Values

Around the holidays, I think everyone has a tendency to sit back and think about what they value in life. Growing up, my parents worked very hard and lived a frugal life. They never had fancy cars, our house was a modest ranch, and I tease my Mom incessantly about the fact that if I ever wanted anything in life...it ALWAYS had to be for a birthday gift or Christmas gift. The funny thing is, she just sent me this article titled "How to curb kids' impulse buying" and this was number 1 on the list. 

1.     Provide for needs, but not wants
According to Ron Lieber, the New York Times “Your Money” columnist who is currently working on a book titled “The Opposite of Spoiled,” one approach, starting around kindergarten, is to buy your kids presents only at holidays and birthdays, and have children pay for everything else.

Of course I laughed pretty hard....so she DID know what she was doing when raising me. I was never decked out with all new outfits for "back to school" shopping, and Christmas was usually one nice gift....and no stockings! Sounds evil right? (Mom..if you are reading this...you know all of this is true). But one thing that my parents instilled in me, was to spend money on time, not things.
We might have scoured the clearance racks to get good deals, but we always went on nice vacations. As I got older....the trips only got better. If my Mom got a Christmas bonus, you bet we spent it on a nice trip to Mexico. She would always say "Just remember, Christmas will be small." Totally fine with me! One of my last memories with my Dad was an awesome trip to Cancun. These are memories that I will have forever, side splitting stories of my Dad eating corn kernels off the tablecloth after a few cocktails.

So this year, I had the complete disaster the awesome opportunity to get the kids passports and take them on a Disney cruise.

Plastic crap from China will only hold their attention for weeks to months. Memories and pictures of a fun family trip will last a lifetime. I feel like this passport is a ticket to future opportunities to show the kids the world. I couldn't be more excited to have an adult only dinner spend a week together having fun in the sun! I hope it's a blast!

The Christmas tree (that's half lit.....thanks pre-lit trees! what a rip!) will be a little bare this year. But come February....our hearts will be full! What values did your parents instill in you that are still important in your life?

Tips for Thanksgiving

Ok so you have started eating clean and have noticed great improvements in your life! Your clothes feel looser, muscles are starting to appear that you haven't seen for years, and most of all...you feel good! Everything is going along..right on track...yet you know what is looming ahead! Thanksgiving!!! You know...the time to give thanks and stuff our face with so much food we need elastic pants holiday?? Yep! That's the one! So how do we go about surviving this holiday without sabotaging all of the progress we've made? Here are some tips & tricks!

1) Minimize the damage. Make choices. Choose stuffing vs. a roll. Choose a glass of wine over a piece of pie. Just take all of the normal things you would eat on Thanksgiving...and start making choices between the not so clean ones. Essentially...if you do the math (engi-nerd over here) you have eliminated 50% of the bad stuff that normally contributes to needing the elastic pants.

2) Offer to bring a clean dish. If you can guarantee at least one dish is clean, and then you cut out 50% of the not-so-clean, you are way ahead of the game. I love the Clean Eating magazines (borrow some from the library) and pick out a new recipe to try. I saw a good one for green beans with water chestnuts and shallots. Yum!! Its a good opportunity to try out a new recipe and also share clean eating with family and friends. Offer to bring a crust-less pumpkin pie! Its delicious and much cleaner than regular.

3) Maximize the clean stuff. Roasted turkey? Absolutely clean!! Take an extra piece of roasted turkey over a heaping spoonful of buttery mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes? Clean! Just ask someone to leave a few aside before they add 6 lbs of butter and 6 cups of brown sugar and marshmallows!

4) H20! H20! Don't forget to keep drinking!! Lots O Water folks! Keeps you fuller...keeps flushing out the toxins

5)Workout earlier that day. Sign up for a turkey trot! (Even if you walk..or just run half of it) It's a good way to get you out of bed! Try a new Jillian Michaels DVD. Put the turkey in the oven and directly get your workout in. It will help even out some of the extra calories you take in later.

6) Don't forget to eat. Don't save yourself for the "big meal". Get up...eat a delicious protein filled breakfast like you normally do. Eat a mid-morning snack just like usual. Try to stay on track as much as possible so that when it's time to eat Thanksgiving Dinner, you don't over-eat the bad stuff.

7) Keep in mind...sugar is the enemy here. If you have to make choices....fat over sugar any day!

8) Remember..you aren't going to get fat over one day. Wake up the next day and get back to the usual grind. Pack snacks to take with you for black friday shopping....don't let one day turn into a week of over-eating.

9) Because after all....you know whats coming next right? Holiday parties!!! womp....womp...womp

Good luck friends! Ya'll rock my socks off! I can't believe how many people have adapted this way of life and are messaging me with all the lbs they are losing. Just keep swimming....just keep swimming. What are you thankful for??

Additional Tips & Tricks

I am completely humbled and excited that I've been able to inspire multiple people. That really was my goal....even if it meant exposing my post-partum gut on the worldwide web. I have gotten messages from people I haven't talked to since high school, people have added me to facebook because someone shared my blog with them. This is the EXACT medicine I needed to relieve my carpal tunnel symptoms from typing that all out. :)

Here are some more tips & tricks

1) Use myfitnesspal app! Or any other tracking app will do..I've just found myfitnesspal is very easy to use. In the beginning..when you are learning how to eat clean, you should really track everything you are eating for a few weeks for a few reasons. For one, you need to have an idea of how many calories you are taking in. For the average female..I would try to stay within 1200-1450 for weight loss. When eating 5-6 meals a day, it is easy to get carried away with how much you are eating. After a few weeks of tracking it, you really adapt a lifestyle and won't need to do this. Also it helps you stay accountable for WHAT you are eating. If you put it down...you are less likely to be eating those extra Halloween candies laying around. And last, add me (username lilduff02) and you can check in and see what I'm eating to get ideas (and I can check in on you..to see how you are doing). Make sure you go into the settings and set your diary to public if you want to use this function

2) Weigh yourself once a week . If you are actively trying to lose weight, you will make yourself bonkers trying to weigh yourself everyday. Your weight flucuates so much day to day based on a variety of factors (when did you poo last? how much did you drink before you went to bed? how many hours did you sleep? were you weighing yourself in a thong? or granny panties?) just a few examples :) Try to weigh yourself first thing in the morning (preferably nakkie) once a week.

3) Be patient. I know I know....I did this in 2.5 months. Everyone is different. We all have different starting points, metabolisms, shapes, etc. It takes time. There were weeks where I wouldn't lose any weight..or might even gain a pound. But then all of a sudden I would lose 2 lbs in one week. Also, if you are working out in addition to eating clean you are building lean muscle mass. We all know that muscle weighs more than fat. So there may be some weeks that even though you are losing fat, the additional muscle mass made you maintain your weight. But remember....muscle = free calorie burners!! So eventually...those new muscles will help you lose more weight. The closer you get to your goal, the slower it will go. I want to lose 3 more lbs and have been working on it for weeks. I know I'm building more muscle...because I can see all the definition and the unsightly cellulite is disappearing, but the scale hasn't budged. Don't give up...keep plugging away. So many people give up when they are centimeters away from succeeding.

4) The cleanse. I have had a lot of people inquire (and order) the Advocare cleanse I mentioned in my first post. This is a passive herbal cleanse (meaning no crazy trips to the bathroom or sharting your pants at work). Unlike many cleanses, you do not starve yourself with liquid diets or any of that nonsense. You eat during the whole cleanse, but just cut out certain foods (dairy, alcohol, sugar) etc. to cleanse your organs and reduce inflammation. It helps you detox off sugar etc. If you are interested in the 24 day challenge (10 day cleanse plus a 14 day MAX vitamin phase) that can also be ordered from this website. If you have any additional questions...don't hesitate to ask.
https://www.advocare.com/12083177

That is the website to order. For the cleanse, you will need "The Herbal Cleanse" and "Spark" (either the pouches $22 or the canister $51) and I highly recommend the "Omegaplex" supplement as well. If you don't want to use omegaplex, just buy some sort of omega supplement. I can vouge for Advocare's omega supplement because Dr. Oz tested a bunch of them, and Advocare's was one of the only ones that actually contained what it advertised. Since supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, many of them falsely advertise their contents.

5) Fast food . I had advised on what to order if you go out to eat, but I forgot to mention anything about fast food. Obviously we should avoid it at all costs, but sometimes this is not possible. You will laugh at what I'm about to recommend.......Chipotle! Chipotle actually tries their hardest to get the freshest ingredients and hormone/antibiotic free local meats. Order the lettuce bowl and add the BROWN rice, meat, black beans, salsa, guacamole even! Skip the dressing...you wont need it. This is not something I would eat all the time...but when you are in a pinch, order and enjoy! If you can't do chipotle, read Tosca Reno's book and there is a section for "Eating on the GO". She gives lots of ideas for things to pack on the go, as well as recommendations for fast food restaurants.

6) Make some protein balls! If you have been reading my blog, you know that I perfected making protein balls. But honestly, they are a great snack to keep in the freezer for everytime you need a quick snack or something sweet. Its so much easier to turn down the kit kat in your kids Halloween bucket if you can grab a delicious treat to satisfy that craving. There are a billion recipes for these out there. If you don't have a food processor, you can try the blender or hand mixing. 

7) Have an open mind. Believe me...I used to be the pickiest eater on the planet. Ask my dear mother. As Ive grown older, I've opened my eyes to all of the delicious and nutritious foods this country has to offer. I never would have touched stuffed cabbage with a 10 foot pole 10 years ago. But when someone brought in their version of stuffed cabbage from the Ukraine, I was shocked at how delicious it was. (I'm still begging for the recipe). My husband always turned his nose to sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving...and just said "I don't like them". I forced him to try them one year...and now he begs for all the leftovers to come home with us. Sure there are still many vegetables I do not like. Sometimes I will just force myself to eat some, and other times I just stick to what I DO like. If you can find 10 small meals/snacks that are clean that you enjoy....stick with them and rotate them. They did a study and people that eat the same thing everyday tend to maintain a lower weight. I'm not saying eat the same thing everyday...but if there's something you love that works for you...don't be afraid to put it in your cooler everyday. If you absolutely HATE quinoa, stick to brown rice. But please.....until you try it...don't just say "I don't like that". My husband now responds with "I have never liked that, but I'm sure when you make it, I'll like it" because I've proved him wrong so many times. He loves the protein pancakes I make with ingredients being cottage cheese, eggs whites & oats.

That's it for now! I'm sure I will continue to think of things to share.

Part 2: Motion is Lotion

 


Ok so you read part 1...got the book, went to the grocery store and have already seen the positive changes taking place in your life! And now you are saying...but I want more!! More muscles, less fat, shredded abs, that V shape that everyone wants etc. So here's where we talk about that other 10% that you CAN control. Remember...it's 80% nutrition, 10% exercise and 10% genetics. If you were to spend time and money on one area...it would definitely be the nutrition. I gaurantee if you ate clean everyday and never exercised, you would still be smokin hot! But we are never satisfied are we?? We want more!

Here's where I'm kinda sad to share my secrets with ya'll. This is the part where I could totally play super-mom and act like I workout 3 hours a day, work full time, raise 2 perfect children, maintain a clean home, eat clean everyday, and volunteer at the homeless shelter. (Ok so we all know that I fail at most of those things on a daily basis...but let's pretend here).  HOWEVER, I vowed to help people and show you all how easy this is. I literally woke up one day and looked down to the beginning formation of a 6 pack. To my amazement...I was NOT spending hours in the gym like I have in a previous life. Here's my story...

I've always been a cardio junky, which is no secret to most of you. I live for a pounding pavement, sweat pouring, joints crushing, runners high. I kept hearing all this jargon that I need to be lifting in addition to all the cardio I was doing. I hired a personal trainer, got the fancy gym membership, and began spending 2 hours a day trying to become lean and mean!  1 hour of running, 45 mins of lifting, and 15 minutes of core about 5 times a week. I kept a journal to make sure I was consistently getting stronger...I was doing everything right...or was I? You can believe my shock as I tried to pull my pants on one day and I couldn't get them over my quads. I had morphed into this bulky beastly pile of muscle covered in a nice little layer of fat. Sounds hot right??  This was Totally NOT the look I was going for...at all! My shirts were tight in the biceps...I looked goofy and had wasted hours of my life achieving that look. Most of the reason I experienced this disappointing result was due to nutrition. Sure I had packed on muscle mass, but was not feeding my body the proper nutrition at all.

1) Cardio alone is not the best way to lose weight and get fit. Muscle burns more calories than fat...we know this. I'm lazy...(ok I'm not really lazy but I dont have time...like I barely have time to go to the ladies room and am frequently jumping around the house doing the potty dance while trying to serve the kids dinner). So wouldn't it be nice to pack on some muscle and burn hundreds of calories a day by doing nothing??? Yeah that's what I thought. The thought alone of sitting on the couch eating ice cream carrots and burning extra calories gets me giddy!

2) Steady state cardio sucks!! Yep! Marathons are fun..(did I seriously just type that?) but they don't give you the physique you've been craving. Have you ever compared a picture of a marathon runner to a sprinter?




Marathon runners almost look flabby don't they? Meanwhile sprinters have that chiseled body with every muscle sticking out saying look at me!!! Which one would you rather resemble? That's a no brainer for me! And I happily cut 20 mile runs off my to-do list without hesitation. (I'm not saying that steady state cardio is bad for you, we all know cardio is good for you. But to get the best bang for your buck, this is not the way to go on a daily basis.)

3) Lifting weights alone is not the way to go either! Have you ever seen those meatheads at the gym chugging protein powder and doing a billion bicep curls? But then they turn sideways and you look past their ripped out arms and see a belly protruding from their tight under armour shirt? Not hot! Lifting alone definitely builds muscle mass, but unless you superset and get your heart rate up, you probably won't get that perfect bod.

So now you are thinking...how the heck am I going to have time to do all of this? What if I told you that you could get ripped in as little as 20 minutes a day? 20 minutes!! No fancy gym membership, no hours on the treadmill, no personal trainer screaming in your face and you don't even need to buy a home gym. Just a few dumbbells and a DVD. Meet Jillian Michaels!


Some may know her from the biggest loser! She is an amazing personal trainer that has made  some awesome workout DVDs. I highly recommend the 30 day shred!









Jillian uses a 3-2-1 principle of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of core. Basically its an all encompassing workout. There are 3 different levels and let me just warn you that level 2 is the devil. When I started doing this workout...I was simply trying to find a workout that would take the shortest amount of time. I had read a bunch of articles recently saying you don't need to work out 45-60 mins at a time. You can actually achieve greater levels of fitness in 20 minutes if you BUST IT! That was right up my alley! (Remember not having any time and doing the potty dance?) I love that I never have to worry about whether I hit a specific muscle group or not...or whether I've done cardio...or core. This bad boy has EVERYTHING in 20 minutes. No one has an excuse to not workout for 20 minutes. And even 4 times a week will give you great results. So if you are a full-time working parent like I am....set a goal of trying to do this DVD twice during the week and then Sat & Sun. Aim for 2 out of the 5 days...and I guarantee once you start seeing the results...you'll start squeezing it in even more often. This DVD can be found on Amazon.com for $7-10 or Target and those types of stores. You need a few dumbbells...3 lbs, 5 lbs and maybe 8 lbs. But that's it. Everytime I finished this workout...I would be half naked by the end and dripping in sweat. 10x more sweaty than when I would run on the treadmill for 5 miles. Heart rate was THROUGH the roof! Here is another one I highly recommend that is very similar.


 This is based on the same system as the 30 day shred, but there are 4 levels. She does a lot of combination moves (think Lunge, twist with Bicep Curl) which kills 3 birds with one stone (legs, core, biceps). Basically with the combination moves...its the equivalent of a much longer workout in a shorter amount of time. I'm all about killing birds with stones. (A little angry today)  I think Ripped in 30 is my favorite of her DVD's so far.


If you don't like Jillian Michaels or have something against lesbians...try something else. P90X....(great results with P90X but its more like 50 minutes a day). If you don't want to use DVD's as workouts...just make sure you are getting some high intensity interval training in the mix. Sprint intervals on the treadmills are good for jacking up your heart rate. Follow it up with a little kick boxing and weight session.You have to be careful with too much cardio because you burn your muscles off, We WANT muscles...remember...free calorie burning? Sign me up! And honestly...if you truly think you don't have time for 20 minutes a day....get creative. I may or may not have invented a way of working out in the operating room while standing in one place and no one noticing. (Ok work peeps...if you see me doing weird leg things I'm probably secretly trying to work out!!...shhhh!...it heightens my focus too :) Take the stairs...clean your house as fast as you can....rake the leaves...use your kid as a kettle bell! (I may or may not have tried that too!!...they love it!) Just do SOMETHING! There's nothing wrong with hiring personal trainers, having fancy gym memberships, or home gyms. All of those are great if you have that luxury. But all I'm saying is that you don't NEED any of that. For me...the extra 15 minute drive to and from the gym was adding an easy 30 minutes to my work out.....which I didn't have time for once I had kids (potty dance anyone?). These DVD's are great because I can do them while the kids are napping (yes I've mastered getting 2 kids to sleep at once....which I'm more proud of than any degree I've ever earned).

Maybe someday I'll get back into running marathons for fun. But for right now...I learned the hard way that I don't have to! I don't have to work nearly that hard and I can look much better! Sounds like a good deal right? I'm much leaner and happier with my physique now by working out 20 minutes a day vs. 2 hours. You can do it too!....and I'm Christine Moore and I endorse this message :)

Part 1: Clean Eating

Some of you may have seen the picture I posted on facebook. Believe me...it took some courage to put that up there. Of course the thoughts went through my head...what will people think of me? will people from church see this? will people from work see this? people from high school I never talk to? Yes...its social media. But one thing made me hit the "post" button. The thought of helping someone else. Even if I just helped one person....that in itself was worth putting my stomach myself out there like that. So here is the question....how did I go from this

 to this....

in just 2.5 months. Now that's really putting myself out there. Who really has the guts to post a picture after having their second baby in a bathing suit top and underwear? But I didn't feel like I would be making my point clear without showing a true starting point. And lets get one thing straight.....the first picture was after months of unsuccessful dieting. The point is...we all have to start somewhere. So this is part 1: clean eating.

When it comes to getting lean....I truly believe in the theory that its 80% nutrition 10% exercise and 10% genetics. There is 10% we cannot control...(thanks a lot Mom & Dad for giving me hips the size of Asia). But I learned early in life to not even worry about things out of our control. Time to focus on the portion that we DO have control over. Now when you look at the total picture....80% of the 90% we CAN control is directly related to what we shove in our pie hole. You read that right. I feel as a society...we have put much more emphasis on working out when it comes to being healthy, and not enough on  nutrition. I have heard people say to me before "you are small because you run." Don't get me wrong...running definitely helped me maintain my size at times, but its truly what I ate that made me smaller.

A few months ago I decided to join my friends 24-day challenge through Advocare. It is a 10 day cleanse followed by 14 more days of clean eating and supplements etc. I was a huge diet pepsi addict and knew I needed to get off that toxic poison. The challenge kick started all things clean eating. I quickly realized how good I felt, how quickly my body was transforming, and muscles were starting to show up despite my lack of exercise at the time. The challenge (especially the cleanse) was perfect to get me going. I am the type that sometimes needs to invest a few bucks to adhere to something I set out to do. I tend to get caught in a rut of SUnday night thinking "ok ok...tomorrow I will eat better." Then I walk into work and see the huge box of panera bagels and strawberry cream cheese whipped stuff (the person that made that stuff is evil!) and its all over. So for me...Advocare helped because I spent some $$..which made me discipline myself more. (I recommend the cleanse and its only about $35...just to get going. Let me know if you are interested at all because I signed up to get a discount when a bunch of friends and family wanted to try it). You absolutely do NOT need to do any of the Advocare stuff to get these results...its just how I got going in the beginning until I adapted the lifestyle. I am not trying to sell you anything here...I repeat...you do not need to buy any supplements for these results.

What is clean eating? I wish I had a dollar for everytime someone asks me this question. To everyone...clean eating means something different. I highly recommend Tosca Reno's book called "The Eat Clean Diet Recharged". Read it front to back.....know it...and spread the word. But here it is in simple form:
1) Eat more! (I know you are saying what????....but yes!) Eat 5-6 small meals a day. Eat every 2-3 hours. I try to combine complex carb + protein for every small meal. Examples would be apple and natural peanut butter (with ingredients just peanuts...nothing else added), strawberries & cottage cheese, rice cake with almond butter, hard boiled egg & apple, Chicken & Brown rice. These are just some examples. Before eating clean I tried every diet, weight watchers, calorie counting, low carb, HCG, starving myself etc. This was the first time that I had to set a calorie MINIMUM for myself. 1200 is the magic number. Do NOT go below 1200 calories a day. Eating every 2-3 hours ensures that your metabolism is on FIRE! Your body is never worried about getting fuel...so it never conserves energy (fat)..and continues to burn burn burn. Also...unlike dieting...pretty much everytime you start feeling hungry its time to eat again. It's amazing...but the minute I feel any signs of hunger...I look at the clock and its been about 2-3 hours and its time to eat again anyway.

2) Eat breakfast everyday within an hour of getting up.  I know everyone has been told a million times that breakfast is the most important meal...yah yah yah. But its absolutely true. Your body has been starving all night long. How can you expect it to propel you out of bed and start the daily grind without any energy? And look at what you do to your metabolism when you start running around like a maniac, but don't take in any energy? Your body panics and says "conserve energy" aka...store fat. Jump start your metabolism by having a big healthy breakfast full of the good food God intended you to eat. My breakfast favorites are raw oats (1/3 c raw oats, 1/2 sliced banana, handful of walnuts, 1 Tsp of unsweetened coconut, drizzled with almond milk) or protein pancakes (1/2 c cottage cheese, 3 eggs, 1/2 c old fashioned oats, 1 scoop protein powder...blended and cooked like pancakes)..for syrup I boil strawberries and puree them (you can add stevia or agave if you need it sweeter). Or you can cook some eggs..and have an apple on the side. Eat something substantial to get yourself going!

3) Drink 2-3 liters of water everyday.  Stop right there! I don't want to hear the excuses. I never liked water either...I work in the operating room where its impossible to drink water...and if you can get your hands on it...its impossible to go to the bathroom in the middle of a case. Believe me...if anyone has an excuse on this one..I do! If you don't like water...have a chugging session. That's actually what they recommend. Just chug a bottle at once..a few times a day. But someone told me "The more water you drink, the more you will crave it". And its true! Water is like crack to me now...I hoard it at work. I feel crazy if  I don't have water with me...and I may or may not have been known to disguise myself as one of the supervisors and call food services at work and demand they fill our anesthesia fridge with water. Yes..I'm crazy! Cold water burns calories...hot water keeps you full. Just FYI. I don't care if you drink it from the toilet...just drink it! ewww...

4) Pack a cooler. Everynight I spend about 20 minutes packing a cooler for the next day. As I mentioned before....5-6 meals of lean protein + complex carb. It really doesn't take that much time. And theres a lot you can do to prepare on the weekends to make it easier during the week. (Buy a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off and put it in little baggies, chop veggies, make a home made soup etc). If you always have access to a little cooler..it makes it a lot easier to turn down the panera bagels with strawberry cream cheese crack spread. Its hard to turn that stuff down for nothing...but its a lot easier to trade it in for something else you have with you. You will find that your tastes change...quickly. Sweet stuff tastes yucky to me now...and cottage cheese and strawberries taste really sweet to me?!

5) Watch your portions Obviously if you are eating 5-6 meals a day...they aren't going to be as big of meals. I tend to have a little bigger breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then 2-3 smaller snacks in between. I try to make dinner one of the smaller meals of the day. At night...your body is gearing down to go to bed...no need to take in a bunch of energy...it will just be in excess and stored as fat.

6) Avoid processed foods I repeat...avoid processed foods! We have completely messed up what God ever intended for us to eat. We have pretty much contaminated everything He put on this earth for our financial gain. The cost? Our health. Everything we eat is laced with sugar, hydrogenated oils, etc. Things that come in packages.....are bad. Stay away from all things processed with added sugars, preservatives, dyes, etc. You will occasionally find something in a package that is somewhat clean (Trader Joes chili chicken lime burgers...yum...look at the ingredient list! You will be pleasantly surprised). But read labels like crazy!! You would not believe the things we inject sugar into! Meats? Breads? what the hell? And artificial sugars?? BAD BAD BAD!!! Stay away from artificial sweeteners...splenda, aspartame..all of it. They are all hundred times more sweet than sugar (eventhough it doesn't affect your calorie count) it makes your body crave more sugar. It triggers your receptors just like if you would have eaten real sugar. It's bad....real bad! If you need sweeteners...stick to all natural. Stevia, Agave nectar, honey, pure maple syrup (sorry aunt jemima!).

7) Avoid alcohol It doesnt take a genius to realize that alcohol in excess amounts makes us fat. Look at what happens to many kids when they go to college. It doesn't do anything to help speed up metabolism....it bogs down our liver with toxins etc. Its ok to have a glass of red wine occasionally or a beer. But lets not get crazy and undo all our success and hard work!

I know this is a lot to take in...but seriously read Tosca Reno's book. Absorb her knowledge. I can honestly say...that this transformation was one of the easiest things I've ever done. And after a month of being very strict....now I live about a 90% clean life and 10% cookies, cupcakes, brownies, bites of my kids pizza etc. But my metabolism is so high now....that even if I eat a little bit of crack chocolate, my body just burns it right up! I definitely recommend being very strict the first month to get all that toxic crap out of your system and to reset your metabolism. After that....your body is ready to handle little glitches. I was amazed that after going to a chili/rib cook off...where I HAD to (part of the rules) sample one of each 7 chili and 7 rib entries (I almost threw up from the amount of meat I had just ingested) that when I stepped on the scale the next day...I still LOST weight.

Ok...so would it be easier if I gave you a sample day? For some reason..that always made it a little easier for me.

Wake up! Rise & Shine...its eating time!!!
6 am: raw oats (recipe above)
9 am: pink lady apple and 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (for the record..pink lady apples are so sweet that I always feel like I'm cheating by eating them...they just shouldn't be allowed! So delicious!)
12 pm: Handful of blueberries, fresh Broccoli & Egg salad (2 hard boiled eggs, a bunch of chopped celery and onions, mustard, hot sauce, relish, a little cottage cheese to make it creamy)
3 pm: Sliced strawberries & Cottage cheese
5 pm: Chicken Tacos (2 large romaine leaves topped with black beans, quinoa, taco seasoned chicken, and salsa)
7 pm: I sometimes skip this snack but protein shakes are good. Find a protein you like...my favorite is Dymatize Iso-100 (cookies and cream is DELICIOUS!!)  At this point in the day, really start limiting your carb intake. I try to avoid fruits from 3pm on.

So there ya have it...typical day. Ok...heres some more help. I always say to combine complex carb + lean protein. So here is a list of each.

Complex Carbs:
Quinoa *
Brown Rice Cakes
Sweet Potato
Chickpeas* (garbanzo beans...delicious roasted)
Lentils
Brown Rice
Canned Pumpkin
Oats*
Fruits
Veggies
Sweet potato

*denotes the double dippers. These are complex carbs that are also packed with protein...doubly good!

Proteins
Chicken
Flank Steak
Salmon
Fish
Eggs
Edamame
Ground Turkey
No sugar greek yogurt
Tuna
Shrimp
Natural Protein Powder
1% cottage cheese
Tofu
Pork/Red Meat (once per week)
96% lean Ground beef (trader joes)
Almond/peanut butter

Fats  Definitely don't forget your healthy fats. Try to eat some everyday.
Olives/Olive oil
Natural Nut butters (peanut/almond etc)
Oils (healthy)- Udo's, olive, coconut
Avocado
Goat cheese (this is the only cheese I eat...my sister in law taught me that cheese = cottage cheese legs...ewwwwwwwww)


Breads? I don't really do breads.  You can have ezekial low sodium bread. I occasionally eat 1/2 of a multi-grain flat out wrap. But I feel like these are gateway drugs foods. You eat some of them..and start craving all the carby crappy processed stuff you were eating before. I typically stay away. But you can definitely do the ezekial bread if you want.

Ok...the questions...

Will it increase my grocery bill?
Shop at costco if you can. Costco saves me a ton of cash. But honestly...I don't think clean eating has really increased our grocery bill. You would be surprised at how expensive all that pre-packaged processed crap is! A box of granola bars is like $4...or you can get an entire container of oats for $3. We have always had some amount of fruit and veggies here...we have just traded out processed crap for more fruits and veggies. We eat a lot of eggs...and eggs are dirt cheap. $ is no excuse in my book. If I had to invest money in ANYTHING...it would be the health of me and my family and looking and feeling my best. You are crazy to think that any type of makeup, designer jeans, fake tan will cover up carrying around an extra 20 lbs! Put your money where your mouth is...literally. Also..if you have to..drop your gym membership. I will talk about how to get an amazing workout at home...for CHEAP!

Can I still drink beer?
Sure. You wont have AS good of results...and trust me. Cut it out completely for one month (the strict part) and then you'll find that you don't like drinking it nearly as much as you used to. Especially when you see the results...no beverage is really worth messing up shredded abs. But I still have a beer or two.

Do your kids like the food you make?
If you even had a clue how hard I try to make my kids eat healthy...and fail miserably everyday. So then I do the best with what I have. I buy Annies organic mac n cheese, whole grain breaded nuggets, natural peanut butter and no sugar added jelly etc. Its fighting a losing battle. Other ways I make meals for the family..I will make tacos and I use ground turkey mixed with lean ground beef (96% lean) and I use romaine lettuce as my taco "shell" while the rest of my family eats traditional tacos (also plain greek yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream). I will make chili chicken lime burgers for everyone...and again I will eat it with a romaine "bun" while everyone else has a regular bun.

What do I order when I eat out?
Easy...grilled protein + complex carb. If you decide to go the salad route...bring your own homemade dressing. Google "clean eating dressing" and you'll find tons of recipes. I make up a little batch in the magic bullet and stick it in a sealed container and then a zip-loc and throw it in my purse. I will order salad with grilled chicken, shrimp etc. and then use my homemade dressing. But I'm telling you...as your tastes change..you might find yourself scarfing down a salad sans dressing. I have eaten a spinach salad with goat cheese with nothing else on it but sliced strawberries and it was delicious.

I am not a nutritionist. I am not certified at anything but anesthesia. All I can share is what worked for me....and it was a piece of cake. Ive been eating like this for about 3 months now and I'm just amazed everyday at how my body continues to change. If you don't have time to work out....I guarantee you will lookin smokin hot if you just follow these simple principles.

Disclaimer..this lifestyle is very rough on your credit card. I went through 3 jeans sizes in 2.5 months. I was not prepared for how quickly my body would be changing...and my credit card took the hit. So if anyone needs any size 29, 28, and soon to be 27 jeans...let me know! (size 8, 6 and 4 in american sizes). I'm not complaining.......I'd much rather have this problem than the opposite!

Phew! Exhausted??? SO am I! And some carpal tunnel to boot! Any more questions? Shoot away! Ready to get started? Message me on facebook! I would love to encourage you..help you develop meal plans...give suggestions etc. Even if you want to send me a quick note saying you are going to try it...just to help keep yourself accountable. I'd love to say that this hour of my life writing this blog was not wasted...and I helped at least one person. Stay tuned for part deaux!