My "Eat Clean" Meals

My weight loss journey has hit many plateaus, but not surprisingly, I've always seen the biggest improvements when I've eaten a really "clean" diet.  For me, that means finding something high protein that I can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about 5 days straight, then switch to something else.  And when I'm eating really healthy, I'm also more likely to workout.  Conversely, if I'm in a "bad" eating rut, I'm not likely to be hitting the gym.

I'm no dietician or nutritionist and only know what has worked for me.  Some of you read my story about losing the baby-weight and asked for more info on my diet, so here goes.  AND, I love this Eat-Clean Cookbook.

Picture 1: James 2 weeks old

Picture 2:  James 17 months old (photo shot at bootcamp!)

First, I'll let you know that my goal was to build muscle and get lean, with Jamie Eason as one of my inspirational goals.  I like her shape, although she is a fitness model who is way leaner and more muscular than I'd like to be.  She is about my height though, 5'2 (I'm a shorty at 5'1).

To obtain the kind of shape she is in, you have to eat a super-strict diet, and I've never been that disciplined.  I still eat Mexican food, ice cream, iced mochas from Starbucks, and drink wine, (but all in moderation).

Although I don't really count calories, Jamie provides a formula for you to use if you are trying to lose weight.

via JamieEason.com

Here's what I typically do.  I try to eat approximately 100 grams of protein per day, broken into about 5 small meals. I love my Starbuck's iced mochas in the afternoon, but will get an iced tea instead if I'm trying to watch my calories.

I usually work out in the evening, so when I get home and am hungry, I'll have bacon and eggs.  Sometimes, for breakfast, I'll eat oatmeal with skim milk, raisins, cinnamon, and sliced almonds, then drink the protein shake later in the day.

For me, the easiest thing to do is find a few healthy meals I know I like and eat them over and over.  Boring for sure, but since getting high-protein meals in is key, it works best for me.  I might eat one of the meals for a week, then switch to something else.  Of course, I "splurge" on cheeseburgers or nachos or something every so often too.

My three "go-to" meals are:

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RECIPE:

• Extra lean ground turkey (1 package)


• Low sodium black beans (1 can)


• Brown rice (1 cup)


• Taco Bell low sodium seasoning

I make the rice in a saucepan while I brown the turkey meat.  Then I add the seasoning and black beans to the meat.  Combine the cooked rice into the meat and top with low fat sour cream, low fat cheese, salsa, and sometimes I crunch up a couple of tortilla chips on top.  (James actually loves this too).

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RECIPE

• Chicken tenders (or chicken breast)


• Salad mix (I buy prewashed in a bag)


• Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce (found in the regular grocery store in the Asian aisle)


• Lime juice


• Sliced almonds

I cook a package of chicken tenders and portion them out for 2 tenders per salad.  I usually mix a couple tablespoons of the peanut sauce with a tiny bit of lowfat peanut butter because the sauce is kinda spicy and I want to mellow it out.  I add a squeeze of lime and toss in the salad and chicken, topping with some sliced almonds for crunch.

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RECIPE:

Ingredients:

* 2 lbs ground turkey (or chicken)

* 3 egg whites

* 1 cup quick cooking oats

* 1/2 tsp ground cumin

* 1/2 tsp dried thyme

* 2 tsp dry yellow mustard

* 2 tsp black pepper

* 2 tsp chipotle pepper spice

* 1 tsp salt

* 2 tbsp garlic powder (2 cloves minced)

* 1 small onion (finely chopped)

* 2 celery stalks (finely chopped)

(I make several batches of the seasoning mix at once since I have all the ingredients out).  I also usually eat them with a side of frozen steamed veggies.  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray muffin pan with canola or olive oil.

3. Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl.

4. Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan. Muffins should be about the size of a racquetball.

5. Bake for 40 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Here's a video showing Jamie Eason cooking these- she calls them turkey meatloaf muffins.

I hope this helps!  I'm always curious how long it took other women to lose their "baby" weight too, I think it helps knowing that for many of us, it takes a loooong time!

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Also, my ULTIMATE WORKOUT PLAYLIST (60 songs) is on my healthy lifestyle blog, Honey We're Healthy. 



UPDATE:  July 2014:  I just trained for and competed in my first NPC Bikini Competition.  You can read about my journey HERE.



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Houston Boot Camp

If you've been reading my blog or following me on Twitter, you know that over the last year I've struggled to lose the 50ish pounds I gained during my pregnancy.  For a woman that's just 5'1, I couldn't wait to drop those extra pounds and it's taken me nearly a year and a half to do it!  

A gorgeous blogging buddy from Houston invited me to participate in a boot camp, Houston Area Adventure Boot Camp, the longest-running boot camp in the Houston area.  Over the last seven years they have helped more then 5200 people achieve their fitness goals.  I immediately knew I wanted to bring my girlfriend (and workout partner since college) since she's always up for these types of adventures.

We showed up just before the class was about to start at 6:30 p.m. (although they offer morning classes too), with the Houston heat not letting up a bit.  Neither of us had done a boot camp before, so we didn't know what to expect.  Immediately, we met the awesome trainer, TJ, and two other women, who made us feel right at home.  Here we are with TJ:)

This class kicked our butt!  We did drills where we had to pick up a poker chip, run up a hill to find out what exercise corresponded to the chip, run back down the hill, ultimately doing 15-30 repetitions of 30 exercises.  OUCH!  We were sweating and panting and our heart rates were UP for the entire hour!  TJ was so encouraging and helpful and FUN!  They played hip hop music and the other people in the class were super sweet.  It's easy to make friends when you're all commiserating from running up that dang hill and doing your 50th pushup!

Just before class ended, my girlfriend became the photographer and shot some pics so I could show you.

Isn't it a pretty park where the class is held? So nice to get outside after a long day at the office.

And I LOVE that my single girl snapped a pic of the hot guy! I laughed so hard when I saw this pic on my camera! :)  Get fit and meet men- perfect for you single ladies!!

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If you're interested in attending a class, here's their contact info:

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p.s. It's my friend Lily's ONE year blogging birthday!  I know she'd LOVE it if you'd stop by and say hi!

Losing the Baby Weight

I have struggled with writing this post- started writing it a million times in my head but couldn’t commit it to the blog.  I think it’s because I haven’t reached my “goal” yet, but I decided instead that it might be worthwhile to talk about the process and celebrate my progress, even if I’m still not completely back to my pre-pregnancy body.  And I’m not sure I ever will be since things like wider hips just might be here to stay.  Really, I’m okay with that since I’m pretty small-framed, it’s nice to have some curves!

Let’s start at the beginning. 

All my life I’ve been in pretty good shape, but I didn’t start working out until college.  I liked the way lifting weights helped turn my skinny body into a stronger, more muscular shape.  In the six months before I got pregnant, I was working out with a trainer a couple times a week, doing a couple days of cardio, and eating pretty clean.

My goal was to get in bikini shape for my sister-in-law’s wedding in Vegas that June.  I also colored my hair dark brown!  This pic was taken in Vegas at the Bachelorette party.  I’m about 5’1 and weigh about 106 pounds here.

I also got pregnant that month!  Here I am about two weeks pregnant.  And morning sickness was starting to kick in. 

At the VERY beginning, I liked the changes to my body during pregnancy, i.e. bigger boobs!! ;)  But, then, for the first trimester of my pregnancy, I was exhausted.  I barely made it home from work without falling asleep.  I had no energy.  I stopped working out completely.  I gained weight- fast.  I remember one of my early prenatal visits and when the nurse lifted up my shirt to examine me, she kinda laughed and said, “you’re already wearing maternity jeans?”  Yes, ma’am- my regular pants already didn’t fit. 

I started eating whatever I wanted.  And what I wanted wasn’t healthy.  Things like ice cream and calorie rich Mexican dishes.  And even in the 2nd trimester when my energy returned, I still didn’t work out.  I didn’t work out my entire pregnancy.  I was so miserable, even though I was relatively healthy, but putting so much weight on my small frame was hard on me.  I’ll spare you the gory details.

Fast forward to Christmas.  I remember that all I felt comfortable in was sweatpants- the thin kind you can almost sleep in.  And I still had 3 months to go!  At work, I was miserable - waddling to court and mediations, sweating, and pretty much wearing flip flops daily because my feet wouldn’t fit into regular shoes.

Yet, don’t let that stop me from eating the CHEESECAKE! 

Oh, notice the Wii Fit sitting next to me? I asked my brother for that for Christmas, thinking I could start using it at home during that last trimester.  You guessed it- it’s NEVER been opened!

Mid February- still 6 weeks to go!  Didn’t think I could get any bigger? Ha!  Here I am standing on our home’s foundation, wishing the house would hurry and get finished so we could move in!

And here I am at the very END of my pregnancy, and after gaining about 55 pounds! My poor swollen face and hands! 

Ahhhh, welcoming the arrival of the baby!!  After James was born in March 2010, I was so looking forward to losing weight so that I could feel like myself again.  I was just so uncomfortable during my pregnancy!! 

Within one week, I lost 20 pounds.  James was 7.5 of those:)  Another week later, I had lost 5 more pounds- that’s 25 down, and only 25 to go!  

Even with 25 pounds lost, I was somewhat horrified to discover that, at this point, I still looked pregnant.  (But I’m happy to be standing in my future closet!)

I read this book during my pregnancy, “The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy”, that said regarding the weight loss, “nine months up, nine months down.”  But I didn’t want to believe that.  Not me, I thought smugly.  I’ll be back in 6 months! 

WRONG!

One month after James’ birth, I went back to working out with my trainer (about once a week).  I also began really watching what I ate. 

To achieve the body I’d really love to have, I’d have to eat something like this:

• 6:00 a.m. Half a cup of oatmeal and five egg whites with chopped bell peppers and onions.

• 9:00 a.m. Turkey meatloaf and one rice cake with two tablespoons of cinnamon cottage cheese on top.

• 12:00 p.m. Five ounces of stir-fried chicken with half a cup of brown rice and steamed veggies.”

• 3:00 p.m. Two corn tortillas topped with black beans, pepper, onions and five ounces of grilled chicken.

• 6:00 p.m. Turkey meatloaf with a four-ounce sweet potato and one cup of steamed broccoli.

• 9:00 p.m. Six boiled egg whites, cut in half and stuffed with water-packed canned tuna (mixed with celery, onions, mustard and spices). Plus, one toffuti pop.

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But since I’m not trying to get that muscular, or that lean, I eat a modified version that looks more like this:

• 7:00 a.m.  1/2 cup oatmeal with raisins, almond slices, cinnamon, and skim milk.  Coffee with vanilla caramel creamer.
  
  


• 10:00 a.m.  Greek yogurt with granola, strawberries, and blueberries.
  
  


• 12:00 p.m.  Chipolte burrito bowl with rice, black beans, chicken, pico, and a little bit of sour cream
  
  


• 3:00 p.m.  Protein bar or Starbuck’s iced tall mocha.
  
  


• 6:00 p.m.  Chicken with veggies, shrimp pesto pasta, or turkey burger
  
  


• 9:00 p.m.  Cereal, hershey kisses, or hot cocoa

Obviously, this is not consistent.  Sometimes I eat better than others, but I am good at eating small portions and stopping when I get full. 

By Mother’s day, 2 months later, I was starting to feel pretty good, but still had a belly and don’t remember what I weighed.

May 2010

June 2010

October 2011

By this time, (7 months), I had lost 40 pounds (Yay!), but with only 15 pounds to go, I kinda lost steam.  Then came the holidays and the toffee and I hit the wall.  I stopped working out with the trainer and just enjoyed all the food that goes with the holidays, probably adding on about 5 pounds.

November 2010

We bought a running stroller, but I only used it a couple of times. 

January 2011

With two months til James turned one, I was really hoping to lose those last 10 pounds.  But although my weight was coming down, I really needed to tone up.  My arms were actually pretty strong (I think from lifting a carrying a 20 pound baby around)!  I started back up with the trainer (still only once or twice a week) and she stressed that I really needed to be doing my cardio and start eating more often (I’d gotten into a habit of eating only breakfast, a light lunch, having a Starbucks in the afternoon and then a not-so-great dinner).

So I started jogging again.  And eating better.

And now, I jog with James in the running stroller a few times a week.  James usually falls asleep and I love the workout and the clarity and peace of mind I get after a run.

I love being outside and we’re fortunate to have a park with a 3-mile track nearby.

 

Last weekend, we went to the beach.  I wore a bikini and didn’t feel embarrassed.  I still am not down to my pre-pregnancy weight- 5 pounds to go, but I’m honestly not concerned with that.  I’m more focused now on gaining muscle, and increasing my cardio.

My brunette hair has been properly dyed back to blond, has grown and been getting regularly cut by my new stylist, and I finally feel like myself again (and my son is almost 14 months old now!)  So 9 months up and 9 months down would’ve been great, but it’s taken me a bit longer. 

These pictures were taken almost exactly one year apart. 

*here's an updated photo from July 2011, taken during a boot camp session.

I shared my story because I know that when I was pregnant, I was really interested in what was going to happen to my body during and after pregnancy.  I would like to be able to say I was all glowy and never felt more beautiful, but for me, the exact opposite was true!  Maybe I’m not that evolved or self-actualized or whatever.



We want to have another baby in the future, so hopefully, I will do pregnancy a little better next time- so that I feel better and enjoy it more!  I would love to hear from you and what worked for you, what didn’t, how you felt about being pregnant, and any other tips you might want to share.



Also, my ULTIMATE WORKOUT PLAYLIST (60 songs) is on my healthy lifestyle blog, Honey We're Healthy. 



*UPDATE:  July 2014:  I just trained for and competed in my first NPC Bikini Competition!  You can read about my journey HERE.