A Good Weekend!

The whole weekend was a success in my book! I followed my meal plan menu and literally kicked my own ass at the gym! At one point I think my tear ducts actually turned into sweat ducts, but it truly is the best feeling knowing that you are getting in a good work out. Do you know that feeling where your legs feel, and in my case probably look, like Jell-O jigglers?? Where you go to step off the treadmill or just simply take your first step after killer lunges? Yea, those jiggle legs!! I love it though, it's the pain that hurts so good. :)

The meal plan menu was literally one of the smartest things I have done in a long time. It makes life so much easier. Take today for instance, I was starving when we got home from the gym and I was not sure what to eat. I take a look at my meal plan, and whala! it's already been planned for me and it actually feels relieving knowing that I don't have to make that decision on the spot. To whom ever came up with the idea of the meal plan, I love you!

To conclude the weekend, we had an awesome dinner with family that I adore. The dinner was pork chops, zucchini, asparagus, twice baked potatoes, and cheese bread. It was an amazing spread and all looked so good. If you know me at all, you will know that twice baked potatoes and bread makes my mouth water like Pavlov's Dog!! Proving to myself that I am in this to change my life I had a yummy pork chop and the veggies, that's it. I could hear a crowd in an uproar cheering for me, in my head of course, but it was there nonetheless. So with that I say...bring on the week!!

The "Skinny" and the Pantry Cleanse

So, here's the deal. Let's take this one day at a time...starting with learning the basics and moving on from there. After all, what's the rush, we have the rest of our healthy lives and there is no point in jumping in blind, which in my case has eventually led right back to the unclean life all over again.

The Skinny

My girl Tosca Reno, author of The Eat-Clean Diet, so brilliantly says, "Look at it this way. If 80 percent of your body comes from nutrition and you eat 365 days a year, then you might as well know how to do it right!"

It would be helpful in knowing what exactly is "clean" and what is not, so here's the Skinny, according to the book:

• Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day.
  
• Eat every 2 to 3 hours.
  
• Combine lean protein and complex carbs, whole grains and fruits and veggies, at every meal. (Eat a palm size of both with each meal, that is approximately a 4-5 oz. portion)
  
• Drink at least 2 liters, or 8 cups, of water each day.
  
• Never miss a meal, especially breakfast.
• Carry a cooler loaded with Eat-Clean foods to get through the day if you are not going to be home.
• Avoid all over-processed, refined foods, especially white flour and sugar.
• Avoid saturated and trans fats.
• Avoid sugar-loaded colas and juices.
• Consume adequate healthy fats (EFA's, essential fatty acids) each day. (This means oils such as olive, flaxseed, grapeseed, pumpkin, and fish oil.)
• Avoid alcohol- another form of sugar.
  
• Avoid all calorie-dense foods that contain little or no nutritional value.
• Depend on fresh fruits and veggies for fiber, vitamins, and enzymes. (I will still be taking my vitamins though)
  
• Stick to proper portion sizes - NO MORE upsizing!

Do you have the red mark on your forehead like I do from the multiple Duh moments? The sad thing is, I already know most of this and yet I just have not given myself the chance to change.

Doesn't it seem so easy? Haven't I already known all of this? Plain and simple truth is, Yep! I have refused to listen and have just looked the other way, well no longer, I am refusing not to listen and I will stare this new, beautiful lifestyle in the face.

Please Note: By no means am I dishing all the contents of the book on here, there is just too much to cover and I highly recommend purchasing Tosca's amazing books, they will certainly help change your life. You can view everything she has to offer at www.eatcleandiet.com


The Pantry Cleanse

What's the point in keeping the unclean foods in my pantry? Not only will I be benefiting from this, but my husband will as well and that is a great gift to give him, whether he sees it as a form of torture now or not. It's not always going to be easy, but he will appreciate the determination, especially when he sees the difference in himself. Don't get me wrong, I love him exactly the way he is, but the healthier we both are, the more active parents we will be to our future children and the better chances of us being able to live out our dream of growing old together!

Something quite valuable that I learned this past weekend from my dear cousin is that one teaspoon of granulated white sugar is equal to about 4.2 grams! That's insane, especially considering what we as a nation consume daily, such as sodas and sweets. Sugar intake is especially important to me due to my family's background of diabetes. I WILL take charge right now and better my chances of not developing the disease!

And now to tackle my pantry and cupboards...here goes!

Here are some of the items that I literally just threw in the garbage:

• Box of Slim Fast bars - there is approx. 2.38 tsp of sugar in one bar!
• Box of Special K Bars- approx. 3.57 tsp of sugar in one
• Box of Pop Tarts - approx. 3.8 tsp of sugar in one pop tart, not one package
• 1 liter of Coke that Cory so loves with his Jack - approx. 28.5 tsp in the bottle

And are you ready for this, this made my jaw literally hit the counter and I am sure I have a bruise on my chin now....

• A bag of individually wrapped Rolos - approx. 303 tsp of sugar in that bag! Um, yeah, Buh Bye!!!

These are just a few of the items that are no longer in my home, I have just rid of their evils! At first I had my reservations because hey, I paid money for all these items. It helps knowing that the items that were not opened, very few items I might add, I can donate to our local food bank.

Off to the grocery store for me now. I will be staying on the outer ring of the grocery store, the inner aisles is where the evils lurk! :)

Oh and one more thing! The word scale is just another "S" word that I will not be using. Why do we measure ourselves by the number on the scale and not how we feel? My own personal progress will be measured by my old pair of favorite jeans that have been callin' my name and by the inches that I will be losing. Hasta La Vista Scale!