Variety works best

Many people fall into daily routines including fitness and eating habits, some routines are good to keep us in line, but workout routines will drive is to NO RESULTS and frustration after spending so much time trying to shape our bodies. The best thing to do, is to change your workouts every 3 weeks maximum or sooner, and weightloss will be achieved faster without falling into "plateu" or no results. If you are a runner, do weight training with jumping jacks or kick boxing or take a spinning class. Variety will help in slimming down for as slong as we are eating clean. So if you find yourself stuck on the same number for weeks, try a new aerobic class, a dance class, or a lot of repetitions of an exercise that you never do; otherwise, you might get discouraged by not obtaining the results expected after so much effort.

So get a notepad and make yourself a schedule of different excersices for different weeks. Nobody likes routines, not even our muscular cells. That is why those DVDs like P90x,Insanity, and crossfit gyms work so well; there is nothing magical about the programs, they are just designed by professionals that understand the importance on exercise variety, so that our bodies are in fat burning mode at all times. Mixing pulling and pushing exercises also work well. So remember that variety is Key!

Will Power

Will power makes a huge difference When we are determined to lose weight, and we have to; otherwise, we will never obtain our weight loss goals. For instance, today my husband decided to go home and grill some burgers (knowingly that I am dieting). Well, the good thing is that they were very lean ground meat patties, but the problem relied on the additional ingredients which added up to like 2000 calories and extremely high on fat. He had planned on 2 patties for each, bacon, brie cheese, mayo, mustard, and a fried egg (he ate it all)! does it sound good? of course it does, and I am sure that it was! but I made the choice of eating differently, not only because I am trying to eat clean, but also because I am only 5'4 and he is 6 feet tall. On another day, I would've taken the whole hamburger in a heartbeat, but not now. I am staying strong and will remain strong until I reach my goal. It is only my 4th day of dieting, If I break it now I will only go back to square one.

This was my dinner:
1 pattie, lettuce, tomatoes, and 4 eggwhites:
no bun
no cheese
no mayo
no bacon

So will power is imperative, stay strong no matter what others eat in front or next to you!

Burn more fat

Many years ago, I used to do weight training first and then my cardio afterwards, until I learned that combining both is the best and fastest way to lose weight and gain muscle mass. My workout routines usually involve cardio in-between sets of weight lifting, doing this helps me maintain my heartrate high during the entire time (goal to burn fat) unlike when we only do weight training, so you start seeing results faster. One way to do this, is by doing jumping jacks or squads in between sets. Give it a try and see the difference!

P.S. These are my pre diet measurements:
Waist: 31
Hips:38.5
Chest:35
Thighs:22

Today's diet:
Egg beaters
Toast
Coffee

Fruit
Yogurt
Water

Chicken breast
Salad

Grapefruit

Post workout
Shake w pineapple

Dinner
Pork steak
Green beans

Hope that you did good and stayed strong!

Today's workout: 45 min of 30 day shred combined with spinning bike

Post workout shakes

Just got a message, where a friend is asking me why do I take post workout shakes?

She was under the impression that protein shakes are for those who intent to gain weight, and since I am on a diet to lose weight she was wondering the reason behind it.

Well, she is not totally wrong. I take a protein shake (low on carbs and fat) post workout because the muscle are tired and hungry after you workout. So if you replenish them with a shake, you will avoid muscle mass loss. So the post workout shake, will help us maintain the muscle mass (if that is what you want) by raising our insulin levels. To lose weight we need to maintain our insulin levels low if possible all the time, but after a workout we feed our muscles if we want to maintain them or grow them.

I personally, like to look very toned and a bit muscular. But if your intention is too look thin and slim, then skipping the post workout meal will do that for you. As your muscle will use fat as energy and you will also lose your muscle mass and some of the strength. You will notice the difference on your strength when you try lifting the same amount of weights on the next few days. Some people like to skip the post workout snack and they wait 2 hours. These type of people usually look slimmer but less toned then the post workout taker. This is considering that the post workout shake or meal is also accompanied by a healthy and clean diet all day long, not just after a workout and that we do not over do it with the amount of calories a day. Because in reality, losing weight has not secret; if we eat more calories a day than what we burn we will gain weight, even if it's only protein. If we burn more then what we eat, we will lose weight even if it's only carbs. The difference will be on our energy levels, our well being feeling, and our health.



Also, keep in mind that there are protein shakes to gain weight, meal replacements, and post or pre workout shakes. The difference is on the amount of calories, fat, carbs...etc. So if you are looking to lose weight and need a post workout or snacking shake, I suggest that you look into a low carb/low fat shake that has no more then 150 calories per scoop.

so, bottom line the choice is yours.

On another note, someone asked why I looked lighter then what I really weight on my old pics (143lbs) and it all goes back to the way I ate, I ate lean protein and clean whole carbs, so I maintained most of my muscle mass, making me look toned up and muscular but I still weight a lot on the scale.

The Old Me

Today I decided to go over some pictures of my "Fit" days...back when all I had to do was work full-time, study fill-time, and go to the gym also full-time. I say it like this, because now that I have a child and a husband things have changed and so have my priorities, but it doesn't mean that I have to let go of myself and stop working out. I mean a workout only takes 1 hour of my time, I have decided that when my baby naps I will workout and update my blog and so far it has worked for me. 

I wanted to share some of my old pictures, looking at these have given me motivation to stay strong and work harder towards my goal. I know that I did it before and I can do it again! healthy habits will be the main ingredient in the results that I will obtain.

2006, 2007, & 2008..were good training days..

The weekend he proposed

My 30th birthday

Trust the scale?

A good friend asked me a good question recently regarding the scale. She has been workingout regularly for a few weeks and feels slimmer and more toned, but when she gets on the scale it says that she has only lost 2 lbs.

Should we really be trusting the scale?
I know I don't ! I usually go by my measurements, I have a notepad where I write down my measurements before I start a diet or workout regimen. Doing this gives me a Better idea if I have lost or gained, because the number on the scale can be deceiving. We can gain muscle mass and lose fat and feel that our clothes fit looser and still weight the same. This has happened to me before, especially when I weight train and eat clean with high protein, because the protein helps us build muscle.

So, if you are eating clean and workingout regularly, I suggest that you measure yourself and you will see if you are losing weight or not. The measuring tape does not lie!

In the past I have lost 3 inches off my waist, and hips while the number on the scale remained the same. So instead of becoming best friends with the scale and trusting it, grab a measuring tape and write down the date and record your hips, waist, thighs, chest/back, and biceps.

Feeling Energized

So today was my second day of the diet and I did great, and in addition I did my Gillian Michael's video for 30 minutes. It feels so good to know that I am on the right track, I don't know if it is psychological but on day two I already feel a little different :).

This is what I ate today:

Breakfast:
Egg beaters w cheese
Coffee w fat free milk and splenda
1 toast without butter

Snack:
Mozzarella stick
Grapefruit

Lunch:
Chicken breast
Steamed veggies

Workout around 3pm

Shake with pineapple post workout

Dinner:
Turkey sandwich

I would've preferred something else for dinner, but we went to a bowling tournament and that was the healthiest thing on their menu. I am now looking forward to day three!

Gym membership?

Everyone seems to have an idea that if they do not have a gym membership, they will not be able to obtain their fitness goals, and that is not necessarily true. As I mentioned before, motivation is key and we are driven enough to obtain our goals we can do it without an additional monthly bill.  I know this because I have friends who have lost their jobs in the past few years due to the economy and they still remained in shape without having to join a gym or pay for classes.

So let's face it, not everyone can afford a gym membership or simply do not like the ambiance of a gym; therefore, we can make the choice to workout at home. I mean it is as effective as using machines, we just need a good DVD, a towel, a good pair of sneakers and a small space within our home to get an awesome workout. The good thing about a gym membership is that it motivates us as we watch other people workout and we see how good they look, us humans sadly motivate ourselves by competition. Yes, it is part of our nature! But that doesn't mean that we can't motivate ourselves with magazines, websites, and youtube videos (all free).

Adding a good pair of dumbbells to your home workout can make a huge difference in the amount of calories that you will burn and the results will be much faster. Many women are afraid of weight training because they think that they will become muscular and lose their femininity curves, well it would only happen after years of HEAVY weight training and supplements, along with a bodybuilding diet. But if you just add weights to your workout, all you will do is burn more fat faster and tone up at the same time. Who wouldn't want to do that?

I personally have a set of 3 lbs, 5lbs, 12lbs, and 30lbs for my Leg days. I get my workout routines from the oxygen magazine which by they way, if you return your magazine after you read it they will refund you a 100% of the money plus $5 for shipping. So there you go, you might not be the "Gym" type of person and you can still get a good workout and lose weight.

I personally had a gym membership until I gave birth to our son, but I have decided to stay home with him because I do not feel comfortable leaving him at a gym daycare yet, so I have lost my 73 lbs while at home with DVDs, dumbbells, and clean eating! so I can attest to this post myself!

Hope you are staying strong to clean eating today and find 1 hour to a quick workout that will get you started to make a difference in your life!

Favorite Diet

This one is one of my favorite diets. I wrote this one myself because I played with the meals that worked for me...reading labels, and keeping a meal log.

*Whey protein powder shake ( I buy ELITE Whey GOURMET) they sell it at fitness depot, or Vitamine Shoppe. I like the Vanilla flavor because it goes with cereal, chocolate, or anything else. You can get any brand, but just check that it has no more than 4 grams of carbs (115 calories per scoop)

*Ok question can you take fat burners? if yes, go to FITFUEL.com and Buy Lipodrene (Original formula). They don't recommend this if you suffer from blood pressure or if you have heart problems.

I have taken it before and I can say that it helps with the cravings and gives you energy. I am not able to use any of these supplements now because I am still breastfeeding my 13 month old baby. Yes, I know I need to wean him off, but I am not sure when that will happen.

*Also buy a multivitamin (Centrum or anything similar for WOMEN) take it in the morning early.


The reason for the supplements is that it helps you speed up your metabolism


As far as the nutrition part here it is (you might need to make some sacrifices) but I warranty that you will lose 10 to 15 lbs if you don't cheat in 4 to 6 weeks.

According to Jennifer Nicole Lee (one of my favorite fitness figures) we should be using
organic coconut oil instead of butter, or peanut butter. it makes your thyroid work more, and you will lose more fat. I have used it and I honestly did not notice any difference, but hey give it a try and let me know if it works for you.


Diet

calories: 120
First thing in the morning:
As soon as you Wake up drink 1 scoop of protein with 5 oz of water (vitamins and 1 fat burner).
(you have been sleeping for hours and your body is in starvation mode) you need to speed it up!

calories :150
Breakfast: around 8am.

Coffee/cream/splenda: with one of these (mini bagel, 1 waffle, 1 toast) I prefer the cinnamon raisin toast with coconut oil, 3 SLICES OF TURKEY OR HAM.

calories: 200
Mid-morning 11am. have 1/2 a ham/ cheese sandwich (keep the other half for the afternoon)
(instead of sandwich) or a lean protein bar.

calories: 400
Lunch:

Turkey or chicken or turkey sub (6 inch) No mayo, ONLY MUSTARD ALLOWED,
Sides: mushrooms, squash, or zucchini. You can eat as much as you want mushrooms or anytype of lettuce.

or chicken salad with FAT free dressing.

or you can have a protein shake (milk or juice can be used to mix it with the powder).

Or another sandwich.

calories: 200
Afternoon:
other half of the sandwich with a diet soda. I know it’s a lot of sandwhiches, but to me it’s easy to buy the turkey, cheese, and bread and keep it in the office inside my lunchbox.

calories: 150
around 4:30pm
Pre-workout: 1 scoop of protein shake with 5 oz or water (for energy and strength) (1 fatburner pill)

As soon as you are done working out you need to eat dinner (WITHIN ONE HOUR FROM WORKOUT) otherwise you waste your time working out. your body won't burn fat due to starvation mode, and your muscles will not be replenished.

calories: 500 max
Dinner should be:
chicken with veggies (squash, sparragus, mushrooms, or any other type of veggie)

or Chicken with salad or Turkey or egg whites with veggies.
or you can replace dinner for a shake ( I do this 3 times a week at the beginning).
I usually add chocolate or strawbarry quick for flavor.

If anyone tries it, please let me know how it goes. I have done it many times in the past and It has always worked for me.

Workout shoes

I personally love workout shoes as much as I love high heels and sandals. I still have sneakers that I purchased 12 years ago and they look brand new, the reason is that over the years I have accumulated a lot of pairs, so I rotate them by using all of them less in a year.

Well, I am not bragging about the number of sneakers that I have but wanted to talk about the importance of having a good pair of workout shoes in order to maintaine performance at the highest level possible. I am a big fan of Adidas! But the main part is not the brand, but that they are appropriate for the type of exercise that we do. In my opinion, Avias are good for walking, Nike are good for those with narrow feet and for aerobic classes. Reebok has great running shoes, but I still prefer the Adidas Trail running because they keep my feet in place comfortably and most have grip to avoid slipping. My husband loves New Balance, which are great for weight training. So depending on your favorite excersise, try to find a pair that suits you. Do not settle for a pair that is not comfortable because you may get injured.

These are my newest addition $60.00 on Sale at Academy

Can you tell I love pink?

On another note, I also think that workout clothes are important in motivation. For this reason, I try to dress up in workout outfits because they motivate me to workout. I usually wake up and get dressed as if I am going to the gym, even during the days when I am just going to do groceries, play dates...or make lunch for my husband. I think that being in workout clothes eliminates an excuse from my procasrinating list. I also feel that it makes me aware of the areas that I need to improve when I sit down to eat, watch tv...etc

First diet day

Today's diet went well, I mean the first day to me is always the hardest day.
This is what it was like:

Breakfast:
Elite whey protein shake 2 scoops
1/2 cup frozen mango
8 oz of milk

Mid morning:
1 slice of wheat bread
6 slices of turkey breast
1 cup of coffee with fat free milk and splenda

Lunch:
Chicken breast
1 cup of corn
1 cup of spinach

Snack:
Tuna sandwich w fat free mayo
1 glas of crystal light

Dinner:
Spanish omelet(egg beaters)
Small salad
1 cup of tea

Tried drinking a lot of water (with MIO in it because I really can't drink water without flavor)

Skinny cocktails

Summer is here and it's that time of the year that we consume a lot of fluids with the intention of staying hydrated or simply to enjoy a favorite cocktail. Even when we are not dieting we order refreshing drinks at restaurants and if you are like me, you probably run to the store to get all the ingredients to make your own cocktails at home. I personally like to follow low sugar or fat free recipes so that I can save my calories for my dessert. One way of making sugar free drinks is by replacing your flavored mixer for zilchmixers.com or the new Mio flavor liquid. They come in a variety of flavors and you can save yourself 500 calories (equivalent to one meal). If you like margaritas, zilch is the best one to use. This is just a way of lowering our empty calories that will turn into fat as soon as we sip them down hour throat. Anyone has any other suggestions for low calorie drinks?



Light beers are quite popular nowadays, but since I am not much of a beer person I looked for other ways of sipping skinny drinks

This drink is so delicious it barely taste like a low calorie drink.
We made it this weekend and it was delicious, it is NOT sugar free but it definitely has less calories then the regular mixers.

1 cup of Frozen pineapple
1 cup of frozen mango
1 cup of Any moscato wine
1 cup of Italian lemon soda.
mix in the blender (no ice required)
decorate with an orange in a margarita glass and enjoy!

Workout DVD

I have numerous workout DVDs and I can say that most of them are very good, but one that I recommend is the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. It is very easy to follow, it has 3 levels for beginners, intermmediate and advance and it is extremely affordable. I mean $14 a target, isn't that a great price?

Some places have it cheaper, and some have it used for like $5.

Back on a diet

Losing weight is not only about working out, but mainly about the diet. I have adopted healthy habits for a while, but it is difficult for me to stay away from sweets and at times carbohydrates. After losing 73 lbs, and being stuck in 147 lbs I feel the need to begin a new diet. I have considered purchasing the shakeology meal replacements, or simply buying my favorite protein shake (Elite in vanilla flavor), I usually buy my own supplements from vitamin shoppe. What I like about this protein shake is that it mixes very easily with pretty much anything(juice, milk, water) and a blender is not necessary ( I hate washing the blender), so I might just change my diet this week by replacing my lunch or dinner for my shake and start doing P90X by beach body at least 3 times a week, the rest of the days I will run 3 to 3 miles down the neighborhood. I will measure myself tomorrow and will take "before and after" pictures. Hope that you have a great week!

Motivation is key

In order for us to lose weight we need motivation to get out of the house and go walking down the neighborhood, to order a salad with chicken at a restaurant instead of pasta, or to even consider doing a DVD at home. I think that the hardest part is feeling motivated, I personally motivate myself by looking at fitness magazines and reading articles about weightloss lifestyles, I also watch videos on YouTube about others that achieved their goals, and also by asking a friend to join me to workout or even on a diet. Losing weight alone is not easy, I think that we all need some kind of emotional support, I know I do! I also like to look at old pictures of myself in my best shape, because it reminds me that I did it before and I can do it again! How do you motivate yourself? Please share your tips.

Pictures

In my opinion, pictures are Better then a mirror, have you ever wore an outfit that you think makes you look amazing and when you look at the picture taken you realize that you don't look as great as you think you do? Well, I think that since we see ourselves in the mirror everyday, we become used to seeing the way we look and it can deceive us from the truth. I usually take a picture in a bathing suit the first day of my diet, standing forward and sideways as well as a picture of my backside. All this is done by using the selfshutter mode on my camera. Then after 30 days I take another picture and I compare my results. At times, my body has changed drastically but my scale stays on the same number for weeks, so if I had not taken a picture to compare I would've thought that I am on a plateu; when in reality my body is being sculptured by my workouts without losing muscle mass.

So go grab a camera and take a picture today before you begin your diet!

Weight Loss Challenge

This was in April 2010 at 32 weeks pregnant

I am creating this blog with the intention to share my weight Loss Challenge after giving birth to a 9.2 lb baby. Previously being somewhat into fitness by going to the gym regularly and having healthy habits.

I always thought of myself as becoming a pregnant woman that would watch what she ate and only gained the minimum amount of "Baby weight", well that wasn't me! I got pregnant at the age of 31 and had already gained a few lbs while trying to conceive. I was making an effort to lose weight during the month that I got pregnant and from there I started gaining a lot of weight monthly. I became a little nauseous the first 3 months and decided to stop consuming any "Diet" products because I was afraid of the sugar substitutes and it's side effects. So I decide to eat and drink everything in it's "Natural State"...when I say natural, I refer to fruits mainly. I ate and drank so much juice it was insane, and juices have a lot of sugar that regardless of how natural it is, all sugar turns into FAT. yes, I gained a total of 70 lbs of Fat during my pregnancy.

This was August 2007 (143 lbs)



I felt tired, ZERO energy, and not to mention unattractive. I know that most women do not feel pretty during the last months of their pregnancy, but I specifically did not feel pretty at all. I was dying to give birth and have my child so that I could get back in shape in no time.

To my surprise, losing weight did not occur from one day to the other. I mean I only left the hospital with 14 lbs less then when I was pregnant, and our baby was 9.2 lbs..so It was all FAT! yes, as you heard!

Besides feeling unattractive, so much weight gain took a toll on my body. After birth, I found myself with difficulty kneeling down to pickup anything from the floor for months, and I was desperate to lose weight.


It did not happen over night, it took me exactly 12 months to lose all my pregnancy weight, it has already been 13 months and I am still working on my body. Because for some reason even though I am 3 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight, I find that my body is not the same. I have lost a lot of muscle tone, and my skin is still not looking the way it was especially on the abdomen area.

I wanted to share my weight loss experience with the intention to motivate others to do it, and also for others to motivate me to continue my challenge of looking better then I did before I got pregnant.

I will be posting pictures of "before and afters" from previous years, my diets, habits, and will continue updating this blog as I get a chance to do so...

September 2008

Why this blog?

In the past many have come to me for nutrition and fitness advice, not that I am an expert in the area, but people have seen the results I have obtained on my own by simply working out hard, changing my diet and staying focused. I have educated myself about nutrition and try to read as much as I can so that I can help myself obtain my goals. I love sharing my diets, tricks, tips, and motivating others to accomplish their goals. This blog will allow me to share what I know and learn from others. It will be easier to post information here for everyone interested to read it, instead of me emailing it out to each one of you. Thanks for following my blog! I hope you enjoy it enough to read it often.

If there are any specific requests that you would like for me to write about, please let me know and I will try to do it asap.