Fit2Fat2Fit (22 page)

In a small bowl, toss the raw chicken with the seasoning to coat. Heat a small amount of oil and/or butter in a large skillet on medium-high. Sauté the chicken, red pepper, onion, and garlic until the chicken is cooked through and the pepper pieces are crisp-tender. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings    Prep: 15 minutes    Cook: 15 minutes

Brown the ground turkey in a large nonstick skillet or wok; drain the grease. Add the peppers, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-high heat about 4 minutes, or until the peppers have softened slightly. Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cilantro. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the peanut butter mixture to the skillet; mix well. Serve the meat mixture rolled up in the lettuce leaves (or, if you prefer, over chopped lettuce).

Makes 1 serving

Arrange the lettuce and berries on a plate, add the turkey pieces, and top with salad dressing.

Tip:
This can be made with any type of lunch meat you prefer.

Makes 4 servings    Prep: 5 minutes    Cook: 10 minutes

Cook fajita meat in a medium to large skillet. Once the meat is defrosted and almost fully cooked, add in the peppers and onions for an additional two minutes. Remove from the heat and add in the salsa and avocado. Stir together and enjoy.

Makes 4 servings    Prep: 5 minutes    Cook: 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Place salmon fillets in the bottom, topped by slices of onion. Next, layer each salmon piece with turkey bacon and sprinkle with low-calorie brown sugar. Cover the top of the pan with foil and cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes, or until salmon is cooked all the way through.

Makes 4 servings    Prep: 45
minutes    Cook: 6–8 minutes

In a baking dish, combine the olive oil and the orange juice. Lay salmon in it and turn to coat. In a small bowl, combine the salt, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, allspice, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle those spices over each side of the salmon fillets. Set fish aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients listed above for Avocado Salsa. Mix, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Lightly coat a large skillet with olive oil (or other) nonstick spray and heat the pan to medium-high. Add the salmon and cook for 4 to 5 minutes; turn fillets and cook on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Serve with chilled Avocado Salsa.

Makes 4 servings    Prep: 5 minutes    Cook: 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place salmon fillets on individual pieces of foil (sized to allow wrapping of each). Spread each salmon piece with 2 tablespoons olive oil mayo and sprinkle with sea salt before tightly closing the foil around each. Put the foil packets in a 9 × 13-inch pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake the fillets for 20 minutes. Open the foil packets and bake 10 more minutes, or until salmon is cooked.

The following monthlong meal plan is designed to jump-start your weight loss and change your unhealthy eating habits. For me, it was easier to make these changes while doing no formal workouts—only stretching and core exercises. I didn't go to the gym at all during this phase, but instead focused on breaking some bad eating habits and cleansing my body of toxins from processed foods.

This meal plan cuts out dairy and grains in order to cut out the majority of fats and carbohydrates and help prevent digestive problems. The meal plan instead focuses on lean meats, fresh veggies, and fruits. In essence, I used a similar version of this for the first month on my journey from Fat2Fit. This may be a drastic change in most people's eating regimen, but everyone I know of who has committed to following this for 30 days has seen not only weight loss but an increase in energy, as well as medical health benefits (improved levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, and testosterone).

As I mentioned earlier, I believe that we should eat approximately every three hours throughout the day, rather than simply three times daily. The purposes of eating every three hours is to keep your metabolism running, blood sugar levels steady, and to keep you satisfied throughout the day, to help prevent binge eating. Obviously, schedules for all of us are different, but the goal is to achieve a balanced regimen. My meal plans account for that more frequent intake of food.

For all the entrées listed in the meal plans, a recipe is provided in the appendix titled “Recipes,” preceding this one. You can substitute one recipe for another on any day, as long as the new recipe contributes about the same number of calories and nutrients.

I created these meal plans for myself; thus they reflect a male's caloric needs. If you're a woman, I would recommend that you make a slight adjustment in the number of calories consumed per day on each plan. You can mix and match as you see fit, but in general reduce the overall daily caloric intake by about 400 calories. This can be done with portion size or by cutting out one of the snacks (or via a combination of anything that works well for you). Remember: the goal is balance.

Note that with entrées, the caloric count is given before any side dish is named. Calories from veggies are relatively low (less than 75 calories on average for 2 cups of steamed veggies), so we included them in the total calories.

You may notice that there are no built-in cheat/treat meals this month, as there are in the next meal plan. This is to help break through food addictions.

Finally, you will see a number of supplements listed below. My brands of choice are the following: Protein2Fit Whey Protein Isolate, Multi2Fit Whole Food Vitamin, and Enzymes2Fit Daily Digestive Enzymes (digestive enzymes “unlock” the nutritional value in our foods; aid in breaking down our food into their smallest components for optimal absorption of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients; and help reduce bloating and gas, increase energy, and maintain proper glucose and insulin levels). Feel free to use whatever you like.

The first thing to do upon waking up is to drink 16 ounces of water. Here, as in all my meal plans, I focus on hydration right away in the morning
.

Meal 1:
Spinach Shake (about 400 calories)

Multivitamin Digestive enzymes

Meal 2:
Midmorning snack (about 200 calories)

1 handful blueberries,

1 large handful almonds

Meal 3:
Spinach Shake (about 400 calories)

Digestive enzymes

Meal 4:
Midafternoon snack (about 300 calories)

1 banana with 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, 1 handful raspberries

Meal 5:
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken (about 400 calories)
^**

Add 2 cups steamed asparagus on the side.

Digestive enzymes

Drink 16 ounces water
.

Meal 1:
Spinach Shake (about 400 calories)

Multivitamin Digestive enzymes

Meal 2:
Midmorning snack (about 200 calories)

1 handful blueberries,

1 large handful almonds

Meal 3:
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken (about 400 calories)

Add 2 cups steamed asparagus on the side. Digestive enzymes

Meal 4:
Midafternoon snack (about 200 calories)

1 large handful pumpkin seeds,

1 handful raspberries

Meal 5:
Citrus Salmon with Avocado Salsa (about 450 calories)

Digestive enzymes

Drink 16 ounces water
.

Meal 1:
Egg-White Breakfast Burrito without the tortilla (about 450 calories)

Multivitamin Digestive enzymes

Meal 2:
Midmorning snack (about 250 calories)

1 handful blueberries, 1 handful strawberries, 1 large handful almonds

Meal 3:
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken on a salad (about 450 calories)

Place 1 cup leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken, ¼ cup chopped red and yellow bell peppers, ¼ cup chopped cucumbers, and 1 handful almonds on top of a mixed dark green salad with an oil-based vinaigrette dressing. Digestive enzymes

Meal 4:
Midafternoon snack (about 300 calories)

1 handful strawberries, 1 handful pumpkin seeds, 1 low-sugar, high-fiber protein bar (preferably with a ratio of 1g fiber/1g protein, but no less than .5g/1g)

Meal 5:
Spinach Shake (about 400 calories)

Digestive enzymes

Drink 16 ounces water
.

Meal 1:
Spinach Shake (about 400 calories)

Multivitamin Digestive enzymes

Meal 2:
Midmorning snack (about 350 calories)

1 banana with 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, 1 handful roasted pecans

Meal 3:
Turkey Breast and Berry Salad (about 400 calories)

Digestive enzymes

Meal 4:
Midafternoon snack (about 250 calories)

1 handful beef jerky,

1 large handful cashews

Meal 5:
Beef Fajitas (about 450 calories)
^*

Add 2 cups steamed yellow squash.

Digestive enzymes

Drink 16 ounces water
.

Meal 1:
Spinach Egg-White Omelet (about 400 calories)

Multivitamin Digestive enzymes

Meal 2:
Midmorning snack (about 200 calories)

1 handful strawberries,

1 large handful beef jerky

Meal 3:
Beef Fajitas (about 450 calories)

Add 2 cups steamed yellow squash.

Digestive enzymes

Meal 4:
Midafternoon snack (about 250 calories)