Taking baby steps to reach my goals - one step at a time

I recently discovered a youtube channel while searching for weight loss tips which is simply amazing. Her channel is called antishay and she is such an amazing inspiration and gives great tips. From her I learned how important it is to break down your goals into baby steps and make them a habit during 21 to 28 days. This is a totally new approach to reaching my goals.

I always thought I have to change my diet all at once, I have to exercise 6 times a week coming from zero. I like the idea of getting used to things step by step. So thank you Shanti for your wonderful inspiration.

I will post my baby steps here once I gave some more thought to this topic and figures out where I want to beginn.

(Picturesource: © S. Hainz/pixelio.de)

Missing the right time for a meal

Sometimes it happens to me that I miss the right time for my meals. Mainly over the weekend when I decide to take a nap during the day and end up sleeping 3 hours. I wake up and my body tells me that it is the highest time to eat again.

I would usually go to the fridge and just start to eat anything I can find. No matter if it is healthy or not. Or I would just prepare something that is fast and that I don't have to put much energy into it. Most of the times that would just be a plate full of pasta and loads of cheese. Because of course, when hungry, also my portion size is not right.

I tried to find a habit that would work for me and keep me from eating just anything I can find when I am at this stage of being hungry.

So I decided to grab a carott before I eat anything else. This keeps my mouth busy so I don't get the chance to eat anything else and it also calms my stomache for long enough so I can think about a healthy meal. And usually the carrot even lasts long enough for me to prepare the meal.

This is working for me extremely well. I hope this strategy will help you too.

(Picture source: © M. Grossmann/Pixelio.de)

I am really out of shape

I know that my diet is far from being perfect. And I am working on it. But there is no reason not to do those great bodyweight workouts from BodyRock.tv. I can't say I have no time. Because I have it. I am just not motivated. So today I kicked my own butt and tried the Sexy FIT Beast Workout.

I can't say it was going very well. You are supposed to complete 15 rounds of one exercise routine which is perfectly explained on the site. It alwas looks so easy and I thought: "This is one I can do". Well wrong! I had to find out that I am terribly out of shape. Since these workouts are cardio strength workouts I find them very difficult. Since cardio has always been my weakness. But I am positive that I will be able to complete the 15 rounds one day. I just need to keep going and finally kick my own butt much more often.

And by the way, what Zuzana is saying about emotional eating is also true for me. I do use food if I am bored or had a bad day to compensate. Already as a child food has been a replacement for love and social acceptance. Luckily I never got really fat thanks to my mom cooking so healthy for my brother and myself. And I am really thankul for that. Thank you, mom! Of course I know that I need get this under control. And I am doing much better already. But as we all know there is still a long way to go.

Counting calories

While I liked the idea of not having to count calories with the BFL programm and the Zuzana diet approach I think it might be good for me to do it anyway. At least for a little while.

I am using www.xundfood.ch which has the most common products listed that you would find in a swiss grocery store and gives you average grammage of the fresh foods. This way you have at least an idea of how much an apple weighs on average without acutally measuring it. This can be very helpful. Of course actually measuring the food will always give you more precise results.

Why I am doing this? Well, I typed in some of the typical meals that I usually eat during the day (6 times per day). And the reason for me not loosing weight could be that I don't eat enough. This is certainly not everyday the case. For sure not. But if this is really true for most days, my body has been starving. To avoid undereating and especially overeating I will check my calorie intake for one or two months. Just to get back on track again with the amounts of food I acutally eat. Now that I "earn" my carbs (or at least try to) according to the diet plan from Zuzana I am also more likely to have not enough calories. I guess I need to get used to the amounts I can eat if there are only veggies and protein on the plate.

(Picture source: © Rainer Sturm/Pixelio.de)

My secret obsession - carbs!

Even if I have no proof I think I could loose fat better if I would reduce my carb intake. Also Zuzana is promoting this in her new diet strategy. For some reason I find this really difficult.

It is not even that I can't resist pasta or rice. It is the bread! It is so good. Really yummie bread. And it has been my dinner for almost all my life. It is easy, convenient and you can be really creative with what you put on top of it.

I have not yet figured out how I am going to master the challenge of reducing my carbs. But I will eventually find a good way and will let you know.

Maybe someone has some tips for me?


(Picture source: © Lichtbild Austria / Pixelio.de)

Body weight exercises and yoga

After being close to a burn out with 6 workouts per week I decided to change my approach.

I am going back to bodyweight exercises which I enjoy much more than weight training. After all working out is supposed to be fun and not a struggle each time. What weight training is for me. It was not just a matter of getting started and then during the exercises I would enjoy what I am doing. In this case it would suck all the way.

Therefore I decided to follow the 5 week challenge which Zuzana recently posted on her blog BodyRock.tv. It is combining proper nutrition (similar to the BFL approach) with her body weight workouts. Which I enjoy a lot! I am really looking forward to this one. Trying to adjust my diet to get the best possible results and learning from failure is something I enjoy. I want this journey to be fun and I think with Zuzana it will be. Especially because she is such a great motivator.

On saturday I did her Fitness - Jacked Up Chick Workout which gave me this crazy muscle ache on sunday.

To ease the pain a little I tried some yoga. My first time ever but it did help with the muscle ache. I found this great site through youtube. On yogayak.com they offer free yoga classes. For me it was a great alternative to going to a class on sunday. It was fun, relaxing and well explained. Even for me as a total beginner. I did the Easy Ground Work exercises. I will definitely visit this site more often now.

(Picture credits: © Dorothea Jacob / Pixelio.de)

Still not seeing any results

9 weeks have passed and I am now starting with week 10 of my 12 week challenge. I am almost there. I find it still as hard as in the beginning. I find it difficult to motivate myself especially because I am not seeing any results. My weight is still the same, the fat around my waiste is still there and the cellulite has also not said Goodbye yet.

I find it very difficult to motivate me for the upcoming three weeks. I really want to push but something inside tells me that it is not worth the trouble. I know the biggest changes are supposed to happen within the last few weeks. But when is it going to start for me? The 8 week miracle everyone is talking about has not yet happened for me. I am still hoping for a week 10, 11 or 12 miracle. But honestly: how much can a body change in two weeks? I am pretty sure that I won't come even close to what my goals were.

I hope I will be wrong and I have seen some great results on the official website. But I am not yet sure if it will also work for me.

(Picture credits: © Benjamin Klack / Pixelio.de)

Raspberry-Smoothie

I am always on the look out for nice recipes that I can use for dinner. The evening is the time when I find it the hardest to eat right. During the day when I am at work and have my home made food there are no problems. I can resist the vending machine with the chocolates.

But in the evening when I am tired and I need to find something quick that I can eat before workout I tend to eat things that are not approved or are just simply bad for me. I try to make healthy choices but the last thing I wanna do is cook or eat the same thing every evening.

I grew up eating two slices of bread with butter and honey for dinner. And it is really difficult to break this habit. I will give smoothies a chance. They seem to be an easy and healthy alternative to the bread.

Here is what I tried tonight and it turned out extremly good. The frozen raspberries give it a nice pink color and I was really looking forward to drinking/eating that.
It was the first smoothie that I've ever made and I played around with the ingredients until I had a BFL perfectly balanced meal. I hope you will enjoy this one as much as I do:

Ingredients:

• 100ml skim milk
• 90g yoghurt
• 1 Tbsp oatmeal
• 125g raspberries (frozen)
• 20g protein powder (chocolate)

Kcal 239 Protein 23.7g Carbs 23.6g Fat 5.5g

(Picture source: www.pixelio.de, Copyright: Joujou)

Bachelor studies in nutrition and dietetics

I have been interested in nutrition for years. It is not that I followed much what I knew was healthy but it is definitely a topic that has always caught my attention.

During BFL I realized that I do have the self-discipline somewhere inside me to follow my dreams even if it seems to be hard in the beginning. I made it to week 8 which I seriously never believed was possible. There has always been this little demon sitting on my shoulder telling me: "You can't do it".

Now that I have come so far I am sure that I can do anything I want and the Bachelor in nutrition and dietetics is exactly what I want right now.

Even if it means that I have to sell my car and that I won't have any money for the next 5 years.

It is a long way... It will take me 61 months! This is a scary number but I will go through with it. First I will have to get my qualification for university entrance. This will take me 12 months and cost a fortune. Then I will have to do a 3 months internship to qualify for the studies and get the chance to go through the entrance test. And then finally my 3 year full-time studies can start which will be followed by another 10 months internship. But it is my dream and I can do it!

I want to encourage everyone out there to reach for the stars and follow their dreams. It may be difficult and needs some sacrifice but it is worth it.

A little painful

As promised here they are. My week 4 results. Since my before pictures are a few years old you can't really compare but you will see that I have still a long way to go to a toned body. I am wearing my Victorias Secret Bikini which is actually too small for me right now. My goal is to wear it to the beach or pool next year and look amazing in it.

I have to admit that I think that the pictures are much worse than the reality. I don't really see myself as shown in the pictures. Maybe this is wishful thinking.

Giving up after week 6

So here I am struggling with myself because I reached that down point I read about in week 6. I did not even realize it was that until about 10 minutes ago when I took a hot shower and tried to find out what this demotivation was I suddenly felt. Actually it started yesterday with crazy cravings and I gave in. My day was filled with Mini Mars bars (a lot of them) and potatoe chips. At least I didn't have a beer with it. I also skipped my LBWO which I was convinced I would make up today until I woke up this morning.

I didn't believe this would happen to me after being so motivated in the beginning. And when I first read that many people especially women give up after 6 weeks I thought: "Well, now that I know that I am prepared."

I find the meal planning very time consuming. When I think about it, it is not even so much the workouts it is the nutrition part that burns me out. I think about nothing but food the whole day.
Maybe I need a different approach. I will try to plan my meals better. Prepare food in advance and freeze it. Actually I found some great things in a bodybuilding magazine. I can adjust the portion sizes and the ingredients slightly and get a BFL perfect meal. What makes 4 portions for a male bodybuilder gives me 8 portions :-)

Anyway, the point of this post is really to let you guys know that I am struggling and maybe reach some of you out there who have the same feelings. I am not going to give in the Giving-up-demon which has found me. I am going to fight him by going to the gym right after this post and do my missed LBWO! I hope this will destroy him once and for all (I think I have been watching "Charmed" too much lately :-)).

Wish you all strength and motivation.

Apple-Tuna snack

Here is one of my favourite snacks within the BFL program:

80g Tuna (in Saltwater)
170g Apple
Just cut the apple into small pieces and mix with the Tuna. You get a BFL perfect snack.

Carbs: 20.2g
Protein: 21.3g
Fat: 1.8g
Calories: 128kcal

BFL 4 week results

After having done the Body for Life program for 4 weeks my bodyfat went down from 23.6 to 22.4% (-1.2%) meaning I lost 600g (approx. 1 pound) of fat! :-) I still have the same weight which equals in my muscle mass going up from 40.4kg to 41.1 kg. I am really happy with these results and they motivate me to continue and keep improving. There are certainly some areas in my eating that I can still improve and I will give this some serious thought once I am back from my vacation. I will have enough time then to plan my meals properly and optimize where needed. I will update this post tomorrow with a picture which still needs to be taken.

Keep going strong.

Pasta-Tuna salad à la Zuzana

Today I chose to do a recipe that was acutally created by Zuzana from bodyrock.tv. I tried this before but now I adjusted the ingrediets to give me a good BFL meal. Check out her website if you are interested. She also has some great bodyweight exercises if you are looking for something you can do after the BFL challenge.

For this you will need:
25g of whole grain Pasta
70g Tuna (not in Oil)
7g dried Cranberries
1/4 Onion
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Coriander


Cook the pasta al dente. While the pasta is cooking cut the onion into small pieces and add to a bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar and coriander and mix everything to a sauce. Add the tuna, the cranberries and once done the pasta. Serve still a little warm.

You can double the ingredients and eat half of the dish the next day for lunch.

Enjoy!

Carbs: 22.8g
Protein: 21.9g
Fat: 9.4g
Kcal: 261

BFL - Exotic chicken with pear and feta cheese recipe

So here we have the dinner recipe of my dinner from today. It is a exotic tasting chicken with a perfect balance of carbs and protein.

You will need:
1-2 pears (170g)
50g Feta cheese
50g Chicken breast
Salt, Pepper, Paprica
Cooking spray

Prepare the chicken and the pears by cutting them into 1 inch pieces. Then also cut the feta cheese into 1/4 inch pieces and put aside.

Prepare a frying pan with some cooking spray and add the chicken when hot. Season it with salt, pepper and some paprica according to your taste. Then add the pears and the feta. Cook until the feta is melted and pears are just warm but not too soft.

That is already it. Serve and enjoy.

Carbs: 20.1g
Protein: 20.3g
Fat: 10.1g
Kcal: 258

One week in Greece and keep going strong

I am almost at the end of week 4 of my 12 week Body for Life challenge and next week my vacation on Crete is coming up.

I have put quite some thought into this week to make sure that I can continue my 6 workouts and stay clean with my eating.

I bought myself a Theraband and a jumping rope and downloaded some exercise manuals from the internet. With this equipment I hope to get good workouts if the Hotel doesn't have a gym.

For eating I am sure Greece will offer me some nice healthy meals. I just need to watch my portion size. I will be consistent and leave anything that is too much. Even if I always struggle with wasting food but this time it is what I need to do. I will try to find a local grocery store to buy some healthy things for my "snacks" and bring my protein powder. I don't want to go in a Restaurant 6 times a day :-).

I am convinced that with selfdiscipline and a little creativity I can have a successful Body-for-Life week in Greece.

Wish me luck.

Update: Holiday is over and it was really great. LBWO with a theraband does not work.

Set backs and what the challenge is really about

I had my first set back end of last week which was end of week 2 of my Body For Life challenge.

Actually there have been several factors which make the end of the week a set back for me.

First of all I was traveling due to business reasons and I started really well. I moved my weight training (lower body) to the morning instead of the evening. This way I had my exercise covered by the time I left home. This made me really happy and I was proud that I had the strenght to go to the gym 6.00 a.m.

In the evening I went for dinner with the customer and that is when it all started. My meal was not clean, it did not follow the nutrition advice from the website and it was way too much. I tried to convince myself that it was ok and I guess it will be.

Luckily I was finished earlier than I thought and was able to return back home the same day.

As I got up in the morning I must have made a bad move as my back started to hurt really bad. I was not able to make fast movements or lift anything heavier than 2 pounds. I had to stay home and rest. During the day I was really hoping to be able to do my cardio in the evening since it would have been the last thing I had to do to complete my week. But by the time the gym closed I realized that it was not going to happen. The pain was just too much. I felt bad for not being able to make up for the bad dinner from the night before.

I really appreciated Saturday being my free day and I enjoyed it. I rested and I eat what felt good to me.

On Sunday it was absolutely clear to me that I would start my third week of Body for Life whether I was 100% fit or not. And I wasn't. So I skipped the back exercise for my upper body training but did all the rest. I did good and the pain was ok.

I am motivated to go on with the challenge and that is what it really is. I don't think anyone can do this without experiencing difficult times or set backs. If it was that easy it would not be called a challenge.

Consistency is the key as well as self discipline. I am working on both and am sure that I will come out of this as a stronger person (not only physically).

Wish you all the best

xoxo

The benefits of drinking water

Well here are some reasons and explanations why water is good for you:

1. Drinking water enhances fat loss
Water is an essential nutrient. All chemical reactions in the body depend upon it. If you’re trying to lose weight, this is essential. You won’t be able to lose weight without water to flush out the by-products of fat breakdown. Plus drinking enough water will increase the fat burning process by 3%. This may not seem to be alot but you get it for free for just drinking some water.

2. Feel healthier by drinking more water
In many cases, fatigue, headaches and back pain may be caused by dehydration. If you suffer from an afternoon nod off, try drinking more water at lunch. If you or your friends complain of frequent headaches, the amount of water you’re drinking could be responsible. This is something I have expirenced myself. Ever since I have been a child I would have headaches almost every day and also take pain killers almost every day. Ever since I started drinking enough water the headaches have disappeared. I wish someone would have told me that earlier.

3. Drinking water can reduce hunger
Experts say that hunger pangs are often misinterpreted cravings for water. Try drinking water before your regular meals and see if it helps you cut down on the amount of food you eat. It really works as an effective appetite suppressant. Avoid counting tea, coffee, sodas and juices in your fluid intake. Coffee and tea contain caffeine which has a diuretic effect and makes you lose water. Sodas and juices are too sweet—because the body must dilute them, they cause more dehydration.

4. Look younger - drinking water hydrates your skin and can help to prevent cellulite
When the skin is properly hydrated, it looks plump and more radiant. Water will keep the toxins flushed out and help you to cool off through perspiration. Muscles need to have enough water to make them look full too. Plus if your body is dehydrated the connective tissue that holds back your fat cells will loose strenght and cellulite will be worse. Drinking enough water will support this tissue and help it to stay elastic and make your skin look even and firm.

5. Eat less by drinking enough water
Unfortunately our body does not know the difference between thurst and hunger. That is why it reacts with hunger if it is dehydrated. If you feel hungry the next time try drinking a glass of water. A lot of the times this will help and you will end up reducing your calorie intake with no big efforts.

Sore muscles

Now that I am doing regular weight training I am facing very sore muscles. Yesterday I could barely walk because my Hamstrings are so sore.

I have done some research on the internet and there seem to be really only two things that are supposed to help:

1. Magnesium
2. Warmth

The Magnesium I have already tried. I bought some of these liquid Magnesium tubes that you can get in any store that has fitness equipment or fitness supplements. Unfortunately this does not seem to help. At least for me. I still have a little soreness the first day after training and even more the next day. Today is already the third day and my Hamstrings still hurt. Which is awkward. I think I definitely hit my 10 during the weight training if it hurts that much.

I have yet still to try the warmth. Many articles recommend a warm bath to increase the blood flow in the muscles which will help to "heal" the muscle faster. It does sound logical to me but I have not yet felt like taking a bath. Like I never do during summer. I might try just to take a hot shower and concentrate the warm water especially on the area that hurts. I have done my upper body weight training yesterday and still feel good. If these muscles also start to be sore I am really getting into trouble. I hope until then I can walk properly again.

Let me know if you have any tips or tricks that you've tried and that worked for you.

Wish you a nice weekend and much success with your own fitness journey.

Body for Life - Weight training

Yesterday evening I did the lower body weight training of the Body for Life program. I put together my workout according to the instructions on the website (I have still not been able to get a hold of the book). It contains 4 muscle groups with 2 exercises for each. You can find a detailed description here.
After the workout I found that I had not given 100%. Eventhough during the training I felt like I did. Especially during the Hamstring exercises. I will try to push more next time for two reasons:

1) The legs are my problem area (cellulite).
2) The legs are big muscle groups and if I build some muscles there I will burn even more calories during the day.

My gym offered me to program the machines according to my plan. Which I thought was not possible. But I am even happier now that I know it is. I just need flexibility with the weight. I am still trying to find the right intensity and don't want the machine to tell me "You have chosen too much weight". Supported training is good it should just not be restricting.

Body for Life - Cardiotraining

Yesterday evening I completed my first cardiotraining within the Body for Life program. I was really amazed how sweaty and exhausted I was after only 20 minutes. But the interval really does it for me.


To reach your high point at minute 18 and then to keep it up for 60 seconds really takes all you have to give. But I guess this is the point about it. I felt great afterwards.

I am struggeling a little bit with the nutrition part of the program. I can't get a hold of any of the supplements suggested since there is no store or anything like that from EAS and they do not ship internationally. For now I just use a normal protein powder that I bought in a sports store. I would really appreciate one of the protein bars as a snack for in between meals but since it is not available I am going to find another solution. Maybe if I do some research on the internet I will find someone who is importing the products.

Wish me luck.

Careful with dried fruit

A while ago I discovered dried fruit for myself. What a great idea I thought and started eating dried apples, figs, apricots etc. They were delicious. After a while I started using a website to control my calorie intake and had to notice that dried fruit are much higher in calories than I thought. In fact they added so many calories to my diet that I stopped eating them altogether.

At first this did not make sense to me since it was the same fruit just with less water. And this is exactly the thing about it. Since the water is taken out the fruit looses volume and fruit sugar is more concentrated.
While eating an apple takes a few minutes and will fill you up more, due to the water contained in the fresh fruit, eating the same amount of dried apple slices only takes seconds and leaves you less full. This results in you eating more and ending up with much more calories than you think or want.

I am not saying that dried fruit is a bad choice. It is full of vitamins and fibers and low in fat. I would just like to point out that when eating dried fruit portion size is the key. Eat just a little to get the benefits of it. Dried fruit can be a healthy choice and add good things to your diet.

Body for Life

By chance I found this website on the internet: www.bodyforlife.com. The results presented on the site are amazing and it sounds like a logical concept. So I will give it a try for the next 12 weeks.

Today I started with my upper body weight training. I felt really exhausted afterwards and had a protein shake to support muscle growth. I really can't wait to see what will happen within the next 12 weeks.

I will keep you updated.

I am going to post pictures of myself again after 4 weeks to document my progress.

Watch the success and body transformation of Mary Queen.

The small sins of every day life

I have to confess that I did something bad tonight. I was invited to a small birthday party and of course alcohol was served. I wanted to drink only one glass but then ended up drinking a little more. I never meant to give up alcohol completely but I know that it will slow down my metabolism and that is not what I want. Nevertheless I could not resist today. It is a small weakness in my journey but I will get back on track tomorrow and start my day with some workout. I think I am going to do one of Zuzana's trainings from bodyrock.tv. There are so many to choose from. I am sure I will find something to make up the little sin from tonight. I had some fun with my friends and this is no reason to give up or loose focus

Wish you a wonderful weekend.

Soja-Chicken with mushrooms

This is my lunch for today. I felt like being creative a little bit yesterday evening and cooked another meal after having dinner. Since we have a microwave where I work I can easily bring my own food from home.

So here is what you need for 1-2 servings:

150g chicken breast
3 large mushrooms
1/4 onion
3-4 tsp soja joghurt
2 tsp colza oil
coriander
salt, pepper, paprika
any vegetable you like (I used fennel)

Cut the vegetable into pieces and cook in salt water.
Cut the onion in small pieces and the chicken breast in stripes. Heat up the oil in a frying pan and broil for a few minutes. 5 minutes before the veggies are ready add the soja joghurt and 3-4 tsp of water. Add the mushroom which you cut into slices previously. Add the spices however you like it. I like it more spicy so added more of the pepper and paprika. Use the coriander carefully.

Enjoy!

Tomato-Apricot salad recipe

Today I really felt like eating tomatos so I decided to create a small new salad. The apricot really gives it that special kick.

Here is what you need for 1 serving:

1/4 onion
2-3 medium sized tomatos
2 apricots (try to get sweet ones)
1-2 tbsp balsamico vinegar
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard
salt, pepper

Cut the tomatos into pieces and mix it with the sliced apricots. For the sauce cut the onion into small pieces and mix it with the mustard, olive oil and the balsamico vinegar. Add salt and pepper as much as you like.
Mix everyhing with the sauce and let it sit for about 15 minutes to give it a chance to absorb the flavors of the spices and balsamico vinegar.

Enjoy!

Running for better shape and bodyrock.tv

After talking a little bit about food I am going to focus on my workout today. I've had a very exhausting but satisfying workout yesterday in Fabio's Lifetraining. It felt great to move my body and use my muscles for other than getting up from the couch and walking to the fridge.

Today I discovered a new blog post called the Fat Ass Burn Off Workout on bodyrock.tv which inspired me to follow the challenge posted. I will try to follow the workouts that Zuzana does. Check out the website to learn more about her workouts.
I am sure they are going to help me reach my goal. I can't wait to start.

Additionally, while I am at it, I also want to improve my endurance. I have had a lack of endurance all my life. While the other kids would run around and have fun outside I mostly sat in front of the TV. Which meant that if I ever did go out to play I would get tired very fast and just couldn't enjoy it as much as the others.

It is time to change this!

After doing the workout from Zuzana and a sufficient amount of rest I am also going to go for a run. I am going to start with small steps. I plan on 5x2 minutes running with 2 minutes rest in between and then take it from there. With the Gymboss Interval Timer I purchased a few days ago I finally also have a tool to control my running times. I used to do it with my iPod and just run for one song and walk for one song. Which is really not a good method to track progress.

Wish me luck.

Grocery shopping haul and dinner recipe

Healthy eating starts with healthy shopping. So this afternoon I went to buy some fruits and vegies to ensure that I have all the things I need for healthy cooking.




For dinner I made chicken with potatoes, bell pepper and mushrooms.




For 2 servings you will need:
1/2 onion
1 tsp colza oil
4 small to medium size potatoes
1 medium size bell pepper
4 large mushrooms
200g of chicken breast
1 vegetable bouillon cube
some pepper and paprika

First peel the potatoes and cut them into four even sized parts. Boil some water, put the bouillon cube and the potatoes in it and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Cut the onion and the bell pepper into small slices and put them aside. Slice the chicken into pieces. They should be about the same size as the bell pepper slices.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion, bell pepper and chicken breast for about 5 minutes. Get the potatoes out of the bouillon and add them to the frying pan. Use some of the bouillon to create a sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes then add the mushrooms.
Cook until the mushrooms are just a little soft.
Add pepper and paprika and you are finished.
Enjoy!

Making healthy choices

The whole process will consist of two parts. First I want to control what I eat and secondly I want to exercise regularly. At least 5 times a week.

For the food part I have been to a nutritionist already a few weeks ago and she gave me some really good advice. I just never followed it. And I want to make myself more aware of what I put into my body. Especially when it comes to carbohydrates and fat. I don't want to cut it completely but try to make healthy choices.

I am starting my day with two slices of corn bread with a small amount of butter (no salt) and slices of banana instead of jam or honey. I want to make sure that I have enough energy to start my day and reduce the intake of carbs to the morning hours. This is really delicious.
I also decided to skip my coffee and have some tea instead. I am taking my breakfast with me to the office and I am drinking office-coffee which I can only have with cream instead of milk. When I stood at the machine I realized that this was not a healthy choice. So I went back and got the green tea I always keep at my desk. Green tea is also supposed to support the fat burning process. I don't know if this is true. I drink because I like it.

I brought some snacks with me for the day. I plan on eating 5-6 times a day which is boosting the fat burning process throughout the day. At least this is what I read. For snacks I have the second part of my banana, two tomatos and some cucumber.

Since I am eating my lunch at the cantine today I ordered a salad. This is the healthiest thing I can get there. I will try to prepare my meals in advance and take it with me for lunch more often. But I know that this will not always work. I need a good alternative and the salad seems to be a good option.

For tonight I am planning on going to a Lifetraining session. I have not been there for weeks. Wednesday has always been my favourite day to go there so I will take the opportunity that today is actually wednesday :).

I will keep you posted.

xoxo

Introduction to my fitness journey

I have been trying for the past 6 years to get fit and finally look good in a bikini. I never made it. Mainly because of missing self-discipline. I read so many things about healthy food and fitness tips that I really know enough to reach my goal. It is just me. I never stick to anything. But this time I will take you with me and hope that this will give me additional motivation to look good in my bikini. I give myself 12 months. This should be feasible.

Today I am 1.60m (5.2'') tall and 56kg (124lbs). My BMI is normal. My weight is normal. But yet there is room for improvement. And I really wanna get rid of my cellulites.

Let me post some more pictures that were taken a few years ago. The cellulites is worse today. Unfortunately.