Week Four.

Whoa this challenge is almost coming to a close! I am pretty surprised at how fast this month went, and I only have four more days till it's completed. For this blog entry I did not want to bore anyone with an update post on how the challenge is going, I am sure all of you understand how I operate now on a daily basis with this challenge. The challenge is still going great and these upcoming three days will be intense and will most likely go by fast.

Have you ever tried to go on a diet and you are the only one on the diet thus making the diet extremely hard right from the start. That is how most diets play out for people, one person wants to change their eating habits and the other person does not find any need to change their eating habits. This usually results in the person on the diet giving up on the diet or just cheating on their diet any chance they get until they are no longer focused on their diet. I was the only one who chose to do this challenge; my parents, boyfriend and friends thought I was crazy when I first told them about it and as much as a challenge it was for me, I know it was also a slight challenge for them as well. I'm sorry for my parents since they had to put up with me using my loud juicer everyday and for putting up with my diet meals that they would always claim "stunk up the house". Also, sorry for my boyfriend having to deal with me eating like a bird and ordering non-existant items at restaurants just so I could go out to eat with him while I was still committing to the challenge. Also a big sorry to my friends having to put up with me turning down eating out and going out with them during this challenge, and I am grateful that they stayed by myside and supported me throughout this challenge. Most times during this challenge I was grumpy and tired, I stayed really focus to this challenge and I know it's not easy to deal with someone altering their diet entirely so I appreciate everyone who stood by my side and put up with my antics during the challenge.

I also want to thank everyone who's been keeping up with my blog postings during this challenge, and sorry for not posting more towards the end of this challenge. I know I could have posted way more content for my readers but this challenge on top of school and work made it pretty difficult to keep daily content on the blog. I just want to give everyone a big THANK YOU for all of your encouraging words and feedback throughout this challenge, it seriously made this challenge go by a tad faster and even made it easier for me to complete. Thank you all a ton and keep a lookout for the final challenge blog that will be up on the 31st!

Week Three in a Nut Shell.

Wow, I cannot believe it is the last part of October. This month has truly flown by especially this last week. I wish I had a better reason as to why I have not posted in lately but I was just tremendously busy with family and school. It was my boyfriend's twenty-second birthday yesterday and I took him to an awesome Italian Steakhouse called Iavarone's. The food is to die for and the atmosphere is perfect plus it is not that expensive if you want to go out to have a nice dinner. For my meal choice I stuck with a salad, chicken with sautéed spinach, we had bruschetta for our appetizer (I only had 2 out of the 6 on the plate), and I also had a glass of wine. We were stuffed so there was no birthday dessert, ironically my boyfriend does not really care for desserts or sweets so avoid that kind of stuff is super easy when I am out with him. Dinner was moderately healthy but I almost considered that a cheat meal because I had more carbs than I planned on eating. I did not beat myself up about it since we had tickets for Howl O'Scream  at Busch Gardens. It ended up being so packed since it is getting closer to Halloween and it was a Saturday so we ended up just walking the whole park and did all the scare zones and road a few rides. By the end of the night we were both so beat because not only did we walk the whole park twice but we also walked back to our car since the line for the tram was way too long. Boy were we tired once we got home, I am pretty sure all those carbs I had at dinner were put to good use while we were at Busch Gardens. The other four days went great as well, I have had no slip ups and I am going to kick it into high gear for this last week. I plan to make sure that at least 90 minutes of exercise is done everyday, the only carbs that I will be consuming is the carbs from fruit or vegetables. I will also make sure that I am juicing daily to keep my cravings at bay. I cannot wait for this fourth week and I cannot believe that I have almost completed this challenge. Only 10 more days until the before and after picture, and I have a few interesting blog posts that will be posted this week so be on the lookout.

Days Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen.

"To know what has to be done, then to do it, compromises the whole philosophy of practical life." - Sir William Osler

Week three is off to a great start, I have been juicing quite a bit and I am incorporating a few superfoods that I am currently reading up on. For this post I want to focus on how to eat smart when you're eating out. This week is my boyfriend's birthday so that means I have quite a few birthday dinners to attend and more than likely they will all be at restaurants. Always keep a positive outlook when planning on going to dinner because it is not the end of the world, you just have to keep yourself focused and you'll be fine. Keep reassuring yourself of your ultimate goals while you are waiting to be seated. Once the menu gets placed in front of you, make sure you look for clues on the menu like hearts or stars indicating if the meal is heart healthy or low calories. Once you found the few select items narrow it down to the choice that sounds the most filling with mostly vegetables as the ingredients. Also, most restaurants will modify a meal for you and even if they won't just say your allergic to said ingredient(s) then it should not be a problem. I have done this a few times during this challenge so I could still go out with my friends and family for dinner and still stick with the challenge.

Here are some of the meals I have opted for while going out to restaurants during this challenge.
Taco Bus:

Poblanos Mexican Grill:

As previously posted, Oxford Exchange:

Eating healthy and smart while eating out is solely a personal disciplined choice but I promise you will not regret the switch once you stick to it.

On the other hand here is a picture of my juicer:

I adore it and I am so glad I made the purchase because it has made a huge difference with my cravings. My cravings are basically nonexistent now and if I do get a craving I just pour myself a glass of juice, so simple! My recent juicing recipe is 1 to 2 carrots, a pear, 2 to 3 apples, and a handful of kale leaves. This recipe makes enough juice for one day and the juice is deliciously sweet, great for the sweet tooth cravers out there. I have also played around with many other recipes and found some that I can't stand and others that I can't seem to get enough of. Let me know if you would like to see a post covering some juicing recipes and the benefits; stay healthy and take care everyone.

The Past Four Days.

You know those whirlwind days where everything is just a blur and you only made it through the days because you we're simply going through the motions, well this past week has been that and a bag of rock on the side just to drag me down. This week has been something else since it's midterm week, and it just so happened that my Internet was down for the past few days so daily blogging was not an option. Besides all the hoopla going on with college right now, my diet and exercise has stayed on track and I'm still going strong. Week three of the 30 Day Challenge starts tomorrow and I am stoked! Mainly stoked because I know I'm only a couple weeks away from reaching my goal and I'll finally be able to eat what I want again. Not like I am going to go order a massive greasy burger with soda and fries, but I have been missing my oriental foods and I will make sure that fine asian cuisine is the first meal I have after the 31st. Also during the jumbled mess, that was the last four days, I ordered an actual grade A juicer and it arrived Wednesday. Let me just say that I have been juicing everything in my line of sight, I am obsessed with it and I have completely abandoned my blender. For the last four days my mid-morning and mid-day snacks have all been the juice I made that day. All the juices have tasted great and I have not experienced any hunger cravings after drinking whichever juices I made. I don't know if I could ever do a juice fast though, it seems pretty challenging to stick with just juice for 7+ days. As far as my workouts go I have been incorporating quite a bit of yoga and pilates into my normal workout routine. I can tell that my stomach and upper thighs seem to be tightening up ever since I started the classes.

My meals for the past four days.

Day 10:
Breakfast- black coffee and some Greek yogurt with local honey.

Snack- freshly made juice

Lunch- glass of water and an arugula and goat cheese salad

Snack- freshly made juice

Dinner- more water and sautéed vegetables

Day 11:
Breakfast- black coffee (fasted cardio)

Snack- juice

Lunch- egg whites omelet with vegetables

Snack- juice

Dinner- two chicken breasts sautéed with peppers and garlic

Day 12:
Breakfast- black coffee and a cup Greek yogurt with muesli

Snack- juice

Lunch- salad and some more juice

Snack- cup of Greek yogurt and with muesli and a teaspoon of organic blackberry jam, topped off with some peanut butter mix with coconut oil for the "syrup"

Dinner- salad with grilled chicken and shrimp with vinegar and a teaspoon of olive oil for the dressing

Day 13:
Breakfast- black coffee and some juice (fasted cardio)

Snack- rest of my juice and water

Lunch- seaweed salad with a cucumber, avocado and carrots in a lettuce wrap

Dinner- water with grilled chicken, sautéed vegetables and grilled vegetables

Juicing, Smoothies, and Detox OH MY!

Ever heard of a magic weight-loss potion, or a magical pill that will melt your fat away? We all know that the hyped up weight-loss "programs" and "quick fixes" do not work, but what does work is juicing in order to get the proper amount of nutrients daily. Now I know what you're thinking, "How can one drink cleanse my entire body?" well you are slightly right and slightly wrong at the same time. Detoxing is not just a one-step procedure, it involves many different drink recipes in order to make the detox work 100% and worth your time. What people mainly get wrong about detox programs and drinks is the fact that it takes a lot of your time and you must stay committed if you want to complete the detox. A blog that I love to follow ( Organic Beauty Talk ) just recently did a post about juicing, including some detox juice recipes. At the same time that I believe detox programs can help rejuvenate one's body, I also believe that fasting (during or for a detox program) is not the best for your body.

Now I do believe in super smoothies and super drinks that will help your body rejuvenate its self. I do not do detox programs anymore, but I do try to drink a power smoothie every day. In my smoothies I try to pack a bunch of superfoods in there so my body is getting the best nourishment.

Above is what I use daily when it comes to my juices and smoothies. All of these products are 100% natural, so there are no additives or preservatives in your super smoothie. You can use water, coconut water, or unsweetened almond milk as your base. I usually just stick with coconut water (ZICO) as my base, but if I want a creamier texture I use the unsweetened almond milk.

Regardless of what you prefer, detox or daily superfood smoothies, both are great for your body but remember to be cautious when it comes to detox fasting. I encourage everyone to try and make a super smoothie this week.