What I do to stay in shape

Hello everyone, so I bet you are wondering what I do to stay in shape, the diets I follow and the exercises I do. Well this is a great chance for you to take a look at my routines and so you can apply it to yourself in case you think it would work for you. I am going to post few pictures so you know what I do to track what I eat, and how many calories I burn in each workout. 

My personal food track

• This is what I do every single day, I keep track of what I consume and the calories I burn in every workout. I break it down into four things: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks and Dinner. This is a great way to be honest with yourself, and a great opportunity for you to come to the realization of the mistakes you might be making that are not helping you reach your goals. Go buy a notebook, and begin writing everything down TODAY. Believe me it does help.

Polar FT40

• This is a Polar Watch, the best thing I have ever spent my money on. This watch counts your calories, tells you how much fat you burned, your heart rate and so on. I recommend you to buy one, so you know exactly how much you are burning every day or the days you workout. The name of this watch is Polar FT40, and it is amazing. Every time I workout and see the results is what keeps me going and is a constant motivation.

Another important thing I do besides exercising, is dieting. My diet is not as restrictive, and I do not starve myself. If you starve yourself, you will lose weight, but you will be unhealthy; besides, you will overeat when you starve gaining more weight. What I do is the following:

• I only eat two carbs a day. One with my breakfast and the second one at lunch. I do not eat carbs at night, because it turns into fat.
• I eat lots of vegetables and protein. Green vegetables are the best for losing weight and fat, but I love all the vegetables so I eat all the colors. Chicken, fish, meat, and so on are good sources of protein. What I eat the most is chicken and fish.
• I bake instead of fry. Baking is healthier than frying your food. Frying food means your food will absorb all that oil, and you will consume that, which will produce more fat in your body. Put everything in the oven.
• I eat less salt. If I want salt, I use sea salt, which is better than regular salt. I only use a pinch if I need to. 
• I drink lots of water every single day.
• I drink tea, specially green tea. Really good for you, helps you burn fat, and is a great antioxidant.
• I cook all my meals at home. I haven't had junk food in 6 months. If I know I will be lazy after the gym, then I prepare a salad before going to the gym. People, this is all about planning ahead so you have everything ready for you. No excuses. Cook everything and prepare everything ahead of time.
• I do not drink pop (Ever), juice, nestea and alcohol. All of the above has tons of calories, something you want to avoid completely, specially alcohol. Drink 2-3 glasses of red wine occasionally (special occasions), not every weekend or everyday. If you are the ones who absolutely love pop, juice and sugary alcohol drinks, then indulge yourself once or twice a month, but don't make it a habit. A tip for those who like to drink, what I do is I drink vodka and mix it with a fruit, squeeze half a lemon and ice, shake it and it taste delicious, low in calories and better for you.
• I avoid milk, but not entirely. You need calcium, and your body needs calcium, specially your bones. Milk is good for you, the only thing is that lactose is a type of sugar and if you are a milk drinker this won't benefit you if you are trying to lose weight. Instead, buy almond milk unsweetened.
• I eat dark chocolate. It is a great antioxidant, boost your libido and it is actually good for burning fat. Don't get too excited though, eat the necessary amount and make sure it is below 200 calories, which I believe are 3 squares.
• I snack on almonds and other nuts. They are great source of good fat and protein. You have to limit your intake though, we know that good fat burns bad fat in your body, but when you eat more than you should this will not benefit you.
• I do not eat cereals. They are packed with sugar and lots of calories. The only cereal I eat and I really recommend is Cheerios (Original) it has more fiber than sugar, which is what you should be looking for, and what you should be consuming as a snack.
• I drink black coffee. Black coffee has great benefits, is an antioxidant and helps you burn fat. The only way this would work for you is not adding any milk or cream, and sugar. Drink it straight up black and only 2 cups a day.
• I indulge once a week. I call it CHEAT DAY and it's only on Sunday. I do not eat candy and chocolate all day, but I do enjoy snacking whatever I want, and I enjoy it.
• I eat popcorn. Good source of fiber, amazing for snacking. I do not like buttered ones, I think it is way too greasy for me and it is actually bad for you, as well as salty ones. A good way is to make it at home so you know how much salt you are putting in them or maybe you do not want to put salt on it at all. 
• I eat fruit only in the morning. 
• I make my own dressing for my salads. This is one of my favorites:  Vinegar + mustard + ground black pepper + olive oil.
• I eat quinoa and hemp seeds. Amazing source of omega 3 and 6, fiber, protein, and so on. So good for you, buy it.
• I eat egg whites, instead of the whole egg. Even though, eggs are amazing, the yolk is full of cholesterol and is fattening. The egg whites is full of protein and you can eat it at any time. If you are a huge fan of the yolk, like me, you can use one whole egg + 2 egg whites and mix it with veggies.
• I use whey protein. I cook with whey protein and I drink it as well. Good for muscle recovery, burning fat, reduces hunger and so on. 
• I eat everything 100% WHOLE WHEAT. No more white flour everything, this is fattening, and turns into fat very quickly when ingested. Buy whole wheat breads, flours, tortillas, and so on.
• I use real butter (when it's necessary), not margarine.
• I eat protein pancakes. You believe you are treating yourself when eating them, because you could never say that pancakes aren't fattening, but when you do your own pancakes it is way better for you only if you use the right ingredients. The recipe for protein pancakes is:

1/2 cup oats

1 tbsp quinoa or hemp seeds

1 egg white

1 scoop whey protein

water

All these tips has helped me change my body. These tips were taken from @SaschaFitness a personal trainer from Venezuela. Of course, I changed few things to my benefit, not everything she says applies to me, there are few things I changed. Follow her on twitter, she gives amazing tips for losing, gaining weight plus exercises.