Leng's salad challenge: needless to say I really enjoyed this one and learned how to make satisfying salads. The key is to add enough protein, fat and carbs, otherwise you'll feel hungry right after eating the salad. Another plus of this challenge is the visual pleasure... adding different colors of veggies makes every meal prettier, so I enjoy it even more.
Clean eating challenge: this one is tougher than the others because it requires you to prepare all the meals and be careful about ingredients. Another inconvenience is when you have to pack something for snack when you're not home. We are used to grab a bar and go. I work at home most of the time so it wasn't too hard for me. When I had go out, I just grab an apple and a packet BB. But if I have to do it more in the future, I'm thinking of making bread/muffin/bars for snack. The good thing about this challenge is that I could savor the food in its pure/natural form, since no artificial sauce/flavor was used. When our taste get used to natural flavors, we eat lighter and enjoy more the food.
Dairy free challenge: this one ended up easier than I thought. I was a HUGE fan of greek yogurt, I ate one cup everyday religiously and sometimes two. So, the first couple of days were hard to find desserts that I like to replace it. But... when I discover the magic of silken tofu to create really creamy, light, smooth puddings.... giving up yogurt was a piece of cake. Besides of yogurt, cheese was something that I don't eat much but crave it sometimes. There were few days that I really crave it. Luckily I found nutritional yeast to be a good substitute of cheese to make sauce. So, cheeseless pesto was born! ^_^ I'll make more cheeseless recipes with it in the future, it's really fun to create new recipes this way!
Only Organic challenge: this one was the easiest one because all I had to do is buy Organic. You might think it's a lot more expensive... but not too much. Just look at different organic store to buy their best deal.
Changes on me:
1. Feel lighter even after a big meal.
2. My belly felt better, felt less often bloated.
3. Less breakout after the first week. Maybe clearer? not sure. I might need more time to see effects on my skin.
4. I didn't feel less energy because I tracked my food intake to make sure I get enough cal and nutrients.
That was my round up of the challengeS. I'll continue to do most of them but let me indulge little treats whenever I crave it. I will continue with the dairy free challenge for 2 weeks more to see if my belly keeps feeling better and to see if my skin improves more.
Quick recap of yesterday. The massage was great!!! It was in the most chic place in MD, look where it is located, just in the same building as Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choo!
And look insides, where I lied down for 60 min and fell into half sleep! ^_^
Clean eating challenge: this one is tougher than the others because it requires you to prepare all the meals and be careful about ingredients. Another inconvenience is when you have to pack something for snack when you're not home. We are used to grab a bar and go. I work at home most of the time so it wasn't too hard for me. When I had go out, I just grab an apple and a packet BB. But if I have to do it more in the future, I'm thinking of making bread/muffin/bars for snack. The good thing about this challenge is that I could savor the food in its pure/natural form, since no artificial sauce/flavor was used. When our taste get used to natural flavors, we eat lighter and enjoy more the food.
Dairy free challenge: this one ended up easier than I thought. I was a HUGE fan of greek yogurt, I ate one cup everyday religiously and sometimes two. So, the first couple of days were hard to find desserts that I like to replace it. But... when I discover the magic of silken tofu to create really creamy, light, smooth puddings.... giving up yogurt was a piece of cake. Besides of yogurt, cheese was something that I don't eat much but crave it sometimes. There were few days that I really crave it. Luckily I found nutritional yeast to be a good substitute of cheese to make sauce. So, cheeseless pesto was born! ^_^ I'll make more cheeseless recipes with it in the future, it's really fun to create new recipes this way!
Only Organic challenge: this one was the easiest one because all I had to do is buy Organic. You might think it's a lot more expensive... but not too much. Just look at different organic store to buy their best deal.
Changes on me:
1. Feel lighter even after a big meal.
2. My belly felt better, felt less often bloated.
3. Less breakout after the first week. Maybe clearer? not sure. I might need more time to see effects on my skin.
4. I didn't feel less energy because I tracked my food intake to make sure I get enough cal and nutrients.
That was my round up of the challengeS. I'll continue to do most of them but let me indulge little treats whenever I crave it. I will continue with the dairy free challenge for 2 weeks more to see if my belly keeps feeling better and to see if my skin improves more.
Quick recap of yesterday. The massage was great!!! It was in the most chic place in MD, look where it is located, just in the same building as Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choo!
And look insides, where I lied down for 60 min and fell into half sleep! ^_^
In term of eats, let pics tell the story.
Today's plan:- work
- yoga
- meeting with Carmen
- ..... TBD
20 comments:
HELLO I AM HERE!! :)
Way to go with your challenges! Glad you enjoyed your massage!
wow! three whole challenges! great job! as for me, I don't think I'll ever be able to give up dairy...I love my yogurt and cheese too much! but I don't get any bloating from them, so I guess I don't need to give them up.
Did dairy give you any problems?
Great job on the challenges. And ooohh massage!!! =D
Wow - what a wonderful set of challenges! You definately committed to making some changes, and it seems you've had some wonderful results!
I agree with your salad comment - you need some good protein in there to fill you up. And you need LOTS of salad.
I can see why the dairy free has been good for you. I wonder whether I would be as successful as you are if I tried it. I would struggle to give up cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. I don't drink milk so that wouldn't be so bad. Other than the bloating, are there any key benefits you have found from going dairy-free?
Your meals look so wonderful - is that salmon I see? I looovvee salmon. One of my favourites :-)
Thanks for your comments on the challenges you've been doing! I'm happy to hear it wasn't too tough for ya!
All you food photos look great!!
I LOVE friendship heights- fun! Nice job with the challenges, it's always important to listen to your body, good luck!
good job on your challenges! ooh the massage must've been wonderful! i should try that :)
lovely lovely day :) I'm with Sophia, I could NEVER give up dairy!!
Wow, great job on the challenges. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your cheeseless recipes!
Great job completing all your challenges! That's really impressive - especially to do all that at once. You definitely earned your massage!
Great observations on your challenges. The key is really getting a combo of nutrients. I have seen people try to eliminate things in an unhealthy way, but it looks like you did a great job.
The massage sounds amazing. I feel like I should get one to help relieve stress!
Thanks for visiting my blog....and I'm glad I found yours too:) Congrats on your challenges (I LOVE LOVE greek yogurt too), especially since you felt so great after participating and you seemed to achieve them in a really healthy way. I'm looking forward to reading more from you!
omgosh YUMMY eats and LOVELY massage place. :) I'm so glad it was good and you feel relaxed!!!
I can't believe you did all those challenges!! I hear that most people who are lactose intolerant are actually Asian people! I hope that your no-dairy challenge really makes your tummy feel better even though i do miss your greek yogurt desserts!!
mmmmm! wonderful food! thanks for the wrap-up with your opinions on the challenges! great photography :)
hi sweetie, lovely pics and way to go on the challenges!
I answered your questions on my blog. XOXO
Thanks for commenting on my blog--I will add you to my Google reader ASAP!
Hooray for a massage - one of my most favorite things in the whole world - I love giving them and receiving them!
Coco,
So glad your challenges went well and that you're going to try and stick with the dairy free. I know I'm feeling so much better without it in my life.
All in all, sounds like every challenge was a success. Good job!
Have a good week my friend! :)
GREAT job with the challenges! My belly felt MUCH better while clean eating too! Glad you had a wonderful massage
I love this wrapup. I think it's good that you're going to continue with the dairy thing - it takes time to really see what the effects will be. It seems like dairy affects you in the same way it affects me (skin & bloating). For some reason the parmesan cheese seems okay, but I think there's definitely a difference between cheese and yogurt in terms of side effects.
Yay for a massage :) I got a foot massage today and it was great!
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