Bikinis!

I sure feel more comfortable in them now. The cool thing about going on a cruise is wearing wild swimwear and hopefully no one will snicker. If they do, they don't know you anyway. It's like you're in a movie and you are a glamorous star in your fancy bikini. Well that's how I'm gonna act. Wine and cig money went to a gold one from Express (about $28 total on sale online) and a crazy neon pink one from Armani Exchange, also on sale, and around $30. Yeah, there are bottoms too! :) I'm the swim bargain hunter. No one in their right mind should pay triple digits for little triangles. :)

I feel awesome. The arms are getting tighter. I'm more confident. Diet's good. I just made an interesting concoction of mixed brown rice, marinara, and cooked egg whites on top with basil and red pepper flake. It was pretty good. Then I cooked some sweet potato baked fries. I'm still drinking plenty of water.

I'm watching a PBS program with Dr. Neal Barnard called Kick Start Your Health. He's talking about if you avoid animal fat and cholesterol then your arteries will open up, and it doesn't matter how old you are. He even said to avoid fish because about 15% is omega 3s but the rest of the fat is saturated. Hmm. Need to do research. This also includes dairy. In a nutshell he advocates a vegan diet. He also advises to quit smoking and avoid aluminum. No sugar. I talked to a girlfriend the other day and she suggested to rename my blog "My own guinea pig". The diet I felt the greatest on was vegan. I felt more energized, lost weight, felt lighter. Saved money.

Smobergirl

Day 385

Whole foods

And I mean food, not the grocery store. I just had the best dried fig in my life. It was so much better than those cookies too. Three dried figs have 100 calories, 0 fat, tons of fiber, and have calcium. Not smoking brought my taste back, and it's really exiting. I can taste! Lunch was raw tacos, brown rice, a carrot, and a glass of almond milk. Pending on my mood I'll either make a grilled halibut or egg white frittata for dinner. I did yoga this morning and 20 push-ups.

I got Instant Immersion Italian at Costco yesterday. All I think about is this trip!


Arrivederci!

Smobergirl

Day 383

Ch-ch-ch-changes

So this clean-eating is working, and I'm not missing anything. I don't want any alcohol and like Reno says, it's all sugar anyway and not part of clean-eating. Clean eating is cutting out all processed foods, white flour/breads/rice, sugar, sugar substitutes, alcohol, too much salt, and anti-foods like chemicals and stuff you basically can't pronounce or identify. For lunch with my girlfriend I had a soba noodle salad with leafy greens, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, tempeh, and red onion. It may have been too salty for the diet so I drank extra water. I also had a tea of echinacea, lemongrass, and dandelion (the liver tonic ingredient). For a snack I had the rest of my morning smoothie. What I WANTED was the chocolate chocolate chip vegan cookie in my pantry. I had the smoothie instead, and like my other craves, I forgot about the cookie after 5 minutes. Honestly some vegan baked goods have put a pit in my stomach. It's all about mind control, and little changes. Like pasta...

I discovered 'zucchini noodles' about 6 years ago and you can use a vegetable peeler or a spiral slicer. For a super-easy meal you can use a jar of marinara or pesto, or make a healthy pasta sauce. Some raw books have an 'alfredo' using cashews. I like the texture of the zucchini as noodles, and I don't miss the dough.

It's also about paying attention to what the food is doing to your body. I want to eat for energy and feel good. I also want to look good, not just my shape but the condition of my skin.

Speaking of snacks, stay tuned when I make Sunny Anderson's (from Food Network) MANGO ON A STICK!

Rock 'N Roll,

Smobergirl

Light

Stylin' and profilin'. I'd say I feel dynamic, but my allergies have been terrible the last week. That sore throat/stuffy nose/cough thing I have is kinda going away but not completely. I still don't know if it's the weather or the diet, the latter I'm still following and I feel lighter, like when I went vegan about four years ago for lent. This diet also has no cheese and minimal dairy like egg whites, skim milk, and yogurt. I'm just eating the egg whites out of the three. I had an almond milk, strawberry, and mango shake this morning. I'm meeting a friend for lunch at a vegan cafe. Reno however believes that vegetarians would take longer to lose the weight because of starchy vegetables, so I am being aware of those and staying away from 'wheat meat' and other processed vegan foods. No processing, remember? It's working, I'm staying at 130 for now. I have been fluctuating from 130-135 since month 8 smober.

Strawberry-Mango Pray For Sun Shake:

5 strawberries
1/2 mango
1 kale leaf
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2-1 cup almond milk
1 cup ice
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp hemp protein
1 tsp flax seeds

Blend on high in a high-speed blender.

Smobergirl

Day 381

WOOOOOO!!!!!!

Woah this is potent. Wheatgrassyness!

1 cup water
1/2 cup wheatgrass
3 strawberries
1 orange, peeled
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp flax seeds
1 cup ice


Oooooooh! I watching Jaime Oliver on the tele and he made this avocado salsa:

2 roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
3 jalepenos: one red, one yellow, and one green
Finely chopped cucumber peeled
a bit of chopped cilantro
Squeeze of lime
1 avocado chopped
A bit of olive oil

Smobergirl

A wheatgrass smoothie

I found this on the Vita-Mix site.

Wheat Grass Cocktail
Yield: 2 cups (480 ml)

1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1 cup (160 g) grapes
1/2 cup (75 g) pineapple
1/2 cup wheat grass
1 cup (240 ml) ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
4. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached.
Health Classification: Low Fat, Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw

Meal Type: Green Smoothies, 5 Ingredients or less, Beverages

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (240 ml)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 85

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0g

Saturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 2mg

Potassium 186mg

Total Carbohydrate 21g

Dietary Fiber 1g

Sugars 16g

Protein 1g

Vitamin A 1%
Vitamin C 33%

Calcium 1%
Iron 0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on you calorie needs:
Calories: 2000 2500

Total Fat Less than 65g 80g
Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g
Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg
Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g
Dietary Fiber 25g 30g

Calories per gram:
Fat 9
Carbohydrate 4
Protein 4


http://www.vitamix.com

A good example

I can't tell you enough how rewarding it is to quit your bad habits and sharing. I ran into someone from junior high school who read my article yesterday, and I had lunch with a friend who bought chia seeds just because of me and she's making smoothies. People keep saying, "Look at you!", and today I got an offer to teach a private yoga class at a hotel for good money. It's really amazing what's happening in my life. I am truly blessed!

Wheatgrass. The Vita-Mix sufficiently breaks it down so I don't need a juicer. I am going to try some smoothies with it and post them here. For lunch I had two raw tacos and a corn cob with lime juice, olive oil, a touch of sea salt, and chili powder.

Smobergirl
Day 380