I heart sweets and Jillian Michaels

My huge downfall is sweets.  I just really love about any form of desert.  I found this a while ago when I heard about how great coconut milk is (initially from Jillian Michaels's book).  I tried it and loved it.  I do love coconut, and this has just a hint of coconut, so if you aren't a coconut fan, you might not like it.

It's also not that bad for you. Only 150 calories for 1/2 cup, and 6 grams of fiber.  I also appreciate the list of ingredients, you can actually pronounce each ingredient.  See- INGREDIENTS: ORGANIC COCONUT MILK, ORGANIC AGAVE SYRUP, CHICORY ROOT EXTRACT, CAROB BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM, VANILLA EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVOR, VANILLA BEAN SPECKS.  It's pretty light, not the rich creaminess of something like Hagan Das or Ben and Jerry's but when you just need something sweet, a little bit is just enough.

A friend of mine got me hooked on the Biggest Looser several years ago and so began my love for Jillian Michaels.  I read her book "Master your Metabolism" about a year ago and really appreciated her scientifically based explanations for how different foods effect your body. 

Having hypothyroidism myself, it really helped to know how different foods/chemicals manipulate your hormones and how we can eat to balance our bodies.  When I ate from her food plan I felt so much better.  You don't realize how much you feel like crap until you feel really good.  Munchkie's Daddy even liked her recipes, they were full of real, organic ingredients and tons of flavor.  Sometimes he even makes some of her recipes just for himself.   Jillian was on the cover of Self magazine for January and inside are more meal ideas/recipes that I am excited to try out.  I can definitely handle eating her recipes such as the Southwestern Slam in which you cook together 1/2 cup corn, 1/4 cup canned black beans, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 tsp cumin, pinch of cayenne, 1 whole egg, 1 egg white, 2 tsp cilantro, and then serve with 2 cups cubed papaya. Mmmmm!

A few months ago Munchkie's Daddy and I did a juice detox together and I wanted to start the year off with a detox.  I felt more energy and overall well being after the detox, and found that I was able to eat much smaller portions without feeling hungry afterwords, as well as not having any cravings for sweets.  When I tried to start the year off with a detox I could not get the juices down, I would bring it to my lips and immediately start gagging because I remembered how horrible they tasted before.  I realized if I could not get the vegetables down than it was not really worth it to just drink fruit juices.  I will give it one more shot on my next stretch of days off, but then it's back to Jillian for me in my quest for better health in 2011.


I have been doing better in exercising and started Jillian's 30 Day Shred yesterday before work.  I think it's called a shred because your muscles feel like shredded cheese when you're finished.  I did it before work yesterday and could hardly move for the entire shift.  I still can hardly move, and I know that's a good thing.

Tomorrow I am going to measure myself as suggested on ehow in this article and see how I do in the 30 days.  I am hoping that between this healthier option for my sweet tooth, Jillian Michael's diet concepts and her 30 Day Shred, I will feel like a new person by Valentine's day.