First Time Mom and Losing It

I can not believe how fast eight months have flown by on this weight loss journey. I remember how hard it was when I first started and how I had to adjust to my new way of eating. I started with small changes and eight months in I am down 70 pounds! I feel so much healthier, happier and can do so much more.


Now that the weather is warmer and I want to go out more I am taking my healthy lifestyle on-the-go. It is so much easier to live a healthy lifestyle at home when you have access to healthy food and exercise equipment. These are the steps I am taking to continue my healthy lifestyle when I am out of my controlled environment. Download and print out my Healthy and Active On-The-Go guide to have the following tips right in your bag for easy access.


Stay Hydrated: I always carry my water bottle full of filtered water. I love taking my water bottle because it's 32 ounces so I know when I drink a whole one I just have to drink one more to get in at least 64 ounces of water.

Track Activity: I love wearing my fitness tracker because it motivates me to stay active. My tracker gives me reminders to walk around when I am sitting down for too long.

Food Log: Whenever I am out for a long time and have to eat out for a meal I try to plan ahead. I always have my go-to meals that I can quickly log into my smartphone.

Stay Active: I try to find ways to keep active and burn extra calories. I like to walk up and down the outside steps of my apartment a few times to warm up. I then take my walks and try to take routes that has hills. When I go to the park with my daughter I use parts of the park to strength train like doing tricep dips on benches.


On-The-Go Snacks: Since I am on a ketogenic diet it is sometimes hard to find foods to snack on at my local convenience store so I always bring my own. When I was at my local Walmart (check out the giveaway below to win a gift card). I forgot to get myself some snacks and was already walking to the checkout. I quickly scanned what was near me and noticed the Lorissa's Kitchen Protein Snacks. The Korean Barbecue grabbed my attention and I quickly looked at the back for the macros. I was happy to see that it was just 6g of carbs per serving. I looked for other flavors and picked up the Szechuan Peppercorn and Sweet Chili Pork.





Since starting this way of eating we have made the move to eating more grass fed beef and avoiding nitrates and things with MSG. I love that the Lorissa's Kitchen Beef and Pork Strips are made with simple ingredients and no preservatives. Since the strips have a higher moisture content they are really tender and delicious.


Enter the #SavvySnackingSweepstakes for your chance to win a $100 Walmart Gift Card.

How do you stay healthy and active on-the-go? 

**I received the product below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


I have successfully been following a Ketogenic diet for a month and a half. With a Keto diet you eat lots of fats, some protein and a small amount of carbs. I have been hitting my daily carb and fats goals but have been having trouble with my daily protein goal. Now that I am really incorporating intense workouts with the D28 Fitness Program it is important that I meet this goal.


I wanted something fast and that tasted good so I was happy to try the Zahler's Reach Vanilla Whey Protein Powder. I wanted it to be really creamy so I placed it into my shaker bottle with some unsweetened almond milk. I have tasted a lot of protein powders and this one has to be one of my favorites in flavor and texture. It is also a huge plus that this one is sweetened with stevia.


One day I was low on protein and had a craving for a milkshake so this is what I came up with.

Low Carb / Keto Vanilla Coconut "Shake"

• 1 scoop of Zahler Reach Vanilla Whey Protein Shake Powder
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (place in refrigerator the day before you make this recipe)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• unsweetened coconut flakes (for garnish, optional)

1. Place all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until super smooth. 
2. Pour into a glass cup and enjoy with a fun straw.

I picked the vanilla flavor because I am planning on making some low carb dessert recipes that call for protein powder. You can get the Zahler's Reach Whey Protein Shake Powder in Chocolate, Vanilla, Cookies and Cream, Cappuccino, Strawberry.

**I received the product below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.




Nutrition

• Make some freezer meals for the week.
• Prepare and eat Mason Jar Salads.
• Organize snacks for the week. 

Exercise

• Monday: Walk + Park
• Tuesday: Gym
• Wednesday: Walk + Park
• Thursday: Gym
• Friday: Rest
• Saturday - Walk around the track
• Sunday - Yoga
• Continue 30 Day Plank Challenge

How do you prepare to stay healthy and active when you have a busy week? 

**I received the product below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


As you many already know I only take a little purse with me when I go to the gym. As soon as my husband comes home from work I am all ready to hit the gym. I like to be in and out so I take just enough things with me to go straight to the machines and skip the locker room. I got my phone for music, my tiny wireless headphones, my collapsible water bottle and now I have a solution to a protein drink after.


After I was done with the gym I would walk back home tired and sweaty and then have to take out my mini blender add my protein powder, almond milk and whatever else I could find to get some protein into my body. Many times I was too tired to take out the blender so I just took a shower and didn't even bother getting that much needed protein in. Now ZiG Portable Protein Shakes gives me the opportunity to stick with my tiny gym bag and still get my protein shake in while I walk home.


ZIG Portable Protein Shakes is the genius way to have a fresh protein shake on the go. Each little bag has one serving of whey protein powder already inside. Then you open up the cap, fill it with water, shake it up and drink it up. It has a cool inner mesh that helps mix in the protein powder so you don't have clumps of powder. It gives you a nice smooth shake that tastes good too! Each bag of ZIG Portable Protein has 20 grams of protein and only 140 calories.


Right now ZIG Portable Protein is geneously giving my readers a deal of  Buy 1, Get 1 Free (so people can try both flavors, or grab 2 boxes of the same flavor).  Terms and conditions: Purchase 2 or more Qualifying items offered by ZIG Portable Protein and get 1 of them free. Enter code ZIGFF620 at checkout. Offer expires June 20, 2015 

Now that I have been having a regular workout schedule I have started to research what foods are best to eat before and after your workout. I used to workout on an empty stomach and just learned by eating a meal with some carbs and protein it gives you the energy to work harder. I like to eat a small bowl of oatmeal with some fruit and a couple of slices of bacon. This gives me just enough energy without making me feel full or bloated.


After I come home from my workout out I like to recover by eating lots of protein. It was always a protein shake that I would mix with my favorite Silk Vanilla Soy Milk. I started getting bored of the same shake but didn't want to be in the kitchen cooking a meal to make something else. Since the weather is getting warmer I decided to concoct a yummy frozen pop that was tropical and had my favorite nuts in it. I wanted it to be loaded with protein so I used Silk Soy milk as the base so I could get a great start with 8 grams of plant powdered protein. Not only is it natually low in saturated fat and has no cholesterol but it also tastes delicious.


Pineapple Coconut Macadamia Nut Frozen Pop

• 3/4 cup vanilla Silk Soy Milk
• 1/4 cup coconut water
• 1/2 cup fresh pineapple chopped and then frozen
• 1/2 tblsp natural sweetener of choice, more or less to taste
• 2 tblsp macadamia nuts, chopped
• 1 tblsp unsweetened coconut flakes

1. Add Silk soy milk, coconut, pineapple and sweetener into a blender. Blend until smooth. 
2. Place macadamia nuts and coconut into a small bowl and mix together. 
3. Place the pop sticks and then a tablespoon of the pop liquid into each chamber. Sprinkle in about 1/2 tablespoon of the macadamia nut and coconut mix into each chamber. Fill the remaining space with the frozen pop liquid. 
4. Allow to freeze completely then pop out and enjoy. 

Click on the link for a coupon to save on your next container of Silk Milk.


This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.