Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Paleo Porridge


Keeping this post SHORT & SWEET! 

I tell everyone about my favorite breakfast treat (when you're doing paleo sometimes the last thing you want to see is an egg!) 

3-4 Ingredients (Cinnamon is optional, I personally love it)

- Applesauce (I use unsweetened to keep sugar low- Trader Joe's $1.99)
-Almond Butter (I LOVE the crunchy texture, but if you hate it get smoothy)
-Coconut Milk (I use the vanilla kind from Trader Joe's)
-Cinnamon


I'm kind of embarrassed that I took pictures of every step. But why not.... 

1 & 1/2 Cups of Apple Sauce in a pan on medium heat 

Add 2 Tablespoons of the almond butter and mix

Mix in the 2 tablespoons of coconut milk

add as little or as much (or none) of the cinnamon

It takes no time to warm up since nothing actually needs "cooking" 

and that's it! in 5 minutes you can have a breakfast that isn't eggs :)

****Play around with the ratio, sometimes it is more watery or thick than you'd like so just tweak it appropriately!****

Monday, March 18, 2013

The Anti-Scale Movement

I have a feeling since I am so passionate about this, this post might actually turn into a series... So, hang in there! I have so many followers/friends/strangers/etc ask me about health & fitness related questions I usually write a blog post after the 15th request/question. It's obviously something more than one person deals with- so why not.

I am obviously not an expert/pro at anything so, whatever I say is just based on my OWN experiences and my own research. Feel free to do your own after reading this!

I know I briefly addressed the muscle compared to fat concept here, but I have to focus on this for a minute.

While I was in the hustle and bustle of losing weight for my wedding, I was consumed with numbers. The wrong kind of number obsession... I was obsessed with seeing the numbers on the scale to go down. I ate great and worked out more in one month than I had in my entire life, at the rate I was going, I was risking being invisible by my wedding... if only it worked that way.

Like I mentioned before, the first month before I started paleo, the only change I did in my entire diet for the month was substituting any liquid with water, making sure I drank my daily requirement, and quit dairy. So, in one month of no sweet tea, milk, cheese, or yogurt- I lost 12 lb. Talk about a "wow" factor. I was so excited. It was the best feeling to see the scale go down. It was habit: wake up, weigh myself, jog, shower, get dressed, go to work. repeat. I was constantly texting my family, "one lb down!!! whoohoo!!! five down! ten down!" etc... AND THEN.

I started working out. So, I went from just cardio to actual weight lifting in the mix. I was toning up and making the deadly mistake of weighing myself every morning. Three weeks in, feeling incredible and toned up, I almost had a nervous break down when I looked down to see the scale laugh at me and actually show an extra 2 lb. WHAT?! what is going on. 4x a week gym. paleo. some cardio. why am I getting "bigger?!"

Ok, here's where the revelation took place. I looked in the mirror, expecting to see this "fat" person I was convinced the extra 2lb turned me into... only to my surprise, I liked what I saw. In fact, I was content. I saw my legs in my shorts (that I only wore in my house! no self confidence YET), and said, "maybe in a few months I COULD wear these out!"

ANNNNNNNDDD that's when the Anti-Scale Movement (ASM) happened. In that moment. I tore my entire house apart looking for a tape measure. Determined to use a different set of numbers. I remember searching a solid two hours for one when I finally gave up and used a string of yarn I had. I took one strand, wrapped it around my belly and cut it. Put it aside. Then I did the same for my arms and thighs. Every month, I measured myself with the same pieces of yarn on the 17th, and would shriek with excitement seeing how much I would take it in! (I ended up getting a tape measure and would measure the excess string from the first month to wherever I was).

Along with the tape measure/yarn method, I did the following:

-I put on a pair of shorts that fit me perfectly and a t-shirt that was kind of snug on my love handles, but didn't look like I was wearing my nieces. I took a selfie of me in the outfit.

-I dusted off a pair of old college jeans that were too tight, but I held onto for over 5 years as a "one-day" goal. You bet I wiggled in. My first selfie of me in them had them at my thighs. It's ok, I took the picture anyway.

-I put on a bikini. This one was the hardest, but by far the most motivating. I saw all my imperfections magnified in front of me. You know I locked the door when taking these. God forbid anyone walk in and subject themselves to such horrific images.

On the 17th of every month after my yarn measurements, I slipped into the above 3 picture outfits. and took the same picture, in the same pose- and compared them month to month. The first two months, I had to do a side by side to see any difference. By month 3, the shorts were so loose, as was the t-shirt, and the college jeans were going up (not zipping yet... but up my hips). Month 6, I screamed with joy because I couldn't even get away with wearing my college "goal" dreams because they were too big!!!! I couldn't even believe it....

AND THEN, the devil said, c'mon- get on that scale! Let's see all your hard work!

3 months into diet and exercise, I lost 4 pant sizes, 8" all over, and still weighed the same as I did when I first started. Thank God I could see my body changing and realize the scale was the DUMBEST way to measure weight loss!!!

9 months into diet and exercise, I lost a total of 8 (!!!!) pant sizes and was faced with daily accusations of starving myself or bulimia. I loved knowing that I looked so much thinner and could PROVE to these people that it was definitely done the healthy way, because I could hop on a scale and easily weigh 30lb more than them (or what they THOUGHT I weighed!) I had muscle mass, I was lean because of my muscle. The irony? I weighed the exact same as day one of my journey.

From July 2011- October 2011 (3 months) : With a combination of paleo and cardio: I lost the majority of my weight. Around 35 lbs. While I weighed less, I was flabby and still had muffin top/extra weight/bloated face etc.

From October 2011- March of 2012 (5 months), I weighed the EXACT SAME, but managed to shrink from a 10/12 to a 4/6. Even wearing Old Navy size 2. I know they run big, but, I still had a pair of size 12 shorts from there. I was elated. This was due to that crazy amounts of weight lifting I had added, which made me burn more calories while resting. So even if I wasn't in the gym, I was getting fit. It's weird. I don't get it. But trainers do, ask one you know!

Everyone thinks I was "so tiny" for my wedding... but as embarrassing as it is to admit, if it helps you guys join the ASM I will tell you the numbers.... UGH I never thought I would do this. I was a size 4 on my wedding day, and weighed 147. That was a farrrrr goal from my original "goal" of weighing 130 for it!  Goals Schmoals.... I had my dress taken in 5 times. The seamstress was getting mad at me, but I couldn't help it. I wasn't TRYING to lose weight anymore, I was just maintaining my fitness, and the irony is she kept saying, "STOP LOSING WEIGHT" and i wanted to laugh and say I'M NOT!



So, for 5 months, I weighed the same but looked SO DIFFERENT. I should be living proof of why you should take the battery out of your scale (since I know you won't listen and will want to weigh yourself occasionally--- blog post on THAT to come soon).

I absolutely hate doing this, but in case my words mean nothing- maybe my pictures will help?

I started my weight loss goal with a WEIGHT in mind, because it was all I knew. I knew I weighed too much, and I wanted to LOOK the way I did when I was at this particular weight in my life.

Taken at my sisters wedding in 2005, I was a sophomore in college and weighed 135
I told myself, I wanted to weigh 135 because I liked how I looked in this picture....

I feel like I look similar... but whatttt I weighed over 12lb more in this pic 
See how numbers can be deceiving?.... Ok, let me REITERATE... 
I weighed the same in THIS picture

how emb, i cringe looking at how bloated I look... 

AS I DID IN THIS PICTURE!!!!

i will take a bigger number on the scale and have a toned body any day, over a smaller number and flabbier bod!

SO, I hope that makes it clear for anyone out there using the scale as the true sign of weight loss. 


IT ALL depends on how you feel, look, and perform. I swear, let's do this ASM and quit beating ourselves up over numbers that don't matter! I know plenty of people who were bigger than me (measurement wise) and weighed less, and I know plenty of people SMALLER than me who weighed more. Just think about how you feel in your clothes, how you feel when your picture is taken, etc. I have come to peace with the fact that I will probably never ever be in the 130's again. It's not in the cards for my body frame, and that's ok! Because, last time I checked no one put a scale in front of me and forced me to get on it for any reason. Not for a friendship, relationship, etc. So it's not even worth it. Do it for yourself, do it for the right reasons, and the end result will always please you!