Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Healthy Eating Boot Camp




Are you frustrated and not reaching your fitness goals? I get it. ME TOO! I am rocking the workouts and feeling stronger every day. But my biggest struggle is NUTRITION. I know what to eat, but sticking to the plan? It’s tough! Especially with a house full of hungry kiddos!


I have a plan. A 3 week meal plan you can follow WITH ME. Forget all the stressful rules and restrictions. Learn along the way. We’ll keep each other accountable and reset our eating habits. Make time to exercise every day, follow the meal plan with me, and you WILL have success!

Want to join me? I need this accountability and motivation as much as anyone else does. Fill out the simple form at this link http://bit.ly/1Kmj0TLfor more details.

Join my Healthy Eating Boot Camp! We’ll kick off February 15.


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Calories & Macros - Health & Nutrition Simplified


It’s time to get serious with your nutrition.  If you want to lose that stubborn weight, hitting it hard with the workouts isn’t enough – I wish that were the case, as I LOVE to eat!  I’m here to share some tips I’ve learned, and we’re hitting the basics today.

I’ve used 2 different approaches to watching what I eat.  First is the method I’ve had the most success with, more so because I’ve used it the longest. 

1. Counting calories, logging my food, and watching macros:  Macro is short for macronutrient and by this I mean watching your protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake.  I’ve follow the ratio goal of getting 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat.  When I started nailing my nutrition and eating with that correct ratio for the entire day my weight started falling off. (with consistent exercise of course)  

I used the calorie needs calculator at the Team Beachbody website and then started logging everything I ate.  To log my food, I like to use the My Fitness Pal app on my phone.  When I select “nutrition” in My Fitness Pal I see the most handy feature of all.  A pie chart!  Amazing, right?!  This little pie chart is my lifeline to watching what I eat.  As I plan my meals and enter my foods, I’m looking for around ½ of that pie chart to be green (protein) and the blue (carbs) and red (fat) to be as close as I can get to the 30% and 20% goal.  Am I always spot on?  Nope.  But I’m happy with getting pretty close!



Eating this way & following macros closely takes a lot of trial and error.  I learned so much about food when I started this simple task of watching that pie chart.  For instance, I had no idea how many carbs were in vegetables!

When you’re first playing around with entering food, I’d highly suggest a few things.


  •  Just start by logging what you are eating now.  Don’t stress about getting your macros right.  Get used to logging food, and aim for your personal calorie intake goal. (I can help you figure out your calorie goals if you need me to)


  • About a week later, it’s time to watch those macros.  This is the time to plan ahead.  I suggest sitting down one evening and entering absolutely everything you plan to eat the next day into My Fitness Pal and watch that pie chart closely.  Experiment by adding/removing food that messes with your 50/30/20 ratio until you get it right – obviously still maintaining your calorie goal as close as possible.  


  • Stick with step 2 for another 2 weeks.  Now it’s time to re-evaluate and this is where I would step in as your coach and help you figure out how things are going.  Are you losing weight?  If so how fast?  These are all things to think about and questions I’d help you walk through this as your free coach.  As your coach I can also chat about how you can get a free e-book with 3 full weeks of meal plans and recipes that will make you nail your calories/macros and help you learn how to eat this way!

What have I learned?  Counting calories and watching macros takes a bit of learning.  There are a few new habits that need to be formed if you’re going to make it work.  (Logging your food, choosing food wisely, and planning your meals ahead)  But let me tell you, it’s SO worth it in the end!

2. 21 Day Fix Container System: There’s one more method I’ve used that I don’t want to ignore.  I have become a HUGE fan of the 21 Day Fix.  The 21 Day Fix is a week’s worth of incredible body-changing workouts but also comes with a color-coded container nutrition system.   By following the allowed number of containers for each color (protein, greens, grains, etc.) you will learn to control your portion sizes and get the foods you need to lose weight.  This system overwhelmed me for the first day or two.  I had no clue what I was doing.  As I continued to stick with it, knowing what color container I needed, what food would go in what container, etc. became second nature.  I highly recommend giving this system a try too.  I even now have a cookbook that not only has delicious and healthy recipes but also tells me what containers each recipe equals up to.

So that’s it!  I just threw a lot of information at you.  These tips are the foundation of how I plan my meals, grocery shop, and choose what food goes in my mouth. 

Now it’s your turn.  Make a plan and get started today!  Feel lost and still not sure where to start? Reach out - I love to help.

Next time we’re going to talk “What’s for lunch?” and how lunchtime has drastically changed for me, even as a mom.  Mac-n-cheese or PB&J with the kids? Not anymore!

Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a post!


Want to take your goals to the next level?  I’m starting a 30 Day Fit Mama Challenge and would love to have you join me.  Beginning AUGUST 31 we’ll commit to 30 days of exercise & nutrition and pick away at those unwanted pounds all the while learning to eat differently.

Are you in?  CLICK HERE for more info & to apply!




Sunday, August 9, 2015

Health & Nutrition Simplified. A Blog Series.


I often get asked what I’ve done so far to lose 45 pounds.  While there is a fitness side of the story (one that I never ever imagined I’d be so committed to and loving) there’s the nutrition aspect which is KEY and I think more challenging than a hard workout. 

It’s hard to learn to have self-control in the kitchen.  It’s overwhelming to learn how to count calories, confusing choosing from the right food groups, and scary to learn to grocery shop differently.  While those descriptive words are appropriate – hard, overwhelming, confusing, and scary – I can now say the nutrition part has become fun, easy, and creative for me. 

I’m starting a series on how my eating has changed.  How things I knew absolutely NOTHING about have become second nature to me and in all honesty freed up time in my life.  We eat healthier, but I didn’t realize healthier was actually simpler as well.  I shop the grocery stores differently skipping so many aisles I used to frequent, plan in advance down to what snack I’ll have.  Planning and cooking meals now take almost no time at all. 

Here’s what we’ll tackle over the next couple of weeks…
  • Counting calories / portion control
  • What’s for lunch?
  • Transformed dinners
  • Meal planning / Grocery shopping
  • Eating healthy with hungry picky children

Want to join me?  Sign up to follow by email so you don’t miss a post!


Want to take your goals to the next level?  I’m starting a 30 Day Fit Mom Challenge and would love to have you join me.  Beginning AUGUST 31 we’ll commit to 30 days of exercise & nutrition and pick away at those unwanted pounds all the while learning to eat differently.

Are you in?  CLICK HERE for more info!

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

July 20, 2015 Meal Plan

Meal planning can be time consuming but I've learned how very important it is if I'm going to succeed with continuing to lose weight.  If I don't have a plan in place before the week's busy schedule takes off at full speed I'll almost always make a meal or snack I'll regret later!  For me I've set Sundays as my meal planning day.  It's not fancy!  I sit down with a spiral notebook (probably taken from my kids' desk) and start planning away.  What goes into every plan?  Consideration for how much protein, carbohydrates, and fats are in each day.  I follow the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan which uses color coded containers, so I also tally up how many containers of each color the meals will cover so I get the right amount.  Once it's scribbled on paper I make my grocery list and hit the store!  I'm not a meal prep person.  Many have great success with using Sunday as their day to prep the week's meals. I don't go that far but I at least have a plan in place before Monday morning arrives!

I always thought eating healthy wasn't something I ever wanted to do let alone could afford to do.  I hope to share in a few other posts about what has changed in my eating habits and grocery shopping. As well as how I make eating healthier choices in a house with 7 people!

Here's a glimpse into what we're eating this week.  Feel free to click on the image and download a copy for yourself!



Let me know if you have any questions about meal planning, fitness, etc.  I'd be happy to help you reach your goals!

~Jessica

Sunday, June 28, 2015

I'm Committed - 21 Days!

I'm so excited I can barely stand it.  Tomorrow 13 of us are committing for 21 days to nail our workouts and nutrition!  We're following the 21 Day Fix workouts & nutrition plan and I can't wait to see us all complete the 21 days and see what we accomplish.  We're in it together!

Here's my 21 Day Fix approved meal plan for this week.
I may be a coach but I need the motivation & accountability too.  I'm ready to shed some more pounds!  Here's to the next 21 days!  It's only 21 days.  We've got this, right?!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Fighting Through My Struggles

Last night was Cardio Fix night in our 21 day schedule.  I have grown to love sharing my journey and successes in losing 41 pounds.  I’ve loved helping so many of you get started on your own weight loss journey! 

But there are still struggles I face every day.  I still need to lose another 20 pounds.  I still find myself turning to food when I shouldn’t, and these workouts aren’t easy!  Cardio is my hardest and getting through the 30 minute workouts push me almost to the breaking point – the sweat in this picture was crazy! (thank you summer heat!) 



I’ve learned what works.  I know what I need to be doing to get there.  But we’re all human and making those right choices isn’t always the easiest!  

What’s the difference in who I am and what I’m doing now as opposed to a year ago when I was living life 40 pounds heavier?  Not only did I not know there was a solution, but I also didn’t keep on.  I’d been a quitter time and time again. I had lots of workout DVDs but they were all ones I’d stopped.  What am I trying to say?  I’ve learned quitting isn’t an option.  That’s the biggest thing I’ve had to learn. 

I hit weight loss plateaus.  Cardio is so hard for me.  But quitting now is not an option! 

I’ve slacked some days in what I eat.  But quitting on eating how I know I should be is not an option. 

I’m fighting for what I know works.  It’s a mental game for sure!  I’m not quitting on myself this time!


If you need help, I’m here for you!  Let’s not quit. Together!

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

2 Opportunities That WILL Get You Results! Join Me?!

The kids are out of school and the hot weather has arrived!  Are you ready to get in shape for summer?  I have 2 opportunities for you to join in on and push hard for the next couple of weeks.  If you give it your all, I promise you will see results!



The first opportunity is an online Boot Camp. Complete with an ebook that contains meal plans, recipes, and workouts, you will have everything you need to succeed!  The support in this group is off the charts and incredible coaches will teach you every step of the way. Commit for 4 weeks and you'll walk away in better shape and educated on how to eat right.  Boot Camp costs $25 or I have a way to get you in for free - ask me how! Tomorrow (Wednesday 6/10) is the last day to sign up for Boot Camp so don't wait!



Secondly, I am still in awe with the 21 Day Fix program and how it's transforming my body even with our workout routine being a little hit and miss with our house flooding and current crazy living situation.  I'm definitely seeing results I never expected!  Together with another coach we are going to open a 21 day online small group that will start late June.  Commit for 21 day with us and you will be SO glad you did!


To join boot camp, sign up HERE for a free account at team beachbody.  Message me at jessnewland@outlook.com once that's complete and I'll get you the boot camp link.  It's a small $25 investment in your health and fitness that I KNOW you won't regret!

To join our 21 Day Fix group, message me at jessnewland@outlook.com or comment below and I'll get you more details!

Hope you'll join me!
Jessica