Eatting Clean Update

So I wanted to give you all an update on the eating clean lifestyle that I started last Monday, January 28. So far…. SUCCESS!! I have lost ten pounds, yes, TEN pounds in 10 days! Now, I will point out that the women hold more water weight than men which may account for some or all of the weight that I have lost. In addition, I was 40 pounds (now 30) over the weight that I am used to, and usually in the beginning weight falls off more easily than it does by the end. I’m aware of those factors. However, I do not count those factors as less of a success, instead it’s huge motivation!

Now, those of you who know me have been surprised that I want to lose 30 more lbs, but you may not know (or remember) how I looked senior year of high school/freshman year of college–i was a hot little number! I’ve also hid my weight well by buying more clothes that suited my ever growing figure lol.

What led to my weight gain? Easy, I played soccer 7 days a week of 3 different teams in high school. I ate almost whatever I wanted, but burned it off without a problem. When sophomore year of college rolled around, I started dating Chris. Instead of putting hours in at the gym, I put hours in spending time with him. Whose fault is that? MINE. Being the college students that we were, we’d eat junk all the time, including Domino’s 5-5-5 deal–everyone would get their own pizza for $5–and I could (and would) eat the whole thing. (I swear I would be great at competitive eating cuz I can put food awayyyy). Anyway, basically I started living a lifestyle that I wasn’t used to–junk food and not exercising–so the weight gain began. Again, whose fault was that? MINE. My weight bobbled up and down throughout college, where 6 months I’d gain some weight, but when the weather got nice, that meant less clothes, so I would diet and beat myself up at the gym. I did this whole binging and crash dieting thing for about 5 years, and I was never happy.

Soooo… being the food lover that I am, I now love food in a different way! I honestly and truly ENJOY eating healthier and don’t really feel like I’m losing out on anything. In fact, Chris eats pasta and vodka sauce (my favorite) in front of me and I don’t even flinch. I even made a cake and brownies for the kids I nanny and didn’t even lick the batter or icing off my fingers. After saying “no” to junk food about 5 times in the beginning of changing my diet, it got easier and easier. Of course I’m tempted to eat junk here and there, but I think of my success so far and I don’t want to ruin it, so I say “no” again.

Have I slipped and cheated since I started eating clean? Yes, and no. I’ve been trying to not eat carbs while eating clean (because my hips and thighs suck in and hold onto carbs like nobody’s business lol) but one day I ate a dinner roll with turkey and cheese and on another day I ate more than the serving size than I was supposed to. Also, when I went out with Chris I had 2 vodka clubs which I was told is cheating too, but if I don’t have my drink now and then I’ll go nuts. So to me, I think all of the above is cheating, but I make up for it with extra time at the gym or juicing more meals–and I’m STILL losing weight. So I’m cool with it!
Tip: make your own rules for yourself, and be honest! My friend and I started a private group on Facebook where members take pictures and post what they have eaten at the end of each day. Our motto is “Support, motivate and educate others about the lifestyle of eating clean to build a healthier, happier you.” I am 100% honest with what I post because I know myself; if I start lying or cheating under the radar, it snowballs and I end up completely falling off track. So if you know you’re like me, be completely honest with your eating and log it, whether in a group or in a journal. Therefore, if you feel like you’re not losing weight, you can look back and see where you can change or add something in your diet!

Since I am home from NY, I am allowing myself ONE cheat meal, and I’m having a hard time deciding what to eat. I was thinking either:

• an everything egg bagel with light veggie cream cheese, tomato, and crushed Doritos in there (why are you judging me? lol)
• a Sicilian slice from my local pizza shop where they don’t put cheese on it, but top it with sauce, fresh chopped tomato’s and olive oil (add some red pepper flakes on there… BOMB!)
• Chinese food, I’m thinking chicken and cashews with mixed vegetables…. mmmmmmm

Which do you think I should pick??
These are three foods that I can’t get in Washington. If I want a bagel I have to get one from Starbucks that tastes like rubber and they give you a cream cheese packet and a knife to put it on yourself… ya kiddin?? If I want pizza I have to pick between Domino’s, Pizza Hut, or Papa Johns… no thanks. And they don’t really even have Chinese food out there, only dried out Teriyaki chicken or overpriced Thai food. Damn, Washington food sucks so bad.

What would you choose to eat on your cheat day?

“Eat clean, train mean.”

As this post reads, my goal is to “eat clean and train mean.” Though my busy schedule has prevented me from the training part of the phrase, yesterday marked the end of Day 3 of successfully eating clean without any cheats!!!! Onto Day 4 with some fresh broccoli, kale, tomato, apple juice in my tummy! No cheating for me, is HUGE. Currently I work with kids and I can tell you that there is junk food and temptation at every corner.

A friend of mine had successfully eaten clean without any cheats for 16 days. I’m on Day 4. Game on.

I will be the first to admit that I have fallen victim to almost every fad diet out there–diet pills, work out videos, Weight Watchers, etc, etc, etc, etc…… Like my mother says, “if I haven’t tried it, I’ve heard about it.” So far, I can honestly say that I FEEL GOOD (dunna nunna nunna nuh) and happier 🙂 ever since I stopped eating processed foods–and I ate a lot of em’. If you’re reading this and you’ve gone day in and day out feeling sluggish, comatose after each fatty/processed/fast food meal, depressed, and so on, jump on this train and get some more fruits and veggies in your diet! Meat-eaters, relax! You can eat meat too! I’m not the biggest meat eater so you won’t find meat in my recipes so often if I’m cooking for myself. If I’m cooking for Chris, it’s off to the butcher. But anyways, my point is that I was on a downward spiral for over a year of eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, even sneaking food. Then of course I began feeling upset about how heavy and bloated I felt, moreover about how I looked, which caused me to emotionally eat more, and the cycle goes on. I also have been paying obscene amounts for a personal trainer at my gym and have been pretty much wasting my hard earned money because I’d work hard at the gym and then eat it all back, plus some.

Now, I know I have not been eating clean for much time and I haven’t lost 20lbs in three days, (maybe I haven’t lost at all, I haven’t checked yet) but from what I’ve experienced so far, I can tell you that I feel great. I feel lighter, happier, not bloated, and most of all, NOT HUNGRY because the food that I’ve been eating holds me over for longer–unlike sugar highs which spike your blood sugar levels for a short period of time until you crash. This is the first “fad”, if that’s what you want to call it, (I call it a lifestyle change) that I’ve tried where I feel like I can easily stick to this. I’m eating really yummy foods and eating a lot of food, but it’s all good for me!

So far, my meals have consisted of:

• Breakfast: juicing any of the following: 4-5 sprigs of kale, about 8 baby carrots, two celery stalks, an apple, tomatoes, raw broccoli and/or a small chunk of ginger. Though it may look intimidating, let me tell you… it’s delish!

Other things I’ve eaten for breakfy are protein shakes made up of frozen berries or other frozen fruit, Silk (soon to be a healthier milk–almond milk–as soon as I finish the Silk), a banana, and a scoop of protein powder.. add a little water in there if it’s too thick. Another yummy start to the day, which keeps you full for a while!

• Lunch: Recently, I made a batch of butternut squash, carrot, ginger soup from a recipe I found online here. Basically you cut a medium butternut squash in half (lengthwise), clean out the seeds, and roast it cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 40 min at 350 degrees. While it’s baking, dice up an onion, chop 1lb carrots and crush three garlic cloves. When the squash is done baking scoop it out and throw out the skin. Toss the onions and garlic in a pot with 2 tbsp EVOO. Saute until translucent. Add 4 cups of water, carrots, squash, and ginger to the pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 min, then pour soup into a blender. After blended, pour back into pot and season adding cinnamon, salt, and pepper to taste. DONE.

• Dinner: Sometimes I double up on soup for lunch and dinner because it is THAT GOOD, but otherwise I’ll have another juice if I want a light dinner, or a mixed greens salad with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, fetta, and chickpeas for protein and to keep me full. I’ve been using about two tbsp’s of raspberry walnut dressing (to die for) made by Ken’s, but after that bottle is done, I will start making my own salad dressing as suggested to me from my eating clean buddy. I will post recipes for dressings that I enjoy. I am planning on starting to add some meat to my diet to make sure I’m getting enough protein. Lean chicken, red meat, fish, and even tuna are great salad toppers or main dish to any meal.
• Snacks: I have two snack times; after breakfast and before dinner, for eating a total of 5 times a day. I’ll eat anything from a handful of almonds and Craisins, a couple clementines, an apple, or organic trail mixes and soy nuts. I carry these snacks around with me while at work so that I am not tempted to eat junk while out of the house. I like trail mix because it satisfies sweet cravings and I like roasted and salted soy nuts because they satisfy any salty/crunchy cravings. You’d be surprised how easy it is to trick your mind into thinking you’re eating junk when you’re not.

I would say that the biggest effort I put into eating clean is the planning, but it’s really not anything unmanageable. Instead of going to the frozen dinner isles, go to the produce dept and bag up some fruits and veggies! Just last night when I got home from work, I cooked up some more butternut squash soup so I would have food for lunch and dinner the next few days. Took me half hour, MAX. (I called Chris to pop the squash in the oven before I got home.) And that’s including letting the pot boil for 20 min while I catch up with Chris about the day. This morning I woke up to see Chris off to work with breakfast and a kiss ❤ Go buy some produce, buy a cheap $30 food processor and get going! The internet has SO many great clean recipes, you’d be surprised what you can eat without even realizing you’re eating clean. I swear you’ll love it!

How many of you plan to add fruits and veggies to your diet??

Lemonade Cleanse FAIL

So by simply reading this title, you can tell that the lemonade cleanse was a complete bust. Friday, January 18 was the first and last day of that cleanse. I was so excited to do it, and really thought that I’d see it through, but almost blowing chunks while driving is where I draw the line.

So the concoction is made up of freshly squeezed lemon juice, grade B maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. I took cute little pictures, Pioneer Woman style, of all the ingredients to make the wretched concoction and was planing on writing an exciting blog post that would encourage others to do the cleanse too! Not so much.

First off, some of you may know that Chris and I moved into a town home and still haven’t completely moved in yet. With that being said, the morning of my first drink, I realized I didn’t have any measuring cups or teaspoons, cool! So I had to eyeball the measurements. Let me tell you… bad, bad idea. I didn’t put enough lemon juice and put too much cayenne. I was supposed to drink three 20oz bottles of that stuff a day and only water otherwise. I made it till 6:30pm. I just couldn’t do it. I found myself sipping the drink when I thought I would keel over and die of starvation. I put of drinking that stuff as long as I could. I had two full bottles left at 6pm, so when I pulled up to a red light I decided to hold my nose and use my college chugging skills to get down as much as I could to feed my hunger pangs. Another bad, bad idea. I almost blew chunks all over my dash board. At that moment I knew that this cleanse was not for me.

Throughout the day I received several comments on my Facebook from friends who suggested to try a natural juicing cleanse and lifestyle instead. Juicing would keep me full and detox my body while taking in wholesome nutrients and eating REAL food! I’ve decided that I’m going to join an eating clean motivation group organized by a good friend of mine, zeelemons. Check out her blog! She’s recently vegan and posts lots of blogs about her life, food, relationships, etc. Follow her, she will keep you reading, I’m telling you!

So yes, we start eating clean on Monday! Basically that means that you eat all natural foods–that means no processed foods or extra additives in your diet. I have juiced in the past, but this is my first time eating clean the whole day, with no cheating. I cheat a lot, and I mean A LOT. I know it will be hard, but I really want to get my body back into being the lean, mean, workout machine it used to be. I will be taking pictures of my food and letting you all know how I feel while eating clean. Stay tuned! 🙂

 

Have you ever tried eating clean? What did you think?

Read At Your Own Risk

Hello world! Welcome to my blog! 

I’m not too sure how often I will update this blog, but my goal is to write about the random occurrences in my 25 year old life. I can assure you, however, I may not write in complete sentences or use proper grammar, may use mild profanity, and most definitely WILL use smileys 🙂 and my favorite, hearts <3. Get over it 🙂

I guess the proper thing to do next is to introduce myself. A/s/l? 25/female/Washington. Name? Lindsay. Occupation? Nanny… woof. Ok I’m over the intro, you’ll find out more about me from this blog. Leave something to the imagination right?

 

Those who know me, anything in particular you want to hear about my life? Lemme know 🙂