Juice reboot !

Wow it's been a while sorry about that ... Life has been busy .. it happens ... this is going on now !

I decided enough was enough, I’ve been on T3 for my hypothyroid for a while now and it never seems to get regulated. I feel good sometimes but it’s just like a band aid and then gets riped off and I fall into the deep dark abyss. I watched a documentary with my man and it inspired me. I don’t even know why I’m the last one to see this movie but Sick, fat and nearly dead was the name and although I don’t have a lot of weight to lose I was inspired by the benefits of the micronutrients on the system and how maybe that could fix some of the symptoms I was having :

Moody

Tired

Nothing really gets me excited, like I’m happy but it’s like I can’t feel it

Headaches all the time that become migrains

Allergies that are out of control even in the winter

Food intolerance

I could go on …

I decided on a 5 day alpha reset by Drew Canole. I prefered his approach over Joe Cross from the movie as I still want to eat meat once I finnish this and Joe cross seems to be more geared towards the vegetarian side of things. I don’t eat beans, grains, soy, so anyway this is what i`m trying out …5 days of juicing my veggies 80% and fruit 20% and having 4-6, 2 cup servings a day. On day 4, I can have eggs for breakfast and for dinner on an empty stomach followed by the juice and then on day 5, chicken is introduced.

I’m on day 3 and I don’t want to jinx it but I was having sinus migrains everyday due to allergies and so far no headaches or sinus pain at all. i do hope it’s because of this … It’s not hard at all, the food smells are inviting but I don’t feel like i`m going out of my mind or anything, I think the hardest part is finding cheap produce as it gets pricey if you pay full pop for the ingredients. So far Costco is my friend and I found lots of root veggies that are on sale.  I thought quitting coffee cold turkey would definitly give me headaches but so far so good no headaches for that either!

I really hope to re-introduce whole foods and keep to juicing 2 times a day. I’m still researching the optimal plan for the future.

4 large carrots

4 small beets

1 blood orange * i ended up putting 2 

clilantro 

A whole lot of Bok choy

2 green apples

1 blood orange peeled

a few strawberries

1 beet 

2 apples

1 orange 

4 handfulls of spinach

2 pears 
1 orange peel off 
4 handfulls of spinach

Let's hope for the best ..... so far so good ! 

Things happen ...

I found out last week that I have a hernia, this was devastating news for me. I know, I know it's not that bad of news it could have been worst but I was so close ... so close to my goal that i could taste it. I was finally entering the 3 months/12 week prep time and purchased my figure suit and was motivated to really hit this full force.

Out of nowhere I started having pain in my groin area and just ignored it as being the weather making my c-section scar act up ... it got worse ... I went and saw family doc he agreed that it was probably a hernia, it was confirmed through ultra sound ... but I think my biggest annoyance here is the fact that now I just have to wait and see a surgeon. People are telling me the waiting could be very long. I hate not knowing how long.

The unknown made me really think and after talking with my man and with my coach we agreed that it would be wise to take it down a notch and go on maintenance mode till I get this dealt with ... but it's killing me I am so scared of losing focus. No one understands the struggles i've had all my life trying to reach a goal and giving in to my little voices telling me to just give up and finally I've been focused and now I have to just coast until I can life heavy again which I have no idea when that will be.

I live in fear of losing my motivation getting back to that feeling where the gym is a chore. I was finally in a place where the gym was my happy place and lifting the little pink weight s at the gym just doesn't feel satisfying ... I have to keep encouraging myself to not push to hard ... It's hard when you spent 2 years now telling yourself COMMON MAX PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN and now I have to tell myself to calm down and take it easy. It feels so wrong.

I know, I know it's the right thing to do and that it will help my body heal or whatever not get worse but it's the mental part i'm scared of. Like it or not it's a phobia. It's only been a few months that my mind finally got it and transformed into that person that wants to be at the gym and I live in fear of losing that again. It might look easy, and people might think you just are that type of person that likes the gym naturally but I was never that person .. I needed a real pep talk to get going ... even now cardio is a struggle for me .. I much would rather lift ... Lifting has become a stress relief to me and maybe I had to much stress one day and thought I was superwoman and lifted way over my capabilities and it got me here but thats what felt good ...

So i'm on maintenance mode till further notice :(

I will not abandon this goal as I won't be happy till I follow through but I don't want to walk on stage just to walk on stage .. I am in this to win. so I will get ripped when the time comes ... you just wait ! :P

It's go time !

Wow It's go time !!! 3 months I'm feeling quite anxious and I was even depressed over the weekend because I find my progress pics all look the same ... I got lots of compliments last week from people saying I looked smaller so I guess they can't ALL be lying .. It's really hard to see the changes for me. it's good to get other people talking once in a while so I know i'm still going in the right direction.


The bbq has to be my favourite tool other then the pressure cooker. The bbq can make anything taste good. We recently upgraded ours and I could not be any happier it's like getting a new car except it cooks food! One of the reasons I decided to become a Epicure independent consultant was because I was buying so many spices that it just made sense for me to sale them so I could get a bit of commission on my own purchases. I am panicking though right now because it's tight financially right now for me with all the supps and coaching and my suit for the show and weddings and etc... and I'm running out of all my favourite spices !!! I honestly use all the spices on my meats .. i mix and match I come up with these awesome combos and now i'm going to have to calm the f down as i'm low or out of all but a few of my spices !! they are so yummy and the new catalogue is coming out soon too so I want to wait for that ... damn this epicure stuff is what is making my diet not deathly boring ... I can actually go on an international trip with my 6 meals a day ... So yeah i'm freaking out !

These are my favourites

It ain't all fun and games, but it's sure not boring !

I decided to hop on this journey in January of 2013. I've always been fuelled by goals. I always needed something that I can push myself to achieve and really I surprised myself with this one. I've always been one to hide myself in baggy clothes, I would get the large sweaters so I would not have to worry when I sit that my fat rolls would show, I always wore pants that were not tight on my stomach so i would not be reminded of how much I was really in denial about over eating and not taking care of me.

This goal was HUGE to me. To even think of walking on a stage with super fit women I could never imagine doing that. As I am getting closer to that day, I see that I CAN be part of those fit women, I can push myself through and achieve that goal. I struggle all the time still with my little devil on my shoulder telling me to cheat and eat something bad. I just punch him off my shoulder and listen to my will power and think of how proud I am that i'm sticking to this ... It's not easy and everyone doing it will tell you it's a mind game. You're constantly fighting with your mind about why your doing this and why your putting yourself through such a routine. And some that don't get it will say it's vanity, and it's being stuck up. And I do get fed up with some fitness models that constantly post pics of themselves but then I remember how hard i'm working and how looking at my progress and sharing it with others helps me, motivates me to fight and fuels me to work harder so I can be proud walking on a stage half naked with my over tanned skin and done up hair and make up and show off this master piece of a body I dream i'l have at the end of this process ... it's not vanity, it's not being stuck up .. it's pride ... and it's a sense of accomplishment and belief that you can do anything you put your mind to. Even when your mind is telling you WTF I want a drink and nachos ... :P

So I get why these ladies post pics of themselves .. and I respect their hard work physically and mentally and I can now understand where they come from.

August 2nd will be 12 weeks from my comp. Wow time is flying and i'm panicking hard ... but I will be ready ... you just wait ... and if you want to come and root for me ... save the date ... Nov 2nd 2013 is the day.

* A special thanks to the oversized clothing I used to wear to shield me from what I thought was what I needed when what I really needed was a healthy mind and to believe in myself so i could physically and mentally change, I am a much happier person that respects herself enough to take charge. (yes I sound like a self help book, but it's true)

And I have the best support ever from my friends and family, love you guys x0x0x

On another note, these are freaken awesome, they taste like cookie dough with a hint of raspberry and then pow you get these white chocolate chunks ... I'm not a white chocolate fan usually but wow this just works and with 17g of fibre per bar and 5g of carbs they are my go too bar for emergencies when i can't get to my normal meals... this is a new flavour, my other favourite flavour is the chocolate brownie  warmed up a bit they are to die for ...

Kale chips, things I didn't know about my kids

I've been on a Kale chip kick, I have a certain amount of allowable oil in my diet at a given time so I use it in this recipe and I get my veggies at the same time ... to my surprise my daughters love em ! I thought I had let them try it before but hey whatever gets them eating new veggies i'm down with ! :)

I've been visiting our local farmers market at Brewer park in Ottawa and I found this great organic Kale that is sold 2 bunches for 5$ if you go to a natural food store you can get a small bag of kale chips for 12$ a deal right ? pffff my way won't blow your budget and you'll be running to the local farmers market to stock up on some fresh organic kale.

so here is my easy kale chip recipe:

1 bunch of kale
oil of your choice about 1 tbsp
sea salt or spices of your choice

• Turn your oven to 350 degrees. I have convection and turn it on 350 convect. 
• Meanwhile wash your kale and run it through your lettuce spinner or towel dry it. Very important to get all the water dried off. 
• I cup up my Kale in various sizes making sure to get rid of the stems. don't throw out the little pieces those are the best ! 
• now but in a bowl and drizzle with some oil of your choice. I am currently using grape seed as I have an intolerance to olive but anything you wish will work. Try using something with higher nutrients .. not canola crappy oil. 
• cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the kale in one layer on the cookie sheet. 
• Now this is the tricky part I put in the oven and I check on it when it's start smelling like toasted kale ! because of the convection it takes less time so after about 10 minutes I keep an eye on it ... you don't even have to flip you want it crispy not soggy ... 
• and then remove from the oven and season to your liking with any spice .. I like it with garlic sea salt ! 
• then share with your kids !.... if you want :P 

REPEAT ! 

Here they are pictured with some spicy bison sliders ... yum ! I don't know if it's because I've been off chips for so long but these totally fill that salty, crispy, crunchy void i've been having ! :) 

Vega protein

Neverthought i would need to stay away from WHEY until now. I got some food intolerance testing done and turns out i'm intolerant to a whole wack of stuff. The one thing about competition prep is you have to really plan out your meals to a T and if you don't then it's way harder to suceed. With being intolerant to Whey and eggs, and soy and the list goes on. I was very limited in my choices. I was lucky enough to win a tub of Vega Performance Protein Chocolate flavor from Steve over at http://www.canadianpaleoathlete.com/, thanks again btw :) and check his blog out it's awesome lots of good tips on training, he's a machine !

So this is my review on the product. Now being new to the non whey protein, I've explored a few other options, I did do egg protein for a while until I found out eggs were a no no on my list so when I scored this Vega protein I was pretty excited to put it to the test. I wasn't expeciting to like it as I've had rice proteins and other types of vegan protein and to be honest I was hoping to not like it as it's not really in my budget. So I made myself a shake and to my suprise I liked it quite a bit. It mixes well with just water which I find vegan shakes stay very griddy. Vega had a thick, frothy consistency and a rich chocolaty flavor. I even made another batch for my pre-bedtime shake using 1 cup of Kale and it did not alter the taste one bit and I want to say was even yummier. It is definitly my #1 choice in flavor but it's a bit on the steep side price wise for my budget as between coach fees, food intolerance testing fees, all the stuff I need to buy for my competition as I am a first time competitor and a mom of 3 kids I have to watch the money. I am meant to take in 40G of protein in a form of a shake 2 times a day so if you do the math 1 tub doesn't last me that long. I do have to add though that it is in the price range of all the vegan shakes out there, and your getting a quality product. All the macros are fantastic .. greater then expected .. the best for vegan protein if you ask me. I was very susprised at the protein count and low carb. I would definitly love to try the other products they offer in the performance line as contest prep I am always looking for supps that will inhence my training and prep and recover my muscles.

All in all I would definitly recommend this product and I am glad I got to test it out ! Thanks again Steve and Vega for allowing me to do so ...

Now go out and test it out for yourself !

progress

So i've hit the 2 month mark and I guess I should post pictures ( mega embarassing) to just keep myself in line and also when i started this journey I wanted your support so for those that read this is to keep me accountable for my training and progress .... Maybe it will be inspiring to some maybe it can show people that nothing comes easy, I workout 5 days a week weights and cardio and eat a strict diet 100% of the time with no cheats, no alcohol and water is my only beverage apart from the morning cup of coffee, so you know those informercials that claim that if you work out 10 minutes a day you will have that rock hard body with no fat at all, well let me tell you people .. nothing comes easy ... you have to work and earn it and I will earn this body that I feel i deserve and I will take care and maintain it for life ... that I can promise you. 

I can tell when my thyroid meds are starting to work as I feel so positive and excited about my goals and working out ... it's like this passion i've always had but can actually do it now cause i believe that can. I believe in me. 

So like I said mega embarrassing .... no where near show ready but you can see some definition coming through the fat :P I'll get there ! Nov 2nd baby !!!