What weight loss means to me & losing weight for the right and wrong reasons

Hi everyone,

This topic was in my mind a lot latey and I thought it would be a great thing to talk about on my blog.

First things first what weight loss means to me

To me weight loss is more serious than looking awesome in designer clothing, rocking the skinny jeans or looking hot in a bikini. I'll admit I like to look good too but losing weight is about making your life better and longer. I am 23 years old and I think looking after yourself at this age is important because its better to start now rather than later because type 2 diabetes runs in my family and I personally do not wanna catch it. I look at this journey as a life saver, Because losing weight can really save your life and I feel I've saved my own life because had I have continued to overeat I would've cut my life short. I look at my family members and I see how difficult their life is having to pump insulin into their veins and I just do not wanna have that hassle of doing that every single day. That is not how I want to live my life. I also want to be fit when I'm older. To put this all in a nut shell weight loss to me means more confidence, a longer life and most importantly a healthy life.

Now losing weight for the right and wrong reasons

I've seen this topic spoken about before on other blogs, so I decided to add my 2 cents on this one. If you are losing weight to impress someone or only to look good or because you've gotten bullied, I ask that you stop and think whether its worth it, I am not saying that you shouldn't lose weight but this is where you need to think more about yourself. Why do I say this? well because losing weight is a thing that is personal, its not for your boyfriend, girlfriend or who ever. Remember how I said earlier in the post that weight loss to me means more than good looks well I find that to be true because IT IS, your body looking good is a sign that you are doing the right thing for YOURSELF so therefore you should lose weight for YOURSELF. Don't do it to impress anyone it is you who needs to be impressed first, you need to please yourself first before you can please anybody else. I know it sounds selfish but that is what weight loss is, its all about you and doing whats best for you and you are the only one who knows whats best for you. Plus it is something your life depends on because it involves your health. It is not the same as getting a breast augmentation or botox or nose surgery because those are all 100% superficial things weight loss is not 100% superficial more than half of it is health while the rest of it is superficial. Fair enough if you are doing it to look fab but do it more for your own health, don't only do it for the looks.

Also trying to look like someone else, like lets say you wanna look like Halle Berry , JLo, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian or Angelina Jolie then you are making the wrong decision because when you lose all your weight you are not gonna look like them. You need to accept what you will really look like when you lose all your weight. And you need to be comfortable with how you will look like naturally when you lose all the weight that you want to lose. There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight but don't set unrealistic goals because that is where you are losing weight for the wrong reasons. In the end when you make goals like that you end up letting yourself down. I personally recommend that you don't cut a photo of your face out and stick it on a photo of someone else's body because you are hurting yourself  when you do that. I have done something similar to that in the past and when I look back I realised how mean I was being to myself and after I did that I would just cry. I'll admit I never liked being overweight for how it made me look but that was not the only  reason why I wanted to lose weight. Anyway when you want to lose weight because of your health and how it makes you feel than I say those are the right reasons as that pertains to only you and no one else. But the main thing is if you are not happy at all with being overweight like how I was then just go for it, but don't beat yourself up about looking ugly. Focus mostly on what you need to do first don't think too much about what you will look like after your journey, don't think about results as in don't be too result driven. I mean it is good to have an idea of what you will look like when you lose the weight but don't think about it too much, like I said earlier don't think that you will look like your favorite celebrity because that is thinking about it too much and you will end up hurting yourself in the end, think about what you will really look like after you lose the weight, this is where you have to be realistic with your goals. Remember everybody has a different a body shape/bone structure. For example your friend has really wide hips and you wish you had wide hips, but yours are more narrow, you have to accept that because that is where genetics plays a big role, so its good to accept your body the way it is, yes losing weight might help emphasize your hips, but for the main part accept it for what it is at the end of the day you can still enhance it by wearing the right kind of clothing but also having narrow hips can look nice too. I recommend that before you lose weight to study your own build/body structure because that will give you more of an idea of what your body will look when you reach your goal. As I mentioned several posts back genetics does not play a big role when it comes to weight however it DOES play a big role when it comes to your own natural shape/bone structure, because that is something that you cannot change unless you have plastic surgery, its like your facial features you can't change your eyes, your nose or your mouth without cosmetic surgery so its better to accept your shape for what it is as its no different. After all it's what makes you unique. For example I used to hate having a big chest when I was a teen but up until my early 20s I began to accept them because other women wanted to have a big chest and despite losing so much weight I still have a big chest even though they have gotten smaller they are still big for my shape but now I've learn't that its one of my best features.

One more thing I would like to say is don't become underweight either because that is not pretty at all. Set a weight goal that is appropriate for your own height and shape. Please avoid trying to look like those sickly skinny high fashion models you see in those magazines because you can get very sick and its just as bad as being overweight because its not healthy.  If you are trying to look like that, then you need to stop as that is a very unrealistic goal, its also an unhealthy goal as those type of models don't live a very good life because they get forced to be that way and they get treated very badly and unfairly by the industry. Trust me you really do not want to be a size 0. Also don't just lose weight, build muscle too because that is healthy and will keep you a healthy weight as it weighs more than fat does anyway.

Remember looks don't make you who you are but if you like to look good, don't feel bad, everybody likes to look good even I do, I also chose to lose weight because I wanted to look good too and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you don't get too obsessed and you're doing it for yourself and your health than that's great. But remember there is no such thing as the perfect look even celebrities who look fab or people with those killer six pack abs aren't perfect looking, nor are the models that you see in magazines. Lets not forget that people in magazines get photo shopped as well and that celebrities and rich people can afford a personal trainer and surgery, but at the end of the day they are just ordinary people like us they are no different from you they just have a life where they can afford everything they want, but they're life is also not perfect as they also, like those high fashion models are pressured to look good and are also treated unfairly by the industry but mostly by the paparazzi this is why I personally hate reading/buying tabloid magazines and visiting tabloid websites, so please don't get jealous of celebrities, heck don't get jealous of anyone! We live in a society that is obsessed with perfect looks and deems looks to be everything which is tough mostly on us women as well as men. I want to share some songs with you that I think you will love. I was just listening to them earlier and the message is simple

"People are all the same, and we only get judged by what we do"

The Sugababes sang this song called "Ugly". I know its kind of ironic sharing songs like this and the other I'm about to share on a blog that encourages you to lose weight but I find the message in this song very powerful because it really is true that we only get judged by what we do. But the thing is these songs are about how you must never change to impress anybody. Plus sometimes people say things to make you feel bad and that makes it nice to share things like this, as stuff like this happens to people everyday.

And then there is this song by one of my favorite 90's girl groups TLC this song is called "unpretty" I find this lyric line so strong,because  it reminds me so much of my teenage years when I went through terrible peer pressure, I actually find this song the soundtrack of my life 10 years ago when I was 13 because at that age I always cared too much about my looks and was told by other people that I was fat even though I wasn't at that time.

My outsides look cool
My insides are blue
Everytime I think I'm through
It's because of you
I've tried different ways 
But it's all the same
At the end of the day 
I have myself to blame
I'm just trippin'

To me this quote from the song explains why you must never change to please anyone else but yourself.

Last but not least the world would be a boring place if everyone looked identical. All in all change yourself for the better and not for the materialistic reasons.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I know it was very long, although I really hope it was worth reading  as I find sharing these things very important.

Stay strong and never give up on your journey.

Love
      Alice

Spiced Pumpkin and fetta salad

Hello again!

I have another recipe to share with you all. I really hope you enjoy it. I just had it for lunch today and I literally surprised myself today because I made this dish before and it was alright but I kicked it up a notch and it tasted fantastic! I didn't think it would come out that good. If you are a big fan of pumpkin I really think that you will love this recipe. This is also very low calorie, like the last recipe I posted, it is under 200 hundred calories and its also filling as I find pumpkin to be quite filling, so its a perfect dish to have on your journey. I 'm sorry to all vegans but this recipe has fetta cheese in it and I don't know what can replace fetta but I suppose you can make it without the cheese as the pumpkin itself tastes fantastic.

Here is what you will need:

1 cup or one cup and a half of sliced frozen or fresh pumpkin.
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 garlic glove crushed, you can also use pre-packaged crushed garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon or tablespoon(adjust to your own taste) of sweet paprika
A pinch of pepper
A pinch of salt
25g of smooth reduced fat fetta cheese
1/2 cup of spinach
1/2 cup of rocket
A drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette

Note:
If you can't find rocket anywhere you can just use spinach alone. You can also use kale.

Here is how to cook it

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, then add the pumpkin and fry it till it softens a little, if you are using frozen pumpkin fry it till the frost on it goes away and softens a little.

2. Add garlic and fry in for a few seconds then add the onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and stir it till the pumpkin caramalises.

3. Take the pumpkin off the heat and leave it to cool for five minutes and meanwhile grab a bowl and place your spinach and rocket in a bowl, grab your fetta cheese and crumble it over the spinach and rocket.

4. Once the pumpkin has cooled down place it on top of the salad and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette, mix and enjoy!

BTW the pumpkin itself would go great in a sandwich!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe, feel free to let me know if you've tried it out, I'd love to know what you think.

Love
      Alice

Butter bean rosti

Hello again,

back with another post for you all. This time  its a recipe  I am going to share yaaaay! finally a more happier post this time!

Now this recipe is inspired by a German/Austrian dish called potato rosti. This is a healthier take on this dish, since potatoes are not so good to have too often and this is a good recipe if you are a diabetic and you are on a low GI diet and you can't have so much potatoes. Also this recipe is under 200 calories and its very simple and easy to cook. And if your a vegan or vegetarian like myself this is a good dish to try out. It can also be served as a side dish.

Here is what you will need:

1 can of butter beans
1 red/purple onion (You can also use a brown onion if you don't have the red ones)
1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
1 teaspoon of olive oil
A pinch of sea salt

And this is optional but you can add a little bit of low fat cheese. (for all you Vegans you can use soy cheese or any kind of vegan cheese)

Here is how to cook it.

1. Heat the oil on a non-stick frying pan, then add the onions and cook them till they become slightly brown but not too brown.
2. Add the butter beans into the pan of onions and mix them in with onions.
3. Add caraway seeds, the salt and fry until the skin on the beans peal and become golden brown and serve but if you are using cheese add the cheese until it melts then take it off the stove and serve.

This meal serves 2 people. But if your having/serving it as a side dish then it serves 4 people.

This is what it looks like in the pictures above, I didn't use cheese when I made it at that time, but with or without cheese its tastes really nice. 

Hope you enjoyed this and hope you give it a try and enjoy it.

Love

      Alice

My weight loss Guide on how to deal with unnecessary advice and what to do when people get jealous

Hey guys,

I know its been a while since I posted something. I've just been running out of ideas. Anyway this post is inspired by the last post because I'm still dealing with the same issue but I'm coping so I might as well share my advice on these sort of things, as I myself think that this is an important issue to share to anyone, but of course more in particular those of you who are close to your goals.

First things first unnecessary advice:

What is unnecessary advice?

This kind "oh your getting too skinny you need to stop!"

basically people telling you that you are getting too skinny out of exaggeration or from their own bias and you look fine you may have a bit of flab maybe around your belly like me and you barely look anything like those sickly thin modals in those high fashion magazines. Yet you look normal and losing a tiny bit doesn't hurt.

Who gives me this advice?

This advice mainly comes from people either friends or family mostly mums or aunts grandmothers or anyone who is old enough to be your mother or they can just be one of  your best friends who is around the same age as you.

Are they jealous?

It is true that it can come from jealous people as well but to answer your question, when it comes to a loved one telling you these things, no, they are not jealous they just get worried because some people find that being skinny is not good as they find its not healthy and some think that having lots of meat on the bones is a good thing as in they don't like to see skin and bones. It also could be because they are not used to seeing the new you. And also because you have chosen to eat less they automatically think that you're not eating enough as in they think you are undernourished even though you are nourished and you feel like a million bucks. They also might not have proper knowledge and can sometimes be biased to what an extremely healthy body looks like. I am not trying to speak lowly of them this is just my honest opinion.

How do I deal with being given this advice?

Well first of all don't let it upset you, remember everyone has their own opinions as to what a healthy a figure looks like. But if they try to hold an intervention or whatever try and explain to them what you are really trying to do, for example they tell you, you should not lose anymore weight but you want to lose the rest of your belly fat but at the same time you don't want to look skeletal, try and tell them that and explain to them the difference between what a slim healthy figure looks like and what an unhealthy slim figure looks like, because really there is a difference, you can take pictures from google images or where ever and show them the difference, as that might help them understand and save them from worrying and also tell them that you want to build muscle which WILL make you gain weight. So yeah tell them those things because they might not have the right knowledge and may need things to be explained. Here's another one they feel sorry for you when you can't eat too much or you decided to stay away from that high calorie cake or whatever, tell them some facts like a whole bowl of broccoli is equivalent to one small bar of chocolate or make it go like this "Oh really?, you feel sorry for me? well that cake has 600 calories in it and I just had a good nourishing meal I much rather a piece of fruit that tastes good to me too you know? so there's no need to worry!" Or simply just tell them that you are never hungry and you are enjoying life better than you were before you lost all your weight and you feel lighter and happier, you can also talk about what problems being overweight caused you in the past like lets say your doctor told you that you are on the verge of becoming diabetic or you had trouble walking due to extra weight and all sorts of health issues that came from being over weight. Tell them this stuff and they might very well change their minds.

What if they don't listen or they don't care what you tell them?

Well I don't know what to say and I don't know how I can help you with this one much because I struggle with this too but all I can say is this. They are either being biased or jealous, because even family members can get jealous(I'll talk more about jealousy later) but no one in my family is jealous and nor are any of my friends. But as far as them being biased don't let it worry you or upset you, keep doing what is best for yourself remember this is your life and they have no right to tell you what to do and they are not the boss of you, they don't know what is best for you, the only person who knows whats best for you is you. As long as you are eating well, keeping fit and active drinking your fluids, never hungry and your happy that is all that matters when it comes to your health. Their opinion is not the gospel remember that and just ignore what they tell you, just keep going until your at that place where you want/need to be and don't let anyone get in your way. You can't change their opinion but that doesn't mean that you can't reach your goals and at the end of the day its just an opinion. So basically just keep going and ignore what anyone says be them jealous or not.

How do I deal with jealous people?

Ignore them and don't worry about them. If someone is jealous of you than its their problem not yours. Anything they say or do to you is their own problem. If this person is a friend, stop hanging out with them, because that's a sign that they are not a good friend. You want to be around friends who will be happy for you and want nothing but the best for you. Usually the kind of people who get jealous are ones who are simply selfish, so get them out of your life, you don't need them because they can be very problematic like they will try to compete with you or they will have their eye on you most of the time or they will cherry pick you as in they will pay attention to what you are eating or find something to say that's not nice or they will accuse you of being arrogant as losing weight boosts confidence but some especially ones who are insecure will mistake it for arrogance or they will lie and tell you that you've gotten too skinny just to trick your mind. People like that can be manipulative so be careful who you hang out with. Also don't think that you can change these type of people by still being their friend LEAVE them and if they want to be nasty about it and talk bad behind your back then as I said earlier that's their problem. You should not give a care in the world about what they have to say about you because well you know why! Its their problem! So screw them they're the ones who are messed up. They are the ones who are arrogant not you. Once you leave them, perhaps maybe years later they might understand why you left them if they ever decide to change their ways who knows. But don't expect them to change if your still their friend. That's why I say get rid of them. delete them as a friend on facebook, delete their number on your mobile phone do whatever it is that you need to do and if they are sending bitchy text messages, don't respond, delete the messages. I know this sounds like a mean thing to do but trust me if you continue to hangout with them they will just try to make your life difficult. You really do not want that plus people like that need to learn where they are going wrong anyway.

And that is my guide on how to deal with this sort of stuff. I hope you found this post useful, because many of you should be aware that sometimes you will have people in your life who worry about you too much or some of you might have friends who get jealous easily. You have to understand that when you lose a great amount of  weight there are sometimes new problems so its good to know what to do when these problems happen don't make it an excuse not to lose weight, not everything will be perfect but remember there is always a solution  to these sort of problems, so hang in there.

Never let anything get in your way and stay strong, no matter what people say.

Love
      Alice

What to expect when you've reached your goals or heading towards them.

Hey guys.

Back with another post.

I decided to talk about what I've experienced lately now that I've lost my 30 kilos. I'm just gonna talk to you about the good and the bad things that I've experienced. It's also gonna be a bit of rant blog, so be warned I'm gonna sound angry in places.

I'm gonna talk about the bad stuff now please DON'T take this as discouragement I am in no way trying to discourage anyone to lose weight, please carry on with your journey I highly encourage it, this is just me and my experience. and bare in mind that it may or may not happen to you.

I haven't really experienced too many bad things. Only a few but now that I have lost all this weight I get told by friends and family that I don't need to lose anymore or not too much or I get told not to become anorexic. That bothers me because;

1. That is NOT what I am aiming for.
2. There is a big, BIG difference between looking fit healthy and slim as apposed to looking anorexic.
3. I am doing this the PROPER way NOT the unhealthy way. I am actually eating and I never skip meals I always eat. I actually  go crazy if I skip a meal.
4. I do NOT have anorexia, anorexia is a mental illness and I do NOT suffer from any of the symptoms linked with anorexia.
here is an article of what anorexia is in case you don't know but it lists stuff that I don't really suffer from.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorexia/DS00606/DSECTION=symptoms
5. as much as I don't want to be obese I do NOT wanna look like a walking skeleton either I mean why do you think I want to gain muscle!

Sorry if I'm sounding angry, it just really bothers me when people think I want to look anorexic or they speculate that I have a problem or they think I don't know what I am doing when really everything is fine. I appreciate their concern but I really find it irritating because I mean I know exactly what I am doing, I've done my research on how to do this properly and safely and just when I do something properly I get the "oh I hope you weren't starving yourself" or the "You better be careful" I'm sorry but that really annoys me I mean did they ever worry about me when I was overweight, unhealthy and very unhappy I mean I've just made my life better and am decreasing my chances of becoming diabetic as well as keeping myself safe from other nasty diseases that come from being overweight as well as it being a gateway to a much longer life. Plus I feel so much better about myself as in my self esteem has improved plus I don't get as sick as I used to anymore like I caught the flu once this year but I got over the cold quickly WITHOUT going to the doctor for antibiotics. I mean yes I'm not 100%  happy with the way my body looks so far but that does NOT mean I am anorexic. I AM happy with my body just not 100% but then again I don't want to weigh 40 kilos either and I am proud of my achievements. Had I have stayed overweight I would have had my life cut shorter because I was very depressed, got sick easily and felt really unhealthy. I really don't know where I would be now had I have not lost the weight. I thank god for where am now.

deep breath............

well that's one negative thing I've faced. But yeah when you get towards the end of your journey people who love you will worry about you. But whatever you do don't make that an excuse to discontinue your journey but always forgive people who tell you these things because it is understandable that they will worry, I mean yes it bothers me but I try to forgive them and move on. Now I know many of you will say they are jealous but that's not true they're not. They just don't have the right knowledge or they don't understand what a healthier weight looks like maybe. But yes people can get jealous although I haven't come across any jealous people but you know its just something you might face so be prepared for something like that to happen but don't let it ruin your plans or let it be an excuse to give up remember excuses are no good. I say keep going NO MATTER WHAT.

As far as other negative experiences well that's really it for me I mean I've watched people's weight loss journey videos on how they faced some problems in the end or towards the end of their journey, like I was watching this girl Nina aka beautifulbrownbabydoll's video on how you will face more problems after you lose weight, I'll show you the video.

She basically talks about how when you lose weight you will face more problems. Which can be true some people will face problems however a lot of the stuff she mentions in this video didn't really happen to me. Heck some of the good things that happened to her didn't happen to me. However this is mainly what she herself experienced. You might not share the same experience in my opinion, I think everyone is different when it comes to their own journey.

She says that she lost some friends as in friends who were not true friends. That didn't really happen to me. My weight loss hasn't hampered any friendships. I'm still friends with my old friends I haven't lost anyone because none of my friends are fake or were friends with me for their own vanity. So I must say I'm pretty lucky in that sense but what a shame it happens to some people.

She also says that you change as a person as in your way of thinking changes and you gain some confidence which as some people take as arrogance and will stop liking you.

That is true I have changed as in my self esteem has shot up but as for my confidence as in how I react with people, well that hasn't changed, I'm known to be very soft spoken and aloof and I am still like that. But really losing weight hasn't changed my personality much. I''ll admit I have become a bit vain but no I don't think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world or anything nor do I look in the mirror 24/7 but I don't know whether I'm vain or not, what I mean by that is I feel better about the way I look as in I find I look better than I did before. And no I don't think that the whole world evolves around me or anything. I'm not perfect but nor is anyone else. My self-esteem still isn't super duper high as losing weight hasn't really driven it above the peak. Even if I were 100% happy with my weight it wouldn't go above the peak either. all in all the only thing that's changed, is how I  perceive my own beauty but as far as personality goes, my personality is still the same. I just feel better about the way I look.

As for whether people have stopped liking me well I got to be honest I am still treated the same by my friends. I don't know for sure how people truly feel about me. That's all I can say about that as I haven't noticed anyone turning their backs on me.

I'm now going to talk about how men treat me. This is a tough question because I'm not really around men a lot, so I don't know much about how men feel about me because I haven't been asked out on any dates. Because I go to collage and there is only women in my class and no guys my age. Had my class had any males my age maybe something would have happened I don't know. All in all I don't notice much of a difference in the way men treat me.

One thing though guys despite what I have mentioned and whats mentioned in that video. The type of people who turn away from you due to losing weight and stuff. I must say if you hang out with someone who gets jealous about these sort of things easily. those are the type of people in your life you need to get rid of. Remember its not you who is creating the problem it's them NOT you but in my opinion "friends" like that are always a problem whether you lose weight or not as in even before you lose weight they were always a problem. You Losing weight doesn't make that happen its THEM. You need to remember if someone tries to compete with you or become jealous or stop hanging out with you because you lost weight and they think your're this and that well that is their loss. You didn't create the problem they did. And isn't that a good thing? Because you do not want people like that in your life anyway and it helps to see who your real friends are, so please don't see it as your own problem you are on this journey for your own benefit not them and their own vanity. If this happens to you don't think of it as your own problem just move on with your life, you are not a selfish person, you are only doing whats best for yourself and its not arrogant to be proud of your accomplishments, or have confidence, remember that.

BTW I recommend you watch BeautifulBrownbabydoll's channel as she talks a lot about subjects like her weight loss journey and how to be confident etc she makes really great informative videos. she is also a specialist in psychology.

And yes losing weight isn't gonna make life perfect its true Nina is right about that. I'll admit my life still isn't perfect as in there is still other things in my life that I want improved and of course even though I've lost 31 kilos I'm still not happy with my body yet. This is life there will always be mountains to climb and I've only just reached the top of this mountain and there's more for me to climb, I'm not just talking about weight loss but other things in my life that have nothing to do with weight loss.

Now I'm gonna talk about the good things.

Well I feel so much more happier. I think I've spoken too much about the good things already but I just feel like I've lifted a burden off of my shoulders. When I was overweight it felt like I was lifting a burden. This is what you might feel like. Bare in mind everyone is different. All in all I feel fit and healthy.

And for the most part you will get heaps and heaps of compliments, people are gonna start saying that you've lost weight even people who you least expect to say anything will say something. People are gonna start talking even when your not there. They will talk. It can get pretty overwhelming. trust me that is bound to happen some people told me that they couldn't even recognize me. Its like transforming into looking like another person. Your wardrobe even starts to look like it belongs to someone else.

And that is it for this post. Sorry if some of it was negative but you just gotta know what your in for sometimes but hey you gotta keep going.

Stay strong in your journeys and don't let anything stop you .

Love
      Alice

What I have lost so far #5

Hey guys

I know its been awhile now. I'm kind of delayed in checking my weight because I forgot to check. Anyway here is my short post on how much I have lost.

Well this time I did not plateau. But I am so pleased to say that I have finally hit my goal! My previous weight was 60 kilos now I am 57 kilos! I have lost 3 kilos since then and my very first check in I was 89 kilos so I went a little bit over my goal so I have now lost a total of 31 kilos! and my original plan was to lose 30. I am so happy that I have finally reached my goal. I am now at the end of my journey of losing 30 kilos but there is no end to any of my new life style changes as I am always gonna be counting my calories and exercising, plus in order to maintain what I've done I have to continue doing what I did to maintain it.

So yeah I am really happy  with my achievement but the only thing I am really not happy with is my belly  fat. I still have that annoying flab which I want gone. One of my main goals for now is to get rid of that I don't know how many kilos that will take probably not a lot, perhaps less than 5 kilos I think. At this point I really do not want to lose too much weight as in I don't want to lose another 10 or 30 kilos Because I really do not want to look anorexic or anything. However my belly is going away as I am now close to 33 inches around my waist, but I am not quite there yet.

BTW I Think my last month of doing Insanity may have helped with losing my last three kilos. 

Not only do I want to lose my belly fat but I also want to build muscle as well as tone up and that will effect my weight as in I can gain weight from doing that, but of course not fat weight, MUSCLE weight. That won't be a problem as It won't make me look fat anyway. Because as you should know BMI is not always very accurate as they count your muscle weight as fat.

Since I'm looking to build muscle and lose the rest of my belly fat. I think I'm going to focus more on measuring my waist, rather than the weight since the scale is not going to be very accurate if I gain muscle.

I am now going to list all the goals I have reached so far And the goals that I have not reached

Lose 30 kgs Done!

Become a 10 in dress size Done!

Lose all belly fat To be completed

Tone up and build muscle To be completed


And that's it for now stay tuned if you wanna see another entry. Stay safe and never give up on your goals!

Love
       Alice

Insanity review week 9 and last and final overall review + photos!

Hello again everyone,

Well my Insanity journey is now officially over I have completed this program so now I am going to talk about my last week then I will give an overall review.

Ok first I must say the last week I felt a lot more stronger in the workouts I didn't get too tired. The workouts were still really tough but I managed to get a little more stronger in them but I always struggled with the power jumps and with certain push up exercise like the side push ups and oblique push ups I struggled with going all the way down.  but overall my strongest week for month 2 was the last week, the first few were the hardest weeks and that's all I can say about this week really. My last and final fit test again did not go so well no matter how hard I tried I just could not get better results for some reason so I'm slightly disappointed about that, but on the plus side I also measured my waist and I'm close to 33 inches around my waist!

Now for my overall review. I really think this is a really great program to do if you want to challenge yourself more in your workouts or you want to tone up, lose bit more weight and be more flexable then, this is a great program because Insanity is not just cardio, you also do strength exercises and there's even a bit of yoga involved. So if you purchase this set be aware that its not cardio alone that you will be doing.

However I personally would not recommend this if you are totally new to working out or if you have never done exercise before in your life because it is very difficult, so if you are new to exercise and you are thinking of getting this program I say start with something a little bit easier first. Overall I recommend this if you are a little more advanced with exercise. But that is just my personal opinion because I found the workouts in this DVD set were extremely harder than other workouts I did in the past. Also if you have heart problems than I don't think this will be a good idea for you, but of course consult your doctor first BEFORE you buy this DVD as you don't want to waste any money!

Now to answer your question whether this DVD will make you completely skinny/buff in 2 months well yes you will get stronger and you will get some great results as for me though yes I've noticed some pretty amazing results but since my tummy area is my trouble zone, I didn't lose all of my belly fat but some of it has gone as I have lost nearly 2 inches off my waist. But keep in mind though I did NOT take the recommended recovery formula, I did NOT take shakeology and I did NOT follow the recommended diet plan so I don't know for sure if using all that and following the recommended diet plan will give you the results you want. One thing I must say though, I don't want to sound discouraging but I am just being honest, I mean you will see great results but if you are around 89 kilos or  90 kilos you are not going to lose all of the weight you want because it takes more than 2 months to lose around 30 kilos or more, so keep that in mind. Don't get me wrong you will still at least see some results. But please don't think that you will look like Jillian Micheals or Michelle Bridges after this workout if you are around 65 to 90 kilos or more or your if you are like me and your tummy area is your trouble zone. When it comes to wanting to look like that it really depends on where your body is at for instance if you are around 60 or 59 kilos that might happen if lets say you want to lose 2 kilos and you want to get a six pack. You can also do the program again  if you want more results as I am actually thinking of doing Insanity again but not anytime soon as I really feel I could use a break from it and there are also other workout DVDs that I want to try and also there are some really good YouTube workout videos that I want to try out for a while.

Overall I think think this DVD set was worth doing I have no regrets doing it as later in the future I might give it another go. Even though my body is not where I want it to be yet it still helped me lose at least some inches around my waist, helped to tone my body up really well, made me become more flexible and helped me reach a size 10.  I'm just glad that it has at least given some benefit with my figure as I find I look best than I ever did before but of course still its not where I want it to be yet.

So here are my before and after photos:

After the first week side

After the first week front

After the first month front

After the second month side

After the second month front

After the second month side

Now the cost of the DVD set!
I bought my set from Ebay and I think from what I can remember it was around $84 or $85 AUD it was not cheap but I think it was worth the money anyway as I can still do the workout again, You also might be able to get them a little bit cheaper like remember seeing ones that were around $60 AUD you'll have to check Ebay out though to see for yourself, I also know that Beachbody.com sells copies. But if you want to get it cheaper try looking at Ebay because sometimes you will find good deal you can also check beachbody.com to see if its on sale, Amazon might also have it cheaper.

Oh and just to let you I am NOT sponsored by beachbody, I did not profit from them in anyway as I mentioned I bought this with my own money. This is my own personal review.

Anyway that's it for my last and final review of Insanity I hope this review was useful. If you have done this workout program feel free to share your experience in the comment section as I would love to see how it worked out for other people as everybody is different.

Insanity review week 8/ dress size update

Hey everyone

Here is my review of week 8 for insanity.

I haven't got much to say about it but this week I still feel the same the workouts are just so tough. I did the fit test again and I didn't do very well I find that I always fail miserably when I do the fit test. but anyway there's still one more fit test to complete so I'll have to see how I go on that one.

I went to the mall today and I popped into a high end store called  Meyers today and I tried on a size 10 dress just to check if I could fit in one and it fit! so I am officially a size 10 I have reached my dress size goal because my goal was to be a size 10 and now I am, and I am so happy about that because now I can shop anywhere! lol Also when I looked at myself in the changing room mirrors I noticed that my body looked very different as in it looked more toned than usual. I think my hard work is really paying off! yay! I'm already heading close to my goals. But this is never gonna be over as I still have to be very cautious about what I eat because after all this is a lifestyle change, not a one-off.

Well I only have one more week left of this exercise program I can't believe that I only have one week left as it feels like I have been on this program for more than 2 months even though its been less than that it really feels like there's gonna be no end to it!

And that's all I have to say about week 8 sorry it's not much but I just feel the same as last week only difference is I've become a bit stronger in some of the plank workouts but still I  Got as tired as I did the last week. Once I finish the workout I just get so worn out and tired and it feels like that every week of the second month because your energy just goes through the roof.

and that's that catch you all later!

love
     Alice

Insanity Review week 7

Hey everyone!

Here is my week 7 review of insanity. I haven't really got much to say about it but I must say month 2 so far of this is very exhausting! like at times when I am not working out I still feel really exhausted from the workouts. like even right now particularly my thighs feel really sore. I find that my muscles get most sore in month 2 compared to month one. I haven't gotten very used to the workouts just yet I must say But I am getting better at doing push ups but boy it really makes you sore.

I have been recently told by a few people that I look a lot slimmer now and I lost a few inches off my bust I was 37 inches now I'm 35 inches so yes I am losing my boobs!(I hope I don't lose them completely!)  I also notice that I am starting to look a lot more slimmer as my new jeans are a lot more loose on me now my belly is not gone yet but I notice my abdomen it looks more flat and toned and I have lost one more inch I was 35 inches now I'm 34 inches. So I'm wondering whether I may have lost weight, but will find out about that next month when I weigh myself again.

I only have 2 more weeks left of this program now I can't believe I am already halfway through the second month. Time really flies by two more weeks and this is over! I will be posting a picture of what I look like once I'm done with this workout program.

That's all I have to say about week 7

catch you all later

Love
      Alice

Insanity Review week 6

Hey everybody

Time to share my review on how week 6 of Insanity went for me. Okay well all I have to say is it was CRAZY! LOL yep crazy I cannot tell how sore my muscles were in the first week. The month 2 are so much more crazy compared to month one. While I was doing the first work out I could not stop thinking "oh god I can't believe it's not over! when's this gonna end!"

I must really struggled in the first week because the workouts are just so insane, the first day of month one was really tough for me as I struggled the most in that one. Once you're done with month one you really have to brace yourself for next exercises you do in month two because it just gets crazier!

Oh yes I almost forgot I did the fit test as well and I did a little bit better than last time but some exercises were the same results and some were not improved at all but some were improved.

As for how its changed my body there are no changes yet at least I don't notice any and in case you missed my last post from Thursday morning. Did I lose weight? Nope, I did not lose any weight I was slightly disappointed about that but that could also mean that I may have developed muscle mass as I found out a bit later that when you lose weight and you exercise your weight can stay the same uncontrollably because of muscle gain and I could gain weight from doing this exercise but NOT fat weight MUSCLE WEIGHT and that is actually a good thing so knowing that makes me feel a bit better but then again I'm also wondering whether I may have miscalculated the calories I burnt in the insanity workouts to a point where I am maintaining my weight which I don't want to do just yet. I will have to see what will happen once the month is over. I also read in the recipe book that comes with set that the scale is not very accurate as it doesn't tell you everything that goes with your body. I also checked my waist line and it hasn't changed yet after the first week. I think its already too soon for changes though so we'll see.

So that's week 6 for ya catch you all soon

Love
      Alice

What I have lost so far #4

Hello everyone,

Here is an update on how much I weigh well I have to say I'm slightly disappointed because I have plateaued so yeah I did not lose weight I only lost like 0.3 kilos because before I was 60.65 kilos now I'm 60.3 something but that is not enough and I'm not happy about that, however I think must have developed some muscle already from the Insanity workouts because since the beginning of this week I have been very sore from the work outs plus they have been getting very firm and tight so that's a plus and could also explain why I haven't lost any weight at least that's a plus as I want to gain muscle.

I also think I may have miscalculated how much I burnt on the insanity workouts and maybe without realising that I might have consumed more calories as in enough to maintain which I do not want to do yet because I want to lose my belly fat but I'm not sure how much it will take to lose all of that. Anyway I'm going to lessen my calories and I'll see how it goes when I check in next month.

Well that's it for my entry stay tuned for my week 6 review on Insanity!

Love
      Alice

Insanity review week 5/Recovery week + before and after photos!

Hey guys

Here is my week 5 review of Insanity. Well this week is the week where you take it easy for the workouts so basically the workouts in this week are a lot less intense than usual so they were a lot more easy to do. You also have to make sure your heart rate doesn't go up the roof although it should only be up just a little and you are not allowed to be overworked in this week as in you have to make sure you don't get burnt out after your workout.

So yeah this week is kind of of like semi rest week where you work but you don't go crazy as you normally would because you've already been, as Shaun T says in the DVD "Been pounding your body for about 4 weeks" so you need to give your muscles a bit of a rest.

as far as how I found this week well I found it slightly easy lol but there were some push ups involved in the routine which I always find hard, although funny enough they didn't burn me out too much. I also towards the end of the week managed to do the push ups without my knees on the ground as in I could managed to do them military style but I still need to improve them as they are kind of sloppy. It really wasn't so hard this week but I will admit some of the exercises were a bit tricky to do as towards the end I had to do the hip flexes which really burns! and then also the last exercise I can't remember the name but you move your arms in different positions whilst you stand in a plie pose and that really burns your arms! however towards to end of the week I found that I was feeling less pain from those exercises but they don't burn you out after you've done them but it really burns whilst you do it!  welI actually.. no, I got used to the arm one towards the end of the week but the hip flexes were still very painful, even towards the end! Like no matter how many times I did them it was still very hard to keep my leg lifted, in the DVD some of the people were struggling in that exercise as some people had to stop and then continue that also happened to me.

As far as changes in my body I don't notice any thing yet but this brings me to my most hated part of this blog which YES my before any after pictures and I can't believe I am actually gonna show them to you guys as I am a very self conscious person. But I am gonna show them anyway I am also gonna show you pictures of my earlier success way before insanity so here it goes. gosh....I am literally starting to cringe now...

 These first 4 ones were before Insanity they were actually taken shortly before I started this blog but I was too embarrassed to share them.

                                 These ones were taken after the first week of Inasnity

                                                      And these ones were taken today
'
So those are my before and after photos and yes I know shouldn't feel ashamed of them as I would not recommend anyone to feel that way. But yeah as you can tell my belly is my trouble zone area hence why is still disgustingly big I don't  know if it will be gone by the time I complete Insanity I highly doubt that it will as I know it took other people on their journeys a really long time. But I can tell by looking at these pictures how much my body has changed as I notice there are a fair bit of differences in the way I look.

And that's it for now I hope you found this blog inspiring and good luck to you on yours journeys

catch you all later

love
     Alice

Insanity review week 4

Hey all,

Here is my review on week 4 of insanity.

well I must say I can't believe that I am half way through this program already I am now going on to the recovery week where I do the exact same routine/DVD for one week unlike the first four weeks where I do the different set of DVDs.

As far as week 4 has been, well pretty much the same I am getting a lot more stronger in the workouts, in week 4 I felt the strongest compared to the first three weeks but still I got tired in the power jumps, suicidal jumps and some of the push up workouts even though I felt a bit stronger in them. So yeah Insanity is not easy at all, no matter how strong you get I can only imagine how tough month 2 will get ooooh boy! lol

With changes in my body I don't notice some difference in my abdomen area all of my belly fat hasn't gone away yet but its gotten a bit smaller and the top part of it looks toned as in I notice its starting to take shape even a little bit around the lower area but not much I did measure my belly today and I lost at least half an inch I think, but yeah my belly looks different compared to before. Also I am getting very firm I notice that my forearms have gotten tighter it looks like I have gained muscle around that area and my legs have also gotten firm mostly my calf muscles. My body seems to be changing and I really hope I am not imagining things!

Well that's week 4 for ya  catch you all later

love
     Alice

Insanity review week 3

Hey everyone,

Here is my review of week 3 of Insanity.

The beginning of week 3 you take your second fit test and I did but my results were pitiful lol I mostly got the same results as last time and some were worse than the first time. But oh well I might do better next time.

As of how I feel after week 3 well even though my results were pitiful the last few days of week 3 I noticed that I was getting a lot less tired doing the workouts more particularly on the warm ups because the warms are very tiring. I still get tired but just not so much with doing the warm up routines and my heart rate doesn't seem to go as crazy as it used to, I'm gradually getting more and more fit as I go along as in I felt more fit after week 3 compared to week 2.

I notice some changes in the way my body looks. I really hope I'm not imagining things but my lower body looks different and my belly looks toned but it hasn't really shrunk. My body just looks different compared to when I first started. I really hope this is not wishful thinking! I don't know I just find that I look different when I wear my skinny jeans I also find that they have loosened but only a tiny, tiny bit not so much. I think my body might be taking some shape, well I'll have to see after I take my second picture after week 2 as I did take a picture after week 1.

And that's that for my review of week 3 Stay tuned for how week 4 went. Catch you all later!

Love
      Alice

Insanity review week 2

Hey Everyone,

I have now completed week 2 of Insanity.

I notice myself getting a lot more stronger as I do it each day, however it is still very tough as it is so easy to get tired. Some moves look so simple yet very hard to do, there is this move called power jumps to me they looked easy to do but when I did then oh boy did I struggle and I also would get very tired after doing them. I personally struggle with exercises where you jump up and down especially when you have to lift your legs in the air, I did get a little bit better at them but I still struggle a lot, I will have to see how well can do them the following maybe there will be some improvement on those, I hope. There are also push ups incorporated in this program and I really suck at push ups as in I can't do the military type, I always have to have my knees on the ground when I do them. They don't mention that you can go on your knees in the DVD but I go on my knees anyway because it is just too complicated for me. I would still really love to master that move one day though. But at least its still challenging when I go on my knees as I find that is really works my upper body.

As far as any changes in my body, I don't really notice much of a difference, but as I mentioned earlier in my week 1 review the second day my heart was going through the roof to a point where I was gargling my heart and I could not stop coughing, that has disappeared completely. My heart rate still goes pretty fast but I am able to manage because I have found that I get stronger each day I do it. It still wears me out. I also have sore muscles mainly around my abdominal muscles because yesterday I was to do a workout from the program which included workouts for the abs and you don't really do sit ups mostly plank poses and other moves where you life your legs and those really worked the abs out. So yeah my abs are still sore from yesterday.

That's all I have to say about week 2, catch you all later!

Love
     Alice

What I have lost so far #3

Hey guys

Just an update on my journey its now the first day of July and that's my weigh in day so here's an update. I have lost about 2 more kilos which makes it now 28 kilos altogether! My current weight now is 60 kilos and my previous weight from last time was 62 kilos.

I'm so happy that I am reaching my goals I know 2 kilos in 1 month is not a lot but still I am happy that I am losing a bit more. Some months are different though like one month I will lose 3 kilos another month 4 kilos. But this month I lost about 2 and I think that has to do with me increasing my calorie intake because as you all know I am currently doing Insanity so I had to increase my calories a little bit so I can have proper energy for the workouts. But it's still healthier to lose weight slowly rather than fast.

Anyway that is my update on what I've lost so far.

Hope you all are well and staying positive in your own journeys

love
    Alice

Workout DVD review: Insanity/ week 1

Hey everyone!

Now as promised I will do my review on Insanity. I just completed my first week of Insanity but first things first I'm just gonna talk about the DVD set.

The DVD set comes with:

• 13 DVDs
• A book of recipes/eating guide of advice on how to eat during this this 60 day workout.
• A calender for when you to track down all the days you worked out. The calender also tells you what workout you will be doing on certain days and what days are rest days. 
• A card where you record your results when you do the fitness test from one of the DVDs

And now I will talk about how my first week went. The first day was not very hard because it was the fit test that I was doing but that second day I found was pretty intense along with the third day but the forth day was not so hard because it was a recovery day where you just do a lot of stretches but next two days were tough again and today I am on my rest day. 

This is a really tough workout there is a lot of cardio involved and at times I would would get worn out. I mostly got worn out when I did my second day, It felt like I was gargling my heart and I could not stop coughing because whenever my heart rate goes through the roof it always does that. That gradually went away though as I went through the week as I found I became stronger in the last two days but it was still tough. I still got worn out a few times but even the people in the DVD would get worn out to a point where Shaun T had to tell some of them to take a break! 

Just realised I forgot to talk about the instructor. The instructor's name is Shaun T and he's very encouraging throughout the workout, He's not harsh like Jillian Michaels is but he always encourages you to push your hardest throughout the workouts.

I will now talk about how its effected my body I am actually noticing a change in my body as in my muscles have really tightened and I also lost about 1 inch around my waist. I know I mentioned this already but I became a bit more fit towards the end of the week. I also did get sore mainly around my core and area where the love handles are. so yes I did get sore too.

 I really should be showing you pictures but I don't have any. I will take some of me now and after I am done with the first month and after the final month.

As for How I am eating, well I haven't used any of the recipes from the book that comes with it because again I am a vegetarian and so many of the recipes include meat mainly the lunch and dinner recipes. I might try some of the breakfast recipes as some of them are vegetarian.

I am mainly following the advice in the book as to how much calories I should eat. I do use myfitnesspal.com to track my calories. and really make sure I eat the right amount of calories and I make sure I have my protein and eat my fruit and veg etc. But the book also tells you to go with what works best for yourself and I find that having around 400 calories for breakfast works for me. I mostly went with what worked best for me which I will still do.

And that's that for week 1 of my Insanity work out stay tuned for how week 2 went!

Catch you all later

Love 

     Alice 

My favorite low calorie snacks and snack ideas.

Hey All!

I am going to share what my favorite low calorie snacks are. I really hope this blog gives you ideas for those times where you feel kind of peckish after school at 3 or 4 pm and you really that afternoon tea or at work and you really want to avoid that pathetic vending machine during break or lunch that carries all that high calorie chocolate bars and other glorious fatty snacks that are so hard to resist.

Here are some snacks you can buy from the supermarket that are good options. I got these snacks from a grocery store called  Woolworths viewers from Australia will know what I cam talking about. However for my viewers in other countries I don't if these snacks are available in your country but if you do see them I recommend that you pick them up. As for my Aussie viewers this will be very useful because these snacks you'll be able to find them in Woolworths or Coles. also sometimes Aldi will have specials but they don't really sell these snacks all together.

For all you chocoholics!

I must say despite losing all this weight I am still a recovering chocoholic. there are times where I feel like having chocolate. But these chocolates I am about to mention have been my life savor. If you yourself are a chocoholic I recommend that you try these out. Especially if its that time of the month for all you women out there!

There is a company called "...Well Naturally" this is their website:
 http://www.vitalitybrands.com/well-naturally

I really love their sugar free milk chocolate but they only have two versions one which is just plain milk chocolate and the other is fruit and nut. I always grab the fruit and nut bar. oh yes and they don't add sugar to them but they still have natural sugars in them, but they don't have a lot of sugar in them and they use stevia to sweeten them. They are 65 calories for two pieces of the bar and they have a very rich creamy texture. It literally melts in your mouth and to me its really no different from eating regular chocolate. Its not very low in calories and fat so you still have to be careful how much you have but its still a good alternative to regular chocolate as its not so high in sugar. Sometimes I will buy the plain milk chocolate one and use it for making guilt free snacks like I once used it for making chocolate covered strawberries.

The next treat from the same company is a lot more guilt free than the the first one and they are these little protein bars. They come in quite a lot of flavors. I've only tried three flavors. They are called "High Protein mini bars" Out of all the ones I tried I really love the banana fudge and the peppermint surprise. The Banana fudge flavor reminds me so much of this Austrian chocolate I had ages ago when I was a kid called "Schoko Bananen" and they are these banana flavored candies/lollies that are covered in chocolate and this protein bar has the exact same taste! And as for the peppermint flavored one that flavor reminds so much of  "after eights" or any other chocolate that has mint flavor or mint flavored icing, the taste is exactly the same. If you really love mint chocolate I highly recommend the Peppermint surprise and if you love banana flavored candy I definitely recommend the Banana fudge. I also tried the double chocolate flavor but to me I prefer the other ones that I tried as I find the double chocolate one a fair bit boring in its taste its not that I hate it, its ok but I just prefer the mint and the banana flavor because they remind me so much of those other chocolates from my childhood. Each of these bars are under 100 calories too! And they are naturally sweetened!

The next treat is by a company called "Slim Secrets" they make these cookies called "designer cookies" I really love their chocolate chip cookie. This cookie is also very nutritious as it has chia seeds in them which are high in omega 3 so if you're like me and you really loath fish you should try this cookie. Its less than 130 calories and it only has less than 5 grams of sugar. I really think this cookie is delicious, I really love the chocolate chips in them. They also have a very soft fibrous texture but they don't have the same texture as regular hard cookies but I think they are delicious.

For all the sweet tooths!
The next treat is one that reminds me so much of another thing I had from my childhood and they are called "Uncle Toby's Fruit roll ups" Yup they are fruit roll ups but these roll ups in particular are not very high in sugar they only have 3 grams of sugar per roll and each roll is 52 calories. They remind me so much of this other roll up candy that I had as a kid and I think they were just called "fruit roll ups" and I really loved those, even though the taste of these roll ups are not thoroughly the same as they are not so sweet in taste, they still remind me so much of that other fruit roll up I had as a kid. If you like eating gummy candies or any kind fruit candy I recommend to you try this.

Now for the savories!
Popcorn is a fun treat and this is a popcorn snack that I highly recommend by Sunbites and it is the air popped popcorn  which is 25% fat free, it is NOT cooked in oil which makes it a fantastic low fat snack. I don't know how many flavors they come in, the one flavor I always grab is the sour cream and chives flavor. And it is delicious!

The next snack I think is  great are soya chips. They are a really nice low calorie snack. I don't have a picture of them as I didn't get any today but here is a website that talks about them and there is a picture of them in this website:
http://www.priorityhealth.com.au/DA1200/Soya-King-Soya-Crisps-10kg/pd.php


You can get them in woolworths and coles just look through the savory snack aisles and you should be able to find them, they are usually around where nuts and peanuts are. There are different brands that make them, I know Woolworths makes their own version.

And here are some general options
Nuts are a good snack although you should still eat them sparingly because they do have fat in them but of course fats that are good for you, and Apple chips a are also good too!

Fruits are a good option for snack they are great to have on an empty stomach. You can also have carrot sticks, cucumber sticks celery sticks and eat them with a good tasting dip that of course should be guilt free you can also make your own dips.

Another snack I really love is edamame which is a Japanese snack and they are soy beans that are still in the pods, steamed or boiled I think and you open them and eat the soy beans only, you don't eat the skin. You can buy them frozen, you should be able to find them from your local Asian grocery store in the frozen food section. You can also find them in woolworths in the frozen food section.

Here is picture of them from wikipedia:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edamame_by_Zesmerelda_in_Chicago.jpg

Seaweed is also a great snack if you are that type of person who loves sushi. I sometimes like to have seaweed I know a lot of Asian grocery stores sell them in different flavors, you can get ones that are spicy extra crunchy etc. plus seaweed is very good for you too as from what I found out it has iron and calcium, its good to have if you're a vegetarian because of the iron.

And now for Beverages
There is this powder drink I love by Vitarium called sugar free kids they use stevia and all you do is add four tea spoons of it in a glass and add milk. they come in chocolate, banana and strawberry and they are very delicious. You can make a hot chocolate with the chocolate flavored one too. I highly recommend this oh yes and the strawberry flavored one reminds me of  another powdered drink called Nesquick.

I am personally more of a tea person, one tea I really love is rooibus tea with almond milk sweetened with a tea spoon of stevia which is only about 2 calories and I just love it. As for coffee opt for something low fat like use skim or low fat milk and avoid too much sugar. I'm not much of a coffee person but this is what I recommend if you are a coffee addict. I also love fruit flavored teas like pomegranate, berry and peach.
Green tea is good too but I usually have that for breakfast.

So there you have it, these are all the snack ideas I recommend. There might be more ideas I have but this is what I know of by far that I think are great snacks.

One more thing I would like to mention! it has nothing to do with snacks though. In my previous entry on the ripped in 30 review, I mentioned that I was going to be starting this 2 month challenge exercise program called Insanity well I was thinking I would a weekly review on it like I will talk about how week 1 went and so on. So if you are really curious about this workout program be on the look out those entries.

Have a great day or night whatever time it is!

love

Alice

Workout DVD review : Jillian Michaels Ripped IN 30

Hey Everyone!

It is now time for a review. Ok so last month in May I was using this DVD called ripped in 30 and it was my second time using it.

Here is a quick summary of the work out DVD:

The DVD consists of four different workouts for example there is a different workout for each week.
The workouts run for 24 minutes which is not very long as you can tell. each workout starts with a warm up and they all end with a cool down. The workouts follow this process called the 3-2-1 interval system that Jillian Michaels herself designed where you do 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. so basically they start with the warm up and then they follow the 3, 2,1 system 3 times from what I can remember and then they each end with a cool down. All of the workouts in the DVD including the warm ups are different except for the cool down and each week gradually gets more challenging. Jillian also provides an advanced version and a beginner version as in there is one person in the DVD doing a beginner version and the other doing an advanced.


There is also a meal plan of which you can follow when you use this DVD. here is the link:
http://images.agoramedia.com/jillianmichaels/cms/jillian-michaels-ripped-in-30-meal-plan-v.pdf

Oh one more thing you have to have a set of dumb bells and a workout mat.


Now here are my list of Pros.

• Its challenging. That is actually a good thing because that way you will get good results as doing something that is too easy is not gonna be very helpful plus you won't get very effective results.
• The workouts start from being (Jillian Michaels will hate me for saying this!) a tad bit easy(there I said it but hey I'm not saying its easy overall!) to harder. I personally like it when challenge workouts start from being a little bit easy to harder as starting out too hard I find is not good because I find that too overwhelming and almost impossible to do especially if you are new to exercising. 
• Jillian Provides an advanced version and a beginner version. This I find is an excellent thing because if you are extremely new to working out like you haven't done that much exercise in your life, you can just simply follow the beginner version or if you have done quite a lot of exercise in your life and your are extremely fit you can follow the advanced or if you have gotten better with your exercise you can challenge yourself with the advanced version.
• Jillian will demonstrate how to do a workout properly as in she will point out the proper form you should have. that's good because that will also give you good results as well as keep you from getting injured like she will also point out certain wrong moves that might cause injury. And you want your workouts to be safe, so that's very important.
• Jillian is tough in an encouraging way as in she will say things that will push you to work harder.
• It comes with a meal plan you can follow Which I think is awesome.

And now for the Cons I only have two cons though.

• Jillian will repeatedly say that its not easy and I think that can sometimes be a bit irritating I mean sometimes I got sick and tired of her saying that. In my mind I was all "yeah yeah Jillian I get it!" But I think that is something that you have to put up with when you do this challenge, it's still worth it though.
• My second con well it doesn't tell you how many times you should do the one workouts in a week, as in I wasn't sure whether you do them once a week or 5 days a week. But when I first did it I did it for 5 days a week and the second time I did it for 2 days a week. But over all I wish it would be specific as to how many times you do the workouts in one week. I hope I'm making sense! But that is just my personal opinion as I think that would have been very useful.

My overall conclusion

All in all I highly recommend this DVD. I personally think that it's a 'must have' to add to your collection of workout DVDs. I think its great for making you more fit as I found that after I completed this DVD for the first time  I noticed a change in my my body as in I felt that I became more physically fit and I of course lost weight when I did it and it also made me very sore mostly around my butt muscles or glutes  and the muscles around my thighs like sometimes I had trouble walking or sitting down. I know that doesn't sound good but it IS good because when your muscles hurt then the job has been done! I especially recommend this to beginners as I really feel that it will help you become more fit and its always good to start out with these kind of DVDs,

 BTW I also have a list of DVDs I would recommend to beginners, so to all you beginners out there  I will be making a post on workout ideas for beginners and I will include some work out DVD recommendations. So be on the look out for that!

I also think that Jillian Michaels is a fantastic motivator, I think her work out DVDs are great. Some of you might be familiar with her being on the show called "The biggest loser" and yes I understand she is tough she's very tough but I think that is a good thing as when you are on a weight loss journey its important to push your self and have that discipline this is why it's not easy I know that sounds condescending but you know even though I got slightly irritated by her in the DVD repeatedly saying that its not easy well she's right its not, even if its a beginner workout it will still be tough and that's to be expected when you make a change. But remember being positive will help.

One more thing I would like to add though is I didn't follow the meal plan I just stuck to eating healthy meals so I don't know how good the meal plan is. It looks good though but since I'm a vegetarian I couldn't follow it, but you can substitute the meat dishes if your're vegetarian. I checked the meal plan again and I found that it had recipes  in there and there were some Vegan recipes. If you plan on getting this DVD and would like to do follow the meal, I say go ahead, I mean why not?

 I am also going to be doing another challenge DVD, well it's actually a set of DVDs that I bought a few months ago and its called Insanity and I will be starting that next week. I will definitely do review on that once I'm done with it but that will take a while because it is a two month challenge.

I hope you found this useful or it gave you an idea. Catch you all later

Love

Alice