Week 13 (Nov 11-17): Beat the Holi-Daze!

This week starts the second Facebook challenge and this time the challenge is to "push play" for a BeachBody exercise program.  So, I'm back at it with Slim in 6!  Plus, in the last challenge I won a raffle for RevAbs that I'm excited to try.  On day one I only did 10 minutes SI6 but I did get in more water and also took a walk with the mini-me and the dogs.  After a long work day, I'm headed to bed awfully late so here's hoping I "push play" in the morning...

Clean Eating Thanksgiving Feast

All of this food is most certainly an overload of calories!  But it's Thanksgiving and I WILL indulge in my favorite foods and not feel the least bit guilty!  What I can do is clean up the recipes so that I can feel good about what I am putting in my body, regardless of the calories.  Here's the menu: 

Breakfast
Turkey Sausage or Low Sodium Bacon
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes or Gingerbread Waffles with Pure Maple Syrup
Fried Eggs
Pumpkin Spice Latte or Coffee with Pumpkin Pie Creamer
Or something light such as Granola and fresh fruit in milk

Lunch
Sausage Balls
     Clean Eating Bisquick Mix
Spinach Salad
     Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Fresh Garlic, and Cracked Pepper Dressing
     Clean Eating Ranch
     Clean Eating Vinaigrette
Butternut Squash Soup or Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk 

Dinner
Oven Roasted Turkey
Cornbread Stuffing
     Clean Eating Cornbread
Gravy
Green Bean Casserole
     Southern Style Green Beans
Vegetable Casserole
     Substitute 2% Fage plain greek yogurt instead of  mayo and sour cream
     Substitute these Baked Cheese Crackers instead of Ritz
Sweet Potato Casserole
Butternut Squash, Apple, Cranberry Bake
     Substitute whole wheat pastry flour and honey or agave instead of brown sugar
Cranberry Sauce
Dinner Rolls

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pecan Pie, Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, or Blueberry Pie
     Clean Eating Pie Crust
     Whipped Cream
Fudge

Drinks
Apple Cider
Egg Nog

3 Day Detox

Green Smoothie Recipe

1.5 c 2% Fage greek yogurt
1.5 c silk vanilla soy milk light
4Tbsp flax seed
1 medium banana
10 strawberries
1/2 c blueberries and raspberries
1 cup spinach
30 crushed almonds
1/8 c honey

Yields three 1.5 c servings - approximately 325 calories each.  Freeze in ice cube trays and thaw single serving (1 ice cube tray) in a large cup overnight in the fridge.  It will be the perfect consistency for breakfast.  In the morning, thaw a second serving for lunch. 

Breakfast
1 green smoothie
1 cup green tea (w/splenda or truvia)

Lunch
1 green smoothie
1 cup green tea (w/splenda or truvia)

Snacks - 1 AM and 1PM
Fresh fruit bowl - apples, grapes, melons, tangerines, etc.
Raw or roasted veggie bowl - broccoli, carrots, celery, etc.

Dinner
Spinach salad with sunflower seeds, veggie assortment (tomato, red onion, bell pepper, broccoli) and lean meat (grilled chicken, salmon, tuna steak) dressed with a homemade light tasting olive oil, apple cider vinegar, fresh garlic, and cracked pepper dressing.

Water - Aim for at least eight 8oz cups.  Carry a large water bottle everywhere you go!  Mine is 24oz and I aim to fill it up 3 times.

Week 12: November 4-10

Well, we've reached the end of the FB eat clean and get fit challenge.  I am no longer on an exercise program but I am getting purposeful movement through playing at the park, walking or biking the neighborhood, and keeping up with house and yard work.  I am no longer tracking calories but am conscious of my portion sizes, I read nutrition labels, and I am making smart choices and healthy modifications to my favorite foods.  I haven't given up anything I love - my morning latte, an occasional cookie or chocolate, mac n cheese, pasta, sweet tea (half sugar), even an occasional regular soda!  I enjoy the foods I eat and never feel like I am dieting.  I have even conquered emotional eating!  Bonus:  I have reached 164.5lbs!   I logged 168 back on Sept 8 then didn't lose any weight until Oct 21 when I finally reached 167.  In the last two weeks I have lost another 2.5 lbs! I don't know why it's taken so long or why these 2.5 lbs have been so effortless but I'll take it!  2.5 more lbs until I reach my first goal! Maybe the 3 day cleanse will get me on my way!  I'll post my meals soon...

Superfood Slimdown

Last week, The View did a segment with Dr. Lindsey Duncan, a naturopathic nutritionist.  He says that these superfoods make it extremely difficult to NOT lose weight:

Caralluma Fimbriata is a plant (cactus) used India in times of famine.  You can take this in a capsult form.  It stimulates a signal to the hypothalumus to tell your brain and body "I'm not hungry".

Raw Green Coffee Beans from South America has chlorogenic acid which stops the body from absorbing sugar in the bloodstream.  Skinny Coffee can be found in grocery stores or you can take capsule form.

From Africa, the Moringa tree tea or capsules gives the body energy.  Plus it has lots of iron, protein, and calcium.  Drink this and your bloodsugar goes down and your energy goes up!

Raspberry Ketones (in capsule form) are the "great fat liberator".  Body builders use this to lose the last 5lbs.  This causes fats to be released into the body and the body burns it as energy.   
      
And then of course, Dr. Oz recommends an Indonesian plant, Garcinia Cambogia (HCA), to burn fat.  One viewer suggested Citrimax Plus Chromium at the Vitamine Shoppe - Garcinia Cambogia Extract(Citrimax)(Fruit Rind) 1500 Mg Standardized To 50% (-) Hydroxycitric Acid (Hca) 750 Mg -- plus Chromium(Chromax)(As Chromium Picolinate) 200 Mcg.  The HCA extract works by blocking fat (actually inhibiting an enzyme that turns carbs into fat) and suppresses the appetite by increasing serotonin levels.