Test-run new lifestyle

Hi loves! Where to even begin? Last September I made a vow to start eating and living more healthy, after being sick my entire vacation because of some junkfood. Well, technically I do not think Mexican food should be considered junkfood unless you got it from Taco Mundo (yumm) or Taco Bell. But then again, burritos are not even authentic Mexican, but a rather American dish right? Anyways, there was something about the beans, spicy ass salsa, and quite possibly cream cheese, my stomach was just not A-okay with. And I puked my brains out in Spain, lol.

Onto the positive part, I decided to really take care of my body and take my IBS and lactose intolerance into considering when grubbing. I tried the Paleo diet and even shared recipes I tested out on my blog. And then, there was silence. What happened? Well, to put it simply: I stumbled and fell hard off the bandwagon. I did manage to start a tiny bit of exercise in between then and now (yoga and twirling around a pole YASS), but nothing that will really get me into shape. Well, obviously. Because I had been stuffing myself like a trash can again (e.g. Gumbo w/ cornbread and cannoli)! There is just something about food...

The best way to bring a smile to my face is with something delicious to eat. When I am not in a positive zone, I will eat something yummy to make me feel better. The only times I am not in the mood for food is when I feel REALLY sad. So, if you ever spot me skipping dinner you know it is on! Food is not only my (quick) comfort, but I have also gotten so used to eating whatever I feel like eating. So used that I think I might have witnessed some withdrawal symptoms the other day...

They say that the getting fit recipe is 30% working out and 70% eating healthy. Meh, so I cannot choose? I promised myself to start working out, so I could stay grubbing and not gain any weight. But when that did not work out, I decided to eat healthy and not work out so I would not gain any weight.

The problem is, I first need to lose weight, to even be in that "maintaining my weight" zone. Buying new clothes because old ones do not fit you anymore is just tiring. Ok, so I finally decided to start working out ánd eat healthy again! And of course, meal prepping is half of the work.

I started sweating in the kitchen again, and prepped one day worth of food (see above). Then I decided to do a test-run with clean eating to find out whether a 6 meals a day, or 3 meals a day worked better for me.

I mean I started off feeling great. I had some egg whites and veggies for breakfast, an apple two hours after, and some brown rice w/ quinoa, corn, salmon and veggies for lunch.

But then... I suddenly did not feel well. My head started pounding again like crazy, and I was bed-ridden. I am still not completely sure what happened, but I am guessing my body was looking for my daily high sugar and fat intake and started protesting after realizing it was not getting any! In a last attempt to feel better (so I could do something productive again) I ate a cookie and some potato chips. But to no avail.

So basically, I am a bit of a junkfood, sugar, high-sodium junkie. And getting used to a new way of living is NOT going be easy. Thank the Lord I did a test-run, so I could know beforehand what I am getting myself into. Also, I did a test-run of working out. Man, man, man. I nearly fell on the floor T^T But, I hardly got through my first class of poledancing too, and now I am able to hang upside down (hooray for thick legs)! It is a working progress, and we are just going to take it step by step!

Lobi,

p.s. I am starting to eat clean this week, I will write my first update soon!

Quotes from Google.com

Punishment (update #2)

What have I been up to the past weeks you might wonder.

Exams.

Stuffing.

Cooking.

I have been trying my (utter) best to stay updated with my readings for class in order to pump up my grade average. I recently started a class on a topic new to me, which requires a lot of time and effort. Luckily I can tell you that my time spent studying for exams was worth it, seen as I scored some awesome grades. A negative side effect from exam week though, is that I always tend to stuff my face with whatever keeps me awake. I cannot focus on my readings prepping for exams, without chewing on some candy or a snack. I get easily distracted when it comes to studying for exam week. I was a great fan of wine gums this semester.

Aside from prepping for exams and being busy with school, of course I did not stop cooking. Like I mentioned earlier, not everything I cook turns out picture worthy (I ain't no damn photographer, duh). So what have I been cooking? Thyme lemon chicken, chili lime chicken, onion pork chops, cookie brownies (exam week, hello), countless attempts of baking Paleo pancakes (to no avail), eggplant pizza, vegetable soup, sweet and sour soup, cannelloni, roasted butternut squash. And probably a lot more.

Unfortunately I have not been able to make the raw cheesecake yet, because I cannot seem to get my hands on a bottle of vanilla extract!

Lobi,

p.s. The other day I did not give a damn and ate 1/4 of a Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough pint. Whaddyaknow, within a few hours volcanoes began to pop out of nowhere on my forehead and temples. I am not sure whether it was the sugar rush or the dairy, seen as I had been eating Greek yogurt the days before. Greek yogurt is supposedly very low in lactose, and seen as I did not get any cramps because of it, I declared it to be a safe indulgence.

Fail.com + exercising (update #1)

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week feeling energetic, happy, and content. Unfortunately I do not have a recipe for you today, because I have not been very creative in the kitchen this week. In between all these recipes and pictures of food that turned out tasting great, I have had my fair share of FAIL.com situations in my kitchen.

The other day, for instance, I tried out a recipe for sweet potato bread I had been dying to make. The bread came out looking great, but as soon as the smell hit me I knew something went wrong. I did not screw up with measurements this time, so I am not really sure what went wrong. Maybe I should invest in a food processor, seen as my blender cannot handle everything.

1) Back to the bread story, I actually baked a mini loaf and some cupcakes with the mixture. Everything that came out of my oven smelled like egg. Yes, eggs were part of the recipe (uhh, we are baking here), but that is not the smell you expect when your main ingredient is sweet potato! Unlucky for me, the bread tasted like egg too. Can you imagine the horrible taste, if it had an "eggy" flavor, but somehow still did not taste right?

I will have another food post coming up soon, because I am determined to "bake" a dairy free, gluten free, raw, vegan "cheese"cake! I have been eyeing those Pana Chocolate cakes for ages now, and fatty as I am I simply háve to try some (counterfeit versions) of these babies out! Seen as I cannot board on a plane to Australia anytime soon, this just means I will have to make some myself. :)

2) The other day I had a lecture by Vodafone's current CEO and I remember him saying somewhere along the lines of; If you don't make time for exercise now, you'll eventually have to make time for being sick. I could not have agreed more with him and his inspiring/motivational speech. Unfortunately, my body does not always do what my mind tells it to do. I have been on my "journey to health" for about two weeks now and I can honestly say it has not been flawless.

You know the notion "You don't realize what you have until it's gone"? Well, I have a somewhat similar relationship with food. For instance, I mentioned in a previous post that I am not really fond of eating bread. I like it, but seen as it is usually served with cold cuts (e.g. cheese), sweet  toppings or spread, it has never been a favorite on my list. So I figured I could easily cut out wheat from my diet. Boy, was I wrong. Knowing I could not have any grains or dairy, I suddenly began craving for French bread with cheese, really really bad. After a week or so, I succumbed.

In learning new habits, I have found out through the years that I am not a "cold turkey" type of person. I can be. For maybe 1.5 week tops. And then I fall back into my old routine, which often includes binge eating. The best way for me to change is with baby steps. A healthy lifestyle is obviously more than just eating clean, it is also about exercising. The problem with me is that I have always viewed exercise as a means to something. A means to getting toned, to get fitter, to lose weight.

Until I started exercising regularly last year in Toronto I did not realize that exercise can also be a means to mental health, and in itself be a form of relaxation that can be enjoyable despite of the effort and pains it can involve. Changing my mindset is a step-by-step process, and I am slowly getting there. And what way better to change your outlook on life and your body than to practice yoga? I have been enjoying my weekly yoga classes and I can recommend this form of exercise to anyone who wants to become healthier physically and especially spiritually.

On a last (random) note, another thing I absolutely loved about the lecture? Finding out that I am not the only one who thinks the Dutch saying (and common conception) "Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg" [Act normal, because normal is crazy enough], is a pair of bullocks. Stand out in this world and be your own unique self. Screw what others think of you and be confident enough to walk in your own shoes.

Lobi,


Pictures from panachocolate Instagram, Google.com