Sarah's Health.

(Source: curvesporation)

Check out this girl’s back! I feel like many girls underestimate the power/importance of having strong arms and a strong back. I would love to look like this and have the strength this girl must have. Cool photography too. If I ever look like this maybe I’ll do some self portraits with dramatic lighting…

I am a ketchup freak. I can literally put it on everything - from macaroni and cheese, potatoes, eggs, you name it. Because I just HAVE to have it, I opt for the all natural kinds. This Hunt’s ketchup just has tomato, sugar, distilled vinegar, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. It’s 20 calories per tbsp and only 4g of sugar. That’s literally it. No high fructose corn syrup…which if you know me…you know that stuff is taboo.

Anyway, pictured above is my spinach egg white scramble. This meal is so easy and delicious! Great way to cover a good vegetable and protein serving. I’ve also noticed that the dietary changes I have been making (such as no egg yolks and skim milk like I mentioned in a previous post) are really easy for me when I can match textures. I honestly don’t even notice when I’m not drinking whole milk anymore. I can drink almond milk, skim milk, lactaid….anything….as long as its cold and at least somewhat white in my cereal. Same with the eggs. As long as my scramble comes out fluffy and moist, the missing element in flavor is no longer a big deal.

This may just be tomorrow’s lunch.

Sometimes on days I’m feelin good about my progress, I like to take a random pic. It’s motivational to see yourself doing well. This was on week 2 of P90x. I think I messed up my caloric intake the week after this though because I gained back a couple pounds. It could have just been muscle mass but I was eating more than my calculated amount with the nutrition plan for this program and skimped on a few runs. I like to go for runs on as many days as possible in addition to the program. Its extremely hard to maintain this during the work/school week..

I can’t wait to see some ab definition. Core exercises have got to be the hardest part so far for me…along with plyometrics.

By the way, in less than a week it’ll be time for day 30 photos!

Here’s my dilemma. I’m trying to go as natural as possible. By that I mean no processed or genetically modified foods. That was going great for a little while….but when you’re really trying to reduce your fat intake it gets really hard. For example, skim milk and reduced fat cheese are all broken down into a powder and then returned back into a liquid state. It’s bad enough I was buying WHOLE MILK from GMO cows…but now I’m buying the heavily processed stuff. I can’t afford to buy organic all the time…so what do you do? I’m also very Italian and used to cooking and eating everything with pure olive oil. Well when you are trying to significantly reduce your fat intake…you start buying those cooking sprays with unnatural/funky ingredients….but no fat or calories.

Another thing I’m already missing is egg yolks. Yeah they do contain all the fat but they also contain many beneficial nutrients.

Where’s the cut off line?

Anyway, these are the P90x protein bars. You guessed it…not very natural. I can’t help it though….they are the only thing I have to satisfy those wicked cravings for something sweet. They are packed with protein and my god…..they are sooooo damn good. Cafe Mocha = fave.

This is the typical smoothie I like to make. I really enjoy Trader Joe’s products, I wish there was a store closer to where I live. One of the supplements I buy from there is their organic flax seed oil. This stuff is high in fat but it’s all the good fats. It’s loaded with omega 3’s, lignans, and fiber. 

So these were my photos right before starting P90x. I’ll admit that I’m fairly lean already, but this is no where good enough to the standards I’m running by. The last 10 or so years of my life I have weighed a steady 120 lbs and then last summer I dropped to 115. Well somehow I have managed to gain 11 pounds since then because right before starting this program I was weighing in at 126, which is the most I have ever weighed in my life. Now that I am 3 weeks into this program, weight is no longer really a concern for me. This is about building muscle, becoming as lean as can be, gaining strength and endurance, developing healthy eating habits, and just plain getting super fit. I have however lost 5 of those extra pounds, which is still cool. I am definitely already gaining muscle mass as well.

Butt, hips, and lower abs need some sculpting. Seriously…my ass has never been this bubbly. :)