First thing first. The hardest part of my journey was learning to eat.
Being Puerto Rican all I knew was how to show love with food. Which meant big portions of our cultural deliciousness.
Cod fish with root vegetables
Starchy staples such as fresh bread, rice and beans, Root vegetables Fried and smothered meat we’re on our daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Stewed chicken & White rice
Smothered steak & onions with fried plantains and Spanish rice
Puerto Rican dishes like these have been my way of eating all my life. I had no knowledge of balance or portion control. Until my journey started. I began my health journey with BEACHBODYS 21 DAY FIX. This program wasn’t your average home DVD program. The 21 fix focused on Fitness and Nutrition. Which helped me learn how to balance my meals by using their portion control system. It wasn’t about calorie counting, it was about portioning and balancing whole foods. This program along with the PINTEREST app. gave me the freedom be creative with my meals which kept me from being bored with my food. I didn’t feel like I was on a diet. Which is why I believe I was successful with it.
The portion control container system also helped me learn how to meal prep. Using Rubbermaid containers and Mason jars I was able to put together and store delicious meals to take to work. I carried my cooler MEAL PREP cooler everywhere, which helped to stay on track everywhere I went.
It was an amazing system but eventually fell off the program and gained some of my weight back, because I went back to my old eating habits of fast foods and comfort foods. When I realized I was setting myself back I started over but this time using my coach’s meal plan. It was just a structured fat loss plan eating nothing but wholesome nutrient dense foods at the right time of day. This plan was simple yet effective because it had the list of foods allowed which made it really easy to put my meals together.
I have tried every diet known and each one effected me differently. I learned that diets were just aa temporary quick fix and I didn’t want that. I wanted more! I wanted more structure more stability and both of these programs gave me that. It was these 2 program that helped me the most in the beginning of my journey, because I learned a lot about clean eating and portion control. I was able to take what I learned from both of these structured programs and apply it to my everyday life. Which now consists of mostly LOW CARB meals. Which I actually enjoy, especially since I’m still able to use some LATINA FLAIR in my meals.
Trying Something Different in 2020
with my love for veggies I decided to go back to the Vegetarian Lifestyle I once had before my 2nd son was born. It doesn’t seem to be as difficult considering this time I have access to the internet, which gives me access to helpful information, recipes and so much more!!
- Research Nutrition recommendations to support my target goals
- Track/ Journal my food
- Make sure I am getting all my necessary Vitamins
- Track my progress
- Share and document my progress
Eliminating meat is not the hard part, believe it or not that was easy. The hardest part for me was putting together nutrient rich meals that kept me full ALL DAY. When I got hungry throughout the day convenience foods became my go to. I was eating DONUTS, BREAD, FAST FOODS and other junk food that was easily accessible. Its no wonder I gained even more weight.
MY BODYQUEST TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY 