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!

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.