Even though I’m crazy exhausted (you’ll see why in a minute), I decided to answer many of your questions about my new meal plan bonus “14 Days to a Sexy New Body in 2010″ in a video below… my first video for 2010!

I’m so excited to hear how great you are all doing on these plans and I hope I’ve answered your questions in today’s post.

Just in case you don’t know which meal plans I’m referring too, you find out how to get them here:
(Current customers should have received an email last weekend with a download link.)

http://www.thedietsolutionprogram.com/burnfat2.aspx

And here’s a link to my fitness reviews:

http://www.thedietsolutionprogram.com/fitness.aspx

  

It never ceases to amaze me that the people in our lives we think would be the most supportive of our health and fitness goals sometimes are the ones that sabotage us the most.

You know who I’m talking about. Those family members and friends that tell you:

“Oh, just have one piece.”

“Oh come on, you only live once.”

“Are you really not going to eat any of this?”

We all have these “bad food” villains in our lives and if losing weight wasn’t hard enough, this does not make the situation any easier. (I know you can agree with me on that one.)
Trust me, I’ve heard it all. In all the years that I have been eating healthy, I don’t care to repeat some of the ridiculous statements that have been said to me by my family and friends (Love you guys).

Here are some ways you can deal with these “bad food” villains, I mean loving family and friends while still maintaining your cool and achieving all of your health goals.

1.) Remember most of the people who are trying to sabotage your new healthy eating plan are just jealous or upset that they do not have enough determination, will power and commitment to do it themselves. Please be compassionate. If we want people to be compassionate with us, we must show compassion towards them (yup, now we’re back in kindergarten). Respond to them with statements that only describe you, not them. You do not want to offend anyone or hurt anyone’s feelings (or at least I hope you don’t). Try statements like:

“I really feel great eating this way. It’s made such a difference in my life already.”

Or

“I know I am doing something great for my health and I feel awesome about it.”

Or

“I really want to be a good role model for my family and my children. I want to show them all healthy habits.”

Who can say anything negative to that? (I know, I’m sure you’ve got at least one person). What you have done however, is not attacked them at all and you have kept it positive. No sense in resorting to childish antics like “Nani Nani Poopoo, I’m healthy and you’re not.” Come on, nobody wants to hear that.

2.) Next are those situations where you are in someone’s home and you do not want to offend them. If this is a dinner party, just do the best you can. I promise you, you will not be sabotaging all of your good efforts by eating one meal that is not part of your plan. It might actually be a good break from your routine. Here’s where most people go wrong. They think if they had one bad thing now need to throw in the towel all together. One meal is NOT enough reason to give up on your health goals. Make your grandma happy by eating her lasagna (or whatever the meal may be) and don’t go overboard. One piece is enough and you have not offended anyone. Wake up the next day and move forward with your healthy food, like nothing ever happened (Lasagna? What Lasagna? I didn’t see any Lasagna.) Don’t torture yourself, or reflect on the meal. Telling yourself you have failed and then harping about it is actually worse than eating the bad food. No more beating yourself up!

3.) If you find that there are just some people who are super negative about what you are doing no matter what you try, don’t talk to them about your eating. I would love to tell you to avoid these people, but sometimes they are people who are the closest to us. Show them the wonderful side effects of healthy eating just by your actions alone. Your results will speak for themselves. I gave up on trying to convince certain people of the true benefits of healthy nutrition a long time ago. It was just too exhausting and I’m pretty sure they are now well aware of all the wonderful benefits just by my own results and actions.

Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do anything, especially reach the health and weight goals that you want. Show them what you’ve got by your amazing results and that will be enough to keep most people from trying to knock you down.

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
http://www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com

  

I just got back from a 4 day trip to Washington D.C. The President invited me for dinner and I just could not say no.

While the pres and I talked business, I told him he really should get the whole white house on the Diet Solution Plan. He agreed and suggested the whole country get on the plan as well. (Someday right?)

The truth? I was actually attending a 4 day business conference in D.C. It was 4 days of non-stop meetings, speakers and networking.

I know traveling can sometimes put a bit of a dent in your healthy eating and weight loss efforts. When you’re running around from place to place, airport to airport and meeting to meeting, you are just inhaling whatever someone places in front of you (small children beware).

Here is exactly what I ate during my 4 days of travel and how I was able to come back in one “healthy” piece:

Wednesday afternoon:

I made a huge salad with raw and cooked vegetables and loads of chicken to take with me. That would be my lunch and my dinner while at the airport and on the plane. I packed walnuts and an apple with me just in case. Thank goodness I did because I was delayed 4 hours and based on the reactions of my fellow plane mates they had obviously forgotten to pack their snacks.

Thursday:

Breakfast at hotel restaurant: Veggie Omelet and Fresh Berries. Besides the fact that breakfast cost me over $20 bucks, it was super healthy. I knew I was going to have to find a plan B because I didn’t necessarily want to spend that much on breakfast each day.

Lunch: Chopped Salad. I found one of those places where you can pick your salad ingredients and they put it together for you. I got Romaine Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes and turkey with olive oil and vinegar. This salad was so huge I had enough for an afternoon snack.

Dinner: Mexican Restaurant. I skipped the Margarita’s (and my peers definitely drank my share) and got a Mexican salad with Ceviche. Ceviche is a Spanish dish where the fish cooks in lemon juice. If you don’t like fish, this is not the meal for you but I loved it. I also put some fresh guacamole on top and it was perfect.

Friday:

Breakfast: Ahhh…Back to the hotel restaurant. Same omelet and berries. I’ve got to find a solution to this so I don’t go broke here.

Lunch: I found the local Whole Foods online and it was a 5 minute cab ride away. Not only did I get my lunch, I also bought apples, oranges, walnuts, pecans, fresh slicked turkey, cottage cheese, and one canned salmon. This would help to solve my breakfast dilemma as well as give me some healthy snacks during the day. (Yes, my hotel room had a small refrigerator and you can almost always request one at no extra cost.)

Dinner: Provided by the conference. Baked Chicken, string beans and polenta. Wow, they must have known I was coming. I decided not to have the polenta but I did have a bite of cake for dessert. I then made my colleague’s day when I told him he could have the rest of my cake (after he had already finished his). Should I have given him a copy of The Diet Solution to go along with his cake?

Saturday:

Breakfast: I ate the sliced turkey I bought at Whole Foods with an orange and some pecans. I took my nuts and another fruit with me to the first meeting just in case I got hungry.

Lunch: Canned salmon I bought at Whole Foods over a salad I bought at the hotel. There must have been gold nuggets at the bottom of this salad based on the price. Unfortunately, I never found them.

Sunday I finished the rest of my Whole Foods goodies and headed home in the early afternoon.

In a nutshell…
1. I packed healthy food.
2. I sought out and found the best places with healthy options.
3. I stayed away from the really bad food (and believe me it is everywhere!)

I am really glad to be home but I never let my healthy habits stop me from doing anything, going anywhere and enjoying life. There is always a healthy solution to every problem (and that goes even further than just food).

Will you be traveling to Tampa in January to meet me in person? The Buy One Get One Half off Sale ends today and I don’t want to see you get stuck paying full price!

See all the details here:

http://transformanddominate.thedsp.info

Safe and healthy travels to you!

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com

  

I think it’s so funny that many people associate healthy eating with torture.

Last summer I was at my father’s company barbecue. As he introduced me to his fellow co-workers, I must have heard at least a million times “Oh, you’re the nutritionist? Well, I want to enjoy my life so I just eat whatever I want.” By the time I got to the third person that made this statement, I just figured I should start telling people I was the inventor of the Hostess cupcake and maybe they would like me better.

I do think if you eat bland, boring and tasteless food every day, yes, that can be torture. Just as feeding someone unhealthy fast food could be considered a form of torture in itself (or slow murder, however you want to define it).

That’s why I always keep the new recipes coming. Many times I have to tweak the recipes I find a bit to fit into The Diet Solution Principles but every once in a while I find a few that are perfect.

That is the case with the 2 recipes below. My colleague and fellow nutritionist, Antonio Valladeres has put together what I think is the best Recipe book to accompany the Diet Solution Principles and he was kind enough to share these recipes with us.

Actually, I don’t do his book justice by calling it just a “Recipe” book. It is so much more than that. Not only will you learn great new and delicious ways to make your healthy food, you’ll also learn exactly how to set up your kitchen with the right utensils and cookware, exactly how to avoid nasty chemicals from certain pots and pans, alternatives to grains, the healthiest oils to use and so much more! Antonio’s got my full “seal of approval” on this book.

You can check out this amazing food guide for yourself here:
http://healthyurbaneating.com

Here are 2 great recipes you can try right away:

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Turkey Sausage
4 legs of organic chicken
2 large Italian turkey sausage
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon of garlic salt
Sea salt, black pepper to taste
2 lemons squeezed and two slices for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Mix seasoning in a bowl. Place chicken, turkey, and sausage on a flat roasting sheet or pan. Sprinkle with half of seasoning. Cook 15 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with remaining seasoning. Continue basting and turning for 15 minutes and cook through. Turn once more then pour lemon juice over the legs and the sausage. Garnish with lemon slices.

from http://healthyurbaneating.com

Carob Chip Cookies
1/3 cup of walnut oil
1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 organic egg
¾ cup of brown rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup of carob chips unsweetened
Dash of all-spice optional

Grease two baking sheets and preheat oven to 375° F. In a medium size bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Beat the egg and stir into the oil mixture. Gradually stir in flour and baking soda to form a stiff batter. Fold in carob chips and drop the batter into the baking sheets by teaspoons. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cookies are lightly brown. Remove from the oven and cool. Serve with almond or rice milk.

from http://healthyurbaneating.com

Happy Cooking!

  

Do you think I never “fall off the wagon”?

…Like the brownies at the holiday party holding me hostage in one corner of the room, rendering me completely helpless with no emergency organic carrots in sight.
Yes, yes, that was me…..

I get this email from clients all the time, “Isabel, I totally blew it on my diet last night. Now what do I do?” Yup, I’ve been there: bloated, disappointed, and feeling a bit defeated.

The trick here is getting away from this downward spiral ASAP. You’ve got to get right back on the wagon right where you fell off and for most of us that’s just 1-2 healthy meals away.

Here are my “Isabel Damage Control Tips”. They will get you back on track and feeling back to your normal (or not so normal) healthy self faster than you can say “brownie”.

1. Eliminate wheat and dairy for 2-3 days after the “incident”. I know what you’re thinking….”What does this girl have against wheat and dairy?” Well for starters they are the 2 most inflammatory foods that cause bloating in most people. Not to mention when people overeat, it is usually on wheat and dairy foods: cookies, cakes, ice-cream, pasta, bread. Ever heard of anyone overdosing on brown rice? Or poultry? Doesn’t really happen. If it has wheat or dairy, just eliminate it from your meal plan until you are back on track with your healthy eating and rid of the “after party bloat”.

2. Drink tons of water! Of course, this rule is applicable all the time, but after a “binge” water is even more important. I also like to add a few squeezes of fresh lemon in my water for the “detoxifying” effects. Fresh lemon helps to cleanse the liver and a squeaky clean liver will assist in your weight loss efforts.

3. Add in some extra walking. If I’ve packed in one too many calories, I get my body moving even more. Just adding in an extra 20 minutes of walking for the next few days gets me feeling back on track. I have even taken a trip to the mall just to do laps around the place. I get to people watch, see what’s on sale, and burn calories all at the same time.

Just in case it was you being held hostage by the brownies at last night’s holiday party, have no fear. You’re new mantra is …”Ain’t no silly brownies taking me down.”

If you have any other holiday damage control tips, be sure to share it with the rest of us by adding a comment below.

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com

  

Another great weekend in Jersey. Lots of sun and Saturday was a gorgeous day (I love the summer!).

My family and I spent Saturday afternoon at my cousin’s house barbequing and having a great time. There are 2 things guaranteed at my family functions: lots of laughter and LOTS OF FOOD!

So, just as we’re chowing down on steaks, chicken legs, hamburgers and hot dogs, (I swear, I was not the one eating the hot dogs) my uncle came up to me and said “Hey Isabel. Your mom says her knees don’t hurt anymore like they did last year. My knees are killing me. What do you think is wrong with them?” (All the while he’s still chomping down on his second hot dog and cola).

“Well Tio (I speak Spanish to all of my relatives) let me give it to you straight. (Look of fear in his eyes). This past year my mom, your sis, lost 40 lbs. That’s 40 lbs less weight that her knees have to carry around. Of course they feel better. I guarantee if you lost a few lbs. yourself, your knees would stop hurting.”

At this point Tio looks like he wishes he had just asked me about the weather, the upcoming election or even quantum physics, ANYTHING but be told that he needs to lose weight.

“Isabel, I’m 60 years old and I have been this fat forever. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

So I gave him 3 super easy rules to follow.

“Tio, follow these three rules and I guarantee you, better yet, I promise you, you will lose a minimum of 10 lbs. in 14 days.”

1. Don’t eat anything that is white. Name every single food that is white and chances are you shouldn’t be eating it (healthy foods like cauliflower, chicken, turkey, fish are all exceptions to this rule). Based on Tio’s current eating habits, I didn’t think he was all too worried about cauliflower anyway.

2. Only drink water, NOTHING else! How about coffee? Just to keep any possible withdrawal headaches at bay, one small cup of organic black coffee. Can you add half and half?…Well is it white?

3. Don’t eat anything with the word wheat in the ingredients list. What if it’s whole wheat? Look, if the word starts with W and ends in T and has the letters h e a in between, you can’t eat it.

Tio agreed that he was up for the challenge. Anything to make the knee pain go away and make his niece stop lecturing.

In 2 weeks, I’ll tell you exactly how much he lost and how he felt during his 2 week challenge. In the meantime, where do you need to begin to finally lose the weight and achieve the health you’ve been wanting? Is it to follow rules 1, 2 and 3 above? Or are you ready to take your life to the next level?

Don’t let one more day go by without feeling and looking as great as I know you can!

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com