Tag: 3-weeks to shredded

DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
Dolce Diet Slow-Cooker Recipes

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD

Are you crunched for time? Having a guest over last minute and want a nice, home-cooked meal? Or maybe you don’t like the idea of simply reheating food all week. Well, here are some of our favorite Dolce Diet recipes modified for the slow cooker! The slow cooker, Crock-Pot, is a great kitchen tool because it leaves meats and veggies super tender by slow cooking and allowing moisture to stay within the pot. All you have to do is prep the ingredients the night before. In the morning, put the ingredients for our slow-cooker recipes in the Crock-Pot, set it to cook and that’s it! It does all the work for you!

Crockpot Fighter Fajitas
Serves 9
Ingredients
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 orange bell pepper, julienned
• 1 green bell pepper, julienned
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced and halved
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ½ tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• ¾ tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• ¾ tsp. black pepper
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp. honey
• Whole wheat tortillas, cheese, avocado for serving
Directions
• Pour half of canned tomatoes into bottom of crockpot and spread into even later. Top with half of the peppers and onions. Sprinkle in garlic. Top with chicken.
• In a bowl, whisk chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the seasoning over chicken, then flip chicken and sprinkle the rest. Top with remaining tomatoes, then layer with peppers and onion.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender (For strips, cook on lower end of time at either heat setting. For shredded chicken, cook on higher end of time at either heat setting).
• Remove chicken and cut or shred. Ladle out 1 cup of brother (tomato liquid) and discard. In small bowl, whisk lime juice and honey and add to slow cooker along with chicken. Gently toss and serve.

Crockpot Champion Chili
Serves 6-7
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
• 2 lbs. lean ground turkey
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 3 8-oz. cans organic tomato sauce
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 ½ tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Cheese, green onions, cilantro, or hot sauce for serving
Directions
• Heat grapeseed oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 more seconds. Pour onions into 6 or 7 quart crockpot.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat, add turkey and cook until browned. Drain most fat from turkey and transfer to crockpot.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, ½ cup water, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander and season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Stir mixture, cover with lid and cook on LOW heat for 5 – 6 hours.
• Stir in beans and allow to heat through, about 10 minutes. Serve warm with desired toppings.

Crockpot Skinny Sumo Stir-Fry
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1 head broccoli
• 1-2 green or red peppers
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 thin slices of peeled ginger
• onion
• carrots
• *snow peas
• *mushrooms
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
• ½ c. organic vegetable broth
• ¼ c. low-sodium soy sauce
• ½-1 tsp. coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 lb. chicken
• Brown rice or quinoa
Directions
• Drizzle crockpot with a thin coating of grapeseed oil
• In bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, coconut sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk well.
• Cut veggies into bite size pieces and toss the veggies and meat with soy sauce mixture.
• Pour into crockpot and cook on LOW.
• Minutes prior to serving cook brown rice or quinoa and set aside.
• *Cook on LOW for 4 hours if you like firmer veggies, or 5-6 hours if you prefer a softer veggies.

DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
5 Tips to Get Shredded

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD

1. Use Free Weights Instead of Machines
With free weights you get a better range of motion, plus you need to constantly engage your core to stabilize during these movements. Machines tend to do a lot of the work for you. Remember, you don’t need machines, you are a machine!
2. Use Movements That Will Increase Muscle Fiber Size
Bench press, deadlift, squats (specifically front and back squats), cleans and overhead presses all work multitudes of muscles at one time. This is a great way to work smarter, not harder. Don’t waste 2 hours in the gym trying to target specific areas when you can hit multiple areas with just a few movements.
3. Test Your 1 Rep Max
Every few weeks, test out your 1RM on certain lifts, like deadlift, bench, squat, etc. This is a great test of how far along your strength is coming. Always make sure to use proper form as much as possible, but realize that when we test our limits is when form tends to break down. Be safe, and if you aren’t an avid or well-trained lifter, maybe test out 90% of your max.
4. Protein Party
The usual recommendation for protein when attempting to gain muscle is 1-1.5g per pound of body weight. Depending on your training, size and frequency, some athletes can go as high as 2g per pound of body weight. When increasing protein it is important to monitor your symptoms. Check your urine color, if it is dark brown or looks like there is blood in it, then that could be a sign of kidney breakdown due to excessive protein. Protein can also cause kidney stones and jaundice in large doses. Just be careful, slowly add it in, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and have other key nutrients in your diet. Also, make sure you include plant-based proteins as part of your protein allotment and not just all animal protein. The excess of animal protein tends to be the culprit for kidney issues.
5. Sleep
Your muscles grow while you sleep as they repair and recover. Remember, muscles are broken down in the gym, nourished in the kitchen, but grow in the bedroom. You could also throw off testosterone, insulin and cortisol levels with inadequate sleep.

Get more tips on how get shredded:

DOLCE LIFESTYLE: 5 TIPS TO GET RIPPED
DOLCE LIFESTYLE: BUILD A BIGGER BENCH PRESS

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DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
Top 10 Fiber Foods

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD

Fiber is important for optimal digestive health and decreases your risk for developing heart disease. Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate that really helps clean out the system. In terms of heart health, it binds to cholesterol and removes it as it makes its way out of the body. So why not kill two birds with one stone and up your fiber game? Recommendations for fiber are about 25 grams per day for women, and 35 grams per day for men. It is also important to SLOWLY increase your fiber intake, especially if your body isn’t used to it. If you dump too much fiber into your system at once, it can actually have the reverse effect of its normal function and cause constipation, gas and bloating. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water as you increase your fiber intake.
1. Lentils 1 cup = 15.6 g
2. Black beans 1 cup = 15.0 g
3. Oat bran 1 cup = 14 g
4. Raspberries 1 cup = 8.0 g
5. Whole wheat pasta 1 cup = 6.3 g
6. Pear 1 medium = 5.5 g
7. Broccoli 1 cup = 5.1 g
8. Apple (with skin) 1 medium = 4.4 g
9. Brussels sprouts 1 cup = 4.1 g
10. Almonds 1 ounce = 3.5 g

Read More About Fiber:

DOLCE LIFESTYLE: 10 MICRONUTRIENTS EVERY ATHLETE NEEDS
DOLCE LIFESTYLE: 5 ALTERNATIVES TO WHITE PASTA

Mike Dolce to Headline ‘London Real’ Masterminds Event

AN INCREDIBLE 3 DAY EXPERIENCE FROM LONDON REAL- Sept. 25-27, 2015

Are you Getting the Most out of Your Life and Business?
Want to Learn Up-Close and Personal from the Greatest Minds in the History of London Real during an Immersive Experience in London?
Spend an Intensive 3 days in London with High-Performance Guest Speakers and 100 handpicked London Realers from around the world for an unforgettable interactive experience designed to change your life and your game.
Featuring Inspirational Talks, Elite Mentoring, and Workshop Instruction from Professionals at the Top of their Games.

Change Your Game

-3-Day Experience at the 5-Star Langham Hotel in London
-Exclusive audience of only 100 hand-chosen applicants
-Welcome Cocktail Reception at London Real Studios
-Morning “Warrior Workouts” in Regents Park with Elliott Hulse & Mike Dolce
-TED style talks with our Keynote Speakers competing for a $20,000 Prize decided by YOU
-Gala Dinner at a special access Historic London venue

DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
6 Reasons Why Women Should Lift

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD

1. More Effective Fat Loss
You utilize more oxygen during strength training, and when your body uses more oxygen, it increases your metabolic rate and burns more calories. You won’t get the same results with running or yoga alone. The intensity simply isn’t there.
2. Curves
Endurance training is helpful for initial weight loss. However, that type of training cuts weight from both fat and muscle. Strength training helps build those curves, causing muscle hypertrophy (growth) while burning excessive fat.
3. The More Muscles You Have, The More Calories You Burn at Rest
Strength training increases your RMR (resting metabolic rate), which means that you burn more calories at rest with the more muscle you have. This is also why you may feel hungry more often as you train more. Your body is burning fuel so much more efficiently that you simply need to feed it a bit more.
And no ladies, you won’t get “manly.” We do not produce nearly the same testosterone levels as men to get anywhere near that big, unless of course you have some “anabolic assistance.” And don’t let anyone ever say to you, “Don’t get too big!”
4. Sleep
This goes for absolutely everyone. You tear up your muscles in the gym, feed them in the kitchen, and they grow while you rest and sleep. Yes, those reps in the gym are what make your muscles bigger – eventually – with proper sleep and repair.
5. Bone Health
As we age, bone mass starts to decline, plus estrogen levels start to decline as well, which is a major factor in our risk for developing osteoporosis. Weight-bearing activity is one way to prevent the rapid decline of your bone mass. If you are postmenopausal, that’s even more reason to start strength training since at this stage estrogen secretion has ceased.
6. Stress Relief
Many studies have shown a positive correlation between strength training and stress levels. When you can go in and hit a great lifting session, you feel energized and can lower your blood pressure. Also, the more fit you are, the easier it is for you to recover from a traumatic incident, such as a car accident. Your body may be strong enough to withstand the impact compared to an untrained individual.

DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
5 Tips to Get Ripped

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD

1. Eat Your Carbs!

It’s not ALL about protein, guys. Far too many people think that carbs prevent you from getting lean and building muscle. It simply isn’t true. You should never be cutting out carbs completely…monitoring and adjusting portions, yes. Basically, you should be consuming enough carbs that will still allow you to lose fat. Each person is different. Some people may require as little as 100 grams per day, while others may need double to triple the amount.
This is where carb cycling becomes very useful. Start off with higher carbs in the first few days, then lower each day, then go back up. Or stay steady with carbs at a lower to moderate rate and give yourself a “refeed” day with additional/high amount of carbs. Plus, carbs are a preferred fuel source of the brain, so how else will you be able to get through your workouts without them? Carbs will also prevent hypoglycemia which we want to avoid at all costs during exercise to stave off fatigue.

2. You Are YOU!

Not every theory out there will work for everyone in exactly the same way. You may have two guys who have the exact same specifications, but Guy #1 does better on 230g of carbs per day while Guy #2 does better on 300g per day. It’s just the way our bodies are made and how we metabolize nutrients as individuals. There is no end-all, be-all rule when it comes to health, nutrition and fitness. There are simply guidelines. You’ll have to do some experimenting to see what truly works best for YOU.

3. Abs Are Made In The Kitchen!

Additional ab work is honestly a waste of time, where you could be mobilizing and creating functional flexibility instead, which translates into longevity. Many people tend to think: “I want to target and tighten my abs, so I’ll do more.” Clearly, they’ve missed the concept of hypertrophy. If you work a muscle group (properly), what happens? Those muscles grow. The more biceps curls you do and/or more resistance you use, the bigger that muscle group will get. So why would overworking your ab muscles shrink and tighten them? If you are doing your other movements correctly – most of which involve using the core as your base for stability – then you are constantly working your abs. No need to waste time on additional sets of nonsense.
Plus, to really see those abs peak through, you need to stay dedicated in the kitchen. Cut out the simple sugars and other garbage, which will get stored as fat, and guess where fat loves to store? So tightening up your nutrition will undoubtedly tighten up your abs.

4. Lift Heavy

Why would you change up your workout if you have a set goal for your performance? If your goal is to lift heavy, why turn your heavy squat sessions into circuit training sessions? Too much cardio can put you into a catabolic state in which you start to break down lean muscle tissue, the complete opposite of what we want.
If you want to go heavy for 1-5 reps, then keep going heavy (safely), and don’t drop weight and jump to 20 or 30 reps. What good will that do?
The goal is to keep getting stronger, right? Sure, once you change up your diet, your first couple of squat sessions may not be as heavy as they were as you ease into a new eating pattern, but eventually you will get back to that point and beyond. If you normally have some type of higher rep scheme mixed into those smaller, heavy sets, you may want to omit the higher rep sets, at least in the beginning and focus on the short, heavy sets. So don’t trade gains for fat loss. You can do both at the same time. Plus, the more muscle you have (which you get from STRENGTH TRAINING, not cardio), the more calories you burn at rest (increased RMR).

5. Don’t Restrict Yourself Too Much

One of the worst things you can do for yourself on any health and wellness journey is to restrict yourself too much. This only leads to binging and regret. Sure, you may be super stoked to be starting this new approach, so you go out and grill up half a farm of chicken breast, steam a compound of vegetables and mash a football field’s worth of sweet potatoes so you “stay on track.” Let’s think about how appetizing that same meal is going to be on day 7.
Variety is always key. It helps you look forward to your next meal, plus you’ll get all your micronutrients in as there is no one perfect food that has every single vitamin and mineral in it. The problem with staying with very bland, consistent diets is that some may develop nutrient deficiencies simply due to lack of nutrients in their seemingly healthful foods. Mix up your menu, and give yourself something to look forward to.
For example, try out Mike’s Homemade “Ice Cream,” which consists of 2 cups of plain Greek yogurt and 2 cups of frozen black cherries (or berry of choice) blended for 10 seconds and topped with a sprinkle of chia seeds. You’ll feel like you’re “cheating,” but you’ll be satisfying that dessert urge while still getting nutrient-dense nutrition.

Join our online training program today!
Guaranteed results or your money back!
Lose up to 21 pounds in 21 days!

The Mike Dolce Show – A Fitness Podcast

Mike talks to Jens Pulver and we learn about a new show called Wimp 2 Warrior that’s letting everyday folks try their hand at MMA fighting. Mike also answers your questions.
Mike Dolce is a 2X World MMA Awards Trainer of the Year, 2014 NJ Martial Arts Hall of Fame Inductee and 2014 Men’s Fitness Top 30 Game Changer for fitness. As the founder of The Dolce Diet & creator of UFC FIT, Mike Dolce is known the world over for his work managing the weight cuts of UFC athletes like Johny Hendricks, Ronda Rousey, Gilbert Melendez, Vitor Belfort, Thiago Alves and more!
His #1 international best-selling books include The Dolce Diet: 3 Weeks to Shredded, The Dolce Diet: Living Lean and The Dolce Diet: Living Lean Cookbook. For more information on Mike’s books, MMA weight cuts, weight management, gaining muscle, weight loss, overall healthy living, UFC FIT and so much more, visit TheDolceDiet.com and TheMikeDolceShow.com
Listen to the latest Mike Dolce Show fitness and lifestyle podcast and get motivated and inspired!

DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
Top 10 Non-Dairy Calcium Sources

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD

Calcium is needed to build strong bones as well as for muscle contractions. Most people think they can only get calcium through dairy foods, such as milk or yogurt. However, this non-dairy food list can help supply the required serving (about 1000mg) of calcium each day! And don’t forget to eat these top 10 goodies with vitamin D-rich foods to enhance calcium absorption.
1. Wild-caught salmon 3 oz. (canned) = 190 mg; 3 oz. (raw) = 80 mg
2. Spinach ½ cup = 175 mg
3. Amaranth ½ cup = 150 mg
4. Tofu ¼ cup = 125 mg
5. Kale ½ cup = 100 mg
6. Almonds ¼ cup = 95 mg
7. Broccoli, cooked ½ cup = 90 mg
8. Sesame seeds 1 tbsp. = 90 mg
9. Okra ½ cup = 75 mg
10. Beans ½ cup = 50 mg

DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
3 Healthy Alternatives to Sugar

Sometimes we want to add a touch of sweetness to our green tea, coffee or Blueberry Madness. Here are some tasty and healthy ways to kick up the sweetness without using cane sugar or artificial sweeteners.

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD

1) Raw Honey
Often referred to as the “Nectar of the Gods”, honey has tons of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant properties. It is often coined for its antibacterial benefits, and is excellent to incorporate post-surgery or post-sunburn either orally or directly to the burn/cut. Also, go for raw since none of the nutrients will be lost during the heating process.
2. Stevia
Stevia is an all-natural sweetener that is derived from the herb Stevia rebaudiana from Paraguay. You can find stevia in crystal or liquid forms. Try to go for stevia in the raw if you can. Some common brand names include: Truvia, SweetLeaf, and Stevita.
3. Coconut Sugar
This unprocessed sugar has a similar taste to brown sugar. And it is packed with nutrients, such as, iron, zinc, potassium, and B vitamins. It melts/bakes like sugar, but doesn’t induce the same glycemic response on the blood as regular sugar!

DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
5 Alternatives to White Pasta

by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD1. Spaghetti Squash
Just slice in half and bake to get the stringy, fibrous membrane out of the center with a fork. This squash also absorbs sauce very well, and is packed with vitamins A and C.
2. Spiraled Veggies
You significantly reduce the carb count and add in much more fiber. There are lots of spiraling tools you can use. Try it with zucchini, beets, squash, and more.
3. Black Bean Spaghetti
This nutritious alternative is packed with fiber, magnesium, folate, potassium and iron, which provides a much greater nutritional punch than regular, white pasta. Since the noodles are black, it may also be fun for the kids to change up their plate scenery. This is great with marinara sauce or you can use it to create your own Mexican-inspired masterpiece.
4. Brown Rice Pasta
This is a great alternative to wean you from regular pasta into the veggie pastas. This type is most similar to regular pasta and is prepared the same way. It also contains lots of fiber and B vitamins.
5. Soba Noodles
These are buckwheat noodles with a high fiber and protein content. With a nutty flavor, this type of noodle is best served cold as a pasta salad or in a stir fry (very similar to chow mein noodles). And they are naturally gluten-free since buckwheat is actually a seed, not a wheat derivative.