Protein Waffles

Want something that tastes incredible and its still super healthy? Here is a great breakfast recipe:
1/2 C oats
1 whole egg
1 scoop low carb whey protein (chocolate or vanilla) you can't taste the flavor of it anyway
1 C soy flour
1 C water

Blend ingredients and cook in a waffle iron until crisp. Serve with sugar free syrup and fat free spray butter. :)

Quinoa for Dinner

Quinoa, pronounced (keen-wa) is a powerful superfood I mostly recently dabbled with. Quinoa are small seeds that are versatile for cooking. Typically you eat them like you would a pasta, rice or other grain. It is a complete protein, packed with 9 essential amino acids. It is loaded with fiber, potassium, folic acid and iron. It is most known for its cardiovascular benefits and many compare it to the equivalent of milk.

It is quick to make, simply rinse the seeds in water then boil. Let the seeds simmer until they absorb all of the water. Tonight I prepared them with ground turkey and edamame with a touch of soy sauce and garlic. They are extremely filling as well, packed with 8g of dietary fiber! Once prepared they are extremely light and fluffy, a texture similar to tabouli.

Did I mention it is gluten free? I have been all about gluten-free foods lately. There are many recent cases of celiacs and gluten intolerant diseases and because of this I have become cautious when selecting foods. I highly recommend this seed, especially if you are in search of substituting a protein OR carbohydrate source. It is been around for thousands of years, but it certainly is new to me.

Trial & Error

I will be dieting in 3 week phases. This first phase, my calories will remain low (under 1200) and I will substitute my carbohydrates for substantial, enduring ones i.e. bread & pasta for sweet potatoes and oatmeal. Also, I will refrain from any cheat meals during this first 3 week period. Cardio will consist of 5, 30 minute sessions per week and weight training full body 3x a week for one hour.
My focus is on recharging my metabolism. I feel by dropping my calories really low, it will give me the opportunity to see how my body responds. Will I become hungry? Should I add in a meal or two? Ideally, after the first 3 weeks, I would like to add in a small amount of calories. However, I may have to wait until week 6 to do this. I have a feeling my body will be slow to respond.
If, indeed, this fails and I have NO results to show for dieting....well then I will order a saliva test to re-test my hormones.

So my goals over the next 3 weeks:
To become hungry every 3-4 hours (in between meals)
To become hot and possibly even sweat while eating
To drop 5lbs of water weight and fat
To be able to slowly increase my calories

weekend treats

Before I embarked on my summer-bod diet, I indulged over the weekend. I made a warm, cheeseeey batch of french onion soup and 2 dozen lemon-poppy seed muffins. I had a little help devouring the food, so don't judge me! ;)
The french onion soup:
2 2lb boxes of low sodium beef broth
2 2lb of low sodium chicken broth
3 medium white onions
4Tbsp worsterchire
provolone cheese
roll of french or ciabatta bread.

First slice the onions and cook on medium in a skillet with pam, a little olive oil. cook until tender and transluscent.
heat all 4 boxes of broth, add cooked onions, spices and seasonings. u can add salt but it defeats the purpose of the low sodium idea.
preheat oven to 400 toast the bread,
place a toasted slice of bread on top of a soup fillled bowl (oven safe), add a slice of cheese and broil in the oven til the cheese melts and slightly browns. tada!

muffins:
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 c splenda
2 lemons zested and squeezed
2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 c applesauce unsweetened
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon extract
2 egg
1 c skim milk


mix dry ingredients first then wet. add dry to wet. measure 1/3 c portions into greased muffin pan, bake 400 for 12 min

I'm blogging via phone so please ignore my grammar. :)The muffins didnt turn out as sweet as I'd have liked. dont hesitate to ade more splenda or lemon!

Guacamole

My awesome guacamole recipe that even the pickiest of avacado Eatfrs will enjoy!
4 ripe avacados
half of one white onion chopped
one lime squeezed
one ripe, firm tomato chopped
finely cut cilantro (optional)
coarse salt

Begin by cutting avacados in half, then remove the seeds (save the seeds for later to prevent from browning).
Next mash the avacado with a utensil until creamy.
Throw in vegetables and lime juice. salt to taste. voila!
Dont forget, avacados are a healthy fat source! Try it smothered on toasted whole wheat pita bread or a turkey sandwich.

It's that time of year

It's that time of year when the sun starts shining, the snow starts melting and we starting DIETING. The last time I attempted dieting (without being in contest prep) was probably 3 years ago. I alway's had the philosophy, 'Go hard or go home". This time I am approaching leaning out a little differently. By starting in mid-march I feel I will be giving my body a nice slow introduction and progression into slimming down. After all, Bikini season really doesn't set sail until Memorial day, giving me plenty of time to drop 15lbs or so.

How will I drop weight you ask? Well the next week I will be planning my nutritional menu as well as my exercise program. My training will stay relatively the same. An example of my training split now:

Monday- Chest & Tri's Cardio
Incline Dumbell press 3x20
Cable Fly 3x20
Bosu Ball Pushups -or- plyo pushups (tough for me blagghh)
Flat Bench or Dumbell press 3x20
Tricep Dips 3x15 (sometimes weighted)
Tricep Extensions w/ rope or straight bar 3x20
Overhead press or Overhead extension 3x20

Tuesday- Back & Bi's Cardio
Pull Ups 3x12 ( with a little assistance from my training partner...;) )
Stiff arm pull-down w/ straight bar 3x20
Seated row or one arm row 3x20
Lat pull down 3x20

dumbell bicep curl 3x20
dumbbell hammer curl or w/ rope 3x20
preacher curl 3x20 (Biceps are my least favorite to train)

Wed-Cardio only
Thurs- Alternating weeks Legs/ Cardio
I've dropped a lot of muscle on my legs the last couple of months...which I thought was a good thing but I feel like they seem mushier. I shouldnt have wished for less muscle! So I am going to start training them again.
leg extension 3x50
lying leg curl or seated 3x30
box jumps 3x20 (atleast)
stiff-legged dead lift 3x20
walking lunges or progressive lunges-no weight 3x20
horizontal leg press 3x20
Fri- Shoulders Cardio
Lateral raise 3x20
front plate raise 3x20
pec-deck rear delt 3x20
reverse pull up 3x15
rear delt fly or cable pull 3x20
seated military press 3x20

Cardio is running 3 miles or 20-30 min on elliptical 4-5 days a week. very relaxed now.
Typically it is done in this order, my work schedule is not consistent which alters my training days some but a girls gotta work!


From a nuritrional standpoint, I would call myself a slacker. A typical M-F day goes like this:
Breakfast- 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites
1/2 C oats measured uncooked w/ water
(sometimes I sub a bran cereal w/ skim milk for the oats)
snack- apple
lunch- Mixed greens w/ fruit
3oz tuna
Fat free dressing or balsamic vinaigrette
OR
turkey stir fry
OR
tuna sandwich made with whole wheat bread,
3oz tuna, mustard, hardboiled egg, and piece of fruit
dinner-turkey meatloaf, or protein waffle, Or whole wheat pasta w/ turkey

or cereal w/ a protein shake and scoop of peanut butter

post workout- protein shake and apple or orange sometimes peanut butter

On the weekends I enjoy the occasional cookie or two-typically don't go tooooo crazy.
Once I make my dietary adjustments I will post them for ya!

Easy Stir-fry for dinner

1 package of lean ground turkey cooked and seasoned w/ season all or salt & pepper
1/2 bag of frozen stir fry veggies, sauteed
1 cooked boil-in-a-bag of brown rice

combine and finish off with a little low-sodium soy sauce

Cellulite

The word alone makes any woman cringe, but what exactly is cellulite? Who gets cellulite and why does it happen?

While you can keep cellulite in check with diet and exercise, you cannot necessarily nix it completely. There are numerous factors which determine whether or not you have cellulite. For instance; your gender, genetics, body fat, hormones, metabolic factors and thickness of skin.

Cellulite is a type of fat that sits closest to your skin (subcutaneous). The dimple-like texture is created by the fat pushing itself against a layer of connective tissue. Imagine a large net and squeezing fat through it...lol great description-yeah?

Males most oftenly do not get cellulite, although it can occur. Makes sense that estrogen is a hormone which mostly directly correlates with cellulite...

Most common places for cellulite are; hips, thighs, Booty and sometimes abdomen. There are no miracle treatments, you just have to accept it I suppose. Eat well, be active and get a spray tan-it helps conceal ;)

Young n' Broke

Like most children, I dreamt of how my life would unfold. At the time, it went something like this; I would graciously mature into a beautiful teenager that all the boys would swoon over. Later, I would attend college and get a degree that mimicked my creative personality. Soon after college I would find the most suitable and rewarding job available for my degree. Then, a strapping gentleman with a moderatly-wealthy wallet would fall madly in love with me, propose to me in the most elaborate way possible and eventually marry me. The wedding, of course, was planned down to every dramatic detail. After a couple of years of pawing at eachother, we would start a family that consisted of two children; the eldest a boy, the second-a girl. Everything after that somehow became irrelevant....

Obviously, this is not how my life unfolded. Highschool consisted of dating mistakes and in college it seemed I dated absolute failures. My degree is useless, especially in Oklahoma and my job is quite honestly- irrelevant to my education. The man I am supposed to marry? Well...I'm still working on that part. ;)

The truth is simply this; we all make choices that we must live with. I have lost many battles and I have won a few rounds too. I don't hate the place I am in right now but of course I strive for more. Could I have made better grades? Certainly. Would I have skipped out on some of those not-so-good lessons? Definately. But at the end of the day I know that I can say I always try my hardest.

I am still young and I am still broke. I live with the means that I have, I'd graciously accept cash if you handed it to me, and I work hard to get by. Will I ever have the house I dreamt of with the family I deem as perfect? Perhaps. Will I ever be anything more than a retail manager, Sweet Jesus I hope so!

I know that money does not make who you are. You cannot buy happiness although it is easier to be happy when you aren't concerned about how you'll pay for rent. I don't need to be a millionaire or gangster wealthy, I just want to buy groceries and not have to think of where I need to cut back in order to do so. I want to be able to drive from Mustang to Edmond and not worry that I'll run out of gas for the week.

Life has a lot of footnotes and fine print. There are things like student loans, health insurance, 401k's, and IRA's. Forever, I will be learning about these. In the mean time, I have a BA-jillion things to be proud of. A part of growing up is not only taking on bigger responsibilities but it is about learning who you are and what makes you happy.

This isn't the fairytale I thought it would be- it is better. I've recognized something as simple as a good, warm shower can cure any ailments. I have someone to call whether I need to smile or need to cry. I don't know where I will be tomorrow or a year away. However, I know the people that I WANT in my life, the people who make my world amazing, the people whom I love indefinately.

So I may be young, and I may be broke- but I sure as hell am happy with what I've got.

Something Savory

The last few days I have felt nauseas and food just hasn't sounded desirable. I ran 4 miles then half-way through lifting tonight, I surrendered...only to prevent myself from puking all over my handsome boyfriend. ;) I don't know why I have felt so ill lately, but the ONLY thing that sounded good post workout...was a big batch of sweet potato fries! So I will let you all in on the recipe:



Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Coat baking sheet with non-stick spray

Slice sweet potatoes in desirable shape (OR however you can cut them without losing a finger)

Throw potatoes in a large plastic gladware or ziploc baggie

Add:

Chili Powder

Season All

Sea Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

and a smidge of olive oil-but not necessary

After they are cooked, Dip 'em into low-sugar catsup. I get Heinz, tastes just as awesome as the real deal.



Shake all of the ingredients together and lay them out on your baking sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes or until desired crispiness. Actually, I wouldn't quote me on that time because my oven- I am convinced, has demonic powers. Seriously, every time I open the stupid thing my smoke alarm screams.



Curious as to why sweet potatoes are so nutritious? They are loaded with Vitamin A & C. They have fiber, potassium, and B6. Need more convincing? They are an excellent carbohydrate source because they digest slower than white potatoes. Sweet potatoes will not spike your insulin levels like a white potato, therefore you will be fuller-longer AND your toosh will shrink. :)

With time it will come

Why must patience be the inevitable virtue that we endlessly encounter? I can recall a car ride with my mom when I was 16, we were picking out a pair of reading glasses. I was so anxious to take the new lenses home with me that day, however I had to wait. My mother matronly consoled me with a conversation on patience. Perhaps the infamous cliche of a quote was also used, 'good things come to those who wait'. I waited and eventually I got my new glasses. With time, I gradually stopped using the frames...and I couldn't tell you where they are today.

The above paragraph sums things up for me (us) perfectly. We all want everything, NOW. We are a society fed off of high-speed communication, steered by instant gratification and driven by materials...Why was it so neccessary for me to obtain a pair of glasses that I no longer even care about? Let me put it into retrospective for you.

I spent so much time slaving away on a cardio machine that I began to lose a connection with the real world. When I say 'real' I mean people who aren't obsessed with petty competitions, people who don't waste time and money on such a insignificant event. There are so many amazing talents that I have, that I let go of...so that I MIGHT win. Even if I did 'win', was it worth it? The average contest prep is outrageously expensive, allow me to break it down for you:
Trainer: $1500-$2000
Shoes: $65
Suit: $300-$500
Obnoxious Tan: $90
Jewelry:$40
Entry Fees: $100
Registry Card: $100
Hotel: $150 per night
Flight: $350
And that is for ONE competition. Looking back now, sometimes I want to vomit at the money I wasted. Although, I did make money doing photoshoots which often times paid for my hotel or flight.

Let's redirect our focus back to patience. I began my offseason with 5 one-hour sessions of cardio a week. That is far too much for an offseason. With time, I inevitably gained weight...so naturally, I increased cardio. I was at one point, doing 1:45 minutes of cardio a day 5 days a week.......IN MY OFF SEASON! Now that is plain ridiculous. Despite that amount of cardio, I continued to gain weight. Eventually, my weight plateaued. It took about 5 full months for my weight to 'max out'. In October, November and December I took off from cardio-just not completely. Mentally I could not handle the idea of not doing cardio when I saw myself getting bigger by the day. How big you ask? :) (Of course you want to know, I just won't specifically disclose that information.) I gained 24lbs (34 if you count from being completely dehydrated)which may not sound like much...but for the effort I put forth I should be about 15lbs lighter right now.

It has now been 9 full months of living and eating like a real human being. I began leisurely running 4-5x a week recently and can already tell my thighs have slimmed down. I am continuing to lift heavy 4-5x a week and I know.....that with time-it will come. :)

Then and Now

I devoted 2.5 years to competing, or shall I say...starving, neglecting friendships and avoiding social functions. No...I don't want to give a negative perspective on the topic, rather a neutral point of view. There were pros and there were cons to training and dieting at such an intense level. I was able to accomplish what most could never even begin to fathom. I made sacrifices that I did not know I was capable of. In the end, I feel it made me a stronger, more disciplined person with a healthy dose of self-worth and esteem. Of course, I did miss a lot of weddings, baby showers and other food-related events, simply because I couldn't handle the temptation. All of that work and the little I have to show for it is a couple of dust-coated trophies and some pictures of what I once looked like.

It began in March 2007, 13 weeks from my first competition. I was not aware of WHAT I was signing up for. I knew that I had to follow the exact diet that was written out on a piece of paper. If I didn't follow it- it meant I would lose...and I don't like to lose! Eventually I realized that Figure was an extremely subjective and sometimes political 'sport'. You could train your heart out, diet like you had OCD and you still may not win just because your lipstick didn't suit your hair color well. Yeah, it is true. Nevertheless, the thought of winning is what kept me strapped onto a treadmill for 3-4 hours a day. (Might I add, I never won).

My first dieting experience was torturous yet the easiest of my 7 competition preparations. I had NEVER dieted like that before. Sometimes I cried because I was so hungry. (Keep in mind your emotions and hormones are on a rollcoaster during competition mode. I didn't know what to expect but in the end, I appreciated every moment. Life became so surreal the moment that my heels hit that stage. The lights were blinding, I couldn't see anyone but the judges. From the outside you would only see my horrible posing but from the inside, I was quivering.

I could easily create an entire blog about competing however that is not the purpose of this blog. I want my focus to be on finding the middle ground by maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. Undoubtedly, my body went (and still is going) through a rebound period from the years of extreme dieting and excessive cardiovascular exercise. It has been 9 months since I last competed and I feel as if I am finally on the uphill.

Malnutrition effects your body inside and out. My hair would fall out in bulk, I had inevitable mood swings and there was the obvious weight gain. The most frustrating part is that there was nothing that I could do to seize these things. I rested, increased my calories and slowly became healthier. During this time I visited a diet doctor and an endocrinologist. Both were ridiculous. My blood work turned out perfectly, far above average. Therefore, the doctors had no other suggestion but to prescribe me phentermine and perhaps I try weight watchers....really?

I told myself there were far more important things I could put my energy into. I researched, talked with elite trainers and eventually the puzzle pieces fit. It was as simple as 'time'. With time, it will come.

*Photos from first and last competitions.

Brand New Blurb

As much as I enjoy both writing and researching, I felt now was the perfect opportunity to begin a blog. On this site I would like to educate you about health and fitness, update you on my own progression, and give helpful tips along the way. However, I am not a professional, simply a fitness-enthusiast. Let me begin my summarizing the past events that had led me to where I am today.

As a child I had struggled with weight gain, a result of my parents divorce. It was my 8th grade year that I decided I was fed up with feeling unattractive and disappointed in myself. Disposing of sugary sodas in my diet was the first sacrifice I made. Soon after, I began jogging 2 miles a day. I did this for an entire summer and alas, by my freshman year of highschool I had dropped nearly 20lbs. It felt amazing.

Although, I didn't stop there. Along with soccer, I continued running, aerobic activity, and slowly began changing my diet. I must add, being 15 years old 8 years ago meant there was not a lot of information out there about proper nutrition. I began educating myself. Looking back now, I can see a lot of the mistakes that I made; eating frozen overly- processed 'healthy' meals, having only a white bagel for lunch, and drinking lots of fruit juices.

I was able to maintain the weight loss through highschool and by my sophomore year in college, I hired a personal trainer for the first time. I saved up my money so that I could afford this trainer and put my whole heart into lifting and cardiovascular exercise. I learned about diet; choosing whole grains v.s. simple starches, eating fresh fruit as opposed to fruit juices, and consuming more protein. I had finally made a considerable difference in my lifestyle, unfortunately, weight loss can easily be addictive.

How could I not be satisified with what I had accomplished? I had slowly transformed by body in a reasonable and safe amount of time, yet I wanted more. I wanted a 6-pac. I wanted a curvy-more-than-toned-musculature. That is when I was introduced into figure. Figure is a category in the bodybuilding industry where you are judged based on symmetry, body composition, overall conditioning and aesthetic. Basically, a beauty pageant with muscles. At the time, I had no idea of the discipline and mental strength it took to compete in such a thing. However, I was willing to try...TO BE CONTINUED!

*photo taken before ever competing