12 Weeks New Body Makeover Challenge - done!

So the new body makeover challenge is now over. I managed to stick to it around 80 to 90% of the time, and I am quite happy with my results. This challenge changed the way I feel and think about eating and making healthier choices.

To be honest I did start this challenge during a challenging time being the Christmas season and all, and this is not any sort of excuse, in fact I have managed to stick to it most of the time, despite the food temptation and being really busy.

I have tried to do meal prep and this made it much more easier to follow the plan especially during a very busy work schedule, however I did have some failures with my meal prep and as I came to realize some food is better left unfrozen such as apples and celery stalks. But as the saying goes... you learn from your own mistakes and have been trying new ways to meal prep. I'm far from good at it and any tips and suggestions are highly appreciated :)

I will try to stick to clean eating as much as possible and will definitely incorporate some of the recipes from the plan in my daily meals as I really loved some of them especially the breakfast ones.

I need to work more on my exercise routine, I have kept on with it for around 2 months, but I have been sick lately and couldn't keep up with my routines and I have sort of lost my tempo. I need to work on it to re incorporate exercise as a part of my daily routine, not only because it keeps me fit but because it seems to improve my mood, reduce stress and makes me feel more energized.

This was a really interesting challenge, it felt hard at time but was definitely worth it :)

New Purchases - @Blogilates

I am so excited about my latest purchase. This different from my usual purchases as lately I have put my mind on being healthier and I have started eating clean and trying to exercise most days. 

I am currently following a blog called blogilates which I find really interesting and supportive and the creator also designs and sells training gear and stuff which are really cool and most of which includes motivational quotes. 

Having new stuff keeps me motivated and I have decided to try and have a colourful and cool workout wardrobe ax this makes it more fun to keep up with :)

My purchase includes:

• A blue yogamat with the quote "Train Insane or Remain the Same" which I will look at while working out and feel like quitting. This lovely mat came in a cool black bag with the blogilates logo
• A 2014 fit journal with motivational tips and some awesome recipes
• The pop pilates dvd
• And a mint amd black yoga pants with the "train insane" phrase

I am so pleased with my purchases everything is of amazing quality, I will definitely purchase more items.

Do you follow blogilates? Amd have you purchased any of the products?

Weeks 3-5 Progress - #newbodymakeover

chicken & broccoli stir fry

I haven't documented anything here for the past couple of weeks as I have been really busy with work and with the festive season and all, but I will quickly document these weeks into 1 post.

Unfortunately, I haven't followed the plan as much as I liked. I've been tempted with a lot of seasonal festive food and I haven't been able to resist all of it. I followed the breakfast plan everyday except for 2 days, however I skipped like 3 healthy dinners and 2 lunches , which have been swapped for restaurant meals which weren't really healthy choices. My biggest issue however is snacks, I have snacked on some festive sweets and although I didn't take full slices (usually took half or quarter of a slice to moderate my intake) it was still a lot when totaled especially this past week.

Now that the festive season is over and a new year has just started, I have no more excuses to swap my clean eating, and  I will continue the plan to the book! (hopefully)

To kick my own butt and make me think twice before snacking again, I have joined dietbet with blogilates which will start in less than 2 days, and it is a good and fun way to stay motivated. This is the link if you are interested.

Anyone else joined dietbet? what do you thing of such "game"?

Have you been following the plan fully during this festive season. If you have tips on how to stop yourselves from snacking please let me know :)

Here are some more images of the healthy meals I did manage to eat :)

chicken and black bean salad

flourless pizza base

oatmeal + 3 egg whites

turkey & bean salad with rice

Week 2 Progress - #newbodymakeover

As mentioned in previous posts here and here, I have been following  the 12 weeks new body makeover hosted by blogilates, and I think I am doing good so far.

Meal 1 - Bfast for week 2

Meal 5 - Friday

Meal 5 - Friday (the muffin like pieces are supposed to be a quesadilla tortilla but I had a little accident with the mixture)

I liked most of the meals this week, however I wasn't so keen on the breakfast as it included vegetables and I thought it was a bit too much for early mornings (usually at around 6.30am), however by mid week I was used to this meal and during the last couple of days I was almost enjoying it. To be truthful, I added a couple of teaspoons non fat yoghurt to this meal to make it more breakfast like,which wasn't included in the plan, but it made it more tasteful and made it easier for me to stick to this meal without adding a lot of calories, sugar and fats.

Apart from this adjustment to my breakfast meal I have also skipped the protein shake meal a couple of times this week because I didn't manage to eat all the meals due to a busy working schedule. I will rectify this during the coming week as I will try to stick better to my schedule!

We are entitled to 1 YOLO meal a week, and this week I swapped 1 of the meals in the plan to 1 restaurant meal , cos I couldn't pass the occasion as it was a birthday celebration of a family member.

I will do my best to follow and stick to my plan better in the coming week, however being the Christmas season it is way more difficult as I have been offered a lot of Christmas desserts this past week and it was difficult, however I have managed to avoid the temptation most of the time.

I am also following the December workout Calendar and up till now I have managed to do 5 days out of 6 days workouts during the past 2 weeks + the Sunday relax day stretches which are lovely. This is also a difficult task as I am waking up at 5am every morning in order to fit the workouts but it is extremely worth it!!

I am already seeing progress with regards to the way I feel and look so hopefully I will continue this journey to the very end.

What do you think of this challenge?

Week 2 Preparation - #newbodymakeover

If you have read my other posts, here and here, you know that I have been following the 12 week new body makeover plan for the past week now.

The meals are quite simple to make, however during the week I find little time to do a lot of cooking for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, therefore to make my life easier during the week, I prepared a lot of the meals today (Saturday) and will be freezing the portions I won't be using withing the next 2 days This is the first time I have tried it, so I am not sure how the meals will turn out. I'm hoping for the best!

Do you plan/prepare your foods prior to the week?

Do you have any tips for easy food preparation or freezing tips?

Week 1 Progress - #newbodymakeover

As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, here, I have been following the 12 week new body makeover challenge, and it is nearly the end of week one.

My progress so far was quite good, actually I think it went really well. The meals have all been really good. At first I thought I would find some of the meals strange and I lacking taste, but boy was I wrong, everything was delicious and it kept me full all day. There weren't much moments were I wanted to snack on unhealthy  stuff, and I managed to beat the temptation and kept to my plan.

During this past week, breakfast was my favourite meal of the day. Lets see what week 2 brings!

Sunday's Meal 1 

Tuesday's Meal 1

Wednesday's Meal 5 - Although it doesn't look it, it tastes delicious.                              

12 week challenge - #newbodymakeover

I've been following a blog called blogilates for quite sometime now, which is a health and fitness blog, and I like how easy she makes healthy eating and living. Recently she announced that she collaborated with weight training  and produced a 12 week meal plan for a total body transformation #newbodymakeover, which I am really excited for. I signed up for this meal plan which will start on the 1st of December. I just received the plan a couple of days ago and it seems really good, all the food in the plan seem really tasty unlike most diets / "healthy meals".

(image adapted from blogilates.com)

The plan comes with a fit journal which is really cool, but unfortunately I am still waiting to receive it, but I will definitely start the challenge this Sunday. My only concern is that some of the food might not be easily available in Malta (which is a small island in the Mediterranean Sea), but I will try to substitute for something else, if you are doing this challenge and have the same issue, let me know .

(image copied from ogorgeous.com)

Well I though I should document my progress to keep myself motivated into finishing the 12 week challenge and adapting my eating habits.

If you follow blogilates or will be following this meal plan let me know how it goes :)

Until next time!