What is "Healthy?"

I have one question for you guys:

What does "healthy" mean to you?

Does it mean avoiding junk food completely and making SURE you NEVER miss a workout?

Is it more about 80/20/listening to your body? (80% good-for-you, 20% good-for-the-soul)

Healthy is, and technically SHOULD be, different for everyone... Because everyone is different.

No person has the same body, the same exact needs, cravings and wants, as another.

Personally, I'm more towards the second choice. I feel like a healthy lifestyle is a non-restrictive lifestyle. It's a lifestyle where if you want to eat carbs at night, you eat carbs at night. Where if you want to have that gigantic cinnamon bun covered in frosting for breakfast, you fully ENJOY that cinnamon bun covered in frosting for breakfast. It's not a lifestyle where you void off any foods in your life, unless for health reasons. (P.S. What is up with this new gluten-free "trend"?! If gluten doesn't effect your health... don't go gluten-free. Be grateful you can even have it!)

Food of any kind should not carry guilt alongside of it. Whether it's a bowl of oatmeal or a bowl of Doritos, neither one of those should EVER make you feel "guilty" about eating them. Unless you eat this bowl of Doritos for breakfast everyday, it will not effect you negatively (unless you're allergic obviously!). It will not make you fat. It will not make you a disgrace. It's not a "slip-up". It's a part of life. Yes, eating what you truly want IS a large part of a normal life.

If you truthfully don't like cookies, don't eat them for dessert. But, if you LOVE pasta night and try to fulfill that craving with a salad instead... Girl, that ain't gon' work! Just eat the bowl of pasta! Don't feel guilty. Feel HAPPY that you fulfilled that TRUE craving! Because, in reality, THAT is healthy living. Listening to YOUR body. Not listening to diet fads, or what you hear what works for others. Only YOUR body knows what IT wants.

A balanced, moderation-filled diet is not the only importance to a truthfully healthy lifestyle, though. Another great importance is your exercise. Working out for you, on your time. Doing what you love, when you want to. When you can. Resting when your body needs/wants rest. Not feeling "forced" to burn a certain amount (this is TOTALLY something I personally struggle with), not feeling like you NEED to workout or you can't eat for the day. Not feeling like you need to cancel date nights, days out with friends, family outings, etc. just so you can workout. Because, think about it... What will you more likely look back on? That one workout, or that one night out with good company? (...I think we both know the real answer to this one!)

In conclusion,

Life cannot be enjoyed if you surround yourself with numbers, or obsessive thoughts and actions.

If anything, take from this post the courage to give up any restrictive mentality you are living with.

Especially if you have been living like this for months on end, it won't be easy. It WILL take time. It WILL take effort. It WILL be hard. But that's when you have to prove you are strongest. That's when you try your hardest, from this moment on, to truly listen to your body.

If you hate running, but love lifting, don't run. Lift.

If you hate lifting, but love HIIT, don't lift. Interval train.

If you hate broccoli, but love spinach, you know which green to choose.

If you hate cookies, but love brownies, treat yourself to a brownie.

It's that easy. Life is too short, too beautiful, to be lived negatively or forcefully.

If you feel guilty, you are doing something wrong. Use your power to change that something.

Only ever do what works for you.

Live for you.

The Peter Pan Diet

Hello darlings!

Inspired by Lindsay, this post is dedicated to foods I would eat if I were living in Neverland.
By that I mean foods my inner fat child would eat solely because it loves to eat... Foods not based on nutrition value, but on pleasure! Basically just what I would eat if calories, nutrition, my health and my body weren't an issue! My foodie guilty pleasures. 

I really like the concept of this post; it's making me think back to my childhood favorites, and it's also giving me ideas for my next challenge/treat day/meal! 

1. Oreos dipped in peanut butter... Any kind of peanut butter...

This was always my #1 favorite snack for the longest time. Honestly... I miss it!

2. Blueberry Muffin Tops cereal with vanilla almond milk

3. Applebee's mozzarella sticks

4. Reese's eggs

Somehow, even better and way more addictive than regular Reese's cups!

5. Take 5

6. Chili's sweet potato fries

7. Starbucks cream cheese-filled pumpkin muffins

8. White chocolate macadamia nut cookies... Preferably Pepperidge Farm

9. Dunkin' Donuts cream filled powdered donuts

10. Cannolis

11. Strawberry frosted Pop Tarts

... or maybe S'mores, warmed up in the microwave

12. Homemade Italian sausage meat pie

I could honestly go on forever... but I won't for your guys' sake (and mine, at this point)!  Truthfully, I love healthy living! I love healthy foods, I do! But, I also love these foods in moderation. I no longer believe that a healthy lifestyle equals deprivation, or restriction of ANY food. Because that's not equivalent to a healthy lifestyle. That's equivalent to the beginning of an eating disorder.

Honorable mentions:

• waffles with real butter and maple syrup... and maybe some peanut butter...
• BAGELS! Channeling my inner Jenn and saying ALL. THE. BAGELS! Preferably an everything with bacon, egg and cheese. And ketchup.
• froyo with loads and loads of toppings!
• Twix chocolate bars
• cinnamon rolls with frosting
• Dunkaroos
• McDonald's french fries
• LITTLE DEBBIE COSMIC. FREAKIN'. BROWNIES.

In conclusion, I just really love food! Healthy and nutritional or unhealthy with an equivalent of zero nutrition -- if I like it, I like it. If I could live off of oreos, peanut butter, steamed vegetables and fruit my entire life... You bet your booty I would! But, life is about treating yourself, and treating your body well at the same time. No food should EVER be off limits. There's no reason for it to be, unless you're allergic or it makes you extremely sick. Otherwise, there's no excuse to not enjoy a big ol' fresh-out-of-the-oven soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie every now and then!

Now, enjoy one of your absolute favorite foods for me this weekend, yes? Yes.  I will CONQUER a "fear food" or two this weekend, in honor of this post.

What would YOUR 'dream' Neverland diet consist of? What's that ONE food you will NEVER, EVER give up?

**All photos are from Google images and/or Tumblr! I do not take credit for any of the pictures above.**

A Promise to Myself

Hello, my little lovebugs.

Recently, we purchased a new scale. Not that we weigh ourselves often, but our old scale was getting pretty old, and this new one was only $14.99 and claimed to measure body fat percentage, bone mass, and even your daily caloric needs.

Well, after a few days of having it, I decided to try it out. The result surprised me.
{Either our old scale was extremely inaccurate, or our new scale is just showing how cheap it was.}

I felt disgusted... I talked to my mom about it, and her response was something you would consider "tough love." Even though I'm at the middle/higher end of a "healthy weight" for my height, she threatened to get me into "rehab" because of my "obsession". I never thought she would actually consider that, but she wasn't joking.

She made some valid points, though. The scale says I've gained x amount of weight and that I weight x amount of pounds, but 1. I workout and burn calories like crazy... normally about 400-600 calories, plus school and work, burned 5 days a week. And 2. absolutely everything I own still fits me 100% fine... from my jeans to my dang underwear. (I don't even feel like I LOOK different.) So, if I really gained x amount of weight/more-so fat in such a short period of time, how would these two things be possible?

The answer could be one of two things. Either I've gained {mostly} muscle (which would be fantastic), or the scale IS really as worthless as it is said to be...
(Can 'all of the above' be an option?)

So, anyways, onto the real point of this post!

This post is a new promise to myself.

A promise only I can fulfill on my own. A promise to love myself no matter what I weigh.

{My newest tattoo! I got it on January 31st, 2013. It's on my inner right forearm, and the reasoning behind it is here}

A promise to not let a number control my life.

{That's more like it!}

A promise that I will not weigh myself obsessively. The next time I will step on that scale won't be until I KNOW I'm comfortable with it again. I'm not gonna force myself anymore. If that time happens to be summer, then so be it.

A promise that I will not fall back into old, restrictive habits. I will enjoy life, nourish my body, and exercise as I please. If I have to miss a day, that's okay, too. No more skipping out on social outings because I HAVE to workout. That's not living now, is it?

Also, to end on an even more positive note, I finally feel like I'm growing a booty! That's a plus, right?! I don't mean a flabby, fat booty like my past self, or a flabby, bony booty for my last year self, but a firm, actual booty! {Too much information? More like not enough information.} (Just kidding!)

What I Ate Wednesday #34

This is a totally last-minute WIAW post because I don't wanna miss another week! Pathetic? Psh... No! 

Anyways! February's theme is "love your veggies", wish I absolutely adore! I'm an avid veggie-eater, so this will be an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy month for me! 

As always, thank you, Jenn, for always hosting this blogger part-aaaay!

Head on over to check out some awesome meals by other bloggers!

Since it is "love your veggies" month, I think I'll dedicated this post to... veggies! Clever, right?

1/23/13 - Dinner... errr, Brinner: SUPER fluffy banana bread protein pancakes with a super spicy egg white, vegetable & protein scramble on da side! 

1/24/12 - Lunch: giant, SUPER FLUFFY sweet potato microwave protein “pancake” filled with proteins & healthy fats, on a bed of fresh steamed vegetables mixed with fresh cold cuts my dad brought home on sandwiches (which I took apart! Haha)! Topped with my FAVORITE spicy mustard and some plain Greek yogurt.

1/25/13 - Dinner: bento at work consisted of loads of protein, vegetables with flaxseed, and a mini slice of semi-"healthy" pizza my mommy got and made for us!

1/26/13: eeeeerm... sweet potato fries are a vegetable, right? 

This was a HUGE recovery "win" for me. Treat meal #1 since Christmas time.

I had gotten a gift card for Chilis two months ago from a secret Santa, and had been DYING for a BIG, juicy hamburger. I wanted their jalapeño burger at first, but opted for this other huge, delicious one because, even for a treat (no, NOT "cheat"! I hate that word!) meal, I’d rather not have America’s #1 ranked worst-for-you burger (it has 2.5 days worth of fat, almost 4 full days worth of sodium… and a days worth of calories... and that's for just ONE meal (or even HALF meal, actually, since it just included the hamburger). I’d rather consume that for numerous meals.) Plus, I had LOADS of breaded jalapeños alongside my legitimately mouth-wateringly incredible sweet potato fries. Chili's food isn't my favorite, but their sweet potato fries are a favorite. Oh, and they also gave me the most fries out of four orders of burgers and fries! Haha! And I was the only one given ketchup on the side, as well, even though I gave it to my mom!

 1/27/13 - Breakfast: surprisingly enough, yes, there IS a vegetable in there!
Blueberry muffin protein & flaxseed spinach smoothie topped with chocolate PB2 sauce + the remainder of my organic Cinnamon Toast Crunch + shredded coconut + frozen blueberries + a spoonful of natural creamy peanut butter.
This actually tasted like a blueberry muffin. So good.

1/28/13 - Lunch: how gorgeous does this post-workout lunch look?!

My first PERFECT fluffy omelet (yes, I used YOLKS. GASP! Haha. I love my yolks!) stuffed with Greek yogurt & salsa + sweet potato + fresh turkey (my uncle and his girlfriend has an over 20 pound turkey sitting in their freezer, and they didn’t want it so they gave it to us!) + feta on top of a vegetable-filled salad with a side of a HUGE plate of steamed fresh broccoli & carrots + a sliced tomato topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan & a squeeeeeze of mustard! I've had this loads of times since, for both lunch AND dinner. Though, I had to sub with just egg whites some of the times because I ate too many yolks...

1/29/13 - Dinner: bento at work; tuna & vegetable side with salsa & mustard & ground flaxseed, a microwave-"baked" sweet potato stuffed with salsa & fresh turkey with a drizzle of mustard, and some pickles & extra turkey on the side! Plus some water, Vitamin Water Zero, and a much-needed energy drink that actually wasn't that bad for you. I'd recommend it! Kinda tasted like a carbonated Capri Sun... (Without all the sugar!)

1/30/13 - Dinner: after getting my license, I was more than happy to reward myself with this beautiful dinner!

Peanut butter banana bread protein pancakes (with a few chocolate chips to celebrate getting my license!) with White Chocolate Wonderful + some plain Greek yogurt, all topped with PB2 sauce & a drizzle of maple syrup + some organic cereal crumbles. Alongside is an egg white protein scramble!

1/31/13 - Dinner: another work bento consisting of vegetables and a mini slice of pizza. Plus some plain Greek yogurt mixed with spicy mustard as a dip.

2/1/13 - Lunch: had such a long, busy day out and grocery shopping with my mom and little sister, so I recommended we stop for some Subway on the way home so we can eat lunch before dinner time! I got my FAVORITE, which is a steak, bacon & mozzarella (not much! Just a sprinkle) salad with all the toppings/vegetables, plus vinegar as a dressing! I also had some steamed fresh broccoli & carrots on the side with a mustard & Greek yogurt mixture to dip, as usual.

2/1/13 - Dinner: *drools* Can I have this all over again?!

Lobster fried rice, boneless spare rib tips, a pork egg roll, some General Pso’s chicken (and loads more beforehand… We got a whole entrée of it free!! Haha), and LOADS of steamed vegetables with some spicy mustard! Second treat meal with no regrets. So proud of myself.

2/2/13 - Breakfast: another hidden vegetable dish!

Reese's (chocolate-peanut butter & banana… Yes, a FULL scoop of protein powder and a WHOLE banana!) protein flaxseed & spinach smoothie bowl topped with almonds/sliced almonds + shredded coconut + some crushed organic cereal + a few peanuts & a scoop of creamy natural peanut butter!

I've really been loving my smoothie bowls as a post-workout Sunday breakfast!

Other meals (including loads of oatmeal!) can be found on my Instagram or Tumblr!

Workout {Picture} of the Week:

The rest can be found on my Instagram and Tumblr, as well!

Well... That's all for now, folks!  I'm so happy I got a new WIAW up! It was about time, right?! 

I hope you're all having the most loveliest of Wednesdays... Mine's been great, but according to my horoscope, it should be getting even better...

OH! P.S.! I got my license and a new tattoo within the past week!

I blame my hair and big chin for the horrible picture. (It was really hot that day, okay?!)

I mean, what is a license without a bad picture? Not a real license! 

I found this tattoo concept somewhere on the computer, and I really loved it. It was pretty simple and plain at first, but my tattoo artist, who’s fortunately one of my dad’s good friends, put some extra detail into it to make it personal… and I love it. And, if you’re wondering why I have a heart fading into the word “yourself”, it actually stands for “love yourself”, and it's on my inner right forearm. After struggling with eating too much, being overweight (basically obese at a BMI of 31), being bullied (A LOT) for being that way, eating way too little and becoming obsessed with every little calorie, dropping too much weight and obsessing over a number on a scale, and now looking to find that completely healthy medium again, this is something I continuously need to remind myself to do. I struggled too long by myself being too insecure to forever live like that. This is the first time I can honestly say I'm starting to love myself. I've never felt as confident before as I do now. But this tattoo isn’t only a reminder for ME, but for every single person who reads it/this. It’s facing outward for that reason — to spread the word to love yourself. The only person you truly need to love to live, is yourself. The only way to succeed, to be happy, to be healthy, is to LOVE YOURSELF. It’s so important to care about yourself and to love yourself. If you love and believe in yourself, even the slightest bit, you can and WILL get FAR. It’s time to stop caring what others think. It’s time to start loving yourself. ♥