Jeanette Ortega’s Official Blog

Girls Night Out

Nothing says “I love you Ladies” more than a night of unconditional love, laughter and memories like a girl’s night out at the house. In order for me to prepare for this night I had to do some homework which was to research a low calorie menu. I could have easily gone back to my old ways and served a frozen something, with a saucy mess and on the side a deep fried concoction, but instead I was on a mission not to sabotage my own new eating plan. A co-worker shared with me about HUNGRYGIRL.com, simple and easy recipes under 300 calories. I found a delish onion ring and skinny margarita recipe, so off to the market it was. Our girlfriend Shak brought some sugar free mixers to add to vodka, let’s just say the Mango Martini Madness was delightful.

Our night was a huge success! We laughed, danced a little and ate all night. When I start to reminiscence of all the past holidays and birthday parties I’ve sabotaged myself with, I start to get upset because it took some driving and minimal prep time to put together a simple low calorie menu. So lesson learned, from here on out, I MUST do my homework, I MUST buy cookbooks, because it made for a night of not wishing you had your jegging pants on.

(Side note from Jeanette: I was very proud of Liz, she knew she was on a new eating plan and she took on the responsibility of researching and preparing these low cal snacks for our guests. I was highly impressed with the recipes and how tasty they were. We love HUNGRY GIRL and have been making more of those low cal recipes every since. I love to share these recipes with my clients and fan page, it goes to show that you can still have a good time with friends without all the extra calories, sugar and fat! It can be done everyone!)

Spring Training  

Hi all, reporting from somewhere between “Really Like the Progress I See” and “In-N-Out Sounds Bomb Right Now”. In my journey to free myself of Type II Diabetes and rid my life of this medication that I’m on I’ve come to the point where past attempts have hit a wall. Let’s call it the “Wall of  Fear”.

Let me explain….After a few weeks now I’ve lost close to 10 lbs and am getting used to the new way of thinking/eating, as well as making time for the gym after work. Confidence in my ability to make progress is rising and Jeanette’s system is awesome. However, when I get to this point normally I become satisfied with the loss and go back to my old habits of poor eating and find excuses to not go to the gym. There always seems to be events, work and family related that get in the way and derail my day to day schedule of being healthy. Is this a fear of failure or a fear of success? Do I purposely sabotage my efforts? I’m at that point and am hoping by writing this blog tonight I will once and for all get past this “Wall” that I put before myself each and every time. 

There’s so much more to do and so much more I can accomplish with my health, my body and my mental. I’m looking forward to taking this training to the next level and start my bi-weekly visits with Jeanette in the Studio or at the Park. Change of scenery and instruction will play a big part in the next stage of this Journey.

Yours in training,

Damon (3rd from left…at HOT92.3 with Charlie Wilson and Babyface)

One word….AMAZING!

I was very excited to say the least when my wonderful client/friend bought us tickets to see Ms. Jackson. I’ve never seen her before in concert but have ALWAYS been a huge fan and grew up with her music. I grew up dancing and love and admired her choreography, old school hip hop with modern twists, great costumes and creative themes. She always seemed to inspire me as I watched her videos with her fluidity and ease of movements.

She is older now and we all know she has had weight fluctuations…always up and down and when she’s down in weight her physique looks phenomenol!! BUT, as I know as a competitor, that look is very hard to keep and the diet is SUPER intense..and not always the healthiest. Needless to say, she looked fantastic last night, her arms were toned and ripped and she was dressed more covered than I’ve ever seen her BUT it was great. Her talent as an entertainer and singer doesn’t need the “let’s show my entire body look”. Her dance moves and performance is what won the crowd last night….her short hair, her clips of her and Michael Jackson, the whole concert was great. Limited back up dancers but all of them fantastic!

As I watched her, I danced and sang the entire night and was proud of the strong woman she portrays, she looked comfortable in her own skin, whatever weight she was, she owned it last night! 

As I am getting more mature (38) now…I realize how powerful we are as women, my 30′s have been my best. I’m confident in who I am as a person, as a woman and I’m not afraid to be strong but still feel sexy and beautiful. When I looked at Janet Jackson on stage last night that is what I saw in her….she’s grown into herself and she looks strong and confident in who she is and her weight. Once again my fire was lit, I was inspired to press on and work harder to reach my goals, to own my physique…it may not be perfect or always competition ready but learn to LOVE IT! It’s time to start taking action on projects I have put aside, continue dancing classes, etc., so many things were rushing in my head…. so with this post “Cheers” to Ms. Jackson not only for a fabulous concert and performance but for inspiring me as a woman to continue to be powerful and strong and OWN IT at any healthy weight and age!

I leave you with one of my fav songs from her last night!

I get so lonely-Janet Jackson

We all know drinking alcoholic drinks come with a price…we consume major calories and/or we end up with the room spinning the next morning. As a personal trainer I always get asked “what should I drink” and I always recommend low cal alternatives for my clients. Life is to be enjoyed and I want my clients to understand they can be healthy and still have a good time when out with friends or celebrating a special occasion. The above picture is of a “Skinny Bitch Margarita” and it weighs in at only 125 cals in comparison to 350 cals regularly. It’s delicious and low in calories. Remember, these calories can still add up so watch your glasses and always drink PLENTY of water in between drinks. here’s the recipe: (Special SHOUT-OUT to my BFF Liz for finding this awesome recipe!)

3/4 cup any diet lemon-lime soda

One shot of tequila

Half packet of sugar free Crystal Light (any flavor..we chose strawberry)

4 frozen strawberries

2 tbsp lime juice

1 cup crushed ice and water if needed

BLEND and ENJOY!!! (Stay away from those sugary syrups in some of those cocktails, they may look fantastic but those sugars are killers!)

As a Nationally ranked fitness and bikini competitor, personal trainer and fitness model (not to be arrogant at all..you’ll see where I am going with this), I have come to ask myself, what does it all mean? What do my titles mean to me? Do I need everyone to know my accomplishments to feel better? Do people get tired of hearing the same conversation over and over? After I competed I was tired of hearing myself and my fitness friends always talk about themselves, their diet, tear down every body part, always look in the mirror, etc. The sport is so self absorbing that after awhile it’s almost sickening and I think, there has to be something deeper to this… I asked myself..would I compete again this year? My sole reason for competing was to push myself and my business to a higher level, a higher standard and I accomplished that..I won two 1st place titles, ranked TOP 5 2 years in a row and TOP 10 last year. So I believe I achieved it.. I now want something deeper, I want each client that I train to have a reason for competing and not to let go of it, don’t let the sport overtake you with self absorbtion, be true to the reason why you began this journey.

This blog turned out longer than expected and I guess my whole reason for writing this is just a reminder to myself…what does it truly mean to me? I am starting the journey of truly digging deeper than just my physique, it’s all fun, I love feeling and looking great but at the end of the day…who did I touch? Who did I reach? Who did I inspire? That’s my main focus…health and fitness is MIND, SOUL and BODY…mind and soul get lost and I’m working hard TO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!!!!

I hope this touches someone….I’m striving for GREAT things this year and I feel they are already in the works and it’s without having to be on stage competing… I have come to love me and my accomplishments. Who’s to say I won’t compete again…I don’t know but right now I am loving and enjoying life and friends without it always being about “me”. This is a good place to be…self discovery! ;0)

“Crawl before You Can Dip”

Hey all, checking in and giving you an update on my Health Fit Challenge with Jeanette! I was really excited to get started on my journey to a healthier me and I wasn’t disappointed with the tools that she gave me last week. 

The Workout Plan has been set in motion and it’s been humbling to say the least. Besides relearning how to be active on a consistent basis, I’ve had to be my own cheerleader in the gym and not let myself get frustrated with my baseline achievements. Translation: It’s a challenge for me to do ONE DIP, let alone the 4 sets of 12. That bothered me for a quick second but then I moved to a chest press machine and did those sets in place of the dips until I can support my own weight and do a proper dip.

I am learning very quickly that this journey will have a gazillion obstacles of  ups and downs but as long as I insert exercise into my daily routine instead of treating it like an afterthought I believe I’ll be able to keep this up. Having a size 50 waist is UNACCEPTABLE. **One of my key motivating factors.

The Food Menu/Options that Jeanette gave me falls in line with what I was moving towards as a Type II Diabetic so I happily shop for the tofu, kiwis and fish filets. I will admit though, as I sit here and sip on my “Muscle Milk” Protein Shake (Choco, of course), life has changed drastically in the last week! Eating every two hours versus “eating when it was convenient” has given me more energy throughout the day and I have less cravings to eat salty, fried type food! Planning ahead is the key for me when it comes to eating properly each day. If I don’t buy groceries for the week and cook the night before I’ve ruined that following day’s balance. So I’ve made it a priority to shop and to have that fridge stocked.  

I am looking forward to the gym tonight. Gonna go say “what-up” to my friend the dip bar.

 Yours in training,

Damon

Double the Fun! 

Every step in my journey comes with commitment, either I’m up early or cooking I still need to do it!  So when an opportunity for a double boot camp comes up I’m jumping on it.  I understand the concept of overly doing something first hand, I overly ate, I overly did it with excuses…so when it comes to exercising there isn’t ‘overly’ doing it, I physically know what my body can handle, slightly pushing myself to the next level isn’t going to kill me but if it does I will have a smile on my face!  The good the bad and the ugly lesson(s)  that I’m learning about myself is a triumph! 

Getting Busy Livin’!

After taking these pictures of myself in the mirror (too embarrassed to subject someone else to that duty), I walked myself to the bathroom scale to find out just how much I’ve been carrying around recently. Couldn’t deny what I’ve known for a long time. I’m unhealthy.

“290 lbs” said the scale. Not literally but it might as well have been screaming through a bullhorn blowing me backwards and into the lockers behind me. I remember thinking “How did I get to this point?” It’s as hard to wrap my brain around that fact as it is to squeeze my mid-section into a size 40 pair of jeans. I’m 80 lbs heavier than I was 20 years ago. 20 years of life’s ups and downs that everyone goes through.

Thinking back I really shouldn’t be so surprised or in denial. YOUTH and I used to be best of friends. You know him also, he’s a bold brash individual who is fearless and unaccountable. Nothing can harm him and nothing can deter him from doing what he wants. Youth couldn’t be more wrong or ignorant.

Reckless diet and lifestyle lead to some of my gains as well as less activity throughout the years. Youth and I eventually parted ways and I started hanging out with the FAMILY guy. My fiance and I were expecting in ’05.. I say “we” because I put on a ton of sympathy weight. Let’s just say one the games at our baby shower was “guess who gained more weight during the pregnancy, Mom or Dad?” Answer: Dad.. 27 lbs.

Some extreme lows as an overweight Dad were being a sweaty mess and short of breath plus I couldn’t fit on all the rides at Knott’s Berry Farm. It was a very humbling experience to be asked to exit the ride because the seatbelt wouldn’t fit around my waist or the shoulder harness couldn’t squeeze over my “MOOBS: (man boobs). FAIL!

Now I will fast forward to 2011..I’m a single dad who was diagnosed as a Type II Diabetic in 2009! I’ve won some battles with my weight on my own but as my SON gets older (5 yrs this month) I find more & more reasons to change lifestyle habits and to get busy livin’ for him and more importantly for me. Type II Diabetics like myself have an opportunity to make things right with their body if they don’t have a lifetime of health problems awaiting them. Ex: heart attack, stroke, loss of sight, limbs and life. So it’s time, time for a change.

“CHANGE” is my war cry for this year and one of the reason’s I’ve reached out to Fitness Guru “Jeanette Ortega”. I beleive in my heart of hearts that with proper guidance regarding diet and workout regimen I can reach my goals! I want to get down to 10% body fat, fit into size 38 jeans, run a 5K race and rid myself of medications due to Diabetes. Join me on the journey as I wage “EXTREME” war with my demons and body!

Health Challenge: Starting Stats: Weight 287, Body fat: 17%, BMI: 24, Inches: (waist 50, chest 52)

I am including my before pictures of me and a picture of me and my inspiration: Charlie Wilson, who has survived the battle with prostate cancer.