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:

2 for 2 and a Perfect Banana Oatmeal

All, I come bearing good news! Guess what... this whole thing actually works! And I've got numbers to prove it! In 1 month of the non-diet diet I lost 2% body fat which in my case are 2 pounds of fat. I think it's quiet impressive... not to mention I've never felt better! For the first time in my life the scale went up and I don't give a damn (weight went up 2 pounds since I started... coincidence?) because my clothes are all lose. I attest: muscle does weigh more than fat (I am a "see it to believe it" person.. never mind that I always read about it everywhere, I had to actually experience it...).

Now to amp up my muscle gain I am actually trying to eat a bit more proteins and carbs (for those of you who know me well... you know how hard that is for me). I'm eating every 3 hours which honestly is not as great as it sounds... I'm usually not hungry when it comes time to eat. I just started this though, so I'll keep you posted on the results and challenges.

Aaaaaanyhow... to celebrate success, I leave you with my absolute favorite breakfast oatmeal recipe (this is the basic version.. but I recently I started adding whey protein powder to increase my daily protein intake)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oats (I use steel cut oats old fashioned)
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 sliced ripe banana 
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Stevia or Truvia to taste
Sliced almond and dark chocolate chips to top it off.

Preparation: 

1. Combine the oats, water, almond milk, banana, cinnamon and sweetener in a bowl (microwavable) and stir. 
2. Place the bowl in the microwave for 6 minutes at 50% power (trust me, this makes all the difference in the consistency you'll get... part of the deliciousness comes form this step).
3. Let it sit for 3-5 min once it's done (if you can wait for that long)
4. Top it with some sliced almond, a bit more cinnamon, some chocolate chips or peanut butter - or whatever you fancy! ENJOY!!

Note: if you are an oatmeal expert you probably noticed that this recipe calls for a bit more liquid than you are used to BUT this is key! Adding more liquid improved the consistency and also makes the recipe "yield" more (so you feel you ate more). Got this tip from chocolatecoveredkatie.com and it changed my world. 

Clean Eating Crash Course For Non-Scientists

Are you guys ready? *drum roll* Ladies and gentlemen here is the much awaited for, highly anticipated post on what (the f's, h's whatever you want to insert here, but this is a clean blog so I won't - HA like the pun?) exactly is clean eating, eating clean... whatever you want to call it!

First, things first, let me ask: do you have nutrition courses, food engineering degree, NASA certification in rocket science? No? GREAT! If yes was your answer, that's pretty impressive and congrats but you really won't need it. 

Clean eating means, at it's core, paying attention to what you eat and staying away from things that are not natural - let's call them dirty. Anything artificial or processed is considered "dirty" when it comes to clean eating. So pretty much when you go do your grocery shopping you want to stay away of package foods that contain a loooong list of ingredients, half of which you can't even pronounce, let alone know what it looks like.

Lean proteins, veggies, fruits, seasonings, wholegrain and healthy fats and sugars are fair game. Always keeping in mind portion sizes and daily recommended amounts - it's all about balance (caloriecount.com is pretty useful for that).

Other than that, to make sure you have the best results possible to your well-being, make sure to drink lots of water (and I mean LOTS - as in a gallon a day if possible), sleep well and obviously, exercise!!
Clean eating may or may not be expensive depending on where you live, how hard-core you decide to go. I found my groceries turned out pretty much the same price since I already ate a lot of fresh produce before and I substituted what I used to spend with 'dirty' foods for clean versions. I am also using up stuff I still have in my pantry that is relatively clean (ie: canned grains, which are technically 'dirty' but I honestly think I will stick to those because they are too practical #cheating).

As I said, it is pretty simple (sorry rocket science people :/) and the great thing is - it is NOT a diet! It is a lifestyle a change and a concept. It's really honoring your body as your temple (I forgot to mention I am a bit of a Yogi - Namaste) and treating it as such.

Now, all that said, I have to admit I am taking this easy. I don't like anything too radical (except when it comes too sports :) but that is a horse of a different color - and a different post maybe). We are living, breathing creatures with desires and sometimes that burger or ice cream will give you that dirty look that is just impossible to resist - I say (and do) go for it! Every once in a while, preferably on weekends allow yourself to get down and dirty, just pay attention to quantities and everything will be OK and life will go on - as long as you don't let a one-time-thing become routine.

Any of you pumped to try? Let me know if you have any questions and I will gladly help you out! :)

Some useful resources:
Grocery list: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5353/The-Essential-Grocery-List-for-Clean-Eating.html
Clean eating meal plans:  http://cleaneatingmag.com/meal-planning/meal-plans/