Spring Makeover Challenge – Week 1

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In the colder climates, it is common over the winter months to gain a little weight. The days are shorter, it’s cold outside and we just don’t get as much activity and access to local healthy fruits and vegetables.  It’s one of the reasons that every spring we launch our annual Spring Makeover Challenge to help our clients shed that extra winter layer.  Each of our trainers have teams and we all compete against each other to see who can ramp it up the most and achieve the best results.  There’s nothing like a friendly competition and peer pressure to get you to do what you need to do to reach your goals.

Although the principles to fat loss and healthy living are pretty simple, each trainer has a different approach to encouraging his or her team to adhere to the program and win. This year, I thought I would share each team’s approach so that you could follow along from home.  Feel free to adhere to just one trainers’ program or mix it up and try each approach and see which one works best for you.

Today, we start with Derrick DeLay. He has been a trainer with us at NWPT for 10 years, been awarded Personal Trainer of the year multiple times, is a fitness presenter and author of “Go Beyond Good: The Trail to a Lifetime of Health and Vitality”.  We call him our “CEO – Chief Education Officer” because he is brilliant, a walking encyclopedia and has an incredible capacity to inspire and inform others.

Derrick DeLay’s Guidelines:

1. High Intensity Interval Diet Program
   • Monday through Friday follow a low-calorie, nutrient-dense 3 meals per day diet
   • Monday through Friday no alcohol
   • Monday through Friday drink 80-100 ounces of water per day
   • Saturday and Sunday do whatever you want!

2. Cardiovascular Exercise
   • Accumulate 150 minutes a week
   • For best results do cardio 7 days a week
   • Do whatever you like the best – Walk, Run, Ride, Swim, Hike

3. Strength Training
   • Two 15-30 minute full-body strength workouts per week

The Method Behind the Madness:

Derrick’s approach is based on the fact that most diets fail because people can’t stay on the diet for the long-term so as soon as they go off the diet, they gain the weight back. Statistics show that most people can stick to a diet for about a week before they fail.  The Interval Diet accounts for this and allows for 2 ‘Free or Cheat Days” each week.  So you follow an extreme, low-calorie 5 day diet and then go back to eating the way you did before the diet.  The cheat days are built into the program so you don’t have to feel guilty about it.

The Program:

Even though you won’t be getting all the calories you need on this diet (Remember, eating fewer calories than you need is how you lose weight.) you will be getting plenty of nutrients. Your body has plenty of stored calories (fat) for you to burn in order to make up the deficit you create by not eating enough. This high-nutrient diet will provide you enough vitamins and minerals to improve your health as you lose weight.

This eating plan is designed to achieve maximum fat loss results in the shortest time possible.  Do you want fantastic results?  Great!  Follow this plan exactly as it is.  The Interval Diet is an extreme diet and you wouldn’t or couldn’t stick to it long-term, but you can do it for 5 days.  As you follow this plan exactly, the best way to make sure you are eating the correct amount of calories throughout the day is to measure your food. If you aren’t measuring your food, you are guessing! Guessing doesn’t produce the results you want.

You will notice there are no snacks on this program.  That is by design.  Instead of food, you will be snacking on stored body fat between meals.  Ideally you will feel hungry between meals. That feeling means fat is burning.

Meal 1: Choose 1 Option *Take a picture of your food before you eat.*
Option 1	Fresh Fruit	Eat 300 calories of fruit. (2 small apples=100 calories, 1 medium banana=100 calories, 1 cup of grapes=100 calories, 1 large orange=90 Calories, 2 cups of strawberries=100 calories, 1 cup of mango, 1 heaping cup of blueberries=100 calories)
Option 2	Fruit Smoothie	Blend 300 calories of fruit with 1 quart of water.  Our favorite options are: Banana, Mango, Strawberry, Pineapple, Blueberries.Recommended-Add 1-3 cups (or handfuls) of fresh spinach (or other mild tasting leafy green vegetable) to your smoothies. Adding greens supercharges your smoothies by adding fiber, important vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients.
Option 3	Oatmeal & Fresh Berries	1/2 cup dry rolled oats1 cup of your favorite berriesCook the oats in 2-3 cups of water over medium heat until tender.  Add berries and enjoy!
Option 4	Scrambled Tofu	3/4 cup of tofu2 Tbsp water1-2 Tbsp soy sauce or wheat-free tamari1 clove of garlic, minced1/2 tsp cumin1/4 tsp turmeric2 Roma tomatoes, diced1 red or green bell pepper, diced Heat the water in a skillet, add the garlic, tomatoes, and bell pepper.  Sauté for 3-5 minutes.  Add the turmeric, cumin, and sauté for a couple minutes. Next add the tofu, stir, and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and enjoy!

 

Meal 2: Choose 1 Option *Take a picture of your food before you eat.*
Option 1	Fruit Smoothie	Blend 300 calories  worth of fruit with 1 quart of water.  Our favorites options are: Banana, Mango, Strawberry, Pineapple, Blueberries.   Recommended-Add 1-3 cups (or handfuls) of fresh spinach (or other mild tasting leafy green vegetable) to your smoothies. Adding greens supercharges your smoothies by adding fiber, important vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients.
Option 2	Brown Rice and Broccoli	1 cup of cooked brown rice3 cups of cooked broccoli (or Cauliflower, Cabbage, etc.)Calorie free seasonings like salt & pepper or fresh or dried herbsCombine all and season to taste.
Option 3	Sweet Potatoes & Beans	1 cup sweet potatoes or yams (steamed)1 cup of cooked pinto beansSalsa and calorie free seasonings like salt & pepper.Combine and enjoy!
Option 4	Beans&Greens	1 cup of cooked beans (Black, Pinto, Kidney or Black-eyed Peas are all good options).5 cups of chopped leafy greens  (Kale, Bok Choy, Mustard Greens, or Chard are all great options).1-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped1.5 cups of veggie broth or water
Option 5	SuperSalad	4 cups romaine lettuce, shredded2 cups spinach, chopped½ cup cabbage, shredded1 medium carrot, shredded1 stalk of celery, chopped½ cup bell Pepper, diced½ cup tomato, chopped½ cup avocado 3 tbsp balsamic Vinegar Smash the avocado and balsamic vinegar together.  Pour over the rest of the ingredients in your favorite large bowl. Add some salt, pepper and your favorite herbs and spices to taste. Enjoy your huge salad!

 

Meal 3: Choose 1 Option *Take a picture of your food before you eat.*
Option 1	Hearty Black Bean  Soup	1 cup cooked black beans½ can tomato paste2 cups veggie stock1 small onion, diced1-2 cloves of garlic, minced1 tsp of cuminCilantro to tasteHot sauce to taste Place all of the ingredients in a large pot and cook on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes (the onions should be tender).  Enjoy!
Option 2	Veggie & Brown Rice(or Quinoa)Stir Fry	1 cup cooked brown rice OR quinoa2 cups broccoli florets2 cups cauliflower florets2 cups snow peas2 Tbsp of soy sauce or wheat free tamari1 tsp of fresh ginger or ½ tsp of dried ginger powder1-3 cloves of garlic, mincedWater sauté broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, ginger, and garlic over medium heat until veggies are tender and water is gone.  Add the rice OR quinoa and soy sauce and cook for 3-5 minutes more.  Enjoy!
Option 3	Baked Potato, Broccoli, and Spinach Salad	1 large baked potato1 cup of steamed Broccoli (or cauliflower)Spinach Salad:3 cups Spinach chopped½ cup Cabbage shredded1 medium Carrot shredded½ cup Tomato chopped1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar Add some salt, pepper and your favorite herbs and spices to taste and enjoy.
Option 4	Garbanzo& Quinoa Tabbouleh	1 cup garbanzo beans1/2 cup quinoa1 large cucumber1 cup chopped tomato2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper to taste.Combine all ingredients and enjoy!
Option 5	PowerSalad	1 cup of your choice of beans4 cups romaine lettuce, shredded2 cups spinach, chopped½ cup cabbage, shredded1 medium carrot, shredded1 stalk of celery, chopped½ cup bell Pepper, diced½ cup tomato, chopped ½ cup avocado 3 tbsp balsamic Vinegar Smash the avocado and balsamic vinegar together.  Pour over the rest of the ingredients in your favorite large bowl. Add some salt, pepper and your favorite herbs and spices to taste. Enjoy your huge salad!

Sherri McMillan, M.Sc. has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for over 25 years and has received numerous industry awards including International Personal Trainer and Fitness Presenter of the Year. She is the author of five books including “Go For Fit – the Winning Way to Fat Loss” and “Fit over Forty” and is the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs.  She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver and can be seen running, hiking or cycling with her two children, Brianna and Jackson.  She can be reached at www.nwPersonalTraining.com or www.ShapeupwithSherri.com

Note:  As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a 2 week pass at her world-class training studio to help get you started.  Contact 360.574.7292 for more details.