Well hello there gym rats and health nut enthusiasts! So sorry for neglecting you guys the past few weeks...my life has been SO crazy I have had no time to blog. But I'm back :) I've recently moved into a new apartment, gotten back into the gym after facing that horrible mono, and have been busy getting ready for my next semester at school. Like I said, life has been hectic!
I got back into the gym about a week and a half ago, and I feel great. I think actually getting back into the gym and into my old routine after being sick has helped me feel better, quicker.
My diet and training is stricter than ever, as I am just 10 weeks out from my first show!! I can't explain how excited and nervous I am to get up on that stage. I'm so proud of myself for sticking with things for so long and can't wait to see the changes in my body over the course of the next 10 weeks. It's definitely been a whirlwind of a journey.
My diet has changed significantly ...I'm focusing on losing about 1 pound a week, and so far, so good. I've cut my carb intake to about 75 grams a day (this will change the closer I get to competing), and am really watching my sodium to stay away from being bloated and holding water weight. I'm eating really lean, lots of eggs, turkey, chicken and fish. My diet has been pretty bland, but I'm definitely noticing changes and couldn't be more thrilled!

Here are my current stats...I'm weighing in at 128.5 and am at 20.5% body fat. By competition time I would like to be at 120 and around 18% body fat. So, I'm almost there! Eating clean and training mean!

I'll fill you guys in on some of the recipes I have been using the past couple weeks:

I've always loved Mcdonald's breakfast burritos - and decided since I can no longer eat their burritos, I would make my own, healthy version!

The recipe is pretty simple:

1 veggie torilla wrap

4 egg whites

chopped red bell pepper

chopped green bell pepper

chopped tomato

chopped onion

1 slice of weight watcher's american cheese

1 link of turkey sausage

Put all the ingredients together in the pan (veggies and sausage first to cook them through - then add the egg whites). After cooking all the ingredients, place them on the wrap, fold, and enjoy! I've been making this breakfast almost every day. It's about 150 calories, 36 grams of protein, 20 carbs and very, very low in fat and sodium. It's also very filling, so it gets me through until lunch with no trouble! 

Something that I've been eating for lunch quite often lately is a Jennie O turkey burger with 

half a slice of weight watcher's American cheese, two dippy eggs, and a veggie on the side.

I use my George Foreman "skilLite" to drain the fat from the burger (it gets a bit dry, but much healthier). It's a quick meal that takes about 15 minutes to make with virtually no carbs and very low in fat and high in protein. Jennie O, to me, makes the best turkey products out there, and if you haven't tried anything of hers, you are really missing out! 

For a low calorie, low fat, low carb dinner meal, try this awesome mixture that I actually made just tonight! It came out really, really good! 

I used:

20 oz lean, ground Jennie O turkey

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

sliced onion 

2 cups long grain organic brown rice

6 egg whites

Basically, same things as the breakfast burrito, cook everything together in a pan (veggies first to soften, then add the turkey, egg whites and rice go in last) - and wha la! You have yourself a delicious, low-cal meal to end your day with! I made a lot of this mixture so I can save it and take it as a lunch to work the rest of the week. Just heat it up for a filling and tasty treat. You don't even need any side dishes because this meal is so filling and has all your nutrients in the main course! 

Last night, I made a fish dish that I absolutely LOVED. I've always had a hard time with fish, never really liking it too much. I usually use some soy sauce, lemon and garlic on my fish, but last night I decided to try something new, and I am SO GLAD that I did. I get tired of my dishes pretty quickly, but this is one I definitely think I can handle for a while :) It was so easy and fast to make, too!

Preheat oven to 425

Coat fish with 1 tbs pure honey (I used tilapia and salmon), a few pinches of pure cane brown sugar, and some crushed pecans

Bake in oven for 15-17 minutes (until fish is cooked) - and that's it! 

I served long grain brown rice and green beans on the side, and this dish was amazing. It was sweet and crunchy, and a nice change from the rest of the meals I've been eating lately. 

Derek (who is the most picky eater) LOVED the fish as well, which is certainly a great sign :)

Out of all the recipes I've posted tonight, if you try any, this is certainly the one to try!! 

I also have a new ab exercise for you guys to try! 

This exercise should be preformed on a decline bench with a weight that you're comfortable with (I am using 10 lbs here, I believe)

Simply start lying down with arms extended all the way over your head (almost touching the ground)

Lift the weight up, keeping arms straight at all times

Finish 1 rep by touching your feet

I've been doing 3 sets of 25 reps - this exercise absolutely kills your abs! 

I think that gets me about all caught up with you guys for tonight! I promise I'll be getting more posts up now that things have settled some! 

Thank you, everyone, for all the feedback on my last post, and keep it coming! I love hearing what you guys think or if you've been trying anything! 

Do you guys have any progress pictures of yourselves? Send them to me - you can click on my "contact me" tab and get my email - I would love to do a post on a success story! 

Have an awesome night! 

One more day and its TGIF - hang in there, everyone!!!

xxxo Fitness Felicia 

 

"Dressed Up" Diet Meal Ideas

Hello All! Feeling much, much better today! It was my first day back at work and I think getting out of the apartment and being with other people helped my recovery process greatly!

I just wanted to put up a quick post of some of those meal ideas I was talking about in my post from yesterday. I know the diet is horribly bland and boring, so here are some ideas of meals that I eat to keep me semi-satisfied.

Here is one of my breakfast meals..

egg white omelet with half a slice of cheese and chopped tomatoes,

whole wheat toast with PB,

cottage cheese with a bit of homemade blueberry jelly

Above I have a grilled mahi mahi burger patty. 

Mahi Mahi is a fish that doesn't really have that "fishy" taste that

Tilapia does, so it's a lot more bearable. 

I paired it with long grain brown rice and a dry salad (YUMMMMM! haha)

(sorry the picture isn't all that great)

This is a salad I made for lunch

I used organic lettuce, black beans, that plain salsa that i LOVE (a few posts back I have it),

tuna fish, whole grain tortilla chips crushed up and some lemon 

I made this salad for my sister and I - she hated it but I thought it turned out pretty good, actually! 

This is another little concoction I made for lunch one day, I make it all the time now I love it so much!

What it is is: chicken burger, grilled, organic baby romaine lettuce and spinach, tomato, cucumber, lemon, and some hummus - turns out delish when you mix it all up :) 

Pair it with a greek yogurt and you're golden ! 

And as a little treat, I made sweet potato brownies one day last week.

It was the first time I've ever made them - they tasted a bit different from regular brownies, 

but they were still really chocolatey and moist and very, very good. 

I would def. make these from now own over any other brownies,

I think they'd be pretty easy to get used to. 

I kind of just messed around with the ingredients, 

next time I make them I'll let you guys know if they come out any better and

what I did different. Here is the recipe for now:

Felicia's "Healthy" Sweet Potato Brownie Recipe

2 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes 

6 eggs 

1/2 cup organic coconut oil

1/2 tsp flax seed

1 tbs honey

6 tbs whole wheat flour

4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup enjoy life choc chips

1/2 cup walnuts (personal preference)

• Start by preheating oven to 350 degrees 
• Use the microwave (or oven, or boil) to cook the sweet potatoes
• Once potatoes are cooked, peel the skin off, place into a large bowl, and mash
• Add eggs, coconut oil, honey, vanilla - mix thoroughly
• Then add flax seed, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, choc chips, walnuts and cinnamon
• Once well mixed, put into a baking dish (I used a 13x9 pan)
• Bake for 29-31 minutes (no more, no less!)
• ENJOY!

They came out so moist and yummy, and they smelled great! I'm thinking that next time I'd like to incorporate applesauce somewhere in the recipe, but I'm not sure how much or if it

will clash wit the sweetness and moistness of the sweet potatoes. So maybe you guys try it

for me and let me know lol. :) 

Enjoy your night, everyone!

xxo Fitness Felicia 

Literally Back From the Dead This Time..

Hello Everyone! I'm writing today solely as a recurring request from one of my readers. I've been seriously ill the past week and a half and it really hurts my head and eyes to look at the computer screen. But a promise is a promise, so here I am :)

If I'm going to write a post today, I figure I might as well fill you guys in with what's been going on with me. I had to go to the hospital last Thursday after being pretty sick for about a week before that, and it turns out that I have mono. Which is really, really bad news. Don't get me wrong, being sick and unable to work really stinks, but on top of that ...get this...(as per doc's orders) NO physical activity for up to TWO MONTHS. WHAT?!!! This, on top of me not being able to eat just about anything ATM, is going to be setting me WAY, WAY back for my competition coming up in October. I've had nothing to do but lay in bed/couch the past couple of days and just rest, and I've been thinking about not being able to work out and have been pretty (ok, REALLY) bummed about it. I know there are other competitions if I'm not up to par for October, but I've been SO excited and SO focused on my training and dieting that it just really, really sucks for that to have been thrown away because of me getting sick. But, as my dad says, things happen, people get sick, there's nothing you can do about it :\ ..so for now, I'm just going to have to keep my chin up and continue to eat as cleanly and healthy as my body allows me to in hopes that when I am able to workout again, I won't be too far behind...

Onto a lighter note, many people have been asking me what my "competition" diet has consisted of the past couple of weeks..so I'm here to fill you all in :) As the competition date comes closer, my diet will be changing again, and I will fill you guys in when that happens. For the next couple of weeks, though, this is what my diet is:

Meal 1: 

4 Egg white omelet with half slice low fat Amer. cheese and a veggie (tomato, spinach)

1 Slice Whole Wheat toast with all natural peanut butter (about 1 tbs)

8 oz. protein shake (protein powder and milk)

1 cup cottage cheese plain or with some jelly

Meal 2:

1 cup greek yogurt

handful plain almonds 

Meal 3:

Tilapia (or any fish) seasoned with lemon juice,  garlic clove and tsp soy sauce

veggie (usually a salad with no dressing)

1 cup organic long grain brown rice

1/2 cup cottage cheese with peaches

Meal 4:

Protein shake

Meal 5:

Skinless chicken breast or fish seasoned with lemon, garlic and soy sauce

veggie

long grain organic brown rice

Meal 6:

homemade protein shake

-mix:

2 scoops protein powder

6 oz skim milk

1/2 cup of crushed ice

frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mango, peaches, etc)

...and there you have it! That the framework of how my meals go every day...pretty much fish, chicken, rice and some veggies..every.day. 

The diet is extremely bland and I do try to dress it up once in awhile with some recipes. 

I do have pictures and a few recipes for you guys to try out that I will add on here later on.

The other day, I did make "healthy" sweet potato brownies as a little cheat treat, and they turned out pretty good..I will put that recipe up here and pictures later on as well. 

Just to give you guys and idea of what I'm trying to achieve with this diet...

I'm trying to keep my protein intake up, but am eating clean and lean 

so that I can start losing about 1/2 lb. a week. 

Before I got sick, I was right on target while following this diet.

If you are trying to lose more and at a faster pace than that, I would suggest keeping your carb intake

up during breakfast and before and right after your workouts. Other than that, try sticking to lean proteins and fruits and  veggies. 

Also remember to keep those reps HIGH HIGH in the gym to BURN BURN those calories :)

Make SURE you guys are getting in your cardio, as well, I cannot stress that enough! Cardio is going to be where you're going to burn the most calories and the most fat. 

YOU CAN DO IT! 

For the next few weeks, since I will be unable to workout, I will be living vicariously through you guys...so please, please, keep me updated about what you're all doing. Let me know if you guys are seeing the results you're hoping to see. Not seeing results? Shoot me a question and maybe I can help you find what you're doing that is not working for you. 

Eat clean and train mean, everyone :)

xxxo Fitness Felicia

PS: Just an FYI, I've honestly been really bumming since I've been sick..I've been cooped up my apartment all day just with the dogs, not really able to go anywhere or see anyone, and it's really sucked. On top of that, knowing that I could potentially not be able to compete in October has been gettin me down. But writing this post, knowing that people are out there reading this and utilizing what I have to say and are excited to read my blog, has cheered me up for the time being...so just a big thanks to all of you :) I get a lot of people who tell me personally or over twitter or instagram how much they enjoy reading this and it really means a lot to me! Someone told me the other day that I was in their inspiration, and that was amazing to hear. I just want to let you guys know that I do appreciate all of my readers and it does make me happy being able to share my experiences and this journey with you all. xxxoxo