Health&Fitness: What is FeeFe Up To?- Juicing!

Many readers that have followed my journey know that I went on a health/fitness journey in September 2011. I was in my Junior year in college and I found myself out of shape, always tired, and over weight. I had allowed the stresses of university life to get to me and I would only wake up, eat, study, go to lab, eat, sleep, repeat. No where in my schedule did I set aside a time to workout and exercise. In addition, I was NOT eating healthy therefore the pounds piled on. At my highest (that I know of) I weighed 191.4 pounds. That day was the turning point in my life and I decided that I was going to take control of my health and body. That night I threw away everything that was in my fridge. I got rid of all the processed food, the microwavable packets of unhealthy garbage, and went shopping for healthy food. In addition, I started waking up early to work out before heading to class. One year later of a complete lifestyle change, I lost over 50 pounds and vowed that I would never return to old ways. God was faithful in seeing me through the process and I have been able to influence other ladies to go on their journey to a healthier them. 

So far two personal friends I know have lost a combined weight of over 110 pounds by simply knowing what they are putting in their body. I refused to tell people that I was on a "diet" because I hate the term "diet". To me, diet seems like something temporary. When you decide to treat your body like the temple of the Most High, it cannot be a temporary process. You pick habits that eventually become part of you.  You cannot starve yourself on a diet and expect long term results. My advice to people have always been this: drink water, eat food that can expire/rot, make your own food, limit your portions, throw in fruits and vegetables, and exercise. These things are things you can do for the rest of your life and they will help you maintain your weight. It has been about 3 years since I started the lifestyle change and I have not gained a single pound back after I lost it. Why is that? Because I never went on a diet. I learned/googled/bought books to educate myself on the right foods for my body, I found healthier substitutions for foods I loved, I still ate my Nigerian food but I limited my portion until now, my body is used to eating smaller meals, I became a lover of water drinking up to 3 liters a day, and I found exercise as my stress reliever instead of turning to ice cream and candy. 

Now to the purpose of this post. As a chemist by profession, I love to experiment. My new obsession and passion is now juicing. I have been interested in starting this experience, but for one reason or the other, I never started....until two days ago. For those that may not know, juicing is when you extract the natural juices out of fruits and vegetable. It is an easy way to get all the nutrients of fruits and vegetables without the stress of having to eat them. The other benefit of juicing is that you are in control of what goes into your juice and into your body. Most juices you find in stores have been loaded with preservatives and chemicals that do more damage than good. The juice you make yourself, you know is 100% juice. In addition, because you juice them, you improve your overall health and can even lose weight if you replace one meal a day with the juice. This is my new passion and I want to encourage you all to try it for yourself. As I stated in past posts, when I started being more conscious of my health and how it affects me physically and spiritually, I ask God to guide me in the process so that I may honor Him in all things. Sometimes we get so busy taking care of everyone and everything that we neglect ourselves, but squeezing in time to make sure we are strong will allow us to give the best of us in service to God and mankind. Below is what I am using in this "Juicious" journey I just started. Please share your thoughts and let me know if you try this or send me your recipes! God bless you all and grant you grace for each day. Amen. 

The juicer I bought. I got it for around 31 dollars from amazon.
Click to see the Juicer On Amazon

Picture on the left: I went grocery shopping. Everything in this picture came out to be 27 dollars. Green apples, ginger, red apples, Honey Dew, oranges, celery, strawberries, lemon cucumber, and pineapple. Eating healthy costs a bit of money, but it is definitely worth it in the long run.
Picture on the right: My first recipe was 3 carrots, 3 red apples and half-inch of ginger. 

After washing and cutting up my apples, ginger and carrots, I simply placed it in my juicer and started juicing!

I poured the juice into a bottle, shook it then poured myself a glass! It was DELICIOUS! This recipe has many benefits. It increases your energy, it's great for the heart and gives you healthy glowing skin, and it is a great detoxifier.
Cheers to great health and feeling/looking better!

With love In Christ Jesus,
Yorkamazing <3

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TMV- 3 John1:2

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul."

Health Tip of the Month: Meal Preps!

I've had people message me and ask me questions about meals from my youtube video I posted. From those messages,  I promised that I was going to blog a little more about health and fitness things! Well here we go! My advice to anyone starting a weight lost journey/ lifestyle change is to prepare your mind for what your body is about to experience. One way to prepare your mind is by knowing exactly what you are going to eat each day. This is called Meal prepping. Meal prepping is still useful for me as a student because it saves time and allows me to keep my health in check even while busy with school. In the same vain, it can work for those working a full time job, or anyone who is a parent. When you have a schedule of what you are going to eat and when you are going to eat, it makes it a lot easier to stick to the journey and prevents binge eating or the various temptations that you will find throughout the week. Start by writing out your meals. Have a clear idea of what you are going to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be sure to include healthy snacks in between these three main meals. Doing this simple task before the week starts has many advantages. One great advantage of doing this is that you will be able to know exactly how much calories you've consumed in the day. Weight loss is simple math between calories in and calories out so accounting for each calorie will help you reach your goal faster. Below is a sample lunch prep I made as an example of a simple lunch meal prep. If you are like me and you get tired of eating the same thing every day, you can fix two types of lunches and alternate between the days to spice things up a little! I hope this helps! Above all, ask God for the strength and wisdom to make good decisions (health related and with other aspects of life) daily.

Lunch: Salad with baked chicken and a side of fruits. 

Yorkamazing <3
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T.M.V- 3 John1:2

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul

New Year Fitness Resolution

At the beginning of each new year, many make resolutions to loose weight and get in better shape for either health reasons or just personal self esteem reasons. As this year starts, I am happy that I will not be making that resolution this year. However, I will continue the resolution I made when I started my health and fitness journey in September 2011 as it was never my intention for it to be a journey with an end date, rather a lifestyle change. I vow to keep respecting my body and honoring it and the Maker by holding myself accountable for what I put in and on my body. I also want to encourage all those that made a new year resolution for better health to change your mindset and instead of making it a new year resolution, make it a life style resolution. In order to stick it your promise, seek the face of God and ask Him for the grace to uphold your promise and He will surely give it to you. I'm here with you too so if you should need any support or someone to hold you accountable, message me and I will be more than happy to assist you in any way I can! You can do this! If you stick to it from today, imagine where you will be in December 2013 and how you would look!! Take it one day at a time and you will surely succeed. This is YOUR journey! On your mark, get set.......GO!

Yorkamazing <3

My Weight loss Journey Video!! (One year, 50.6 pounds Lost)

I kept record of my progress through the scale, measuring tape, and pictures! I also decided to make a video to show my progression and the goal was to release the video when it was completed. Well....IT'S DONE! :) To God be the glory! Thank you Jesus for the strength!

Yorkamazing <3

Phil 4:13-" I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me!"

My 1 Year Weight lost Progress!!! Before and After

TODAY IS SEPTEMBER 16, 2012!! I cannot believe it! On September 16, 2011, my entire mindset changed with respect to health and my body. I was desperate to take back the control of my body and something just clicked in my head that day that I cannot explain. I was at my friend's birthday dinner and though I was very happy, I felt miserable in my own skin. I spent the whole day thinking about the times I was a dancer, a gymnast, a volleyball player, All Round Woman Athlete of the Year, and simply just how active I used to be. But that night, all of that had long changed. I had allow college to over-stress me and instead of gaining control in a positive way, I resorted to unconsciously eating and sleeping during the times I was not studying or in lab. Slowly the weight added on, and while I was in denial at first, I slowly began to realize it. The day of my friend's birthday dinner, I remember going shopping to buy shorts to wear, and nothing fitted until I tried on 1X khaki. I couldn't believe it. I ended up buying the 1X but that night, while at the dinner, I knew that day was going to be the end of this unhealthy lifestyle I've adopted over 2.5 years. Immediately I got home, I went to work cleaning out my fridge and the next day I woke up bright and early and spent 2 hours at the gym( morning and evening). I have spent everyday since then  eating well, and working out and now IT'S BEEN ONE YEAR and I've reached my goal!

Stats!

Starting weight: 191.4 pounds

Ending Weight: 140.8 pounds

Total weight lost : - 50.6 POUNDS!

Measurements

Waist:  ~ (-12 inches) 

Thigh: ~ (-9 inches)

Hips: ~ (- 8.5 inches)

Arm: ~ (-4 inches)
Shirt Size: From a 1X to a small 

Jeans: From size 14/15 to size 5/6 (- 9/10 sizes)
Pants: From size 13 to size 3 (- 10 sizes)

Dress: From size 13 to size 5/7 ( - 8/6 sizes)

Shoe size: From 8.5 to 7 (-1.5 sizes)

Ring size: From size 9 to size 7

Left: 9/16/11 (191.4lbs )     Right: 9/16/12 (140.8lbs)

Left: September 16, 2011 (191.4lbs)      Right: September16, 2012 (140.8lbs)

September 16, 2012! ONE YEAR! DOWN 50.6 POUNDS!

My former size 15 jeans......BYE BYE! hello size 4 and 6 jeans!!

I give ALL glory to God who gave me the courage to make the  lifestyle change, the wisdom to learn how to go about it in a 100% healthy way, no short-cuts, and the grace to stick to it for this long! Thank You Jesus for the strength! I hope that I can stand here as a source of inspiration to whoever might read this that you really can do it! Take it one day at a time, one pound at a time, and everything will eventually add up! I'm living proof of this! Get healthy and fit....FOR YOU! I am a full time senior in college taking up to 17 hours a semester and living primarily in chemistry labs, but found one hour a day to squeeze in a workout! If you want it, there's no excuse that is valid enough! Just like that a year has gone, and I could've found myself September 16, 2012 either still at 191.4 pounds or heavier, but that ONE decision has completely changed my life. If you find yourself in the same position I was, make your decision for a healthier you....NOW! There's no need to wait for New Year 2013 to start! Start now and God will help you through if you ask Him!

Watch the video here!

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Yorkamazing <3

T.MV.-Philippians  4: 13

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me"

Insanity Results!! I Did It!

When you start a workout program, you long for the day where you can say you did it. Well, today is the day. I FINISH INSANITY! For 60 days, I dug deeper even though some days were good while some days I felt like I was dying, but I Did it! I'm more than proud of myself. As for my results, I lost about 8 pounds total which seems low compared to other results I've seen but I lost a lot of inches and dropped about 3-4 pants sizes depending on the brand. For the first time in my life, I actually bought size 3 pants and a cute size 4 jean shorts! How awesome is that?!? On top of it, I FEEL amazing! I feel so light, healthy, and STRONG! I can now do push ups like never before. :) Below are my results


Fit Test                                   Day 1             Day 60
Switch Kicks                            75                 141
Power Jacks                              50                 70
Power Knees                           70                  118
Power Jumps                           35                   59
Globe Jumps                           10                    14
Suicide Jumps                        13                    23
Push Up Jacks                        20                  46
Low Plank oblique                  45                  83


Measurements                  
Waist (-1.5 inches)
Thigh (-3.5 inches)
Hips (-2.5 inches)
Arm (-1.25 inches)

I took pictures which I will not post (I don't like the idea of having too much flesh showing online), but even though I only lost 8 pounds, I look like I lost much more! I constantly had people approach me to tell me this. When I went home, my family called me "skinny" and even wanted me to end my weight loss journey. But my journey is not one about losing weight. I've had the mindset that all I wanted was to be healthy and in shape. Being skinny was never part of the deal neither was being on a diet. Those aspirations are temporary to me and I was not looking for a short term fix. This is a lifestyle change, something I intend to carry with me throughout my life. I will never go back to my unhealthy habits and neglecting myself like I did before. May the Lord continue to perfect that which concerns me and grant me grace. I encourage everyone to make this journey to being healthy. It truly changes not just your body but your mind and that's an amazing thing to experience.

Operation Complete Insanity is a WRAP!

Yorkamazing <3

Awkward Moment at McDonalds

I haven't blogged in a long time, and it has been on purpose. I've been at home enjoying the company of my family and my free time has been spent sleeping and eating, all of which I have no shame about. *laughs* I've had only about two weeks of "summer break" and I thank God for granting me the peace to be able to completing unwind and refresh again before the new academic year starts next week. So that's a mini update of my undertakings, but I will be updating daily or at least more frequently starting this weekend. My sincere gratitude for all those that still read my blog daily even without new posts! I truly appreciate it. Anyways, I digressed. Back to this awkward moment at McDonalds that happened today.

I was really hungry but we had many errands to run first before cooking so I went to McDonald's to buy something to eat. I drove up to one, and when I got there, I honestly could not remember the last time I had fast food. I was 3rd in line and I started sweating because I couldn't even remember the name of the any of the regular things I USED to get before my new found passion for health and nutrition. By the time it was my turn, I asked for more time so I could look over the menu all the while still sweating! My newly found and awakened health conscience wouldn't let me rest at all. I then started going though a series of emotions.

The first emotion I felt was anger/disappointment. I couldn't believe I was at McDonald's! How could I be about to spend money on highly processed crap disguised as food? How could I pay to consume this crap and put in into my mouth and body? Ewww! I just started thinking of all the fresh fruits and food I could buy for the same amount, prepare, cook, and eat and it would leave me feeling great!

The second emotion I experienced was a "let me try to redeem  the situation" type of feeling. Since I'm going to be stuck with this for today, what are the calories/nutritional values for these "food"?. I spent another couple of minutes comparing stuff and interesting enough, the mcDonald's had a chart on the counter showing the items with the lowest calories so I just made my chose from there. When I placed my order of just the chicken sandwich, the employee asked me if I'll like to buy a large drink for just a dollar more and I quickly said NO! I'm sure he probably thought I was being cheap, but I wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. I completely felt uncomfortable.

Once I placed my order, I rushed out like a celebrity attempting to avoid being noticed in a public area. I did not at all like the fact that I went there today. While driving home, I started to laugh at myself. I have truly changed!!! Wow! I couldn't believe how hard it was for me to order fast food and this really made me so proud of myself. When I started this journey of health 10.5 months ago, I told people I was on a LIFETIME journey, not a diet. I want to live the rest of my life health conscience because I feel so much better when I eat right and exercise and that's a feeling I don't want to give up anytime soon, or  ever. I thank God Almighty for opening my eyes and really helping me to get to where I am now. It'll probably be another couple of years before I head back to McDonalds or any other fast food. We shall see. :)

Yorkamazing <3

Today's Memory Verse (T.M.V)

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."

What's Done In The Dark....

People have been stopping me recently and asking me the "secret" to losing weight. I tell anyone that wants to hear that there's no secret. It's really a simple process that only requires persistency and dedication. How bad do you really want it? All it requires is for you to eat right, stay hydrated, and put in some form of physical activity throughout the week......and sticking to this for life.  It's not a diet nor a lose weight quick scam because it works and it produces long term results.

I titled this blog "What's Done In The Dark" because that's how I feel about losing weight and becoming healthy. It is only recently that people started noticing the difference in my stamina and appearance though I've been in this process now for almost 11 months. People are only seeing the results of 11 months of hard work, and not all the other months of sweating and discipline. No one really saw what I did in the dark. No one saw the waking up at 6:30am to go workout at the gym before morning lectures. No one saw that first day on the elliptical machines in the gym where trying to last 30 minutes felt like suffering through a heart attack. No one saw the first grocery trip where I had to learn how to shop the healthy way and bypass all the junk, and pick up fruits and vegetables. No one saw the moments of googling healthy ways to prepare food, or the thousands of times I would google up the nutritional value of products first before buying it or the nutritional value of restaurants before I go out to eat with friends just to ensure I don't deviate from the healthy things. No one saw how difficult it was to replace my addiction to sweet tea with water and those that know me will know that this was hard. I could go on and on.

Fast forward to today however, and everyone congratulates you. They see the changes and are proud of you and you can't help but smile. This shows that whatever you do in the dark will eventually come to the light, whether good or bad. Your private efforts will one day pay off. That which you do when no one is looking, shall be seen one day. I say success is nothing but a summation of little efforts. Therefore, do not be discourage if no one takes notice of your hard work. The word of God tells us

"And let us not grow weary in well doing; For in due season we shall reap, if we faint not"-Galatians 6:9

It may take months, or even years to achieve what it is you are going for, but you keep going.  Frustrations will come and there will be days when you want to give you, but keep going. Whether you have the support of others, or you are surviving on just your determination, keep going with all diligence. Whatever it is that you are working on, whether working towards being healthy,  finishing school, or laying the foundation of your dreams and aspirations, do it all with all diligence. God will honor it and your season of harvest will come when the whole world will be force to recognize it. What's done in the light, will come to the light!

Yorkamazing <3

Today's Memory Verse (T.M.V)

Luke 8:17

"There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing secret that will not become known and come to the light"

Health: Taste The Rainbow

Being a Healthy Me

As most people are beginning to realize, I've been on a mission since October 2011 of taking care of myself physically and becoming healthy. I realized it was time when I bought a scale and stepped on it and could not believe how much I've abandoned myself ever since starting college at the University of Texas-Austin (Hook 'Em). I became so consumed by school work, labs, lab reports, midterms, all the typical college student headaches, that my health was not a priority anymore. I ate out or ordered-in constantly because of the connivence of having the food already made since I could barely find time to study, let alone, find time to sleep or eat. Within no time, lack of sleep plus bad eating habits equaled weight-gained but on that faithful day when I ordered the scale, I told myself enough was enough. It was time to start taking care of ME and I was not going to feel guilty nor selfish for blocking out an hour a day dedicated to myself.