MERRY CHRISTMAS & A LIL THANKS!!

Just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday! This is a Holiday to be thankful for all the blessings that we have been given. I thank God who has blessed me with the most amazing family, real friends & my health which allows me to get up everyday & do the things that I do!! I want to thank everyone who has supported me, visits my website & especially those who read my blogs! I really appreciate it, it makes me happy knowing that I can help someone even in the tiniest of ways!!

Enjoy the day but REMEMBER do not be a glutton & overeat because the pain you will feel later will not be worth the 5 minutes of pleasure you will have today!! Eat whatever you like today, enjoy those treats but try to do it throughout the day & in small portions! Your body will be thanking you later!! As for me I will do the same! I will def. be enjoying a piece of Jack Daniels Pecan Pie but just not the whole pie..:)

Again Happy Holidays to all! Be safe, moderation is key & give thanks 4 all of the good things that you have in your life!!

MY SPECIAL HOMEMADE PROTEIN COOKIE RECIPE!

This is my very own homemade protein cookie recipe! These cookies are not only healthy, low fat, but made with the finest organic ingredients!! They taste amazing!! This recipe can also be made with non-organic ingredients,white eggs, & plain chocolate chips. I just prefer the other ingredients.


You will need the following ingredients:

1 organic banana peeled & mashed
1 cup organic cashew butter, almond butter or peanut butter-whichever one you prefer best.
1/3 cup Stevia
2 organic brown eggs (egg whites only)
1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups wheat unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup organic quick oats
2/3 cup organic grain sweetened chocolate chips or carob sweetened
1 cup chocolate isolated whey protein

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Make sure your cookie pan or sheet is non-stick.

2. In a large size bowl mix together the mashed banana, cashew, almond butter or peanut butter & Stevia. Mix until smooth & then add in the egg whites, maple syrup, & vanilla extract.

3. Next mix in the flour & baking soda and blend: stir in the oats & chocolate chips.

4. If your batter seems dry and not very moist due to the protein you can always add 1-2 more egg whites depending on how the batter looks if need be.

5. Roll dough into small balls, then flatten each ball down a tad using a spatula. Make sure the balls are fairly small because if you make them too large they will puff up and tend to get really dry if cooked to long due to all the protein.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes but KEEP your eye on them. You don't want to leave them in too long or they will get dry and hard. It's okay to take them out if they are still a little moist in the middle, you do not want to burn them by leaving them in the oven that long. After taking them out of the oven, let cool for about a minute or so & then remove them to a cookie sheet or plate. Let cool for about 5 minutes then ENJOY!!!

KEYS TO MAINTAINING WEIGHT ESP. DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON!!

One thing that I think is a constant problem with competitors or even perhaps models is the fluctuation of weight and not being able to maintain a good healthy weight for ones self year round after a competition or an event is over. I know when competitors do a competition as I have for the last 12 years the most critical thing is learning how to maintain your weight once that show is over. Too many people end up restricting themselves so much thru the contest prep that after the show they have no self control and can not stop eating. Later on those long eating spells turn into binges and then weeks go by and you've now gained 15-20 pounds.

I've learned thru my experiences that you need to know the right amount of calories needed for you body to maintain the look that you like. Once you have figured that out then you need to add in your food accordingly so that you are not constantly eating and binging throughout the day. If you know around how many calories you need to take in per day then your body will never change because you will be able to see that you are maintaining your weight. You will know this by looking at your body in the mirror as well as feeling how your clothes fit. Another important factor is knowing the calories you take in verses the calories you burn each day. I know not many people want to take the time to figure this out so what I would recommend highly is that you at least know on average how much your calorie count should be daily for your particular body.

Once I mastered that plan I was able to maintain the look I wanted so when I was called for a photo shoot, an event, casting call or whatever it may be I was ready right then. If I thought I may need a couple of days to drop a little water weight, no problem because I was already where I needed to be. Another important factor is when you do compete in any fitness event you should never be more then 15 pounds at the most from the look you need to have on stage. If you are what happens is most people jump on the crash band wagon and kill themselves taking off the weight yet to put it right back on when the show is over. I call that the infamous yo-yo effect which kills your metabolism and reeks havoc on your body.

When dieting for a competition or fitness event you need to ease into it slowly and give yourself the proper amount of time to get yourself ready. Only you know your body and how fast you can make results so start early don't wait till the last minute where you have to do 3 hours of cardio a day and cut your calories to nearly nothing. Dieting that way really leads to binging after the show because you are depriving your body of almost everything it needs to function normally. I've had great experiences competing as well as modeling in all the years that I have but the biggest lesson that I have learned is how important it is to maintain your weight and not yo-yo every time you decide to do something.

If you do not maintain you will lose out on many opportunities that will come your way because you were not ready for them. You also harm your body each and everytime you need to lose so much weight before stepping on stage for a competition. The model that is most successful is the one that is always ready at a moments notice not the one who needs months to get ready.

YOU ARE WHAT U EAT!! WATCH OUT 4 THE HOLIDAYS!!

Many of us may laugh at this statement but when you really think about it isn't it the truth? I have found that what we put in our mouth portrays what are body looks like. A good percentage of overweight people eat fast food and consume lots of sugar so it is safe to assume they resemble the foods they are putting in their mouth. What I believe is that you can have the foods you want in life but in moderation only. I eat clean all during the week and then choose one day on the weekend and allow myself that cheat meal to have whatever it may be that I am craving. That way I am not eating junk all the time but I am treating myself for all the self discipline that I have shown all week long.

I believe if you are counting your calories daily then you are able to add in some things into your diet instead of waiting till your designated cheat day because you know the amount of calories your body needs to maintain daily the look your happy with. If you do not know the amount of calories your body needs daily that then it's best to designate a cheat meal on the weekend. Often times what many people do is have a sweet or salty food here and there and before you know it they are eating those foods on a daily basis. If you give yourself the taste of a tempting food all of the time then your mind will crave and want that taste all the time. If you rarely eat that treat all the time then you will not miss it because your not use to it's taste. We forget how good junk food can taste when we don't eat it on a consistent basis. Especially when you are really happy with the way you look, you do not even want to put that bad food in your body to ruin all the hard work you have done. You will not ruin that look if you allow yourself a specific day to have those foods you are craving!

I find writing out your meals or having the same meals daily works great in keeping the look you want. You never want to deprive yourself of something you really want and you shouldn't have to do that. If you are eating a healthy diet daily then if you have a cheat meal here and there it should not affect the way you look. Like I said if you eat fast food all the time or half the time then your body will show those results. If you are eating healthy foods all the time then your body will reflect that as well. I think where competitors may go wrong is that they give themselves an on season and off season look. My opinion is that unless your an endorsed professional athlete making a lot of money, I don't really know why anyone would say that as it makes no sense to me. Other then to give yourself the excuse that it's okay to eat whatever you want when you are not competing and to eat clean when your are.

If you just eat regularly small portions of the right food and have a cheat when it's time then you will maintain a great look year round. There will be no need for an off/on season when you do decide to do an event or competition because you will already be close to the look you need to obtain for stage. Know the quality of foods you are putting in your body. Our bodies are a temple and should be treated that way! If you want to have those six-pack ABS then you had better think twice about eating those cookies three times a week as I said we are what we eat!!