30 Days Done…Now the Rest of Leigh’s Life

What we’ve accomplished with Leigh (and more importantly what Leigh has accomplished for herself) in the past 30 days was just step 1. The real success will be in keeping the momentum of this past month and ultimately reaching your goal weight.

We’re all very proud of the group effort it took to help Leigh on her journey to a totally new lifestyle. Each of us contributed our own expertise and then having Vanessa to document every waking moment was really a lot of fun. We all forged new friendships and provided a support system for Leigh and for each other.

So, next step for Leigh is to continue onward with everything she’s learned this past month and make it fit into her life from now on. For Charlie, Donna and Amy, we’re taking what we learned and crafting new programs that will enable anyone to accomplish what Leigh has done. While these new programs won’t be as intensive as this 30-day crash course, the principles remain the same. No fad diets, no fake food.

To get on our email list and be notified when the next Help Yourself program begins, please visit http://www.helpyourselffoods.com/contact.aspx and put ’30 days’ in the comment field.-

The Challenge makes it to the Miami Herald

Big loss a huge win in Key West fitness challenge

By CAMMY CLARK

KEY WEST — Leigh Smith, an out-of-shape, 240-pound mother of two, wanted to get healthy, but growing up on Southern fried food and routinely putting her family first, the 35-year-old admitted she didn’t know how.

Enter three Key West nutrition and fitness experts who spent November giving her a head-to-toe wellness makeover after choosing her from nearly 90 applicants for a “30 Days to Help Yourself Challenge.”

It wasn’t easy, but on Nov. 30, Smith showed off her new body, new confidence and new attitude about food and exercise at a celebration at Nine One Five Bistro and Wine Bar. Read more…

The BIG REVEAL!

The Make-Over

Special Thanks to:
Isle Style for the hair, make over and the clothes (1204 Simonton)
Cloud Nine for the Nails (1204 Simonton)

Final Weight and Measurements

Amy takes Leigh’s final weight and measurements – how much weight did she lose??

A trip to the book store

Now Leigh is on her own she has to start planning her meals and thinking about what she is going to prepare for herself and her family. We took a trip to Voltaire books to check out what they had to help Leigh on her continuing journey.

Below is our current list of recommended books that are all available at Voltaire Books located on the corner of Simonton and Eaton Street. These books are more about the philosophy and thoughts behind our food than cook books, but they bring to light a lot of important facts and create a deeper understanding of how and why food is so important. We opened Leighs eyes to a lot of new ideas and thoughts and now she needs to develop those through her own research and reading. There are many cook books also available at Voltaire Books and we recommend you have fun browsing through the books and finding ones that you enjoy most.

In defense of Food – Michael Pollan

Omnivores Dilema – Michael Pollan

Botony of Desire – Michael Pollan

The Unhealthy Truth - Robyn O’Brien and Rachel Kranz

The End of Overeating – David A kessler

Clean – The revolutionary program to restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself – Alejandro Junger, M.D

Good Calories Bad Calories – Gary Taubes

Food Inc, – Karl Weber

Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front – Joel Salatin

A diet for a New America – John Robbins

The China Study – T. Colin Campbell

Not food related, but very important books:

The Power Of Now – Ekhart Tolle

A New Earth – Ekhart Tolle

The Big Reveal

It’s Monday 30th and Leigh’s challenge with us is up, but her life is changed forever. 30 days ago her kids had never eaten an orange. The only cooking she did was to open a package and pop it in the microwave or mini toaster oven. Now, she is eating fruits and vegetables all day long, roasting veggies to go with her husbands freshly caught fish, making her own smoothies, salad dressings and dairy free milks and her daughter is even asking for broccoli for breakfast.

30 days ago Leigh hardly went for a walk, now she is exercising vigorously for an hour a day, she has completed her second 5k with the 3rd next weekend. She is ‘running’ the Disney half marathon with her Mom early next year.

She feels great, looks fantastic and has lost a significant amount of weight.

Come and join us all Monday 30th December 6pm-8pm upstairs at Nine One Five, 915 Duval street. Find out how much weight Leigh has lost, see her after her make over and meet the team behind it all.

See you there!

Kicking Ass and Yoga with Mom!

Time for Dessert – Chocolate Avocado Pudding!

The recipe everyone has been waiting for! A delicious creamy chocolatey dessert made with all things good for you!

Recipe

3 ripe avocados
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup agave
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut water or water (only use if the pudding needs to be thinned)
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
Jelly meat from 1 young coconut (optional)

Put everything into the food processor and blend!

How to make your own Salad Dressings

When Charlie and Donna were going through Leigh’s cupboards at the beginning of the challenge Leigh became aware of just how much corn syrup and ‘unwanted’ ingredients were in her store bought salad dressings. She wanted to learn how to make her own salad dressings that will be more healthy for her and save her money in the long run. Here are 3 simple recipes:

Recipes

Basic Salad Dressing
1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp mustard
3 Tbl vinegar
1 shallot
1 small garlic clove
salt and pepper

Citrus
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp mustard
3 T lemon juice/vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice (1 orange)
1 shallot
2 tsp honey
salt and pepper

Pomegranate
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp mustard
3 Tbl vinegar
1 shallot
2 Tbl pomegranate syrup
1 tsp agave
salt and pepper