Meet: Mark Salinas (Mark Salinas, MN – Healthy Living Today)

Age: 40

Occupation: Project Manager

Where he lives: Minnesota

Pounds Lost: 55

How long it took to lose the weight: About a year

How long he has kept off the weight: 2 years

If you haven’t read Mark’s blog yet, you must get over there soon! Not only does he share his fitness journey, he gives you great information on nutrition and various exercises to try, along with just the right words to motivate and inspire you. As Mark’s journey continues, let’s give him a Weight Loss WooHoo! – Just FatFighterTV’s fun way of celebrating healthy weight.

How Mark gained the weight:
“I was in sports and I was real active. I could eat whatever, had a very fast metabolism, and I was always on the go. In my mid 20’s I got married and had a daughter. My daughter had febrile seizures – her temperature would go from 100 to 106 in a matter of seconds, so my energy started to focus on that. Being the worry wart that I am, I wouldn’t sleep. I would stand next to her crib with a cold rag and Tylenol and a thermometer. I was less active, I was more tired and one thing led to another and it just snowballed.”

Turning point:
“Finally I got to a point where I said, ‘Enough is enough.’ I’ve always known that a healthier me and a happier me is better for everybody that comes in contact with me. I just stopped making excuses and justifying my unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle.”

How he shed the pounds:
“Initially what I did was cut out sugar and fast food. I didn’t try to do anything else because I didn’t want to take too much on and get frustrated. I started a Boot Camp class and just pushed myself and kept burning it and burning it and burning it. Eventually, more unhealthy foods became less desirable and I wanted to eat less junk and just be healthier. I wanted to consume whole foods and healthier foods.”

Weekly workouts:
“I did Boot Camp for so long – that was five days a week. Then I switched to taking Total Conditioning classes three times a week and included some running and Kickboxing and Spinning classes. For the past few months I’ve been strictly doing running and yoga with a couple of Total Conditioning classes a week. I’m constantly trying to infuse the muscles. I don’t want to get too much into a routine. For me, I hit plateaus very quickly.”

Daily Diet & Philosophy:
“I eat a pretty heavy breakfast and then I just graze all day – [things like] almonds and string cheese and yogurt. I have a decent dinner and a snack after dinner. I’m not a big believer in diets. I just think – be wise and be moderate and go ahead and have a bowl of ice cream every once in awhile and enjoy life.”

Daily challenge:
“Getting more sleep. I always feel like I have to be doing something. I think anybody in the fitness arena knows that recovery and rest are so important. And that has been my biggest challenge. I’m getting better at it.”

Mark’s tips:
“Don’t stress out. Just stay active and take it in steps. Don’t try to do it all at once. It’ll come and it’ll be all good.”

Favorite healthy recipe:

Chicken and Rice – with a kick
The heat is balanced by the briny olives and the sweet raisins.

Prep: 25 minutes; Total: 45 minutes

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large chicken thighs with skin and bones (about 2 pounds) Ground cloves

1 1/2 cups diced seeded red bell peppers
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pitted imported green olives
4 small bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek) or 1 small serrano chile, chopped
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice or long-grain white rice (9 to 10 ounces), rinsed, drained
2 to 2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
Preparation
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper, then lightly with ground cloves. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until brown, about 5 minutes per side.
Transfer chicken to plate.

Pour off all but 4 tablespoons fat from skillet. Add bell peppers, onion, raisins, olives, bay leaves, garlic, and chili paste to skillet. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Press chicken into rice. Add 2 cups broth; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, adding more broth if dry, about 20 minutes.
Nutritional Information

Per serving: 574calories, 18g fat, 2g saturated, 47mg cholesterol, 570mg sodium, 70g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 25g protein (nutritional analysis provided by Nutrition Data)

Mark’s Weight Loss WooHoo!:
“The energy and excitement that has come from losing all that weight. My outlook on life is so much more optimistic and positive.”

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Your positive outlook is contagious. Thanks for always inspiring us, Mark!

See more weight loss success stories on the Weight Loss WooHoo! Wall of Fame.

If you know of someone who deserves this honor, just let me know – send me an email at sahar [at] fatfightertv [dot] com

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Earlier this month, we asked you to tell us something low-cal you reach for to satisfy your sweet tooth. Fitness blogger, Mark Salinas, submitted his recipe for homemade protein bars. They sound so yummy, I thought I would share:

Mark says, “I have a batch of Protein Bars sitting in the fridge. They always do the trick!”

1 cup Protein Powder
1 cup Oatmeal
1 cup Krispies
3/4 cup Organic Peanut Butter
1/4 cup honey

Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix it up and put it all out in a pan about 8′x11′(no need for wax paper)…cut ‘em up, makes about 8 squares. Add drops of water to keep consistency.

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