Food for thought

I have to be very honest, honest with myself! After all that previous hard work and getting great results, came the letting go. I let go of my fitness goals. Granted, I had a lot of obstacle going on in my life then but the main obstacle was my mind. I had let my mind give up. I now realize that aside from those obstacles, i had let lazy tendencies and a careless attitude take precedence over my fitness goals. Now that I want to give this journey a fresh start, I’m taking a more fun yet focused approach. I still have the specific goal of stepping on stage. This time around I will not be with a coach who supplies me with cookie cutter meal plans nor harm my health by having me do extremely crazy amounts of cardio. I have started doing my home work and obtaining inquiries from different coaches. Coaches that seem to have good reputation and show that they really care about helping others reach their goals, not just the monetary benefit. I’m also going to be following a more flexible dieting approach. This is suppose to be a forever lifestyle change and need a way of eating that can be maintained from here on out. This flexible dieting or IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) way of eating will allow me to, depending on my individual goals , live a less restrictive day to day. I will soon post more about the whole IIFYM approach.

I feel this time around I will be able to completely accomplish my goals, since i will be building a more fun and less restrictive relationship with food. I foresee a lot of delicious recipes and treats been feature on the days to come!

Remember only you have the power to do anything you set yourself to do! keep pushing…

A lot has changed…

Wow, Its been forever since I last posted. A lot of things have happened some negative, some positive. Simply put, a lot has changed. I have changed, my life, my goals, my mentality, my body. I was contemplating writing a long post about the things that affected my life and made the old idea of sharing my fitness journey, not a priority. Then i decided those things are the negative ones, and even though I’ve learned and moved on I’m not going to waste time on bringing them back.

One thing I will share is my fitness progress from back in that time. Where I began , where I finish and where i’m at now. A lot did happened in between. But today , I stand stronger and with the goal of enjoying the process more.

May 2012

August 2012

Above you can see 3 months (12 weeks) of a lot of work. With all honesty a few obstacles and bad food choices throughout those 3 months, but kept much of the consistency needed to acquire results. But after these results, many changes took place. Loss of a loved one, Loss of a job, and the realization that the coaching I was receiving to prep for show, wasn’t the healthiest one. You already know I was under a coaching team and we’ll I will leave that topic for another post. In which I will show my current body photos. I let myself go. Stopped working out, stopped eating healthy. I just went through a “I don’t give a &@#%”. Until I guess other aspects of my life took a more positive note and it’s more overall stable is that I think I’ve refocused myself. Damage to my progress had been done but that lack of effort and the negativity was short lived ( short lived for about one year). Now is time to keep that positiveness, drive and determination on high!

Bikini Beauty of the Week! Yeshaira Robles

I will be doing a weekly post of Bikini Competitors who motivate and inspire me to push myself towards my fitness goals! My first weekly Bikini Beauty is Yeshaira Robles. I’m lucky enough to know this IFBB Bikini Pro and Team Bombshell regional coach in person for a few months now. She is not only a beauty in the outside but also inside. You know when you come across someone humble and kind-hearted? YUP! that’s her, Simply and amazing women. She’s from Puerto Rico and resides in the Bronx, New York.

What I love about her: 1. The amazing human being she is.

2. When she steps on stage , you can’t help but keep your eyes on her sexy personality( She has swag! hehe)

3. I like her athletic physique, BUT love her rear end! Girl has a Booty anyone would love to have! POW!!

This pass weekend at the Valenti Gold Cup 2012 competition in Sarasota, Florida she obtained her first Pro Bikini win!! Very happy for her because she is so deserving of this 1st place victory. Talk about beautiful and inspirational!!

You can follow her: https://www.facebook.com/yeshairarobles

Who is your Bikini Beauty role model?!

I’m back and stronger than ever!!

fitnes-quote-your-body-has-no-choice-but-to-follow
Last few months have been crazy for me!! Adapting to Bombshell competition prep and traveling has been such a challenge for me. The first 2 months I wasn’t able to focus on training therefore didn’t have any change. But the last month, change has come and there’s no turning back. The last month has been the only time I have been able to follow my plan and hit it hard at gym. Took me a while to learn all the weight training exercises and get used to the intense cardio routines. Learning and building resistance feels amazing.
This last month, I have finally seen my physique change. It’s not a jaw dropping change BUT it’s a change that motivates me to keep working on my body. My body deserves to be turned into a masterpiece. Only I have that power to do so. I have lost a total of 10lbs BUT still have 8-10lbs more to lose, in order to be stage ready. My legs have gotten tighter and my waist smaller. My upper body needs lots of work, these arms of mine are no way near where they have to be. I will get there though, I will!!! Will post progress pics soon.

This journey towards the NPC stage has been great. I have met so many inspirational people, especially woman. I have also learned so much about fitness overall. Most exciting I have discovered many goodies (supplements and food). Will be sharing soon with all of you!!

Change is great!! What are you waiting for?? Change an aspect of your lifestyle you’re not content with today. You will be surprise how it benefits your overall well-being!!

Food prep practice!

I have been over-worked lately! I will be off the next few days so I have so many things to share with you guys. First off , I have not started training yet. Geez, I really dislike putting excuses up.

I AGREE! I gotta do this!!

But I have been flying 6 days straight 1 off and just haven’t had any energy to workout. On the few days I’ve had off I just want to relax. So yeah, maybe I do need to put more effort and just hit the gym even if I fall asleep on the machines.

I was able to at least prepare competition prep food for 4 days away. I took a few pics of what I cooked and how I put it all in my lunch bag.

So it went well. It was like a little practice test for me. I think I will be okay as long as i plan ahead. Cooking and organizing the food for a weeks worth will definitely make it so much easier.

News to share: The BF and I will be moving into a new place. I’m super excited! I will be posting pics of the new place (needs lots of work). But It will be our new project. Looking forward to sharing the improvements as we go along. Once my kitchen comes together I will be doing videos of healthy recipes and competition food prep. Can’t wait!!

ANYTHING YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT LATELY?

NYCity Skyline

I have been coming into NYC (LGA) from this route a lot lately. This pic taken with my phone doesn’t do the view justice. Having trouble uploading videos I took of the skyline during the day and night! will do so as soon as I can figure that out!

NPC Bikini and Figure workshop, Take 2:

Super excited. As you guys already know i missed the first workshop 3 weeks ago in Boston due to weather here in the Northeast. Well, this news made my week. Not only will I get the opportunity once again to attend this workshop, but it’s also here in NYC. Can’t wait!!

Anyone interested in Nutrition and fitness overall, not just competing, YOU MUST ATTEND!!

Mrs.Dash, my new best friend

For those of you who are trying to watch your sodium intake, Mrs. Dash’s Salt Free Seasoning mixes are all gluten-free. I made meals for 4 days worth this week (for a four-day trip I just got back from). The only seasoning i used was Mrs. Dash Original Blend. I found this at BJ’s 3x the size of the regular size ones you find at the stores for about the same price. I will have to try the other blends but this was defineatly a great salt substitute. Gave the white fish amazing flavor. This salt-fee seasoning will be the only seasoning I will use during prep a long with other fresh herbs. No more salt for me (Kosher, sea salt, table salt).

What’s your favorite salt free seasoning?

EatSmart Precision scale Review

Turkey Burger with Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions accompanied by baked sweet potato fries.

Ingredients

1½ Pounds Lean Ground Turkey
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
½ Tablespoon Chile Powder
½ Tablespoon Dried Thyme
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Salt
½ Teaspoons red Pepper flakes
6 slices of Gruyere cheese
3 whole wheat burger bread
1 Tablespoon minced white onion

Directions

Combine the turkey, garlic, chile powder, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt, minced onion and pepper into a large bowl.

After mixing form each patty into a round shape; Make 6 oz patties. Use your thumb to make a small well in the center, on either side, of each turkey patty. This will keep the patty from plumping up in the middle.

Preheat a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Place the turkey patties in the pan and allow them to cook for approximately 7 to 8 minutes on the first side. Do not press the patties with a spatula. Next, carefully turn the patties over, place the cheese on the top of each patty and allow them to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Once the patties are done and the cheese is melted, place each patty on a toasted bun. Serve immediately. Top with your favorite toppings.

EatSmart Scale Review

I was sent the EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale to review. As I’ve mentioned in previous post I will need a scale to measure my protein intake while prepping for Bikini Competition. I was so excited to receive this scale, and I couldn’t wait till I started preparation so I decided to use scale to measure the Turkey burger patties above.

Features:

Max weight is 11 pounds

Displays 4 different units-pounds, grams, kilograms, ounces

3 minute auto shutoff to preserve battery

Tare Feature; Subtract the weight of any plate or container

Comes with an EatSmart Guidebook to Calorie Counting (Which I plan on referencing a lot)

I really liked the attractive and modern design, I like the chrome color they sent me. I love that it converts to different units to help with recipes that use different measurements. Also its compacted size is a bonus for me since it won’t take up too much space. I can even take it with me while traveling, that’s how light weight it is. It’s also very straight forward and simple to use, power on/off set measuring unit , put item on scale and that’s it. You guys will be seen this scale a lot in my food preparation photos and videos.

Overall, if you are in the market for a budget scale that offers various weight measurements. Look no further. The Eat Smart Precision Pro Scale will be sufficient in meeting these needs in quality, and afford-ability. You can find it here on sale at Amazon for just $25. Can’t get any better than that.