60 Days to Sexy: Regular Healthy Diet/Conclusion

Hey guys...here I am with the conclusion of my 60 Days to Sexy diet/weight-loss challenge (late...sorry. Had stuff goin' on). Oh where do I begin...???

If you're not familiar with my 60 Days to Sexy personal fitness "challenge", then you can go back through my previous posts & catch up!

Let me start off by saying that I had a projected weight-loss goal of 20-25 pounds. AAAANNNDDD...I decided that I was going to accomplish this feat in 60 days. yep...60. Days. :-/

I, ladies & gentlemen did NOT lose 20 or 25 lbs. I lost weight, but not as much as I initially anticipated. 11 lbs to be precise. I think in my hastiness to whip it all back into shape, I neglected to take a few things into consideration. Like the fact that I'm not 18 anymore.

I am two kids in & my body has changed majorly over the past few years. Especially since having my son in 2012. I don't carry weight the same way I used to, my figure is completely different & my metabolism kinda started to suck. I also had developed some of the worst eating & sleeping habits possible.

Another thing I realized was that my environment & my will power had gotten into a full on knock-down-drag-out fist fight by the time I hit the final phase of my plan.

What do I mean by this? Well, way back before the kids & even when Lelah was a little baby consuming mostly milk & pureed...stuff, I didn't have all of the carbby snack-a-doodles hanging around my pantry waiting to be picked up by little fingers or tossed into lunch boxes. Now, my home is more often than not plagued by the carbby snack-a-doodles that Lelah begs for in the store, that I grab for her lunch/snacks.

And I, with much shame admit to having lazy, tired, hungry days where I opted to grab a twinkie, or a handful or cookies instead of fruit or a protein bar in between meals.

I also fell off on the exercising. Mainly  because I was just plain TIRED (recently discovered that I have a vitamin D deficiency, a symptom of which is chronic fatigue).

Anywho, the closer I got to the 60 day mark, I began to feel like I had officially hit the #FAIL button. But then I took everything into consideration & looked at my before & after photos. Eventhough I hadn't hit my overly ambitious target weight, I had made a ton of progress.

There wasn't a change in my weight from last time, so I just used the same pic again.

The cleanse did it's job, the vegan and vegetarian phases got me out of my crap-food rut & forced me to break some of my really bad eating habits, as well as incorporate more fresh foods. & eventhough I didn't stick to the plan 100%...it did work (to a degree).

Overall, I do think I could've met my goal if I HAD stuck to what I'd mapped out for myself. But, I'm happy with my result regardless. I did lose 11 pounds (Most of which seemed to be in my mid-section) & I was able to tighten up a bit!

As far as the physical fitness part, I didn't go to the gym, nor did I adhere to any insane workout program. I did the following exercises 3-6 days a week for at least 1 hour each session:

• Stretching/Yoga (beginner yoga of course)
• Stationary Bike Riding (15-30 min)
• Planking 
• Leg Raises
• Sit-ups
• Push-ups
• Pull-downs (on exercise machine)

And for the food (when I was behaving myself), I continued making most of the foods from the vegan/vegetarian phases. I simply added lean meats and fish!

I plan to continue trying to keep it together & once I've hit my target, I'll post an update. So stay tuned!

60 Days to Sexy: Vegetarian Phase

Ok, so I've been away a little longer than I planned & this update is a bit late, BUT...it's here now (yay!). Anyway, as most of you know by now I am on a bit of a health & fitness journey at the moment. I decided to put together a diet & fitness "plan" for myself  in order to get in somewhat decent shape for the spring. 

Unlike the last few posts, this update isn't going to be very long, as there were no drastic changes since the previous phase.

I'm a couple pounds down (161-159) this time & I have been trying to exercise throughout the week. & even though I have not exactly stuck to the plan 100%, I'm getting there. THIS IS HARD...especially with kids & all their kid snacks in the house. I admit, I had more than several weak moments & found myself eating chips & Keebler cookies ONLY because they were there & I was hungry  :-(

As far as the REAL food I ate during this phase, I didn't really stray too far from the foods I ate during the vegan phase (Click Here for Previous Post) . I did however add in eggs & dairy.

Vegetable protein "sausages" with breakfast or spaghetti squash.
(These do contain egg)

Cheese!!! I know it's not ideal for weight loss... but I had to.
Just a sprinkle here & there.

Breakfast  scramble with potatoes, peppers, onions & "smart sausage".

Tamago Kake Gohan "Egg covered rice" (Japanese)
A must try!

Light yogurt for breakfast or as a snack

So, that's pretty much it for now. I am (in spite of my slip-ups) continuing with my plan & will be back soon with another update!

60 Days to Sexy: The Vegan Phase

Ok, so I've just completed the vegan phase of my plan. (If you're just now jumping in & have no idea what I'm talking about, Click Here to read my first post on the subject!)

I'm now at the halfway point & it really seems to have gone by pretty quickly. Two weeks for the cleansing/transitioning phase & another two weeks following (or really trying to follow) a vegan diet plan. Now, although there is a glimmer of light at the end of this "diet tunnel", there is also the daunting realization that I only have around 4 weeks left to reach my goal.

Now, on to the progress report! I started this whole slim down project weighing in at 171 lbs. & if you recall from the previous post, I was able to shed 14 pounds during the cleanse, then 2 more during the beginning of the transition phase. After posting that update, I began to gain some of the weight back, which is completely normal when you have fasted for an extended period of time. Having done the cleanse several times in the past I have come to expect about a 5 lb weight gain to immediately follow this cleanse. This time, however...(sigh), I packed on 10. Then I slapped myself for trying to justify eating french fries, white rice & birthday cake & not exercising everyday.

How did this happen!?! Well... I apparently managed to temporarily misplace that monk-like discipline I spoke of in a previous post & fell COMPLETELY off track. Hey, what can I say other than I'm human & now it's time to reel it back in. So, let's do a little bit of math & try & figure out my current weight situation:

171 - 14 = 157

157 - 2 = 155

155 + 10 = 165

165 - 4 = 161

171 - 161 = 10 lbs down
(Goal) 25lbs - (Loss) 10lbs = 15 to go!
*If I stay on track this is completely doable*

Picture time! Now there isn't much of a change this time around. But considering the weight fluctuation (particularly the gaining part) I'm not upset. 4 more weeks to go! 

This picture reflects a 4 lb difference. (157 to 161)

Now, to stay on track for the duration of this program! I will have a much better progress report next time around. I promise (myself). On to Vegetarianism!

& I almost forgot! Well, I did forget...I had to edit this in an hour after publishing the original post. Anyway, here are some of the foods I ate during this phase. Recipes forthcoming :-)

Asparagus over Quinoa

Grilled Peppers & Onions over Quinoa

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Sweet Potato with Kale & Quinoa

Roasted Vegetables with Herbs & Garlic

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Tofu Sushi with Veggie Spring Rolls

Sauteed Kale & Spinach with garlic over Brown Rice

Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Vegetable Sauce

Fruit!!!

Vegan Protein Bars

Low Fat Popcorn

Granola with Almond Milk

Nuts

Thanks for Reading!!!

Check out my Instagram & Pinterest for healthy food ideas!

60 Days to Sexy: Transitioning Out Of the Cleanse

Ok, so I survived the Master Cleanse...again. And now it's time to transition out of this liquid fast, back into eating solids.

But first! A little progress report. During the cleanse I was able to shed about 14 pounds, & another 2 during the first 2 days of transitioning.

I am currently on my 4th and last day of transitioning and like I mentioned in my last post, I knew I would inevitably gain a few pounds back once solids came back into the picture. As of today I have gained back around 2 pounds, which is OK! I've got 6 more weeks to get to my goal of a 25 pound weight loss. And since I'm back on solids & able to get some protein in, I can safely increase the intensity of my workout (which I have actually been slacking on).

If you Click Here & go back to my previous post, you will find detailed instructions on how to properly transition out of the cleanse. It is important that you follow the instructions only making minor modifications if necessary. If you finish your cleanse & immediately scarf down a bacon cheeseburger... You. Will. Get. Sick. 

Here's a list of everything I used to transition out of the MC:

• Water & Lemon Water
• Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
• Herbal Teas (caffeine free, w/ honey)
• Vegetable Soup (I ate the Progresso canned soups minus the pasta)
• Fresh Fruits 
• Vegetables (Fresh or Sauteed)
• Rice Crackers
• Multi-Vitamins & Probiotics

So, there you have it! The cleanse is history, I'm almost done transitioning & I'm ready for the next phase of my plan. VEGAN...at least the dietary aspect of veganism....for the next two weeks.

& here's a peek at my fridge...just because! Vegan recipes forthcoming!