Real Quick Thought For The Day

Guys, I am literally supposed to be out the door right now, but I wanted to leave you with a positive thought to create a positive mindset for you today. KEEP FOLLOWING THE PLAN IN FAITH. Focus ONLY on today's task, which is to get in your 3 workouts with INTENSITY, and only drink your BCAA's until tonite's protein/fat shake. The plan works. The thing that can steal your focus right now is thinking too far ahead, or thinking about what you did or didn't do last week. It's over.

Think about what the average person is doing right now....probably starting their 4th of July picnic a week early, right? But YOU....are gonna breeze right into those reunions, get-togethers, barbecues, beach parties, lake outings looking like a champ! AND you will be able to celebrate without TOO much restraint and not feel guilty. So do the work ya'll!!! I believe in you, do you?!

Cheats,Thoughts, Transitions

It's Christmas!! Uh...no, just cheat day. But close right?! LOL I am starting off with homemade sausage biscuits, and can I just say... Mickey D's got Nuthin on me!

By now I know everyone has got the hang of this deal. And July 9th is not very far away! You only have 2 more cycles until you can proudly snap an after photo to capture all of your hard work. Some of you may feel like you want to do another cycle before you take an official after photo. But don't make that mistake!! Looking at yourself the day you started and the day you finish will give you motivation to continue on this fitness journey! I was even surprised by my pictures, because I saw myself eery day, but I didn't see all the changes I had undergone. C'mon, I'm not saying you have to SHOW anyone!!

I know that this program and the ease with which you can burn fat and lose weight can be addicting!! But Joel highly suggests to put in at least a month prior to a second round. I may have spoken to this once, but when I started again, it had been a mere 2 weeks. I can definitely say I am feeling the effects of starting again so soon. If you have questions about this, please drop me a note any of the ways that you and I communicate, because as with all things, there may be exceptions!

On another note, I wanted to mention quickly about the transition from an extreme plan to cut fat, to an everyday balanced and clean way to eat. Because let's face it, we all came into this deal with excess weight because we have established some eating patterns that were making it conducive to gain that fat! I have been using a program through a nutritionist named Patrick McGuire for over a year and he's known among his peers as one of the best in his industry. His personalized programs are pretty pricey, BUT... he does have a new program designed to help anyone eat clean, deliciously, and on a tight BUDGET. In so saying, it's very affordable to get yourself a copy. It won't be more than what you spent on this program you are now on. Just some food for thought. I'll get a link up here soon. Have fun cheating ya'll!! I wanna hearabout/see what ya'll are eating today on Facebook!!

Getting Past the Fear brings CHANGE

It's a funny thing how conquering fears in one area can lead to allowing and embracing change to occur in others...... here's me in my new short crop. Never thought I'd do it, but it's like I'm free all over again ;)

I think the biggest reason people see this program and decide not to do it is they are actually scared of this day where we"fast" and tomorrow when we only drink shakes. I must admit I thought that in the beginning, I might get hung up here too. But I have found these two days to be the most productive. These are the two days that I try to schedule all of my errands, where I am driving here and there in between my 3 workouts. Yes, I did say 3. In the a.m. this program calls for a High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T) which is about 20-30 minutes, then sometime in the afternoon is when you hit the weights 30-45 minutes, and you'll end the day with a cardio session that's less intense. For me that's about a 3 mile run. I literally can set my timer and run in one direction for 15 minutes, and then turn around and come home. But when I get home I know what's waiting for me....a yummy delicious chocolate-coconut protein shake!! This is where I realized I couldn't think about this day as being a true fast, because really I am just not eating anything until 6pm. Game changer. Anyway, enjoy this day and know that your body is burning massive amounts of calories, and your mind is clear and alert, making your to-do list DONE. Get all your workouts in!! YOU CAN DO IT.

P.S. I'd love to hear your thoughts about FAST DAY. Leave me some comments ;)

It's HERE!!!!

Alright people. This is Cheat/Treat/Party Day #3! Thank goodness it came, I was sooo hungry this week. So am I crazy, or have ya'll done this too? I jumped out of bed at 5:30 this morning like it was Christmas, and I drove my happy butt down the street to Walmart to get some goodies. I felt super dorky since I did barely nothing but cover my body in some articles of clothing paying no heed to how I looked, saying 'oh, no one will be there this early.' But Walmart was busy with stockboys getting the products ready for the day's pickings! And everyone was looking at the lone shopping cart and its operator as I maneuvered the aisles putting junk food in. Can I get a witness here?!!

So I posted on FB that I needed some ideas for junk. It seems I am not craving bad stuff lately, but I just want to eat normal things like PB&J with my kids, or milk and cereal, etc. I never was one before this XFLD to buy candy, cookies, cake, eat fast food, etc. So I am thinking today may be pretty tame with my choices, I know I'll hit my calorie mark but I hope I have no regrets tomorrow about the things I "didn't get" to eat.

SOOOO drumroll......I'm proud to announce that I am back into the 120's!! 129.8 to be exact. When I weighed in on my final day for the photoshoot last month, I ended at 128.6, and that was with water-cutting. As soon as I got to lunch I am pretty sure I was back over 130 and have been losing it much more slowly this time around. But it's that faith period I spoke of earlier. You have to have faith when you know you are doing all the right things, day to day, that lead to your goal- even when you see no immediate change. It's the Slight Edge baby! Those who haven't read this book, I'd say GO OUT NOW AND GET IT! I actually know it would help you finish XFLD strong, but it has success principles that are very relevant to the other areas of life that are important. The book, again, is called The Slight Edge.

Well, on my way home from Walmart this morning I stopped by the donut shop and got me some glazed donut holes. I'm going to return my attention to it, and stop ignoring my yummy Dunkin Donuts coffee. Make today a GREAT one, ya'll! I am so proud of all of you, I'm your number 1 fan! And I'd love if you commented below with the results of your weigh in and measurements. Sometimes I miss your posts in FB!

Moderate Carb Day

Hey XFLD'ers!! Today we are introducing food back into our system! I don't know about ya'll, but I have been extreeeeeemely hungry lately. That is a GOOD thing! If you think about what's going in the body, crazy amounts of fat are being torched. My body is pulling from fat stores for the fuel to run the required bodily functions and it has no choice BUT to place a demand for energy from fat stores since there are no carbs or glycogen flowing through my system due to the fast and shake day, and lowered calorie intake. So....if you are experiencing hunger, REJOICE! Think about the day 3 weeks from now where you will confidently walk around the pool in your swimsuit, or the new cuts in places you never even thought you could BE cut. New, sleek muscle is now making a debut. Your confidence and outlook on life is growing, along with your pant size it seems! (because your waist is shrinkin, hahah!)

I had to have a talk with myself the last day or two...it seems like I was working soo hard and no results were coming. But a good "friend" reminded me that there is a faith period that one must endure. Just keep to the task at hand for today, knowing that the results are happening right under your nose.

P.S.: REMEMBER--Joel said no weighing yourself until cheat day morning as this could derail you from the course!

How did we do today? Did we "cheat better" than the last time? I know my very first cheat day, I was somewhat hesitant to really let go and just ....cheat! But if you have read the manual, you can be comforted in knowing that a bigger increase in calories over your normal intake will result in a better leptin release, which is the fat burning hormone that is working all week for us. Just be prepared to put in the work at the gym this week and let's really capitalize on the optimally heightened state of thermogenesis in our body!

Sorry about the 2 day absence...I fell into the "no-carb" zone. If you are laughing, you know exactly where I was. You were probably sitting there right next to me. If you don't know what I'm talking about, maybe you snuck in a few carbs or two when no one was looking?? Anyway, my mind is at peace, my body and appetite is happy, and my glycogen stores are full so my workouts tomorrow should kick high-tail. Tomorrow as I'm running hill sprints @ 630 before church, I'll be thinking of you guys and how thrilled I am that you share this passion...let's do this BIG this week.

Well folks, day 3 is wrapping up and from what I have gathered from your comments and feedback, people are STILL not experiencing difficulties with hunger and cravings. The satiety and fullness of drinking the protein shakes is keeping people's spirits high! And if you find that you are having a hard time fighting off the thoughts of eating unauthorized food, it would not be a bad idea to look at a fatburner. (I use Slimmetry from Nutrilite).

The shake day is genius, when you understand the strategy behind it. Being placed right after the fast day, it's function is twofold: obviously to get your day's nutrition, but also to help you stay on track because you know that you will only be having shakes all day. If you fasted, then the next day were able to eat regular food, there is a possiblity of some psychological fallout from feeling somewhat "restricted" from food the day prior. It's also low calorie, to keep your body using fat for fuel. Personally I notice that on the fast day and shake day, I feel better and my head is clear. This makes biofeedback during my workouts spot on.

So tomorrow we introduce whole food back into our diet. It's MODERATE CARB DAY. This is designed to give your body a break from low calories, while still burning fat. Make sure you use the DONE FOR YOU CALCULATOR to get the appropriate amount of macronutrients for your body.

P.S.---Oh, and the interaction on facebook is great! I love hearing about how your workouts are going, and what you are eating, and how you are feeling! Some of you will also experience little, personal victories that help increase your self confidence and raise your self-image. Not only that, but a crowd is forming around us...just watching and waiting, silently cheering us on because they WANT us to achieve. Seeing you break thru your barrier may just be the thing that inspires someone else to attack theirs. I want to leave you with my all-time favorite quote from Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Alright people, let's get after it tomorrow--I am sooo proud of you!

Fast Day went by Fast

Congratulations XFLD participants! The first fast day is now under your belt. Not so bad, was it? If you reflect on the day, you will probably recognize that the difficulty, if any, was the mental attachment to food. For me, it was a nagging feeling that somehow I was "missing out" on something. But from a physical standpoint, I was never tired, not really hungry, and the workouts generally rocked.

I am not sure if the manual stated this, but in general you will be breaking this fast around 6-7...about 24 hours after you finished your last cheat meal. To break this fast you need to take in some protein with some healthy fat. Protein shake with peanut butter, tuna and olive oil, etc. JUST NO CARBS!

Please make sure you listen to the audio interviews that came with the program, as I am getting some questions that I feel can be best answered by Vince...in the interview.

Anyway, tomorrow is shake day. Honestly, it might be my favorite day. I love the variety that Joel gives us in the recipes for the protein shakes.

So ya'll did fantastic! I am so excited for the journey that we are sharing. Let's KILL it tomorrow~~!

We made the cut for FINAL VOTING!!!

Hey everyone,
Some of you know that Vic and I entered a Transformation Contest that started over 16 weeks ago. We trained, we dieted, and we made the final cut for voting!!! We are asking for your support in voting for me, JONI, (you can only vote once). Please take a minute before Wednesday to go and place your vote!

http://www.maximizeyourmuscle.com/transformation_contest/contestants.php

Thanks everyone!

A New Purpose for Chasing Arete and top 10 Reasons the Diet works

Okay.... first of all this is a blog that Vic started at the beginning of his fitness journey so there is a LOT of missing content. Somehow his commitment to blogging about his experience deteriorated....Buuuut it's better than if he had quit the actual fitness portion of it!

Then we had been talking for awhile about using it as "our" blog to chronicle our individual transformations, but that has yet to occur. Mostly all due to my trepidation of posting pictures of my "before" state, and not knowing what the end result would be. It was scary to think I'd fail with the world watching.

Sooo, I guess I can commandeer it for awhile on this journey with you. My fellow Xtreme Fat Loss Diet-goers. I am going to posting some good info that I found useful, and I hope it's helpful to you as well.

Look forward to seeing some after pics, if ya'll ain't skeered ;)

*****
TOP 10 Reasons The Xtreme
Fat Loss Diet Works
*****

===================
1. Every Day Is A "Mini-Challenge"
====================

One day you're CHEATING, the next day you're FASTING, the next
day your doing ONLY protein shakes... it's SO SO easy to stay
focused on one "mini-challenge" at a time.

=============
2. It's ONLY 25-Days
=============

Many diet plans last "12-weeks" or more and that's just too
daunting for some people to wrap their minds around. 25-days
is a perfect amount of time to get serious and dedicated.

===============
2. You Can Build Muscle
On Your Cheat Days
===============

I trained my weaker body parts, biceps and shoulders on
these days and experienced more fullness and definition
at the end of four cycles because of the extreme caloric
surplus that occurs on this day. I could actually FEEL my
muscles stretching and filling out more and more after
each cheat meal.

====================
3. You Can Lose Up To 2 Pounds
Of Fat In ONE Day On Your FAST Days
====================

This DOES require you to workout on your fast days and I
will note that i sometimes did 2-3 workouts on my fast
days! Yes, you read that correct. However, your body is
so topped off with glycogen, amino acids and triglycerides,
from the cheat day, your body has LOADS of energy to train
as normal in a FASTED state. Believe it or not, my workout
intensity and energy is just the same. You'll see for yourself.

=======================
4. You Lose 3-5 Pounds EVERY 5-Days
=======================

Do you know how motivating that is? Every 5-days,
Flavia and I would step on the scale and see our weight
get lower and lower and our abs got more ripped and
defined faster than ever. We COULD NOT WAIT to get
to Punta Cana and do our photo shoot. Plus, all the fat
was coming right off our lower abs (trouble spots for
both of us).

========================
5. The Compliments And Stares You Get
Will Keep you EXTRA Motivated
=========================

Even though we did our transformation with Joel's plan
in November, Flavia was getting compliments on her arms
every day at work. When I trained in the gym, you could
see my six pack through my white Under Armour shirt
and when people were looking at me - I knew what they
were starring at. Every 5-days you capture more and
more momentum to keep you pushing.

===================
6. Every 5-Days You Learn
Something New About Your Body
==================

Trust me, I was a huge skeptic before I attempted this
plan. Training on my fast days was really scary because
I was afraid of losing muscle. Joel reassured me to
TRUST the program and the science and I did that.

I actually gained 1 or 2 pounds of lean muscle over the
21-days - probably because of the massive caloric surplus
I took in on the Cheat Days. I learned that "losing muscle"
is over rated if you have the right plan.

==================
7. Every 5-Days Your Confidence
And Belief In Yourself SOARS
==================

This one is from Flavia. She told me her mentality of
herself completely changed and she gained so much
self-esteem, will power and belief in herself after these
21-days. The Protein Only Depletion days were probably
the toughest day but knowing you have the Cheat Day
the next day keeps you true to the program.

=================
8. It Acts SUPER SUPER FAST
=================

Bottom line: we looked good in late October but we were
not ready for our photo shoot in late November. If you
need to be ready for a special event in the next 25-days,
then I have no better solution then Joel's plan.

============
9. It's SO SO SIMPLE
============

As I mentioned, each day you have a new goal which keeps
you focused and looking forward to being successful one
day at a time. How hard is it to Fast ONE DAY every 5-days?
How hard could it be to have protein shakes one day every
day days? How hard is it to eat your favorite foods EVERY 5-days
and be strict on the others? Once you study the 5-day strategic
plan, you're laughing.

============
10. And It's RIGHT In
Time For Summer
============

Enough said. 25 days from now you can be poolside rocking a brand new body. That's where I'ma be.

*****This was taken from an email sent to me by Vince Del Monte and reposted for you ;) Just wanna make sure I give him credit******