What is a Challenge Group?

Wanna know the two most common questions I hear as a Beachbody Coach?

1. "What the heck IS a Challenge Group?"
2. "Why do I need a Challenge Group to succeed?"

These questions are easy to answer because I attribute my 65 pound weight loss to Challenge Groups! Being a part of them were a HUGE factor in my success!

Q. What IS a Challenge Group?

A. A Challenge Group is made up of all kinds of different people, working together to support each other and reach their goals. They are all working out to a Beachbody program, they are all drinking Shakeology, and they are all eating clean!

Sometimes a challenge group will be made up of one specific Beachbody program, like P90X3. Other times the challenge group will be a mixed group. Mixed groups contain all Beachbody programs except the 21 Day Fix. That program gets its' own group because it's such a special program!

Q. Do I have to go anywhere for this Challenge Group?

A. NOPE! We run the challenge groups through secret facebook groups! We want this to be easy for you! Just sit down, check in, and workout!

Q. Why do I need a Challenge Group to succeed?

A. The reasons for needing a Challenge Group are really endless. 

1. Support. We talk each and every day to support the entire group! Hit a plateau? We are there to help you find a solution through it! Need some encouragement to go workout? We will kick your butt into gear!
2. Nutrition. We love to share our favorite recipes and help each other find new recipes.
3. Accountability. THIS is the big one. We hold each other accountable for our workouts. Our favorite thing to do is post a sweaty post-workout picture. Don't worry. It's a secret group and the pics don't leave the group without your permission!
4. Friendship. This is one that no one ever sees coming. When you join the challenge group, you end up making new friends for life!
5. FUN! We have a BLAST in our challenge groups! Posting funny and encouraging pictures. Lifting each other up when we are feeling down. Celebrating our successes!
   
   

Q. I've failed at weight loss so many times. What will you do to help me succeed?

A. This is a LOADED question. And guess what? It's the same question I asked MY COACH before I made the decision to join a Challenge Group. Her answer to me was this: "There is no guarantee that you will 100% succeed. That is going to depend on you. If you are determined, follow the program, eat well, drink your Shakeology, and STAY ENGAGED in the group, there is no reason that you won't succeed. But remember, I CANNOT do the work for you." This was the best piece of advice I have ever gotten!

Q. What do I need to participate in one of these Challenge Groups?

A. You need three things to participate in one of my Challenge Groups:

 
1. A Beachbody Workout. We're talking P90X, T25, 21 Day Fix, P90X3, Insanity, TurboFire, Brazil Butt Lift, Chalean Extreme, etc. There's a TON to pick from and new ones are being rolled out all the time.
   
2. Shakeology. "But Kelly - I eat my food. I don't drink it." Well friends - get over it and try it. I said the EXACT same thing to my coach. She said the EXACT same thing to me. And guess what? I'm forever changed. Shakeology is NOT going to make you lose weight. You will have to WORK to do that. What Shakeology does is provide your body with 70+ essential vitamins and nutrients that are in WHOLE FOOD FORM. Nothing fake. Ever. The only thing about Shakeology that is processed is that the whole foods are DRIED to make the powder!
   
   ***the BEST value is to purchase your workout and shakeology TOGETHER in a package called a Challenge Pack. They are deeply discounted, so much that we, as coaches, cannot buy them! I would be happy to help you choose what challenge pack is best for you. Just find me on Facebook (http://bit.ly/klevere) or shoot me an email.
   
3. ME as your coach!  Don't worry. This part is FREE! Clicking on this link will take you to a page that will make me your coach! http://bit.ly/freecoachkelly

So - there you have it. Now you know what a Challenge Group is and how they run. Next step is to sign up for a free account and get in contact with me. Whatever you do - PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID to contact me. My goal is to help as many people as I can. I want YOU  to feel as good as I do. I want YOU to have the same changes in your life and body that I had. If I can do it, so can you! 

Let's do this TOGETHER!!!

<3,

Kelly

One year later

I wanna take you back to this exact night, one year ago.

I was an obese mother of a 3 year old and 3 month old. I had zero energy to get through the day. I was depressed about how I looked. I turned to food for comfort. I would eat two entire BOXES of Kraft Mac & Cheese at a time. I would hide my "bad" food from my husband.

But I was extremely naive. I wasn't fooling anyone. My hubby knew I was eating badly and gaining all my pregnancy weight back. In fact, it was my hubby that had the courage to call me on my weight gain.

You see, I had ALWAYS been a "thick" girl. Not fat, but I was always at least a size 12, usually hovering around a 14. I would tell people that I was "big boned". I would blame it on my genetics - after all I was 1/2 Italian, 1/4 German and 1/4 Irish. My heritage caused me to love food too much - right?

In reality, it wasn't my big bones or my heritage. It was my bad food choices and lack of exercise that had landed me where I was.

When I had my son in 2009, I lost my 17 pound pregnancy weight gain very quickly. I kinda lost control when I got pregnant with my daughter in Sept. 2011 and I ended up gaining over 45 pounds. I topped the scale at over 250 when I delivered.

Luckily, I again lost the baby weight pretty quickly. But I still ended up obese at 214 pounds, size 20 pants, and 35%+ body fat.

When my husband finally said something to me, he said it with love. Yes it hurt. But you know what? He was the ONLY one who had the courage to call me on my bad habits. He was the ONLY one who was willing to have me mad at him in order for me to turn my life around.

So, I finally realized that he was right (after not talking to hubs for over a week) and made the decision to change my life. I'm not gonna go into great detail writing about it because I took a LOT of time to make my video.

It is my hope that I can help people through my story. Is it hard to show my before pics? HECK YEAH! Am I completely embarrassed about how I looked? UMMM - YES!

But here's the best part - ready for it?

I'm 9843761875 times more PROUD of my after pics than I am embarrassed of my before pics. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get the full effect of the afters without seeing the REAL befores.

So - one year ago tonight I was sitting on the eve of my 90 day Beachbody Challenge. I had already drinking Shakeology and eating clean for 2 weeks. I FELT better. I think it goes without saying that I was SCARED out of my MIND about this challenge. What would happen if I FAILED? I don't think I could handle another failure in my life. I was already a Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, and crazy diet failure. What was gonna make this different?

Know what I did this time? I took it ONE DAY AT A TIME. I worked out when I could find the time, usually during nap time. If my daughter didn't want to nap, she was in the swing watching me do my thing! I didn't look too far ahead. I didn't worry about working out tomorrow, next week, or even next month. I crossed each hurdle (and there were MANY) as they came.

I also had the accountability of a challenge group. I checked in EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I worked out EVERY.SINGLE.DAY - except Sunday which was my rest day. I drank my Shakeology EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. These three things were my non-negotiables.

Ok - I'm not gonna give any more away. Watch the video. Share it with your friends, family, strangers, ANYONE who can use some inspiration. If you need inspiration, help, motivation, accountability in your own journey, shoot me a line. All I want now is to help others feel this amazing!

Let me know what you think!

<3,
Kell
klevere623@yahoo.com
www.facebook.com.kelly.elizabeth.71271
www.facebook.com/klevere623
@klevere623 on IG

Portion Control

Portion control has always bee a huge hurdle for me. When I am eating food that I enjoy I want to "EAT.ALL.THE.FOOD.NOW."

In today's society, everything is supersized. You name it, it's big. Food servings, drinks, plates, cars, houses, I could go on and on. The one thing that supersized food and drinks ultimately lead to = a supersized you! No one wants that now do we?

When I am at home, my trick is an easy one! I use smaller plates and bowls! I have these amazing little cereal bowls that were my Grandmothers. Instead of using my HUGE cereal bowls from Wally World for my food, I use these little bowls. Here's a pic that shows the difference in sizes of the two bowls.

See what I mean? If I had put today's lunch in the big white bowl, there's no way I would have been filled up because I would have already told myself that it wasn't a full portion! 

Alright - So what are correct portion sizes?

It's hard to tell exactly how much is the correct portion size, especially when you are out to eat. Here's a handy little picture I found to help you out!

So, what do you do when you know what the right portion should be, but you are faced with all.the.food? That's easy!

If you are out to eat, ask for a to go container BEFORE your meal even comes out. That way, you can divide their "portion" in half and have lunch for tomorrow before you are even tempted to eat.all.the.food.

Another way to help with portion control is to ask the server to just not bring the bread! It's empty calories and you don't need it. Yes, it may be good. But is it really going to make you feel better to shove that roll in your mouth? Ummm, temporarily - yes, long term - NO! You will feel guilty immediately and then the snowball effect happens. You feel bad, so you eat more, so you feel worse, so you eat more, etc. 

We went out to eat last Friday night to the Texas Roadhouse for the hubs birthday. I love that place. there were 5 adults, 1 preschooler, and a 5 month old. I couldn't tell the server to not bring the rolls because other people wanted them - said preschooler included! They smelled DELISH and I wanted one - bad. In the end, I just moved them to the opposite end of the table and enjoyed some nice conversation with the MIL, BIL, and SIL instead of eating mindlessly. It was kinda empowering.

Another trick I commonly use is to chew slowly! By nature, my family and I hoover our food. We don't take time to actually taste it. We just want it in our belleh's! I find that if I take the time to actually taste my food, I get fuller faster. Imagine that, I'm giving my stomach adequate time to tell my brain that it's full!

I also like to drink a big glass of water about 10 - 20 minutes before my meal. It helps me reach my 90 daily ounces and keep my portions in check because my belly is already partially full!

For me, portion control is mostly about will power. Do I have the will power to pass on the yummy goodness that is in front of me? Before I started my journey, the answer was no. I would eat it because my mindset was "well, it's only one roll this one time". Guess what? I was gaining weight because "this one time" was every day!

Now that I'm *almost* -40 pounds into my journey, I am seeing the big payoffs of my dedication. I have more energy, I sleep better, and I KNOW that my small daily decisions are effecting me in a positive way. 

Remember - YOU CAN DO THIS! If you need some extra encouragement, sign up for a free account HERE to make me your official coach, then find me on facebook or shoot me an email! I would LOVE to help you succeed!

<3,

Kell

Italian Turkey Cutlets

I found this recipe from my friend Melanie's blog and I tweaked it to fit my own needs. It was DELISH and I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today!


This is a picture of what my Italian Turkey Cutlets looked like, but it's not my picture. We had green beans, not broccoli ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Turkey Breast Cutlets, fat trimmed
• 2 Tbsp (aprox.)  of Italian seasonings
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 ozs) organic, no salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lay a piece of foil in the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
3. Lay in the turkey breast cutlets.
4. Top cutlets with the Italian Seasoning. I don't measure mine out, I just sprinkle it on till it looks good!
5. Layer on the minced garlic and diced onion.
6. Top the garlic and onion with the diced tomatoes.
7. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
8. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until the turkey breast is cooked through.
9. Serve with whatever you choose. We had brown rice and no salt added green beans with ours. 
10. ENJOY!

<3,
Kell

My 60 day results

I'm sitting here crying as I type this. I guess I didn't realize just how far I have come until I saw these two pictures side by side. I cannot even begin to express my emotions right now - happiness, sadness, embarrassment, joy, pride, and many more!

I was going to type out my story again for everyone, but you can find it HERE and HERE.

It's time for my 60 day pictures. They aren't the best but I think they show off nicely the 38 POUNDS I have lost thus far. While I have a LONG way to go still, I am super proud of just how far I have come ;)

I have to thank a few people for making this journey possible. First, my husband. He gave me the wake up call I needed and continues to support me. Second, my coach Danielle Judd, for messaging me one night and talking to me about my health and fitness goals. She showed me the path to a better me and continues to help me on that journey! Third, my good friend Melanie Mitro, who has helped me and encouraged me along the way. I started out as a participant in her fit club on Tuesday nights and never dreamed that I would gain such a good friend out of the deal. Her encouragement and kind words have meant (and continue to mean) the world to me!


And last, but certainly not least, a HUGE thank you to everyone that has been following my story. When I see you out and about, I hear nothing but nice comments about how great I look. You can never even imagine how much those comments mean to me.

<3,
Kell

Beachbody Ultimate Reset

The name says it all. The Beachbody Ultimate Reset.

This is a 21 day program that is designed to train your body from the inside out! It's designed to restore your body back to it's natural settings - you could call it a "factory reset".

Ok - great. This is just another juice cleanse - right?

WRONG!!!

During the Ultimate Reset, you'll eat three healthy, satisfying meals a day and take supplements. You won't starve, drink only juice, or eat only meal replacements. You'll become familiar with delicious new foods and recipes that will help you maintain your health gains beyond those 21 days. In other words, The Ultimate Reset isn't a quick fix. It's a path to real, long-term change.


Help your body start fresh!

Whether you're looking to finally get healthy and fit for the first time and know Beachbody Ultimate Reset™ is that first important step, or you want to optimize your stamina and metabolism to take your fitness regimen to the next level, the Beachbody Ultimate Reset can benefit you because it's optimized for all levels of health and fitness.

Beachbody Ultimate Reset is a unique program that helps people of all ages find relief from digestive problems, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol levels, asthma, arthritis, depression, and inflammatory conditions. It has also helped active individuals get even more out of their workouts because it restores the body and makes it more efficient.*

The Ultimate Reset entails three phases:

Phase 1 - Reclaim

During phase 1, you will balance you body chemistry with four of the six supplements in order to optimize its systems. This will also reduce cravings or dependencies on items such as sugar or caffeine.*

Phase 2 - Release

During phase 2 you will be reversing the effects of poor habits, unhealthy foods, and environmental toxins. You'll modify your diet so that your digestive system won't have to struggle, and digestive problems you may have experienced before, such as bloating and indigestion, will be significantly reduced as your gastrointestinal tract is cleansed.*

Phase 3 - Restore

In phase 2, you will experience a profound positive change in your mood and energy level. Youwill eat foods of high-nutrient value, whose nutrients are easily absorbed and return healthy bacteria to your freshly scrubbed digestive tract with pre- and probiotics. At this point, your body will be ready for ongoing nutrition and ready to perform at peak performance.* 





Some of the benefits* of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset are:

• A stronger immune system
• Increased energy and more endurance
• Better digestion, metabolism and weight loss
• A more positive mood and mental clarity

From now until December 16, 2012 The Beachbody Ultimate Reset is on sale for $30 off. This includes the Deluxe and Ultimate HD kits. The best bang for your buck, as always, is going to be the Ultimate Reset Challenge Pack. 

If you would like to know more about the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, please check out my ultimate reset website. Click on the picture below to get there!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to friend me on Facebook or email me or even leave a comment right here on my blog! My goal is to help you be the best you can be!

<3,

Kell

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Results may vary.

Strawberry Mango Tropical Strawberry Shakeology

a.k.a. "A party in my mouth"!

Seriously - this was amazing! The texture was a bit different because the vegan shakeology recipes use brown rice protein instead of whey protein. But it wasn't a BAD different - just different. I want to use all of my Tropical Strawberry packets RIGHT NOW but probably shouldn't ;)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 scoop tropical strawberry shakeology
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries*
• 1/2 cup frozen mango*

*make sure all your frozen fruit is just that FRUIT! You don't want any added sugar. The only ingredient should be "frozen strawberries" or "frozen mangos" - nothing else!

Throw it all into the magic bullet (or blender), blend until smooth, and enjoy! If you like a thinner consistency (one you can drink) then use less ice. If you like a thicker shake, use more ice! YUM!

<3,

Kell

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Shakeology

If Chalene loves this recipe, then I knew I would too! YUMMO!!!

Ingredients:

• Lots of ice
• 1 cup water (I used 1/2 cup almond milk and 1/2 cup water)
• 1 scoop chocolate shakeology
• 2 Tbsp powdered peanut butter (PB2)
• 2 Tbsp fat free, sugar free cheese cake pudding mix*

Throw it all into the magic bullet (or blender), blend until smooth, and enjoy! If you like a thinner consistency (one you can drink) then use less ice. If you like a thicker shake, use more ice! YUM!

<3,

Kell

* disclaimer - normally I'm not a fan of anything that claims to be fat free. I mean, have you looked at the ingredients on the fat free products? Let me be blunt. Chemical bodybomb are the words that come to mind! But I don't think it's bad to indulge every once in a while :)

Shakeology Cleanse Day 3

The Cleanse is DONE! I must admit that I felt it today. I was not in a great mood and I was REALLY craving the stuff I wasn't supposed to eat. That always happens when I know I CAN'T have something - I instantly want it!

I still can't be sure about my bad mood being from the cleanse. I had a really whiney 3 year old on my hands and, again, I only got 2 hours of sleep last night.

Check out what my first day looked like HERE.
And here's what day two looked like: CLICK HERE.


Here's what Day 3 looked like:


Breakfast - 215 calories

• 1 scoop chocolate shakeology
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Snack -  160 calories

• apple
• banana

Lunch - 248 calories

• 4 ounces of leftover Thanksgiving turkey breast
• 3 ounces of yams

Snack - 80 calories

•  apple and green tea

Dinner - 205 calories

• 1 scoop chocolate shakeology
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

Snack - 80 calories 

• raw carrots

Total calories today - 988

I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. It really wasn't that bad! I just don't recommend doing it while your 5 month old is teething and up most of the night. Learned my lesson ;)

<3,

Kell

Shakeology Cleanse Day 2

Day 2 of my Shakeology cleanse is d-o-n-e!  I felt great when I woke up this morning. Ready to take on the day. Oh, and I was down 2.5 pounds! EEK!

As my day progressed, I still felt great but around 5pm, I got a pounding headache. I'm not sure if it was because of the cleanse or because I only got 2 hours of sleep Monday night and the kids were crazy all day.

Check out what my first day looked like HERE.


Here's what Day 2 looked like:


Breakfast - 215 calories

• 1 scoop chocolate shakeology
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Snack -  80 calories

• apple

Lunch - 351 calories

• 3 cups of lettuce
• 1 cup of sliced raw carrots
• 4 ounces of leftover Thanksgiving turkey breast
• 1 Tablespoon EVOO
• 3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Snack - 80 calories

•  apple and green tea

Snack - 80 calories (pre workout snack)

•  banana

Dinner - 205 calories

• 1 scoop chocolate shakeology
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

Total calories today - 1011

I'm really trying to stay away from anything processed during this cleanse. I know that I need to eat more tomorrow. I was a bit dizzy today and ate some extra fruit to get my sugar levels up. Normally I would have had a cheese stick with my fruit, but I'm really trying to ditch the processed food during this cleanse. Just whole food and nothing else.

<3,

Kell

Shakeology Power Balls

It's the holiday season! The time between now (Thanksgiving) and Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year! I love the lights, the Christmas music, Santa, holiday parties, and everything else about the season!

Something I've noticed since starting on this journey, is that it's hard to pass up dessert. You already know that I'm a self confessed SUGAR ADDICT. So, dessert is a hard one for me!

I was invited to go to a holiday gathering and decided that I was going to disguise a clean snack as a dessert. Guess what??? NO ONE NOTICED! So that means it's time to share it with you!

Here ya go!

Ingredients:
(makes approximately 12 balls)

• 8 Tbsp PB2 (low fat, high protein powdered peanut butter)
• 3 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter (the ONLY ingredient should be PEANUTS!)
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Shakeology
• 3 Tbsp Honey (I use organic)
• 1/2 cup Quick Oats

Directions:

1. Mix PB2 with water until it's a paste-like consistency.
2. Combine all the ingredients, inclding the PB2 mixture, together in a mixing bowl. It may take some time to blend all the ingredients together. If it's too sticky, sprinkle in some additional Shakeology so that it's a dry/crumbly texture.
3. Roll the mixture into small individual balls (about the size of a ping-pong ball) and place on a piece of wax paper.
4. Place the Shakeology balls into the freezer until they are firm.
5. Store in the freezer for up to a week or serve immediately while they are still frozen.

This recipe will make approximately 12 balls. Each ball should be around 1 oz.

Serving details:
1 serving = 1 ball
Calories = 82

Carbs = 10

Fat = 3

Protein = 4

Calcium = 5

Sugar = 5

This data was compiled using My Fitness Pal. Data will change depending on the specific ingredients you use.

<3,
Kell

Clean Eating Tuna Salad

I love me some tuna salad! It's packed with protein and quick to make! I typically eat this for lunch but it very well could be a quick dinner too!

Ingredients:
(makes 2 servings of the tuna mixture)

• 1 6oz can of Starkist Low Sodium Chunk Light Tuna in water
• 2 oz 0% plain greek yogurt
• 6 baby carrots, shredded
• 1 oz 2% low fat mild cheddar cheese, sliced from a brick of cheese
• 1 Thomas' whole wheat english muffin

Directions:

1. Drain tuna and spoon into a bowl.
2. Measure out 2 ounces of 0% plain greek yogurt and add to tuna.
3. Shred the carrots and add to the tuna/yogurt mixture and combine together.
4. Toast your english muffin and top the muffin with 1/2 of the tuna mixture and all of the cheese.
5. Save the extra tuna for tomorrow's lunch or snack.
6. ENJOY!

If there are too many grams of fat in this recipe for you, you can use 1/2 a serving of cheese instead of the full 1oz serving. That should cut the fat down to around 5.

Serving details:
(1/2 of the tuna mixture, 1 oz of cheese, and 1 english muffin)

Calories = 304

Carbs = 29

Fat = 8

Protein = 31

Calcium = 33

Sugar = 5

This data was compiled using My Fitness Pal. Data will change depending on the specific ingredients you use.

<3,
Kell

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

This breakfast combines three of my favorite ingredients: apples, cinnamon, and oatmeal. It's perfect for a cold, snowy morning!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup, dry Quaker Old Fashioned Oat Meal
• 1 cup water
• 1 medium apple - I use galas or honeycrisps
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
• Cinnamon to taste

Directions:

1. Combine oats and water.
2. Heat on high in the microwave for 3 minutes, or until oatmeal is cooked throughout.
3. While oatmeal is cooking, cut, core and dice apple.
4. Add apple, flax, and cinnamon to the cooked oatmeal.
5. ENJOY!

The apple sweetens this nicely for me so I don't use any sweetener, but you can certainly add some honey, agave nectar or stevia if needed! Try subbing in other fruits sometime. I've used bluberries - YUMMO!

Serving details:

Calories = 263

Carbs = 51

Fat = 5

Protein = 7

Calcium = 2

Sugar = 18 (higher because of the apple)

This data was compiled using My Fitness Pal. Data will change depending on the specific ingredients you use.

Snack Ideas

I've been struggling a bit lately with my meal planning. I have some gallbladder issues and can't tolerate very much fat in my diet. It's completely bumming me out because natural peanut butter was a staple in my diet and I can't have it at all. I also can't eat avocados, beans of any kind, or ground meat.

So, this blog post is going to focus on some healthy snacks because is one place I have a hard time keeping it fresh. I usually have the same exact snacks every day!

Some great snacks to plan into your day:

• 1 serving of fruit and 1 serving of nuts
• 1 serving of fruit and 1 Tbsp all natural peanut butter
• 1 serving of veggies and 2 Tbsp of hummus
• 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese and 1 serving of berries of some type
• 0% Greek yogurt and 1 Tbsp organic honey
• 1/4 cup dried edamame and 1/4 cup dried cherries - just make sure your dried fruit doesn't have any added sugar.
• Protein bars (see my recipe page to link to some great protein bars!)
• Protein shake
• Shakeology
• Quest Protein Bar
• Unsalted brown rice cakes and all natural peanut butter (I really miss this!!!)
• Whole grain tortilla, all natural PB, and 1/2 banana - banana roll up!
• Meatloaf Muffins and 1 cup of raw veggies
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 small sweet potato w/1 tsp raw honey and 1/2 tsp cinnamon

If anyone has some other snack ideas, please feel free to share! I'm always looking for ways to spice my routine up!

<3,

Kell

Beachbody's Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale

This is a BIG one! 

Beachbody is putting 7 of their best selling products (6 workout programs) on mega sale! These are great savings and if you love a deal - DON'T PASS THIS UP! The sale and link is scheduled to go LIVE at NOON EST/9am PST.

Click on the picture (at NOON today) to purchase any of the mentioned products at these insane discounts!

These sale products are LIMITED! Do not wait to get your program but make sure to read this entire blog post before clicking on the picture to purchase!

I am starting a TurboFire Challenge Group on Dec. 31. This challenge group is going to have everyone doing the same workout and drinking Shakeology. I'm going to be doing the workouts too! If you want to join me, then this is a great way to get the workouts cheap!

Here's the best part! 

You can combine Beachbody's Black Friday offer with MY Shakeology HD Black Friday offer! 


Wait - Back the train up! 


I didn't tell you about MY Black Friday offer yet??? Well wait no longer!

This is good on Black Friday and Black Friday ONLY! You DO NOT have to purchase one of the Beachbody Black Friday specials to purchase MY Black Friday Special! The free gift is limited to the first FIVE orders to go through!


Offer #1

Order Shakeology home direct (HD) and get $10 back from me in the form of a gift card to The Little Earth Co. or Target AND a FREE GIFT from me!!!



Offer #2

Order Shakeology HD and sign up as a coach and get $20 back from me in the form of a gift card to The Little Earth Co. or Target AND a FREE GIFT from me!!! You must sign up as a coach before purchasing Shakeology HD or a fitness program to get your maximum savings!


I could bore you with all the number breakdowns, but here's what it comes down to:

With offer #1, you will get a savings of $42 when you combine TurboFire and Shakeology HD!
With offer #2, you will get a savings of $55 and change when you combine the TurboFire and Shakeology HD!

Here's how you order! 

Message me on Facebook or send me an email and I'll get you all the information that you need! Heck, I'll even do it for you and Beachbody will send you a confirmation email to seal the deal!

What are you waiting for! Go Shopping!

<3,
Kell

Power Cereal

A HUGE shout out to my good friend Melanie for introducing me to this AMAZING breakfast! It's crunchy, sweet, warm, and packed full of good stuff!

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup cooked quinoa - I use this kind --------------------------->
• 1/2 cup milk of your choice - I use unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup blueberries - I use frozen berries
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
• Cinnamon to taste

Directions:

1. Combine quinoa and milk in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Heat on high for 45 seconds or until heated.
3. Add in bluberries, flax, and cinnamon.
4. ENJOY!

The blueberries sweeten this cereal nicely for me so I don't use any sweetener, but you can certainly add some honey, agave nectar or stevia if needed! Try subbing in other fruits sometime. I've used apples and raspberries  - YUMMO!

Serving details:

Calories = 265

Carbs = 43

Fat = 8

Protein = 10

Calcium = 18

Sugar = 9

This data was compiled using My Fitness Pal. Data will change depending on the type of quiona, milk, berries and flax you use.

My Thanksgiving Plan

Turkey Day. Thanksgiving. Stuff-yourself-till-you-roll-out-the-door day.

Call it what you want, it's one of the scariest days of the year for people who are being diet conscious and eating clean. I know because this is my first Thanksgiving that I'm actually nervous about!

In the past, I would wear my "big" jeans or maybe even my stretchy pants. But this year is different. I'm NOT going to derail all of my hard work just because the food looks, and smells, yummy. I am now armed with tools to help me get through the day. And come to think of it, I'm gonna wear my NEW JEANS that fit oh-so-nicely!


My first tool is my knowledge of how to eat.

I WILL still be eating every 2.5 - 3 hours throughout the day. My day will start with my workout (TurboFire 45 EZ). Then it's time for breakfast, which I think I'm going to make Power Cereal. My mid morning snack is going to happen right when we are visiting the hubs grandmas at the nursing home. An apple and cheese stick should do the trick nicely! Lunch is going to be my Shakeology because it's easy and portable! Mid afternoon snack is going to happen right around when my mom is serving Thanksgiving Dinner so I'm going to probably swap out the snack for dinner. Then I will have two snacks after dinner.

My plan for dinner is to eat whatever I want! YUP - you read that right! I'm going to indulge. Know why I can do that? It's pretty simple. I can indulge on one meal because I am so extremely careful the rest of the time. One meal IS NOT going to kill me.

Now, am I going to eat 5 heaping spoonfulls of moms sweet potato casserole with loads of butter and brown sugar? NOPE. Am I going to eat 2 helpings of mashed potatoes with butter? NOPE. Am I going to have 3 pieces of pumpkin pie for dessert? NOPE.


My second tool is knowing what I'm going to eat ahead of time:

• Turkey - that's about as clean as you can get!
• Stuffing - my mom is AWESOME and is making it with whole wheat bread! I love her!
• Mashed Potatoes - these are my weakness so I usually stay away, but I'm going to enjoy some because when I deny myself, I find that I crave it even more!
• Sweet Potatoes - this year, I'm going to stay away from the sugary topping and just have about a 1/2 cup serving of the actual potatoes.
• Cranberry Sauce - seriously - who can resist this? I'll just be having a little bit!
• Green Bean Casserole - I'm going to stay away from the crunchy fried onions that top it and try to not get too much "manufactured sauce - aka - cream of mushroom soup" on my plate and in my mouth.
• Pumpkin Pie - Don't even think of asking me to skip this. I just won't do it. BUT I will choose a smaller piece this year.

After dinner, I plan to be armed with apples and cheese sticks (my staple snacks due to this dang gallbaldder!). They calm my sweet craving and fill me up nice!

My third, and last tool, is going to be water. Lots and lots of water. My body thrives on getting enough hydration and this is one day that I will not mistake my thirst for hunger!

When it comes to big holidays - it's best to remember that you don't have to deny yourself ANYTHING. You can eat whatever you want. Just don't make excuses about it. I'm not. I'll eat what I want and so maybe I only lose 1 pound this week instead of 2. Guess what??? It's completely worth it to me!

<3,
Kell

Kitchen Makeover

Congratulations! 

You have made the decision to start cleaning up your eating! The first place you need to start is your kitchen. Take time this week to get everything ready to help you on your journey to the new you! Here's what you need to do!

Start with the right tools!

You are going to find that there are certain kitchen tools that you are going to use every day. Keep these together in one drawer or cupboard for quick and easy access:

• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• paring knife(s)
• food scale - that's the exact scale I own ------>
• snack and sandwich sized Ziploc baggies
• small plastic or glass storage containers

There is a saying in the weight loss world: Open bags lead to saddlebags! Man is that the truth! I'm not sure about you, but I can't ever just eat one serving of anything if I'm eating it straight from the container. Not even carrots! So, when you come home from the store, IMMEDIATELY separate your food into individual portions. Do it with almonds (14 almonds), pretzel sticks (10 or so sticks), tortilla chips (24 chips), whatever your poison is! Then put the baggies at eye level in your pantry so you can grab them quickly!

When I started on my journey, the very first thing I did was DITCH THE JUNK. I came home and opened my fridge and cupboards and PITCHED everything that a well tuned athlete would not eat. The white bread, the box of Lucky Charms, the fruit snacks, the candy, the soda, etc. It was all gone! My husband about had a heart attack but he's used to it now!

DID YOU KNOW???

Did you know that food marketers pay MILLIONS of dollars each year to insure that their products are right at your chest level in the grocery store? Why chest level? Because that's where children who sit in the cart look. Check out the cereal isle next time you are at the store. I would put money on it that all the sugary stuff is right at your chest level. 

Well GUESS WHAT? Two can play at that game!

Take a few minutes and do the same thing in your house that food marketers pay millions to do in the grocery stores. Place your quick, healthy, pre-portioned foods right at your eye level in the pantry and fridge. This way, they are the first things you see and you are more likely to grab them! Set your greek yogurt right near your berries, that way you can grab both at the same time!

Another great snack to have at eye level are hard boiled eggs! The whites are packed with protein and are super quick! Prep them on Sunday, set them in your fridge, and then just toss the yolk and enjoy!

A staple in my diet right now (due to gallbladder issues - that's a whole other blog post...) is canned tuna. I prefer the cans because I can recycle them (I'm a tree hugger) and they are cheaper (let's just say that I'm frugal). I store them in the fridge because I can't stand warm tuna - can you??? Grab a can of tuna, a few spoon fulls of 0% plain greek yogurt, and some relish and you have tuna salad on the go! I love it on some Ezekiel bread with some 2% cheese sprinkled on top - YUM!

Substitute this for that!

Another great trick is to go through your food and substitute what you can. Instead of having regular ketchup in your fridge (hello high fructose corn syrup!), trade it out for the organic ketchup. How about a no sugar added version of your jelly or jam? Instead of buying bricks of cheese, buy 2% (lower fat) string cheese. Swap out that sour cream for 0% greek yogurt. 

I stumbled on an app a few months ago that is great for comparing brands and versions of food. It's called Fooducate and it allows you to scan the bar codes of two products to do a side by side comparison. It will even tell you if the food is GMO free - SWEET!

What about your pantry?

Most of your healthiest foods are going to be found in your fridge. I'd say that 80% of the food I eat comes directly out of my fridge. Once you have all that figured out, it's time to move onto your pantry! You usually head to the pantry for something crunchy, carb loaded, fast and/or sweet. Now it's time to find healthier versions of those staples!

Keep the healthiest pantry foods AT YOUR EYE LEVEL! Remember those food marketers who pay millions to get the prime spots at the store? Well, be your own food marketer! Put the bad stuff in hard to reach places! When you want something quick, are you going to take the time to get the stool out to reach the back corner of the pantry, or are you going to grab what is right at eye level?

When you buy your food in bulk (gotta love Costco and Sam's!), take everything out of the packaging right away. Repackaging is KEY to changing your diet! 

Here's some staples I like to keep handy in my pantry:

• Unsalted Brown Rice Cakes
• Unsalted raw almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, etc.
• Old fashioned rolled oats
• Steel cut oats
• Protein powder
• Shakeology
• Low sodium/no salt added Canned Black Beans
• Low sodium/no salt added Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Instant brown rice
• Quinoa
• Dried fruit - but be careful and make sure your version has NO SUGAR ADDED!
• Quest protein bars
• All Natural Peanut Butter
• Almond Butter
• Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese (for the occasional splurge)
• Oat flour
• Dark chocolate (70% or higher if possible) for cooking
• Canned pumpkin
• Low sodium, organic chicken broth

If you looked in my cupboards right now, you would also find some Funfetti cake mix - but you would have to look REALLY hard to find it ;)

Put everything in your kitchen where people know to look for it. My pantry is BORING. There's nothing "good" (hubs words, not mine!) in there because I refuse to buy it! That is very intentional. If it's not in the house, we can't eat it! I want my family to know that all the good food is in the fridge and that's where they should look for snacks and meals!

So, where do I start???

1. Get your gadgets set up and readily accessible.
2. Remove all of your high fat, sugary temptations from your kitchen.
3. Swap out foods in the fridge for lower sugar/organic/lower fat versions.
4. Stock up on baggies and containers so you can pre-portion your grocery store finds!
5. Clean out your fridge!
6. Put your pre-portioned food in the million dollar spot - EYE LEVEL!

What are you waiting for? GO CLEAN OUT YOUR KITCHEN!

<3,

Kell

Sugar Sugar Sugar

I am a sugar addict. Yup - I'm admitting it. I CANNOT just have a little bit of it. It's either all or nothing for me.

So, I made the decision at the end of September to cut it out of my diet. Or, at least cut it out as much as I can. The difference has been amazing. The weight has been falling off and I have never felt better.

I could go on and on about what are good sugars and what are bad sugars, but I found a nifty little picture that sums it up real nice, so I'm gonna make this blog post a short one (it IS Sunday after all) and get to the point with my pic.

I think it's obvious, but you want to avoid the "NO" sugars and use the "YES" ones occasionally. Just in case you don't know, HFCS is High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Before you go ahead and add that extra sugar to your diet, I want you to imagine that I'm right beside you, telling you this to your face because IT'S TRUE!

<3,
Kell

I'm gonna be gone all day - how am I going to eat clean?

It's going to happen. One of these days you are going to have to be out of the house the entire day. Talk about doing some damage to a clean eating way of life!

The best thing you can do is have your cooler and healthy snacks with you at all times. I knew I was going to be out and about today so I packed 2 apples and 2 cheese sticks for myself. It's SO important that you make sure to eat a complex carb AND a protein at each meal. If not, then you are going to get HUNGRY and very quickly!

I eat a lot of low fat cheese sticks because of my gallbladder issues. I would much rather have some all natural peanut butter with my apple, but my gallbladder cannot handle the fat that is in peanut butter. Some of my favorite protein's to have with my fruit or veggies before I started having belly issues were hummus, nut butter, and almonds. I just wanted to let you know of that ahead of time so you know to sub out some cheese sticks with other proteins you like!

Here's what my day looks like if I'm going to be out and about for a while:

Breakfast - Shakeology
Snack 1 - apple and cheese stick (I always take 2 apples and 2 cheese sticks with me everywhere - just incase!)
Lunch - Chicken salad pita and veggies OR healthy grilled chicken salad if out to lunch.
Snack 2 - Pumpkin protein bars
Dinner - See Lunch
Snack 3 - Pumpkin protein bars


In this sample schedule, everything is very portable and easily thrown into a cooler with an ice pack. That way, I don't have to worry about heating up anything.

When ordering food at a restaurant, you have to be very careful. Restaurant portions are HUGE! I like to order grilled chicken salads with a low fat dressing. I try to stay away from the fat free dressings because I don't like all the fake ingredients in fat free foods. I also ask for the cheese and fries on the side. More to come about choosing food at a restaurant in a later post!

Another great idea is to always have some extra Shakeology on hand. It's very easy to mix up with water. I bought a baby formula dispenser and have 3 servings of Shakeology on hand at all times! You can also order some individual packets.

<3,
Kell