The Art and Life of Naomi Valdivia
Potato pancakes are kind of a big deal in many homes, and everyone has their own method. There’s a lot of speculation as to what goes into making a good pancake, and my guess is that’s because it’s easy to mess up such a seemingly simple dish. Too many eggs and your pancakes are rubbery; […]
Like many Americans, I start my day with a cup of coffee. Depending on how sleepy I am, I’ll either make my usual cup, or I’ll go to the local Starbucks and get something with a little (or a lot) more kick in it. But here’s something I’ve found about coffee or caffeine (green tea works wonders as well); once it takes effect, it is best to connect to something outside of just sitting in one place and working. Best thing to be able to explore after a cup of coffee is nature, the outdoors, even if that means just a quick walk on your street or a couple of stretches in your backyard. Just to breathe some fresh air, and if possible, refresh your vision with some greenery, even if it is just a potted plant outside your windowsill. It is instant mind, body, and spirit reset. Afterward, you can go about your day, and work as usual. I highly recommend making that connection with nature while you are experiencing the effects of caffeine as opposed to just coffee and straight to work, without heightening your senses and reconnecting to the roots of being human.
Like many moms out there, life gets hectic and I put myself on the backburner for years. With 3 kids (teenager, preteen, and toddler) and a husband to worry about, it’s easy for me to get lost in the shuffle. When the opportunity came to try Purium’s now famed 10-Day Transformation, I thought to myself, why not? Sure, it’s going to be hard. Sure, I’ll have to think about myself first for a change in order to make this work. Sure, I’m afraid of the requirements (no meat, no dairy, no coffee, no chocolate for 10 whole days!), but let’s do it! It couldn’t have come at a better time. While I buy mostly organic foods and try to keep junk food at a minimum, I was at a transitional stage in my life and career, so I had been eating worse, drinking too much coffee, and drinking more alchohol than normal, to take the edge off a stressful week. All those factors building up had me feeling terrible. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep well at night. I had reached 159 lbs, which for me is danger territory. I was getting regular migraines, and none of my clothes fit right. My skin and hair were clearly not healthy.
In the above photos you can see the before and after from Day 1 to Day 10. I don’t have a lot of weight to lose. The weight I mostly have is that stubborn last 20 lbs after having a baby. Frustrated after not having been able to lose it for years now, this program really did work for me. I lost 5lbs in total. But what’s even better is that it retrained my eating habits, my skin and hair were significantly improved (I got several comments on it throughout the journey and after the 10-Days were over), and even though I only lost 5 lbs, people would ask me if I had lost weight. That was pretty nice! I had more energy after the 2nd day, and didn’t need the coffee anymore.
Let’s start the journey (Final Results at the end of the post):
Starting Weight: 159 lbs
Waist Measurement: 34.25″
Neck Measurement: 13″
Hip Measurement: 138.25″
DAY 1:
Weight: 159 lbs
I’ll be honest, I was pretty grumpy this day. It was the first day without any of my vices. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the Shake, though. It’s delicious!
DAY 2:
Weight: 157 lbs
This was probably the hardest day. I had little energy and was really craving all my vices. I didn’t hit the 3PM crash though, but did go to bed early and slept well.
DAY 3:
Weight: 155 lbs
By Day 3 I could really start feeling the positive effects of the transformation. I had more energy, and did not crave coffee or sugar. I also felt less bloated and looked less bloated in the face, where I can usually see water weight right away when I’m not taking care of myself the way I’m supposed to.
DAY 4:
Weight: 155 lbs
This was a busy day with the kids and work! Took a picture taking a break from it all. Got through it without coffee and still had energy the whole day. Slept well.
DAY 5:
Weight: 155 lbs
Forgot to take a picture of myself because I worked at a school carnival and was getting ready for that. As a placeholder, here’s a pic I snapped really quickly of my son and husband at the carnival. My energy was great, but I did crave pizza later because they ate it in front of me! I went to sleep early and slept really well. No cravings for alcohol, which is a big one since it was Friday night.
DAY 6:
Weight: 155 lbs
Today was the first day I worked out during the transformation. Running was much easier without excess water weight or bloat to keep me down! I felt great on Day 6 and was also excited that I was past the halfway point. My acid reflux was gone, as was a strong feeling of depression that is usually present.
Day 6 was hard because I had a wedding to go to. My family is (mostly) Filipino and we love to eat. I had to explain to family members who were trying to get me to eat (which isn’t normally very hard at all) why I didn’t have a plate of food in front of me. I made it through, and I felt proud of myself for not giving in. Ended my night with some kombucha and Purium Cherry Apothe.
DAY 7:
Weight: 154
Day 7 was spent working out, resting, and napping, because that’s what Sundays are for. I actually lost weight even though I had gone to the wedding the day before. SCORE!
DAY 8:
Weight: 155
Day 8, was GREAT! Got in a great workout (the picture above is post workout) and felt like I had energy for days! Technically I gained a pound today, but I went to the gym instead and lost that pound the next day.
DAY 9:
Weight: 154
I finally felt completely used to the eating schedule and feeling wonderful. I wasn’t craving one of my vices on Day 9!
DAY 10:
Weight: 154
The last day of my detox was a proud day. I felt awesome and was so happy that I went through it! I made it! 5 lbs down, but the other side effects from this lifestyle change were even better. I highly recommend this program and product to anyone who wants to jumpstart a healthy lifestyle!
FINAL RESULTS:
Ending Weight: 154 lbs
Waist Measurement: 31″
Neck Measurement: 12.5″
Hip Measurement: 136.5″
Ready to start? Go to: http://superfoods4transformation.com
Make sure to like Janeen Stern’s Facebook Page, too!
I’ve tried food diaries in the past, but it’s too easy to sneak a few treats here and there, as well as forget to write it down after you eat it. Plus, you can twist the truth about portions and exact measurements. By taking pictures of everything that I consume throughout the day, there’s no lying! Trying out a new concept. I bet it will keep me from eating randomness throughout the day! Follow me at http://instagram.com/insta.food.diary or @insta.food.diary
Happy Monday everyone!
I had the opportunity to visit Carlos at his work. What a beautiful place! Pookie’s is a Thai place hidden in an office complex that is more of a nature sanctuary than any office complex I’ve very seen. Here’s a beautiful picture of our appetizer:
And here are some pics of the office complex:
Is it just me or are fast food companies making their already disgusting choices even worse? Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu? Subway’s nasty Fritos enchilada sandwich thingie, or Dominoes and their chicken dish that looks like puke on a paper towel? I expect cheeseburgers with way too much meat and cheese, but these places are taking these menus to new, nasty heights. It’s almost like they all got together and decided to market the most unappetizing recipes they could come up with and see if they could get people to want to buy them. Well done, guys. To anyone reading this, whether you eat organically or not, just based on how gross the food looks-don’t fall for the marketing. Think about what you’re spending money on and will be shoving down your throat. I swear, every time I see one of those commercials, my stomach turns!
I completely forgot my Friday post again but for good reason. We stayed up working on signs for the March Against Monsanto that happened worldwide on Saturday. So many people don’t know what corporations are doing to over 90% of the food we buy, and the worst types of GMO foods are being marketed and fed to our children! I’m not trying to guilt people for not eating organic 100% of the time, but I am trying to help educate people so that they can make an informed decision about what they eat and feed their families, instead of blind consumerism. Check out the pics from our march here in Ventura, CA!
I did it again! I forgot to post about food on Friday! Sorry guys! It was for a good cause though. Had a much deserved date night with the hubby and we decided to take advantage of the hot weather and high tail it to the beach. It was great! But now for the food. See that picture of me with a bowling ball? Well, it’s actually a GIANT organic cabbage I got from the local Farmer’s Market! I decided to make Galumpkis. Here’s the recipe I used: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/stuffed-cabbage-rolls-galumpkis-recipe.html
They came out pretty good, but I already know what I’m going to do to improve it to my tastes for next time. I didn’t take pictures of the finished product, I’m waiting to remake them. But everyone gobbled them down, so I guess they liked them!
So I wasn’t able to post a foodie Friday post last Friday, but it was my birthday and I was vacationing with the family. Much needed! Anyway, I’m posting today with my first potato harvest! The picture above was what I pulled out of the orange laundry basket I used to plant potatoes. Didn’t take too long, about 6 weeks and I had lots of little potatoes. The orange basket negated any gophers getting at my papas. I had planted about 3 small organic potatoes, and these are the ones that grew-and very quickly! I also threw in 3 non organic potatoes. Those did NOT grow at all. They just took up real estate and rotted. They smelled awful! Like chemical rot and bad breath. From now on I am sticking to organic. I learned my lesson! I put some of the stalks back in the basket with more soil because there were a lot of little mini potatoes just starting to grow, so I’m looking forward to harvesting more potatoes in a few weeks. Not bad for my first potato experiment!
I’ve been doing the cucumber, lemon and mint detox water, but this fellow blogger has a few other ones I’d like to try!
Magical Detox and Digestive Water 🙂.
How pretty does this look (from her blog):
Naomivaldivia.com 