Celebrating 4 Wonderful Years!!

It was on this day, back in 2006 that I married my wonderful husband Dave. It's been a great 4 years that's for sure. We had 2 beautiful children, bought 2 cars, bought a house, Dave graduated, we moved to a new city, went to Hawaii, started 2 businesses and more and more. I'm so grateful to be married to the greatest person I know. I love you Dave!! xoxox

I'm Going to Throw Up!

Alright calm down. Don't sound the alarms, I haven't gone bulimic or anything like that. I'm doing the apple cider vinegar diet and it's making me want to puke. I've never been a huge vinegar fan in general. I don't like vinegar salad dressings and I hardly ever eat pickles. Taking 2 tablespoons, 3 times a day, is pretty disgusting if you ask me. I put my 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar in a glass, with another glass full of water near by. I quickly swig back the cider vinegar and then promptly chase it down with a glass of water. I swear I almost threw up this morning after taking it. Also, while I was having breakfast, I couldn't stop thinking about how gross it is and almost threw up. Maybe that's how it helps people loose weight haa haa. No but seriously, I can see why they sell apple cider vinegar pills because people like me have a hard time getting it down. Despite the fact that this diet is torture for me I'm going to continue for a month, because I'm putting the DIE in diet! I'll tell you one thing, if this doesn't deliver the results I'm looking for I'll be emailing every single one of those websites. Oh man! How many days of this do I have left?

- Elisabeth

Apple Cider Vinegar - The Experiment

Back in the 80s and 90s, Apple Cider Vinegar was one of those miracle "cures" that everyone went crazy for. People were washing their hair with it, using it to cure allergies, to lower cholesterol, fight acne, AND LOOSE WEIGHT! I have no idea if it works or not, but a whole whack of website seemed to believe that it does. Even according to Web MD apple cider vinegar helps to regulate blood sugar levels and helps people feel full.

With that being said, I'm going to try it for about 1 month and see what happens. They say you can loose 1-2 pounds a week if you take 2 tablespoons with water before each meal.

Right now I weigh 150 pounds (I hate seeing that number on the scale). Each week (on Saturday) I'll weigh myself and see if the cider vinegar is working or not. On September 14th, I'll let you all know how it went, and if I noticed any side effects.

Wish me luck!
- Elisabeth

You Need Muscle

There are so many diets out there, promising to help the numbers on the scale drop. The thing is, they work! They all work in some way or another. Even the crazy grapefruit diet, where all you eat is grapefruit for 7 days, works. Here's the problem. Besides being next to impossible to stick to, most diets will make you loose water weight and muscle weight. Therefore, you'll just look like a smaller flabbier version of your old self. Sad, but true. Check out this picture of 2 different women. Both are a size 2, but one looks pretty good, where as the other looks AMAZING!What's the difference? Muscle! Instead of worrying about weight, it's a way better idea to worry about you body fat %. The leaner you are, the hotter you'll look, no matter what your weight. Here's a few reasons why having more muscle mass is WAY healthier.

1. The number 1 reason (haa haa at least for me) is that it looks better. We all know it, muscles (not too much) looks HOT!
2. Studies have shown that people with more fat around their abdomen are more likely to suffer from Type 2 Diabetes than those with lesser body fat around the waist

Read more about The Health Benefits From Having Low Body Fat Levels by 24 Hr Fitnessst

Studies have shown that people with more fat around their abdomens are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes
3. Reduced risks of developing certain types of cancer
4. Sleep better at night
5. Lower your blood pressure
6. Toxins are stored in fat cells, so less fat = less toxins
7. Reduced risk of heart problems that may arise due to clogged arteries and veins
8. Helps control your blood sugar levels
9. With added muscle comes some additional power and strength. This will help during normal everyday activities.
10. More energy throughout the day
11. The more muscle your body has, the faster your metabolism is. Essentially this means your body burns more calories to do normal functions. Bottom line...a faster metabolism means a better fat burning ability.

So what I'm trying to say is, dieting is ok if you're trying to kick start your body transformation, but the key to getting in shape is to lower your body fat percentage. I'll leave a post later in how to do this.

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Yummier Protein Shakes

I'm not one of those "gym rats" that eat only chicken, egg whites, and shakes instead of real food. Trust me, the rest of the day I'm eating a lot of fruits, veggies, and whole grains (and the occasional treat) I've just learned from my personal trainer friends that extra protein is needed when you're trying to build muscle, and lower carbs (notice I said lower carbs instead of NO carbs) will help people lose weight. So here's how to make a protein shake actually taste good, instead of like cardboard.

First of all, the best tasting protein shake is called Whey Gourmet and you can get this at most sports nutrition places. If you want to save money, Exact (found at Fortinos in Canada) isn't too bad either.

Second, you'll need a blender like the Magic Bullet or whatever.

Third, drink your protein shake cold. There's nothing worse than a warm thick shake. Eeewww, I'm grossed out just thinking about it.

Here's a few ways I like my shakes

1. Chocolate Monkey - 2 scoops chocolate powder with half a frozen banana and water. Mix in the blender until smooth.
2. Strawberry Banana - 2 scoops vanilla powder with half a cup of frozen strawberries, half a banana and water. Mix in the blender until smooth.
3. Mint Chocolate - 2 scoops chocolate powder, 4-6 ice cubes, half a teaspoon mint extract, and water or skim milk. Mix in a blender until smooth
4. Orange Creamsicle - 2 scoops vanilla powder, 4-6 ice cubes, half a cup orange juice, and skim milk. Mix in a blender until smooth.
5. Pina Colada - 2 scoops vanilla powder, 4-6 ice cubes, 1/3 cup frozen pineapple chunks, 1 tablespoon canned sweetened coconut puree, water. Mix in a blender until smooth.

I've also heard that mixing in some instant coffee crystals makes a fabulous mocha shake, but I don't drink coffee.

Well, there you have it, 5 wonder ways to actually enjoy a protein shake.

- Elisabeth

Skinny Recipe - Veggie Power Soup

Whenever I diet I always worry that I'm not getting enough vitamins and nutrients, for obvious reasons. Here's a recipe that's full of veggies and it's super healthy! It also makes a HUGE pot so you can freeze some a save it for quick and easy meals when you're having one of those mega-too-busy-to-think days. It's also an excellent recipe for anyone suffering with inflammation because it contains turmeric and ginger. This soup is also alkalizing to the body. Many times, inflammation sufferers eat too much acid forming foods.

Veggie Power Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 cup chopped parsley
3 cups plain soy milk

Place vegetables and seasonings into large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 40 minutes). Remove from heat. Puree in a blender until smooth. Stir in soy milk. Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday To.... ME!!

Hello fellow dieters!! Today is my birthday and I'm going to be naughty and eat a piece of cake (gasp!) I know, I know, I know.... HORRIBLE right?! Well, it's actually proven to make you leaner when you have the occasional cheat day. Extreme dieting can put your body in starvation mode and you body will stop burning fat. When you increase your calories and add foods that you've been restricting for a long period of time (fats and carbohydrates), this can actually speed up your metabolism and make you look leaner - it's like telling your body, "We're not starving anymore; it's safe to start burning more calories now." Not only can an occasional "cheat meal" make you look leaner, but your muscles will also fill out and look bigger and firmer because your glycogen levels will increase from the all extra carbohydrates you take in.

I'll explain all that stuff in more detail another day. I have some birthday celebrating to do!!

Here's a picture of me 27 years ago, when looking chubby was acceptable.

Ideal Weight Calculation

Just as I suspected, I'm NOT the ideal weight. According to women that are the same age and height as me, they ideal weight is 134 pounds (time to loose 12 pounds at LEAST!) The website says that women look their best with a BMI of 20-22, and mine is 22.9. That just confirmed to me that I NEED to stick to my diet, even if the chocolate cake is screaming my name. Here's the website so you can see where you stand. http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm



Me Ka Aloha (with love)
- Elisabeth

Magic Genie, I Want These Abs Please!

Can you say AMAZING?! Shakira has by far the most beautiful abs I've ever seen. Maybe I should take up belly dancing!



Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

Greetings from Canada!

Hello fellow skinny wannabes!

We all know the classic North American stereotype.... FAT! Well I think that's only half true. The first group of people are like me, who need to loose 20 pounds or more, and then there's this group of perfectly skinny girls that make the the first group insanely jealous. I mean really, when I check out my friends facebook pictures, most of them have great bodies, so there goes the fat stereotype. Believe me, if all of us North Americans were fat, then I'd be pretty comfortable with my flabdomen, but that's just not the case. Yes I agree that there are a bunch of people in North America that probably live in McDonalds, but we still have our fair share of "super model" looking girls, and I want to be one of them!

I'm a 26 year old mother of 2, I'm 5 feet 7 inches and weigh 145-148 pounds. Most people would think that's not too bad. WELL, to all of you that think I'm a crazy person for wanting to loose weight, you haven't seen me in a bikini. I look HORRIBLE in a bikini because my stomach is so flabby and my thighs and arms need to be toned. I don't just want to look "ok" I want to look GREAT! I always hear people say "you need to learn to accept your body the way it is." Would you tell your kid who is getting mostly Cs in school to just "accept" those grades? Or would you tell them that they need to work harder and that they CAN achieve the grades they want and deserve? Obviously nobody would accept mediocrity in other aspects of their life, so why do we feel the need to accept it when it comes to our bodies. We CAN change our bodies for the better!! It's happened for a number of people, so why not me?

Follow me as I work my butt off and loose 20 pounds and go from "you look good for a mom" to "You look like a Victoria Secret model"!

Me Ka Aloha (with love)
- Elisabeth

Mission- get skinny

So! Welcome to our new blog!
I will tell you the story that brougth us here, to this fantastic new blog! My name is Linda and I currently live in Sweden. I met Elisabeth in Burlington, Canada during the year we lived there (2007). Since then we have both had 2 babies and with thse budles of joy also came a few extra lbs. Not good! Our youngest ones just recently turned 1 and its time to get things going! I have to fit in my jeans now, its time and I wanna be a hot mom not a saggy fat25 year old mom!

During my first pregnancy i gained 50lbs and by the time my son turned 1 I had lost it all. Then I got pregnant again.. 3 days after losing the baby weight... Waste no time right? So this time around I gained 61 freakin lbs and I was the size of a small car by the time my daughter was born and unfortunately she was only 8lbs 8 oz and not 25lbs that I hoped for cuz I coud not possible have gained all those pounds my self???? Now she is 1 and I still have 33 lbs to my goal weight and 15 of those are pregnancy weight.

Today is my firts day of some serious dietshake diet. That is the only thing I will have for a full 14 days. I just had my firts shake and I feel like I´m starving allready!

Ok, so over to the interesting and sad stuff...

My current stats...

My weight today is 75,7kg or 166lbs! Will someone please kill me?

Before breakfast I took a 30 min ride on my new bike so hopefully that burned of a few calories.