7 day slim down: Day 1

Morning, all!  Sooooooooo...I enjoyed posting the video from yesterday so much that I thought I'd make another one today of DAY 1 of the "Tone it up" 7 day slimdown.  And I OBVIOUSLY had a lot to say since it ran WAY longer than I anticipatedJ  

And much like my non-tech savy self, I managed to upload it to my Youtube channel much easier this morning ...but still can't figure out how to embed it on the blog.  So until I can figure that one out, you can just visit the video HERE!.  (Unless, by some miracle, it posts belowJ)

Monday Recap:

7:00am:  Tone it up HIIT workout

8:00am:  Coffee with 2 packets of Stevia & a splash of Almond Milk

9:00am:  Breakfast- Perfect Fit Pancake with strawberries 

You're also allowed to have an egg white/spinach/tomato/mushroom scramble for breakfast, but since I don't like eggs OR mushrooms, it'll be Perfect Fit pancakes for me for the rest of the week.  That's fine with me since I think they're pretty tasty.  No maple syrup allowed this week in the name of 'lowered sugar,' but the natural sugar from the berries is really sweet enough.  (ps-here is the recipe for the almond meal/flax pancakes that are really delicious & I think would fit in this plan just fine.  Scott didn't like the Perfect Fit ones, so I'll be prepping these for him for the rest of the 7 days.)

I also COMPLETELY forgot to mention in the video (probably because I was trying to block it outJ) that along with breakfast, I also did my morning shot of 1 tablespoon ACV, 2 tablespoons of water & a shake of both cayenne & cinnamon.  I wanted to make it as SMALLLLLLL as possible...

I covered my nose and downed the shot, only to chase it with MORE water...which, in turn, tasted JUST like the shot.  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.  But, again, it only SUCKED for about 20 seconds or so.  I have a different variation to try today, so we'll see how that goes.

11:00am:  Snack- Grapefruit with 1 packet of Stevia

I ate both halves but, as I mentioned in the video, I left all of the 'membranes' and ate just the fruit because it was MUCH more palatable and less bitter.  Hence the grapefruit massacre on my plate....

 My luck all of the 'magic grapefruit fat burning' is in the membranesJ

1:30pm:  Lunch- Tuna salad 

In the mix:

• 2 cups lettuce blend
• pea shoots
• broccoli slaw
• shredded cabbage
• 1 can no salt tuna, packed in water/drained
• 1 tablespoon balsamic
• Squeeze of lemon

And you're allowed one piece of fruit for your 'lunch dessert' and I went with 1/2 mango.  It was actually sad how excited I got when I remembered I was 'allowed' to have fruit after the saladJ 

5:30pm:  Dinner- Turkey Cutlets with Sesame-Garlic Swiss Chard

Like I mention in the video:  Not THAT far off from what we normally eat...but just VERY, VERY BLAND & BASIC.  BUT, like I mentioned yesterday, the plan states right from the jump that it's not going to be the most flavorful food week ever.  Sooooo...if that's the case:  I guess we're doing it rightJ

I REALLY tried to flavor up using the allowed 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.  You're allowed sesame, coconut or grape seed...but in 'normal life', 1 tablespoon of oil (usually extra virgin olive oil) is how much I usually use.  And also like normal, I tossed in about 5-6 cloves of diced garlic... 

...then tossed in the diced swiss chard, some spinach & a handful of sesame seeds, 3 diced scallions and a shake of garlic powder and cooked until it was slightly wilted. 

Meanwhile, I got out the all-prepped turkey breast cutlets... 

...seasoned them with some NO SALT Mrs. Dash...

...and popped em on my indoor grill until they were cooked through.  

This dinner took about 10-15 minutes to make, honestly.  So if time is an issue, there's always a quicker & more convenient route to go that's still really healthy.

And in all honesty, the NO SALT thing was the only REAL 'tough' part of this meal.  The 7 day slim down requires no carbs for dinner and the Tone it up 'lifestyle' is about trying to only have carbs before 3pm (as do many other 'experts' suggest, including Bob Harper's "Skinny Rules") as a GENERAL RULE.  I TRY my best not to make TOO many HEAVY/white carb dinners during the week (although sometimes it happens), so it's really not that much of a stretch....just maybe being a little more conscious about it while trying to get a little more lean & toned.

And, as I ALSO mentioned in the video, you have to make healthy eating CONVENIENT for you...especially if it's a new habit you're creating or something that's maybe a littllleee more 'trying' than you normally do.  So this week, including a 'healthy' stock up at Trader Joe's...

...I also bought as many 'prepackaged' items as I could, so when it was time to make a salad and I didn't prep the night before, all I had to do was grab a few bags of lettuce & veggies and BAM, there's your salad.  Make it EASY!  You don't have to be a hero and till your own garden for kale.  ACCESSIBILITY in ANY healthy lifestyle is the absolute KEY.

6:30-7:45:  Beginner's Power Yoga

8:00pm:  Dessert- 1/2 cup Yogurt with cinnamon, nutmeg & 1/4 scoop Protein Powder

Alright...well now I've reached my spoken AND written word quota for the day!  Hope you have a good & healthy Tuesday! J