 I've heard the term ketosis and the keto diet, but I've heard about a lot of diets. Let's just start by saying that I've pretty much tried them all out to see what works best for me. I've found that moderation is the key to keeping my body in shape, but I still like to try new things and switch up my routines.
The honest reason I decided to try keto was because I heard Vinny from the Jersey Shore talking about it. On their new season Jersey Shore Family Vacation, is body is lean and looks awesome so I thought why not? But there are some rules to be followed. Rule #1:You can't eat any traditional carbs which means, breads, pasta, rice, fruit, and beans. I immediately thought okay so this is like the paleo diet, which I've tried and didn't struggle so much with. But you are basically cutting out a large food group out of your diet, and I'm not crazy about cutting anything out completely. Rule #2: You can have healthy fats and dairy. I already have my fair share of healthy fats in my diet, but dairy is something I have tried to cut out completely. My blood type is O positive which makes it harder for my body to break down dairy. Since it's harder for my body to break down dairy, I have switched to vegan cheese, coconut milk yogurt and almond milk for anything thing else. These two rules I found to be fairly easy to follow since I pretty much already follow them. I knew cutting carbs out entirely would be a bit of a struggle, since the last time I did I recall feeling very low on energy. Which brings me to the con of keto diet, the keto flu. I did my fair share of research before trying out this diet. What I found is that some people feel like they have the "keto flu" the first week or two in starting this diet. It's basically your bodies way of getting used to this new nutrition guide which can result in headaches, low in energy, even worse symptoms like body aches or colds. Disclaimer: I do not mean to scare you and I didn't have these symptoms but it's good to know all the facts first. To prepare for this new diet I knew I'd have to prep for the week to avoid any binge eating. I sometimes work anywhere from 8-15 hour work days so it's easy to head to the drive thru instead of going home to cook. Sunday I prepared a few things. Chicken tortilla soup Ground chicken stuffed peppers Egg quiche Spaghetti squash with shrimp Teriyaki steak with vegetables All of these items were packed with nutrients, proteins and vegetables. I tried to keep any dairy to a minimum by eating vegan cheese. I also tried to keep my salt intake to a minimum because it's easy to increase that with certain seasonings. My results? Well, I thought it was fairly easy. I didn't crave any type of carb until Sunday afternoon when my boyfriend brought pizza home. I had meal prepped all my food for the week so I didn't have to think about buying lunch without carbs in it. I had food prepared so I didn't have to make ramen out of pure laziness. Once my week was up I felt great. As in noticing any difference in my body, it is hard to say since I also began my period the second day of my keto diet which means extra bloating. As for energy, I felt the same as if I was eating carbs. So my recommendation? Try it out! Why not? There are so many people out there looking for the right fit when it comes to their diets. For some people following specific programs or meal plans is what works for them. For others, their bodies respond better to not eating certain food types like dairy, sugar, salt or carbs. I am not a huge fan of cutting something out completely, and I like that the keto diet you can eat about 20-50g of carbs a day so you are not quitting cold turkey! Comment your experience below!
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I am a sucker for a good taco. But in trying out some new recipes I have decided that I might just have to part ways with tacos. And then I found this recipe, of Mexican stuffed peppers. It's basically all the goodness of a taco in a pepper. What could really be better then this? You can make these peppers to your liking, you can make them vegetarian or vegan. I made mine according to a regular diet with no carbs and no dairy. Filling: Ground chicken (for taco meat) Black beans Onions Mushrooms Tomatoes Topping: Vegan shredded Mexican style cheese Sour cream (optional) Cilantro Seasonings: 1/2 packet of el paso taco seasoning Chopped garlic Black pepper Cayenne pepper I made my stuffed peppers more on the simple side. But you can really get crazy with it. I've seen other recipes that also have rice or quinoa as the base, or cooked spinach. To begin my recipe, I mixed all my vegetables with the ground chicken in a skillet with the chopped garlic, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Next I added in the el paso taco seasoning. Once the mixture was fulling cooked I sliced the peppers in half and took out the seeds. From there, I filled the pepper halves and topped with vegan cheese. I set the oven to 350 degrees and baked them for 15-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.  I've done many posts on weight loss. We all are looking for that miracle, whether its a pill or a diet or a cream, we just want the extra fat off and want to be the best versions of ourselves. Being in the fitness industry for a few years now I have seen all the fads and I can tell you from experience none of them work. They are nothing more than a fad. What works? Eat well, exercise and be kind to your body.
I am human like everyone else and fall off the wagon often. I allow my work and the chaos of life to get in the way, and don't always put myself first. So in the weeks to come, I am getting back on that horse and putting myself first. I love to write out a plan to follow because I work best with a visual list. In doing so, I thought to myself, how can I lose weight the fastest? But I had to bring myself down to earth, knowing that it doesn't happen over night. I know how my body works and what it reacts well to, so I should just follow that, yet it is human nature to want what you want when you want it. Which is yesterday. So for those of you struggling with the same problem, here is what I write out for myself to follow to keep me on track. Meals: 1- Egg omelet with a protein shake and 1/2 banana 2- Whole wheat bread with turkey and lettuce 3- Bean salad with feta cheese / spinach salad (whatever I'm in the mood for) 4- Protein shake (after my workout) 5- Chicken/fish/beef with vegetables Workout: Cardio 5x a week Weight lifting 4x a week Mental: Writing once a day Meditation every night before bed Do something for myself once a week (get my nails done, get a green juice, hit the beach) After about two weeks of following my own rules, I cannot tell you how fast my world feels back to normal. Like I said before, and in many other posts, its SO common to fall off and go back into old habits. Sometimes bad habits feel comfortable when the world feels so crazy and we revert back. But it's important to take a moment, center yourself and get you back on track. If you want more details on my plans email me at fitnesswithfi@gmail.com "Fear is an illusion.
An illusion can only exist in the absence of reality. Once reality takes over the illusion dissipates. Fear mostly comes in anticipation of an experience, not in the experience itself." -Darren Hardy We've all been there. You have to have a tough conversation with someone and the fear eats you alive. You have a job interview and the nerves overcome your mind. You have a new client and your anxiety gets the best of you. We have all been there, way too often. It is easy to allow your mind and emotions to take over. I do it all the time, until I calm my mind down and take a few deep breathes to bring me back to earth. Darren Hardy the author of the book The Compound Effect speaks on the courage of 20 seconds. If you want to do something, all you need is 20 seconds of courage. Let's think about that. Let's say you want to ask someone out over a text message but you're nervous for their response. They can say yes or they can say no, and it isn't even in person. You don't have much to lose. All it takes is 20 seconds to type out that message and send it. 20 seconds of courage, to go after what you want and then you can go back to normal. We can all do nearly anything for 20 seconds. You have held planks longer than 20 seconds. Next time you find yourself in a position where you feel like you "cant" use this method of 20 seconds of courage. Take a deep breathe, give yourself those 20 seconds and boom, its over with. What a weight off your shoulders that will be. https://darrenhardy.com/2013/06/20-seconds-of-courage/ I stumbled upon Daily Harvest recently on my Facebook feed. What caught my eye was how fresh and delicious it looked. Anything that can make my day easier is something I am willing to try. I have looked into meal prep companies before but they are much different from Daily Harvest. Typical meal plan companies do full meals, while Daily Harvest does offer meals like soups and parfaits but it isn't a breakfast, lunch and dinner kind of service. Which is what I find is so unique.
I am not a huge breakfast fan, I only recently began to eat in the mornings. My stomach doesn't always love to eat early in the mornings, so certain food groups work well than others for me. I find that smoothies are always my go-to. They are easy to bring in the car, and I can get in loads of protein and nutrients in the morning. Daily Harvest offers frozen, pre made smoothies that makes it easy and time efficient. Read the benefits of frozen vs. fresh below; (Straight from Daily Harvest's website) 200% MORE VITAMIN C Blueberries have 200% more vitamin C when frozen vs fresh after 3 days 25% MOREVITAMIN ESpinach has 25% more vitamin E frozen vs fresh after 3 days 50% MOREANTIOXIDANTSCauliflower has 50% more antioxidants frozen vs fresh after 3 days My thoughts are why not give it a go? Even for a month and see how your body reacts. If you are the type to eat out for breakfast or lunch you'll even save yourself some money purchasing in bulk with Daily Harvest. Placing my first order now, my next post will report back! Comment below your thoughts or if you have tried it! https://www.daily-harvest.com/ Mel's book The Goddess Revolution truly opened my eyes to my relationship with food and ultimately myself. Through her words I have found great inspiration and hope for myself, my clients and anyone who is blessed to read this book. You can find how to have a better relationship with food and stop abusing your body. If you're hungry for more, check out the video below! |
