Fitness Blender s 4 Week Meal Plan and Nutrition Guide

Fitness Blender's 4 Week Meal Plan and Nutrition Guide

By Kelli and Daniel Segars

Fitness Blender's 4 Week Meal Plan and Nutrition Guide Published by Fitness Blender LLC Fitness Blender P.O. Box 1012 Mount Vernon, WA 98273 USA www.FitnessBlender.com This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced or redistributed in any form, stored in a retrieval system, displayed on the internet or transmitted in any form by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. Copyright © 2014 Fitness Blender Neither the publisher nor the authors are engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions in the book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the authors nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book. The recipes and meal plan in this book are to be followed as written. The publisher and authors are not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. This book and plan has been written for the general, healthy, allergy-free population. This is not intended for women who are pregnant or nursing or children under the age of 18. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse reactions to the information, foods, or recipes contained in this book.

Table of Contents Introduction

…............................................................................ pg 1

Chapter 1: How to Use this Program

…........................................ pg 4

Chapter 2: Choosing a Calorie Allotment

….............................. pg 9

Chapter 3: Getting the Results You Want: Weight Loss, Weight Gain, or Weight Maintenance …............................................................................ pg 14 Chapter 4: Modifying this Plan to Work for You; Food Availability, Food Allergies, and Preferences …................................................................... pg 20 Chapter 5: Working Around Barriers to Success; Time Constraints, Cooking for a Family, and Cost …................................................................... pg 23 Chapter 6: Cheat Meals, Cheat Days, Holidays, and Vacations …... pg 26 Chapter 7: The Psychology of Food: Motivation, Mindset, Body Image, and Emotional Eating …................................................................... pg 30 Chapter 8: The Price of Your Diet; The Cost of Healthy Foods vs Unhealthy Foods …..................................................................................... pg 33 Chapter 9: Proper Hydration for Weight Loss and Health …............ pg 37 Chapter 10: Know your Macronutrient Percentages: Balancing Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat ….................................................................. pg 43 Chapter 11: Eating Clean, and Learning How to Grocery Shop ….. pg 46 Chapter 12: Choosing a Workout Program For Best Results

….. pg 50

Chapter 13: Long-term Plan: What Happens When it is Over? ….. pg 52 Chapter 14: Getting Started on Your Meal Plan

…....................

pg 53

Q&A: Most Common Questions About this Program, Eating Clean, and Weight Loss ….................................................................................... pg 120 Disclaimer ….................................................................................... pg 130

Table of Contents Meal Plan Weeks and Grocery Lists 4 Week Meal Plan Week One Grocery List Day 1 – 7

…........................................................................ …........................................................................

pg 57 pg 58 - 71

Week Two Grocery List Day 8 – 14

…........................................................................ …........................................................................

pg 73 pg 74 - 87

Week Three Grocery List Day 15 – 21

…........................................................................ …........................................................................

pg 89 pg 90 - 103

Week Four Grocery List Day 22 – 28

…........................................................................ …........................................................................

pg 105 pg 106 - 119

Introduction Welcome to Fitness Blender's first ever 4 Week Meal Plan. We have worked closely with multiple experienced Registered Dietitians to meticulously build this Meal Plan that is meant to demonstrate a clean, healthy, well balanced diet. The Fitness Blender Meal Plan has been designed so that you can choose from a wide range of calorie allotments in order to use this program to lose, maintain, or gain weight – depending on whether you choose a plan to create a caloric deficit, balance, or surplus. No matter what your goals are, this plan has been built so that it can easily be customized to meet your needs. We have gone to great lengths to try and make this meal plan fun and healthy, reasonable in terms of food costs, and easy to follow and adhere to. Just one of the features that we think you will be particularly excited about is the grocery list that corresponds with each week's meal plan. We know that you are a working professional, busy parent, overburdened student – or maybe even some combination of all of those roles – which is why we have engineered this plan to be one that is likely to be able to fit into and enhance your life, instead of interfere with it. We have included a wealth of additional information, including entire chapters on everything from proper hydration to the psychology of food, choosing the right workouts to healthy grocery shopping, and treating yourself to the occasional “cheat meal” – did we mention that this program allows and even encourages an intermittent cheat or treat meal? Additionally, we have provided strategies and solutions for making this meal plan work for your whole family. It's unreasonable to expect for you to need two completely different grocery lists, and two different menus for your family, so we have included tips to make this a plan that you can easily work into your family life. We have included what we believe to be a very thorough, question and answer section at the end of this book, where we have addressed every possible question that we can think of you asking in regards to this program, healthy eating, and losing, gaining or maintaining weight. Please check this section if you have questions about this program, keeping in mind that personal health care questions are best saved for your health care provider.

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Our philosophy We believe in balance when it comes to nutrition and working out. You don't have to be perfect all of the time; you just need to learn to do your best, most of the time. This meal plan operates under the principle of teaching you how to eat right – giving you insight on a balanced breakdown of carbohydrate, fat, and protein, as well as what ideal portion sizes look like when you are trying to reach or manage your bodyweight goals. There are a lot of different ideas out there when it comes to defining clean eating, but we think ours is the simplest, and thus one of the most true to the concept of eating clean. We want you to learn how to eat clean for the rest of your life. This plan is going to teach you how to meet your nutritional needs with real food – not with meal replacement shakes, powders, pills, or potions. We aren't going to rip you off of the chance to learn how to properly fuel your body with food, we aren't going to subject you to mystery ingredients, and we certainly aren't going to line our own pockets by suggesting that you go to the supplement supermarket to fill up a shopping cart's worth of things that you don't need. This particular meal plan has been built largely off of the kinds of foods that we regularly include in our own personal diets. We believe in eating clean, minimally processed foods as often as possible, in order to create a diet that is nutrient dense, filling, and fully capable of supporting an active lifestyle. Whether your goal is weight loss, weight gain, or weight maintenance, this program is going to make reaching your goals much easier. We have laid out everything you need to know in a clear, easy to follow format that lists exactly what to eat each day. The only thing that you have to worry about is your own motivation – which we'll also address all throughout this book. Whether you are brand new to the concept of eating clean, or you feel like you are a veteran at making smart food choices, there is a lot to be gained from reading this book and following this meal plan (after gaining express approval from your personal health care physician, of course). Something to keep in mind when it comes to switching from a diet that is largely processed to one that is predominantly fresh, is that it might take your tastebuds a little bit of time to adjust. They may be accustomed to those hyper flavored packaged foods that are pumped full of sodium and manmade additives. It really won't take very long for your taste buds and your body to start craving the healthier, fresh options, so stick with it.

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Talk to your doctor before starting any meal plan It should be noted that while this nutrition plan has been built with registered dietitians, the statements made in this book and the suggested meal plan are based upon personal opinion and are not in any way to be taken as fact or personalized suggestions or prescriptions for your best health over your doctor's advice. This book is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always be sure to discuss any new diet or fitness program with your health care provider prior to starting, to determine its appropriateness for you. It is imperative to consult your personal doctor, who has your health records and health history, about any changes you want to make to your diet or exercise habits. This meal plan has not been personalized to meet the dietary needs of any one individual, and things such as food allergies, intolerances, and reactions have not been taken into account. Be safe, protect yourself, and talk to your doctor before you start. Change your mindset, change your life What you need to realize and fully embrace from the start when following this meal plan, is that you're absolutely not on a diet. This is not a passing fad, or something temporary. This is a healthy habit that you are starting today, and sticking to for the rest of your life. It's only as hard as you make it, and it's a lot more difficult if you don't fully commit to it being a long term lifestyle modification. Change your mindset so that taking care of your body feels less like punishment and more like a privilege, because it is.

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Chapter 1 How to Use this Program Making this program work for you; modifications We want you to get every ounce of benefit possible from this Meal Plan, and all of the information in this book. Read this chapter in order to get a general idea of how to easily utilize this meal plan and make it work for you. Our 4 Week Meal Plan is meant to be a guideline to help you learn how to eat more healthily for the rest of your life. There is a lot to be gained by moving through this program with awareness. Pay attention to the allotments of clean, healthy sources of carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Read through all of these chapters in order to find ways to make this plan work for you, your family, and your personal dietary needs and tastes. Building this meal plan proved to be an immense challenge. Think about sitting down to the dinner table with ten of your friends or family members. How many of them will have to avoid something on the table due to an allergy? How many of them dislike at least one ingredient or dish on the table? How many don't eat meat or animal products for health, religious, or ethical beliefs? Everyone has such different taste and nutrition preferences, needs, and concepts about food that building a menu even just for family and friends quickly becomes an obstacle course. Of course it isn't going to be any less complex to build a nutritious, well balance, tasty, reasonable, month long meal plan for thousands of people that you have never met in person. With the help of multiple licensed professionals, we tackled those challenging variables and put countless hours of research and development into this program to build what we feel is a well rounded, healthy meal plan that will be appropriate for the general population. The reason why we bring these challenges to your attention is because we want you to approach this meal plan knowing that you very likely may have to make modifications to make this meal plan work best for you, personally. We want you to know that not only is this acceptable, it is expected. This is not a personal meal plan, meaning that you are going to have to enlist your own common sense, knowledge, and discipline to make this plan maximally 4

beneficial to your life and your health. We have filled these chapters with “workaround” solutions to every hurdle or variable that we can think of, including (but definitely not limited to) food allergies, taste preferences, making a meal plan work for families, food costs and availability, time saving tips, and ways to make meal preparation quicker. In the designing of the meal plan, and the writing of the book, our priority and intention was to arm you with everything that you need to know to successfully make your way through this program, and also to give you what you need to maintain a healthy eating habit once it is completed. Before you start We recommend throwing out or minimizing your junk food, and starting fresh; our general viewpoint regarding temptation is that you shouldn't play with it; why give yourself the stress and strain of needlessly testing and retesting your willpower, over and over again? Talk about cruel and unusual punishment! If someone in your family has a sweet tooth, or due to someone else's preference, junk food is going to remain a mainstay in your kitchen, do what you can to at least minimize it's presence. The concept we do want you to consider is this; why would you want your family – significant other, kids and loved ones especially – eating unhealthily? As we've said before, this isn't just about weight loss or physical appearance. This is about avoiding illness and disease, feeling good, and having no health barriers between you and a long, happy, healthy life. It's common sense that you would want the same for your kids, spouse, family, and friends. Do your best to get your family onboard by getting them interested in clean eating, and enjoying treats in moderation. Just keep in mind that it is very hard to practice moderation when large amounts of “garbage” food is readily available in the kitchen. Making things easier: convenience, time, cost Time We will admit that eating clean can be harder than eating more processed foods – well worth it, one hundred times over – but less convenient. Because we're working with whole ingredients instead of pre-prepared, microwavable meals, the time for food prep is sometimes significantly increased. A couple of the meals in this plan may take up to 50 minutes (a couple of dinner meals are the only ones with this kind of time commitment) from start to finish, to 5

have dinner on the table. The breakfast items tend to be very quick and easy to prepare, as are the lunches. Though it may initially seem like an inconvenience to have to prepare food, you have to think of it in terms of the nasty ingredients you are eradicating from your diet – we really aren't just talking about the lack of vitamins and nutrients, or the calorie and/or fat content. Have you ever examined the ingredients lists on preprepared, packaged foods and meals? It's ugly. We want you to replace those unhealthy options with real, healthy food. We aren't going to mislead you and suggest that it wont take effort. Everything worthwhile does take take as least some effort; trust us, this is worthwhile. On the days when you really don't have time to prepare dinner, we encourage you to think ahead with your prep, cooking and assembling your meal at a point in your day or week where you do have extra time, or in a pinch you can also use a different cooking method than we suggest in order to speed up the process (for example, microwaving a food item instead of baking it in the oven). Cost A lot of people believe that it is much more expensive to eat healthily. Depending on where you live, there may be some truth to this (read our chapter dedicated to this entire subject), but you have to take in to account all of the costs involved in healthy eating, as well as your own priorities and values. For example, consider the health care costs between a person who makes poor nutrition choices, and a person who takes care of their body by eating well. The person who eats a poor diet will more than likely end up spending thousands of dollars more on health care and health complications, and will also likely end up missing wages due to those increased health problems. That's just the financial side of things, it's not even taking into consideration the factor of differences in quality of life. In the long run, it's better for your health, and your wallet, to put in the effort to maintain a diet of healthy foods. Shopping sales, buying things that are in season, and buying filling, cheap, healthy items like the ones often found in this program (beans, rice, eggs, etc), are just a few of the ways that you can help keep costs lower. Convenience Each week, we provide a grocery list that corresponds with the upcoming week of the meal plan. You can either make one big grocery shopping trip at the 6

beginning of the week, or you can shop as you go, though we definitely find it more efficient to make one big trip. A lot of people find that bulk meal prep, once every 2-3 days, is a great way to fit clean, balanced meals into a busy schedule. Think ahead and try and get rid of any would-be excuses by being ready for those challenges before they present themselves. We recommend that you prepare your lunch in the morning, and take it with you to work, especially if you don't have access to a microwave or oven during your working day. Planning ahead for what you have available to you in various situations is incredibly important. This has worked for us in the past, and is an easy way to take your healthy eating habits with you in an environment that otherwise can be full of temptations and convenience barriers. If you are cooking for a large group of people or family, you can loosen the measurements on each item and prepare the same foods in larger quantity. Try to keep the ratios relatively the same, but increase the overall amount of food. The reality is that if somehow you become less able to track the exact amount of each ingredient that you're consuming, it's not going to completely blow your meal plan. This is especially true of the vegetables. All of the foods in this program are healthy, and as mentioned before; we're trying to teach you how to eat for the rest of your life, not to master measuring every morsel you eat for the foreseeable future. Part of this program is developing your own nutrition knowledge and critical thinking skills regarding food. When it comes to potential challenges that will inevitably pop up in the form of eating out at restaurants and friend's houses, holidays, parties, and gatherings that otherwise revolve around food, you're again going to need to practice your nutrition critical thinking. With this book, we're hoping to give you what you need to successfully do just that. This meal plan allows for intermittent “cheat” or “treat” meals (where you are less restrictive and less monitoring of your consumption). It's a good practice to plan ahead so that you can utilize those cheat meals at those special occasions. You can read more about how to manage cheat meals, holidays and more, in the following chapters. Get started We hope that you are excited to start this meal plan! You will finish this meal plan 7

with knowledge that will help you keep making smart food decisions. We have built this meal plan to try and make sure that you never feel deprived, and you don't ever feel like you're not eating enough. In fact, you might even be surprised at how much food you get to eat, for such a low number of calories (depending on which meal plan you select, of course). We keep you full in part because of the foods we choose, and also because of the ratios of carbohydrate, protein, and fat that we use to build our menus. We don't want you to feel uncomfortable or unbearably hungry while you follow this program, and because of the way we balance the macronutrients, you wont have to. Be excited, and be confident that though changing your eating habits will initially be a challenge, you will be well rewarded in the form of a healthier body and life.

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Chapter 2 Choosing a Calorie Allotment 5 Different calorie plans This program offers five different calorie allotments to choose from: 1400, 1800, 2200, 2600, and 3000 calories. These allotments have been specifically selected because of the wide range of the population that they will be appropriate for. The one you choose will depend not only on your goals, but on your daily activity levels. The lowest allotment we provide is 1400 calories per day. The selection of this as our bottom limit is for two reasons. The first is that we don't think it's easy to get all of the energy, vitamins, and nutrients that you need while consuming less than that. Second, the absolute minimum number of calories that a person should consume in a day is 1200. The body requires a certain number of calories each day just to maintain normal function; healing, breathing, keeping the heart pumping, digestion, etc. The minimum number of calories necessary to maintain bodily function varies by individual and is generally referred to as the basal metabolic rate (BMR). That number doesn't take into account any physical activity at all – and that doesn't refer to just workouts; it literally means that it factors in no movement whatsoever. To keep the body feeling healthy, strong, and energetic, we strongly advise that you not alter this plan to consume any less than the minimum option that we provide. There is no benefit to depriving the body from what it needs to be healthy. Additionally, in the long run, trying to live on fewer calories may actually put the body into starvation mode. Doing so will lower both your overall health and your metabolism, which makes it very hard to lose fat content. The top calorie allotment is 3000. That sounds like a lot, but if you have a very active job and you workout hard, you may be surprised to find that you burn off that many calories in a day. An intake of this many calories can be used for healthy weight gain. Unlike the minimum of 1200 calories, you could hypothetically alter this value point (to be higher) in order to be more appropriate for your needs, to get faster results. For example, if you are burning off that much energy in a day, and you're trying to 9

put on weight and/or muscle content, you could change the portion sizes of each of the ingredients in your meal plan in order to end up with an even higher calorie value. Estimating your basic calorie needs There is a certain amount of thought that needs to go into choosing the calorie allotment that you want to follow for this meal plan. It's really not as simple as wanting to lose weight as fast as possible, and by choosing the lowest calorie allotment we offer. Examining a number of different variables in your lifestyle, habits, and activities can help you choose a calorie level that is going to make both adherence and success easier and more likely. Equations that can help Everything burns calories; walking out to get the mail, sitting at your desk at work, doing a strength training routine – all of these things expend energy. Throughout the day, all of that extra movement adds up, and it gets tacked onto your minimum caloric needs, or your basal metabolic rate (BMR). There are many different BMR calculators online that will do this work for you, but here's the general equation in both standard & metric forms: Standard/Imperial BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) ( 4.7 x age in years ) Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year ) Metric BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years ) Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years ) Use these equations, or the simple calculators available online, to find out more about your minimum calorie requirements necessary to maintain basic bodily function. Once you have that baseline number, you can utilize equations such as the Harris Benedict Formula, below, to find out how your activity levels change your energy needs. 10

The Harris Benedict Formula: Sedentary; Little to no exercise: Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.2 Light exercise (1–3 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.375 Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.55 Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week) Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.725 Very heavy exercise (2/day extra heavy workouts) Daily kilocalories = BMR x 1.9 Each of these are just generic, general equations, and they aren't necessarily going to reflect your exact needs. However, they will give you a starting place that will be helpful in choosing a calorie allotment for this plan. Fitness technology The fitness industry offers a number of gadgets that boast the ability to give you a relatively accurate estimation of the number of calories that you burn doing your normal everyday activities and workouts. Some are definitely more reliable than others. Be a smart consumer by making sure that you choose an option that uses multiple metrics in order to get the most accurate readouts possible. Realize that even these gadgets are still providing what ultimately comes down to an estimate. Listening to your body Along with calculations and gadgets, the signals that your body sends you shouldn't be ignored. If you are following a calorie allotment and find that you are still starving 30 minutes after each meal, you may want to consider jumping up to the next calorie value. The same goes for trying to gain weight; don't override your body's signals in order to keep eating until the point where you are uncomfortable. Learn to listen to your body, and to utilize its messages to help you reach your goals and your optimal health. Utilizing your caloric expenditure estimates How you get the estimations is less important than what you can do with them. Once you have an estimate that reflects your BMR + your expenditure through daily activities and workouts, you can see how many calories you would need to consume to lose, maintain, or gain weight. There's little benefit to creating a deficit of more than 1000 calories a day. We recommend choosing a calorie allotment that creates a deficit or surplus of 11

roughly 500 calories through diet, under or over your daily expenditure, if you are trying to lose or gain weight, and a neutral calorie balance if you are trying to maintain the same bodyweight. If you are trying to lose weight, you can speed up your weight loss by also creating a 500 calorie deficit through your workouts. Creating a deficit of more than 1000 calories a day may lead to an unhealthy rate of weight loss that will make it more likely that you gain it all back, and possibly damage your metabolism. There are 3500 calories in a pound. A deficit of 500 calories a day will lead to one pound of fat loss a week; coupled with a negative 500 calories through exercise, you can create a safe, healthy weight loss rate of 2 pound a week. This is a sustainable and ideal rate of weight loss. If you are trying to gain weight, add on those extra 500 calories in order to gain one pound a week. Variance; taking a flexible approach The calorie allotment that you follow might change from day to day, depending on how active you have been. For example, if you usually follow the 1400 calorie plan, but one day you tackle an intense lineup of Fitness Blender workouts on the same day that you had a workday where you were on your feet all day long, it would actually make sense for you to bump up to the next calorie allotment (in order to avoid a deficit of over 1000 calories in a single day). The process of finding out how many calories you need to consume to lose, gain, or maintain weight requires a bit of trial and error. It's crucial not to panic, but to instead calmly tune into your body; how it's changing, how you feel, the way your clothes fit, your body's tone, your energy levels, and more. Another thing to consider is the role of “averages” in losing, gaining, or even maintaining weight. Reaching your goals is not necessarily about being spot on in terms of a perfect balance, day in and day out. The amount of calories you consume and burn will vary each day; try not to overanalyze, but instead realize that it's the larger picture that matters most – the biggest differences and the numbers that will create changes are dependent on what happens to your averages over the course of weeks and months. Remember, as much as you might feel like you want quick results, it's more important that you set yourself up to live a balanced, healthy life, and ironically, it's also more likely that you are able to reach and maintain a healthy bodyweight 12

under those circumstances. The concept that is important to grasp is that your calorie needs are a fluid, fluctuating variable, on a day by day basis. Use a combination of equations, gadgets, your body's signals, and common sense in order to find the calorie balances that will work for you.

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Chapter 3 Getting the Results You Want: Weight Loss, Weight Gain, or Weight Maintenance Getting the results you want In this chapter we aim to give you the information you need to customize this meal plan to work specifically for you and your goals. Seeing the results that you want will take commitment in both nutrition and workout habits. Combining the two is the fastest, healthiest way to reach goals when it comes to bodyweight, body composition, and wellbeing; you've got nutrition covered with this meal plan, make sure that you check out our free workout videos for the other half of the equation (an entire chapter of this book is dedicated to helping you choose the right workout plan). This meal plan has 5 different calorie allotments, each one providing you with a custom meal plan to meet that intake amount. Each has also been carefully considered and balanced for carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake (though each will have natural variances). There are 3500 calories in a pound. That means if you eat 3500 calories in excess of your daily expenditure over any given period of time, you will gain a pound. Create a deficit of 3500 calories over any given period of time, and you will lose a pound. Whatever your goals are – weight loss, gain, or maintenance, use the information from the previous chapter and the equations below to get an estimate of your average, baseline, “maintenance calories” - the number of calories you burn on an average day, i.e. the number of calories that you can consume a day without gaining or losing weight. Keep in mind that there are plenty of free calculators online that will do this math for you. Once you have a rough idea of how many calories you expend each day, you will be able to better utilize the information below. To find your basal metabolic rate (BMR): Standard/Imperial BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) ( 4.7 x age in years ) Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year ) 14

Metric BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years ) Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years ) After you have your BMR, use the Harris Benedict Formula, below, in order to get an idea of what your maintenance calories are. The Harris Benedict Formula: Sedentary; Little to no exercise: Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.2 Light exercise (1–3 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.375 Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week): Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.55 Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week) Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.725 Very heavy exercise (2/day extra heavy workouts) Daily kilocalories = BMR x 1.9 Once you have your maintenance calories, find your goal below in order to find out exactly how you can use this meal plan to get there. How to use this program to lose weight The ideal rate of weight loss is anywhere from 1-2 lbs per week – it's not unusual for a person to drop more weight than that in their first couple of weeks of clean eating and exercise, but beyond that time period, slow and steady loss is better than rapid loss. Losing weight at a slower rate makes it more likely that you keep the weight off for good, usually because the methods you have used for weight loss are sustainable. We know that a weight loss of 1-2 lbs per week probably sounds painfully slow, but you really don't want to drop weight any faster than that, unless you are okay with the idea of someday soon having to start over from square one because you have gained the weight back. Be patient with yourself and focus on the things that you can do on a day by day basis, instead of thinking about the often overwhelming bigger picture. The most ideal scenario to create a loss of two pounds per week is to create a deficit of 1,000 calories per day – 500 through diet, and 500 through exercise. To be more clear, that's an expenditure via exercise of an additional 500 calories (over your maintenance calories from the equation above), and a deficit of 500 15

calories (lower than your maintenance calories obtained the equation above) from your diet. As you might be able to guess, a deficit of 1,000 calories a day can feel a little intense. It doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room; it takes a good volume of exercise, and there might be times when you're still feeling hungry after you've finished a meal. For that reason, we recommend considering more moderate plans, as well. For example, a much easier, more reasonable plan to follow would be to create a 500 calorie daily deficit; 250 through exercise, 250 through diet. That would lead to a weight loss of 1 pound a week. It doesn't sound like a lot but it adds up very quickly. You could also choose the middle road of roughly 750 calories less a day; approximately 375 through diet; 375 through your workouts. That 750 calorie daily deficit adds up to 5,250 calories each week, or 1.5 pounds lost weekly. Here's a breakdown of those figures: 1,000 Calorie/day deficit = A loss of 2 pounds per week Burned through exercise: 500/day Fewer calories consumed: 500/day 750 Calorie/day deficit = A loss of 1.5 pounds per week Burned through exercise: 375/day Fewer calories consumed: 375/day 500 Calorie/day deficit = A loss of 1 pound per week Burned through exercise: 250/day Fewer calories consumed: 250/day 300 Calorie/day deficit = A loss of .6 pounds per week Burned through exercise: 150/day Fewer calories consumed: 150/day Choose one of the above scenarios that work for you and your goals. Next, subtract the number of “fewer calories consumed” from your maintenance calories – that number will give you an idea of which calorie allotment of this plan might work best for you. For example: Let's say I have used the equations above to find that my maintenance calorie intake to stay at the same weight is 2500 calories a day. If I would like to lose 1 pound each week, I would subtract 250 from my maintenance 16

calories (250 fewer calories consumed, 250 burned through exercise), meaning that I would most likely choose and follow the 2200 calorie plan in this book. That would put me at roughly -300 calories each day just from food, and I would be able to make up the rest of the deficit from my workouts. If my maintenance calories were 2,000 cals/day, and I wanted to lose 1.5 pounds each week, I would subtract 375 from 2000, and end up needing approximately 1625 calories per day to reach my goals – which leads us to the scenario below. Because the allotments are in increments of 400 (1400, 1800, 2200, 2600, & 3000), you may need to round up or down when choosing your calorie intake plan if your goals and consumption needs leave you in between our preset allotments. You can round up or down to make things easier, or you can alter each ingredient of the meal plan slightly to meet your exact needs. An easier solution is to alternate using different calorie allotments in order to create the average that you want. For example, if I wanted an intake average of 1600 calories each day, I could alternate back and forth between following the 1400 and 1800 calorie diets. This would lead to an average of roughly 1600 calories per day over the course of a week. Either way, it's important to not get caught up in every little bit of consumption each day; it's going to vary from day to day depending on your hunger levels, activity levels, environment, special occasions, food availability, etc. Do your best but realize that it's not about being perfect every day, but about ending up with a weekly deficit that leads you to the goals you're trying to reach – that takes doing well most of the time, not being perfect all of the time. Examine, test, and try the different plans above – there's no reason why you need to stick to just one calorie allotment in this plan. For example, if you are cutting 1,000 calories from your daily total to reach your goal of losing 2 pounds a week, but one day you are feeling overly, uncomfortably hungry, bump your calorie intake up to the next calorie allotment – even if just for one meal or one day. On the other hand, if you are very sedentary one day and are feeling overly stuffed by the food amounts in the calorie plan you have been following, you're free to drop down to a lower calorie intake for the day. Summary: Calculate a rough estimate of your daily expenditure. Choose the rate of weight loss that you want, and that you can adhere to. Subtract the food deficit calories from your maintenance calories to find the calorie allotment plan that will help you reach your goals. How to use this program to gain weight The calorie allotments in this program can not only be used for weight loss, they 17

can also be used to healthily increase bodyweight – it all comes down to which calorie plan you choose. Use the formulas above in order to find out what your maintenance calories are. Next, you will need to choose a goal rate of weight gain from the list below. Find out how many extra calories you need to consume in a day to meet that goal, and add that to your maintenance calorie estimate in order to find out which allotment in this plan might work best for you. 1,000 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of 2 pounds per week 750 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of 1.5 pounds per week 500 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of 1 pound per week 300 Calorie/day surplus = A gain of .6 pounds per week Even if you're trying to gain weight, working out is still essential to overall health and fitness. Keep in mind that if you are exercising heavily, you will be burning calories. If you do frequent, intense workouts, make sure that you factor the burn from that extra expenditure into your calorie balance. For example, if I find that my maintenance calories are 2300 a day (to stay at the same weight), and I would like to gain 1 pound a week, I am going to need to add 500 calories onto my daily calorie consumption. This would mean I need to eat roughly 2800 calories a day in order to gain at my desired rate. Because there is no 2800 calorie plan in this book, I could either alternate between eating from the 2600 and 3000 calorie plans (for an average of roughly 2800/day over the course of the week), or, I could alter the ingredients in each meal plan to meet my exact needs. Summary: Find your baseline, maintenance calorie balance. Choose a rate of gain, and add the associated daily surplus of calories onto your maintenance calories; select the corresponding meal plan. How to use this program to maintain weight Meal plans are not just for people who are looking to lose or gain weight. Actually, this meal plan is about a lot more than what you weigh, or how your body is shaped. The goal is to help you build healthy eating habits, which is why it makes perfect sense for someone who is trying to stay at the same bodyweight, while learning how to properly fuel their body for good health.

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Use the equations above to find out what your daily maintenance calories are. Selecting your meal plan is easy; you will want to choose a calorie allotment that is the same as your daily expenditure. If you find that you are becoming more or less active for extended periods of time, you will want to reassess your maintenance calorie level, and adjust accordingly. Summary: Find your baseline, maintenance calorie balance. Choose a calorie allotment that is the same or similar to your average estimated expenditure. Equations, accuracy & modifications Equations like the ones above can be very helpful for getting a rough estimate of things like BMR, and daily expenditure. However, it should be noted that they are generic equations that are not factoring in many of the personal variables of your body. For this reason, if you find yourself not losing or gaining as quickly as you expected over the course of 14-21 days, you may want to reassess your estimated daily expenditure. It does take a little bit of trial and error to find what works best for your body, as there is no fool proof way of estimating your body's expenditure on a minute by minute basis throughout the day. Use a combination of bodyweight, body measurements, hunger signals, energy levels, and more, to gauge whether you might need to increase or decrease your daily intake.

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Chapter 4 Modifying this Plan to Work for You Food Availability, Food Allergies, Preferences Fitness Blender is fortunate enough to have a very diverse, worldwide audience. The only downside to having such a unique group of individuals is that it makes it very difficult to create a meal plan that will serve all of them, considering the different food allergies, availabilities according to location, and taste preferences. This chapter is dedicated to identifying and offering solutions to details of the meal plan that may need modification for some individuals due to food availability, allergies, likes and dislikes, and more. If you need more specific guidance, we recommend taking this plan to your doctor to talk about what modifications you can make in order to tailor the plan to your needs, while keeping the plan balanced. Food allergies and intolerances Food allergies and intolerances are not rare, and it’s not unlikely that many of you will have to alter some of the ingredients in order to get the most benefit possible from this plan. This plan has been developed for the general, allergyfree population, meaning that you will have to take an active role in finding appropriate substitutes for the foods that you need to eliminate. Below we have listed alternatives to some of the most common possible intolerances; these are not exact stand-ins but are similar in nutritional content to the item being avoided. Common allergies/intolerances and possible alternatives Nuts – Sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame seeds or butter, hummus, Peanuts – If your reaction is limited to strictly peanuts, and you are careful to avoid possible trace exposure; walnuts, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews may work, though you will have to apply common sense and make a smart decision based on your own personal variables, health conditions, and doctor recommendations. Dairy/Milk – There are many different non-dairy alternatives, including but not limited to products that use coconut, rice, almond, hemp, or soy. The one caveat we’ll remind you of is to check your ingredient labels. Make sure that your alternative has minimal ingredients, and that you aren’t replacing your allergen with something just as harmful to your health. Gluten – The “whole wheat toast” or pastas the plan calls for can easily be substituted with your favorite gluten free bread of a similar calorie value. In place 20

of the oatmeal in this plan, you can use quinoa, lentils, polenta or grits, beans, etc (depending on the recipe). Make sure that you select a gluten free granola, or make your own. You can also make your own alternatives to these foods at home, using any of the numerous gluten free flours available. Egg – Eggs are frequently used as a protein source in this plan. Some of the suitable alternatives in this plan might be chia seeds, flax seeds, tofu, chicken or pork, tuna fish, etc. (depending on the recipe); another source of lean protein. If you have an allergy to eggs, you may want to check out our vegan version of this meal plan. Fish or shellfish – Eggs, tofu, chicken, walnuts, chia and flax seeds may be suitable options. Less common allergies, not listed: Research the macronutrient content (carbs, proteins, and fats) of the food, and find a food of a similar makeup and calorie content as a substitute. There are many different free apps and online programs that can do this work for you. *If you’re working around an allergy, talk to your doctor before starting this program. Make sure that any product you use as a substitute is not processed on machinery or in a factory that might also process your food allergen, and be careful of food sources that are often susceptible for cross contamination (i.e. bulk food bins). Food Availability Location We live in the United States, as do the registered dietitians and nutritionists who were consulted in building this 4 Week Meal Plan. Though many of the foods will be available outside of the US, there will likely be things that are harder to attain, depending on where in the world you live. That’s not to say that this meal plan isn’t something that can still benefit a person outside of the US; many things can be modified and switched out for similar, more easily accessed items. For example, if you know the rough macronutrient (carbs, proteins, and fats) ratio of a food, you can find a food of a similar makeup and calorie content as a substitute. There are many different free apps and online programs that can do this work for you. Admittedly, this will take some active effort on the individual’s part, but it can work well, especially in the instances where most foods are available, and there is just the occasional food that isn’t readily available or affordable. As a bonus, having 21

to find the occasional appropriate replacement food will force you to take an active role in learning how to make smart food choices for meals and snacks, which is a large part of the point of this plan. Seasonal foods Depending on where you live, some of the items in this plan may not be available year round. In the case that you can’t get a hold of a fresh ingredient, preferably frozen, but also canned, will do. If after broadening your search you still can’t find an ingredient, you will want to replace it with an ingredient that has similar macronutrient breakdown. Food preferences If you don’t like a food that appears frequently in the plan, you can do your best to find a food with a similar carbohydrate, fat, and protein breakdown, and eat that instead. For example, if you don’t like unsweetened almond milk, you can substitute the kind of milk (dairy or otherwise) that you do like. Keep in mind that when you switch to different ingredients that are not listed in the plan, you will need to check to be sure that you aren’t unintentionally altering the calorie content. There are only 30 calories in a cup of unsweetened almond milk, so if you wanted to switch to a full fat dairy version, you would have to use a smaller portion in order to match calorie content (and realize that the CPF will vary depending on your food selections). There’s room in this plan for making slight modifications to make the switch from a food that you dislike or are indifferent towards, to a food that you really like. As long as it’s similar in CPF ratios, it is approximately the same in calorie content, and it meets the “clean” criteria described in the chapters of this book, you can alter small details here and there.

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Chapter 5 Working with Barriers to Success: Cooking for a Family, Time Constraints, Cost It would be misleading to say that it's always easy to fit healthy eating and exercise into a busy lifestyle. The truth is that it takes effort, planning, and determination. It takes investment in time and self, and the willingness to sometimes bite the bullet and take the less convenient route in order to reap a bigger reward. In this case, the reward is a healthier, better looking body and a longer life. Everyone has excuses, and most of us have legitimate barriers that make it much more difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan. In this chapter, we try to offer solutions to situations that might make following this plan, and healthy eating in general, more complicated. I have a family I have to cook for Teaching your family to eat for health It can be difficult to hold up a specific individual meal plan or diet when you have an entire family to consider. Many people with spouses and kids cite their families as one of the reasons why they can't stick to a healthy, clean diet. “It's too hard to have two grocery lists, to make two different menus for each meal.” “The kids wont touch the vegetables.” “I fix myself my healthy meals but then I have to make my children food and I end up eating the food they eat.” “My spouse likes junk food and I end up eating a lot of it too.” The problem with that entire line of rationalization is that your family should not be eating unhealthy food choices either. Remember, this is not a diet, and it's not just about weight loss or how your body looks. This is about avoiding preventable illnesses and diseases, and living longer, happier, healthier lives. Anyone would want that for their family. Be an example to your loved ones, teach your kids how to nourish themselves, and take care of your family's health by trying to help them see how delicious “real”, healthy food can taste, and how much better it makes you feel. We know that you may not be able to convince everyone to get on board, but do your best and never give up on challenging them to make better food choices. Your family may eat more than you, or potentially eat extra items that aren't listed on your meal plan for the day (i.e. maybe they choose a different selection of fruit than is listed for you in your meal plan, or go back for seconds on a piece or two 23

of chocolate), but there's no reason that they should regularly be eating processed, refined foods instead of the many healthy foods found in this meal plan. If those are the kinds of foods that fill the cupboards of your kitchen, we strongly encourage you to consider the health of your entire family, and start to make small changes towards surrounding yourself and your family with more nutritious options. Adjusting the serving size of this meal plan & tracking your intake Another potential challenge is that the menus and meals in this particular plan are specifically designed to serve one individual. However, in many cases (especially the dinner menus, the meal when many families are most likely to be eating together) there's absolutely no reason why you can't increase the serving size to make enough to feed a table full of people. When it comes to tracking your own calorie intake despite having altered the serving size of the foods in order to feed a family, we recommend not obsessing, but instead to aim to serve yourself roughly the recommended serving size of each ingredient or item, in roughly the same ratios. Regard the amount of food that the plan called for in a single serving, and dish up your plate to reflect the approximate amount of consumption, for each item. Remember, this plan is not intended to help you micromanage and scrutinize every single calorie that you eat for the rest of your life – part of the idea of this plan is that you start to learn what a healthy, well balanced meal looks like visually, so that you can apply that information to maintain weight and benefit from your healthy eating in your every day life. I don't have time to cook Everyone is busy. The reality of the situation is that you have to figure out your priorities and make time. The majority of the meals in this plan are quick to throw together, however, there are a handful of (typically dinner time) meals that may take up to 50 minutes to prepare. One of the ways that you can work around a busy schedule is planning ahead with your meal prep. If you have a few days coming up when you know your extra time for cooking is going to be limited, and you see that a dinner plan is more intensive than you might have time for, take the time and put in the effort to prepare it beforehand, and pack it together so that it will be ready for you when you need it. All of these meals pack and keep well for up to a few days. There are also shortcuts you can take for cooking most of these meals. For example, some of the things that take 50 minutes to prepare in the oven might 24

take 5-10 minutes in the microwave. Derail any would-be excuses for skipping meals and opting for less healthy convenience foods by thinking ahead and preparing your meals ahead of time if necessary. I don't have time to eat this many times a day – eating on the go This meal plan has you eating three meals, and three snacks a day. All of that time spent eating adds up. Depending on your work, school, family, and social life, it might be hard to squeeze in all of those eating times. Here's the thing; we're not talking about something optional or superfluous like watching a television show, getting a haircut or having your nails done – you need to fuel your body properly. Our suggestion is to make time, utilizing the tips about meal prep and prep shortcuts if necessary. All of the meals are easy to prepare ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator, and all of the snacks are very convenient things that you barely have to sit down to eat. It might look overwhelming when you consider the entire day's layout, but in all reality none of those snacks take more than 5-10 minutes to eat. Ideally, you will sit down and consciously eat all of your meals and your snacks. Obviously, this is not always an option. If you have to, it is better to eat on the go – at your computer, at your work desk, on a 5 minute break in the break room, as you're running around the house getting ready to leave for the day – than it is to skip meals and not eat snacks in between. Do your best to fit it all in. As a reward for making nutrition a priority, you're going to be kicking your metabolism into high gear, and you're going to have an easier time staying at a healthy bodyweight.

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Chapter 6 Cheat Meals, Cheat Days, Holidays, & Special Occasions For some people “cheat” or “treat” meals are an effective way to temporarily depart from their normal diets in order to indulge in something that they wouldn't normally eat, without gaining weight or otherwise thwarting progress toward their health, fitness, and bodyweight goals. Done properly, it's a short window of time to forget about counting calories, or worrying about what you should and shouldn't eat, even if just for one meal. These calorie or ingredient splurges are not necessarily for everyone, but we tend to agree with the concept being a nonessential but potentially helpful way to manage cravings, and lose or maintain weight without feeling deprived. We enjoy intermittent cheat meals or cheat days, and we feel like the temporary break from our normally very clean diets makes us feel recharged and more enthusiastic about our regular eating habits. It makes us feel grateful for the way we normally eat. The occasional “anything goes” time period makes it so that there are no forbidden foods, which in our opinion robs those foods of their power over you. Often times, just labeling a food “off limits” is enough to make it desirable. How often are you allowed to cheat while following this meal plan? We recommend that you limit your cheat meals to once every ten days if you are using this plan to try and lose weight, and once every seven days if you are trying to maintain or gain weight. Engaging in any kind of cheat meal during this plan is completely optional, but if you time them right it can be a very easy way to attend special events, evenings out, and the like, without having to worry about sticking to this meal plan or your daily calorie allotment. Use your cheats however you like; you can go out to dinner, you can have drinks, you can save the cheats for holiday or family parties, you can cook yourself a feast at home. Whatever you choose to do, you need to prepare yourself mentally to jump right back into healthy eating and this meal plan. Being able to snap back to your normal eating habits is probably one of the most important aspects of including cheats in your diet. How big can my cheats be? 26

Taking into consideration our guideline above, it should be noted that the size of your cheats can alter the frequency in which you can get away with cheats. For example, you may find that a serving of dark chocolate once a day is enough to make you feel satisfied, like you have indulged. You can easily get away with a small (technically healthy), daily cheat like that. But if your cheats include a day full of eating until you're uncomfortable (not necessarily a good practice), you're going to need to indulge less often – once every ten days at the very most. More moderate, one-meal cheats of a few hundred calories over your daily allotment are less of a threat, and you could easily get away with one instance of that a week, without making a significant impact on your weekly deficit. Cheats don't have to be unhealthy As you get more comfortable with and more rehearsed at the occasional indulgence and then immediately returning to your normal eating habits, you should find that you become less afraid of food and any power it might have over you. In fact, unhealthy food might become less appealing to you, as you're likely going to start to take note of how much better you feel when you're sticking to your normal diet. There is a big difference between cheating in terms of calories, and cheating in terms of unhealthy ingredients. Over time, start to make transitions in the kinds of foods that you indulge on. Try to start treating yourself to something that feels indulgent that is still real food, and not necessarily unhealthy. There are a lot of relatively clean cheat options that are very satisfying, that won't make you feel physically lousy afterwards. It might take some time but work on making the transition from fast food/packaged food cheats, to cheats of real food. For example, garlic chicken fajitas and sauteed vegetables, with a side of beans with cheese melted on top, generous gobs of guacamole, sour cream, and fresh ingredient salsa, with baked corn chips and a beer on the side – sounds good, right? While you're probably going overboard in calories, none of the ingredients are horrendous. You're likely going to have felt like you have just indulged, but you haven't necessarily taken in any high fructose corn syrup, trans fat, or crazy mystery ingredients, especially if you're cooking at home. There are lots of relatively clean cheats like this, and it's still okay to occasionally treat yourself to whatever your guilty pleasure is, just try to do it infrequently and try to slowly move towards having cleaner and cleaner cheats, at least in terms of ingredients. 27

Finding balance The important thing to realize is that moderation is key. Your diet doesn't have to be perfect indefinitely, you just need to try and do your best the majority of the time. What to do after a cheat A cheat should not be a precursor to self punishment. A cheat is supposed to be stress free, so if it causes you more grief than joy, skip it entirely. Additionally, you should never use exercise as punishment for overeating. Drink a lot of water, do your normal workouts, go straight back to this meal plan, and you're going to feel back to normal the next day. Can I drink alcohol while following this meal plan? We consider alcohol a cheat, so you can work it into the plan using the guidelines above, if you like. If you like to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner a few nights a week, you can always choose a meal plan allotment for that day that is lower by the same number of calories you intend to consume via alcohol that day. Remember to practice moderation, as there are health repercussions to doing anything in excess. Summary Cheating, when done properly can be a fun and easy way to indulge every now and again without impacting your weight. It can also be a method to minimize cravings, and to reduce the power any food might otherwise have over you by being “forbidden”, and thus more appealing. When you make a food off limits completely, you give it more emphasis and power than it deserves. Once you rob food of its ability to make you fearful of weight gain or overindulgence, you lower your chance of overindulging on it. Finding balance is key. Give yourself time to find what works for you. We have included the option of occasional cheat meals in this plan in order to help you avoid feeling deprived, and to give you some flexibility when it comes to attending special events and occasions. We do recommend that you not have substantial cheats any more than once every ten days, particularly if you are trying to use this meal plan to lose weight. 28

In the end, real, healthy food can be just as delicious as any food you might look forward to as a cheat, and it makes you feel that much better physically.

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Chapter 7 The Psychology of Food: Motivation, Mindset, Body Image, & Emotional Eating Change your source of motivation for better results Each person's relationship with their body is complex, as is the way that each individual views food and exercise. To not recognize and give credit to this concept is to rob yourself of the potential to understand and avoid the possible challenges you might face in reaching and maintaining a healthy bodyweight. We realize that this is a sometimes complicated, emotionally charged topic. But no matter what aspect of food that you're struggling with, the best advice and approach that we can stand behind is the notion that food should be used to nourish your body, your mind, and your soul. Food is not your “enemy” and it's definitely not anything to be afraid of, though it understandably may take some time for the anxiety that surrounds eating to dissipate. Take the fear out of food and you have robbed it of its power over you. Instead of letting it make you fearsome, view food as the essential fuel that allows you to do the things that you love in life. You have to learn to enjoy food and appreciate what it does for your body, in order to find a healthy balance with both. Even if you think that your only pressing goal or interest is in just losing weight fast, ironically your best bet is still to switch the focus from weight loss, to achieving good health. If you make health your number one priority, weight loss will naturally follow. It takes a leap of faith but having weight loss as your sole purpose makes for a weak motivator when it comes down to making smart nutrition and exercise decisions, day in and day out. Body image Our media is obsessed with superficial beauty. Advertisers create these flawless, Photoshopped, unrealistic images to market their products and as a result, a lot of us think we're failing if we aren't meeting those standards of what someone else has deemed beautiful. The matter of the ethical decision to Photoshop, or to only feature one body type out of the broad range that is actually found in real life – the many shapes and sizes that healthy actually comes in – that's a whole different discussion (seriously, don't get me started). The result, however, is saddening at best. It creates a society where everyone is trying to look like someone else. It teaches people to dislike their bodies enough that they are willing to undergo dangerous starvation diets, or risky plastic surgeries. It 30

encourages people to measure their self worth by scale weight or pants size. It also creates a society where healthy just isn't enough. The reality is that healthy comes in all different shapes and sizes. The only thing that matters is health, and you often can't make that judgement call – nor does anyone have the right to – from the outside. Respect yourself enough to not compare yourself to others, and to embrace yourself and all your imperfections, as you make your way towards healthier eating habits. Overeating & overriding bad eating habits We often hear from our audience that the part of weight loss that they struggle with the most is food. They say that they enjoy working out, but “blow it” with their diets. Food means so many different things to every individual. We use it to soothe ourselves when we are upset, celebrate when we're excited, entertain when we are bored. Here are some quick tips to help avoid falling into motivation ruts or binge eating situations. Listen to your body – Is it your brain or your belly that wants seconds? Is your stomach full? Would eating more be overriding the messages that your body is sending you? Would ignoring those signals make you physically uncomfortable? Check your self talk – Listen to the things that you tell yourself. Are there negative reiterations that you might end up living up to? Be careful about how you view yourself, and the things you tell yourself; if you reaffirm continually that you are weak when it comes to diet and exercise, your brain and body will believe it and it will influence your actual behavior. Busy yourself – If you're eating out of pure boredom, do something, anything, to try and thwart the mindless munching. Call a friend, watch a movie, go for a jog, paint, play the guitar, do some stress relieving yoga, go for a hike; don't turn to food for entertainment. Keep a food journal – Not only does a food journal make it much more likely that you successfully lose and keep weight off, it can also be very helpful in understanding your own relationship with food, pinpointing triggering events and emotions that lead to poor nutrition choices. Understanding your relationship with food can help you derail bad habits. Immediately brush off slip ups – Beating yourself up about some kind of dietary indiscretion is only going to lead to guilt, which is going to increase the chances 31

of the scenario repeating itself. Remind yourself that you eat healthily; if you slip up, it's just a quick diversion from your normal path. It's not a big deal. Shake it right off and go back to your healthy habits. Don't use diet or exercise as a form of punishment – Both food and exercise have the power to change your life in positive ways. Try not to use exercise as a punishment for overeating, and don't use deprivation of good nutrition as compensation for any kind of indulgence. Eat slowly and with awareness – Step away from your computer, phone, or television and pay attention to each bite. This will help the body and the brain better register the fact that you have eaten, lowering the chance of continuing to eat, even though you're not hungry anymore. Manage your stress better – Try meditation, yoga, or any other kind of workout. Turn on your favorite music and give yourself even just 5 minutes of you-time. Try writing down the things that are causing you distress; look at the list and figure out which ones you can change, and how you can change them, distance yourself from the ones that are out of your control.

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Chapter 8 The Price of Your Diet The Cost of Healthy Foods vs Unhealthy Foods When talking with people about eating healthy foods, one of the most common rebuttals is that eating well is just too expensive, especially with a large family. Though this widely held belief is completely unfounded we can easily see why people believe that its true. All you have to do is walk down the “health food” aisle and look at the price per item and you could easily rack up a $200 grocery bill for just one person for just one week. When looking at healthy eating from that perspective, we completely agree that eating food that is good for you would be too expensive unless you make a very hefty salary. But there is one flaw with this argument, and that is the assumption that “health food” is actually healthy. When is health food not healthy? When looking for better food choices for yourself and your family one of the last places you want to look is in the health food section. This may seem absolutely ridiculous but this is what we mean when we say to avoid health food; the main reason you want to avoid foods that claim to be healthy on their label is the fact that they have a label. Real “good for you” food does not have a label 9 times out of 10. When have you ever seen, “Zero Cholesterol, Low Sodium, Low Fat, High Fiber, or Heart Healthy”, written across an apple, orange, or a bundle of fresh spinach? But you see it all the time on commercially prepared foods that try to portray themselves as good for you when in fact they are anything but. Take for example, a “healthy” low fat meal in a box that you microwave to replace having to cook for yourself. If you look at the ingredients, it may in fact be low fat in comparison to other frozen dinners however the list of ingredients does not read like a recipe but instead is a list of chemicals that provide extra flavor to make up for the fat content that was removed, and colorings added to make it still look fresh even though its unaltered color is closer to a gray brown. Also texture additives to try and replicate the creamy/fatty mouth feel of the fat they removed to make it “healthy”, and of course don't forget the preservatives to keep the food from spoiling for the next 5 years. Though the FDA has approved all of these hardly pronounceable chemicals for human consumption, they still don't know what the long term effects are in the human body, especially in combination with other chemicals or even medications. We are not necessarily trying to say that eating foods that use chemical food 33

additives or ingredients is going to harm your health, but we are trying to get across that they will never be as good for you or have as few side effects as real, unaltered, fresh food. The real cost of food Lets get back to the main point of this chapter, the cost of eating healthy. After cutting out “health foods” from a grocery list many people will argue that it is still cheaper to eat commercially prepared food or especially fast food as compared to buying fresh ingredients and cooking them yourself. After all, how can you ever make a meal from fresh ingredients that has the same number of calories as a fast food meal deal? Lets look at the actual cost per calorie in each starting with the fast food option specifically using a McDonalds extra value meal. When this book was written the cost (where we live) of a quarter pounder with cheese extra value meal (includes hamburger, medium fries and a medium soda) was $6.39. In the same meal there are 1100 total calories. Completely ignoring the fact that this is too many calories to eat for one meal unless you have a total daily allotment of over 3000 calories, this meal breaks down to $0.006 per calorie. Cooking at home can range widely depending on ingredients, but for this example, lets go for the cheapest meal that we eat in our house on a regular basis which is slow cooked red beans and rice with a fried egg or two on top – a nutritious and very filling meal (it also tastes great). The cost of the ingredients can vary depending on where you purchase them and in what quantities you purchase them as well. Typically a 20 pound bag of rice is much less per pound than a one or two pound bag, but I will be incredibly fair and use the average cost per item and not the lowest that can be found. There are four ingredients to this meal that are necessary so those are the only items I will be including. 1. Red Beans (dry): Average cost $1.25 per pound (though can be found cheaper) 2. Brown Rice (dry): Average cost $1.00 per pound (though can be found cheaper) 3. Egg: Average cost $2.00 per dozen (though can be found much cheaper) 4. Salt: Average cost $1.00 per pound Red Beans: One pound of red beans makes around 6 cups cooked, so $1.25 divided by 6 gives you a $0.20 per cup cost of cooked beans.

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Brown Rice: One pound of rice makes around 7 cups cooked, so $1.00 divided by 7 gives you a $0.14 per cup cost of cooked brown rice. Egg: The price of one egg is $2.00 divided by 12 which gives you a $0.17 per egg cost if you round up. Salt: One pound of salt has roughly 26.5 tablespoons so, $1.00 divided by 26.5 gives you a $0.04 per Tbsp cost of salt. Salt has no calories so the cost is translated to the amount of salt needed for the recipe, then divided by the total number of calories. A typical slow cooked beans recipe takes roughly 1 tablespoon per 6 cups final product, which adds $0.007 to the cost of a cup of cooked beans. A typical meal would consist of one egg at 72 calories, one cup of beans at 225 calories, and one cup of brown rice at 200 calories. This gives us 496 total calories for this meal. The cost for this meal would be $0.207 for a cup of beans (including cost of salt), $0.14 for a cup of rice, and $0.17 per egg, giving you a total meal cost of $0.517 To get the cost per calorie divide $0.517 by 496 (total calories) and you get a cost of $0.001 per calorie for a home cooked meal of red beans, rice, and eggs. Well if you just jumped back up to take a look at the cost of the fast food meal you already know that you are paying six times as much eating the cheap fast food option than you are cooking a nutritious meal at home in which you can control flavor, ingredients and taste. You may be saying to yourself, “well yeah but who eats beans and rice?” Most of the world's population eats beans and rice and so should you if you don't already. Not only do red beans and rice together give you a complete protein, but they also provide a very nutritious source of calories, with 19.4 grams of protein, 14.4 grams of dietary fiber, 5% of your daily calcium, 4% of your vitamin C, and 34% of your Iron and that is not including the egg. You can even easily add sauteed onions and mushrooms and make this already tasty dish an even more tasty meal and still come in under the cost per calorie of the extra value meal. What about the extra costs? The above example outlines how cheaply you can eat when going for healthy foods but we all know that some health food options like avocado, red or yellow sweet peppers, or organic options, can get very expensive very quickly. The cost per calorie can easily increase above the fast food price. But what are you really 35

saving in cost when you look at the total impact of eating fast food or restaurant food every single day? Let's ignore the negative repercussions of eating so much processed food (like tooth decay, and increased chance of certain types of cancer due to various food additives and ingredients) and lets just focus on the excess calories of a typical meal at a sit down or fast food restaurant. Extra calories means extra fat and extra fat means more health issues. As the human body adds more fat content a slew of issues start to crop up that are completely preventable. Now that over a third of the American population is obese, health care costs have begun to rise to deal with the higher prevalence of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer among this population. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) an obese person pays on average $1,429 more per year in medical costs than the average American. That sounds like a lot of room for extra spending towards healthy ingredients over the course of a year, all which would lower your chances of various diseases even more than the average person, let alone an overweight or obese one. Monetary cost is not the only extra cost involved with being overweight – consider the biggest cost; that of length of life. Extreme obesity; those who are more than 80 pounds overweight, live anywhere from 3 to 12 years shorter than the average person, according to an article done by USA Today back in 2009. When choosing which foods to feed yourself and your friends and family, be sure that you take into account every aspect of the cost of your food choices.

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Chapter 9 Proper Hydration for Weight Loss and Health Why water/fluid intake is important Proper fluid intake is arguably one of the most important aspects of health and fitness. Though physical activity and proper diet may be the first things that come to mind when thinking about how to take care of your body, proper hydration and choosing the best fluids to consume can have a huge effect on health, weight, and physical ability – all with relatively little effort. If you were to stop consuming all sources of calories your body could continue to function for weeks or even months depending on various factors such as current body fat content, physical activity, genetics, etc. Compare that to not taking in any type of fluid and you find that your body can only continue to function for around 3 days before it shuts down. The human body is typically 60% water but can be higher or lower than this depending on the amount of muscle tissue an individual has. Since muscle tissue is around 79% water, the more muscle tissue you have and the less fat content, the higher the overall percentage of your body will be water. Conversely, the more fat content you have and the less muscle, the lower that percentage will be. Still not convinced that water is important? Consider the fact that water is necessary for the brain to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters. Water is essential to the muscle tissue and liver in storing carbohydrates for physical activity. It is the main component of blood that allows it to flow all over the body. It lubricates joints, regulates the body temperature through blood movement and sweat, and is an integral part of digestion. One of the most important factors of water in direct relation to health and fitness is that being dehydrated can drastically reduce both your physical ability and your brain function. With all these different interactions that water has in the body there is still one that most people don't know about but should, especially those trying to lose or maintain bodyweight. This is the fact that being dehydrated causes your body to become hungry. When dehydrated, your brain will try to trick you into eating, for two main reasons. The first is that consuming salt will help your body retain water, so your body will start to crave salty foods, in a typical American diet this tends to be foods like chips, crackers, and other snack foods. The second reason your body will tell you that you are hungry is to try to get fluid from various food sources as many foods tend to have a very high water content, like fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, apples, etc. However many times, if you don't 37

already eat a very diverse fruit and vegetable based diet, your body will not know to crave these high water items so it will go for whatever it can get, often with dire calorie consequences. Hopefully everyone is now on the same page as to the important role water plays in the human body, so lets move on to how much we need to stay at our optimal hydration levels. How much should you drink? We wish we had an exact amount to tell you to make it easy, like eight, 8 oz glasses of water each day (which you have probably heard before but in reality it's not necessarily the right amount for everyone). The fact is that each person will have a different amount of water that will be right for them. The trick to finding your own individual ideal amount of water each day is recognizing the factors that go into how much you need to drink and knowing that this is a constantly changing number – even on a day by day basis. When calculating how much you should be drinking think of these factors. – In a typical day, do you do a lot of talking? The more you talk the more water you will need to stay hydrated. – Are you physically active? The more activity you do in a day the more water you will need to consume. That goes for everything from housework to jobs that require manual labor. – Is it hot where you are? The warmer the surrounding temperature is, the more water you are likely to need due to evaporation from breathing, physical activity, etc. – Is it humid or dry where you are? If you have a sedentary job that requires a lot of talking then you will need more water, on the other hand if you are in a humid location and you are exercising or doing some other type of physical activity then you will need more water due to an increase in sweat production to regulate your body temperature. – What medications are you taking? Do you have any health conditions? Talk to your doctor if your hydration levels might be different due to personal health scenarios. These are just a few example situations, but as you can see, there are a lot of environmental variables and situational issues that arise that can change your hydration needs. Many of them can easily be a day by day factor such as changing weather patterns, and activity demands. Because of all of the variables, there is no one easy way to calculate what your ideal intake needs might be. 38

Though coming up with an exact amount to drink each day may not be feasible, there is one generally accurate way to guide yourself to drink more or less to stay in your own optimal level of hydration. I am sure everyone who reads this book will already be aware of one of the easiest ways to determine hydration levels of their own body though they may not actively think about it in that way...yet. What I am talking about is the color of your urine. This is a relatively accurate and simple way to keep tabs on your own hydration level as the color of your urine can change drastically in relation to the amount of extra water available in your body. For example, when you are low on fluid your body tries to conserve what it can by concentrating your urine as much as possible to use only the minimum amount of water it can to flush out waste products. This water management by your body results in a urine color spectrum that can go from a dark reddish-brown when severely dehydrated to perfectly clear when overly hydrated. Keep in mind that the color will be altered when diluted with water, for example when you use a toilet that holds a reservoir of water in the bowl, your urine will become lighter in color. When checking this way (as I am sure 99% of us will), be sure to adjust your scale to the lighter end to stay properly hydrated. Ideally you want to be at the lighter end of the range, keeping only a very slight yellow tint. Also keep in mind that various medications, antibiotics, and vitamins can have an affect on urine color. Some can be minor, just barely making the urine more yellow while others can cause a neon green or blue pigment so just be aware of your own levels and talk to your doctor for more information. What to Drink There are many different sources of fluid and each has its own pros and cons though some options only have cons. For example you actually get a lot of the water intake you need from the foods you eat rather than things you drink. Many foods have fluid in them that your body can extract during digestion to later utilize for other purposes. The typical things you might think of are fruits like oranges, grapes, apples, melons, etc. - fruits that are typically thought of as “juicy” but there's also a lot of fluid content in other foods that you might not typically consider. Pretty much any fruit or vegetable will have a high amount of water content that will help contribute to keeping you well hydrated. Other things like pasta, rice, and beans also have a higher fluid content due to the way they are cooked. But unless you are incredibly sedentary, fluid intake from food alone is 39

rarely ever enough, meaning that more concentrated fluids (i.e. water, juice, tea) are still essential. Water is the most obvious choice for rehydration but fruit juices, tea, coffee, milk, sports drinks, etc. are all other forms of fluid that can help to rehydrate the body. But which is best to drink? You probably already know the answer you just might not be following it; the hands-down best fluid to drink is water. Let's be very clear; for the purposes of weight loss the only thing you should be drinking is water. There are some options that can be used sparingly like black coffee, or tea. The caveat on those two items when you're trying to drop weight is that you need to use no milk, sugars or syrups, artificial sweeteners or zero calorie sweeteners – otherwise you can easily start to turn a seemingly harmless treat into an easy 200-400 calories that you haven't even really realized that you've consumed. Fresh homemade fruit and vegetable juices are a great source of vitamins and minerals that can be used for fluid intake from time to time but be sure to account for the calories that they contain. It is our opinion that sodas and energy drinks of any kind (regular and especially zero calorie) should be avoided as much as is possible. We realize that sometimes everyone can get cravings for certain foods and that depriving yourself and placing a 100% off limits ban, can make these cravings even worse. So, if you need or want to indulge in a soda from time to time that is fine. Just be sure to limit it as much as you can as the negative effects from the ingredients far outweigh the enjoyment they may bring. As for fruit juices that are commercially prepared, we feel almost the same way about these as we do sodas. They are not as bad for you as a soda in some cases but they still aren't nutritionally worth the calories consumed, as much of the nutrient content is lost during the manufacturing process. If you can find a version of your favorite fruit juice that is actually 100% juice not from concentrate and without any added ingredients then feel free to use this sparingly, being sure to take into account the calories that it adds to your diet. Again, especially if you are trying to lose fat weight you need to keep your unnecessary calories as low as possible and drinking only water as your main source of hydration is the best way to do that. Though you can find other zero calorie drink options, there are always negatives related to ingredients that make that bragging right possible, that water will never have. The Negative Calorie Effect of Water In this last section on hydration I want to cover a trick that you can use to help 40

burn a few extra calories without doing any extra work at all. Unless you are trying to gain weight, burning a few extra calories with this trick can help add a little edge to your weight loss goals or make it just a bit easier to maintain a healthy bodyweight. The trick is as simple as drinking cold water. Just put some ice in your water when you drink and your body will burn a few extra calories. Now admittedly any cold food or drink will do this but you will only create a negative calorie effect if the food or drink you consume starts out at zero calories; which makes water the perfect candidate. This is how it works; when you drink or eat anything that is lower than body temperature, your body has to use energy (calories) to heat the liquid up to body temperature at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees celsius). The number of calories needed to do this is very small but when done again and again. over days, weeks, months, and years, those “few” extra calories really start to add up. Here's the math behind how water burns calories – feel free to read through it but if you just want the end result then feel free to skip the next two paragraphs. For the remaining 1% of you still reading this part, let the math begin. It takes the human body 1 calorie to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree celsius. Now the calorie that I am talking about is the one used by nutritional bio-chemists, which is not the same thing as a Calorie (upper case C) that you would see on a nutrition label. This is a bit confusing but a Calorie (upper case C) is equal to 1000 calories (lower case c). This distinction is not made by anyone other than bio-chemists so after you look at this equation you can pretty much assume every time you see the word Calorie (upper or lower case) it will be in reference to the calorie you see on a nutrition label. With that said, here's the equation. Ice water is around 0°C so it would take 37 calories to bring one gram of water up to body temperature (37°C). There are 29.573529687517.... grams of water per fluid ounce. We will round down to 29.5 for our calculations. 37 calories per gram x 29.5 grams per fl oz = 1091.5 calories to raise 1 fl oz from 0°C to 37°C body temperature. As mentioned above, the “Calorie” that you are used to is worth 1000 “calories” so lets convert to the version we're all more familiar with.

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1091.5 / 1000 = 1.0915 Calories That means that it takes just over 1 Calorie to raise one fl oz of ice cold water up to body temperature so it can be used. Again, we will round down for easy math but keep in mind that the small amounts we have been rounding down also add up over time. For a more real life situation, lets say you drink just 1 Liter of ice cold water today. How many Calories would that burn? There are 32 fl oz in a Liter so that would be 1 Calorie/fl oz x 32 fl oz = 32 Calories. So every Liter of ice cold water you drink uses 32 Calories to bring it up to body temperature. Not bad for doing something you need to do any way. But what about the big numbers? 32 Calories is not that much compared to the 3500 Calories in a pound of fat tissue, or is it? What if you drank an average of 1 Liter of ice cold water every day for a week … a month … or a year? How much does that 32 Calories add up to then? 7 days a week x 32 Calories per day = 224 Calories burned per week 29.6 average days per month x 32 Calories per day = 947.2 Calories per month 365 days per year x 32 Calories per day = 11680 Calories per year Over the course of a year, the simple habit of drinking a liter of ice cold water daily can burn 11,680 Calories – that adds up to the equivalent of 3.3 pounds of fat. I don't know about you but I think that's pretty impressive for just drinking some cold water. That could be 3.3 pound in a year that you don't gain, or 3.3 pounds extra each year that you drop, and all without doing any extra work. Never underestimated the power of water to help improve your health and keep your body running at peak efficiency. Not only should you be exercising regularly and making healthy food choices, you should also make sure that you're keeping hydration a priority.

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Chapter 10 Know Your Macronutrient Percentages: Balancing Carbohydrate, Protein, & Fat CPF Ratios and the quality of your calories When it comes to weight loss, there is some truth to the expression “eat less, move more”, but you can give yourself a significant advantage and make the entire process a lot easier by pairing that concept with a basic understanding of the overall quality of your calories, and your macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat). For example, think of how you might feel after eating a whopping 600 calories worth of chips straight from the bag. If you're at all like us, you may very well still be very hungry after a “snack” like that. I call it a snack because not only is it only a source of relatively empty carbohydrate calories, it's also not something that you have to sit down and focus on to eat – it's not a calorie source that your mind or body is likely to register as a filling meal. Now consider the way you might feel if you ate the same 600 calories in the form of a real meal. The same amount of calories will afford you a much more filling plate full of 6 ounces of grilled chicken, ¾ cup of wild rice, a cup of yams, and a cup of broccoli. That's a lot of food for just 600 calories! This second option is very obviously going to be much more nutrient dense and it's also more balanced in terms of having representation from all three of the macronutrients. Here's the thing – not only is this a healthier option from a technical aspect, you will also have to take the time to mindfully sit down and eat this plate of food. This is an aspect of a healthy diet that a lot of people underestimate; eating is an important element of living and dieting and unless you allow your mind to register that you've eaten food, you're likely going to end up back in the refrigerator in under an hour, because even though your belly is full, your mind is asking “hey, where's my dinner?” You may find yourself in the same situation if you eat your meals in front of your computer, while playing on your phone, or while watching television. Aside from trying to make your calorie sources as nutrient dense as possible, as often as possible, understanding what each is responsible for, and making sure that you have a good balance of each, can go a long way in making sure that your body is a highly functioning machine. Roles of the three macronutrients 43

Each of the macronutrients plays an important role in how the body functions – everything from brain activity, to muscle repair, hormone levels, and satisfying hunger. Carbohydrates are responsible for initially satisfying hunger, and are the primary fuel source for both your brain and your muscle tissue – they are the predominant and most efficient source of energy during physical activity. That's why we consider severely low carb diets a particularly scary and unrealistic plan. However, it should be noted that your body also uses and stores carbohydrate very quickly, causing hunger signals to return just as quickly, when consumed alone (think snack foods, chips, crackers, bread, etc.). Protein can be used as an energy source, but is much less efficient than carbohydrate; when used as an energy source it can put unnecessary stress on the body, especially the kidneys. Protein is the building block of muscle tissue, and it is responsible for maintaining and repairing damaged muscle tissue and ligaments caused by everything from heavy physical activity to everyday living. Fat is the most dense form of energy but is also the slowest to digest and be converted into usable energy. The slow digestion is what makes this macronutrient beneficial for controlling your perception of hunger. It is necessary for many different things, everything from transporting fat soluble vitamins, to production of new cells in the body. Unfortunately, we see many diet plans and programs in the industry that villainize one macronutrient in favor of another. The most ideal situation is one where you recognize the important role of each of those macros in a balanced diet. CPF in this Program In our meal plan, we suggest a breakdown of roughly 60-20-20 (CPF, Carbohydrate-Protein-Fat). This ratio provides enough carbohydrate for performing high energy workout programs but it also provides ample fat and protein to keep your healing rate high and your hunger levels relatively low, which is a great advantage if you're trying to drop or maintain weight. The exact ratio of CPF varies in this program, which is completely natural. Each food brings a different ratio to a meal combination, and creating a meal that is tasty, and makes sense together lends itself to some of that natural variance from meal to meal. We have meticulously poured over every single meal and snack in this plan to ensure that they represent a macronutrient ratio that can help you reach and 44

maintain both a healthy bodyweight, and a healthier life. Different people may find that another macronutrient ratio works better for their needs – for example, a professional athlete or marathon runner might find that they need an even higher percentage of carbohydrates to perform at their best – but we believe that this breakdown is the most ideal for a healthy, active lifestyle.

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Chapter 11 Clean Eating and Learning How to Grocery Shop We have used the term "clean food" a lot throughout this book and in our articles and vlogs online, so this section is going to be devoted to thoroughly explaining what we mean by "clean" and how it can improve your health. The first idea we need to get across is that "health food" and "healthy food" are not always the same thing. As we have mentioned in other chapters, the foods that are plastered with labels like non-fat, low-fat, high-protein, low-sodium, healthy, energy boosting, low-carb, etc. are not always actually healthy foods. These are companies cashing in on terms that the media, fitness industry, general population, and even doctors throw around to promote products, even though not all of the terms are closely regulated or defined. The diet and health industry often takes research done on a particular food or nutrient and exaggerates it so badly that you get people pushing diets that completely cut out foods, food groups, or even macronutrients like carbohydrates, or fat. This has opened up new markets in the food industry for items like zero carbohydrate or low carbohydrate meal replacement bars because people have been convinced that carbohydrates are somehow solely responsible for the extra weight that has been slowly creeping on over the last 5 or 50 years. Other times you get people touting the benefits of one specific diet because it helped them lose weight, no matter how bad it might have been for their health. The years of misinformation and conflicting information about what is good for you and what is bad, has gotten so confusing that most people have no idea what to believe and many are almost literally terrified to eat anything at all, thinking that it could make them heavier or unhealthy overnight. If you are one of those people, take a deep breath and forget everything you think you know about diet and nutrition and prepare to learn the only criterion that you need to eat healthier, feel healthier, and live longer; eat clean food. What is "clean food"? When taking about food, "clean" is a relative term. When asking yourself, "Is this food clean or not clean?" there is no such thing as a yes or no answer. Instead, foods fall somewhere on a scale of 100% clean and 0% clean. To help you understand we are going to use a few examples. Lets start with an easy one that falls on the higher end of the "clean scale”; an apple. All apples 46

across varieties are very similar nutritionally, so apples varieties would get a 100% clean (or at least a 95% depending on whether or not they are organic which we will talk about later) but not just because of their nutritional composition. Clean is not just about the nutrient level, but also about how modified the food is when consumed. A food is a "real food", when it is an edible, nourishing item that occurs in nature, and is eaten in the least possible modified or processed form. If it was dug from the ground, plucked from a tree, bush, or vine and is now in your hand in the same condition is was harvested in, then it classifies as a clean food. Fruits, veggies, grains, beans and nuts, are all easily in this category as long as they are fresh and unprocessed or at least fresh frozen but even these super clean foods can also slide to the not so clean side of things the more they are processed. An example on the much lower end of the “clean scale” would be that of a commercially prepared can of vegetable soup. Once the soup is in your bowl you may be able to see chunks of onions, carrots, celery, may be even beans, mushrooms, and potatoes, all of which on their own would classify as clean foods. However, these have now been processed into this soup by someone (or something) other than you. This is the turning point at which food starts to veer away from being clean, though it all depends on the other ingredients that also find their way into that can of vegetable soup. Reading the ingredient label becomes important; never take the word of what is written on the front of the can, box or bag over what is written in the ingredients list. Going back to the "can of vegetable soup" example, you can easily find that other than the obvious vegetables you recognize you may find multiple ingredients that you will never find growing in a field. These extra ingredients may be flavor enhancers like MSG (monosodium glutamate), preservatives like benzoic acid, or artificial colors like Yellow No. 5 or Red No. 40. All of these ingredients have been passed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as being safe for human consumption and so they show up in different commercially prepared foods. The commercially prepared foods are where you need to be most careful choosing what you allow yourself to buy and eat. Though some studies suggest these food additives are safe in certain doses, they all have side effects and are not dissimilar to medications in that though they serve a purpose when needed, you want to avoid them when you can. In some cases, the more you consume, the more apparent the side effects tend to become.

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By limiting commercially prepared foods you can not only better control the ingredients you allow yourself to eat but you can also improve the overall nutritional content of the food you eat by cooking it only once, when you need it, rather than reheating something that has already been cooked. Especially in the case of canned vegetables, you lose a lot of the heat sensitive, and water soluble vitamins and minerals every time they are cooked. The nutritional difference between fresh (raw or steamed), and that of canned, can be drastic. The last example we will use is that of food, and I use this term lightly, that is the furthest thing from clean as you can get. This last group encompasses any food or drink that has little to no "real" ingredients. Meal replacement bars, powdered shakes, sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and many other foods like lunch meat, processed cheese, margarine, cookies, candies, chips and crackers all fall into this category. They have far more unpronounceable ingredients than they do ingredients that are (or were at one time) real food items like corn, wheat, rice, fruit, milk, etc. These "manmade" foods should be avoided as much as possible, and though we don't believe that any food should be off limits completely, these food items should show up in your diet as infrequently as is possible. Even in the realm of cheat meals, these items are detrimental enough on your health and sense of taste that they should be eaten incredibly sparingly, even during those cheat or treat meals. Organic or regular? One thing we did not cover above is whether or not organic is a must when eating clean. In our opinion, organic fresh food options are definitely a plus but in most scenarios not a must-have. The choice between organic produce and regular is one that you need to make by yourself, weighing all of the pros and cons of each in regards to your own standings. Unfortunately, cost can be an issue that makes organic out of reach for many people. Organic is ideal, but if cost is a concern, you should still note that the difference in health between regular and organic produce is minimal in comparison to the difference between regular produce and commercially prepared foods. Making the jump to fresh food from commercially prepared foods is the most important change. If cost is an barrier, here are the foods termed the “dirty dozen”, though it should be noted that these foods are relatively regularly cycled out & replaced with different items: apples, nectarines, peaches, bell peppers, potatoes, celery, spinach, strawberries, lettuce, cherries, grapes, and pears. 48

Shopping for packaged/prepared items that are used in this meal plan In this program, we use not a lot, but some bread, dairy, and corn products. The reason why we limit these things within the plan is that there tends to be more nutritious options available, if you go for something fresh instead. The reason why we include them in the plan, is largely for matters of convenience in terms of easily accessed and prepared foods. Not everyone has the time, resources, desire, or skill to bake their own bread everyday, or milk their own cows every morning. You can choose relatively clean versions of these foods by seeking out ones that have minimal additives, and that have been minimally processed. You absolutely have to check the ingredients lists. Look for and avoid things like high fructose corn syrup, artificial sugars, carrageenan, partially hydrogenated anything, food coloring, etc. There are options that are much cleaner than others. Try to choose options that have as few non-food ingredients as possible. Supplements and health This can be a bit of a tricky subject for many people but for us it is very clear. Supplements have their place but it is not in your cupboard. Unless you have been instructed by a doctor, dietitian or another health care provider to take a supplement, then they should have no part of your nutrition. If you are eating a broad variety of clean foods then you shouldn't have to take a vitamin or mineral supplement. As for "fitness" supplements like metabolism boosters, protein shakes and bars, "health" shakes, creatine, amino acids, anabolic steroids, and more – these are all useless (at best). Even the ones that have legitimate scientific data to back them up (like caffeine or creatine) are not necessary for increasing muscle, dropping weight, improving health or improving fitness. Do it naturally and you will never have a problem, use supplementation and you are much more likely to encounter negative side effects.

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Chapter 12 Choosing a Workout Program For Best Results People like to debate about what portion of being lean or healthy has to do with diet or exercise. Some say diet is more important – even as extreme as a 90/10 breakdown, others say 80/20, others still believe it's 50/50. Personally, we think it's a moot point. Both are absolutely necessary for a strong, healthy, good-looking body; there's no reason to diminish the immensely important role of exercise in order to highlight the value of nutrition. With that said, we strongly recommend that you exercise while you make your way through this meal plan – no matter what your goals are. On FitnessBlender.com, we offer over 300 free full-length workout videos for every fitness level, from beginner to elite. To keep things interesting for our viewers, and because we like designing new workouts, we put out new videos every week. We offer a wide range of training types and are boisterous advocates in encouraging diverse training styles – just like a well-rounded diet, a smartly balanced workout program is essential. We don’t believe in stagnancy, and we don’t think working out should be boring. Plus, we see true fitness as multifaceted; it’s not just strength, cardio endurance, or flexibility, or anything in between, but a combination of those things that makes for a fit body. Our programs weave together many different training types to form what we believe is the ideal workout plan; HIIT cardio, strength training, Pilates, plyometrics, yoga, stretching, balance, speed, agility and coordination training. People who follow our Fat Loss Programs see drastic changes in their body composition and tone, gain endurance, strength, and flexibility, and lose anywhere from 8-24 lbs. The only equipment that you really need for the programs is a set of dumbbells. We have programs for many different fitness levels and even accommodate people with busy schedules. Here’s a brief rundown of the programs that we currently have available; keep in mind that we are constantly improving and adding to this list, so be sure to check out our website for our latest. 50

8 Week Fat Loss Program Rounds #1 – #4: At the time this book was released, we have four different versions of this popular plan that includes eight weeks worth of challenging, body changing workouts. All of these are standalone programs; they can be done in any order, the biggest difference is that each round uses entirely unique workout videos. Rounds 2, 3, and 4 all include alternative beginner workouts in the first two weeks of the program, if you feel like you’re not quite ready for the tough high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. Otherwise, right from the beginning the workouts are very intense, but easily modified to be appropriate for a wide range of fitness levels. The workouts are roughly 50 minutes on average, though rounds 3 & 4 include a couple of our 1000 calorie workouts, which take 80 minutes. If you are serious about seeing results quickly and safely, these are a great option. 4 Week Fat Loss Program for Busy People: Similar to our 8 Week Fat Loss Programs, but built specifically for people who have very busy schedules. The workouts in this program are intense, and over in under 30 minutes or less. Low Impact 4 Week Fat Loss Program for Beginners: An excellent starting point for people who are new to exercising, or for people who have a need for low impact workouts. Even though it’s low impact, it still brings a challenge, and combines low impact cardio with Pilates, beginner friendly strength training and toning and more. All of the programs above are available on our website, www.FitnessBlender.com. Building your own program If you want to put together your own workout program using our free workout videos, you can do so without spending a single penny. As a guideline, we recommend HIIT cardio no more than three times a week, and upper and lower body strength training routines twice a week (each) – or total body strength training, three times a week. We recommend choosing a warm up before each session, and a stretching workout after each workout. Our website search tools allow you to search all of the workouts by length, difficulty level, calorie burn, training type, muscle groups used, and more. If you need more guidance, check out the programs above. Combine this meal plan with our workout videos or programs and you will see and feel changes in your body quickly.

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Chapter 13 The Long Term Plan: What Happens After the 4 Week Plan is Over? Your goal with this meal plan should be to move through it consciously, and to listen to the feedback that your body gives you while you are eating healthily. What should I do when the four weeks is over? Our intention with this meal plan is not to encourage you to count and measure every morsel that you consume. Instead, we want you to get an idea of what a filling, satisfying, whole foods diet looks like. We want you to realize how much better your body can feel when you fuel it properly. Once the four weeks is over, you can definitely restart this plan, using it to establish and strengthen your healthy eating habits. You can also use this plan as a go-to reference when and if you feel like you need help getting back on track (i.e. after a vacation where you made poor nutrition choices, or if you start to find yourself switching back to old habits). If you still have weight to lose (or gain) after the 4 weeks of this meal plan, you may want to repeat this meal plan at least once to help you get further along in your goals, to keep yourself motivated, and to give yourself extra structure and guidance. Summary This book is a jumpstart to what we feel is a healthy eating habit. Apply what you pick up from this book in your nutrition decisions from here on out in order to maintain healthy, well balanced, clean eating habits, indefinitely.

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Chapter 14 Getting Started on Your Meal Plan There's a lot of information in this meal plan, and we understand that it might be overwhelming at first glance. Here we breakdown how to prepare to start the meal plan, as well as what to expect as you make your way through the four weeks of this meal plan. Getting started We recommend that you start preparing to start the meal plan right away by tailoring the Week 1 grocery list to meet your needs. Examine the grocery list to determine which of the items you need, and which ones you already have in your kitchen. The grocery lists are very extensive but this is mainly because we didn't want to make assumptions and leave things out (even though the vast majority of people will already have many of those items). For example, most people will already have salt, pepper, oatmeal, and other items that have a long shelf life. The day before you plan on starting this meal plan, go to the grocery store to pick up the foods from the list. Make sure not to go to the grocery store hungry, as that will make it a lot harder to stick to your healthy list! Look over the meals for the upcoming week. Think about the meals in regards to your schedule; do you see any instances where your schedule might make it difficult to make time to do the prep for any of the meals? When you see time conflicts, plan to do the prep for that meal the day before, or that morning before you leave for work or school. Planning ahead is key for success in following a meal plan, especially if you have a busy life. If you have a family who you also cook for, get them involved. Get them excited about trying new recipes, and maybe even doing some cooking together in the kitchen. If you need more tips on how to manage following a meal plan when you have a family to take care of, check out Chapter 5 to find out how to make alterations to the meal plan and your own intake when cooking for an entire family. Talk to your doctor. You will always want to talk to your doctor before you start a meal plan; though clean eating like we demonstrate in this meal plan has many positive results, this book is not intended to diagnose or treat, and your personal physician is the only one who can tell you whether or not this is appropriate for your health needs.

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Read through the chapters of this book. We have included a lot of vital information to making clean eating an easy, enjoyable lifestyle change. It doesn't have to be as hard as you think it does. Whether your struggle has to do with willpower, taste preferences, diet boredom, lack of time, or an issue of overeating, there are many reasonable solutions offered in this book. We have also included a lot of practical information, including how to modify the plan for food preferences, food allergies, food availability issues, and even how to manage or justify the cost of healthy food. Read through all of the chapters to make sure that you are able to modify this plan to meet your needs, and get the most possible benefit from this meal plan. Take before pictures and measurements (optional) If a change in bodyweight or body composition is a goal you're working towards, we recommend taking the time to document your starting place before you jump into this meal plan. Scale weight is an obvious option, but you should also strongly consider taking pictures (front, back, and side), as well as taking your measurements, and possibly even body fat, if you have access to the resources. What to expect If this meal plan is vastly different from your usual diet, you might have a timeframe of about a week where your body is adjusting to the new foods. Your belly might need a little time to get used to all of the whole foods fiber, and your tastebuds might take a while to reset themselves if you are used to consuming a lot of hyper-flavored processed foods. You may find that these meals are surprisingly filling, and it may even be difficult to eat the quantities of food called for in the plan. If you come into this problem, feel free to reduce your intake, just realize that this will change your calorie balance, and thus your results. If you do end up having to reduce (or increase) your intake, do it with all items in that meal or snack, in order to maintain the macronutrient levels we have planned out. As your body adjusts to whole foods, you will have an easier time eating the foods as laid out in the plan. On the other hand, if you are consistently feeling very hungry after your meals, you may need to increase your calorie intake, or move up in calorie allotment plans. Do keep in mind that during a weight loss plan, some mild hunger signals will not be unusual, as your body may increase those messages in attempt to get a neutral or positive calorie balance (the body will attempt to reserve those fat and energy stores for survival, even if it doesn't need it).

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The first week may feel difficult. It can be a challenge to learn how to manage the time it takes to do meal prep, and if you have no cooking experience, there may be a little bit of a learning curve. If you are used to a diet of processed foods, your body may crave those same foods. It wont take long for your body and your tastebuds to realize that it likes and even craves real, healthy food. Make sure that you don't get discouraged by the adjustments that you may have to make in those first couple of weeks. Outside of a short adjustment period due to diet change, you are likely going to start to feel more energetic, you may start to sleep better, your clothes might become loser and your body may start to look more toned (if you're following the plan for weight loss), your skin may clear, body aches may lessen, and your mood may improve – just to name a few of the many positive effects that often come with eating clean. Do remember to talk to your doctor before you start, just to be safe.

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Week One

56

Grocery List Acorn squash

Cilantro

Peaches

Almond butter

Cinnamon

Peanut butter

Almond milk (unsweetened)

Corn

Penne pasta (whole wheat)

Almonds (raw unsalted is best) Cottage cheese (fat-free)

Pistachios

Apple

Dark chocolate

Popcorn (Air-popped)

Asparagus

Eggs

Pork chop (lean)

Avocado

English muffin (whole wheat)

Portobello mushroom cap

Banana

Feta cheese

Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Beets

Garlic

Quinoa

Beans (black, pinto, white, or red; dry is best, for slow cooking, but canned will do)

Granola (clean ingredient, low Raisins fat, approx 280 cal/cup) Rice (brown or wild) Grapes Rice cakes (unsalted is best)

Bell peppers (any color or combo) Black pepper Blueberries

Green onion

Salmon (filet)

Honey

Salt

Hummus

Shredded wheat

Kiwi

Spaghetti squash

Bread (multi-grain, or whole wheat, or sprouted, etc, approx Lemon or lemon juice 100 cal/slice) Mixed berries Broccoli Mixed greens

Spinach Strawberries Tomatoes

Brussel sprouts

Mushrooms

Carrots

Vanilla

Oatmeal

Cauliflower

Olive oil

Vinaigrette (or a dressing with roughly 72 calories/tbsp)

Celery

Olives

Walnuts

Chia or flax seeds

Onions

Wasa crackers

Chick peas

Orange

Yam

Chicken

Parsley

Yogurt (Greek, plain, approx 170 cal/cup)

Possible spice options, according to your own taste preferences: cumin, Italian, chilli power, basil, ginger, oregano, rosemary, paprika, red pepper flakes, etc. Spices are an easy way to add flavor without adding any extra calories. As long as they are all natural and contain no extra sodium or calorie content, use them generously all throughout this meal plan, at your own discretion.

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1.1 Eggs (scrambled) Bell peppers (any color, diced) Olive oil Avocado (fresh, diced) Toast (approximately 100 calories/slice) Fruit or fruit salad

1 Egg .5 Cup .25 tsp 2 Tbsp 1 Slice .5 Cup

1 Egg .5 Cup .25 tsp 2 Tbsp 1 Slice .5 Cup

2 Eggs 1 Cup .33 tsp .25 Med 1 Slice 1 Cup

3 Eggs 1.5 Cups .66 tsp .33 Med 2 Slices 1.5 Cups

3 Eggs 1.5 Cups .66 tsp .33 Med 2 Slices 1.5 Cups

262 262 450 705 705 Use olive oil to saute vegetables, once cooked, add eggs and scramble. Top with avocado. Fruit salad can be any combination of fruits you like; apples, berries, kiwi, grapes, bananas, and oranges are all great choices.

Rice cakes Almond butter Banana

1 Cake .75 Tbsp .5 Med

1 Cake .75 Tbsp 1 Med

1 Cake .75 Tbsp 1 Med

1 Cake .75 Tbsp 1 Med

2 Cakes 1 Tbsp 1 Med

171 230 230 230 273 Spread almond butter on rice cake and top with sliced bananas. If possible, try to get unsalted rice cakes.

Spinach (fresh) Beans (black, red, or pinto, slow cooked) Beets (boiled) Mushrooms (fresh) Pumpkin seeds Vinaigrette

3 Cups .33 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup .25 oz 1.5 Tbsp

3 Cups .66 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup .75 oz 1.5 Tbsp

4 Cups .66 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 1 oz 2 Tbsp

4 Cups .66 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 1 oz 2 Tbsp

4 Cups 1 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup 1.25 oz 2 Tbsp

288 446 530 530 625 Assemble salad & lightly dress with olive oil-based vinaigrette. Sunflower seeds can be substituted for pumpkin seeds. If you prefer a different salad dressing throughout this program, you may use substitutes; the dressing in this Meal Plan allows for roughly 72 calories per Tbsp.

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1.2 Cottage cheese (fat-free) Peaches

.5 Cup .75 Cup

.5 Cup 1 Cup

.66 Cup 1 Cup

140

159

189

5 oz .5 Cup .5 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 Cup 1 Cup .5 Tbsp

6 oz .5 Cup .5 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1.33 Cups 1 Cup .66 Tbsp

.66 Cup .75 Cup 1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups

202

234

7 oz .66 Cup 1.5 Tbsp 3 Tbsp 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .75 Tbsp

8 oz 1 Cup 1.75Tbsp 3 Tbsp 2 Cups 2 Cups 1.5 Tbsp

Top cottage cheese with peaches.

Salmon (filet) Onions (sliced) Parsley Lemon (zest and juice) Wild rice (cooked) Broccoli Olive oil

6 oz .5 Cup 1.5 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .75 Tbsp

466 591 636 721 920 Mix Onions, parsley and lemon zest in a bowl with olive oil. Put on salmon and roast in 400° oven for 10-12 minutes. Prepare rice as directed and steam broccoli. Squeeze extra lemon juice over cooked salmon if desired.

Popcorn (air-popped)

2 Cups

3 Cups

4 Cups

6 Cups

6 Cups

64 96 128 192 192 Prepare popcorn as directed; the calorie allotments in this meal plan allow for varieties that run approximately 32 calories per cup. Try and to select brands that have simple ingredients and minimal or no additives.

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2.1 Eggs Spinach Mushrooms Green onion Orange Olive oil

1 Egg .25 Cup .25 Cup 1 Tbsp 1 Small .25 Tbsp

1 Egg .25 Cup .25 Cup 1 Tbsp 1 Small .25 Tbsp

2 Eggs .5 Cup .25 Cup 2 Tbsp 1 Small .25 Tbsp

3 Eggs .5 Cup .5 Cup 2 Tbsp 1 Med .5 Tbsp

3 Eggs 1 Cup 1 Cup 3 Tbsp 1 Med. .75 Tbsp

136 136 229 333 419 Using the olive oil to help prevent sticking, prepare egg as an omelette and fold in spinach, mushrooms, and onions.

Pistachios Apple

22 Nuts 1 Med

213

29 Nuts 1 Med

268

29 Nuts 1 Med

268

39 Nuts 1 Lg

315

45 Nuts 1.5 Lg

382

No preparation needed.

Avocado Chick peas (cooked) Green onion Cilantro Lemon juice Toast (approx 100 cal/slice) Tomato (sliced)

.25 Small .33 Cup .25 oz .25 oz 1 Tbsp 1.5 Slices 1 Med

.25 Small .5 Small .33 Cup .66 Cup .25 oz .5 oz .25 oz .25 oz 1 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp 1.5 Slices 2 Slices 1 Med 1 Med

.5 Small .75 Cup .5 oz .25 oz 1.5 Tbsp 2 Slices 1 Med

.5 Small 1 Cup .75 oz .5 oz 2 Tbsp 3 Slices 1 Med

368 368 613 638 812 Mash avocado and chick peas together. Mix in onions, cilantro and lemon juice. Spread on toast and top with tomato slices.

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2.2 Greek yogurt Granola

.5 Cup .25 Cup

.5 Cup .25 Cup

.75 Cup .33 cup

1 Cup .66 Cup

1 Cup .75 Cup

162 162 223 352 384 Top yogurt with Granola or eat on side. This calorie allotment is based off of Greek yogurt that contains approximately 170 calories per cup, and granola that has 280 calories per cup.

Penne pasta (whole wheat, cooked) Broccoli Garlic (fresh, minced) Olive oil Mixed green salad Salt & pepper (to taste/optional)

1.25 Cups .75 Cup .5 tsp .5 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

1.75 Cups 1 Cup 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 3 Cups

1.75 Cups 1 Cup 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 3 Cups

2 Cups 2.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.25 tsp 1.5 tsp 1.25 Tbsp 1.3 Tbsp 3 Cups 3 Cups

368 569 588 664 770 Cook pasta as directed. Add broccoli to pasta with 5 minutes left to cook. Drizzle pasta with olive oil and finely minced garlic. Feel free to add dressing to your salad but keep in mind that will be extra calories – lemon and/or apple cider vinegar are great nearly-zero calorie options.

Banana (frozen) Dark chocolate Vanilla

.66 Cup .25 oz .25 tsp

1.5 Cups .5 oz 1 tsp

1.5 Cups .5 oz 1 tsp

1.5 Cups .5 oz 1 tsp

1.5 Cups .5 oz 1 tsp

147 272 272 272 272 Peel & freeze bananas. Once frozen, blend with vanilla in blender until smooth; eat chocolate on the side or chop it up into your banana “ice cream”.

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3.1 Toast (approx 100 cal/slice) Peanut butter Banana Cinnamon (optional, to taste)

1 Slice 1 Tbsp 1 Med

1.5 Slices 1 Tbsp 1 Med

1.5 Slices 1 Tbsp 1 Med

1.5 Slices 1.5 Tbsp 1 Med

2 Slices 2 Tbsp 1 Med

285 349 343 396 496 Spread peanut butter on toast and top with sliced bananas. Sprinkle cinnamon on top for extra flavor.

Hummus Carrots

2 Tbsp 1 Cup

5 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

115

184

.75 Cup .25 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 oz 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp

1 Cup .5 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 1 oz 1 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

5 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

184

5 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

184

6 Tbsp 2 Cups

230

No preparation needed.

Brown or wild rice (cooked) Walnuts Raisins Feta cheese Lemon juice Green onion

1.5 Cups 1 Tbsp 4 Tbsp 1.5 oz 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp

1.75 Cups 1.25 Tbsp 5 Tbsp 2 oz 2 Tbsp 3 Tbsp

1.75 Cups

1.25Tbsp 5 Tbsp 2 oz 2 Tbsp 3 Tbsp

236 312 500 645 645 Cook rice according to package directions. Mix in chopped nuts, raisins, feta and onion. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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3.2 Banana Blueberries Almond milk (unsweetened) Strawberries

1 Med .25 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup

1 Med .5 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup

1 Med 1 Cup 1 Cup 1.5 Cups

1 Med 1.5 Cups 1 Cup 2 Cups

1 Med 1.5 Cups 1 Cup 2 Cups

164 192 287 351 351 Blend banana, blueberries, strawberries and almond milk until smooth. Freeze berries beforehand to make the smoothie thicker.

Spaghetti squash Beans (slow cooked; white, pinto, black, or red) Tomatoes (fresh, diced) Garlic (fresh, minced) Olive oil Toast (approx 100 cal/slice)

2 Cups .66 Cup .5 Cup 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 1 Slice

2 Cups 1 Cup .5 Cup 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 1 Slice

2 Cups 1.33 Cups .75 Cup 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 1 Slice

2.5 Cups 2.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .75 Cup 1 Cup 1.5 tsp 1.5 tsp 1.25 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp 2 Slices 3 Slices

496 596 702 898 1035 Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Roast in a 400°F oven for 40-50 minutes. Drizzle oil on tomatoes, mix with garlic and roast for 10 minutes. Scoop out squash and mix with roasted tomatoes and your choice of beans. If you don't have slow cooked beans available, canned will do.

Strawberries Dark chocolate

.66 Cup .5 oz

.75 Cup .75 oz

.75 Cup .75 oz

.75 Cup .75 oz

1.5 Cups 1.5 oz

108 150 150 150 301 Eat side by side or melt chocolate over low heat and pour over strawberries. If fresh strawberries are not available, you can substitute another kind of fruit; a banana or orange would work great.

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4.1 Shredded wheat Almond milk (unsweetened) Mixed berries Chia seeds

.5 Cup .5 Cup .75 Cup 1.25 Tbsp

1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1.5 Tbsp

1.5 Cups 1.25 Cups 1 Cup 2 Tbsp

1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 2.5 Tbsp

2 Cups 2 Cups 1.5 Cups 3 Tbsp

249 387 513 597 732 Prepare cereal; top with berries and chia seeds. Notes: Use fresh berries when available otherwise frozen are fine.

Celery Peanut butter

1 Cup .5 Tbsp

67

1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.25 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

146

176

1.5 Cups 1.5 Tbsp

1.5 Cups 2 Tbsp

176

224

Spread peanut butter on celery sticks.

Spinach (raw) Raisins Apple (sliced julienne/matchstick) Almonds (chopped) Lemon juice Olive oil Egg (hard boiled) Salt (optional, to taste)

4 Cups 2 Tbsp .5 Cup 18 Nuts 1 Tbsp .25 Tbsp 1 Egg

4 Cups 4 Tbsp .5 Cup 22 Nuts 1.5 Tbsp .5 Tbsp 1 Egg

5 Cups 4 Tbsp 1 Cup 29 Nuts 2 Tbsp .75 Tbsp 2 Eggs

5 Cups 5 Tbsp 1 Cup 35 Nuts 3 Tbsp .75 Tbsp 2 Eggs

5 Cups 6 Tbsp 1 Cup 35 Nuts 3 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 2 Eggs

331 443 625 695 Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Add the spinach, toss to coat and let stand 10 minutes. Add the raisins, apples, almonds. Add the eggs to the salad, or eat on the side.

64

758

4.2 Cottage cheese (fat-free) Banana

.5 Cup 1 Small

190

.5 Cup 1 Small

190

.5 Cup 1 Small

.75 Cup 1 Med

190

240

1 Cap 1 Item .5 Cup 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups .5 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

1.5 Caps 1.5 Items .75 Cup 1.5 Cups 1.25 Cups .75 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

.75 Cup 1 Large

255

Eat side by side or mix together.

Portobello mushroom cap English muffin Spinach Bell peppers (red, green, or a combo) Corn Olive Oil Asparagus Salt & pepper (to taste) (Cumin or Italian)

1 Cap 1 Item .25 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Tbsp 1 Cup

1 Cap 1 Item .5 Cup .75 Cup 1 Cup .5 Tbsp 1 Cup

2 Caps 2 Items 1 Cup 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .75 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

360 396 448 575 690 Saute peppers, corn and spinach in olive oil and your choice of seasoning (we suggest garlic with cumin or Italian). Brush mushroom caps with olive oil & grill for 6-8 minutes until tender. Use the English muffin to assemble a sandwich, topping with the mushroom and sauteed vegetables. Eat asparagus grilled or steamed on the side.

Popcorn (air-popped) Dark chocolate

4 Cups .33 oz

4 Cups .66 oz

4 Cups .66 oz

5 Cups 1 oz

5 Cups 1 oz

188 233 233 310 310 Prepare popcorn as directed; calorie allotment allows for varieties that run approximately 32 calories per cup. Try to select brands that have simple ingredients, low sodium, and minimal or no additives.

65

5.1 Greek yogurt (plain) Mixed berries Banana Quinoa (cooked)

.5 Cup .33 Cup 1 Med .5 Cup

.5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Med .75 Cup

.66 Cup .5 Cup 1 Med 1 Cup

1 Cup .75 Cup 1 Med 1 Cup

1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Med 1.5 Cups

324 391 490 558 Layer yogurt, berries, sliced bananas and quinoa into tall glass. The yogurt used for our calorie calculations was approximately 170 calories per cup.

Egg (hard boiled) Salt & pepper (to taste)

1 Egg

1.5 Eggs

2 Eggs

71 107 142 Add salt and pepper, or any other (calorie-free, clean ingredient) spice, to taste.

Toast (approx 100 cal/slice) Avocado Tomato (fresh) Spinach (fresh) Grapes

1 Slice .5 Med 1 Med .5 Cup .75 Cup

368 Assemble ingredients into sandwich.

66

1 Slice .5 Med 1 Med .5 Cup 1 Cup

383

678

2 Eggs

3 Eggs

142

213

1 Slice .75 Med 1 Med .5 Cup 1.25 Cups

1 Slice .75 Med 1 Med .75 Cup 1.5 Cups

496

514

2 Slices .75 Med 1 Med .75 Cup 1.5 Cups

614

5.2 Granola Almond milk (unsweetened)

.33 Cup 1 Cup

.75 Cup 1 Cup

.5 Cup 1 Cup

1 Cup 1 Cup 1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups

123 240 242 333 333 This calorie allotment is based off of granola that has approximately 280 calories per cup. Make sure you choose a granola option that has clean, simple ingredients.

Chicken breast (baked) Yam (baked) Brussel sprouts Olive oil Salt & Pepper (to taste)

4 Ounce 1 Cup .75 Cup .25 Tbsp

5 Ounce 1.5 Cups 1 Cup .33 Tbsp

6 Ounce 1.75 Cups 1.25 Cups .5 Tbsp

7.5 Ounce 2.25 Cups 1.5 Cups .66 Tbsp

8 Ounce 2.5 Cups 2 Cups .66 Tbsp

376 513 626 770 853 Bake yam for 45 minutes in 350°F oven (or poke several holes in the yam and microwave for roughly 5 minutes per yam); cover and bake the chicken in the oven at 350°F for 35 minutes (or until cooked as desired). Slice brussel sprouts in half and saute in small amount of olive oil until slightly crispy on the outside; pepper heavily & eat one the side.

Walnuts Apple

1 Tbsp 1 Small

127

67

2 Tbsp 1 Med

179

2.5 Tbsp 1 Med

207

4.5 Tbsp 1 Large

315

5.5 Tbsp 1 Large

365

6.1 Banana Egg Cinnamon Vanilla Orange Cooking oil Salt (optional)

.5 Med 1 Egg .5 tsp .25 tsp 1 Med .25 Tbsp

.75 Med 2 Eggs .5 tsp .25 tsp 1 Med .25 Tbsp

1 Med 2 Eggs 1 tsp .5 tsp 1 Med .25 Tbsp

1.5 Med 2 Eggs 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 Med .25 Tbsp

1.5 Med 3 Eggs 1 tsp 1.5 tsp 1 Med .25 Tbsp

238 333 363 418 487 Mash up banana very well; add eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Mix well and use the oil to cook on low-medium heat, similar to a pancake. You can drizzle a very small amount of honey over the pancakes, or add a couple of blueberries, for more flavor and a negligible amount of additional calories.

Almonds Raisins

6 Nuts 3 Tbsp

123

Penne pasta (whole wheat, cooked) Cottage cheese (fat free) Tomatoes (raw) Broccoli (raw) Mushrooms (raw) Peppers (raw) Black pepper

.75 Cup .5 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .25 Cup .25 Cup .25 tsp

312 Mix ingredients together and serve cold.

68

6 Nuts 3 Tbsp

12 Nuts .5 Cup

123

300

1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .25 Cup .5 Cup .25 tsp

432

1 Cup 1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .33 tsp

481

16 Nuts .5 Cup

327

1 Cup 1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .33 tsp

481

16 Nuts .5 Cup

327

1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 tsp

699

6.2 Almond milk (unsweetened) Banana Mixed berries

.5 Cup 1 Med .5 Cup

.75 Cup 1 Med .75 Cup

1 Cup 1 Med 1 Cup

1.5 Cups 1.5 Med 1.5 Cups

155 180 205 308 Blend ingredients together until smooth. If you don't have fresh berries, frozen will work fine.

Beans (slow cooked) Yam (baked) Eggs (poached) Avocado Salt & Pepper (to taste)

.5 Cup .75 Cup 2 Eggs .25 Med

1 Cup 1 Cup 2 Eggs .25 Med

1 Cup 1 Cup 2 Eggs .5 Med

1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 2 Eggs .5 Med

1.5 Cups 1.5 Med 1.5 Cups 308

1.75 Cups 1.5 Cups 2 Eggs .5 Med

455 609 707 898 955 If you don't have slow cooked beans available, canned beans will do. Serve with yam, avocado & eggs on the side.

Fruit salad (all fresh)

1 Cup

1 Cup

1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.75 Cups

125 125 156 156 218 Chop up your favorite fruits and mix into a salad. Good choices are apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, pineapple, grapes, berries, etc. Anything that is easily accessible and tasty.

69

7.1 Egg (poached) Quinoa (cooked) Kiwi

1 Egg .75 Cup 1 Med

1 Egg 1 Cup 1.5 Med

2 Eggs 1.5 Cups 1.5 Med

2 Eggs 2 Cups 2 Med

3 Eggs 2 Cups 2.5 Med

275 353 527 660 746 Prepare quinoa as directed and top with poached egg. Add your choice of seasonings to kick up the flavor: cumin, pepper, chilli powder, paprika, or cayenne pepper would all taste great, without adding any calories.

Hummus Wasa rye cracker

1 Tbsp 2 Items

2 Tbsp 2 Items

98

121

2 Cups 1 Med 1 Tbsp .5 Tbsp 6 Olives .75 Cup 1 Slice

2.5 Cups 1 Med 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 8 Olives 1 Cup 1 Slice

2.5 Tbsp 3 Items

170

2.5 Tbsp 3 Items

170

3.5 Tbsp 4 Items

230

Spread hummus over crackers

Mixed green salad Tomatoes (chopped) Lemon juice Green onion (chopped) Olives (sliced) Beans (slow cooked) Toast (approx 100 cal/slice)

2.5 Cups 1 Med 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 8 Olives 1 Cup 1 Slice

2.5 Cups 1 Med 1.5 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 9 Olives 1.5 Cups 2 Slices

3 Cups 2 Med 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 10 Olives 2 Cups 2 Slices

357 433 433 649 794 Assemble ingredients into a salad; top with beans or eat on the side. If you don't have slow cooked, canned will do. Lemon juice has negligible calorie content, if you want more. You can add a couple of extra cups of salad; it will only add a few extra calories, but the bulk may help you feel full longer.

70

7.2 Apple Almond butter

Pork chop (lean) Garlic (fresh, to taste) Spinach Feta cheese Acorn squash (roasted) Broccoli (steamed) Cooking oil Salt & pepper (to taste)

1 Med 1 Tbsp

1 Med 1 Tbsp

1.5 Med 1 Tbsp

1.5 Med 1 Tbsp

196

196

244

244

1 Chop .75 tsp 1 Cup .5 oz 1 Cup 1 Cup .25 Tbsp

1.5 Chops 1 tsp 1.5 Cups .5 oz 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .25 Tbsp

1.5 Chops 1 tsp 1.5 Cups 1 oz 2 Cups 1.5 Cups .25 Tbsp

1.5 Chops 1.5 tsp 1.5 Cups 1 oz 2 Cups 2 Cups .5 Tbsp

1.5 Med 1 Tbsp

244

2 Chops 1.5 tsp 2 Cups 1 oz 2 Cups 2 Cups .5 Tbsp

378 534 580 645 757 Saute spinach, fresh garlic, salt & pepper, in cooking oil of your choice, just long to cook the spinach down. Mix the feta with the spinach and garlic; use this mixture to stuff the pork chop. Cover & cook in oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes (or until meat is thoroughly cooked), at the same time as the squash. Adjust fresh garlic allotments to match your tastes. Add pepper and a sprinkle of salt to add flavor to the squash & broccoli.

Greek yogurt (plain) Honey

.5 Cup .5 Tbsp

.66 Cup .75 Tbsp

113

145

Drizzle honey over yogurt.

71

1 Cup 1 Tbsp

235

1 Cup 1 Tbsp

1 Cup 1 Tbsp

235

235

Week Two

72

Grocery List Almond milk (unsweetened)

Cottage cheese

Pistachios

Almonds

Egg

Popcorn

Apple

Flatbread

Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Applesauce (unsweetened)

Garlic

Quinoa

Avocado

Granola (low-fat)

Raisins

Bananas

Grapes

Red Pepper Flakes

basil

Green Beans

Rice; black, brown or wild

Beans

Green onion

Salsa

Beets

Honey

Salt and pepper

Beans (black, red, white, or pinto; dry)

Hot sauce (optional)

Shredded wheat

Hummus

Spinach

Bell Pepper (any color or combo)

Kiwi

Squash

Lemon Bread (multi-grain, or whole wheat, or sprouted, etc, approx Melon 100 cal/slice) Mixed berries Broccoli Mozzarella cheese

Strawberries

Carrots

Mushrooms

Tuna fish

Celery

Oatmeal (dry)

Vanilla

Chia or flax seeds

Olive oil

Chicken (breast)

Olives

Vinaigrette (or salad dressing roughly 72 calories/Tbsp)

Cilantro

Onions

Walnuts

Cinnamon

Peaches

Cod fish

Peanut butter

Sugar (raw) Tomato sauce Tomatoes

Yam Yogurt (Greek, plain, approx 170 cal/cup)

Possible spice options, according to your own taste preferences: cumin, Italian, chilli power, basil, ginger, oregano, rosemary, paprika, red pepper flakes, etc. Spices are an easy way to add flavor without adding any extra calories. As long as they are all natural and contain no extra sodium or calorie content, use them generously, at your own discretion.

73

8.1 Oatmeal (dry) Almond milk (unsweetened) Banana Peanut butter

.33 Cup .66 Cup 1 Med 1 Tbsp

.5 Cup .66 Cup 1 Med 1 Tbsp

.75 Cup 1 Cup 1 Med 1.5 Tbsp

1 Cup 1.5 Cups 1 Med 2 Tbsp

319 374 509 648 Prepare oatmeal as directed using milk instead of water. Stir in banana and peanut butter.

Raisins Pistachios

2 Tbsp 29 Nuts

3 Tbsp 39 Nuts

171

237

3 Cups .25 Small 1 Egg 1 Tbsp .25 Cup

4 Cups .25 Small 1 Egg 1 Tbsp .33 Cup

3 Tbsp 39 Nuts

237

3 Tbsp 39 Nuts

237

1 Cup 1.5 Cups 1 Med 2 Tbsp

648

5 Tbsp 49 Nuts

332

No preparation needed.

Spinach Avocado Egg (hard boiled) Vinaigrette Black beans (slow cooked)

4 Cups .33 Small 2 Eggs 1.5 Tbsp .5 Cup

4 Cups .5 Small 2 Eggs 1.5 Tbsp .75 Cup

4 Cups .5 Small 2 Eggs 2 Tbsp .75 Cup

309 334 504 627 663 Assemble ingredients into a salad. Add pepper and garlic to add more flavor without adding any extra calories.

74

8.2 Cottage cheese (fat-free) Pepper (optional) Apple

.33 Cup n/a .5 Item

.5 Cup n/a 1 Item

107 185 Pepper cottage cheese (if desired), and eat the apple on the side.

Yam (baked) Black beans (slow cooked) Green onion Salsa Broccoli (steamed) Chicken breast (baked or grilled)

.5 Cup .33 Cup 1 Tbsp .25 Cup 1 Cup 4 oz

.75 cup .5 Cup 1 Tbsp .5 Cup 1 Cup 4 oz

.5 Cup n/a 1 Item 185

.75 Cup .75 Cup 2 Tbsp .5 Cup 1 Cup 6 oz

.66 Cup n/a 1 Item 213

1 Cup .75 Cup 3 Tbsp .66 Cup 1.25 Cups 7 oz

.75 Cup n/a 1 Item 230

1 Cup 1 Cup 3 Tbsp .75 Cup 1.5 Cups 8 oz

386 485 637 743 861 Season the chicken with your choice of spices, we recommend lemon, pepper, cumin, fresh garlic, Italian or basil. Top the baked yam with beans, onions and salsa, eat the chicken breast and broccoli on the side. If you don't have slow cooked beans, canned will do.

Grapes Kiwi Melon

.5 Cup 1 Med .75 Cup

1 Cup 1.5 Med 1 Cup

1 Cup 1.5 Med 1 Cup

117 184 184 Pick any melon of your choice. Slice and mix fruit together to make a fruit salad.

75

1 Cup 1.5 Med 1 Cup 184

1.5 Cups 2 Med 1.5 Cups 265

9.1 Egg Tomato Spinach

Bread (whole-wheat, 100 cal/slice) Grapes Cooking oil Hot sauce (optional)

1 Egg 1 Med .25 Cup 1 Slice .5 Cup .25 Tbsp n/a

1 Egg 1 Med .25 Cup 1 Slice .5 Cup .25 Tbsp n/a

2 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 1 Slice .66 Cup .25 Tbsp n/a

2 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 2 Slices 1 Cup .25 Tbsp n/a

3 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 2 Slices 1 Cup .25 Tbsp n/a

256 256 339 460 532 Fry the egg in the cooking oil; add pepper while cooking for extra flavor. Assemble ingredients into an egg sandwich, eat grapes on the side. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Apple Peanut butter

1 Med .75 Tbsp

165 Eat separately or dip the apple in the peanut butter.

Spinach Beets Mushrooms (fresh) Pumpkin or sunflower seeds Vinaigrette Tuna fish (canned in water)

3 Cups .25 Cup .25 Cup .75 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp .5 Cup

255 Assemble a salad and top with tuna or eat on the side.

76

1 Med .75 Tbsp

165

3 Cups .5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp .66 Cup

311

1 Med 1 Tbsp

189

3 Cups 1 Cup .75 Cup 1.5 Tbsp 2 Tbsp .75 Cup

424

1 Med 1.5 Tbsp

236

3 Cups 1 Cup 1 Cup 2 Tbsp 2.5 Tbsp .75 Cup

475

1 Med 2 Tbsp

283

3 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 2 Tbsp 3 Tbsp 1 Cup

588

9.2 Banana Granola

1 Med .25 Cup

1 Med .5 Cup

1 Med .75 Cup

175

245

315

.66 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Med 1 Egg .5 Tbsp

1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .25 Med 2 Eggs .75 Tbsp

1 Med 1 Cup

385

1 Med 1 Cup

385

No preparation needed.

Black or wild rice (cooked) Mushrooms Onions Carrots Broccoli Avocado Eggs Olive Oil Cilantro (to taste) Fresh garlic (to taste) Salt (optional, to taste)

1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Med 2 Eggs .75 Tbsp

1.25 Cups .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Med 2 Eggs .75 Tbsp

1.75 Cups

.75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Med 3 Eggs .75 Tbsp

445 655 753 801 991 Saute the mushrooms, onions, carrots, broccoli, garlic and cilantro in the olive oil to make a stir fry. Eat with egg, wild or black rice, and avocado on the side.

Yogurt (greek, plain) Honey

.5 Cup .5 Tbsp

.66 Cup .75 Tbsp

119 165 Drizzle honey over plain Greek yogurt (approx 170 cal/cup)

77

.66 Cup .75 Tbsp

168

1 Cup 1 Tbsp

1 Cup 1 Tbsp

238

238

10.1 Quinoa (cooked) Almond milk (unsweetened) Banana Cinnamon (to taste) Vanilla

.5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Med 1 tsp 1 tsp

.75 Cup .75 Cup 1 Med 1.25 tsp 1.25 tsp

1.25 Cups 1 Cup 1 Med 1.5 tsp 1.5 tsp

1.5 Cups 1.33 Cups 1 Med 1.75 tsp 1.75 tsp

1.75 Cups

1.5 Cups 1 Med 2 tsp 2 tsp

249 324 439 509 574 Cook quinoa as directed. Add chopped banana, cinnamon, almond milk and vanilla and enjoy like a cereal.

Grapes Almonds

1 Cup 14 Nuts

1.5 Cups 19 Nuts

158

224

1 Slice .25 Med 1 Egg 1 Med .5 Cup 1 Med

1.5 Slices .25 Med 2 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 1 Med

1.5 Cups 19 Nuts

224

2 Cups 25 Nuts

296

2.5 Cups 30 Nuts

361

No preparation.

Bread (approx 100 cal/slice) Avocado Egg Tomato Spinach Orange

2 Slices .33 Med 2 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 1 Med

2 Slices .33 Med 3 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 1 Med

3 Slices .33 Med 3 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 1 Med

362 475 556 619 719 Mash avocado (and mix in your favorite seasoning) to make a spread for your bread. Add the tomato, egg, and spinach, to make a sandwich. You can fry the eggs in a little bit of oil, or hard boil them. Eat orange on the side.

78

10.2 Peaches Pistachios

1 Cup 10 Nuts

1.33 Cups 1.75 Cups 2 Cups 14 Nuts 22 Nuts 32 Nuts

122

166

5 oz .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Tbsp n/a

6 oz .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Tbsp n/a

239

311

2 Cups 32 Nuts

311

No preparation needed.

Chicken (baked) Tomatoes Bell or sweet peppers Onions Squash Olive Oil Salt & pepper (optional)

7 oz 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Tbsp n/a

7 oz 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Tbsp n/a

8 oz 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Tbsp n/a

418 488 608 685 805 Saute the vegetables in olive oil and serve as side. Bake chicken and squash covered in the oven at 350°F for 45 minutes (or until cooked thoroughly).

Applesauce (unsweetened) Cinnamon

.75 Cup .5 Tbsp

1 Cup .5 Tbsp

1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups .5 Tbsp .75 Tbsp

2 Cups 1 Tbsp

87 113 144 170 227 Dust the applesauce with cinnamon – additional cinnamon adds negligible calories, if you want more flavor.

79

11.1 Egg Mozzarella cheese (shredded) Cooking oil Melon Seasoning of your choice

2 Eggs 2 Tbsp 1 tsp 1 Cup

2 Eggs .25 Cup 1 tsp 1 Cup

3 Eggs .25 Cup 2 tsp 1.5 Cups

3 Eggs .33 Cup 2 tsp 2 Cups

3 Eggs .5 Cup 2 tsp 3 Cups

262 304 434 489 599 Most fresh or dry spices add a negligible amount of calories; flavor your scrambled eggs with your choice of seasonings (we recommend basil, cumin, pepper, or Italian). Scramble eggs in olive oil, top with basil and mozzarella cheese., eat melon on the side.

Mixed berries Greek yogurt (plain) Banana Almond milk (unsweetened)

.5 Cup .33 Cup .5 Med .25 Cup

.66 Cup .33 Cup .75 Med .25 Cup

.66 Cup .33 Cup .75 Med .25 Cup

1 Cup .33 Cup 1 Med .25 Cup

1 Cup .33 Cup 1 Med .25 Cup

153 190 190 240 240 Blend berries and banana in yogurt & almond milk to make a smoothie. Freeze the berries beforehand if you want a thick, ice-cream-like smoothie. If you don't have access to a blender at this point in your day, eat the ingredients individually or mix the fruit into your yogurt.

Beans (black, pinto, or red; cooked) Spinach Vinaigrette Tomato (diced) Bread (whole-wheat, approx 100 cal/slice)

.75 Cup 2 Cups 1 Tbsp 1 Cup 1 Slice

1 Cup 2 Cups 1 Tbsp 1 Cup 1 Slice

1.25 Cups 3 Cups 1.5 Tbsp 1 Cup 1 Slice

1.75 Cups 3 Cups 2 Tbsp 1 Cup 1 Slice

1.75 Cups

3 Cups 2 Tbsp 1 Cup 1 Slice

378 434 532 679 679 Enjoy a bowl of slow cooked (or canned) beans + generous servings of your favorite fresh or dried seasonings (a mix of cumin & chili powder tastes great). Add the tomatoes to spinach salad.

80

11.2 Almonds Apple

5 Nuts 1 Med

129

12 Nuts 1 Med

177

18 Nuts 1 Med

219

18 Nuts 1 Med

219

30 Nuts 1.5 Med

349

No preparation needed.

Mushroom Onion Carrots Avocado Egg Black or wild rice (cooked) Olive oil

.33 Cup .33 Cup .33 Cup .25 Med 1 Egg .66 Cup .33 Tbsp

.5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Med 1 Egg 1 Cup .5 Tbsp

.75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .33 Med 1 Egg 1 Cup .66 Tbsp

1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup .33 Med 1 Egg 1.5 Cups .75 Tbsp

378 496 573 721 Saute vegetables in olive oil until caramelized, while cooking rice as directed. When both are thoroughly cooked, add vegetables to rice, and mix for healthy stir fry rice. Top with fried egg. Suggested seasonings: ginger, basil, garlic.

Dark chocolate Popcorn (air popped)

.25 oz 3 Cups

131 No preparation needed.

81

1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup .33 Med 1 Egg 2 Cups .75 Tbsp

832

.33 oz 5 Cups

.5 oz 6 Cups

.5 oz 6 Cups

.66 oz 7 Cups

205

262

262

292

12.1 Oatmeal (dry) Almond milk (unsweetened) Strawberries Bananas Granola

.5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Cup 1 Med 1 Tbsp

.5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Cup 1 Med 2 Tbsp

.75 Cup 1 Cup 1.33 Cups 1 Med 4 Tbsp

1 Cup 1 Cup 1.5 Cups 1 Med .33 Cup

1.25 Cups

1 Cup 1.5 Cups 1 Med .5 Cup

342 374 501 611 761 Cook oatmeal according to the directions on the box, then top with banana, berries and granola.

Egg (hard boiled) Salt and pepper (optional) Orange

1 Egg n/a .5 Med

1 Egg n/a 1 Med

2 Eggs n/a 1 Med

2 Eggs n/a 1 Med

2 Eggs n/a 1 Med

115

158

229

229

229

1 Slice 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 Med

1 Slice 1.33 Tbsp 1.33 Tbsp 1 Med

No preparation needed.

Bread (approx 100 cal/slice) Peanut butter Honey Apple

353 Make a peanut butter & honey sandwich.

82

405

2 Slices 1.5 Tbsp 1.33 Tbsp 1 Med

521

2 Slices 1.75 Tbsp 1.75 Tbsp 1 Med

571

2 Slices 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 1 Med

611

12.2 Hummus Carrots

2 Tbsp 1 Cup

.25 cup 1.5 Cups

.25 Cup 1.5 Cups

.33 Cup 2 Cups

92

171

171

229

6 oz 3 Tbsp 1 Cup 1.5 Cups .5 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 1/8 tsp .25 Cup 1 Clove

7 oz 4 Tbsp 1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups .66 Tbsp 3 Tbsp .33 tsp .33 Cup 1.5 Cloves

8 oz 5 Tbsp 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .75 Tbsp 4 Tbsp .5 tsp .5 Cup 1.5 Cloves

.5 Cup 2.5 Cups

320

Dip carrots in hummus.

Cod Fish Salsa Black or wild rice (cooked) Green beans Olive oil Lemon or lime Pepper Cilantro (fresh, chopped) Garlic (minced)

5 oz 2.5 Tbsp .75 Cup 1 Cup .33 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1/8 tsp .25 Cup 1 Clove

9 oz 6 Tbsp 1.5 Cups 2 Cups 1 Tbsp 4 Tbsp .5 tsp .66 Cup 1.5 Cloves

407 533 641 742 828 Mix olive oil, lemon or lime, pepper, cilantro, and garlic well; drizzle over cod. Bake and serve with fresh salsa, green beans & rice.

Greek yogurt (plain) Pistachios

.33 Cup 8 Nuts

102 Top yogurt with pistachios or eat separately.

83

.5 Cup 10 Nuts

143

.5 Cup 10 Nuts

143

.75 Cup 17 Nuts

225

.75 Cup 21 Nuts

248

13.1 Shredded wheat Almond milk (unsweetened) Raisins Chia seeds

.5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup 1 Tbsp

312 Prepare cereal and top with raisins and chia seeds.

Celery Carrots Peanut butter

1 Cup 1 Cup .33 Cup 1 Tbsp

412

1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups .5 Cup 1.25 Tbsp

1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .5 Cup 1.25 Tbsp

554

604

.33 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .33 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 1.33 Tbsp 1.66 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 146

188

220

.66 Cup .66 Cup 2.5 Tbsp 278

1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups

.5 Cup 1.5 Tbsp

671

1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups

3 Tbsp 363

Dip veggies in peanut butter.

Egg (hard-boiled) Spinach Mushrooms Bread (approx 100 cal/slice) Vinaigrette Apple

1 Egg 1.5 Cups .66 Cup 1 Slice 1.25 Tbsp .5 Med

323 Assemble the ingredients in to a salad.

84

1 Egg 1.75 Cups 1 Cup 1 Slices 1.33 Tbsp 1 Med

399

1.5 Eggs 2 Cups 1 Cup 2 Slices 1.66 Tbsp 1 Med

527

2 Eggs 2.5 Cups 1.25 Cups 2.5 Slices 2 Tbsp 1 Med

667

2 Eggs 3 Cups 1.5 Cups 2.5 Slices

2.5 Tbsp 1 Med

705

13.2 Cottage cheese (fat-free) Peaches

.33 Cup 1 Cup

.33 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .66 Cup 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups

147

167

1 Med .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup 1.5 Tbsp

1 Med .75 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1.5 Tbsp

202

202

234

Top cottage cheese with peaches.

Bell pepper Quinoa (cooked) Beans (cooked) Tomato sauce Mozzarella

1.5 Med 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 2 Tbsp

2 Med 1.25 Cups 1 Cup 1.25 Cups 2.5 Tbsp

2.5 Med 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups

3.5 Tbsp

416 493 560 700 795 Stuff bell pepper with beans, quinoa and tomato sauce. Bake in 350 degree oven until pepper softens. Top with cheese. Homemade salsa can also be substituted for tomato sauce, if desired.

Grapes

1.5 Cups

92 No preparation needed.

85

2 Cups

2 Cups

123

123

2.5 Cups

154

3.5 Cups

216

14.1 Egg (poached) Spinach Bread (whole-wheat) Banana Peach

1 Egg 1 Cup 1 Slice .75 Med 1 Med

1 Egg 1.5 Cups 1.5 Slices 1 Med 1 Med

2 Eggs 2 Cups 2 Slices 1 Med 1 Med

2 Eggs 2.5 Cups 1.5 Slices 1 Med 1 Med

3 Eggs 3 Cups 3 Slices 1 Med 1 Med

333 424 541 638 757 Poach egg, wilt spinach (or eat raw) and use the bread to make a sandwich. Chop up fruit for a fruit salad. If you don't have fresh fruit, frozen is fine.

Yogurt (Greek, plain) Mixed berries

.5 Cup .5 Cup

120

.5 Cup .66 Cup

132

.66 Cup .66 Cup

1 Cup .75 Cup

1.25 Cups

1 Cup

165

227

287

.75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Med .5 Cup

1 Cup 1 Cup .5 Med .5 Cup

1 Cup 1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup

Mix berries and yogurt.

Beans (cooked) Rice (black, brown or wild; cooked) Avocado Diced tomatoes (fresh) Hot sauce (optional)

.5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Med .25 Cup

.66 Cup .66 Cup .33 Med .5 Cup

327 436 543 654 758 Mix rice and beans together, top with avocado and tomatoes. Can be eaten hot or cold. Use hot sauce if desired.

86

14.2 Banana Almond (raw, unsalted)

.75 Med 5 Nuts

113

1 Med 6 Nuts

146

1.25 Med 7 Nuts

180

1.5 Med 8 Nuts

213

1.75 Med 9 Nuts

246

No preparation needed.

Flat bread (multi-grain) Mozzarella Mushroom Onion Bell pepper Spinach Tomato sauce Crushed red pepper & oregano

3 oz .33 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 tsp

3.5 oz .5 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .5 Cup 1 tsp

4.5 oz .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup 1 tsp

5.5 oz .66 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup 1.25 tsp

6.5 oz .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup 1.5 tsp

351 451 568 636 720 Assemble ingredients into a pizza and bake in the oven at 350°F for roughly 15-25 minutes, depending on how you like it cooked. You can also turn on broil for the last couple of minutes to toast the cheese – but be careful not to burn it!

Apple Oatmeal (dry) Cinnamon & vanilla (each) Raw sugar Almond milk (unsweetened)

.5 Med .75 Med .75 Med 1 Med 1 Med .125 Cup .125 Cup .125 Cup .25 Cup .25 Cup .5 tsp .5 tsp .5 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp .5 tsp .5 tsp .5 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp .5 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 116 195 195 236 236 Thinly slice or chop the apple. Coat with cinnamon, vanilla, and raw sugar and optional pinch of salt then bake at 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Take out and cover with almond milk and enjoy.

87

Week Three

88

Grocery List Acorn Squash

Egg

Portobello mushroom cap

Almond butter

English muffin (whole wheat) Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Almond milk (unsweetened) Feta cheese (optional)

Quinoa

Almonds

Garlic

Raisins

Apples

Grapes

Red potatoes

Applesauce (unsweetened) Green onion

Rice; black, brown or wild

Avocado

Honey

Rice cakes

Banana

Hot sauce (optional)

Salsa

Beets

Hummus

Salt & Pepper (optional)

Beans (black, red, white, or pinto; dry)

Kiwi

Spinach

Lettuce

Strawberries

Mango (raw)

Tomatoes

Bell Pepper (any color or combo)

Mixed berries Bread (multi-grain, or whole wheat, or sprouted, etc, approx Mixed green salad 100 cal/slice) Blueberries Broccoli Brussel sprouts Carrots Chia or flax seeds Cinnamon Cod fish Cottage cheese (fat-free) Dark chocolate

Tortilla (whole-wheat) Turkey (white meat)

Mozzarella cheese

Vanilla

Mushrooms

Vinaigrette

Oatmeal (dry)

Walnuts

Olive Oil

Wasa crackers

Onion

Yam

Oranges

Yogurt (Greek, plain)

Peanut butter Penne (whole wheat) Pistachios

89

15.1 Oatmeal (dry) Almond milk (unsweetened) Blueberries Cinnamon

.66 Cup 1.25 Cups .5 Cup 1 tsp

1 Cup 2 Cups .75 Cup 1 tsp

1.25 Cups 2.25 Cups 1 Cup 1.5 tsp

1.25 Cups 2.5 Cups 1.25 Cups 2 tsp

1.33 Cups 2.66 Cups 1.33 Cups

2 tsp

302 374 546 599 Prepare oatmeal as directed using milk instead of water. Stir in cinnamon and berries. You can substitute berries with one quarter the amount of raisins or equal amount of other fresh fruit.

Hummus Carrots

2.5 Tbsp 1 Cup

3 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

103

136

1 Egg .5 Cup 2 Cups .25 Cup .25 Cup .5 oz 1 Tbsp

1.5 Eggs .75 Cup 2.5 Cups .33 Cup .33 Cup .5 oz 1 Tbsp

640

3.75 Tbsp 4.5 Tbsp 5.5 Tbsp 1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups 2 Cups

168

182

190

No preparation needed.

Egg (hard boiled) Beans (black, pinto, or red, cooked) Spinach Mushrooms Green onion Walnuts (chopped) Vinaigrette

2 Eggs 1 Cup 3 Cups .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 oz 1.25 Tbsp

2 Eggs 1 Cup 3.5 Cups .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 oz 1.5 Tbsp

358 448 465 629 Mix ingredients into a salad. Spinach can be substituted with mixed greens if you prefer.

90

2.5 Eggs 1.25 Cups

4 Cups .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 oz 2 Tbsp

754

15.2 Pistachios Apple

5 Nuts 1 Med

8 Nuts 1 Med

8 Nuts 1.5 Med

123

139

187

1 Item .33 Cup .33 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup .75 oz

1.5 Items .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup .75 oz

12 Nuts 1.5 Med

209

12 Nuts 2 Med

256

No preparation needed.

Tortilla (whole wheat, approx 110 cals each) Rice (brown, black, or wild; cooked) Beans (pinto, black, or red; cooked) Salsa Avocado or guacamole Cheese

1.5 Items .5 Cup .5 Cup .75 Cup .25 Cup .75 oz

1.75 Items .66 Cup .66 Cup .75 Cup .66 Cup .75 oz

2 Items .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 Cup 1 oz

360 461 550 679 750 Assemble ingredients into a burrito. You have the option of adding the cheese which is included in the total calories, feel free to use any kind of cheese that you want; feta was used for our calculations (roughly 75 calories/ounce). It you have the time, try making your own homemade salsa and guacamole – you can find healthy recipes for both at FitnessBlender.com under “Recipes”.

Banana Dark chocolate

.5 Med .66 oz

153 No preparation needed.

91

.5 Med .66 oz

153

1 Med .66 oz

205

1.5 Med 1 oz

309

1.5 Med 1.33 oz

359

16.1 Greek yogurt (plain) Mixed berries Banana Bread (roughly 100 cals/slice)

.5 Cup .33 Cup 1 Med 1 Slice

.66 Cup .5 Cup 1.25 Med 1.5 Slices

.75 Cup .75 Cup 1.5 Med 2 Slices

.75 Cup 1.25 Cups 2 Med 2 Slices

1 Cup 1.25 Cups

2.5 Med 2 Slices

319 437 548 632 733 Layer yogurt, berries, and banana in bowl or glass, eat toast on the side. Add a small amount of vanilla to the yogurt for more of a parfait taste.

Egg Orange Salt & pepper (optional)

1 Egg 1 Med

1 Egg 1 Med

2 Eggs 1 Med

2 Eggs 1 Med

2 Eggs 2 Med

149

149

212

212

256

2 Cups .75 Cups .25 Cup .25 Cup 2 Tbsp 1 Tbsp

2.5 Cups 1 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 2 Tbsp 1.25 Tbsp

3 Cups 1.25 Cups .5 Cup .5 Cup 2.5 Tbsp 1.33 Tbsp

3.5 Cups 1.5 Cups .75 Cup .75 Cup 2.5 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

No preparation needed.

Spinach Beans (cooked) Beets Mushrooms Sunflower or pumpkin seeds Vinaigrette

4 Cups 1.75 Cups

1 Cup 1 Cup 3.5 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

367 450 553 647 777 Assemble ingredients into a salad. Calorie figures represent in-shell sunflower seeds; half the amount if you are substituting pumpkin seeds or hulled sunflower seeds.

92

16.2 Apple Peanut butter

.5 Med .75 Tbsp

.5 Med 1 Tbsp

118

141

4 oz .5 Cup 1 Cup .25 Tbsp

5 oz .75 Cup 1.25 Cups .33 Tbsp

.75 Med 1 Med 1 Med 1.25 Tbsp 1.25 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

189

212

236

No preparation needed.

Turkey (white meat) Yam (baked) Brussel sprouts Olive oil

6 oz 1 Cup 1.5 Cups .5 Tbsp

7 oz 1 Cup 1.66 Cups .66 Tbsp

8 oz 1.33 Cups 1.75 Cups

.75 Tbsp

350 446 564 637 752 Bake turkey and yam in the oven in a covered dish at 350 degrees. Cook turkey and Yam for 50 minutes (or until done). Saute brussel sprouts with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Applesauce Cinnamon

1 Cup .5 tsp

1.33 Cups 1.33 Cups 2 Cups .5 tsp .5 tsp 1 tsp

106 142 142 Add more cinnamon for more flavor; it adds a negligible amount of calories.

93

216

2.5 Cups 1.25 tsp

269

17.1 Almond milk (unsweetened) Banana Mixed berries Chia or flax seeds

.5 Cup 1 Med .75 Cup .5 Tbsp

251

.75 Cup 1 Med 1 Cup 1 Tbsp

354

1 Cup 1 Med 1.5 Cups 1.33 Tbsp

448

1 Cup 1 Med 1.5 Cups 1.5 Tbsp

474

1 Cup 1 Med 2 Cups 2 Tbsp

640

Blend ingredients together until smooth.

Rice cakes Almond butter

1 Cake .5 Tbsp

1.5 Cakes 2 Cakes .75 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

120

181

1 Egg 1 Slice .25 Med .5 Med

1 Egg 1.5 Slices .25 Med 1 Med

292

3 Cakes 2 Tbsp

412

3 Cakes 2 Tbsp

412

No preparation needed.

Egg (scrambled, fried) Bread (whole-wheat, approx 100 cal/slice) Avocado Apple

325 Cook egg, place on toast and top with avocado.

94

423

2 Eggs 2 Slices .25 Med 1 Med

553

2 Eggs 2 Slices .5 Med 1 Med

651

3 Eggs 2 Slices .66 Med 1 Med

793

17.2 Raisins

Chicken breast Broccoli Garlic Penne pasta (whole wheat, cooked) Olive oil Mixed green salad Vinaigrette Salt and pepper (to taste) Italian seasonings (to taste)

.33 Cup

.33 Cup

143

143

4 oz .75 Cup .5 tsp .5 Cup .5 Tbsp 1.5 Cups .75 Tbsp

4 oz 1.5 Cups .75 tsp .5 Cup .75 tsp 2 Cups 1 Tbsp

.33 Cup

143

5 oz 1.5 Cups 1 tsp .75 Cup .75 tsp 2 Cups 1 Tbsp

.33 Cup

143

5 oz 1.5 Cups 1 tsp .75 Cup 1 tsp 2 Cups 1 Tbsp

.33 Cup

143

6 oz 2 Cups 1.5 tsp 1 Cup 1 Tbsp 2 Cups 1 Tbsp

458 542 592 668 780 Assemble as desired, options are: cooking the chicken and broccoli in the seasonings and oil, then adding everything to the cooked penne pasta for a one-dish meal with salad on the side, or, eating everything separate; grilled or baked garlic pepper chicken, plus penne in Italian seasonings, with broccoli and salad on the side.

Greek yogurt (plain) Honey

.5 Cup .5 Tbsp

.75 Cup .5 Tbsp

.75 Cup .75 Tbsp

1 Cup 1 Tbsp

119 162 183 239 Mix honey in with yogurt (calorie estimates based off of approximately 170 calories per cup)

95

1 Cup 1 Tbsp

239

18.1 Egg Tortilla (whole-wheat, approx 110 calories) Black or wild rice (cooked) Black beans (slow cooked) Salsa

1 Egg 1 Item .33 Cup .33 Cup .25 Cup

1 Egg 1 Item .5 Cup .5 Cup .33 Cup

2 Eggs 1 Item .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup

335 416 601 Cook egg and heat up rice and beans. Serve in tortilla and top with salsa.

Apple Almonds

1 Med 5 Nuts

1 Med 10 Nuts

129

198

1 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup .25 Cup

1.5 Cups .75 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup

341

512

1 Med 18 Nuts

219

3 Eggs 1 Item .75 Cup .75 Cup 1 Cup

699

1 Med 22 Nuts

246

3 Eggs 2 Items .75 Cup .75 Cup 1 Cup

809

1 Med 22 Nuts

246

No preparation needed.

Penne pasta (cooked, whole-wheat) Cottage cheese Tomatoes (raw) Broccoli (raw) Mushrooms (raw) Bell or sweet peppers (raw) Black pepper (optional, to taste)

Mix ingredients together and serve cold.

96

1.5 Cups 1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup

575

1.5 Cups 1 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup

575

1.75 Cups 1.25 Cup

.75 Cup .75 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup

675

18.2 Banana

Portobello mushroom cap (grilled) English muffin (whole-wheat) Mozzarella (shredded) Red potatoes Spinach salad Vinaigrette (fat-free)

1 Med

1 Med

110

110

1 Cap 1 Muffin 2 Tbsp 1 Small 2 Cups .75 Tbsp

1 Cap 1 Muffin 3 Tbsp 1 Med 2 Cups .75 Tbsp

1 Med

110

1 Cap 1 Muffin .25 Cup 1.5 Med 2 Cups .75 Tbsp

1 Med

110

2 Caps 2 Muffins .33 Cup 1.5 Med 2 Cups 1 Tbsp

1 Med

110

2 Caps 2 Muffins .33 Cup 2 Med 3 Cups 1.5 Tbsp

390 437 533 735 852 Grill mushroom gill side down. Turn over and add cheese to melt. Top with avocado and serve on muffin with potatoes on the side.

Mango (raw)

.66 Item

81

1 Item

135

97

1.25 Items

169

1.66 Items 2 Items

224

270

19.1 Egg (scrambled or fried) Tomato Lettuce Olive oil Bread (whole wheat) Hot sauce (optional)

1 Egg 1 Med .25 Cup 1 tsp 2 Slices

2 Eggs 1 Med .33 Cup 1.5 tsp 2 Slices

2.5 Eggs 1 Med .5 Cup 1.5 tsp 3 Slices

3 Eggs 1 Med .75 Cup 1.66 tsp 3 Slices

4 Eggs 1 Med 1 Cup 2 tsp 4 Slices

327 410 543 583 761 Use olive oil to cook egg and use bread to make a sandwich, top with lettuce and tomato. Substitute spinach for lettuce if desired.

Banana Peanut butter

.5 Med .66 Tbsp

.75 Med .75 Tbsp

115

149

1 Med .75 Tbsp

176

1 Med 1 Med 1.25 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

223

246

Spread peanut butter on banana.

Tortilla (whole wheat, approx 110 cals each) Hummus Lettuce Tomato (fresh, diced) Avocado (fresh, sliced) Carrots Grapes Salt & pepper (to taste)

1 Item 3 Tbsp .5 Cup 1 Med 4 Tbsp .75 Cup 1 Cup

2 Items 3 Tbsp .5 Cup 1 Med 4 Tbsp .75 Cup 1 Cup

2.5 Items 4 Tbsp .66 Cup 1 Med 4 Tbsp .75 Cup 1 Cup

3 Items 5 Tbsp 1 Cup 1.5 Med 4 Tbsp .75 Cup 1.5 Cups

3 Items 5 Tbsp 1 Cup 1.5 Med .33 Cup 1 Cup 2 Cups

361 471 551 668 746 Make a wrap with the tortilla, hummus, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Eat the carrots & grapes on the side or put them in the wrap as well.

98

19.2 Greek yogurt (plain) Honey (raw) Almonds (raw, unsalted, chopped)

.33 Cup .5 Tbsp 3 Nuts

.5 Cup .75 Tbsp 3 Nuts

.5 Cup 1 Tbsp 4 Nuts

.66 Cup .66 Cup 1.25 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp 5 Nuts 6 Nuts

116

154

187

229

2 Cups 1.5 Cups .5 Cup .75 tsp 1.5 Cups

2.5 Cups 2 Cups .75 Cup 1 tsp 1.75 Cups

3 Cups 2.5 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 tsp 2 Cups

252

Mix honey and almonds into yogurt.

Acorn squash Mushrooms Onion Olive oil Black rice (cooked)

1.5 Cups 1 Cup .25 Cup .5 tsp 1.33 Cups

3.5 Cups 3 Cups 1.75 Cups

1.5 tsp 2 Cups

350 438 533 642 751 Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Roast in a 350°F oven for 30-40 minutes. Cook rice and saute onion and mushrooms then mix rice, onions and mushrooms and fill squash. Use salt and pepper to taste.

Strawberries Dark chocolate

1 Cup .5 oz

1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups .5 oz 1 oz

125 149 225 Eat side by side or melt chocolate over low heat and cover strawberries.

99

1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups 1.25 oz 1.25 oz

275

275

20.1 Banana Egg Cinnamon Vanilla Orange Honey Salt (optional)

.5 Med 1 Egg 1 tsp .5 tsp 1 Med .5 Tbsp

1 Med 2 Eggs 1 tsp .5 tsp 1 Med .66 Tbsp

1 Med 2 Eggs 1 tsp .5 tsp 1 Med .66 Tbsp

1.5 Med 2 Eggs 1.25 tsp 1 tsp 1 Med 1 Tbsp

1.5 Med 3 Eggs 1.25 tsp 1 tsp 1 Med 1 Tbsp

116 371 371 450 513 Mash up banana well; add eggs, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt (optional). Mix well and cook like a pancake. Drizzle honey over banana pancakes.

Wasa cracker Hummus

2 Items 2 Tbsp

3 Items 3 Tbsp

4 Items 4 Tbsp

5 Items 5 Tbsp

6 Items 5 Tbsp

291

326

116

140

233

1 Cup .25 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 oz 1 Tbsp

1.25 Cups .5 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 1 oz 1 Tbsp

1.75 Cups 1 Tbsp 3 Tbsp 1.25 oz 2 Tbsp

No preparation needed.

Rice (black, brown or wild; cooked) Walnuts (chopped) Raisins Feta cheese Green onion (chopped)

2 Cups 1.5 Tbsp 3 Tbsp 1.25 oz 3 Tbsp

318 415 597 676 Fold chopped nuts, raisins, feta, and onion into rice. Serve cold or at room temperature.

100

2 Cups 1.75Tbsp 5 Tbsp 1.5 oz 3 Tbsp

750

20.2 Fruit salad

1 Cup

1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.66 Cups 1.75 Cups

125 156 156 207 218 Combine favorite fruits, suggestions are bananas, pineapples, mango, peach, apricot, blueberries, strawberries, apples, oranges, etc

Beans (black, red, or pinto; slow cooked) Vegetable stir fry (mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, broccoli, garlic, etc) Egg

1 Cup 1.5 Cups

1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups

1.66 Cups 2 Cups 1.75 Cups 2 Cups

2.33 Cups

1 Egg

1 Egg

1 Egg

1 Egg

1 Egg

2.5 Cups

490 600 662 770 907 Saute vegetables in a small amount of olive oil; serve stir fry over beans, top with egg. Add whatever seasonings you prefer for flavor.

Banana Almonds

.75 Med 6 Nuts

120

101

.75 Med 6 Nuts

120

1 Med 10 Nuts

174

1 Med 14 Nuts

202

1 Med 25 Nuts

278

21.1 Banana Oatmeal (dry) Cinnamon (to taste) Vanilla (to taste) Salt (to taste)

1 Med .5 Cup

1 Med .66 Cup

209 269 Prepare oatmeal as directed, top with banana or eat separate.

322

Hummus Carrots

1 Med .33 Cup

.25 Cup 1.5 Cups

1.5 Med 1 Cup

474

1.5 Med 1.25 Cups

618

3 Tbsp 1 Cup

4 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

.33 Cup .5 Cup 1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups

116

160

171

215

1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1 tsp .75 tsp

1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups 1.5 tsp .66 Tbsp

2 Cups 1.75 Cups 2 tsp .75 Tbsp

1.5 Cups 1.5 Tbsp

2.5 Cups 2.5 Cups 1.75 Tbsp 1.75Tbsp

286

Dip carrots in hummus.

Penne (whole-wheat, cooked) Broccoli Garlic (minced) Olive oil Salt & pepper (to taste) Italian seasonings (to taste) Mixed green salad Vinaigrette

1 Cup 1 Cup .5 tsp .5 tsp

1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp

2.25 Cups

2 Cups 2 tsp .75 Tbsp

388 520 629 730 788 Cook pasta as directed. Add broccoli to pasta with 5 minutes left to cook. Drizzle pasta with olive oil and finely minced garlic – add as much fresh garlic as you like, as it adds negligible calorie content. Add Italian seasonings and/or cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, and vinegar for extra flavor.

102

21.2 Greek yogurt (plain) Kiwi

.33 Cup 1 Kiwi

107

.66 Cup 1 Kiwi

160

.66 Cup 1 Kiwi

160

.66 Cup 1 Kiwi

160

1 Cup 1 Kiwi

221

Mix together or eat side by side.

Cod fish (baked) Tortilla (whole wheat, approx 110 cals each) Black or wild rice (cooked) Beans (black, navy, red, or pinto; cooked) Salsa Avocado or guacamole

4 oz 1 Item .33 Cup .33 Cup .25 Cup 6 Tbsp

4 oz 1 Item .5 Cup .5 Cup .33 Cup .5 Cup

6 oz 1 Item .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup .75 Cup

6 oz 1.5 Items .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup .75 Cup

7 oz 1.5 Items .75 Cup .75 Cup .5 Cup .75 Cup

472 578 822 877 907 Assemble ingredients into fish tacos. Suggested spices to add: cumin, chili powder, garlic, cayenne pepper. Add avocado to tacos whole, or make homemade guacamole using the recipe at www.fitnessblender.com.

Grapes Almonds

1 Cup 5 Nuts

96

103

1 Cup 7 Nuts

110

1 Cup 7 Nuts

110

1.5 Cups 10 Nuts

161

1.5 Cups 14 Nuts

189

Week Four

104

Grocery List Almond butter

Chicken (breast)

Penne (whole wheat)

Almond milk (unsweetened) Cilantro

Pepper

Apple

Pistachios

Cinnamon

Applesauce (unsweetened) Cottage cheese (fat-free)

Popcorn (Air-popped)

Asparagus

Dark chocolate

Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Avocado

Egg

Quinoa (cooked)

Banana

Garlic

Rice; wild, brown, or black

Beets

Granola (low-fat)

Rice cakes

Beans (black, red, white, or pinto; dry)

Green onion

Salmon (filet)

Honey

Salsa

Hummus

Salt & pepper

Kiwi

Shredded wheat

Bell Pepper (any color or combo) Blueberries

Lemon juice Bread (multi-grain, or whole wheat, or sprouted, etc, approx Lettuce leaves (Iceberg or 100 cal/slice) Broccoli Brussel sprouts Butternut squash Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cherry tomatoes Chia seeds Chick peas

Spaghetti squash Spinach

Butter)

Tomato

Mango

Tortilla (whole-wheat)

Mixed berries

Vanilla

Mixed greens

Vinaigrette

Mushrooms

Walnuts (chopped)

Oatmeal (dry)

Wasa crackers

Olive Oil

Yam

Onion

Yogurt (Greek, plain)

Orange Peanut butter

105

22.1 Eggs Banana Blueberries Cinnamon Yogurt (Greek, plain) Honey Salt (optional)

1 Egg 1 Small .5 Cup .5 tsp .25 Cup .5 Tbsp

2 Eggs 1 Med .75 Cup .5 tsp .25 Cup .5 Tbsp

2 Eggs 1 Med 1.5 Cups 1 tsp .66 Cup 1 Tbsp

2 Eggs 1.5 Med 1.25 Cups 1 tsp .66 Cup 1 Tbsp

3 Eggs 1.5 Med 1.25 Cups

1.25 tsp .66 Cup 1 Tbsp

302 379 542 592 645 Mash banana very well and then add eggs, cinnamon, and salt (if desired); cook like a pancake. Top pancake with yogurt, honey, and berries. You can substitute berries with an equal amount of other fresh fruit.

Pistachios Banana

5 Nuts 1 Med

7 Nuts 1.25 Med

133

170

1 Tbsp .5 Tbsp 1 Slice 1 Med

1.5 Tbsp .75 Tbsp 1.5 Slices 1 Med

7 Nuts 1.25 Med

170

10 Nuts 1.5 Med

213

12 Nuts 2 Med

277

No preparation needed.

Peanut butter Honey Bread (whole-wheat) Apple

2 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 2 Slices 1 Med

2.25 Tbsp 1.25 Tbsp 2 Slices 1.5 Med

3 Tbsp 1.5 Tbsp 3 Slices 1.5 Med

321 434 547 657 760 Make sandwich with honey and peanut butter. Eat apple on the side. Honey can be substituted for a nosugar added fruit spread.

106

22.2 Cottage cheese (fat-free) Kiwi

.5 Cup 1 Med

146 Mix cottage cheese and kiwi together or eat separate.

Chicken Lemon juice Olive oil Garlic Asparagus Yam

4 oz .75 oz .25 Tbsp .66 tsp .66 Cup 1 Cup

.5 Cup 1 Med

.75 Cup 1 Med

.75 Cup 1.5 Med

146

199

222

5 oz .75 oz .25 Tbsp .66 tsp 1 Cup 1.25 Cups

6 oz 1 oz .5 Tbsp 1 tsp 1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups

7 oz 1.25 oz .75 Tbsp 1.25 tsp 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups

1 Cup 1.5 Med

273

8 oz 1.5 oz 1 Tbsp 1.5 tsp 1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups

385 476 681 681 999 Marinate the chicken breast with lemon, garlic and olive oil in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more, as desired. Grill the chicken for 6 minutes on each side or until done. Bake the yam in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until soft. Steam the asparagus to desired texture.

Dark chocolate Orange

.5 oz 1 Med

128 No preparation needed.

107

.75 oz .75 Med

193

.75 oz .75 Med

193

.75 oz 1 Med

219

.75 oz 1 Med

219

23.1 Egg Spinach Mushroom Green onion Toast (whole-wheat, approx 100 cal/slice) Orange

1 Egg 1 Cup .5 Cup 1 Tbsp 1 Slice 1 Small

1 Egg 1 Cup .5 Cup 1 Tbsp 1.5 Slices 1 Small

233 283 Prepare egg as an omelette, fold in spinach, mushrooms and onion.

Rice cake Almond butter

Spinach Chicken Carrots Tomato Avocado Vinaigrette

1 Cake .75 Tbsp

2 Cakes 1 Tbsp

111

171

2 Cups 3 oz .33 Cup .33 Cup .33 Med 1 Tbsp

3 Cups 4 oz .5 Cup .5 Cup .33 Med 1.5 Tbsp

367

465

Mix everything together in a salad.

108

2 Eggs 1 Cup .5 Cup 2 Tbsp 1.5 Slices 1 Med

398

2 Cakes 1.5 Tbsp

222

3 Cups 4 oz .5 Cup .5 Cup .33 Med 1.5 Tbsp

465

2 Eggs 1 Cup .5 Cup 2 Tbsp 2 Slices 1 Med

448

3 Cakes 2 Tbsp

308

3 Cups 5 oz .66 Cup .66 Cup .5 Med 1.5 Tbsp

586

2 Eggs 1 Cup 1 Cup 3 Tbsp 3 Slices 1 Med

636

3 Cakes 2 Tbsp

308

4 Cups 6 oz .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 Med 1.75Tbsp

723

23.2 Banana Sunflower seeds

1 Med 1 Tbsp

1 Med 3 Tbsp

1.5 Med .5 Cup

1.5 Med .5 Cup

1.5 Med .5 Cup

122 155 292 292 292 Calorie figures represent shelled sunflower seeds; half the amount if you are substituting pumpkin seeds or hulled sunflower seeds.

Spaghetti squash Beans (red, black, white, or pinto; cooked) Cherry tomatoes Garlic Olive oil Bread (whole-wheat)

2 Cups .5 Cup 1 Cup 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 1 Slice

2 Cups 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 1 Slice

2 Cups 1.25 Cups 1 Cup 1.5 tsp 1 Tbsp 2 Slices

2.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1 Cup 1.5 tsp 1.25 Tbsp 2 Slices

3 Cups 1.5 Cups 1 Cup 2 tsp 1.5 Tbsp 2 Slices

426 540 696 801 849 Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Roast in a 400°F oven for 40-50 minutes. Drizzle oil on tomatoes, mix with fresh minced garlic and roast for 10 minutes. Scoop out squash and mix with roasted tomatoes and beans.

Greek yogurt (plain) Mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)

.5 Cup .75 Cup

.66 Cup .75 Cup

140 168 Top yogurt with mixed berries, or blend to make a smoothie.

109

.66 Cup .75 Cup

168

.66 Cup .75 Cup

168

.66 Cup .75 Cup

168

24.1 Oatmeal (dry) Vanilla Cinnamon Walnuts (chopped) Mixed berries

.33 Cup 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 Tbsp 1 Cup

.33 Cup 1 tsp 1 tsp 2 Tbsp 1 Cup

.66 Cup 1.25 tsp 1.25 tsp 2 Tbsp 1.5 Cups

1 Cup 1.5 tsp 1.5 tsp 3 Tbsp 2 Cups

238 287 428 621 Make oatmeal as directed, stir in vanilla & cinnamon, top with berries (fresh or frozen).

Banana

Avocado Chick peas Green onion (chopped) Cilantro (fresh, to taste) Lemon juice (to taste) Toast (whole-wheat) Tomato (sliced)

1 Med

1 Med

110

110

.25 Med .5 Cup 1 Tbsp .25 Cup 1 Tbsp 1 Slice 1 Med

.33 Med .66 Cup 1 Tbsp .25 Cup 1 Tbsp 2 Slices 1 Med

1 Med

110

.5 Med 1 Cup 2 Tbsp .33 Cup 1 Tbsp 2 Slices 1 Med

1 Med

110

.5 Med 1 Cup 2 Tbsp .33 Cup 1 Tbsp 2 Slices 1 Med

1.25 Cups

1.66 tsp 1.66 tsp 4 Tbsp 2 Cups

750

1 Med

110

.66 Med 1.25 Cups

3 Tbsp .33 Cup 1.5 Tbsp 2 Slices 2 Med

351 524 685 685 829 Mash avocado and chick peas together. Mix in onions, cilantro, and lemon juice. Spread on toast and top with tomato slices. Adjust seasonings to meet tastes.

110

24.2 Apple Almond butter

1 Med .5 Tbsp

145

Salmon fillet 4 oz Wild or black rice (cooked) 1 Cup Broccoli (steamed) 1 Cup Beans (black, red, pinto, white; slow cooked) .5 Cup Lemon Juice (to taste)

1 Med 1 Tbsp

196

4 oz 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup

1 Med 1 Med 1 Med 1.33 Tbsp 1.33 Tbsp 1.33Tbsp

230

5 oz 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup

230

6 oz 1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.25 Cups

230

7 oz 1.75 Cups

1.5 Cups 1.25 Cups

456 568 605 755 876 Roast salmon in oven at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes with seasonings of your choice. Prepare rice as directed and steam broccoli. Squeeze lemon over salmon. If you don't have slow cooked beans, canned will also work.

Popcorn (air-popped)

3 Cups

93

111

4 Cups

5 Cups

6 Cups

7 Cups

124

155

186

217

25.1 Shredded wheat (unsweetened) Almond milk (unsweetened) Mixed berries Chia seeds

.75 Cup .5 Cup .75 Cup 1 Tbsp

265 Top shredded wheat with milk, seeds, and berries.

Hummus Wasa crackers

1 Tbsp 2 Items

93

1.25 Cups 1 Cup .74 Cup 1 Tbsp

1.5 Cups 1.33 Cups 1 Cup 2 Tbsp

2 Cups 1.5 Cups 1 Cup 2 Tbsp

365

505

595

715

3 Tbsp 3 Items

3 Tbsp 3 Items

3 Tbsp 3 Items

116

175

175

175

1 Cup 1.5 Cups 1 Tbsp 1 Slice

1.25 Cups 2 Cups 1.25 Tbsp 1 Slice

1.25 Cups 2 Cups 1.25 Tbsp 2 Slices

2 Tbsp 2 Items

2 Cups 2 Cups 1.5 Cups 3 Tbsp

Spread hummus over crackers.

Bean soup Mixed green salad Vinaigrette Bread (whole-wheat, 100 cal/slice)

.75 cup 1.5 Cups 1 Tbsp 1 Slice

1.25 Cups

3 Cups 1.5 Tbsp 2 Slices

370 425 509 609 649 Add a little extra water and generous seasonings of your choice to slow cooked beans (cumin, chili pepper, garlic, etc) to make bean soup, eat salad and bread on the side.

112

25.2 Celery Carrots Peanut butter

.5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Tbsp

1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Tbsp

126

157

1 Cup 1 Egg 1.5 Cups

1.5 Cups 1 Egg 1.5 Cups

1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.66 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 235

283

1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 3 Tbsp 377

Dip veggies into peanut butter.

Black, brown, or wild rice (cooked) Egg Vegetable stir fry (mushrooms, onions, peppers, carrots, etc)

1.75 Cups 2 Cups 2 Cups 1 Egg 2 Eggs 2 Eggs 1.75 Cups 1.75 Cups 2.5 Cups

435 520 591 Cook vegetables in a small amount of olive oil, serve over rice, top with egg.

Banana Almonds

.75 Med 5 Nuts

113

113

1 Med 15 Nuts

209

1 Med 15 Nuts

209

703

1 Med 15 Nuts

209

801

1 Med 26 Nuts

284

26.1 Tortilla (whole-wheat) Peanut butter Banana

1 Wrap 1 Tbsp .75 Med

1 Wrap 2 Tbsp 1 Med

1 Wrap 2 Tbsp 1.5 Med

285 403 456 Spread peanut butter on wrap and top with sliced bananas. Fold up to serve.

Applesauce Cinnamon

.75 Cup .5 tsp

82

1.5 Wraps 1.5 Wraps 2.5 Tbsp 2.5 Tbsp 1.5 Med 1.5 Med

558

558

1.33 Cups 1.33 Cups 1.75 Cups 2 Cups .75 tsp .75 tsp 1 tsp 1.33 tsp

144

144

.5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Egg 3 Tbsp 1 Kiwi

.75 Cup .5 Cup 2 Eggs 3 Tbsp 1 Kiwi

189

217

Stir cinnamon into applesauce.

Quinoa (cooked) Yam Egg Avocado Kiwi

.5 Cup .5 Cup 1 Egg 3 Tbsp 1 Kiwi

1 Cup 1 Cup 2 Eggs .33 Med 1 Kiwi

1 Cup 1 Cup 2 Eggs .33 Med 1 Kiwi

353 353 469 640 640 Prepare quinoa as directed, flavor with your favorite seasonings and top with egg and avocado, eat yam & kiwi on the side.

114

26.2 Greek yogurt (plain) Granola

Beans (black, pinto, or red; slow cooked) Chicken breast Cauliflower Brussel sprouts Onions Olive oil Salt & pepper (to taste)

.5 Cup 3 Tbsp

.66 Cup .25 Cup

1 Cup .33 Cup

1 Cup .33 Cup

140

185

264

264

.5 Cup 4 oz .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Tbsp

.75 Cup 5 oz .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Tbsp

1.25 Cups 5 oz .75Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Tbsp

1.33 Cups 6 oz .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Tbsp

1.33 Cups

.66 Cup

417

1.33 Cups

7 oz 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Tbsp

411 549 680 743 847 Bake chicken breast; saute cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and onions in olive oil for a vegetable stir fry and serve along with beans on the side.

Popcorn Dark chocolate

3 Cups .25 oz

131

115

4 Cups .25 oz

5 Cups .33 oz

5 Cups .5 oz

6 Cups .75 oz

162

205

231

300

27.1 Egg Tortilla (whole wheat) Rice (black, brown, or wild; cooked) Beans (cooked) Salsa (homemade)

1 Egg 1 Item .5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup

2 Eggs 1 Item .5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup

2 Eggs 1.5 Items .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup

2 Eggs 2 Items .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 Cup

3 Eggs 2 Items .75 Cup .75 Cup .66 Cup

326 462 535 698 769 Heat beans and rice then cook eggs as desired. Serve in a tortilla to make a breakfast burrito, top with salsa.

Apple Almond

.5 Med 8 Nuts

.75 Med 10 Nuts

1 Med 12 Nuts

1.5 Med 12 Nuts

103

140

177

225

1.5 Cups .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 1 oz 1 Tbsp

1.66 Cups .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup 1.25 oz 1.25 Tbsp

1.75 Cups 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup 1.5 oz 1.25 Tbsp

2 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.25 Cups 1.66 oz 1.5 Tbsp

342

453

546

643

1.5 Med 16 Nuts

252

No preparation needed.

Spinach (fresh) Corn (fresh or thawed frozen) Beets (boiled, sliced) Mushrooms (fresh, sliced) Pumpkin Seeds Vinaigrette

Use ingredients to assemble a salad.

116

2.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 1.5 Cups 2 oz 1.5 Tbsp

752

27.2 Rice cake Avocado Salt and pepper (optional)

1 Cake .25 Med

2 Cakes .25 Med

3 Cakes .33 Med

3 Cakes .33 Med

133 168 234 234 Top rice cakes with avocado slices, flavor with pepper and a small amount of salt, if desired.

Beans (cooked) Onion Bell pepper Butternut squash (cubed) Walnuts Purple cabbage Hot sauce (optional)

1 Cup .33 Cup .33 Cup .33 Cup .125 Cup 2 Leaves

1.25 Cups .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .125 Cup 3 Leaves

1.25 Cups .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .25 Cup 3 Leaves

1.5 Cups .75 Cup .75 Cup .75 Cup .25 Cup 4 Leaves

3 Cakes .33 Med

234

1.5 Cups 1 Cup 1 Cup 1 Cup .33 Cup 5 Leaves

368 450 546 639 739 Cook onion, pepper, and squash in a non stick pan until squash is soft (squash will cook faster if cubed). Stir in walnuts and beans. Salt and pepper to taste and spoon into cabbage leaves to eat like a taco.

Greek yogurt (plain) Vanilla Almonds (chopped)

.5 Cup 1 tsp 3 Nuts

.5 Cup 1 tsp 6 Nuts

120 141 Mix everything together for a healthy vanilla almond parfait.

117

.5 Cup 1 tsp 6 Nuts 141

.5 Cup 1 tsp 6 Nuts

1 Cup 1.5 tsp 10 Nuts

141

260

28.1 Oatmeal (dry) Almond milk (unsweetened) Applesauce (unsweetened) Cinnamon Vanilla Chia Seeds

.5 Cup 1 Cup .25 Cup 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 Tbsp

.5 Cup 1 Cup .25 Cup 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 Tbsp

.75 Cup 1.25 Cups .5 Cup 2 tsp 2 tsp 2 Tbsp

1 Cup 2 Cups .75 Cup 2 tsp 2 tsp 2 Tbsp

1 Cup 2 Cups .75 Cup 2 tsp 2 tsp 3 Tbsp

303 303 511 647 717 Use the almond milk to prepare oatmeal as directed, then mix in applesauce, cinnamon, vanilla, and chia seeds.

Eggs (hard-boiled) Apple Salt and pepper (optional)

1 Egg .5 Med

2 Eggs .5 Med

2 Eggs 1 Med

2 Eggs 1 Med

2 Eggs 1 Med

119

190

238

238

238

1 Item 2 Tbsp .5 Cup 1 Med .33 Med .75 Cup

1.5 Items 3 Tbsp .75 Cup 1 Med .33 Med .75 Cup

No preparation needed.

Tortilla (whole-wheat) Hummus Lettuce Tomato (diced) Avocado (diced) Carrots (chopped)

2 Items 4 Tbsp 1 Cup 1.5 Med .33 Med 1 Cup

3 Items 5 Tbsp 1 Cup 1.5 Med .33 Med 1 Cup

3 Items 6 Tbsp 1 Cup 3 Med .5 Med 1 Cup

346 426 528 661 762 Make a wrap with the tortilla, hummus, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Eat the carrots on the side or put them in the wrap as well.

118

28.2 Banana Peanut butter

.5 Med .5 Tbsp

.75 Med .75 Tbsp

100

149

.75 Cup .33 Cup .33 Cup .33 Cup .33 Cup .33 Cup 2.5 Cups .5 Tbsp

.75 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 3 Cups .75 Tbsp

1 Med 1 Tbsp

199

1 Med 1 Tbsp

199

1 Med 1.5 Tbsp

246

Spread peanut butter over banana.

Penne (whole wheat) Onions Mushrooms Carrots Corn Beans (cooked) Mixed greens Vinaigrette Olive oil (as needed, depending on vegetable serving size) Garlic (to taste) Salt and pepper (to taste)

.75 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 3 Cups .75 Tbsp

1 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup .5 Cup 3.5 Cups 1 Tbsp

1 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup .66 Cup 4 Cups 1 Tbsp

424 535 535 628 717 Cook pasta as directed. Stir fry together equal parts onions, mushrooms, carrots, corn and black beans using a small of cooking oil to prevent sticking (accounted for in caloric totals above). Top pasta with stir fry, or eat side by side. Add garlic, salt, and pepper – or any other spices you prefer – to taste.

Dark Chocolate Orange

.5 oz .5 Med

119 No preparation needed.

119

.75 oz 1 Med

200

.75 oz 1 Med

200

1 oz 1 Med

238

1.5 oz 1 Med

314

Most Common Questions Q&A Most Common Questions about this program, eating clean, and weight loss We have tackled just about every question that might possibly pop up regarding healthy eating and how to use this meal plan in this Question & Answer Section. Even if you don't feel like you initially have any questions, there is a wealth of helpful information in this section. Please check this list before contacting us with questions, as we are typically unable to answer individual inquiries because of our small two-man team. It's also important to realize that your personal health care provider is the only individual who can give you specific health advice and instruction, for reasons of your safety, as well as licensing laws, scope of practice limitations, and liability. What if I don't have access to some of the foods listed in the menus? Depending on where you live, it may be a challenge to find some of the food items in this meal plan. If you can't get a hold of an ingredient, we recommend finding a substitute of a similar macronutrient ratio and allotting for approximately the same amount of caloric intake from that particular ingredient. For example, if you know the rough macronutrient (carbs, proteins, and fats) ratio, of a food, you can find a food of a similar makeup and calorie content as a substitute. There are many different free apps and online programs that can do this work for you. What if I have an allergy to one or more of the ingredients in the program? This meal plan has been developed with the general population in mind and it does not take into account any kind of food allergies. If you have food allergies, it's especially important to talk to your doctor before you start any kind of meal plan. If you are allergic to an item that we use in this program, we suggest choosing a food alternative that has a similar carbohydrate, fat, protein makeup, and eating approximately the same amount of calories so that there is no inadvertent calorie surplus or shortage. The chapter in this book on modifications covers many different options for people who are working around food allergies, as well as many different alternatives to the food you may be allergic to. How do I know which calorie allotment is right for me? Your ideal calorie intake will depend on your goals, and your activity levels, and that number may vary from day to day. Use the calculations in the preceding chapters to get a rough idea of what calorie allotment in this plan might be best for your goals. 120

What should I do if the calorie allotment I picked leaves me hungry or feels like too much food? We are strong advocates for listening to your body, and we want you to learn to balance your technical calorie needs, with the messages your body is sending you. We don't want you to feel uncomfortably hungry or full during this meal plan. If you are feeling like the calorie plan you chose has you feeling extreme feelings of hunger or fullness, the best thing to do is reevaluate the calorie plan you're following. Choosing a different calorie allotment doesn't mean you wont reach your goals, it will just change the date that you reach them – which is way better than not reaching your goals at all because you have picked a calorie allotment that is unrealistic and too drastic to stick to. Moving from one calorie allotment to another will have a relatively insignificant effect on your results, but possibly a game changing effect on your ability to stick with the plan. Slow and steady wins this race. What should I do if I can't eat all of the food laid out for me in my calorie plan? The foods in this plan allow you to eat a lot of food for your calorie value. If you find that you have picked a calorie plan that leaves you feeling uncomfortably full, or like you can't finish eating the amount that you're supposed to, you have a couple of different options. You can either move down one step in calorie allotments, or, you can break up your meals so that you are essentially snacking all day long. For example, you can save the part of a large meal that you feel you cannot comfortably finish eating, and eat that later in the day (this would be a particularly good option if you are trying to use this plan for weight gain). Can I switch back and forth between different calorie allotments? Yes. Technically, your calorie needs vary from day to day. If there is a day where you know that you are going to be more physically active than normal (or sedentary, for that matter), you can adjust your intake in order to accommodate your needs. There is nothing wrong with sticking to just one plan, either, and that will work just as well as long as you make sure that on average you create the deficit associated with your specific weight goals. Aren't these calorie allotments too high? Won't I gain weight if I eat 2000 calories? In short; no, not at all. People tend to underestimate the number of calories that 121

they need to consume, but also underestimate the number of calories they actually consume. Just for example, a person may be likely to think that they need to eat just 1300 calories a day to lose weight, but they actually miscalculate the calories they consume, and end up taking in 1900 calories a – which is still not very many calories. However, if you think that you are taking in 1300 calories but you're actually taking in 600 more than that, that's where the issue comes in, and where you are likely to struggle with losing weight. The absolute minimum number of calories that you should eat each day is 1200. Any less than that and you are risking your health, and making it likely that you slow your metabolism down, creating a situation where it's very difficult to stay lean. If you are doing any kind of physical activity at all, even just bare minimum activity, your calorie needs go up from there. It is completely possible to lose weight on 2000 calories a day, and in fact those seemingly high calorie allotments are probably still fewer than you're used to taking in (due to the fact that the vast majority of the population significantly underestimates their consumption). Depending, of course, on your actual daily expenditure, you may see better results by choosing what seems to be a higher calorie allotment, because you wont feel like you're starving, which will make it more likely that you adhere to this plan and stick with these habits long term. Remember, you don't want fast results, you want lasting results. What if I am between calorie allotments, or my desired intake is not listed as an option? There are two different options if your needs fall somewhere in between two of our plans. The first option is to alternate between two plans in order to create the average deficit or surplus that leads to you reaching your goals. For example, if you have found that you need 1600 calories to reach your goals, you can alternate back and forth between the 1400 and 1800 calorie plans (every other day would be ideal) in order to create the deficit or surplus you're after. This is the easiest option if you find that you want a different calorie plan outside of the 1400, 1800, 2200, 2600, and 3000 calorie plans. The next option is to choose the calorie plan that's closest to meeting your needs, and altering the ingredients slightly in order to create lower or higher calorie meals and snacks. This one leaves more room for error, so we recommend the first option. Isn't it bad to snack so much? Isn't it bad to snack after dinner? Snacking all through the day keeps your metabolism high and your blood sugar 122

levels even. Snacking often prevents extreme hunger, which can lead to binges and/or poor nutrition choices. Done properly, as demonstrated in this meal plan, snacking can go a long ways in helping you lose weight. A large part of the reason why after-dinner or late-night snacking gets a bad reputation is because it tends to be on unhealthy foods. People tend to be less likely to reach for clean foods late at night. There is no magic time in the evening where calories are worth more, and late night snacking will not thwart your progress, especially if you are eating the allotted foods and portions listed in this program. What should I do if I am not just cooking for myself, but for an entire family? In terms of making sure that you are consuming approximately the calories per meal that your calorie plan calls for, there may be some guesswork for some of these dishes – for example, a vegetable stir fry where you have prepared a large batch together. We don't expect you to measure out .5 cups onion, .5 cup mushroom, and so on, separate from your family's stir fry. When it comes to tracking your own calorie intake despite having altered the serving size of the foods in order to feed a family, we recommend not obsessing, but instead to aim to serve yourself roughly the recommended serving size of each ingredient or item, in roughly the same ratios. Regard the amount of food that the plan called for in a single serving, and dish up your plate to reflect the approximate amount of consumption, for each item. Remember, this plan is not intended to help you micromanage and scrutinize every single calorie that you eat for the rest of your life – part of the idea of this plan is that you start to learn what a healthy, well balanced meal looks like visually, so that you can apply that information to maintain weight and benefit from your healthy eating in your every day life. Though portions will vary, all of the meals and snacks in this program are appropriate for a group, by just increasing the serving size of each ingredient or food item. There is no reason why your family should be eating unhealthily while you go on a “diet” – remember, that's exactly what this plan isn't. You aren't on a diet, you are changing the way you eat for the rest of your life (excluding the occasional cheat or treat day). Do the best that you can in order to get your loved ones on board, because you want them to live long, healthy lives as well. There is a lot of helpful information about cooking and following this meal plan with a family in the chapters of this book. 123

How can I measure .66 cups, .75 cups, .5 tablespoons, .75 tsp, etc? All of the allotments that we have used in this plan are ones that you will find with typical inexpensive kitchen measuring sets. In order to follow this plan easily you will want one for cups; .25 cup (¼ cup), .33 cup (1/3 cup), .5 cup (½ cup), .66 cup (2/3 cup), .75 cup (¾ cup), and 1 cup, and the same, for both teaspoons and tablespoons. If you don't already have them, each of these sets are usually easily found for as little as a couple of dollars a piece in any grocery. It should be noted that with spices, you can always change the measurements to meet your tastes, and with fruits and vegetables, you don't have to obsess over exact measurements, just try to get close to what your plan calls for. What if I don't have time to prepare the meals as instructed? Meal prep becomes essential when you have a busy schedule or limited access to a kitchen during the day. We recommend always looking ahead in the plan by at least a few days in order to spot meals or snacks that may require some preparation. When you see instances where you know the meal prep will conflict with your schedule, plan on cooking and packing that food ahead of time so that you will have your meal on hand and ready when you need it. Many of the snacks and meals are easy to prepare and pack, but when they aren't, you can always do the work a day or two ahead, and the food will keep if properly stored and refrigerated. How often can I have cheat or treat meals or days and what things can I eat? We recommend that you limit your cheat meals to once every ten days if you are using this plan to try and lose weight, and once every seven days if you are trying to maintain or gain weight. Engaging in any kind of cheat meal during this plan is completely optional, but if you time them right it can be a very easy way to attend special events, evenings out, and the like, without having to worry about sticking to this meal plan or your daily calorie allotment. Indulging in a cheat meal typically means that you can eat whatever you wish for that small period of time, however, it's a good idea to try and clean up your cheat meals. Healthy food can be delicious, and there are plenty of meals that feel like a cheat, but are not overly “dirty” in terms of ingredients. As often as possible, try to make your cheats relatively clean. There is an entire chapter dedicated to cheat meals in this book where you can find out how often you can cheat and still meet your goals, as well as what to do 124

right after a cheat meal. Be sure and read that chapter for more information. Can I rearrange these snacks throughout the day to work with my schedule? To keep things simple, we recommend following the plan as it is laid out, however, there are some minor rearrangements that you can do to make this plan maximally beneficial for you, personally. For example, you may want to move some of the higher carbohydrate snacks to take place 90-120 minutes before your workout session, whenever that may take place. In order to make sure that you're still following the plan accurately, you will want to make sure that you only rearrange; move the snacks around in terms of schedule but don't alter the meal or snack content or portion, just exchange the place of one for the other, and have each of those snacks or meals at a different time in the day. Can I rearrange meal plan days to meet my needs? Though it's best to follow the plan, if you are willing to put in the extra effort to track information and make sure that you are still following the plan (just in a different order), you can rearrange days to meet your needs. For example, if you were to have an unusually long work day, you could switch to a day in the week's plan that had foods that required less work to prepare and eat. When should I eat? What time should I eat my meals, snacks? Breakfast should be eaten shortly after you wake up, and the first snack should be eaten roughly 2 hours after that. Lunch should be another couple hours after that first snack, and so on – basically you aren't going any longer 2-3 hours without food. The exact times of those meals and snacks will depend on your personal schedule and needs. Where does coffee, soda, tea or juice fit into this meal plan? Black coffee adds an insignificant amount of calories (just a couple per cup), and may be enjoyed throughout this plan without having to make any other changes to your intake. The same is true of tea. In terms of juices, teas, and coffees that are not plain, you would have to take into consideration the calories that they will add to your daily intake. Make sure to avoid fake sweeteners, if you are tempted to choose any calorie-free versions of these drinks. Can I drink alcohol while I follow this meal plan? Alcohol should be consumed in moderation, and it should be viewed as a sort of a cheat. If you enjoy a glass or red wine regularly, you can continue to do so but you will have to consider the calorie value of that wine when choosing a meal 125

plan. For example, if you were going to follow the intake plan of 2200 calories, you would want to eat 2100 calories of food from the meal plan, in order to account for that 100 calories of wine. I would like to eat more meat than is listed in this meal plan, how can I do that? We have designed this plan to be healthy and balanced in terms of carbohydrate, fat, and protein ratios, so there is no need to add additional protein. However, if you just want more meat for taste preferences, you can drop to the next calorie allotment down from the one you were planning on following, and then add a healthy meat option (chicken, fish, pork) on top of that lower calorie allotment, in order to bring it back up to the amount you were intending to consume. Since this meal plan uses meat infrequently, am I going to be short on protein? It is incredibly unlikely that any person would not meet their protein needs while following this program. Contrary to the inaccurate information pushed by companies and many online sites looking to profit from this myth, the vast majority of people (particularly in the US) already have a significant surplus of protein in their diets. Excess protein intake puts unnecessary strain on the body, and can actually be very dangerous. The way we have this plan laid out provides plenty of protein for an active individual. I don't eat dairy at all, how can I cut it out of this plan? If you don't eat dairy at all, you can always substitute non-dairy alternatives, making sure that those alternatives use clean ingredients. We also offer vegan plans, which are completely free of dairy products. What if I don't like almond milk? Can I use regular milk? You can use whatever kind of milk you want; dairy, rice, soy, coconut, etc. Unsweetened almond milk (can be plain or vanilla flavored), that is frequently used throughout this plan is roughly 30 calories per cup, so you will want to choose an alternative that is similar in caloric content, or account for that as you consider your consumption. What if I am having a meal at a buffet, barbeque, party, or restaurant? If you have a meal where you wont be able to pick your ingredients in order to follow this plan, just keep your food choices clean, and then return right back to this meal plan for the next meal. You also have the option of using your cheat meal that this plan allows – read more about how to do that in the preceding chapters of this book.

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What if I am going on vacation? It would be very hard to stick to a meal plan while traveling. If you very rarely get to vacation, we recommend that you enjoy yourself, and jump into this meal plan once you return home, especially if your vacation spans less than a week. If you are traveling often, or for an extended time period, you may want to consider putting in the effort to stick to this plan while you're traveling. I took a couple of days off from the meal plan, what should I do? Jump right back in. If it has been less than five days since you followed the plan diligently, start back into the day that you left off with. If it has been longer than five days, you may want to start over at day one. Healthy food is expensive; what if I don't have money for the things on the grocery list? We understand that food cost can be a real issue, especially when feeding a family, that's why we suggest doing the best you can to make the healthiest choices you can for each situation. Be sure to read chapters 5 and 8 to help you make the right choices for your individual situation and needs. I live with my family and my parents/guardians eat unhealthily. What should I do? Eating well in a house full of people who don't can be difficult. The best thing you can do is try and slowly educate the others in your house as to why you want to eat differently and hopefully get them on board with you or at least help you get ahold of the foods you want. The food tastes boring to me, what can I do? Can I add my own spices to these dishes? When you first switch to this type of primarily plant based diet after eating a lot of processed foods, especially snack foods, these dishes can seem a bit bland in comparison. Adding your own spices or more spices than we call for is an easy way to increase the flavor of the dishes without adding extra calories. Just be sure to use the salt sparingly. Why are there so many beans in this program? What if I don't like them? Beans are filling, very inexpensive, and very healthy. They are easy to prepare and are great a great go-to addition to any meal of the day. They're high in fiber, protein, and a number of different vitamins and antioxidants. We recommend investing in a slow cooker (typically found in a big box grocery for anywhere from $12-30) and using dry beans (which are incredibly cheap) to make your own beans throughout this Meal Plan. That way you save even more 127

money, and you can control all of the ingredients and sodium content (versus canned beans) – plus they taste better homemade! While they take longer to cook, it takes very little prep time and the leftovers are easy to reheat and reuse. You can find an easy slow cooked beans recipe at FitnessBlender.com under Recipes. If you don't have the time, energy, or desire to make your own slow cooked beans, you always have the option of purchasing canned. If you really dislike beans overall, lentils, potatoes, yams, rice, or whole wheat pastas, are all relatively suitable replacements. Why are there so many eggs in this program? What if I don't like/don't eat them? Eggs are a very cheap, very high quality source of protein. They are easily prepared and easily accessible. If you are worried about the cholesterol content of eggs, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting this plan, but typically the accompanying high amount of fruit and vegetables evens things out. If you don't like or don't eat eggs, some of the suitable alternatives for this plan might be chia seeds, flax seeds, tofu, chicken or pork, tuna fish, etc. (depending on the recipe); another source of lean protein. If you have an allergy to eggs, you may want to check out our vegan version of this meal plan. I don't like or eat ________ listed in this plan, what should I do? Likes & dislikes Everyone has their own food preferences, so it would not be unlikely that you dislike at least one food used in this program. Do what you can to replace the foods you don't like with a healthy food of a similar carbohydrate, fat, protein ratio, and of a similar calorie content. Do I need to shop organic? Ideally, yes, however, we understand that shopping organic can be very expensive. There are some foods that are more important to shop organic than others (listed below). Don't feel discouraged if you can't afford organic foods, as eating the regular versions of fruits and vegetables are still better than eating packaged, processed foods. If cost is an barrier, here are the foods termed the “dirty dozen”, though it should be noted that these foods are relatively regularly cycled out & replaced with different items: apples, nectarines, peaches, bell peppers, potatoes, celery, spinach, strawberries, lettuce, cherries, grapes, and pears. Are these serving sizes for cooked or uncooked foods? 128

Usually the calorie content reflects cooked foods – for example, a cup of cooked rice, beans, or oatmeal. The plan will always indicate whether you should measure for cooked or uncooked food. The grocery lists are huge! Do I really need to buy all that stuff? We have tried to make the grocery lists incredibly thorough, but if you look through the lists, you're going to find that you probably already have a lot of these things in your kitchen (salt, pepper, oatmeal, etc). It's a good idea to take a rough inventory of your kitchen, and cross off the things that you already have, before you go shopping. After the Week 1 Grocery List, all of the following weeks list things that you will find in the Meal Plan over the course of the next week – it does not necessarily mean that you need to buy more of that item – be sure to check the list for food items that you have leftover from the previous week. Especially things that tend to be purchased in large quantities and keep for a while; oatmeal, uncooked pastas, salad dressing, honey, nuts, spices, dry beans, etc. When it comes to the few packaged foods in this program, can I make them at home? Definitely! If you have the time and resources to make homemade bread, and the like, go for it. It's always healthier to cook at home, where you have precise control over what does and doesn't go into your food. What should I do once I have followed the entire 4 weeks of this meal plan? There is enough variety in this meal plan that it is completely okay to repeat this program a couple of times through. We especially recommend repeating this plan if you have a ways to go to meet your health and weight loss goals. If you are new to clean eating and need the extra guidance of a plan, there is benefit in repeating this meal plan more than once. With that said, our hope with this meal plan is that you pay attention as you work your way through it, and that you read all of the information in these chapters in order to learn how to eat in order to properly fuel your body.

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Disclaimer This program has been built for healthy individuals with no health contraindications. It has not been customized to cater to any individual, regardless of their age, weight, allergies, nutritional needs, personal health, health conditions, cooking experience, health risks, past, current or future injuries, illnesses, or diseases. Meet with your doctor and get complete medical clearance before beginning this or any other meal plan. The owners of Fitness Blender and authors of this program have no medical experience or titles whatsoever and cannot suggest which foods or meal plans or programs may work specific to an individual’s health status or conditions. If and when you follow the meal plans in this program, or the program itself, you do so at your own risk. NEITHER FITNESS BLENDER (FB) NOR ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS OR SPONSORS ARE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY LOSS OR INJURY OR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES UNDER ANY CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHER THEORY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO (i) THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITES, eBOOKS, ANY FORM OF LITERATURE, CONTENT, OR PUBLICATIONS, OR THE SERVICES; (ii) ANY CONTENT CONTAINED ON THE SITES AND/OR THE SERVICES; (iii) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT POSTED OR MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ON THE SITES AND/OR THE SERVICES; (iv) ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE PURCHASED OR OBTAINED THROUGH THE SITES OR PUBLICATIONS; (v) ANY ACTION TAKEN IN RESPONSE TO OR AS A RESULT OF ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE SITES , PUBLICATIONS, OR THE SERVICES; (vi) ANY DAMAGE CAUSED BY LOSS OF ACCESS TO, DELETION OF, FAILURE TO STORE, FAILURE TO BACK UP, OR ALTERATION OF ANY CONTENT ON THE SITES OR THE SERVICES, or (vii) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SITES, LITERATURE, CONTENT, PUBLICATIONS, AND/OR THE SERVICES. IN NO EVENT SHALL FB'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY AND ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, AND CAUSES OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT [INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE], STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE) EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, FOR USING ANY OF THE SERVICES OR THE SITES. Professional Advice Disclaimer THE SITE FITNESSBLENDER.COM AND IT’S eBOOKS AND VARIOUS OTHER PUBLICATIONS OFFER HEALTH, FITNESS, EXERCISE, AND NUTRITIONAL 130

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