21-Day Fix Extreme: Days 2 and 3

DAY 2

I can honestly say that day two of 21-Day Fix Extreme was extremely hard on me nutritionally.  I'm here to be honest, and that is what I'm going to be.  Although I am a relatively clean eater, the elimination of fruit, dairy, and most carbohydrates on the Countdown to Competition Meal Plan, sent me into a bit of sugar withdrawal.  Fruit is one of my main substitutes for processed sugars, obviously, so having none at all was a bit of a shock to the system by day 2.  Also, getting only one serving of carbs on those days creates a complete depletion of insulin spikes, so my body was burning red hot from the workouts, and really just burning off of the fats on my body.  This is the idea, clearly, but when you're going through it, it just doesn't feel so pleasant. Protein and veggies, protein and veggies...that's about it.

OK, now that I'm done whining, the things that I have learned thus far.  Planning, planning, planning.  When my body was burning like a furnace, I really only had about a two hour window before I was starving again.  So, if I didn't have food prepped already, it was an additional 15-20 minutes that I had to wait to eat, and that just made me hangry.  Fish, eggs whites, turkey, and lean red meat.  Buy it, prep it, and cook a ton of it.  Have it sitting in the fridge for when your stomach starts to speak.  Otherwise, you'll find yourself standing with your refrigerator doors open, hating that you ever made the decision to start down this path.  Same thing for veggies; broccoli, asparagus, peppers, cucumbers, green beans. Buy them, clean them, steam them, portion them.  It's survival in order to make it through the C2C Meal Plan days.  I also tend bar on Tuesday nights, and hadn't accounted for the extra calories that I would burn from running around the bar area, so I learned my lesson there.  Bring more food, eat more often.  Overall though, I loved the Upper Fix Extreme workout, as I LOVE to push weight, and the 10 min. Hardcore video that you can add on is quickly becoming one of my favorite add-ons to the program.

DAY 3

Ahhh, 2 extra carbs, and 3 servings of fruit?!?  I didn't know I could be so excited about this, but it was seriously like a mini celebration when I woke up.  My favorite Chocolate Shakeology recipe has Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, banana, and peanut butter, and I can't have that on my C2C meal plan days, so when I woke up at 5:30 am (yeah, I couldn't freaking sleep, and my stomach was GROWLING), and knew I could have my favorite breakfast. there was a sigh of relief.  It's the small things people...otherwise, you'll end up shoving a donut in your face.  This was a bit of a relief in my day, knowing that I wouldn't be feeling like I was having a totally restrictive food day.  

Poached eggs over steamed asparagus, Cashew n' Oats Pancakes, Turkey Meatloaf with sweet potato and steamed broccoli; all this made my day a little bit better.  Even my boyfriend was surprised by how good the meatloaf was, and it will most certainly make it only my food blog.  

When it came to approaching Pilates Fix Extreme, I went at that workout with the wrong mindset.  I have done Pilates in workout programs before, and thought, "I totally have this, NBD!"  Yeah, add a resistance band to anything, and it'll make you realize you were barely doing any work before.  Autumn Calabrese brings Pilates to a whole different level, so if you think your arms and legs are safe, they are not!  I don't think I've ever been so exhausted from floor work in my entire fitness career.  My favorite move of the day, had to be the Circle Teaser.  The abdominal work, and the leg work are insane, and the burn is AWESOME!

It never ceases to amaze me how a new move in your routine can change how you look at the previous work that you have done.  I've done this move plenty of times before without resistance bands, but add that little bit of resistance, and you entirely change what muscle groups that you engage.  Give it a try, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.  

STATS

So on day three, what had changed?  Well, I had gone from 148.4 lbs. on Day 1 to 146.6 lbs. on Day 3.  That's almost 2 lbs. in three days.  This is a huge loss, as most people would find difficulty in losing a pound a day, and it certainly can't be maintained for a lengthy period of time.  But, this is the point of 21-Day Fix Extreme and the Countdown to Competition Meal Plan.  Extreme results in less than 30 days, as long as you stay committed to your nutrition and exercise; it's not impossible, it's just hard.  As they say, it's supposed to be hard, if it wasn't everyone one would do it.  My Day 3 photos:

I am excited to see this change over 21 days.  This is the first time that I have taken photos this often, as most programs have you do it once a month, as you progress through different stages of the program. If you folks have any questions or comments, throw them my way.  I would love to hear suggestions and concerns that other people have also faced.  So far, I FREAKING LOVE THIS PROGRAM!!! 

Remember, if you want to try ANY Beachbody program, including this 21-Day Fix Extreme, you can order it through me right HERE!  For ordering through me you will also receive an additional FREE DVD,  Don't miss out!

DECIDE. COMMIT. SUCCEED.

Maria

21-Day Fix Extreme: Prep Day for Success

Starting a new program or nutrition plan can be very overwhelming, especially when you're starting from scratch.  The last nutritional plan that I followed to a "T" was when I did P90X, 3 years ago.  After that, I had cleaned up my diet enough that when I was working out regularly, I didn't really need to be particular about my food, as long as I didn't eat a ton of garbage.  Overall, I am a very clean eater, so it's rare that I track my food religiously, or weigh myself daily.

The problem was, of course, that I was never getting the results that I could have gotten if I had stayed really focused on what I was putting in my mouth.  For that reason, I decided to try Beachbody's newest program, 21-Day Fix Extreme.  I have had several customers who had great results with the first program 21-Day Fix, and I was especially interested in the Extreme program because it offered a 'Countdown to Competition' Meal Plan.  I had often researched what body builders ate to prep for competition, but there is so much information on the web, and I wasn't quite sure where to start.  This program offered me the opportunity to start fresh, focus on my macro nutrients, and launch me into new workouts.  As I am religiously a P90X, X2, and X3 program participant, it was nice to think about trying a new program, and trainer, all the way through.  AND, it's only 21 days...how hard could it be???

Well, preparation for any life change is where you need to start.  I tell every client and customer that they need to first go through all the information that is provided.  Read the 'Start Here' Guide that explains the workouts, and what you need to execute them.  Then there's learning how to correctly utilize the portion control containers that come with the program.

STEP 1:

The first step I needed to take was figuring out how many calories I was going to need to consume to fuel my body for my daily activities, including my workouts, but also make sure there was a caloric deficit that would allow me to lose weight and tone my body.  Luckily, they provide this formula for you in the 'Eating Plan' so it was easy for me to see that I fell between the 1,500-1,799 calories per day.  This directly led me to how many of each containers (proteins, veggies, fruits, healthy fats, seeds and dressings, and oil and nut butters) that I would need to eat each day. 

STEP 2:

Knowing that I wanted to try the Countdown to Competition Meal Plan, I then referenced the packet for that to see how my nutrition was going to change.  For two days I would be on a "carb depletion" or Countdown to Competition Meal Plan, and the following day would be a regular Extreme Eating Plan.  In order to track the difference in my foods those days, I printed out the Team Beachbody provided 21-Day Fix Extreme Countdown to Competition Tally Sheet.  

As you can see, on my Countdown to Competition (C2C) Meal Plan, I have the same amount of veggies as my Extreme days, but I have 0 fruits, 3 more proteins, only 1 carb, no healthy fats, no seeds or dressings, and 3 tsp. of oil and nut butters (or a substitution of avocado for one of my tsp. of coconut oil).  Because I wanted to follow Autum's C2C plan to a "T" this drastically decreased the choices I had for these categories, (as she only eats certain things on her plan, and eliminates dairy all together), so my third step was to make a concise list of everything that I could eat, which would help me build my meal plan.  

STEP 3:

This meal plan has me eating 7-8 times a day, which is a challenge, and eating a lot of protein on my carb depletion days, which can be difficult when you're limited in your protein choices, and eliminate dairy all together.  However, I am a creature of habit, so as long as I know what I was eating when, I can eat the same thing almost all of the time.  

STEP 4:

With that in mind I set up my own meal plan.  As helpful as the Tally Sheet is, it doesn't allow for room to write out your meals for the day, so I created my own meal plan sheet. 

For me, once I have a basic meal plan like this, it's easier for me to visually substitute my proteins and veggies by just looking at the previous list.  If on my next two C2C days I don't want fish, I just reference my allowed foods and substitute a different protein.  Likewise for every other food group.  Then, when setting up my 'Extreme' eating days, where I am allowed more fruits, fats and seeds, I can still stay within the same guidelines, but add in my extra carbs and sugars with the foods that I want.  If you're not setting up your meal plans some way, you're going to have a harder time staying on track with what you're eating when.  Being prepared keeps you focused and on track, so just do the work up front, so you don't find yourself standing in front of your fridge in full rage not knowing what you're going to eat.  

STEP 5:

I cannot express the importance of taking your 'Before' pictures, and tracking your weight and measurements.  With this program, I wanted to track day-to-day for 21-days exactly how my body changes.  I want to show people just the results you can get when you're focused for only 3 weeks.  I am going to track my weight and pictures daily, do my beginning measurements, and then again once a week to track my progress.  If you think you need more than 3 weeks to have extreme results, I am going to prove you wrong.  If you are on track with your nutrition and exercise, you'll be shocked at the results you can have in such a short period of time.  

My Measurements:

Chest - 36.5"

Arms - 11.5"

Waist - 32"

Hips - 39"

Thighs - 22.75"

Weigh-In:

Weight - 148.4 lbs.

Body Fat % - 29.1%

Muscle Mass - 30.8%

Water - 50.5%

*I use a Weight Guru Scale that calculates everything.  You can find apps and equations online to do the same.  Although it's not always 100% accurate, if you use the same equation over time, it will track your gains and losses just the same.

Day 1:

*Outside of cropping my pictures, I did not use any filters or alter the pictures at all.  I want to stay true to how much body looks, as is, not as I want it to be.  That's the whole reason I'm starting this process to begin with.

So, these are my starting points.  I'm actually surprised that my Body Fat is so high, but I'm excited to see the change over time, and I take into consideration that my scales calculations are based on an electrical pulse that goes up and through my body, and often times where you hold your fat will have an influence on this.

No matter where we start, we must remember that starting is the most important part.  It's not to be discouraged by what we see, but rather to be excited about where we will be at the end.  21 days of laser-focused nutrition, and 21 days of solid workouts.  We will see just how far I can go, and what results I can get in 21 days.  

Remember, if you want to try ANY Beachbody program, including this 21-Day Fix Extreme, you can order it through me right HERE!  For ordering through me you will also receive an additional FREE DVD,  Don't miss out!

Work Hard.  Eat Right.  Stay Focused.

Maria

STRETCHING IS BORING...

Whenever I discuss flexibility with clients who have a limited range of motion in any muscle or muscle group, my first suggestion is always to increase the amount of time they spend stretching.  As a trainer, I'm always going to include a warm-up and cool-down period before and after a session, but that does very little to increase a client's overall flexibility long-term, especially if they are not taking time on their own to focus on problem areas.

That being said, I couldn't agree more with the response I often receive from clients when I suggest more stretching: "It's boring, and I don't feel like it's 'working out.'" Well, it is boring, and it's not working out.  However, your body will never reach it's full potential if you're not properly stretching, and not actively working on increasing your flexibility.  There are probably thousands of sites, listing thousands of stretches that you should do every day.  The list goes on and on, and as you sit in front of your computer for 30 minutes deciding what you should be doing, you'll become overwhelmed, and probably never even attempt a single stretch.  Here, I'm going to give the simplest ways to include extra stretching in your workout routine, that won't bore you to death.

1. IF YOU DON'T DO YOGA, YOU SHOULD! AND IF YOU THINK YOGA IS STUPID, YOU'RE STUPID!

The practice of yoga is thousands of centuries old.  Thousands!  Yoga is different in that it requires the body to work in synergy, while stretching and strengthening several different muscle groups at one time.  As my best friend Jackie would state during our yoga sessions, "You're vinyasa is nothing more than a push-up in disguise!" This is true, but it's also so much more.  I'm not going to go into a diatribe of all the benefits of the practice (muscle recovery, mind-body connection, decrease of injury, increased endurance, blah, blah, blah), but if you're interested in a quick read, you can find it here. The point is, if you work out regularly, if you strength train, if you run marathons, than you should also be doing yoga.  If you're not, your workout routine is incomplete, and you are selling yourself short of ever achieving the results you are hoping for from your routines. More than anything else, this will increase your flexibility and strength all at the same time. And as anyone who has ever gone to a slamming yoga class will tell you, whether Bikram, Baptiste, Hatha, or other, when done right, it's anything but boring.

2. FOAM ROLL UNTIL TEARS COME ROLLING DOWN YOUR FACE.

What is a foam roller? If I'm to answer honestly, I'm convinced it is a tool designed by Satan, and handed over to Physical Therapists and Personal Trainers alike as a reminder that even the most flexible people can use some more stretching.  This is a foam roller:

I know, it looks so innocent.  They come in all shapes and sizes, some with bumps, and some without (insert dirty joke here).  A foam roller essentially does what an $80 an hour masseuse does, but better and more painful.  The basics you need to know is that you have tiny little muscle fibers that connect your ligaments to your muscles, and muscles to your bones. This object puts intense pressure on those tiny muscle fibers and ligaments, and releases tensions and stress; this is known as myofascial release.  I am not going to go into intense depth and technical verbiage here, but if you want to read a nice succinct article about how it works, and the overall benefits, you can find that here. When you have particularly tight muscle groups, you will find that foam rolling can be painful...like, tears rolling down your face painful.  However, the benefits are insanely high, and done regularly, you'll notice a substantial increase in your overall flexibility and strength.  The foam roller may not entirely replace the message therapist, but I can tell you as someone who has had multiple messages, that no masseuse has ever achieved the muscle release that I experience with foam rolling except one, and she was a sports athletic message therapist who used to work with the Red Sox.   You can find foam rollers relatively cheap on Amazon, so don't let price be the thing that stops you from adding this to your warm-ups and cool-downs.  

3. STOP PRETENDING LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO STRETCH ON YOUR OWN.

The reality is, even if you find that perfect website, with every stretch, and how it's beneficial, you still have to execute the stretches to gain the benefits.  If you know you are someone who won't do the stretches on your own, then enlist professionals.  Every Beachbody program includes either a stretching DVD or a Pilates/Yoga DVD.  Why?  Because fitness professionals know that in order to have a complete fitness program, you have to stretch.  So, whether you purchase a program, pick up a DVD at Walmart, or use ON DEMAND from your cable, there are so many options now to help you stay focused and engaged with your stretching.  Just like any other workout, if you are not actively involved in the 'work' than you are not receiving the full benefits.  Sometimes, just doing the movement at the same speed as a video, and with other people, will help you really focus in on the work that you need to be doing, as well as decrease the likelihood that you'll get bored and quit half way through.  

So the question becomes, are you going to feel as accomplished after a stretching session as you do after a hardcore strength or cardio session?  Most of the time, the answer is no.  It's still going to feel tedious and slow, but the increases you will see not only in your flexibility, but also in your speed, power, and strength by simply investing one day to the practice, should  be what motivates you through those tough stretching days.  Start adding one of these approaches once a week, and within one month you'll see results you didn't know you could achieve.  Stretching is boring, yes, but so isn't the plateau that you will reach if you decide not to regularly incorporate it in your fitness routine.

BE STRONG. WORK HARD. EAT CLEAN. 

Maria  

3 REASONS TO KEEP WORKING OUT ON VACATION

As I was packing my bags for St. Lucia, I did what a lot of people never would:  I double checked to make sure I had my P90X3 workout routines, and plenty of workout clothes. Entering into Phase 3 of X3 had me feeling motivated, and I didn't want to mess with the momentum I had gained over the last two months.

Vacation seems to carry with it this feeling that we are able to have complete abandonment when it comes to our seemingly regular daily routines, and this includes our diet and exercise.  What I want to give you here are 3 reasons why staying on track with your diet and exercise for at least 80% of your vacation, will keep you motivated and help you feel like you're making the most of your time.

1. Your Metabolism Will Work with You

I would be lying if I said I jumped out of bed every morning and went straight to the gym.  There will be days that a workout just isn't going to happen.  When boarding a boat at 8 a.m. I really wasn't too concerned about making sure I was up at six in order to get my workout in before the excursion. However, making sure you fit your workouts in on most of your days allows you a little leeway when it comes to your diet.

When you are working out on a regular basis, and you have built a solid amount of muscle mass, you gain a bit of a "free pass" when it comes to your buffets. That is not to say that you should wake up and stuff your face every day, but if you're making pretty solid food choices throughout the day, having one dessert every night is not going to completely derail your weight loss.

I will not forget the shock in Chad's voice when we got home and he weighed himself and he had not gained any weight.  This doesn't shock me because I know how active we were, and more importantly, I knew that after two months of solid workouts, his body had built enough muscle, and his body's metabolism had gained enough momentum that a few bad food choices and couple lazy days were not going to cause a five pound weight gain.

My point is this: if you stay mostly active, and make mostly good food choices, the other 20% of the time is not going to destroy your weight loss.  It certainly won't progress you forward, but it's not going to kill your momentum.  However, if you choose not to be at all active, drink all day, eat as much as you possibly can, and haven't been active for weeks or months, you're going to feel weighed down, and you're going to gain weight.  Set yourself up for success, and continue on that path for as much as your vacation as you can.

2. Believe It or Not, You Will Enjoy Your Vacation More

To quote Elle Woods: "Exercise give you endorphines. Endorphines make you happy.  Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. They just don't."

Want to be happier?  Want to fully enjoy your vacation with your loved ones? Want to have more energy and feel better? Work out!  It's not just about feeling accomplished, but also about your body producing endorphines. A solid 30-minute workout will provide you with extra energy, as well as help you make better food choices.

You will start to feel the difference in your body on the days that you fuel your body right, and the days you choose to eat crap. After working with several PT clients, I have found that most people make better food choices when they have worked out compared to sedentary days.  I'm not sure why there is a correlation between these two things (the lack of exercise with the lack of good food choices), but there seems to be one, and we can curb this by merely getting a workout in on as many days as possible.

3. Returning to Your Regular Schedule is Easier

Skip a whole week of workouts and the results can be far more devastating than you think, especially if you haven't been on a regular routine for more than three months.  You'll start to make excuses for missing workouts, and you'll start feeling lethargic from not moving regularly.  One week becomes two, two becomes three, and all of a sudden any gains you have made start to decline.  By making your workouts a regular part of your day, it won't be nearly as difficult to hop right back into your schedule when you return home.

Vacation helps us to decompress, but sometimes it can make us feel a tad bit depressed when we return to reality.  By keeping your workouts a regular part of your routine, it's one less thing for you to resent when you return home.  And, again, it increases our endorphines, which helps us feel happy.

WHAT TO EAT WHEN YOU ARE EATING OUT

WHAT TO EAT WHEN YOU ARE EATING OUT

Why does the general restaurant industry have to make it so confusing to make healthy food choices when you are dining out with family and friends?  It seems to me, that any good restaurant not only has options for those guests who would like a healthy meal, but also has servers who are trained in how to modify current dish options in order to accommodate those guests who are looking to stay on track with their clean eating.  What I would like to do here, is offer my advice to ordering your food exactly how you want it, so you’re not questioning your caloric intake every single time you dine out.

I have worked in the restaurant industry for 13 years, and I have seen food prepared in ways that would terrify you; ribs dipped in bacon fat, chickens rubbed in butter, sticks of butter in rice, salmon cooked in butter, bacon bits in green beans, whole cream in mashed potatoes.  Although most ‘high-end’ restaurants create a very farm-to-fork menu, providing a much fresher, healthier version of dishes to offer, the reality is fat tastes good,  and it’s usually in every meal whether you recognize it or not. 

The advice that I am going to offer here is addressing a restaurant that is offering a wide array of choices, and restaurant menus that can be modified to fit your current nutritional needs.  What I am not addressing, is how to eat healthy at your favorite burger joint, or the English Pub down the street.  Ending up in one of those restaurants will drastically limit your healthy food choices (although not eliminate them), and ending up there is only going to increase your likelihood of making bad food choices.

WHERE TO START

Protein

When you enter any restaurant, sit down, receive your menu, this is your opportunity to start your search for your healthy meal options.  Start with your protein.  What are you going to eat for protein?  The obvious choices come to mind: chicken, turkey, salmon, halibut, shrimp, beef.   What are the protein options that your restaurant is offering?  Now pick one.  I don’t care if it’s a composite dish already put together, or it’s a topping on a pizza.  If it’s offered somewhere on the menu, they can usually accommodate you if you ask for it to be prepared differently.

Now, let’s talk preparation.  I’ll share a restaurant secret with you: almost EVERYTHING is cooked in some kind of fat.  Whether it is butter or olive oil, it’s most likely being cooked in excess calories.  The upside is that with the amount of allergies we see in the industry today, almost every restaurant has been forced to cook everything from scratch, so you can usually modify the cooking prep no matter what the protein is. 

If you want any protein healthier, ask your server if it can be prepared baked, broiled, or grilled.  Let them know that you do not want excess fat in your cooking process, and they will most likely be able to oblige.  

One preparation to be VERY aware of is any protein that is already in a marinade.  A larger amount of restaurants pre-marinade their chicken and steak, and I’m going to share another secret with you: those marinades typically have excess sugar in them.  Just ask your server if you can order them without the marinade, and if you can’t, either make a new protein choice, or recognize that you are choosing to include refined sugars in your diet.

Your Sides

The next place on the menu you want to look is your Side Dish options.  I’m not just talking about the sides that are listed in that one spot, but the sides that might be offered with composite dishes that are not offered under your side options.  Most of the time, if it’s on the menu and you ask for it, they’ll get it for you. 

Again, almost every side is going to be prepared with some type of fat, whether it’s butter, olive oil, bacon fat, or cream.  Choose your sides wisely, and then ask for them to be steamed.  Yes, your vegetables will come without seasoning, however you can add salt and pepper at the table, and you also get to control just how much sodium you ingest.  You can always choose to have your sides prepped in olive oil, but keep in mind that even if you ask for it with just a tablespoon of olive oil, you have no idea how much the chef behind the line is actually putting on your vegetable. 

A go-to for most people is a baked Idaho or sweet potato, and I think it’s important to address the prep here.  Most restaurants dip or roll their potatoes in butter or margarine.  WHAT?  Yup, that’s what makes it so fluffy and moist.  So if you’re going to order one, ask how it is prepared, and if you feel it’s a must regardless, avoid eating the skin.

So You Chose a Salad…Aren’t You Healthy

Or not. Most chain restaurants offer salads that are far too large, and they are topped with items that should not appear in a healthy salad.  If your go-to restaurant item is a salad, make sure you’re getting all veggies (cucumber, tomato, carrots, etc.,) and you’re ordering your dressing on the side.  It’s always important to add that you would like no croutons, no cheese, and dressing on the side.  I will always tell people to go with oil and vinegar, however, any vinaigrette is better than a cream based dressing (ranch, blue cheese, parmesan peppercorn), but they often have sugars in them.  Be aware of what your dressing options are, ask for it on the side, and dip your tines in the dressing and then in the salad.  You’ll be surprised how little dressing you really need when you’re not dumping it all over your salad.

If Worse Comes to Worse

I hate to be an advocate for this because there is nothing more annoying than the guest with an allergy, but if you’re concerned about the preparation of your food, or it’s easier for you, then tell your server you have a food allergy.  Break it down very simply: “I want the (chicken, steak, shrimp, etc.) grilled without marinade and my vegetables steamed. I am allergic to butter and (whatever else you’re trying to avoid), so could you please make sure that this is a possibility?”

Be warned, that in a restaurant today this is most likely going to elicit a visit from the manager, so be prepared for a little attention.  It’s typically company policy to ensure the safety of the guest, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself talking about your “allergy” with the manager on duty. 

Portion Control

My last words of wisdom are to be aware of your portion sizes.  Most proteins are somewhere between 6-8 ounces, whether it’s chicken or salmon.  Steak will usually be marked in ounces as well, although there tend to be larger sizes with this protein choice.  For the most part, it is unnecessary to eat more than 3-4 ounces of protein at any meal, so be prepared to take half of what you order home.  When your meal arrives, ask for a take home box right away, and place half of your meal in the box.  Americans have become accustomed to extremely large portion sizes, so don’t fall into the trap of eating your whole meal just because you have made the effort of modifying your dish to its healthiest version.   

All the Frills

In regards to appetizers, bread baskets and desserts, you don’t need them.  Ask that they not bring bread to the table, and when you’re done eating ask for the check before they offer dessert.  A lot of places will place dessert options on table tents so you’re forced to look at them while you’re waiting for your dinner.  Move them aside, and don’t even browse them.  If you are someone who has a sweet tooth like myself, keep fruit at home in your fridge.  A couple of strawberries and some pineapple will be enough sugars to help you feel like you are getting a bit of dessert at the end of your meal.  Typically your brain doesn’t care what kind of sugar you ingest; it just wants you to satiate that sweet tooth. 

Dining out is meant to be an experience.  From the atmosphere to the menu choices, you are probably not finding yourself eating out alone.  You should be able to enjoy the company you are with, without compromising your diet.  Often times we are going out for a celebration, or to spend time with loved ones, so remember why you are really there.  It usually has very little to do with the actual meal, and more to do with spending quality time with the people we care about, so enjoy!

Easy Guidelines for Choosing your Macro Nutrients

Although I am neither a dietitian nor a nutritionist, I have done some serious reading when it comes to Clean Eating and Superfoods.  I often find myself confused as to why people have such a difficult time simply choosing healthy foods over fatty, unhealthy foods and I have to remind myself of two things.

One, most people are not going to take the time to do the research themselves. The amount of time it took me to read the 12 books that educated me on the whys and hows of eating clean, is not the amount of time that the average person working 40-60 hour weeks is going to have to educate themselves about their food choices.

Two, as a Beachbody Coach I have had the opportunity to thoroughly read through multiple program Nutritional Guides, which has armed me with the knowledge of portion sizes, and appropriate healthy food choices.  Order any program, and Beachbody provides you with an arsenal of information on which foods land at the top of Michi's Ladder, and which ones fall short on providing the most nutritional value to your daily diet.

*circle = carb, triangle = fat, square = protein

That being said, one program that breaks down good macro nutrient food choices particularly well is Hip Hop Abs Nutritional Guide.  Although I know I am stealing this information from the book, I think it's important to share here, so that others can benefit from how easy it can be to make the right food choices. So, here are some guidelines when choosing your macro nutrients.

PROTEINS:

• Choose lean meats (turkey, chicken, pork) over fatty red meats.
• The portion of meat in a meal should be no larger than the palm of your hand (around 3-4 oz.)
• Broil, grill or bake--never fry!
• Avoid cream sauces and gravies.
• If you don't eat meat, substitute tempeh, tofu, low-fat dairy products, and legumes.

VEGETABLES:

• A large salad is great, but try to limit the amount of dressing to one or two tablespoons; using too much can blow the whole reason for eating salad in the first place.  Clear dressings like vinaigrette tend to be less fatty than creamier, cheesier ones.  Also, try dipping your fork tines in dressing to get flavor without pouring on too many calories.
• Steamed or raw veggies have so few calories, you can pretty much eat them until you're no longer hungry.  A plateful of raw veggies has about 100 calories. Indulge!
• Avoid butter or cream-based sauces. Lemon juice, soy sauce, and mustard are good options for adding flavor to your veggies without adding fat calories.

BREADS, PASTAS, RICE, AND FRUITS:

• Be sure to eat whole grains and brown rice instead of refined grains and white rice.  Remember, fiber slows down sugar absorption, helping your body to better process those sugars instead of just storing them as fat. 
• Always eat whole fruits over fruit juices.
• Foods in this category are calorie-dense, so limit your intake to three small servings per day.

FATS:

• Avoid saturated and trans fats in red meats, full-fat dairy, and processed foods.
• Avocados, raw nuts, flaxseeds, and olive oil are great sources of essential fatty acids--just keep the portions very small, since fat is extremely dense and has more than twice the calories per gram as protein and carbs.

Using a food tracker like MyFitnessPal will help you track your caloric intake, and also provide you with a chart on the ratios of your macro nutrients.  I cannot express how important it is to utilize free sites like this one when learning to control your caloric intake, and balance your macro nutrients.  

When I saw Jillian Michaels live at Lowell Auditorium she kept reiterating the importance of tracking your food when making a lifestyle change to eating healthy and clean.  The importance of doing so for at least 30-days helps one to identify their food habits, and make modifications in those habits, while at the same time creating a new habit: food awareness. As she states, most people eat the same 50 things over and over again.  We are creatures of habit. Tracking your food for a 30-day period allows you to see what those foods are, and creates a general outline of what foods will be in your diet on a daily basis.  After 30-days. you should have a pretty good idea of what foods you like and dislike, as well as the caloric base of each meal should you chose it to be in your diet on any given day. 

If you have never tracked your foods, I highly suggest starting here.  It will be startling to see how much you're over eating, and where your lacking not only in your macro nutrients, but also your vitamins and minerals.  Always be honest with yourself when it comes to portions sizes.  Lying to your food diary does not hurt anyone but yourself.  Don't cheat yourself!

One last suggestion I'll give here is to find yourself a good meal replacement shake.  Something that provides you with all the superfoods that you would NEVER be able to get in your daily diet, even if you ate all day long.  If you haven't checked out Shakeology, you absolutely MUST.  There is no other product on the shelf that does what this does, not as a whole anyway.  Putting your health and fitness first should be a life priority, and you're worth the investment, so why not make sure you're doing everything you can to ensure the most well-rounded healthy lifestyle that you can? 

As always, I would love to hear any questions, comments, or concerns, so feel free to contact me at any time!

Be super...like your food!  Hehehehe!

<3 Maria

THE FIRST STEPS IN EATING CLEAN

At least 80% of how we look is what we eat.  For those people who spend thousands of dollars a year on a personal trainer, this may be one of the single most depressing realities EVER.  It's not unusual for a client or customer to tell me that they've been working out, but they can't seem to stay on track with their nutrition, and therefore, they see absolutely no changes in their body.

I myself have been one of those people.  No matter how many push-ups, pull-ups, or crunches you do, if you eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's at end of the day, you're not going to lose a single pound.  In my own journey, I started with a set Nutrition Guide that accompanied my P90X program.  This was the catalyst for learning how to manage my macro-nutrients in the right proportions, and also introduced me to health foods that I could eat on a regular basis that didn't taste like cardboard.

That was all great, and menu plans can be AWESOME, but at some point, we progress beyond them, and have to learn how to eat healthy on our own.  So, where does one start???

The first step in learning what to eat, is to EDUCATE YOURSELF about food.  Scare tactics work fantastically.  Find out where your food comes from, how it's cooked, and what it does to your body.

3 of my favorites:

In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto by Michael Pollan
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

Even if you only skim these reads, which is not what I'm suggesting, you will learn enough about today's food, that you'll at least probably never eat at McDonald's again.  This should be your starting point, and this is where you will learn about all your food basics.

NOW that you know what's happening to your food before it gets to you, learn what it does for you by learning what foods actually help your body. I suggest the book series by Dr. Steven Pratt:

SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life
The Superfoods Rx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients
SuperHealth: 6 Simple Steps, 6 Easy Weeks, 1 Longer, Healthier Life
SuperFoods HealthStyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health

After you've read these four books, you'll know what foods are best for your diet, hopefully have incorporated them into your day to day life, and know how to put together a meal plan.  These books not only teach you about Super Foods, but how to put your food together from week to week.

So here you are, full of knowledge about what not to eat, what to eat the most of, and how to organize your food on a daily basis. But, there are only so many recipes in those books, so where do you find new recipes?

I'm a HUGE Tosca Reno fan, however I do find the Eat Clean Diet can sometimes seem a bit overwhelming when it comes to the seemingly obscure ingredients that some of the recipes have.  For that reason, I always direct people to The Best of Clean Eating 1, 2, and 3.  All three of these recipe books have easy to make recipes, and the ingredient lists tend to be pretty general and familiar.  You'll find yourself excited to try new foods in new ways, and you will be able to finish your meal without feeling guilty about the choices that you've made.

There is a wealth of information out now about how to "diet" and lose weight.  The most common problem that I see is people wanting to get a quick fix and lose weight easy, and fast.  Well, I'm here to tell you the same thing that you've read one thousand times, in dozens of different magazines:  there is no quick fix to being healthy and looking fit.  If you eat right, and workout hard, you'll lose weight...PERIOD.