Hey there--it's been about three weeks (maybe more, I'm just guessing) since my first post and I'm happy to report that things have been going well. I'm fitting into clothes I had shoved way in the back of my closet because I couldn't wear them but didn't want to admit it by getting rid of them. I also have lost around 10 lbs., but I'm not super concerned about my weight anymore. I'm more concerned about the way my body looks and feels. Here's a general run-down of what I've been doing.
The day after I wrote the first post for this blog, I bought a juicer and it was probably one of the best purchases I've EVER made (and this includes shoes, people). At first, I was struggling with eating enough veggies because let's be honest--they're boring as hell and taste nowhere near as good as a fluffy, gooey Cinnabun. BUT, I was determined to commit myself fully to eating a more bioavailable diet, so I started juicing my vegetables. Holy SHIT, was that a great idea! I don't go crazy like some people and try to sustain myself on juice alone, but juice is an excellent way to get in veggies in the morning (omelets and frittatas are good too but I hate breakfast foods with veggies in them). I'll juice more than I need and then store the rest in the fridge in a glass jar overnight. It's refreshing and delicious--especially if you add a little fruit to sweeten it up. Here's one of my favorite recipes:
1 medium apple (I think Granny Smith, Jonogold, or Honeycrisp are the best)
1 whole cucumber
4-7 stalks of celery
2 bunches of kale
1 lemon (peeled)
Toss it all in the juicer and enjoy! This usually makes between 0.5 and 0.75 liters of juice for me, so I'll drink half of it and store the other half. My parents have even started drinking it, which is a huge improvement over, "Eww, but it's GREEN--I'm not touching that!"
I've also been trying to go to the gym more often--I'm not at the frequency I'd like to be at, but I'm getting there. Generally, I've been strength training for 2-3 days per week. Other days, I'll sometimes do cardio, sometimes not. I honestly hate cardio because it's boring and monotonous so I kind of avoid it unless it's something really fun. Also, from all the information I've heard about optimal fitness regimes, I feel like weight lifting is what's going to transform my body in the ways that I want (i.e. make it tighter and more defined). I don't discount cardio at all--it's an important part of maintaining your overall health and does help with weight loss when done correctly--just personally, it's not my thing. Lifting weights is a fun challenge for me. I'm still a little insecure about lifting at the gym (since I generally go by myself), so I try to pick random, off-peak times to work out. It's way more fun to have more of the equipment to myself and fewer juiced-up muscle dudes judging me (lol, they probably don't even care/notice, I'm just hyper-sensitive).
Anyway, all things considered, I've been having a pretty awesome time with this lifestyle change (I refuse to call it a diet, because "diet" to me means "temporary"). My parents are both on board and are trying to make some healthy changes as well. I'm ecstatic about that part because I want to make sure they live the longest, healthiest lives they possibly can. Also, they've got high blood pressure and high cholesterol, so I'm hoping these new eating habits can rectify some of that. One of the keys to my success so far has been planning ahead--I try to eat every 3-4 hours and if I know I'm going to be out of the house for longer than that, I'll take food with me. One of my favorite things to do has been to make a giant pot of turkey chilli (recipe below) and take it with me to work.
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 medium/large onions (white or yellow)
6 stalks celery
4 medium tomatoes
1-2 cups low sodium vegetable stock (depending on how you want the consistency)
2 8-oz cans low sodium tomato sauce
1 4-oz can tomato paste (I used one that was called "tomato pesto" and it was great)
stevia to taste
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
Dice onion, celery, and tomatoes. Brown turkey in a large pot on medium heat. When nearly cooked, add diced veggies and let cook. Add in vegetable stock, let simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and seasonings. Reduce to low heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
As a bonus (more veggies), I'll shred up a zucchini with my potato peeler and use that as "pasta" over which to put my turkey sauce. It's like healthy, yummy spaghetti, and I honestly don't miss the pasta (for real though--I know you're like, "This lying bitch--tryna make me think zucchini tastes as good as pasta!" but seriously, just try it). I was going to buy one of those spiral vegetable slicers so I could really get the zucchini to be like spaghetti, but it was like $40 bucks, which is about $35 bucks more than I'm willing to spend on a vegetable slicer. So, I resolved to just use the potato peeler and it works just fine--the strips are more like linguini than spaghetti but seriously who the hell cares not me.
Anyway, it is about time for me to do something other than sit in front of my computer, so I'll end this post here (I mean, damn, it was long enough a few paragraphs ago). Have a great day, and stay healthy!
Best,
Nikki
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