Tips on Fighting the Urge of Sweets and Carbs

Hey Loves!

I was going to do a typical "Grain free check in" but I thought I would share tips on how I fight the urge of what everyone loves- sugars and carbs!

I have only been grain free for a month so I am not at all an expert- in fact I am still very much learning. But in the month, I have lost 8.5 lbs and have seen healing in so many things including my skin, my sleep, my attitude, etc!

The first thing people typically ask me when I tell them I am making grain free a lifestyle is "How did you stay away from sugars, breads and other carbs? I don't know if I could do it, I love carbs too much!"

Well, I will be the first to say it wasn't easy- especially the first week. But I learned some valuable tips that have helped me stay away from sugars and carbs without hating the grain free lifestyle.

1. Start off the day with a lot of protein. When I first started grain free, I would start my day with greek yogurt and fruit, but because I would get hungry again by lunch and crave sugars, I decided to try something different and start with having eggs first thing in the morning before I left for work. When I did this, I felt full until about 10:30, which is when I ate my yogurt and fruit. That way by lunch, I was not starving so I ate my packed lunch and didn't crave any sugars or carbs.

2. Don't be shy with eating fats! You heard that right. That is one of the first things I learned from a nutritionist when I wanted to make a lifestyle change. We have been tricked into thinking fat free is better but did you know our bodies need fat to properly run and process food and information? I learned a fun fact recently: our brain is made up of 70% fat! So why are we depriving our fat brain of fat when it needs it to run at it's full potential? When I started eating fat (like full fat greek yogurt and more nuts), I realized I stayed full longer, I didn't feel bloated and I wouldn't crave those bad carbs.

3. Drink a lot of water. I know you probably have heard it a million times, but it is no myth. Drinking water has so many benefits from helping your body detox, to giving you energy, and keeping you full, longer. We all know our bodies are made up of a ridiculous amount of water, so once again, why deprive it of something it needs to run at its full potential!?

4. Always have a snack nearby. One thing I have heard a lot is "It's hard to get on a diet like that because I am always on the go". Well, something that has really helped me is to always have a snack nearby. For example, I pack celery and carrots everyday as well as almonds. & in case I am super duper craving sweets, I have a super small stash of 85% cocoa chocolate at my desk. But to be honest, I haven't needed to touch it because I always grab my other snacks first!

5. Find Substitutions. There are so many alternatives now-a-days of eating the foods you love (like pizza and spaghetti) without including the sugars and grains. For example, one substitute I have found is using zucchini as noodles (using a spiralizer) and then making my own homemade sauce (to guarantee no hidden sugars) or buy organic, no sugar added sauce (which you can get at whole foods). It is delicious and guilt free. Go ahead, try it!

Hopefully these are easy tips on how you can take that next step towards a healthier you! The best advice, take one step at a time... there is no need to rush! (Do you know that song? HA!)

Have a great day!

#EatingtoLive: Grain Free Update Week 3

Hey Everyone!

I know I said I was going to post this on Wednesday (my bad!) but with being gone from work in the early week, I had so much catching up to do and then the nights were of course packed with things. How does life get so busy?! 

I am so excited to say I reached my goal of 21 days of grain free. I told myself if I could do it and saw results, I would make it a lifestyle. So, here are my results! 

During the 21 days:

- I stopped eating processed foods

- Started pre-packing all my meals (stopped eating out as much as possible and also stopped buying food at work)

- Eliminated all grains from my diet

Results:

- I lost 8 lbs in 21 days with minimal exercise

- My skin has cleared up

- Less bloated

- More energy

- Better sleep

I am so happy and thankful for the results I have seen. I am on track to be hitting 10 lbs by next week! I am so excited to finally feel like I will get to the weight I have been desiring for years! It's so great to know what my body doesn't agree with as well.

I'm so excited to continue on this journey. Thank you all for the support!!

xoxo,
A

End of Year Challenge Post 1

Hey Everyone!

As some of you saw On Friday's post, I told you I was going to focus on one goal for the rest of the year. And that was getting healthier and losing weight. I goaled myself at 10 lbs loss by the end of December but as long as I see overall improvement, I'll be happy. 

Well, so far so good! I didn't work out this weekend because I was on the go go go all weekend. But I tried to stay active as much as possible!

I have stayed loyal to working out Friday and now Monday. I'm doing Insanity because with this cold, it's hard for me to be in the cold any longer than I have to (gym travel included!). So insanity is a great substitute if you are not a gym person or you are like me and just want to get to warmth and not have to leave!

Plus, insanity is the only home workout where I have seen true results. About a year and a half ago, I first tried insanity. I lost 12 pounds! So I know if I stick to it, I will see results. 

I'm trying to stick to the book Abs Diet for Women to help with good and nutrition. I really like it overall and it's very educational.

I got some good advice from a woman at church this weekend who is a fitness instructor. She said "I think most people think something is going to happen where they will enjoy working out. Or they will find an exercise that will change their way of feeling about exercise. At a high rate, that's just not the case. So I recommend admitting and knowing you're gonna hate it, but doing it anyway."

Believe it or not, that has really helped me stay on track with eating and exercise. I know I'm not gonna like it, but I'm gonna do it anyway because after I'm done, I feel great. 

Thanks for keeping me accountable on this journey to accomplish my end of year goal!

Xoxo,

A

Weight Loss Journey 2

Happy Tuesday Everyone! 

I just wanted to write about something quick that I am really excited about!

We all have times that we are super motivated to work out and get fit and then other times when we are straight lazy and just want a burger. 

Well, I found myself yo-yo-ing all the time because I would get sick of the current workouts I was doing and would go on extreme diet and it would get to be too much.

I lost weight, but I would just gain it back after I let myself fall off again.

So this time, I decided to take a different approach. 

Instead of going for a super intense workout ( I was doing insanity before), I decided to do something hard, but not AS hard. 

I went with Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.

I honestly went in with no expectations but to get a workout in each day to start living a healthier lifestyle. Another thing I did differently this time is I decided not to put myself on a strict diet. I want to focus on moderation. So- if I really feel like ice cream after dinner- then I put in in a small side dish instead of an actual bowl. I was putting in a 1/3 of what I was in the bowl. That in itself amazed me at how big my eyes were compared to my stomach because after eating less that the serving size of ice cream, I was satisfied. So that is my new focus- moderation. If I feel like eating something, I will. I will just do it in small portions. 

Well  I lost an inch around my waist.... in the first week! Definitely wasn't expecting that. I have felt a lot more energy and less bloated but I try to avoid the scale because it seriously begins to haunt me! But seeing even that little bit of weight loss gives me motivation to keep going.

Mirror selfie! LOL 1 inch down around waist

I am almost done with my second week now and then will be moving on to the next level of 30 Day Shred-- my friends say I am going to feel like dying. But that's okay, I have Julian to push me :) I am going to post this update every Tuesday to help keep myself accountable. I am counting on you guys to help me! :) :)

Have a good Tuesday! 

Aisha

A New Summer Glow: Too Faced Product Review

Happy Hump Day!

The week is half way over (almost)... Hurrah! 

Over the years I have tried tons of different make up- I finally found something I liked a couple years ago- it was bare minerals. The only thing about Bare Minerals was that it made me break out if I kept it on too long! It was hard to switch, though, because it really does make your skin look smooth and blemish free (kind of ironic that it makes me break out, right?)

Anyway, I finally decided to switch make ups and go for something that claimed they wouldn't cause breakouts. 

I decided to try the Too Faced line! 

(from top right to left):

1} Bronzer Palette. It has different options on coloring so you can decide how dramatic you want to get- whether its to shadow the cheek bones or give yourself a summer glow. It also gives you directions on how to use each one, where to put it on your face, and how you can combine all three!

2} The eyecolor palette. Similar to the bronzer, it gives directions on how to use each shadow for a day glow to a dramatic eye for night. I like to mix and match them too. I usually stay with neutral colors so I picked the most neutral color palette I could fine!

3} Better than sex mascara. This mascara lives up to it's name. It gives such volume and length to my lashes.. I don't think I could go back to my old stuff!

4} Foundation. This stuff is great. It makes my face look smooth without looking cake-y. The only thing I would say I don't like about the foundation is that it doesn't do a good job covering blemishes (more like dark spots) so you may want to get a blemish correcter before you put on the foundation.

5} BB Creme + Primer. I typically use this if I just want to have a light covering over my face or if I want to make my face more even. I also use it when I will be wearing a full set of makeup. It makes my foundation stay on longer and it doesn't make my face oily. 

6} Lip pencil. I love this. I use it all the time. My lips will be a nice pink color one day and be totally white and dull the next. This pencil makes my lips have more definition and makes it actually look like they are healthy and not the color of the rest of my face! LOL

7} Eye shadow primer. This is great when wanting to prevent smearing or smudges of the eyeliner and eyeshadow. I also use it to give my eyes some brightness and sparkle when I am out and about but not wanting to put on a full "mask" of makeup LOL. 

Overall, this is a great brand to use. It is worth spending the money on. It lasts forever and makes you look like you have flawless skin and gorgeous eyelashes. I would say my two favorite pieces from this line is the mascara and lip liner. Making your lips and eyes pop can really draw attention to what people ought to be looking at- your beautiful face! 

I used all products together in the following pictures:

I kept a daytime look so you could see how much it brightens the face.

Hope you have a great Wednesday!! 

xoxo,

A

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Foodspirations: Stir Fry

Happy Tuesday!

Usually I post on Mondays, but sometimes Monday's can fill up so fast I look at the clock and it will be bed time! I guess that's a good thing for the beginning of the week, LOL :)

I have been trying to eat healthier and one way of doing that is making home-made foods rather than eating out. I feel I have a bad habit of eating out too much- how can I not? There are so many good places to go! 

I have been craving stir fry- so I decided to make a stir fry that is low sodium, low fat, and high in protein.

I started with putting onion, minced garlic and a little bit of oil in a wok (simmer heat). 

I added the chicken shortly after... believe it or not, the wok cooks things sooo fast that it literally takes the chicken 5-7 minutes to cook so keep that in mind when timing out when to add the noodles and veggies.

Cook the chicken until it is not longer pink.

 What I love most about stir fry, you can add pretty much any veggie you want. I chose snow peas, zucchini, mushrooms, and carrots. 

 This time, I used a rice noodle for the carb. I cooked them in boiling water for only about 5 minutes... they will continue to cook in the wok so you don't want to fully cook them in the water.

After the chicken was cooked, I put the chopped veggies in. I cooked them for a couple minutes until I put in the noodles in. I turned the heat up to about 250 degrees to give the veggies stronger heat to make them crisp.

I added the mostly cooked noodles shortly after. 

I then added a traditional stir fry sauce that I bought from Target. I chose to not make the sauce home made because this stir fry sauce already had every ingredient I needed to make it homemade and to be honest, I got lazy when I saw what went into make the sauce, LOL. I bought a classic stir fry sauce but they also have other stir fry sauces like thai peanut for Pad Thai. I chose the classic because it had no fat and it was low sodium.

I added about 3 tablespoons of the stir fry sauce ( I made a big batch). or you could add as much as you would like for flavor. 

I added a teaspoon of soy sauce because I love the salty taste but I didn't want to add too much because it is very high in sodium.

And Wah-lah! Within about 20-30 min I made a healthier, homemade stir fry. It tasted amazing! One thing I focus on is portion control- and this bit was enough to get me sooo full! 

So just to recap:

This is made in a wok. A great way to make home made stir fry among other things!

Ingredients:

Rice noodles

chicken breast

your choice of veggies

stir fry sauce ( you can look for a recipe to make our own or buy one from the store)

oil (I used olive because it's a healthier alternative)

minced garlic

diced onions

That's it! And you have a yummy dinner.

Fun Fact: Did you know that sauteing your veggies can actually retain a vegetable's nutrients? I have grown up thinking that the best way to eat a vegetable is raw- but that is not always the case!

Sautéed vegetables retain their vitamins and minerals, as well as taste and color!

Have a great Tuesday!

xoxo,

A

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Journey to Restoration Update

Happy Tuesday!

I am thankful for yet ANOTHER beautiful day! Each day is a NEW day made especially for us to enjoy. 

Well it has been another month on my journey to restoration and I am happy to say that I am down another 1/2 inch! I am seeing my weight loss slowing now that I have been on this journey for awhile, but nevertheless, I feel much healthier, cleaner and have so much more energy!

If you have been reading my blog, you know by now that I have fallen in LOVE with Hot Yoga! 

It is such a great "change of pace" since I am so used to doing Insanity or using gym equipment. It challenges me but relaxes me. It works me hard but stretches my body. I sweat like no other, too! LOL

Look at that sweat! 

Sometimes, I like to use the hour to meditate and unwind with Jesus. I often pray during yoga because it causes your to focus and I choose to focus on Him! It is such a peaceful environment. 

Some things I have implemented in my diet since eating cleaner is veggie smoothies. 

I get my recipes from a lot of different places including pinterest, instagram, and other health websites. They are surprisingly not that bad- although it took me some time to get used to the texture. They have really helped me have more energy, get my digestive system on track, and is an easy way to get all my veggies in for the day. 

Another thing I have decided to try is a detox tea. 

And I am telling you, it is amazing! I bought MateFit tea which includes a metabolic boost tea and a detox tea. It has sincerely helped my bloating, has suppressed my appetite, and it tastes great! 

I also think it tastes better than my regular green tea! Go figure :)

I drink my metabolic boost 15 minutes before eating breakfast and lunch. I only have to drink the detox tea every other night before bed. It is such an easy way to detox my body! 

All in all, it has been a great month in regards to fitness and nutrition. 

This month I have focused a lot on trying new things, detoxing me body, and getting more sleep. I feel like my body is finally at a healthy weight! 

Now, I am going to focus on losing the few more inches I want to lose as well as shaping my body. I'll update you again in a month! :)

What do you do to maintain your weight? I would love to hear your ideas! 

I will be sharing some BIG news at the end of the week. So stay tuned! 

Also, I thought I would start sharing songs that I am listening to again. There is nothing like some good music! Here is a great worship song that I listen to at work when I need a couple minutes to surrender my self and my day to Jesus :)

Journey to Restoration: Progress Update!

Happy Gratituesday Everyone!

Well- the spring has come in MN (so we thought)- Its snowing again!!! 

Surprise? Not so much. 

Well- you know how I have been on this journey of restoration? If you don't know, you can see here and here.

It has been about the 2 month mark now!

I was getting discouraged because I haven't seen a big change on the scale. It wasn't until I took another progress photo that I really could see the difference!

I have lost about another half in everywhere. I am working on getting that "stubborn" fat off! Ha!

What keeps me going?

1] Seeing results! It is always motivating to see how far you have come- in many different areas of life- and this being one of them :)

2] Jesus. I always remind myself the purpose of why I even started exercising and changing my habits. Its because I wanted to be a healthier, cleaner temple for Him to dwell. Not just that, but He blessed me with a healthy body and I want to make sure I manage it well!

3] Friends. It is always helpful to have the support system. When I say I don't feel like working out, my friends and family will help remind me why I do this. So I encourage you- if you are on any journey- loop in your family and friends for support :)

Share with me any journey you are on by commenting below with your blog information! I would love to read about what is going on with you :)

Journey to Restoration Update

Happy Monday Everyone!

I am thankful for yet another beautiful day! (despite the snow here in MN) 

About a month ago, I did a blog post about how I wanted to start getting back into shape and eating right because my body is a temple of God's. You can find that blog post here!

Basically, I started looking more into how my body is a temple of God's- that does not only include a spiritual dwelling place, but also physical! What you put into your body, you get out of your body and since my Mighty Savior lives in me, I want to have a healthy, safe, and clean temple for Him to lay His head.

So- I started on my journey of working out and eating healthier.

It has now been 4 weeks!

I measured myself after two weeks of not measuring myself and I was surprised by the results!

Wk 1

Wk 4

I have lost 4lbs in 2 weeks

1.5 inches around my waist

2 inches around my lower waist (that's my tough spot)

2 inches around my thighs

.5 inches around my neck

.5-1 inch around my arms

1 inch around my hips

Overall, I am pretty happy with my results for the first month! It is definitely motivation to keep going :)

Just some things that have been helpful for me in this process:

1] Getting a good amount of sleep: after working an avg of 9 hours a day, doing a hard workout, and catering to all of life's responsibilities, it takes a big toll on your body. When I got a good night's rest, I was able to conquer the day. When I didnt, I was more apt to skip my workout and I actually craved more "comfort" foods!

2] Reading Scripture: My purpose in this was to be a healthier and cleaner temple for God. When I read scriptures to remind me of that, it helps me stay focused on my goals and my whole purpose of doing this in the first place ;)

3] Smaller meals: This was huge for me. One part of being a good temple of Christ is to not overeat because of gluttony. So a huge focus for me has been to take smaller portions and only eat until I am satisfied. I can see a difference in how my body can only take smaller portions now- I hope that's because my stomach has shrunk!

4] Staying away from sugar: I at one point thought I could never not have a sweet tooth. But I switched out artificial sugars with natural sugars ( bananas, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, rasberries-- fruits!) and what a difference! After my second week of focusing on not eating sugars, I stopped craving it as much. & now I feel less bloated!

5] Having cheat days: I allowed myself cheat days about every other week and sometimes once a week. When I did this, I focused on smaller portions, and cheat meals that weren't "as bad" for me. For example, if I went to my favorite restaurant I would order a soup instead of a pizza. It still allowed me to get the "yummy in my tummy" without going overboard. LOL

6] Substituting my caribou coffees for tea or water: It has not only helped me save money, but I can feel a difference when I am at work!

What tips can you give for accomplishing your fitness goals?? I'd love to hear them!

Thankful Thursday!

I am excited for another week of the Thankful Thursday linkup!

I love these types of linkups because there is so much to be thankful for! 

This week has been a brutal one in MN. Today is -17!

That being said...

1. I am thankful for being able to work from home this morning to avoid the cold weather. Being cuddled up on the couch with my blanket and computer is quite nice :)

2. I am thankful for my new breakfast concoction. It is muesli and fat free greek yogurt. I was introduced to by one of my buyer's whose friends created this. Its like granola, but much better for you. I love the vanilla cherry pecan one. I would add fruit but we are out! A healthy yogurt parfait :)

3. I am thankful for my dumbbells I got for Christmas... I like adding some weight to my exercises at home. (Down 1.2 inches!) It is easy to be sitting on the couch and doing different arm exercises instead of being a plain couch potato :)

4. I am thankful for the safe arrival of my god-daughter, Layla Grace! She is such a bundle of joy! She is healthy and as her mom said- she is a lil' diva! Nothin' wrong with that :) I thank God for her and am so happy that I get to be the god-mom of such a precious blessing. Congrats, J! 

 Pic taken of J and baby Layla by Lovelyladyjb.

Happy Thursday! 

Journey to Restoration

Happy Hump Day, Lovelies!

Woofta, it seems like I haven't blogged in forever. Well, it HAS been almost a week! A lot has been going on! I have spent that last week just kind of taking a break from some things to enjoy time to myself as well as spend some time with loved ones. It was a nice change of pace.

Lately, I have been wanting to start getting back into shape and eating healthy but it is very much easier said than done. 

I have been spending more time learning about all the things I can do to honor God and then I realized from reading scripture and doing my devotional that eating right and not committing gluttony or over indulgence of any kind is a form of honoring God.

So, I simply prayed about it. I asked God to help me get motivated to get back into shape because our bodies are not our own- but His! & I want it to be a happy and HEALTHY place for Him to dwell.

I love this scripture because it not only tells us that the Holy Spirit indeed dwells in us, but it helps us understand why we keeping ourselves healthy and pure is so important- its because we were bought at such a price- Jesus gave His life for us so we could have everlasting life. How beautiful!

With Jesus's help, I started feeling motivated to workout again, and He reminded me of workouts I really loved to do.

So I started doing the workout Insanity again through Team Beach Body. I had done it last year- & I lose 12 pounds! I forgot how much I enjoyed it until I started it again this week.

I also started doing Hot Yoga. I never knew how much I would love it until I tried it out with some of my girlfriends. I started on Saturday and my abs are still SO sore! 

I also started having smaller meals and only eating until satisfied. I also decided to cut out sugars because that is one thing that keeps me bloated!

So far, I have lost 4 lbs in 1.5 weeks! Just from working out and eating right- & only eating what i need.

It feels great and I am happy to know I am honoring God even just a little more- but I also have been learning to honor and please God in other ways as well. Here is a scripture I studied that I love.

This scripture is not only referring to a woman's physical strength, but it is also referring to the Lord as her strength. When you dress yourself with the Holy Spirit each and everyday (and the armor of God) you will be given strength. (Reference how she dresses herself with strength)

Proverbs 31 is talking about a excellent and virtuous woman and wife. If you read all of proverbs 31, it is a woman who is of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. She is an excellent and strong woman because she takes what she is given and does good with it. Her strength and dignity do not come from her amazing achievements, however, but they are a result of her reverence for God. 

In our society where physical appearance counts so much, 

it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is not mentioned (except if you count the one above). Her attractiveness comes entirely of character.

Some of her qualities: hard worker, fearing of God, respectful of her spouse, foreseeing, encouraging, caring for others, concerned for the poor, wisdom in handling money, and even more.

All in all, God continues to show us that we should do all things to honor Him, because when you fear Him and live your life to glorify Him- there are many benefits. 

So whether it is to become stronger on the inside or the outside or both- when you do it for God- it is not only so much more rewarding, but there are many benefits- spiritually, physically & mentally! 

I always say "Honor before Increase!" 

So if you are like me and have a hard time getting motivated, think about it as if you are doing it to honor and please God to get a little extra push inside of you :)

Have a good one!

Women with insecurities! Be happy with who you are!

WRONG! 

So many girls and women in America are struggling to lose weight and gain a flawless image and perfect figure. There is such a fear of gaining weight and being "fat". 

Here is someone who weighs 84 lbs! And is being viewed around the world as an international SEX SYMBOL! 

They call her the "human hourglass"

This is disappointing because an hourglass isn't skin and bones! 

Women are meant to be curvy, have excess fat and every woman is made the way they are for a reason.

View this and I hope that women everywhere can get even 1 minute of being happy with how they look and who they are. 

[You are beautiful the way you are!!!]

Beauty is only skin deep.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdB6VoW2VME

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes :)

The most important thing is to be healthy. Eat well and exercise. Make goals for yourself but make them realistic and learn to be happy, healthy. :)