ChaLEAN Extreme Infomercial

OMG!!! It's official!!! I am featured on the next Chalean Extreme Infomercial, and it's scheduled to be aired any day now!!!!! Look out for it and me!!!

Once I can get my hands on a copy, I will post it on my blog!!!!

Coach Monney

Day 11 Results

Hi everyone. My second cycle wasn't as extreme as the first cycle in terms of weight lost. Btu in terms of measurements, I am a lot smaller!! In 5 days, I lost 0.2 lbs and 3 inches (0.5 inches from my waist!!). But In total, I've lost 5.6 lbs and 7 inches in 10 days!! Pretty impressive. I've lost more weight in a week before, but that was following a diet with no cheating or weight lifting. At first I was a bit down, since I am so caught up in the number on the scale. I mean, I've lost 11 lbs in 6 days before, so what gives? But lets put this in perspective:

1) I've been following this diet program for 10 days. Just a little over week. 2 of those days I cheated (real badly). And I lost nearly 6 lbs and 7 inches. 2 of those inches from my waist alone. And I am sure I gained some lean muscle mass.

2) I look a lot leaner, especially in my tummy and my arms. If you look close, you can see a 6 pack in my abs. ;-)

3) I've fasted for a whole day, twice. That is huge for me since I love food. I even fasted while cooking dinner for my family and didn't even taste what I cooked. This proves to be how dedicated I can be when I really want to accomplish something.

4) I've worked out 2-3 times a day for the past 10 days, lifting weights and body weighted exercise everyday. And I've gone outside my comfort zone by doing workouts I normally don't do.

5) I've followed the program to a "T".

6) The meals are easy to plan and follow. I am loving this way of eating and its making me more disciplined.

7) My scale dependency is reducing (this is huge for me) and the importance of measurements and looking in the mirror is increasing.

8) Someone who hasn't seen me for 2 weeks saw me today and said I look so much leaner and that the change was extremely noticeable.

9) And I get a day to go off 'dieting' to eat anything I want!! (did I say I love food??)

So, how can I be anything but proud of what I've accomplished over the past short 10 days? And boy, did the days fly by!!

Today is my cheat day (YEAH!!!), then I fast tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to my next 5 day cycle results!!
Coach Monney

DAY 7

So today is the fast day and today's fast was way more difficult than the first one. Mainly because I am home today and not so busy, so I am constantly thinking about food, smelling food. In fact, I am cooking right now for my family, but I can't eat any. Talk about focus and determination! I am looking forward to tomorrow's shake day! The days are starting to go by quick now and I am finding this short term diet easy to follow.

Coach Monney

DAY 6 - RESULTS and Cheat

So I woke up eager to take my measurements and weigh in. In 5 days (actually 4 when you exclude the cheat day) I lost 5.4 lbs and 4 inches!!! No bad, eh? I was overly aggressive hoping to lose 8 lbs, but this is good too and I am proud. I am hoping my next 5 day results are just as great.

Day 6 was Saturday and was a cheat day! And I sure did cheat. Funny thing is, I found I got full very quickly, much faster than normal. I guess my stomach is getting adjustment to less food now.

I skipped the workout today because I was exhausted. My body and brain just needed a break and to reset.

Although I lost 5 lbs and 4 inches, its not that noticeable.

Lets see how the next 5 days go,
Coach Monney

DAY 5 - PROTEIN ONLY DAY

Hi everyone. I am a few days behind on my posts. But I have been following the program and will summarize the days I've already completed. Day 5 was on Friday and it was the last day of the 5 day cycle. It was protein only day where I could only eat protein and veggies. The urpose of this day to deplete gylcogen stores and prime your body for the cheat day. The wokout was same same as the fast day, except I workout twice, not 3 times.

Protein only day was not difficult at all, and I was looking forward to weigh in the following day and re-start the cycle with my cheat day.

Coach Monney

Day 4 - MODERATE CARB UP DAY

Hey everyone. So my shake day went well. The only thing I can say is that I am now utterly exhausted. My body is sore from the new workouts. But mentally, I am more focused and determined to get through the remaining days.

Today was a moderate carb day, meaning I get to eat food, carbs for breakfast and mid-morning snack. My remaining meals are only protein, fat and veggies. It was funny how after not eating solids for 2 days, I actually wasn't interested in food today. I couldn't even finish my breakfast.

My workout this morning was Dynamic Training - which is a little less intense than the other workouts (but still challenging). Performing exercises like DEATH JUMP TO SQUAT JUMP sure does not sound less intense to me!! But this type of training was intentionally placed here to give my body a rest. Later in the evening I will do a 20 minute HIIT session using Turbo Fire.

Hmm, not much say to say today, I am just going day by day.

Tomorrow is PROTEIN DEPLETE DAY, and is the last day of the cycle. Then I repeat.

Keeping my eye on the prize,
Coach Monney

Day 3 - SHAKE DAY

I have to say, I am very proud of myself. I stuck to my guns and fasted all day yesterday, drinking liters of water and some green tea. And I worked out 3 times! It wasn't as bad as I expected and I wasn't too hungry. But funny thing, someone who didn't know I was fasting offered me coffee and a donut yesterday (bad timing, huh?). I kindly refused. They insisted. Again, I said no thanks. They asked why. I said I'm good, but you go ahead and enjoy. They asked one more time. I almost yelled NO! But yep, I stuck to my guns and just sipped on water. This morning I woke up feel refreshed and light, and my tummy wasn't growling either. In addition, my tummy felt quite flat (especially compared to the prior day cheating).

The fast day was challenging, but now that I've completed it successfully, I am so much stronger and I know I can handle anything.

Today is Shake Day. I have to consume 5 protein shakes (3 of them are blended with fruit), and in between if I am hungry I can snack on veggies. For workouts, I have to perform a Strength Training circuit (heavy lifting with low reps) and low intensity cardio in the evening. The strength training workout was tough after more that 36 hours of fasting (including sleep) but I made it through in 45 minutes.

What I like about this diet is that everyday is different so although its mentally tough, you take it one day at a time.

Tomorrow is a MODERATE CARB UP DAY, so I can eat bread, potatoes and meat. Yah!!!

Coach Monney

Day 2 - FAST DAY

Hi folks. So I finished off yesterday's cheat day with a sushi lunch, cookies and a couple more cinnabons. I actually felt really gross. For my next Cheat day, I don't think I will eat so much junk!!!

So today is a FAST DAY, and basically that means I can't eat anything at all. The only thing I can drink is water and green tea. I also have to take BCAAs (amino acids) to ensure that I don't burn muscle during my fast day. That's all. In addition, I have to workout 3 times today. So I started off the morning with workout #1 - Lactic Acid Training. This was a 55 minute workout consisting of lifting weights up very slow and bringing it down quickly. The goal is to create lactic acid in your muscles so that the human growth hormone is released quickly, to help boost fat loss. Lots of strategy and science behind it. My second workout will be HIIT cardio, which I will do later today. I will do Turbo Fire HITT 15. The last workout will be in the evening, and it will be slow steady state cardio. So I will walk on the treadmill at maximum incline for 30 minutes. Now as I type this I wonder if I will have the energy to perform all of this?? Well that why the cheat day is strategically placed the day before the fast day (to increase leptin levels so that on you fast day, your drop a ton of weight). Let's see how it goes, so far I feel OK, and little hungry, but I think its all in my head right now.

Tomorrow will be a SHAKE DAY. OK, I can do this!

Cheers,
Coach Monney

Day 1: Xtreme Fat Loss Diet (25 days)

Hi everyone. So today embarks my 25 Day Xtreme Fat Loss Challenge. I started the morning by weighing in (I don't suggest you do this right after Halloween!!), recording my measurements, and taking before pics in a bikini.

Today's diet is a CHEAT DAY. I know…how in the hell do you start a fat loss diet by cheating, right? Well that is the plan and there is a method to the madness and science to back it up. You strategically cheat every 5 days to increase your leptin hormone, so that you can burn more fat. What’s a cheat day? You eat ANYTHING you want, without stuffing yourself. Only thing is no alcohol. In addition, you have to workout doing DENSITY training. Density training is based on circuits - you perform 2 circuits, but the second circuit you lift 10-20% heavier weights. The workout was intense and I finished in 40 minutes (I still feel out of breathe as I type this).

So I started the morning off with gluttony:

Post workout shake
Caramel pecan cinnabon
Extra large coffee with sugar and cream, breakfast sausage sandwich
Lunch might be sushi, maybe a couple cookies for snacks, and more halloween candy. Not sure on dinner as yet. Just typing all this sound gross!!!

I don’t plan on weighing myself or taking pictures and measurements until day 5, which is Saturday. My mini goal is to lose 8 lbs by Saturday. Tomorrow diet calls for a FAST day and 3 workouts!!! Yikes. I will tell you more about it tomorrow.

Happily cheating,
Coach Monney

Xtreme Fat Loss

Hey everyone.

For the past 5 months, I've maintained my weight loss. I've gain and lost the same 10 lbs over and over and over. Pretty darn frustrating. I thought if signed up for the Oxygen body transformation contest, it would motivate me to push hard, clean up the eating so its more consistent, and get to my new goals. Hmmm..that hasn't really worked. See I wrote a few weeks ago about MOTIVATION, and I thought winning a contest would be motivating. Well, it is and it isn't. See it wasn't that important to me, more of something fun to do. So slowly, I got back into my rut.

So I've been searching and searching for something important to me, so important, that it would motivate me to stick to it. I found it.

I will to going to Miami next month and I would love to feel confident wearing a bikini. I've only been on a beach once in a bikini..ONCE! I am definitely not bikini ready today, but I have found a program that promises me to be, in 25 days.

Yes in 25 days, the Xtreme Fat Loss diet claims that you can lose up to 25 lbs. Hard to believe? Not really. See I've lost 11 lbs before in 6 days (and didn't gain it back), so yes its doable. Now, my goal is not to lose 25 lbs, my goal is to reduce body fat percentage, and maintain lean muscle mass. And to get where I want to get, I want to lose 15-20 lbs of body fat.

So I start on Monday Nov 1st. I will post as much as I can each day and give you more details on this 25 day extreme diet and workout plan.

Coach Monney

One Year Later

Hi folks. Its been about a year since I really started to focus on me, and my health. And WOW, my life is so much more different, I am so much more different. For one, I look different. So different that some people say I look like another person. Heck, some people who know me couldn't even recognize me!! But more importantly, I FEEL different. I feel way more confident, not because I lost some weight, but because I've accomplished my goal, a goal I worked very very hard for. And man, it wasn't easy. My process started off slow. Baby steps. I "tried out" numerous diet plans or eating plans until I could discover what worked for me (CLEAN EATING), something that became a lifestyle. Then I incorporated exercise(CHALEAN EXTREME and TURBO FIRE), and found a program that I loved so much, it became a no-brainer. Then I fine tuned my diet. I am constantly changing things up. And yes, as you know, I've stumbled many times and have had set backs. But I got right back on track. See I am not anyone special. I am normal just like everyone else. I can't tell you what clicked in my head, but I finally figured it out. What works for me. Now I can look back at what I've accomplish over the year and be so proud of myself.

Oh, and the best is yet to come. I have some major plans ahead of me, so stayed tune!!!

Coach Monney

Motivation

Hi folks.

My blog seems to have become a place to post my updates instead of tips and advice. But perhaps people can learn from what I do by me sharing this info.

Right after I finished filming my video for the CLX infomercial, I went into a little rut. Yep, it happens to the best of us at times, but I was determined not to be in that place for long. I've come to far to revert back into my old ways. I didn't have anything to motivate me to keep at the healthy eating and workouts. I've achieved my goals and even exceeded them. Everyone was telling me I looked great and I should stop losing weight, stop being so obsessive and just enjoy life. I listened to them, and started following their advice. One missed workout won't kill me, I thought. One cheat day or two (or three) won't make or break me, I hoped. But I was wrong, it does. One becomes two, becomes 3, then next thing you know, you've hit a rut. And digging yourself out of a rut is not always as easy as falling into one.

So I needed a new goal, a new challenge. Something to motivate me to keep focused. Folks, I found it. I decided to enroll in a contest - the Body Makeover Transformation contest by Oxygen Magazine ( a fitness magazine). I have 3 months to transform my body, and if I win I get $1,000 and possibly a one page spread in their magazine. So I took my before pics in a bikini (requirement) holding the magazine. I have to take the after in the same bikini, if possible, in 3 months holding the same magazine.

So I'm restarting CLX and adding in Turbo Fire for the cardio days.
Wish me luck. It’s a little fun contest to give me motivation to eat clean and bring it with my workouts. (plus I want to be famous. lol)

That rut is history,
Coach Monney

Chalean Extreme Informercial

Quick update folks. Lots of exciting thing have been happening the past couple of weeks. For one, I have hit and exceeded my weight loss goal!!! Yahoo! Nothing like extra cardio to break through plateaus.

Secondly, I was picked to be on the Chalean Extreme informercial!!!!! Trust me, I am so excited!! So what does this mean? Hopefully you will be seeing me on tv in the near future. I film at home in a couple of days.

Wish me luck.

Coach Monney

28 Days. 10 lbs!!!!

Hi folks. I've been long over due for a posting!! Life has been busy. But I have lots to share with you. So let's get right to it.

Update #1: Since I achieved great results with Chalean Extreme, my coach suggested I apply to be on the next Beachbody infomercial for CLX. WOW!!!! Really, would they consider little ol' me? I didn't think my body transformation was that extreme to warrant it. But everyone around me said yes!! So I decided to go for it. I wrote a brief description about myself and my before and after stats, and sent in 1 before and after picture. Then a week later, I got a response!!! How exciting. The BB folks asked me to complete some legal waivers forms for use of my name and pictures, and asked me to complete a detailed questionnaire. In addition, they wanted more pictures!! So I did just that. They seemed impressed, which got me even more excited. So now I sit back and wait. Perhaps until late fall to hear if I'm chosen. Wouldn’t that me amazing? Meeting Chalean Johnson, the creator of Chalean Extreme and Turbo Fire??? Plus filming an infomercial and getting to be on TV??? Just going through the process was fun. I will keep you posted!!

Update #2: So I finally decided to get a food allergy test, since I've had numerous digestive issues over the years. Well, I got the results and it was a SHOCKER. Very eye opening, as I was eating pretty much everything I was allergic to!! I'm allergic to all dairy and goat products, including eggs, gluten, spinach, mushrooms, soy and some others. Wow. So I am currently avoiding them for 3 months, then after I will slowly re-introduce them back. But its crazy…so hard to eat now. Gluten and dairy is in virtually EVERYTHING!!

Update #3: I'm on week 9 (of 20) in Turbo Fire. I've been incorporating CLX along with it, since I can't stop lifting weights. Over the past 2 months, I have hit a big plateau. I've remained the same weight, gaining and losing the same 5 lbs…arggghhh. So after seeing a ripped picture of my coach (Barbie), I decided right then and there that I need to go MORE hardcore, which leads me to update #4.

Update #4: With Barbie's advice, I decided to ADD 5 more cardio sessions to my current TF/CLX routine. So that means I will be working out morning (5am) and evening (9pm). For my cardio sessions, I will be walking on an incline on the treadmill for 45-60 min. In terms of diet, I will be focusing on eating super super clean. That means no eating out, no sweets or junk, no added salts, no alcohol. I will cook and plan out all meals and snacks. This will be only for 4 weeks, 28 days. My goal, to lose this dreaded 10 lbs I've been trying to lose for the past 2 months. Yeah, it's going to be extremely challenging, but I know I can do it. I am determined to do it. Today is Day 2 folks and I've already lost 0.6 lbs. 9.4 lbs more to go!! My evening cardio session was tough, but I realized something as I walked on the treadmill at maximum incline. I was not holding the bars..at all. For the full 50 minutes I was on it. Hmmm, I think its safe to say now that I am truly fit!!!

Ok, that's enough for today.

Keep pushing,
Coach Monney

Boresha Products

Hi folks. A few of you have been asking me how did I lose 26 lbs, so I will post exactly how I achieved that.

1. NUTRITION - It`s pretty simple, good solid clean eating. 5-6 small meals a day. Plenty of lean protein, veggies, good fats, low carbs and lots of water. I also use meal timing and carb cycling techniques to speed and trick my metabolism.

2. EXERCISE - OK. I sound like a broken record, but really I love any program by Chalene Johnson and BeachBody. The program I used was ChaLEAN Extreme, an intense circuit training weight lifting program. My current program is TURBOFIRE. I will get into that on a another post.

3. SUPPLEMENTS - These helped break through my plateau. My body loves to adapt and thrives on change. I use 3 main supplements and they are amazing to say the least:

(1) BORESHA ARG-MATRIX - L-Arginine supplement that helps boost energy, is an antioxidant, helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, aids in decreasing body fat, and stimulates muscle development.

(2) BSKINNY COFFEE - Imagine being able to burn fat by just drinking coffee...well stop imagining. Thermogenic fat-burning coffee that controls hunger, balances energy and combats stress-related eating.

(3) NUVO GENE TEA - Similar to the formulation in the Bskinny Coffee, offers a fat burning alternative for those that don`t drink coffee, low glycemic green tea that controls hunger and stress eating and blocks the obsesity gene.


If you are interested in learning more, please contact me.

Coach Monney

Before and After Pics

Hi everyone. So I am finally posting my before and after pics. My Chalean extreme Success!!! But my after is not a final after..this is only the beginning!!! I started Turbo Fire yesterday. FINALLY!! It's a 20 week cardio-conditioning HIIT program. In one word…INTENSE!!! I will post 30 days progress results. My diet is still the same, pretty clean.



Keep pushing it,
Coach Monney

Finally..My 90 day Chalean Extreme results!!!

Hi everyone!!!! Wow, its been a very, very long time since I posted. But let me tell you, I've been a busy little bee. Let's get right down to it, shall we? Drum roll please........ in 90 days, I was able to change my eating habits to clean eating, I was able to push play 6 days a week (yep, I didn't miss ONE day) and as a result....I LOST 26 lbs!!!!!!

So its true, muscle burns fat!!! I am so proud of myself that I was able to stay true and consistent with my program and eating plan, which was my problem if you look back at older posts.

This is doable folks, if I can do it, ANYONE can. I can help you. Just let me know.

So what's next? TURBO FIRE!!!!!! It will be released on June 18th, so I should have it soon. In the meantime, I am doing another round of Chalean, while I wait.

Yes folks, this is a lifestyle. I still have a little more to lose, but its not much.

Decide. Commit. SUCCEED!
Coach Monney

The 60 Day Results

Hi folks! Wow, its been a busy, busy month! I have been keeping up with all my workouts and eating clean. During the first 3 weeks of my Push Phase, I did not lose any weight at all. So I really examined and changed up my diet and guess what? I lost 5 lbs in one week!! So tomorrow is the last day of PUSH PHASE. I start the last phase of Chalean Extreme, the LEAN Phase on Monday. This is where they say you really see results and fat just melts away. Well folks, since I started Chalean 2 months ago, I've lost 22 lbs!!! WOW!!!! I feel so much stronger and I can see the changes in my body. I am super excited for the Lean Phase to see what my results will be.

After I finish Chalean next month, I will be doing a hybrid program, using TURBO FIRE!!!! For those who know me, I've being chatting non stop about Turbo Fire!!! Stay tuned for that.

Keep Pushing Play,
Coach Monney.

The 30 Day Results

So its finally day 30. I jumped on the scale and completed all my measurements and I am very pleased. I lost 16 lbs! 8 of those from my deplete week. So today is a rest day for me but I might push play and get 10 mins of abs in. We'll see. Tomorrow I start phase 2 - the Push Phase---slower lifting and heavier weights. I ordered Chalean Extreme deluxe upgrade, so I have a lot more intense workouts to choose from this month to accelerate my results. I won't lose as much weight this month, but I will bring it like I did last month. I actually love pushing myself to the extreme. It's become a habit for me now. I just hope I stick with this, even when I accomplish my weight loss goal. (oh ya..I will)

Coach Monney

The Lifestyle - Part One

Hi everyone. So over the past year, I've been changing up things in my diet. Some might say I am always trying new things or jumping from one diet to another. I mean, ya, that's true. I've done just about everything. Slim Fast, Dr. Daniels, Weight Watchers, the South Beach Diet, Nutrisystem, Dr. Bernstein, the Eat- Clean Diet, the Food lovers Fat Loss System, Detoxing and countless others. And I did lost weight on all of the programs. But it didn't last, the weight always came back on. Always. Because it never became a lifestyle for me. I always reverted back to my old ways of eating and gained it back. Always. So I would then find another program to try. This what I've discovered. Any weight loss program works, if you follow it. What you have to ensure is does the program fit your lifestyle, so it becomes a permanent way of eating? None of these programs did. I couldn't count points forever, I couldn't eat under 1000 calories for life, I couldn't eat pre-packaged foods for years on end.

So I am always looking for a program, a lifestyle plan that will fit me and my habits, so that its becomes so effortless and a permanent solution, FOREVER. I think I might have found it, its too soon to say now though. After all, I am only on week 1, but its so different from what I've done before and seems to be able to fit my lifestyle.

This is what my new lifestyle is:

1. EXERCISE. I am now committed to being the best I can be. I now know that I am capable of pushing myself and working out 6 times a week, something even twice a day! I've done that for 4 weeks, even with a busy life and baby to care for. So I know its doable. Plus I love how I feel afterwards. I love that I'm accomplishing something so challenging and doing it for ME. That's reward in itself. I love working out. And I love Beachbody programs! They have so many programs to choose from for those of you that prefer to workout at home. Right now I'm hooked on CHALEAN EXTREME, a 90 day weight training and HIIT cardio program. (I will get into HIIT later)

2. NUTRITION. Its called Crack the Fat Loss Code, by Wendy Chant. And it might not be for everyone. It’s a bit complicated at first, so that might turn people off right away. But so far I like it. I started the program this week, so its early days. But I'll keep you posted on it. In brief, it’s a 8 week program is divided into four cycles.

Cycle 1: Carb-Deplete Cycle – WEEK 1

This is the toughest week! For 7 days you will be restricting certain foods – mostly carbs – in order to manipulate the glycogen stored in the muscle. During this cycle you’ll be shutting off the body’s dependence on sugar and also teach it where to find the fat stores for energy! This week you will be counting carbs very closely so your veggies are somewhat limited and fats are more focused on the good fats. But, if you carefully follow the cycle you will never have to count carbs again!

Cycle 2: Macro-Patterning Cycle – WEEKS 2-4

Now you’ll move into what is called the Macro-Patterning Cycle. This is where you begin to slowly re-introduce carbs into your life, teaching the body to burn fat while slowing down the adaptive response. During week 2, you will begin to bring most of the foods that you consume regularly back into your daily meals. You will see less rigidity in the meal plans—and more substitutions. For best results, it is recommended that you continue to abstain from alcohol on carb-up days during Week 2. During Week 3, you will have two carb-up days, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. After this week is the best time to add in sweets and alcohol on your carb-up days.

*There are 3 kinds of days in Cycle 2.

Baseline Days

This is where you are teaching your body to adapt. You will be taking in the basic nutrients your body needs through proteins, you’ll take in good fats, but you’ll be adding in one starchy food at two different meals in your day, so long as you eat them before 3:00 p.m.

Carb-Down Days

These are days where you will have a more minimal starch intake to force your body to use fat as an energy source. One these days you will still get your fats from good fat sources, and you will consume one starch before 3:00 p.m.

Carb-Up Days

This is where you will increase your starches to stoke the metabolic rate and give the body what it needs for repair and growth. Your last 2 meals on this day will be primarily carbs! Yes, you can splurge on those usual forbidden foods – bread, desserts, pizza and even alcohol. We call these days Food Passes and you have two of them a week, typically on Wednesdays and Sundays, but the beauty of this plan is that you can adjust these Carb Up Days as needed for special occasions, making it very convenient and totally interchangeable.

Cycle 3: Accelerated Fat-Loss Cycle – WEEKS 5 & 6

For the 3rd cycle, you will begin to pick up the pace! You will continue to follow the same types of days that you did with the Macro-Patterning Cycle, but you will change how they are cycled in order to increase the body’s use of fat stores.

Cycle 4: Maintenance Cycle – WEEKS 7 & 8

The 4th cycle is all about teaching your body to reset back to a higher nutrient profile in favor of carbohydrates and fats. During this cycle you will get 2 new days – a cheat day where you can have any food you like – including any carbs you’ve missed, and you’ll also get a High-Carb Day where you have clean starches all throughout your day. If you have made your goal by this week, you will use this cycle to maintain. If you seek to continue your weight loss, you will restart your program at Cycle 2.

I will post more in a few days.
Making it a lifestyle,
Coach Monney

My Numbers

Hi folks. Wow, I am in week 4 of Chalean Extreme. And I definitely feel stronger. Next week I start the Push Phase for 4 weeks, which is lifting very heavy weights slowly with only 6-8 reps. I'm actually looking forward to it! I was told that during this phase, you won't see much of a weight loss, since you are increasing lean muscle mass. I have to remember that when I step on the scale.

So, I've been calculating and here are my numbers:

Since pregnancy (almost 2 years ago) I've lost 71 lbs!!!
Since last year, I lost 46 lbs!!!
Since I started Chalean Extreme almost 4 weeks ago, I lost 10 lbs!!!
I officially WEIGH LOWER than my pre-pregnancy weight!!
I am 25 lbs closer to my end goal!!!

I have loved the journey over the 4 last weeks. It's been very challenging I'd admit. But I pushed myself hard and have accomplished my mini-goals.

I will post my official 30-day results of Chalean Extreme next week.

Bring it,
Coach Monney

Week 3 Completed

Hi folks. It's been a while, but trust me, I've been very busy, pushing play HARD, super hard. I'm very proud of myself. So far, I've completed 3 full weeks of Chalean Extreme. And my diet has been very clean as well. All the hard work is paying off, because I see results. On the scale, I lost 6 lbs. But I know I lost more fat and gained some muscle. I look smaller, my clothes are looser. People are noticing I lost weight. I feel confident and strong. I'm accomplishing something very challenging. Yes people, I'm in the sweet spot. This time I intend to stay here. It feels too good to leave it.

Let's Get Extreme Baby!
Coach Monney

Week 1 Results

Hi everyone. I wanted to wait until week 1 was complete before I blogged. Well I am happy to report that:

1. I pushed play 6 days this week with Chalean Extreme. I completed every exercise! :-)
2. I ate clean all week and stuck to my meal plan of 1600 calories.
3. I told myself every day that I am committed to this, and I will do it.
4. I weighed in today for week 1 and I lost 6.4 lbs!

And that's with eating a ounce of dark chocolate every night, which seems to be my evening ritual. Look like it just works for me.

So I am enjoying the Prevention 321 program and you already know how much I love Chalean Extreme. Really, its the best workout out there.

So I started of week 2 by getting up early this morning and pushing play with Turbo Jam Kickin Core (cardio kickboxing using the stability ball).

This evening I will bring it with Burn Circuit 1 (weights).

The weight loss should slow down from here on, but I won't! I just got to.

Decide. Commit. Succeed.
Coach Monney

So Far So Good

So I stuck to day 1. Managed to fit in my workout, which was Burn Circuit 1 from Chalean Extreme (35 min of heavy weights). I felt good so I added in 20 min on the treadmill. This morning I woke up and performed 50 min of cardio via treadmill. Eaten my breakfast, snack and lunch already. I like this so far.

And the big shocker...I didn't weigh myself this morning! This is big of me.
Hey you can't get different results if you always do the same thing, right?

Coach Monney

Coach Monney's New Program

I friend of mine has a friend who had great results on a weight loss program. So decided to try it out. It's called Prevention's 321 weight Loss Plan, by Joy Bauer. You can purchase it at Chapter for $20. I read through the entire book. Most of the concepts and ideas are pretty much what Ive been saying (and doing sometimes) for the most part, but its a little less restrictive. Here are the highlights:

1. Eat 3 meals, 2 snacks and one treat everyday.
2. Yes a treat everyday, but the catch is no more than 150 calories.
3. You choose one of 3 meal plans, 1200, 1500 or 1800 calories, depending on your height, weight, age, etc.
4. You need to exercise. Period.
5. There are 3 phases. Th first phase is one week where you don't eat starchy carbs for dinner. Phase 2 last until you lose all your weight. Phase 3 is maintenance.
6. Did I say you have a treat everyday??

So today is day 1 for me, and so far so good. I like it. I have a headache right now, but that is expected when you restart healthy eating. The diet claims that you lose 6 pounds the first (mostly water) and up to 2 pounds a week after that.

For exercise, I will do Chalean Extreme. This time, I won't make it so difficult so that I can stick with it consistently.

I'll let you know how it goes.
Coach Monney

Spice Up That Workout

So it looks like on Wednseday's, a friend of mine will be posting interesting topics here. I plan on following his advice.....

Coach Monney

In order to ensure that you don't get bored while working toward your fitness goals it is important to include variety in your workouts. I began the year working out to Billy Blanks fitness DVD’s. This was exciting as it was something I had not tried before and found the workouts new and pushed my body. After a few weeks I wasn't as motivated to push play on that dvd and workout. I then began to skip rope , then moved to the treadmill, then to the stair climber, then to the rowing machine. Yesterday for the 1st time I tried a spin class. Now that is a serious workout, heart pumping, sweat pouring, all while gasping for air. I have kept myself going by trying new things that I didn’t think I would enjoy. If you’re not a member of gym you can skip, walk up and down stairs, jumping jacks, borrow workout DVD from library, the list goes on. So basically lets all try to stay motivated by changing the routine to something new, you might be surprised what you end up enjoying the most. As they say...variety is the spice of life.

Quinoa and My Focus

I worked out only once this weekend, but it was great. Worked out to Turbo Jam. And I ate super clean all weekend and even prepared my meals for the next few days. How's that for refocus? Yes, I'm patting myself on the back. Something happened to me this morning. I don't know what it was. Just like someone opened my eyes. All the sudden I became super motivated. I see the bigger picture. I know what I want to accomplish, I know how to do it. Just shut and do it. Hmm, so I will, and you know what, I know I can do it. Pushing play tonight with Chalean. Just do it.

One thing with me is I get bored eating the same types of foods all the time. So I looked up a new food and made it and people, I must say, it was YUMMY. Its called Quinoa. Pronounced (keen-wah), its a low-fat source of protein and rich in essential nutrients. Quinoa is rich in magnesium, zinc, vitamin E, and selenium, which help to control weight and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Quinoa is a high-fiber food that promotes digestive health, may reduce the risk of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women, may prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, promotes weight loss, and aids weight maintenance. Give it a try.

I got my eye on the prize,
Coach Monney

Guest Blogger

So I feel better after blogging yesterday and I'm back on track today. This is an interesting post from one of my dear friends and fellow readers of my blog. I wanted to share it with you....

Coach Monney

Pep in my step

I got to work today, and was in a good mood. A coworker commented that I seemed chipper and in a really good mood. "I am" I replied but still didn't know the cause. My morning routine that day was wake up , skip for 20 minutes, eat breakfast and head off to work. Nothing special had happened and I didn't win the lottery. I started doing a search curious to know how many calories I had burned while skipping for 20 minutes, and came across a web page that spoke about the release of endorphins. I dug a bit deeper and found that "when endorphins are released into the body, they cause a sense of well being". I had solved the mystery of why I was in such a good mood. We may not have the time in the morning to take on a vigorous 1 hour workout, but I personally will by trying to make effort to get my heart rate up for 20 minutes consistently in the effort to help the release of endorphines and make sure I have some pep in my step. Worth a try.

The Come Back

So its been a while seen I've posted. A few of you have emailed me asking me why and if everything is OK. Honestly, ya, things are, eh, OK. But I must say, the last 2 weeks, I've lost complete and utter focus. I have to be honest again, I've been eating terribly. Fast food and sugar loaded treats. And I stopped exercising. Then one day someone who reads my blog CAUGHT me at a food court, while I was inhaling a whopper at Burger King. He sent me an email saying "Coach Monney, that burger didn't look like a salad, what would your readers say?" Yep I was busted red handed. But I didn’t care. I even lied to him that I eat like that only once in a while. Not true. Even today I opted for an egg mcmuffin and a double double coffee. It didn't even taste good.

Sometimes a coach needs to be coached. I am blessed that I have good friends in my life that care about me, that care about my goals and the things that are important to me. A close friend of mine told me today (and many other times) that because of me, he is so motivated and was able to lose 15 lbs. He's been doing very well with clean eating and exercising consistently, and I've been so proud of him. But since I've fallen of track, the last thing I wanted to hear was "I skipped for 20 minutes this morning, or I ate oatmeal with almonds for breakfast or my body is changing or I want to take my workouts to the next level…blah, blah, blah. For real, it made me want to gag. Really. Is this what I sound like when I'm in the sweet spot, when I'm in the zone??? At first, it sounded like bragging and I didn’t want to hear it, especially since he was doing what I know I ought to be doing. But really, slowly and slowly, as annoying as it sounded at the time, I am starting to get back on track. I hate to admit it, but its working. Oh and when I do, which looks like it will be in the next day..watch out. You know who you are and thank-you for caring.

The Coach is back,
Coach Monney

11 lbs in 6 Days

Hi everyone. So I successfully completed the 6 Day Detox and I am happy to report I lost 11 lbs! I lost the exact same amount last time...go figure. I feel great and excited to continue with my clean eating and exercise journey. I stopped Chalean for a while, but I've been keeping it up some cardio here and there. I will be restarting Chalean in about a week.

Here is a few of the smoothie recipes:

1 scoop vanilla protein
1 cup blueberries
1 small banana
8 oz water
ice optional

OR

1 scoop vanilla protein
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
ice optional

OR COACH MONNEY'S FAVOURITE
1 scoop vanilla protein
1 small banana
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 cup sok milk
1/4 cup orange juice

Last time I did the detox, I didn't gain it back. But I ate well, so I have to ensure I eat clean to keep this off and keep losing...
Coach Monney

6 Day Detox

Hi everyone. So I contemplated if I should blog about this subject or not. Some people may agree or disagree on the benefits of detoxing but, I decided to blog on this and post my experiences.

Back in October last year, I wanted to jump start my weight loss. I purchased a program that included a 6 day detox. Basically you drink smoothies (made of organic fruits and whey protein) 3 times a day and snack on soup. At the end of the 6 days, I lost 11 lbs! I thought I was going to gain it back, but I didn't..not even one 1lb. I felt great during it, and I had high energy. So I decided to do the detox again. And boy do I really need a cleanse of my liver and colon (sorry).

I started the detox 2 days ago, today is Day 3 and I am happy to report that I've lost 4.2 lbs so far!! I feel great and my bloating has dropped significantly. I am drinking about 1,500 calories a day and taking herbal supplements to aid in the cleansing, so I am not starving myself.

However, I do miss chewing food. I worked out on Sunday and I plan on doing it tonight.

Now if I can follow drinking all my meals for 6 days, why can't I eat clean for 6 days straight??
Coach Monney

Daily Confessions

The Good
So I FINALLY DID IT! After a little over 2 weeks of not pushing play, I did last night and of course it felt amazing!!!! I decided to move into the phase 2 of Chalean instead of starting all over again. So I completed Push 1 which was heavy weight lifting for 30 minutes. Then I jumped on the treadmill and walked at an incline for 30 minutes. Ahhh.

The Bad
Yesterday I brought my lunch to work. I knew my office was ordering pizza but I told myself I would not eat it. Well, lunch came and went and I ate 2 slices. Then later in the afternoon, a coworker offered me some treats and I gobbled down one homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. I have to learn how to just say no and mean it!! Any suggestions??

So overall it wad an ok day. Today will be better. My plan is to drink only 1 coffee today, eat clean and bring it with my cardio tonight..1 hour.

How are you all doing?
Coach Monney

10 Pounds

Hi Everyone. It’s been a while since I last posted. How is the challenge going? I think we only have 3 people who are still going strong, DR, AI and SS. I haven't kept it up with the weekly challenges, but there is still a final prize for the winner.

As for me, I've been out of it for the past couple of weeks. I've been pretty sick and I'm just starting to get better. I've tried to eat as clean as possible (although I slacked off here and there) and managed to lose a couple lbs. Nothing big. I haven't pushed play, but I plan on it tonight. I will post tomorrow on my outcome. I have a small challenge for myself..to lose 10 lbs in 4 weeks. It's doable, but will take a lot of focus and commitment. Today is day 2. Lets see how I do!

One of the members asked what I ate when I eat clean, so below is a summary:

Breakfast 6:30am
Oatmeal 1/2 c
Almond Milk 1/4 c
1 scoop whey protein
Blueberries 1/2c
Sugar Free Syrup
OR
Kashi Cereal 1 c
Almond Milk 1 c
Blueberries 1/2 c

Snack 9:30am
Fruit with string cheese (Apple, Pear, grapes etc)
OR
Low fat cottage cheese 1c
strawberries 1 c
OR
Slice of whole grain bread with almond/peanut butter
OR
20 almonds
OR
Plain Yogurt with fruit

Lunch 12:30pm
Grilled or baked Chicken breast/Salmon 5 oz
Mashed Sweet potatoes/brown rice/couscous 1 c
Grilled veggies 1 c (zucchini, mushrooms, peppers)

Snack 3:30pm
same as above or 1 scoop protein with water

Dinner 6:30
Grilled or baked Chicken/Salmon breast 5 oz/Turkey Chilli 1 c
Big Salad w tsp olive oil (tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli)
No carbs :-(

Snack 8:30
1 scoop protein

Coach Monney

Decide.Commit.Suceed.

Hi there. Just checking up on everyone.

How is the challenge going? I know if I were in it, I would have been eliminated already. As I said in my prior post, I have missed about a week of exercising, ate very badly and I gained back the 6 lbs I lost from last month. But I reflected on the bad week I had and DECIDED a few things:


1. I need to be truthful to myself and stop the excuses. I've already started to do that.
2. I need to forgive myself for the trip ups. This one is hard, but I am learning how to do it.
3. I need to commit myself to this new lifestyle. MY BIGGEST setback I think. Just like I have to work to earn money, I have to eat well and workout to be healthy. No exceptions, no excuses. PERIOD.
4. I need to surrender myself to God and ask him to help me when I am weak and be strong for me.

So I made a personal decision and commitment to myself to be the best me I can be! I achieve success when I plan, so over the weekend I packed all my meals for the week. And I will workout too, 6 days a week. No exceptions.

Coach Monney

Keeping It Real...Feedback

I received an email today from one for our fellow blog members and it touched me so much to the point of tears that I had to post it right away:

One thing I've come to terms with is that not another soul can lose the weight for me. I have to do it for myself. No one else complains about my weight more than me, so I'm actually losing it for me. When I get down and try to drown the sorrows with food, I really do feel better for all of the time it takes to eat/drink...then the high disappears and I feel like hell. Don't do it Nana!!!! You have too many reasons to stay on track - one morsel of food at a time, one calorie burned at a time.
You don't owe it to anyone but yourself...and who greater than yourself is more deserving of the victory of reaching your goal???? Motivating others doesn't make you accountable to others, you suffer the biggest lost if you're not accountable to yourself. Others will forgive you, but you'll be much harder on yourself. You can't lift me up and let yourself fall, that's not fair to you. Think about how good you feel when you're feeling good and let that motivate you. Feeling bad and suffering the repercussions is much harder than the hard work you're putting in to reach your goal. Just take it one step at a time and don't worry too much about where you're coming from and where you need to get to. Wasn't it you that said the present is a gift...that's why it's called the present???? Make your gift count Nana.

Thanks sweetie.
Coach Monney

Keeping it Real....

Hi everyone,

Sorry, but I've been missing in action and haven't checked up on how the challenge is going. I see there are about 5 of you left in the challenge. For the remainer of this week, continue doing exactly what you did, eat clean and workout.

I have a confession to make to myself and to all of you. As much I as I know what I need to do with eating clean and working out, I stumble and lately its been a lot more than I'd like. I always offer advice to you but sometimes I don’t even follow what I say. Practice what you preach right? Wrong. I haven't. I was so excited to start a new workout program (ChaLean Extreme) and I got even more excited when I saw amazing results after one week. The program (along with clean eating) does work, BUT you have to follow it. Then I starting making excuse after excuse after excuse. I stopped doing exactly what I preached. I stopped eating clean and I stopped pushing play. And that depressed me. But rather than dusting myself off, like I said in previous posts, I continued to feel down and I continued to eat badly. Here enters the cycle. Again, no chalean extreme. I was setting myself up for failure. And I did just that. The weight I lost all came back and that depressed me even more. I wasted my valuable time working out so hard. Then I suddenly got re-motivated and started back again. I thought to myself, oh that was just a small set back. Then came my cheat day and it never stopped. It's now going on 1 cheat week. So I've come to the realization that I am not ready mentally. I started based on excitement, not on making a COMMITMENT. A commitment to myself, to this process, to this lifestyle. Until I become committed, I will never succeed.

So this is where I am now. Today is another bad day. I didn't plan my meals and as a result, didn't make great food choices. I got to push play tonight. I just have to shut up and do it, right?

Coach Monney

You Can't Finish the Race if You Don't Start It

There are quite a few of you who originally were super excited and interested in joining the Challenge, then quickly dropped out when it started. As of now, there are only 3 people remaining.

At first, I thought, was the challenge was too difficult? But then I remembered I asked for your feedback before I designed it. All of you told me you wanted the challenge. So why did most of you drop out and drop out so quickly? EXCUSES.

The first thing you need to do is STOP the excuses. I know this because I've done it many times. Life always gets in the way, but we have to put ourselves first in everything, take care of ourselves and strive for our dreams. Some people say I am relentless in my focus (almost obsessed) with weight loss, but I am determined to be the weight and the health I know I am capable of obtaining. And I will get there, the right way this time. Plain hard work of eating clean and working out. PERIOD. It’s a journey and it will never stop, even when I get to my goal weight.

So I am here for you, I am beside you cheering you on to the finished line and we will get there together. Patience and consistency is the key. Keep pushing and when you fall, get up, dust yourself off and get right back in it. This is what I always do!

Start small. Start with you diet. One day at a time. Ask me anything, anytime!

I'm with you every step of the way,
Coach Monney

What are Your Goals?

Hi Everyone,

How was you first day of the challenge? Did you give it all you got? Did you plan your meals and eat clean? Did you break a sweat for 30 min? If you didn't, you are eliminated! One of the members couldn't stick to the challenge and dropped out. (boo) Do you have what it takes to be the last one standing?

Last night I brought and it felt AMAZING. If you aren't lifting weights, I suggest you start. It really empowers you and I love the ChaLEAN Extreme program I am doing!

Ok, here is WEEK 1's mystery challenge, and yes YOU have to complete this to pass to week 2. NO EXCEPTIONS.

You have to EITHER post a comment on this blog or send me an email (coachmonney@gmail.com) what your goals are, when it comes to fitness, health, weight loss, this challenge. Put it out there in the universe so you can be accountable for it. Let everyone know what you are trying to accomplish. When you write in down and say it out loud, you are more likely to accomplish your goals!!! Trust me on this one.

Ok, here are my GOALS, and YES, I will accomplish each and every one of them:

1. To lose 35 lbs by May/2010. (THE WHAT and THE WHEN)
2. To eat clean 6 days a week, using Michi's ladder. (THE HOW)
3. To push play 6 days a week, using ChaLean Extreme and cardio. (THE HOW)
4. To make this a lifestyle and more importantly...BE healthy, fit and strong (THE WHY)

What are your goals?
Coach Monney

IT'S A PROCESS

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

My holiday's were wonderful, and I started it by continuing to keep up with my exercise routine and clean eating. Well, Christmas dinner came (my cheat day) and the indulgence continued after that. I also slacked with the workouts and missed 5 workouts. This showed up on the scale too. Really, it made me depressed and I thought I ruined all the hard work and efforts I put in prior to the holidays. But then I got REAL. Folks, this lifestyle is not a quick fix, it’s a PROCESS. So yes, I made bad food choices, and it continued a lot longer than it should have. I made excuses to skip working out. No big deal. But it stops today. Its stops now. So I'm back to clean eating and I will redo the week I messed up on. I am sure that it will show positively on the scale too next week.

Our challenge begins today!!! DAY 1. Are you ready???

WEEK 1 CHALLENGE

1. Workout 3 times a week (6 times for me)
2. Eat clean 6 days a week (one cheat day/meal a week)
3. Eat every 2-3 hours and within 1 hr of rising.
4. MYSTERY CHALLENGE…stay tuned for details

If you complete all the steps above, you graduate to week 2!!! If not, YOU ARE ELIMINATED!!

I hope you all weighed yourself. We are weighing in next week to check our progress.

Getting back into it,
Coach Monney