We all have our New Years traditions. My New Years tradition is two fold; it is about gratitude and choice.  As I say goodbye to 2011 and usher in 2012, I can’t help but take a moment to reflect and be extremely grateful for all that has happened over the past year. It has been an incredible year for me. I had an engagement, a wedding, and naming ceremony, tons of family and friends in town, healthy babies, time spent with loved ones in Texas, my good health, and a job that I love… too many blessings to count!

Part two of my tradition is about choice. Let me explain. The second part of my New Years tradition started about 14 years ago, when I was at a place in my life where things always seemed to be a struggle.  Nothing flowed, making ends meet was an endless challenge, finding the right job was a struggle, my car was always breaking down, I was always in a temporary living situation, I wasn’t living or pursuing my passions, on and on and on.  On New Year’s Day of that year, I decided to drive down to the beach. I needed to get away and I thought that some time in nature would be a good way to start the year.  As I sat and watched nature flow effortlessly I realized that nature probably didn’t want anything. Nature was always in a constant state of being.  It is so simple, yet so profound.  I realized that, for the longest time I had been in a state of wanting.  I wanted a job that I loved, I wanted more money, I wanted a better car, I wanted a fulfilling relationship, I wanted to be following my passion and I wanted a vacation.  The Universe, in its infinite wisdom, was happy to deliver to me just that…. “It seems as though your intention is  ’to want’…  you are always in a state of wanting, since that is what you intend that is what will be given to you, all the wanting you can handle.”  

OK.. if you are reading this on Tuesday the 15th it’s a 9 day challenge.  I am headed to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with some of my most favorite people in the world.  I just got back from Catalina Island, for a wedding celebration.  It was a perfect day and a half get-away. I used it for a well earned splurge weekend.  So, Monday morning I was fired up and recharged.  I know the trip to Texas is going to be a celebration filled with  with plenty of delicious food and drink.  I will use my surviving the holiday tactics not to overdue it but I still plan to enjoy some without guilt.   So, I am earning that great weekend now.  Here is the plan

• 1 gallon of water a day
• Weight training and cardio 8 out of next 10 days (intense, big sweat!)
• 5 days 1,300 calories. 1 day 1,800 calories. 4 days 1,300 calories
• Eat every 3 hours
• No sugar, white flour, fried foods,

Stay on track during the holidays!

Halloween has been ripped down from the shelves in my local Target and Christmas has magically appeared in its place over night. You know what that means,  the holidays are upon us! I love the holidays.  I love the smells, the baking, the food, the cozy outfits, that slight change in the southern California weather… all of it. I especially love the holiday parties and get togethers.  With all these great things going on, how does one stay committed to their diet and exercise goals.  Well, I think a balance can be struck where you enjoy this time of year and still stay true to you weight loss and fitness efforts.  Here are a few strategies to help you.  If you follow some of these tips,  you will be bringing in the new year strong with lots of momentum. Or you can flounder through the holidays with no real plan or comitment to you fitness goals and  bring in the  new year lethargic, with feelings remorse and regret, with then try to play catch up with new year’s resolutions reflecting that energy.  Here are some tips to help you make it through holidays. Not only should you come out unscathed, but if you follow a game plan you could come out in better shape and maybe loose a few pounds in the process.

1) Pre-Feed:  Huge holiday meals and buffets can sabotage diets because it is difficult to resist the tempting array of treats.  Tip:  Before big holiday parties, I make sure I eat a cup of black beans and 4 oz of grilled chicken.  I spice it up with some fresh tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and salsa.  I wash it down with a big glass of water and I am off.  By the time I get to the party, I am able to make choices with my brain instead of my stomach.  People say, “Wow, your will power is amazing”  but I say “Never show up to a party starving, that way you don’t need will power.’  I am pleasantly satisfied and I am not tempted by all the goodies.  

I am now about 1 month into my quest to get back into my pre, pre pregnancy clothes. For those of you that don’t know, after we made the decision to start a family, we went to the Dr. and he said… “hey there Missy, if you want to get preggers you are going to have to put on some body fat.  Estrogen loves body fat and pregnancy loves estrogen, so get crackin’!”  Well, that might seem like a dream job to most but it was a challenge for me.  I had been in the lean, mean, fitness mode for  years.  My body was a well oiled machine and it wanted to stay where it was and my body worked like a champ to keep it at that set point.  It took me about 6-8 months to soften things up.  I started training much lighter, and increased my calories.  Eventually my body gave way to the new routine and I put on some fat.  About 1 year after that, I got pregnant.  So, my body has come up with a new normal set point. A squishier set point.  As of now, I have lost all of my pregnancy weight. But I have to lose those “I have to gain 10 pounds to get pregnant” weight.   I need to re-set my “set point” and I have to get back to that well oiled, contest ready machine!

OK… this one is for my friend Annie.  ”I am in a veggie rut”, she says to me, “I am tired of the same old steamed veggies I eat.”  I hear ya Annie, loud and clear.  I know for the longest time I thought there were only of had full of veggies that you could eat.  Green beans, corn, peas, carrots, and iceberg lettuce…um… yea, that’s about it.  And because I grew up in Nebraska, we only had fresh veggies in the summer and fall, other than that it was pass the can opener and let me crack open this delicious can o peas.  MMmmm….  not so much. Of course once I got older I was exposed to so many different vegetables through my friends and then even more once I became a firefighter because of all the diverse backgrounds and cultures that come together in the fire service.  Not only has my repertoire of veggies broadened, but so has the ways in which I prepare them. Here are a few of my  favorite ways to prepare my veggies.

Raw: In my home we eat quite a bit of our veg raw for the simple reason that we prefer it this way. If you haven’t tried more than a raw carrot before, why not give raw veggies a go?  You can enjoy them plain, or make a healthy dip, or a light drizzle of sesame oil.  Here are some of my favorite raw veggies: Persian cucumbers, grape tomatoes (bite size) celery, baby carrots, green peppers, sugar peas, fennel, kale, baby spinach, red onion and radish.

Can I have a slice of lemon with that?

Ok… I have to come clean… I have a vice, a big one.  I love me some Diet Pepsi.  Maybe it is because when I diet, it gives me a sweet boost without sugar or calories, or that when it is cold and fizzy it just hits the spot and the bubbles help give my stomach a full feeling. And, nothing tastes better with a fresh batch of jalapeno popcorn, than a ice cold Diet Pepsi.  Whatever it is I love it, even though I know it can take the paint off my neighbors’ 67 Impala. (don’t ask me how I know this fact) Let’s face it, we all know that chemical artificial sweeteners are chit for our bodies.  I didn’t drink any when I was preggers because I didn’t want any to poison my little homeis. That should be all the information I need to make a healthier choice. However,  after they were born and I quite breast feeding, Diet Pepsi has crept back into my world… don’t judge!  (Now, in moderation, I don’t think it is a big deal. ) But, it is obvious that  I need a reminder on why it is so important to reach for my WATER, instead of the great tasting paint remover.  So, this post is for me, and any of you who are in need of a reminder about how important water is in your weight loss, fitness and health goals.

Some facts about water:

• Your body is made up of 65-70% water
• Water helps regulate and maintain body temperature.
• Adequate hydration helps athletes with peak performance.
• Water transports nutrients and oxygen and removes waste products, toxins and fat.
•  It moistens and lubricates your mouth, eyes, nose, hair, skin, joints, and digestive tract.
•  If your body doesn’t get enough water you risk dehydration, elevated body temperature, fatigue, decreased mental & physical performance, and heat-related illness.

Meal Plans

No butts about it… you HAVE to eat clean!!  OK… now I realize some of you want to ease into this a little bit and the 4 low 1 high is a little challenging to start.  So, If you want a few more choices than just veggies and protein for 4 days here are some great meal plans that you can follow.  I set up some sample days.  But remember that you still need to fall into your calorie range.  This page shows you how to calculate that.  Also, you still need to do 3 days of low calories and 1 day of high.  This keeps your body from adjusting to the low calories.  If you eat low for too long your body will get use to it and you end up hitting a plateau.

My first two weeks on my diet have been going well.  I am mentally in the right place, my reefer is cleaned out with only good stuff left behind, so I am off and running.. so to speak.  One thing that is off to more of a sluggish trot are my workouts.  Now, normally,  it is easy for me to get fired up for my workouts because that’s where I really start to see positive changes in my body and I usually have energy to burn.  But that hasn’t been the case lately. Lately,  I feel like I am dragging ass. OK… so I have 1 year old twins that need constant attention… but my life has always been overflowing with commitments so I feel like it is something more.  So, I made an appointment with my Dr. to have all of my levels checked. (thyroid, hormones, adrenals vitamin and minerals, ect.)  He did blood work and found out that my thyroid is very low, and my adrenals need some support.   That would account for the sluggish, low energy I have been feeling.  That is something that he can treat and I can get back to my normal kick ass workouts, which in turn help transform my body.  I will let you know how the treatment goes.

One thing that is critical in holding yourself accountable in your fat loss efforts is keeping a checkbook of sorts.  Can you imagine if you didn’t keep track every time you used your debit card…. you would always be guessing weather or not you were on budget.  Well the same is true for your caloric intake.  Most people underestimate the amount of calories they consume and they over estimate the amount of calories the burn.  Hence the crazy statistics

So, it is extremely important that you keep a journal of what you eat every day so you know that you are on budget. Here is a free site I found that will help you track your food as well as your calories burned while you exercise.  Some people like to do it old school and write it down or you can use an app on your smart phone.

The diet basics:

1. Most days, you will burn more calories than you consume .
2. You need to figure out your BMR (base metabolic rate)
3. Your food choices will be low in calorie high in bulk  and or nutrition
4. No white flour, no white sugar, no trans fats
5. You will eat 4-5 small meals day
6. You will drink lots of water
7. No fried foods, grill or broil you meats
8. Sugar free or fat free does not mean calorie free
9. 3-4 days low calories with food choices coming from vegetables and low fat protiens (low grains)
10. 1 day of higher calories with food choices coming from slow burning carbs, grains & protien
11. Free foods, Coffee, tea, stevia sweetener (Truvia) vinegar, occasional diet soda, salsa, hot sauce, no sugar mustard, miracle noodles, wheat bran, flax seeds, psyllium fiber,

So, this is how it is going to go, you will eat 3-4 days on the LOW day meal plan and stay within your calorie range, then you will eat 1 HIGH DAY meal plan. On your high day meal plan you will bump  your calories up 500 over your LOW Days. Split your food up into 4-5 meals, depending on what feels best for you. Every two weeks have a fabulous cheat day.  Click on the BMR link and calculate your base metabolic rate.  This is the number of calories you need for a sedentary day.  When I start getting ready for a show, I don’t want it to take forever so I make my low calorie days about 100 calories over my BMR and my high calorie days about 500 over.  Remember you will be burning more that your BMR because you will be training… hard…. right? so my BMR is about 1400 calories, that is if I do nothing all day except get my are out of bed.  So my low calorie days I eat 1500 calories and my high 2000.  With my workouts and the job that I do, I am burning between 2000-2800 calories a day. So you do the math.  I have a minimum of a 600 calorie deficit.  600 x 7 = 4200 calories.  There are 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat.  So that is a little over a 1 pound fat loss a week.  I am going to loose 15 pounds of fat so I need to come up with a 52,500 calorie deficit until my show in May.  Hey maybe I should had this project over to the federal government!