The Basics

Clean Out Your Kitchen
Seriously. We do not have self-control. It's simple. Don’t keep tantalizing foods in the house. Gather the boxes of mac n cheese and the artificial sweeteners -- ALL refined, packaged foods (bread, pasta, cookies, sodas, rice and cereals). Bag it up and drop it off at a food bank. Trust me. This may be the hardest part but let's face it -- it's NOT THAT HARD!

Time to Shop!
Time to fill up your pantry with good food (and by good, i mean healthy mouth-watering, delicious).

Protein: Typically grass fed or wild caught. Unfortunately, those options aren't always available. Standard options are fine. Meat: Pork, beef, lamb. Water: Trout, salmon, shrimp, crab. Winged: Chicken, turkey, duck, ostrich. 

Vegetables: Try to buy local and organic but don't break the bank. Shop with the season in mind (better known as: what is on sale).

Fruit: If your goal is weight loss. Try to cut back on your fruit intake. Let's say 1/2 - 1 serving a day.

Fats: Coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, avocado (oil too!), almonds, walnuts. Again, if you are trying to lose weight, cut back to 1-2 oz. a day.

Other: Marinara sauce, herbs, spices, fresh garlic (please don't buy jarred!), cilantro, chili powder, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cumin, and oregano. Stock up on herbs and spices.

Cook (you can do it!) 

Most of your meals should begin to look a little something like this:
-- 4-8 oz of lean protein like chicken, lean beef, seafood or turkey.

-- A serving of vegetables (raw, steamed, or cooked -- whatever you like best).

-- Flavor your meal with good fats like avocado or olive oil or even a handful nuts... almonds, pecans, macadamias or walnuts (un-salted).

Say WHAT? Here's the Bottom Line...
• 3-4 meals per day

• Protein with every meal
• Limit fruit to 1 serving if fat loss is a goal
• Limit nuts to 1-2 oz if fat loss is a goal
• Beverages: coffee, water and tea. Unsweetened. Sorry, stevia and splenda are a no-go.

Move Your Body!

Get outside, stay inside -- wherever you are -- move!  Take a walk (walk in place), grab some weights, turn up the tunes and dance. Do something!

Catch Some ZzZzZz's! 

Do not do anything for around 45 minutes to an hour before bed (no video games, no tv, no lights. Just you and your dark room). Get AT LEAST 8 hours of sleep. You will wake up feeling refreshed.