Your Guide to becoming a Fit
Homeschool Mom
Angela Ramos, RKC, CFT
www.HomeschoolFitnessCoach.com
Fit Homeschool Mom Transformation Guide
Introduction
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Fitness for the Homeschool Mom
A. Defining What “Fit” Means to You.
B. Goal Setting
C. Dispelling the Excuses
D. They’re still Here!
Nutrition
A. The Facts
B. Nutrition and the Family
C. Meal Planning the Key to Weight Loss Success
D. Eating Right On A Budget
E. Grocery List/Menu Planner
The Program
A. Explanation
B. Weeks 1-4
C. Weeks 5-8
D. Weeks 9-12
E. Exercise Descriptions and Pictures
What Now?
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Disclaimer
Please recognize the fact that it is your responsibility to work directly with
your physician before, during, and after seeking consultation with Inspiration
Fitness, Inc . As such, any information shared by Inspiration Fitness, Inc. its agents,
officers, and employers and any affiliated companies is not to be followed
without the prior approval of your physician.
If you choose to use this information without the prior consent of your
physician, you are agreeing to accept full responsibility for your decisions and
are agreeing to hold harmless Inspiration Fitness, Inc. its agents, officers, and
employers and any affiliated companies from any liability with respect to
injury to you or your property arising out of or connected with your use of
the information discussed.
By accepting your comprehensive exercise and nutrition program, you agree
to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Inspiration Fitness, Inc. and its subsidiary
and other affiliated companies, and their employees, contractors, officers, and
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that arise from your use or misuse of your comprehensive exercise and
nutrition program.
Copyright Notices
The Homeschool Moms Secret To Fat Loss Revealed
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2008 by Angela Ramos/Inspiration Fitness, Inc.
Any unauthorized transfer, use, sharing, reproduction, sale or distribution of these materials
by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise is prohibited. No part of this book may
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written consent of the publisher.
Published by:
Angela Ramos
Inspiration Fitness, Inc.
4389 E. 104th Ave.
Winfield, Indiana
(219) 776-6017
www.HomeschoolFitnessCoach.com
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Introduction
I have been a homeschool mom for the last 12 years. I have four daughters and the
most patient husband ever! His motto is, “I just comply.” I am a Russian
Kettlebell Instructor (RKC) a Certified Fitness Trainer with International Sports
Sciences Association (ISSA), a Certified Back Training Specialist with Corrective,
Holistic Exercise Kinesiology Institute (CHEK), a Youth Sports Specialist with
International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA) and an avid exerciser
myself. My desire is to help as many women as I can accomplish their health and
fitness goals, shed pounds of excess (and unwanted) body fat, gain quality muscle
mass, and improve their athletic performance.
I wasn’t always fit.
After the birth of my fourth daughter I was more than 50 lbs overweight and
miserable. My pregnancy was uncomfortable, I was extremely tired and ached
everywhere. I didn’t feel much better after I had her. The picture above was taken
right after being released from the hospital. The after picture was taken a year
later. I used no drugs, diet pills, surgeries or dieting to get there.
No matter what your goals are, you now hold in your hands my expert tips on
eliminating unwanted body fat permanently without wasting your valuable time
and money on trial-and-error experimenting or unproductive exercise routines and
diet fads.
I have helped so many women through my transformation programs, boot camps
and semi-private classes change their lives and the way they look.
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Scotty Kessler, Mother of 2
Lost over 100 lbs.
Renee 17 Weeks after birth of 6th child
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Tammy, Age 37, Mother of 2
The information contained within will help you understand exactly what works and
what is a huge waste of your time. Because let’s face it, who wants to spend hours
a day exercising? Homeschool moms are home for a reason - to spend more time
with their children.
I started Inspiration Fitness to help women just like you achieve your goals, no
matter what they may be now, or what they will be in the future, as rapidly as
possible. It is my sincere desire that the information contained in this book will
help you do just that.
Inspiring you to better health,
Angela Ramos, RKC, CFT
P.S. If you have any questions regarding the information in this booklet, please
don’t hesitate to contact me directly via e-mail at
[email protected] I’m always glad to help in any way I
possibly can. Join me free on www.FitHomeschoolMoms.ning.com
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Define What “Fit” Means to You
I have wondered from time to time what I would be feeling like
right now if I had remained overweight and malnourished. Just three
years ago I was tired, taking naps every day at 2 pm, discouraged and
unable to participate in a lot of activities with my kids. Lugging around
an extra 50 lbs. was hard work. I didn’t realize then what it was doing
to me physically, as well as mentally.
Right now I feel incredible. I have the energy to keep up with all
four of my children and a spontaneous husband. I enjoy outdoor
activities with gusto! I can almost outrun my teenager and wrestle with
my husband. Life is good. We are rarely ever sick.
Being fit is more than being a specific dress size or weight on the
scale. It’s about feeling vibrant and energetic and feeling comfortable
in your own skin. It’s about no longer comparing yourself to another
woman again. How much of life have you missed because you are
unhappy with the way you look? Do you somehow forget to tell your
husband about the party you were invited to this weekend? Do you
avoid outdoor activities where you know “skinny” people will be? Have
you miserably sat on the sidelines while watching the kids have fun
instead of jumping in?
I used to think that if I just weighed 120 lbs. I would be happy. It’s
more than that. I was always trying to diet and get skinny for all the
wrong reasons and for everyone but myself. Once I had experienced
my last pregnancy and was hurting with every step, I became
determined to get rid of my fat so I could feel better again. It was for
me and me alone. It definitely benefitted my immediate family
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members and my ability to serve God, but when I made it my own
desire, my “why” for getting fit was much more important to me.
You must determine what being fit means to you and only you.
Not what your husband, your mom, your kids or your best friend thinks.
Honestly determine why being fit is so important to you. Write it down
and put it where you can read it daily. Add to it as you discover more
reasons. Believe me this simple step is incredibly powerful. Don't think
about this too long, just do it.
This exercise I adapted from the health section of Dax Moy’s,
Magic Hundred. Follow these steps to creating your perfect reason why
then read it every day upon rising, at noon and before bed.
1. Make a list of everything that is not working toward getting
you as fit and healthy as you want to be. List EXACTLY what
they are and don’t leave anything out.
2. Look at your list and write down WHY these things are keeping
you from being as fit as you want to be.
3. Now, from this list you can create the list of 10 new behaviors
you want to focus on to change immediately; however, they
cannot be too general. Instead of saying, I will exercise more
each week, you will write: I will strength train 3 times a week
and walk 3 times a week.
Don’t skip these steps. This may be the one thing that keeps you from
becoming the fittest you’ve ever been in your life. You need to know
what habits have got you where you are now and what new habits you
need to get you the fittest you’ve ever been in your life.
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What Is Not Working?
Why?
Now using this list, complete your 10 New Behaviors List and get
started changing your habits. Be sure and use specific language when
writing your behaviors. Keep this list where you will read it several
times a day. Don’t skip this step!
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My 10 New Behaviors List
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Top 5 Excuses That
Keep Homeschooling Moms Frustrated
I know what a typical day is like for the homeschooling mom. You try to
get up before the kids to get some things done because once the kids
are up, you are constantly running around. Breakfast needs to be
made, dishes need to be washed or put in the dishwasher, school work
assignments are dispensed and explained, and the list goes on and on
until you fall into bed at night completely exhausted.
When are you supposed to fit exercise in? How are you supposed to fix
healthy meals on a budget?
It is possible and I am going to dispel the most common excuses, yes I
said excuses that I hear from moms, especially busy homeschool moms.
Excuse #1: I have no time!
The truth of the matter is, you need to MAKE time for yourself. You
will never find the time if you are constantly searching for it. I’m sure
you know the supermom. The mom who is able to keep the house
super clean, grind her own flour, bake fresh bread every day, make all
her kids meals and snacks from scratch, homeschool six kids and still
have date night with her husband. I personally know a few of those
women. They amaze me and I constantly find myself in awe of their
dedication and organization skills.
What makes them able to do all those things? They make time for each
activity and they are very well organized.
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Learn how to better organize your life so you can get everything of
importance done and still have time for the most important people in
your life, your family.
Excuse #2: I can’t afford a gym membership, treadmill, _________ (you
fill in the blank).
Getting fit is not expensive. You do not need lots of equipment. In fact,
in my programs that have helped women lose fat fast and permanently,
they use no more than dumbbells, stability balls and their own
bodyweight.
Instead of looking at this as an expense, you should be looking at it as
an investment. Investing in your health now will save you hundreds, if
not thousands, of dollars in medical bills and doctor visits. Women who
are fit are sick less often. Women who are fit typically have husbands
and children healthier. Although there are exceptions to this, most
husbands will see the amazing change in their wives and will want to
make the same change in their own health.
Excuse #3: My kids are all young and I can’t get any time to myself.
If your kids are young, then they probably still take naps. There are no
hard rules that say you must get all your exercise done in one shot. You
CAN spread it out over the entire day and it all still counts. Perhaps you
can get in 10 minutes before they wake up, another 10 minutes while
they are napping and the last 10 minutes when hubby comes home
from work.
Using the right exercises, you can get one complete workout done in 10
minutes tops and not have to do anything else for the rest of the day
but enjoy your children.
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It might require you to get creative with your time management, but it
can be done and if you want results, you better get it done.
Excuse #4: My family is not very supportive.
Create your own support group. If you have friends or relatives that
are on their own quest for better health, take advantage of that. Start
an e-mail group, a walking club or better yet, join Fit Homeschool
Mom’s online club and get the online support from other like-minded
women. It’s a completely free member site at
www.FitHomeschoolMoms.ning.com
The problem with trying to get support from those who are close to you
is that they know you too well. They know how many times you have
decided today is the day I am going to lose this weight. They have
endured the many diets you have been on and failed. They really don’t
want you to fail again and are trying to protect you from further
frustration and hurt.
Don’t try to do this on your own. Many studies have been done
regarding weight loss and support groups. Those who are part of a
support group are much more successful than those who do it on their
own. Besides, who doesn’t like someone encouraging and praising
them for work well done? We sure don’t hear that very often while
homeschooling! All our work is done behind the scenes. The reward
comes later when our children have graduated and have begun their
own families.
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The Kids Are Still Here, Now What?
Making time for fitness when you have a house full of kids can be
challenging, but it can be done. Homeschoolers are very creative
people by necessity and I’m sure you can find ways to include fitness
into your lifestyle.
When I first began my journey, it was 6 weeks after the birth of
my fourth daughter. I knew I would never stick to a program without
the help of a partner. My husband, Fernando, agreed to be my
workout partner, but because I chose him as my fitness buddy we had
to get our workouts done at 5:30 am! That first month was so hard. He
set his alarm and practically pulled me out of bed by my feet to get me
up. I could think of a million reasons why I did not need to get up at
5:30 am. I mean, the baby just had me up two hours ago to nurse! I
needed sleep!
Fernando was diligent in getting me out of bed and I always felt so
much better when I was done working out. By the second month the
early morning routine became much easier and before long, I was able
to do those workouts on my own, even when Fernando was out of
town. I actually began to feel horrible when I missed a workout!
Perhaps your kids are all still fairly young. You can get your
workout done while they are napping. Getting your little ones on a
napping schedule is very important whether or not you plan on working
out during that time slot.
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A few of my clients will do their workouts after daddy gets home
from work. It allows the kids some “daddy time” and you get some
physique changing “mommy time.”
For those who are really time crunched, you could split your
workouts throughout the day getting 10 minutes in early and the other
10 minutes in later on. However, the workouts in this book are only 10
minutes long so you can do just one or string a couple together to
create a 20 minute workout when you have more time.
Either way, I know, my dear homeschooling friends you are
creative enough to discover a time slot that will be of the most
convenience to your family. The key is to find what works and stick
with it.
The workouts that I have created are specifically for timecrunched homeschool mothers. We’ve got a lot of important work to
get done every day educating, feeding and caring for our brood so our
workouts need to be quick, effective and results driven!
Systemizing your life can work wonders with your children. They
know exactly what is expected of them and they flourish with selfesteem as they see each task completed. Getting the kids involved with
chores and duties in your household frees up a lot of extra time for you,
for them and for your husband.
Organization is really the key to distressing and regaining control
over your life and health. There are so many resources out there that
can help you accomplish this goal. Please don’t try to get your home
organized in one day. Just as you would with fitness, take it one toddler
step at a time.
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As you begin this journey, please make an investment in an
organizational book also. Believe me this will bless your family so
much. I usually have so much going on at any given time that I need to
have some sort of organized plan set up or nothing gets done.
I have my menu plans for the month, shopping lists and recipes
ready to go which has helped me save money and time during the
week. When I neglect to plan ahead, my family doesn’t eat as well,
there are too many last many trips to the grocery store for items which
leads to buying even more unnecessary things and I tend to feel a little
stressed out. Stressed out moms are not good for the morale of the
family.
Organizational books that have helped this sidetracked mother
have been “Sidetracked Home Executive”, “Confessions of an Organized
Housewife” and all the free resources at www.flylady.org
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Your New Nutrition
Habits and Lifestyle Changes
In my years of working with clients, the most difficult habit to
adopt is adhering to a healthy nutrition and lifestyle program. Most of
the women who come to me have been yo-yo dieting for years. Many
have been exercising every day and still look exactly the same or
sometimes even worse. Getting lean and staying that way is only
possible through lifestyle changes. No amount of exercise is going to
get a person lean if their nutrition is not supportive.
Please do not view these lifestyle changes as another diet. This is
a lifestyle that should be followed even after you have become as lean
as you desire. These habits are not just for you but also for your
husband and children. Let’s get to it.
Lifestyle Change #1 ~ Eat protein at each meal and snack
That’s right. You read it correctly! Every meal and snack must have
some high quality animal based protein. Foods like chicken, fish, beef,
lamb, goat cheese, yogurt and various protein powders will be proteins
of choice. Eating protein helps balance out your blood sugar levels,
reduces cravings for junk food and speeds up your metabolic rate.
Protein = Muscle and More Muscle = Less Body Fat
If you are vegetarian it requires a lot of planning ahead to be sure you
are consuming enough protein at each meal, but it can be done.
Lifestyle Change # 2 ~ Stop eating processed food. Eat only natural
whole foods
I can’t stress this one enough. Remember, if God didn’t make it, don’t
eat it. Overly processed foods like wheat and white flour, most breads,
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cereals, ice cream, bagels, muffins, pasta and noodles are out of the
question. If you enjoy breads and pasta then they must be made with
stone ground whole wheat flour. Whole foods are nothing more than
foods in their original packaging. If you have a choice between an
apple, apple sauce or apple juice you would choose the apple. Eat
grains that have not been milled or processed so that the entire food as
it is found in nature is left fully intact. Just implementing this one
lifestyle change alone can do wonders for any stomach problems that
ail you. I believe these chemical laden monstrosities are the root of all
obesity problems in the world today.
Lifestyle Change # 3 ~ Drink plenty of water all day long
Drinking plenty of water is essential. As you lose body fat your body
goes through a detoxification process. Drinking lots of water helps your
body rid itself of the toxins that have been building up over the years.
Drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. For example,
if someone weight 200 pounds they will drink 100 ounces of water per
day.
Lifestyle Change # 4 ~ Sleep at least 7 to 8 hours per night
Making sure you get plenty of high quality sleep and rest is the only
way to ensure that you will recover from the challenging workouts.
Failing to get adequate sleep will leave you feeling burnt out and sore,
all the time causing discouragement. Give your body the rest it needs.
When you begin eating and exercising on a regular basis you will also
find that you will sleep more soundly which will help you feel much
more refreshed in the morning.
Lifestyle Change # 5 ~ Eat 5 to 6 small meals every day
Eating 1 to 2 meals per day is a recipe for disaster as people tend to
overeat later in the day from starving themselves. By eating small meals
you never go hungry and consequently do not overeat at night which is
the worst time to overeat in my experience.
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Rather than gorging yourself at each meal, I want you to graze all day
long. Five to 6 smaller meals will keep your metabolism humming right
along and will balance out blood sugar as well as your energy levels.
Frequent eating has been shown to increase fat loss and will ensure
that you never go hungry.
Lifestyle Change # 6 ~ Perform 3 Strength Training workouts per week
and 3 interval cardio sessions per week
Strength and interval training is the core of the Fit Homeschool Mom
program because they have been scientifically proven to be more
effective at burning fat fast. Short, intense workouts will get you leaner
faster and save wear and tear on your body. We will be focusing on
multi-joint exercises that cause a higher caloric expenditure and a
higher EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption) effect.
EPOC is the amount of time it takes for your metabolic rate to resume
the level it was at prior to exercising. It can take several minutes to
several hours depending on the type of exercise you do.
Interval training and strength training both crank up your EPOC which
allows you to continue burning fat and calories for several hours after
each exercise session. This burn can even continue on into the next
day. This is the type of exercise you want to focus on.
In addition, interval training and full body strength training routines
using multi-joint compound movements are quick, intense and fun.
Doing these exercises while eating supportively will get you the fat loss
results you desire in much less time than traditional slow steady state
cardio and aerobics.
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The Eating Plan in Action
Nutrition is usually the part that most women find confusing and hard
to follow. If you are a yo-yo dieter, you’re probably so confused by all
the different books you’ve read telling you to eat this, avoid that and
starve yourself silly. No one wants a cranky mom or wife so I am giving
you permission to eat again. However, I am going to tell you to make
better choices. Eat lean proteins, whole grains and the right kind of
fats. Failing to make these changes will ensure that you will not get
optimum results on this program and you will become frustrated again.
This eating guide is not a diet protocol. This is a new way of eating for
life. I have included real meals from my most successful clients. You
will see that they are not all chicken breast and broccoli, but wonderful
meals that their children enjoy. All of these ladies are mothers with 1
or more children.
Before you jump into the meals take a look at the eating guide, and the
chart shown on the next page, to get a better idea of what your meals
should look like.
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Your Eating Guide
PROTEINS
CARBOHYDRATES
Chicken
Brown Rice
Chicken Sausage
Yams (Sweet Potatoes)
Beef
Corn
Lamb
Corn Tortillas
Turkey
Old Fashioned Oats
Turkey Sausage
Cream of Wheat
Fish (tuna, wild salmon, halibut, Gluten Free Millet Bread
swordfish, ahi, cod,
Squash / Eggplant
Shrimp)
Bell Pepper / Onions
Goat Cheese
Broccoli / Cauliflower
Organic Milk
Asparagus / Artichoke
Milk Protein Powder
Spinach / Lettuce
Whey Protein
Okra / Beets
Eggs
Black Beans / Kidney
Plain Yogurt
Beans / Mushrooms
Rice Pasta (non-gluten)
Berries (all types)
Apples / Oranges /
Grapes
Fit Homeschool Mom’s Transformation Guide
FATS
Fish Oil
Flax Seed oil
Organic Peanut
Butter
Extra Virgin
Organic Coconut
Oil
Avocadoes
Almonds /
Cashews
Walnuts
Extra Virgin Olive
Oil
Butter
Hummus
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Meal Breakdown
Breakfast
Protein (25-35 grams)
Carbohydrate (include fruit)
Fat
Snack
Carbohydrate (include fruit)
Protein (10-20 grams )
Fat
Lunch
Protein (25-35 grams)
Carbohydrates (include green salad or raw veggies)
Fat
Snack
Carbohydrates (include green salad or raw veggies)
Protein (10-20 grams)
Fat
Dinner
Protein (25-35 grams)
Carbohydrates (include green salad and one or more vegetables)
Fat
Snack (optional) - Protein (10-20 grams from snack list)
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Calorie Calculations for Weight Loss
Step 1: Calculate your daily Resting Energy Expenditure (REE):
Write your weight in kilograms:
Line 1_______________ (Multiply weight in pounds by 0.454)
Multiply weight in kilograms by 10:
Line 2 ______________ (Line 1 x 10)
Write your height in centimeters:
Line 3 ______________ (Multiply height in inches by 2.54)
Multiply height in centimeters by 6.25
Line 4 ______________ (Line 3 x 6.25)
Multiply your age by five:
Line 5 ______________ (Age x 5)
Add the results of Lines 2 and 4 and subtract Line 5:
___________ Enter Line 2
Answer ____________________
+ ___________________ Add Line 4
___________________ Answer
-
____________________ Subtract Line 5
=
_____________________ Line 6
Men: Add 5 to Line 6:
REE: _________________ (Line 6 + 5)
Women: Subtract 161 from Line 6:
REE: _________________ (Line 6 – 161)
Step 2: Calculate additional daily calorie needs based on activity level:
Sedentary Daily Calorie Need:
(REE x 1.1) ______________________(Rest Day)
Moderately Active Daily Calorie Need:
(REE x 1.2) ______________________(Interval Day)
Fairly Active Daily Calorie Need:
(REE x 1.3) ______________________(Strength Training Day)
Step 3: Calculate daily calorie deficit for weight loss:
Weekly weight loss goal in pounds:
______________________ (1-2 lbs.)
Multiply x Calories per pound:
x 3500
Answer is Weekly Calorie Deficit:
= ______________________
Divide by days per week:
/7
Answer is Daily Calorie Deficit required for weight Loss = ___________________
Step 4: Calculate calorie needs to facilitate weight loss:
Daily calorie need for activity Level
________________________________ (Step 2)
Subtract daily calorie deficit for weight loss goal:
________________________________ (Step 3)
Add estimated calorie burn during daily workout
+ ______________________________ (200-500)
Answer is daily calorie intake required to achieve weight loss goal. = _____________________________
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Hopefully you figured your caloric intake needs for fat loss and now have a place
to start. You must be in a caloric deficit in order to lose body fat. Most women
will create that deficit with dieting alone; however, that ensures you are losing
muscle and not body fat. Let’s not go down that road ever again.
I gave you a basic eating guide to get you started if you have never eaten correctly
before and love diets. But I wanted to give you a few more strategies to help you
lose fat faster.
Make sure you are weighing your food rather than measuring. If you have a food
scale, try this experiment: Measure a ½ cup of oatmeal (1 serving) this should be
about 40 grams and 150 calories. Now weigh that ½ cup of oatmeal and you will
be surprised that it is actually much more than 40 grams. Those extra grams
could be an excess of 75 calories or more.
I encourage you to weigh everything because you will be much more accurate
with your food journal and you won’t find yourself frustrated wondering why the
weight is not budging.
Another reason why I don’t like women to use cups and measuring spoons is the
fact that they fill them way too full. This was brought to my attention while
reading Leigh Peel’s “Fat Loss Troubleshoot”. She takes you through this example
with peanut butter. One serving is a tablespoon. You take your tablespoon, drag
it through the peanut butter till it is over full and consider that a tablespoon.
Now, once you’ve moved the peanut butter off the spoon, you lick it right? You
are probably eating 1 ½ servings of peanut butter right there. That’s almost twice
the amount of calories but you list it in your journal as 1 tablespoon. With cups
and spoons, the correct measurement is just under the top. When you start
weighing your food, you will discover this.
If you purchase a scale, I recommend digital ones that have grams and ounces. I
got a really nice one at Walmart for $20. I use it all the time. Be forewarned,
your kids will like using it to weigh all kinds of interesting things.
Be truthful in your food journals, don’t guesstimate, weigh your food, keep track
of everything that enters your mouth and forgive yourself if you go astray. You
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won’t have to do this forever. Do it right the first time and save yourself some
frustration.
Eating different combinations of foods will either speed up or slow down
digestion. Your goal should be to keep your metabolism humming and your blood
sugar levels stable. This keeps you satiated and your body burning fat efficiently.
Try to eat combinations of foods that will keep digestion at a moderate to slow
rate and you will find yourself less hungry. What you eat post workout is also
important. This would be the time to have something that is digested at a fast
rate so your body can absorb the nutrients it needs to speed recovery and rebuild
muscles.
So what combinations of foods are we talking about? Here’s a chart to help you:
Fast Digestion:
Moderate Digestion:
Slowest Digestion:
Liquid sugars (syrups,
sodas, fruit juice)
Not recommended
Protein with Complex
Carbohydrates (Eggs and
oatmeal)
Protein with fat (Salmon
and cream sauce)
Solid sugars (ice cream,
cookies and cakes)
Not recommended
Protein with fat and
Complex Carbohydrates
(Chicken sauteed in olive
oil and brown rice)
Protein with fat and
fibrous carbohydrates
(salmon, cream sauce
with broccoli)
Post Workout Whey
Shake (Prograde
Workout) – What I
recommend.
Best Post Workout
Meal Replacement Shake
such as Prograde Lean
Best for breakfast, and
the 2 hour period after a
workout
Fit Homeschool Mom’s Transformation Guide
Best for dinner and
evening snacks
Page 25
So a typical day of meals will look like this with a workout in the morning:
Breakfast (at least 1 ½ hours before workout): VGF 25 +, EFA Icon
½ cup oats, ¼ cup blueberries, 1 egg, 3 egg whites, ½ cup spinach
Post Workout: (Within 30 minutes after workout)
Prograde Workout Shake
Snack:
Apple, mixed unsalted raw nuts, 2 boiled eggs (minus yolks)
Lunch:
Chicken, Brown Rice and asparagus
Snack:
Lean Meal Replacement Shake or Cottage Cheese w/fruit
Dinner:
Roast Beef, large salad, and carrots
Snack:
Cottage Cheese, blueberries, scoop of protein powder and 12 almonds
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Meal Plans by My Members
– Get Your Chow On!
Meals By Kati Molchan
Meal #1
Oatmeal with ground flax seed and blueberries
One whole Egg and 3 Egg Whites Scrambled
Meal #2
Protein shake
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
8 oz. skim milk
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. all natural peanut butter
1 banana
handful of ice
Meal #3
Meal #4
Meal #5
Put all ingredients in
the blender and mix
until smooth.
Chicken and salad
Chicken breast
Romaine/spinach salad mix
Green bell peppers, red bell peppers,
cucumbers, tomato, black olives
Just mix it all up and
chow down
Protein Shake
1 Scoop vanilla protein powder
8 oz. skim milk
Handful of frozen strawberries
Big spoonful of plain yogurt
Blend it all
together and ya
got yourself a
snack
Stuffed Chicken Breasts - Slow Cooker Recipe
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp. minced lemon zest
1 tsp.. dried basil, oregano or mint ( I personally like it best
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with oregano)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup oil cured olives
hot cooked polenta
1. Place chicken breast between plastic wrap and pound until
about 1/4" thick. Repeat with each breast.
2. Combine feta, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, lemon zest,
oregano, garlic powder and pepper in medium bowl.
3. Lay pounded breasts smooth side down on work surface. Place
approximately 2 tbsp. feta mixture on wide end of breast. Roll
tightly. Repeat with each breast.
4. Place rolled breasts, seam side down in slow cooker. Top with
diced tomatoes with juice and olives. (if using pitted olives, add to
slow cooker in the final hour of cooking)
5. Cover; cook on low for 5.5-6 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Serve with polenta.
Grocery List
Polenta
Oatmeal
Ground flax seed
Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Vanilla protein powder
Chocolate protein powder
Cocoa powder
banana
Peanut Butter
Salad-whatever mix you like
Red bell pepper
Green bell pepper
Cucumbers
Fit Homeschool Mom’s Transformation Guide
Cucumbers
Skim Milk
Tomatoes
Black olives
Plain yogurt
7 Chicken breasts
Feta cheese
Fresh spinach leaves
Sun dried tomatoes
1 lemon
Basil, oregano or mint
Garlic powder
1 can diced tomatoes
Oil cured olives
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Meals by Tricia Strbac
Meal #1
2 egg whites with spinach and red pepper
Apple (cut up) or glass of low cal. Orange juice
Meal #2
String cheese
Can of low sodium v-8
Once in a while, handful of craisins (the cherry flavor)
Meal #3
Spinach salad with grilled chicken, hard boiled egg (w/ no
yucky yolk), celery, carrots with the BEST salad dressing ever –
Kraft, low fat Catalina – it tastes like the real thing!!!!
Serving of almonds
Meal #4
Celery with low fat peanut butter
Rice cake
Meal #5
½ New York Strip steak (Hubby eats the other ½)
Broccoli with spray butter
Brown rice with spray butter
Meal #6
I don’t usually eat a snack at night, but if I do it is orange
sherbet or glass of peppermint tea.
Also--- I drink a ton of water throughout the day, so that is for every meal and
once in a while I will drink skim milk for din-din or put that in a protein shake in
the morning if I don’t have time to make the eggs.
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Shopping list
Produce
-Broccoli (frozen or fresh)
-Apples (I like the Gala or Camelo from Costco)
-Spinach or salad mix
-Red pepper
-Carrots (get the baby ones, easier to work with)
Meat/Poultry
-Eggs
-NY Strip steak
-Boneless skinless chicken
Dairy
-String cheese
-Yogurt (dannon boysenberry rocks – really the only one I will eat)
-Cottage cheese
Misc.
-Peanut butter
-Orange juice – low cal
-Almonds
-Craisins
-Sherbet – orange…yummo!
-Brown rice – aldi has good brown rice and cheap!!
-Catalina dressing – Kraft brand, lowfat/low cal! Gooooooooood stuff
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Menu Plan From Jennifer Collett
Meal #1
1 egg, 2-3 egg whites
½ cup sweet peppers
¼ onion
slice of ww. Toast
a piece of fresh fruit
Meal #2
1/2c. lt. cottage cheese
pc of fruit
carrot sticks
Meal #3
3 oz. tuna
2 egg whites
1 rib of celery
1/2 cup ww. macaroni noodles
lettuce
tomato
Meal #4
lf. yogurt,
Almonds
fresh cut veggies
Meal #5
meatloaf patties
Side Salad
Meal #6
Kefir
almonds...
Fit Homeschool Mom’s Transformation Guide
omelet: saute veggies until tender(cook extra
veggies and put in a container for the next
days meal) Add eggs and sprinkle garlic
powder, salt and pepper, and a pinch of basil
in mixture.
Tuna Salad: drain and rinse tuna .
squeeze out excess water. Add chop
up egg whites, finely chopped celery,
and onion. Add ww. macaroni
noodles. Squeeze a little lemon over
the tuna just to cut the fishy taste
serve over bed of lettuce and tomato.
Meatloaf patties: mix ground
turkey ,1 egg and 1/4 cup flax meal
together. Mix. Make (4 oz.) patties
like you would hamburgers.
Jen makes her own
kefir using kefir
granules
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Grocery List:
eggs
lf. shredded cheddar cheese
ww. bread
fresh fruit
lf cottage cheese
2 tomatoes
carrots
celery
lemon
onion
red and yellow peppers
red leaf lettuce
ww macaroni noodles
4 cans of tuna in water
lf yogurt
almonds
1 pkg ground turkey breast
seasoned breadcrumbs
extra virgin lt. olive oil or safflower oil
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Meals by Tracey Roy
Meal #1:
1 egg, 3 egg whites
handful of spinach
handful of diced red and green peppers
coffee
Meal #2:
choc. protein shake
Apple
Meal #3:
3oz chicken breast
spinach salad
diced red and green peppers
carrot sticks
Meal #4:
1/4 cup almonds
apple or banana
Meal #5:
beef tips
low sodium cream of mushroom
steamed broccoli
spinach salad
Meal #6:
1c. kefir yogurt (I find it only at Strack and Van Til)
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Meals by Renee Harris
Simply whip up your eggs with some milk or water,
pour into skillet, top with fresh spinach, cover and
heat on low until fully cooked.
Meal #1
scrambled eggs
spinach
½ cup Cream of Wheat
Meal #2
½ cup cottage cheese
fruit
Meal #3:
3 oz. bbq steak
Grilled veggies
½ cup cooked brown rice
Meal #4:
“egg nog shake":
1 scoop protein powder
8 oz. milk
banana - preferably frozen
couple shakes of ground nutmeg and ice.
Sprinkle more nutmeg on before serving
Meal #5:
Left over Steak from lunch
Salad
Meal #6:
1 oz. pistachios
fruit
Fit Homeschool Mom’s Transformation Guide
Grill steak on med/high for 6-7 minutes
per side, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Cut veggies in chunks and put on skewers
on grill.
Slice leftover steak into small pieces. Heat
olive oil in pan over medium high heat.
Sprinkle generous amounts of cardamom
and pepper into hot oil. Toss in meat and stir,
giving meat enough time to sautee well. Salt
to taste, cool and serve over lettuce salad
with above salad dressing. (this meat recipe
works great when you mess up an attempt at
cooking steak - great for leftovers).
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Grocery List:
Cream of Wheat
brown rice
pistachios
bag of fresh spinach
few pieces of your favorite fruit, including 1 banana
green leaf lettuce
favorite veggies to grill (red bell pepper, onions, etc)
cottage cheese
plain yogurt
eggs
New York Steak
----------------------------------------------------------in the pantry:
protein powder
ground nutmeg
cardamom
pepper & salt
salad dressing (olive oil and balsamic vinegar - a little more oil
than vinegar, mixed with a dash of soy sauce and a small
spoonful of dijon mustard)
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Nutrition and the Family
Getting the entire family involved in the healthy lifestyle
makeover can seem impossible at times, but it can be done. Be
determined to make changes slowly. If you try to convert everyone
over to your new way of eating in one swell swoop, you will meet
resistance head on! I’ve been there and done that.
However, if you take it one day at a time – baby steps if you will –
it will go over much easier and everyone will be happy.
One of the first things I did was sit the family down and have a
meeting. We discussed what was wrong with our current lifestyle and
what we needed to do to make it better. I encouraged questions and
allowed the kids to make their own suggestions. I also asked them to
research their own healthy recipe contributions. I made sure to include
their recipes in my weekly meal planning. Some were hits and some
were dreadfully awful, but we did it together. Along the way, my
children learned the differences between carbohydrates, proteins and
healthy fats. They also learned how to put together a perfectly
balanced meal.
One of the rewards of getting the kids involved is that I can now
have my two older daughters take over the cooking during the week
and they cook things that are healthy and nutritious. Teaching the girls
to cook their own meals is a life skill they must know anyways, but
teaching them how to cook balanced meals is awesome.
Your goal as you attempt to lose body fat is to gain muscle.
Muscle is your metabolism. Without muscle you are unable to burn off
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body fat. To gain muscle, you must be fueling your body correctly.
Most women believe that to lose weight you must exercise more and
eat less. I’m going to change your mind set.
In order to lose fat, you must eat more to weigh less. This is
because we are not interested in losing weight. We want to lose fat.
Losing weight and losing fat are two completely different things. Let
me explain:
The shape of your body is determined by three things: muscle, bone
and fat. While there is really nothing you can do about your bone
structure, there is a whole lot you can do about muscle and fat. This
ratio of muscle to fat is commonly known as your body composition.
It is important to realize that altered body composition is attained
through FAT LOSS and LEAN MUSCLE GAIN, NOT WEIGHT LOSS. When
your body receives the proper amount of calories and nutrients, you
can reach and maintain your fitness goals. Additionally, eating
supportive foods that fuel muscle tissue will help burn fat efficiently
during exercise and when at rest.
What is the difference between fat loss and weight loss?
 Calories are burned in muscle tissue. One pound of lean muscle
burns approximately 50 calories a day. Conversely, body fat is a
store house for calories. One pound of fat burns approximately 5
calories a day and stores 3500 calories of energy.
 By simply restricting calories to shrink the number on the scale, a
minimum of 25% of weight loss (more than two pounds per week
on average) will be lost from lean tissue.
 As a result, your metabolism will be suppressed by 50%
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 Rapid weight loss from under-eating causes muscle tissue to be
used for energy, which cripples your body’s ability to burn fat for
energy. In the future this will cause you to put the weight back on
and most likely gain more than you ever had before.
 Providing your body with a regular exercise program and the food
and nutrients it needs will sufficiently fuel working muscles,
initiate fat loss and develop an accelerated, fat burning
metabolism.
 Proper fat loss strategies will allow you to lose 75% of your weight
from fat and less than 25% from lean tissue.
Use this formula when determining what your caloric needs are,
however this is only a reference. At this stage of your journey, you do
not need to count every calorie you eat unless you really love numbers.
I know the dilemma starts when you try to get the whole family to
change over to this type of eating. How do you get your kids to eat
brown rice(in my case, as an Asian, we were brought up on white rice
from the time we were 6 months old). Here’s what I did?
I started with toddler steps. I began by adding more water than
the recipe indicated so that it would steam longer and the brown rice
would have the texture of white rice. I added chicken bouillon to make
it taste better. We only ate it 1 night a week to begin with. I then
would add another day every second week until we were eating brown
rice exclusively.
We try different varieties also. We have found that we love
brown basmati rice the best and it smells just like popcorn when it
cooks.
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I have never had any problems getting my children to eat
vegetables because we always ate a lot of stir fries. However, I know
that other moms really struggle with this. So, here are some tips to try
to jazz up the veggies for the kids:
50 Ways to Love Your Fruits and Veggies
1. Mix a bag of shredded cabbage with a little light coleslaw dressing;
chopped apples or canned pineapple chunks are optional.
2. Add grated carrots or zucchini to spaghetti sauce.
3. Substitute green peas for half the avocado in guacamole to reduce fat
without changing the taste or texture.
4. Add chopped fresh tomatoes and cilantro to bottled salsa as a quick dip for
chips, baby carrots, or pita, or pile it on as dressing for salads, tacos, and
burritos.
5. Make pumpkin pie with fat-free canned milk and low-fat crust.
6. Add lots of leaf lettuce, red onion, and thick tomato slices to a turkey
sandwich.
7. Pop frozen blueberries or grapes into your mouth for a sorbet like treat.
8. Top your morning cereal with dried plums or cranberries or a handful of
fresh berries.
9. Drink a travel-size box of orange juice on the way to work.
10.Stir fresh peaches or berries into frozen yogurt.
11.Add canned mandarin oranges to your spinach salad.
12.Skewer more vegetables (cherry tomatoes, carrot slices, mushrooms,
eggplant, onion, squash, sweet potato, etc.) than meat on your shish
kabobs.
13.Add frozen green peas to canned chicken noodle soup.
14.Never, and I mean never, leave the house without a snack stash (banana,
orange, apple, baby carrots, raisins, grapes).
15.Puree fresh fruit, sweeten it with concentrated apple juice, and freeze it
into ice cubes or pops. Add cubes to club soda for a refreshing drink.
16.Add fruit to your milkshake (smoothie).
17.Make fruit or vegetable salsa and sauces with mango, papaya, peach, or
pineapple and use it in place of creamed sauces on meats, fish, and
chicken.
18.Sweeten nonfat, plain yogurt with fruit.
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19.After dinner, place a platter of cut-up fruit on the table for snacking in the
evenings.
20.When eating out, order entrees that feature vegetables (grilled vegetable
sandwich, salad, vegetable soup).
21.Ask your waiter to hold the potato and instead bring two side orders of
vegetables (steamed) with your meal.
22.Add grapes, mandarin oranges, or cubed apples to chicken salad.
23.Skip the syrup, and top pancakes, waffles, or French toast with fresh fruit.
24.Puree vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots, or broccoli to add to soup
stock and sauces.
25.Add dried fruit to stuffings and rice dishes.
26.Double your normal portion vegetables (except french fries or iceberg
lettuce!).
27.Cut sweet potatoes into half-inch strips and roast them, for a tasty
alternative to french fries.
28.Stuff an almond into each of five pitted dried plums for a sweet, chewy,
crunchy snack.
29.Plan your dinner around the theme of “Meat and Three Veggies.”
30.Toss a bag of frozen stew vegetables (large hunks of carrots, potato, celery,
and onion) with a tablespoon of olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper, and a
few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
31.Toss chopped tomatoes, corn, red onion, salt, and rice vinegar for a quick
and filling snack or lunch salad.
32.Add cilantro, chopped tomatoes, corn, grated carrots, or other vegetables
to tacos and burritos.
33.When flying, as for a tomato or orange juice for your in-flight beverage.
34.Once a week, have a meal salad for dinner, such as Cajun-salmon Caesar
salad or grilled-chicken spinach salad with mandarin oranges.
35.Take advantage of precut vegetables, packaged salads, supermarket salad
bars, and specialty produce.
36.Grill extra vegetables at dinner to use in a quick wrap for tomorrow’s lunch.
37.Fill a halved cantaloupe with lemon-flavored yogurt.
38.Skip the fruit drinks, blends, and “ades,” and go for the 100 percent orange,
grapefruit, prune, pomegranate, and pineapple juices. Remember
moderation!
39.Add flowers such as dandelions, violets, daylilies, clover, and oxalis to
salads.
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40.Add steamed asparagus or green beans to your favorite pasta dish.
41.Top pizza with quartered artichoke hearts (canned in water), roasted red
peppers, red onion, sliced zucchini, and fresh tomatoes.
42.Order deli sandwiches with extra tomatoes.
43.Whip steamed chopped collards or chard into mashed potatoes.
44.Buy produce at various stages of ripeness to avoid spoilage.
45.Stock up on frozen plain vegetables for last-minute meals.
46.Keep dried fruit on hand for a quick snack.
47.Plant a pear or apple tree, a row of blueberry bushes, or a vegetable garden
in the backyard.
48.When eating out, ask for two sides of vegetables, or split an entrée and
complement it with a salad.
49.At parties, sip on orange juice, tomato juice, or Bloody Mary mix.
50.Take a low-fat cooking class and share vegetable recipes with friends.
As a homeschool mom, I know you can get really creative with this
and find ways that will enable your family to eat healthier.
Due to the fact that I run boot camps and teach nutrition classes we
were eating dinner rather late. So recently I had my two older
daughters take over planning and cooking meals during the week. They
each get two nights a week to plan, shop and cook. I cook on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday.
This is not only a great lesson in homemaking and budgeting skills,
but it has allowed them the chance to make mistakes in the kitchen
now before leaving home so they will be better equipped to take care
of their families when the time comes.
Through this experience, my 10 year old, Briana, has found she is
quite a little chef and enjoys experimenting with different flavors.
Some have been quite interesting, to say the least. For instance, I
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never would have thought about combining soy sauce and orange juice
as part of the seasoning for a stir fry, but it tastes amazing.
They have begun compiling their very own recipe notebooks and I
won’t be surprised if I find myself calling them for some of my favorites.
The other benefit from allowing my children some free reign in the
kitchen is they are learning how to create healthy meals and these are
habits that will follow them throughout their lives and the lives of their
children, I hope.
I have found that being a homeschool mom has been a blessing to
the health of my family. I have more time to devote to them, to
research, to planning and implementing healthy habits.
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Meal Planning: The Key to Weight Loss
Success
Women are busy. We sometimes find our days stretching out longer
and longer to fit in everything that needs to get done. With this comes
stress and frustration which can cause us to put ourselves at the
bottom of the list of priorities. Our weight loss goals are forgotten or
saved for another time.
It doesn’t need to be this way. If you can learn to create good
habits, you will reduce stress and accomplish your fitness goals quickly.
One of the best habits you can learn is planning your meals ahead. The
less you need to cook during the week, the quicker you can get out of
the kitchen and the more time you enjoy with your family.
Here are a few strategies to get you started on your road to
permanent fat loss:
Strategy #1: Pick A Planning Day – Pick one day every week to sit down
and plan out the menu.
I start with a blank calendar and a sheet of lined paper. I also
have all my favorite healthy cookbooks out in front of me. Include 3
meals and 3 snacks for each day of the week. As you create your meal
plans, add the ingredients you will need onto your grocery list and
include the cookbook and page number on your menu. Doing this will
enable anyone to follow the menu plan if more than one person cooks
meals in the house.
Be sure and include 2-4 cheat meals. Denying yourself your
favorite foods and calling them forbidden will ensure weight loss
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failure. I always include cheat meals on the weekends when we are
most likely to eat out or go to the movies (popcorn!).
Strategy #2: Create a Master List – Save all your favorite menus and
grocery lists.
Compile all your favorites into a notebook and save them for
future use. This is a great time saver. Most families will eat the same
meals over and over again. Do the work once and save yourself time
later.
I like to break my master list down even further by creating a
master meal list. By having a list already made of your family favorites,
you can save a lot of time browsing through cookbooks. Be sure and
include the name of the cookbook and the page number next to each
meal for future reference.
Strategy #3: Pick a Shopping Day – Do all your shopping in one day
buying only what is on your grocery list.
I save a lot of money buying in bulk. Planning your menus ahead
of time will let you know exactly how much of one item you will need
for the week and it cuts impulse buying drastically.
Always make sure you eat before going shopping. You will do
more impulse buys if you are hungry. Temptation will be all around
you. The whole, unprocessed foods are on and around the perimeter
of the store. Try to avoid the inner aisles if at all possible.
Strategy #4: Do Some Prep Work When You Get Home – Precut your
veggies, precook your chicken breast and make a large salad for the
week.
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You will be grateful during the busy week for taking the time to do
this. If your salads are premade you can just worry about the main
dish. If you purchased a large bag of chicken breast, you can throw it all
in a baking pan and roast them ahead of time while you chop veggies.
When they are done, bag them in freezer bags and put half in the
freezer, half in the refrigerator. Halfway through the week, you can pull
the other bag out of the freezer.
Strategy #4 – Use a Food Journal
It is really easy to overeat when you are not consciously keeping
track of everything that enters your mouth. A little bite of this and a
snippet of that as you walk past the kitchen counter can add up quick.
Also, doing a lot of “tasting” while you’re cooking dinner can add up
too. Have you ever cooked dinner and sat down to eat with the family
but was already full? I’m guilty of that one.
Keeping a food journal will help you stay on track, learn what your
trigger foods are and give you a better idea of what works for you and
what doesn’t. If you hit a plateau, you will know what you need to
change to get back on track again. You can use a fancy form, an online
food journal or just a spiral notebook. They all work as long as you use
them. A couple of free online journals are www.fitday.com,
www.calorieking.com and a new one www.sparkpeople.com I have also
included an excel food journal for you to use as a download.
I prefer my spiral notebooks because I will be much more consist
about keeping track if I write down what I eat as I make it or while I’m
eating it. Sometimes getting to a computer is not feasible and trying to
remember what I ate later on is challenging.
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Another reason I like spiral bound notebooks is I still like looking
back on my journal and reading about my daily challenges, the changes
that were taking place in my body and seeing how my nutritional habits
improved over the course of a year. I like looking back at the photos I
took of my transformation.
Fitness is a lifelong commitment. Instilling the habit of planning
ahead will help you maintain your resolve to get healthy, fit and strong.
Remember that anything of worth takes dedication. Having a plan will
keep you focused and less likely to become overwhelmed to the point
of quitting.
Be sure and use the forms at the end of this chapter to help with
your meal planning and grocery shopping. Make extra copies of the
grocery list or put it in a sheet protector and use a dry erase marker.
You can stick it on the refrigerator and circle items you need as you run
low. You’ll never forget something again. I put in the basics for a
healthy diet, and left a lot of blank spaces for you to fill in with your
family favorites.
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Grocery List
Asparagus
Avocado
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Coleslaw Mix
Cucumber
Garlic
Ginger
Green beans
jalapenos
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Sweet Potatoes
Snow peas
Spinach
Squash
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Fruit
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Grapefruit
Lemon/lime
Mango
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Raspberries
Strawberries
Basil
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Thyme
Bread
WW Pita
WW Tortillas
WW buns
Corn Tortillas
WW Bread
Grains
Bulgur Wheat
Old Fash. Oats
Couscous
Pearl Barley
Brown Rice
Cream of Wheat
WW Pasta
Fats
Walnuts
Olive Oil, EV
Safflower Oil
Almonds
Proteins
Chicken breast
Chicken tenders
Turkey bacon
Turkey breast
Gr. turkey, lean
Gr. chicken, lean
Gr. beef, lean
Halibut fillets
Orange roughy
Salmon
Crab meat
Lobster meat
Shrimp
Swordfish
Tuna
Beef, bottom round
Beef, filet mignon
Beef, flank steak
Beef, top loin
Beef, top round
Buffalo
Fit Homeschool Mom’s Transformation Guide
Canadian Bacon
Dairy
Cottage Cheese
Yogurt
Eggs
Skim milk
Cheddar cheese
Blue cheese
Feta cheese
Colby-jack
Monterey jack
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Provolone
Ricotta
String cheese
Swiss
Cream cheese
Page 47
Master Meal List
Recipe
Cookbook
Page Number
Fit Homeschool Mom’s Transformation Guide
Family Rating (1-10)
Notes
Page 48
Eating Right on a Budget
One of the concerns that women will have with this lifestyle
change is the cost of eating healthy. I want to encourage you to truly
look at what you are spending money on at the store. It is possible to
eat better without going broke or spending hundreds of dollars each
week.
The first thing you must do is eliminate anything processed in
your diets. That includes white flour, white sugar, boxed cereals,
dinner kits, frozen pizzas and anything else that comes in a box with a
label of unpronounceable ingredients.
Take advantage of farmers markets, roadside vegetable stands
and your own backyard when it comes to purchasing or growing your
own fruit and vegetables. In the Midwest I am even able to purchase
fresh eggs. On my way to boot camp, I pass two houses that sell fresh
chicken eggs. There are lots of affordable options wherever you live to
save on produce.
When you start to purchase whole foods, you begin to save a lot
more money. This is how I maneuver the grocery store:
I enter the store and immediately walk all the way to the right
side where the meat section is and enter the frozen meat aisle. I
always purchase big bags of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast,
chicken tenderloins and boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Our grocery
store, Meijer, has a buy-one-get-one-free sale once a month and I stock
up on several bags and throw some in the deep freezer. In the freezer
aisle I will also purchase the small tube packages of ground turkey.
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They are much cheaper than the fresh packages. The frozen packages
are usually around $2 each while the fresh packages are almost $5 each
if they are not on sale. Sometimes I can get the fresh packages for $2
each.
While in the frozen section, I will pick up some frozen tilapia,
salmon or orange roughy. These go on sale quite frequently also. My
husband is not a big fan of fish so my girls and I will eat the fish for
lunch when he is at work.
I then walk to the fresh meat section and purchase any roasts or
pork tenderloins that I might need. If they are on sale and the budget
allows, I will pick up a couple so one can go in the deep freezer for later.
I then mosey on over to the dairy section where I pick up my
cottage cheese, Greek nonfat plain yogurt, butter and nonfat skim milk.
I have been purchasing my eggs in bulk at Sam’s Club because I get such
a great deal. However, watch the sales because when eggs go on sale
at the supermarket it can be cheaper to buy several packages of eggs
than buying bulk at Sam’s.
Once I am done in the dairy section, I hit the produce section and
select all my produce for the week. Don’t skimp here, especially on the
vegetables and fruits that are in season. This is where the bulk of your
meals should come from. Every week select something that you have
never had before. We have discovered some really interesting
vegetables that we love by experimenting a little.
If you do not make your own bread, then I would hit the bakery
aisle. When purchasing bread, make sure the first ingredient is stone
ground whole wheat flour, that has no high fructose corn syrup and at
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least 9 grams of fiber. Once you have done this and realize how
expensive the “real” bread is you may be convinced to start baking your
own. The best bread to purchase is usually the organic loaves because
even the ones that are labeled “natural” are horrible chemical
concoctions.
This is usually all I need at the grocery store food wise.
Occasionally I will purchase a few canned goods such as sodium free
tomato sauce, Ragu’s light spaghetti sauce, low-carb ketchup, mustard,
and other low sugar, high fructose corn syrup free condiments.
In the winter when fresh vegetables are more expensive, I will buy
a lot of frozen vegetables. These go on sale every month so be sure
and stock up. The vegetables I tend to buy frozen are green beans,
broccoli, asparagus, California blends, peas and squash.
You will find that when you shop the perimeter of the store, you
will be spending a lot less money. In my area, we have an Aldi that is a
discount grocery store where I can get some great deals on produce
and fresh meat. If you have one of these or a store similar to it, stay
away from the packaged and canned foods. They are just beautifully
packaged junk foods.
Aldi has a line of food that they carry called “Fit and Active.” I’ve
looked at the ingredients list and it’s horrible. Usually the first or
second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. Any fit and active person
should not be consuming these foods. These companies are disgusting
with their marketing schemes.
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Don’t be tempted to use your children as excuses for purchasing
processed junk food. They don’t need it and you’ll save more money
when you learn to eliminate junk food from their diets.
I recently discovered another stay at home mom who has learned
how to get all of her groceries at a discount, or for free, and sometimes
she even makes money. She keeps a blog with hundreds of other
women in the United States contributing information about store
bargains for each week. I have learned a lot reading her material and I
think it is a recommended course for all girls before they graduate from
high school. The best part is her course is completely free. Check it out
at www.moneysavingmom.com
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Putting it all Together
So you now know that you need to stop dieting, start exercising
correctly and start eating supportively. How do you put this all
together and get it done?
First, get your family involved with this lifestyle change. Don’t attempt
to do this all on your own. You will feel overwhelmed and will quit
before you have begun to see or feel any changes. Become part of a
supportive group of homeschool moms who are also in the trenches.
My free online site, www.FitHomeschoolMoms.ning.com is a great
place to start. There you can exchange ideas, recipes and get the
motivational support to keep you on track. Even better, they are all
homeschool moms that understand your struggles.
Second, don’t just plunge right in without planning in advance. Most
homeschool moms need to have a plan of action so they can stay the
course.
Get your planner out and decide right now when you are going to
exercise. This might change as you go along and life’s circumstances
change, but at least get this scheduled. Write an appointment for
exercise every day of the week except Sunday. The ideal schedule
would be Monday, Wednesday and Friday allowing a day of rest in
between each session, but look at YOUR schedule and find what works
best. Do not schedule more than two days back to back. Your body
needs rest to repair and recover.
Next, schedule your meal planning day. Try to make it the same day
every week. I like to do my meal planning on Sunday afternoon after
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church while my husband is napping. Create your shopping list and
make a copy of your meal plan to save for the future. Make sure you
are putting all the meals you pick on your meal list with cookbook
names and page numbers for future reference. Do the work once and
save time later.
Check your planner for the best day to go shopping. You might already
have a designated day for this.
Go through your cupboards with your kids or husband and get rid of
anything processed or canned. Bless a neighbor or friend with a large
box or two of goods. I actually gave a huge box to our town’s food
pantry. Don’t have a last binge party with the family, just get rid of it!
Purchase any exercise equipment you need for the program. In this
program you will need:
Dumbbells: 10 lbs. through 25 lbs.
Pull up Bar (one that can be adjusted to the mid level of your doorway)
Stability Ball
Kitchen Timer
Review the exercise plan to make sure you understand fully each
exercise and the timing of each superset. Pick the workout that you
have the time for. There is a 9 minute, 15 minute or a 20 minute
workout for each month.
Get a spiral notebook to keep track of every morsel of food you eat and
every workout. Keep the workouts on one side of the notebook and
the food log on the other. Keep track in detail. Remember, I still have
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my journal that I used when I went through my transformation and I
love looking back through it. It’s inspiring to see where I have come
from and I also remember why I never want to go back. I believe your
journal is one of the most essential tools you will use.
Start the first page of your journal with your weight, body
circumference measurements and your goals. Don’t skip this. Also,
take before pictures and glue copies of them on the inside front cover.
That is the most painful part, but you will be so happy you did it later
on when you watch the fat melt away. Every 4 weeks, snap some more
pictures and glue them into your journal. Like Lisa’s shown here:
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Strength Training
Your Secret Weapon for Permanent Weight Loss
Most women avoid strength training for fear that they will morph into a
muscle bound freak of nature. This is just a myth. Women do not
produce enough testosterone to build muscles like the bodybuilding
competitors you see in the magazines. Most of these bodybuilders have
to take drugs in order to look the way they do.
Strength training is essential if you want to make visual changes to your
bodies, become healthier, stronger, increase your flexibility and
possibly live longer. If strength training is not part of your arsenal in
your fight against unwanted body fat, you are destined to fail. The
more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism is when you are at
rest which means the higher your chance for success.
Let's face it, women who are lean and toned are healthier looking than
the emaciated models on the catwalk or the anorexic looking actresses
on the big screen. A lean, toned and athletic look is what most women
desire. The only way to obtain that look is with strength training, a
supportive nutrition plan and smart cardio. Here are some more
benefits to strength training that you should consider.
Increased Disease Resistance
Strength training has proven to help in the reduction of risk in certain
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diseases such as breast cancer by reducing high estrogen levels linked
to the disease, diabetes and insulin needs, cardiovascular disease, high
blood pressure, osteoporosis and arthritis. It increases HDL (good
cholesterol) and decreases LDL (bad cholesterol).
Increases Bone Density
Strength training increases bone density which is very important in
women and helps reduce the occurrence of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis
is a disease that is affecting more women due to lack of physical activity
and poor nutrition. This has increased the occurrence of bone fractures
in our elderly population. Strength training will help reduce your risk. It
increases self confidence and feel good which is essential to a woman's
self confidence. When you strength train you will change the shape and
tone of your body. Dieting alone does not change the shape of your
body, you just become a smaller version of the person you already are.
Increased Muscle Mass = Reduced Body Fat = Increased Metabolism
More muscle means faster metabolism. As we age our metabolism
naturally slows down. Lack of muscle in our bodies slows down our
metabolism even faster. In order to speed our metabolism up and aid
the process of losing unwanted body fat, we need to increase our
muscle mass.
When you have a significant amount of muscle, you will burn fat while
at rest. Strength training will increase your muscle mass which will in
turn increase your metabolism.
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If these benefits to strength training haven't convinced you to start
pumping iron then know that strength training is absolutely essential if
you wish to create visual changes in your body and the benefits extend
far beyond the visual.
If permanent fat loss is your goal, then strength training is your secret
to success. Get off the treadmill and hit the dumbbells!!
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Weeks 1- 4
Begin each day with foam rolling and dynamic warm-ups. (Click each
link for video demonstrations).
Week
1
Sunday
REST
Monday
Fat Blast A
Tuesday
Interval A
Wednesday
Fat Blast B
Thursday
Interval B
2
REST
Fat Blast A
Interval B
Fat Blast B
Interval A
3
REST
Fat Blast A
Interval A
Fat Blast B
Interval B
4
REST
Fat Blast A
Interval B
Fat Blast B
Interval A
Friday
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
Saturday
Interval A
Interval B
Interval A
Interval B
9 Minute Fat Blast Workout A- Monday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 4 minutes. Rest 1 minute in
between each set of exercises.
DB Squat Thrusts x 10
DB Swing x 10
~REST 1 Minute~
DB Deadlifts x 10
Mountain Climbers x 10
9 Minute Fat Blast Workout B- Wednesday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 4 minutes. Rest 1 minute in
between each set of exercises.
DB 1 legged Deadlift x 10
Burpees x 10
~REST 1 Minute~
DB Step Ups x 10
DB Rows x 10
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For your warm-ups do a nice, light jog in place or walk up and down the
stairs to get yourself ready for your intervals. It’s very important when
doing intervals that you use your highest intensity possible during the
work periods.
Interval A
5 Minute Warm-up
Jumping Jacks – :30
Light Jog/walk around – 1:00
(Complete 6 rounds)
5 minute Cool Down
Interval B
5 Minute Warm-up
Burpees :30
Planks :30
Light jog/walk around 1:00
(Complete 4 rounds)
5 minute Cool Down
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Family Fun Friday: Get the kids involved for a little family competition
Hit the Deck
Grab a deck of cards. Remove all 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. If you have a large family, divide them
up into teams of 3-4 with a deck of cards for each team. First team to get through their
entire deck wins.
If you are a small family, play as individuals against each other. You will be working
individually to try and get the most cards at the end of the game.
On GO! Each person picks a card. Each suit has an exercise. The number on the card is
the amount of reps you complete. Complete the exercise on the card before picking
another card.
Here are the exercises:
Hearts = Push-ups
Spades = Dips
Clubs = Burpees
Diamonds = Jump Squats
K,Q, J = 10 reps of the exercise
A = 11 reps of the exercise
Joker = 10 reps of all exercises
Want to play another round? Here is the clincher: When a Joker is pulled from the deck
all exercise reps are doubled until the next Joker is pulled.
Keep track of how many cards you end up with each time and try to beat your score
each week. Have fun!
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Weeks 5-8
Begin each day with foam rolling and dynamic warm-ups. (Click each
link for video demonstrations).
Week
1
Sunday
REST
2
REST
3
REST
4
REST
Monday
Fat Blast C
Interval A
Fat Blast C
Tuesday
Fat Blast D
Interval B
Interval A
Wednesday
REST or 30 min.
cardio session
Fat Blast D
Thursday
Fat Blast C
Interval A
Interval B
Friday
Fat Blast D
Interval B
Interval A
Fat Blast C
Interval B
Fat Blast C
Fat Blast D
Interval A
Interval B
REST or 30 min.
cardio session
Fat Blast D
Fat Blast C
Interval B
Interval A
Fat Blast D
Interval A
Interval B
Saturday
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
9 Minute Fat Blast Workout C- Monday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 4 minutes. Rest 1 minute in
between each set of exercises.
DB Alternating Lunges x 10 (each leg)
SB Chest Press x 10
~REST 1 Minute~
SB SHELCS OR SHE x 10
Modified Pull-ups x 10
9 Minute Fat Blast Workout D- Wednesday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 4 minutes. Rest 1 minute in
between each set of exercises.
DB Squats x 10
DB Snatches x 10 (each side)
~REST 1 Minute~
Russian Deadlifts x 10
SB Crunches x 10
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Each month you will notice an increase in work periods. Continue to
work at the highest level of intensity you can muster.
Interval A
5 Minute Warm-up
Dumbbell Swings - :45
Light Jog/walk around – :45
(Complete 6 rounds)
5 minute Cool Down
Interval B
5 Minute Warm-up
Jump Squat - 1:00
Light jog/walk around 1:00
(Complete 4 rounds)
5 minute Cool Down
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Family Fun Saturday: Get the kids involved for a little family
competition
Roll the Dice
Grab a few sets of die.
On GO! Each person rolls two die. If you roll doubles, you may
roll again. The two numbers you roll determines the exercises
you must perform. You will perform 15 reps of each exercise.
Play the game for 20 minutes.
Here are the exercises:
1 = Burpees
2 = Push Ups
3 = Reverse Crunches
4 = Mountain Climbers
5 = Squats
6 = Jumping Lunges
Have fun!
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Weeks 9-12
Begin each day with foam rolling and dynamic warm-ups. (Click each
link for video demonstrations).
Week
1
Sunday
REST
2
REST
3
REST
4
REST
Monday
Fat Blast A
Interval A
Fat Blast C
Tuesday
Fat Blast B
Interval B
Interval A
Wednesday
REST or 30 min.
cardio session
Fat Blast D
Thursday
Fat Blast C
Interval A
Interval B
Friday
Fat Blast D
Interval B
Fat Blast A
Fat Blast A
Interval B
Fat Blast A
Fat Blast B
Interval A
Interval B
REST or 30 min.
cardio session
Fat Blast B
Fat Blast C
Interval B
Interval A
Fat Blast D
Interval A
Fat Blast C
Saturday
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
Family
Fun
10 Minute Fat Blast Workout A- Monday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 10 minutes. No rest in
between each set of exercises.
SB Chest Press x 6
DB Alternating Lunges x (each leg)
SB Crunches x 8
10 Minute Fat Blast Workout B- Tuesday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 10 minutes. No rest in
between each set of exercises.
DB Alternating Rows x 6 (each side)
DB Split Squats x 6 (each leg)
Push Ups x 6
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10 Minute Fat Blast Workout C- Thursday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 10 minutes. No rest in
between each set of exercises.
DB Thrusters x 6
Dips x 6
Step Ups x 6 (each leg)
10 Minute Fat Blast Workout D- Friday
Continually do each exercise for a total of 10 minutes. No rest in
between each set of exercises.
Bulgarian Split Squats x 6 (each side)
Modified Pull-ups x 6
Lower Russian Twists x 6 (each side)
Interval A
Interval B
5 Minute Warm-up
5 Minute Warm-up
Jumping Jacks – :30
Light Jog/walk around – :15
(Complete 6 rounds)
Burpees 1:00
Light jog/walk around 2:00
(Complete 5 rounds)
5 minute Cool Down
5 minute Cool Down
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Family Fun Saturday: Get the kids involved for a little family
competition
Family Baseball
Divide your family into two teams. If you are doing this outdoors
you can run bases and do the exercises at each base. If you are
exercising indoors you can perform 10 Burpees in between
exercises (bases) in place of running.
Here are the exercises:
First Base = 10 Push Ups
Second Base = 15 Prisoner Squats
Third Base = 20 Alternating Lunges (Each Leg)
Home = 25 DB Swings
SCORE 1 Pt for your team.
Start a timer for 20 minutes. On GO! One member of each team
runs to first base performs the exercise and then runs for 2nd
base. Once the first member of your team finishes their exercises
at second base and starts for 3rd base, the next team member can
run to first base and begin their exercises.
Keep a dry erase board, chalk board or piece of paper handy so
each team member can write down their score after they get
finish their exercises at HOME. If you have small teams and find
you are not getting enough rest before running again, have each
team member wait until your team mate has scored before
running to first base. Have fun!
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