Decisions Decisions

As you can tell by the title I've made a decision. You may not have known this, but I have 2 blogs and a YouTube channel. The way I originally set everything up I never intended to really do anything major so everything was setup desperate. I've created a new YouTube channel the way I originally intended it to be and with this I've decided to merge the two blogs into one. This will allow me to blog more. I currently post video once a week on my journey and for now will continue to do that. So I have decided to close Livin Afro Paleo and strictly use BeautyAsISeeIt. It is a lifestyle blog which would allow me to still post about my journey. As far as being paleo...I will still eat in a "paleo" way, but not completely. I will create a post on my other blog that will go into more detail. I hope anyone who read my post here at Livin Afro Paleo will follow me over to BeautyAsISeeIt. Thanks for reading.

Food!

This is my first post of 2013 so Happy New Year!!! One of my goals for 2013 is to post more. I will elaborate more in my next post, but now I wanted to share my plan for today. Today I will be going to the store to do some grocery shopping. I need to restock my fridge and pantry with a few items. Below is my list and pictures will be posted soon.

Spinach
Boneless chicken breast
Eggs
Salmon
Tilapia
Avocado (love this stuff)
Bell peppers
Lemons
Apples (red & green)
Coconut Oil
Shrimp
Brussel Sprouts
Jalapenos
Oranges

This seems like a short list, but as a single girl it will do for the next week or two. I usually do major shopping about every two weeks and pick up smaller items during the week is necessary. However this is it. I like to keep things simple. I've trained my taste buds to accept what some call bland. This saves me time and money. We will see how long this last and I will post what I make with these delicious foods. A post will up tomorrow on some of my prep for the week. I baked some chicken last night that will last mew a few days so I may not need to cook anything else till mid-week. That is it for now. I hope everyone had a great New Years and Christmas.

Fat Panic!

This isn't about fat in your food. This is about my fat body and me panicking about changing it. My baby brother is getting married. Not only will I of course be going to the wedding, but I've been asked to be a bridesmaid. I happily accepted and for months thought about losing weight and even pictured it in my head. Then they completed their wedding website that has a countdown to the wedding. I panicked. It's real now. This is happening whether I'm fat or not and hopefully I'm not. I can't take a picture that they will look at every year looking fat. I know this isn't about me, but I can't help but think about it. I actually haven't thought about anything else, but what am I going to do to lose something by August 2013!!! That is less than a year away. Yeah so I gotta do something. I know I won't reach my goal and I don't expect to, but I can't be where I'm at now. I just can't. Sad to say, but this event has been a motivator. I am determined.

What To DO?

I know it has been a while since my last post. Life has been crazy and it is finally at a point where I can take care of myself like I should. I have started to slowly workout again. I started doing workout dvd's. I've invested in a Wii so I can do some game workouts. I did Black Eyed Pea's Dance game. I loved it so I will be getting that soon. I was using my sister's. Though she said she doesn't like it and might be mailing it to me. Yay!

The real reason why I am writing is because I am frustrated with FOOD! I don't know what to eat anymore. Does this happen to anyone? What should I do? I am tired of the thousands and thousands of advice out there on what to eat and what not to eat. I've come to the realization that you really do have to find out what works for you. You have to do your research and go through trial and error with foods to see how your body reacts. I'd like to say that I will continue to try to eat paleo (although I haven't officially started), but that may be hard to do. Also each person seems to decide what they feel is paleo. I know there are some who don't eat rice and I know others who do. There are some who don't do butter and others do. It is a learning process and should be handled one day at a time.

My First Paleo Meal!

So I thought I saw this recipe online, but I can't find it so I can credit them. If I run past it again I will update this post. Despite that it is a farely easy recipe. So I was hungry and decided I wanted to tuna. I proceeded to make tuna fish, but didn't really want to use mayo and miracle whip (the mayo was low). The I remember what I thought I saw online. Tuna, Eggs, and Avocado. Ew right! It was great. I was suprised. The tuna tasted so fresh and original without the mayo. The avocado was just a slight taste and the eggs were eggs, but still good. I posted it on Instagram and got a few likes. Not that it matters, but to me that's cool. So I hope someone will give it a try and let me know what you think.

With Pain Came Reality

This morning I woke to the sound of my apartment buildings fire alarm. I quickly got up, grabbed a few things, threw something on and then down the stairs I went. Thankfully it was a small fire in the trash room and nobody was hurt.

THE PAIN - I live on the 11th floor. When it was ok to return to my apartment the elevators were not operational again yet. Do see where I'm going with this? Yes, I had to walk up 11 flights to get back to my apartment.  I was st out of breathe after the first 2 flights. By the end my legs were jello.

THE REALITY - I am super out of shape. I hated the way I felt by the time I got to my apartment. I knew it would be difficult but not that much. It's been 3 hours and I'm not fully recovered. This is bad.

I've been depressed lately and I may talk about that in a future post, but the depression has made it difficult to change my habits as much as I needed to. This was a huge wake up call for me. I need to get healthy.

When Family is Making Changes Too

As I've mentioned in previous post I've been struggling with getting started. When ever possible I do make better choices, but I had  no support from family and friends. Well today I emailed one of my cousins about exercising and eating well and she encourages me then points out the importance of what I eat. She first suggests taking it slow by first eating smaller portions then switch unhealthy foods with healthier foods. What really excited me is that she said eat low carb. She didn't mention specifics, but knowing she was on the same path as I was is encouraging. Someone I know who is following the same healthy choices as I am.

Later today I was speaking with my sister in law. She told me that my brother lost 10lbs in 4 days. At first I was like what? He make me sick losing weight so easy, but I asked what did he do. Same thing eating low carb. She emailed me the plan, but I haven't looked at it. After I take a look at it I will comment. My sister in law lost 30lbs in a month following this plan. I believe in lifestyle changes. I am not looking for a quick fix. It helps to find people who are going through the same things as you and find success. I want to only share what I believe to be doable lifestyle changes and not quick fixes. With that said I am happy for my family for making positive changes to better their lives and to find support. Support is so important.