Low fat angel food cake

It's the Fourth of July weekend. Time to eat, enjoy family and blow some stuff up.  But if you don't want to be blowing the button off your jeans, you're going to need to pace yourself or swap out some healthier choices for unhealthy comfort foods.  

Increasing lean meats, vegetables and fruits are a good start. Limit the quantity of the processed foods you eat. Generally speaking these holiday weekend meals are filled with carbs AND fat.  I usually try to pick one or the other.  So I baked this lovely flag themed LOW FAT cake to enjoy guilt free. 

It's not low carb, but it's really not a diet killer, even for a pretty generous portion (1/12 of a 13x9 cake) 2 ingredients doesn't get much easier either!

Let's get to the Ingredients:

For the cake:

Box of Angel Food Cake Mix

20 oz can of crushed pineapple in juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix the pineapple (un-drained) with the cake mix until fully incorporated.

        Mixture will be very foamy and fluffy.

Pour the mixture in a 13x9 ungreased pan 

Bake for 30-40 minutes (mine was done at 30 minutes)

Cool completely.. scroll down for topping

IF you wanted to enjoy the cake as is, the macros for 1/12 of the cake are as follows:

Calories: 167

Fat: 0g (yes ZERO) 

Carbs: 37.5g

Fiber: 0.7g 

Protein: 3g

This would be a pretty awesome post workout recovery meal... 

If you want to go all out topping and decorating you'll need the following:

Small box of dream whip

Milk of choice (I used 1% good old cows milk) 

Extract of choice *Optional*

Fruit of choice (I used blue berries and strawberries)  

Keep scrolling for directions 

Mix the Dream whip per the box directions.  I used both envelopes and 1 cup of 1% milk. I used a cherry flavor I had to give it just a hint of sweetness. 

The box recommends vanilla extract.

Whip until peaks form

Spread on top of the cake (I left mine in the pan)

Decorate with fruit if desired and ENJOY! 

Macros for cake and topping (I left the fruit off, but I only ended up with about 1 strawberry on my piece so it wouldn't drastically change the macros.

1/12 of cake w/ topping

Calories: 196

Fat: 1g

Carbs: 43g

Fiber: 1g

Protein: 4g

This comes in at about 1/2 the calories of a traditional cake with buttercream and with SO much less fat.

Hope you have a safe 4th of July and remember, you don't have to ruin your goals to enjoy your life.

Why my routine MIGHT not work for you

I want to get really real here for a minute. I like to share recipes and have no problem sharing my workouts. The truth is, I do this more for me than you.  I do it because it makes me plan, it makes me accountable and it motivates me to make good choices. In addition to motivating me, it gives ideas to others on the same journey.

I know what it's like to be struggling to lose weight. I worked hard for 2.5 years to lose over 100 pounds naturally. That's only the beginning of the struggle though.  When my life got a little messy, I immediately took the focus off my healthy habits and became very sedentary and ate a lot of convenient foods.  I gained weight pretty quickly. I cared, but not enough to really consider what I was putting in my body OR care enough to get active to counter a little of the junk I was eating. Now I'm starting over again, not from the place I started from before. But definitely from a place I thought I'd never be in again.

I know as much as anyone who has struggled with weight how much you want an easy fix. A quick weight loss solution to get you back in shape fast.  So you look to others. I can't tell you how many super skinny model type with thigh gaps I used to follow on social media. I followed them because I wanted to look like them.  I wondered what they were eating, how often they workout and what they were doing.  The truth is, I hoped that I could mirror their routine and look just like them.  But I won't look like them. And their routines MIGHT not even get me into the best shape I can be in.  Most of those girls are ectomorphs. They are naturally thin and have a hard time gaining weight.  That's not to say none of them have ever been over weight, but a lot of them haven't. And if they were slightly over weight, it's not to the degree that I can quickly and easily gain weight.  We are different. Doing what they do, will not yield the same results.

I don't sell "my workout" or "my diet" because I constantly mix up my workouts. And I am still experimenting with the best macros for me. Frankly it makes me sad when I see social media fitness "celebrities" selling a cookie cutter diet or workout plan.  Because I know that people who are desperate to lose weight will pay $5, $10 or more for a cookie cutter plan.  While I haven't seen these plans, I would bet that some of these little waifs eat as little as 1200 calories a day.  If you're an overweight person doing any activity at all, that's simply not enough calories. Your body will not be happy or you'll end up starving and binge. They might be low carb, high fat diets.  I found out the hard way that my body type is programmed to store fat eaten.  So when I tried Keto (atkins) my results were mediocre at best.  It just doesn't work for me. If you're 160, 200, 250+ pounds, you simply cannot just do what a 110 pound person does and look like them.  In theory, you can eat healthier foods and portion sizes, you can increase activity to burn calories and shape your body. But you need to cut calories gradually to avoid slowly the metabolism too quickly.  I feel there is simply too much comparison going on. If you don't have a thigh gap, you're not less valuable than someone that does. (and visa versa). The idea of a fitness journey should be finding your best self, not trying to turn into someone else.

I share my journey (for free) to motivate others to find what works for them and give them ideas along the way. I want everyone to know that you can work hard and get in the best shape of your life. You don't have to buy a cookie cutter diet plan. You don't have to cut out all carbs. (Carbs are a very important macronutrient) You CAN eat more than 1,000 or 1,200 calories a day and achieve your fat loss goals. I want to help others in their fitness journey and I want you to be successful. Not because it's good for my pocketbook, but because it makes me feel good to help someone else and see them happy and comfortable in their skin.  So I'll happily continue sharing my journey in hopes to inspire others to start a journey of their own to reach their own goals.

Carb Quik banana muffins

I've decided in order to stay motivated and watch my macros, I will start posting some healthy recipes so I have less excuses to eat healthy food.  After all, If I making it for my blog.. it's there and I don't need to go out for some convenient junk food.  

I bought some carbquik mix a while ago on Amazon (my favorite lazy girl website).  I didn't really have anything in particular in mind when I ordered it.  I am NOT against carbs at all.  For me personally, I found lower fat, high protein and moderate carbs is best for losing weight. Also I LOVE carbs.  I am always looking for ways to enjoy my favorite carb heavy foods in a healthier way. 

I hadn't even opened the mix. I've been kind of slacking off diet (and exercise) wise lately. But I found a relatively easy recipe for banana nut muffins and I modified it based on what I had in my kitchen. 

So.. without further delay.. lets get to the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups Carbquik

1 ripe banana

1 egg

2/3 cup unsweet almond milk (can sub in whatever kind of milk you drink)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 packets of Truvia

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until moist. (up to 1/4 cup water can be added if needed) I didn't need to add any extra water. 

The batter is very light and airy.

scoop the batter in to 12 regular size muffin tins. 

Bake for 8-13 minutes.  (I checked at 10 min and ended up baking all 13 minutes)  

They are very light and fluffy! Makes a great pairing with a protein shake or some eggs or egg whites. 

Macros for the muffins (based on my ingredients) 

PER 1 MUFFIN

Calories:  71

Fat:         4.8g

Carbs:     9.9g

Fiber:      7.3g

Protein:   3.7g

I failed spectacularly

First, it's been ages since my last post. I've been pretty busy with things in my personal life. Unfortunately a lot of things that don't include the gym or eating healthy food. I've gained a lot of weight over the past year. I feel like a perfect storm of circumstances hit and I just kind of surrendered to it. There were times when I would attempt to get back on track, I failed. 

There's a few things that led to where I find myself today. 

1. My keto diet during show prep last year primed my body for quick regain. And I wasn't careful to avoid it. After my show I took a break from the gym and basically binged on whatever foods I wanted. Zero regard for nutrition. That slippery slope is hard to come back from. 

2. I went through a divorce. Although it was amicable, it wasn't easy and it's still something I am working through emotionally. I am an emotional eater so when I felt stressed or guilty or anything I would fill myself with sweets and processed junk for a temporary good feeling. 

3. I worked two jobs. Ok I'm still working two jobs. But tax season was busy for me this year. I used it as an excuse to skip the gym and grab fast food meals between jobs. As an accountant I sit most the day anyway, adding additional work hours, more food, less activity.. It's really a recipe for disaster. 

So, I failed. I failed to keep off the weight I fought so hard to lose. But I'm ready to get back on it. I'm tired of feeling sluggish and icky. When I do workout I fatigue quickly. I know I've lost a good bit of strength. So I've made a couple decisions and set some goals. I'm going to blog real time weightloss. I'll start on June 1 with a current photo. I'll record what I eat and what workouts I do and every week I'll update my photo. 

I'll be taking weights and measurements as well. I may or may not post those right away. I probably will, it's more motivation for me to stay on track and have changes week to week. 

My goals right now:

1. Resume consistent workouts to build muscle and lose fat 

2. Get down to a comfortable maintenance weight and maintain for 6+ months 

3. Compete in another figure show 

First step is getting back on track and down to a healthy weight again. I'm ready to do this. 

Back to Reality

I just got back to KC from Puerto Rico. I already miss the weather! 

But returning to the cold weather wasn't the only shock to my system. The truth is, I wasn't as comfortable in my skin as I would have liked to be down there. I've been lax, and I've allowed stress to get the best of me. But it's a new year and I'm determined to take back control. 

I'm not really a fan of New Years resolutions. Unfortunately it seems they aren't something a lot of people stick with. So I haven't set resolutions. Instead, I have goals for 2016. 

My main goal: Take better care of myself.  This means physically, but also mentally. It means I can, and should, be a little selfish. I do need that time at the gym. I do need to make sure my needs are also met. (I do need to recognize what my needs are). 

It's really a pretty broad goal. I also really intend to blog more. To document my journey back to fitness, to have an outlet for getting things off my chest. Start experimenting with healthy recipes, putting together new workouts. Really doing the one thing I know I enjoy. 

Here's hoping at the end of 2016, I feel like a different and better person than I did at the end of 2015! 

I'm still alive.

Hey everyone, I've been a little quiet on social media lately. I've been busy at work and with the kids and going through some personal stuff. I've been missing the gym and my diet hasn't been great and I've gained some weight because of it. It's been tough to get my motivation back, but I'm taking steps toward getting back on track. Most importantly I'm trying not to beat myself up about my set back. No one is perfect. I'm disappointed in where I am physically, but I have conquered a lot worse. I'm getting my diet back in line and I'm going to resume studying for my CPT. I feel good in the gym and I'm passionate about fitness, I want to get back, I feel like I've lost myself a little. I plan on doing a lot more updates here. 

Diet Break

Post show my trainer recommended I take a week off from the gym. This was really hard for me at first, and then honestly due to some personal things, my daughters birthday party, an upcoming out of the country trip ( Which I am currently at 33,000 feet typing this up), as well as a family vacation right after I get back in the states, I ended up spending a lot less time in the gym then I typically would.

I wasn’t completely sedentary, but I was a lot less active than I usually am.  During this time, I slowly added carbs back into my diet. (If you’ve been following we did a ketogenic diet at the end of my prep you can read my post on that here) 

Once I brought my carb level back up, I kind of took a diet break. I stopped eating at a deficit. Heck, a few days (or so) I probably ate over maintenance. I did gain some weight back, which I wanted to not do, but it’ll come back off. And it wasn’t a lot of weight; the key is to keep everything in moderation. I don't really deny myself any craving that I have, but I do keep portions reasonable and I do still log what I eat. (except when I didn't have internet in India and I lost my steak on myfitnesspal.com ) 

I did this because I have been dieting for pretty much the last 4 years.  Your body adapts to your eating habits, and my metabolism has adapted to my constantly eating at a deficit. Especially toward the end of my prep I noticed my body wasn’t responding as we would like to the changes we made.  I really thought that I could benefit from a break. Basically I am eating at maintenance right now, feeding my body, hoping that it will realize that it can boost up my metabolism a bit. 

I do have plans to compete at least once more this year. I’m hoping that despite this “break” being only a month or so long, it will help my body respond better when I begin cutting for my next show. 

My plan for the next week and a half (until training, with my trainer, resumes) is 

1. Get back into the gym.  After some time off, I'll be starting back a bit easy so I don't hurt myself or get very sore.

2. Continue eating my current calorie intake and logging my food. Taking in balance meals and whole foods.

3. More thoroughly document my next journey to the stage.