Day 8, 9, 10; Cooler 1

Quote of the day: "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." ~ Albert Einstein

I am back!!! We have been out of town for a wedding & family birthday party. I apoligize for not writing while I was away. I was SO BUSY!!!!! But I am proud to report that I survived both events without cheating. I am amazed at how strong I've been. I never thought I could do it before. And now I feel empowered to do even more. Here are my meal plans for the last couple days. *note I did have to substitute a few things here and there to accommodate my diet plan. So that should explain some of the weird combos :)

DAY 8:

Breakfast: 16 ozs glass of lemon water. 4 egg whites, and oatmeal topped with 1 teaspoon of bee pollen and 1 tablespoon of flaxseed.

Snack: 4 hard boiled eggs, an apple and 16 ozs of water.

Lunch: Chicken Salad water with lemon

Snack:  I skipped my snack this day. BAD BAD BAD!!!!

Dinner: Chicken breast, millet and brocolli. Water

DAY 9:

Breakfast: 4 egg whites, Oatmeal topped with 1 teaspoon of bee pollen & 1 tablespoon of flaxseed.  Water & tea

Snack: Chicken & 1/2 Pear coffee

Lunch: Chicken, sweet potato, brocolli & water

Snack:  Protein powder & 1/2  pear, water

Dinner: Chicken, sweet potato, green beans & water

DAY 10:

Breakfast: Oatmeal topped with 1 teaspoon bee pollen & 1 tablespoon of flaxseed, 4 egg whites . Water with lemon; coffee.

Snack: 4 Hard boiled eggs & an apple. water

Lunch: Spinach, cucumber, radish salad topped with chicken. And some oatmeal.

Snack: Protein powder, 2 apple slices and a half a cucumber. water

Dinner: Venison, sweet potato, and asparagus. Water

Ok, ok! I know I have had WAY TOO MUCH coffee lately. I'm gonna try to work on that this week. I'll be posted today's meal plan a little later.

WEIGH IN!

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! Its weigh in day. And I am happy to report that I have lost 5 lbs! Thats right. This morning when I weighed the scale said 151. I guess all this dieting is paying off. SO HAPPY!!!!

Day 7, Cooler 1

Quote for the day: "Treat yourself as though you are already what you are capable of becoming, and you will become that." ~Goethe

I can't believe I made it to DAY 7!!!!!  Tomorrow is weigh in and I can't wait to see the progress I've made this week. Today I ran out of sweet potatoes, and I had to sub my lunch sweet potato for Millet. I hope that was ok. But since its on the breakfast plan I think it should be.  I woke up with a bit of a headache today. And I also had a craving for strawberry ice cream. Which is weird because I rarely eat ice cream even when I'm not dieting. My daughter is teething tonight and is in a horrible mood, so I'm skipping the gym tonight. I'm not happy about it but oh well. Maybe I'll have to use one of my days this weekend to workout instead and just count tonight as a rest day.

Breakfast: 16 ozs of water with 1 fresh lemon squeexed into it. And another 16 oz glass of water to accompany my meal.
4 egg whites, oatmeal topped with 1 tablespoon og flaxseed and 1 teaspoon of bee pollen

Snack: Protein powder mixed with 8 ozs of water & a 1/2 a pear
16 ozs of water

Lunch: Millet, Romaine lettuce, celery, radishes, and turkey topped with lemon juice.
16 ozs of water

Snack: Turkey, 2 radishes, 5 cherry tomatoes, 2 celery sticks and some brocolli florets.
16ozs water

Dinner:

Can't wait for tomorrow!!!! :)

Day 6, Cooler 1

Quote of the day: "Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer." ~ Marcia Wieder

Ok, I'm not gonna lie. I thought about coffee cake from starbucks today. BUT.....I didn't even attempt to go anywhere near it. :) The last few days have been harder. I have thought about a few different sweets here and there. Funny thing though, they've only been a thought. I haven't craved them so badly that I almost blew my whole diet. I think my cravings for junk food might go away sooner than later. YAY! Well I planned at the very beginning that I was going to follow Tosca's Cooler 1 meal plan by the book. I have found that is harder to do than I thought. Somedays your just craving other things. So now I understand why she says it is just a guideline. Today I guess I was really in the mood for turkey and asparagus. I went to the gym again today. This whole thing is really starting to motivate me. I have been strong and not cheated soley because of this blog. And I now want to work out to speed up this whole process and look amazing. Thank you to all of my followers who have kept me motivated. I appreciate you!

Breakfast: 16ozs of water; 4 egg whites and oatmeal topped with the usual 1 teaspoon of bee pollen and 1 tablespoon of flaxseed.

Snack: 16ozs of water; Turkey, 1/4 of an apple, 5 cherry tomatoes

Lunch: 16ozs of water; Turkey, sweet potato, asparagus

Snack: 16ozs of water; Turkey & 1/2 a pear

Dinner: 32ozs of water; Turkey, sweet potato, & asparagus

Good Night everyone!

Day 5, Cooler 1; Part 2

I made it through day 5. WOHOO!!! Tonight was a had one. I cooked turkey. And along with it for my fiance, I made stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, and dinner rolls. I am PROUD to say I did not even so much as lick the spoon! It's amazing to me how strong I have become in just this last 5 days. I am so pleased with myself. I met with a trainer at the gym this evening. He worked me out hard! Everything was burning. I was there for an hour and it only felt like a few minutes. I can't wait for more! But I am gonna be SO SORE tomorrow! Well here is the rest of my meal plan for day 5, then I'm off to bed.

Snack: Protein Powder and water, 1/2 a pear. 16 ozs of water

Lunch: Chicken, cherry tomatoes & spinach topped with balsalmic vinegar & sweet potato. 16 ozs of water

Snack: Chicken, celery, 1/2 an apple. 16 ozs of water

Dinner: Turkey, sweet potato & broccoli. 16ozs of water.

That's it for me. Good night! :)

Day 5, Cooler 1; Part 1

Quote of the day: "We all have ability. The difference is how we use it." ~ Stevie Wonder


Good morning! Last night I did not get a lot of sleep so I feel like I am dragging today. I met with a new potential trainer this morning. I went over my fitneess goals with him, and also my meal plan. He gave me 16% off my sessions since he doesn't have to do my  meal plans :) I will be going back in a few hour to work out with him. I have to wait until Jon gets home from work so he can watch the baby. The daycare at the gym was closed or we would've did the training session while I was there this morning.
I'm going to prep my snack as soon as I'm done here. I'm not sure what I will have yet. This Cooler plan is starting to get really boring for me. This is where the hard part starts! But I am determined not to give up! I CAN DO THIS!!!! :)

Breakfast: 16ozs water, Oatmeal topped with 1 teaspoon of bee pollen, 1 tablespoon of flaxseed, 4 egg whites.

Day 4, Cooler 1

Quote of the day: "There is no great achievement that is not the result of patient working and waiting." ~ J.G. Holland

I'm gonna make this post short and sweet. It has been a long exhausting day of traveling and swimming. I am so tired. I would love nothing more than to be in my bed right now. But I promised you a post everyday. And that is what you will get. I skipped dinner again tonight because there would not have been 3 hours between eating and going to sleep. Here is the meal plan for today.

Breakfast: 16 ozs of water with 1 fresh lemon squeezed into it. 16ozs of water to accompany my breakfast.Cream of wheat topped with 1 teaspoon of bee pollen and 1 tablespoon of flaxseed & 4 egg whites.

Snack: Protein powder and water, half a pear. 32 ozs of water

Lunch: Bison steak, sweet potato, broccoli & 2 radishes. 32ozs of water

Snack: Chicken breast, radishes, broccoli, cucumber. 32ozs of water

Until tomorrow..........Which is coming very soon for me. Good night my friends!

Day 3, Cooler 1 Part 2

The rest of my day was filled with outdoor activity. We took Tera to the park. And we all played until it was almost dark. I have veered off from the actually Cooler 1 plan in the book. I am still following all the rules but I having trouble sticking to the schedule. So I just kind of winging it. Really just switching things up. My dinner was AMAZING!!!! I had a bison steak. I cooked it just perfectly. I seared each side and then put it in the oven at 425 for 6 minutes. It was just slightly pink on the inside and DELICIOUS!!! I am loving the cooler 1 this time and I'm feeling great! SUPER EXCITED FOR TOMORROW!!!! Oh here is the rest of my menu from today.

Lunch: Spinach, radishes, cucumber, and chicken drizzled with balsalmic vinegar & a sweeet potato, 32ozs of water

Snack: Tuna, a little less than half an apple & 5 small cherry tomatoes, 32ozs of water

Dinner: Bison steak, sweet potato, asparagus, 32ozs of water

Until tomorrow my friends!!! :)

Day 3, Cooler 1 Part 1

Quote for the day: "You've got to get up every morning with determination if you want to go to bed with satisfaction." ~ George Lorimer

I will update this again tonight. But for now here's how my day is looking. I woke up this morning with ENERGY.........YAY!!!! I'm feeling pretty good and only have a tiny trace of a headache. Thank God! Jon (my fiance) wanted to go out to breakfast after church. Which I was not planning on. I didn't wanna be a party pooper, so I said ok. I thought I can do this! Just remember what Tosca says about eating out. I had already ate breakfast so ordering oatmeal and egg white was out. So instead I opted for an egg white omelet, with mushrooms, green pepers & onions, tomato and spinach. NO CHEESE! I also made friends with the waitress and ask if I could have my omelet cooked with Olive Oil. But much to my dismay they didn't have any. :( So I asked for it to be cooked with nothing then. When the server brought it out I was not that impressed. It was crunchy and not good. But I did eat most of it. Totally ingoring Tosca's advice to put half in a doggie bag. I paid for that! I'm still full and feel a little sick. It also included a small bowl of fruit instead of hashbrown. I went with that. I know on the cooler 1 I really should stay away from the fruit that I was serve. I ate 2 grapes and 2 cubes of cantaloupe. I think that will be ok. When I got home I was sure to go on a little walk to try to burn some of it off. It is very hot out though, so my walk didn't last too long. I'm gearing up right now to go on another short one:) Here's is my menu for the day so far.......

Breakfast: 4 egg white, oatmeal topped with 1 teaspoon of bee pollen, & 1 tablespoon of flaxseed

Snack: Egg white omelet (spinach, tomato, green pepper, onion & mushroom) 2 grapes & 2 cubes of cantaloupe. 2 glasses of water & a cup of BLACK coffee.

Day 2, Cooler 1

Quote for the day: "When you determine what you want, you have made the most important decision in your life. You have to know what you want in order to attain it."  ~Douglas Lurtan


Today was a bit better. I still have a headache but it wasn't quite as bad as yesterday. I am expecting to have one tomorrow due to the detoxing process. Other than all that I feel pretty good. I'm not as tired as I have been lately. My energy level is starting to rise. WOHOO!!! Here's what I ate today.

Breakfast: One 16 oz glass of water with 1 lemon squeezed into it. Followed by another glass of
                   water to accompany my breakfast.
                   4 egg whites, Millet topped with 1 teaspoon of bee pollen and 1 tablespoom of
                   flaxseed.

Snack: Chicken & 1/2 an apple; 32 ozs of water

Lunch : Spinach, radishes, cucumber topped with chicken and balsalmic vinegar & a sweet
              potato; 32ozs of water

Snack: Chicken & Cherry tomatoes; 32 ozs of water

I won't be eating dinner tonight because I have to go to bed early. So until tomorrow..........

Day 1, Cooler 1

Weight: 156

Measurements;

Chest: 40.5 inches
Waist: 40.5 inches
Hips: 40 inches
Right Thigh: 22.5 inches
Left Thigh: 22.5 inches
Right Arm;
relaxed-11 inches
flexed-11.5 inches
Left Arm;
relaxed-11 inches
flexed-11.75 inches
Right Calf: 13.5 inches
Left Calf: 13.75 inches

Quote of the day: "The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes


Today I started The Eat Clean Diet. My day was not what I had envisioned. I woke up with the worst headache I've had in months! For a brief moment I thought maybe I should start my diet and blog tomorrow. Then I said, NO! You planned for this and your gonna do it. So I did. I had planned to follow Cooler 1 exactly as it is in the book, even though Tosca says its just a guideline. I bought everything for it at the Grocery store yesterday. I even ventured out to the fish market and bought a Tuna loin, which I will be eating for lunch on day 7. Not looking forward to that! Anyway, I was under the impression that my freezer was stocked with chicken and I was WRONG! When I opened it to pull out the chicken I intended to bake for my morning snack and for my lunch there was none. Uh oh!!! My daughter Tera was down for a nap which meant I wasn't running out to buy chicken anytime soon. So I had to compromise and used canned Tuna for my snack and lunch. I went to the grocery store tonight though and finished my meat shopping, so that shouldn't be happening again. Here is what my menu looked like today.

Breakfast: 16 oz glass of water with 1 lemon squeezed into it. Followed by another 16 oz glass  of
                  water to accompany my meal.
                  4 egg whites, 1/2 cup of Oatmeal, 1 teaspoon of bee pollen, and 1 tablespoon of ground
                  flaxseed.

Snack: Canned Tuna & steamed green beans
             32 oz of water

Lunch: Canned Tuna, Romaine lettuce topped with bean sprouts and lemon juice, and a sweet potatoe
             32 oz of water

Snack: Protein powder mixed with water & one whole pear
            32oz of water

Dinner: Baked Cod, Sweet potatoe, Bok choy
             32 oz of water

There are a few thing I'd like to add about my meals today. First of all, you may be wondering about my portion size. There's no need for weighing or measure things on this diet. Here are a few simple rules.

Portions of Protein:  You should be eating six serving of protein each day. A proper portion of meat or other protein is measured by what can fit in the palm of your hand.

Starchy complex carbohydrates: (example; sweet potatoe) You should eat two to four servings of complex carbohydrates from whole grains or other starchy-carb sources each day. A proper portion of these complex carbohydrates is measured by what you can fit in one cupped hand.

Carbs from fruits & vegetables: You should be eating from four to six servings of fresh produce each day. A proper portion of complex carbohydrates from fresh produce is measured by what you can fit into two cupped hands.

There you have it!

Also I wanted to talk about the protein powder I use. In Tosca's book a few people have asked "What brand of protein powder do you use and/or recommend?" To this question I felt the response was to vague. She never actually stated the brand she uses.

I went out on a protein powder hunt one day. Believe it or not it is hard to find a protein powder that DOES NOT have sugar in it. I finally found a wonderful protein powder that I felt was perfect for this diet. The company that makes it is called garden of life. The product "raw protein". Which I think is actually quite pleasant when mixed with water. It has a sort of nutty flavor. All the other protein powders I had tried I had to choked down. Literally. Needless to say I am happy I found this one. Here are the ingredients that are in this delightful product.

Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein, Organic Araranth Sprout, Organic Quinoa Sprout, Organic Millet Sprout, Organic Buckwheat Sprout, Organic Garbanzo Sprout, Organic Lentil Sprout, Organic Adzuki Bean Sprout, Organic Flaxseed Sprout, Organic Sunflower Seed Sprout, Organic Pumpkin Seed Sprout, Organic Chia Seed Sprout, Organic Seasame Seed Sprout.

Its also Vegan, Dairy free, Gluten free, and has no soy allergens.


I hope your not all bored to death right now. Thank you so much for all your support. I look forward to tomorrow.

Just the rules :)

I realized that for those of you who haven't read all the books, like I have. You might be wonder what exactly is The Eat Clean Diet? So here are the basics.

1. Eat six small meals each day two and a half to three hours apart.

2. Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising.

3. Make your last meal three hours before bed.

4.Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.

5. Eat sufficient healthy fats every day.

6. Drink two to three liters of water each day.

7. Carry a cooler packed with Clean foods each day.

8. Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.

9. Adhere to proper portion sizes.

10. Eat only foods that have not been overly processed or doused in chemicals, saturated and trans fat and/ or toxins.

From The Eat Clean Diet Stripped by Tosca Reno

So there you have it. The basic rules. Now as for my own rules. I will be weighing in once a week. (Friday) And recording my measurements, weight, body fat percentage, and my goals, once a month. Wish me luck!

The Idea

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog! This is the first blog I have EVER done. So please bare with me.

I have to decided to do this blog to hold myself accountable on my dieting adventure. I am strict for the first 3 days and then somehow something always happens. :( So just to make sure that doesn't happen AGAIN, I will be posting everyday. I think this will make things easier for me knowing that by cheating I will be ruining my whole experiment and letting down all of my followers. With that said, let me explain what I will be doing.

Have you ever watched the movie Julie & Julia?  If you haven't you need to! :) Not only is it a great movie, it is where I got my idea. While in a book store one day about 2 years ago looking for a book about Cancer. I stumbled across The Eat Clean Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno. I looked like a good book so I bought it. And that's where it all started! I have now read ALMOST every book in Tosca series with the exception of The Eat Clean Diet for Men, which I am currently reading. And Tosca's new book Just the Rules. Which is due to hit the shelves this September. I can't wait!

Like Julie (in the movie Julie & Julia) I will be cooking and dieting my way through ALL of Tosca books and following all of her advice. I will be starting with Cooler 1. Finishing my weight loss goal with the Week 2 meal plan from The Eat Clean Diet Stripped. And then continuing to cook my way through each and every book in Tosca series until I have tried every single recipe. I am so excited to be sharing this blog with all of you. And I hope this journey is as exciting for you as it will be for me.