Oh So Raw - A Fresh Start

Well - I've decided to give this another shot, so here it goes...

It has been quite the struggle these past 8 or so months - I have found out that I have more than a few food sensitivities and it seems that I have been dealing with them for quite a long time. With plenty of trial & error, bloating, depression, difficulty sleeping, weight gain, redness & breakouts, etc. I have decided to start living a mostly organic, raw & vegan lifestyle. I know that I have my work cut out for me & that it wont be easy making all the necessary changes - but it will be WORTH it.

This is what my 'intro to raw' daily meal plan looks like:

  7:30am - 1 Tbsp raw almond butter, 2 sliced organic gala apples

10:30am - post-workout smoothie - 1.5 scoops progressive harmonized vegan protein powder (natural vanilla), 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 Tbsp raw almond butter (it makes everything taste just that much better!), 1/2 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen unsweetened sliced strawberries

  1:30pm - HUGE salad - 1 romaine heart, 2 cups raw organic spinach, 3 mini English cucumbers, 3 medium baby carrots, 1/2 cup red cabbage, 6 organic white mushrooms, 1/2 avocado, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp ginger, 1 clove garlic (rip up the romaine heart & mix with the spinach - then add shredded cucumber, carrots & cabbage along with sliced mushrooms - mix again; make a sort of dressing out of mashed avocado, lemon juice, minced garlic & ginger - mix it all together and enjoy!)

  4:30pm - 4 small/medium organic bananas (I really am a monkey at heart!), 12 raw almonds

  7:30pm - (post-workout #2 after yoga) same smoothie as mentioned above :)

Daily Totals:
1,800 calories, 250g carbohydrates, 115g protein, 45g fat

Here's the breakdown - I have enough protein to build lean muscle (which is another one of my goals), enough carbohydrates for sustained energy throughout the day & still moderately low fats...

My workout schedule is as follows:

Mon - back & biceps (30-45min)
Tues - intense interval training (15-20min)
Wed - shoulders & abs (30-45min), yoga (30-90min depending on yoga program)
Thur - intense interval training (15-20min)
Fri - chest & triceps (30-45min)
Sat - active rest day and optional yoga (30-90min)
Sun - legs (30-60min)

Sounds pretty darn good, doesn't it?! Now, let's see how well I do :) LOL

Revised Meal Plan - BACK TO BASICS + before/after pics

Looks like I had to simplify things a little bit... FD has an outrageous amount of food that was costing me an arm & a leg (at least that's what it felt like) and I cannot seem to fit in 8 meals a day (6 regular + pre & post workout meals) - that's just too much for me! Don't get me wrong, I still fully admire Pauline & agree with her concept - I also highly recommend her e-books (diets & workouts) - if you can afford it, go for it! It just doesn't work for me - right now... So, here is my new plan for workout days - I am still working on my refeed day & rest day menu but will post once completed!

Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat (1400 calories per day)
8AM*breakfast
- 6 egg whites
- 1 Tbsp vegenaise

10AM*Pre-Workout
- PVL Power Up 

11AM*snack
- 3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1/2 Tbsp natural almond butter
- 1/2 scoop kaizen naturals vanilla ice cream isolate protein powder
- 1 Tbsp walden farms chocolate syrup (optional)

2PM*lunch
- 100g extra-lean ground chicken or turkey
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup raspberries or strawberries
- 1 Tbsp walnut or pecan pieces
- 2 Tbsp raspberry vinaigrette

5PM*snack
- 3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1/2 Tbsp natural almond butter
- 1/2 scoop kaizen naturals vanilla ice cream isolate protein powder
- 1 Tbsp walden farms chocolate syrup (optional)

8PM*dinner
- 60g 4% allegro white cheese
- 225g veggies
- seasoning to taste
   
11PM*bedtime snack - tea time!!!
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp cinnamon & 2 tsp xyla
- 1/2 Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
- 1 dark chocolate chai tea bag
&
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 Tbsp original vegenaise 

Oh, and I thought that I would post my before pics of where I started February 2011 to where I am now (keep in mind that I did not have a camera for my before pics so I had to take them with my computer cam)


Starting pic - at my heaviest - February 2011

 4 months later

 6 months later

    
   

 

January 2012

Most recent - July 2012

It's A Good Plan - FD

Workout Day: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
breakfast - flax-seed protein pancakes with almond butter, a dollop of Greek yogurt and sliced strawberries

snack #1 - frozen creamy chocolate yogurt
lunch - veggies and a serving of lean protein
dinner - veggies & chicken
snack #2 - celery & salmon
bedtime snack - Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with blueberries & almonds with egg whites on the side

pre workout - 100% all natural pvl pre workout drink
post workout - protein smoothie & sweet potato

Rest Day: Wednesday & Saturday
breakfast - frozen strawberry soft ice cream with fibre & nuts

snack #1 - Greek yogurt & cucumber
lunch - veggies & tomato-herb salmon

dinner - turkey-cheese burgers with avocado & veggies

snack #2 - hot cacao explosion
before bed - warm chai coconut dream tea

'Refeed' Day: Sunday (havent tried this yet, but looking forward to it!)
breakfast - coconut pancakes with banana & honey
snack #1 - iced 'bubble tea'
lunch - root veggie burgers
dinner - beef & potato
snack #2 - nonfat frozen yogurt
bedtime snack - tapioca pudding

Workout Schedule: Weeks 1-4
Monday - Chest & Biceps, Abs
Tuesday - Legs
Wednesday - HIIT Cardio
Thursday - Back, Abs
Friday - Shoulders & Triceps
Saturday - HIIT Cardio
Sunday - Yoga/Stretching

Here is the general layout of my eating & workout schedules - if you would like to know more, want recipes or if you just like to eat and want to build muscle/get lean YOU MUST check out  Fighter Diet !!!

I am currently following FDX2 - Grain-Free (where all of my meals come from). I will be following the plan exactly for 3 weeks starting Monday (this week has been trial/error - I had difficulty finding a couple of things too, but all is well now and ready to go!), along with lifting HEAVY during my workouts with little cardio to see how my body responds... I will be posting my very beginner pics (from just over a year ago), and my beginner pics now (before FD) this Sunday and will keep track along the way - I am doing a 3-month workout plan and will be staying on the FD plan as well, we'll just see if it needs any tweaking at the 3 week mark :)

Start of FD & Day #1 of New 3-Month Workout Program

Workout Day! So, here is my daily schedule and what I am eating =)

6:00AM - WAY-KEY WAY-KEY!!!
Meal #1 (  6:30AM) - breakfast, gluten-free protein pancakes with almond butter, a dollop of yogurt & berries
9:10AM - hiit cardio workout
Meal #2 (  9:30AM) - snack #1 - post cardio, frozen chocolate yogurt
Meal #3 (12:30PM) - lunch, broccoli-cauliflower mash with lactose-free cheese
Meal #4 (  3:30PM) - dinner, chicken breast with mixed veggies
5:00PM - pre-workout drink with raspberries
5:15PM - weight training workout 
Meal #5 (  6:30PM) - snack #2 - post weight training session, protein-green-berry smoothie
Meal #6 (  9:30PM) - before bed, protein pudding with almonds & blueberries and extra egg whites
9:45PM - BED TIME!!!

WEIGHT TRAINING SESSION
-- Chest & Biceps --
Warm up: 5 minutes skipping

Exercise	Set 1	Rest	Set 2	Rest	Set 3	Rest
Incline Dumbbell Flys	15x___lbs	1 min	12x___lbs	1–2 min	8x___lbs	2–3 min
Incline Barbell Press	10x___lbs	1–2 min	6x___lbs	2–3 min	6x___lbs	2–3 min
Bench Press	10x___lbs	1–2 min	6x___lbs	2–3 min	6x___lbs	2–3 min
Cable Crossovers	12x___lbs	1–2 min	8x___lbs	1–2 min
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls	12x___lbs	1–2 min	8x___lbs	2–3 min
Standing Barbell Curls	10x___lbs	1–2 min	6x___lbs	2–3 min	6x___lbs	2–3 min
Single Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls	10x___lbs	2–3 min	8x___lbs	2–3 min
Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curls	10x___lbs	2–3 min	8x___lbs

*BOLD = absolute failure!

WOD - Lower Body (light) & Abs

Wednesday Workout...

(AM Workout)
*Superset -- 4 times through
1) 25 x deep squats w/ 10lb dumbbells
2) 20 x pulse lunges w/ 8lb medicine ball (10 pulses per leg)

50 x glute kickbacks w/ red resistance band (25 per leg)

*Superset -- 4 times through
1) 20 x single-leg deadlifts w/ 15lb dumbbells (10 per leg)
2) 20 x quick calf raises w/ 15lb dumbbells

50 x glute raise to bridge

*Superset -- 4 times through
1) 20 x 45 degree angled lunge w/ 10lb dumbbells (10 per leg)
2) 25 x pulse squats w/ 8lb medicine ball

50 x glute kickbacks w/ red resistance band (25 per leg)

(PM Workout)
Circuit Time -- 5 times through
1) 20 x raised leg side squat to side step up and over (10 per side)
2) 20 x step hop knee up (10 per knee)
3) 20 x split jump squat (10 per leg)
4) 20 x side step up to leg raise (10 per leg)

Abs Circuit -- 3 times through
1) 25 x lying straight leg raise
2) 25 x full crunch
3) 25 x oblique crunch (L)
4) 25 x oblique crunch (R)
5) 25 x lying straight leg to knee pull-in
6) 25 x sit-ups
7) 25 x side hip raise (L)
8) 25 x side hip raise (R)

New 7-Day Workout Split + Meal Plan

MONDAYS - Chest, Triceps, Shoulders (heavy weight) & Abs

TUESDAYS - Full Body Circuit (lighter weight/more reps and/or body weight)

WEDNESDAYS - Lower Body (lighter weight/more reps and body weight) & Abs

THURSDAYS - Full Body Circuit (lighter weight/more reps and/or body weight)

FRIDAYS - Back, Traps, Biceps (heavy weight) & Abs

SATURDAYS - Legs/Quads, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings (heavy weight)

SUNDAYS - Yoga/Stretching 


MEAL#1 - 8:30AM - 1/2 apple with 1/2 Tbsp raw almond butter and 1 whole egg + 4 egg whites with 1/2 Tbsp vegenaise

MEAL#2 - 11:00AM - (post-workout) smoothie made with 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup frozen strawberries and 2 handfuls spinach

MEAL#3 - 1:30PM - 6-8oz. lean meat or fish, 1/2 plate full veggies (zucchini, white onion, green beans, red & yellow peppers) and about 1/2 Tbsp healthy fats (coconut oil, grape-seed oil) or nuts (raw almonds, walnuts)


MEAL#4 - 4:00PM - (post-workout) smoothie made with 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup frozen strawberries and 2 handfuls of spinach

MEAL#5 - 6:30PM - 6-8oz. lean meat or fish, 1/2 plate full veggies (zucchini, broccoli, green beans, red, yellow peppers, onion) and about 1/2 Tbsp healthy fats (coconut oil, grape-seed oil or nuts (raw almonds, walnuts)


MEAL#6 - 9:30PM - (before bed) 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites with 1/2 Tbsp vegenaise

Lower Body Madness/Pt.2... For a Bangin' Bottom Half

This time we give the calves a lil' lovin' too & focus on using heavier weight while working on that bangin' bottom half ;) I make use of all of the best exercises that work the areas we are targeting, and of course I throw in one of my all-time favourite moves - the glute kickback!

Part 1 - heavy weights/resistance
*Superset -- do superset 4 times through
1) 10 x deep weighted squats w/ 40lb barbell
2) 12 x alternating weighted back lunges w/ 20lb dumbbells

12 x walking weighted lunge w/ 15lb plate overhead - 3 sets
25 x standing regular calf raises (15 slow/10 fast) w/ 20lb dumbbells - 3 sets

50 x glute kickbacks w/ red resistance band (25 ea. leg)
50 x alternating switch lunges (take brief active breathing rest when needed)
50 x glute kickbacks w/ red resistance band (25 ea. leg)

25 x standing with toes pointed out calf raises (15 slow/10 fast) w/ 20lb dumbbells - 3 sets
12 x 45-degree back angled lunges w/ 15lb plate - 3 sets

*Superset -- do superset 4 times through
1) 12 x alternating weighted front lunges w/ 20lb dumbbells
2) 10 x plie weighted squats w/ 40lb barbell

*takes approx. 40 minutes to complete -- ooooh, what a BURN!!!

Part 2 - body weight circuit, pyramid style -- complete for time 
1) 25 x lunge back kick-up (25 ea. leg)
2) 50 x step-knee ups (50 ea. knee)
3) 75 x pulse squats
4) 100 x high knees
5) 75 x low jacks
6) 50 x side step-up leg lift (50 ea. side)
7) 25 x split jump squats (25 ea. leg)

*takes approx. 15-20 minutes to complete
*you could make this your workout of the day on its own & do 1, 2 or even 3 rounds! (depending on how much time you have)

ENJOY THE BURN!!!

*Also, please take care of yourselves and listen to your body - REST when needed, drop the weight when needed, do less reps when needed (or more reps with less weight), etc. remember to drink plenty of H2O & get your muscle-building beauty sleep!

Xo Lovelies!
=)