My Fitness Journey So Far

So far, I have lost 53 pounds in 6 months! Woohoo!

I just wanted to take a few minutes and thank those of you who have been super supportive and inspiring! I have met so many wonderful new people so far, and I am absolutely blown away by the kindness and motivation that people share! I am part of two fitness groups on Facebook, and the encouragement from each and every member is wonderful! Having a "fitfam" has made this journey so much more bearable! Who wants to go through it alone?!

If you're on a journey, and if you feel alone- you're not! There are so many people out there willing to give you a little push, motivation, and even offer advice! I will stand by your side, or behind you to give you that extra little shove if you need it! You're not alone, we're all in this together! I have an accountability partner, Suzie, whom I check in with daily and we share what we have done (as far as working out) that day.  I also met Sara, who's motivation keeps me motivated! She's just plain awesome and so encouraging! If you need a partner, let me know. I will try to set you up with someone, or I will check in with you daily to help keep you motivated! We all can be an inspiration to one another. We're not here to compete, but to empower! You've got this!

No, I am not a fitness coach. No, I am not an expert. No, I don't get paid. No, I don't pretend to know everything about anything. I am simply addicted to my workouts, and am in the process of making it a habit and not a "have to." Yes, I will offer you advice if you ask for it. You can take it for what it's worth, or throw it out the door. What works for me, may not work for you. We're all different, but sharing the same journey. Don't walk alone, it's much more fun when you know there are people out there who've got your back!

Yes, there will be "haters." There will be people who doubt you- friends, family, acquaintances. Let that be even more motivation to kick some ass and prove them all wrong! Only you can control your outcome.

Have a tremendous Tuesday and email me if you're interested in an accountability partner!
foodielovesfitness@gmail.com

NO, you do not have to be a blogger to have a partner.
Also, share your IG account name with me and I would be glad to follow!
you can find me @foodielovesfitness -leave me a comment that you found my blog and I will follow back!

A quarter of the way through Insanity!

Hi! I can't believe I'm a quarter of the way through Insanity already! Yay! Does it work? Yes. I'm losing inches people! I'm stronger, I'm losing fat, and guess what?! I found some muscle I didn't think I would ever see again! I took the second fit test and some of my numbers doubled! How awesome is that?! 

Here is a photo collage of my transformation so far. The photo of me holding my daughter was in January of this year. The picture next to it was taken today. The photos on top are progress photos and results from Insanity. In just 16 days! Damn! I'm proud! 

I wasn't sure I would ever see muscle again, let alone collarbones! I can't wait to see the changes the next 44 days will bring! 

On a side note, I've also been switching over to Paleo. I'm no expert, just learning! Feel free to leave comments with your blogs and I would love to visit! I need all of the support I could get!

Low Calorie No-Bake Cookies

Low Calorie? Say what!?

Yep, I've found the perfect recipe for no-bake cookies! 54 Calories per cookie! Awesome!
I will give you the ingredients, and tell you how I tweaked it, you choose how you make it, but your calories may change!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Splenda
1/3 Cup almond milk (regular milk is okay, but your calories and fat will change)
2 tablespoons of butter - I use a smart healthy butter that is lower in calories
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt
1 1/2 scoops chocolate protein powder (mocha or coffee)
** here is where I changed it up. I added chocolate flavored lean 25 from GNC
1/4 Cup of creamy peanut butter ** I used PB2.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups quick oats

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan (medium heat) add Splenda, milk, butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring to a boil and let the mixture boil for one minute, stirring frequently.

2. Remove from heat and whisk PB2 (or peanut butter) protein powder, and vanilla until well mixed. Stir in the oats.

3. Roll into golf ball sizes and drop onto waxed paper or you can plop them down with a spoon for the "haystack" look. Allow them to cool and setup for 15 minutes and coat with additional cocoa powder, PB2 and finely chopped nuts ** I didn't top mine with anything.

Day 3 of Insanity

Yes, it's still insane. Today my calves are a little more tender too! I read to use a foam roller and roll out the muscle but the thought of it just makes me cringe! Advice?

Day 3 was not a pleasant experience! I found a link online to watch all of the insanity videos until I get mine (hopefully this week)! Yesterday, I even let the video load for quite a while and it still kept stopping (mid-workout) to load! It ended up taking me a little over an hour to finish Cardio Power & Resistance- which as of now is my least favorite video! So when the video would freeze, I would try to do previous exercises and keep my heart rate up because if I don't my Polar ft4 yells at me! All in all, I ended up burning 500 or so calories. -Hey I'll take it! Not to mention I had my 5 month old watching me like I was a crazy jumping baboon!

Click here to watch my silly laughing little one :)

How are your workouts coming along?!

I also was so excited I went grocery shopping and found an aisle with Walden Farms products! No calories, sugar, gluten, or fat- what more could a woman ask for?!

Keep pushing play, and dig deep! You're better today than you were yesterday and if I can do it, you can too! Happy Hump Day!

B's New Workout Routine

This is Britt and my first post so be kind, I am new to this. I have been trying a new workout routine and feeling exhausted when I leave the gym, (which I think is everyone's goal), so I am excited to share!

I have been doing a walk/run to start out. It consists of alternating between 2 minutes of walking, 9.5 incline at 4.5 speed then 3 minutes of running at 3.5 incline, 7 speed. I do this for 25 minutes. Then I sprint for 5 minutes, 0 incline 8.3 speed. By this time my legs are JELLO. Next, I head over to the Row machine. Rowing is great because it is a full body workout. It feels AWESOME looking down and seeing pure sweat! After I drinch my towel, I finish the routine with lifting and abs to get a small cool down before heading out of the gym. Try this workout and tweak a little to fit your needs and feel free to leave comments/questions (unless negative) :) -B

Day 1 & 2 of Insanity

Hi Friends!

Over the weekend I tried the Insanity Fit Test and loved it! I went out and bought myself a Polar Fitness Watch (more motivation) and it was one of the best investments I think I have ever made! It literally pushes me to go harder, faster!

Today I started day 2 of Insanity. Insanity is literally insane. No joke, these people are nuts-o and I cannot wait to be able to keep up with the video!! I have never in my life been so excited about sweating through my clothes and earning every shower.

I won't lie to you, there were moments when I wanted to drop down on the floor and just lay there for an hour and take a nap. I went through 1.5 water bottles, and even during the stretches, I was still dripping sweat. It felt awesome! There were also moments that I felt like my heart was on fire, and I had to stop to let my HR slow down, and take a breather, but I went right back at it and almost burned 500 calories in less than an hour. Holy Hell Batman! I never got those results running!

Yay for Insanity! And I bought the GNC Lean 25, basically trying (keyword trying) to find a similar product to Shakeology because this girl can't spend $150 on those shakes! So far, I like the Lean 25, we will see how well it works for me!

If you're following along on Instagram, I hope you're enjoying #motivationMonday!

Low Calorie Turkey Chili

Doesn't it just look fabulous!?

It tastes even better!

Servings: 8-10 (my batch made 8 cups) at just under 200 calories per cup

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Turkey- I used 97% fat free

1 can Organic Black Beans (I found the lowest calories I could)

1 Can Red Beans

1 Lg. Can of Tomato Juice

Kale

Mixed Colored Bell Peppers

Onion

Chili Powder

Garlic Salt

Paprika

(seasonings are optional)

Also Optional:

Greek Yogurt 0% (sour cream substitute)

Part Skim Shredded Cheese

90 Calorie (or low calorie) tortillas or crackers

Directions:

Cook ground turkey like you would ground beef

Once turkey is cooked thoroughly, add your cans of beans and tomato juice. I started with 8 ounces and ended up needing a couple more ounces- It just depends on how thick you prefer your chili!

Add diced peppers and onion

Add chopped Kale- I cute mine pretty small so I wouldn't know it was even it there!

Add seasoning if you choose to do so- Maybe a tsp of each? I didn't measure- just add to taste!

I let my chili simmer for about an hour or so, the longer it simmers, the more flavor you'll get! 

With my leftovers, I saved a bowl and then froze the rest for another day!

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Low Calorie Grilled Turkey Burger

This is probably by far one of my new favorite recipes! I seriously liked it just as much as a regular old beef patty!

One Serving: Approximately 300 Calories

Ingredients:

*Ground Turkey LEAN 97% FAT FREE

*Onion

*Avocado (peeled and cut)

*Salsa- I use Herdez (15 calories per serving- and tastes like restaurant salsa)!

*Low Cal Buns- I just used 35 Calorie whole wheat bread

Jalapeños are optional.

*preheat your grill or stove top (I used a grill)

For the burger:

One serving is 4-5 ounces (read your label). 

Mix in desired amount of onion and a TBSP of Salsa.

-I didn't use a lot of onion because I put onion on top of my burger as well.

Mix ingredients into patty and place on aluminum foil.

**I wrapped my foil around the whole burger so that I could place it on the grill and flip it without the burger falling apart.

I also sliced a few strips of the onion and wrapped them in aluminum foil as well and grilled them (they don't take long at all and burn easy! I used 0 Calorie butter spray as well (maybe 2-3 sprays?)

I also toasted my bread halfway- that's optional!

Once your burger & onions are cooked thoroughly, place on your bun or bread slice. I put about 1/4 of a sliced avocado on top of my burger, along with jalapeños and salsa.

Other toppings are optional- that's just how I prepared mine!

Enjoy!

Baked Taco Salad

Baked Taco Salad

315 calories per taco salad- including the shell!

You will need:

**preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Around 1 pound Ground Lean Turkey- I found 97% fat free

90 Calorie Whole Wheat Tortillas

Lettuce (I used Iceburg) -shredded may work best!

Mixed bell peppers

Chopped onion

*Homemade Taco Seasoning 

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion salt (or powder)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon Oregano flakes

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

*0 fat Greek Yogurt (sour cream replacement) 

*90 Calorie whole wheat tortilla

*Heredez Salsa

1. Cook ground turkey just as you would ground beef. Once finished, add seasoning. -If it seems pretty dry you may need to add some water. I think I ended up using a couple of ounces of hot water. 

2. Add bell peppers and onion to the ground turkey, stir well and place the lid on top, letting the peppers and onion steam and saute with the ground turkey. 

3. **To make my taco salad shell, I put a bundt cake pan upside down on top of a baking sheet and sprayed it lightly with cooking spray and placed my tortilla on top and pushed down a small amount to make sure the torilla wouldn't fall through. I baked my tortilla for around 20 minutes? It really depends on your oven. Just keep checking it- you'll know when it's ready!

4. Once the veggies were sauted and the shell was complete, I put about 4 ounces of taco meat into the bowl. Then, I filled it up with lettuce! I then added a tbsp of Oikos Greek Yogurt, Heredez Salsa, and jalepenos. 

Photo on Instagram

I loved the taco salad, and I hope you will too! 

C-

4 Ingredient Pancakes & Only 77 Calories!

You will need:

2 oz. low-fat cream cheese 

2 eggs (whites only) 

1 packet truvia 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Make sure your pan is pre-heated, it will help the batter not to spread across the whole pan. I would use the smallest frying pan you have!

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the above ingredients.

I used 0 Calorie Spray butter  so that they wouldn't stick to the pan.

It actually took them longer than regular pancakes to cook, and they looked a bit funny.
But, they ended up tasting like french toast to me! I also used a little PB2 (chocolate) on top of mine and drizzled a little bit of honey on top.

These were heavenly. My batter made two pancakes and I was full afterwards! Yum!

Enjoy!

C-

PS: for photos of my food, please find on my Instagram! You can see/follow from my homepage Instagram button or find me @foodielovesfitness