Changes and Snow White Oatmeal

Hello again to whoever is out there!

So after a long (long long long) time no see, I'm back! And a lot has changed. And I mean A LOT - related to fitness and otherwise. So what exactly changed you ask? Well.. I shall answer... I apologized for the long post but read it if you'd like... if not, there is a great recipe at the end  so just keep scrolling :)

Life in general 
I switched jobs not once, but twice, in a span of less than 2 months. For those who don't know I was going through a bit of a rough phase career-wise when I first started writing the blog. However now I am glad to say that I am now back to my beloved advertising industry and loving what I do once again.

Nutrition 
Now, as with every big life change (at least for me), my fitness and diet had a bit of ups and downs. But you know what? That was great! I learned a lot as far as what works and what doesn't for my body.

I went to a functional nutritionist and got a very restrictive diet which, although it wasn't sustainable, taught me a great deal about when to eat what, different food groups that go together and how to balance out my meals. I also learned that eating to gain muscle mass doesn't work for me. Yes, I need to eat protein and carbs and all and I can't deprive myself... but what I mean is that I realized I can't eat as if I'm a body builder even if that works for some. I work out hard but not that hard! Especially during the transition phase.

I joined weight watchers. Yep, I know. I'm opening myself up for criticism here, I know I am not overweight but portion control and moderation have always been an issue for me and the WW system helped me re-build a healthy relation with the foods I love. I'll admit the point counting did get obsessive at a certain stage but even that fades out as you start seeing result and begin eating more intuitively minding your portions.

Also, it's important to note that I used WW in addition to my knowledge of what to eat pre and post workout, clean eating, and my body's needs for certain nutrients according to my workouts. With that finally started seeing results! And no, I don't mean getting skinnier, I mean getting leaner! My body weight is going sloooowly down but still far from what WW set for me but I am way leaner than when I started - 6% less body fat to be precise. Sounds like a good deal to me. I'll share before and after pictures later.

Last, but definitely not least, I noticed that depriving myself during the week and splurging during the weekends was doing me more harm than good (thanks to my favorite brazilian fellow blogger Gabriela Pugliessi from @ tips4life for drilling that into my head through her posts and IG account).

Fitness
With all the changes in my work life I have to admit my workouts kind of fell through the cracks - and that was a-ok! I needed that time to re-align. Different times need different priorities. Once I finally got all setled and comfortable with my new work routine, my ideal workout schedule just kind of fell into place. I understood that my body does great for weights in the morning and I definitely have more energy for cardio at night so I combined both and BINGO! Also, I found some much needed space for my Yoga in the weekends. Recipe for mind and body success.


So basically I now know how to portion control and to eat in moderation and that one bad meal won't make or break my diet, just a one good one won't redeem me from a heavy load of naughtiness. I'm still eating clean but not as radical and I'm fine with that. I'm working out harder than ever but because I love it, not to lose weight. The feeling of getting stronger and better is sufficient reward. Most importantly though, I'm going through the never-ending learning process of what works for my body (you noticed I always italicized that... that's to emphasize it works for me but it won't necessarily work for everyone) and I strongly encourage everyone to embark on this journey - with or without me. Do it for you!


Now that you were nice enough to stick with me for my ramble and welcome (myself) back spiel, you are more than entitled to a reward, and it's a big one! Here is the best oatmeal recipe ever (I SWEAR) I call it Snow White because of the apple ans it's just that sinfully delicious (ha ha.. #not).


SNOW WHITE OATS


Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of oats
• 1/3 cup of coconut almond mik (or milk of choice)
• 2/3 cups of water
• 1 tsp of Chia seeds
• Stevia to taste 
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 apple
• 2 tbsp of PB2
• Stevia sweetened Chocolate Chips

Preparation:

1. In a bowl combine oats, milk, water, chia and stevia
2. Microwave for 6 min on low power (50%) (crucial for creaminess and deliciousness) Keep an eye out so it doesn't overflow, seriously.
3. Once 6 min are over, add the egg whites and apple, stir and microwave on full power for 1.5 min. While you're waiting, mix your pB2 with water to the desired consistency.
4. Remove bowl from microwave, top with pb2, try to wait for it to cool down  (this is the hardest part) and enjoy!

Seems complicated but really isn't - I do this at work so no excuses! you have to try and and let me know what you think!!

Nutritional info without PB2 and choc chips:

Clean eating - Game on!

I've been working out for a good portion of my life but I've never really been fit. You know - toned, defined abs, lean etc. I've never been over weight (minus a liiiittle slip freshman year in college) but I never really had THE body I hoped for. So, I decided its time for a change. I've been reading about what to do and what not to do for so long in terms of eating and exercising to get THAT perfect body that I honestly believe I could write a book on it (or at the very least blog about it). Yet, in spite of my extensive knowledge on nutrition and fitness, I never really practiced it. I mean.. I work out, I eat healthy most of the time but I splurge a lot, have a big pitfall for fake sweeteners  diet coke and other health sins that are bound to halt my fitness progress. Thing is, I have to stop reading and start doing!

I actually hate 'selfies'... but I feel accountability is a must on this one, so here it is...

So here is the deal: I decided to give clean eating a try - bye bye fake food, diet coke and my beloved zero calorie sugar substitute (mind you, Stevia is still allowed). So long to the days of crazy cardio attempts and in comes the era of constant and disciplined weight training! I am hoping to not only see results but also eel better with myself and the world (oh so poetic). I will keep you posted with my tips, tricks and progress (hopefully lots of the latter).


Are you heading down that road too? Well let me know what you think and give me tips to! LETS DO THIS!

For the day:

Yuuum - mind the keyboard 

Breakfast: Vanilla Oatmeal (old style oats, vanilla extract, almond milk and stevia with cinnamon and sliced almonds to top it off)
Morning snack: Baby carrots and 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese with parsley and salt.
Lunch: 2 oz of grilled Chicken (seasoned with cumin, paprica and thyme) and baby greens, cherry tomato and parmesan salad with balsamic dressing + peach for dessert
Afternoon snack (pre-workout): Banana and half a teaspoon of low fat PB
Dinner: Chocolate Protein shake (with almond milk - post-workout), 1/2 cup od cooked spinach, 4 asparagus spears and 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Workout of the day: Legs + 20 min treadmill

Tip: Cooking and chopping veggies for the week in one sitting saves you a looot of time and effort later on. Plus you're less likely to cheat if everything is handy