Men Day 27 May 30th

Thanks to all of you who came bright and early this morning... any questions about phase 2 please post below....note my menu today and how I partitioned my carbs...

LOW CARB DAY TODAY:

6:15 a.m.: 1 slice hemp seed bread, Dream Protein, Greens First, banana, 1/2 serving almond butter, green tea

9:15 a.m.: 1/4 serving wild rice, more green tea

10:45 - noon: Kick ass KB class with HIIT work outside

will wait at least an hour to eat my next meal which will be:

1:15 ish: other 1/4 serving wild rice, a big salad and grilled chicken

Rest of day will be veggies, protein and rest of my fats ONLY...

Women day 29, May 31 Sunday

Can you believe it's the start of week 5 already? If you have any questions that weren't answered today please put onto blog. You are all doing so great. Keep up the good work.

women day 28, sat may 30

Hi ladies! Hope you're enjoying this beautiful weekend. Weigh in and let me know. I will be seeing most of you tomorrow. You can give me your weights then.

Day 27, May 30th

Last day of phase 1... Wow that went FAST!

6:15 a.m. 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, 1/2 serving of almond butter, Dream Protein, Greens First, 1 banana

10 - 11:15 deadlifting and stone lifting

Noon 6 eggs, 3 yolks with mushrooms and spinach, 1 piece of rye toast

2:00 Dream Protein shake with Greens First, 12 almonds

Tonight - cheat meal

Tomorrow morning... PHASE 2 MEETING ! ! ! 7:30 a.m. SHARP

About Sunday's meeting...

If you plan on cheating Saturday night, then please weigh yourself Saturday morning... if not we will weigh you Sunday morning.

Men day 26, May 29th

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday as we begin phase 2 and take this thing to the next level!!!

4:45 2 pieces Ezekiel, 1/2 serving almond butter, Dream Protein, Greens First, banana, green tea
7-8 upper body workout
8:00 Post workout drink (20 carbs, 10 protein)
8:30 5 poached 3 yolks, green tea
1145 Kathy's salad with extra chicken
packed:
carbs
2 wild rice
protein
1 red snapper
will have another shake tonight
fats
extra virgin olive oil on salad, 23 almonds
fruit
apple

women day 26, fri may 29

Hi everyone! Almost recharge day ( sounds so much more positive then cheat)! Make sure you weigh yourself in the morning first thing on your recharge day. Please, make it to the meeting on Sunday. Things will be changing and you need to know what and why. Tom has a lot of great information to share with you. You guys are awesome. Keep up the good work.

Men: Day 25, May 28th

Reminder - 7:30 a.m. this Sunday for phase 2 meeting. Make sure you are there!

5:30 a.m. 2 slice hemp seed bread, Dream Protein, Greens First, 1/2 serving almond butter, apple

8:15 a.m. 5 poached in a bowl, 3 yolks, green tea

Lunch - will be Kathy's salad with extra chicken, green tea

packed:
2 containers wild rice
1 container chicken
fats - 23 almonds, 2 tablespoons olive oil on salad
fruit - mango

Dinner tonight will be chicken sausages and veggies

women day 25, thurs may 28

Tonight at 5:15 ladies boot camp class. Do not be late. It screws me up. Let me know if you'll be attending.

women day 24, wed may 27

Men Day 24, May 27th (Happy Birthdaty mom and Julia!)

5:30 a.m. 2 pieces Hemp seed bread, 1/2 serving almond butter, Dream Protein, Greens First, banana

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Ass kicking squat workout

8:00 a.m. Post workout drink (20 carbs, 10 protein)

9:00 a.m. 5 poached eggs, 3 yolks, green tea

Packed:
Protein:
2 container chicken sausage
Sashimi tonight

Carbs:
2 containers wild rice

Fats: 23 almonds

Fruit: apple

Veggies: big salad tonight

women day 23, tues may 26

Phase 2 meeting this Sunday 7:30 a.m.

We will begin 7:30 a.m. sharp. Be there as we are going to discuss A LOT of important information and make some dramatic changes that are going to catapult you to the next level. In many ways Sunday starts the program... phase 1 was mental and habitual preparation. Most of you did very well with it and have benefited tremendously. Get psyched for the next phase and let's do this!

Men Day 23, May 26th

Memorial Weekend is over... for those of you that lost focus get back on track NOW. Most of you seemed to do fantastic ! ! ! Reminder that our phase 2 meeting will be this coming Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Be there because we have a lot VERY important info and changes to cover. These changes are going to catapult you the next level.

6:15 a.m. 2 pieces of hemp seed bread, 1/2 serving almond butter, Nutra core shake (35 grams protein) , 1/2 banana

9:00 a.m. 23 almonds, apple

packed rest of day:
Protein:
2 containers Turkey
1 container chicken sausage

Carbs:
2 wild rice

Fats and veggies:
will have some extra virgin olive oil on my salad later

Women day 22, Monday May 25

Hi hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. You guys are doing great! Make sure you make it to the meeting on Sunday at 7:30. Tom has a ton of information to share. He will also let you know what you will be doing next.

Men Days 20 and 21, May 23rd and 24th

Sorry for not posting yesterday gents... here it is;

Saturday (cheat meal day):
Workout 10:15 during boot camp.... deadlifting and stone lifting

Protein: Dream protein shake, 2 containers turkey meat (at dinner for cheat meal chicken enchiladas)

Carbs: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, container brown rice... dessert (only ate about 1/3 of it... was very rich but good as hell)... also had a couple small slices of pizza for an appetizer.

Fats: almond butter on Ezekiel toast... rest of my fat came from my cheat meal.


Sunday:

Breakfast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, Dream Protein, Greens first, 1/2 serving almond butter, 1 banana

10:45-noon ass beater of a kettlebell class followed by HIIT outside with the Prowler.

noon - post workout drink (20 carbs, 10 protein)

1:30 - 2 pieces of Ezekiel, almond butter, Dream Protein, Greens first

rest of day - at BBQ will be all grilled chicken and grilled veggies

Women day 21, Sun May 24

Hi everyone. Hope your are enjoying the holiday weekend. Please make sure you get your weights into me. Enjoy your cheat meal!

Women day 20, Sat May 23

Women day 19, Fri May 22

Hi guys!I just want to say how proud I am of all of you. You have almost made it through 3 weeks. Time flies when your filling containers, doesn't it? Keep up the good work. Enjoy your cheat meal. Weigh yourself before hand first thing in the morning.

Men Day 19 May 22nd

4:45 a.m. Dream Protein, Greens First, 2 slices Ezekiel bread, 1/2 serving almond butter, 1/2 banana; white tea

7-8 a.m. Upper-body workout

8 a.m. post-workout drink (20 carbs, 10 protein)

8:30- a.m. 5 poached eggs, 3 yolks, green tea, 1/2 serving brown rice

Packed for rest of day:
Protein
1 container Buffalo meat
1 Container chicken
tonight sashimi

Carb
1 container Brown rice
other 1/2 container brown rice

Fats
23 almonds

Fruit
apple

Women day 18, Thurs May 21st

Hello!! Tonight 5:15 outside interval training. It's going to be hot. Bring lots of water.

Men, Day 18, May 21st

5:30 a.m. 2 pieces of Hemp seed bread, 1/2 serving of almond butter, Dream Protein, Greens First, 1/2 banana

8:45 a.m. 1/2 container of chicken salad with safflower mayo, 1/4 serving wild rice

9:45 a.m. 3 poached eggs

Protein
other 1/2 container chicken
another full container chicken salad
1 container of Buffalo meat

Carbs
rest of wild rice
1 package brown rice

veggies
Spinach and celery

fruit
apple

fats for rest of day
(23 almonds)

Your weight this morning and updates....

If you lost weight keep doing what you are doing, if you stayed the same or gained please re-weigh yourself again first thing tomorrow morning. We don't want to make changes unless we MUST... long way to go folks and dropping calories now isn't great. If you aren't getting your workouts in, doing HIIT cardio, classes, etc then you are HELPING your metabolism slow down. NOT good. Most of you have been doing GREAT and simply need to keep up the good work. Do what I just said and report back tomorrow morning if you fall into that category... if we need to adjust we will adjust; no big deal. Understand that if you gained weight it is VERY unlikely that you actually gained fat... most of you are eating the same or slightly less, so that mathematically is impossible... this is why we need you to check again tomorrow morning.

Men Day 17, Wednesday May 20th

If I didn't get your weight this morning please get it to me ASAP. If you last weight (even a little bit) keep doing what you are doing. If you stayed the same or gained I need you to weigh yourself again tomorrow morning first thing and report. I don't want to make changes unless I absolutely must.

5:30 a.m 2 pieces of Help seed bread, 1/2 serving almond butter, Dream Protein, Greens First, 1/2 banana

7-8 a.m. Kick ass SQ workout

8 a.m. post workout drink (20 carbs and 10 protein)

8:30 a.m. 5 poached (3 yolks) and 1 piece dry rye toast

10 a.m. 1/2 container wild rice and 1/2 container turkey

Packed for rest of day
Protein:
rest of turkey meat
2 containers chopped chicken

Carbs:
rest of wild rice
another container wild rice

Fats:
23 almonds

Fruit:
apple

Veggies:
spinach and celery

Tonight... KB class @ 7:30 p.m. ! ! ! !

Women day 17, Wednesday May 20

Good morning! Hope you are all feeling well today. Please, make sure you weigh yourselves first thing this morning and report back to me. We'll make adjustments as needed.

Women day 16, Tues May 19th

Hello everyone, Happy day 16! Make sure everyone weighs in tomorrow first thing and reports back to me.

Do NOT forget to weigh-in first thing tomorrow morning

If we need to adjust you again we will. You guys (and girls) have been doing great. I know many of you have questions... I promise that all will become clear at our phase 2 meeting on May 31st. For now keep reporting and keep doing what we ask.

Men, Day 16 Tuesday May 19th

5:30 a.m. Dream Protein, Greens First, banana 2 slices Hemp seed bread, 1/2 serving almond butter

8:15 a.m. 5 poached eggs, only 3 yolks

Packed for rest of day:
Protein
1 package turkey meat
1 package chopped chicken meat
will have another 2 scoops of Dream Protein tonight

Carbs
2 packages wild rice

Fruit
apple

Veggies
Lots of celery sticks
Spinach

Fats
23 almonds, will have some olive oil later on my spinach

Goal weight for woman

Karen : 122
Maryann : 115-120
Tracy : 155
Donna : 125
Jan :127
Carrie :
Dawn :
Lisa : 115
Shemey :
Jacqui :
Marylee : 118
Val : 138
Ella : 120
Cristina :
Lina :130
Jody: 113-115 (on stage)

Weight goals for men at end of 16 week challenge

I based these numbers on what you have lost so far and how you lost the weight as well as what your current menu is... so, if you are eating a lot and still dropping weight it will be easy for you to get lighter and lighter. If not the reverse is true. If you have not reported your weight from the weekend I can't give you a goal weight:

Tom. P: Goal - 163-165
Brett. K: Goal - 195
Mark. F: Goal - 160
Barry. S: Goal - 180
Bob. P: Goal - ? need your weekend weight
Brian. Z: Goal - ? need you weekend weight
Jimmy. B: Goal - ? need your weight on Wednesday as we discussed
Jeff. S: Goal - ? need your weight once you are done puking all over the place LOL
Neal. S: Goal - 193
Nick. D: Goal - 155
Frank. C: Goal - 183
Santo. C: Goal - 173
Anthony. C: Goal - 193
Lloyd. B: Goal - 178
Joe. C: Goal - 163

all very attainable... stick with it and you will be blown away at the end... I guarantee it!

Men day 15, Monday May 18th

4:45 a.m. Dream Protein, Greens First, 2 pieces Hemp seed bread with almond butter, 1/2 banana and 1 small apple

7-8 a.m. upper body workout

8 a.m. post workout drink (20 carbs 10 protein)

8:30 a.m. 3 poached eggs and 1/4 serving of wild rice

Packed rest of day:
1 container Turkey
1 container chicken

Carbs
2 containers wild rice

Fats
15 almonds

Tonight I will do a body weight conditioning class... should be a lot of fun

Women day15, Monday the 18th

Don't forget we hold classes Monday nights at 7:30, Wed. nights at 7:30 (kick butt upper body workout), Sat at 10:15 and Sun at 10:45. Also, I am offering the woman to work out with me free of charge on Thurs at 4:30 or 5:15. I can let you know on Thurs what time it will be. No one seems to want to take me up on this offer. Scared? These classes are a great way to burn calories and build muscle.

Here we go beginning week 3. You guys are awesome. Along with losing weight you suld be feeling good. Some of you will be cutting some things out now while others are not. Keep blogging. Don't hesitate to ask any question no matter how stupid you may think it is. It probably is stupid but I wont laugh, I promise. Ha ha

Men Day 14 May 17th

Please don't forget to e-mail or text me what you gained or lost for your 2 week mark. Most of you have.

7 a.m. Dream Protein, Greens First, 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread with almond butter, apple

10: 45 a.m. KICK ASS KB CLASS . . . . men stepping up to the plate as Jody was the only woman today for the first time ever and I simply treated her like one of the boys. That was an AWESOME class today gents and thanks for all your energy because I needed it!!!!

11:45 a.m. post workout drink (10 protein, 20 carbs)

2:00 p.m. 6 eggs (3 whites) - huge salad, and 4 ounces buffalo

2:45 p.m. NAP - class kicked my ass!!!

women day 14, Sun the 17th

Hi my friends, back from my mental health day.Tom and I had an awesome time in NYC last night. Rock of Ages is really worth seeing. Hope you all enjoyed your cheat meals. So if you didn't lose a half of a pound or more you need to do a couple of different things. First of all, take out a half of a container carbs and 5gf. If you lost a half of a pound or more continue what you are doing. Please report to me starting, middle and weight now. You can leave it on my email jody_phillips4@yahoo.com if you're more comfortable with that.

Adjustments for the day AFTER your cheat meal...

After you weigh-in the morning of your cheat meal you will fall into 1 of 2 categories:

Men - if you lost another pound or more since Wednesday DO NOT change a thing; if you lost less than a pound since Wednesday do the following: reduce your carb intake by 1/2 container.... this means you will only consume 2.5 containers per day instead of 3. You will also reduce your fat by 5 grams... this is either reducing 23 nuts by 7 nuts (for a grand total of 16 nuts) or changing a whole egg to an egg white only or 1 tablespoon of almond butter instead of 2.

Women - if you lost another 1/2 pound or more since Wednesday DO NOT change a thing; if you lost less than 1/2 a pound since Wednesday do the following: reduce carb intake by 1/2 container... this means you will only consume 1.5 containers per day instead of 2. You will also reduce your fat by 5 grams.... this is either reduce nut intake by 7 nuts or changing a whole egg to an egg white only or 1 tablespoon of almond butter instead or 2.

You will all weigh yourselves again Wednesday morning and report to either me or Jody. You guys are on a roll . . . . keep it up! DO NOT do anything other than what I have asked you to do above.... if I already made changes to your diet privately continue to do what I already asked you to do until Wednesday and report.

Men Day 13 May 16th

Cheat meal for me tonight... weight this morning 177.2 (down almost 4 lbs. total)
5:30 a.m. 3 pieces of Ezekiel bread and almond butter, apple
9:15-11:00 deadlifting and stone workout
11:00 post workout drink
noon 5 eggs with onions, mushrooms and peppers
1:15 Dream Protein shake with 1 piece Ezekiel bread, almond butter and apple
will have cheat meal tonight at 6:30

Women, day 12, Friday May15

Getting closer to your cheat meal!!!!

Men Day 12 May 15th

445 a.m. - 2 slices Hemp seed bread, Dream Protein, Greens First, 1/2 banana, 1/2 serving almond butter... white tea

7-8:10 a.m. - Upper body workout

8:00 a.m. - post workout drink (20 grams carbs and 10 grams protein)

8:30 a.m. - 5 eggs (only 3 yolks), green tea

Packed for day:
Protein:
Kathy's spinach salad with balsamic vinegar (2 large pieces of grilled chicken in it)
Carbs:
2 containers sweet potatoes
Fats:
23 almonds
Fruit:
Mango

Saturday night join us for cheat night in the city . . .

I'm taking Jody to see "Rock of Ages" in the city; it's an 8:00 p.m. show. We are going to dinner before that around 6:00 p.m. for our cheat night. If any one is interested in joining us (either for dinner or the show or both) please let me know by noon tomorrow and I'll order tickets and make reservations at the restaurant (I'm a Zagat guru so I'll pick a great and affordable spot that is near the theater). The tickets for the show (after taxes etc are around $100 each). Hope to see some of you there!

Men Day 11 May 14th . . .

7:30 a.m. 3 eggs with a cup of spinach, 1/2 tsp of coconut oil, 2 morning star sausage patties and Dream Protein with Greens First and 1/2 banana. big breakfast for me because by this time I usually have 2 meals and won't eat again until after 10.

Packed for rest of day:
Protein:
Two 9 ounce pieces of chicken
Carbs:
2 containers sweet potatoes
2 slices of Ezekiel bread
Fats:
Consumed most of my fats at breakfast, will have some almond butter later
Fruit:
Mango
Veggies:
Packed a huge salad

Women day 11, Thurs May 14th

Good morning my little chickies! Happy 11th day . You're all doing so well. I am so proud. Stay positive and motivated. Don't be discourage by small weight gain or small weight loss. This is exactly what we expected. Many of you have done low calorie dieting in the past (just like most of the women in America) . This has caused a sluggish metabolism. We are getting it back on track, the healthy way.

Men; May 13th day 10

530 Dream Protein, Greens First, 1/2 banana; 2 pieces Ezekiel bread with 1/2 serving almond butter
7-815 squat workout
8 - post workout drink (20 carbs 10 protein)
845 - 3 poached eggs
10 - 1/2 container chicken and 12 almonds
Packed for rest of day:
Protein:
other 1/2 container chicken
1 more container chicken
1 container cod
Carbs:
1 container sweet potato
1 container brown rice cereal
Fats:
12 more almonds, will have more almond butter tonight
Fruit:
Mango

Wednesday - weigh-in day and EVERYONE pleae read

Today I wanted everyone to weigh-in for a reason. I needed to know if you were up or down since the weekend. If you have not been weighing in as we request you are shooting yourself in the foot. I would expect your weight to be slightly up unless your metabolism is very high; then it may have gone down a pound; maybe two. You should hit new lows at the END of each week... so when you weigh in again this weekend before your cheat meal you should be a little lighter (new low). If not we will simply adjust. Here is what my weight has done and this is classic of what to expect in the future if not already:
5/3 - 181 lbs.
5/10 - 178.4 lbs.
5/13 - 179 lbs.
5/16 - will likely be 178 or a bit under...
Your cheat meal effects you more than you think... you will see this trend I am describing and if you see that trend you are doing it right. DO NOT expect your weight to go down each and every day... it doesn't work like that. Like I said, at the end of each week is where you should see your new lows.

Women day 10, Wednesday May 13

Hi guys, Think it's time to restock the fridge. Usually has to be done twice a week. Yesterday i had a couple of people appologize for being unprepared. Nothing is worse then going in the fridge to grab your food for the day and be short on something.

Overall it was a great day. Keep up the the good work.

Weigh-ins again tomorrow morning....

Please do not forget to weigh in again tomorrow morning as soon as you wake up and report to me or Jody... thank you!!!

Men Day 9 May 12th

Ladies and Gentlemen, please weigh yourself again first thing in the morning tomorrow morning... AS SOON AS YOU WAKE UP !

4:45 a.m. Dream Protein Shake with Greens First, 1/2 banana; 2 pieces of Ezekiel Bread with a 1/2 serving of almond butter

8:15 a.m. 3 poached eggs with Green Tea

Packed for day:
Protein:
1 Container Tuna
1 Container Turkey meat
1 Container of chicken

Carbs:
1 Container brown rice cereal
1 container sweet potatoes

Fruit:
Mango

Veggies:
cauliflower and broccoli

women day 9, tues, may 12th

Hey, Remember to stick to the plan. If you cut now you wont get the results your looking for. Everyone is doing an awesome job. Cravings should be gone and noone should feel hungry.

Men, Day 8 May 11th

Need to go to the city today so I will comment on everyone's post tonight and first thing tomorrow morning. Guys, you are all doing amazing!

4:45 a.m. 2 pieces Ezekiel bread, 1/2 serving almond butter, Dream Protein with Greens First and 1/2 banana

7-8 a.m. workout

8:15 a.m. post workout drink (20 carbs and 10 protein)

8:45 a.m. 3 poached eggs

Protein
container cod
container tuna
container chicken

Carbs
2 containers sweet potatoes

Women day8, Monday May 11th

We have made it through the first week with no casualties! Everyone did great. Give yourselves a nice pat on the back. Ok, lets keep going....

Men, May 10th Day 7

So far every single one of you have reported back with weight loss between 2 lbs and 8 lbs. I lost about 2.5 lbs which is actually a bit more than I wanted to lose... I've been eating pretty clean for over a month now, so I didn't expect to drop that much. The average man lost about 5 lbs which is amazing. I need you to all weigh yourselves again on Wednesday morning and then we will weigh in one more time a week from today (or yesterday... which ever day you choose for your cheat meal next week). From there we will make adjustments as necessary.
I want to congratulate all of you for an amazing job so far. I have not heard a single man complain about being hungry, or draggin ass during the week. I've heard many reports of elevated and sustained energy levels and THAT is what we are after here. The weight will drop slowly but surely week after week after week. This was only week one. You will not lose as much weight next week - if you do you are a freak. I told you these first 2 weeks are so your body gets used to the process and gets into a state of more "normalcy." Expect another 2-3 pounds of weight loss next week on average... some will only lose 1 or 2 and some will lose 2 or 3 and that is what I'm hoping for. After phase 1 I'm expecting the average man to lose 10-12 pounds.... then it gets fun. Stay the course, the hard part is over. Many of you have already changed bad habits and are creating new possibilities for yourself. The energy has been amazing, now just keep up the great work!!!

Today:
7:30 a.m. 3 eggs with a hell of a lot of spinach and 1/4 serving of coconut oil; Dream Protein Shake with Greens First, 1/2 serving almond butter and 1 banana; 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread

10:45 Kettlebell class

12:00 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, almond butter, dream protein shake with greens first with banana

1:00 Mountain Biking

2:15 Post workout drink (20 carbs and 10 protein)

4:00 will be grilling a bunch of Turkey burgers and eating them with lettuce, tomato, onion, and a huge salad (no buns of course)

Tonight I will have another Dream Protein before bed

Women, May10th, day7

Happy Mother's Day to all of you that are mothers. I have been getting the weigh in results and I am stoked!!!!! You guys did amazing! Keep up the good work. Enjoy your cheat meal but please, don't go too crazy. I don't think after all your hard work that you would anyway. Great week one!!!!!

weigh-ins today and tomorrow...

Those of you that are doing your cheat meal tonight and weighed in today (first thing in the morning a MUST) -please be sure to let me and Jody know what you gained / lost... already had most men report to me. If you plan on cheat meal tomorrow then weigh yourself first thing in morning as soon as you get up. If you didn't weigh in and are planning on cheating tonight DO NOT weigh yourself tomorrow... you will have to wait until Wednesday morning when we ask for weight again. You CANNOT weigh yourself the day after a cheat.... EVER. Also - weighing yourself at any other time other than first thing in the morning is not accurate... to many variables.

Men, Day 6 May 9th . . .

6:20 a.m. 2 slices Ezekiel, almond butter, 1 scoop Dream Protein, 1 scoop Greens First, 1/2 banana, white tea

9:00 preworkout drink (10 grams protein and 20 carbs, plus 5 grams BCAA)

9:15-10:45 Deadlift workout and stones outside

1:00 p.m. 8 ounce Prime Burger with huge salad, steamed broccoli

3:00 p.m. 1 serving Walnuts, 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread with 1/2 serving almond butter

Planning on cheat meal tonight where I will consume the rest of my calories (likely around 6:30 p.m.) will have a protein shake about 30 minutes before I go to bed.

women day 6, May 9 Women post all comments here today

You're on a roll (ezekiel of course)! I am so proud of you. Hopefully you are feeling well and energetic. A few of you had headaches. That should be subsiding. Let me know if they continue. Overall most of you have been telling me you feel great. If your having your cheat meal tonight, I hope you really enjoy. I know I did last night!

Women, friday day 5 , women all posts here today

I am amazed by all of you. You are following the plan almost perfectly. Make sure you read Tom's entries. He has posted some great information. Some of you may be having a cheat meal tonight. Enjoy. You deserve it! Your body needs it.

A few words about your cheat meal: IMPORTANT ! ! !

Choose which day you are going to cheat... If tomorrow I need you to weigh yourself first thing in the morning as soon as you get up and tell either me or Jody if you gained or lost weight and how much... you MUST weight yourself the morning before your meal. If Sunday is your cheat meal, then weigh yourself Sunday morning. Notice we are talking about a cheat meal NOT a cheat day. If you want to screw up everything you have done so far than go ahead and be ridiculous on your cheat meal... you need to learn how to incorporate "smart cheats." A smart cheat meal would be your wine, your breads (within reason) and a dessert. Your main course doesn't have to be stupid, nor does your appetizer if you choose to have one. For me the cheat meal is all about the dessert.... not the entire meal. Don't get yourself drunk and don't walk away from the table feeling like a glutton. You earned your cheat meal so treat it with respect and enjoy it.
P.S. DO NOT forget to weigh yourself first thing in the morning the day of your cheat meal and report back to me and Jody right away.

Men, Day 5 May 8th... please start of by reading the post below this that says "Ladies and gentlemen..."

4:45 a.m. 1 scoop Dream Protein, 1 scoop Greens First, 1/2 banana, 1/2 serving of almond butter in shake. 2 pieces of Hemp seed bread with the other 1/2 serving of almond butter.

7-8 a.m. upper body workout (triceps still rocked from Wednesday night's KB class).

7:45 a.m. - began drinking post-workout drink (20 grams carbs and 10 grams protein).

8:15 a.m. - 4 poached eggs

Packed for rest of day:
Protein:
1 container grass fed beef
1 container chicken

Carbs:
2/3 container steal cut oats

Veggies:
celery and cauliflower

Fats:
Came from almond butter, egg yolks, beef and the olive oil and fish I will have tonight

Fruit:
My other is an apple

Will go out to dinner tonight and have fish, veggies and lentils with some olive oil.

Ladies and gentlemen a math lesson... please read

Most of you have been getting on the scale already (which I didn't advise)... most of you are happy with what you are seeing and some are not and honestly I don't care either way (for MANY reasons). Jody and I won't care what your body is doing weight-wise until after 2 weeks. Right now you have finished day 4 so let's look carefully at a couple things to put your mind at ease (IF you gained weight).
Women - you are only eating 2000 calories per day, 40% of that is coming from protein which means net calories at end of the day is less than 1700 calories. It takes 3500 calories to gain a single pound... so assuming you are a corpse, it would take 4 days to gain less than 2 pounds. Since all of you are alive, move, maintain a body temperature of 98.6 degrees, digest, breathe, (even exercise)... ALL of those things burn calories; therefore, if you think you gained even a single pound in 4 days then reconsider what is ACTUALLY happening.
Some of you MAY put weight on in the first 4 days if:
1) You have been perpetually dehydrated and are now drinking more water (which you MUST) - this is a temporary weight gain and as you drink more water over time you will actually retain WAY less water. Despite popular belief water is the BEST diuretic. If you don't want to be bloated then drink more water for 2 weeks and see waht happens at the end. Water also helps your body get rid of fat... that is a FACT.
2) If you are used to a very low carb diet (carbs retain WATER... not fat). Water is not fat.
3) If you are a woman and you are about to get your period... Jody is good for 2-3 pounds during this time.
4) If you are used to eating like a bird then over the course of 2 weeks (not 4 days) you MAY gain a bit of weight... IF you do, then that is a VERY GOOD thing because it meant your body's metabolism was pathetically low and now that we have a baseline it will be VERY easy to adjust over the next 14 weeks; which is when Jody and I will be VERY involved with what your scale is doing.
Please re-read the goals of phase 1... only 1 of the 9 goals is weight loss. I guarantee that once we get to the end of phase one (more than 3 weeks away) you will be more than happy with the cumulative result. Right now, just trust what we are saying and don't get involved with how you are interpreting the scale. Similar - some of you think you are dropping crazy amounts of weight... you aren't. Right now your body is adjusting to what we are doing (water adjustments mostly)... that is why this process takes 2 weeks. Stay the course and everyone is doing great so far. FYI - my goal is to drop 16 pounds in 16 weeks... that is insanely lean for me and my body will fight that as we get toward phases 3 and 4... many of you can expect to drop 30, 40 pounds depending on where you are starting from and what your metabolism is doing. After 2 weeks Jody and I will tell you realistic goals for your body weight at the end of this. Many of you will think it is impossible to get as lean as we say you can get, but if you trust us and follow us you will get there 100% for sure.

Men Day 4, May 7th . . .

I must admit that you guys are doing very well. A few common mistakes:
1) Not enough veggies
2) Not enough protein (men, we are aiming for 220 grams per day, so that is 3 full 9.5 ounce containers plus a scoop of dream protein).
3) Eating carbs past 6:00 p.m. is a no-go
4) Get your 2 fruits in (they should be small-medium sized fruits... if berries about 4 ounces is one serving.)
5) Not eating frequently enough
6) Remember that steel cut oats is 6 ounces for the container, not 9.5 ounces... this food is VERY dense.
7) Remember your fats... some fat will come from beef and fish, but make sure you are getting your nuts, seeds, oils if you are running low on your fats

My day so far:
5:30 a.m. 2 slices Ezekiel bread, 1/2 serving almond butter, 1 scoop Dream Protein, 1 scoop Greens First, 1 small banana, 1 white tea.

8:15 a.m. 3 hard boiled eggs

9:45 a.m. Organic grass fed beef (1/2 container)

Rest of day packed:
Protein:
other 1/2 of beef container
1 full container egg whites with safflower mayo
1 full container of chicken
Carbs:
2/3 container steel cut oats
1 container sweet potato
Fats:
23 almonds
Fruit:
medium size Apple

women day 4, May 7th

Day 4, you guys are doing amazing! I am so proud of you all. I am hoping that you are feeling great and have lots of energy. I know i do! You should be really proud of yourselves.

Women Day 3 May 6th

You guys are really starting to get the hang of this! I am really proud of you all. Keep up the good work. Keep on blogging questions and meals. I will try to respond 3 times a day so be patient if you don't hear from me right away.

Men Day 3 May 6th . . .

5:30 a.m. 1 and 1/2 scoops of Dream Protein with Greens First, 1/2 serving of almond butter and 1/2 banana. 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with the other 1/2 serving of almond butter. White tea and 20 ounces of water. Breakfast accounts for 1 of my carbs, 30 grams of protein, 15 grams of fat and 1/2 of my fruits for the day.

7-8 a.m. Squat workout... Santo and I almost passed out, fun stuff.

8:00 a.m. Post workout drink (20 carbs and 10 grams protein)... that post workout drink accounts for my other 1/2 serving of fruit.

8:20 a.m. 3 poached eggs... (20 grams protein and 15 grams fat)

9:45 a.m. 1/2 container of tuna and 1/2 serving of sweet potatoes

Packed for rest of day:
Protein:
other 1/2 container of tuna
1/2 container Egg salad with safflower mayo
Full container beef
Carbs:
1 container sweet potato
2 slices Ezekiel bread with almond butter
Veggies:
Cauliflower and broccoli
Fruit:
first fruit was banana, the other will be mango
Fats:
Coming from almond butter, egg yolks and safflower mayo

Women Day 2, women post all questions and comments here

Well, here we are day2. You guys are doing great. You've had some good questions. I saw some problems yesterday but I think you are getting the hang of it. Keep posting your food journals and any questions you have.

Peanut and almond butter are 16g of fat per 2 tablespoons full. I would really prefer you to use almond butter. Almonds are better for you.

May 5th Day 2 (Men should post their menu's here)

First read the post below that talks about observations from Day 1....

6:15 a.m. Dream Protein shake with 3 strawberries, 1/2 serving of almond butter and greens first powder. 2 pieces of Hemp bread with the other 1/2 serving of almond butter. (BTW - 2 tablespoons of almond butter = 1 serving which has 15 grams of fat). That DOES NOT mean 2 heaping tablespoons people! This meal accounts for 1 of my fruits, one of my containers of carbs, 20 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat.

9:00 a.m. 1/2 container of organic grass fed ground beef with a bunch of cauliflower.

Packed for rest of day:
Protein:
(the other 1/2 of the ground beef)
Wild Tuna steak
organic grass fed ground turkey burger

Carbs:
2 containers of sweet potatoes

Fruit:
an apple before noon (with a 1/2 serving of almonds)... about 12 almonds.

Veggies:
Lots of cauliflower and brocolli

I will add the rest of my fats judiciously throughout the day.

Yesterday I was 100% compliant on the plan (that will be ditto every single day)... on a personal note I was shocked at how easy it was for me to get right back into the habit of doing this. I actually enjoy it in a sick way. It keeps me focused and on task and knowing what's at the end of the tunnel keeps me motivated. There is nothing like looking and feeling your absolute best. You guys are doing great so far. Stick with it ! ! !

Comments and observations based on day 1

First of all congrats on making it through day #1... it is clear that everyone is making a real effort. I need many of you to re-read (or read for the first time) the papers I handed out as well as the following text. There are a bunch of questions that are very clearly addressed in those 6 pages... so PLEASE read them carefully.

I want to address some commonly asked questions / misconceptions / and general confusion on certain things:
1) Three 9.5 ounce containers of protein = about 200 grams of protein because each container will contain about 65-67 grams of protein. So if you count a scoop of protein powder (usually 20 grams of protein) as one of your 3 containers of protein then you are missing about 46 grams of protein at the end of the day. I told you that when you are not packing food into the containers then you MUST read the label.... especially for your fat intake.
2) You MUST spread your protein throughout the day. You do not need to eat an entire container all is one sitting. Eat 1/2 at 9 a.m. and the other 1/2 at 11 a.m. then move onto container #2 around 2:00 and eat 1/2 of that etc.
3) Your carbs should be: fruit in the morning (one serving for ladies and two for the men)... after than you will use your containers (2 for women and 3 for men). Ideal carbs include: sweet potatoes, organic long grain brown rice, lentils... I did not want to go into this for phase one but lots of people are eating oatmeal which is fine. Oatmeal is very dense compared to the other carbs I listed so please only fill your container about 2/3 of the way for your oatmeal; especially if it is the steal cut oatmeal.
4) For many of you what we have listed may seem like a lot of food; however, the women are only eating about 2000 calories per day and the men about 2300-2400. This seems like a lot of food because IF YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT you are eating a lot of protein and a lot of fiber from your complex carbs and veggies as well as a lot of water which is very filling. I DO NOT care if you gain or lose weight in the first 2 weeks... this is not a "sprint" to see how fast you can lose weight. If you gain weight then your metabolism is simply slow as hell and you did your body a big favor by speeding it up with nutritious foods... after 2 weeks we will look at what happened to each of you and adjust from there for the next 14 weeks. Understand that my before and after photos on the right was done in less than 13 weeks. In total I lost about 26 pounds of fat during that time. So be patient and just do EXACTLY what we are asking you to do for these next 2 weeks and we will adjust from there.
5) A few tips:
a) It is a good idea to consume a fat along with your fruit in the morning... you can also add some protein if you wish. This is why I like to have my fruit as soon as I wake up in a protein shake with some nuts.
b) Other than eating more food, another great way to speed up your metabolism is so simply be more active and there are lots of ways to do this (starting with standing more than sitting). Grabbing extra workouts here or there is huge and most important to do the HIT cardio the way I described on Sunday. Everyone should be doing SOMETHING 6 days a week (cardio or strength training).
c) The 5 P's are : PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE. If you are failing to plan then you are planning to fail. You must get into the habit of packing food and having food prepared. Most of you are doing a great job with this.
d) As far as cooking... all you need to do is boil 4 big pots of water while you are watching your favorite TV show (American Idol, 24, NBA playoffs, House, Lost, Survivor, etc.) at commercial break #1 the water should be boiling - at this time add your long grain brown rice to pot #1, your steel cut oats to pot #2, your sweet potatoes to pot #3 and your lentils to pot #4. At each commercial break stir the pots... by the end of the show everything will be cooked (most of that stuff takes 40-45 minutes to cook). Take 15 minutes to drain and put everything into Tupperware... put in fridge and now you are set for the entire week. Do the same for your proteins. Its all about finding a way. YOU ALL WATCH T.V. what I just described is called multi-tasking. Get into the habit of creating time because you will not "find time."

Like I said, this is a learning process.... make mistakes, then adjust, make mistakes, then adjust. The goal is to get better and better over time.

Phase 2 meeting: Sunday May 31st (7:30 a.m.)

We will weigh in at this time, go over some changes we will make to adjust to phase 2 and take pictures again... this will not take more than an hour (including the pictures).
Please stay off the damn scale for the next week... Jody and I will be asking for feed back on your weight after 7 days, 10 days and 14 days. We do not want you to adjust a single thing regardless of what your weight is doing. After 14 days we will adjust. There is a reason for this and you need to trust us. Until then, stay motivated and keep us informed ! ! !

May 4th, Day one for the Women, Women should post their meals and questions under this entry

7:30am 1 scoop protein powder, tablespoon almond butter (16g fat), 1 banana

9:30 container of cucumbers

10:30 half of a container of turkey burger meat, half of a container of sweet potato, 10 almonds (around 7g of fat)

1:30 half of a container of swordfish, half a container of sweet potato, steamed cauliflower full container

4:30 half a container of egg salad (10g fat), 2 pieces of ezekiel bread, cucumber full container

7:30 half of a container of chicken breast, spinach sauteed in teaspoon almond oil, good for high heat (6g fat)

9:30 half of a container of egg salad (10g fat)

May 4th Day 1 (For the men)... men should post their meals and questions under this entry

Day 1 so far and the plan for the rest of the day...

4:45 a.m. 1 scoop Dream Protein and 1 scoop Greens First with 1/2 of a banana; 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with 1 tablespoon of almond butter. White tea. (The Dream protein is 20 grams of protein per scoop... the 2 slices of Ezekiel bread count as one container of carbs... the almond butter is about 14 grams of fat)

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Upper body workout

8:00 a.m. (Post workout drink) - 10 grams protein and 20 grams carbs (This is not important - as you can see above I only used 1/2 serving of my first fruit for the day in the morning to accommodate for the carbs in my post-workout drink).

8:30 a.m. 3 egg whites (This is about 20 grams of protein)

The rest of the day I have packed:
Protein:
1 container of organic chicken
1 container of organic beef
1/2 container of wild Tuna
( I will spread this protein out throughout the day... YOU DO NOT HAVE TO EAT AN ENTIRE CONTAINER AT ONCE... you can space it out and it is best if you do. I only packed 1/2 a container of Tuna because I already had 50 grams of protein before 9:00 a.m. from other sources. The other 2 and 1/2 container will bring me up to around that 220 mark by end of day.

Carbohydrates:
1 container of steel cut oatmeal
1 container of sweet potatoes
(I will be done with my carbs by 6:00 p.m.)

My other fruit will be an apple which I will eat before noon.