February Weight Loss Challenge

Fight The Flab In February:

How many of you made New Year’s Resolutions this year?  Do you make the same resolutions each year?  Do they include going to the gym, working out, eating better, losing weight?  I think these are probably at the top of everyone’s list, including mine, at the beginning of the year.  But it seems that for a lot of people, the motivation and effort seems to die down as the weeks go on.  

One of the things that it really helping me maintain my weight and feel healthy is drinking Shakeology every single day.  I’m absolutely addicted at how great it makes me feel.  It’s a phenomenal product and I wish everyone that I care about would try it. Syed and I both drink it daily, as well as many of my friends.  I just got my dad on it and I’m really expecting it to make a big difference in his health and energy levels. Next up, I’ll be getting my mom drinking it too.

So in an effort to share my love for it, and give people a boost with their efforts going into February, I am sponsoring a Fight The Flab In February Shakeology Challenge. I’m forming a 30 day accountability group.  All you have to do is purchase a 30 day supply of Shakeology HD and replace 1 meal a day for 30 days.  At the end of 30 days, I will randomly select some of the participants for a raffle.  We’ll be raffling off gift certificates to some cool places, just for fun and to thank you for participating.  We start on 2/14/11.

No obligation, no risk.  If you don’t like it or don’t feel any results, you can get your money back, even if you’ve used the whole bag.  However, I have a feeling you will love how you feel after 30 days!

A one month supply of Shakeology HD is $119 + tax.  Make sure you order HD (home direct) to get free shipping.  With HD you also get 2 FREE workout DVDs.  

If you don’t want to commit to 30 days, ask me to try a 3 day cleanse!  I’ve had friends lose up to 7 lb in 3 days!  A 3 Day Cleanse includes 9 servings of Shakeology, 6 Green Teas, and a shaker cup for $40.

Check out Shakeology here at http://www.shakeology.com/tamaragomez

If you’d like to try a sample, just let me know.  

You can contact me at tamara.gomez18@gmail.com

5 Day Inferno Meal Plan

Syed and I loved our meals last week so much, we're doing it all over again this week.  Interested?  Here are all the meals in pictures...  Courtesy of TurboFire.  Just click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Inferno Day 4/5 & Results

Day 4 and 5 came and went and I have to admit I got a little lazy with the pictures.  But the meals were fantastic as they were with the rest of the week.  I ended the week feeling great.  I very obviously lost weight and I felt so healthy and energetic.  It makes me wonder why I torture myself with the fast food and crap that I eat sometimes.  It's so easy to eat well, it doesn't have to be complicated!  And you don't have to deprive yourself of great tasting food.  With a little preparation and planning ahead, anything is doable. 

At my post inferno weigh-in, I'd lost 3 lb. and 1% body fat.  All by eating 5 meals a day and no junk food. I feel so great I'm going to do it again next week!!!

Inferno Day 3

Today was uneventful as we were snowed in, schools closed!

Breakfast:
8 oz. low fat cottage cheese
2 pineapple rings, canned in juice, drained

Snack:
Apple with 1 Tbsp. almond butter

Lunch:

1 medium baked potato

1Tbsp. low-fat sour cream

1 scallion, diced

1 slice turkey bacon

1 slice low fat cheese

Snack 2: 

Chocolate shakeology with 4 oz. unsweetened almond milk, 4 oz. water

Dinner:

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon w with Ginger Rice and Bok Choy

2 4-oz. pieces of salmon, grilled

3 Tbsp. teriyaki marinade

2 pineapple rings, drained

1 garlic clove

1 medium head of bok choy, chopped

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1/3 cup brown rice

1 tsp. powdered ginger

I have to admit, I don't like salmon.  But the combination of all the flavors was amazing!  I loved this meal.

Workout today was ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Circuit 2

Inferno Day 2

I have to admit, today was tough.  It was Snomageddon, snOMG, whatever you want to call it, it was the Blizzard of 2011.  Thundersnow!!!  That was something new for sure.  The morning started out just fine.  Breakfast was :

6 oz low-fat strawberry yogurt
3/4 cup cubed cantaloupe
1 tsp honey

I also added a cup of green tea.

Because I had a late breakfast, I decided to save my 1st snack for later, which turned out to be a good idea.  Lunch was yummy!

3 slices turkey breast
1 whole wheat tortilla
1/2 tomato
1/4 avocado
handful of mixed greens
1 tbsp nonfat Italian dressing (I actually substituted balsamic vinaigrette for this)

I forgot to take a picture BEFORE I started devouring it!

Then came the challenge.  Snow came, I left work in Oak Brook at 2 pm.  Didn't make it home till 6:30 pm.  I was hungry and SOOOO tempted to get something to eat on the road.  But I held strong.  At about 3 pm I had my snack that I had saved from the morning:

Chocolate Shakeology, 8 oz. water, 2 tsp. peanut butter.  Mixed with ice.

This kept me going.

Dinner was:

Chicken Tacos with Beans and Quinoa.  As I'm typing this I just realized I forgot to make the beans!  Oops. LOL

Two 6 oz. chicken breasts, grilled and then diced
5 tbsp. pico de gallo
1 tbsp. low fat sour cream
4 small whole wheat tortillas
1/2 avocado
5 sprigs cilantro

2 cups black beans, cooked
2-1/2 cups quinoa seasoned with cilantro, salt, and pepper, cooked

*I cheated just a little, you can see some cheese.  I just couldn't resist :-O

It was great and we ended the night full, warm, and cozy.  SNOW DAY tomorrow!!!

Chalene's 10 Tips for Getting Your Kids to Eat Healthily

Courtesy of Team Beachbody Newsletter Issue: #109, March 04, 2009

http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/109#19559

Chalene's 10 Tips for Getting Your Kids to Eat Healthily

By Chalene Johnson and Denis Faye

As hard as it is to fight your junk food urges, if you have kids, you probably know that getting Junior to make smart food choices is triple the challenge. It'd be excellent if you could just yell, "Hey, you! Eat your spinach!" But you can't. As is the case when dealing with most aspects of a child's life, it takes commitment, patience, and some serious cunning to steer them down the right path.

If you've watched the "Healthy Eats" disc of the ChaLEAN Extreme® program, you know that Chalene and her husband Brett made a commitment to teach their son Brock and daughter Sierra the benefits of a solid diet. Here, in Chalene's words, is a little insight on how they did it.

1. Portion control. Digging into the entire box of goldfish crackers, or any other kid's snack, is a bad idea. So it's a good idea to empty out that box into smaller ziplock bags, for better portion control. Do this the moment the treats are pulled from the grocery store bags! This helps children understand what a healthy portion looks like. Meals and portion sizes have increased nearly 40 percent over the last decade. As parents, we have to teach our children that it's not deprivation—it's proper nutrition.
2. Sneak in the whole grains. Use whole-grain pasta and brown rice, but don't tell your kids. They'll never know the difference. No one, especially children, likes change when it comes to food. I like to use the "stealth" approach, i.e., fly low under the radar! When I switched my kids from regular pasta to whole-grain, whole wheat pasta, I did it in stages. First, I added just a 1/4 cup of the healthier noodles. Each time I added more, until eventually they were eating the whole-grain stuff and had no idea! They still have no idea! We had spaghetti at a restaurant the other night (the enriched-flour kind), and the kids said the restaurant pasta was "weird . . . kinda slimy!" How fantastic is that? The key is making the changes gradually and not making a big deal about them.
3. Lead by example. If you're giving your kids apples but you're eating Snickers, it's never going to work. Following a healthy diet needs to be part of the commitment of good parenting. Never use the "D" ["Diet"] word in front of children. When you do, and they see you eating healthily, they assume that healthy food is something you're forced to eat as a punishment. Lead by example. Say, "Mommy is eating this for more energy and to be stronger." Make negative comments about food without nutritional value. For example, when I do have the occasional "treat," I will often say, "Wow, that piece of cake gave me a sugar crash and a headache. Now I feel so sluggish!" Use positive comments about healthy food without reference to weight. Try, "I feel so much stronger when I eat fruit for a snack!"
4. Make food fun. Taste is something that changes over time. Our taste buds actually change as we age; this explains why some children will eat broccoli and green beans and others find the smell and taste worse than starvation! Continually introduce healthy food and find unique ways to introduce the food in stages. For example, your children might try a small amount of broccoli mixed in with their mac and cheese. Once you've gotten them to accept that as a regular staple, transition to broccoli with a creamy cheese soup. Eventually, your children may acquire a taste for steamed broccoli! Can you imagine the day? But starting right out of the gates with a big plate of steamed broccoli in front of a child who doesn't eat green things is asking for a battle! Baby steps!
5. Don't pressure kids to eat. Present the food, but don't force kids to eat it. Making demands will just polarize your kids, while letting them eat healthy foods on their own terms leads to healthy habits. If your first attempt doesn't work, don't take it personally or assume that this is a life-or-death situation. Take a deep breath, let it go, and try it again another day—try serving those healthy foods prepared in new ways. It often takes several times before your child will decide to try something new. Oh, and I don't know if this works for everyone, but I find that my children will often try new food with their grandparents and at their friends' houses, foods that they won't try with me! Ask what new foods they tried and then offer to prepare them, and get excited about their willingness to try new foods.
6. Be careful what you say. Everything a woman says about her body is like writing on the slate of her female child's self-esteem. I volunteer to teach exercise to children of all ages in the public school system. I have personally heard children as young as 6 say, "I'm fat!" Or, "I have a big belly like my mommy." Or, "My mommy doesn't want you to see her because she got fat." Seriously! Not only do kids hear what you're saying on the phone to your girlfriend, but they are projecting those negative images on themselves. It's unhealthy for you and your young children to be thinking anything other than positive thoughts about this amazing body that God gave you! Do your best to serve as a positive role model by speaking lovingly about your body and your journey to health!
7. Relax! Food shouldn't be a source of angst for your family. Try to get your kids to eat healthier, but be creative, consistent, and calm. The bigger you make the issue of eating healthy foods, the more resistance you may feel. Play it cool. There are many studies proving that you can place salad on the table 10 to 15 times before a child will decide to try it. Remember that "insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result." If it didn't work the first time, try a different approach, a new way to prepare and disguise the food, and, again, remember the importance of doing this in slow, small steps.
8. Get kids involved. Let them help cook meals and learn to read food labels. Teach them what's too much sugar and what's an appropriate amount of fat. Teach your children what purpose carbohydrates serve in moderation and what they turn into when we eat them in excess. Pick one item and just find that on your labels. For example, this week my children have been looking at the sodium content on labels. They get a kick out of trying to find the canned soup with the lowest sodium content or shocking each other by reading a label with an off-the-chart level of sodium. Food shouldn't be a mystery. I meet adults every day who have no idea how much sodium, carbs, or protein they should be consuming, let alone how many calories. Let's create a more educated generation when it comes to food!
9. Think daily. Young children have shifts when they are hungry. A child will not starve himself or herself. We are so focused on eating huge portions three times a day, but naturally, most children will eat one full meal and graze at other meals. Avoid the bad habit of saying, "One more bite," or, "Clean your plate." These phrases teach our children that they are good if they eat more, when what we want to teach our children is to respond to their bodies when they feel full. Young children eat to provide themselves with energy. Eating to soothe sadness, eating to stuff ourselves, or eating because it's simply that time of the day are all bad habits we pass along to our children.
10. Read up on nutrition. Read books about food. Explain where it comes from. I highly recommend Eat This Not That! for Kids!: Be the Leanest, Fittest Family on the Block! It has giant pictures of common kid foods. It's fun to make a game out of learning which foods are best! Also, check out CalorieKing.com, which lists the calories for most every food you can imagine, not to mention the nutritional information for nearly every restaurant in America!