Snacks under 150 calories! yay!! (and they won't take points away from you either!)

You guys are doing AMAZING!!! the first week is always the hardest because it is when we are trying to get our bodies used to doing things we didn't to before, and to stop doing (and eating) some that we used to. So to keep you going, here are some great snacks ideas that will take your hunger away, but not your points and most important of all, not your results!!! 1. Mini tostada Spread 1/4 cup of nonfat refried beans on a small tortilla. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and a sprinkle of your favorite cheese. 2. Frozen grapes Freeze 1 cup of grapes and enjoy them as if they’re sorbet. 3. Greek yogurt with honey Mix one teaspoon of honey into half a cup of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. 4. Cinnamon apple Sprinkle an apple with cinnamon for a treat that tastes more decadent than it is. 5. Almost apple pie Try 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce with a hint of cinnamon. 6. Jicama Chop one and a half cups of jicama and add a splash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt for a tangy, refreshing treat. 7. Carrots with hummus Crunch on 9 or 10 baby carrots with a side of 2 tablespoons of hummus. 8 Eggs with guacamole Hard boil an egg and replace the yolk with 2 tablespoons of guacamole for a protein-packed snack. 9. Mediterranean tomato Dice one medium tomato and top with 2 tablespoons feta cheese and a pinch of salt. 10. Eggs with spinach Scramble 3 egg whites with one-half cup of raw spinach and 1 Tbsp. of feta cheese. 11. Santa Fe black beans Combine one-quarter cup black beans, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 Tbsp. of nonfat Greek yogurt for a hearty snack. 12. Tuna salad Mix together 2 ounces of water-packed tuna with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. 13. Cottage cheese and melon Combine three-quarters of a cup of melon with one-quarter cup of nonfat cottage cheese for a sweet dessert. 14. Spiced cottage cheese Mix 3/4 cup nonfat cottage cheese with a pinch of chili powder and a pinch of curry powder. Top with chopped scallions if desired. 15. Frozen nutty banana Roll half a peeled banana in one Tbsp. chopped peanuts, pressing so that nuts stick to the banana. Freeze. Enjoy! 16. Japanese avocado Mash up one half of an avocado and combine with with 1/4 tsp. soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. sesame seeds, and a drizzle of rice wine vinegar. 17. Turkey tartine Top one slice whole grain bread with 2 slices deli turkey and 1 tsp. mustard. 18. Monkey snack Cut up one half of a banana and dip it in 2 tsp. nut butter and then 1 tbsp. granola. 19. Italian cucumbers Cut up 2 cucumbers and enjoy them with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar 20. Black bean salad For a snack with protein and fiber, mix 1/4 cup drained black beans, one chopped tomato, half of green bell pepper chopped, and a pinch of chili powder.

THE RULES.

There was an entry fee of $25. Apart from the entry fee, there will be a $5 fee if the contestants GAIN weight per week (to keep ya'll motivated). We'll do a weigh in at the office gym on Saturday, the last day of this month. The money and your presence are required on that day. I cannot accept late payments or entries to make it fair for everybody, and also, you have to be present to enter to prevent cheating (I trust you, but it has happened before and I learn from my experiences). This is not only about looking good, but also about our health (D&C 89) and about making good choices. So there are two ways to win: by total weight lost percentage (some people might not need to lose quite as much as others but this way everyone has a chance of winning) and by points. There will be a set of rules and following them will add you points and the person with the most points wins. Only the weight loss winner will win money, the winer of points will earn a prize. (because I cannot be there to make sure you are in fact earning the points -sorry again-, I cannot award the point winner with money). There are a few things that can help you with your goal: 1: I will be posting recipes that will help you lose weight and keep your body healthy and energized, 2: Juliana Bates is teaching FREE Nya classes at the office gym 3 times per week at 6:00 am, and I will be teaching one FREE Zumba class on Saturdays, also at the gym. I will be there to support you every step of the way. The contest will be 12 weeks long. And at the end of the contest we'll have a nice gathering to announce the winners, and give them their prizes. You can enter one or both parts of the contest (weight and points). And yes, the winner of both could be the same person, who knows? Pregnant women are welcome to participate in the point challenge. I will have a blog where I will post every week, so I need you to text me every week with your weight and your points (or just your weight or just your points, depending on what you are participating in). I will post the blog address so you can all go in. How to earn points: *work out for one hour or more: 2 points *work out for 30 minutes: 1 point *eat NO white bread, potatoes or rice: 1 point (whole grain breads and pastas and brown rice are ok) *eat no sugary treats or desserts: 1 point *drink NO soda (diet or regular): 1 point *drink 6 8oz glasses of water: 1 point THERE WILL BE ONE FREE DAY PER WEEK where you can eat anything you like. There is a maximum of 6 points that you can earn per day and 36 per week. The points can only be earned in one day at a time. For example, you can not work out for 2 hours one day, and none the next and count 4 points. Also, the free day is one day during the week where no points are awarded. Its not one free day per point, so you can't eat sweets on Monday, potatoes and bread on Tuesday, not work out on Wednesday, and drink soda on Thursday, etc. If you were to do that, you would lose one point on each of those days.

Hello my amazing contestants!!!! First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long starting the blog. I had some technical difficulties. But the important thing is that we are here. Almost one week has gone by and I can't wait to hear from all of you and your progress!!!! I'm gonna go ahead and finish this post here and make a new one to refresh the rules, ok?