New Year "cleanses and detoxes"

It's that time of year to make new year resolutions for 2015. A lot of people will have lose weight, get fit, get healthy or the like. Even my list includes achieving my goal weight and getting lean enough to compete in a figure competition.  I've made some kind of weight related resolution for the last decade at least. It always starts pretty well but fizzles out by the end of January.

Why does it fizzle out? Because we all want a quick fix, instant gratification. When it doesn't work that way, it's pretty easy to get down on yourself and give up. Weight loss TV shows make you believe you can lose 10 pounds a week. While you MIGHT be able to do that the first week if you are very very overweight and drastically change your diet and activity level, it is much more likely you'll lose 1-2 pounds a week. That's about 4-8 lbs a month. Which could add up to 52-104 pounds in a year. That is a hugs change!  While we all would like to drop 20 pounds in a month, it's unlikely and that's not the right way to go about changing your life to a healthier lifestyle. 

Another downfall is fad diets. Again, there is no quick fix. No easy way. No magic pill or juice or tea. I hear a lot about cleanses and detoxes and I've even tried a couple myself. One was this juice, you mixed it with water and it's all you had all day. First, it didn't work. Second, that's not healthy. Your body NEEDS food. It's fuel, it's energy. Drinking only juice is going to throw your body in to starvation mode and wreck your metabolism. A "detox" I tried that I felt was successful really involved eating whole foods. And I modified it to get balance I felt my body needed. But, the truth is, I could've gotten the same result by just eating whole, unprocessed foods with the "detox" label. I went from eating poorly and over indulging on calories to eating healthy and at a calorie deficit. So, yeah, I dropped some weight. Don't fall into the cleanse and detox trap. If you want to change your habits, just make healthy choices. Plan and prep your healthy meals. Eat whole single ingredient foods. And drink plenty of water. No expensive cleanse pills, teas or juices needed. 

Before starting any new "diet", do your research. There is so much information available for free these days. Albeit there is some conflicting information. Everyone is different.  Something that works for one person might not work for someone else. Read about what you want to try. Decide if it makes sense and seems like it would work for you. When you find something that's healthy and works for you, don't give up. Focus on your end goal. Recognize and celebrate your progress, but don't lose sight of why you started this journey in the first place. Let that always be a source of motivation for you. 

Holiday party eating survival tips.

Holidays mean holiday parties and gatherings. I get to celebrate Christmas at least 4 times and also have a work party to attend. Then comes New Years Eve. With all these opportunities for yummy food and drink, it can be tough to not just completely let your nutrition go south until the new year. But some of us have goals we are working toward and we don't want to set ourselves back by ditching the diet for two or three weeks. And let's be honest, if you do completely abandon healthy eating for three weeks, It's going to be a tough transition getting back on track in January. So here's a few tips on surving holiday gatherings without packing on extra pounds. 

1. Leave some extra macros!

First and foremost. You know you are not going to go to a party and eat nothing. Where is the fun in that?!  Sure you could socialize more and eat less but most likely you're going to eat.  And if it's a dinner party and not just appetizers it's even more awkward to just not eat. So plan ahead. Even if you're not sure of the menu, leave extra macros! 

2. Don't show up starving 

We all are more likely to over eat if we are famished. So eat a snack before you get there. A handful of nuts is a quick, easy and portable option. A little fat and protein to curb that hunger before to show up. 

3. Go for protein and veggies first.

We all know most holiday parties have tons of sweets. Don't fill up on sugary carbs. Go for healthier options first. If it's a potluck event, bring a healthier dish so you know you have at least one good option. Save a little room for something sweet. If you fill up on protein and veggies you'll be less likely to eat a ton of those Christmas cookies. 

4. Don't rush through eating. 

Eat slowly. Chew your food. Taste it and enjoy it. I find if I am eating something "bad" if I take a small portion and eat that in smaller bites it seems more satisfying. So instead of eating 5 cookies, eat one. In small bites and savor it. 

5. Get your workout in  

If you know you have a party that evening. Get a workout in earlier in the day. Burn some calories before you go. If you know you're probably going to eat a bit more, don't skip your workout. 

6. Watch high calorie beverages. 

Personally, I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. Drinking wine (or other alcoholic beverages), eggnog, holiday inspired lattes and pop can really add on a lot if extra calories in a hurry. Be mindful of what you are drinking as well as what you are eating. Go for water when you can. Add some lemon, cucumber or flavor enhancers if you want to switch up the flavor. 

7. Enjoy yourself. 

While it's really hard to stay on your diet this time of year, keep in mind 1 or 2 or 3 parties over a week or two isn't going to undo everything you have done. If 7 days out of 14 you're following your plan. Those 3 parties shouldn't completely ruin you. So enjoy! (In moderation) 

8. Keep moving forward. 

Each new day is a new opportunity. So you ate your body weight in sugary baked goodies last night. So what. The past is in the past. You can't undo it, but you can make better choices today. You can go to the gym and it a healthy balanced diet. Don't just give up because you had one bad day. (Or two or three). Quiting will not help you reach your goal any faster. 

Lump of Coal treats

WARNING .. This is NOT a healthy recipe.

I love baking and making goodies. Even if I'm not going to be the one enjoying them.  So here's something I made for my daughters dance class party. I'm not going to lie. I tried one. It was AMAZING. These are also super simple and a fun project to make with your kids. They would make a fun stocking stuffer or treat for all those holiday parties. 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of butter 

10oz bag of marshmallows

1 container of Oreos (I bought family size and used most of them. But I think a typical sized package would also work) 

Procedure: 

Melt butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stir often, until all the marshmallows are melted 

2. While those are melting, crush your Oreos. You can do this by hand or with a food processer. (I used a food processer) 

3. When the butter marshmallow mixture is lump free, remove from heat and mix in the crushed Oreos. 

4. Pour mixture in to a greased pan, I used 8x8. And let cool. Then cut into desired number of bars.  Alternatively you could roll the mixture in to balls and shape like coal. 

How IIFYM changed my life

This sounds silly to say, but finding out about IIFYM (if it fits your macros aka flexible dieting) really changed my life. Something I obviously struggled with was balance. I really really love food. And I can EAT! I used to eat alone sometimes because I was so heavy I didn't want to be the fat girl seen eating so much food. Now If I'm going to pig out, I feel so much more confident. And I like for people to see/know that I eat pizza, cookies, cupcakes.. In moderation. I get a lot of questions about what I eat, and though my macros are specific to what works for me and my training and goals, I tell people. Because I eat more than 1000 or 1200 calories a day. I WANT people to understand the importance of food as fuel. I don't want people starving themselves as I did and so many people do. I see so many people "dieting" eating only salad.. No protein. Or something like my favorite "taco salad" from Jason's deli that's a 1500 calorie salad. Yikes!

I digress.. Let's get back to iifym. It taught me the importance of fueling your body. It taught me about nutrition. I started seeing amazing results when I figured this out.

Let's address some common questions: 

1. What's a macro?

I get this question on Instagram a lot. Macro is short for macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat). So IIFYM is a "diet" (I hate that word) designed around a target number of carbohydrates, proteins and fat. It's that simple. And you need all three of these. Or I should say your body needs all three. I think any diet plan that cuts out any of these (excluding a medical necessity) really just sets you up for failure. Eventually you'll want to eat those foods again.  You will probably binge or it will make you physically ill or you'll pack on all the weight you lost.  Whatever happens, it's just not a great plan. I'm not saying you should eat a pop tart everyday. But if you're going to a party you can have a piece of cake without guilt or ruining your diet. You just fit those treats in to your macros and no problem. 

2. Isn't tracking macros a pain? 

No! That's the beauty of it. Ok there's a trick to it. I use myfitnesspal. When I log my food it tracks the macros. Yay! That's the easy part. The tricky part at first is hitting those targets. So you need 120g of protein, how do you get that? You'll read a lot of labels and learn a lot about what you are putting in your body. That's for sure. And I highly recommend planning your entire day out in advance. Believe me. Eating an egg and a tablespoon of peanut butter for dinner to finish out your macros is a bit weird. But it happens. 

3. What do I eat? How much do I eat? 

I calculate my macros using the free calculator at iifym.com It's a great tool to use to get started. But there's a trail and error factor. Some people do great on higher carbs. Others not so much. It's all about finding what works for your body and your lifestyle. As far as what kinds of food.. Anything! Chicken, steak, pork, salmon, tuna, tilapia, eggs, egg whites, tofu (if you want), fruits, veggies, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, oats, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, wheat bread... I generally avoid white rice and white breads and try to avoid "junk" foods except for 1 cheat a week. Always go for whole grains and leaner protein when you can. 

If you have any questions about iifym or training or anything, leave me a comment below. 

Homemade protein bars

Yay. I'm finally posting about food.

A lot of the recipes I post are going to be based around the macros I follow during the various stages of my prep. These can be modified to fit various macros. 

So I'm not a big fan of oatmeal. I like it dry (not too runny) and I'm often in a rush in the morning so sitting down to enjoy a nice hot bowl of oatmeal isn't often in the cards. I also get a some protein with breakfast. I discovered a quick and convenient way to get both of these each morning. Below is my homemade protein breakfast bar (would also be great post workout) 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of oats 

Scoop of whey (I'm using 2/3 of a scoop of 1st phorm Level1)

Water (peanut butter or honey/agave could also be used if your macros allow) 

Process

1. Dump your oats and whey in a bowl. 

2. Add enough water (or peanut butter and/or honey) just for it to stick together. Stir it. I used a few tablespoons of water. Add just a little at a time cause you don't want to over do it. It should look like this when you're done. (You could also just stop here and eat this. It's delish!) 

3. Pack it into a container lined with parchment paper. (This could also be rolled into balls for little snacks) 

4. Put it in the fridge several hours. I do mine overnight. 

In the morning. Grab and enjoy

You could also double, triple the recipe and make a few days worth. Just bag them up so they dont get too dry. 

Macros for my recipe: 

Calories: 243

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 30g

Protein: 22g

How I lost 100 pounds

I'll try to keep this post a concise yet as detailed as possible.

June 2011: I took that "before" picture in a bikini that I shouldn't have been wearing. I did not wear that outside the house, EVER. I weighed 249lbs. I was absolutely disgusted with myself. What I see in those pictures is not what I saw in the mirror. And it wasn't at all a reflection of how I felt. But that number on the scale and seeing myself in pictures were big factors in my motivation to change.

So I started trying to watch what I ate. I tried to be more active, but I didn't really have a plan so my progress was pretty slow. Here is when I tried something that did not work at all. Isagenix. If you haven't heard of it, it's a meal replacement "detox" multilevel marketing weight loss  product. It's not cheap but I decided my health was worth it. Then I learned what a mistake it was. On the isagenix plan they suggest a shake for breakfast, another shake for lunch and a 400-600 calorie dinner.  So on this plan I ate 900 to 1100 calories a day. DO NOT DO THIS. I was starving myself. Cutting calories that drastically will not help you lose weight. It will kill your metabolism and put your body into starvation mode. 

So for 6 weeks I starved myself. At the same time I was doing workout DVDs at home 6 days a week and working hard. The first week I lost 4 lbs, the next 5 weeks I lost nothing. Not a damn thing. I was crushed. I didn't understand what was going wrong. Why I wasn't losing 10 lbs a week like people on tv.  This is when I went to see my first trainer (fall of 2011) She was amazing! I absolutely couldn't have lost the weight without her. She told me I should be eating twice as much as I was. I changed my eating, worked out with her every couple weeks and got down to 220. Then I found out I was pregnant. 

January 2012: I continued working out but not as strenuously and focused on eating healthy.  I lifted weights, did yoga, Zumba and even the dreaded cardio machines. September 2012 had my youngest daughter. Weighed in around 200 after giving birth. I felt pretty accomplished and motivated to keep going. 

So after I was released to start working out. I resumed training. I still struggled with my diet. I also lacked discipline to workout between training sessions. Working with 2 kids at home, finding the time to workout was tough. I quit the gym I was going to and stopped seeing my trainer. I joined a gym with a child watch room hoping that would help. But I still struggled to actually go and I hit a 6 month plateau. I discovered Instagram more during this period and was inspired by weight loss success stories. I wanted to be one too. 

In April 2013 I joined a Facebook challenge to lose weight. I was more conscious of my diet and got a bit more active I lost some weight,but I didn't see a lot of change. I was calorie counting and getting some results, but I hadn't really figured out nutrition. That summer I discovered bikini body mommy (@bikinibodymommy) . A program by personal trainer Briana Christine. She has a free 90 day workout program that can be done at home. (She actually is working on here third challege)  I did her program and around the same time I discovered IIFYM (flexible dieting). Here is my day 1/day 90 photo 

During that 90 days. I really developed a love of fitness. It was so hard but I wanted to keep doing it. I felt so accomplished when I could do more reps or go faster or decrease my time on "mommy death march" (100 walking lunges in 4 minutes or less).

It was toward the end of that 90 days I started going to the gym more. I was a little intimidated by the weights so I would go in and do cardio. Maybe try a machine or two. Then I found a weightlifting program online. It was during this time when seeing a trainer initially really helped me mentally. Her words of encouragement during our time together stuck with me. I would talk myself through the struggles. "You can do this" always repeating in my mind. That fall, I found the awesome Zoe Rodriguez (IG @zoelivelovelift) who helped me more with my nutrition and her 12 week weight lifting programs are awesome and really reasonably priced. I continued weight training and iifym and hit that 100lb mark in early 2014.  The day I hit that mark was full of emotions. I was so excited to do a comparison photo. I felt very accomplished. I reached a major milestone. Yet I also felt a lot of negative feelings when looking at that before picture. I was reluctant to post my accomplishment online. I feared hearing criticisms, that's a topic for another time. I did post it though. I have found the positive far outweighs the negative. I've since been honored to be able to inspire and offer advice to others struggling with weight loss. My number 1 piece of advice: Never give up. You can do this! 

Gaining the weight

So let's cover some more history.. I wasn't always over weight. In high school I was a gymnast and I was pretty fit. I was very active but I had terrible eating habits. I ate a lot of fast food and pasta was my absolute favorite food. I ate a diet of almost all carbs. But I worked those calories off and managed to stay at a healthy weight.

After I graduated high school, I went to college and got a full time sedentary job. I spent the majority of my days sitting. I also was "on my own" with no parents to limit my food choices. I ate horribly tons of fast food, desserts, anything and everything I wanted. I started to gain weight. 15 pounds here.. Another 10 lbs. year after year getting heavier and heavier. 

By age 20 I was probably about 180-185. I managed to get down to about 170 by age 21 when I got married. Then I guess I gained newly wed weight. I managed to stay under 200 at least for a few years. But eventually I surpassed that mark. 

When I got pregnant with my first daughter at age 24 I was 215 lbs. I managed to have a pretty healthy pregnancy. I was more conscious of what I ate. I only "gained" 5 lbs. so I actually weighed less after giving birth. But still was about 200 lbs. I made an effort to eat healthy while I was nursing. I got down to 185. But that didn't last long. I didn't stick with it and I gained and gained and gained. And ended up at my high weight of 249. In June 2011, when I took this picture, I was literally at Rock bottom

I took this and promised myself that I wouldn't look like this anymore. I wasn't happy. I wasn't comfortable. I hated shopping. I didn't want to go anywhere or be photographed.  I wanted to wear cute clothes. I wanted to feel good about myself. I wanted to feel comfortable in my skin.  I wanted to be happy.  I knew I needed to make a change.  

Next post I will share what I did to lose the weight. What didn't work and what did. 

A little about me

If you're reading this, you probably know a little about me already. You might've seen my transformation on Instagram. So you know that I've changed my lifestyle and totally transformed myself.

What you might not know is how I did it. Or maybe you still want to know more. 

I've been thinking about writing a blog for some time now. I wish I had done it sooner. In fact I did start to document my journey but was embarrassed about putting myself out there and stopped. I was afraid someone I knew would see it. I suppose I was under the impression that everyone I knew couldn't possibly tell I was morbidly obese when I was clothed. Yes, at 5'3" and 249 lbs, I was morbidly obese. It still is shocking to think that. Just as shocking as it is for me to look at old pictures. I really don't see me when I look at them. I really didn't FEEL that big. But this blog isn't really about the past. It's about the present and the future. It's about my journey becoming a figure competitor and living a healthy lifestyle while working and raising kids. Eating amazing and healthy food. Maybe sometimes indulging in not so healthy food. I will of course share more posts and details of my journey to this point and documenting more details going forward. 

So a little about me. I'm a mom and a wife. I work outside the home full time. I go to the gym 6 days a week. I love it. My oldest daughter loves to workout. She wants to be stronger than me. Nothing would make me happier. I would be proud to have her grow up with a good understanding of exercise and how to fuel your body with healthy foods. My kids are my biggest motivators. I strive to be a healthy realistic role model for them.  So who am I? I'm a mom, a wife, a weightlifter, a competitor, an athlete. I guess now, I'm a blogger :) 

More to come. Stay tuned.