I am SO EXCITED about the newest addition to the Shakeology family!  As of today,  you can purchase Tropical Strawberry Shakeology!  They made a couple changes to this formula and it is VEGAN!   This means there are no animal products or by-products at all.  This formulation is ideal for those that cannot tolerate whey protein, animal products, dairy, soy, or wheat / gluten.  The biggest change is that they replaced the grade 7 whey protein isolates with the most advanced (and highest bio-availability) vegan protein available in the world. Shakeology Tropical now uses a blend of Plant Based proteins with the main protein being fermented sprouted brown rice protein.  With the changes they made to this formula, they have created a new brand of nutrition called the “Beachbody Ultimate” brand.  This brand will be placed on all the products that literally have PERFECT nutrition.  There is more to come with this brand including a cleanse system that will be available in March!

Here is the Tropical Strawberry Shakeology Review :

**UPDATE** Tropical Strawberry Shakeology is available now!  CLICK HERE

Want to Change the Way You Look and Feel?

Here are the benefits WE’VE EXPERIENCED and you can expect if you drink it every day:

• Reduced cravings for junk food (especially sugar/sweets)
• Natural energy (not from stimulants!)  I was able to come off my narcolepsy medication!
• Regulated blood-sugar levels (great for diabetics!)
• Reduced body fat
• Reduced cholesterol
• Reduced blood pressure
• Reduced bloating and inflammation
• Improved digestion

Where do the Shakeology Ingredients come from?

A few other exciting changes

1. You’ll notice the new “Beachbody Ultimate” branding on this product. This means that the ingredients have THE HIGHEST bio-availability of any ingredients in the world! When you want THE BEST and don’t want to compromise, look for Beachbody Ultimate!
2. The Proprietary Plant-Based Protein Blend provides all 9 amino acids and is a smooth, creamy texture without the grittiness associated with vegan proteins.  The proteins include:
   • Raw, sprouted, bio-fermented brown rice protein
     
   • Sacha Inchi
   • Chia
   • Flax
   • Quinoa
   • Amaranth
   • Spirulina
3. Shakeology Tropical is no longer sweetened with fructose.
4. The Tropical Strawberry flavor has a few more ingredients:
   • Konjac Root: Contains glucomannan, a soluble dietary fiber that absorbs 200 times its weight in water. What that does is slow down how quickly the stomach empties after a meal so you feel fuller longer. It also promotes satiety for reduced cravings.
   • Himalayan Salt: The stuff is completely natural, free from toxins, relatively untouched, and as a result, still contains more than 70 trace minerals. Himalayan salt actually helps to contribute to the sweetness of a product as well.
   • Luo Han Guo: This is a low-calorie, low glycemic fruit that lends complex sweetness to foods. It is traditionally used in Asia for medicinal purposes. It works as and antioxidant and help support the immune system. The low-glycemic nature of Luo Han guo helps maintain health blood sugar levels and aids in weight loss.
   • Coconut Flower Nectar: A naturally sweet, nutrient-rich nectar that comes from coconut blossoms. It contains amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, and a broad spectrum of B vitamins. This too is naturally low on the glycemic index which means that it will produce a slow energy release instead of a spike and crash in energy. This ingredients is also sustainably sourced.
5. SUMA root has been removed from this formula (this was a concern for some people because the ingredient causes false positives on athlete drug testing)
6. All Isolates have been removed from Tropical Strawberry.  All the nutrients, vitamins and minerals come from WHOLE FOODS
7. Here are the nutritional facts of Tropical Strawberry Shakeology:  Ingredients and Nutritional Information for Shakeology Tropical Strawberry Flavor Download PDF

So what about the taste of Tropical Shakeology?

I have tried it and it is delicious! It’s a great alternative to Chocolate and Greenberry.  If you are someone that just doesn’t like chocolate THIS would be the one I recommend.  I have a feeling this flavor will become my new favorite!  If you are serious about purchasing if you like the taste of the Tropical Strawberry Shakeology, then be sure to request a sample here:  REQUEST YOUR TROPICAL STRAWBERRY SHAKEOLOGY SAMPLE

How much does Shakeology Tropical cost?

Because of the super premium brown-rice protein, the cost of Shakeology tropical is $129 per month (which is just over $4/day) compared to $120 for Chocolate/Greenberry Shakeology. Some people may think that’s expensive for a “supplement” but this is not a supplement, it is a meal replacement shake with more nutrition than you can get in any meal! It’s PURE NUTRITION. Since you are replacing food you are currently eating, you can cut back on groceries, eating out, coffee, energy drinks, etc and will probably save money. I was skeptical about price originally so I took advantage of the 30 day money back guarantee and tried it for 30 days. I realized I was actually saving money by not going out to eat for breakfast / lunch spending $8-12 per meal!  Even if it wasn’t a savings for me, I would make sure I found a way to incorporate Shakeology in my nutrition.  The health benefits are priceless!  I no longer need Narcolepsy medication due to the natural energy I get from Shakeology and I feel SO much better when I drink it compared to when I don’t.

Does Tropical Strawberry Shakeology still have the 30 day money back guarantee?

Yes – all products from Beachbody are backed up by a 30 day money back guarantee. You can literally try it for 30 days and if you’re not happy with it, send the empty bag back for a full refund!

How can I be notified when it’s available?

It is available now!  CLICK HERE to purchase!

Tekoa and I are SO EXCITED to share with you guys about a brand new method to ensure your success with Beachbody programs.  When Team Beachbody was created, it added a missing link to any fitness program, and that was support from coaches who have gone through the programs and provide info, support, and motivation.  It was genius!  So many people started getting that peer to peer support and success rates increased dramatically.  This has been a great method, but how do you ensure you are being held accountable DAILY?  How do you make sure you are being motivated and pushed every day to prevent you from falling off?  It is so easy to fall off one day and snowball back to your old ways.  THE SOLUTION:  Challenge groups of 5 people all going through the same program together on the same timeline.

What makes Challenge Groups so effective? We are big believers in challenges as it motivates you to push harder when you are a part of one. When you have a small group, communication is much easier, and you’re able to hold each other accountable and push each other even more than being part of a large group. There is also a sense of friendly competition forcing you to push even harder to achieve better results. When you have competition, encouragement, accountability, and support from 5 other people, it is a recipe for success!  With the challenge groups we have held so far we have seen some AMAZING results from those team members!   We have members thanking us because if it wasn’t for this exclusive group, they would not have made it through the program.  If you want to achieve your fitness goals, you’re not going to find a better way than with these challenge groups!  If you start to fall off, everyone in the group will know it and we will do whatever we can to help you get back on track.

How do I join a challenge group? The first thing that you have to do is make me or Tekoa your coach if we aren’t already.  It’s free to make one of us your coach by CLICKING HERE and following the instructions . By making one of us your coach, you will have constant access to us for questions and support and we will be checking in daily with each challenge group. Next, you have to be using Shakeology and a Beachbody program like Power 90, P90X, Insanity, or Turbofire.  The reason Shakeology is a requirement is because it’s a product that I’ve been using for a year and a half now, am 100% confident that works, and have recommended to everyone I know, including my friends and family. If you want to get the best results possible, you have to be using Shakeology as a meal replacement every day and combine it with a healthy diet and a workout program. I know for a fact that you will get results by doing all of these together because we have coached over a thousand people over the course of a year and a half, and the ones who have done this have the best results! Since Shakeology is only $4 per meal it makes it an amazing alternative for breakfast or lunch with much more nutrition than you can ever get in a meal.   Beachbody actually just released new Challenge Packs that combine Shakeology, a workout program, and a free month’s Club Membership at a discount price for purchasing together.  (see pic below)  Next, once you purchase a Challenge Pack or reach all the requirements to join a group, email me (p90extreme@ymail.com) or Tekoa (coachtekoa@yahoo.com) and we will pair you with 4 other people who are going through the same program and have the same goals as you, create an exclusive team Facebook group, and then you will get started!

What will I need to do once I’m in a Challenge Group? The first thing that you will need to do is share your goals with everyone else in the group, including me or Tekoa. Once in the group, you will need to post daily that you’ve completed your workout, followed the diet, and ask any questions or provide support to the other group members. While going through your journey, you’re going to want to make sure you take progress photos every 15 days and post them in the group as well. This way you can show each other that you’re getting results and staying committed! If you want, you can hold certain challenges within your group as well, such as who loses the most weight during the 90 days.

Are there any prizes? YES! Beachbody will be giving away daily, monthly, quarterly, and even a large grand prize for the best results/story!  See below:

• $500 daily winners
• $1000 monthly winners
• $5000 quarterly winners (plus a paid trip)
• $100,000 grand prize

To Join the

We are confident that you’re not going to find a better way to get results than you would by being part of a Beachbody Challenge Group! Unlimited support, constant encouragement, friendly competition, and some added prizes will motivate you to commit yourself for the entire 90 days and get into the best shape of your life. Tekoa and I can’t wait to help you guys reach your goals and we are SO EXCITED to put together some more groups!  Let’s BRING IT!

Click Here for Your CHALLENGE PACK OPTIONS:

All Challenge Packs come with:

1) The workout program

2) One month of Shakeology on Home Direct

3) 30 Days of the TeamBeachbody Club VIP membership

4) Free Shipping

5) Free Coach signup (only if you sign up as a coach, then select the challenge pack as part of your coach signup process.  You will also save 25% on future purchases)

To sign up as a coach under CHRIS , all you have to do is CLICK HERE

To sign up as a coach under TEKOA , all you have to do is CLICK HERE

So as you can see, with these Challenge Packs, there are some big savings if you are looking to get a new workout program, try Shakeology, or become a coach.

And if you already have your workout program, you can still enter the Beachbody Challenge without buying anything.  You don’t have to buy a Challenge Pack to enter the Beachbody Challenge.  It’s just an added incentive if you are looking for a bundled package discount.

So for those interested in taking the Beachbody Challenge (which should be all of us because who wouldn’t want to be in the running for free prizes??), click here to TAKE THE BEACHBODY CHALLENGE.

Chris and Tekoa

High Protein Foods

A lot of times we hear from people we coach that they struggle getting enough protein to meet their fat shredder ratios of 50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fat as outlined in the P90X Nutrition Plan.  The fat shredder ratio along with a calorie deficit will accelerate your fat loss. There are a lot of protein options and some are healthier than others so we wanted to list some options that we used during out fat shredder phases.  We basically cut out all red meat while doing this as it isn’t very healthy due to the saturated fat content.

Here are some great high protein foods to incorporate into your meal plan to help increase your protein to meet the “Fat Shredder” ratio:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – cheaper and more convenient when you buy frozen, ready-to-cook, in bulk.

• Salmon and White Fishes – can also buy frozen, in bulk and it takes a lot less time to bake than chicken.

• Egg Whites – egg yolks are high in cholesterol and contain quite a bit of fat. I’ve found it to be the same price, if not a little. It cheaper, to get the quart sized cartons of egg whites than to spend the time cracking half a dozen eggs and throwing the yolks away. Hard boiling eggs and eating the whites only makes a great snack option.

• Plain Non-fat Greek Yogurt – super creamy, great with fresh fruit and a little Stevia.

• Low-fat Cottage Cheese – good with frozen blueberries.

• Protein Powder** – great for making protein shakes or mixing into Greek yogurt for a double dose of protein. (Try vanilla protein powder, a little lemon or raspberry extract and some fresh-squeezed lemon juice in Greek yogurt. Or try strawberry protein powder in Greek yogurt.)

• Beans – try swapping some of your starchy carbs with beans which contain more protein. For instance, making a black bean hamburger (black beans in the meat mixture) and serving it on a bed of dark leafy greens or only half a 100% whole grain bun.

• Quinoa – try swapping rice with this quick, easy to make grain that contains more protein. Tip: season water with and flavor of Mrs Dash (sodium free) while cooking.

• PB2 – This is powdered peanut butter that has had its oil removed so it is a great low calorie, low fat, high protein option to add to your Shakeology or protein shakes

• Extremely Lean Ground Beef and Ground Turkey – great for tacos and chili or for making black bean hamburgers and fat-free feta stuffed turkey burgers. (Limit the ground meat because it’s not the best option.)

* We highly recommend BlueBonnet brand whey protein powder because it’s very pure, high quality and doesn’t contain harmful or undesirable ingredients.
** We also like Sun Warrior protein powder. This is a raw (un-processed), plant-based protein which makes it more efficient than whey. This is what we use now that we’re dairy-free.

First of all I want to wish you all a wonderful New Year!  I wanted to talk about New Year resolutions.  Far too often I hear about people making New Year Resolutions, but don’t actually have a plan to make it happen!  If you do not have a plan you are setting yourself up for failure.  I have some tips to help you stay on track and make sure you complete your goals for this new year:

1:  Sit down and write down your reason WHY you made that resolution.  Whether it is to get in shape or get out of debt, it is SO important to write  down “WHY” and keep it posted where you can see it every day.

2:  Make a plan.  If you do not plan in advance your daily tasks to make sure you are progressing in your goals, you won’t get it done!  You should schedule your day and make sure everything you need to get done is accomplished by the end of the day.  This may require some sacrifice on things that you are used to doing.  For a lot of people that may include cutting out some television time.  I know for me that is a necessary tip to make sure I complete all the tasks I need to complete every day.

3:  Set your S.M.A.R.T. goals.  You will want to write these down and put them in a place you can see them every day.  I have a white board and dry erase markers where I have these goals written so I am reminded of what I need to do each day to reach those goals

For those of you who do not know what this means, Paul J. Meyer describes the characteristics of S.M.A.R.T. goals in Attitude is Everything.

Specific

The first term stresses the need for a specific goal over and against a more general one. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. To make goals specific, they must tell a team exactly what is expected, why is it important, who’s involved, where is it going to happen and which attributes are important.

A specific goal will usually answer the five “W” questions:

• What: What do I want to accomplish?
• Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
• Who: Who is involved?
• Where: Identify a location.
• Which: Identify requirements and constraints.

Measurable

The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether a team is making progress toward successful completion. Measuring progress is supposed to help a team stay on track, reach its target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs it on to continued effort required to reach the ultimate goal.

A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:

• How much?
• How many?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable

The third term stresses the importance of goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. That is, the goals are neither out of reach nor below standard performance, as these may be considered meaningless. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. The theory states that an attainable goal may cause goal-setters to identify previously overlooked opportunities to bring themselves closer to the achievement of their goals.

An attainable goal will usually answer the question:

• How: How can the goal be accomplished?

Relevant

The fourth term stresses the importance of making goals relevant. A relevant goal must represent an objective that the goal-setter is willing and able to work towards. This does not mean the goal cannot be high. A goal is probably relevant if the goal-setter believes that it can be accomplished. If the goal-setter has accomplished anything similar in the past they may have identified a relevant goal.

A relevant goal will usually answer the question:

• Does this seem worthwhile?

Time-bound

The fifth term stresses the importance of grounding goals within a time frame, giving them a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts on completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in an organization. A time-bound goal is intended to establish a sense of urgency.

A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:

• When?
• What can I do 6 months from now?
• What can I do 6 weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

4:  Personal Development.  There are a couple of books I highly recommend to help you keep your mind and attitude where it needs to be to help you stay focused in reaching your goals.  “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson and “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz.  Your mind is a powerful thing and if you start to become negative or don’t have your head in the game, you won’t progress toward your goals.  That is a fact! These types of books help you stay positive and realize YOU are in control of your success.  I would make it a point to read 15 pages per day of a personal development book (or listen to 15 minutes of a personal development audio book).   Listening is a really great way to make use of your commute time to work every day.

5:  Accountability.  Find a success partner(s) to help you stay accountable and on track.  You will want someone with similar goals so you can help push each other and relate to each other.  Stay in contact daily with your accountability partner(s)  to help keep each other on track.  Tekoa and I were each other’s accountability partners.  Whenever one of us would be weak or falling off, the other would give the boost of motivation or confidence to get back on track.  If you can get a group of people as your accountability group, this is even better!  To have a few other people all cheering you on and motivating you, encouraging you and steering you in the right direction if you get off track is EXTREMELY beneficial.

5:  Associate yourself with like-minded people.  As you progress through your fitness journey you will get a lot of “nay-sayers” telling you that you will fail, or say something negative about what you are doing.  It is sad, but you will hear it a lot.  I look at those people as those who envy you for doing something they haven’t had enough drive to do because they are too lazy.  Prove to them it can be done and keep a good attitude.  The way you do this is associate yourself with other people with common goals.  Find a group of people who all share the same passion for getting healthy!  They will be your go-to people to buffer all the “nay-sayers”!

6:  STICK WITH IT!  There will be good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks, but what is important is that you stay focused on your “why” and your goals and stick with it anyway!  YOU ONLY FAIL WHEN YOU QUIT!   You are the only one that can get in your way. You have to go after something if you want to achieve it.  Focus on today and plan for tomorrow.

I hope this helps you with whatever New Year’s Resolutions you decided on and now it is up to you to make it happen!  If you are just starting your fitness journey we can help you with these steps to ensure you succeed in your fitness goals!  Far too often I hear about people wanting to get in shape after New Year, but at some point their New Year Resolution is forgotten until the next New Year!  DON’T LET THAT BE YOU!  We have Fitness Challenge groups forming regularly and if you want to be a part of a challenge group of a few others just like you doing the same program as you, let us know ASAP and we can give you the details for joining a group!   We also have an AMAZING group of people in our Facebook Fitness Support Group for a large group of people Tekoa and I coach.  Our team group on Facebook is an amazing place to chat with other like-minded people all working to change their unhealthy lifestyles and who are all going through similar trials and successes.

If you would like Tekoa or me to coach you along this journey of better health be sure to Join Our Team HERE

Scott has been a member of Dream-2-Reality.com and has been updating me on his progress through his first round of P90X!  He is a true example of what commitment looks like.   He had AMAZING P90X Results!  I am very proud of what he has accomplished!  He has been drinking Shakeology every day and he has his health back!  Check out his results!

Scott’s Tools:

P90X

Shakeology

Scott’s story in his own words:

I’m 42 years old. I have been a deputy sheriff for 16 years and have been in pretty good shape up until about 3 years ago. It was tough for me to stay in shape. I had some serious health issues with my kidneys that hospitalized me for 8 separate surgeries over several years. I did do a lot of weight lifting, but not much cardio. My cardio came from my hobby which was racing 4 wheelers. Then after a work injury followed by a racing injury I stopped working out and turned into the couch potato. Soon it turned into a 3 year fat fest. I was tired all the time, I’d get winded walking up the stairs to my office and I looked and felt like crap. I kept having to buy clothes. It was all my fault, I was lazy! Then 8 months ago my wife and I had a baby. That was at that point that I knew  I had to make a change in my lifestyle. I knew if I continued living the way I was my health would fail and I wouldn’t be around for my son. I was already having serious issues with my blood pressure. I knew I needed to change. I needed to change everything, but didn’t know how. I didn’t want to go back to the gym to just lift weights. It was boring, not effective, and difficult to do with my schedule. I also knew I needed more than just some weights to get me where I wanted and needed to be. One night I saw the P90X infomercial and I thought it was probably like most TV Ad products, a joke, BUT  I soon talked with a co-worker/friend that had bought the program. He had tried it, but lacked the dedication and he couldn’t stay with it so he just gave up. He did tell me about some other deputies that he knew that were doing or had done P90X and I went and talked with them. They told me P90X was for real. I  got with my buddy who had quit and I bought his program from him. His mistake!  I dedicated myself to doing everything correctly. Eating the right foods, avoiding temptation, and most of all I kept pushing play. It took me 4 months due to some roadblocks along the way but I have made that change and I now feel great. I’m doing P90X one more time. I already have P90X-2 waiting for when I’m finished with round 2! The guy who I bought the program from, after seeing my results…….he went and bought P90X again!

Weight:                      195 to 163

Waist:                      39 1/2″ to 33″

Hips:                        41 1/2″ to 39″

Thigh:                       21 1/2″ R and 20 1/2″ L to 19 1/4″ R and 20″ L

Bicept:                     15 1/4″ L 15 1/2 R to 14 1/2″ L and 14 3/4″ R

Body Fat:                  23.3% to 13%

Blood Pressure:        150/90 on 4 different meds to 100/60 on 1/2 of 1 pill

Cholesterol:              205 to a 119

I did my agencies Physical Assessment Test for extra days off and thanks to the new lifestyle and the P90X I kicked it’s butt!

It consists of a minimum of a 16.5″ vertical jump, at least 18 push-ups in 30 seconds, 18 situps in 30 seconds, a 300 yrd dash (completition only), and then a 1.5 mile run in under 15:20

I jumped higher than the measuring bar which was 20″, did 49 situps and 55 Pushups. I was just a body lenght behind the 1st place finisher in the 300 yd dash (he’s only 19 years old, I’m 43 and I beat him in the push-ups and sit-ups). And I did the 1.5 mile run in 12:22! (I never run, I hate it, It kills my hips) The kid did the run in 10:51.

I got 25.8 hrs of added vacation, the MAX allowed!

I haven’t done the physical assessment in over 4 years because I knew I couldn’t pass the run. When I did do it I could only get 17.2 hrs. I was even on SWAT then running regularly. P90X really helped me with my cardio. My hips hurt like hell after but I had no problems completing it.

Thanks for your advise and inspiration. I really don’t think I would have stayed with it without seeing your video and what the program did for you and your wife.

Thanks Again,

Scott

Do you want results like Scott?  Contact me today and I will help you get started!

*CLICK HERE* to make Chris your coach for free!!

*CLICK HERE* to make Tekoa your coach for free!!

Les Mills PUMP is here!  And it’s only available through the TeamBeachbody coach network (me)

PUMP will be available through Beachbody for purchase Jan. 4th, but before that you can get early access through me.  Just click this links at the bottom of this post to see the package options and order!  Plus, when you order through me you also get the Pump Core DVD FREE (see bottom for details).

But first, here is a Les Mills PUMP Review:

“Body Pump” is one of the hottest gym classes in the world — based on fast paced weight training that sculpts muscle and obliterates body fat to give you a lean, toned, ripped look faster than nearly anything on the planet.  This workout program is awesome! Both men and women who want a full package of calorie burning and muscle sculpting will love this brand new piece of the Beachbody catalog.

Les Mills PUMP can be as intense as you want to make it.  Beginners can use lighter weights and take more breaks as they dive into this program.   Those who are already fit can load up the weights and go at breakneck speed to blast their bodies with this circuit style workout.  It will make a great program for men and women to do together.  It’s a great program for someone who’s already graduated P90X or Insanity to do with a friend or family member who is just starting to workout.

The lengths of the workouts also provide some variety to appeal to folks at all levels.  Some are about 30 minutes, while others blast you for about an hour.

And the variety it provides is amazing!  It’s completely unlike anything else you’ve ever done in a home workout. For those who have already done P90X, Insanity, Turbo Fire, Chalean Extreme, etc. and are looking for something totally new to spice up their 2012 fitness, this is the ticket.

I am getting ready to tackle P90X2, then I will be trying this program out!  I am excited to see what this is all about and experience yet another great program from Beachbody!

There are 2 main packages you can choose from when ordering Les Mills PUMP.  the BASE KIT and the ULTIMATE KIT.  There are also some additional ordering options for upgrade DVD’s and such if you order the base kit now and later want to upgrade to the Ultimate).  You’ll notice that the price is higher for the base kit than what you are used to seeing for other workout program base kits — that’s because you are also getting the equipment.  Since Les Mills Pump is built upon straight bar weights, you simply need to have them to do the program, so the base kit comes standard with them.

Here’s what you get with the 2 packages, as well as the cost:

PUMP BASE KIT = Price = $165.85 (Click HERE to order)

(the link above will take you to a full product description with pictures and ordering info)

PUMP ULTIMATE KIT =Price = $305.85 (Click HERE to order)

(the link above will take you to a full product description with pictures and ordering info)

Here’s the additional upgrade kits if you order a base package now and later wish to add to it:

PUMP DELUXE UPGRADE KIT = Price = $140 (Click HERE to order)

(the link above will take you to a full product description with pictures and ordering info)

PUMP ULTIMATE CROSS TRAINING DVD’S = Price = $ 40 (Click HERE to order)

(the link above will take you to a full product description with pictures and ordering info)

PUMP Core DVD = Price = $19.95 (Click HERE to order)

(the link above will take you to a full product description with pictures and ordering info)

For those of you that read our post for “How Many Calories Should I Eat”.  Here is a sample 1200 calorie diet for women.  Depending on your height this could be a good thing to follow for a Power 90 nutrition plan or P90X nutrition plan (for women).  Tekoa followed this for Power 90 and increased it a bit for P90X.

Tekoa’s Sample 1200 Calorie Diet which follows the “Fat Shredder” Ratios

Total Daily Calories: 1,235

Total Daily Ratio: 48% protein / 32% carbs / 20% fat

Breakfast:
1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (plus 2-3 oz. water)
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 Tbsp. Krema Peanut Butter (ingredients: peanuts)

A.M. Snack:
1 cup plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 packet Stevia (natural, calorie-free sweetener)
1/2 cup fresh Blueberries

Lunch:
2 cups fresh Baby Leaf Spinach

topped with Chicken Salad:
4 oz. (measured when raw) baked boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
2 Tbsp. fat-free Sour Cream
10 Grape Tomatoes (cut in half)
2 tsp. Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash
Black Pepper to taste

P.M. Snack:
1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder*

Dinner:
4 oz. (measured when raw) Salmon steak, topped with Honey Soy Sauce:
(2 tsp. reduced sodium Soy Sauce, 1 tsp. Honey, Red Pepper flakes to taste)
1 cup fresh, steamed Broccoli florets
1/4 cup Quinoa (measured when uncooked)
Cook quinoa according to directions on package. Add sodium-free seasoning to water before it comes to a boil.

2nd P.M. Snack**
1/2 cup low-fat Cottage Cheese

*Body Fortress brand whey protein powder is NOT the highest quality or purest whey protein, but it’s inexpensive and it is what we first started with. Body Fortress is available at Walmart.  These stats are based on using Body Fortress.

Though it costs more, we recommend BlueBonnet Whey Protein Isolate because it is pure and high quality. We also recommend Sun Warrior brand (what we currently use) protein powder, which is a vegan (whey free) option.

**If you’ll be up more than 3 hours after dinner, we recommend having a small, high protein, low carb snack like our suggested one above. If you won’t be up late enough to require a 2nd P.M. snack, but still need to maintain the calorie and ratio targets of this meal plan, simply have the 2nd P.M. snack along with your dinner.

Substitutions:
If you don’t like cottage cheese, you can substitute 1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt.
If you want something different than quinoa, you can have 1 medium, baked sweet potato (no butter or sugar). We recommend having the sweet potato for lunch, since it’s a starchy carb.

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

Quite often I hear the questions “How many calories should I eat?”  or “How do I know when to change my calorie intake and macro-nutrients?”  These are great questions!  Nutrition is 80% of your results with the program, so you have to get this right!  Workouts can give you some results, but if your nutrition is not where it should be you will be doing a lot of work for very little results.  You will most likely get discouraged and fall off of your workouts. We don’t want that to happen!  How do you ensure you stay motivated?  You will want to see results!
I have posted some guidelines below that will help you understand a ballpark of where you need to be for different goals (lose weight, get stronger, build muscle mass, etc).  Hopefully this will make it easier for you to understand where you should be.  As I discussed in my P90X Nutrition Plan post, it is set up to be more of a maintenance plan versus and weight loss plan.  Since Beachbody didn’t intend on this being a weight loss program, some adjustments needed to be made to the nutrition plan.

Question: “So how many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?”

Answer: ”To lose 1 pound of fat in 1 week, you need to create a 500 calorie deficit per day for a week. A 500 calorie deficit over 7 days equals to 3500 calories. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories.”

***Here are our guidelines for different programs.  Please note that these are not rules.  Everybody may have different needs or requirements or may live a more active lifestyle that may need different calorie levels.  These guidelines may need to be tweaked and experimented with depending on how your body responds and feels***

How Many Calories Should I Eat with:

Power 90 / Slim in 6 / Turbo Jam / Hip Hop Abs / ChaLEAN Extreme

FAT SHREDDER (Lose Weight)

If you are MORE than 2% away from your body fat goal, you need to be on a fat shredder diet. That means 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat. Let’s say your goal is 8% body fat — as long as you are over 10% body fat you will stay on fat shredder (whether that takes 1 month or 6 months). I followed this for 4 months before switching it up. because I got my body fat at 10% and my goal was 8%.  If you are on a Vegan diet send me an email at p90extreme@ymail.com and I will give you some info of how to follow that diet to lose weight.  We want to shed fat fairly quickly before changing up our nutrition again so you need to be running a good deficit of calories (taking in less than you burn in a day). As for the total number of calories, these are my recommendations:

MEN=

• 6′ and above = 1500-1600 cals per day.
• 5’6 – 5’11″ = 1400-1500 cals per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 1300-1400 cals per day.

WOMEN =

• 5’6 and above = 1200-1300 per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 1000-1200 per day.

Here is a sample 1200 calorie diet following “Fat Shredder” Ratios”

 How Many Calories Should I Eat with:

P90X / P90X2 / Insanity / Insanity:  The Asylum / TurboFire

FAT SHREDDER (Lose Weight)
If you are MORE than 2% away from your body fat goal, you need to be on a fat shredder diet. That means 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat. Let’s say your goal is 8% body fat — as long as you are over 10% body fat you will stay on fat shredder (whether that takes 1 month or 6 months). I followed this for 4 months before switching it up. because I got my body fat at 10% and my goal was 8%. If you are on a Vegan diet send me an email at p90extreme@ymail.com and I will give you some info of how to follow that diet to lose weight.  We want to shed fat fairly quickly before changing up our nutrition again so you need to be running a good deficit of calories (taking in less than you burn in a day). As for the total number of calories, these are my recommendations:

MEN=

• 6′ and above = 1900-2200 cals per day.
• 5’6 – 5’11″ = 1700-1900 cals per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 1500 cals per day.

WOMEN =

• 5’6 and above = 1300-1500 per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 1200-1300 per day.

Running the fat shredder at these calorie totals will results in rapid body fat loss, which is what we are after in this stage.

ENERGY BOOSTER (Maintain / fine tune)

If you are within 2% of your ideal body fat, you need to be on a phase 2 diet (40/40/20) that is close to your maintenance calorie level. Your goal here is to slow down the fat loss and get your body experiencing more energy for your workouts to push harder.  You will lose that last bit of fat while building muscle at the same time.  I followed this for the remaining 2 months of round 1 of P90X and I reached my goal of 8% body fat and built lean muscle mass at the same time.

MEN =

• 6′ and above = 3,000 cals per day.
• 5’6″ – 5’11″ = 2600-2800 cals per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 2200 – 2400 cals per day.

WOMEN =

• 5’6 and above = 1500 – 1600 per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 1300 – 1400 per day.

ENDURANCE MAXIMIZER (building muscle mass)

If you are already ripped or have a really fast metabolism and are naturally skinny, then it’s time to build muscle and LOTS of it!  DO NOT follow this plan until you have reached your goal with your body fat by following the fat shredder and energy booster diets.  For a muscle building diet, you need a lot of carbs to give you tons of energy and fuel your muscles. You should shoot for 50-60% carbs, 20-30% protein, and 20% fat. But make sure those carbs are GOOD carbs! Fruits, veggies, whole grains, oats, etc. You need to take in a calorie SURPLUS to help you gain weight.  You will need to watch your weight closely and make sure you are at a steady pace of about 1 lb per week. If you are gaining more than that it is most likely body fat. In a round of the X, you should be able to put on 13 lbs of muscle without increasing your body fat much at all if you do it 1 lb per week. Here are my guidelines for total calories on a bulking diet (but you’ll need to adjust based on how fast you are / aren’t gaining weight each week).

MEN =

• 6′ and above = 3,600 cals per day.
• 5’6″ – 5’11″ = 3000 – 3200 cals per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 2800 – 3000 cals per day.

WOMEN =

• 5’6 and above = 1800 – 2000 per day.
• less than 5’6″ = 1600 – 1800 per day.

After determining your proper daily caloric intake and ratio for your body and your goals, you need to track your calories and ratio using FitDay.com, FitDay mobile or MyFitnessPal for iPhone. As you enter your foods into this site and these apps, they will automatically track your ratio of Protein/Carbs/Fat and show it to you as a pie chart. If you have an iPhone, the MyFitnessPal app has a cool bar code scanner that makes it super quick to input your foods!

A tip I highly recommend for reaching your caloric AND RATIO goals each day is to take a few minutes each night to plan your meals and snacks for the next day. This will make sure you are already on track to reach both of your targets and you don’t have to think about it during your busy day.

I hope this answered your question of  ”How Many Calories Should I Eat?”.  Remember this is a guideline and not a rule.

How Do I know When to Change my Caloric and Macro-Nutrient Intake?

Another great question!  As I outlined above you will want to maintain the ratios (macronutrients) of the fat shredder diet until you are within 2% of your goal body fat %.  Since the above recommendations may not work for everyone, you may need to increase calories sooner depending on how your body is responding.  IF (a big IF) you are following all the tips in my post “Not Losing Weight?” and you have cut out all cheats, you are eating nutrient dense foods, drinking Shakeology, etc. and you hit a plateau or if you feel sluggish and run down, then you might need to adjust things.  I would first start by adding 100-200 calories to your nutrition.  As your body fat gets lower it may require more calories for fuel and if your calories are too low it will slow down your metabolism and cause a plateau.  I did this during Power 90.  I was hitting a plateau, then I increased the amount of food I was eating and my weight loss started up again.

On the opposite end for those that had an issue of not eating enough before making this change to their nutrition, you might need to start with your calories a little lower since you are not used to eating that much.  If that is the case it is super important to make sure you follow the eating every 2.5 – 3 hours rule to get your metabolism ramped up.  I would not go any lower than 100-200 calories less than the fat shredder recommendations as these calories are pretty low as it is.

As far as your ratios I would try swapping out starchy carbs such as grains, squash, sweet potatoes, etc with more green veggies.  Veggies are a natural thermogenic (fat burner) and the more you eat of these types of foods, the more the fat will melt away.   If that doesn’t work you might need to switch up the ratios to be closer to the energy booster ratios (40/40/20).  If you need to make a change,  don’t change it drastically. Make sure you ease into the changes so your body can respond.  If your calories are too low, then you will want to slowly increase the calorie intake so your metabolism can improve as you increase your calories.

Hey everyone!  I know I get a lot of visitors on this site and there hasn’t been much new content lately, so that is going to change!!  I have been swamped with my full time job, but I want to be sure I help the most people possible so I am committing to at least 3 new topics per week!  If I am your coach you will know that I am regularly active in our Facebook group, so if Tekoa or I am your coach be sure to request to join our Facebook group!  HERE ARE THE DETAILS.

If you have a topic you would like for me to discuss you can leave a comment below, otherwise I will just adding new topics as I think of them.  I will have a nice balance of motivational posts, informative posts, product reviews, and personal posts so you all can get to know me more.  Our team is growing fast!  I want to be sure we are all in touch with you in every avenue possible.

Even better news is that I will be quitting my full time job soon so my focus will be a full time coach!  I am so excited that this opportunity was here to help others reach their health and fitness goals and now I am able to do it FULL TIME after only a year of coaching.  I have been working for my current employer for over 9.5 years and it felt amazing to tell them I won’t be around in the next couple months.  My passion is to help YOU!  I want to see everyone have amazing results as I have. and I will be able to spend a lot of time finding and helping everyone that needs it.  Let’s Bring It for 2012!

Chris Garrett

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