✩Heather Ashley Chase✩

The craziest thing…these aren’t short cuts. They are prolonging your success. If you would just follow the yellow brick road. It isn’t that long, or difficult or expensive. However the 4 Billion dollars the diet industry makes annually is designed to trick us into thinking there is an easier way. Diets are designed to fail, so you fall off the wagon and pay more money for the next gimmick.

DO THESE….

Get 7-8 hours of sleep. PLAN for it. If you have to get up at 7 set an alarm to GO TO SLEEP too. If you have a hard time getting to sleep. Analyze your room. Is it dark enough? Cool enough? Is your room cluttered with stuff that is distracting? Get your computer away from your bed.

Drink half your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 150 lbs. Drink 75 oz of water daily. If you think water sucks… add lemon or add a zero calorie drink mix (if you HAVE to-this is not preferable) drinking room temperature water is ideal. It will hydrate you faster. When you wake up, start drinking. Flush those toxins from last night. As I am writing this, I look over at my water bottle and I am chugging.

Eat 5-6 Meals a day. A McDonald’s Hamburger, fries and shake is NOT one of those 5 meals. The most simplistic way to learn to map out your meals, save money, throw out less food and hellooooo….loose weight. If you have been readying magazines, forums and books you can have too much information. Its time to start over and learn the basics. In order to be the best at anything you have to remember the baby steps that got you there. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. It really is simple.

Now if you are hardcore and want this transformation to happen fast-go ahead and commit to buying a larger cooler for the days when your going to be eating lunch and dinner away from home. It should have a way to keep your food cool. Meal map and grocery list, make a list of the FOODS YOU LIKE, pick a couple places to shop with your budget in mind.

You will need a lunch bag with a frozen thing to keep your food cold. Don’t get a tiny one!

The Container Store has awesome lunch totes and coordinating containers.

Get glass storage containers. If you display your fresh bounty of new food in a way that makes it look yummy-you will eat it and you will throw out less since you can see everything.

Explore these:

Fresh and Easy Market-They sell small amounts so you get what you need and throw out less. Look for their coupons (they are green). Often in the junk mail you throw away.

Costco-A good place to stock up on your protein -Alaskan Salmon burgers, Turkey Burgers, Seasoned Tilapia Fillets, Skinless-Boneless Chicken Breast, Turkey Sausages

Farmers Market-For your fresh veggies!

Here is how I implemented a modified Cooler #1 Meal for myself

Breakfast:

1/2 cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch

1/3 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt

handful of blueberries and raspberries

(you can sprinkle flax seed on this)

Midmorning Munch:

Can of water packed tuna and half an apple or pear

Lunch:

1 Tilapia Fillet (from Costco its AMAZING)

Green Beans

Half a Sweet Potato (i like the plastic wrapped microwavable ones)

Mid-Afternoon Pick-ME-Up

Protein Shake

1 scoop of Optimum Nutrition Nitro24 Chocolate (I buy mine on bodybuilding.com)

other half of my pear or apple from earlier

Dinner:

Grilled Chicken

Grilled Zucchini

Half a Baked Sweet Potato

Dinnertime Delight:

Cottage Cheese, small tomato with seasoning