*waving*

hello? is this thing on :shock:

hi there. *jumps over the bush* i have a lot of explaining to do concerning my blog whereabouts.  for now, i just wanted to come 'back' with a lil' shout out to my amazing hubby-face. i am so HONORED and PROUD to be his wife and teammate for life! he is the epitome of a #1 fan for real and God has blessed him to be an outstanding husband and father. God reminds me often as to why we were made for each other.  i thank you for ALL you do for our family, Sonny!

hope your father's day weekend was spent honoring and remembering true fathers everywhere.

 i can't get over how much my itty, bitty BABY has grown, my goodness.  to watch him do for himself 90 percent of the time these days gives me such a proud, bittersweet feeling.  i'm sure mothers everywhere can relate.

we headed to celebrate with our parents on Sunday afternoon.

so, originally, i had an AWESOME restaurant picked out for dinner...but i remembered one very crucial thing as we were on the way.

the NBA finals were on at 7!  so i had to make a game time decision while en route and drove straight to the Houston Texans Grille  so that Sonny could enjoy himself his way on his day.

and what do ya know, Sonny's brother and lady, Kara, were there enjoying the game as well!  i definitely didn't plan that but it worked out perfectly.  they ordered those 'bigger than the state of Texas' nachos up there and i almost knocked my water-glass over scrambling for my phone to take a pic.  what can i say, food excites me!  they are monstrous in person and they threw in the towel early on them!  Sonny stuck with salmon, rice, and veggies,  since he is training, and i ordered a baja grilled shrimp salad with romaine, black beans, roasted corn, red bell pepper, cotija cheese, dressing on the side.  i ordered the 'healthiest' thing i could find on the menu for Chiso, which were those fried sweet potato tots.  they were DELISH but were way too sweet from the added sugars.

cheese pizza wasn't on the menu but i asked and they made one for Chiso. love that! #score

 Wally World had these ginormous red bell peppers for just 44 cents each this weekend.  couldn't pass it up so i got a few and made the recipe you're about to read right now:

 red pepper crock pot sirloin

the stuff:

• 1 lb lean sirloin
• 1 large chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 3 stalks chopped green onion
• 4 tbsp liquid aminos
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp pecan, hickory, or mesquite liquid smoke
• 2-3 tbsp of your favorite low-no sodium seasoning
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

do this:

add half of the veggies to your crock pot, then lay sirloin on top.  add the rest of the veggies on top of the meat.  dump all seasonings, liquids, and herbs on top of meat.  set crock pot on the lowest setting and cook the sirloin for 6 hours, or 4 hours on high.  it will be moist, juicy, and FORK TENDER BABY!

*i didn't measure the ingredients the first time honestly and it turned out great.  but if you find comfort in following a recipe, i estimated as best i could!  feel free to do your own thing with it, as you should *

then you can have something like my meal 5 from tonoooight:

boom. pow. ta-dow.

well that was REFRESHING!  taking a break from life, even your passions, is a great thing.  i have so much crazy energy right now from this small post alone, whew!   my flame has been rekindled and i typed this whole post at what seems like 554 wmp!!!!  now if i could just get back to doing this every day....... 

one day at a time though.

tell me something. ask me something.  just say HAI!

email - le@fitfoodiele.com

Instagram - fitfoodiele

Facebook Fan Page

Vine - coming SOON and i'm so dang excited about it!

Kik messenger: fitfoodiele

go buy a crock pot,

le

6 weeks out - update

no morning run today.  i slept in and do NOT feel bad about it!  i was up late last night prepping meals for the week and needed the extra sleep.

  i worked out with my trainer saturday,

shoulders, legs, and stairmaster = sweaty mess.

i actually don't mind the cardio at all- even when i don't have my ipod.  i'm up to 7 hours of it a week, which is just an hour a day. (weight training and ab work is not included in that though).  after i get nice and warm (at least 10 min into it) i don't feel a thing.  i do try to keep it exciting and use several machines.  20 min here, 20 there, 20 somewhere else, and i only start counting again when my heart rate reaches my fat burning zone.  no cheating on my diet OR workouts!!

*update*

after 3 successful rounds of carb cycling and two more weeks out the window:

146lbs  (lost 4.7)

2.7 % body fat lost, which brings me down to 13%.

i always kept a light sweater with me at all times cause i get cold easily.  however, 68 degrees for our home temp is now unbearable.  Sonny is convinced that the house must be this cold in order for him to sleep. *side-eye*  i've been going to bed in thermals recently- long sleeve tops AND bottoms in the middle of a Houston Summer!!! however it makes sense- less body fat and weight, less insulation.

i missed Chiso's stank butt so much this weekend! i surprised Sonny with a short and sweet getaway for his birthday (post coming), and Chi spent some good times with his grandparents :)

what can i say.. this has been the toughest week yet and it's only gonna get tougher.  after 3 rounds of carb cycling, i'm in the middle of my fourth.  per my trainer, no changes to my meal plan this week since my body is responding so great to the carb cycling.  i just keep thinking over and over again how little time i have left. i'm 100% dedicated to reaching my goal, i can do this, and it will all be over soon.  in that order. lol.  at this point i'm craving things i don't even normally eat- frito pie, doritos... churros...   and my obsession with food network is about to ruin my life.  if i'm not watching it on TV, i'm on food blogs all day long.  food is SUCH a huge part of my life. i'm a FOODIE.  makes me wonder if i'll do another show after this one to be completely honest. the urge to binge only comes around full force when i'm watching Paula Deen put 42 sticks of butter into her upside down apple cake.  outta sight outta mind really works best for me at this point.

anyway, i have these guys (thick cut sirloin steaks) marinating in some Braggs liquid aminos, green onion, cilantro, and montreal steak seasoning, and will throw them on the grill tonight when i get home.

on a lighter note, i must express how much i LOOOOOVE the Instagram community, WOW!!! if you aren't following some of these crazy inspirational, motivational,  health and fitness role models, then just looking through their pics is still worth every second of your time.  they are REAL, hard-working moms and dads doing the healthy thing, sharing recipes, fitness tips,  and reaching their goals one day at a time.  after this show i cannot wait to get crackin' on some of these recipes!! look'em up:

fitfoodiele :lol:

fitfoods

livefiteatclean

powercakes

onefitfoodie

c_fitnessjourney

eatclean_behappy

fit4aprincess

MyFitnessLife24

kristfitj1210

fitandsexy_fe

healthygirll

instagramfitness

mattyb2126

myhealthydish_

there are waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many more, but take a peek at these guys and girls.

enjoy the rest of this blessed day!

le

give me CARBS. now.

i put my grill pan to work today.  this morning's breakfast was slow cooked oats over grilled bananas and dusted with cinnamon.  putting heat to a banana always helps it release more of its natural sugars.  i might not ever use brown sugar again! it was so good!  course i had my eggs too with fresh cilantro and some dijon mustard.

 i woke up feeling very loose in my mid-section...definitely not as tight all over as last week.

not being funny or insensitive at all.   as you know, i started carb cycling monday and i'm going to bed tonight like a kid at Christmas cause tomorrow is my HIGH CARB DAAAAAY!!!!! this explains my bloated/loose feeling and why when i used to skip meals in order to fit in a dress (long, long time ago when i didn't know any better), it never really worked for me.  ever.     when your body doesn't know the next time it'll get some food after an extended period of time, it begins to store whatever is left in there as fat.  thus, reversing the very thing you are trying to do!  restricting meals creates slowed metabolism, cravings, and ultimately, weight gain.  just a bad, bad domino effect.  so, when i did finally eat, i was SO HUNGRY and always ended up eating way too much. well, by then my metabolism had crashed and it couldn't work fast enough to burn all the food i just straight stuffed my face with which just makes everything worse. again, sad situation.  don't do that!  OK?

i hit it hard with my trainer this morning with chest and back supersets, then i headed to the gym this evening for some cardio on the elliptical.  this is another reason i love my Polar FT7 so much:

off by more than 100 cals!  my hr watch never tells me such lies, hmph!

per my trainer, by tomorrow, (after adding a higher amount of carbs back into my diet and after my weight workout of course)  my muscles should be popping out and waving HELLO, and i'll appear 'bigger' and more defined.  well we'll just have to see then, won't we.  will post my after pic then to see if we can spot the differences.

i hit up Sams on the way home for some sirloin and they only had the really thick cuts,  so i went with that.  got my grill pan out again for dinner tonight and put the burner on as high as it would go.  meanwhile,

my steaks were marinating in more liquid aminos, green onion, fresh cilantro, and black pepper. i trimmed the fat beforehand.

sprayed my grill pan (found at Walmart for 17 bucks) with Pam first, and cooked it for 7 min on one side,

and 6 mins after flipping.  far from dry!!! are you kidding me?? so much flavor and tenderness just after a few minutes.  key things- HIGH heat, and marinate it for at least 30 min first and you won't go wrong.

Instagram sirloin collage:)

i did some mid-week prepping after dinner tonight and cooked up a vat of brown rice and mixed it with some fresh chopped cilantro and lime juice.

i also baked some chicken breasts with those McCormick seasonings (smokehouse maple, lemon pepper, garlic and herb, and montreal chicken), and some dried parsley.

in conclusion, i should really stop complaining cause my low-carb days could be NO-carb days :lol:  about those- no-carb diets are often associated with lack of focus, low metabolism, uncontrollable cravings, and low energy levels.  carbs are so NOT the enemy when it comes to weight-loss, so bump what you heard!!!  ever wonder WHY you don't have the energy to workout and feel terrible when you try to cut carbs completely?  cause you NEED them. so don't do that either!

heading to bed to dream about CARBS.

le

zig zagging

 i started carb cycling (aka 'zig-zagging') Monday and let's just say Thursday will be a BRIGHTER DAY.  was trying not to complain so soon but i am missing my fruit the most... i treated it as my desert after every meal and well, it sucks not being able to eat it for 3 days straight.  however, it's gotta be this way for carb cycling to do its thing.   i know it's just my body adjusting to my new meal plan, and it's always hard in the beginning. but that doesn't make me feel any better or make this any easier.  :roll:  the crabbiness i felt at the very beginning of this journey after i cut sweets cold turkey is making its way back, sorry Sonny.

on the flip side, i'm enjoying the switch to beef, a lot.  those thin sirloin steaks i made Sunday DID turn out great.  liquid aminos is some awesome stuff!  great flavor, versatile, low sodium, and plenty of healthy benefits. read up on that!

this was last night's dinner (meal 5),  my '1 hitta-quitta' per Sonny.  i like 'controlled chaos' better though;) everything (green beans, brown rice, seasoned sirloin steak) all in one cool whip bowl and covered in  spicy mustard.  when i put everything separate on a plate, it just makes the meal go by so fast.  i don't know how else to explain it.  i guess i just did!  having it all in one bowl gives the appearance of more food.  hey it works for me!  it's a mind thing for sure.  before dinner, i went outside with Chiso for a quick run. i already had my weights rendezvous at the gym earlier that morning.

30 minutes in my fat burning zone and 300 cals later, i called it quits.  as Chiso gets heavier it's getting harder to push his big butt!  but i love that i can bring him with me and change up his scenery for a little bit though.

i then sat and let him explore a little bit and do his thing.

i just adore his little smirk smile!! so, back to carb cycling. i'm still eating small meals throughout the day which keeps my metabolism revving high and my energy levels up.  but booooy if something holds me up from my scheduled meal time, it's back to crab city, quick.

after doing a little research on my own, i found that there are tons of different variations, schedules, and meal plans for carb cycling. my trainer has me on:

THREE consecutive days of low-carb intake followed by ONE high-carb day, then repeat.  like i said, come ON, Thursday!!!!

anyway,  you're basically tricking your body into burning fat rapidly without losing any muscle.

my thoughts?  this BETTER work. LOL

any competitors or non-competitors our there ever heard of or tried carb cycling for weight loss or maintenance?

le

progress through your process

i feel like i owe double posts for not speaking in 7 days straight :( it's been an eventful week over here.   Chiso and i took a walk in the neighborhood tuesday evening, and wed. he woke up with a fever and a rash :roll:  oh, and he's teething again.  needless to say, we took a trip to the Dr. and all is finally well, thank God.

speaking of God, ever hear a sermon and feel like it was tailored JUST for you?  i'm nuts over all things food and cooking, so this made complete sense and keeps replaying in my head:

'if you're  a true cook, then you know you must wait until the water is boiling before you add in your grits.  God has PLENTY of good stuff waiting to pour into us, but He won't give it to us until we are bubbling and ready to receive it!!!'

if you don't grow during your process (whatever it may be), something is wrong.  you mature and change over time for the better.  however, you must commit and put in the work.  stay positive and keep moving towards whatever you are working on!!!

UPDATE: *stats taken on 7/20*

151 lbs.

16.2% body fat

6 weeks in,

8 weeks left,

and time is FLYING.

my scale said 148 lbs this afternoon (sunday) and it's definitely because i added sprints to my training this past friday and saturday.    sprinters are able to keep their muscle but blast off fat with High Intensity Interval Training.  a mixture of both steady state cardio and HIIT is an awesome combo and will get my body where it needs to be.

last night, my man and i stepped out to the movies for the first time this YEAR now that i think about it.

s/n: yet another item of clothing i hadn't worn in ages- these pants are 3/4 and i'm really glad i held on to them!  6 weeks ago, i was in 7/8's. ok anyway, we saw Dark Knight and it was long.  we are pretty tall and we need our leg room.  we both had to stand up and stretch several times!!

 gaaaaaah that popcorn smell smacked me right in the face when we walked in.  i saved my 'dessert' from the meal i consumed in the car on the way to the theater, and whipped it out to snack on during the movie. so not the same.

some alone time was great, but i would have rather watched Spider Man or a comedy!

good times!

today, we hit the gym together for some upper body and cardio.

Sonny never fails to remind me why we work out separately LOL.

i'm working my way up to un-assisted dips, but he convinced me to do them without any help.  i know i'll appreciate it.

later.

yes, that's as far as i could go down, lololol. give me some time.

did some bicep exercises as well then hit the elliptical machines.

sonny on his weapon of choice... it's either this or the stairmaster for me when i'm in the gym.  it's waaaaay easier to get my heart rate up and keep it there when i run outside, though.

pressuring me to hurry up and finish!  just 5 more minutes!

so what's new in the nutrition dept?  my trainer has introduced me to zig-zagging, also known as,  carb cycling.  i'll expand on that soon, but beef has been incorporated into my meal plan for the next two weeks, whoop whoop!  gives me a little break from chicken and tilapia, not that i needed it.

i marinated the sirloin in some liquid aminos (found at good ol' HEB), green onion, and a different seasoning per steak (lemon pepper, smokehouse maple, garlic and herb) and prepped our meals for the next few days.

hope they taste as good as they look! i'm so ready to see the change carb cycling brings.

p.s. check for the abs post tomorrow.  sweet dreams!

le