This is what cheating on your diet will do to you!

I am so ashamed. I cheated for about 2 weeks. Like the whole deal - pizza, oreo cookies, carbs, carbs, carbs......I gave in to my weakness and look what it did to my middle!!

Can you see the difference between the top pic and these new ones??

This all happened within 2 weeks! Yes, carbing up like that will put rolls on your middle section. Carbs are MERCILESS!!!

Not gonna do that again. Heck NO!! It's not worth it!

Thank God I know how to eat clean.

I will be posting my clean eating photos in 2 weeks just to prove that it's all about the food we eat.

Legs are starting to come around though. I'm happy for that, but I want MORE.

This Is What Just TWO Weeks Of Wrong Eating Will Do To You!

Ok, I had a weak moment, or two weeks worth of weakness.

You know what guys, it's not worth it.

No more!!!

This photo shows how bloated I am from all the carbs, even my face looks thicker.

Stay tuned in 2 weeks. I'll be back with a vengeance!

My Leaning Out Diet

Here's my Leaning Out diet for the next 8 weeks:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
4 -5 egg whites sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese
Cup of coffee with 2 packs splenda
Water
Vitamins

Mid Morning Snack:
Cup Cottage Cheese
Apple or Celery
Protein Shake
Water

Lunch
I choose from the list:
4 oz. Chicken breast/Tuna/Turkey Pattie
Brocolli/Green beans/Lettuce
Water

Mid Afternoon Snack
Handful of almonds
Protein Shake
Carb and Sugar Controlled Yogurt

After Gym:
Protein Shake

Dinner
I select from the list:
Brocolli/Spinach/Asparagus/Cucumbers/Greens
Salmon/Tilapia/Chicken Breast/Turkey Patty
Salad - no dressing - just a tad of balsamic vinegar
Water

About 8 - 9pm
Protein Shake

Eating With A Purpose....

Today the cravings are really strong. I just want to grab some cookies or chips or something like that, but I WON'T.
I have to keep my goal in mind. I have to keep the picture of my lean, tight and muscular body before my mind's eye.
I have to eat with a purpose. I have to keep reminding myself that the turkey pattie and the chicken soup I brought in today for lunch will keep me lean.

That cookie (you know I can't have just one....) will make a comfortable home around my middle section and my thighs. If I want to MELT THE FAT, then I have to eat accordingly to see the fat melt away.

So I ask myself, what is this craving really about? Why do I want to sabotage my hard earned workouts and sacrificial eating over the past few weeks?

This is where the IRON WILL and FOCUSED determination come into play. I have to muster up the strength to say "NO"!!!

Drinking lots of water helps with the cravings somewhat. It's good for me too. So today, I'll up my water intake.

I'm getting nearer to my dream body.
I'm developing good discipline habits that transpire into other areas of my life too, not just fitness.
I'm cooperating with my goals and dreams and working towards their fulfillment.
I'm being empowered to achieve.
It's 80% what we eat and only 20% training and resting.

By God's grace, I WILL accomplish what I have started and see it through to the finish line.
I'm a WINNER!

1 Corinthians 9:24 -
Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in SUCH A WAY as to win the prize.

Focus, Persistence, Determination and an Iron Will.....

Getting fit is something that is done in the mind FIRST before it materializes in your body. You see, I had to first make the DECISION that I was going to be fit, tight, muscular and buff. Once that DECISION was made, the INTENSE DESIRE rose up in me like a mighty fire that can't be quenched.

I'll admit, many times I have to PRAY myself out of the cravings, but the power to achieve my fitness goals is always available within me when I make that DESICION to be fit and muscular. Am I there yet? No, but I'm definately on my way!

We have to DETERMINE that we WILL be fit.
We have to PERSIST no matter what and never quit. When we don't see results quickly enough, we have to have an IRON WILL that won't quit UNTIL!!

For me, the biggest hurdle was and still can be the starchy carbs. You know, the pastas, the breads, the crunchy yummy foods, the pizzas etc....

I can't go there except for once a month on a cheat day.

Right now, I'm on a mission. I need to stick with the fibrous carbs like brocolli, spinach, lettuce etc.... You know, all the greens.

So my motto is stick to the LEAN AND GREEN and I'll be a MUSCULAR, FAT FIGHTING MACHINE.

One day at a time. That's how you get there. I deal with the cravings one day at a time and one moment at a time. I have to pray myself through it sometimes, but God is there with me giving me the power to defeat that little imp inside who always wants to destroy my dreams.

So anyway, enough of that.

You CAN do it if you really want it.

Scroll down and see my FAT pictures.....

God Bless!

Planning Is Very Important To Fitness Success

I find that when I plan my meals ahead of time, I don't cheat on my diet. It's when the fridge is running on low that I tend to eat whatever is available or eat out more often.

If I cook enough for 3 days or more and have plenty of greens, cottage cheese, protein powder and eggs available at all times, I hardly stray from my meal plans.

Another thing is - I need to carry a cooler with me at all times with "Clean Foods" like hard boiled eggs, protein powder and tuna packets so that I don't find myself stopping at Taco Bell for a quick fix.

Building muscle and leaning out requires careful planning so that we don't give in to the constant temptations around us - especially from the people around us who don't understand our lifestyles.

So here is a list of my "fast on the move clean foods":

Tuna packets
Hard boiled eggs
Water
Protein Powder
Apples
Almonds

These are high in protein which will support my hard earned (little) muscles. They are "clean" and low in calories. They support my "leaning out" goals and don't make me feel crappy when I eat them. Plus, they don't require much preparation.

Those Miserable Cravings....

Eating clean and abstaining from all junk food takes some strong will power. The cravings can be so strong sometimes.

It's almost like it hurts emotionally when I say no to all the starchy, greasy, sugary, crunchy, fatty foods. But the good thing is, that when I do say no, I get a little stronger and almost able to view the craving from a distance.

I've gained a few insights into these "cravings". They're usually not in my favor or supportive of my dreams or goals for fitness.

It's like I'm having WAR with my body. It will NOT gain mastery over me. I will rule over it instead.

So here is what I'm eating these days to lean out:

Broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, tofu, greenbeans, chicken, tuna, egg whites, oatmeal, coffee and splenda.

Basically I'm sticking to all green veggies and lean meats for the next 8 weeks to lean out.

So I'm trading my tasty, delicious junk fatty foods for bland, boring power foods. One will give me a flabby, fat, soft and unattractive body. The other will give me that hard, muscular, curvy, sexy body that says WOW.

Hmmmm, the trade off is worth it in the end.

Eating Clean Equals Looking Lean, Tight and Fit

Eating clean is where the "Magic" happens. This is the hard part for us who want to be lean and muscular. We have to eat with our minds, not with our taste buds.

We have to have such a strong desire to be fit, such an intense desire to have those lean, sexy, muscular legs and tushies. We have to say "NO" to the pizza, bread, ice cream and chips.

When I want that peice of Italian bread with butter or that oatmeal cookie, I have to say, "NO"!!! That one cookie, that one peice of bread could turn into the whole bag really easily for me. I have to tuck my craving away and remind myself of how I want to look. I have to keep that mental picture of my lean and muscular legs. I have to keep my rounded shoulders and my well defined, flat abs in my MIND and then eat to feed that goal.

Is it hard sometimes? Absolutely! But we have to have more than desire. We have to have a strong mind and an unbending will to achieve that lean body. We have to eat with our minds, not with our taste buds. I have to constantly remind myself that eating clean serves two purposes. One purpose is, it is feeding my goal of being fit, lean and muscular. The other is that it is helping me be healthy.

What purpose does eating the ice cream, oatmeal cookies, chips, breads etc.... serve aside from putting rolls on our bellies and cellulite on our butts? Hmmmmm, aside from being fat, unhealthy and creating health issues, I can't see any other good purpose other than satisfying a craving to sabotage my dreams and health.

So sometimes it'll take some tears to say "NO", to that little imp inside that wants to sabotage our dreams. It'll hurt, but when we say "YES" to the spinach, brocolli, chicken and tuna, at the end of the day, we feel empowered, energized and healthy. On top of that, we have moved one day closer to our dreams and goals of being lean, fit and muscular.