Hiatus.

Heyy everyone! Sorry about going on hiatus for a little while. Life definitely passes by in the blink of an eye. School has completely taken over my life, but in 3 years I will be totally done with that.
Anyways, with that being said, I will start another blog along with this one just about LIFE.. it will be more of a personal blog..Kind of just inspirational for myself and whoever else feels like taking a look into my journey :)

Weight loss is definitely a constant battle. The second you start slacking it becomes a LOSING battle. I know this from personal experience. Ever since my last blog I have seriously been slacking in the motivation department, just from being drained from school, work, and just everyday life. But you CANNOT let that get you down! A workout is the best way to recover from any kind of day.. an absolute horrible one or the greatest day of your life. A friend of mine posted on facebook a neat lil way to help keep the motivation there. It's what I call a "workout piggy bank". Everytime you workout you place a dollar in it. Keep doing this until you reach you goal..Then you'll have money for the extra clothes that you'll need. AND .. just alil extra incentive.. if you eat good that day (like in your calorie range without busting) then reward yourself with an extra dollar or two depending on how you did.



 

this is the workout piggy bank. TIP yourself for doing good!

 

 

"It's easier to wake up early and work out than it is to look in the mirror each day and not like what you see."

Nike: Just do it!

LOVE NIKE! Make your life count for something!

Eat Healthy!

You are what you eat!

All I want to do is change the world one person at a time. You deserve to have the right to know what you’re eating and the process of what happens to the food you eat. If you knew these two things you’d probably view food in a whole new perspective. Lots of meats are full of antibiotics and hormones. YES- MEDICINE! Some antibiotics are used in the animal feed and their bodies become resistant to the antibodies..so what you think happens once we consume these meats? Our bodies become resistant to those antibiotics too..which makes it more difficult for you to fight an infection (if the antibiotic given to you to help fight it was the one used in the animals feed).  And the hormones…Little girls are now starting to develop at a very young age..their periods are starting younger and younger! (What I think is) Because of these hormones our bodies are reacting in ways they aren’t supposed to. Factories put hormones in chicken and cattle  to speed up the rate at which they grow. They need them to develop faster to keep up with the high demand of the fast food industry. So, they give their animals these hormones. Chicken can’t even keep up with the rate at which they’re growing. They have these ginormous breast, and they can’t walk. Their bones can’t keep up with the rate at which it is maturing. So they just collapse. So in theory, we keep eating more and more processed foods and fast food..then why you think kids are developing so early? Their bodies are reacting to all the hormones as well.

My previous post was about the PINK SLIME. Well that really is inside of a fast food/processed chicken nugget..and meat. When you look inside the chicken nugget does it look like chicken you cook at home? NO! So what exactly are you eating? I love the way my dietetics professor puts it.. “You’re eating LIPS & BUTTHOLES people! Lips and buttholes!”  When processed food is being made, they aren’t going to use the expensive cuts of meat to make it..that goes to high-end restaurants  and some grocery stores..not in bagged/frozen foods or a fast food chain. Instead all the scraps from that piece of meat..and all the “left overs” of the animal get grinded up, put into ammonia to kill bacteria, and then is made to look like ground meat. Makes you feel real comfy about what you eat, right? I don’t know about you..but my mom never let me eat household chemicals/cleaners when growing up..I surely don’t  want to start now.

I have a video that is attached to this post. Please take the time to watch it. It was shown in my dietetics class and I think it is very important and informative when it comes to processed foods..It’s definitely an eye opener!  

Slowly,(as we all know)  we are killing ourselves with the food we eat. Healthier decisions can be made and could make the world of difference to your body. If you don’t want all these antibiotics, hormones, and “Lips& buttholes” in your food it’s as simple as reading the label before you buy it. When a product says “organic” this means that it was produced on a farm NOT a factory. It does not contain any antibiotics, hormones, or anything extra. It’s NATURAL. According to the USDA, atleast 95% of the product MUST be natural to be considered ORGANIC. Usually the product is like 97-98%. That is well worth your money. [MAKE SURE THAT THE PRODUCT HAS THE USDA’S ORGANIC SEAL TO BE SURE THAT THE COMPANY IS NOT A FRAUD!] And of course, since it takes a lot more time and effort to grow the product, it will cost you a little more than processed foods. BUT! In the long run does it really? I mean, processed foods are slowly killing you…and with the doctor bills and sicknesses you’ll probably end up spending more on that!

My next few post won’t be on fast food & processed foods. I just wanted to make you aware of what you are consuming, you have the right! HAPPY NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH! J

Fast Food? No Thank you!

I was procrastinating homework and came across this little article on a friend's Facebook. Thank the good Lord I do not eat fast food! & you should re-think eating it too! I've always known what goes into processed foods, but this is definitely an even BIGGER eye opener!

Dr Akilah El – Celestial Healing Wellness Center

The Natural Health and Holistic World According to Dr Akilah El

Can You Guess What McDonald’s Food Item This Is?

By Bruce Hampton

You have been served…………with mechanically separated chicken! Over a billion sold!

This is what fast-food chicken nuggets, processed frozen chicken meat, and patties are made of. BARF!!!!!

Here’s the creation process. What they do is take parts of a chicken and put it through this machine that mechanically separate the meat from the bone. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. What it does instead is smash EVERYTHING including the bones, eyes and guts making it come out looking like the picture above.

Since this meat is infested with bacteria, it will be soaked in ammonia in order to kill those little critters. But who wants ammonia nuggets? Not I and I’m sure you don’t want any either. So in order to mask the ammonia taste, they season it with a shit load of artificial flavors. [Yup, that will do it]

Right about now, I know what you’re gonna ask. “Hey Bruce? How do they get rid of the freakish pink color?”

Dude? That’s what dye is for. So in order to get people to devour this crap, they dye it with artificial colors in order to give it that white texture.

Mmmmm! Mmmm! Taste like chicken. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s the deal with mechanically separated meat. [I’m going to call it MSM for short because I don’t have that much time on my hands.] MSM is a paste like substance that is created by forcing part of an animal carcass into the sleeve of a machine called “Meat Deboner”.

The meat deboner machine-- So they cram the animal parts into this machine, which grinds up the animal carcasses into a big glob of reddish mush!

So this is what you get in the end.

But they’re not done folks. Next, they add ammonium hydroxide to kill the bacterial and then they add anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration purposes. This concoction goes on to become the main ingredient in many hot dogs, bologna, chicken nuggets, pepperoni, salami, jerky, etc.

I don’t know about you but my stomach is turning inside and out just typing about this stuff. Now I see why more and more people are going vegetarian.

It’s not only chicken nuggets that have been MSMed!!!! Most meat companies take the “cheap route” by using the less desirable meat of animals to make food. Meat that is unidentifiable like hot dogs, hamburgers and that stuff you find in frozen dinners. When these meats are Frankensteined created, they don’t really need to retain their appearance, shape or texture. In order to trick consumers, meat companies use artificial flavoring, coloring and preservatives to alter the color, taste and texture of this trash.

Who cares if it’s shaped like a turd. At least it taste good, right?

Now you’re probably asking yourself, “How can they get away with this? Is there no dignity in the Meat Packing Industry?”

The answer? HELLLLLLLLLLL NO!

You see, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), mechanically separated poultry is safe to eat and may be used without restriction.

But before you start organizing an “Occupy USDA” movement, they (the USDA) did state that commercial food products must be labeled as Mechanically Separated Poultry:

Mechanically separated poultry (MSP) is a paste-like and batter-like poultry product produced by forcing bones, with attached edible tissue, through a sieve or similar device under high pressure to separate bone from the edible tissue. Mechanically separated poultry has been used in poultry products since the late 1960′s. Mechanically separated meat may not be described simply as “meat” on food labels, but must be labeled as “mechanically separated” pork, chicken, or turkey in the ingredients statement.

Honestly, how many of you really take the time to read the ingredient labels on your food?

Since there was a big scare about the spread of mad cow disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) the sale of MSM-derived beef products for human consumption in the U.S. was banned in 2004.

However, the United Kingdom decided to take a different route.

Since bits of the spinal cord (the part most likely to be carrying BSE) often got mixed in with the rest of the meat, products using mechanically separated meat taken from the carcasses of bovines were at higher risk for transmitting BSE to humans. The United Kingdom tightened restrictions to help ensure that pieces of the spinal cord would not be present in mechanically separated meat taken from bovines in 1989.^[1][2]

Really? How do they go about doing that? Is someone pulling cow spine out of each and every carcass before sticking it into the machine? If you believe that then I have 10 acres of land to sell you in Texas. All you have to do is pay the $400 property tax and the land is all YOURS!!!!!

Incentive.

I absolutely LOVE this idea! Reward yourself for doing something good! :)

Feelin' Like a Zombie.

First off, I'm so sorry for not updating for a while.. I have been so crazy busy between exams and MARDI GRAS! :)
Anywaysssss...
This post is dedicated to every last college student, stay at home mom, hard-working individual or just absolutely anyone who feels like they have nnnooooo energy what so ever. You just feel so "blah" all the time..like a Zombie. Believe me, I know how you feel. I feel like I never have time for myself. But the perfect place for me to have "ME" time is at the gym. You just have to find that time to go, and make yourself go. You will NEVER ever regret going... but you'll regret skipping. If you're looking for a little extra "umph" to get the zombie out of you..I use what is called Spark from Advocare..It's absolutely amazing!! It's natural and gives me the boost I need. So many of my peers drink it, and once you do, you're hooked! A lot of people even gave up their morning coffee (I find that just totally crazy, I'd never do such a thing, but some people do haha!).

If you're interested in trying it out let me know! And if you're currently drinking it I want to know what you think too! I'm sure you're hooked.

Now that I've given you my secret for energy..spring break is right around the corner so the next few updates will be focused on "hot bod" routines...which I know everyone will enjoy! ;)
I found a video, that's only 2 minutes long to help you get that sexy butt! It's soooo easy to do at home! (Soon I'll post my own workout videos, I just haven't uploaded mine yet.)





if this video isn't working.. you can go to YOUTUBE and watch it. (the link will take you directly to the video.)

So you have your energy, and your sexy booty...Now you need to work on getting your meals right! I'm a huge, HUGGEE fan of salt! I love my sodium :) But of course I keep my intake healthy. Lately, my guilty pleasure has been garlic hummus! It's absolutely amazing and so healthy!

I promise it taste better than it looks! :P Recipe from: Prevention
Artichoke Hummus

Tahini, a flavorful paste made of ground sesame seeds, packs healthy monounsaturated fats.

PREP TIME 10 minutes TOTAL TIME 10 minutes SERVINGS 8
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1 c chopped fresh basil
1. Combine all ingredients except basil in food processor. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to serving bowl. Stir in basil and season to taste. (Makes 2 cups.)
NUTRITION (per 1/4 cup serving) 88 cal, 3 g pro, 9 g carb, 2 g fiber, 4.5 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 172 mg sodium
Serve with: Sesame Pita Chips, Sea Salt Baguette Toasts



ENJOY, LOVES! :)

Healthy-to-Go!

Life as we know gets in the way of absolutely EVERYTHING sometimes..especially nutrition. That is probably the number one complaint about trying to maintain a balanced/healthy diet because you're constantly on the go.. well let me just say noone understands better than me! I am literally NEVER home..(why you think I'm only doing a weekly blog :/ ) Between living at school and work..then coming home for five mins, then going to the gym..finally getting back home and having to do homework,study, laundry then find time to bathe myself isn't very fun nor does it constitute a good eating schedule.. BUT I figured it out. You just need to plan ahead..No it's not fun, yes it takes a little bit of time..but hey you may get to sleep those 3 extra minutes you set on your alarm clock. I usually make me a pb&j the night before for lunch the next day. If I don't have time to make anything the day before or the day of, I rely on good ole Smoothie king! Very nutritious! Also, I've stumbled upon a new little blog that I've come to love quickly. Here's a recipe for a very healthy and filling smoothie! (Yes, I know it's green and full of spinach! but it's my supper tonight and let me just say..it's a must try!) Thank you, IowaGirl!

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie!

Green Monster Spinach Smoothies are one of my top secret diet weapons, because although they’re packed with baby spinach, which make my skin, hair, nails, and overall self feel totally great, they do not taste healthy at all. I repeat, they do not taste healthy at all.

PLUS!

• Spinach is fat free, cholesterol free, low in calories, and very low in sodium
• Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, C, K, iron, fiber, folate, and lutein
• Leutin is an antioxidant that promotes good eye health, and may help prevent cancer of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate, and even dementia.
• Dole lab tests found spinach juice has twice the chlorophyl, eight times the calcium, six times the magnesium, 10 times the potassium, 15 times the vitamin C and 43 times the vitamin A of wheatgrass juice!

First add 1 sliced frozen banana, and 1 Tablespoon peanut butter in a blender. Tip: PEEL and SLICE your bananas before you freeze them, or you’ll be sorry!

Next add bulking agents for staying power, like protein-packed vanilla Greek yogurt, and creamy unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You could use any kind of milk you want – cow’s, rice, soy, etc.

PS I started calling cow’s milk, well, cow’s milk, after I stopped drinking it last year in favor of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze, and it freaks. Ben. out. So hysterical. I terrorize because I love.

Fill the blender the rest of the way up with baby spinach. I reckon I fit about 4 cups in there today!

Start the blender on “high blend” until everything’s mixed up, then switch it over to “liquify” to get the Green Monster velvety smooth.

Pure green gold!

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie

Print this recipe!
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 frozen sliced banana
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or other kind of milk)
4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Nutritional stats:
350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

I almost feel guilty enjoying one of these babies, as it tastes like a sweet, indulgent ice cream shake. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or even a snack.

Try throwing in different kinds of greens, protein powder, and any frozen fruit or berry combo under the sun. The sky’s the limit with this ultra-healthy, not-healthy-tasting Green Monster Spinach Smoothie!



Please let me know what you think about this smoothie! I know eating on the go is hard, so finding time to exercise is too! Any time you have down time...like when you're driving... do some glute squeezes..It'll help tone your butt WHILE DRIVING! ... or when you're walking to work, to the pantry, or anywheres keep your shoulders peeled back (having a nice posture) and you're ABS tight (stomach sucked in) will help work those tummy muslces as well...and you'll look slimmer just by maintaining the correct posture! COOL HUH!?

Update soon!

Ok so I have decided to do a weekly post! It's too much with school and work to blog daily. I'm sorry I haven't had a post in a while. But my next one will be AMAZING! I can't wait to share! (I'll post it tomorrow night) Until then, have a great day!

HEALTHY=HOTTT !

Just because someone is skinny DOES NOT mean they are healthy. They can be the most unhealthy person on the face of this planet--eating Mickey D's every other day with a beer on side of it. Who knows! With that being said, do not compare yourself to anyone else! God made you YOU for a reason. The way you carry your weight looks totally different from Joe Blow on side of you. The scale needs to be your friend but you do not need to be reliant on it. Weigh yourself every other week or once a month.
Ready to start getting in shape?
I'm sure :)

Well, if you never exercised before it's ok. Just have the mentality you can get through anything and everything! Don't stop what you're doing cold turkey. You want to slowly make changes because you don't want your body reverting back to the "old you". Start to make healthier and more wise food choices. Instead of fried bbq pork skins, eat baked lays. A lot of healthy food may taste so different and it will be an acquired tasted..but eventually the fattening stuff will taste horrible and you will not leave the toilet after you eat it..HAHAHA :) --And start keeping track of what you eat through out the day. Just jot down a little note or something just so you become aware of what you're eating. You won't believe how much you're actually consuming and WHAT you're consuming. The old saying "you are what you eat" is so true. You wear what you eat. If you cheat on your diet, you're only cheating yourself--no one else. And when you do have good days, do not reward yourself with food..YOU ARE NOT A DOG! Reward yourself with a new piece of wardrobe or something of that sort. After all, you will need something to put that Rockin' new body in! ;) DRINK LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER! The majority of the time we think we are hungry when in all actuality we are super thirsty! Of course, last but not least...start MOVING! Get up off your butt and do something---for atleast 30 minutes! The whole time you've been playing on the computer you could have went walk or could have done some form of exercise. It takes your body 30 minutes to start fat burn...so put down the tub of ice cream and go for a little walk. You'd be surprised how beautiful it is outside and how much more appreciative you become towards nature. Having a workout partner really helps. Schedule a routine with them. Neither of you will want to back out because you won't want to let the other person down, and eventually when your social life or something interferes..you'll be in a routine and you'll be able to exercise alone. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!

I highly recommend http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ In my dietetics classes we refer to this site quite a bit. If you don't know how many calories you should be consuming a day, how many you should be burning, etc go there..I love it. By the way...did you download "My Fitness Pal" yet? (click the hyperlink to go to apple's site and you can read more about it.)

Also, here's a sample of what a typical day of eating for me. (SCREENSHOT FROM MYFITNESSPAL.)



you should record every last thing that goes into your mouth!

"Is it worth it?"



My Story: From Fat to Fab

I am no dietitian. I am no expert on fitness. But I have my own personal story.
       In 2009 is when my journey began. It was the end of my freshman year of college. I was 18 years old, weighing 181.7 pounds. People always say your first year of college="FRESHMAN FIFTEEN"..haha yeahhh more like "FRESHMAN FIFTY"! I always had issues with my appearance, and at this time in my life it was really bad. I no longer liked who I was. I wanted to change, but I had no clue how. I knew about the gym, the fad diets, etc. but where do I start? I never believed in diet pills; I always believed hard work really pays off where it is due. Well, at the Workout Company in Raceland a new weight loss competition for the summer was coming up. It was called "Biggest Loser on the Bayou". Locals gathered, made teams, and competed (like Biggest Loser on TV) to lose weight. Fortunately, my best friend's mom asked me to join her team.
 I could not pass up the offer. I was so embarrassed to be exercising in front of people..and even worse..WEIGHING IN in front of them! I was so worried about what all these people would think of me. But the truth is, people are happy for you--proud of you--so many different emotions are soaring because you are being CONFIDENT and taking a better step towards your health.
The program started in May and ended in July. With a lot of hard core exercising and a strict diet, I managed to lose 25 pounds. That's A LOT of weight (for a girl) to lose in such a short period of time. Once the competition was over, I slowly started to develop my old eating habits again. Before I knew it my weight was back up to 170-ish. I was eating fast food all the time; it seemed so convenient because I live life on-the-go. In August of 2010 I finally got some motivation back. My mom bought me "INSANITY" for my 20th birthday. Insanity is a high cardio workout--SUPER INTENSE! They don't call it Insanity for nothing. I started the DVD's right away, but  I didn't remain consistent with it until January 2011. That's when my life changed completely..for the better!

January 2011- I had an amazing workout partner, Josie Plaisance. We pushed eachother to  the limit. Just when I thought I couldn't go anymore.. I pushed a little bit harder. Also, my boyfriend I was dating at the time helped motivate me because of his passion for fitness.
February 2011- I was becoming a workout gu-ru. There was just one thing I didn't understand..WHY I COULDN'T GET MY EATING HABITS UNDER CONTROL!? I just couldn't bring myself to watch what I was eating.. I just wanted to eat, eat, eat---alllllll of the time! Well guess what? I discovered this cool, nifty little app called "MyFitnessPal". If you don't have it, you should. It is phenomenal! Once I started portioning my food, the weight just melted off of me!
March 2011- It was like one day I was 170 something pounds and the next I was in my 150's!! I lost 30 pounds :) I swear I felt like a whole new person. My confidence started boosting! The compliments I received were the biggest reward to me. I never felt so amazing in my life. I submitted my before and after pictures to Insanity. No sooner than I submitted them, they wanted to hear my story because of the success I had!

April 2011-NOW- I've kept the 30 pounds off, and I've lost 20 more. I now weigh 130 pounds. I go to the gym almost every single day. I like to try to go to 5am classes. For Christmas, my mom bought me the new Insanity called Asylum. I try to incorporate that into my workout routine as much as possible. I eat the minimum of 1200 calories a day and I allow myself to splurge whenever I feel it's necessary.

NOW..THE REASON I CREATED THIS BLOG!----Most people don't think they can do it..or all their lives they've been told "Ohhh, you're just big boned"! Well that's bullshit. I was always told that and obesity runs in my family. YOU and only YOU can take control of YOUR life. Don't let what you see in your family history put a label on who you are. It's never too late to change unless you're on your death bed. Each day is a new one. I hope to update my blog weekly, if not more with helpful tips, recipes, advice, etc to motive people to get up off the couch and do something. I may not be able to change the WHOLE world and make it healthy, but I can atleast do it one person at a time and start a chain reaction. Feel free to email me, call me, anything with questions-comments-or concerns. And if I help you at all, PLEASE let me know! I love the encouragement! Soo with that said, STAY TUNED ;)

AND WHILE YOU ARE "STAYING TUNED" BREAK OUT YOUR CAMERA AND TAKE A BEFORE PICTURE OF YOURSELF! YOUR LIFE IS ABOUT TO CHANGE BEFORE YOUR EYES!