Week 1: Day 7

Happy anniversary to me!!! Ive made one week!!!!

Time flies by and what i like about this challenge is that to me, it doesnt feel like a diet at all...its just helping me or its a way of reminding me that healthy is the best way to be. It also tells me that many of the preserved foods we have in todays society is really not that good for you. Its probably why so many people are not healthy. I was also watching tv the other day and this guy was so obese that he couldnt walk or anything....he was talking about nowadays its so cheap to buy fast food and many people go for that cos its quick and its everywhere...wherever we go we're bombarded with Mc donalds, kfc, and all these junk food places. If its once in a while kind of thing its okay...it wont kill you...but an everyday habit is really not good. and the younger generations are being brought up with this...The first time i moved to the US one thing i noticed was (and this is when i was 18), that many teenage girls, as young as 12 are the same size of me and many times even bigger than me. Its a bit scary because would this mean that they will face health problems earlier in life? Why are they so obese? is it because parents buy quick foods or are cooking meals the wrong way (fried)???


OMG...this morning i was so good....than i got out of the house to do some stuff and i messed up my meal plan....I had breakfast as usual...than while i was out for lunch time i was reallly hungry and me and my husband stopped at this restaurant in his school. they had a buffet but not a big buffet with huge selections of food. this was pretty small...so i ate:

Small salad
Chicken marsala (yummy!), Broccoli, califlower, mac and cheese(baddddd!)
some banana pudding and it was nasty. I hate it when it isnt homemade! I dont like whipped cream in a banana pudding nor when they use instant vanilla pudding. I dont know, maybe ive always had it homemade and im so used to that fresh delicious taste!!!

Ok than i came home and i had a peanut butter banana sandwhich on whole wheat bread and a snack which consisted of a smoothie.

if i look back, i didnt do too bad...i just had dinner instead of lunch and lunch during dinner time..lol..but i got so hungry at midnight (i dont know why im staying up so late!!!!) so i made me some noodles(mass produced noodles that are ready in 3 mins!)...i ate them with a can of oysters. Oysters are healthy but the noodles noooooo...


Conclusion: Today i will consider it as the cheat day. so im gonna try very hard in eating healthy the rest of the week. its ok to fall sometimes, i dont want to feel guilty about this. Its not like i ate fried food or something....now this weekend we will be at my inlaws...and thats where i always tend to mess up! BUT i will try to control myself this week and i will let ya'll know how it goes.

Week 1: Day 6

Right now its 1am in the morning and i did Day6 workout at 1130pm!!! Im crazy like that!! I had a lot of stuff to do so i was very busy and i wanted to get my work done before i went to the gym...i thought i wasnt gonna make it but i felt some kind of guilt!!! so my husband came with me to the gym and i walked briskley for 30 mins and rode the stationary bike for 10 mins. Better than nothing!!!! Consistency is the key...cos when you stop sometimes its hard to get back into the routine.

At one of the local restaurants out here in South Carolina, there is one particular restaurant and i must say i am addicted to their salads!!!! I can eat it everyday but i dont like going out to eat everyday! Its also a place thats 2hrs away from me so i cannot go there when i want. But what i did was create the salad myself so i could eat it at home.its much better and with the price you pay for it at a restaurant i would buy the ingredients and mostly likely used them for at least 4 days in a row. ya'll need to try it out soon...Its just an assembly of: baby mixed salad greens, blue cheese crumbles, dried cherries or craisins or raisins (dried cherries=yummy!), walnuts, strawberries, apple, and some sauteed chicken(i usually pound the chicken and put a mixture of diff spices on it like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, ground pepper and whatever else you might want to add really!). Than i put about 1-2 tbsp of raspberry walnut dressing on it and tell me whatchya eatin'!!! Good stuff! I wanted to take a pic of it today but guess when i remembered? Once the plate was empty!!! LOL.

Week 1: Day 5

Time is passing by ain't it...soon i will be doing this for a week!!!! Sometimes my husband thinks im crazy!! I tell him that one day ill be fully organic and as a joke i told him oneday i will no longer shop at walmart!!!!!hahahah the thing is that as i get into eating healthy more and more, i realise that plenty of foods the majority of people eat including me...are full of preservatives...stuff that is not good for the body...so now i try to purchase organic as much as i can. maybe this weekend coming ill get to go to Whole Foods again...i like that store even though it can be a little bit pricey...last time i bought some dried cherries for 5.99... on the second day it was gone!!!! Thats a little bit too much i think!!!if anyone knows where i can buy some dried cherries for cheap and for good value let me know!!!

For most days, my breakast, lunch and snack are very much the same on all days...for instance i eat oatmeal everyday! Thats how much i like. sometimes im just lost for ideas too!

today i tried a new smoothie after searching about different recipes online. This time i put spinach, kale, and parsley along with the usual stuff( dairy, banana, berries). it was good and i like the fact that im getting all the good stuff in one drink. Before i used to have a snack (eg. a yogurt) which was very simple but now i have one that has a lot of nutrition value. I wonder once i enter the workforce how will i make my meals. i hope that i will make everything at home before i leave the house! I hate eating out a lot also and going out to eat for me is like a treat that happens once in a while. Me and my husband are not really into franchise places but once in a while we love to splurge a little and go out to eat at nice places that sell different foods..or different than what you always get at most places.

Today my workout consisted of:
The Monday's workout in the book ( i changed the Abs exercises though):

bridge
two-handed wood chop
raised knee-in
long-arm weighted crunch
These i did 2 set of each for 12 reps.

Squats
Bench Press
Pulldown
Military Press
Upright row
Triceps Pushdown
Leg extension
Biceps curl
Leg curl
....Also 2 sets of each but for 12-15 reps...more like 15

Today i didnt feel like working out but i went! so im happy about that. sometimes i need that extra push to get up and go workout. However, when i got to the gym i enjoyed working out and every often i add more exercises cos i want to exercise more!!!!

Week 1: Day 4

hello everyone! or Hello Diary! Right now i am writing this blog and noone really knows it. I told one friend ( Tammie) about it because she also likes to eat healthy.

well yesterday i was suppose to do an interval training workout but i didn't because of the weather. so today i will hopefully go out to the park and do it with my husband. Today has been a good day so far. Im currently working on my resume and stuff so i can start looking for my first job in the USA!! Im a little bit scared but right now im in good spirits!!! I got some people to review it for me and they told me its good so i guess we will see. right now anything will do given the economy is not so good. I also went to church and it was nice. I think its important to have God in your life because without him you will end up in any direction. so we need God to guide us!

So todays menu goes as follows!

Breakfast: steel cut oats with 1 tbsp protein, 1 tbsp ground flax seed, 2 tbsp raisins
Snack 1: 3 slices of chicken from deli and about 10 almonds (this was something fast i made cos i knew i will be in church)
Lunch: Smoothie with several berries in it, banana, whey protein, kale, 2 tbs yogurt and some milk. im still amazed at how you cannot really taste greens in smoothies!
Snack 2: 4 whole grain crackers with organic peanut butter and one apple
Dinner: half cornish hen, broccoli + carrots, half sweet potatoe
snack3: 4 strawberries with about 3 tbsp of yogurt, 2 tbsp of Good sense Trail Mix (sunflower nuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, cashew, almonds)

These are two pics from the smoothie i made ( milk and yogurt not in pic)

For my workout today, i did 30 mins of intensive training on the threadmill instead of the park because it started raining again!!! UGH...it was fun though and 30 mins went by fassst!!!!

Week 1 Day 3

I really enjoy eating healthy food. its tastey and its good for you!!!! I really think im taking this step to having a healthy lifestyle quite serious. Once i saw that my peanut butter is the mass produced kind which has the bad sugars in it, i didnt want to eat it no more!!!! My husband is more of a peanut butter fan so i know he will eat it!!!! I did tell him its the bad kind though. I try not to force him in doing stuff i do because you have to do things because you want to, ya know!!!I did go to Publix yesterday to see if they have organic peanut butter but they didnt. i thought they do but when i read the ingredients it said that they are roasted peanuts....and from what i read in the Abs Diet book roasted or salted peanuts are not healthy for you.....does anyone know why roasted peanuts are not good for you??? I really wish they had an organic store close by....They do have Whole Foods supermarket like 30 mins away but since i dont drive yet (alone) i hate asking my husband to take me!!!!.....I cant wait to my drivers license because then i can go to places without asking anyone to take me!!!

Well today is saturday and today i will have a cheat meal i think. You're suppose to have one once a week. I dont think i will have something that isssss really bad for you....i plan to cook chicken breasts but i want to make some cornmeal pudding which includes cornbread!!!! So yeah the cornbread part will be the not so healthy part of my meal tonight i guess!!!!!

Here is what ive been eating today:
Breakfast: Steel cut oats with half banana, 1 tbsp ground flax seed, 2 tbsp raisins. I love me some oatmeal!!! I dont really like eating eggs or pancakes for breakfast. Once in a while is ok but i cannot eat it very often. I dont think Im used to it!!! All my life i ate cereal for breakfast!! I loved me some cereal, but for the last 2 months or so ive been eating oatmeal. i dont know how that change came about but im loving it!!!
Snack 1: Didnt eat a snack because i was out and when i came home i thought ill eat lunch instead with my husband. it was nothing so big though.
Lunch: 8oz Smoothie (like yesterdays) and half shrimp burger that was left from last nights.
Snack 2: 1 oz almonds
Dinner: I ate baked chicken with brussel sprouts and one serving of corn casserole
Snack3: I ate frozen yogurt on a cone!! I dont think thats very healthy but as long as you eat in moderation you're okay right!!!??

My main goal is to eat healthy, in moderation and i am trying to avoid foods with too many preservatives in them!

week 1: day 2

still feeling motivated!!! Today my meals consisted of:

Breakfast: Oatmeal (with half banana+ 2 tbsp raisins+1 tbsp ground flax seed)
Snack 1: 8 oz Smoothie (half banana, blueberries, strawberries, low fat yogurt, some baby greens, tiny bit of water).
Lunch: Slamon pasta salad from last night + 10-12 almonds
Snack 2: Banana Protein Shake with cup milk after workout
Lunch: Shrimp Burger (sooo goood!!!!) with some broccoli
Snack 3: Some strawberries

I went to bed late too so the more i stay up the more i feel hungry...so before i went to bed i ate two multi grain small crackers...one of them had some preserves on it!!!!


Went to the gym and did the following workout:
(I followed the workout from the book, but i also did four ab exercises since i started this challenge in the middle of the week...the one under Friday).

• Oblique V-up, traditional crunch, Bridge, Saxon side bend (one set of each 10-12 reps)

For the follwing i did two sets of each and about 10-12 reps for each set.

• Squats
• Bench Press
• Pull down
• Travelling Lounge
• Military Press
• Upright row
• Step Up
• Triceps Push down
• Leg extension
• Biceps curl
• Leg curl

These are all exercises you can do at home. You dont need to be a member of a gym to do them. I go to the gym at the appartment i live. I kind like it because noone is ever hardly there! The book also gives you variations of some of the exercises that can be done with dumbells instead of a gym machine.
If anyone would like to ask me any questions, feel free to email me!

Week 1: Day One

The book states that you should do strength training 3 times a week, cardiovascular exercises 2-3 times a week, and abs exercises 2 times a week. I will change my plan a little!!!! I think i will do strength training 4 times a week & cardiovascular 2 times a week ( and ab exercises 3 times a week). I think its ok to change it a little bit as long as you don't go overboard with it.

Here is what i ate today:

Breakfast: Steel cut oats, half a banana mashed in, tbsp raisins, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed.
Snack: Smoothie (frozen blueberries, strawberries, 2 tbsp lowfat yogurt, 1 tbsp whey protein, 1/2 cup 1% milk)
Lunch: Small salad ( with chicken, strawberries, some blue cheese, pecans, apple, dried craisins and raspberry walnut dressing). I love this salad!!!!!
Snack: Vanilla protein shake and some grapes
Dinner: Quick pasta salad with salmon, spinach, carrots,onion
Snack: One rice cake and 1tbsp of peanut butter ( i dont have the organic kind yet, hopefully tomorrow i will buy some).

From now i think i will start taking pictures because its much more fun looking at pictures...it makes a blog much more interesting!!!!

For the workout, i followed the book and this is what i did today:

• Traditional Crunch [12-15 reps, one set]
• Bent Leg Knee raise [12-15 reps, one set]
• Oblique V-Up [10 on each side, one set]
• Bridge [1 or 2, one set]
• Back extension [ 12-15 reps, one set]

These five exercises above target the whole ab area.

• Squat
• Bench Press
• Pull down
• Military Press
• Up right row
• Triceps pushdown
• Leg extension
• Biceps curl
• Leg curl

All these exercises i did 12-15 reps and two sets of each with 30 seconds rest after each rep.

Note: after each week you intensify the workouts by adding more sets or intensifying the exercises ( eg by adding weights while squatting).

The Abs Diet Challenge

Hey ya'll!!!!!

Lately ive been feeling quite motivated to exercise and eating healthy.thats a good thing!!!! I think everyone has an ideal weight where they'd want to be. I'm 5'1 short therefore, i am short and when i gain a few pounds it will show immediately! At one point in life, i was skinny...yes i was skinny!!!! i actualyl hated it because i wanted to gain weight! Then i met my husband who is american and everytime i came to visit him for several months at time in the US i started gaining weight!!! I actually liked it..BUT i didnt care much about exercise....As time went by i started to become conscious about how i looked. I now had a belly!!!! During my long vacations in the US i ate out a lot as it is a common thing to do in the US as compared in the mediterranean. Back home in Malta, going out to eat was a big treat!!!! Anyways, to cut story short i now live in the US with my husband and thank god he is an exercise freak! Most of the time i start exercising, than i stop....than i start again. However, i always tend to eat healthy when not exercising.

Few weeks ago i heard about a book called The Abs Diet through youtube and i really wanted to know what this book was all about. So i went to the library and started reading...its a very interesting book and realistic as opposed to many diets....It tells you to eat 6 times a day....breakfast, lunch and dinner....and 3 snacks. It also stresses out the need to eat foods like vegetables (spinach, greens, etc), nuts, Low fat dairy products, protein foods like chicken and fish, whole grain foods etc. It refers to the important foods we should eat as PowerFoods and these are:

1. Almonds and other nuts
2. Beans and Legumes
3. Spinach and other veggies
4. Dairy products
5. Instant Oatmeal (i prefer steel cut oats, much healthier!)
6. Eggs
7. Turkey & other lean meats
8. Peanut butter (organic, not the mass produced which contains sugar)
9. Olive Oil
10. Whole grain breads & cereals
11. Extra Protein i.e. Whey Protein
12. Raspberries & other berries

The plans says that you should also drink 8 glasses of water a day and that you should include at least 2 or 3 of these power foods into each of the three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and at least one into the three snacks. one day out of the week you also get to eat whatever you want. Nothing wrong with that!

Personally i think its not that hard if you're used to eating healthy. However, it can be of a challenge if you're not used to choosing healthy foods. From what i read in the book, this plan lasts for 6 weeks. However, it helps you in eating healthy all throughout your life so its ongoing. Yeah the book is very interesting because it also gives you exercises that you can do everyday for 6 weeks...and there's so many that you can always switch it up so it's not boring for you. So besides eating healthy, you also exercise 6 times a week with one day rest.

I started this challenge today and i wonder if it really works. I am not really overweight. My main problem is that i have a belly and love handles!!! I'd also love to tone up all over and become more firm. The Abs diet focuses on building muscle which is vital for burning fat. The effect of muscle is much greater than doing only cardio. The effect of cardio usually lasts only for a few hours, whereas the effect of strength training lasts up to 48 hrs!

Ok, so thats a little idea of what The Abs Diet is about. Anyone whose interested in starting it should really read the book from your library if they have it. Afterall, we all want to be healthier, happier and toned up for the summer!!!! If anyone decides to try it out feel free to email me, we can all motivate each other! =)

I will show you what i will be doing during this 6week plan. Hopefully i will also stick to it and will be able to see results at the end!