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Note From JJ

Hi %$firstname$%,

I am writing this on my way home from a week long trip that started in LA where I taped a really fun segment at Whole Foods El Segundo with Kristin White. Then on to Boston to do a big pledge drive event to help them make their fiscal year goal (I hear we set records:) with Ernie Boch Jr who generously matched everyone's pledges during my show.

After that I went to NYC to attend a Boardroom dinner (the company behind that great Bottomline Health newsletter) and then to hang out with Jonathan Fields of the GoodLifeProject.com.   

Now I am heading home to toss swimsuits, shorts and snorkels into a bag, grab my kids and head to... Kauai!  I think we all really need this vacation and I feel so fortunate to be able to take them and have Grant be able to participate in all of the cool activities that I have lined up (helicopter, powerboat, zip-lining, hiking, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding...). Hard to believe that 10 months ago he was fighting for his life and we were given no real hope for his survival.  Every day I wake up hugely grateful, and that is a feeling that I am going to foster for the rest of my days!

Blessings!

New York Times
& USA Today
Bestseller

www.thevirgindiet.com

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Feature Article

5 Strategies for Fast Fat Loss
before Summer Ends

Why does winter seem to stick around forever yet you blink and summer’s half over?

Oh, I know: you’ve still got that early August barbeque at your in-laws, numerous beach dates, and a Labor Day cookout to wrap up the season. But summer just seems to fly by and before you know it, you’re sending the kids off to school again.

Warm weather is unforgiving. Whereas bulky sweaters and baggy jeans can conceal any imperfect regions in winter, come July you’re flaunting more than you’re covering up and any extra weight becomes nearly impossible to disguise.
I’ve had several readers tell me they want to get in great shape – burn fat but also build muscle – before summer ends so they can finally flaunt that swimsuit or a hot new cami. These are my 5 top strategies to get leaner and more toned starting now.

1. Burst training. Spending hours in an overheated gym isn’t my idea of a great summer day. Fortunately, you can get great results in just minutes a day with burst training, which makes you an all-day fat-burning machine. I combine burst training with weight resistance for toned arms and abs to die for in my 4X4 Workout, which takes just 15 minutes, 3 times a week. (Seriously: less time than you’ll spend looking for a parking spot at the pool.) Grab a free workout at www.jjsfitclub.com.


2. Double protein shakes. Especially during the summer, who has hours to spend prepping food or standing over a hot stove? The Virgin Diet Shake makes a fast, affordable, efficient meal replacement that takes minutes to make but keeps you full for hours. Load the Virgin Diet All-in-One Shake with frozen berries, kale or other leafy greens, flax or chia seeds, with So Delicious unsweetened coconut or almond milk. I double up: 1 shake for breakfast and then another at lunch or (lately) dinner. Focus your meal on The Virgin Diet Plate: clean protein, leafy and cruciferous greens, good fats like avocado, and slow-release high-fiber carbs like sweet potatoes or quinoa.


3. 7 - 9 hours sleep. Just because your neighbor’s cookout goes into the wee hours of the night doesn’t mean you have to. Sleep keeps your fat-burning hormones in check to reduce cravings and hunger. Use the hour before sleep to power down, practice deep breathing or meditation, and take a hot bath with a trashy beach novel. Use earplugs, an eye mask, and a sound machine to drown out extraneous noise so you get 7 – 9 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep.


4. Drink up. I’m talking water, not pinot noir. Proper hydration keeps your cells functioning at peak performance and optimizes your metabolism. Besides, cravings and between-meal hunger are often signs you’re thirsty. Start with 16 ounces of water at breakfast and sip throughout your day except during meals, when too much liquid can dilute stomach enzymes that break down protein. Hot weather and intense workouts can deplete electrolytes. I replenish with Catalyte from Thorne Performance, a unique electrolyte formula with a delicious lemon-lime flavor.


5. Optimize recovery. Stepping up your workout can lead to soreness, achiness, and increased inflammation that can potentially stall your fat burning and create post-workout misery. Rebound from Thorne Performance is a unique blend of botanicals including anti-inflammatory curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric). I use Rebound before and after workouts to perform my best in and out of the gym.

JJ Recommends

The Envelope Please…
Picking the Top 7 Winners from a
Community of Winners is NOT easy!

Wow!  I've been flooded with notes and social posts asking who won the cookbook contest. Believe me choosing a “winner” from over 250 entries to our “Recipe for a New Life” contest was not easy. So I tossed the ball to my Virgin Diet community!  First, my team and I picked the top 12 most inspirational stories out of the 250 entries, and then we sent them out to the Virgin Diet community to vote on and choose the top 7.  

Well, the results are in!!!  I'm psyched to share all of our TOP 7 winners AND the #1 top vote getter that YOU guys chose as the MOST inspiring transformation story of all.

ALL Top 7 WINNERS receive an all-expense-paid trip to cook with me, in person, in my secret test kitchen. They also get $500 of great prizes, their recipe published in my all-new Virgin Diet Cookbook (coming out in Feb, 2014) and… they may even be featured with me in the media!!!  Are you ready???  Here they are!!

Robin & Scott Brown from Colorado
Melody Copelan from Georgia
Tamara George from Tenessee
Susan Johnson from Arizona
Jamey Karnitz from Wisconsin 
Cindy Russo from Connecticut

… And meet our top vote getter, Laura Kiel from Washington State! 




Laura Kiel:  How The Virgin Diet has impacted the lives of my family and the people around me.

The change in my health since starting The Virgin Diet is nothing short of miraculous. To begin with, being free from the endless treadmill of diets, surgeries and weight gain / loss is something I’m deeply grateful for. It’s easy to see how this has changed my life. Last night my before dinner glucose was 98!!!!! This is nothing short of miraculous. I’ve also been able to eliminate 1 blood pressure medication, and will begin eliminating a second one this weekend. By next month I expect to be off all blood pressure medication.

I am also completely done with all artificial sweeteners. This was a big struggle for me. I was so dependent upon them. I was also on 2 Prilosec tablets a day and now on none. I also took Ex-lax and Gas X every day. These products are no longer needed in my life. I was on allergy medication and now am free of needing that as well. I took 10 mg of Ambien every night for sleep, and I now sleep perfectly with no medication at all.

If that wasn’t enough, my husband and daughter are both on The Virgin Diet also. My daughter is a runner and was astonished to have lost over 20 pounds on JJ’s program. She feels better than she ever has. Additionally, she is also off allergy medication and is breathing freely. (That alone has led her to the decision to eat this way for her life.) My husband is also off of allergy medication and has lost 17 pounds. What he likes best is how delicious and plentiful the beautiful foods are.
He supported me completely with many difficult lap band procedures and issues, but eating Cream of Wheat almost every night pales in comparison to the bounty of food we eat now. Many people are "curious", but it's a little tough to tell them that they need to give up wheat and other “desirable” foods. It's a hard message for them to hear, and I guess seems impossible to some. However, several people in our office now are really beginning to become interested.

As our journey continues, I know many will be influenced to pay attention and consider The Virgin Diet as a real solution.  For me, I knew that I had to find a way to make everything delicious if I was going to influence others, and I’ve come up with some really fabulous recipes. I look forward to JJ’s new cookbook and can’t wait to see where this journey leads me and my family.

Laura's Original Virgin Diet Recipe:

Lasagna
Serves 8

It's hard to believe this lasagna recipe has NO PASTA; NO CHEESE; NO DAIRY; NO EGGS; and is packed with plenty of great nutrition. This looks, tastes and satisfies like any delicious lasagna should. Enjoy!

2 pounds ground beef, Organic Grass Fed Beef
2 packages Applegate Roasted Chicken Breast Organic, No Nitrates or Antibiotics
1 onion
2 tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
4 cloves garlic
4 sprigs rosemary
8 leaves basil
2 heads cauliflower
1 spaghetti squash
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 tbsp. whole ground flax seed
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Steam 2 heads of cauliflower, drain and set aside. Steam Spaghetti Squash, let cool and set aside. Slice 2 cups of mushrooms and set aside. Place tomatoes, onion, red peppers, garlic, basil, rosemary and 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a roasting pan. Roast at 435 degrees for 30 minutes until vegetables are brown and set aside. Brown the beef in a large pot, pressure cooker or slow cooker using 1 tbsp. of olive oil. . Remove the stems from the rosemary and place all the roasted vegetables in a high speed blender and blend into a tomato pepper "marinara" sauce. Add 3 tbsp. of whole ground flax seeds. Incorporate this marinara sauce into the ground beef and add 1/4 cup chia seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook for desired time.

I enjoy the flavors melding together so prefer a long cook time, but it is also delicious if you just incorporate and immediately put the lasagna together. Blend the cauliflower into a puree in a high speed blender. Shred the spaghetti squash into threads. Stir the blended cauliflower and spaghetti squash threads together. This is what I use in place of cheese. Once the marinara sauce is completed, then you can begin layering your lasagna in a roasting pan. I use a pan just a bit smaller than the traditional cake pan and it makes a very generous serving.

Begin laying in this order:

Yields 8 very generous and delicious servings. It is not only very tasty but beautiful as well. 

JJ Recommends

Virgin Diet Meals Shipped to Your Door

Less Than $10 a Meal
From Artisan Bistro

These are phenomenal! I received my first order on Friday and ate the Chicken Creole last night. They absolutely DO NOT taste like frozen meals! There was so much chicken and very large pieces, I was very impressed. These are great to have in a pinch when you just don't feel like cooking and could easily grab a no-no food! JJ I really appreciated the No Nut filter on the website. I have IgE reactions to all nuts, not just peanuts, and felt really comfortable ordering these meals online.
- Jennifer Stewart

 

Shopping for and preparing a healthy meal for your family day in and day out can take up a lot of time and frankly, be exhausting.

I get it, and that’s why I wanted to let you in on a little secret…

You don’t have to do it every day.

I’ve found a wonderful resource that will help you put a delicious, healthy, Virgin Diet friendly meal on the table on those nights when you just need a break.

This will save you time and money because the meals cost less than $10 a serving for high quality, mostly organic ingredients.

You’ll love this.

Click here to learn more and check it out.

© 2013 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc.

Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin helps you lose weight fast by breaking free from food intolerances. She is a Huffington Post blogger, creator of the 4X4 Burst Training Workout, co-star of TLC's Freaky Eaters and New York Times Bestselling Author of The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days.
Visit http://www.jjvirgin.com to take get her 3 free training videos on how to lose fat fast and forever.