Evolve With Mary

It’s Friday!!!

HEEEYYY!!! I’m happy it Friday! I can’t wait to get this weekend started.

~~Squat Challenge Day 4 completed on 5/16/13~~

~~Ab Challenge Day 4 completed on 5/16/13~~

Ok Ok so you know I’m all about challenges now a days. While cruising on google+, and trying to expand my network I found

http://skinnyms.com

I’m starting to follow more and more blogs and this one is a keeper.

Sooooooo I’ve been tired and uninspired during my workouts this week. I’m just not ready to jump back in and kick my own ass. Instead of beating myself up, like I usually do, I have embraced my tiredness and amended my workout schedule. I’m keeping up on the challenges, I’m keeping up on my Kettle Bell Routine, and I even added jump roping into the mix.

I’m going to go easy on myself, not beat myself up too much about not wanting to torture myself, then next week it starts!!! The sweat the pain and most importantly the results!!

Today used to be confessions Friday, old habits die hard, and I have a confession that I want to share with all of you.

Since I came back from vacation I have been late night snacking like crazy. I’m not sure why, well I actually know exactly why, I’m not consuming enough protein and food during the day. So when night comes my body freaks out and I get super hungry around 10pm-12am. I’ve been trying to keep myself in check, but it’s hard, and I’m hungry. I’ve been being a lot nicer to myself, and even though I can see the effects of my late night eating on my body, it seems like no one else can. That’s no excuse, but I am hungry and I need a better solution then I’m just going to fight the hungry. I usually eat snacks between breakfast, lunch and dinner, but lately I have been skipping those snacks, because of my lack of working out. Skipping the calories doesn’t equal weight loss, it equals late night snacking for me. Back to my raw almonds, smoothies, raw veggies and baked salmon between meal. You know I’ll let you know how it plays out.

My weight-training schedule can be intense and I know my body is missing animal protein, but my body doesn’t process animal protein well at all. I’ve tried a few different protein supplements, muscle milk hurt my stomach, whey protein hurt my stomach, and soy protein also hurt my stomach. I did a little research yesterday and found a product called egg white protein. This could work! I’m very hopeful that egg white protein will not hurt my belly since I eat eggs 5-6 times a week already. Today I’m going to go to the vitamin store and pick up some protein and some other goodies.

We already have something to talk about next week.

Ok Ok OK enough with the fitness stuff.

I found a throwback picture I wanted to post. It’s embarrassing but it’s me. We talked about fast food yesterday and I found a picture of myself eating one of my many last meals. Last meals are meals before you start your life change. When I made the decision that I was going to start exercising and eating better I always set a date for me to start, the day before that date is the best day in the world. Its last meal day, I ate everything I wanted, and the night this picture was taken, we went to 3 different fast food joints grabbing all of my favorites. I would say I don’t recommend you doing this, but hey, it worked for me. I will admit I’ve had over 50-60 last meals in my lifetime, but at least one of them stuck.

What I am wearing!!

This is a new one. I love fashion, I have a fun fashion sense that usually makes me stand out in crowds. I’m going to post a few pictures and see if you can figure out the recurring item.

Are you done guessing??

I found this ring in Providence Rhode Island during a random shopping trip. I like funky jewelry that is eye catching, but still trendy and cute.I love beards, but mustaches are the style now. I wear this ring everyday, I get tons of compliments, and I wanted to share a little bit of Mary with you guys.

This has been an inspiring week. I changed the blog around and I love it. I feel a lot more connected to you guys, and I also spend a lot more time on my blog content. Thank you all for stopping by and reading my rants, dreams, and supporting all of my goals.

I’m going on a hike today. I’ll post pictures soon.

Blessings My Friends

Ms Mary

Hello All!

~~Squat Challenge Day 3 completed on 5/15/13~~

~~Ab Challenge Day 3 completed on 5/15/13~~

Todays posting is going to be all about food. I have been asked many times what I eat, how much I eat, how many calories I consume, how much protein I consume, and everything thing in-between, I totally understand why people are curious, I am the same way. I would love to know what Beyonce eats on a daily basis. What we eat directly affects how we look, how we feel, and how we communicate with others.

For a big portion of my adult life I lived off of fast food. I frequented Denny’s, Jack in the Box, Carrow’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King; but first love, the fast food joint that I gave my heart to was McDonalds. My love affair with McDonalds is different from most, at least I think it is. Growing up, my family didn’t eat McDonalds on a regular bases. It was a huge treat if we rolled through that red and yellow drive thru to obtain the best French fries in the world. I grew up in a family with deep Southern roots, instead of craving Big Macs and French fries, I craved Macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, gizzards & gravy, and liver & onions. Once I left home I curbed my appetite for super Southern foods, and enjoyed lots of baked chicken, white rice, mash potatoes, and top ramen. Every now and then, when I felt depressed, or home sick, I would deep fry chicken, or prepare liver and onions, but it was a very special treat for me.

While dating a man unworthy of my love, we moved into a house with no kitchen. I instantly knew it was going to be an issue, but my lover was more then positive that it was the perfect move for us. The house was beautiful, but I didn’t factor in 7 days a week 365 days a year of eating out. We became regulars of our local McDonalds. We went there every night, the staff knew us, and our order. I knew it was really bad when we would give the McDonalds staff old McDonalds trash we had stored in the car to depose for us. I was ashamed of our habit but I didn’t know anyway to stop it or make it better. I was stuck.

Surprisingly, this was the time of my life when I was my heaviest. The last time I weight myself I was 340 pounds, I know I gained about 20 more pounds, but I stopped shopping and weighing myself out of shame. I realized I had to change everything I was doing if I every wanted to loose weight and have the life that I always dreamed about. I knew it was time to change everything. But I couldn’t move, I couldn’t change the fact that we didn’t have a kitchen, or that we couldn’t afford much more than McDonalds for dinner. I had to find a way to eat at McDonalds but still loose weight.

After lots of trial and error I found healthier options, and slowy, slowy, slowy but surly the weight started coming off.

I am not a frequent customer of McDonalds anymore, but that time of my life taught me a lot. Just because you have to eat fast food, doesn’t mean you have to eat fast food. Wait… Does that make any sense. I’m trying to say that you can still make healthier choices when eating out. I live in California and pretty much very resturant and fast food joint is now required by law to have the calorie count of each meal in the eye shot of customers. That makes our lives a little bit easier, but it doesn’t stop us from craving the worst things on the menu, but that’s entirely different blog posting. Today is about food. What I eat, why I eat it and how I find ways to bend the rules.

Breakfast

If you have been following this blog for a while you know I have been searching for the correct breakfast to fuel energy packed days. For a while I was eating salmon for breakfast. Then I started eating salmon and raw vegetables, I stayed there for a while until I read an article about the effects of oatmeal, and why its good to start with oatmeal in the mornings. I started eating unflavored oatmeal, with honey, flaxseed, and blueberries. There are tons of postive reasons to eat oatmeal and here are a few of my favorites. Oatmeal helps lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Oatmeal can help you control your weight by slowing down your digestive process and making you feel fuller longer. For more oatmeal facts check out http://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=27

Lunch

I seek salads for lunch, but sometimes it’s hard to find a good salad that’s not bogged down with wonton chips, cheese, and drenched in dressings. Yesterday my boyfriend and I visited Tartine Bakery for lunch. http://www.tartinebakery.com/ It was amazing! Tartine is one of the best bakeries in San Francisco. It has hot pressed sandwiches, soups, pastries, quiches, and just one salad. The salad looks pretty boring, its Star route organic lettuce and lemon shallot dressing, nothing exciting, nothing special, but oh so good. I chopped down my salad and escape the bakery without consuming anything sweet. Then we headed to another one of our favorite eattiers: Curry Up Now. www.curryupnow.com Curry Up Now serves Healthy Indian Street Food. I usually enjoy Khati rolls filled with spinach, onions, and a spicy sauce. Yesterday I stepped outside the box and got the Thali Platter with Panner Tikka Masala, and Saag ‘Ground Spinach’ Panner.

OMG was it good. Here’s a before and after shot of my lunch, it looks like I didn’t eat, but I did, and it was yummmmmmy!

Just in case you didn’t know Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asian Cuisine.

Dinner

We decided to stay in the house and study last night, which means I got to cook dinner. My boyfriend is a meat eater, but I only consume fish, no meat for me. There is a lot of reasons why I stopped eating meat, but the main one is I don’t really crave it, and my body has issues processing it. I made him oven fried chicken breast, I wish I could tell you it was good, but since I didn’t get to taste it I can’t confirm my suspicions. My man told me it was excellent, but he always praises my cooking, as he should. For myself I prepared baked salmon, oven fried okra, and white corn. I also chopped up a few raw sweet peppers, to make sure my meal was well rounded. Everything was great, simple and delicious. It was the first time that I made oven fried okra and it was so good I didn’t have time to take a good picture of it. My boyfriend didn’t even get to taste them, they were that good. I started munching on them while they were still in the oven, once I started I couldn’t stop.

Food Food Food

Sometimes I’m afraid of it, sometimes I embrace it. I’m still looking for the correct diet for me. I always want to have variety and freedom when I eat. So far I’m doing pretty good, but I’m always reading, researching, and studying to make sure I’m giving my body the proper fuel.

I always try to follow my rule:

Eat good 80% of the time

Eat what you want 20% of the time

I hope you enjoyed my food journal as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.

Mary’s Baked Salmon

Ingredients:

2-3 6oz protions of Salmon

Coarse salt

Coarse pepper

Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees,

Spray pan with olive oil cooking spray

Place pan in oven as close to top rack as possible

Rinse salmon and dry pieces on paper towel

Season salmon skin with salt and pepper

Once pan is very very very hot, take out of oven

Place salmon (seaoned) skin down, pan should sizzle. (this will insure crispy skin)

Season top of salmon with more salt and peper

Spray Salmon with Olive Oil cooking spray

Place in over for 9-12 minuts or until salmon is firm to touch and lightly browned on top

ENJOY!

Oven Fried Okra

Ingredients:
1/3 cup cornmeal

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup frozen okra

Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Spray cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray

Combine corn meal, salt and pepper

Place okra in plastic ziplock bag

Add corn meal mixture and toss until all okra is coated

Spread okra in single layer in prepared pan

Back for 30-40 minutes or until crisp, turning occasionally

Calories 84.5, Calories from Fat 6, Total Fat 0.7g, Saturated Fat 0.1g, Cholesterol 0.0mg, Sodium 156.0mg, Total Carbohydrate 18.1g, Dietary Fiber 2.9g, Sugars 0.7g, Protein 2.5g.

Hello Everyone!

Lets hit the ground running today, and push ourselves to be our best self.

~~Squat Challenge Day 2 completed on 5/14/13~~

~~Ab Challenge Day 2 completed on 5/14/13~~

Kicking butt and taking names!!

Dammit! I was trying to work in a quick game of facebook tetris but it wouldn’t load, and now I need to go ahead and finish this blog posting. I know they say that Macs can’t get viruses, I’ve been a Mac Girl since 2000 and my computer has never ran so slow. Oh well, I guess the universe wants me to finish this posting before rewarding myself with my favorite guilty pleasure.

I have never shared my book with this blog, but today is the day. When I lost all that weight 5-6 years ago I wanted to track my progress, my ups and downs, and my successes and failures. I have always been an avid journal writer, so writing a book wasn’t as daughting as I once thought it would be. The book has been close to done for the last 2-3 years, and I am currently working on a book proposal and query letter. Both of these documents are necessary in obtaining an agent or a publisher, and I have been taking this process very seriously.

Taking myself seriously is an job in itself. I believe in myself, but sometimes it’s hard to image other people wanting to read about my struggles with weight and body dysmorphia. I want to be a living example and proof that with hard work and lots of sweat you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. I like to be as politically correct as possible, and I have been doing a lot of research about Americans and weight loss. They are so many interesting percentages and facts that I wanted to share my newly learned knowledge with all of you.

36% dieted for 1-6 months

11% Dieted for 7-12 months

12% dieted for 12 months or more

The Famous New Years weight loss Resolution usually doesn’t stick.

1-3 Americans

Are obese today

42%

Projected percentage of obese Americans in 2034

20 Billion

Annual Revenue of the US weight loss industry which includes diet books, diet drugs, and weight loss surgery

108 Million

Number of people on diets in US

85%

Percentage of female customers consuming weight loss products and services

1 hour

Daily amount of time spent exercising by people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for over 5 years

220,000

Number of people who had Bariatric Surgery in 2009

$11,5000 to $26,000

The average cost of Bariatric surgery, which reduces the size of the stomach

$500,000 to 3 Million

Average salary paid to celebrity endorsers

Aren’t these facts crazy!!! I have been sprinkling this data into my book proposal and query letter to highlight the issue of weight loss in American. I find them to be very compelling and interesting. A lot of money is spent and wasted on weight loss hopes and dreams. I am prompting change that doesn’t have to cost millions of dollars a year. I’m looking for change within, accountability for yourself, and just a little push from a fellow friend. All so we realize that there is light at the end of this crazy weight loss tunnel.

It seems like odds are against all of us.

So I want to leave you with this number

12-14%

Percentage of people who loose 100+ pounds and keep it off over 5 years

Me!

Hello Everyone!

Today I’m feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. Too bad I didn’t feel like that yesterday. After a late afternoon meeting with a friend, I arrived at home hungry and uninspired to workout. Trying to find ways to trick all of you into thinking that I kept my word by starting the AB and Squat challenge, I was truly at a lost. To keep my credibility to my readership and myself I decided the proof is in the pudding and I pushed myself to complete Day 1 for my new challenges.

~~Squat Challenge Day 1 completed on 5/13/13~~

Lets talk about the squat challenge first. I used to have a serious hate for squats. They are boring and you have to really concentrate to make sure you are keeping the correct form. Even though it feels like an low impact exercise, within 60 seconds you feel these bad boys burning your thighs, your butt and challenging your cardio endurance. All that being said, my first day of the squat challenge wasn’t that bad at all. I knew I had to flush out 50 squats using the proper alignment and technique. I made sure to stretch my arms out in front of me, keep a tight core, toes pointed forward, a small arch in my lower back, while dipping down as low as I could go, comfortably. I think this squat challenge will start to get hard the next few days when I have to complete over 75 squats without a break. I’m ready for the challenge and the results, but I know that pain is inevitable.

~~Abdominal Challenge Day 1 competed on 5/13/13~~

The Abdominal Challenge is no joke. I’m a little cocky when it comes to my abdominals. Even though I don’t have killer abs yet, I know I have a strong core. I was fine until I started the cross-leg-wide-sit-up. Those are HARD!!! I took off my shirt and noticed sweat all over my abdominals. Ummmm…. I like that!!! Pushing myself to my limits I was able to successful finish the routine.

Today my legs aren’t too sore, which is to be expected. I do a lot of squatting in my everyday routines; I’m not expecting much soreness from the squats until I get into the 70-75 range. I also complete Kettle Bell Training up to 4 days a week, which usually always include weighted squatting. Yay! Lucky Me

My abdominals feel alive, tight, and a little swollen. This challenge is going to be difficult because there are no rest days. Completing those exercises everyday for 30 days is defiantly going to provide results. I busted out the entire routine in 15 minutes, and was completely covered in sweat, which usually never happens when doing an abdominal workout. I’m a little excited about that.

I am proud of myself for pushing, keeping my word, and completing these challenges. I found another challenge that I want to add to this month’s routine called the 100 push up challenge. Check out the details here. http://www.hundredpushups.com/#sthash.oPZLYQ3o.dpbs

Here are my before pictures for my abdominals and a quick video of my legs.

Cardio Challenge

Whenever I get back from a long relaxing vacation where I let myself go, it’s hard as hell to get back on track. I skipped my Kettle Bell and Cardio workout last night because I simply didn’t want to do it. I Usually wake up early and workout for a hour or two before 8am. Not this morning. I am pretty happy with the state of my body, like most women, I would love to loose another 10 pounds, but for the first time in a long time I enjoyed the way I looked in my vacation pictures. Last year my boyfriend and I traveled around the world. It took us 3 months and I gained a little over 15 pounds. The first month of our trip I looked decent, but by the 2^nd month I looked like a cow, and the 3^rd month was just shameful. When I got back for that vacation I work-outed like a dog trying to get that weight off. It took me a full year to truly happy with my appearance again. Now that I’m pretty comfortable naked, I want to keep it that way; but I always dream of a perfect world where I don’t have a sweat and push myself to my breaking point 4-5 days a week. I know that that is never going to happen, and today is the day that I jump back on the bandwagon and push push push. Please send me some positive, energetic, ready-to-sweat energy. I truly need it.

Hello Friends!

First and foremost I would like to apologize for not posting many entries while I was away. I didn’t have a reliable Internet connection, which was frustrating, to say the least.

My trip to Sedona, Arizonaa was enlightening. The scenery was beautiful, the people were friendly and the atmosphere was relaxing.

I try to come up with my best ideas while on vacations, so I always have an excuse to travel. This trip I decided it was time totally re-work this blog.

As much as I love fitness, I also love other things. I love hiking, I love art, I love people, I love to inspire people, I love new adventures and trying new things. Instead of having a blog solely focus on fitness I have decided that evolvingwithmary.blogspot.com will be based on my life. Fitness will always be mixed in, since I love exercising, pushing myself to the limit, and posting my results, but I also want to discuss everyday life, my favorite TV shows, my fashion issues, my personal goals and aspirations. No more Abdominal Mondays and Challenge Tuesdays, the new format will be a lot less formal, but it will include videos, personal fitness challenges, pictures, and more of me.

That being said:

It’s time to get back in the groove

I went on vacation and now that I’m back I’m not that inspired to start my super intense exercise routine again. If you have been following this blog you know my goals of having a 6 pack by summer. I have at least a month before its officially summer, so even though I’m really not feeling it, I know now is the time to go hard, and really push myself.

While I was away one of my life-coaching clients sent me a few challenges that I decided to try. The 30 Squat Challenge is awesome! I did something like this 2-3 months ago and it toned up my legs and butt. I am a real woman with real features, and I have big legs that are hard to tone, but squats have an answer to that. I am starting the 30 day squat challenge today. Even though I love changing guidelines I think I’m going to stick with the basic outline I posted last week. It looks like this:

My goal is to complete the squats on the correct days and squat my way to firm toned thighs, and a tight butt. I have a few questions like, can I break the squats up into sets or should I try to complete them with out breaks. Since there are no guidelines that I could find I decided to make it as hard as possible and work until exhaustions, no breaks for me. This challenge starts today!!!

I also featured another challenge on my blog last week called the 30-day Ab challenge. It sounded really exciting but I didn’t like the challenge exercises that my life-coaching client sent me. After some research I found this 30-day ab challenge routine that I like a lot better, I even added some planks to the end of the routine to add a little spice. Here’s the link that the AB challenge that I am starting today http://kayciesantics.blogspot.com/2012/03/300-ultimate-ab-and-core-challenge_22.html

Here is a breakdown of the exercises

In-Outs                25 reps
Bicycles               25 reps
Reverse Bicycles       25 reps
Crunchy Frog           25 reps
Cross leg wide sit up 25 reps
Scissors               25 reps
Hip Butt Ups           25 reps
Heels to heaven        25 reps
Roll Up V Ups          25 reps
Leg Climber            12 reps
Kayakers               50 reps
Plank                  90 seconds
Left side plank        90 seconds
Left side plank        90 seconds
Combo plank            25 reps

I can already tell that the abdominal challenge is going to be demanding but rewarding. I looked pretty good in my bikini in Arizona, but I know I can look even better.

That’s my goal today. I’m starting the 30 day Squat challenge and the 30 day abdominal challenge, on top of my regular exercise routine. I’m still looking for an effective way to complete the necessary amount of cardio that I need, and I decided to add some hike fitness to my routine. I live in Sausalito where there are many hike less then 10 minutes for my doorstep. I plan on hiking 2-3 times a week. I will post pictures and even try to provide a map of the hikes I take. I’m excited to get outside and push myself, while trying something new.

Today is filled with lots of new experiences, I’m up for the challenge. I hope you all take a little pleasure in my pain.

As requested, starting tomorrow I will post my exercise schedule so everyone can see what kind of exercises I am doing everyday. I love working hard and my workouts reflect that.

Have an awesome Monday.

Blessings my friends

Today is challenge Tuesdays, but since I'm on vacation, there is no challenge. Yay!

Instead of listening to me, why not come up with your own personal challenge and post it in the comment section.

Many people contact me through email, stating they would rather not have their comments, questions, or concerns posted for the world to see, and that's fine. You can email me your personal challenge at evolvewithmary@gmail.com, if that's more your speed.

Try to get out of your comfort zone, and set goals that are harder then usual.

I usually complete at least one 60 second plank 3-4 days a week. This week my personal challenge is completing two 90 seconds planks 3-4 days a week.

Let me know what creative challenges you come up with.

One of my life coaching clients decided to try the 30 day squat challenge and the 30 day abdominal challenge. I've personal completed the 30 day squat challenge and it totally reshaped my entire lower body, legs, butt, calves, and thighs. It was difficult, but rewarding. This is the first time I have seen the 30 day ab challenge, but if you know me, you know I'm all about a tight taunt mid-section; so I'm going to give it the old college try.

I'm looking forward to sharing the results with all of you, I love being the genie pig.

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday.

Hello everyone! Today has been a wonderful thus far and it's just getting started.

This morning I worked out at a gym in the resort. Since I usually workout by myself, in the privacy of my own home, I wasn't prepared for all of the pointing and staring. As soon as I started to feel uncomfortable and ready to exit stage left I realize the other patrons were not staring and pointing out of shear rudeness but instead people were memorized by my workout routine. A lot of women came up to me and told me I was an inspiration. I even got a high-five from a ripped out guy killing it on a treadmill. I must say it was a pleasant surprise and compliments made me work harder, push further and dig even deeper.

After my workout I enjoyed a nice steam and a tasty avocalto, a smoothie with avocado, pineapple, coconut, and agave nectar, it was refreshing and satisfying. I plan on sucking down a few more of those before we leave on Friday.

There is no new abdominal workout today. I'm sticking to my planks and I hope you guys are too.

Here are the most recent pictures of my abdominals. I'm proud of myself and I hope everyone else is too. The last picture is me after the gym today.

Gotta love Vacation!!

Hello Everyone!!

I am in Sedona, Arizona for the next 5 days so my postings might come a little later in the day then usual. I will post pictures of this amazing destination and even a few pictures of me in my bikinis, plus we can discuss vacation fitness and how to stay slim while enjoying yourself. I will type to you soon.

Peace, Love & Sweat
Ms. Mary Lawrence

T.G.I.F

Confession

I’m leaving for Arizona in a few days, and I can’t wait.

Our trip to Sedona was the perfect goal setting date. I worked very hard, stayed on my diet, and drank enough water to drown me, and now I feel like it has all paid off. I’m super excited, I can’t wait to relax by the pool, take in some cool sights, read, write and just relax. I will post pictures.

Confession

I’m going to cheat on my diet while in Arizona.

As mentioned before, Arizona was the goal. I can fit comfortably in my bikini, and all my clothes look and fit great. Now that I’ve reached my goal, I plan on eating some food that I’m not supposed to. That’s the fun part about dieting, the reward when you reach your goal. I’m not planning on eating super crazy, but some eggs and hash browns instead of oatmeal a few mornings won’t hurt me, and some bread and butter would make me smile. I truly can’t wait to splurge on myself, but I also plan on keeping some kind of control.

You just peeked into my soul. I like being human, because I’m allowed to be un-perfect, I’m allowed flaws and mistakes, I’m allowed to take a break from my strict diet, and crazy workout routine. As much as I love being in shape, I also realize it is not the end all of be all.

This is a never-ending journey that I signed up for. Thanks for coming long for the ride.

We have just one more day until the weekend. I can’t wait

Today I want to focus on tips for cutting belly fat. Belly fat is a reoccurring theme on my blog. I have been fighting belly fat since I was 13 years old, so I am always searching for new tips and facts about this subject matter.

Belly fat is a problem area for women and men.

Before I provide you with tips lets dive a little deeper and look at the cause and effect of belly fat.

Belly fat is a confirmation of an unhealthy lifestyle that involves overeating and not exercising. Belly fat is a build up of visceral fat, which give you the unattractive appearance of a pronounced and protruding belly. Belly fat can lead to problems like: high blood pressure, heart disease, insulin resistance, and even Alzheimer’s.

So now that we know a little more history, lets talk about how to zap belly fat forever!

Reducing belly fat involves a mix of smart eating and effective exercise.

You must eat enough food to avoid hormonal imbalances, so starving yourself is not the answer. Trust me I’ve tried eating small amounts of food in hopes of shrinking my belly, only to be tired, bloated, irritably, and light headed. You must eat, but you can make healthier choices. Eating fewer than 1200 calories a day will reduce the amount of fat burning hormones leptin in the body, and will slow down weight loss.

Doing regular posture building exercises helps to slim your belly

Good posture helps you look slimmer instantaneously

Completing a posture building routine everyday will strengthen your abdominal muscles.

* for more information about posture building exercises check out this link

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/better-posture-exercises

CARDIO!!! CARDIO!!! CARDIO!!!

High intensity interval training is an effective way to reduce belly fat, but any cardio is a move in the correct direction. Cardio is our friend, so find something you enjoy doing, walking, running, spin class, elliptical, jumping rope, Zumba, anything that gets your heart pumping is a step in the correct direction.

Watch that stress

Too much of the stress hormone, Cortisol, can increase the amount of fat you store around your belly. Stress is taking over our world, with worries of public safety, job security, and relationship woes, stress easily affects all of us. Try to take time out of your day for yourself, and look for ways to de-stressing yourself and your life.

Oatmeal for breakfast

A secret to obtaining flat abdominal includes a diet that help shrink your midsection. Good foods to eat are high in fiber that don’t bloat you. Your breakfast should consist of oatmeal with blueberries. The fiber in oatmeal will help with digestions, and the antioxidants in blueberries will help shed belly fat.

*2 weeks ago I started eating unflavored oatmeal with flax seeds that I found at Whole Foods. I sweeten it up with a little honey, and added a handful of blueberries. I must admit I can see a difference. Check the results out for yourself.

abdominal shot April 8, 2013

abdominal shot April 29, 2013

I love oatmeal now!!

Water Water Water

A glass of water every morning can help alkalize your body, which helps burn fat and detox your system. Lemon water is even better.
*I will admit I don’t like to drink water first thing in the morning, washing my morning breath down my throat isn’t something I look forward to, but water is important, and I have been making it a point to drink in the mornings. Please don’t ask if I’m getting my 6-8 glasses a day. I’m not but I am trying.

Read your food labels

Read your food labels very carefully. Trans fat can increase the amount of fat you hold around your midsection. Try to consume more Monounsaturated fatty acids, they burn fat like avocados, olive oil, almonds, and pistachios. These foods help keep your belly full.

These are some tips that I have worked into my daily life. I hope this list inspires you to do the same. Remember you have to start somewhere. I hope you start living a better life today.

References:

www.fitday.com

Pop sugar, 2/28/2013, by Leta Shy

Toot's Chicken

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breast
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 cups extra light olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation
1. Cut each chicken breasts into 3-4 thin slices and place in a plastic bag
2. Place small hand towel over bag of chicken and pound with a meat hammer
3. Remove chicken from bag and place in large mixing bowl
4. Add mustard to bowl and mix well, place chicken and mustard mixture to side
5. Heat olive oil to 350 degrees
6. Coat mustard covered chicken in bread crumbs
7. Fry chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown
8. Drain chicken on rack over cookie sheet. DO NOT USE PAPER TOWELS TO DRAIN OIL

I no long consume meat but my boyfriend does. Since he is joining me on my quest to eat clean I like to surprise him with a little fried chicken once every 6 months. Frying in olive oil has never been a problem for me, but I have heard that frying with olive oil is not recommend, so you can adjust the recipe if you so desire. Thinning and pounding chicken makes it tender, and the mustard adds wonderful flavor. This is one of my boyfriend favorite recipe, I hope you enjoy.

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