I have a monster sweet tooth. I love chocolate, gummy anything, cake, cookies...you name it. And don't get me started on cherry pie <eyes roll back into head>. When I decided to start eating healthier, naturally, I had to eliminate just about all of those foods from my normal routine (though, a treat now and again is perfectly alright as long as it's not excessive). The cravings persisted, however. So, in place of those unhealthy snacks, I substituted much healthier options that catered to my need for sweets while providing nourishment, vitamins, and minerals to my diet instead of empty calories.
Shakeology has been instrumental in that regard, as it provides a dense dose of daily nutrition yet tastes amazing. It's my favorite breakfast these days, partially because I feel like I'm breaking Breakfast Law by having something that tastes just like a chocolate milkshake that early in the morning. It is tremendously healthy and filling, which lessens my cravings for other sweets. Additionally, I started making my own "parfait" with plain greek yogurt and berries. I'll add a touch of honey to some cottage cheese as a snack instead of reaching for a stack of Oreos (recently bought Buckwheat Honey...the layers of flavor are both delicious and intriguing, highly recommend!). Using Stevia (natural, non-processed extract) is a great substitute for sugar and artificial sweeteners. And, generally, before you reach for a candy bar, reach for an apple! Fruit is never a bad alternative as long as you don't eat in excess and are exercising regularly (the sugar in fruit--fructose--is of a different composition than that which you find in most junk food--sucrose--having different phytonutrients and being slower to digest...which is a good thing!).
Substitute some of these options for your typical sugary snacks and you'll feel better and start to see those extra pounds peel right off. Have any other healthy alternatives? Leave ideas in the comments!
Showing posts with label Shakeology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shakeology. Show all posts
Friday, March 21, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
What is a Challenge Group?
Here's a video I recently posted explaining challenge groups. Challenge Groups can be a very important tool in helping you meet your fitness goal(s)...be it losing weight, building muscle, or just getting in-shape, generally. If you're at the point where you're ready to make a change and commit to a better-feeling you, I would love to take the journey with you. Click HERE to make me your coach and let's get started!
COACH LINK
COACH LINK
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Breakfast...you can do it.
Breakfast, the most important meal of the day! (well, some say) But why is it sometimes the HARDEST meal of the day to plan for if you're eating clean? Lunch and dinner usually have interchangeable choices...not to mention you can always throw the novelty "breakfast for dinner" into the mix. But, breakfast, seemingly, has limits (although self/society-imposed) which make it a little harder to navigate if you're watching what you put into your body and not looking to reach for a sugar-filled cereal or a monstrously carby bagel. Fear not...there ARE options! A little preplanning solves the breakfast dilemma in a snap.
(For more on Shakeology, click HERE)
- For starters, plan your meal around the 40-30-30 rule; 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fats (if you know that you benefit from a different ratio, then by all means, go forth and conquer!)
- Look for foods with lean protein: eggs, low fat cottage cheese, low fat Greek yogurt, fish, poultry
- Look for healthier versions of other breakfast foods you enjoy: whole wheat English muffins, multigrain rounds, plain rolled oats, low sugar/fat granola
- Incorporate fresh fruit (in moderation)
- PLAN YOUR BREAKFAST THE NIGHT BEFORE! At least conceptualize what you intend to make so you're not at a loss the next morning and default to something unhealthy and quick.
For me, when I'm in a pinch, Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Shakeology is where it's at; a ridiculous combination of healthy, delicious, easy, and quick (and will fill you up). Another option is a Greek yogurt parfait I make, usually for lunch, but that would do well for breakfast, too. Two eggs on a whole wheat English muffin, 1/2 cup of 1% cottage cheese, and half an orange is another way to go.
Eating breakfast gets you ready for the day, both physiologically as well as psychologically. Put something healthy in your body in the morning and you are setting yourself up for a successful day. Now go get 'em!
(For more on Shakeology, click HERE)
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Shakeology
Ladies and Gents, this amazingness in a blender. Presenting Carl Daikeler's Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Shakeology recipe.
**WARNING: you cannot untaste this shake. It is fantastic. You will crave it constantly.**
**WARNING: you cannot untaste this shake. It is fantastic. You will crave it constantly.**
1 cup almond milk (can sub low fat milk)
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 tbsp natural almond butter (can sub natural peanut butter)
1 tbsp fiber
1 med-size banana
1 raw egg
1 cup ice
Combine ingredients in a blender (ice last), blend, and drink up!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Shakeology Review
After a month of eating Shakeology everyday, I wanted to write a review to let folks know about my experience with it. I've gotten a lot of questions--and a lot of raised-eyebrows--about this much-talked-about meal replacement shake, so here are my thoughts on the matter. Please note, this is not a comparison with other shakes, but simply an account of my experience with and feelings about Shakeology. If you want a direct cross-comparison, I'd direct you to the ol' Google machine. But from what I know of similar competing products from internet research and speaking with those who have used them, Shakeology wins in just about every category. (recently heard a few folks talk about a popular competing product tasting like "wet, hot garbage." Mmmmm...if that doesn't draw you in...)
1) NUTRITION
The Shakeology folks have labeled it as a "dense dose of daily nutrition." Now, that's nice to say, but what does that really mean? And how is Shakeology supposed to be used? Well, for one, it is NOT a supplement. Nor is it merely a protein shake. I've heard of shake diets where all you do is drink different colored shakes all day long--this is not that. Shakeology is a MEAL REPLACEMENT. It replaces one meal a day. That's it. No mo'. Now, you may want to have it more than once a day because of how good it tastes (will get into that later), but restrain yourself, there, chief. Shakeology consists of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) that your body needs everyday as well as concentrated doses of superfoods. SUPERFOODS? Yes...foods with big time health benefits collected from all over the world. Shakeology is chocked full of them. So, from a nutritional standpoint, Shakeology has everything you need for a nutritionally "clean" meal along with concentrated doses of superfoods that help your digestion, energy level, increase stamina, fight free radicals in your body, stave off disease...the list goes on. And it's all-natural. AND, one serving is only 140 calories. So, in sum...macronutrients + superfoods + low cal = THE HEALTHIEST MEAL YOU WILL HAVE ALL DAY. And I'm not even a math major.
2) EFFECT
Whereas the above paragraph is all information that you can find on the internet/packaging, the following description is purely subjective. I find Shakeology to be an excellent meal replacement because it gives me that which a "regular" meal normally does--energy, satisfaction, feeling of being full--but at a lower price point, easier to make, and healthier. A little something about me: I love to eat and am (seemingly) always hungry. I eat normal portions for my meals, but there's a little gremlin in my belly that is constantly looking forward to the next meal. When I wake up in the morning, I am always ready for breakfast. So I started eating Shakeology for breakfast (using a recipe I'll link to below), slightly wary of whether I would get hungry long before lunchtime, seeing as how a shake wasn't my usual ideal breakfast of an omelet, cottage cheese, piece of toast, etc... However, I noticed that after eating Shakeology--which, mind you, blended out to two tall glasses of shake--I felt comfortably full and was able to go about my day until my mid-morning snack four hours later without feeling like I was ready to devour the next person who walked too far into my cubicle.
It also does a good job of giving me energy (with all those superfoods, I should hope so). I feel pretty great after eating Shakeo...not jittery or anything like that, but just that "ready to take on the day" feeling. Anytime I've eaten it after a workout (once or twice), I have always felt good, as well. Never bloaty or heavy. I'm finding that my workout results are accelerated by the effects and nutritional value of Shakeology in ways that they never were before. Such a bonus.
3) COST
This is where most folks take issue...the cost. The non-coach price of Shakeology is about $120/month. Now, while this might sound like a lot, let's look at it from a few different perspectives. First and foremost, this cost is a substitute to your monthly expenses, not an addition. After all, you're REPLACING a meal every day, right? Even at the non-coach price, it still comes out to $4 a day (and the coach price is just about $3/day!). Most of us go out for a meal a day on average, and end up spending at least four or five dollars and usually more (think of the last three places from which you bought lunch...did you spend less than $4 at ANY ONE of them?). I know that I was hitting a breakfast buffet on the regular and spending anywhere from $6-9. By replacing that meal with Shakeology, I am SAVING MONEY. Let's repeat that, one more time, for the cheap seats: I SAVE MONEY BY REPLACING A MEAL WITH SHAKEOLOGY. Not to mention, the meal I'm getting from Shakeo is about 30 times healthier than what I was eating before. And, finally, it's so easy. You don't even have to think about a Shakeo meal...the recipes are simple and quick. It takes me a grand total of 3 minutes to throw all the ingredients into a blender, blend, and start enjoying my shake. So, at the end of the day, you are SAVING MONEY and having a much healthier meal in less time than it took you before. I don't know...it just makes sense to me.
4) TASTE
This. Stuff. Is. DELICIOUS. Hands down...it's awesome. They use Stevia (all-natural, calorie-free) to sweeten it and have managed to do so without any bitterness...those crazy mad scientists. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have not, to date, tried it by putting it in a shaker and mixing with water. I have always blended according to a recipe. But, the great thing is that every Shakeo order comes with recipes. Great ones. And there are only a zillion more online that you can try. I have been going strong this month with Chocloate Peanut Butter Banana, but definitely will be branching out to try new ones (and new flavors) in the future. There's not too much more to say...this stuff tastes great, period.
And in closing...
Tasty, healthy, cost-effective, vegan options, energy boosting, weight loss promoting...this meal replacement shake seems to have it all (or, at least, as close to "it all" as you can get). I eat Shakeology everyday because I like how it tastes, the nutrition it brings to my daily diet, and the accelerated effect it has on my workouts. My recommendation: TRY IT. Want a sample? Let me know. You won't go back, I guarantee it. Speaking of guarantees, I almost forgot to mention that Shakeology comes with a 30-day "bottom of the bag" guarantee. That means, if you are not satisfied, you can return an EMPTY bag and they will give you your money back. WHO DOES THAT?? A confident company, that's who.
If you're interested, have any other questions, or would like to discuss me becoming your coach for free, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Hit me at JFroFitness@gmail.com or Facebook.com/JFroFitness and HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
I'll keep this review simple. There are four categories that I will talk about:
- Nutrition
- Effect
- Cost
- Taste
I'll go into each one in greater detail, but the long and short is this meal replacement shake WILL help you LOSE WEIGHT and be a POSITIVE contributing factor to your NUTRITIONAL WELLNESS. Now, into the weeds...
1) NUTRITION
The Shakeology folks have labeled it as a "dense dose of daily nutrition." Now, that's nice to say, but what does that really mean? And how is Shakeology supposed to be used? Well, for one, it is NOT a supplement. Nor is it merely a protein shake. I've heard of shake diets where all you do is drink different colored shakes all day long--this is not that. Shakeology is a MEAL REPLACEMENT. It replaces one meal a day. That's it. No mo'. Now, you may want to have it more than once a day because of how good it tastes (will get into that later), but restrain yourself, there, chief. Shakeology consists of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) that your body needs everyday as well as concentrated doses of superfoods. SUPERFOODS? Yes...foods with big time health benefits collected from all over the world. Shakeology is chocked full of them. So, from a nutritional standpoint, Shakeology has everything you need for a nutritionally "clean" meal along with concentrated doses of superfoods that help your digestion, energy level, increase stamina, fight free radicals in your body, stave off disease...the list goes on. And it's all-natural. AND, one serving is only 140 calories. So, in sum...macronutrients + superfoods + low cal = THE HEALTHIEST MEAL YOU WILL HAVE ALL DAY. And I'm not even a math major.
2) EFFECT
Whereas the above paragraph is all information that you can find on the internet/packaging, the following description is purely subjective. I find Shakeology to be an excellent meal replacement because it gives me that which a "regular" meal normally does--energy, satisfaction, feeling of being full--but at a lower price point, easier to make, and healthier. A little something about me: I love to eat and am (seemingly) always hungry. I eat normal portions for my meals, but there's a little gremlin in my belly that is constantly looking forward to the next meal. When I wake up in the morning, I am always ready for breakfast. So I started eating Shakeology for breakfast (using a recipe I'll link to below), slightly wary of whether I would get hungry long before lunchtime, seeing as how a shake wasn't my usual ideal breakfast of an omelet, cottage cheese, piece of toast, etc... However, I noticed that after eating Shakeology--which, mind you, blended out to two tall glasses of shake--I felt comfortably full and was able to go about my day until my mid-morning snack four hours later without feeling like I was ready to devour the next person who walked too far into my cubicle.
It also does a good job of giving me energy (with all those superfoods, I should hope so). I feel pretty great after eating Shakeo...not jittery or anything like that, but just that "ready to take on the day" feeling. Anytime I've eaten it after a workout (once or twice), I have always felt good, as well. Never bloaty or heavy. I'm finding that my workout results are accelerated by the effects and nutritional value of Shakeology in ways that they never were before. Such a bonus.
3) COST
This is where most folks take issue...the cost. The non-coach price of Shakeology is about $120/month. Now, while this might sound like a lot, let's look at it from a few different perspectives. First and foremost, this cost is a substitute to your monthly expenses, not an addition. After all, you're REPLACING a meal every day, right? Even at the non-coach price, it still comes out to $4 a day (and the coach price is just about $3/day!). Most of us go out for a meal a day on average, and end up spending at least four or five dollars and usually more (think of the last three places from which you bought lunch...did you spend less than $4 at ANY ONE of them?). I know that I was hitting a breakfast buffet on the regular and spending anywhere from $6-9. By replacing that meal with Shakeology, I am SAVING MONEY. Let's repeat that, one more time, for the cheap seats: I SAVE MONEY BY REPLACING A MEAL WITH SHAKEOLOGY. Not to mention, the meal I'm getting from Shakeo is about 30 times healthier than what I was eating before. And, finally, it's so easy. You don't even have to think about a Shakeo meal...the recipes are simple and quick. It takes me a grand total of 3 minutes to throw all the ingredients into a blender, blend, and start enjoying my shake. So, at the end of the day, you are SAVING MONEY and having a much healthier meal in less time than it took you before. I don't know...it just makes sense to me.
4) TASTE
This. Stuff. Is. DELICIOUS. Hands down...it's awesome. They use Stevia (all-natural, calorie-free) to sweeten it and have managed to do so without any bitterness...those crazy mad scientists. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have not, to date, tried it by putting it in a shaker and mixing with water. I have always blended according to a recipe. But, the great thing is that every Shakeo order comes with recipes. Great ones. And there are only a zillion more online that you can try. I have been going strong this month with Chocloate Peanut Butter Banana, but definitely will be branching out to try new ones (and new flavors) in the future. There's not too much more to say...this stuff tastes great, period.
And in closing...
Tasty, healthy, cost-effective, vegan options, energy boosting, weight loss promoting...this meal replacement shake seems to have it all (or, at least, as close to "it all" as you can get). I eat Shakeology everyday because I like how it tastes, the nutrition it brings to my daily diet, and the accelerated effect it has on my workouts. My recommendation: TRY IT. Want a sample? Let me know. You won't go back, I guarantee it. Speaking of guarantees, I almost forgot to mention that Shakeology comes with a 30-day "bottom of the bag" guarantee. That means, if you are not satisfied, you can return an EMPTY bag and they will give you your money back. WHO DOES THAT?? A confident company, that's who.
If you're interested, have any other questions, or would like to discuss me becoming your coach for free, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Hit me at JFroFitness@gmail.com or Facebook.com/JFroFitness and HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
Monday, February 3, 2014
Lose 15 lbs in 21 days??? Whaaa??
21-Day Fix is finally here! Autumn Calabrese has designed a program where you can lose...wait for it...15 pounds in 21 days by following her couldn't-be-easier nutrition plan and 30-minute daily workouts. It's kind of unbelievable. Except I've seen the results...it really works.
The way 21 Day Fix works is simple—it's a combination of easy portion control and 30-minute workouts. That's it! What makes it different is that there's no guesswork involved. Everything is laid out for you so you don't have to count calories or points.
What I love about this program is that you can lose weight without ever feeling deprived or cutting
out your favorite foods. There's room for everything in this plan!
And the workouts are easy to follow, so no matter what your fitness level is, you can keep up and
see amazing weight-loss results.
If you get 21 Day Fix through me, I can get you a FREE workout DVD called Plyo Fix that burns a ton of calories in only 30 minutes. Just stop by my website [CLICK HERE] and follow the 21 Day Fix banner. Or contact me directly at jfrofitness@gmail.com and I'll tell you more about it!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Chocolate Shakeology Review
First time trying Shakeology...and WOW. This stuff is seriously tasty. For having the nutritional value it does--check out the stats, it's pretty amazing how many vitamins, nutrients, and superfoods it contains--I didn't expect it to taste very good. But it's hands down delicious. It comes with a handful of awesome recipes...I tried Chocolate Peanut Butter. Here's my review:
If you want to give Shakeology a try, CLICK HERE. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
**Having trouble uploading the video. Until I can resolve the problem, here is the video on YouTube -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzARPP8V620
If you want to give Shakeology a try, CLICK HERE. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
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