diet – Dad looks confused

High protein veggies 🌶🥒🥔🍠🥦🌽

Today makes it 64 days since I began a vegetarian lifestyle and at first it was difficult to find foods that would provide the right amount of nutrition and at the same time be filling at. I decided to start with trying to find some foods that would help me with my protein intake did some research and found some foods high in protein.

1. Broccoli- 2.26 grams per medium stalk

2. Mushrooms- 2.97grams

3. Jackfruit- 2.8 grams of protein per cup

4. Lentils-18 grams per cup

5. Green peas- 8.5grams per cup

6. Brussel sprouts- 3 grams per cup

7. Artichokes- 4 grams per artichoke

8. Yellow corn- 4.68 grams per ear (large)

9. Potatoes- 5 grams per 1 medium potato with the skin

10. Edamame- 18 grams per cup

11. Asparagus- 2.9 grams per cup

12. Avocado- 2.67 grams per medium avocado

13. Cauliflower- 2.05 grams per cup chopped

14. Arugula- 2.57 grams per 100 grams

15. Mung beans- 12 grams per ¼ cup dry

16. Lima beans- 6.84 grams per 100 grams

17. Spinach- 2.9 grams per 100 grams

18. Pumpkin seeds- 12 grams per cup

19. Zucchini-2.4 gram per medium zucchini (196 grams)

Some of these are in grams and I love weighing my food because it is the most effective way to accurately measure calories from your meals.

There is a certain amount of protein that a person is supposed to be having and there is a formula.

*body weight(lbs)x0.8-1*

So for me it would look like this

226×0.8-1= between 180grams-226grams of protein

The change (vegetarian)

In my last post I talked about cutting meat out of my diet and living a vegetarian lifestyle, I would like to continue on this subject because I feel like there is so much information that I would like to share. The information I am about to share is strictly based on personal experience.

When somebody tells us that they are vegetarian we right away assume that they live healthy and should be skinny I feel like that is a huge misconception. A vegetarian lifestyle does not mean we are always eating healthy, just like all eating lifestyles it is easy to over consume an excessive amount of calories, let me inform you that a diet made up of chips and soda still counts as vegetarian. For me it is really important to keep track of my calories (although I truly haven’t lately because I have decided to allow the holiday food spirit completely take over)

Even though a vegetarian diet sounds healthier it is important to keep track of what you eat and make sure it is based off of your personal goals.

Going vegetarian 🌱

A few posts ago I wrote about my wife going on a no meat kick, I proceeded to list a few veggies that are great sources of protein. She still does not eat meat and well after asking me to join her, I finally caved and dropped meat from my diet on November 11, 2019 I joined what seems to be a vegetation cult (L.O.L.) and my experience has been so far amazing I feel like I have more energy I have noticed I don’t get that sluggish feeling anymore. You might be wondering about thanksgiving day and trust me I struggled so much on that day for the simple fact that all year I look forward to having a huge plate of food which includes turkey and ham. Don’t get me wrong I still stuffed my face like it was my last meal but the menu did not include turkey or ham and honestly even though my mind and soul were ugly crying in their absence my stomach did not miss them. The amount of days I was able to stick with this vegetarian diet was 35 consecutive days, on the 36th I caved and had a turkey leg. I do not see this as a failure because I just picked up where I left off with this vegetarian lifestyle and started my count once again.

At this point you might be questioning as to why I decided to join my wife in this lifestyle and well here are some of the reasons:

1. Reduce the possibility of diseases- such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

2. Weight loss- the amount of fat that is put into our bodies is reduced therefore burning body fat.

3. You cut out the added antibiotics or hormones that are added to the animal’s diet.

4. Reduce the possibility of chronic illnesses

There are some cons to cutting out meat from your diet and they include:

1. Not getting enough nutrients

2. Not getting enough vitamins such as B12

3. Not getting enough calcium

These cons can be fixed by taking supplements or finding the right grains and vegetables to eat.

Now I cannot say that I am truly sold on this vegetarian lifestyle but I do make it a goal to finish out each day without consuming any meat some days will be harder than others but I am determined

who knows maybe one day I could possibly go full vegan

It’s the small wins that get me motivated to continue but only if I take it day by day.

SHAKE IT UP

I’m not much for meal replacement shakes but in my journey to weight loss I have tried them and like I said I am not a big fan but I have stumbled across some pretty delicious shake recipes, that I still enjoy. When it comes to shakes my advice is to replace a snack instead of a meal because in my experience with shakes, hunger was always around and it felt like I was starving myself even though I was meeting my calories for the day.

Here are some great recipes for shakes that not only taste great but will help give you a boost of energy.

Cacao protein shake

one scoop of whey protein the one that I use is the optimum nutrition chocolate flavor

one medium banana

one table spoon of chia seeds

5 grams of organic cacao powder

and 1 tablespoon of instant coffee I use nescafe you can use the one that is your favorite

add desired amount of water

Throw all ingredients into the blender and enjoy

the calories in this delicious drink is 308

vanilla coffee shake

1 medium banana

1 tablespoon of coffee 1/2 cup of almond milk

vanilla protein powder

throw all ingredients into a blender and enjoy

the calories in this drink is 240

Green smoothie

one scoop of vanilla protein powder

1/2 of a large cucumber

1 cup of spinach

and 1/2 of a medium avocado

add desired water and blend together and enjoy

the calories in this drink is 321

green veggie drink

1 1/2 table spoon of chia seeds

1 large cucumber

1/2 cup of spinach

1/3 cup of strawberries

add desired water blend and enjoy

calories in this drink are 311

this drink is not for everyone it is kind of sour but I like sour my wife does not think it is very good she actuall thinks it is gross

berry shake

1 cup coconut milk unsweetened

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

1/3 cup of blue berries

1/2 cup of strawberries

Blend and enjoy

the calories in this drink are 142

Refreshing AF!

Now that summer has fully hit us i would like to touch a bit on the subject of refreshing low calorie treats I have found a few products out there that can help beat the heat low cal style.

If you are into ice cream but don’t want all of the calories that come with it, you can always have something that is not made with dairy and made with either cashew, coconut or almond milk

My favorite type is halo top which which is made with coconut milk and only has between 280 and 380 calories per pint, that’s right PINT when I first heard of this it sounded too good to be true so I decided to give it a try. I went for the chocolate flavor because well chocolate is the king of sweets and to my surprise it was amazing I tasted similar to regular chocolate ice cream and the best part was that it only contained 320 calories this is a product that I would recommend to anyone that has a sweet tooth but also wants to lose weight.

Another great dessert that is low in calories and are delicious are the outshine fruit bars these only have 60 calories per bar making them a great snack for a hot summer day my favorite flavor is strawberry although the mango and lime ones are amazing as well the these do contain about 14 grams of sugar but I would still recommend them.

Both products can be found in any grocery store near you.

The Struggles are Real: Weight loss

This week I have decided to once again share my weight loss story and the obstacles that I’ve had to overcome. Just as a reminder to myself of why I started in the first place because there are days that I cannot summon the motivation to get out and get to the gym.

There are so many social media pages where people share their weight loss stories, myself being included. The content of these pages are only before and after pictures and recipes used or workouts they do to continue their fitness story. The type of content that seems to be missing is the kind that talks about or depicts all of the struggles that comes with the journey. Whether it is with self, family and friends and in your professional life as well. I mean with all of the offers of doing good at work in exchange for a pizza party (like what are we, five?) ha ha, just kidding. Let us begin with the obstacles that we put on ourselves, for example, my biggest reason to not put in hard work was the excuses of being too “busy” or too “tired.” Once I came to the realization that these ideas were just excuses to justify the unhealthy lifestyle I was living, it became easier to start pushing myself to get moving and eating healthy. These are reasons that I see the most with people in my life, with my parents, siblings, in-laws and some co-workers. What people do not realize, and is something I learned along the way, is that working out and eating healthier makes us feel more energized and increases our desire to be more productive. Another type of mindset that holds us back is the idea that the working out can become repetitive or even monotonous. I have found that if a workout has become boring it just means that the intensity needs to be increased, in other words, it is a sign that we need to push ourselves harder. The beauty of working on our fitness is that it should be a never ending journey of growth and learning, this advice also applies to life. I am not saying that I know everything about fitness and living healthy, I mean come on there are days that when I am researching new meal prep recipes or creating a new workout plan as I am enjoying the fluffy carbs and sugars that come in the form of a donut or two. I just do not let those type of days hold me back I just keep pushing forward learning, working, planing and bettering myself.

Another obstacle that I have to overcome has been my family and friends. Now this one is a tough one because it is disrespectful to turn down food that is offered, especially in my culture. (I am Hispanic by the way) At first I felt horrible because at my in-laws’ my mother in-law would a cook an amazingly delicious meal. You know, the beans, rice, and either beef or chicken with sauce that was made from scratch, sometimes she would even have home made flour tortillas and OH BOY! Was that hard to resist. Then there was my mother’s house she would make some delicious stew with beans, bacon and strips of beef, of course everything is fried before it comes together in a warm stew, that I am pretty sure can only be taught to make by angels, ok I might be exaggerating a bit but still it is amazing. As everyone feasted on what can only be described as Hispanic cuisine glory, I would have to stick to my healthy meals that were made of veggies and low sodium chicken. When I say low sodium I mean pretty much tasteless, of course now I have grown to like my meals with no sugar, sodium, oils or pretty much anything that made food delicious but also unhealthy. Both my mother and mother in-law thought I was sick all of the time because I had stopped eating everything that they knew I liked. To this day they still wonder if I am able to eat what they made which of course the answer is duh! They still always ask because they don’t know if I am on what seems to them a “crazy” diet. One thing that I find funny is that when my family comes to visit they first tell each other that they should get something good to eat because at my place there is only healthy food that they don’t like. The best way to handle your family is by informing them that you want to live healthier and hopefully they understand. In my case they didn’t, so I just had to keep pushing myself hoping for the best, hopefully I have inspired at least one of them to make healthier decisions and to be more active.

Finally work the aspect of my life with the least importance and the easiest obstacles to overcome, well at least for me. The reason this was the easiest is because if they have food at work I make sure to moderate myself or I just politely say no thank you and go to where my five senses are not being drawn to the food. Working on your fitness and having a social life can be possible everything just needs to be with moderation. Currently I am down 120lbs from 350lbs to 230lbs and still working on my fitness. I know that this is a lifestyle and it makes me feel good in all aspects of life so I will continue to work on myself.

If you take anything from this today I hope it is this; the first step to bettering yourself starts with you! Get out of your head and get to working on yourself. I promise you will feel amazing and of course you do not have to start of working out and dieting like professional athletes. Just get moving, figure out what your body can do, find YOUR limits and push them it will improve not only your health but every aspect of your life.

Get up and get moving checklist:

1. Get out of your head just get moving

2. Ignore what others have to say about you even if it comes from your family and friends.

3. Have fun, find things you enjoy doing. (for example I found Jiu-jitsu but that is a topic for another day.)

4. If you go to the gym remember everyone is wondering if what they are doing is right! And DO NOT compare your progress to the progress of others.

And make sure to look me up on instagram and follow so that you may join me in my journey. @alejandro.gets.fit

Gut feeling (kombucha)

Kombucha….. pretty nasty stuff I would have to say, but just like it is nasty it has its health benefits.

(Kom-boo-chuh) no it’s not koombaya this is beverage is a made of either green or black green tea which is fermented with bacteria and yeast, known as SCOBY the tea becomes carbonated as it ferments making it a fizzy drink

So my wife has been on a new kick about this drink and she claims that they are delicious and that the flavor makes a big difference but I swear they all taste like vinegar well, at least to me they do.

I know that there is a large amount of people that love the stuff and drink it casually and my question for them is as follows:

How long have you known you are a psychopath?

Haha just kidding haha

Apparently there are many health benefits to drinking the stuff, one of the benefits that I have experienced is the gut health and what I noticed the most was less bloating. It has helped improve the way I feel.

Here are the potential health benefits of kombucha

1. Gut health- the drink is rich in probiotic bacteria which is similar to eat healthful bacteria found in the gut, this may help improve digestion. Kombucha has been found to help treat diarrhea, ease irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to strengthen the immune system.

2. Infection risks- kombucha has the ability to kill microbes and bacteria that may cause infections making it easier for the body to fight them off.

3. Mental health- no this might seem like the odd one out of all of the other benefits but it has been found out that depression can be linked to inflammation so the anti-inflammatory properties of the drink can help with some symptoms of depression.

4. Cancer risk- in studies done in both 2008 and 2013 they found the possibility of kombucha helping to help treat or prevent the risk of getting cancer. The studies suggest that kombucha helps by preventing cancer cells to grow.

-2008 kombucha study on cancer

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/.18979556/

-3013 study

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221052391200044X

5. Heart disease- it has been found that kombucha can

6. Weight loss- Green tea is one of the main ingredients to kombucha, and green tea itself helps burn more calories, which suggests that kombucha has the same benefit for weight loss.

These are just some benefits of kombucha and there are still ongoing studies that I’m sure will uncover more benefits to drinking it.

There is also one other thing I want to add and that is that the suggested serving one should consume is no more than 12 oz in a day, one bottle contains 16oz which may lead to the consumption of excess sugars because well, (it contains fruit)as well as excess caffeine from the tea.

Before you decide not to try this drink based on my opening sentence, take a chance and give it a try I only wrote that based my experience who knows maybe you would like it.

The one and only brand that I have tried has been health-ade kombucha Pomegranate flavor .

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:

8fl oz

Amount Per Serving

Calories from Fat 0

Calories 40

Total Fat 0g

Sodium 10mg

Total Carbohydrates 9g

Sugars 3g

Protein 0g

Snack attack!!

Switching to a healthier lifestyle does not mean you have to starve yourself and stop eating you’re favorite foods there are many foods that are high volume and low calories. These types of foods allow you to have a large amount at the same time as keeping you under your calories for the day. There is also a big list of healthy delicious foods that can be snacks and are filling as well.

Foods that help with fat loss:

1. Watermelon: 275 calories for 2lbs or a full 9 lbs watermelon=1355 calories

2. Pineapple: 453 calories for one that weighs 2lbs

3. Honeydew Melon: 162 calories for 1lbs

4. Strawberries: 302 calories for 2lbs

5. Grapes: 306 calories for 1lbs

6. Broccoli: 153 calories for 1lbs

7. Spinach: 104 calories for 1lbs (1lbs is a lot)

8. Cucumber: 136 for 2lbs with the peel

9. Nopales (cactus leaves): 70 calories for 1lbs

10. Egg whites: 17 calories for 1 large egg

11. Grey squash: 73 calories for 1lbs

12. Zucchini: 76 calories for 1lbs

13. Celery: 64 calories for 1lbs

14. Carrots: 186 calories for 1lbs

15. Bell peppers: 91 calories for 1lbs

16. Mushrooms: 101 calories for 1lbs

17. Dragon fruit: about 60 calories for a medium sized fruit

18. Water: zero calories

19. Sparkling water

20. Green tea always zero calories

21. Flaxseed

22. Oats

Great healthy desserts and snacks:

1. Halo top ice cream 280 calories for the pint (strawberry is the best)

2. Crunchy snap peas

3. Pea crisps

4. Banana chips

5. Dark chocolate

6. Larry and Lenny’s protein cookies

7. Jerky

8. Granola bars

9. Nuts

Best cheat day meals

1.pizza

2.pho

3.tacos

4.tortas

5. Donuts

6. Pizza

7. Burgers and fries

8. Ice cream

9. Fried chicken

The whole point of a lifestyle change is to live happier but how can you be happy if you are eliminating delicious foods out of your life, the key is to enjoy the foods you love but in moderation and do not over indulge. These foods combined with regular exercise will make you feel better in more ways than one.

One of the easiest exercises to do is running or walking it does not matter if you start off with a slow long walk or a short run start at your own pace as long as you start

Caveman food (Paleo recipes)

Paleo protein pancakes

Finding paleo recipes is not the difficult once you get the basic idea of what foods are ok to be eaten all you have to do is get creative and make them your own. I found a recipe for pancakes a very long time ago this recipe only asked for two ingredients and trust me it was very difficult to make because it kept getting stuck to the pan it was a mess if I remember correctly it ended up getting burnt. After doing some shopping around I found some pan spray. (like I said you need to make it your own and do it how ever works for you) I had to add an ingredient so that it did not stick to the pan.

2 eggs or 4 egg whites

1 banana

Pan spray (make sure it is the zero cal olive oil flavor one I found it at winco it works great) or 1tbsp Coconut oil can also be used it also adds calories to the meal.

1. Mash the banana until it has the consistency of pudding, then add in the eggs and mix until it has more of liquid consistency

2. Then on a hot pan spray some of the non stick spray

Should make between 4-6 pancakes depending on the size you make them.

Enjoy with almond milk

Zucchini

4lbs of Zucchini
1/2 a cube of Knorr bouillon
1 Roma tomato
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper
1/2 cup of cilantro (my favorite herb ever)
1 tbsp of olive oil

1. Chop up the vegetables to the desired size make sure the zucchini is not too small

2. Sauté all of the veggies together until the are all soft and delicious looking lol

3. Enjoy

This should make about 3 servings. Calories: 164 per serving

this is great with grilled or baked chicken as a side

Paleo Approved

I’m going to start off with an update on how I am doing with the paleo diet and well I’m going to be honest it did not go well. I stuck with the diet for the first week of the month and even though it was a short run I must admit that I felt an increase in energy. But just because I did not stick to it for march it doesn’t mean that I’m giving up on it. The great thing of self improvement, is a lot like using the jump rope if you hit you foot and it stops just start up again until you find your rhythm. Due to my work schedule I have not had the time to sit and do my research to better understand what the paleo diet consists of but now that it is going back to normal I can get back at it

I have found a more comprehensive list of what foods are allowed with the paleo diet and I have found that the list is actually not as short as I thought it would be. There are the basic meats vegetables and fats.

But what types of food are all in these categories? This is a common question that has both a simple answer as well as a difficult one because there is a huge variety of foods and all we have to do is weed out the types that are accepted.

Here is a short list of approved foods:

Meats: try to make sure they are lean instead of fatty

My go to’s are beef, turkey and chicken

Other options are: rabbit, organ meats like liver, elk, deer, venison, quail, pheasant

Fish:

Wild salmon, mackerel, tuna, bass, tilapia, halibut, cod

Shellfish:

Oysters, crab, crayfish, lobster, prawns, mussels, scallops

Vegetables:

Artichokes, zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, kale, celery, onion, pumpkin,

Broccoli, tomato, eggplants, cauliflower, radish, carrots, cabbage

Fats:

Fruits:

Apples , Passion fruits, lemon, blackberries, strawberries, papaya, pears, pineapple, kiwi, apricot, banana, grapes, plums, watermelon, melon, mango, guava

Nuts and seeds:

Almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds

Sweeteners:

Raw Honey, palm sugar, Agave syrup

Now a short list of non-approved foods:

Starchy vegetables:

white potatoes, tapioca yams

Cereal Grains:

Barley, rice corn, wheat, wild rice buckwheat and any processed foods made with cereal grains.

Legumes:

Beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, snow peas,

Fats:

all seed oils trans fats bad saturated fats

Dairy:

no dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, ice cream

And absolutely no processed foods such as candy or anything containing too much sodium such as hotdogs, salami or deli meats

Where I am>where I was

I’m still trying to work on my scheduling issue and it seems like it is clearing up so I apologize for the inconsistency when it comes to posting.

I have recently reached a huge milestone in my fitness journey which is reach an all time low weight of 222lbs and it feels amazing. Even though I knew that this whole working out and eating healthy was going to be a lifestyle for myself, never thought that I would reach this level of fitness, I currently am 2 lbs from my final weight goal and it feel amazing because I haven’t been in the 220Lbs since I was 15 years old. I also measured the percentage of fat that I am currently at and it was a total of 14%, another thing is that this last year has felt like I didn’t even have to try, exercise and smart eating has become a part of my normal life.

I have decided to repost the beginning of my fitness journey that way I can see how far I have come.

Weight Loss Journey: The Beginning

When it comes to changing from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one, no one is an expert. In fact, it we all start not knowing what we are doing. Some would even say we enter this journey with a “Blank Stare.” For example when I started my fitness journey I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to even start the machines let alone how to use them. The one thing that I did know was that I had to get started and that running was one way to get started. The treadmill became my best friend for the first part, 4.5 mph is where my challenge began. I would go to the gym every morning sunshine or not, you would find me there. I would either walk or run for half an hour on the treadmill. The process was hard to start off with but I knew I had to do it. I knew that this was going to become one of the most important decisions of my life. Being at the gym and seeing people there can mess with your head and your ego. At the start of this crazy journey I would look around and see other people that were running at a much faster speed than I was able to. Yes, this would hurt my ego like crazy, which made me increase my speed to try to match theirs. I was a beginner and there was no way I could keep up with them, this would make me feel so embarrassed. Now thinking about it this was such an ignorant thought to have. I never took into consideration the hard work that they had put into getting to where they were at. As time moved on this crazy thought started to disappear as I started to focus on myself and my progress. What I started to realize was that there is no better motivator than progress and the fact that I was starting to feel better about my image. It wasn’t long after this that I started to push my limits and not paying attention to what everyone around me was doing. As time moved forward, the more I worked at it the better I got and the faster I was able to go. I went from 7 mph for 30 seconds being my max speed. (and when I say max I mean struggling) Today I am able to run at 13 mph for a straight minute and of course this did not come over night. This took hard work and consistency in order for me to be able to reach this level. I am not saying that I was 100% consistent, I did give up a few times and when I was ready I went back 10 times stronger. This did not go on for too long when I realized that this needed to become something that I enjoyed instead of a chore. At this point everything became easier. How? You might ask, well I started to incorporate weight lifting which was something I realized I enjoyed more than running. The down side to changing my workouts was that I started from zero, meaning I did not know what to do or how much weight I was able to lift. I did not let this fear stop me from giving it a try. I started to research weightlifting and how to use the machines at the gym. My best advice for you is to do some research of your own and do not be afraid to ask for help.

DEDICATION ALWAYS BEATS TALENT. You do not have to be talented to reach your goals just be dedicated to them.

Paleo shopping list

Hello, Sorry I have been so inconsistent with the times and days I have been posting but I have been busy with work hopefully I can very soon get back on track with my posts

This week I stared a new diet which is the paleo or primal diet this diet consists of consuming food that was presumably consumed by the human race during the Paleolithic era through the means of hunting and gathering it is a simple diet with restrictions of course the restrictions are;

1. No dairy

2. No processed food

3. No grains or breads

4. No legumes

Essentially to my understanding these types were introduced in the Neolithic era when people started using farming and growing crops as the main method to get their food.

so far I have made a grocery list of what my food choices are and this is what I came up with:

i. nuts (cashew, peanuts, almonds walnuts.)

ii. Fruits (Apples, Berries, bananas, melon)

iii. Meat (Beef in any form the only thing I am really strict at looking at is how lean it is and the lowest percentage I go is 85 lean and 15 fat, chicken whole or breasts, fish such as salmon or trout and turkey)

iv. Vegetables ( carrots, tomatoes, onions, greens, and peppers.

v. Fruits (apples, bananas, pears, oranges, avocados)

vi. Tubers (potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams)

vii. Salt and spices (sea salt, garlic, turmeric and rosemary)

Now I do understand that we now have different types of fruits and vegetables available to us now compare to what they had back then but the idea is to try to eat as meals that are high in nutrients, fat and protein. I personally think that the fact that we have more foods is amazing because it allows us to be introduced to different types of fruits and vegetables, because I mean have you tried a star fruit those thing are delicious A.F. And I highly recommend everyone to try them and not just take my word for it.

We should always try to do different kinds of things because they elevate us eventually-Gladys Knight