GM Diet Review/Experience Day 3

Good morning! Without any delay:

Weigh-in: .8 lbs lost (a total of 3.8 so far)

Breakfast: a bowl of watermelon (plus a little more!) 

Water: 1 bottle (8am) on the 2nd

Oh man, I had a dentist appointment today and then was instructed not to eat anything hard; therefore, I was unable to eat fruits and veggies. I know this will skew my experience, but I'm still going to pick up tomorrow from Day 4 and see what happens anyway! 

GM Diet Review/Experience Day 2

Good morning :) Last night, I slept better than I have in months. I fell asleep immediately, I didn't wake up at all during the night, and I slept for a long time! (This may not seem like a big deal to someone that doesn't know me. But if you know me, then you know that I rarely sleep well!) So even if I choose never to do the GM diet in the future, I might do a "fruits only" day to see if there's a sleeping pattern!

Anyway, here's day 2.

Weigh-in: 3.0 lbs lost (woohoo! I know it's water weight. I know it's easy to gain it back. I know it'll make today's weight difference less than other people experience. But it's all good. It's the motivation I needed today!)

Breakfast: 1 potato with some butter, salt & paprika
Snack: 1 cup steamed corn with some tomatoes, onions and garlic (added lemon juice, salt and paprika)
Snack: 1 cup raw green beans
Snack: 3/4 cup baby carrots
Dinner: same as the first snack with some broccoli, zucchini/squash and green peppers

Water: 120+ oz.

Exercise: 2 mile walk with strength training

I must say that I had to pass so many tests today...we had a pizza party with cookies and cupcakes and cakes and brownies for my little cousin! And then I came home to find that my grandmother had made one of my absolute favorites for dinner. Oh what a long day.

Tomorrow's goal (as long as I remember to do this) is to keep it raw! I needed the savory dishes today but I think it should last me throughout the day tomorrow.

GM Diet Review/Experience Day 1

So today is day ONE, and I haven't even gotten through half of the day yet...but I'm already craving one of my absolute favorite Indian dishes. If I get through today, hopefully tomorrow will be a little bit easier. Veggies are always easier, especially because the day starts off with a potato!

I know that I haven't posted in so long, and I have to update you on a bunch of things that happened, but that's for another day. Although I can't guarantee that I'll go through the 7 day program, I do want to post what I eat and how I feel during the days that I do.

For those of you wondering: is this safe? Is this healthy? Is the weight easy to keep off? I don't know the answers to that...I've researched this many, many times in the past few years but I never seem to come up with real answers. I guess experiencing it on my own will help out.

Day 1:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of watermelon
Snack: 1 medium gala apple
Lunch: 1 bowl of watermelon
Snack: 1 small gala apple
Dinner: 1 bowl of watermelon

Water: 100 oz. (SO difficult because it kept making me have to pee!)

Exercise: 1 mile walk

Now I know what you're thinking: wouldn't having a variety make it so much easier? It might, but sometimes that gets me off track. Honestly, this is the first time I've eaten only fruits in a day and NOT gotten a headache! I also wasn't really hungry during the day, although my stomach bothered me at times. This was cured by drinking water. I didn't have any real "cravings" except for when I smelled/saw the savory dish my grandmother was making.

I shall keep you posted tomorrow!

Homemade Protein Bar (Sloppy Recipe)

Wow I wasn't going to post anymore today but I just tasted the protein bar we made yesterday and it is absolutely delicious!!!! The reason I said it's a "sloppy" recipe is because we did not measure anything...we thought we would use the process of "trial & error" in order to find a taste that we all liked. [But because I like this, I'm sure everyone else does as well!]

First of all, if "chewy" isn't a texture you like, then don't make it the same way we did. We want to be able to make them on weekends and keep them stored for the whole week for all of us, so we didn't make any hard protein bars that could be impossible to bite into later.

Second, do not criticize me if you end up thinking this is too chocolatey...because that's the way we like it :D

Here's an approximate recipe for now, maybe in a week or two I'll put up the real one!

Directions

Take the following five products and heat them up in a pan; melt them together

• Raw, organic cocoa butter (1/4 cup? Maybe a little more)
• Honey (2 tablespoons or less)
• Maple Syrup (we ran out of honey otherwise we would have none) (2 tablespoons or less)
• Sugar (again, we would have only added honey if we had the option) (1 tablespoon because the cocoa butter is super bitter and has no sugar)
• Peanut Butter (approximately 3-4 tablespoons)
• 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Separately, take a handful of the following and completely grind them so it's powdered:

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Pistachios
• Pecans 
• (Can include peanuts, we didn't had much left so we didn't use it)
• 2-3 scoops of protein whey (ours is chocolate, of course)

And include the following when you grind the above:

• 1-2 tablespoons of flax seeds
• 1-2 tablespoons of coconut flakes 

At the moment, those are the only ingredients I remember (I shall ask Tabernacle and see if he remembers more). Mix the grinded products with the melted mix and lay out in a pan. Spread it so make it as thick as you'd like. Let it sit for 8-10 hours to dry up. Cut into pieces and wrap each piece in foil. To be safe, we also put the pieces in a large Ziploc Bag to stay fresh :)

And ENJOY!! Trust me, you will.

Now I know, the sugar adds up a bit here and there, and the carbs and fat and calories probably do too, but that's normal in protein bars. This is a much cheaper than buying protein bars, and they really taste delicious! And you can cut the pieces into any size that you'd like :)

If we finish all of the ones we have by this weekend, we'll make more and calculate calories, protein, carbs, fat and sugar :)

P90X Experience

I can't promise I'll tell you what every day feels like, but once I start doing the challenge, I'll try to update you on how things are going. I'll also include my thoughts on the 12 DVDs (if I get the chance to do so!); that way, you'll have a better idea of what the program is.

[I know I have two weeks left, but I just wanted to set up my posts.]

What is P90X?

According to my coach, I should do the "classic" plan, but I'm going to do some more research before deciding between classic and lean. I've never been one to just listen to people ;)

So for those of you that don't know what p90X is, here are some websites, followed by a brief summary by myself!

• http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P90X - it's always great to read things on Wiki!
• http://www.letsgettoned.com/ - my coach's website (he's pretty awesome, and super nice)

Here's how I see p90x. It's a 90 day program that tells you when to work out and when to rest. One day you might be doing arms, another day chest, another day yoga, and another day cardio. There are 12 DVDs that come in this program, one of which is Ab Ripper X (which you are supposed to do every other day) and one of which is Stretching (intense stretching, of course; which you are allowed to do on your "rest" days). Every day, you're doing something new to your body and mixing things around, so you can't get "used" to it. This means that you are less likely to plateau because of what Tony Horton (founder/creator of p90X) calls "muscle confusion". 

Who can use p90X? People that want to lose weight, get lean, tone their bodies, build some muscles, etc. You have to be careful - it's VERY intense and difficult to follow. (There is a "fit test" that they recommend you take before starting to see if you should do it or not. You also take the same test after your 90 days to compare results.) There are no "cheat" days with the workout; if you do that, then you can't blame anyone but yourself for not seeing great results. 

The diet plan? I mentioned this in another post but what's great is that you can eat what you want and all you want, but you have to follow different ratios in each phase (3 phases, 30 days each). You can find this on the website as well. It's explained well and you can contact someone to ask more questions if you have any about the nutrition aspect of it. Results are only "guaranteed" if you put the diet and nutrition parts together, which is normal in all exercise regimes. 

If you ever try this, here's a tip: do not give it a 100% on your first day or first few days! You will feel worn out and will want to quit. It's not worth it. Start around 70-80% and build up to it. It's tough, take breaks like Tony says to and drink some water in between to stay hydrated. 

Yeah that's about it for now :) do your own research and you'll find tons of things! 

iFit Level 1 Experience

March 11th 2013

So I have not started using this yet but I wanted to set up the post and explain what the program is supposed to be like. I'm not sure how many days a week you use it, but it's an 8 week weight loss program which comes on a little card. You insert this card into the elliptical, and select what week/day you're on, and then just use the machine for 30 minutes. During this time, Jillian Michaels gives you health tips (yes, you hear her voice!) and the resistance on the machine keeps changing automatically. It goes from 1-3.5 mph which is a great level for my foot. :) I heard that there are 17 levels altogether, so if this really goes well, then it might be worth investing into her program and getting a few more. We'll see :)

March 13th 2013

Today was day 1 of week 1 (4 workouts this week). Unfortunately, I came nowhere near to the 30 minute workout but that's alright! Just like the bike, I'll have to work up to it so I don't mess up my foot even more! I did 5 minutes today plus my P90X Ab Ripper X workout plus probably doing some yoga tonight (depends on our schedule). Anyway, here's what I think so far.

• Jillian Michaels is scary! (In a good way, of course.) It makes you want to keep pushing yourself because she's encouraging you. 
• She reminds you to take a sip of water to stay hydrated - that's cool. Sometimes it's difficult to remember to do that on your own if you're so into the workout or into whatever show you may be watching. 
• She really does give some tips, it's pretty cool! But she doesn't talk too much, so it's a good balance. 
• You have to pay attention to your RPM because she tells you what to hit since she obviously can't control your speed. It is difficult now if I'm watching TV but I'm assuming I'll get used to it. 

I'll let you know more when I know better :) 

Complaint! And Some Good News :)

Okay so do you ever get frustrated when you're trying to research something (a diet plan or a nutrition fact or an exercise program) and you just can't get a full story? Usually, people just leave a comment saying "that worked for me" or "that didn't work for me" etc. etc. but no one really explains what a difference it makes in their lives. Blah, I'm having a tough time writing right now (I'm watching TV, hah) so this might not make sense. Anyway, last night I tried to research someone's experience with the Special K Challenge (which I decided not to follow for a few reasons) and someone's experience with the iFit Level 1 (which I will be doing once our elliptical is set up!) but I didn't find anything great.

Well, I'm going to try constantly giving updates so people can know if it makes a difference or not! (Which means I'll be updating my Ab Ripper X post with how that's going!)

I'll also be keeping track of my P90X, iFit Level 1 and random other things like my water drinking experience. And I just wanted to let you know that :)

As promised, here's why I'm not going to do the Special K Challenge:

• It's a high-carb diet, and my goal is a high protein diet (Side note: regular Special K and the high protein Special K cereal both are fairly high in protein compared to other cereals)
• Special K cereal is not filling according to a few good reviews out there; people said they were usually starving during the day (and well, that's not gonna work out for me!)
• It requires buying a lot of Kellogg's products and I don't want to get their protein water and/or protein bars. Instead of that, I rather have my own protein shake and bars. 

The Good News :)

Oh so last night, I also created my own meal plan that I hope to follow. It's different enough to not get bored, and I made it for 7 days so far (starting today). I'm still going to try reaching at least 50 grams of protein for awhile, hopefully more! We'll see what happens, and I will keep you updated!!

Another awesome thing: this Saturday, my brother and I went shopping and stocked up on healthy snacks and meals! No more letting Mom shop :) 

And lastly (I already stated this but) we got a new exercise machine! An elliptical! I love ellipticals, so this should be awesome! We still have to assemble it, so hopefully I can start using it tomorrow morning. I intend to stick with Jillian Michael's 8 week weight loss iFit level 1 program, but if it's not great, then I won't do that! We'll see :) 

That's all for this post!

Oh, I lied. Lastly: I took my measurements today and will keep track of them from now on. In two weeks, I start the p90X challenge so I am going to check it again that morning, and then every 2 or 4 weeks. I'll also be checking my weight only once a week now...even though I don't truly trust this new scale we got. Dad suggested that we keep it anyway since it wasn't that expensive. So as a starting point, I'll say I'm between 180 and 182 since it fluctuates so much even within minutes (silly, right?!)

March 7th 2013

So without trying TOO hard, I reached 63 grams of protein!! I have a feeling that I get semi-close to it once in awhile without knowing, but it's nice to know that it wasn't too difficult. I also stayed within the calorie (1200) although I don't mind going above because I do work out. (Today was not an Ab Ripper X Day, but on those days, I do want to eat a little bit more.)

Also!! I had a little bit more than 8 cups of water, just forgot to mark it. I definitely don't want to drink too much but sometimes I get thirsty after I'm done with the 8 so I sip on a little bit. 

Oops* I forgot to fill in the time I had dinner. I half half of my smoothie at 5, and the other half at 6 because I still don't know many proteins our body can absorb within an hour. 

So that's my day today! Not bad :) feeling good...

ALSO, about the scale issue. The family's still figuring out which one is accurate. My brother will check on the official "doctor" scale at school sometime this week, which will help. :)  

Foods to Eat!

• Roll with Cream Cheese (max 2 tbsp, and definitely no more butter)
• Whole wheat or Regular (depends on what we have that day)
• Soy Milk
• Yogurt (Dannon Oikos Traditional - Coconut Vanilla & Key Lime)
• Black Bean Soup (1/4 cup at a time --- sooo many calories, but a lot of protein as well!!)
• Green Tea (of course)
• Broccoli
• Green Pepper
• Onions
• Brown Rice
• Baby Carrots
• Apple
• Pear
• Spinach
• Other raw vegetables 
• Raw fruits
• If I steam or saute vegetables, I'll do it with the salt-less homemade broth
• Peanut butter
• Carnation Breakfast Mix (occasionally; I know I ate it this every day but I found a better replacement...it doesn't taste the same but oh well)
• Vitamin Mix from Nature's Bounty Powder (with soy milk and PB) 
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Cottage Cheese

A New Day....

Okay so something awful happened! Well, it isn't that bad. It's almost inspiring and just...let me just tell you what happened and then explain it! :)

So I had a feeling that our scale was not accurate, so I did some research and ordered a new one. It came in last night, and I was not excited to use it for the first time this morning. Well, I checked it out and I guess today is the official first day of my real "change" because I'm back plenty of pounds.

Starting weight: 181.4

Wow, I know right?! So this morning, I spent about an hour or more doing some research and working on creating a meal plan that is high in protein. I decided to not change up my diet too much because I know that I won't follow something completely new...or I'll follow it for awhile and then cheat. I took most of the food I eat and checked the calories, proteins, carbs and fat. According to the P90X phase 1 diet plan, the first thirty days, we have to follow this ratio:

Protein : Carb : Fat

     50    :  30   : 20

Now that would mean that I would have to eat 150 grams of protein for a 1,200 calorie diet. That's a lot! And I definitely don't reach that. So after some research, I learned to increase my protein intake slowly every week. So my next post will be the food that I'm going to try and limit myself to for at least a week. It's definitely going to be difficult because of some prior commitments, but I'm going to try my best! Today, my goal is to read between 50-60 grams, because on some days in the past two weeks, I've reached 40-50 grams. 

It's a new day. It's a new start. =) I know I can do this. Starting on March 25th, I'll have a strict exercise routine as well, because of the challenge that starts that day. I'm going to simply learn to "suck it up" if my foot hurts because it's been more than 3 months now and my doctor did say eventually that's exactly what I'll have to do! 

Alsooo, from now on, I will simply take a screenshot of my Excel spreadsheet that I'm using to track calories, protein, carbs and fats!

Ab Ripper X

Date: March 4th

If you're tried this, you probably hate Tony Horton. It's only sixteen minutes and seven seconds, but within that time period, you do 349 ab crunches of different sorts. Now that's a lot! It's a very brutal 16 minutes, but according to those that have really tried it, it works!

Now I know that I start my challenge on the 25th of March, but I remember trying ab ripper X a few years ago. It was BRUTAL. So this time, I wanted to get a head start! I did ab ripper X this morning (ouchhh) but I did not try to give it 100% at all because I don't want to give up so soon. I intend on working up to really following the 16 minute routine. My goal is that by June 25th, I will LOVE these 16 minutes!

As always, I'll keep you posted :)

Date: March 11th 

I've kept my word! I did Ab Ripper X at least every other day since March 4th, including a few extra times in between since I am not doing many other workouts at the moment. Now that I have the elliptical, I'll go back to only doing it every other day. (Also, I'll try doing cardio on the elliptical first and doing Ab Ripper X right away since many people say your abs work much harder and more efficiently after doing cardio.)

Anyway - it's been great! I was definitely sore on day 2 (rest day) because I hadn't done such an intense routine in awhile, but it's been getting better. On day 1, I just did as many as I could of eat set, but starting on day 3, I had a plan. I did 15 reps of everything (they do 25) for a few days, and then moved onto 18. This morning was still 18, so in two days, I'll move up to 20. I'll stay there for a day or two, and then move up to 23 and then finally to 25. I know it sounds like I'm "weak" but it really takes awhile to get used to, and I don't want to be so sore that I can't do it every other day. And I see nothing wrong with taking my time and enjoying what I do :) Do you?

Well, I unfortunately didn't take my measurements prior to starting but in two weeks, I'll let you know if I see a difference (before I start P90X). I do feel good about it, and that matters too. Staying happy is a big part of continuing to work out. If I'm bummed, then I might stop so this is good! And I know, we haven't seen a significant weight loss - does that mean Ab Ripper X isn't good? Not at all - I haven't been completely healthy every day so it's hard to tell. Hopefully the next few weeks make a difference for some motivation! :)

P90X – It’s a Love-Hate Relationship

 I get it. We all do research for a million different things…and the more we look up, the more confused we become because there are just way too many opinions out there. Sometimes, we are frustrated because commenters sound like idiots and make no sense. Sometimes, we are ecstatic when a well-known doctor endorses a program that we are researching. And then there are times when we just put in some faith and go for it! We purchase a product or a DVD or join a program…in hopes of achieving our goals. Or at least trying to.

Well, that’s what happened a few years ago when I purchased p90X. I was determined to change my life around, and be a new person in 90 days. And who knows? Possibly even do another 90 days after that! But as usual, I failed. Why? There are probably so many reasons, but the one that I’m going to emphasize is the following: I was not being held accountable.

Okay so how am I going to fix this? Recently, someone added me on my BeachBody account. I went to check it out, and realized that the last time I had signed in using that username was in December of 2011! This guy noticed the same thing and kind of wanted to give me a push to see where I was at. Long story short, he is now my online coach (because he lives in another state J). We converse through FaceBook and he helps me realize that I can do this. Why? Because this is not just my fight. It’s our fight!

Every now and then, he has a challenge to which he invites his people (what are called? Clients?). On March 25^th, he has a new one. During this, there are two requirements: 1) you have to select one BeachBody program and stick with it and 2) you have to post in the FaceBook group daily to be held accountable. I talked to him about it and am going to officially restart this month (of course, I’ll be modifying everything because of my foot). Coincidentally, the last day falls on the first day of my induction ceremony for work! It seems like it fell into my lap at the perfect moment. And this time, I’ll have to stick with it because if I don’t, Chris will keep nagging me. (Well, I hope that he does anyway.) And I know that it’s possible to lie since this is online, but I just don’t think I can straight out lie to him like that! So I won’t J

Okay now the big question: WHY p90X?

• Tony Horton is scary. You will listen to him when you follow his DVDs. He’s also funny, so you will smile/laugh every so often. He’s encouraging. He allows breaks/rests but you get to know him well enough…and you stop taking those breaks!

• There is a diet portion of this. Aha! So this must be the catch. Some impossible diet program that’s difficult to follow…some program that makes you eat so little that you have no energy left for the workouts. Well, that’s just not true. You can eat as much as you’d like (be reasonable) but you have to eat in ratios. Each 30 day segment has a protein to carb to fat (I believe) ratio that you have to follow. This way, you can eat what you’d like, but you are controlling what goes into your body and supplements the workouts! [Side note: I’m actually going to look into the first part of this soon and maybe start earlier to see what it’s like.]

• It works! I know there are reviews out there that say it doesn’t, but the majority of the people say: if you set your mind to it and really try harder and harder every single day…then it works. And I get that maybe a few people can pretend it worked for them for promotional purposes, but how are SO many people going to do the same? Just YouTube it and watch peoples’ transformations!

• It makes sense. Muscle confusion makes sense! It’s similar to diet confusion (it’s a thing, believe me).

What are things to be careful about with p90X? Well, that I’ll share later.

Also, I looked for people sharing their experience throughout p90X but didn’t find much, so I hope to be different and track how I feel and what results I see every week! Just remember, everything I do will be modified because of my foot, so your results could be even better!!

What are things to be careful about with p90X? Well, that I’ll share later.

Also, I looked for people sharing their experience throughout p90X but didn’t find much, so I hope to be different and track how I feel and what results I see every week! Just remember, everything I do will be modified because of my foot, so your results could be even better!!

March 4th 2013

:) good morning! I've been doing some research, and I definitely want to write about it soon...but I gotta finish up some stuff before I do so. I'm only posting it now so that I am held accountable later!

9:00am - Roll with cream cheese (300cal) & Ritz crackers (150cal?)

Update @ 9:45am - 3 cups of water (1/2 with cinnamon/honey, 1 with lemon)
Update @ 11:30am - 5 cups (yes, that's right. Five! I want to reach my goal of 8 by 5pm so that after that I only drink water if I'm thirsty because I do not like waking up in the middle of the night to pee :p)

Exercise:
I can't bike! Why? My brother changed the resistance to 10 and it won't go back down...so until he fixes it, I can't use it.
30 minute Slendertone
16:07 minutes of Ab Ripper X (P90x) - details to come later
150 butt crunches

Article - Tips on Losing Weight

So I found this article I wanted to share...it's titled "100 Tips one How to Lose Weight Fast." Although I don't think it's safe to lose weight fast (because you'll gain it back), I do think that these tips make a lot of sense!

What are your favorite tips? http://www.dietminded.com/100-tips-on-how-to-lose-weight-fast/ 

Here are mine:

8. "Incorporate Tips Slowly" - I've made this mistake so learn from me: don't try to change your life overnight. It's not going to happen, and if it does, then it's going to stop soon. Pick a tip, stick with it, and when you feel comfortable, pick another one and add to that your original plan. Slowly but surely, you shall reach your goal!!

10. "Shop on a Full Stomach" - Doesn't this just make so much sense?! If I'm craving chocolate and I'm shopping, I'm more likely to buy junk food or even grab a candy bar at the checkout counter! Why let myself do that when I can fulfill my craving first and then go shopping?! :)

26. "Season Foods" - I feel much more satisfied with any meal if it has a ton of flavor! I love adding garlic, taco seasoning and paprika to pretty much anything :) And it's all low in calories!

33. "Plan a Cook-a-Thon" - I am a huge fan of cooking extra food and saving it for the next few days. (Maybe it's cause I'm lazy!) But realistically, it simply makes sense! There's no way I can take out so much time cooking every single day...why not just keep it ready?!

84. "Step Away From the Couch" - I always promote working out during commercials! It's a great iday :)

85. "Dance, Dance, Dance!" - Uhhh one question: why wouldn't you?! If I wasn't injured, this is how I would be changing my life right now!! Dancing is fun even if you suck at it!

90. "Weight Once a Week" - Hahh...get it? But seriously, I know I'm a terrible example of this but I truly do believe you should only check your weight once a week. Why? A fluctuation going down is GREAT motivation, but the day it goes up a little bit...you won't be feeling so great and might get discouraged!

94. "Post It!" - Do you have an addiction to post-it notes or index cards? Then leave inspirational messages around the house for you to see! Have more closer to the junk drawer and fridge!! :) They might help you!

97. "Celebrate Success" - To my cousin reading this...when I reach 160, we are getting a mani/pedi! When I read 150, we are going to get some awesome massages!! :) We'll decide the rest later! Any other ideas? Where do you want to go when we reach our goals? [Alsooo...this is obvious but just saying: don't celebrate by going out for a HUGE meal at Olive Garden or something like that. You can eat, but stay healthy!]

99. "If You Fall Off The Bandwagon" - Get right back on! This was the hardest for me before...but I'm learning that each day is a new day. That doesn't mean I can cheat every day and start again tomorrow. It means if I didn't do great yesterday, I can do better today. The past doesn't determine my future!

Your turn! Favorites?

March 2nd 2013

:) hello!

8:45am - Buttered roll with cream cheese (300cal)
12:00pm - Baby carrots (30cal)
2:00pm - Mac n' Cheese and veggies and beans (400cal?)
5:00pm - ANOTHER roll!! I was craving it!!

Update @ 9:00am - 2 cups (1 hot cup with cinnamon & honey, 1 hot cup with lemons)

Exercise:
100 butt crunches
200 ab crunches
10 minutes walking
10 minutes bicycling
55 minutes Slendertone

White to Whole Wheat?!

So I'm doing research currently and I will hopefully do more in the near future and share it with you...but what are your weight loss experiences with changing from white carbs to whole wheat?




Personally, I don't prefer one over the other, but two of my favorite meals (buttered roll with cream cheese & Maggi noodles) are not whole wheat! (Although I learned today that there are whole wheat rolls! What?!) I'm wondering what switching my two main, white carb-filled meals to whole wheat meals (still the same food) would do for me! I wish I had a couple more of me to design an experiment ;) 


Anyway...here's some of what I found online!


"Eating whole grains can help you lose weight in many ways. Whole grains are very high in fiber and require more chewing time; thus they increase your saliva and gastric juice flow and distend your stomach. In addition, whole grains are more slowly digested and absorbed, so that they produce slow, gradual increases in blood sugar levels that lead to making you feel full for longer. That's why it's really hard to overeat something like oatmeal, but very easy to eat something made of white flour, such as French bread. Studies have shown that eating more whole grains can help you lose weight, as well as maintain a healthy weight."


"Switching from refined-wheat foods, such as white bread or pasta, to whole-grain versions can boost your weight loss by 35% and help you melt nearly 50% more body fat."


"Whole grains keep you full and are loaded with fiber. The fiber in whole grains cause a slower rise in blood sugar and does not lead to sudden dips which can cause sugar cravings. You need carbohydrates for energy but you need to limit your servings, even of whole grains, to lose weight."


All of the above are quoted from: http://www.sharecare.com/question/eating-whole-grains-help-lose-weight 




"One of the best moves you can make to boost your weight loss and improve your general well-being is to switch from white bread to whole grain wheat bread, from white rice to brown rice, and from refined white pasta to whole wheat pasta.  This step alone would lower your risk for type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Whole grains for weight loss are good especially because they are a fantastic source of fiber, which helps to support a healthy digestive system. It is also a helpful in preventing constipation and certain intestinal diseases. A high amount of fiber intake can help lead to a fast acting digestive system, raising your metabolism in the process and helping you to shed weight."

The above is from: http://www.fitwatch.com/nutrition/grains-for-weight-loss-are-they-good-or-bad-2982.html

Let me know if you've experienced anything :) 

Good night and see you in the AM!

March 1st 2013

It's March!! :) I hope that you have had a fantabulous morning thus far :)

Sooo I made the cinnamon honey thing this morning (I think it takes awhile to get used to the taste??) but I forgot to save half of it and just drank a whole cup. Oops? I'll just split the drink beforehand tomorrow :]

9:45am (I know, late!) - Roll with cream cheese (300cal)
12:00pm - Frozen yogurt! I've been waiting all week to go :) I'm meeting up with a friend, so it'll be fun and most of the flavors are nonfat or low fat!
2:15pm - Indian food -- now if I remember and/or have the time to, I'm going to split this meal and eat at 2:15 and then 3:15. I've been meaning to make my portions smaller while continuing to eat the same amount! (200cal)
5:00 - Smoothie (300cal) -- I usually drink this over the course of an hour, maybe I'll spread it a little longer because I'm learning different things about how much protein your body can absorb within an hour/meal and this smoothie has a lot of proteins!

And that'll be a wrap :)

Update @ 10:15am - 2 hot cups of water (one with cinnamon and honey; one with lemon)
Update @ 8:30pm - 8-9 cups (don't remember exactly) including my two cups of tea, although I almost didn't make it.

OHH and maybe I'll have some awesome news to share this weekend. And a little confession with the news :)

Exercise:
100 butt crunches
200 ab crunches
3 sets of 15 second planks (I know, it's nothing...but it hurts my foot so I'm working up to it!)
10 minutes of bicycling
40 minutes Slendertone

I actually was going to take a break today and rest but I woke up and just couldn't get on with my day without doing something :)

Are You Stuck?

Me too! And sometimes, it feels good trying out random tips that people always talk about. Things that you don't know will definitely work, but you've heard may work. So I'm gonna compile a list of things that should "do the trick" but remember, they don't work for everyone! And you don't see results within a day.

• Start off your day with a cup of HOT water, with freshly squeezed lemon
• Cinnamon honey water (2x a day) 
• Ingredients
• 1 tsp of honey
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 cup of water
• Directions
• Combine cinnamon, honey and water in a saucepan
• Bring mixture to a boil
• Filter the liquid into a cup 
• Drink 1/2 before breakfast and 1/2 before going to bed
• Credit: http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/How_to_Lose_Weight_Using_Cinnamon_Powder_and_Honey
• Random thought: I've been told that boiling honey is not good/beneficial; therefore, if I do this, then I'll add the honey right before drinking it when it's slightly cooler but still warm enough to melt the money
• Increase the amount of steps you take in a day with these methods that fit into your schedule
• Park a little bit farther away than you normally do
• If you have a second floor, then go to the other floor to use the bathroom or wash your face or apply lotion (whatever you would normally do on the floor you're working on) - it makes a difference!!
• If you're thinking about something (ex. developing ideas for a project at work or trying to remember how to do a math problem to help your child), pace instead of sitting still
• Don't keep a water bottle with you! Instead, force yourself to get up every time you need water. (If you want, leave your water bottle elsewhere so you're forced to go to it.) [Remember, don't be lazy when you're thirsty!! Go get that water!]
• Don't use elevators or escalators. You'll also be helping save energy used for these things:)
• Don't rely on a remote control if you watch TV. Instead, go and change the channel. 
• I know we all record our shows now, but don't let commercials go. Instead, walk around your house aimlessly until your show is back on! 
• Don't sit in a chair while talking on the phone. Instead, walk around/pace!
• My brother and I do this one just for the fun of it: when you go grocery shopping, take out a significant amount of time and go through every single aisle. a) You're walking a lot more! b) You might see something that's not on your list!
• Change your snacks up. Eat more fruits and veggies! They'll keep you filled and they really do stop sugar cravings.
• If you're hungry, drink a cup of water. Then if you're still hungry, eat! This really makes a difference. We don't learn to adjust to our bodies, and we just eat all of the time. (If you're hungry, try working on something. Maybe you were actually just bored!)

Anyway, these are just a few I can think of right now :) if you have some, share!

February 28th 2013

How is it already February 28th and I haven't worked so hard towards my goal still?! Oh well, gotta stay positive!! Let's see it this way: two months into the year and I finally got a great routine going, and I'm eating healthy while doing it!

Today's day:
9:00am - Roll with cream cheese (300cal)
11:30am - Key Lime Yogurt (160cal)
2:15pm - Indian food (200cal)
5:30pm - Smoothie (300cal)

Total until 5:30 - 960

Update @ 9:30am - 2 cups of water (1 hot cup)
Update @ 11:15am - 5 cups of water (including tea: this is working out so well!!)

Exercise:
40 minutes Slendertone
200 ab crunches
100 butt crunches
12 minutes of fast-walking
10 minutes of bicycling
Plus PT later today :)

February 27th 2013

So I realized that there aren't enough hours in a day when you have fun and exciting things to look forward to, even if you aren't in school and don't have a job! Who would've thought?!

For that reason, I've been up for quite awhile and have accomplished more than I usually do by this time. And I think I slept well knowing that I have a fun and big day ahead of me :)

Here's what I did so far: I used some leftover tea leaves to brew 16-24oz of tea. While I let that cool completely, I did all of my below exercises :) And then I washed my hair with that tea (can't really tell you if it makes a difference for quite some time). Now I'm about to make today's two cups of tea, I have 1 fruit at my desk, and I'll grab some raw veggies for another snack! And then get to work :) I'm excited!

Last thing I want to mention is that I've been heating fairly healthy the last two days and I haven't "cheated" at all. This is a HUGE deal for me. When I follow specific diet plans, I always find reasons to cheat because I'm just never satisfied. (Even when I was eating around 1300 calories from 8am to 8pm, I would be hungry in between and at night!!) Well now, with my own routine...which includes eating every few hours (whether or not I'm hungry) and including more fruits and veggies has been great! One of the biggest changes I made in the past two days that I want to continue doing is that I finish my dinner by 6pm. After that, if I'm still hungry, I eat a small fruit or drink some water! And no matter how late I stay up, I still feel satisfied and full :) It's wonderful!!

Anyway, here's my day.

8:30am - Scooped bagel with cream cheese (200cal)
12:30am - 5 baby carrots (5 calories each? If yes, then 25 cal)
1:30pm - Indian food (200 cal) + some sugary candy (100cal)
3:00pm - More carrots - I'm having SERIOUS food cravings today...and needed to eat something. (30cal)
5:30pm - Smoothie (300cal) - by the way, my Dad tried this and LOVED it! He's thinking of including it in his daily meal plan :)
9:00pm - Small apple (40cal)

Total 895 calories

Update @ 9am - 3 cups of water (all spaced out and because I was thirsty!)
Update @ 12:30am - 6 cups including 2 cups of tea!
Update @ 2pm - 7 cups
Update @ 6pm - 8 cups (and still thirsty!!)
Update @ 7:15pm - 9 cups (STILL thirsty. Maybe I'm getting sick :p)
Update @ 9:00pm - 10 cups and I will not let myself drink more!

Exercise:
200 ab crunches
100 butt crunches (sore already!)
15 minutes bicycle
30 minutes Slendertone (is this making a difference? I can't tell yet!)
5 minutes of PT leg exercises

All in all, a great day so far!!

February 26th 2013

Good morning (almost afternoon)!!

9:30am - Pear (100cal)
10:30am - Roll with Cream Cheese (300cal)
3:30pm (oops, long gap-wasn't home) - Indian Food (200cal)

Total (600)

I have my two cups of tea and fruits on my desk :)

Water:
@11:30am - 2 cups
@ 5:10pm - 7 cups (including 2 cups of tea)

Exercise:
25 minutes - Slendertone
200 ab crunches
10 minutes - Bicycle
15 minutes - leg strengthening activities (including weights!)
Plus PT later today :)

February 25th 2013

Hello again!

Without extra chatting, here is my day:

10:00am - Honey Bunches of Oats & Soy Milk (243cal)
12:30am - Pear (half of a pear? It kind of went bad...oops) (50cal)
2:00pm - Indian food (300cal)
4:15pm - Yogurt (160cal)
6:00pm - Smoothie (300cal)
7:45pm - Baby Apple (40cal)
(Total so far: 1093)

I'm trying out a new thing suggested by many people and a good friend: not to eat dinner or real food after 6pm. If I'm hungry, which I probably will be, I'll eat fruits and raw veggies!! This way, I can reach my goal and not sleep with a full stomach.

Water count:
@11am - 2 cups
@1pm - 3 cups (plus most of the tea, won't count that until I'm finished)
@3pm - 6 cups (including the two cups of tea)
@5pm - 8 cups (wow! That was easy!! And that means that I walked around a bit at least 8 times!)

Exercise:
20 minutes - Slendertone Flex (it was interesting?)
100 crunches
10 minutes - Bicycling (foot started hurting around 8 minutes, didn't want to push it too much)

Commitment Issues Much?

Happy Monday!

So I clearly have commitment issues with diets and this blog...but I'm having fun while doing it so I guess it's okay? (Maybe...)

Anyway!! I am not following the six week diet I had tried, and I'm not on my detox (because of course I got my period on the 2nd day and had so many cramps sooo that was out the door). But I'm back on track for being healthy, without having a crazy diet plan. It's time to relax and lose weight at the same time. I'm tired of every diet being so uptight...it's hard to live life that way! But I am still definitely ready to lose weight. So I'm going to try out a few of my own things.

For one, here's how my desk is set up today (I know, my first official picture!!)

It's a little bit blurry but look at that! Right at my convenience are three fruits that I must eat by the end of today, and 2 cups of tea (a mix of roasted rice and chamomile, yum!). This way, I'm staring at them all day...when I get hungry for a snack, I have no reason to go looking through our junk food (why do we still have that in the house? Oh right, because I don't do the shopping and for some odd reason, my Mom loves junk food!). The only things not set up at my desk are water and lotion, and that's done on purpose. Why? I have to get up every time I want water and walk around :) And I have an addiction to lotion (not sure if many people know) but I'll also have to get up if I want lotion! 

Anyway, enough about that. Guess what I found in MY room today? (Last week, I found an awesome heat/water/foot massage, two great neck cushions (one of which has a massager!) and a great heat pad. (Who knew?! I guess my family got it awhile back and stored it in my room since no one was living there!) Anyway, I found what's called The Slendertone FLEX Abdominal Training System. I'm still researching it at the moment (I just spoke with a representative from their company), but if it seems good, then I will use it for 8 weeks since that is how long the clinical study was. I guess it won't do any harm, right? 

Also, more great news!! I have my bike set up (and cleaned-it was so gross sitting in my Uncle's basement) in front of the TV! This means that I can start working my way up to a good workout on the bike. At PT (physical therapy/physical therapist-depends on the context), my PT started me at 5 minutes and worked me up to 8. She said I can slowly start increasing at home, so I'm going to start with 15 minutes plus a bunch of resistance exercises for my legs. I'm also going to do some crunches on our medicine ball because that requires nothing from my feet! I'm excited to put together a routine that will both help my foot and let me exercise! 

Lastly, before I leave...there is one thing I've actually stuck to doing! I have been washing my face with honey. This might be "TMI" (too much information) but during my period, my skin usually becomes a little rough (I don't get acne, knock on wood, but it is different). This time, it wasn't! As a girl of science (kind of), I can't say that this is a cause and effect situation, but it might be! We'll see what happens with time :)

Anyway, have a wonderful day everyone! Work out, eat smaller portions, eat more fruits, eat more veggies, but don't forget to live life while you're doing it!

Take care!

Skin Care!

I guess I’m back earlier than I thought I would have been! So recently a friend showed me this random girl’s FaceBook profile page. This girl lost around 60 pounds in a year in a healthy way! But that’s not that exciting, right? We’ve read many stories about how people lose weight and look great. Well, there was one thing that she talked about that I hadn’t read about in many other places. It’s all common sense, but it’s not something people talk about frequently. She talked about skin care!!

Did you know…that you could easily have a face full of acne because significant weight loss? Or a more commonly fact: that you can have stretch marks left after losing weight? Or have a lot of loose skin? Did you know that you are more likely to have dark circles under your eyes after you lose weight? And there’s also a chance that you could lose some hair? Of course, it doesn’t happen to everyone but there’s a possibility. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of things that can be done prior to and during your weight loss period to prevent a lot of this from happening! I am going to include the document that this girl put up so that you can look at it and hopefully choose to follow some of the tips!

(As you can see, her name is Sapna Vyas Patel so you can look her up that way if you’d like!!)

Personally, here are the tips that I’ll be following.

• ·      Wash my face with honey twice a day (I read so, so, so many articles before coming to this conclusion.  You just put some honey on your face (don’t mix it with water or won’t be thick enough), and wash it off if you don’t have the time. If you do, then keep it on for 5-15 minutes. If you have very oily skin, keep it on even longer!)
• ·      Use coconut oil as a moisturizer after washing your face with honey. (I’ll be putting it on at night right before sleeping so it can soak in during the night, and I can wash it off in the morning. In case the honey dries out your skin, this will fix it!)
• ·      Massage cocoa butter + vitamin E on your skin at least once a day. (I’m going to try doing it in the morning after showering and once again right before sleeping! We have some at home, but I’m definitely going to go buy another bottle and put it right by my bed!)
• ·      Massage your hair with oil a few times a week. (My mother has been telling me to do this for so long, so I’m going to start trying to do it at least once a day!)
• ·      Use green tea bag water for your hair. (I drink the tea anyway; I might as well use the bag one more time for my hair! I don’t know when I’ll start this but I will try it out within a week hopefully!)
• ·      Place cucumber slices on your eyes. (It always feels so refreshing so why not try it out!!)
• ·      OR I might try the potato juice thing J I’m going to do some research to see if I can simply make some potato juice and store it for a few days to keep using the same one. We’ll see how it goes! I’ll let you know!

It all seems like a lot of work but it definitely seems worth it! I’ll let you know how it goes! J An update in two weeks seems like a good deadline!

Take care all!