA

My tilapia is a little different. I get bored of fish. If you would have told me a year ago I'd be eating 5oz of Tilapia 6-7 days a week I would call you a liar. I buy the Kraft Fresh Take packages in the cooler section and divide them up for 10 servings instead of the usual 6 that the packaging says it is for. Allows for less calories per fillet but still the flavor. So far I have found 4 different flavors and all of them are great!

I often place my chicken and tilapia in at the same time, but the Tilapia because it is thinner cooks quicker. Check at 20 minutes to see if the meat is throughly cooked. I have had the habit of not doing that and it gets dry very quickly past the 26/27 minute mark.

I rinse the tilapia fillets with water and then place them in a bowl of the mix until lightly covered. Just enough for a little bit of flavor. 

 

How to get started

I have gotten tons of messages, emails and comments asking me, "How did you get started?" Well I woke up one day sick of what I saw in the mirror. I was putting on my size 20 work pants and they barely zipped and buttoned and I refused to go into a 22. I had a gym membership I was paying for and went 1-2 times a week with my sister but it wasn't enough. I was blessed with having an amazing support system. The trainer I had for my first 10 months of my journey I will never be able to thank enough.

We set a time every morning to meet. There is no way I would miss a session if  he was taking his time out to help me by doing research, packing his equiptment and meeting me somewhere. Some days were better than others. I swore ALOT. I cried, often. I shed a lot of blood and sweat but after every workout not once did I say I regretted doing it.

We changed up the routines weekly. Heavy lifting, running, cardio drills, kick boxing, new exercises that would challenge me. We did TRX, Interval Training on the treadmill, a spin bike, ellipticals for time and for distance. In 9 months I never did the same workout twice.

I walked away from ALL fast food. I literally did not stop at Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's or anywhere else for over 45 days. By the time I had it again it made my stomach hurt so badly. I learned how to meal prep. I would cook for 4-5 days at a time and sometimes it got repetative but I lost weight. I took pictures and measured on the first of every month and continue to push myself.

Like in an earlier blog I made goals. My trainer challanged me to drop 8lbs in 8 days for a new pair of running shoes. You bet your ass I got those shoes and wore them out in less then 3 months because I made a goal to run 144 miles in the month of June and crushed it! Life is about what you make it. If you think of exercising and changing your eating habits as the end of the world, it will feel that way. Give it a chance. You never know what you and your body are capable of until you push it to it's limits. Your head will give in before your body does. Your body was made to withstand so much more than many are willing to push it to. I know it isn't easy and I am not telling you you need to spend 2-3 hours in the gym daily like I did. But do not expect to drop 50 lbs in a month. Lose it slowly and make changes for LIFE so that you do not have to start over again.

This is a lifestyle change- not a short term diet. Daily exercise, making good choices in the kitchen and making personal time for yourself can never be a bad thing. It is a matter of how badly you want it. If you have to start small that is OK. Everyone is different. No two people are the same and will go through the same struggles. As long as you do not give up and know you are giving your best you will see changes. In order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than your consume. This means time spent in the gym + when your body is at rest. Getting your metabolism working again is one of the best ways to kick start weight loss and especially fat loss versus muscle loss.

One of the best quotes to this day I still use is, "Wake up with Determination, go to bed with Satisfaction".

It is a journey. You can have cheat meals, treats, vacations and off days. This is your LIFE. Do not feel you have to sacrifice everything because if you do you will fall off the wagon and not reach your full potential. Just realize those things are temporary and this life is forever!