Dont be afraid of fats!

Most people when they hear the word "fat" in their food get worried and try to avoid them when on diets. While it is true that too much fat can make you gain weight; you actually need fat in order for your body to function correctly. But what you do need to be careful is the kind of fat that you eat; there are "good" and "bad" fats. Saturated fats are the ones found in dairy, meats and greasy foods etc and they can raise bad cholesterol levels. Then there are unsaturated fats which actually increase the levels of good cholesterol. Within the category of unsaturated there are poly and mono. (Yes I know, its getting confusing but I'm just explaining the basics, do some more research if really interested=)) . Good fats have many benefits that include: boosting your immune system, promote brain , nerve and heart health. They are also used for energy after the body uses up its carbohydrates.  So what kind of food actually has these fats? I'll list a few below categorized in the kind that they are:

Polyunsaturated:

• nuts
• seeds
• corn oils
• fatty fish

Monounsaturated:

• nuts & seeds
• Avocado
• olive oil
• canola oil
• peanut oil

Now one of my absolute favorite fats from this list is avocado! People are afraid of avocados because they are high in calories and fat. But again this fat is good for you and everything in moderation!

 

All these health benefits with the added bonus of being delicious! I've posted a bunch of recipes using avocado and there are many more ways you can incorporate them into your meal. For example: use as a substitute for another unhealthy spread such as mayo. Replace those bad fats with this great healthy version.

Egg white wrap

 

So I'm moving out of my apartment next week to go to NY for the rest of the summer. My parents live there now so that is where I spend my vacations. My point is that I really didn't want to buy so much food these past couple weeks and really just stocked up on a few essentials. That's part of the reason why you see so many foods repeated in different ways. And the other reason is that I just really like these foods sooo I really don't mind eating them a lot! But hopefully when I get to New York I'll have the help with my also very health nutty mom! But for now another easy go to meal:

Egg white wrap:
1 tortilla ( All the other wrap recipes I've used La tortilla factory; they are low calorie, low carb and high fiber)
6tbsp egg whites
1/4 avocado
1 tbsp. feta cheese
1 tbsp. salsa
       Heat up the tortilla in a toaster oven for a few minutes until warm. Cook the egg whites flat and add spices and feta when it is almost cooked. Then when done, add the eggs to the tortilla and add salsa and chopped avocado. Fold and eat as a wrap!

My favorite breakfast: oats!

So like I've said plenty before: I make food that tastes good but just doesn't look too good. Oh well!

I love love oats and oatmeal. It is so good for you and is so versatile!
Some of the benefits of oatmeal include:

• Low calories
• High fiber
• high protein grain
• stabilizes blood sugar and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes
• removes bad cholesterol
• protects against heart disease and cancer
• Very filling

These are only a few of the awesome health benefits that oatmeal provides!

When I say that oatmeal is so versatile, I mean it! You can eat it hot (bottom pic) or even cold! (top) Overnight oats have been quite the sensation lately and they are the easiest and most convenient way to eat oats. Basically you just take an empty jar and add the desired amount of uncooked oats to it, then you add whatever you want: fruits, cinnamon, pb (idk get creative) then add almond, or soy milk (or regular if you must) just enough to cover the ingredients. Add the lid and put it in the fridge overnight and it is ready to eat! No cooking required. Hot oatmeal can be made two ways: microwave or stove top. I usually just use the microwave because it is a lot easier and I use quick cook oats so it only takes 2 minutes and less dishes. Follow the directions on the oats container for cooking but just add whatever you like just like the cold oats.

Sample overnight oat recipe as shown above:
1/2 cup uncooked oats
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
cinnamon
1/3 cup almond milk
    Basically just do as I say above and I made some apple spice overnight oats!

Sample hot oatmeal:
1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 banana
drizzle of honey
     Cook the oatmeal how the container says but add the cocoa powder before. After, add the sliced banana and a touch of honey for added sweetness, mix, and enjoy.

These are only example of all the different ways you can make your oats, so be creative and try something new!

Schedule your workout!

   

     So many people use the excuse of " I have no time to workout" Uh sure you do, because you learn to make time! Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day and it is up to you to use every minute of it wisely. When I first started exercising I literally took out my planner and wrote down the schedule of my life. I made sure to add in there when I was able to work out because I knew if I wrote it down I had to do it. If I had purposely given myself that amount of time to do this, there was no excuse about not having time. Before you decide a specific time to workout, decide what time of the day you are more likely to give it your all. Do this, unless you literally have no other time except the one you have chosen and don't have the luxury of picking another. But if you do have a few time slots available, try out times in the morning, afternoon and evening. Me personally, I know that the absolute best time for me to workout is right when I wake up. I wake up, eat a quick breakfast because I don't like working out on an empty stomach ( just my personal preference) get ready, and go at it. I like exercising in the mornings because I am not able to let myself have any other excuses. Later in the day I will tell myself that I have to study, or I'm too full from all the days meals or I have too many errands to run, whatever it is, I find it later in the day. If you are that kind of person like I am, I highly suggest starting your morning with a work out! After it is done, you don't have to think about it anymore and you started your day off with a bang. But hey, not everyone is like that, so if you prefer to work out in the middle of the day or like to end your day with one go for it! Just make sure you put it in your schedule. Whether you need to write it down, at least in the beginning, or if it is just a mental schedule, make sure you stick with it. Also, especially if you are a college student like me, your schedule is not the same everyday and your workout schedule doesn't have to be either. If Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is easier for you to workout in the mornings but Tuesdays and Thursdays, the evenings: whatever! Just make sure you keep with it.
     Another helpful tip about scheduling your workouts is to write down what you are going to do each day. For example: Mon= cardio Tues=legs Wed=arms etc. Then write down the specific exercises in each. This will help you go to the gym and know what you are doing and not just waste time lollygagging....(yes I just said that) and therefore give you even less of a readon to say you do not have time.

Sorry to break it to ya.....

But these are all true! While it is great that you are getting active and working out in an effort to get fit, but that unfortunately is not good enough. Even if you are spending a decent amount of time working your butt off in the gym and working out in general, you will most likely not see the results you are wanting to see. You have to pair working out with a good and healthy diet! The mentality of "I worked out today, so I'm going to eat pizza tonight" is absolutely ridiculous. WATCH THIS VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UQbuzsY_34Q . You will now see what I am talking about! It is genius. How long will it take for you to burn off that food? Probably too long! And then even if you manage to work it all off, you will be right where you started and won't make any progress if you're lucky. Working out does not give you an excuse to eat Moes, pizza, chipotle, mcdonalds, and even unhealthy foods that you can make at home. And honestly, I use the word "make" loosely. Sorry to tell you, but you are not Michael Phelps or someone of his fitness levels. He eats roughly 12,000 calories a day and still looks the way he does because of his intense training. Yeah, you try and eat that much, or hey lets be more reasonable and try and eat a fraction of that and train the way you normally do and see if you can make any progress with your fitness. You HAVE to eat healthy! That is always the most important! Have you ever tried to do so many ab workouts and got mad when you don't see any results? Probably because you are not pairing that with a good diet. Abs are made in the kitchen. You must have a lower body fat percentage for them to show up. There is no use in ab muscles if they are hiding under layers of fat. I honestly find it hilarious when I listen to people talk about how much they work out and go to the gym and then I see them eat food that is just plain bad for them. I've mentioned before that indulgences and treat meals are a good thing! But lets be honest, that meal is not a once in a while or even once a week thing, but are a everyday and possibly in even worse cases, a multiple a day thing.
      Now I realize, there are those people who have an amazing metabolism and can eat whatever the hell they want and still have a perfectly slim body. Fine! Good for you! Probably most of what I have said here is not for you! But just because this might be true doesn't mean you should continue with these habits. You should start caring about yourself and your health and still eat better. You will feel better and more energized when you eat the right foods.
    

Sunday Food

 

 

Like most days of the week I have breakfast foods for more than just breakfast. I don't know why but I cant remember the last time I had eggs for actual breakfast. I tend to prefer them for lunch or dinner. I think it is because I crave something sweeter in the mornings. So this morning I decided to try another version of a protein pancake. Yes I know it looks like a certain something and possibly unappealing but it was pretty good! Then for lunch I had a zucchini and feta omelet.

Chocolate protein pancakes:
1/2 ripe banana
3/4 scoop vanilla protein powder (I ran out of chocolate kind but if you have go ahead and use it)
3 tbsp. egg whites
3 tbsp. oats (oat flour would be best or you can make your own using a food processor or blender but those are packed away so I made due)
2 tbsp. almond milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp of baking powder
     First mash the banana then add the protein powder and mix till incorporated. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cook like regular pancakes. (Play with the amount of each ingredient, and make it to your liking, i'm not an expert and honestly just eyeballed a lot of it)

Zucchini Omelet:
1/2 zucchini chopped however you like it, I did half circles
6tbsp cholesterol free eggs
low fat feta cheese
handful of spinach
     First sauté the zucchini and spinach until it is wilted. Then add the eggs on top of the veggies. When almost fully cooked add the cheese and fold over. Flip until fully cooked. I topped it with natural salsa

Tortilla pizza

I like experimenting with different tortilla pizzas. I just find whatever I might have in the kitchen and add to it. This time I added:

Low Carb and high fiber tortilla
1/2 zucchini cut into half circles
some low fat feta cheese
1 tbsp. hummus
handful of chopped tomatoes
dried oregano
cayenne pepper
      First spread the hummus on the tortilla. Then add the chopped zucchini and tomato across. Sprinkle desired amount of feta over it and then spices. Put in the oven (toaster oven is very convenient if you have it) at around 450 for 5ish minutes or until sides begin to brown

Don't call it a diet

As you can see from this picture, I get so mad if people try to tell me that I'm on a diet. No, I am not, I am not in no way shape or form trying to lose weight and this is not a temporary thing. If someone is eating something greasy and/or bad for them I do not turn to them and ask "what, are you trying to get fat?" That would be rude and uncalled for and the same goes for when I am eating healthy and trying to avoid foods that I know are not good for me and someone turns to me and says something along the lines of  "what, are you trying to lose weight?" or "you are already skinny enough!" Uh thanks... I know I am thin, but there is a difference between trying to lose weight and trying to be the best I can be. I know my body better than anyone and I can guarantee that I do not look how I do now because I was eating badly. Now I am not saying that I am not guilty of being on diets and doing things that are good for on a temporary basis. I used to get obsessive over losing weight and being skinny enough and would limit myself to small amounts of food etc and sometimes that would work but only temporarily until I stopped the dieting and started eating even more than I used to before. It is because I limited myself from everything I was craving all the time (usually sweets and baked goods) that when I could finally have it again I binged on them like crazy! The moment I decided that this wasn't a diet, it was simply how I choose to live my life was the moment I stopped craving things like crazy. This is because I am not forbidding myself from these things. Honestly if I want a damn brownie or if I want some ice cream or whatever it is I am going to have it! And the best part of it is, I will not feel guilty for doing so. Now that does not mean that I will eat an entire pan of brownies or have these treats every day because that defeats the purpose, but it is ok to indulge every once in a while to keep you on track in the long run. Many people say and I agree that this lifestyle is 80/20. 80% clean and healthy living and eating and 20% indulgences. Just don't take that too literally! It is not a set formula that every week you must eat clean 80% and not the other 20. If one week you happen to eat off track a little more don't sweat it and do not give up! And on the other hand if maybe that week you are really just not feeling like having any treat meals, well more power to you! Do not feel like you have to get in that ice cream. For example, yesterday I went to coldstone with my boyfriend. He got a waffle bowl cheesecake something or other and I got an all fruit smoothie. It was not because I was limiting myself to not have a little ice cream, it was really just because I wasn't craving it. What is the point in having something if you are not going to enjoy it as much as you would another time? If it was one of those days where all I thought about was ice cream and couldn't fight the craving any longer you bet I would have had some!
     All in all, this is a journey not a destination. So please for the love of chocolate, do not judge me and my LIFESTYLE and whatever you do, don't call it a diet. Hope this helped explain things a little!

Fit Book

 

     During my research for a healthy and fit lifestyle I came across this: the Fitbook. So I decided to buy one and give it a try. The fitbook is basically a 12 week journal that you use to log not only your exercise and food for each day but your goals and accomplishments for every week! Every week starts off with a goal page and has room for your workout and nutrition and any other goals you might have. For example; in workout goals I might put "workout abs 4x this week" and for nutrition you could put "limit treat meal to one time this week" or anything else you want to work on for the week. Then there is a reward section if you reach your goals which could be anything like buy a new book or go on a shopping spree; anything that will be a reason for you to work hard that week (besides your health and happiness hehe). Then on the next page you can write down your workout schedule and eating schedule to help you stay on track. I usually don't make a meal plan because I like to think of my food the day of, but the workout schedule is very helpful! Then for each day there is a log to put the workout you actually did and how long/how many reps/how many calories you burned in each and other helpful stuff. For the food log you write down everything you ate that day and other important information about it. For example; I write down how many calories in each food and keep track of it. I used to count calories to limit myself to a very strict number. That was before I started eating clean and just focusing on nutrition. Now I count calories to keep to a certain range because I personally find that if I don't do that I will eat above and beyond what I really should even if it is all healthy foods. But if calorie counting is not for you don't worry you can use that space for others things, such as what time you ate or whatever else you want to take note of. The food log page also has a nutrient, water and sleep tracker! Finally, at the end of each week there is a "wrap up". This is where you decide if your goals were reached and reflect on the good things about the week and the not so good things. For example, a good thing might be you finished all of your workouts and ate a lot of veggies or something. But a bad thing might be that you ate too much ice cream and pizza Saturday night.

     I am on week 9 out of 12 in my fitbook and I can say that it has helped a lot! I bought mine at target for around $20 and did not mind paying that because I am the kind of person who needs structure and something telling me step by step what to do or else I will not do it. But after my 12 weeks I think I will make my own version of a fitbook using a empty journal or composition book since I know everything involved now. But if you don't want to spend that much money on a fitbook, go ahead and create your own! Use this tips that I showed you and take another step closer to your journey to being healthy =)

 



 





Noms

Lunch and Dinner yesterday! For lunch (top) I decided to get a little creative and it came out so good! The top was zucchini "pasta" topped with mashed sweet potato. And the bottom for dinner was an egg sandwich.

Zucchini Pasta:
1/2 zucchini sliced using a veggie peeler until you get to the seeds and it doesn't work anymore
spices to taste
1/2 sweet potato
     Bake the sweet potato in the oven at 400 deg. for about 45 minutes or until soft. Then take it out of the oven and wait until it is cool enough to take out of the skin and give it a good mash with whatever spices you want. Set aside. Then after you slice the zucchini and season it as well, place it in a pan and cook it on medium-low heat until it softens a little. Then put it in a dish and top with sweet potato! Weird but tastes so good!

Egg Sandwich:
2 slices Ezekiel bread
6tbsp cholesterol free eggs
1 thick slice tomato
1/4 avocado
seasons to taste
Dijon mustard (optional)
     Cook the eggs as if you were making an omelet. Add desired spices when almost done. While the eggs are cooking, toast your bread and prepare the tomato and avocado. When egg and bread is done, spread mustard and layer the bread with eggs, tomato and avocado. Yummy and easy!

So, like how do you get your protein?

I've mentioned a couple times that I am indeed a vegetarian and have been for 6.5 years. Throughout these years I have gotten so many questions regarding this. Don't worry this post wont be about trying to convert you into not eating meat, it is simply answering a few of those questions I get all the time.

Q: Do you miss eating meat?
A:  Nope, not at all. In the beginning I definitely had a lot of cravings, but after a few months they pretty much stopped.

Q: What made you become a vegetarian?
A: Actually my mom started a couple months before me because my aunt had gotten breast cancer and she started doing lots of research on the benefits a vegetarian diet could have on reducing that risk. Then after watching some of those infamous videos (don't worry ill spare you the details) I decided I would give it a try also. The reason developed over the months into my love for animals and deciding that I could be a small part of that change towards not eating them.

Q: What was your process into switching into a vegetarian diet?
A: A lot of people tend to go into a gradual leaning off meats; first red meat then pork etc. However I was a little more ambitious than that. I decided I would stop eating meat on a Monday, so that weekend leading up to it I had every fast food with meat I loved. KFC, Taco Bell, Mcdonalds, Burger King. I binged on meat then gave it up cold turkey on Monday and haven't eaten anything since.

Q: Do you eat fish?
A: No, fish is not a vegetable. People who do not eat meat but only fish are called pescatarians (makes sense huh). And yes I do eat eggs and dairy though I try to limit the dairy to a few items just because. Those who do not eat any animal products are vegans. I am neither a pescatarian nor a vegan but right in the middle.

Q: So like what do you eat and like how do you get your protein?

 

A: These are my favorite two questions and the ones I get the most. And honestly when I say favorite they are the most annoying questions in the world to me when said in a condescending manner. I have no problem when people are generally interested and just want more information about things because they really don't know. I will gladly answer for you and help you understand I just don't appreciate the condescension. Anyway, I eat everything omnivores eat except meat. Tada! Simple as that. Of course, I mean I eat everything in the healthiest sense with wholer and cleaner foods but you get the gist. I am not and honestly have never been that vegetarian who doesn't know what else there is to eat so I resort to junk food 24/7. I know there are many vegetarians out there who just don't know how to be one. I eat real food and all my meals do not consist of Doritos and Oreos nor has it ever. There are so many sources of protein out there in the world that people limit themselves to thinking protein: meat, chicken etc. I get the majority of my protein from soy products, beans, protein powders, greek yogurt, eggs, nuts and nut butters, veggies (yes even vegetables have protein) and so much more! Don't worry about me I am not going to have a protein deficiency any time soon; again I know what I'm doing.



Here is a chart just showing example of how produce can have protein as well!

Workout DVDs

So maybe you guys are starting to realize something: I really like workout DVDS. They are just SO convenient. Wake up, roll out of bed, eat something and go at it. Jillian Michaels workouts are my favorite; she gives you a intense workout in a short amount of time. This was my first time doing her new DVD "Hard Body". In just 45 minutes (including warm up and cool down) I burned over 500 calories! I definitely broke out a sweat too and as you can see from my picture I was really excited to be done with it hehe. This summer will honestly be all about workout DVDs especially when I go to NY in a few weeks and don't have a gym readily available. But when Fall starts up again I'm going to start going to my school's gym and work out more with weights and such. Actually, this afternoon my oh so helpful boyfriend is going to teach me a few things so I don't go in blind next semester. Conclusion: don't hate on the workout DVDs; they can actually give you a great workout when you can't get to the gym or just don't want to.

What I ate today

     My breakfast, lunch and dinner! Before you start freaking out and thinking this is all I eat all day; fear not I love food way too much to limit myself to only this. I have healthy snacks throughout the day to make sure I don't go famished.
     My breakfast on right was protein pancakes. Now here is a disclaimer: I tend to make food and such that taste really good but turn out really ugly. Especially pancakes, I am awful and making them I always flip them too early or late and can never really get that expert flip going. Oh well I'm going on a tangent but I just thought I would warn everybody.
Pancake Recipe:
1 large very ripe banana
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
2 egg whites: which also equals to about 6 tbsp. of the kind in the carton
    Mash the banana and then mix the other two ingredients and cook like a regular pancake
I topped them with about a tbsp. of PB2 (ill do a post explaining what that is at a later time, but basically think of it as peanut butter). There are so many different types of protein pancakes that I cannot wait to try but since this was my first time making them I decided to keep it simple.
Egg Scramble:
1/2 zucchini
6tbsp cholesterol free eggs
handful of spinach
feta to taste
spices to taste
tbsp. of natural salsa
     First slice zucchini into thin slices and sauté them until soft. Then add the eggs and cook and scramble them until almost done. While the eggs are still cooking and the spinach and feta. Then top with salsa
Wrap:
1 whole wheat tortilla  (I use one that is low carb and high fiber)
1/4 avocado
2 slices of tofurkey (again I am vegetarian so sub. whatever protein you want)
1 piece of cheese (I use a soy cheese)
Handful of spinach
natural salsa
     I mashed the avocado across the tortilla then layered the rest of the ingredients and wrapped it all up. I served with a side of baby carrots.

Yesterday was my last day of my 8 week Brazil Butt Lift Program. Brazil Butt lift is a workout DVD series made by Beach body; the same people who make insanity and P90X. Now you're probably laughing at me and thinking "really Lorraine, Brazil butt lift that's silly" or something of the sort. Well yes it is silly, but I don't care cause it worked! For those of you who don't know, I am actually 100% Brazilian; yup both parents born and raised in Brazil and me born here in Florida. However, I did not get much of those trademark Brazilian genes, besides being oh so attractive (confidence is key =P). I am very pale unless I go out in the sun a gazillion times and then I am still only "not ghostlike". And I do not have a booty. It's sad I know, I cannot shake what my mama gave me, cause sadly she didn't give me much (hehe love you mommy). So I figured I'd do something about that. I started Brazil Butt lift with the picture farthest to the left then the next two pictures were taken today first with the original undergarment to show the true difference and then with a more revealing pair to show a more broad difference. I finally have a little booty! For me, this is a huge transformation because I am so used to not have anything there. Now there is really no way to fight my genes so I will never have a "big butt" that Sir Mix-A-Lot seems to adore but I can improve on my own and that is good enough for me!

The bottom was lunch yesterday:
frozen veggie burger ( Oh yeah I forgot to mention I'm a vegetarian but most of my food can be made for an omnivore also, just substitute or add your chosen meat)
Tomato slice
1/4 avocado
Baked 1/2 sweet potato at 400 for 45 mins
The Top was dinner:
Whole wheat low carb and high fiber tortilla
Black beans'
1/4 avocado
salsa
feta
1tbsp hummus
Start by spreading the hummus on the tortilla then just add the rest of the toppings and put it in the toaster oven or regular oven at 350 for a few minutes until crunchy

1/2 sweet potato cut into cubes sprinkled with your favorite spices (I used cinnamon, cayenne and paprika)
Black beans ( amount to your liking)
1/4 avocado
salsa
Bake the sweet potato at 375 for 20-30 mins
Add the beans and potato to a skillet and heat up with some more spices.
Remove from heat then top with avocado and salsa

Open faced omelette

9 tbsp. cholesterol free eggs from carton
handful of spinach
some chopped tomato
sprinkled feta

cook the eggs in the pan until almost done then add the rest of the ingredients until everything is heated

Transformation story

Let me tell you a little about why I started this healthy lifestyle change. I was always thin growing up and never once overweight or "fat". My metabolism was super fast until somewhere around high school. I gained a little weight but nothing drastic, it was all just hormones and growing up. My senior year I went through some stuff and lost over 10 pounds in a month. I was so skinny and I looked sick, and definitely not healthy. Then when I started college I broke out of my good girl routine and started partying way too much. Before I knew it I gained all the weight I lost back and then some. Again, I was never overweight but I was definitely unhealthy and I was not happy with myself. But I really didn't do anything about it except the usual girly dieting spurts. I got to a moderate weight my sophomore year where I stopped partying as much, but still no healthy eating or exercise. Then my junior year, throughout the fall semester I lost around ten pounds again from cutting out most of the sweets I would indulge in way too often. But to be honest, this weight loss was completely accidental and a happy accident it was! I started to love my body again and I knew I couldn't let it get to how it was before. So slowly but surely I started eating better and making exercise a regular part of my days. Today I work out about 6 times a week and have committed to a (mostly) clean eating lifestyle (gotta have some cheats to not go crazy). The first picture up top on the left was my before probably at one of my unhealthiest times April 2011. The other two pictures were taken a couple weeks ago. I am way more fit and slowly gaining some muscle and I am so proud of it!

This was a morning last week. A high calorie burning workout. My workouts range from lower calorie burns to moderate to high ones like this! I always follow up a workout with a protein shake like this cookies and cream one shown here. Protein shakes are great for muscle recovery, building and lessening the soreness.

Polar Watch

My Polar heart monitor watch! I was so excited when I got this in the mail after hearing so many good things about it! Definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made. It measures your heart rate and my favorite part: how many calories you burn in a workout. And it doesn't hurt that its pretty in pink!

Welcome!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you a little about me. I'm 20 years old, soon to be 21 (Sep.1) and I go to the University of Florida and am in a sorority there. I'm about to be a senior in the fall and am graduating in December. SCARY I know haha. I started this blog to post my journey to a healthier lifestyle. Working out and eating right have become part of my daily life and I cant wait to share this with you!