Hungry for Change? Eating Clean.

So as you all may have noticed, I have made a commitment to eat at least 90% clean. For those of you that are not familliar with "eating clean," these are the basics:

1. Eat 5 or 6 small meals everyday, every 2 or 3 hours
2. Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal
3. Drink a lot of water (at least 90oz)
4. Never miss a meal, I set an alarm on my phone AND plan ahead.
5. Bring your food with you wherever you go, unless you know clean food will be there- again PLAN ahead.
6. Avoid all over-processed, refined foods especially white flour and sugar- honestly after a few days you will not even crave them!
7. Avoid all saturated and trans fat
8. Avoid SODA and juices- try sparkling water (uhhh La Croix coconut is my FAV) or juicing fresh fruit.
9. Consume adequate healthy fats every day- nuts, olives, avocados, fish-YUM

10. Avoid alcohol...I however, just limit mine. I'm a sucker for white wine and ritas.
11. Depend on fresh fruits and veggies for fiber, vitamins and enzymes, I eat some with all of my meals.
12. Stick to proper portion sizes- see #13. 

13. Listen to your body, when you are hungry, eat. When you are satiated, stop. 

Mike and I watched a documentary this week called "Hungry For Change," that really dove into the science behind clean eating, and healthy foods. I would highly recommend watching it. It is on Netflix stream instantly, which is how we saw it, because we are super cheap. 

Challenge Group!!

Every month, I will be hosting a challenge for people to be part of. I will keep it small, so that we can all hold each other more accountable, and get to know and support each other more. So here is the deal,  I am looking for FIVE truly COMMITTED people to be my and each others support system as I prepare for summer. The group will run for 60 days starting March 18. There will be No EXCUSES. Email me at cmsmith143@yahoo.com for details, or post questions here and I will get them answered ASAP. 

Fat Rant and Grocery List!

Here is a little look inside my fridge and freezer. Some of the stuff is Mike's (AHEM half and half, eggs, cheese.) This is after a big shopping trip. I typically buy my meats at Costco, and then freeze and pull what I need out of the freezer for the week. On Sundays, I usually portion everything into bags and tupperware (in that tupperware on the top shelf is turkey meatballs. Ready to bake. I also have veggies chopped in a bag to go into an egg scramble on 2nd shelf. ) In case you can't tell on the second shelf are blueberries in the back left and spinach/asparagus on the right.)

Whatever I don't get to, I chop up and freeze so that I will not have to throw it out. That is also why my freezer is so messy! We buy the giant bulk chicken from Costco (the one with fat still attached :shudder: because it is cheaper. And Mike assures me he will cut the fat off. You see I have this thing with fat on my meat. It GROSSES me out. It is not for health reasons either, I mean obviously eating a hunk of fat on chicken is unhealthy, but it freaks me out. I don't care if that is what makes it "flavorful." I want it off.  Mike pretty much thinks I am a freak, but he cuts the fat off of any cut of meat to appease me- before cooking it. 

Below is my grocery list, obviously I do not buy all of this every week, but print it out and cross off what I do not need/want that week. I try to eat clean (check those ingredient lists!) and buy organic when possible/ I can afford it. 

Dairy or Dairy Substitute:

            Almond or coconut milk

            Skim milk

            Plain Greek yogurt (I prefer FAGE)

            Mozzarella string cheese- part skim

            Buttermilk (buy once and freeze in TBSP portions for when you need it!)

            Parmesan cheese

            Shredded mozzarella cheese

Meat:

            Chicken breasts

            Ground Turkey

            Ground bison

            Fish

Fruit:

            Bananas (for my shakeology)

            Lemon/Lime for my H2O

            Berries

            Avocados

            Frozen fruit

Grain/Carbs:

            Quinoa or brown rice

            Ezekiel cinnamon raison bread (in freezer section)

            Whole wheat tortillas

             Plain Oatmeal. 

Veggies:

            Spinach or other greens

            Asparagus

            Squash

            Bell Peppers (any colors!)

            Cherry tomatoes

            Carrots

            Onion

            Broccoli

            Green onions

            Mushrooms

            Any frozen veggies you would like!

Other:

            Almonds

            Olive oil

            Any low fat sauces/marinades you like ( I am currently addicted to the Weber just add juice lemon pepper marinade!)

            Balsamic vinegar

            Egg whites (make sure they only have egg in them, I have found some brands have HUGE ingredient lists of things like onion powder-WTF?!)

            Chicken/vegetable broth

            Spices

            Canned tomatoes (whole, paste, sauce)

            Soup

           

 

My Commitment

I have made a commitment to myself to eat clean at least 95% of the time. To do my best to stick to the P90X Nutrition Plan. To do EVERY workout (if I need to skip a day, make up that day on a rest day). To drink Shakeology Once a day (This one will be cake, I LOVE Shakeology). To encourage others to lift themselves up, as I lift myself up. To work on my personal growth, my professional growth and my relationships.

To make myself more accountable, I have decided to join Team Beachbody as a coach. Not only do coaches get rockin' discounts on Shakeology, but it will help keep me accountable to my commitment to help others along their journey. So to all my friends and blog readers, if you would like to take a leap into a healthier you, as I am currently doing, let me know and I will get you set up in some of the awesome support groups I am a part of!

My Backstory

Throughout my childhood I was always in decent shape. I was never the smallest girl, but average. I ate what I wanted in LARGE quantities (I could seriously put away TWO Chipotle burritos), but I never gained weight because I danced and cheered daily. I was always proud that I could eat so much food, . Fast forward to college where I gained the freshman 15 and then some, went through a rough break-up and lost it all by not eating much. 

The next school year I gained it all back but spent three months that next summer backpacking through Europe with my new boyfriend. We chose to stretch our money so that we could be there for as long as possible,  so we mostly ate bread and water, with some occasional fruits and veggies. We tried eating out once in every city. I again lost all of the weight I had gained, but it MESSED up my metabolism. 

Over the next two years, I gained 45 POUNDS! I did about a month of P90X and lost some weight, but I let life get in the way (graduating and job hunting) and gained it back over the next two years. I tried several diets (raw food, juice) but could never last more than a week. I went back to school in August of 2011 and all diet and exercise went out the window. I was working 55-100 hours a week and surviving on chips and salsa and pasta while taking 24 credit hours online a semester. 

I graduated again in May of 2012 and decided it was time to take charge of my life. I joined a bootcamp and went 2-3 times a week. I started eating real meals, but was still known to consume an entire box of cookies in one sitting. I would convince myself that it was "okay" because I had just worked out! I lost 25 pounds after 7.5 months and decided to give P90X another shot. My boyfriend would not have time to do it with me this time, so I recruited two of my friends to do it with me. I also reached out to a Beachbody coach, because I decided that this time I would not stop, and that I need all the help I can get to push myself to where I want to be.