5 Tips to Make YOUR Early Morning Workout

Many people do their workout first thing in the morning but why? IS there a point or can we just hit snooze and move on with our lives? The truth of the matter is yes there is a point, when we just wake up it has often times been several hours since we have eaten so your body is in a fasted state. Therefore, when you wake up and hit the gym you are not simply burning the food you just consumed but rather the FAT you are trying to burn. So we burn more fat in the mornings! Now that we have that settled if your like me than you would much rather sleep in and hit snooze well here are my top 5 tips to getting out of bed! 

1. Decided the night before. You make the choice before bed to determine if you will or will not get up in the morning. If you start to make not going not an option then you will be up and ready to start making this lifestyle a habit. 

2. Have your clothes laid out with your shoes and sock sitting right by them. This saves time and brain energy. 

3. Put your alarm on an annoyingly loud tone and across the room this will get you out of bed and moving. 

4. Drink a big glass of ice water to help wake you up. 

5. Have it planned as to what you will eat when you get home. This allows you to think "if I hit the gym then I can come back and eat _________". Obviously make it a healthy choice.

 I

ts really that simple! So make your plan, be prepared, and set that alarm clock for the body you have always dreamt of! 

Love always 

Keli K. 

"What appears to be a sacrifice today will prove instead to be the greatest investment you will ever make"

Dinosaur Poop Cookies

Ok so the name of these cookies needs work but Alex Martin named them so what else do you expect!  These Low Carb high protein all natural cookies are perfect for those clean eaters with a sweet tooth! 

Two of these cookies is a serving. They are so yummy and you can add PB2 for some peanut flavor, almonds for some good fats or even unsweetened coconut to make it more of a protein bar. Super yummy! 

Preheat oven 350 degrees F
Spray 2 cookie sheets with zero-cal cooking spray (I use coconut oil spray)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 scoops chocolate whey protein (I like Jay Robb’s brand)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup xylitol sweetener, granules (or can sub in stevia)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbs unsweetened coco powder 
• 1 tbs cinnamon (I love cinnamon so the more the better!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup liquid egg whites
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in one large mixing bowl. Use a fork or wooden spoon to mix well, until all dry ingredients are moisturized. Should leave a thick texture, definitely not pourable. Fold in 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips.

Spoon onto baking sheets in 1-inch balls. Bake for 16 minutes on 350. Remove from sheets and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 36 cookies (18 servings).

Nutrition per serving:
80 cals
5g fat (1g sat)
6g CHO (2.5g fiber)
6g protein

Quest Bars

For me any time I can find something that is "clean" eating on the go I have to check it out! I have been getting some emails asking about protein bars and which one I recommend... my all time favorite protein bar has got to be Quest bar. They have only 4 net carbs ,18 grams of fiber and 20 grams of protein. These bars are 100% natural and come in 11 different flavors (lemon, peanut butter, and cinnamon are my 3 favs). Since Quest Bars are so high in protein and fiber it will make you feel fuller longer and give you sustained energy. So enjoy your on the go treat and keep on eating clean! 

Keli K. 

If you say you can you will and if you say you can you wont.

Who's going with me to Cereal Rehab?

Did you know that wheat, dairy, and sugar have been shown to be the three most addicting foods on the planet? Which is basically the foundation of the American diet. If you are worried about the food choices you are making OR better yet the choices your children are making take a minute to think on this, Froot Loops alone have made 162 million dollars so far in 2012. We have a serious addiction here people but why wouldn't? Wheat covered in sugar goes into a bowl and then we pour dairy on top of it... Watch out Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Hudson there is a new Triple threat in town! A Yale study shows that when these 3 things are combined it triggers pathways in the brain similar to those of cocaine or heroine. Wheat, dairy and sugar have been shown to be MORE addictive than pharmaceutical drugs... Seriously? Who knew Captain Crunch was basically a drug dealer...? So this is major problem since cereal is the #1 breakfast among children. We have the opportunity to set up a whole new generation of healthy eaters but we are letting instant gratification (the convince of cereal) dictate our decisions on breakfast instead of being future focused. So why are these 3 areas so devilish... lets break it on down a bit more...

Wheat- has gluten which has been shown to alter the brains chemistry and store fat

Dairy- first of all humans are the ONLY species on the planet that drink the milk of another animal. Much research has shown that dairy has been linked to type 1 & 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, autism, auto-immune disorders, cancers and even schizophrenia. Check out the book Devil in Milk or watch the Documentary on Netflix Forks Over Knives for more information on Dairy products

Sugar- Do I need to even say anything else? In 1822 the average american ate 6.7 pounds of sugar a year in 2012 the average American eats 156 pounds per year!!! AHHHH we have a problem...

 I understand that some of you may be reading this and thinking but I like those 3 things and the truth is we all do. It is addicting but we can lower our intake. It is really hard to kick out all three at one time but either make a pledge to yourself to eat less of them all together or try just kicking out one to see what happens to your health! If you're needing some good breakfast recipes checkout some of my older posts... you can premake all these items so that you and your family are good to go for the week! 

Love always, 

Keli K. 

And now this is the part where you find out how much you are truly capable of. <3

A big WHY?

Weight lose has so many factors calories,carbs, starch, fat, cardio, water, sodium, weight training the list could go for days. So many of us sit around and beat ourselves up with the how? How will I lose the weight? How can I burn calories? How can I be happy and diet? How come my jeans still don't fit? Blah blah blah but stop and ask yourself today why? Why do you want to lose weight? Many would say for health reasons but most the time that's not really true for the majority of people. Let me tell you some real whys that I've heard: why? To finally wear that dress, to make my ex hate that he left, to have something to be proud of, to be smaller than my sister, to wear a swimsuit confidently, to get my family to respect me, so I'm not the fat girl, so I can finally get a date, so I can run in a Marathon... The list goes on and on but ultimately get truly honest with yourself about YOUR Why and the how will take care of itself!
Love always,
Keli K.
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Total Nutrition

Today I had an awesome experience at Total Nutrition and since some of you have been asking me about supplements, pre-workout, post workout, fish oils, protein powder, and the other thousands of options out there I thought I would make it easier and say ask the experts. So here is my commercial for Total Nutrition, it is health supplements store that provides you with a plan that best suits YOUR needs. Each staff member there is highly educated on each product and how they will effect your body. Wanna burn fat? Turn up the intensity on that work out? Have a little extra concentration?  At Total Nutrition they look at your specific needs and what nutrition plan and supplements will work best for your goals. I went in today  and found out about some new products and pre-work out mixes that I can not wait to try out and let you know how they work! (PS ladies they have a cute staff so you might not wanna go right after a workout like I did ;)) It is located on Mockingbird and Greenville (kinda by North Park off of 75). It is worth the visit if no other reason just to learn about what they have and how you can improve your total health! Click here to check out there facebook page
PS They also sale Quest bars which are not easy to find and I will have a whole blog written about them coming soon!
Love always,
Keli K.

Egg "muffins"

Hello hello! Here is a tasty low carb high protein way to start your day!
Ingredients:
Turkey sausage (or turkey bacon)
Bell peppers
Onions
Egg beaters
2% Mexican cheese

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
In a skillet cook turkey meat until brown drain grease and add your favorite seasonings. Throw in chopped veggies and let them cook together for a few minutes. Get out a muffin pan and fill each cup half way with your meat and veggies. Take your egg beaters and pour over the meat and veggies filling up the muffin cups. Place in the oven for 12 minutes or until your eggs are not running. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese and enjoy! You can also add Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and some hot sauce! Enjoy!
Love always,
Keli K.

~~~Life Update~~~

Its been a few days since I have been able to update you all on some fat busting strategies but have no fear soon recipes and workouts are on there way! As for now here's whats going on in the world of Keli...
So some know some do not but I have recently moved back to Dallas and will be finishing my last few classes with Texas Tech online! So basically I am looking for a new best friend... any takers? I also will be headed to see my brother in Brooklyn and we will running in the Race for the Cure in New York ALSO I will be there during New York fashion week so I will have to come back and let you know what to expect spring 2013. ;) Pageant season starts off here pretty quickly so I will have to keep you posted on how all that goes. I guess that is the summery! Have a healthy day!
Love always,
Keli K.
"I who loved you through the darkest..." -Romans 5:8

Prepare if you care

Losing weight, 80% kitchen 20% gym. No you can not work off a bad diet... I know it stinks but if you want weight loss you have to be prepared! Why? Because if you're like me, when I get hungry I stop thinking rationally and start thinking taco bell. So how can we be prepared? Here is your prepare dare Sunday go to the store and go ahead and cook some meals for the week! Make up some protein pancakes for breakfast, grill up some chicken breast, make some turkey chili, or turkey patties, fish, and have the with some sort of veggie side and you've got some of your meals ready to go! It makes it 100 times easier when you plan ahead! So that's your challenge this week plan ahead!
Love always,
Keli K.
Excellence is not an act it's a habit

Smart girls use dumbbells

Every time I enter the gym I notice that just about every woman in there is on an elliptical or walking on a treadmill with the fear of adding weights. The number one reason I think woman are afraid of adding weight to their working out is because they believe they will get "bulky" and turn into the incredible hulk in neon pink. This is defiantly not the case. When some tones up and adds the touch of muscle it will actually help you to burn fat. So this means that by adding weights to your exercise routine your body will actually burn more when it is at rest! If your goal is to look better in a swimsuit or just in your everyday clothes weight training will help get you to your personal goals. Another fear I have found among many woman specifically is that they are too intimidated to go to the weight section of the gym because its all guys. I have had this fear too and I understand where you are coming from but if you want the results you cant let things like a few guys (who a really too busy checking out their own triceps in the mirror to notice you anyways) get in the way. You have a goal, passion, and will power so I say go get after it! Try a new muscle building activity today whether its body resistance or using actual weights and it will bring you one step closer to your goal!

love always, 

Keli K. 

"Strength doesn't come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming what you thought you couldn't do." 

Chicken Strips

Canes is a love of mine so to beat that chicken strip craving I look to this recipe:

Slow-Carb Spicy Chicken Tenders
A simple, tasty meal which complements the Cheeky Kitchen Slow Carb eating plan. Pair these tender chicken strips with a smidgen of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. To grind the almond powder, use an industrial-strength blender, food processor, or hammer.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almonds, ground to a coarse powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground flax (optional)
1/4 teaspoon brewers yeast (optional)
1/4 cup egg beaters
2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking dish with parchment or nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the ground almonds, red pepper flakes, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Pour the egg whites over the chicken tenders. Dip them into the almond mixture. Transfer to your baking sheet. Bake in an oven for 10-12 minutes, or just until the chicken is cooked through. Serve and enjoy!

*** I also steer off course and add a little extra chili powder and garlic salt get creative!

Sauce:
Worcestershire sauce (.25 of cup)
Thousand island (1.5 tablespoons)
Dash of garlic salt, chili powder, red pepper
Pinch of parsley

I'm the worst at giving directions cause I just flavor things to taste and explore my kitchen. Don't be afraid to test new things out and get creative.
Love always,
Keli K.
"be the change you want to see the world"

Water you waiting for?

So here is something you have heard... drink water but how does this aid in weight loss and why should anyone care? Here are the top reasons I think to grab a glass and chug!
1. To burn calories you need a substantial amount of water to aid in this process. If you are dehydrated it slows down the fat burning.
2. When burning fat your body releases toxins that need to flushed out... so yay water to the rescue!
3. Reduces muscle soreness when exercising.
4. When you drink water before a meal it causes you to feel fuller faster.
5. Dehydration cause fatigued because of the blood volume reduction and no one needs any extra reason to feel tired.
OK so now that we are all ready to change our status to in a relationship with water, we need to know how much to drink. Who just said 64 ounces in their head??? Well you're wrong. Research shows that the best amount would be an ounce per pound up to 150-200 ounces. Thats a lot of water but you can always start by adding in a glass or two here and there. Another great tip is to have a certain time you want an amount of water finished. I drink a gallon a day so I mark on my water bottles how much needs to be finished and by what time (I will attach a link to explain it better). Any who, water is a VITAL part of losing weight so grab a bottle and start shedding the pounds!
Love always,
Keli K.
Keep water on Time
Lets face the facts... you CAN do it. :)

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!!

I love peanut butter... its almost an obsession but now you can have your peanut butter and eat it too! There is a new product (or at least new to me) called PB2 it has 85% less fat than traditional peanut butter. How do they do it? They press the oil and the fat out of the peanuts in a chemical free process making the peanuts turn into a dry powder. So then all you have to do is simply add a tablespoon of water to 2 tablespoons of PB2 powder mix and enjoy your peanut butter! You can use PB2 in smoothies, recipes, and what ever else traditionally you would use peanut butter for. I like to take it with me as a snack with some celery sticks for those times you just gotta have a snack on the run or add a little liquid vanilla stevia for a super sweet yummy peanut butter spread!
Here is a link if you have any more questions on this product or to find it in a store near you:
http://www.bellplantation.com/about-us

Reduced Fat Skippy: 

Serving Size: 2 Tbs

Calories: 180

Fat: 12g

Carbohydrates: 15g

Fiber: 2g

Sugar: 4g

Protein: 7g

PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter: 

Serving Size: 2 Tbs

Calories: 45

Fat: 1.5g

Carbohydrates: 5g

Fiber: 2g

Sugar: 1g

Protein: 5g

Get to trying!
Love always,
Keli K.

people becoming hysterical when peanut butter sticks to the roof of their mouth have "arachibutyrophobia"

Live to eat, eat to live

Food, our social connection. The one thing that can support our desire for instant gratification is food. We use it to celebrate, to suppress emotions, to entertain, to somehow prevent boredom, but why does food control so much of our emotions? I find that fear controls much of my eating and life choices. The fear to diet and fail or the fear of being miserable on a diet or not belonging socially if I eat differently. We let our emotions dictate our eating habits and unknowingly we are stepping into a shorter life expectancy. The food we decided to consume today will effect the rest of our lives and we aren't taking that truth seriously. We have a cure to the leading cause of death in America and we mock the thought of changing what we eat. So how do we change? I don't have an answer yet. All I can say is we can't let the fear keep us from pursuing a healthy lifestyle. We have to eat to live not live to eat because in the end we want to develop meaningful relationships and not let our food choices render us from doing so. I have seen how diabetes and heart disease can completely hijack your life and keep you from being able to enjoy simple everyday living. So lets make a change. I say let's go live, throw caution to the wind, eat right for yourself, and make a change to better you! So here's to living!!!
Love always,
Keli K.
You'll never leave where you are until you decide where you'd rather be.

HIIT and Run

Excuse of the week... I'd work out but I don't have time. We all live very busy lives and yes some of us are busier than others but thats not an excuse to neglect your fitness. The answer to your time crunch is HIIT training! High Intensity Interval Training is the best way to burn fat and most HIIT work outs are only 20 minutes!!! How it works: you constantly change your speed and effort from aerobic to anaerobic for 20 minutes. HIIT training can be done with running, weight lifting, swimming, kickboxing, Zumba, biking, and tons of other work outs. The biggest benefit of HIIT is instead of just burning calories while exercising like when doing consistent cardio with HIIT when you get off the treadmill you will keep burning calories and fat for the rest of the day. So in turn you burn up to 9 times more fat doing HIIT training than just a traditional constant cardio. AMAZING! With all the HIIT cardio options there are also time options available for what ever your fitness level is. In my athletic conditioning class it is targeted toward extremely fit people so we do Tabata interval training with 20 seconds high intensity 10 second recovery... It will wear you out! Research has shown though that the best HIIT for burning fat is 4 minutes moderate effort with 30 seconds extreme effort but find what works best for you. So get to googling to find the perfect HIIT work out for you and let me know if you have any questions. With 9 times more fat burned and in only 20 minutes you can't lose!
love always,
Keli K.
Take the time to be your own hero today.

Banana Split for dinner

These past few days has been a roller coaster of emotions for me and after the shooting in Colorado Thursday night once again we are reminded of how precious is. We often get so wrapped up in our dreams and our diets and the latest social media excitement we forget about living life and enjoying one another. Sometimes we just need to serve our family a banana split for dinner and watch there face light up. I realize this goes against everything this blog is suppose to be about but sometimes in life we can't forget to value each other and relax. We have to have those moments where we just enjoy because no matter what in the end the only thing that matters is the relationships we form and the way we made others feel.
Love always,
Keli K.
Just Enjoy Life.

Yesterday you said tomorrow.

Excuses. I have a million each and everyday. Its too hot, its too cold, my head hurts, I don't feel good, I am going out, not enough time, I am having lunch with a friend, it never works, and my favorite is I WILL START TOMORROW. The never ending cycle of starting tomorrow and feeling like a hopeful failure. One thing I teach in my school program with the Miss Texas Organization is to be honest with yourself. So lets get to it! Take a moment to figure out what your excuse is. Share your excuse with me and one by one over time I want to try each one of them out and see how we can get past it. If you want it bad enough you will make it happen if you don't you will make an excuse. Look deep inside and figure out why you want to lose weight and then don't let that go. I want to not only be healthy and pass on healthy habits to those around but I want to win swimsuit at Miss Texas next year. Big goal, big dream, difficult yes, but doable... why not? We need to let our WHY be bigger than our How and our goals will be more attainable than ever!

Love always, 

Keli K.

"That voice inside your head that tells you it will never happen is a liar."

How about some Pancakes

Here is my favorite breakfast recipe.... it sounds crazy but just try it!

What you will need:

1 egg

1/2 cup of cottage cheese (I use 2% daisy)

1/2 cup of ROLLED oats (not quick outs) 

1/8 cup of water (you might want more or less just check the consistency)

 This makes one serving 

Blend ingredients in a blender and there you have it pancake batter! 

Pour into a pan like you would any other pancake batter 

Add sugar free syrup 

*** I like to add syrup and all natural peanut butter OR make a PB&J out of them! 

It sounds strange I know but trust me they are absolutely delicious! I like to make a weeks worth on Sunday nights so I just can grab them from the fridge and microwave them when I am on the go. 

The most important meal of the day!

Although I will interject with personal and pageant life let's start by diving into what I want this blog to really be about, you and helping you reach your weight loss goals! What better way to start a blog then how you start your day, breakfast!

I've heard it, you've heard it, we've all heard it.... Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and usually if I asked my mom or teacher or anyone else for that matter why it's so important I got a "because I said so" answer in return. So I am here to tell you why we all need to breakfast to LOSE weight. Hello I am telling you to eat not starve, lets all take a minute to say yay!!!

The Why: First of all why not? In dieting you are always told don't do this or don't do that, to finally get a green light to go to the fridge makes me ready for tomorrow morning already. Skipping breakfast can throw your diet into a state of chaos. Instead of me getting to technical let me break it down for you as best I know how, your brain needs glucose to think and concentrate. Have you ever noticed that when you skip breakfast that morning seems like an unfocused blur. I sure have! The other great health benefit to a high protein breakfast is it will boost your metabolism for the rest of the day. Helllllllooooo anything that will boost my metabolism is a winner to me! ALSO when you eat breakfast it lowers your risk of over eating the rest of the day and stabilizes your insulin levels so the chance of diabetes is cut in half. 

Now that we are all on board to dive into some tasty breakfast treats lets talk about what you want to eat. Protein, protein, protein!!!!! Every living cell in your body needs protein to rebuild and when we eat protein it release a small dosage of insulin which is just enough to add in fat burning through out the day PLUS you will feel fuller through out the day. Winning! 

So I plan on posting a whole section of recipes once I figure this whole blog thingy out but for now some great options are egg beaters, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, protein smoothie, Greek yogurt, and if your on the go grab a Quest Bar. I usually will eat 1 whole egg 1/2 cup of egg beaters and 1/2 cup of ROLLED oats with a table spoon of all natural almond or peanut butter to get some good fats in. I am always stuffed after breakfast which causes me to eat less through out the day. Lesson has been learned. 

Ok I think thats probably more info than you ever desired on the importance of breakfast but now you know! Had great day today and I hope you did too!

Love always, 
Keli K. 

"Do something today that your future self can thank you for."

The Greatest Question ever.

Today was the day! I got started on my future, and one part of my future that some of you know others may not is that I have been debating returning back to Texas Tech this fall. I have made pros/cons lists, called on the advice of my family and most importantly prayed about it. At the end of the day coming home or staying there seemed pretty level but then I had to reflect on the greatest question ever.... In light of my past experiences, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams what would be the wise decision to make? While Lubbock is an amazing place to attend college, my future is here in Dallas. I have my pageant support system, my church, my family, my gym, and just a better all around since of who I am. When I am out there I just can't seem to find myself. If we are going to pursue a relationship with the Lord, the idea of becoming Miss America, and ultimately becoming the best Keli I can be then Dallas it is!

Ok so there's that, I went on a walk/jog with my gay BFF (every girl needs one) and it was like being a therapy we have the BEST time together. Diet went well today, I can  honestly say I feel so much better already without all that nasty food in my system. Food matters people! I have more energy and just feel better about myself kicking those fatty foods back out! Well I will keep you posted on any new findings in my life!
Love always,
Keli K.

Prov. 31:1

And tomorrow we begin

So here I am stepping into the world of "blog" whatever that means! I wanted to start a public diary where I can share fitness tips, fashion, recipes, and chat about what is going on in my life of pageantry! Let me share who I am I compete in pageants but long before that I was the overweight girl who had no self esteem. I have now fully embraced a healthy lifestyle, lost 90 pounds and am getting a degree in Exercise and Sports Science. Last week was Miss Texas and after a full 7 days of completely disregarding my diet and exercise I have decided that I want to be Miss America. So lets make it happen! Here is where I want to chart this journey, the next 51 weeks to Miss Texas. I also want to use this to encourage others and help people stay motivated about following their dreams and getting fit! Since I am starting tomorrow though.... I should probably go finish that brownie!
Love always,
Keli K.
Jer. 29:11