My Top 10 Weight Loss Products

I’m a creature of habit.

I like what I like, and stick to what I know 'til the very end.
My mom always said I was never good with change (unlike my brother.) My brother was always braver than I was. One time when we were kids, we were at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic and they served us raw clams. He tried the clams without hesitation, while I had a yucky look on my face the whole time, as if he had just tried literal poop off of the floor. Another time, we were in Orlando, and they served us baby Octopus. Again, he went in without hesitation. When we moved to Miami, he quickly adapted to our new environment and got friends right away. I've always been in awe of his ability to be at ease in most situations. He likes to try new foods, he’s good with meeting new people, and always seems really relaxed whenever a cop pulls him over. Back when we were still in school, he never seemed to get those first-day-of-school nerves that I always got the night before. While he was comfortable facing new situations, I was always a bundle of nerves. I once dragged him with me on a Sunday afternoon to help me figure out where my class was going to be located- IN COLLEGE. He’s a good big brother.

I like the safety of my comfort zone. I hate change. Change makes me anxious. Whether it’s trying new meals, the first day of school, meeting new people, or facing new situations, I get anxious like an alarm is going off in my chest and my stomach feels like puking. So when I find something I like and works for me, I stick to it as if my life depended on it.

This year has been different for me, though. I’ve been saying yes a lot more and getting out of my comfort zone. This means food, too. I’ve been trying new things. Rare for me, but I like where it has brought me so far. I actually enjoy going into new grocery stores and trying new products. This is the reason I started eating vegetables in the first place.

Through these months of weight loss and fitness, I’ve discovered 10 things I cannot live without. I’ve been using them on repeat since starting my weight loss journey. I use/eat these things constantly, if not daily. They've become my comfort zone amongst so many changes in my life, and have greatly helped me stay on track and healthy.

Honorary mention: Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals, 8 pound dumbbells, and my headphones! (currently unavailable).

Here we go...

My Top 10 Weight Loss Products

 1. Trader Joe’s Stir Fry Cauliflower Rice

Surprise, surprise! Trader Joe's Stir Fry Cauliflower Rice makes it at the top of my list. The first time I saw someone eat cauliflower rice on Instagram, I said: "Ew, I would never." Then, I thought: "Meh, why not, let's give it a try." It went something like this:

I went to my local supermarket and bought regular cauliflower rice. I tried it, and it was the worst experience of my whole life. Just kidding. But it wasn't good. It tasted too much like cauliflower and I DON'T like cauliflower. It was around that time that I flew to Philadelphia to visit family. By then, I had already lost some weight, and we talked about healthy meals and fitness. I told them about my terrible experience trying cauliflower rice, and my uncle's wife said "Have you tried Trader Joe's cauliflower rice? It's so easy to make and tastes great!" to which, at the risk of sounding dumb, I replied: "Does it taste like cauliflower?"

She said she didn't think so! She recommended to cook it with some soy sauce. So. Monkey see, monkey do. Upon landing back in Miami, the first thing I did was go to Trader Joe's and get myself some cauliflower rice. And that was it. We've been one ever since. I am stir fry cauliflower rice, stir fry cauliflower rice is me. I cook it with avocado oil spray for about 15 minutes, medium heat. I add soy sauce, then grilled chicken. It lasts for about 5 days in the fridge, I would say. It's low in calories, and it tastes really good! This is what I eat for lunch at work, quite quite quite often. I read somewhere online that cauliflower helps with weight loss, but I don't know. Anyway. Big fan.

You can find the cauliflower rice at Trader Joe's in the frozen foods aisle.

 2. Toufayan Smart Pockets Whole Wheat

All hail these smart pockets! I love these! I love them mostly because they allow me to run late to work and have breakfast in the car without making a mess- all for 80 calories! Do I think they are the tastiest pockets I've ever tried? I don't. But I do think they are good, and they do the trick. Especially because they are only 80 calories!!!! Have I mentioned yet they are only 80 calories? I warm one up in the toaster and then make myself any kind of pocket sandwich with these. Usually an egg salad sandwich, but lately I've been making myself chicken salad pockets. I haven't read the ingredients on the back yet but what doesn't kill you-... Haha?

I buy these at Publix. I find these pockets in front of the Deli at my local Publix, by where they keep the brie cheeses.

 3. 2.2 liter bottle and hydroflask sksksksk

I used to never drink water. My 2.2 liter bottle (I also own a 3 liter pink bottle from Amazon) is the best investment I've ever made. Keeping that amount of water next to me at all times HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. I pee clear now! And I pee a lot. (You get used to the peeing.) My skin feels hydrated. I feel clean inside. I don't feel thirsty. I feel fuller. I love my water. I try to drink one of these a day.

The hydroflask: I'm glad I invested in one but I could have lived without it. They are expensive. However, now that I've experienced cold water after a long workout, I could never go back. I take my Hydroflask when I run outside and leave my bottle in my car. Despite the Miami heat, that water stays cold! I love getting back to my car and drinking cold water.

Hydroflask you can find at WholeFoods. My 2.2 Liter of Water I found at Amazon.

 4. Running belt

This isn't the running belt I use, but mine was sold out, so I found the next best thing! I love keeping my keys and my phone here, I barely notice it when I go on my runs. It's flexible and easy to wear. I wear it every single time.

My uncle got me mine as a gift years ago, but I will buy a new one from Amazon at some point.

 5. Eggs

Eggs. Pretty self explanatory, you'd think. But I love eggs. I love fried eggs, I love scrambled eggs, I love boiled eggs, and I love omelettes. I eat eggs everyday (1). It helps so much with hunger. I have one egg -any style- in the morning everyday. I used to have two or even three eggs in the morning back in my 245 pound days, but now I'm good with one.

 6. Apps: MyFitnessPal, LAFitness, recently Couch to 5K, and my Spotify.

I downloaded MyFitnessPal years and years ago, but never really committed to it until now. It helps me keep track of what I'm eating as well as my weight. I used to do 1350 calories a day, then increased them to 1450, now I do about 1500 to 1600.

La Fitness App is my favorite thing ever. I can see when and where my favorite classes are scheduled for, and I don't need to use my membership card in my keychain! We love technology.

I recently downloaded the Couch to 5K app. This app helps you train for a 5K by telling you when and how long to jog for. This is only my first week using it but I love it. It pushes me to do better. I believe it's an 8-9 week program. Each week they increase the length in time of the jogs, but you usually do about 30 mins three times a week. Seems doable enough!

Fitness without music is like pancakes without syrup. I use both Apple Music and Spotify but I think Spotify is more user friendly. I still like Apple Music more because I'm not a traitor, but I've made space in my heart (and phone) for Spotify now. I love my playlists! I love radio music. I know liking pop music on the radio is not the cool & edgy thing to do and I should be into classic rock or listen to 1975 and Arctic Monkeys but c'mon, CAN'T KEEP MY HANDS TO MYSELF BY SELENA GOMEZ IS A JAM AND YOU CAN'T PROVE OTHERWISE. My taste in music is basic but I make no apologies.

7. Bananas

I love bananas. That's it, that's the blog.

8.  B12

I didn't link a product for B12 because I've been trying different ones and I haven't chosen one in specific. Ever since discovering B12.... OH MAN, I feel like superman. Is it all in my head? Who knows. But I feel like I will never need coffee so long as I have B12. My doctor did recommend B12 because I have anemia and this vitamin gives you energy, so maybe that's why I love it so much: my body needs it. But maybe not. I'm not a doctor. All I know is that I can tell the difference in my energy when I take it from when I don't. Naps who?

 9. Halo Top/ Rebel Ice Cream

I don't know if I would have made it this far in my weight loss journey without ice cream. I have ice cream every other day, if not everyday. Whether it's one spoon of it, or a little more. I love ice cream. In fact, I'm having ice cream right now as I type this. These two brands are the healthy version of regular ice cream. I believe Rebel ice cream is healthier (and Keto friendly), but it has more calories. Halo Top has less calories, but more sugar. Both are great. I love both. I can't choose one. It's like loving all your children equally. (But just like all mothers, they all have a favorite child in secret and that's halo top shh)

10. Avocado Oil Spray

I could never go back to cooking with anything else. It's 0 calories but don't spray too much. It takes time and practice to get used to how quickly it burns and how to maneuver avocado oil spray, but avocado oil is the healthiest form of oil. Hahaha just kidding, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I heard someone say that, and I chose to believe it, so I repeat it. That's what I do. That's the brand. Monkey see...

Monkey do.

Be kind to people.

-Cabi

P.S. I will do a list of my top favorite items to get at Trader Joe's soon. I <3 Trader Joe's.