my 14 week transformation

 remember this?  boooo... *throws a tomato*

- June 2012 -

Chiso had just turned one a month prior to my decision to compete in my first bikini competition.  my weight fluctuated give or take 5-10 lbs in either direction depending on what i ate since i had given birth.  heck, even pre-prenancy.  in a way, i was honestly sorta proud of my post-preggo body...i mean the few extra pounds that i did gain melted off rather quickly and i was back to my pre-preggo weight pretty fast.   but, i was still unsatisfied with myself to say the least.  i still didn't have my goal body.

i'm 5'10 and my starting weight according to my home scale was:

161 lbs.

21% body fat

per my trainer's scale:

156 lbs.

21% body fat

translation = fluffy!

two weeks into my training, i had my very first progress check.  even after just a full week of clean eating, i saw changes instantly and got so excited i made a post about them.

- JUNE  23rd. -

156. 5 lbs.

19.88% bf

 - JUNE 23rd -

however, i was still super sloppy fluffy and had a lot of work to do. plus a horrible, horrible tan.

- JUNE 23rd -

  i was still breastfeeding at the time, hence all that boobage.  heavy boobs reeeeally gave me awful posture, but having a great, supportive regular and sports bra helped.  i'd rather just lose body fat though, wouldn't you?!

- JULY 7th. -

153 lbs.

18.5% bf

each progress check was done early in the morning- can't you tell?  and hey now, after two more weeks, you can see i'm a little tighter, specifically in my mid section.  the slim waist i never thought i was built to have was slowly appearing!  i was easily fitting dresses that were purposely hidden in the back of my closet cause they were too uncomfy to wear anymore.  my pride would not let me get rid of them.

- JULY 21st. -

152.5 lbs.

16.2% bf

the july 7th pics look pretty similar  to july 21st, huh!  i did 50 billion comparisons between them to make sure they really were different.  i thought my trainer had sent the same pics twice for a second there, but my polar heart rate watch gave it away.

 

- JULY 21st. -

thigh gap was getting wider and they were slimming right on down.

- AUGUST 4th -

147.8 lbs.

13.5% bf

awww yeeeeeah, big difference there, huh!  why? carb cycling.  yep, i did a post on that too, but there are so many awesome informational sites on the net that go into greater detail as to how it all works.  it's very simple though. don't over complicate it.  i had  three low carb days followed by one high carb day and repeated that over and over again for a few weeks.  i was able to lose fat while keeping my muscle!  seeing progress like this lifted my butt outta bed every morning to do my cardio.

- AUGUST 18th.  -

142 lbs.

11.11% bf

by my next progress check, i had found my show suit. i had just finished posing practice with my coach, so i took my pics in it.  i was down 2% lower in the body fat and lost another 5 lbs from the carb cycling.

 - AUGUST 18th -

i've got wings!

 - AUGUST 18th. -

4 weeks away and ashy.  it's important that i note that i was not only feeling slim at that time, but i felt STRONG, mentally and physically.  in the past, i could easily drop a few pounds after exercising my face off for a few days and heavily restricting my diet of carbs, sugar, and fat.   i often felt lethargic, super tired, and moody though.  i didn't understand how women could diet down to a size they wanted without feeling...well, BAD.  this was totally not normal! if i had to feel that way in order to achieve my goal, i felt it was worth it.  it was a very sad situation and a screwed up, unhealthy relationship with food and fitness.  after i hit my 'goal' weight (yes i said weight and not body) i would eventually let those foods back into my diet.  why?  well cause i craved them terribly, that's why!! which equals instant weight gain.  you better believe i know better, now. there IS a better, healthier way.

- SEPTEMBER 1st -

144.4 lbs.

10.6% bf

why did i weigh more here?  water, water, water weight.  i was drinking over a gallon a day at this point...or trying too, lol.

 two weeks left until show time and not able to fit a single thing in my closet.

- SEPTEMBER 13th -

137 lbs.

8.7% bf

two days out here and super slim after peeing my heart out and getting rid of all that darn water.   my diet on this day and show day was full of carbs though which helped my muscles to fill out and 'pop'.

i ended up at 138 on show day.  hadn't seen the 130's in this decade!

the big day!  September 15th.

23 lbs and 13% body fat lost in 14 weeks.

 alriiiiight, time for just a few questions i've received up to this point:

Q: did/do you take supplements?

A: no. no protein shakes, no fat burner pills, no powders.  i started and finished this journey completely natural.  the only 'supplement' i took every morning is the same thing i've been taking for the past two years- my generic prenatal pills.

**i'm not taking shots at or discrediting anyone who used those items along their journey to the stage.  could i have improved my results with them? possibly!  i wanted to remain natural though because i was also nursing Chiso heavily at the time. we are just  now in the weaning stages (any day now) but i never had to worry about him ingesting anything questionable and having a bad/allergic reaction to it.

Q: will you compete again?

A: absolutely! i know the experiences hereafter aren't guaranteed to turn out as amazingly cool as my first one, but that's ok!  i loved seeing my body change and transform in addition to all the information and knowledge i soaked up along the way.  i still keep in contact with some of the amazing competitors i went through this journey with at that.

Q: how was it competing at the same time as your husband?

A: *blank stare* :shock: i don't think i wanna do that part again!  the sugar withdrawals made me ... how should i say.. hard to live with? lol.  sharing my food with Sonny was never a problem before, but because everything had to be precisely measured, 'no you can't have even a spoonful.' *straight face*. omg i was so mean!  it's just that when i have a goal and already racing against time, i don't want to be up on stage telling myself  'see!? if only you hadn't eaten (or not eaten) that  _____'. i wanted to do everything right the first time.  which is also why i didn't cheat on my diet-  no nibble, no bite, no taste of anything that was not on my meal plan.  i wouldn't have been able to sleep at night!!  if we both compete at the same time again in the future, i'll definitely know what to expect...

Q:  how are you adjusting to off season?

A: weeeell, if you follow me on Instagram (fitfoodiele) then you'd know that off-season is going great!  i'm maintaining my current weight and body fat until my next competition.   i'm also experimenting with building a little muscle too.  i'm feeling solid, slim, and strong, not overworking myself in the gym, and enjoying my food freedom to the absolute FULLEST, lol.  i still eat 5-6 meals every 3 hours all day long, and i workout 5-6 days a week including teaching my two gym classes.  i'm following 6 Pack USA for my current workout and nutrition plan- the same program Sonny used to get ready for his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd show.  read more about 6 Pack USA below.

progress instacollage!

what did we learn here?  CLEAN EATING AND WORKING OUT guarantees successful results.  depending on what you got goin on in your life determines how fast you get them though.  remember,  just like you prioritize anything else, fitness has to fit in there somewhere too.  you should never, ever, be too busy to take care of yourself.   now whether you want to use powders, pills, and all that extra stuff is up to you!  just know you don't need it.  some might argue that those things repair joints and aid in recovery etc., but adequate rest can do the same thing.

  6 Pack USA offers both personalized workout & nutrition plans specific to your fitness goals.  before competing, i knew how i wanted to look, and i had the exercise part down!  i even ate what i thought to be healthy and was spot on, however, my portion sizes were not specific to me and the results i desired.  even though i was a group exercise instructor, always active, ran 5 and 10k's often and worked out hard 5-6 days a week, i couldn't out train my diet.

Sonny used 6 Pack USA for his nutrition and workout regiment for his competitions and currently.  his results were phenomenal!  see?

2 month progress shot from June 10th - Aug. 21st;  26 lbs  lost using 6 Pack USA.  yes, 8 weeks.

here Sonny is competing in our first show on Sept. 15th in the male model swimwear round.

ripped, front to back!

he then went on to win 1st place in his second show in Fort Worth a couple of weeks later.

and at his final show of 2012 in Las Vegas, he place 8th out of 54 men at Fitness America Weekend.  his first international show up against regional winners from all over the world!

if you are interested joining 6 Pack USA, please contact either of us directly via email and send us your contact information:

Sonny.Egwuatu@6packusa.com

or

Leah.Egwuatu@6packusa.com or le@fitfoodiele.com for any fitness or nutrition questions, advice, or tips.

we can also be reached by phone at (281) 912-3804.

whether you want to set a goal to compete in your first bodybuilding competition in 2013 or to live a healthier, fitter, lifestyle, 6 Pack USA can make it happen.  if you have any more questions for me concerning my journey to the stage, ask away!

le

is there a whole foods on the strip?

why yes, yes there is :lol:

alright, i'm giving the blog-as-i-go thing a try for a few days- i have a ton of pics, but some of them are in my phone, and some in my camera. and guess who left their camera usb adapter at home?  i always forget one thing when i travel, and well, this time it's that darn cord. SO, instead of waiting until i get home and doing one big post like i normally do, i'm bloggin' what i got so far minus a few camera pics.  Chiso's taking a nap and i'm bored.

we are in the fabulous Las Vegas, NV for Musclemania Fitness AmericaWeekend - Sonny is competing in his last show of the year!

Chiso was NOT feeling his first plane ride.  i'm hoping and praying the return flight is a million times better.  our plane touched down around midnight, and after getting our luggage, renting a car, etc., we finally made it to our hotel, tired & hoongry.

Matt & Sonny had an after-the-club breakfast in the hotel cafe,

and they brought mine up to the room since Chiso needed to be put down for bed immediately.  i had whole wheat toast, egg whites, hash browns, and the saltiest piece of ham on earth :shock:

energized after some much needed rest, we were ready to get into something the next day.  while Sonny attended meetings, waited in super long lines (he's somewhere under that water slide)

does media interviews, take pics and all that jazz,

Chiso, uncle Thew,

and i,

hit the strip!

i justified our Whole Foods trip by scoping out the room service menu for kicks like i always do and ummmmm..... half a grapefruit for 3.75? only in vegas.

1st up, we fueled up for all the walking we were about to do!

of course i had a sandwich.

whole wheat, grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, cucumbers, mushrooms, provolone cheese, and stone ground mustard, pressed. classic!

let the walking begin!

we saw the famous welcome to las Vegas sign, the m&m store, the underground forum shoppes in Caesars Palace, fashion show mall... the usual, lol!  we also stopped at The Bellagio to catch the water show and have dessert.

Chi watched and sat still like a big boy for the entire performance.  he deserved a standing ovation from Mommy!

or some sugar-free strawberry gelato, that works too.

Matt got a 3 layer mini cheesecake that was so creamy.

and fancy.

oh just eat it already.

after more walking, we headed back to the hotel for dinner @ The Grotto.

no idea what kinda bread this was but it was so moist and chewy on the inside, and crunchy on the outside.

Matt ordered a shrimp pasta with asparagus and tomatoes in a cream sauce dish covered with cheeeeese,

and i got the seared ahi tuna with grilled red potatoes, asparagus, french green beans, red & yellow tomatoes, and a boiled egg.  the host hotel restaurants have special menus just for fitness america weekend, and i ordered from that since i knew it would be super clean and healthy.  even still, most restaurants will accommodate your requests (omit oil, butter, dressing on the side, etc.) if you just ASK!

aaand i ended the day with a bed time snack that Sonny can't have yet-

sweet, all natural, Indiana kettle corn!  i grabbed a bag from WF earlier cause i knew we'd get the munchies later and ordering room service is out of the question.

ok that went fairly well- i'll try again during the next nap.

le

winner winner chicken dinner

glory to God, Sonny won 1st place in his division at the Ft. Worth MuscleMania bodybuilding show this past weekend!! here's Chiso congratulating him and apologizing for sleeping through the entire evening show in mommy's arms.  630-930...what a nap :shock:

i'm pretty proud of this guy.

i was screaming as loud as i could!!  great show and amazing jobs done by all.

here are Sonny and some of the other competitors soaking in their win.  cloud 9 status!

Chiso clearly just wanted to play with that ball, but we got a good family shot outside the venue during intermission break.  immediately following the show, Sonny's team went to dinner at Blue Mesa  to celebrate their accomplishments, weeks of hard work, dieting, and training.  both of our phones were almost dead after our long day, so my camera flash was toast.  horrible lighting for these next few pics, ugh.

along with Sonny's show day meals, i prepped all of mine for the trip as well.  and this meal was not apart of the plan lol! neither was the pizza Sonny brought me from backstage earlier.  nevertheless,  i started with a  dinner salad of field greens topped with tomatoes and red onion.  balsamic vinaigrette was on the side.

Sonny got the Perfect Tortilla Soup which had chicken, tomatoes, jack cheese, smoked chiles, and fresh lime in chicken broth.

CHIPS. sweet potato, tortilla (blue and flour).  and honestly they were nothing to write home about.  it's just that they were in front of me and i was hungry!!! snacking ensued. excessive snacking.

having no flash totally took away from the dish, but it was way tastier than it looked.  i got the Spa Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with asparagus and grilled sweet potatoes.  the Spa section on their menu was detailed with nutritional stats and lighter options.  i totally appreciated that.  why don't restaurants just do this for the entire menu?  we're prolly better off not knowing in some cases!

Sonny asked the server for the dish with the most food and variety like he always does and ended up getting a sampler platter.  like he always does. lol.  the Mesa Sampler came with a carmelized onion quesadilla, mixed nachos, and chicken taquitos.

so on the way back to our hotel WE wanted something sweet and went through a Mc Donalds drive through in hopes to get some ice cream.   the machine was already closed down for cleaning for the night.  that has happened to us SEVERAL times... we should know the darn schedule by now.  so we ended up at the next best thing... actually it's prolly the best thing lol.

we split a whatasized vanilla shake and i'm pretty sure i slurped down 70% of it!  i hadn't had one in YEARS.  it was.... incredible.  Sonny mentioned going to In-N-Out burger too (hey we don't have one in Houston) but i had to put my foot down and call it quits.

we got some rest and headed home the next morning, but not before grabbing breakfast.  i took a selfie of my abs before we left though and i wasn't surprised that they were still flat.  after i eat crap, it pops back up to say hello on me 3-4 days later.  for a while i had myself fooled!  the symptoms may be delayed  (bloating, gas, bubble guts, pimples, fatigue, flat muscles, heaviness) but they ALWAYS come.  always.

Sonny wanted to start breakfast with a BANG but Ihop was the  best option that popped up on our GPS.  i was somewhat relieved and i'm also glad there were no Shipley's around :shock:

now THIS is a breakfast of champions.  ^^^ there's one right there, tee hee.  Ihop always did have crazy portion sizes.

Sonny smashed a steak omelette topped with cheese and tomatoes,

and a stack of what Ihop is famous for.... mmmmmm.

we got Chi a kiddie sampler of baby cakes, scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon which he did NOT like and took off his plate immediately.  i'm not a fan of the texture of turkey bacon either...i don't blame him.

 

time to get back on track.

after examining this pic closer, that totally looks like a bug in my oatmeal!!!!! LOL. i remember seeing it after stirring my bananas in though and it was definitely an oat.  i think.  i hope.

i also got a spinach, mushroom, and tomato egg white omelette that was pretty amazing.  i'm am in complete love with their Simple and Fit menu. look at all those options!!! the website is super user-friendly. seriously, GO IHOP! 4 thumbs up from fitfoodiele.

the oatmeal came with butter, brown sugar, and milk on the side, but i didn't use them.  you know what i used!  packet of stevia from the stash in my purse.

didn't bring any Walden Farms syrup with me, but they did provide sugar-free syrup.  again, GO IHOP!  HEB sells Cary's syrup as well, FYI.

we hit the road and made it home safely, thank God.  THEN i hit the gym solo to get a head start on that vanilla shake before it did too much damage lol.  Saturday was a full rest day and i did absolutely nothing for the first time in a while, so i was ready to go and pump some iron.

one of the bodybuilders gave this advice to the crowd at the show:  'it's not about who can squat the most.  it's not about who can bench press the most.  eat right, squeeze the muscle with each rep, and train hard.'  it was short, sweet, and really hit home.  during that workout, i did my best to squeeze my glutes, hams, quads, and calves with each rep. i felt and saw a difference immediately.  oooh it burns. STILL feeling it.

i did legs and cardio and got up outta there.  will be switching up my routine next week though-  time for something new.  next i hit up the store cause my Sunday just ain't right without some grocery shopping.

CONGRATULATIONS SONNY!!!!! XOXO

le

2012 Space City Muslcemania Championships Show / 5th wedding anniversary

*****September 15th, 2012*****

GLORY TO GOD for allowing us to participate in this journey from start to finish. 

my first bodybuilding competition has come and gone! what a weekend/week to remember.  i've been trying to collect as many pics as possible from my friends, family, and even some of the professional photos but i am so backed up with pictures and posts i need to just POST something already!!!

THANK YOU to my posing coach, Christine Anderson of CAC and Food 4 Thought.  She is an amazing woman, exceptional teacher, and most important, a true pleasure to work with.   she is always on time, pleasant, positive, full of energy, and so very passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise with her clients.  i highly recommend working with Christine whether it's your first or 50th show.  she is as professional as they come!  i definitely learned from the best.

Christine and i together at the dress rehearsal 1 week before i hit the stage.

i can't speak for the other girls, but i was waaaay more nervous for dress rehearsal than the actual show!   i enjoyed meeting and making friends with the other competitors along the way.  i loved hearing about their 'story' and why they chose to compete.  that's definitely what i get asked the most too.  as crazy as this sounds, it didn't dawn on me that these girls were my competition until that day lol!  we all worked so hard for the changes we made to our bodies- it was an awesome thing to not only watch my own body transform, but to witness their progress too.

that following friday evening, Sonny and i attended the mandatory check-in meeting for all the competitors.  the administrators gave us the run down on how things would go on show day and other important info we needed to know.

we also got our spray tans done that night as well as our numbers, 21 and 23.  we had to wear dark, loose fitted clothing so that we wouldn't mess up the tan job. it looks like our clothes are swallowing us.

i also met up with and chatted with some of the funniest and coolest girls i've ever met, seriously.  i expected show day to be SUPER long, but hanging out and laughing with these girls backstage all day made it fly by!  the entire experience was that much more enjoyable because of them.

Sonny passing his drug test with flying colors. too bad they don't check for traces of popeyes chicken grease :shock:

show day!

 i know, i know. looks disgusting but it's my big bowl of banana oats with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla creme stevia.  i ate it on the way to get my makeup done and hair curled.

it's a miracle!  after 3 months of looking straight rough, i appreciated this makeover very, very much.  THANK YOU to Tinnell Sloan  for working every single ounce of her magic on me that day. i needed it.

ducklips = feelin myself.

headed to the venue, bright and early.

 but still late :roll:

we all got dressed and ready for the big group photo outside the venue...Sonny missed it by mere minutes!!

however he made it for the guys only pic. this picture SCREAMS hard work, doesn't it!?  among other things, LOL

after that, we took individual portraits outside as well.

Sonny and his washboard abs waiting his turn for his solo shot.

Dani and i waiting to take our individuals! i met this fabulous woman at our first posing camp about 2 months prior.  we exchanged numbers and kept in touch and checked on each other throughout those crazy weeks of training.

after pics, we head back to the dressing rooms to change into our theme wear.  the order of events was posted right outside the door - Sonny started the show and i ended it, literally.  and this was only the morning show order of events, not the whole day like i thought!

in the dressing room joking, taking pics, primping, eating, and just waiting.

 i was an Olympic sprinter and Dani was a pin-up girl. my baton was around there somewhere!

i went out to take a quick peek and was able to catch Sonny heading out to start the show!  this was his club wear. super sharp;)

  when they finally called our class to come line up my heart skipped several beats.

as i watched the girl in front of me take a deep breath and walk out on stage into the lights, i said to myself in my head, 'this is it, Leah, DO IT.'

the stage guy interrupted my thoughts and said 'alright, go, go, go'.  i said a prayer and just went.

  

aaaaaaaaaand 1 minute later, it was over!!!

 

here are a few shots of my Nigerian soccer player doing his thing for the theme wear round.

way to sell it, Mr. E!

my gorgeous buddy Kaleigh (1st time competitor) and i after finishing up the theme wear -tall round. we did it, girl!!  we survived on Walden Farms products (sugar-free, fat-free, carb-free, gluten-free, EVERTHANG-free) to spice up our meal plans lol.

**intermission break **

 we were able to come out and visit with the friends and family that came to support us!  we are so grateful for all the cheers, encouraging words, pictures, videos, well wishes, presence, and love.  THANK YOU sincerely, family and friends!!!

being cheesy for a pic in my runner stance.  my cheeks were so sore by that point.

my bro, Chiso, and i!  during the break, i went home to spend more time with my little guy as i missed his butt so bad and we hadn't even left for Jamaica yet.

@ home taking more pictures.

halfway done-  we then headed back to the venue for the evening show and swimwear/bikini rounds.

and we're back!  all changed and ready to go....to wait some more.

the nerves were all gone at this point- i was just ready to get it over with more than anything.

 no vid for this round, but i do think it went WAY better than my theme wear round. i was comfortable and nerve-free by then.

there's my front pose for the judges,

the back,

and the front again!  how'd i do?

2nd place - bikini tall class!!

this was certainly an added blessing.  my ultimate goal was to just get through this darn training journey and hit the stage for the first time and do my best.  i am so grateful and humbled.

that leads me to my next THANK YOU which goes to my extremely patient trainer, Travis!!!!  thank you for answering my bajillion questions, texts, emails, calls, and emails :lol: .  even when i was dog tired on the way to our sessions, i would always be pumped and re-energized after our workouts.  physically and mentally.  he encouraged and reassured me along the way and promised to have my body ready for this show.  he did just that!  i share this win with him in my heart as he contributed to making my first competition a very special one to remember.  he has plenty of clients but gave me his undivided attention and made my goals, his goals.  he's an awesome, highly recommended trainer to work with!  good luck on YOUR upcoming show, Travis!

Sonny also brought home some hardware too- that's my hubby!!! 2nd from the right in the striped bottoms. i am so proud of him.

ok back in the dressing room, i HAD to snap this of Dani savoring a snickers bar immediately after we were totally done.  she is going to kill me but her face is PRICELESS. but those abs though!!!

 'why wait?'

DON'T.

hahahahahaahaha

few more pics with the ladies before we parted ways for the evening. two bikini girls, two figure girls.

then i went to find Sonny so we could rep for anniversary #5! all natural, baby!

this girl here... my angel.  THANK YOU, Ogechi, for inspiring me to even start blogging in the first place.  you have been with me from the jump!  you have prayed with me, over me, and for me and i'm so grateful to God for blessing me with your friendship.  i was under the impression that Ogechi was all the way in Atlanta that day, but she surprised the heck outta me and was sitting in the audience for the evening show the entire time!!! her support means the WORLD to me and i love her (and her recipes i will be posting more of! ) so, so much. i appreciate you my dear sister and friend.

 what an awesome 1st experience, period.  so grateful to have done this with Sonny by my side and also celebrate 5 years of marriage and counting.

thank you for reading!

le

10 days to destiny

my last post was deleted completely and i almost cracked.  it's not the first time that has happened, but when it does, my 'make up' post usually turns out better the second time.  and i remember to add a whole bunch of stuff i left out the first time. so, it's all good.

so, HI :)

this post was supposed to go out on Labor Day, whoops.  speaking of LD, was there a party at your gym late-morning/early afternoon too!?  i think everybody slept in, then got up and went to the gym at the same time.  there were people EVERYWHERE on every machine.  that's a good thing though as there are no holidays for your health.

oh and also, i have managed to go from an iPhone, to a brand spanking new Samsung galaxy s3, to NO phone in a matter of days.  gaaaaaaaaaaaah, having no phone is THE absolute worst thing ever these days.  especially when it's your fault :roll: replacement phone is en route. i miss Instagram so much, lol!  IG on the PC is wack!

*update*

10 days, not weeks, left until the show.  i have always been a cardio horse, so these last few days of it will be a piece of cake.

 i actually gained some weight this past week (due to the carb loading, water, and gaining more muscle), but i still managed to drop a tad more body fat, whoop whoop.  last progress pic(s) until the show- no spoilers!

 currently at:

144lbs

10% body fat

few more progress shots before this morning's workout (stole Sonny's phone)

my meal plan is different all the way up until show day, so my trainer says to expect more changes and i will.

my abs seem to have disappeared for the moment, but it's temporary bloating.  you know i asked!!

#backaction

even more reason to love my racerback tops now!

got my show suit, got my theme wear and now all i need to do is PRACTICE.  some more.  oh and get that other stuff done too of course: waxing, makeup, hair, and tanning.  my posing coach, Christine, sent out an email that included a checklist of everything i need to have done or do. all i can say is WHEW!  i felt this same feeling before my wedding, before Sonny's 30th birthday party,  before Chiso's 1st birthday party...  yeah, pretty much before any big event.  a feeling of suffocation, anxiety, and my mind racing a mile a minute... just ready to just get this the heck over with.  my life will then settle down a bit...until the next thing i get myself into.

now for some food porn!!!!

this was Chiso's breakfast today- his current favorite.  banana oat pancakes, banana chunks, and eggs.

i packed a quick snack for him before i headed out too: roasted sweet potatoes, some ripe avocado, and strawberries.

while i was making breakfast, i got going on my lunches-  i munched on steak and potatoes for my low carb menu today.  i roasted my sweet potatoes last night (450 deg oven for about 45 min), so they were already soft and just needed to be reheated later.

i put my grill pan over super high heat and grilled my steaks which had been marinating in liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, and montreal steak seasoning.

i packed up meals 2 and 3 before heading out earlier.

however when i got home this evening, i got fancy!  this totally feels like a cheat meal, forreal.  i made garlic sweet potato fries instead of my usual roasted.  i told you sweet potatoes are SO versatile!

i cut them up, then i got crazy and used all this on them lol.  no added calories but plenty of flavor.  (the smokehouse maple seasoning does have sodium and sugar in it but i went super-duper light) i read about the butter flavoring and it's pretty awesome and smells WONDERFUL.

end result:

POW!!!

grilled sirloin steak topped with avocado, garlic sweet potato fries, and fresh sautéed spinach.  i'll be Instagramming this as soon as i get my phone back lol.

 it tasted as amazing as it looked!

*season the fries and pop them in a 400 deg oven for about 20 min.  spread them out so they cook evenly*

and i get to have it one more time for meal 6!! happy rest of your hump evening!!

le