Are you wondering yet? YES...I am still doing the CLEAN EATING!

Today I start the 6th week of clean eating.  What a journey....35 days have gone by and I have been able to keep cheese out of my body!  Now if I don't deserve a reward for that.  What would I reward myself?  Sure my first answer is CHEESE!  Lol!  But nope...I actually received my reward last week. Let me share this reward with you......

On Monday (July 23) after writing my previous blog, I began to think of my next incentive.  The first incentive were the pants that I mentioned, and we all know what happened....I was wearing them last week!  Woo Hoo!  So yea, I go to my closet and I would like to say that there was nothing else in my closet that DID NOT FIT ME (too small).  I actually just got rid of clothes that DOES NOT FIT ME (too big).  There in the far left corner I see them.......the pants.  These pants were given to me.  The person that gave them to me knew I had been working out at Asylum and that I had been losing inches. The pants were a size 14.  I told the person, "I don't wear a 14".  She proceeded to say, yes you do! You have lost a lot of weight.  I chuckled and thought to myself...."yea right!"

When I first tried those pants on, they did not go up past mid thigh.  REALLY SAD!  Anyways, I have kept these pants in my closet for over a year now.  I was going to try to wear them for my nieces wedding last year, but didn't quite get them up past my hips, LOL.  So every once in a while I try these on to see if there is any progress....

Back to the present now......some time in March of this year, I tried them on.  I was pretty amazed that they had sort of made it up my hips, but half way.  NO WAY ON THIS GREEN EARTH THEY WOULD GET PAST THAT!  Not with the 2 C-section belly that I have had and it is just ALL HANGING THERE!!!!!  Believe me, I have learned to live with it!!  So I thought......

So on July 23rd, after writing my blog, looking for another "clothing" incentive in my closet, I FOUND THE PANTS.  Dare I try them on?  What would happen next?  These pants could be my next incentive!  I took them off the hanger....I did it...I tried them on.  Not only did I try them on, but I pulled up those bad boys and they went past my hips.....totally past my hips!  They went up to where they needed to go and as of NOW...I need like an inch and a half for them to BUTTON UP!

You have no idea what this did for me!  The last time I was wearing a size 14 was in college (1984). Not only was it a NEW INCENTIVE...but it was MONUMENTAL!!!!!  I came out of the closet, looked at myself in the mirror....and there all by myself...I cried.  I cried.  I cried.  I stood there for a good 10 minutes and cried.  The dogs just stared at me.  The words that kept coming out of my mouth, "oh my goodness,"  "I can't believe it," "are you kidding me?", "I can't believe it" and of course more crying.  What a moment that I had all by myself to give me the NEXT PUSH for me to KEEP ON DOING MY THING!

Later on that day, I did call my nutritionist and cried over the phone with her and thanked her with words that weren't even enough.

So yea, I'm still EATING CLEAN and it has REWARDED ME more than I even get some times!  In the meantime:
I still miss cheese
I still miss Frito corn chips
I still miss McDonald's fries
I still miss popcorn from the movies
and yes...I still miss pizza!

But hey, after those pants.....I can live without the junk food!

this was my gift from Ramon for my "one month" of Clean Eating!

I HAVE COMPLETED ONE MONTH!!!

Completing one month on my clean eating has given me these results:
1.  A pair a pants I bought in April (because they were on clearance) that did NOT fit, now FIT ME!  I wore them on Sunday.
2.  Despite missing cheese and cheetos and junk food, I have not felt sluggish anymore.
3.  There is a new energy in me that makes me feel so young (not that I was feeling old, lol).
4.  I know I have lost weight.  DON'T WANT TO WEIGH MYSELF UNTIL I HAVE MY ASSESSMENT WITH MY NUTRITIONIST.
5.  People have been telling me, what are you doing?  Your face looks so slim and vibrant!  SCORE!
6.  My workout has become easier in the sense that I feel more energized!
7.  My portion sizes are paying off!

I probably could sit here and list more, but that would bore you to death!!!  Or maybe not!

On Sunday, July 21st, I completed ONE MONTH of this part 2 of my journey.  It was hard!  It took everything in me not to eat CHEESE!  LOL it's funny when people ask me how I'm doing, the first thing that comes out of my mouth, "I still miss cheese".  I never realized how addicted I was to cheese! But PROTEIN PANCAKES.....love those!  I could have these for breakfast everyday!  I actually made my protein pancake in my waffle iron.  LOVE THESE!  The past 2 weeks these babies were my comfort!  They tasted so great with a black cup of coffee!

Back to Sunday, I got up to get ready for church and thought...."should I wear the pants?"  I had tried them on Friday, but still thought I should wait.  Well, took them off the hanger, took off the tags, ironed them and put them on.  WOW!  Zipped them up, snapped the button and then I cried!  I cried there all by myself staring at myself in the mirror.  The pants fit.  Not only did they fit, but in the "crotch" area, they are loose!  POETIC JUSTIC to that belly fat!!!!  They fit.  There is something that is so amazing deep down inside when you put on the pair of pants that you know that you will wear for a little while and then probably have to donate later because you will still drop more sizes!

Let me tell you something about me.  I have never been the one to keep clothes in my closet of different sizes.  You can ask my family.  I hardly buy clothes.  I keep clothes even if they are old because I will keep wearing them.  I never wear tight fitting clothes.  I would rather wear loose fitting clothes.  I do not have various sizes of clothes in my closet so that way when I am going up and down in weight I can have options.

This is who I am.  I am getting rid of clothes as I am dropping weight/sizes.  I am not keeping it for back-up.  Back-up for what?  Because I am going to at some point start eating things that I shouldn't again.  Because soon I will get to eat "normal" again.  What is normal?  CLEAN EATING is normal.

This is who I am.  I make LIFE CHOICES!  When I make a LIFE CHOICE I live it.  LIFE CHOICE means I want to live this way!  Am I saying that I am perfect?  NO WAY!  Am I saying that I will mess up?  OH YEA!  But my JOURNEY is to move forward.  My JOURNEY is to move forward and keep going!

Sure I have a goal that I want to reach.  But I when I reach it.....then what?  Do I then just want to MAINTAIN?  Do I then just sit back and relax?  NO!!!  When you make a LIFE CHOICE....you live! I want to LIVE.  I want to do things that I never could!  I want to move forward!

I am so excited to LIVE!  The things I have planned to do.....LOVE IT!

So you ask me....is it worth it?  Yesterday I spoke with someone about my clean eating.  They asked me, I just didn't stand on my soap box to preach, lol.  They asked, I spoke!  After they shared with me how they eat and their patterns.  After I shared with them what I eat.  That person said, "keep it up, because what you are doing, is working".  It felt great to hear that, but inside I felt sad.  Sad because despite the "health" problems this person shared they were having, I realized....it's a LIFE CHOICE.  I proceeded to share with this person that my dad dying 3 years ago is why I chose to make a LIFE CHOICE to live.  I had the same disease that killed my dad:  HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.  I told myself and I told God, I DO NOT WANT TO DIE!!!  I want to live.

I got a little choked up when I was sharing this with this person, because even after 3 years, I still remember that day I got the phone call from my sister to tell me that dad had a stroke.  Believe me, this was one of the hardest things to hear over the phone.

So yes after sharing yesterday, I was once reminded (as I was wearing the pants that NOW FIT ME), I AM LIVING!!

Yep, I've become one of those people...bring my food with me everywhere I go!  IS IT WORTH IT???  Yes it is!

Week 3 and feeling it....but in a good way!

Got my new menu for 3rd & 4th week.  Love it!  It's not even like crazy outlandish food!  It's stuff that I have been cooking and eating.  Lean Turkey Ground, Tilapia, Salmon and yes more chicken!  The portions are actually getting to be to much for me.  I get excited to eat it all up though!  And I do eat it all up!  I find myself eating way slower.  My metabolism has increased so much!  The green tea is working great!

All these things sum up something for the start of week 3....

My clothes are fitting me lose...again.  At first I thought I was imagining it.  But nope, even after week 1, the pair of shorts I bought for this summer fit me loose.  Since I began Asylum and lost those 3 sizes, I wear a Large in T-shirts.  Well, the Large are starting to fit looser. This is great!  Don't get me started on my underwear...LOL....but yes, those are fitting me like granny panties!  Since Asylum I went down 2 sizes on my underwear....LOL...now those are loose.

Energy.....my energy is a whole new thing too!  Now with working out and the clean eating....this energy level is BAM!!!  Love it!  I find myself not wanting to just sit around.  I get myself up to do things.

In the midst of all of this....have only gone out to eat only once in these 3 weeks.  We had a reception to go to.  I referred to my notes from my nutritionist....pick grilled chicken.  No tortilla chips.  Yep!  Did that!  Ate half of the portion of the chicken, rice and beans.  Asked them to not put the chili sauce on the chicken.  This worked out great!

In the midst of all of this....don't feel like I'm missing out on FOOD!  I can say I still miss cheese!  LOL..but that is my weird relationship I have with cheese!  Not craving weird stuff like chili dogs anymore.  I'm getting the hang of this eating stuff on a very good schedule.  My body reminds me when it 's time to eat.  It's like CLOCK WORK!

My health is good.  All is good.  The pre-menopause phase is getting better.  I'm feeling healthy on the inside like never before.  The start of week 3 has me feeling more confident than ever!  I'm waiting to get some changes on my workout so I can take it up a notch.  I'm ready for this!!!

love these power yogurts!

Week 2....probably the worst time because of 4th of July!!!

My trainer from Asylum Fitness is out of town on a much needed vacation.  The gym will be closed for the month of July.  So my Health & Nutrition Coach suggested I join Planet Fitness for that month and she would send me exercises/workouts.  So this past Sunday, I enrolled in Planet Fitness.

After the Planet Fitness thing, the hubby and I are grocery shopping for the upcoming week.  I am buying all my stuff I need to get for my clean eating Week 2.  In the midst of that, I find myself telling the hubby, "I miss cheese".  "I miss pizza".  "When am I ever going to eat cheese again?"  Do you see a pattern here?  LOL

As I am buying stuff to grill for 4th of July, all I can think of.....this is going to be hard.  Way harder than I think.  Of course on Sunday, I have already made up my mind that I am going to NOT follow my Nutrition Plan on Thursday (4th of July).  Don't you just love my determination?  NOT!!!  I'm buying hot dogs and burgers for the gang.  This doesn't bother me.  Believe me, it really doesn't.  But cheese?  How I love thee cheese!  Chili dogs....lately I've been craving these.  Why?  It's not like we always eat them.  We hardly ever do.  But funny, how the body plays tricks on you.

Back to my determination.  On Monday I went to Planet Fitness.  When I left, I thought....I can't ruin week 2.  Today I went to Planet Fitness, and I thought....I can't ruin Week 2.  So as of now, I am determined NOT TO RUIN WEEK 2.  Tomorrow, our staff is having a cookout.  Here we go.....will I have the same determination?  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I have been speaking more openly about this nutritious eating with my hubby.  I feel that it is helping me more.  I feel that if I talk it out, the good and bad, it will help me process it!  I do NOT want to be talked out of what I'm doing,  But at the same time, I need to tell someone about my weakness.  I find myself crying out to God more than ever.  I figure if there is anyone that knows about clean eating...it's him.  Yep, I figure if he fasted for 40 days (no food), he can truly understand my "still" eating, but clean food.

This whole journey brings back to mind a book I read for my IMPACT group, "Soul Detox"...wow....I get it!

these sugar-free jello shots (that's what my son calls them)  are  perfect!