Ms Bliss Fit

Here are a few more low-fat, healthier food swaps for you!

Now, I am not a vegetarian by all means but I do enjoy eating the “meatless” products every once in a while. I have found that many of the soy-based veggie burgers are very high in sodium and have very little protein. In other words, they don’t benefit you much at all. I found a really great option for veggie burgers at Kroger. Franklin Farms makes the healthiest veggie burger I have seen. It is a portobello burger and has 14 grams of protein, 390 mg of sodium (some are much higher than that), 1.5 grams of fat, and 10 grams of carbs. Compare this to the Garden Burger brand that has 3.5 grams of fat, 10 more calories, 480 mg of sodium and only 6 grams of protein. See the difference? The little things do add up!

I used to drink soda all of the time. When I was in college, my drink of choice was Dr. Pepper. Pretty soon, I won’t be drinking any carbonated beverages but right now, I can get away with a few. Although Diet Dr. Pepper does taste exactly like the real thing, (how do they do that?) it is still bad for you. I was so happy when I found a natural “soda” by Blue Sky. The Vanilla and Cherry Creme flavor is the bomb!! I mean, maybe it is because I know I can’t drink regular soda and that is why it tastes so good but I can’t believe it. Of course it is zero fat, sugar, calories etc… It is sweetened with Stevia. Try this! I think you will like it. If you just need that strong taste and have to have the soda, this might satisfy you. I purchased this from Kroger as well. (It is on sale this week). Just go into the natural food section. It comes in a 6 pack.

I love ice cream just like everyone else. Although lately, I have been making my own protein ice cream, I have found alternatives to the higher fat versions. Almond Dream makes good ice cream and it is not dairy. So if you have an intolerance for dairy, this is a good option. You can also try the So Delicious brand. Depending on your goal, choose the no-sugar added kind or low-fat kind. There are many different versions, so read the labels carefully. Ice cream is okay every once in a while but why not make it a healthy ice cream?

This morning was one of those mornings I did not want to get out of bed. I mean, I really had to talk myself up to get out of bed. I have to tell myself sometimes what my goal is…and trust me it is not easy. Of course, I am going to stick to my goal and I am pushing, and clawing, and doing everything to make it happen, because I know I can do it without a doubt. But, I have to make a choice EVERY DAY and every minute to stay committed. When you decide to do a competition, you don’t have people whispering in your ear telling you what to every moment but you always have your own voice to listen to.

So, this week has been kind of busy and I am forcing myself now to write this blog before bed because this is also part of my goal. I have been thinking lately about  how to create new recipes and lower fat versions of meals. If you have heard of the book, “Eat This, Not That,” then you know the entire book is about better substitutions for some of your favorite junk foods. For example, the book will tell you what to get from Burger King, like a Jr. Whopper and side salad instead of a regular Whopper and fries.  But this will take it to a different level. When you are trying to get extremely lean, you have to cut back on  few things….lean body=lean diet. So, here are two substitutions I have been making lately. (They taste good too!) This will be an ongoing series so look for more!

Peanut Butter

I love peanut butter or any type of nut butter for that matter. Although I do eat it (not the whole container…one tablespoon) I choose healthier versions. One very low-fat option is PB2. PB2 is a powdered form of peanut butter. You mix it with water to create the butter. It has 85% less fat and is only 45 calories per serving. I will stick with this as I get closer to the competition. (available at Brighter Day, Publix, or online)

Syrup

I have to cut back on the sugar so I don’t eat certain types of syrup. (Too much sugar turns into fat) I don’t eat the Aunt Jemima. If I do eat syrup it has to be pure maple and only a tad bit…or if I want more, I will eat the Walden Farms Zero Calorie Syrup. I love the way it tastes. (Available on www.bodybuilding.com ).

Also, I tried a new veggie this week! Butternut squash. This squash is sweet and tastes great. I put some sugar-free syrup and cinnamon on it and it was like a dessert. I think I will also try them mashed. Only 4o calories in a one-cup chopped serving. It fills you up nicely. You could probably bake them and eat them like fries too!

This weekend just flew by. Saturday morning, I went to a free cross fit class with my friend. If you know anything about crossfit, it is one of the best functional training workouts you can get. All of the crossfit locations are in old-looking buildings, or old warehouses….I guess it goes along with the whole theme of getting down and dirty. It was pretty cool. Everyone was very friendly which helps because I always get nervous in new situations. Although I have done components of the workouts that they do, this was my first actual class. Though I had the jitters, I was feeling pretty confident about my abilities. We filled out our paperwork and waited around a few minutes for everyone to get there.

The first part of the workout was a warm-up where everyone picked an exercise to perform 10 sets of. We stood in a circle and did each one. There were about 10-12 people there along with 2 or 3 coaches. After we warmed up, one of the coaches thoroughly explained all of the exercises we were about to execute. Thankfully, I had previous experience with all of them. The workout was called, “The Pyramid of Death!” So, our goal was to complete as many sets that we could in 11 minutes. One set included:

• Kettlebell Swings
• Box Jumps
• Sit-ups (Legs straight out, arms overhead, straight out and touching toes when you sit all the way up).

This sounds simple, right? Well, I will tell you that this is a workout. You start with 1, then you do 2, then you do 3 (of each exercise, back to back, fast). That is why it is called a pyramid…you keep climbing as high as you can in 11 minutes. I was focused and ready to go! They have this digital clock that you can watch as you are working out to keep track of your time. The coach started the music and I was off! Something about the music and the spirit from everyone else in the room just puts you in a zone. I loved it! The coaches were very motivating and kept us going. At the end, I was sweating. Each person reported on how many sets they did and they wrote your name on a white board with the number of sets and the amount of weight you used. I used an 18 lb kettlebell and got through 10 sets. Little did I know that the next day I would be sore. 🙂 My shoulders and upper back were so sore when I woke up the next morning! Who knew you could do so much work in 11 minutes. Those kettlebell swings are no joke if you don’t do them on a regular basis! Now that is the kind of workout I am talking about! I need to be sore so I know I am challenging my body in a different way. I plan to attend the foundations courses at crossfit and we will see from there. I think it is an excellent workout to supplement with your current routine.

Because we got home so late last night….more like this morning, I was not able to do my Sunday Prep. So, what I did this morning was grab a few of my homemade muffins, some leftover salmon and black bean patties, an apple, and some nuts for my meals. I made a shake and some oatmeal for breakfast. Of course I did not workout this morning because I do require a little bit of sleep! Lol! I used today as my second rest day and will workout for the remainder of the week.  A creative approach in my scheduling allowed me to do my weekly shopping. I work very close to my home so on my lunch break I went to Kroger and got my food for the week. They had some great deals! They had protein powder on “close-out.” I figured with as much protein powder as I use, this will come in handy. I have never really tried these brands but I did a thorough examination of the ingredients and figured I would give it a shot. They are vanilla and dreamsicle flavored. I usually stick to chocolate or banana but I can make some good recipes with these new flavors. (I will tell you how it goes and which brands they are….it’s not the cheap stuff!). I am having sort of a vegan/vegetarian week. I did not have a lot of time to prep so my meals this week are quick and easy. Here are a few of them.

• Clean Egg Salad made with fat-free cottage cheese, celery, honey mustard and seasonings
• Portobello Veggie Burgers ( I rarely do soy products for various reasons but this particular one has very low sodium and is made from mushrooms, egg whites, and soy, so you get more protein and not as much from soy. If you do your research, you’ll see why I don’t eat a whole lot of soy products but it is in everything so it is hard to avoid).
• Oatmeal
• Protein Powder ( Making protein pudding, shakes and ice cream).
• 96% Lean Ground Round (Laura’s)
• Turnip Greens
• Green Beans
• Cauliflower
• Almonds
• Wasabi Peas
• Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
• Non-Fat Cottage Cheese
• Sweet Potatoes
• Shakeology

Here is to a wonderful and productive week!

I have not posted in a while, frankly because I have been tired. I worked extra long hours earlier in the week and felt a little under the weather on Thursday. I ended up taking half of a sick day. I think I just needed to catch up on my rest so I did not work out today.This is flu season and I don’t want to take any chances and get sick. I know when my body is not feeling right and I PAY ATTENTION. Rephel and I got in the pool this evening (yes it was cold!). The point was to get in cold water to rejuvenate our muscles and then in the whirlpool to bring the nutrients back into our systems. So we sat in the pool for 10 minutes, got in the whirlpool for 10 minutes, and then back in the cold pool for another 10 minutes. Outside of being cold, I actually did feel better. Less sore. After all that excitement, I’m ready for a good night’s rest. 🙂 I am preparing for travel.

I am going to one of my good friend’s wedding this weekend. So because I will be traveling, I am getting my meal plan together for the road trip and time spent at someone else’s home. It is essential to prepare for situations like this because these are the times when you “fall off” your plan. When you don’t prepare or have a plan of attack, you fall off! Don’t let this happen to you! Traveling is no excuse to stuff yourself silly. Instead of taking a “wait and see” approach, pack your food just as you would everyday. Yes, everyone else will be eating big macs and pizza but just envision yourself with your ideal body while you’re eating your chicken and broccoli and sipping on your protein shake. Remember, this is an everyday thing!

This morning I woke up a little early to cook my chicken. I will be getting back home very late Sunday night after the wedding and I know I won’t have time to prepare my lunch. What I cooked this morning should be enough to leave me with food to take to work on Monday. Monday afternoon, when I get home from work, I will prepare the rest of my food for the week. It’s all about strategy! So, here is what is on my travel list:

• Sweet potato chips (I sliced the sweet potatoes very thin and baked them in the oven with the skin on. Easy and portable).
• Chicken wraps (Chopped up chicken breasts in 90 calorie Hungry Girl Whole Wheat Wraps with Flax Seed). I think I will put a little tomato paste on these for more flavor.
• Oat Fit 100 calorie oatmeal packets. (I will eat this for breakfast the morning of the wedding)
• A couple of baggies full of protein powder. ( My go-to meal when all else fails)
• Almonds ( I have to portion these in baggies, otherwise I will eat too much!)
• Apples (Quick and Easy)
• Instant Coffee (I will be tired on the drive home)
• Homemade blueberry protein muffins (I made these tonight…quick and portable).

I am also going to take my Mp3 player and running shoes. I think I will go for a run the morning of the wedding. I need some sort of activity to get my day going. It gives me more energy.

So with all my tools in place, I think I will be okay and can stick to my meal plan. Most importantly, I plan to have fun! 🙂

The last thing that I wanted to do today was my weekly meal prep. I was  a little tired from the Zumba-thon on Saturday. (Two hours of non-stop Zumba!) It was a lot of fun. After the Zumba-thon, I went home for a couple of hours and we later headed to the football game. I was out all day on Saturday. This morning, I got up early and went to the gym and went grocery shopping afterwards. Wally world is one interesting place. I absolutely hate Wal-mart sometimes. I called myself being smart and beating the crowd but when I got there, just as many people were shopping as if I had waited to go later on in the day! Going to Wal-mart is like preparing to go to the battle field. You have to get your mind right to deal with some of those folks. Children crying, grocery carts in the middle of the aisle, cashiers who act like you are the last person they want to see on a Sunday morning, and you have to be ready to walk a mile to get to the door because the parking lot is so full. To prepare for the battle, I ate breakfast and drank a cup of coffee. I never go to the store hungry, especially after working out. If I do, I end up buying the whole store. One thing I do like about Wal-mart is the variety in the types of fresh food they have. 

I have a new project for myself; I create at least one new clean meal every Sunday. So I am constantly trying new foods. This will keep me from being bored and also allows me to educate myself on different foods.

The Sunday meal for this week is braised beef stew. (I got the recipe from this month’s issue of Clean Eating Magazine). Perfect for the cooler weather we are having. Let me say that this meal does take a long time to cook so if you make it, set aside 2-3 hours to be home. The prep time is only about 20 minutes but the stew has to cook for 2 hours on low heat. To make it you need, LEAN beef stew meat, carrots, turnips, turnip greens, garlic cloves, rosemary, LOW SODIUM beef broth, pepper, olive oil and sea salt. (recipe coming later….I’m pooped and have barely enough energy to write this post).         

I also made egg muffins to eat for my breakfast this week. (This idea is taken from Oxygen Magazine.) I used 16 ounces of egg whites and four whole eggs. The veggies are optional and you can use any kind you want. You can also add in ground meat. First, I mixed the eggs together in a large bowl. I then chopped up a carrot, shredded some spinach and mixed them together with garlic cloves. I took a 12 muffin tin and sprayed with olive oil while pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees.

Step 1: Place veggies in muffin tins.    

Step 2: Add egg whites into the tins which should fill them up.         

Step 3: Bake for 30 minutes until the tops of the muffins are a little brown. You want to make sure they are done and not runny.

These are portable and can be used for breakfast, snack or lunch. 

I have a pretty long day ahead of me tomorrow so I made sure to have my cooler ready so that I can grab it and go without wasting time. It’s only 8:00 but I will be winding down for bed in about an hour. In the morning I will hit the gym and head to work. I won’t have any time for prep of any sort.

“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.”

Off to prepare for my week!     

I am pretty tired today from having to stay late at work. I took a rest day yesterday. This morning, I got up at my usual time. I’ll tell you something funny…part of my workout included assisted tricep pressdowns. I put the weight where I would usually place it (I hadn’t done them in a while) and once I started, I thought the machine was broken. The reason I thought it was broken was because it seemed too easy! Lol! Then it dawned on me that I have actually gotten stronger, go figure. It felt really good to know that this stuff actually does work! If you just keep increasing your weight, you get stronger! It makes sense but I will be honest with you… in the past, I was scared.

I did not think I could get stronger. I was scared of the pain, the burn, and even the results. Deep down inside, I wanted to get stronger but shyed away from it. Now I embrace it, and even look for it. If I don’t feel the burn, then I know I am not working hard enough. I can’t progress if I am not challenging myself.  As the saying goes, “Pain is weakness leaving your body.” And, I will add to that, not just your body, but your mind as well.

Today’s Workout

(Supersets)

• Incline Bench Press followed by Dumbell Flys
• Incline Alternate Dumbell Press followed by Dumbell Bent Over Wide Grip Rows
• Dumbell Alternate Bicep Curls followed by Tricep Kickbacks
• Tricep Pressdown
• Hyperextensions

Elliptical: 20 minutes of intervals

Eats

Pre-workout

• homemade no-bake protein bar

Breakfast

• Shakeology
• Oat Fit Cinnamon Oatmeal

Snack 1

• Greek Total 0% Yogurt
• 1/2 scoop of chocolate casein protein
• half of a banana

Lunch

• 4.5 oz of Tilapia
• 2 cups of normandy blend mixed vegetables
• 1 serving of chocolate protein pudding (yummy!)

Snack 2

• homemade protein banana muffin
• half of a banana

Dinner

• 5 oz of chicken salad made with eggless, vegan mayo
• tomato slices
• one whole cucumber

Snack 3

• 1 scoop of casein protein
• 1 tablespoon of kettle cashew nut butter (soooo gooood)
• 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk

If you are like me, you get bored when eating the same thing day in and day out. I must say that I have become very creative in preparing my meals lately. It is the only way to make it fun and keep myself motivated. All of these recipes are clean, low-fat, and low-calorie.

Extra Lean Ground Turkey and Green Beans:

1. Steam one bag of fresh green beans for 20-25 minutes.

2. Brown 1 lb of extra lean ground turkey in a skillet. No need to drain because there is hardly any fat in extra lean meat.

3. Mix 4 ounces of meat with 2 cups of green beans.

4. Sprinkle a scant handful of pumpkin seeds over the dish. You can also add organic salsa. (Salsa is a great condiment that has very little sodium and only 10 calories!)

5. Top with reduced fat parmesan cheese.

Egg Whites and Oatmeal:

This meal is VERY filling and quick to make.

1. Take 1/2 cup of rolled oats and 1/4-1/2 cup of almond or coconut milk and heat in a saucepan.

2. Mix 4 egg whites together in a separate bowl. Add the egg whites slowly into the oatmeal and stir the entire time. Do not stop stirring until the egg whites are cooked all the way. (Consuming uncooked egg can put you at risk of getting salmonella.)

3. Place the mixture in a bowl and top with fruit or nut of your choice. (I used 1 cup of chopped apple and cinnamon). You can also sprinkle with a little protein powder for more flavor.       

Chicken Salad and Brown Rice Cakes

This is a great on-the-go lunch. As you can see from the picture, I ate it in my car.

1. Take 4 ounces of cooked chicken and mix 1-2 tablespoons of eggless, vegan, canola mayonnaise (Spectrum) into the chicken. You can also use Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt. 1-2 tablespoons as well.

2. Add celery for flavor. I also used garlic and onion powder. You can also use cilantro, pepper, cumin…basically whatever flavor you like. Just stay away from the salt.

3. OPTIONAL: Add a few almonds or walnuts.

4. Mix all ingredients together and top two organic brown rice cakes with the chicken salad.

Plain Ole Yogurt and Apple:

If you don’t have time at work to eat a full course meal, this will keep you satisfied.

1. Mix a little natural granola into a container of non-fat greek yogurt. (I used Bear Naked Banana Granola).

2. Eat with apple separately OR chop apple and add the apple to the yogurt and granola in a separate bowl.

Extra Lean Turkey Links, Eggs, and Sweet Potato Slices:

1. Brown two Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey links. (Only 90 calories….that is why I add the eggs.)

2. Scramble 5-6 egg whites and add any seasoning you like. (You can eat more egg whites than whole eggs because they are VERY LOW CALORIE AND VIRTUALLY NON FAT).

3. Sweet potatoes were prepared on a separate day and eaten with this breakfast to add carbs. They were sliced with skin-on and placed in the oven for 20-25 minutes, topped with cinnamon and ginger.

I am starting to do some crazy things…Lol! And this is only the beginning. I found this list on someone else’s blog and it is definitely true. About 80% now but in a few months I will be checking this list off each day. 🙂

1. For a few days each year your toilet seat is brown and this time it isn’t your husbands fault. (Tans do smear!)

2. You can honestly say you have spent more time in a bathing suit than your wedding dress.

3. Five inch clear stripper heels are your footwear of choice in your own home. (and not just in the bedroom)

4. Someone asks about the man in your life and you tell them that gym is fine!

5. You have two sections in your wardrobe. Competition & Off-season. And they aren’t mixed and matched.

6. Your top three priorities on any given day: a. Workout b. Eat Clean c. Check other competitors blogs (not necessarily in that order)

7. You can name any pro figure competitor by seeing her butt alone.

8. When someone wants to take your picture, you immediately spread your lats, tighten every muscle in your body, point your fingers and SMILE!

9. You take more pills daily than your 80 year old grandmother.

10. Your idea of dressing up is taking your hair out of the ponytail its been in for a week.

11. If you have had someone close to you, hide food from you in your own house.  (It’s already happening! Rephel had to hide a pack of cookies from me last week)

12. An easy day is lifting and only one cardio session.

13. Instead of carrying a Louis Vuitton pursue you accessorize with a Coleman Cooler. (Everyday…)

14. Waking up so sore you can barely move puts a smile on your face. (Love it)

15. You can’t do any work because you are to busy counting down the seconds until your next meal!!!!!!!!! (AMEN)

16.The faint smell of Dream Tan  gets your heart pumping faster than your man’s cologne.

17. You leave a little trail of splenda packets, tupperware and empty water bottles everywhere you go.

18. Your hubby makes you pee in the guest bathroom because every meal includes asparagus. (It does stink!)

19. You consider beano an essential part of your supplement regimen.

20. Your jaws are sore because you can’t stop chewing sugar free gum! (I chew the mess out of some gum!)

21. You spend at least five minutes grilling your server at a restaurant, and another five minutes re-writing the menu until you’ve got a meal that meets your diet’s specifications…and then you devour it in less than 60 seconds flat!!

22. You consider a day when you only have to make one trip to the gym a luxury!

23. You think about having “relaxed hands” and sticking your butt out while standing in line at the grocery store. (hey a girl’s gotta practice her posing!!)

24. You consider condiments and coke zero taboo!!!

25. Your neighbours start gossiping that you’ve had lipo because there is no way a girl could get that fit in twelve weeks!

(With many of our fellow bloggers prepping for figure competitions I could help myself but to post this up again, it still makes me laugh even now reading it. LOL!!)

Taken from: http://www.liahalsall.com/2009/04/09/you-know-youre-a-figure-competitor-when-3/

If you have ever had a good trainer, then you know that after you leave the training session you should feel like you got your butt kicked. You should feel as if you’ve given it your all and pushed past the point where you thought you could ever go. That is why we pay for them right? However, sometimes you have to kick YOURSELF in the butt. Why continue to do your same routine day in and day out without a challenge? Just think about everything else in life. When you went to school, each class was new and challenging, and when you enrolled in college, some of your classes were a struggle…but you managed to get through it and as a result you learned something. You developed your mind and improved your skills. When you first learn how to ride a bike, you fall a few times, lose your balance, but eventually you ride! Why should it be different with your exercise and nutrition? The reason you are not making the progress you want to see is because you are not kicking yourself in the butt hard enough!

I realized this after I got off the stairclimber this morning. I absolutely HATE the stair climber. I avoid it like the plague but today, I got so bored on the elliptical and did not want to run on the treadmill….so, I got on the stairclimber. If you are not used to the stairclimber, it can really start to burn after about 10 minutes and I had 30 minutes ahead of me. I just told myself to get it over with. Every time I wanted to slow down, I increased the level of difficulty. I had my magazine on the machine to distract me from my thoughts and feeling of the burn. (Looking at pictures of someone else’s amazing abs really is great for motivation. Even though I can’t read the article because I am barely surviving through the cardio workout….I can stare at pictures. 🙂 ). Something just made me push a little bit harder today.  I have finally found a strategy that works for me during my dreadful cardio sessions (just being honest). I turn my music up, think about walking across that stage and all the girls who are training to be on that stage, how I want to work harder than them, and how much work it takes to get there. I select a photo or quote to stare at, and I push through the session. Whenever I feel like quitting, I just push a little bit harder. I tell you, it will do something for your confidence if you just kick your own a$@ every once in a while.

You need to be honest with yourself. Are you really doing everything that you can to get to where you say you want to be? In order to do this, you have to critique yourself and it is not always pretty. However, once you do, you can have a place to start and you only go up from there! Speaking of critques….I finally have the courage to post my progress pics. When I look at the first set, I cringe a little. They are not bad but man my mid-section looked horredous…anyway here they are. They were taken 3 weeks apart. Hopefully with the next set, I will have my competition suit or shoes at least. The suit in these pictures is just a regular bikini. Here we go…

( I see some progress and I credit clean eating, harder lifting, and extra cardio to the changes. I am also doing more ab work). I am about 21 weeks away from the competition. My areas of improvement are my abs, back, butt and obliques.

 “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”-Zig Ziglar

Taken September 4th

Taken September 25th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taken September 4th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taken September 25th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taken September 4th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taken September 25th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strike a Pose...Lol 🙂

We had a health fair at work yesterday which I thought was an excellent idea. I was excited because I have not had a physical in a little while, and it was a great opportunity to see how my training has affected my overall health. Prognosis….excellent! My BMI and BF (Bodyfat %) is in the fitness range. I am not too far from the athletic range! Yay! The nurse noted that the machine did not take lean muscle mass into account when calculating body fat. I got a nice complement from her. She gave me props on my muscles! My work is paying off! My arms have become more toned and I am so proud of myself. I love showing my guns off! Lol! 🙂 (I will post progress pics sometime next week). I also dropped a couple of pounds! I know I am within 5-7 pounds of the weight I want to be for competition. (Although in figure that is not such a big deal as it is in bodybuilding).

My respiration, pulse, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose are all on point. I am one healthy woman! This makes me prouder than anything else. Yes, I want to have a banging body but I know that the positive result of getting in shape is being very healthy. That is worth more than anything in the world to me and it should be to you too! The competition is just a means to keep me motivated and challenge me to do something that most people will never do.

The physical has really given me the motivation to continue with this journey. I am going to put my results somewhere in the house where I can see them…maybe beside the photographs of figure competitors that I have taped on the pantry! (You need visual motivation sometimes to remind yourself of the  goal).