Winners

After a break that has lasted much too long! And a contest that has dwindled (to which I take full blame)... It was easy to select the winners.
Three winners were selected based on these criteria: Diet compliance, Body Fat %, and Total Weight Loss.

Each of these lucky winners receives $95.00 for their efforts.

In no particular order, please give it up for:

Thais Wise, Curtis Liberda, and Craig Peeples.

Thank you for your hard work and discipline!

Cheating

Who is doing a cheat meal per week? More than one cheat meal? A cheat day? Please provide feedback on when you cheat and why? Is it pre-planned or did it happen due to poor planning? Cheat meals can be helpful if planned and timed specifically. For the best results, time your cheat meal following a workout. Preferably a hard weight training session followed by interval training or as some say a HIIT session. Another appropriate time for a cheat meal is after several days of diligent dieting (meaning 100% compliance). A cheat meal taken after this time will serve as a metabolic boost and may just be what your body needs to lose those extra few pounds. Remember cheating (on your diet!) is only good and beneficial if it is timed correctly and used sparingly.

Halfway Point

Today marks roughly the halfway point of this contest and a time to reflect, as well as make the decision to continue on. While some of us have faltered it's important to remember there is still a lot of time left to make a difference. Get back on the wagon if you have fallen off and commit to do better. Remember this is about making a lifestyle change. There are going to be peaks and valleys; enjoy the ride and be positive and good things will happen in all aspects of your life.
Please share your thoughts at this halfway point.

Bad Weather + Different Schedule= Poor Eating?

Just a quick post to see how everyone is handling this weather situation (only made a situation in Dallas right ;). I'm sure many of you have noticed that with a veer from your normal routine and habits that it has been easy to stray from your diet as well. We humans are amazing creatures. Creatures of habit. This is a simple testament to how easily we can revert to an old habit or pattern that is ingrained. It also reminds us how eating poorly can mistakenly make us feel good during the indulgence but can leave us with negative side effects: craving the crap again (dopamine and insulin response lead to this...), beating ourselves up and continuing in the pattern, and rationalizing why it is simply okay to eat crap (oh, it's cold outside... I'm stuck in here... why not, I'm bored and I deserve it). Crazy things we can convince ourselves of when we "really want something."
I'm letting these few days be a learning experience and a gentle reminder that straying from the path of eating healthfully is not a habit I want to continue. And dammit I AM using the bad weather as an excuse for eating brownies and Oreos and enjoying every last morsel. Do I feel crappier? Yes. Am I mad at myself? A little bit. Will I get back on track? Yes. Today, actually has been quite good. Looking forward to planning the week ahead and staying on track.

Oh, wait! SUPERBOWL Party! Hmm. An excuse to eat crap or a gimmie moment? You decide. Back on track ASAP!

Would love to hear how your last couple of days have been. I've enjoyed seeing quite a few of you braving the weather and making it into the club too!

Diet Phase 2 (and beyond)

For those of you diligent followers that have NOT strayed from the original phase one and have made it 21 consecutive days you are now successfully burning fat and can move onto Phase 2. Excellent work! For those of you that strayed, I recommend you stay on Phase 1 until you complete 21 days to get the best results.

Phase 2 Guidelines:

-Keep following the guidelines from Phase 1 but now you can add one of the following foods once or twice a day. Pick only ONE of these foods per meal. You must still eat this food with protein and eat five meals a day and continue to drink plenty of water.

Phase 2 foods/ pick one of the following one to two times a day:

Oatmeal
Cottage Cheese
Yogurt with less than 20 grams of sugar (do not get one with artificial sweeteners)
Apple
Beans
Grapefruit
Cheese
Milk (if you are not sensitive to it)
Handful of nuts
Pineapple
Apricot
Peach
Plum
Grapes
Berries
Cherries
Citrus Fruits
Ezekial Bread (one slice)
Sweet Potato
Baked Potato
Avocado
Carrots

Remember, one one to two times per day and with a good Protein source.

It would be great to hear from those that have made it the full 21 days without cheating. I know of a few!

Day 11

Today marks 11 days from the first day after the diet plan was posted. I would love to hear your feedback.
1) How do you feel?
2) Have you lost weight?
3)Do you have more energy?
4) Have nagging aches and pains subsided?
5) Did your desire for sweets and carbs do you in?
6) How are you coping with your cravings?
7) Have you enlisted the help of some outside support?
8) How do your workouts feel?
9) How does food taste to you?
Please comment and post your answers.
I'll go first!
1)Despite the onslaught of the female cycle, and the effects of a busy January, I feel great. My skin is clearer, I wake up in the morning devoid of puffiness (in my face, feet, and hands), and feel, in a general, a sense of calmness.
2)Using the female excuse I've still managed to lose 3lbs.
3) I do have more energy and haven't felt the need to rely on any afternoon caffeine :)
4) My plantar fasciitis that has hung around since June; miraculously went away when I got rid of gluten and added the Athletic Greens supplementation. Upon cheating and having two general bad eating days this past Sunday and Monday my foot pain reappeared. After a great day yesterday and today it feels fine and I have no pain at all! (I can't believe this!!!).
5) Yes, I'm quite addicted but am doing much better. Sweets and carbs were my daily staples. 6) Whenever a I get an urge for something sweet I grab a few pecans, eat a spoonful of almond butter, or drink an Orange flavored Prograde shake. (looking forward to cracking open the chocolate).
7) Outside support: well, quite honestly it is very motivating to me to hear how each and every one of you is doing. I'm very impressed with those of you that have shared and hope that you will continue to do so.
8) My workouts started off horribly. Gosh I sure was efficient at burning those carbs... not so much with burning fats. My heart rate was elevated and I felt dizzy. To combat this I've started drinking my protein shake during my workout if I had not eaten within two hours beforehand; and this has helped tremendously.
9) Call me crazy, but I can't believe how good a nice salad tastes and how strong the flavors of each veggie are. Meat has never tasted better either! When I did cheat and have some bread with peanut butter on Sunday I was a bit taken back at how processed and salty the bread tasted. I even smelled the bread to see if it was rotten because it almost tasted as if it had rotten butter or something on it. Very strange as it was the same bread I had eaten in the past and I never noticed this before...

Thank you for reading & I'm looking forward to and appreciate your comments!

Progress and Set Backs: Willpower

Am I at 100% compliance? No. Am I beating myself up? No. Am I giving up and just saying oh this day is shot I already screwed up...? No. Is this progress for me? Yes. In any other diet endeavor I've tried it seems the urge for carbohydrates and sweets is much greater than my desire for compliance. With this came the usual binge on "insert something tasty and sweet here" to the later feeling of remorse and then saying oh what they heck I already messed up why continue? I know what to eat, at what times to eat, and what I should think, and how I should act and react based on what I choose. Knowing and doing are very different creatures. Willpower is yet another. Listening to a brief segment on NPR yesterday I heard the word "willpower" and turned up the volume. The guest had written a book on willpower and how, as a society, our willpower has dwindled due to abundance and excess that surrounds us everyday. While I was only able to listen for 10 minutes I came away with some very important insights: 1) we innately do not have willpower & 2) we can employ the use of tools to train and strengthen our willpower.
Here, I will remind you of some tools that will help us all with our compliance.
1) Remove all bad foods from your sight of vision and easy reach; if they are in your house and you know where they are you WILL find and EAT them. Hint: I located a one inch square of brownie in the freezer this evening; and yes.... I ate it! (these are the times one wishes their memory was not photographic).
2) Have a plan. If you do not shop for healthy foods, and schedule your meals for the day or week and stick to it= you will get hungry/desperate/and lose all willpower. Another example: this Tues. for me. Had my Athletic Greens at 5:30am; had a great protein and coffee shake at 7:45am; got busy at work and stayed until 2pm. The plan was to leave at 12 or 12:30 to go home and cook. I got home at 2pm and cooked my nice egg, broccoli, and green salsa concoction but wasn't satisfied... and felt stressed. Picked up Grant at school and drove promptly to Lone Star? to pick up a container of cake doughnuts!!! I ate 5 (they were small). Did I feel defeated? Yes. Did I give up on the day? No. For dinner I fixed a nice salad and called it an evening.

Today: think about ways that you are improving your health and lifestyle by making a commitment with this challenge. Learn that this is a process and that one cannot change overnight. Understand that one mistake need not lead to another. Relish in the fact that you are open to change by doing something positive for yourself. Realize that even those that appear to be strongest have kinks in their willpower.

Starting on Day 2

I started this diet yesterday and felt myself in a fog most of the day.... really made me realize how addicted to carbohydrates I really am. Did a workout in the afternoon and honestly felt as if I were going to keel over! My body was screaming: Where is my quick energy source? I'm not used to utilizing fats for my workouts. I've been extremely thirsty which is an added benefit as I actually want to drink a ton of water and it feels good quenching my thirst. Woke up this morning and honestly felt great. My face, eyes, and hands were not puffy and my stomach was much flatter than normal in the morning before a BM ;) The eating part has not been too difficult as I have quite a bit of veggies on hand from my first pick-up at Urban Acres and I always keep plenty of cans of tuna, salmon, and turkey on hand because I know I should eat them (but rarely opted to in the past and ended up having a FAT peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead). Upon waking I mixed a T. of Athletic Greens with a big glass of water and drank while I was getting ready to head to the club a little before 6am. Also this morning I went to Cafe Brazil between clients and grabbed a big cup of black coffee and another extra cup. Once in my office I poured half of the coffee into one cup and kept half in the other and added one scoop of vanilla protein powder to each cup of coffee and drank both for my first breakfast at 7:15am. My next meal at home at 10:45 consisted of two cups of steamed broccoli, 2 eggs, and 3 T. of this amazing gluten free fresh green salsa from Central Market. Am actually feeling stuffed right now but so craving a piece of bread with peanut butter. Will drink more water instead. Planning on making a huge salad with greens, can of salmon, tomatoes, olives, and some good gluten and sugar free dressing (don't worry about the fat!!! when going low carb. eating good fats will help keep you satiated). I will probably follow it up with a handful of nuts. Also planning on mixing up another shake with just water to sip on while training tonight and will fix something warm for dinner like a piece of chicken and some mixed veggies. Planning is the key to making this work. Getting hungry can lead us down the path of grabbing an easy carb and gluten filled packed product that will derail our progress. Happy dieting! Please comment and let us know how you are feeling.

Diet Phase 1 (first 21 days)

2011 Client Transformation Nutrition Guidelines

Basics of any successful fat loss program:

1. Create a caloric deficit.
2. Trick the body into thinking it is being overfed, while creating a caloric deficit. Eat every 3-4 hours. Doing this increases your metabolism.
3. Stay well hydrated. Aim for at least one to two liters of cold water per day. Drink non-caloric beverages like water and green tea. Steer clear from “diet” drinks as the artificial sweeteners will slow down your weight loss progress. When you consume artificial sweeteners your body reacts the same way as if you were consuming “real” sweets. Artificial sweeteners also increase sweet and carbohydrate cravings.
4. Eat plenty of protein (essential amino acids).
5. Consume essential fatty acids. For one of the best on the market due to its Krill oil content, one that is small in size and easy to swallow, and one that will not give you dreaded “fish burps,” see: http://anytimefitness.getprograde.com/essential-fatty-acid.html
6. Consume a basic multivitamin/mineral, fruits, vegetables, and greens supplement. See: http://anytimefitness.getprograde.com/ and select the appropriate one for your gender. Another product I really like is: https://www.athleticgreens.com/v2/index.php this product is a powder that you mix with water. You DO NOT need to take both. Either select the pill form or go with Athletic Greens. Athletic Greens must be refrigerated after opening.
7. Consume most of your calories in the form of lean protein, essential fats and vegetables.
8. Recognize that this plan is a low carbohydrate plan and that a low carbohydrate plan is essential if maximal fat loss is your goal.


The Diet

The First 21 days is basically lean proteins and green vegetables only. This eliminates all processed and refined carbs from the diet and helps us to drop body fat quickly and break psychological/cravings issues with carbohydrates.

A simple way to think of this first 21 days is as a “Green Faces” diet. Meaning the food has to have had, or going to have, a face, or grow out of the ground green or you can’t eat it. Exceptions: Whey Protein and Post Workout Shakes.

It is very important to eat enough total calories by eating more protein, fats, and vegetables. If you simply eliminate processed carbohydrates you will be left starving and lose lean muscle.

You must eat four to five meals a day and have a good source of protein at each meal and drink plenty of water. Be very strict and follow the tips below.

“Green Faces” Tips:

1. Strive to only eat the foods that are on the recommended food chart.
2. Make this a balanced diet by eating a wide variety of foods.
3. Try to eat different foods per day.
4. Eat whole, natural foods. Stay away from any processed foods. Eat organic when possible. I signed up at: http://urbanacres.wordpress.com/co-op-style-produce/.
They are located right here in the neighborhood on the north side of Davis by Clinton.
5. Eat protein at every meal and eat a mixture of different proteins. Never eat carbohydrates alone as a meal or a snack.
6. Eat at least 4 meals per day. Eat something every 3-4 hours and ALWAYS eat breakfast.
7. NO dairy products are allowed. Eggs are permitted.
8. Carefully pick your carbohydrates. Choose from the “recommended food chart.” Only Green Vegetables.
9. NO bread or refined carbohydrate consumption.
10. Use fats and oils freely.
11. Stay away from alcohol. It acts as a poison to your body. Your body must detoxify it and neutralize its adverse effects. It is a simple sugar and will wreak havoc on your metabolism. 21 days; you can do it!
12. Limit caffeine to no more than 2 cups per day. This includes coffee and tea. Always eat protein with caffeinated beverages.
13. Drink plenty of water.
14. Avoid or minimize sugar as much as you can
15. Take a whole foods multivitamin supplement and an essential fatty acid supplement (see recommendations above) to supplement this plan.

AVOID:
-Candy, soft drinks, beer, wine, or any other alcoholic beverage, sugar
-Avoid fried or microwaved foods
-Avoid eating carbohydrate foods without protein
-Avoid margarine, hydrogenated oils or fat substitutes
-Avoid roasted nuts/ raw nuts are okay
-Do not overcook meat, or eat blackened, charred meat
-Do not overcook vegetables

*These recommendations are intended to improve your nutrition and lifestyle. This diet is intended to help you learn how to make proper choices and change your current habits. This diet will improve how you look and feel and will create a strong foundational nutrition background for you to follow once the contest is over. I realize I could have made a simple diet based only on shakes and specific meals to get us through the 12 week contest and to get good fat loss and body composition results. However, eating in that manner is not realistic for the long run and will inevitably lead to burnout, cheating, and nutritional deficiencies. By learning how to pick and choose what you eat, what to purchase at the store, and what selections to make while dining out you will be able to continue on healthfully after the contest.
3 week “Green Faces” Phase recommended foods:

PROTEINS: you must have ONE at every meal.
Beef Chicken Duck
Bacon Fowl Goose
Kidney Liver Lamb
Spare Rib Pork Chop Turkey
Veal Wild Game Shellfish-shrimp, crab, lobster
Salmon Tuna Any Fish
Eggs Ham Cod
Flounder Halibut
Protein Shake
Recommended shakes: For an almost no carb and gluten free shake see:
http://anytimefitness.getprograde.com/protein-powder.html
Another low carb shake to consider: http://www.t-nation.com/productInfo.do;jsessionid=81165D2E96C13046C6DAB82C85E6E53A-he.hydra?id=525024
Both are high quality shakes and taste great.

CARBOHYDRATES- Only Green Vegetables
Eggplant Squash Broccoli
Asparagus Spinach Collard Greens
Romaine Lettuce Zucchini Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage Cucumber Celery
Leafy Greens Green Peppers Green Beans
Peas Tomato Green Beet
Cauliflower Mushroom Onion
Artichoke

FATS- Use freely
Olive Oil Almond Oil Flax Oil
Peanut Oil Sesame Oil Sunflower Oil
Walnut Oil Coconut Oil

Any and all spices are recommended to add flavor and variety to your meals.

How do I start?
First eliminate all processed foods and breads from your home. Give unopened items to a shelter. If they are in your house you will eat them.

What to do with your choices?
Easiest choice: grab a pan, drizzle some oil in and cook your meat, add veggies when meat is almost done.
Use a slow cooker: add some oil, a broth base and some water, add your meat, add your veggies. Viola! Pick one day a week: preferably Sunday to prepare, chop up veggies, cook additional meat.
Purchase a cookbook that follows these guidelines closely and get cooking. Does cooking take time? Yes. Can you make the sacrifice to watch 30 min. less of TV a day, or stop surfing the internet for a little while, or put down your favorite book to feel better, look better and live a happier more fulfilling life? Seems like little to sacrifice for all that we have lost due to our modern lifestyles.
Recommended cooking and recipe resources:
1. http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Diet-Cookbook-Breakfasts-Beverages/dp/0470913045/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294507342&sr=8-1
2. http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-Cookbook-Grain-Free-Gluten-Free/dp/0982207727/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294507342&sr=8-2
3. http://www.amazon.com/500-Low-Carb-Recipes-Snacks-Dessert/dp/1931412065/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1294507342&sr=8-7
4. http://www.amazon.com/200-Low-Carb-Slow-Cooker-Recipes/dp/1592330762/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1294507342&sr=8-11

Importance of keeping records

In order to ascertain success in this contest it's important to keep records of your daily food and beverage intake. This can be done in one of two ways: 1) You can write everything down. Keep a little notebook handy or use your notes section on your smartphone. Record what you eat & drink, how much, and at what time of the day. OR 2) Use your smartphone and take a quick picture of everything you consume and label the pictures with the date and time; you can get more detailed if you would like. This little exercise will amaze you and keep you honest. Save your logs and pictures and send them to me for review. I will use them to isolate areas you can improve. Tracking your daily intake will also help us set specific dietary goals for you to hit along the way for the greatest positive change in your health and physique.