Down Size It

Are you drinking half your body weight in ounces of water? Not only does water help to flush out the toxins in your body it also helps energize the muscles... Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, which can result in muscle fatigue especially when you are very physically active... Water can also help control calories, which can help with weight loss, and it also helps with making your skin look good and radiant.. So get that water in daily..#thickvegan #fitchick #healthylifestyle #cleaneating #water #vegan 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💯💯💯

Today, I started Day 1 of my 7 day detox to cleanse my body and to give myself a jumpstart back on my fitness and weight loss journey. Well, how did it go? I flopped!!! My motivation was there but I was starving by the time I made it home form work... I drunk my ACV and Green smoothie for breakfast, My cabbage soup for lunch and had plenty of water, but I have to get my body back to this lifestyle. I have taken a long break because it has been so much going on within this past year from March 2016 I broke my toe and a lot in my personal life has been going on. So stress eating began and even though the foods I was eating were healthy choices, too much healthy foods can pack on pounds as well especially when majority of them are high carbs and you're not working out. My goal is to lose 60 pounds by my birthday which is on September 9th with a well balanced meal plan (meal prepping) and exercise 4-5 days a week. So please continue to follow my journey with me for great tips on how ...

“If you live in Chicago area and are looking for a great vegetarian/vegan spot… Check out “Pick Me Up Cafe” located up north 3408 N Clark St… The food was delicious.. I had the vegan burger and the coconut green tea OMG had me wanting more. A nice spot for brunch and the service was amazing… My waitresses name was Cori… She was very nice and engaging personality… Thanks so much for the great experience.. Go check them out.. #pickmeupcafe”

Why It's Important to Rotate Your Greens for Smoothies | Food

Is there a such thing as a perfect diet plan? All I know is, the less calories you take in if you are wanting to lose weight. The more you have to take in if you are building muscle.. But the "perfect" meal plan NO!.. Every meal plan does not work for everybody.. You must go by a low calorie meal plan that works for you. Stay away from sugar, processed foods, fried foods and high calorie foods and drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. Back to the basics. I have been on a continuous struggle with losing this last 25 pounds for over a year now. Listening to and doing all of these different diet plans, switching things up because this person said that you should do this and another person says that you shouldn't do that. Different trainers do different things, and depending on how close of a relationship you have with your personal trainer if you have one, you will not exceed those goals until you take the initiative and push yourself to the limits for yoursel...

Just a little push for myself to get me and to keep me on track with my meal portions... 70% clean eating and 30% exercise... Whose in with me? Starting the 21 day fix on Sunday, October 25, 2015.... Let's get it!!! #downsizeit #weightlossjourney #gettingbacktofit #thickfit  www.21dayfix.com 

I try to switch up my smoothies and add something different every other day so that I won't get bored.... Today I decided to add carrots and use spring mix instead of the usual spinach and Kale. So I came up with this mixture that I call Green goodness.. Enjoy!!!!                                                                                                                                            Green Goodness                                                           2 handfuls of Spring ...

I was so excited to run my second 5K of the year with my sister and my girls this past Saturday.. The Blacklight Run was like a 5K party in the dark, with glow powder flying everywhere and over 20,000 people out, enjoying the nice weather and each other.. We met some great people and it was just exciting to see my sister and her friend complete their very first 5K with many more to follow... Very proud of you Ladies!!!! I'm looking for our next 5K or maybe 10K? Lol... Smooches!!!

These principles will guide you through your physique and health transformation. Try your best to follow these guidelines and you are sure to see great weight loss results. Eat 5 - 6 small meals daily. Eat every 2 - 3 hours  Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal. (Complex Carbs - brown rice, sweet potato, quinoa, etc... no white flour, sugar, etc). Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. (ex: if you are 180 lbs you should be drinking 90 ounces of water. More if you are working out). Never miss a meal, especially breakfast. Avoid all over-processed, refined foods, especially white flour and sugar. Avoid all saturated and trans fat. ( read those labels) Avoid sugar loaded pops and juices. Carry a cooler loaded with clean eating foods to get you through the day. Consume adequate healthy fats each day. Avoid alcohol beverages - which is another form of sugar. Avoid all calorie dense foods containing no nutrition...

These past 6 months has definitely been a struggle for me.. Losing my dad and learning how to cope with it caused emotional eating and no eating at all... So I lost weight fast 15lbs and I gained it plus 10 extra pounds back fast... So I had to find my balance again and now that I have there is no stopping me now!!! This is for you dad!!! Back in beastmode!!! 

             INGREDIENTS   2 cups of spinach, packed 1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and chopped 15 green or red grapes 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt 2 tbs avocado 1-2 tbs fresh lime juice Ice (optional)   Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth... Enjoy!   This is a great breakfast smoothie to help you with your weight loss or clean eating journey. Check out my blog daily for more great smoothie recipes, healthy vegetarian/vegan meals, weight loss and fitness tips.

#downsizeit Ingredients: 2tbs peanut butter 2tbs Cocoa powder 1 ripe or frozen banana 8oz plain Fage Greek yogurt Cinnamon to taste (optional) Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!!!!   

#downsizeit Green Smoothie with Spinach, Ginger, and Pear Ingredients: 1 1/2c water 2c Spinach 1 ripe pear 1 tbs fresh lemon juice 1 tsp freshly grated ginger 1 tbs ground flaxseed Honey to taste, optional Ice, optional Blend until smooth... Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 2 cups of Spinach 2 cups coconut water 1 cup of frozen mangos 1 cup of frozen pineapples 2 frozen bananas Put it all in a blender and blend until smooth... Pour into mason jars and drink throughout the day... If you have a smaller blender add ingredients accordingly to the size... #downsizeit #greensmoothie #cleaneating #healthyliving

I don't measure my ingredients for how I make this because I don't make it a lot and I don't make it often.. so use your own judgement...#downsizeit Fresh homemade cornbread 4 slices of wheat or multigrain bread 1 box of sage stovetop stuffing 1 onion - sautéed  2 celery stalks - sautéed  2c herb stuffing mix Vegetable broth 1 1/2 cartons 1 egg - beaten Sage Salt Pepper Mix all together until moist make sure to use enough vegetable broth.. We don't want any dry dressing ... Put in the oven on 350 degrees for 45min covered with foil.. Remove foil put back in oven for 15-20 min or until the top is golden brown to your liking... Enjoy! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!! It was hard for my family not having my dad here but we thank god that we have each other to get through these hard times... RIP daddy!!! We love and miss you!!! 

Hello world!!!! I'm back!!! I know I've been gone for quite sometime now and I really do miss you... I've accomplished so much since I've been gone.. I'm a college graduate, I did the Big chop and am now natural, I'm vegan and will be posting more healthy vegan recipes and I'm back on my weight loss and fitness journey...  I want all of you coffee drinkers to try out this vegan coffee that I found on Chrisette Michelle's new website.. www.richhipster.biz it's delish!!! Diva Vegan Mocha I nice 8 ounce cute tea cup 6 oz boiling water (duh) 1 – 2 oz of VANILLA COCONUT MILK (I get un-sweetend) 1 huge teaspoon of Trader Joes Instant Coffee: 1 pack of stevia (cause I like it extra sweet but without the extra glucose) If you want the real deal get your squirt on with Agave Nectar 3 drops of Vanilla liquid stevia 1 teaspoon of cocoa 1 twist of pink himalayan sea salt (TRUST ME YO! They even do it at Starbucks!) BOOM!!! It's good right!! Thanks Chrisette!...

Hi ALL!!!! I have been so busy that I have forgotten about blogging... I have 3 more weeks of school left before I graduate and my lil man graduates on Sunday... It's a month later since I last blogged and I'm still trying to get myself back on track with my journey... But during this time I have done the big chop... I have gone natural and I LOVE IT!!!!... I LOVE IT!!!! I have been letting  go of a lot of things in my life that I was holding onto that I felt was holding me back and my cutting my hair was one of them... I'm not gonna lie at first I felt like a little boy,  was a little self conscious and was thinking what have I done... But you know what? I feel like some weight have been lifted and I am so happy that I decided to big chop... I'm so loving this!!! It's even more convenient especially with my working out... I will keep you all posted on my fitness/weight loss journey along with my natural hair journey... So until next time... Love, li...

Good Morning!!! I was just sitting here in the salon thinking about a few things... It has been a struggle for me these past few months with finishing up with school (still interning) and starting my next level of fitness journey and other personal things that have been going on in my life...  I must admit that after doing the many detoxes and fasting...it has taken a toll on my body... It has actually been doing the opposite versus the good that it should be doing for my body.. I can't seem to get my well balanced meal plan in order... Yes I'm still working out but my weight has not decreased or increased... And it becomes frustrating...Even though I'm more concerned with my overall health... Losing these 20lbs has been a bomber for me right now... I'm slowly working on getting my clean eating back in order not that I have been off but my body has been craving for a lot of carbs and I have been giving into those cravings lately... But on Monday, May 12th, 2014 I will b...

For those who know me, knows that my favorite color is pink... So why not make it into a healthy drink... I actually tried my first pink juice @ Peeled juice bar and I found it to be very refreshing... So I created my very own version of it but as a smoothie... I call it " Pink Passion "... The star ingredient of this smoothie are beets. YES!!! you heard it right BEETS!!! Beets  cleanses the liver, purifies the blood, it is also a anti-inflammatory, and a great source of iron.. And by my being anemic, this is a smoothie that I will benefit from drinking everyday.. I know some of you may think Beets, "YUCK"... But don't knock it 'til you try it... This is one smoothie that you will be wanting more of and it will also give you a boost of energy. Pink Passion Smoothie 1 small beet Frozen Pineapples 1 pear Fresh Ginger Coconut Water Combine all ingredients in your blender until smooth and enjoy this beautiful concoction of pink passion....