Tabitha Citro: Let's Celebrate!!!!!

I must absolutely open with huge CONGRATULATIONS for both of the transformation groups today. The powerhouses in Group 2 have kicked off their first week and are rolling! We are with you ladies every step of the way. To both groups I say...maintain your focus and remember your goals as you bust through and KILL THIS WEEK!

Just as a quick side note, I would like to take time out to recognize Kathy Wyatt who gets the “Powerhouse Award” of the week. Apparently, being filled with excitement and motivation to get into her first workout at the gym, she innocently picked up a kettlebell that had an 8 on it at her gym to use for her one arm kettlebell squat swings. As she pushed through her sets, she tells me all she could think about was,”Wow! This 8 lbs is challenging…I don’t remember 8 lbs being this heavy”. It was only after she completed her third round that she realized the 8 on the kettle bell was referring to 8 KILOGRAMS….NOT POUNDS!

Hmmmmm….....let’s see there are 2.2 lbs in 1 kilogram…..

Hmmmmm…….Have you finished the math yet????
That is 17.6 lbs!!!!! GREAT JOB Hercules!......ummmmm, I mean Kathy!

As a result, Kathy is now officially deemed the “Kettlebell Queen”!

Group 1, in their second week, had their check-in calls last night…….

MAGIC number = 17.4!!!!

17.4 collective pounds lost since group started on November 14^th!!!! These ladies are KILLING it! Chelle and I were literally doing the “DANCE OF JOY” on and after every phone call last night. (Multiply the silliness of the mental picture in your mind right now by about 10 and that picture will be pretty accurate) To the ladies we spoke with…..Thank you for working so hard, we could not be more proud of you!!!!! This is only the beginning of your success. Healthy lifestyles are supported by solid foundations…..Solid foundations are built with the focus, consistency, and hard work. Obviously, you had ALL THREE this week! Keep up the good work!

Just a reminder to everyone, if you have not seen the individual pages for all of these incredible ladies you must check them out: www.recipeforfitness.com/transformation. In addition to their bios, you can now read their personal weekly journal entries and see their progress as they work through their 12 weeks. Check it out and see what Ashley got caught doing in her car this week…..??????

Holy Roasted Turkey, Batman!! I can’t believe Thanksgiving is here. I am soooooooo excited, every time I think about it I start drooling (again, not a pretty picture). I am a self proclaimed carb-monster with a very large week spot for stuffing. I fight on a daily basis to keep that monster tamed and in check. Ok, focus……Chelle hit the nail right on the head yesterday in "It's Almost Thanksgiving" when she spoke about free meals, and portion size. When you have a goal, you have to avoid finding yourself falling into this trap……

How do you do this???? You absolutely have to create a PLAN. Planning to attack Thanksgiving instead of allowing Thanksgiving to attack you will leave you feeling satisfied, treated, guilt-free, and still on track. Know what you are going to do ahead of time. My advice is to move through the holiday as if you would any other day and eat your 5-6 healthy meals. Don’t skip any. By doing this you avoid sitting down at the table famished (the kiss of death for anyone) and feeling like you have to load up your plate and eat everything in sight. Plan out the things that you really want to eat and eat them guilt free in reasonable portions. Then get back on the plan.

Thanksgiving Fact: The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving day is 4500 with 229 grams of fat…..Are you kidding me?!?!?!?!

Trust me when I say that I too have for so many years been a willing victim of overeating on Thanksgiving. I have been known to eat until I am so stuffed that I can’t even sit up straight. The prizes I win for doing this… immediate mental feelings of regret, physically feeling like garbage, sabotaging any progress that I have made toward my goal that week, inherent feelings of lethargy, and horrible workouts the next few days.

In light of this revelation, I have decided to implement a couple of extra precautions into my plan to make sure that I don’t "Gobble 'til I Wobble"!

First, I am going to go participate in the annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. Yes, I will be up bright and early (Thank goodness for Starbucks to get me going, and TIVO so I don’t miss the Macy’s parade on TV) in the crisp air with 1200 of my closest friends chasing down a person dressed up as a Turkey……. (This is NOOOOOOO lie!)

Second, last week at the mall with Chelle, I found the perfect tool to help keep me honest and my portions in check. The last piece of my plan! While everyone is eating off of the fine china, I will be using my new........

well....this....