Becoming a Beachbody Coach

Most people think about working for themselves at some point in the careers – I know I did, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by making money online. If this is something that you've ever thought about, then becoming a Beachbody coach is something that you should definitely consider.

I have been earning a full-time living as an affiliate marketer for several years now, and I can tell you from experience that the Beachbody affiliate program is one of the best out there when it comes to their commission structure. There are plenty of reasons to become a Coach, but one of the things that I love about Beachbody from the affiliate marketing perspective, is that they provide an opportunity for earning recurring commissions. This means that when you sign someone up to become a Coach or sell them a Beachbody product, that person becomes your customer for life. So once they're associated with your Coaching profile, any future purchases they make with Beachbody are credited to your account and you earn a commission – pretty cool, right?  On top of that, if someone signs up for a subscription service, like Shakeology for example, you then earn a commission every month as long as they keep their subscription active. Most other affiliate products that I promote offer nice commissions, but your relationship with the customer usually ends with that single purchase. So even if they sign up for a subscription service, you only get a commission from the initial sale and that's it. This means you are at a huge advantage when promoting Beachbody products, and your earning potential truly is endless.

>>CLICK HERE to Start Your Coaching Journey!

With all of that being said, let's look at some of the reasons people want to earn money online or through affiliate marketing, and who might be a good candidate for becoming a Beachbody Coach and their multi-level marketing structure.

The idea of earning an online income is a fantastic idea, because it plays to the desire of most people to be their own boss, set their own hours, and the opportunity to earn a substantial income, while doing something they enjoy. Because of this, there is a huge number of different programs end products all designed to help a person be able to work from home and make money online.

Unfortunately, so many of those programs and products are complete and utterly useless. The sites make amazing promises, and tend to have testimonials from people who claim to have made millions of dollars throughout the years, but they never seem to actually work for people. What's more, many programs that might work end up not working either because the company does not give their employees and salespeople enough support, or they don't explain well enough exactly what's required in order to make money.

 

What Is Multi-Level Marketing?

In order to understand what becoming a Beachbody Coach means, you first need to understand what multi-level marketing is. The basic idea behind multi-level marketing is that you buy into a program, usually by purchasing the products that the program is selling, and then set up your own personal business selling the product. This is not quite the same as buying stock for a store that you run. In theory, you could sell the product or service that a multi-level marketing program offers without ever purchasing the product or service yourself save for the entry into the program. However, the idea is that you might enjoy using the products yourself, or you might use the products to demo them to other people who might buy from you.

The draw of a market multi-level marketing program, however, lies not in the product sell itself but in the ability to get other people to join in the program. Multi-level marketing programs are set up in such a way that when you convince other people to buy into the program, you get a bonus and a portion of the profits that those people bring in. So the idea is not just that you will end up selling the product or service, but that you will also be getting money the more people you get to sell the product or service as well. In that way, you can wind up making far more money then you can just by selling the product or service itself.

If this set up sounds familiar, that's because it is. It bears quite a bit of resemblance to the old Tupperware and Avon sales people, and also seems quite similar to the concept of a pyramid scheme. However, where a multi-level marketing program and a pyramid scheme differ is that the multi-level marketing program is, at least in theory, offering a product or service that is worth selling.

In that way, you don't have to actually convince other people to buy into the program in order to make money on your own. This is where the multi-level marketing program is a different situation than a pyramid scheme, and why a multi-level marketing program is legal. Your ability to make money is not dependent on your ability to get other people to buy it.

What Makes Team Beachbody Different?

So naturally the question is whether or not Team Beachbody, and becoming a Beachbody Coach, is actually something beneficial. Can it really help you make money? Well, as I've already stated above, I believe that it absolutely is beneficial, IF you're looking to earn an online income or work for yourself. It works particularly well if you're passionate about health and fitness. I signed up to be a Coach about a year ago, and I can tell you that I am VERY happy that I did. Often times multi-level marketing requires a large investment or purchase up front, which isn't exactly the case with Beachbody.

When signing up to become a Coach, you are required to buy product in order to become a Coach, but the investment is minimal. I think my initial purchase was for just over $100 (we'll take a closer look at the fees below), and that got me 4 or 5 workout DVDs, and a month's worth of Shakeology – something I was already looking to purchase. So you actually get something you'll use with your investment. Plus you also get great deals on the products at the time of sign up, so if you're already buying workout programs or nutritional shakes (as I was and still am), then why not give yourself the ability to make money from those purchases? Plus, you can cancel your Shakeology subscription at any time, so if you get tired of that, or don't want to be a coach any longer, they don't prevent you from canceling your subscriptions.

Where being a Beachbody Coach really differs from other programs is that they ensure a certain amount of support for their salespeople. They do this by enforcing a code of responsibilities on their Beachbody Coaches. Once you become a Beachbody Coach, it becomes your responsibility to help your downline. This includes being available for support when they need help, helping them to generate leads, and ensuring that they have the proper training to start their businesses.

Coaching Fees

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at how one becomes a Beachbody Coach and what's expected. When you want to sign up to become a Beachbody Coach, you must pay a starting fee of $39.95. This gets you a Beachbody Coach starter kit, which includes a welcome booklet that give you information on the steps to starting up your business, 3 personal websites to set up as sales sites for Beachbody products, and access to what they refer to as the Coach's Office, which gives you the ability to track your sales and do your business from a centralized location. All of your sales and marketing materials will be located here as well, so if you need links, pictures, banners, or anything else you might need to sell product will be located here.

Beachbody Challenge Pack

That $39.95 fee can be waived if you are willing to purchase a challenge pack. The Challenge Pack, usually runs about $295, contains 3 fitness programs, a 30-day free trial membership to the Team Beachbody Club, a business starter kit which is essentially the same as what you get for the $39.95, a number of physical products such as a Shakeology diet shakes sampler, tote bags, product catalog, and welcome booklets which detail out a number of tips and secrets for making the most out of your Beachbody products.

In addition, you can expect to pay a $15.95 monthly fee in order to maintain the services.

 

Why Become a Beachbody Coach?

The reasons for becoming a Beachbody Coach are fairly straightforward, and as you've read above their are numerous benefits to signing up. Two of the biggest being that you get a discount on all Beachbody products, PLUS you can earn a commission on every sale.

Their commissions can range anywhere from 15% to 50%, depending on a number of factors. The main factor is what you sell, and there's also the factor of how many sales are made by your downline (your downline being the people you've signed up to become a coach). If you choose to focus on selling Beachbody products, this could become a full time job! However, there's nothing wrong with signing up just to get a discount on Beachbody products, if you're frequently buy fitness or nutritional products anyway.

Whether you're buying Beachbody products for your own personal use, or to have them on hand for resale, a Beachbody coach receives a 25% discount. This is a rather large discount, and if all you want to do is use the products, then you can quite easily earn your money back just by doing so. The combination of Shakeology diet shakes and the various workout programs and energy boosting supplements that Beachbody offers will easily pay for themselves.

So whether you're looking at a new full time job, earning a bit of money on the side, or just want to get a great discount on fantastic health and fitness products, becoming a Beachbody Coach is a no brainier! It's a program that allows you to take part at a level you're comfortable with, and the more dedicated you are, the more money you can earn!

If you have any questions about becoming a Coach, please fill free to use my contact form, or use the comment form below!

>>CLICK HERE to Start Your Coaching Journey!

VIDEOS

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Shakeology Ingredients

The Complete List Shakeology Ingredients & Nutrition Facts

Before doing any research about nutritional shakes, you should know that Shakeology is well known for its different flavors, and is extremely highly rated for its healthy ingredients and nutrition facts. As you might suspect, each flavor has somewhat different ingredients. Due to this fact, it's not a good idea to look at the ingredient list of one flavor and presume the other flavors have the sam ones. That said, most flavors do have a lot of ingredients in common, so for the most part the core of each shake remains pretty much the same.

One of the most important things to know, and one of Shakeology's claims to fame is the massive amounts of nutrients and vitamins that are contained in each flavor. This is the core of what makes Shakeology so popular, and why people are so passionate about using it as a core component of their commitment to better health. When used alongside a health diet and fitness plan, Shakeoloyg has proven time and time again, that it can be a key component to better digestion, weight loss, and to helping folks have more energy. This is largely due to what's inside: Each shake is packed full a number of different superfoods. For example, wheat grass is contained in several of the flavors.

>>CLICK HERE for a 7 Day Trial of Shakeology!

How Many Calories?

You can expect to see between 150 and 200 calories in each flavor. While all the flavors are in that range, different flavors have slightly different calorie counts. In addition, you can plan on getting anywhere from 1 to 10 grams of carbs and sugars, 15 to 20 grams of protein, and around 5 grams of fiber. Since each flavor is slightly different, the best you can get is a range if all you're looking for is general information. That's why it's important to get more details, which you can find later in this review.

In addition to the nutrients, there are also several ingredients that help boost energy. These ingredients also tend to keep your appetite suppressed. Due to this, you can also treat Shakeology shakes as meal replacement shakes. However, if you choose to do that you might need more than one shake, depending on your calorie needs. After all, liquids do process through the body at a quicker pace than solids.

The Different Flavors

Since most of the flavors have a slightly different ingredient list, each flavor will also have slightly different nutritional facts.

We can start with the all new Cafe Latte as an example. The Cafe Latte contains precisely 150 calories. Of those, only 15 are from fat. The most prominent vitamins in the Cafe Latte flavor are Thiamine, Vitamin B12, and Manganese, each at 100% of your daily value (which are always based on a 2000 calorie a day diet). The next most prominent is Vitamin A, which is also at 100%, and Vitamin C which sits at a whopping 300%.

Click to enlarge

Next is Chocolate, which is their best selling flavor (and probably my personal favorite). It contains 160 calories. Slightly more of those calories are from fat, 20 as opposed to the 15 in Cafe Latte. The most notable vitamins in the Chocolate flavor are the exact same as Cafe Latte, with one exception. Chocolate contains a great deal of Vitamin B6, allowing it to meet 100% of your daily requirements.

The next best selling flavor, Vanilla, has the least number of calories out of any of the flavors. It contains a mere 130 calories. Even so, you'll still be getting 15 calories from fat. As for the vitamins and minerals, Vanilla and Chocolate actually are interchangeable. They contain the same ones, at the same amounts.

Strawberry is the next flavor on the list, and it is no different from the Vanilla flavor. So you can consider those two flavors completely interchangeable as well.

Greenberry on the other hand is nutritionally the same as Vanilla and Strawberry. However, it is worthwhile to take a moment to figure out what “greenberry” even is. The flavor is a blend of goji berry, bilberry, and green tea. There's also a touch of cherry, as well. This adds up to an interesting fruit flavor that is none the less subdued thanks to the green tea.

Vegan Options

Vegan Tropical Strawberry and Vegan Chocolate are the flavors where the nutritional facts begin to change notably. Due to the shakes being vegan, they simply don't have the same ingredient list. They can't, if they're going to be vegan. Not only that, but they have a few subtle differences between the two, even though they're overall quite similar. As an example, both flavors contain 170 calories. However, the Vegan Chocolate flavor has a higher calories from fat count, sitting at 35. The Vegan Tropical Strawberry contains a “mere” 30, which is still a big departure from the 15 and 20 calories from fat in the other flavors. Not only that, but the Vegan Chocolate has 4 grams worth of saturated fats. The Vegan Tropical Strawberry has fewer, but not by much. You can find 3.5 grams in that flavor.

Both the Vegan Chocolate and the Vegan Tropical Strawberry contain quite a bit of sodium, as well. Vegan Chocolate contains 300mg, while the Vegan Tropical Strawberry has 250mg. Still, this is only 13% and 10% of the daily nutritional requirements, respectively.

As anyone who knows about vegan food products would expect, both flavors have less Vitamin A and Vitamin C than the non-vegan flavors. They have 2% less Vitamin A, and a whopping 33% less Vitamin C. This is only natural. Without animal byproducts, some vitamins and minerals are simply more difficult to get into one's diet. Of course, anyone who eats a vegan diet no doubt has ways to get their needed vitamins.

Are There Downsides?

Plain and simple, there are no perfect products. If you're holding out for such a product, you might as well resign yourself to waiting for the rest of your life. That being said, when it comes to nutritional shakes, Shakeology is as close as it gets to perfection! They offer a huge variety, and a lot of nutrition, which is great news when you're on the lookout for healthy ingredients. With that said, it does come at a cost. A months' supply of shakes will cost you $129.99 (there are ways to reduce that – becoming a BeachBody Coach for example). There are other payment options, such as a 7 day trial for $34.99, but even those are costly. In point of fact, if you try to get a months' worth of those, you'll be paying $10 more than if you just buy a months' worth. So if you're hoping to find an inexpensive diet shake, Shakeology may not be for you. Even though the cost might hold some people back, ultimately you have to decide how much you value your health. If you're committed to living a healthier life, then Shakeology is probably worth the cost – I know it was for me!

Why Do People Try Shakeology?

There isn't a single person out there who wouldn't love to lose a few pounds. While obesity has become a growing problem in the United States, even people who are generally within a healthy weight range tend to have poor diets. This means it's always worthwhile to find a way to eat more nutritiously.

Unfortunately, any need creates a market, and any market creates scam products. It's an unfortunate truth that many companies would rather make a quick dollar than sell a dependable product. And it doesn't take long before people use a few of these scam products and quite fairly decide nothing works. After all, they tried several products, and none of them worked! That's plenty of proof!

Given how many scam products are out on the market, many people understandably have a hard time trusting new diet options. On the plus side, knowing what ingredients the product has can go a long way to figuring out whether or not the product is actually worth the cost. What is a diet product if not the sum of its ingredients? So it's an incredibly good idea to ensure you take some time to study the ingredients of any diet product you consider buying.

A Brief Overview of Shakeology

If you aren't familiar with Shakeology, then I recommend reading our comprehensive review. If you don't have the time though, here's a quick rundown. Shakeology is the nutritional supplement shake offered by BeachBody. BeachBody has a proven track record of amazing diet and weight loss products. They're the brains behind the P90X workout, which is widely considered to be one of the best workout programs on the market. This gives them a proven track record with health and fitness.

Shakeology, as the name suggests, is a diet shake. This means it's not a program, and not intended to be a program. If you're looking for detailed, day to day instructions on how to eat right or approach a workout, you're liable to be disappointed. It's going to be up to you to figure out how to use Shakeology shakes in your diet. The best way to do this is to get a good handle on the ingredients of each shake. Luckily, that information is easily available. Just keep reading!

Still, while cheaper diet shakes do exist, you're unlikely to find any that offer as much benefit as Shakeology does. Shakeology has been scientifically tested for health and weight loss on multiple occasions. Every time, science has proven that they fulfill the promises the company makes.

Does it Work?

After everything, there's only one last question to answer: Will Shakeology work for you? That question provides the context that would make $129.99 feel like a reasonable amount to pay. After all, if it works, then it was worth the money.

Naturally, the answer is that yes, it does work. As long as you're using Shakeology shakes as directed, they can help you lose weight. Of course, the important thing is using them as directed. There is no wishing star for weight loss. There's no magic bullet. Shakeology shakes are a tool, and you have to use them as such. Only then can they work. But as long as you're willing to put in the effort and use them appropriately, then you'll watch the pounds melt off.

>>CLICK HERE for a 7 Day Trial of Shakeology!

VIDEOS:

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Shakeology Price

How Much Does Shakeology Cost?

Shakeology is one of the most popular nutritional shakes on the market today, and for good reason – it's packed full essential vitamins and minerals, it tastes great, and it can help you lose weight when used alongside a well-balanced diet and exercise program. With all of that being said, how much does it cost, and it is worth the price?

What Is Shakeology?

Team BeachBody, the minds behind the P90X Workout, have created a great meal replacement shake that's sure to help you lose weight and get fit. Since they've already created many high quality programs like the P90X workout, 21 Day Fix, and many more, you can trust that their meal replacement shake is worth trying, and better yet it tastes delicious!

And that's exactly what Shakeology is, a meal replacement shake. If you've become used to drinking a variety of different weight loss shakes over the years, it's definitely possible that they've left a bad taste in your mouth – literally! I know I have tried my fair share of shakes and drink over the years, and I know personally that many of them taste terrible. They either leave a super chalky taste in your mouth, or they don't taste as advertised. Well, that's not the the case with Shakeology – it truly does taste great, has a fantastic texture, and will help you lose weight when used correctly. While it may seem expensive at first, Team BeachBody offers some fantastic pricing options that can make things a little easier on your wallet.

>>CLICK HERE for the BEST DEAL on Shakeology!

(7 Day Sampler Currently Being Offered)

The Price Of Shakeology

Shakeology typically costs $129.99 per month, with their auto-delivery plan. While that's technically true, it leaves out a lot of nuance as to how you can pay and what exactly you're getting for that price. There are certainly other options when signing up, so take a close look at the sign up page – there is a 7 day trial, for example, that costs much less than $130.

For $129.99, you have two basic options: One is that you get a container of Shakeology shake mix containing 30 servings. The other is that you can get 24 individual packets of mix. While it might seem odd that 30 days or 24 days worth of shakes would be the same price, it makes sense when you consider the benefits. One such benefit is that packets are generally easier to carry with you when you have to travel. In addition, you won't have to worry about accidentally using too much mix when you make a shake. However, the main benefit is the variety of flavors.

Shakeology nutritional shakes are well known for having some amazing flavors. Naturally, they have the basic chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors you would expect out of nutritional shakes. But in addition to that, they also have chocolate and strawberry vegan flavors, as well as flavors such as greenberry (a flavoring based on green tea), and cafe au late.

As such, the benefit of getting 24 packets of mix as opposed to one container of 30 servings is that with packets, you can choose to get different flavors all at once. And in point of fact, they offer several such combination sales! Right now, combo boxes such as chocolate and vanilla, chocolate and greenberry, and chocolate and vanilla and strawberry are available, as well as several more.

Personally, I go with the Chocolate/Strawberry/Vanilla combo-pack every month. It provides a nice variety of flavors, and I think all three taste great!

What if You Just Want to Try it Out?

Even with all the flavors available, many people still balk at the $129.99 price tag. This is understandable, as it is quite a bit of money. However, you don't have to pay that much just to try the product. Team BeachBody now offers a 7 day trial pack.

For $34.99, you can get one packet of each flavor Team BeachBody offers. This is a much more manageable price for someone who's interested, but not quite sure they want to commit. It also gives you an opportunity to taste each flavor and decide which ones you like the most.

Beachbody Coach Discount

And of course, if you do want to commit to a months' supply of Shakeology shakes, but are still concerned about the price, you could always become a BeachBody coach. By becoming a coachyou get a discount on Shakeology shakes, so if you're super passionated about fitness and nutrition, you might want to consider becoming coach, and helping others reach their weight loss and fitness dreams – plus there are a lot of other perks too!

So is Shakeology Worth it?

At the end of the day, there isn't another nutritional shake on the market that can do as much for you as Shakeology. The shakes are made by a team with a proven track record, and there are even options depending on how you'd like to purchase. While the $129 per month price tag could certainly be considered expensive, you ultimately have to decide how much you value your health – can you really put a price tag on it? For me, I decided to sign up after thinking about it like this: If I'm replacing 1 meal a day with Shakeology, I'm probably going to end up SAVING money over the longterm. At that price a Shakeology shake costs you about $4.33 per day, which is pretty much the cost a latte these days, so I don't really view it as an extravagance when it's something that provides so many health benefits.

Final Thoughts

With all of this being said, you might not even know that much about Shakeology, so be sure to check out our full review page for a much more detailed write up about it. For now, just know that I've been drinking Shakeology for almost a year now, and so has my family. Recently I have been using it alongside intermittent fasting, but that is a whole other topic, and deserves a much more detailed write-up, so keep an eye out for that!

Personally, I am happy to recommend Shakeology if you have been looking for nutritional shake that tastes great, has a variety of flavors, and most importantly – can help you lose weight! I really can't say enough good things about Shakeology, so if you have been looking for a new shake to try, I would definitely recommend this one – and if you're on the fence go with their 7 Day Sampler to get a fill for the program.

>>CLICK HERE for the BEST DEAL on Shakeology!

(7 Day Sampler Currently Being Offered)

Shakeology Ingredients

 

 

 

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VIDEO: How Does Nutrisystem Food Look and Taste?

Hey guys! Just wanted to post a quick update pointing you to some videos we just posted. If you have been thinking about trying Nutrisystem, one of the first questions you may ask yourself is “Does the food taste good?” Personally I find that the Nutrisystem food tastes quite good – obviously you're not signing up and expecting to get Ruth's Chris meals delivered to your door, but as far as pre-packaged and microwavable meals go, I think Nutrisystem food is about as good as it gets.

That said, we wanted to take a few videos so you can see for yourself. I just posted videos showing you what breakfast, lunch and dinner are going to look like. Of course there are a lot more foods than these three to choose from, I just wanted to give you a quick look at what a typical dish might like for each meal of the day.

As I mention in the videos, it really isn't the taste of the food that will be an issue for you – the biggest adjustment will be the portion sizes, but your body will adjust – I know mine did anyway. If you become accustomed to eating large meals, the portion-controlled servings Nutrisystem provides will be an adjustment for you – BUT YOU CAN DO IT!

In any case, on to the videos:

DINNER:

LUNCH

BREAKFAST

The post VIDEO: How Does Nutrisystem Food Look and Taste? appeared first on The Diet Dynamo.

The 3 Day Diet Reviewed

The 3-Day Diet Review – Is it a Safe Way to Lose Weight?

Losing weight can be one of the hardest tasks for many people because it means sacrificing some type of food and controlling the amount of food you actually eat. Many people fail to make it to the end of the weight loss program because they quickly lose motivation and defer back to their bad habits. That is why the 3 Day Diet has become so popular, is because it lasts only 3 days! Now, before we dive into to whether or not this is an effective or healthy way to lose weight, let's take a deeper look at dieting itself, and why people are so quick to jump ship:

At times, some people will give up because they did not see results as quickly as might have they expected. There are also many other factors that can cause a person to stop dieting.

It is important to know more about whatever weight loss program you might choose before actually trying it – for that reason we really recommend that you research the programs as much as possible before diving in. That is why we try to provide honest, detailed reviews of diets that we have tried, or ones that are extremely popular and have a long track record of proven success.

Dieting is a popular way to shed extra pounds and has been around for many years. Many diets have come and go. Diets work on the principle of less calorie intake. When a person eats fewer calories, there will be a caloric deficit and this forces the body to use fat for energy. With the right diet plan, a person can expect to lose a considerable amount of weight. One mistake that many people make is trying to modify the diet. This is never a good idea, and it can be the line between failing to lose weight and losing weight. One of the most common diets is the 3-day diet.

History of the 3-Day Diet

The 3-day diet is a diet is a popular diet that dates back to 1985. You can reportedly expect super-fast weight loss, lowered cholesterol, and a full body cleansing using this diet. The diet goes by different names including the Fax diet, Navy diet, Army diet, Cleveland Clinic Diet, and many others. There are many medical institutions that have claimed to create a version of the diet, no specific one has come forward to claim responsibility or even recommend this diet.

3 Day Refresh from Beachbody

While all of these are great, we recommend the Beachbody 3 Day Refresh System, as it is geared to get you body and weight back on track, but it is also is designed to teach you new healthy eating habits, so you can continue making the right decisions and losing weight. On top of that, it also utilizes one of our favorite nutritional shakes – Shakeology – so you can feel confident that there are plenty of healthy and highly rated foods as part of the program.

>>CLICK HERE to Learn More about 3 Day Refresh

The Original Diet Plan

The 3-day diet is a very low calorie diet. You are then required to stick with the plan for three days. Under the traditional diet, you would then resume your normal eating habits for four to five days before repeating the cycle. The diet often promises weight loss of up to 10 pounds in just three days. This is to prevent the body's metabolic rate from slowing down and maintain the right metabolic reaction as a result of the diet.

In order to be effective, the diet needs to be followed accurately. You must follow the guidelines when measuring your portions. If you overeat, then the 3-day diet will not deliver the results you were supposed to get. Under the old diet plan, there wasn't really a plan for exercise. Again, if you follow something like the 3 Day Refresh system, you're obviously going to changing the way you eat of the three days, but because it's from a company like Beachbody, then you know that exercise will also be apart of anything they promote. Plus, if you get the right amount of exercise you will probably be able to accelerate your results, so that is also something to keep in mind and consider.

Expectations

With all of this in mind, let's take a quick look at what it might look like if you try the traditional version of the diet plan. First, it is very important to follow the diet exactly the way it is designed. This is because the food they suggest will all work together to provide you more energy, boost your metabolism, help with sugar swings, and jump-start the process of burning fat – which is probably why you're trying the diet in the first place!

Make sure to weigh yourself on the morning of the first day, and then wait until the morning of the fourth day before jumping on the scale again. You may also want to take measurements too. In any case, this will give you the best idea of the results you achieved over the course of the 3 days, and whether or not you want to try it again, or if you want to move on to something else.

Here are just a few of other factors to keep in mind before diving in: Remember there is no snacking between meals; you only eat the food you are required to during the mealtime. Under this plan you are trying to rewire your metabolism, and snacking will undo all the progress you would have made.

SAMPLE MEAL PLAN for the 3 DAYS

Day 1

One the first day, you will be taking a total of 870 calories. Breakfast will be 219 calories, lunch 183 calories, and dinner 468 calories.

Breakfast

• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories


• Half grapefruit or half cup grapefruit juice – contains 41 calories


• A slice of toast with 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter – contains 178 calories
  
  

Lunch

• Half a cup of Tune – contains 100 calories


• A slice of toast – contains 83 calories


• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories

Dinner

• 3 ounces of any lean meat – contains 94 calories


• A cup of green beans – contains 34 calories


• A cup of carrots – contains 52 calories


• A cup of ice cream (vanilla) – contains 288 calories


• A medium apple


• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories

Day 2

On the second day, you are required to take in around 1149 calories. Breakfast will be about 266 calories, lunch will be around 273 calories, and dinner will be about 610 calories.

Breakfast

• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories


• An egg (any preparation method you want) – contains 78 calories


• A slice toast – contains 83 calories


• A banana – contains 105 calories

Lunch

• A cup of 2 percent cottage cheese – contains 203 calories


• Saltine crackers – contains 70 calories


• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories

Dinner

• Two hot dogs or beef franks – contains 300 calories


• Half cup carrots – contains 26 calories


• A banana – contains 105 calories


• One cup cabbage or brocoli – contains 35 calories


• Half a cup of ice cream (vanilla) – contains 144 calories


• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories

Day 3

You are required to take a total of 859 calories on the third day. Breakfast will be 222 calories, lunch will be 161 calories, and dinner will be 476 calories.

Breakfast

• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories


• 5 regular saltine crackers – contains 70 calories


• One ounce of cheddar cheese – contains 100 calories


• A small apple – contains 52 calories

Lunch

• One hard-boiled egg – contains 78 calories


• A slice toast – contains 83 calories


• Black coffee or tea or water – contains 0 calories
  
  

Dinner

• A cup of Tuna – contain 200 calories


• A cup of carrots – contains 52 calories


• A cup of cauliflower – contains 23 calories


• A cup of melon –contains 57 calories


• Half a cup of regular ice cream (vanilla) – contains 144 calories

One good thing about the 3-day diet is the flexibility. If you don't have certain foods, you can substitute them with other foods with the same number of calories. Remember you can substitute a protein for a protein or a vegetable for a vegetable. Some of the diet additions allowed include lemon, mustard, gum/mints (provided they are sugar-free), cooking spray, Splenda, lemon pepper seasoning, a dash of salt and pepper.

One question that many people ask is whether they can exercise in this diet. The answer is yes. The duration and type of exercise you choose will depend on how lean you are and your current activity level.

If you are overweight, then it can be a good idea to take a brisk walk around the block. You will start to gain muscles, and the more you gain the more you can exercise. You will start looking leaner and more tones. Your general health will improve. Some great exercise you can do when on this diet include walking, jogging, jumping rope, swimming, and using the treadmill. Make sure you discuss with your doctor before you begin any exercise program especially when you have a medical condition.

One problem that people may have after losing weight on this diet is keeping it off. It is important to drink a lot of water and take dietary supplements after you finish the diet. Make sure you increase your activity level and eat healthier types of food.

Dieting is not as hard as it may seem. Following the diet guidelines is the first step in losing weight and getting the body you have always wanted.

It is always important to remember that dieting is not a long term thing, you will have to adopt a healthier lifestyle to maintain your new weight or even reduce more, which is exactly why we recommend the 3 Day Refresh from Beachbody. They set you up for life after the cleanse, so you can continue to healthy and have a plan to follow beyond the 3 Days. Check out their official site below:

>>CLICK HERE to Learn More About the 3 Day Refresh System

You should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before trying a diet or exercise plan to make sure you are healthy enough!

The post The 3 Day Diet Reviewed appeared first on The Diet Dynamo.

Blue Apron Reviews

Our Blue Apron Reviews for 2016

Blue Apron has become extremely popular over the last couple of years, so we decided it was time to give the program an honest, thorough review. I signed up a little over two weeks ago, and our first shipment of food arrived at my doorstep this past Friday. Below I'll detail how our first meal on the program went, and then we'll discuss all of the ins and outs of Blue Apron – How much does it cost? What plans are there to choose from? Do they accommodate vegetarians? Pretty much any question that we can think is going to covered, so keep reading to find out whether or not my family is happy with Blue Apron so far, and then you can decide if it is the right meal delivery program for you!

We Cook Our First Blue Apron Meal:

Our First Blue Apron Meal – Was it Good?

As I mentioned above, I came home the other afternoon to find a large box sitting at my front door, and I could tell it was our Blue Apron shipment because there was blue food clipart covering the box – needless to say, I was pretty excited! I had signed up for the meal delivery service after receiving a discount offer in our mailbox awhile back. My wife and I had been thinking about giving it a try for some time now – we recently had our second child, and as our family life becomes busier and more hectic, we are finding it harder and harder to fit in trips to the grocery store – on top of that, neither of us is a huge fan of grocery shopping, so it seems like we're always coming up with excuses not to go.

Blue Apron seemed like a good solution to this, as they send you EVERYTHING you need to prepare high quality, healthy meals. Plus, I really like the idea of trying new food every week, and sort of being forced to get out of my comfort zone a bit when it comes to cooking. I feel like I have about three meals in my repertoire lately – tacos, fish tacos, and this mandarin chicken salad recipe that we make all of the time. With Blue Apron we will be preparing a lot of meals that we wouldn't normally think of, and we don't have to scour the grocery store looking for all of the ingredients – it's a win-win, really.

Signing Up

Signing up for our first shipment of food was really easy. Everything is done online at BlueApron.com, and they make the registration process a breeze. My wife isn't a huge fan of red meat or pork, and they accommodate for this. I found this to be really nice component of the program – you can pretty much customize the type of meals that you want, even if you're vegetarian. We went with the seafood and veggie based meal option, although I think I will probably go back and add some poultry to the mix as well. That said, if you're a big meat eater, they definitely have menu options that should satisfy you. Just a quick glance, and they seemed to have all of the major meats covered – beef, pork, poultry, and of course they have fish and other seafoods as well.

The other part that I enjoyed about their online interface, was that it shows you the exact meals that will be coming your way during your first order, and then what they have planned for the month ahead as well. If there's a meal that you really don't want to eat, you can unselect it and they have other options to choose from – which might be welcome news for the picky eaters out there.

The Plan We Went With

For our initial order I opted to go with three meals for two people per week (they have larger plans, and I'll go into more detail about those below). This means my wife and I are covered, and then I thought we'd have a enough food that our 5 year old daughter could also give it a try.

If she really seems to be enjoying it, then we'll probably then we may increase our subscription, although the options are meals for a family of two, and then after that you have to order for for a family of 4. For us that will probably be too much food for the time being, as our other daughter is an infant so I'm guessing we'll stick with the plan we're on for the foreseeable future, but you never know. If we decide to increase things, I'll update this post!

Our First Blue Apron Delivery & Meal

The first three meals that were delivered were as follows:

• Crispy Catfish & with Yellow Curry & Bird's Eye Chile Sauce


• Mushroom & Fennel Fettuccine 


• Carmalized Onion & Kale Quiches 

I was most excited for the Crispy Catfish, so that was the first meal we decided to prepare, and the one we'll be reviewing. With that being said, let's take a look at how meal prep went, and then most importantly, was it any good?

EVERYTHING is Included

I already mentioned that all of the ingredients that you need for each meal are included, but they REALLY are – right down to the coconut flour you will need to bread the catfish. The core ingredients like kale, and fish are in their own bags or packaging and are easy to spot when you're taking everything out of the box. The other things that you will need like flour, sugar, ginger and more are included in what Blue Apron calls their “knick knacks” bag. For each meal there is a small brown knick knack bag that includes all of the other key ingredients  that you will need. I sorted everything before diving in to meal prep, so I knew what all I would be dealing with.

Step-by-Step Meal Prep Instructions

Once you're ready to start cooking, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how easy they make things for you, at least I was! I don't have a ton of experience cooking gourmet meals, so it was nice to have everything laid out step-by-step, and accompanied by pictures. Without going overboard on the details, there are things like chopping (the kale, in this case), mincing, etc., involved, so there will be some work on your part. Personally, I find this fun, and it gives you a chance to play chef for an hour while you're preparing the meal for your family.

For the fried catfish meal I had top chop kale, mince ginger, peel a lime and mince the peel, bread the catfish, whip up some coconut milk for the yellow curry. It was all fun, and I even felt like I was learning about cooking during the process.

After that, I prepared the jasmine rice, and breaded and fried the catfish. Once that was finished the fish was put on a warm plate on a low setting in the oven to keep it warm, and then I started in on the curry and kale sauce, which took 7 or 8 minute total to cook.

In all, I would say it probably took me about an hour to prepare the meal from start to finish. I think it will probably go a little quicker as I get more comfortable with the meal prep, and making my way through the instructions. All in all, it was a very smooth process, and I really did enjoying preparing the meal.

How Did it Taste?

Wow, I know it's going to sound like I'm over-exaggerating here, but the Crispy Catfish with yellow curry, really was one of the BEST meals I have ever prepared. The curry tasted absolutely incredible, and my wife – who isn't normally a huge curry fan – felt the same way. We were both surprised, and blown away by how good the meal really was. I was expecting the food to be above average, but this particular meal absolutely exceed expectations.

On top of that, I would be lying if I didn't feel an extra amount of satisfaction knowing that I had cooked and prepared this amazing meal from start to finish. It really was the best meal I have ever personally cooked, and I feel comfortable saying almost anyone would find this meal appealing. The catfish had a very mild flavor, and paired amazingly well with the curry and kale  sauce that covered the rice.

So, my final verdict would definitely be 5 out of 5 stars. I feel confident saying that this would have easily been a $30 or $40/per plate meal, and when you take advantage of Blue Apron's promotional offer, you get your first week of three meals for two for $28 for the week! AND we still have two more meals to make this week.

I'll detail the full price structure below, but if you're thinking about trying Blue Apron, you can get your first week of meals for an incredible deal. After that the price does increase, but it still seems to be fairly priced. As of now, I plan to continue on with our subscription for the foreseeable future. It really does make things so much easier, and I like knowing that we will be preparing 3 great meals every week, without any of the hassle of going to the grocery store.

I'll update you if things change, but this is the plan for now! I really can't think of many negatives with Blue Apron yet, but if I do, I'll be sure to add them to this post. I will say that the amount of food you get is perfect for 1 meal per person, but we really didn't have any leftovers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, as leftovers usually go to waste in our fridge. Of course, if you're worried about producing too much waste, etc., that's something to consider too as you'll be getting food delivered in a large box each week, and there's a fair amount of packaging involved. That said, they do have recommendations for how to recycle everything on their website, so if this is a concern for you, be sure to check that out.

Beyond that though, the food is fantastic, the ingredients are fresh, and it will save you trips to the grocery stores, which are all HUGE positives for me.

What's Inside Your First Shipment?

How Much Does Blue Apron Cost?

2-Person Plan

• Recipes per Week: 3 (Serves 2)


• Price Per Serving: $9.99


• Weekly total: $59.94 (First week is about half that with our discount code!)


• FREE Shipping & Cancel Any Time


• You Can Pause Your Service at Any Time (Like Thanksgiving, for example)

Family Plan (2 Recipes per Week)

• 2 Meals, Serves 4


• Price Per Serving: $8.74


• Weekly Total: $69.92 (First week is about half that with our discount code!)


• FREE Shipping & Cancel Any Time


• You Can Pause Your Service at Any Time

Family Plan (4 Recipes per Week)

• 4 Meals, Serves 4


• Price Per Serving: $8.74


• Weekly Total: $139.84


• FREE Shipping & Cancel Any Time


• You Can Pause Your Service at Any Time

Blue Apron Menu

They provide a full rundown of the meals you have to pick from each month on their website, so if you want to get a nice idea of the variety of foods they offer, I encourage you to check out their menu page. For most people, there will plenty of delicious meals to choose from, and I'm already looking forward to my next shipment of meals. There are some pretty amazing meals coming up for us this month: Cod Sandwiches, Crispy Chicken, and Seared Salmon are just a few that I'm looking forward to!

Final Thoughts

For anyone looking for an incredibly easy to way to make restaurant-quality meals at home, I would highly recommend Blue Apron. The meals are fantastic, the instruction are clear and easy to understand, and it saves you at least one trip to the grocery store every week! I plan to continue on with their 3 meal per week plan for the foreseeable future. I really can't see wanting to stop, but we'll see how long I enjoy playing chef three times per week – if most of them meals are as good as the first one I prepared, I'm guessing I will continue to enjoy it!

Resources:

BlueApron.com

Forbes – The Best Meal Delivery Kits

The post Blue Apron Reviews appeared first on The Diet Dynamo.

Shakeology Reviews – How Fast Until You'll See Results?

Shakeology by Beachbody: Healthy Supplements Done Right

There are many different products and programs out there that focus on providing a way to live healthier or lose weight, or even do both. Some of the best reviewed drink supplements out there not only act as meal replacements but are also designed to be healthy to an extent that they can be used for increasing your workout results, losing weight, or even as part of a program for bulking up. Shakeology from Beachbody is one of those drinks. I can tell you from experience that it is absolutely one of the best nutrition shakes on the market today. This is for a variety of reasons, but here are three of the biggest reasons I think it's a GREAT shake:

1. It Tastes GREAT! It truly does taste awesome, which has been a welcome quality when compared to the gritty, nasty taking workout shakes I've used in the past.


2. It's Super HEALTHY! Just take a look at the nutrition label, and you'll see that Shakeology is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and other great ingredients.


3. It Produces RESULTS! In the six months or so since starting Shakeology I've lost about 10 pounds, and I'm still working on losing more. Now that may not sound like a ton of weight, but I only have about 10 or 15 pounds that I was hoping to drop when I started the shake, so for me that's been an ideal number. Now, I would think someone could definitely could lose more weight than that, if that was their goal

With all of that being said, let's take a closer look at what this drink is really all about, and why it has received one our highest endorsements.

What Is Shakeology?

Shakeology is affiliated with the Beachbody workout programs, but it is fully functional in and of itself as a great supplemental drink that can do wonders when it comes to revitalizing your health and helping with weight loss. Unless you are specifically looking to bulk up, Shakeology works most often as a meal replacement, although some people have chosen to use it as an after workout treat and seen strong success with using it in that role, as well.

This drink mix is a major part of the Beachbody program and being able to eat healthier. There is a heavy emphasis on nutrition and having the right natural ingredients to promote health in all its ways. Providing a full range of antioxidants is just as important as providing a wide range of vitamins and minerals (especially those that most people too often don't get nearly enough of), positive dietary fiber, and ingredients that have a reputation for improving organ health, immune functions, and every other part of the body.

This is a nutritional approach that tackles every part of what the body needs to provide the best possible overall effect on the body. By making every part of the system healthier and allowing your body to work a little bit more smoothly, the overall end results will be better from losing excess weight to having more energy and feeling better.

How Does it Work?

Shakeology is used like protein powder or any meal replacement shake. A mixture is added with ingredients like milk, water, ice, and maybe even some of your favorite fruits and blended into a delicious shake that then provides all the nutrients you need as your own version of a “super food” shake. There are seven different flavors that are currently sold under the Beachbody Shakeology brand, not counting the current “Boosts” that are also available.

Whether you use it as a replacement for breakfast (most common), a different meal, or as an after workout treat (or both) you will almost certainly see strong results very quickly from adding Shakeology to your daily routine.

What Are The Ingredients?

The mainstay of Shakeology is the fact that their based ingredients in the powder is their “proprietary protein blend.” Instead of focusing on just one or two sources for their protein, they have their blend from five different sources including:

– Chia

– Flax

– Pea

– Whey

– Quinoa

These protein sources are all extremely well thought of and create a unique blend that only comes from Shakeology mixes. In addition to this, there are multiple blends brought in of “super greens,” “fruit based antioxidants,” “probiotic & digestive health blends,” and more. These blends bring in the benefits of every type of superfood you've heard about recently from the ability to aid digestion to getting rid of antioxidants throughout the body, to cleansing the body of the bad while making it receptive to more vitamins and minerals, this particular mix literally has it all.

The full list of ingredients found in each blend can be found easily online, in addition to the daily health percentages that come with all the vitamins and minerals that are available.

How Is It Healthy?

The key to Shakeology being healthy is those list of ingredients. High protein diets are in for a reason, and having the ability to replace a meal with a shake, get all that healthy protein, antioxidants, digestive aids, vitamins and minerals without any of the negatives that sometimes come with certain types of food is invaluable.

Everyone understands the benefit of things like super greens, probiotics, and antioxidants. However even beyond this, the vitamin and mineral percentages that come with this mix are off the charts impressive.

Just a short sample includes:

– 100% daily Vitamin B12

– 100% daily Manganese

– 100% daily Thiamine

– 100% daily Vitamin B6

– 300% daily Vitamin C

– 76% daily Riboflavin

– 100% daily Vitamin A

Why Is This Drink Great For Weight Loss?

First, because this drink is protein heavy and loaded with vitamins, it is going to make you feel full. That's extremely important with any weight loss plan because if it feels like you're on a diet, eventually you are going to quit. On top of this, you get more than a day's worth of protein to jump start the fat burning, plenty of vitamins for energy, and at far less calories than what it would take in food in order to take care of those same daily nutritional needs.

Many meal replacement drinks don't give enough protein or enough energy to really get you going and keep you moving throughout an entire day, but Shakeology actually takes care of this quite well even for those individuals who are extremely active.

How Much Does it Cost?

As of this article the cost is about $129.95 for a 30 day supply. Sometimes this can be found for a little bit less because of a sale, but it is a touch on the pricey side compared with many other shakes but the truth is that Shakeology is clearly a step above the competition in a variety of ways, and you aren't paying for extra marketing in this case you actually are paying for results.

How does Shakeology stand up to others via comparison? For one, the protein blend is really unique because it involves so many different protein sources. Adding in the deep greens, the probiotics to fix digestion (most people have some digestion issues and don't even know it), and the myriad of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals creates a combination that no one else is matching.

Add in the fact these are coming from real ingredients and not purely synthetic or chemically created powders makes them even better as an option. Why go for a cheap knock off when you can get the absolute premium protein shake and/or meal replacement powder. The fact this can be attached to nearly any diet or exercise program and deliver positive results makes it stand out even more.

When you place an order, you'll receive a really cool recipe guide, so you can try a bunch of different shakes.

So while the cost is a little bit much compared to the average protein powder, it's important to note that this is not your average protein powder. It is definitely the premium choice in the field and that's why it's priced accordingly. When you realize it only comes out to a little over $4 a day, it goes to show how reasonable it can actually be.

Flavors

There are many different flavors available through Shakeology, which allows for a surprising number of choices no matter what your tastes are. In addition to the basic seven flavors that are currently available, there is a very active Beachbody community that continues to share their favorite mixes, shakes, meal replacements, and more. In other words, there is no shortage of Shakeology inspired shake recipes out there. You can find one that works for you and brings you a flavor you will really enjoy.

While more flavors will be released in the future, as of now current Shakeology flavors include:

– Vanilla

– Chocolate

– Strawberry

– Cafe Latte

– Chocolate Vegan

– Tropical Strawberry Vegan

– Greenberry

Shakeology “Boosts”

While not officially part of the Shakeology lineup, there are focused energy boosts that are designed to be mixed in with your normal Shakeology mixes. These boosts are aimed at specific naturally delivered boosts that give energy and concentration without causing the crash that most sugar based boosts do.

Currently there are three boosts offered:

– Digestive health boost

– Focused energy boost

– Power greens boost

Each of these are based around natural super food ingredients such as Ginseng, Guarana, Lion's Mane, and Rhodiola. These provide a variety of additional benefits to what Shakeology already offers and allows that additional boost for when you need that extra “pick me up” on a really rough starting day.

Be Honest: How Does It Taste?

This is by far and away one of the ways that Shakeology really sticks out in comparison to other competitors. This blends extremely well with other ingredients and while there might still be some grittiness if you only spoon it in with water, even then the mixture is more pleasant than the average of what you expect from that particular protein powder mixture. The taste is among the best of all the options out there, and having different flavors will let you find the one that is right for you.

Final Verdict

Whether your main goal is fitness, feeling better, eating healthier, or losing weight, Shakeology actually comes through. They're not looking to make the cheapest product or something super niche, they are looking to produce the premium choice in healthy weight loss and meal replacement drinks and they pull that off admirably.

VIDEOS

Resources:

WebMD – Are Weight Loss Shakes Healthy?

Mayo Clinic

Other Shakes:

Shake 360

The post Shakeology Reviews – How Fast Until You'll See Results? appeared first on The Diet Dynamo.