*WARNING---YOU WILL SLIM DOWN AND POSSIBLY LOSE WHATEVER BOOTY, BOOBS AND OTHER CURVINESS YOU ONCE HAD* (Disclaimer: I lost some of these because I did not exercise while on this eating plan...now back to your regularly scheduled blog-reading...)
So there's this whole "Eat Clean - Train Dirty" movement going on. You see it everywhere.. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...everywhere! I'm not really into working out or training per se.....so I just decided to "eat clean" before I went on my vacation to Hawaii. I left off the "train dirty" part...if I'm going to do a so-called lifestyle change...I have to take it one step at a time. Eating right AND working out together would have been a little too much for me. So...I started on my eat clean journey about 25 days out from the day that I was leaving for Hawaii. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to cheat and then start over again. haha
So I adapted this grocery list from a woman I follow on Instagram by the name of
@Mankofit. She is absolutely so amazing and an inspiration. I was also inspired by a friend of mine, Keya @kmg_fitness on Instagram. She set her mind to transforming her body and in 6 months she is so lean, with abs and doing body-building competitions. AMAZING! For her "eat clean" rituals, she used the same ingredients as Mankofit and helped me to come up with different ways to prepare my food...but to be super healthy.
So here's the grocery list I followed taken from Mankofit's "Eat Clean Train Dirty" 30-day Challenge (if you can't read the list, please contact me and I will email it to you):
So I went to the store and picked up the ingredients...not really knowing what was in store for me or just how difficult this may or may not be.
(Kinda blurry but you get the idea...)
I did a prayer to the good Lord above that I make it through this challenge and not let my inner fatkid take over. Here are week one pics. So I am very critical of myself. In doing this challenge, all I wanted to do was flatten my lower tummy and feel great in my bathing suit.
WEEK 1:
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| Team "No-Camel Toe" haha / You can tell I'm a fashion blogger too...look at all the shoes on the back of my doors...the makeup brushes on my counter so that my face stays BEAT...but not in this pic obviously! Oh and the gold Michael Kors phone case...love! |
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| The side view...the lower pooch has got to go! And I'm not delirious...it's really there. I wanted more definition and to burn the fat/jelly. |
Ok, so the first thing to this challenge is prepping your meals. The last thing you want to do is bust out pots and pans all week. I'm a full-time attorney and part-time blogging and attending Dallas social events...so Leah does not have time for that! I choose to prep my meals on Sunday while I'm watching crap reality TV and sipping on a glass of wine. And if you're not on Pinterest...sign up now!!! The majority of my crockpot chicken recipes came off of Pinterest and kept me from getting bored with what I was eating everyday. If you don't have Pinterest and want some of my favorite recipes, contact me and I will email them to you.
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| I would suggest buying tons of tupperware. This was only me stacking my lunches in the fridge after I prepped them. |
BREAKFAST:
So I am in LOVE with the way the Mankofit outlined what to eat for breakfast...especially where the fruits are concerned. She's very specific in that you can only consume the blueberries, grapefruit and strawberries in the morning. DO NOT DEVIATE FROM THIS! I noticed that after a week of following this...that my metabolism was through the roof!!! I was eating constantly throughout the day. I definitely credit this to the way that Mankofit tells you specifically what and when to eat certain items on the grocery list.
(Grocery List is pictured above)
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| One of my faves...oatmeal with sliced strawberries, sweetened with splenda. |
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For work throughout the week, it was easier for me to bring strawberries and blueberries for breakfast. After a week my palette was cleansed of artificial sugars and these berries were VERY sweet to my taste-buds. If you're a heavy sugar eater, it may take a week or so to entirely taste the true and natural sugars.
CHEATING DURING WEEK 1:
SO....during week 1, I cheated twice...I couldn't help it. My friends called up and were like, "Hey girl, let's catch up"...and that was that. But even still...all this to prove that even if you fall off track, you can STILL REACH YOUR GOAL!
WEEK 2:
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LUNCH AND DINNER MEALS:
Ok people...so you have to get REAL creative with the grocery list..but it is totally doable. I love fish...so most of my meals were pan-seared fish with seasonings and as far as my sides...I just had to create dishes to avoid getting bored. This one is an egg-white scramble that I created with diced tomatoes, sliced avocados...all on a bed of sauteed spinach. #nomnomnom
More pan-seared tilapia with brown rice. For the brown rice, I boil the rice in a mixture of water and chicken broth to create more flavor..top with your favorite seasoning. Sides of sliced tomatoes, avocado and more sauteed spinach. Just call me pop-eye...I can eat spinach EVERYDAY!
Baked lemon-peppered tilapia on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, peppers and onions.
So this is one of my absolute FAVORITE dishes to make. You can use either canned tuna or salmon for this. It's so healthy and tasty. Be sure to add some seasoning into it to create flavor. A big thanks to my girl Keya @kmg_fitness for this recipe. Hands down my favorite!
(Here's my advice to lightly salt your dishes and don't go crazy. The point is to slim down and not bloat due to excess salt consumption...ok???)
Sigh....and then I cheated again....it's hard to contain the inner fatkid.
CHEATING DURING WEEK 2:
I ate the whole thing and it was EVERYTHING! Garlic, shrimp and chorizo pizza from Del Frisco's Grille. BOOM!
WEEK 3:
So once week 3 arrived, I was actually liking the new eating habits I had acquired. I wasn't really craving the carbs, fast foods, etc. that I was eating before. I was making healthier choices if I had to go out to eat (except for the few cheat meals) but even still for something that started out as a "challenge" or "diet" was becoming a lifestyle change. It takes 21 days to form a habit right?
For me...I noticed a thinner stomach, flattened lower stomach and a more defined waistline. The muffin top was burning itself away. haha But...due to no exercise...my booty was disappearing. Oh well! Deal with it!
CHEATING DURING WEEK 3:
One last cheat before Hawaii....please!!!!! Come to mama. #nomnomnom
Bo-Bo China...only some of the best Chinese food in Dallas and on this side of the Mississippi! haha
HAWAII BIKINI BOD....GET IT GIRRRRLLLLL! THANKS MANKOFIT AND KEYA!!!!! TEAM NO FILTER!
Hello Kauai tan lines!!!!!
POST 21-DAY CHALLENGE:
Even after the challenge, I still continue to eat off of the grocery list. It was easy, doable and I didn't feel like I was depriving myself...clearly. I've had several people ask me how I lost weight and I've heard comments "You're tiny!" Not that that's a good thing...I'm 5'11...don't want to be tiny but I do want to be healthy. Even after this challenge, my metabolism is still high and I continue to slim down.
Sigh...the booty is gone but it was well worth it! GO GIRL! I totally forgot to tell you guys that I DID NOT stop drinking coffee this entire challenge. For those that know me...that WAS NOT an option.
(See my Starbucks post paying homage to the Pumpkin Spice Latte.)
OK....so one last thing before I bounce. This IS a Christian blog...so in trying to tie in all of life's lessons to how God wants us to live....I really feel like this experience taught me about how often we can fall short or backslide...but you just have to get up, NOT GET DOWN OR HARD ON YOURSELF, and keep moving forward. Sometimes that means starting all over again, re-gaining focus...but you WILL reach your goal if you are persistent and focus on progression.
Learn to forgive yourself and God will be there through the rest. In life, we do things we're not proud of...or there's something that we need help with. Instead of focusing on the negative or how often you keep giving into that "thing" (whatever it is), look ahead and try, try again! I cheated more times than this blog post actually shows...but I didn't beat myself up about it. I just told myself, "Hey Leah...tomorrow's a new day and you can start over again." That's what got me through this challenge...and that's what will get me through with life. I feel like this is the type of life that God wants us to lead...forgiveness of ourselves, grace, redemption and restoration--principles to live by.
