If you are going out to eat, you can still reach your goals. Here is how:
1. Order grilled instead of fried.
2. Order fruit or salad instead of chips.
3. Only eat half and box the rest.
4. Utilize IIFYM.
THERE ARE FOUR HELPFUL TIPS LOL
Protein Bars That Don’t Make You Want to Scorch Your Open Wounds in Vinegar
Everyone and his mother is OBSESSED with protein bars. Every single #fitspo has some sort of coupon code for his protein bar that he claims to be the best ever to grace the earth. Well, do I have a shock for you.
99% of these protein bars taste like I just licked the absolute bottom of Gwen Stefani’s shoe, which probably means I am licking Blake Shelton’s shoe as well. And… SURPRISE! I am actually a guest judge on The Voice.
Anyways, I had to be immediately rushed to the ER after consuming these healthy and tasty “protein” creations. Not to mention that they left me clinging onto stomach thinking I had some sort of ulcer erupting inside of me.
That is why I am here to let you know that you’re not alone in the search for the perfect protein bar. I am here. I am a shoulder to lean on during these tough times. We WILL get through this.
Here is what you should without a single doubt in your mind be looking for in a protein bar:
- Make sure there is actually a trace of protein in your bar. I suggest at least 10g. Honestly though, I cringe and even tear up if there is not exactly and precisely 15g in my bar MINIMUM. Otherwise, you are eating a Snickers. I for one, think Snickers are the epitome of sewage.
- Make sure there is not a crap ton of sugar in your bar. We are not trying to lasso in diabetes over here. You are not in the Wild West.
- Make sure there is not a raging amount of fat in your bar. The point of a protein bar is to consume protein. There is a time and place for fat consumption.
- Make sure the calories aren’t unnecessarily high. This is not a meal people… It is a mother freaking protein bar!
- Make sure you like the taste. If you do not want to face plant into this bar at least once a day, kick that bar to the curb.
Overall, protein bars can and will leave you feeling like you just gave birth to a ton of artificial garbage. My favorite protein bars that don’t do that are power crunch bars, cliff builder bars, and pure protein caramel bars. Honestly, quest bars are really overrated and the new formula caused my spleen to absolutely explode. If you can afford those, I say what the hay! But beware you could cause some SERIOUS stomach damage.
Let me know what your favorite protein bars are!
Pce & mother friggin blezzinz,
Me
Ballad to My Freakin Salad
So many people hate on salads. I think there may actually be a petition to eliminate all salad from the entire universe. I can understand why. Lettuce has pretty much no taste. If there is a taste, it is a vivid one comprising of dirt and maybe some rotten fungus. I am here to tell you this- salad does NOT have to be like this. Give it time, you will be able to change your thoughts on this seemingly pointless food creation.
First of all, you are going to want dressing. It disguises the taste of a leaf into a taste that leaves your old taste buds happy. My favorite dressing is lite Caesar dressing. It is all the fun of regular Caesar dressing with half the fat and what not. If you prefer regular dressing, that is completely fine. The more taste, the better.
The next step is choosing the dreaded freaking leaf. If you hate all salad, I would not suggest filling your bowl with kale right off the bat. I mean, it is a greener leaf, so the taste will be stronger. It will also possess more nutrients, but I say what the hay! Choose the leaf YOU want. There is more to life than how green your salad is everyone. Maybe you can work your way up to kale. Whatevs. I choose romaine lettuce because I like the crunchiness that comes along with it. By NO means is it chip crunchy. It is more of a wannabe crunch.
Finally, choose your toppings. I choose grated cheese and croutons because again, it helps with giving the old leaves some taste. There is nothing worse than biting straight into salad that has no taste. I would compare it to being burned alive… You just don’t want to have to go through that. Obviously, you then mix together the ingredients and eat it.
So all in all, this recipe is an elite one that I totally made up on my own. People call it “Caesar Salad”. Give it a whirl in your kitchen. You may actually come to love the simplicity of eating dirt infested leaves!
CAll me, beep me, if you wanna reach me,
Me
P.S.: My workouts are still great. I am still feeling the burn. I still feel pushed. Yada, yada, yada, I would not change anything.
Sippin That Drank
As many of you may (or may not) know, I love drinking. I am a self proclaimed drinkaholic. Yes, that is completely different than being an alcoholic. I just love all drinks. Diet coke, water, sparkling juice, whatever it may be- I have the urge to funnel that stuff down my throat.
Sometimes, I think to myself, “What if I could just drink my food…?”. Well luckily for me, smoothies are totally in right now. It is all the rage to be healthy and nutritious and in shape. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but like anything, bad can come from it. There are always two sides to a coin. Moving on though, smoothies can be a great way to consume nutrients without feeling like you just bathed in a huge pile of kale.
For the past two days, I have been obsessed with “smilkshakes”. They are just like smoothies, except they possess absolutely no fruit. Not even a singular seed from a strawberry. Nothing. You are probably thinking, “What the heck even is a “smilkshake”,” or, “That just sounds stupid.” Well sorry to burst your bubble, but that name is ridiculously amazing. It definitely could win like the Noble Peace Prize. And to answer the question of what a “Smilkshake” consists of, here is the recipe!
Smilkshake Recipe:
- 1/2 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup fat free milk
- 1 scoop SLAP Nutrition PB protein powder
- 1 drop of vanilla extract
- 1&1/2 handful of ice
BLEND AND ENJOY YA BI$H.
Let me know what your favorite drink is, and be sure to try this DELISH recipe!
Ttyl ppl,
Me
P.S.: My workouts have been going just swimmingly. I am feeling the burn, so I cannot even complain.
Geez Louise!!! I am poor!
I just got an email saying that I will have to pay $26 to keep this domain :”(. I am simply CRUSHED. I mean, I bought this domain last year for many reasons. “Considering It Pure Joy” means a lot more to me than a domain name. It means overcoming an eating disorder and trusting in God among other things. Apparently, it means $26 a year to WordPress. So great. I cannot afford to cough up that kind of money (lol you would think we are talking about something expensive).
It is true. I am poor. My secret has been released to the public. I have $2 in my bank account. This type of shiz is SHAMEFUL. But of course, I won’t deny it is entirely my fault. I spend my money on gym accessories, health food, and makeup. Definitely not necessities. KIDDING they are.
To sum up this brief post, I would like to start the hashtag #prayfor26. It is a great hashtag and really is inspiring. Like, you should all donate 1 dollar, and the dollars will add up; I will be able to keep this domain. So consider it, and PRAY YOUR HEARTS OUT. Lol #poor #girl #on #internet
Thanksgiving- my InCREDDD reflection
I have seen so many amazing posts regarding anxiety around holidays for those with eating disorders. All I have to say is that I am extremely thankful for IIFYM for allowing me to think differently about ALL food, not just “healthy” food.
For the first time I can even remember from as far back as third grade, I was not dreading thanksgiving dinner. I was not restricting or fearful of binging. I was simply listening to my body. Yes, I may have had an extra piece of pie and seconds on mashed potatoes. I will not lie, I do feel guilty. However, I recognize that my thoughts are disordered- I have an eating disorder. I say it often, but it has really only registered on like four occasions lol. It has become so normal for me that I do not second guess guilt, restriction, self-starvation, purging, over exercising, and a controlling voice in my head that is so focused on numbers and looks and comparison… Until recently. I have come to the conclusion that I am ready to move on.
There is a time and place for struggling, but it is not healthy for that time to literally be YEARS of your life… I don’t remember a time in my life where I was not engaging in an ED behavior.. Like ever. THAT is ridiculous, truly.
I would say I am most thankful for a mindset that is not stuck completely in my old thought process. Fitness and health have truly positively impacted my life. I am grateful for my ability to actively participate at the gym. I am thankful to live in an area where gyms are located. I am thankful I have the finances to go. I am thankful my life has worked out the way it has. I am thankful it has not worked out the way I used to pray so whole heartedly it would. God is gewddddd. #rambleovaandout #myb #srynotsry
me before I actually devoured some potatoes and my entire fam. Ya they’re long freaking gone
Dankidy Do It- Breakin Habits (and Hearts)
Well, another day another dollar spent on Diet Coke is the saying I believe. Routines can be very addicting. Like heroin level type shiz. It’s almost easier to check things off a list and feel accomplished and pat yourself with a meaningless pat on the back than to “go with the flow bro dude”.
Disclaimer- please for love of all things containing pumpkin flavoring, do not get rid of all goals you have. That is not what I’m saying.
I am saying that spontaneity is fleeting and modeling into society is worshipped nowadays. Like not every girl wants to dye her hair blonde and get a spray tan (cough at I do both cough). But it seems like that is the only way to get approval. Is that why i do both? I do not know. It is not the time to analyze my willingness to get others’ acceptance. It is the time to introduce a change in your lifestyle.
So whether that change be breaking a routine and introducing a new food into your diet or getting the hair color YOU want, you should do it. Why? Because you are dying. Sorry to be harsh but you are. You only have one life and you better not abuse it.
Live. Try new things. Get out of your ruts. Be an individual. Dye your hair rainbow (gal at my school did and it looked balls to the walls amazing). Do whatever. DO NOT stay in society’s standard lane. Be UUUU people. Work that ish. (please hope this is a note to yourself lol)
Dankest blezzingz to ya,
Me
Off me ol chest (yes I’m Irish now)
These days, everyone’s an expert on everything. Everyone knows everything on every subject, and if I know one thing it’s that everyone knows more than me.
Well, guess what?
Not everyone is an expert. Hearing a piece of information from a friend who probably knows very little does not qualify you to dish out advice. Sorry people, it’s the truth.
I think it’s easy to say “it’s been scientifically proven” or “every person in the field does this”. Well just because one person you know does it does NOT mean everyone does it. Just because you add “oh it’s been scientifically proven” to the end of your sentences does NOT mean it has been scientifically proven. Ya, maybe that you are saying inaccurate statements. No, not your advice.
So guess what?!?! You get to do your own research. Read. Read. Read. Not some crappy article written by a brand telling you oh this brand is going to change your life. It works. PEOPLE THOSE ARE LIES.
READ SCHOLARLY ARTICLES. READ FACTS. READ SCIENCE. READ UNBIASED INFORMATION.
6-8 glasses of water a day came out of someone’s butt. No science backing this claim. In fact, when it was tested, there was no evidence to even support it. Yet EVERRRRYONe needs to be drinking this much or else you’ll die of dehydration. Ya right. People get in the KNOW.
Soooooo Michelle Obama’s “drink up” campaign just makes her look uninformed now… Good intentions gone awry because of failure to do research.
If there is one thing to take away from this, it is that do NOT trust people’s opinions even if they add the words “fact”, “true”, and “science” throughout the conversation. Don’t do it. Trust SCIENCE. Trust facts. Trust knowledge. It is in fact power people.
Swan dives off soapbox
Thank you and goodnight everyone.
Pce & blezzinz always & 5eva,
Me
TOTALLY Amazing Core Workout
A lot of people have the misconception that you need to do a million and one core exercises to get abs. They think that if they do sit-ups every extra chance during the day they get, their abs will SOMEHOW appear later that same night. Well, all I have to say about that is you thought wrong, so please (PLEASE) do not waste your time doing these random things to try and “get abs”.
I want to start off this post by saying you CANNOT spot-target fat loss. I promise you it does not work that way. You cannot will your way into specifically losing fat from your stomach first. Sorry #imnotevensorry. You CAN exercise your abdominal muscles like you would your leg or even your arm muscles, and if you pair that with other exercises, you will see the best results. If you lower your body fat percentage, it is highly likely (but not guaranteed because every body is different in their compositions) that your abs will be visible.
So yes, my rant is over… ALMOST people. I also do not think it is healthy to be consumed by appearance or wanting abs so badly that you prioritize that want over your family and friends. There are healthy ways to achieve visible abs without going completely off the deep end. Do NOT freaking pull a Miley of the fitness world and change everything for something you cannot even see when you’re wearing clothing… which is 90% of the time (though she will always be my numero uno no matter what… pix to come of that).
A good ab workout that I like to complete on the reg only includes planks. No it is not some glamorous workout where I use all these machines and stuff (which I am not knocking those exercises; they do work). This is just a much simpler workout that you can do anywhere like on vacation, at your house, or even outside (whatever floats your boat)… kind of like Miley during her Hannah Montana days: always with wig… ready with wig for whenever AND whereeverrrrr. So freaking wig out and do this workout!!!
- Regular plank (2 minutes)
- Commandos (1 minute)
- Side-step plank (2 minutes)
- Right side plank (1 minute)
- Left side plank (1 minute)
Repeat 4 times for optimal sweatiness!! You will be dying (or at least I always am).
I hope that I cleared a lot of nebulous ideas regarding abs. Please let me know if you enjoyed this workout if you end up trying it out and/or this post. If not, also let me know. I am open to any and all constructive criticism.
Thnks fr th Mmrs,
Me
Cardio Workout… and MOREEEEE
If you know me, you know that I was never a blossoming runner. In fact up until about a year ago, I could not even run a mile without stopping. It was pretty shameful if we’re being honest. Cardiovasucular activity IS important for your overall health. There is no way to sugarcoat it. This by NO MEANS is code for you need to be the star of your cross country team. This also does not mean you even need to run. There is NOTHING wrong with running, and it takes a high level of endurance to be able to do things like marathon running and ironmans. But for your everyday gal on the street who does not have a passion for running, there are other ways to complete cardiovascular activities.
An example of a cardio workout that I find to be enjoyable is tennis. If you have an hour, you can meet with a coach, your friends, family, or even a ball machine if you’re lacking friends (me on the reg), and get a little cardio implemented into your schedule. I prefer playing tennis with a coach because I enjoy the instruction and their ability to get all of my shots back.
Whomever you meet with, you can try this little workout that will be fun and whateverrrr-
1. Jog 4 laps around the court
2. Stretch (you do NOT want an injury up in here)
3. Short-court for 5 minutes
4. Cross court forehands for 15 minutes
5. Cross court backhands for 15 minutes
6. Serves for 10 minutes
7. Point play for 15 minutes
When you finish you can pat yourself on the back and maybe even drink a margirita (if you are of age duh). I don’t know do whatever the heck you want. But be proud of putting your health first and leading an active lifestyle. #swagGGGger #fitamazingtennispro
Considering It Pure Joy... 