This week my goals are:

Exercise:

I will workout at least 30-60 minutes, 5 days this week

Complete each day of the workout planner

Diet:

I will complete each day of the what to eat guides

I will write down everything I eat with calories (also I will post them)

I will drink between 60-80 oz of water this week

Personal:

I will write in my Blog at the end of the week with my stats

I will spend 30 minutes each day in devotional and prayer

I will attend the Young Married group at church with my husband

I will attend the class 201 at church on Tuesday

Serves 2

2 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

1/2 tbsp cooking oil

1/4 c chopped onion

1/4 c chopped bell peppers

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1 c low sodium chicken broth

1 can low sodium black beans (rinsed and drained)

1/2 chopped tomatoes

1 c corn whole kernel

2 c brown rice

1 tsp chili powder

Optional:

1 sm can Mild Green Chilis

1/4  tsp ground red pepper

Make It:

1. Preheat oven to 375*.

2. In large sauce pan heat oil, add onion, peppers, and garlic and cook until tender.

3.  Stir in chicken broth, black beans, tomatoes, corn, uncooked rice, chili powder, red pepper, and chilis. Bring to boil.

4. Transfer rice mixture into a casserole dish and arrange chicken on top of rice.

5.  Bake for 45 min or until chicken is no longer pink. (170*)

Cheat: Use SteamFresh Southwestern corn and omit corn, onion, and bell peppers.

The Skinny:

 550 calories per serving

2 lb chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning (such as Mrs. Dash)

1/2 tsp dried crudhed oregano, or basil

Make It:

1. Place chicken on a broiler pan.

2. Broil 4-5 inches form heat for about 20 min or until light brown.

3. While chicken is cooking, mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Remove chicken form oven and brush mustard mixture onto cooked chicken.

5. Turn over chicken and brush on remaining mix.

6. Broil 5-15 min more, or until chicken is no longer pink. (170* for breasts)

The Skinny:

310 calories per serving

Keep your strength training fun, instead of just lifting weights, why not try Pilates, Yoga, or any other number of workout videos out there made to get your heart pumping and muscles stronger!

For the cardio I put running (that’s my favorite and the best for fat burning), but you can replace running with your favorite style of cardio and mix it up a bit. For example Day 1 is “Run 10 min (level 5), walk 2 min; do 3 sets” you can easily replace that with elliptical, bike, stair climbing, even walking.

Get ready for a better you!

Congratulations! You finished your first month of working out! I bet by now you can really see the difference, not only physically, but mentally too!

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 4:

NO! Absolutely not!  Did you know that skipping a meal does not help you save on calories, in fact it has the opposite affect.  When you skip a meal you are only hurting your diet, not helping it.  Your metabolism needs regular nourishment and activity to stay moving faster.  When you skip a meal it begins to slow down and not work as hard, meaning that you don’t burn as many calories as fast. Your metabolism goes into “hibernation” in a way.  By skipping a meal you are also causing your energy levels to crash, which will greatly effect your workouts.  Later, when you do eat, you will tend to overeat because your body is overly hungry.  How often should you eat you ask, well good question!

There are so many different opinions on this, but the one that is the healthiest and most reccomended is to eat no less than every 4 hours, including three meals and one snack. Just remember to stay within your calorie limit and work out and you will be on your way to being thinner and healthier in no time.

Makes 6 cakes individual cakes (so you can share with your friends)

Cake
Vegetable oil cooking spray
8 large egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Filling
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves
Frosting
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Make It:

For cake
Heat oven to 350°. Coat bottom (not sides) of a 9” x 13” baking pan with cooking spray. Beat egg whites, 1 tbsp water, cream of tartar and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until foamy. Continue to beat, adding sugar a little at a time, until batter is fluffy. Add vanilla and beat 1 minute more. Sprinkle a small amount of the flour over top of batter and fold in; repeat 8 to 10 times or until you’ve incorporated all the flour. Spread batter in pan, coaxing evenly into corners with a rubber spatula, and shake pan once or twice to even out surface. Bake until cake is a light golden color and surface springs back gently to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges of cake to separate it from pan. Cool on a rack 2 hours.
For filling
Heat berry preserves in a small pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a gentle simmer.
For frosting
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Take bowl off heat; stir in sour cream.
For assembly
Place a cutting board over cake pan; invert cake onto board. With a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter*, cut 12 rounds from cake. Top 6 rounds with 1 heaping tbsp of raspberry filling (you will have some left over), then place 6 remaining cake rounds on top. Spread 1/4 cup frosting over top and sides. (You should have some frosting left over.) Top with raspberries. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and bring to room temperature 1 hour before serving.

The Skinny
303 calories per cake
6.8 g fat (3.9 g saturated)
57.5 g carbs
3 g fiber
5.7 g protein

Fun Idea:

If you don’t have a bisciut cutter or round cookie cutter, or have a special occasion, use a fun shaped cookie cutter to create cute shaped little cakes. Just make sure to calculate your calories per serving appropriatly.

EVOO Facts:

• It contains higher levels of antioxidants then most olive oils, such as Vitamin E
• It has a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids
• It helps to control LDL, the bad cholesterol
• It helps to raise the HDL, good cholesterol
• Some studies have even shown that it can help protect against heart disease
• It’s easy on the tummy and has some helpful effects against ulcers naturally (which is better than taking perscription drugs)

Like all good things, you should use EVOO in moderation. Too much of a good thing can be bad.  Every little amount adds up big time! Look at the Nutrition Facts:

1 tbsp of EVOO :

120 Calories (120 calories from fat…that’s100%)

14 g total fat (2 g satrudated fat)

With that being said, use it in small portions or use an EVOO spray (like Pam).  Remember though that although a cooking spray says its 0 cal/0 fat per serving the serving size is usually .5 seconds, yep, I said point 5 seconds.  I don’t know about you but I holder that sucker down and spray like crazy.  However, it is easier to control the amount of EVOO used when spraying then pouring.

So rememer Extra Virgin Olive Oil, great to cook with…in moderation! I bet you never thought you’d know this much about extra virgin olive oil before!

Here are some streching basics:

• Each stretch needs to be at least 30 seconds
• Be gentle
• Try to relax
• Don’t hold your breath
• Avoid overstretching to prevent injury
• Always be aware of your posture

For more info check out these websites:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/SM00043

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/healthtool-basic-stretches

Check the Food Pyramid for how much you should consume in your diet and serving sizes.  Always make sure to be careful and not eat too much protein.

Good Sources of Protein
Good low- or nonfat sources of protein include:

• Beef, poultry, and pork (choose lean cuts, also high in iron and vitamins)
• Fish and seafood (low in fat and contains Omega-3)
• Dairy products, including cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt and milk (choose low-fat options, also contains calcium)
• Eggs (opt for the egg whites or egg substitutes, very inexpensive)
• Tofu and soy products (can help lower cholesterol)
• Protein on the Go (Check the label to be sure the product contains at least 6 grams of protein, and is low in sugar and fat)
• Nuts and seeds (high in fat, but it’s the healthy kind)
• Dry beans, peas, oats and legumes

Here are some ideas to get you started on your new plan to a sexy new body.  I found this on webmd today it has some good info on how to lose weight fast and safely

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely.  The article is for rapid weight loss, but it has a lot of basic health tips everyone should know. Below are some highlights from the article:

Losing weight is a simple mathematical formula: You need to burn more calories than you eat. Experts generally recommend creating a deficit of 500 calories per day through a combination of eating fewer calories and increasing physical activity. Over the course of a week, this should yield a loss of about 1-2 pounds of fat.

If you want to lose weight faster, you’ll need to eat less and exercise more. Bottom line: 1,050 to 1,200 calories and one hour of exercise a day (but be sure not to dip below this calorie level for safety’s sake). On this type of plan, you can expect to lose 3-5 pounds the first week, or more if you weigh over 250 pounds.

The truth is that cutting calories below 1,050 per day is counterproductive, because you need strong muscles to be able to exercise effectively.

Dansinger advocates a diet that minimizes starches, (even healthy whole grains should be controlled), added sugars, and animal fat from meat and dairy foods. For rapid weight loss, dieters should eat mainly fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat.

 Other experts interviewed by WebMD recommended tactics including drinking lots of water, eating plenty of protein, and keeping a food journal.

·         Eat plenty of low-calorie vegetables to help you feel full.

·         Drink plenty of water so you don’t confuse hunger with thirst.

·         Clear the house of tempting foods.

·         Reduce sodium and cut starches

·         Stay busy to prevent eating out of boredom.

·         Eat only from a plate, while seated at a table.

·         Always eat three meals and one snack daily — no skipping meals.

·         Weighing yourself daily and tracking your food intake can also help you keep focused

“Cardio burns the most calories, so it is ideal for fast weight loss, but afterwards you need to include a few hours a week of strength training,” he says. To burn the most fat, try to break a sweat after your warm-up and keep sweating for the entire hour, says Dansinger.

Most everyone can do an hour a day, but the intensity of your workout will depend on your current state of fitness. Experts recommend gradually increasing exercise intensity to avoid injury.

The bottom line? Weight loss experts agree that any rapid weight loss diet should be identical to a long-term, sustainable plan — and not a fad diet. And fasting or cutting calories below 1,050 are not appropriate for the long term unless you are under a physician’s care.