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First things first, if you are serious about toning up and keeping your new body, ideas about going on a 'diet' needs to fly out of the window. You need to think in terms of adapting a new healthy and more importantly sustainable lifestyle. Once you have prepared yourself mentally, it becomes much easier to find motivation for manifestation into the physical. In other words, if you do not believe in it, it will not work.
For my curvy ladies especially who are worried about losing them curves. You need to channel your thoughts. 'I will not lose my hips, neither will I lose my Bum. I will have more definition in my waistline. My breasts will become more pert'.. SAY IT.
On to the juicy bits. Literally. You will understand in a moment lol.
Losing weight is 70% what you eat. (Trying to avoid the word diet).
I did my research because there were certain foods such as rice and cheese which i was not ready to let go of. Its simple, rather than ditching them, find the healthier option. So i stocked up with brown rice, brown pasta, and cous cous. They are not as heavy in terms of starch as white rice, and they are more easily digest-able, meaning it is likely to turn into fat.
Things such as white bread, white rice, pasta, ALCOHOL, have to go if you want to lose weight.
BREAKFASTS:
I never really had breakfast so this part was easy for me to adapt.
SMOOTHIES. So tasty, quick and easy to prepare.
I cannot imagine each serving being greater than 300 calories. Not that I count, its about being sensible.
I love my fruit smoothies, go crazy with them, but I always made such I had strawberries. Strawberries are a natural antioxidant, they help to cleanse your body of bad chemicals, which in turn makes your skin brighter, and they also whiten your teeth!
A typical recipe i used:
Handful of strawberries (4-5 would do)
One whole banana
Whole Milk (you can opt for soya or semiskimmed)
Grapes/ Kiwi (for natural sweetness)
Natural Yougurt
All nicely blended, this was my breakfast for most days.
This as a meal was surprisingly filling!
Other meal options were
- Special K with Milk or natural yogurt
-Oats if I was feeling very hungry
-Natural yogurt (half a glass) on its own, if I was in a hurry.
LUNCH
I liked lunch time, maybe because I tried to avoid snacking, so by lunch time, I was ready lol.
Lunch time is salad time.
The base was a typical mixed green leaf salad from the local shop, then I add some protein.-Egg and Tuna Salad
-Chicken Salad
-Egg and Chicken Salad (sometimes bacon)
Tuna came in small tins which i would drain to remove excess salt.
The chicken I used were 'Chicken pieces' from iceland. Adding a small tea spoon of mayonnaise does no harm.
DINNER
Dinner time is when I got real creative.
Meal options:
Fish Pepper Soup- this is a Nigerian delicacy which i love because it has a low amount of calories. It is so easy to prepare and the Spice burns fat!
-Tilapia Fish (2 pieces)
-Water
-Dry Ground pepper
-Scotch bonnet (blended with water)
When I record a video, I will show how I actually make it, but in the mean time there are many tutorials on YouTube, type in 'Nigerian Pepper Soup'.
Fish/Chicken Stir Fry-
-Mixed peppers
-Chicken/ Fish
-Seasoning (dried peppers)
Tomato Soup (with bits)-
-Plum tomatoes (canned)
-Peppers
-Scotch bonnets
(Bits)-Diced Cucumber, Peppers, Onions and Garlic.
When i was feeling like carbs i'd have brown pasta with a tomato sauce, instead of mince, I would add mixed vegetables.
WORKOUT PLAN
When it came to exercise I was very creative, and made sure I was never bored. Being a beginner I turned to the exercise channel to build up my fitness and stamina at home. Every morning for 30 minutes to an hour I would participate in a workout. Everyone is different so what works for you may be different to me. My favourites were the Ballet workouts as this helped with my flexibility, Kim Kardashian's workout plan and Amy Child's workout. They all come on in the morning. The Channel on Sky is Fab Tv Channel 254.
I was also Cycling a lot, cycling is fun but works out your whole body, your lower body in particular. If you do not like jogging, it is definitely a good option.
Now after building up my stamina, I have joined the gym. I mostly use the treadmill and bike machines to get my heart rate up. Then I use the ab machines. I also do some weight training, to tone up my arms.
So its very simple 30-60 minutes of cardio every day. As well as trying to be active throughout the day.
Thirdly you need to do some toning exercises regularly.
Currently I do:
-50 Jumping Jacks
-25 squats
-20 Jump squats
-15 sit ups
-30 second plank
As I get fitter I will be increasing the intensity.
INSANITY WORKOUTS
These are very tough but I assure you they work! Especially the ab workout. I normally use it as that extra push at least once a week. After every workout I really felt the burn for at least 24 hours, like my Abs were vibrating. This is very Key in every work out. If you are not sweating, hurting or shaking then you are either doing something wrong or you need to increase the intensity! Always trust your instinct though, if you think your body has truly had enough, take a quick break; grab some water and jump straight back in.
When to work out: On a empty stomach, early morning or late night. If your stomach feels heavy you are wasting your time.
As you may have noticed I wrote less about exercise, because really and truly losing weight and toning up is 70% diet just to reiterate.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post, any further questions please forward to my email ojomowa@yahoo.co.uk.
