If It Fits

Ever heard this term?

It's a way of eating that allows you to eat what you want as long as it fits into your daily limit of fat, carbs, calories and protein.  I'm honestly on the fence about this.  Do I think it's okay to eat a Big Mac just because it fits your macros?  No.  Is it okay to allow yourself a cookie or granola bar {homemade of course!  Check out my recipe HERE}?  Yes.   

When I looked at my approved food list for this months diet I realized something.  The approved foods combined to make FAJITAS!!!  I love finding normal dishes that I can alter to be Bikini Approved.  

If I had been making this for the whole family I would have bought tortillas but, since it was just me eating it I decided to skip the tortillas and make it into a salad.  Oddly, I think I prefer making it into a salad.  

The nutritional information posted for this recipe is without the sour cream and salsa.

This is before I added the sour cream and salsa

Shrimp Fajitas
Serves 1 
Calories - 170
Fat - 2.4
Carbs - 8.9
Protein - 27

Ingredients
4.5 oz shrimp
1 T minced garlic
1-2 t chili powder
.5 medium onion, sliced
.5 bell pepper (any color), sliced
Sour cream, cheese, and salsa (optional)
Whole wheat tortilla (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Toss shrimp with the garlic and chili powder and lay on a sheet pan greased with pan spray
3. Roast shrimp for 15-25 minutes (until done)
4. While shrimp are roasting heat a medium skillet and saute onions and peppers until soft.  (use pan spray to grease skillet and if they start to stick add a bit of water) 
5. Place shrimp, onions and peppers on tortilla and top with sour cream and salsa.

You can also substitute the sour cream for Greek yogurt to make it even healthier.  

What do you think about the IIFYM way of eating?  Do you follow it?

Friday 5 Week 3 and Progress Update

Wow!  This week has gone by so fast! I feel like just yesterday I was posting a progress photo and update!  As of today I have 99 days until my competition.  I'm not gonna lie.  I'm starting to freak out.  99 days isn't a long time until you compare yourself to a seasoned bikini competitor and see how far you have to go.  I don't feel like I really made any progress this week.  Last week I could feel the changes and progress.  This week was just like "Eh."  I woke up really puffy this morning.  My goal is to figure out what's causing it by next Friday.

Diet

I followed it exactly but, I feel like I screwed up somewhere.  I switched out my morning eggs for protein powder.  I put my protein powder in my oatmeal.  It's awesome!  As of Wednesday I realized I'm REALLY sick of fish.  I'm adding more eggs into my diet.

Workouts

This week was alot easier than last week even though the exercises were the same.  I was proud of myself because I got out of the house before 5:30 yesterday and today so I could get my workout in before Kaylee had to be at swim practice.  I realized my motivation for a morning workout is "either you leave now or you don't workout at all today."  Hopefully I can keep this trend going.  I had some issues with my calves and knees during my HIIT workouts.  I'm not a runner.  I have 2 bad knees but, I'm expected to run sprints 3 days a week.  By Wednesday I was almost in tears on the treadmill. 

I'm kind of sad that this is my last Friday 5!

1. Have you ever taken a fitness class?

Here's the list:  
TRX 
Yoga {does that count?}
A spin class 
Buti {I LOVE this class}
Barre

2. Why do you workout?

So many reasons!  Up until about a year ago I worked out to lose the baby weight.  These days I workout not just for my competition but for me.  The time I spend at the gym is "Me Time."  I can shut out the world and focus on myself {which is surprising since I'm in a crowded gym.}  I have also found that since I started lifting weights surprisingly the pain in my joints has lessened.  A car accident in 2010 seriously screwed up my back, shoulders, neck, a knees.  I also LIKE to exercise.  It's fun.  I love pushing myself seeing what my body can do.  

3. What is your biggest motivator?

One of my biggest motivators are my kids and my husband.  They help me strive to be the best that I can be.  Hell, my kids are excited to see me compete.  And I'd love for them to see me win.  
Another motivator for me is every person that made fun of me or called me fat growing up.  The people who made remarks about my weight and the boys that didn't give me the time of day because I was overweight.  I want to be able to laugh at them all.  Show them that I am no longer the "fat girl."  
I, myself, am my own motivation.  Besides Ken and the girls I really don't have anyone pushing me, cheering for me, or motivating me.  I have to motivate myself.  If any of y'all need a motivator, I'm more than happy.  I've become darn good at it.  

4. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I really get my inspiration from the women in Muscle and Fitness Hers, Fitness RX, and Oxygen Magazine.  That's the look I'm really striving for.  

5. Do you have routine physicals? (it’s very important to check your health)

I end up at the doctor once or twice a year and we talk about my general health at the same time but, I actually don't have routine physicals.  

Things I Love Thursday #2

Is it really Thursday, already?  This week has flown by!  You know what Thursday is right?  It's the day I post Things I Love!  

I couldn't find many noteworthy Things I Love this week.  But, I did find a few.  I'm seriously a fat girl at heart because 90% of the things I think about that I love are food type items.  I try and find things that aren't food related also though.

McCormick Smokehouse Pepper
This stuff is awesome.  Pepper that has been smoked.  It adds a nice smokey flavor to anything you put it on.  I love it.  But I also love the taste of the grill.

Source:  http://www.skillet.com/photo/skillet-band-232701

Skillet Pandora and IheartRadio Stations
I'm addicted to Skillet.  I first learned about them after reading an interview with Jillian Michaels.  It's perfect workout music.  Upbeat and fast without the "I hate my life" lyrics.

Lazy Days at the Beach
I live in a beach town yet, because I have 3 active kids and a normal life, beach time is sort of limited.  I love the days that we can just goto the beach and not worry about what time it is or where we have to go next.

A Heavy Post

These days you see alot of quotes and memes about lifting heavy.

Up until a few days ago I believed the same thing.  But the problem is, I can't lift heavy.  I'm seriously really weak.  It was starting to get to me that I couldn't squat my own body weight, or bench press 200 pounds.

But then I realized something.  I lift MY heavy.  Do I lift as heavy as I can?  Yes.  Do I push myself to lift 5 or 10 pounds heavier than what I normally do?  Yes.  But I don't let the actually numbers on the weights bother me anymore.  Obviously my body is toning and defining and getting better by lifting what I consider heavy.  

And also, I'm training to compete in the bikini division, not the figure or bodybuilding division.  According to the NANBF the standard for bikini division is-

"A specific level of muscularity or leanness is not sought after for NANBF Bikini competition. Judging is based on having an overall healthy-looking toned body with good symmetry, shape, fullness, balance and proportion with good poise, posture, confidence, stage presence and comfortable presentation. Other factors that can affect overall appearance are skin tone, complexion, suit fit, hair and make-up. Bikini competitors should not display an abundance of muscle size, deep muscle separation, or muscle striations."
Source -- NANBF

Which means that heavy lifting isn't definitely necessary.  Don't worry if you can't lift heavy.  Just lift.  Challenge yourself. If a challenge means going from 15 to 20 pounds that's fine!  On a normal day I only squat 30 lbs and all my arm and shoulder work is done with 10-20 pound dumbbells.  But, my muscles are responding to it.  Which is all that matters.  One day I'm hoping to be able to lift heavy but, until then, I'm perfectly happy just lifting.  

Confession

I want to make some confessions.  

1. Before I got sick I was a peanut butter addict.  It was not uncommon for me to have a bowl of peanut butter mixed with a huge scoop of jelly for lunch.  Unhealthy?  Yes.  Delicious?  Yes.  Regrets?  None.
2. I love to bake.  I really would love to open a low-fat, clean eating bakery.
3. Kaylee won't eat anything before practice in the morning except for granola bars.

Remember on Thursday I told you abot how I was in love with Jif Whips?  Well, I found the perfect way to use them.  In granola bars!  These granola bars are so simple.  They take 10 minutes to whip up and 30 minutes in the oven.  I love them because they are chocolatey without having any actually chocolate.  The sugars a little high but, I think most of that is the natural sugar from the honey.  I recalculated the recipe using sugar free syrup instead of honey and blueberry syrup and it brought the sugar down to  7.6 and the carbs to 30.5.

These are a good breakfast, or a cheat treat.  Best of all you know everything that's in them.    

Chocolate Granola Bars

Ingredients
2.5 cups oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1 cup Jif Whipped Chocolate Peanut Butter
.25 cup honey
.33 cup lite blueberry syrup (or more honey)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl combine oatmeal and raisins
3. In a separate bowl combine peanut butter, honey and syrup
4. Pour peanut butter mixture into oatmeal mixture and throughly combine
5. Line a 8x8 or 9x9 pan with foil or parchement and spread oatmeal mix making sure it's even and flat
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes
7. Cool for 20 minutes then put it in the fridge to finish cooling

Fitness 5 on Friday #3

Don't you love how my dog photobombed my progress pic?

This week has been pretty rough.  Not certain why but, I just really wasn't in a good mindspace. To top it off we haven't had water since yesterday morning.  Did you know that water is needed for A/C? Neither did I until mine stopped working last nite. So, needless to say, my house isn't so happy right now. 

 I got my new monthly plan on Sunday and started it on Monday. I assumed I'd have issues getting my workout in today since Sunny has dress rehearsal for her recital but, I managed to get 95% of it in while Kaylee was at swim and the rest of it I did at home.  So happy I didn't have to pull a super late gym session.

Diet
I've been pretty on point.  I've measured everything.  I love that the approved foods allow me to make fajitas.  So, I think my cheat meal next Saturday will be fajitas.  (The salsa and sour cream make it a cheat)  

Workouts
This is where things have REALLY changed.  I have 2 leg days, and 1 rest day.  I also have HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) every other day, my reps and sets are higher.   

And now for my fitness 5....

1. What is your favorite time of day to workout?

Mornings.  I've been having to workout in the evenings because of the kids being on summer break and it seriously kills me.  I have 0 motivation to hit the gym after 9 am.  So most days I drag myself to the gym even tho I'd rather be sitting on the couch watching tv.

2. What is your favorite Super Food?

Blueberries.  I love them.  I use them instead of jelly on my peanut butter sandwiches.  

3. What are some of your fitness goals?

My big goal is to place in my competition.  I'm smart enough to know that there's a 75% chance it won't happen but, I've still got my sights set on it.  

4. What is your favorite vegetable?

Mushrooms.  I can eat a pound of them in one sitting (and I have.)  I was so excited when I got my new meal plan and mushrooms were on there as an approved vegetable.  

5. What is something fitness or health related that you’d like to work on?

I don't really know if there's just one thing.  I want to work on the weight I lift.  I would love to be able to squat my body weight.  My car accident 4 years ago left me really screwed up (various discs are messed up and I have other issues from it) so I can't lift very heavy and it bothers me.  I always feel like a rock star and then I see how low my weights are set and it kills me.  

Make sure to check out the other bloggers who link up on JVKom.com!

Things I Love Thursday

Everyday I find new stuff fitness and nutrition related that I'm in love with.  So I figure that once a week I'll give y'all a nice post on 3 of the things I have fallen in love with this week.  I'm going to call it....

Things I Love Thursday.  


Coach
When you are prepping for your first show they say that hiring a coach is a must.  So far I am not regretting any penny that I've spent on mine.  She's great.  Every week she checks in with me to make sure I'm doing okay.  She answers all my questions and always has something positive to say about my progress.

So if you're looking for a prep coach check out Kelly Lynn Fit

Jif Whips
Love peanut butter but hate the high calories, and fat?  Or do you just need a special little treat?  If that's the case then I highly recommend Jif Whips.  It comes in 3 flavors.  Plain, chocolate and s'mores.  The plain has less calories, fat, and carbs than regular peanut butter.  It's lighter and fluffier.  The chocolate and s'mores have a higher sugar and carb count but, they aren't horrible.  It would actually make a really good frosting for cupcakes.  They texture is about the same to store bought frosting but it is healthier (and has less processed crap)

Muscle Seasame Street

AREN'T THEY AWESOME????  I was so excited when I found these at Walmart.  I was at the store buying the last of Ken's Father's Day gifts and couldn't help but pick the cookie monster one up for myself.  I will be going back for the other 3 tho.  If you want one you should hurry over there and pick them up.  The sticker on the shirts says "limited time."

Well, that's the things I love this week.  Have you found any cool things this week?  Tell me about them!

I Am More...

When I first started this blog a month and a half ago I was dead set on making it about me and my competition journey.  I had my other blog, The Fat Free Queen, where I could talk about my personal life.  Soon I realized that I no longer connected with the Fat Free Queen.  I have become the Fit Beach Babe.  This is truly who I am.  And the Fit Beach Babe is more than an up and coming bikini competitor.  I'm a wife, a business owner, a teacher, and most importantly, a mom.    

So, with that being said.  Let's talk about my weekend.  My oldest, Kaylee, is 11 and a competitive swimmer.  She honestly wants to be the next Michael Phelps.  Both Saturday and Sunday were spent at a 2 day swim meet.  

Saturday got rained out after her first race.  Sunday was a bit better.  She got 3 out of her 5 races in before the thunder forced us out of the pool.  She won first in the 100 meter backstroke, 2nd in the 50 meter freestyle {she actually swam this race without goggles because they fell off when she dove in}, and 4th in the 50 meter butterfly.  I'm so proud of her.  

I'm so lucky that my kids like to be active.  Kaylee is a swimmer, Mo cheers, and Sunny has switched from dance to gymnastics.  It's not often that I have to force my kids to exercise.  They support me and push me, just like I support them and push them.  

Do you wish your kids got more exercise but can't sign them up for a sport or healthy after school activity?  Here's a tip:  UNPLUG THE ELECTRONICS!  When my kids have been stuck in front of the tv one too many hours I kick them out of the house and tell them they have to play for atleast 60 minutes.  

You can also:

• Take them to the park or playground
• Go swimming
• Run up and down the stairs for 10-15 minutes
• Have them do a 30 minute circuit at home in the living room.  (push-ups, sit-ups, planks, jumping jacks)

Here's something simple to remember when it comes to kids

It's just that simple.  Do your kids do a sport?  How do your kids stay active??

Fitness 5 on Friday #2

Progress Picture:

 Progress pictures weren't very good.  Kinda made me look like I've been going backwards.  Crazy to think that as of tomorrow I have 16 weeks left until my first show.  But, this week had been kinda rough.  

Workouts
I pushed through every workout.  I didn't feel like my workouts were as good as they normally are.  I can't believe I have been with my coach for a whole month almost.  
I've had to change around my workout schedule, and I just haven't felt like I've been doing my 100% best.  The highlight of last week was when my coach told me that she could "see muscles popping."

Diet
My food was really on point.  I measured and weighed everything.  And I didn't use too many condiments.

1. What is your least favorite exercise and why? 

This is going to sound corny but, my least favorite exercise is the one I don't do.  Actually no, I hate to run.  I detest it and I refuse to do it.  

2. What is your resting heart beats per minute? (to calculate count your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by 4)

According to my HRM my resting heart rate is 70-75 depending

3. Do you prefer to exercise alone or with company?

Alone.  100%.  I don't like distractions.  My whole mindset when it comes to the gym is "get in, get out."  I don't rush my workouts but, I don't want to sit around, chit-chat and socialize.  I can do that after my workout.

4. What is your go to exercise outfit?

My capris, and either my surfing storm trooper shirt or my batman shirt.  I have really fallen in love with the men's tank tops from Walmart.  They are flowy, the arm holes aren't cut too low (like on many men's tanks), they have funny pictures and they're under $7

5. Think about this time last year. Are you more or less active than you were a year ago?

Definately more.  Life has gotten crazier both in and out of the gym.  We have made it to the beach or the pool almost every day since summer break began and I've been in the gym or studio most days.  

What's your least favorite exercise and why?

Miracle Drink

When you are training for a competition your macros (short for macronutritents; protein, fat and carbohydrates) are very structured.  You are limited to certain amounts per meal and per day for each of these.  For example, on a high carb day my limit is 95.  

On top of restricting carbs you also have to restrict your sugar intake.  {You should be watching your sugar intake no matter whether you're training or not honestly}  When it comes to what you can drink, watching all of these numbers pretty much leaves water and....well, water.

I had serious problems with this for the first few weeks.  I started only using my soy milk (I don't drink regular milk) in my morning oatmeal on my cheat day.  After suspecting that I have a soy intolerance and deciding to cut out all soy products from my diet I realized I'd have to ditch my cheat soy milk.  I knew that there were other nondairy options so, I started checking them out online.  

Most other milks had too much fat and carbs.  When I looked at the nutritional information for almond milk I was shocked.  

Low fat, no cholesterol, not too much sodium, <1 gram of carbs and 0 grams of sugar??!!?? Rock and roll!!  Now I can use it every day.  No more watery protein shakes?  No more non-creamy oatmeal?  This stuff is a miracle.  I'm in love!  You know what  the first thing I did with my almond milk?  Make a smoothie!  The carb for the meal was supposed to be complex, which means sweet potato (I can have other ones, I just really REALLY love sweet potatoes).  I decided to blend it all up together.  

Sweet Potato Smoothie

6 oz sweet potato, cooked
31 g (1 scoop) Protein Powder
6 oz silk unsweetened original almond milk
3 g PB2
1 T sugar free maple syrup (if your macros allow)
dash cinnamon

Directions

1. Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potato, discard (or eat) the skin
2. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth

Have you had to cut anything out of your diet only to find a better substitute?

Fitness 5 on Friday

While wandering around the internet early in the morning I came across Jen's blog at JVKom.com.  I love link ups so I decided to take part in her Fitness 5 on Friday.  But first, a recipe.  

I keep trying new stuff with my oatmeal.  I get really, REALLY tired of plain oatmeal day in a day out.  So I like to make really simple things that kind of spice it up.  This week it was baked oatmeal.

Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

.5 cup dry oatmeal

1 cup water (or milk)

1 egg 

dash cinnamon 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl
3. Grease a small baking dish (I think that this one was 16 oz)
4. Bake for 25-35 minutes
5. Let stand for 10 minutes

Remember, it is very VERY hot when it comes out of the oven!  I burned the hell out of my mouth and throat.

Didn't stop me from eating it all though!

Now for this week's questions.... 

1. How many minutes of Cardio did you do this week? 

So far I've done 2 hours and 55 minutes of scheduled cardio.  I have another 45 minutes from my trainer tomorrow and I teach 2 classes {an hour each} tomorrow also.    

2. What is your favorite physical activity?

Swimming.  I STILL dream of being an Olympic swimmer.  

3. How much water do you drink on a daily basis?

A ton.  Actually I probably go through over a gallon a day.  

4. What is your favorite healthy snack?

Before I started my competition prep it was either a fruit salad or popcorn.  

5. What’s your favorite athletic shoe?

Honestly I haven't found my favorite shoe yet.  I prefer to NOT wear shoes.  In my house athletic shoes are referred to as "foot jails."