Clean Eating Do's and Dont's

Since I have started to try to change my diet over to clean eating, I thought it would be great to create and share an infographic showing the do's and dont's. I hope this helps you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle!

Have you tried a clean eating diet before?

Fitness Update: Down 12 pounds!

So over spring break (about 3 weeks ago) I started a 9 day "cleanse" from Beyond Diet. Basically, it's not really a traditional cleanse, but a lower calorie meal plan that eliminates toxins from your body. You eat very limited sugar and no carbs besides from your veggies.

This was exactly the kick start I needed. I only made it through 6 of the 9 days, but I lost a total of 8 lbs! It was tough getting through it, but it definitely reset my taste buds, which was my main goal. Now, I can barely eat a slice of bread without feeling so bloated and stuffed. In fact, the other day at Panera I tried to eat a baguette as a treat and felt SO miserable afterwards.

I have been eating healthier these past three weeks because I WANT to, not because I HAVE to which makes this healthier lifestyle so much easier.

Here are my updated stats:

Here are a few things I have learned about  my body over the past few weeks:

• I don't react well to carbs (which I kinda suspected)
• I need way more protein than I was previously consuming 
• More protein = WAY more sustainable energy all day
• Water, water, water
• Oh, and more water!
• Once you change your taste buds, it really is so much easier!
• Once you switch to almond/coconut milk, there is no going back to regular milk..
• Working out really is a huge part of losing weight
• Smoothies are awesome
• So is Quest chocolate protein shakes!
• After a one week reset, I really don't crave anything bad 99% of the time

What I'm still trying to work on:

• Consuming enough calories throughout the day
• Finding dinners that I will actually eat (I've been weird about meat lately..)
• WORK OUT, seriously Amber, just do it..
• Drinking water throughout the day, not just all at once
• Easy to follow meal plans / recipes 

I can't wait to see the scale continue to go down over the next couple of months :). I'm really hoping to lose another 10-15 pounds by Graduation (which is May 16th, eeeeek!). 

True life: I'm a carb addict

source

So after researching the Atkins diet and trying to implement its "20 carb a day" rule since last week, I have realized something. All I eat are carbs.

It is time for an intervention. When I look back on how I have eaten for the past year or two, aka, when I put on the 50+ pounds, two things stand out in my diet: carbs & sweets... the two worst things to eat when you don't want to gain weight. :(

Yesterday I went through all of the food in my cabinets and refrigerator and threw away or donated everything that didn't fit into my new diet plan. It was actually quite refreshing and it feels great to be able to donate two full boxes worth of items to those who many not have as much.

Speaking of new diet, I have tried two of the Atkins frozen meals and OH EM GEE they are so good. I was completely shocked because the first one I tried was chicken broccoli alfredo (without pasta), which was surprisingly satisfying.

The next one I tried was the crustless chicken pot pie. It was literally as good as the regular! They added cauliflower to the dish which really set it apart. It honestly shocked me that not only did I enjoy the cauliflower in the meal, but I actually loved it as a replacement for pasta. I didn't find myself missing the pasta aka carbs in either dish.

Starting: The 30 Day Shred

source

So today I looked at myself in the mirror and decided today was the day. I drank my morning cup of coffee, took my b12 shot (which hurt like a MOTHER), and pulled out my dusty 30 Day Shred DVD.

Now I started this about four years ago and really enjoyed the workouts, but I never finished the 30 days because I moved on to the treadmill and Zumba classes. I also have acquired the Beach Body10 minute trainer DVD set from my set a couple of years ago, so I may also mix it up a bit with those as well as I get bored with DVD's easily.

I took some "before" photos before starting the workout today and I was absolutely disgusted with myself. Every day when I look in the mirror, I know that I have gained a lot of weight, and I know I don't look great, but I always justified that with the right outfit I didn't look "that" bad. Overall, I really have maintained an hourglass shape, which is nice, but the pictures really showed how awful things have gotten.

I always promised myself that I would never get over 200 pounds. The first time I gained weight, I got up to 198.6 and almost cried. That day I started working out and instantly dropped 10 pounds in about a week. This time, I knew I was approaching 200 so I stayed away from the scale, too scared to look. I was terrified the number would start with a two. When I finally did weight myself, I was shocked to see not only 200, but an extra 12 on top of that.

I hated myself instantly. I got down and depressed for about 8 months before I finally realized that I am still a beautiful person no matter what the scale says or what size jeans I wear. After that, I was at a state of body acceptance, defying what everyone else said or thought, for about 2 or 3 months. That was until a couple of weeks ago when I realized that even though I do love myself at this size, I am not happy. I am not comfortable in my clothes, I get out of breath walking to class and my blood pressure is slowly starting to creep up.

I need to lose weight for me. Not because I think I am ugly, or fat, but because I know how much better I feel when I'm 50 lbs lighter.

This is so hard for me to do, but I am going to list my measurements from today. I is really painful to type these numbers, but I know I need to do it to keep motivation.

So here goes...

Day 1:

Chest: 45
R. Arm: 12.5
L. Arm: 13
Waist: 39
Hips: 48.5
R. Thigh: 29.5
L. Thigh: 29
Weight: 210.2

source

So here goes nothing!

Jumping on the Bandwagon

* via

So, I am finally feeling better. I cannot believe that I was sick for three weeks! Now that I'm feeling better I'm ready to get back on track. I'm pretty upset that I have only lost three pounds sense the new year started, but I'm not going to let it bring me down.

Last night I was watching TV when an Atkins commercial came on. I have never been one to jump on the fad diet bandwagon, but I had already done a lot of research on low carb diets. Having a structured meal plan is something that I think will be very helpful for me.

* via

I'm really excited to get started! I'm planning on going shopping for groceries tomorrow, so I will let you know what I end up with. 

Isn't That Just Life

I was so excited to start this blog and get back into my journey to a fit and healthy life. So you know what happens, naturally? I get terribly sick for the past three weeks. Literally I have been to student health three times since January 28th. But it finally looks like I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and I am hoping and praying that it stays that way this time. Unfortunately I think I am the one who re-infected myself because I wasn't soon enough to cleaning my make-up brushes / switching tooth brushes / cleaning off my laptop phone, etc. DO THOSE THINGS. Anyway, I am actually excited to go to class tomorrow because I finally can, even though it is supposed to be 5 degrees...woo!

Here is a positive note to leave on:

and

Finding Inspiration

Find what inspires you.