TEAM EmMarah

So what did we pick up from this?

I don't know what my weight would be now if I did things differently but I don't think I'd be in one piece right now if I was so strict because of all the stress with all the crap to do already.

WHY YOU'LL GLOW - Fine wrinkles and skin firmness improved after women in their late 30s and early 40s ate foods like tempeh (tempeh is an Indonesian food that is made of fermented soybeans) that contain the soy isoflavone known as aglycone, found one study. Volunteers consumed an amount of aglycone comparable to 3 ounces of tempeh a day for 12 weeks.

HEALTH BONUS - Adding soy to your diet may reduce your risk of developing endometrial and ovarian cancers and diabetes and prevent a recurrence if breast cancer, finds new research. The best sources: whole foods. Try substituting edamame for any vegetable and tempeh or tofu for meat and poultry in stir-fries and soups.

runner up EGGS

And just for fun...

Haha. Hope you had fun with this!

Right now I'm really demoralized as a Filipino. Just yesterday my friend texted me saying he hated the Philippines and wanted out. We're all concerned with safety here now. We need to get our sh*t together.

So there's that. Just a short blog. It's never good to starve yourself. A good idea? Consult your doctor when planning to go on a diet or anything. Know what and what isn't healthy. Try looking at the BMI chart. Whatever you choose, make sure you're not endangering yourself. Safety first, always.

WHY YOU'LL GLOW - Six leaves provide more than 100% of your DV (Daily Value) of vitamin A, which revitalizes skin by increasing cell turnover. The mineral potassium in romaine "gives skin a refreshing boost of nutrients and oxygen by improving circulation," says Lisa Drayer, RD, author of The Beauty Diet.

HEALTH BONUS - That same serving of romaine contains 45% of the DV of vitamin K which a recent study shows activates a protein that supports vascular health - making a future with bulging leg veins less likely.

runner up TOMATOES

This week I had to be reminded of a very important lesson.

Yeaaaah that's about it. I sort of get to a dead end when I get to a mood/motivation/emotional slump. Plus I overextended myself.

The problem is, I shouldn't have taken the job. But then again, I need the money. Sooo...

Today I've re-learned an important lesson and I have to stick with it. Let's hope things like this don't happen again too often.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you're caught in the middle?And no matter what decision you make you'll feel guilty about doing or not doing it?

Let me, Emmaleigh discuss guilt and how I am trying not to feel guilty about eating everyday.

It's funny that the common notion for on a diet is starving yourself. I've seen people deprive themselves from eating and being afraid of defeating their purposes, so seeing them starve themselves until they can squeeze their butts in a 00 pair of jeans make me wanna binge on something from McDonald's. How come?for me the decision to starve yourself is as bad as pigging out on one of the greasiest food ever made. Why the heck would I wanna deny myself from the exquisite taste of the double cheeseburger that's just about to hit my taste buds?

ERASE of that diet being synonymous with starvation. Let's keep it healthy and guilt free!

BEFORE I give my points out, I just want to remind EVERYONE that everything we said here are based on what we do, we are NOT forcing anyone to do the diets or pointers we've learned along the way. It is still and always the best to talk to your doctor FIRST about you changing your diet. The whole point of this blog is to encourage and be an inspiration to people like us who has been struggling with their weight since they were born.

So what are my guilt free foods (especially the snacks in between your meals) this past few weeks? If I get hungry, I eat! That doesn't mean I have to consume unnecessary calories to satisfy my tummy then feel guilty after the burp. What do I eat?

I eat fruits or vegetables since I just wanted something to keep me together and feeling less hungry before my next meal and this help me from feeling overly desirous and wanting to eat every food my eyes had seen. And what exactly are these foods?

• yogurt or a fruit smoothie
  
• celery sticks, strawberries, apples
• whole grain crackers
• cheese
• walnuts, almonds
• pretzels

So for the past two - three weeks, I'm just planning my meals and snacks very well and my meals and the snacks in between are healthy and well portioned so I don't have to be feeling guilty from eating.

You don't have to be caught in the middle, if you want to eat or you just go and pretend you're not hungry. Eating is not cheating as long as you keep it healthy and well portioned.

Love lots,
Em

Other tips for exercising?

So there's that :)

• Write down what you'll be needing for a week. - Before you hit the grocery store, make sure you've written down all the things that you need to buy, not the ones that you want to buy.
• Get your recipes ready! By doing so, you save money and you save yourself from throwing away veggies and/or fruits that had turn moldy. Buy only the exact amount that you know you'll be using for a certain food recipe. Some people think that buying in bulk will save them more, WRONG! From my personal experience, I buy in bulk all the time assuring myself that I will use all of it, unfortunately they turned brown and moldy and they ended up in the waste bin. Why?because we get busy and get distracted everyday, thence, forgetting the food/produce we had already bought that we kept in the fridge. Oh and by the way, before you leave your house to go do your grocery shopping, make sure you've eaten already, we all know what happens when we go shopping on an empty stomach right?And don't forget to bring your enviro bags when shopping. ;)

AVOID EATING JUNKS!


Do you guys know where my first job is?At McDonald's!!! And that's where I started gaining weight! Yes. lack of self control and discipline.

If we want to lose weight, AVOID eating fast food! I know they look yummy and tempting and I'm not gonna lie, looking at the picture that I posted makes my tummy growl! But we SHOULD NOT DEFEAT OUR PURPOSE!! We are on a mission to lose weight and be healthy! Why is too much fast food bad for everyone? Here's list of nutritional value from the McDonald's Canada menu as of August 13, 2010 [if you want to see the list, here's the pdf form for McDonald's Nutrition Facts].

Let's take a look at the cheeseburger meal for instance and let's count the calories that yummy meal has.

800 CALORIES already in one meal! Wow! Just wow! What about the calories you've consumed for breakfast? the in between nibble before lunch or your midday snack and your dinner? If you're not that physically active meaning not burning those fats and calories you're probably consuming around 2,500-3,000 calories a day or more than that depending on the food you chose to eat on a certain day. Sometimes one meal alone can have as much as 1,500 calories already. I feel sick at the thought of how I used to pig out before and not knowing these calories, the trans fat, too much sodium and sugar and how fast food can be bad for you if you eat out as a hobby.

We really should avoid eating fast food and let's be money wise.

The Alternative?
If you let's say can spend $20 on meal on a fast food, just go to the grocery store buy a pack of wrapped chicken breast (a pack of 3 will approx. cost you around $9), go to the produce section grab a bag of cut greens or mixed (about $2-4/bag) and if you don't have any dressings at home grab a low-calorie bottle (which is let's say around $4) in total you'll only be paying $18- $19 (tax included).

Why is it good and wise for you?
A pack of chicken breast (2-4 cuts in a pack) for only around $9-$10 will give you leftovers for the next day. 100g of chicken breast fillet is only about 116 calories, 3 cups (85g) of greens or mixed are about 15 calories and a no trans fat caesar dressing per 1 tbsp is 70 calories. Calculate all that and you'll only be consuming a total of 201 calories for lunch comparing to the greasy 800 calories cheeseburger meal. For $20 you're already being money wise and eating healthy.

EXERCISE!

And it doesn't have to expensive! I know, especially at the rate of our economy these days, spending $100/month to use the gym is expensive to most already so instead of cutting back on other expenses, they are instead quitting the gym. How can exercise be NOT expensive? LEARN how to walk! Yes. We all have busy lives but 15 minutes (and increasing the time frame eventually) of walking everyday is helping you burn some fats and calories already!

Yay! I hope You guys learned something from this post of mine and this is what I'm doing right now, I plan ahead, I avoid eating junk foods and I exercise.

Is there any more tips from you guys and girls out there that we can share to others and help us and them reach our goals?

See you guys around,
Em

Is it attainable? Yes, I believe so. Right now, I have 1,500php out of the 3,400php goal for September. I would actually reach 3,500 from now 'til September so by the end of September, I should be at 5k. So I'd only need to save 'til the first week of November and I'd be set for Christmas :) Now what do we pick up from this?

Right now I have two things in mind the Christmas presents and a cam I really wanna buy. The cam would have to wait but if I ever have a little extra from the week, no matter how small, I'll save it for that.

Well, those are my thoughts, what about yours?

Any tips to save?

What are you saving for?

I guess that's it for now. With my month goal I have to lose three pounds in over two weeks. I know it's a small goal but believe me, it's better than waiting a month to lose one pound.

There are different types of exercises or toning of the muscles out there in the world for you to try. You can go to the gym, you can do swimming, you can power walk, run/jog, if dancing is what you want to do, enroll yourself to a dance studio, or kickboxing you just got to find and know what interests you. Exercise will not only help you burn fats and lose weight, it will also help tone your body and it's also good for your cardio. My interest is kickboxing. Gym is boring me, maybe because my parents have got some equipments at home and before I moved out my morning routine before going to school or work during the summer are: I step on the treadmill, the stepper and we used to have that stationary bike too. Then my parents signed me up for gym membership, it is just boring for me, same routine everyday. Then one day sometime in 2008 while I was on the bus on my way home I saw a signage for kickboxing, I got really interested, signed up and ended up liking it. Now, after over a year of being lazy and pigging out sessions, I am getting myself collected and signed up again for cardio kickboxing and so far I like that I am sweating and I feel somehow healthier. Also, STOP! being intimidated, again NO EXCUSES, MAKE IT HAPPEN! If you get intimidated, when are you gonna hit the gym?or a dance studio?or a dojo?

PLAN AHEAD: