Cooler Plan 2 for steady weight loss

Cooler Plan #2- Eating for best long-term results

I get so many people who want to eat clean but don't know where to start.  How many servings a day!  What is a complex carb, is Corn a vegetable?  So hopefully this will clear the air just a bit!  Tosca Reno the author of the Eat Clean Diet calls her meal plans, cooler plans!  She has different cooler plans based on the type of results you want to get.  So today I am focusing on Cooler plan #2, which is for steady weight loss and maintenance until your goal weight is reached.  So this is basically the plan I stick to year round at this point!  This will give you a good idea of what to eat and when!

What is it?  This IS EATING CLEAN!

  

Do this year round for steady, healthy weight loss.  But this plan can also be used for maintenance.  Here's why:  when your body begins to approach its set point (its genetically predetermined healthy weight) you will find that weight loss will stop or slow.

The occasional treat (glass of wine, piece of chocolate, ect) is permitted in limited amounts.  Unhealthy sugars and fats are not recommended.

How it works:
 Follow the eat clean principles as listed below
What to do:

• Eat more- eat six small meals each day.
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising.
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbs at each meal 
• Eat sufficient (two to three servings) healthy fats every day.
• Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day.
  
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.
• Adhere to proper portion sizes.
• use unrefined coconut oil for cooking
• Organic virgin olive oil, vinegar and lemon for dressings.  there are many delicious homemade dressings that do not take much time at all.  Braggs is a brand you can trust if you'd like to purchase in the store.
  

What to Avoid:

·         Avoid all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar.

·         Avoid all chemically charge foods.

·         Avoid foods containing preservatives.

·         Avoid artificial sugars.

·         Avoid artificial foods such as processed cheese slices.

·         Avoid trans fats.  NO canola or vegetable oil

·         Avoid sugar loaded beverages, including colas and juices.

·         Avoid or do your best to limit alcohol intake.

·         Avoid all calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value. I call these anti-foods.

·         Avoid super sizing your meals.

Complex Carbohydrates from Fruit and Vegetables:
6 portions each day.  A portion is:

• 1 cupped handful or a piece of fruit such as berries, banana, grapefruit, melon, apples and mangoes.
• 2 cupped handfuls of vegetables including broth based/vegetable puree soups.

Complex Carbohydrates from whole grains and starchy carbohydrates: 

2-4 portions each day.  A portion is:
1 handful of cooked cereal
1 piece of whole grain bread or wrap (Ezekial Brand or Alvarado is great)

1 handful sized serving of legumes, sweet potato, yam, carrots or squash

Lean Protein

6 portions each day.  A portion is:

• 1 cup or handful of dairy products or alternatives such as almond or coconut milk, occasionally organic cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt, organic cheese or plain fat free sugar free yogurt. For Dairy I STRONGLY recommend organic!  With Non Dairy Milks please look for Caraganeen, it is a common additive and not good for you.  I like Thai Lite Coconut Milk concentrate in the can or Whole Foods 360 Brand organic unsweetened Almond Milk  Silk also has Almond Milk that’s Non GMO Caraganeen free.
  
• 1 scant handful of raw, unsalted nuts (also a healthy fat)
• 1-2 tablespoons of all natural nut butters such as almond or peanut butter (also a healthy fat). Nut butters should have nuts only-no additives-read ingredients-- 
• 1 palm sized portion of lean meats-I prefer organic beef and chicken and wild caught fish or tuna 
• good quality  

Beverages:

• 2-3 liters per day of fresh water with no sodium
• Clear herbal tea (unsweetened)
• Black coffee in moderation
• Green/Black tea

Sweeteners:  Use in moderation.  Avoid Artificial Sweeteners.

• Stevia from the Stevia plant-preferred brand Pictured
• Raw Honey
  
• 100% pure organic maple syrup

• Coconut Sugar or Coconut Palm Sugar

For more tips on what a typical day of eating looks like for me and how I prepare go to my meal planning page.  I will be adding information and improving each week!


Have a great day!


Jen Zakaras  

jenzakaras@cox.net

602 750 0374

21 Day Fix Week 1

21 Day Fix Update:

Turbo Kicking ALLL over the house today! "Who's house, my house, who's house my house, who's in my house?" 
Fix Update: I told you I was excited on Friday! Since Monday on the fix, not quite an entire week...... a week in which I have had so much food to eat that I didn't always eat it all, a week in which I exercised only 30 minutes a day and had to pause the video a few times.... yet sometimes wondering if it was working because some days I didn't sweat.....ie: pilates....a week I had valentines night wine....and a little dessert. I had to do my inches today just for fun, because I decided inches were going to be my #1 measure tool....So here it goes:
Since Monday:
1.25 inches lost in my chest
1.5 inches lost in my waist
3/4 inches lost in my hips
5 pounds lost
Yes, I had Tim measure again to make sure... and I was already eating healthy and working out before! I am sleeping AMAZING! This is a really notable difference that surprised me! I can think of some very specific times the fix helped me....it not only helped me eat what I needed to (sometimes I don't eat enough) but it also helped me make decisions I wouldn't have made. It also helps me make sure my nut/seed portions are not too much for the day but yet ensures I get my healthy fats in. Tuesday I had one meal packed but should have had two because I came home hungry and needed to eat... before I would have grabbed an apple or something healthy that was quick... instead I made a choice to make grilled veggies because I wanted to save those things for something later. Loving this Program! And I've measured everything for years.... this just really helps you focus on your nutrition at a deeper level in an easy way! Tim Zakaras also lost 4 pounds since Monday doing his T25---and a byproduct of my fix of course

Fun Weight Loss Challenge

I wanted to give an update! I weighed myself today because I haven't for awhile and wanted a "starting point" for the fix and my eating clean this week--- plus with superbowl etc I was a little nervous about it. I was down two pounds from my low! So I already got to move 2 hearts from Funky to Spunky 

This is something I saw a month or so ago and have wanted to do it since, today I decided I wasn't putting it off any longer! So this is an example but many people use Marbles (I almost did). Someone else I saw used Nails for "nailed it" in T25. I went to the dollar store and got some fun things. For me... as I've been on this journey, a fun part is feeling like myself again... getting my "spunk" back, my personality! A fun inspiration for me is to once again feel fashionable, look like I feel on the inside, wear things I love---that are really my style. Feel like I can do a "hot" date night with my hubby and feel like it! I am fun, I am spunky.. and somehow I became an introvert these past few years! If you knew me you wouldn't think this was possible! I LOVE our challenge groups and the friends I've made because I realize a part of that was just missing friends. A fun assignment today is try to create some sort of goal for you, if you do not have a lot of weight to lose maybe it's how many times you work out this month, or maybe it's a health goal like how many times you bypassed soda or drank your shakeology... whatever it is try to create a visual! I am so excited to lose my first pound and put it in my FAB glass ! Bring on the heels! 

Tuesday Transformation; Lisa with Chalene Extreme and Turbo Fire!

#TransformationTUESDAY I am so excited to shout out my AWESOME Turbo Fire Accountability partner Lisa Connellan-Hamill today! She has done Chalean Extreme and is now doing Turbofire! Check out her amazing transformation!!!!!!  Without her last night would NOT of happened and I am up today to work it ;)  YOU GO GIRL!  And awesome choice of workouts, I must say---AND I'm getting ready to #Turbo40 and think of you!

I think for me its cool to see that REAL people REALLY do get results. It's not just someone in an infomercial where you question the results. I see it all the time, real stories, with a really heart felt reason why weight loss is a HUGE GOAL for them!

It's cool to see how scared people are to take those before pictures, but its worth it when they see that after picture and their CONFIDENCE and SMILE tells a totally AWESOME STORY!!!

It's about time for your AFTER picture right!!!!!  Way to go Lisa you rock!!!!! I can't wait to see the difference after Turbofire!!!

Don't you just LOVE the weekends?! 

I know this is your time to get lots of things done around the house, places to go, people to see...but are you making sure you get those important tasks in too?
People tend to let certain things go during the weekend that they make a priority during the week. This has been a constant struggle for me. I am great during the week and in the past I would ruin my progress on the weekend!

If being in good health and shape is important to you, you cannot totally let it go on the weekends.. Although your nutrition is 80% and exercise is 20% of your results, you have to put 100% into your goals to get to your happy place!
Make it your priority to get in that workout before you get too busy that it is not important anymore. Make a plan for the things you have going on and stick to the cheat meals you have laid in place.

Make your goals and dreams a reality! It comes with dedication and hard work.. YOU CAN DO IT!!

What is the challenge group?

Need some inspiration?  Watch this!  Absolutely LOVE IT!

Are you a goal person?

 I certainly am in my head, but then my stomach flutters and I get a little nervous.  I guess you would say I'm one of those people that is afraid I might fail.  I might even say I don’t believe I could succeed?  So my style is to JUMP in and go crazy, not sure what I'll hit but hope I get somewhere.  I realize this isn't the most productive way of achieving things, often it works for me because I work hard and don’t give myself time to think of failing. 

In my mortgage business I am "success by accident".  Yes I work very hard, my mom always said, if you are working hard and treat  people right the paychecks usually come.  Don't give yourself time to worry about the money.  With the ups and downs of being paid all commissions looking back I've been blessed.  I treat people how I want to be treated, truly care about the end result for my customers, see them as people, and always tell the truth and communicate with them.  That's not meant to be a brag post but it's how I've run my business.  My customers come from referrals.  However as much as I would like to say " I will do this per month etc."  That's hard for me.  I just know when I'm slow to get out and do something about it. 

One of my favorite things I have learned from my challenge groups and being a Beachbody coach is that Goals are not scary.  They are something to shoot for, but they are changeable.  I 've always thought if you made a goal and then you didn't meet it you were a failure.  You didn’t make the grade.  You weren’t good enough.  That is not true.  The goals I make for myself this year today are a plan for me, but that doesn't mean life may not change and my goals may need to be reevaluated.  However it is sure fun to see people reach their goals and even surpass them!  For the first time I feel like I can have goals, and it's exciting!  I know this is what I want to accomplish, but it takes away the fear to know it's ok if they don't occur as long as I did my best.  The important thing is I took the risk to have a goal, put myself out there.  Without something to shoot for life definitely will not change, but with it, I just might achieve my Dreams!

I am very close to meeting a goal I have made for my Beachbody business.  I initially was stressed out about this once I confidently put it out there to my coach.  Then I realized that although that is my goal, my first goal of helping people is always the main priority.  So if it doesn't happen but I did what I could to help those who needed me and provide opportunity, then I still met my goal.  It's sure fun to try though!  How about you?  Do you have any goals you want to put on your dream board this year? 

Would you like to be part of a challenge group that helps you with not only your goals, your whys of doing something, but eating clean, getting healthier and overall feeling better about yourself?  Our challenge groups have amazing results in helping people look better, but I have seen SO many more results that inspire me from people changing health problems in 30 days to emotional changes.  Every time I think I'm crazy posting goofy pictures of my journey, I read another life touched  by the willingness someone had to go out of their comfort zone.  It's time to do it!  You can spend the rest of your life safely attached to the place you are, but the risk of putting yourself out there is so much more worth living! 

What do you have to lose?  
Join us January 6!  
Message me on facebook or email me for details... jenzakaras@cox.net.  

I am here to provide information and when you are ready---I'm here!  

Victory this morning!!!

Remember the scale doesn't always tell you the truth this is way more fun--my weight has been going down but muscle really burns fat! On top of it each day the last two days someone has told me wow look at those legs and yesterday what are you doing? ️ and I tried on an outfit I didn't think I could wear for my Christmas party tonight and it looks awesome and feels amazing! Yayy! I've had fun times I've not been perfect and it just shows that consistency not perfection will bring results and this is real life stuff!! No fad diets here!

The magic of pulling a jacket out that hasn't looked nice in years, Telling yourself it will probably still not look ok, and it fits! all I've wanted since My surgeries is to just throw on a jacket and feel like myself. I know I have a long ways to go but it's so fun to feel like me! The scale would tell me that this shouldn't fit ----but muscle burns fat baby!!!!