NEW BLACK LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRTS

The 4th Annual Zach Trak t-shirts will be black long sleeve with a full-color logo on the front. Late registration ends January 4th at midnight. Don’t forget to sign up your kids for The Fastest Kid in Town Race that same morning, right before the Zach Trak starts. Ages 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 and 10-11 for the 1K, ages 12-13, 14-15, and 16-17 for the 2K. FKTR participants get a white t-shirt and winners get a great blue and white hat saying “I’m the Fastest Kid in Town!” SATURDAY JANUARY 5TH AT 9 AM Go to www.Race360.com to register.

You’ll enjoy great food from Stella Vita, fantastic music, and thousands of dollars worth of door prizes and finisher prizes for all age categories.

10 lbs lost via text

Sounds crazy, huh? Well, even if you move away from AlamoShape we can still help you with exercise suggestions and more importantly, nutrition help through our AlamoCafe. Please read below for Amanda Dobler’s results. Amanda is the SuperShape member who recently had a baby. Just a few weeks after her baby was born her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer. Things happened very quickly and they moved back to Baton Rouge to be closer to family but we really felt Amanda needed the support of her AlamoShape family back here, too. She agreed to try the 8-pound challenge from afar and was able to lose 10 pounds with Dena as her coach. It was a really stressful time for her but knowing that she was still part of things back here helped. Mike has since undergone chemotherapy by the way and they are waiting on test results this week. Please consider sending positive thoughts to this wonderful family.

NOVEMBER 8-POUND CHALLENGE CHARLOTTE’S TEAM

MARY B: Total weight lost for the challenge: 7.4lbs; Weight lost for the week 2lbs. Average daily Cardio calories burned 645 ; Average daily Calories eaten 1090; Average daily grams of Protein 79, Average daily grams of Fat 26, Average daily grams of Fiber 37. After completing 2 months of the 8lb. challenge I have lost 19lbs. It has been a good change in lifestyle. I have learned to watch what I eat, eat in moderation and efficiently burn the calories that I eat through proper exercise. I plan on continuing this lifestyle. It is a great program and I challenge everyone to try it. Thank you Charlotte for your encouragement and help.

KENDRA E: Total weight lost for the challenge: 15.8 lbs. Weight lost for the week: 3.6 lbs. Average daily Cardio calories burned: 433 Average daily Calories eaten: 1372, Average daily grams of Protein: 97, Average daily grams of Fat: 41, Average daily grams of Fiber: 27 Reflection: This week was good. Had a day where I had too much fat in my foods. But it was much better than I did during the week of Thanksgiving. Ready for another month of the 8 lb. challenge!

DENA’S TEAM

AMANDA: 10 lbs lost, 3 inches in waist, 2.5 inches at navel, 2 inches at hips. Thank you so much for allowing me to do this, this month. Dena is amazing and such a great coach. I know that had I had more access to a gym, I'd have much bigger results, but I feel great in what I was able to do in just 4 weeks. It's given me the confidence to know that I can do this. You're amazing and I really appreciate this opportunity. Thank you so much for everything.

SHARON: Total weight lost for the challenge to date 4.8lbs; Average daily Cardio calories burned 153; Calories eaten 965; Protein 73; Fat 25; Fiber 20. Well, I am sick and have been for over a week, working out was difficult to say the least and did not help me end the challenge with a better result than what I wanted but I am still very happy. My eating habits were most excellent this week, but my workouts are very slim due to the sickness and not going to workouts at all. Besides being on numerous medicines this week my diet was lite because appetite was difficult to keep up when you can't breathe. :-) My overall reflection for the past month is that I didn't lose 8lbs, but I did lose 3.8lbs of fat and 3 3/4 inches; meaning I can fit into my skinny jeans, but my baggies are still more comfortable. I am very happy with my results since being laid up with a bum foot the beginning of the month and sick this last week. As well as losing fat I have gained some muscle. I still have goals to meet, more weight to lose, and more muscles to tone. Thank you to Dena for helping me with my diet; it makes a huge difference on being successful with workouts as well as losing the unwanted weight. I will continue into December with the same frame of mind on eating right and my workouts to get to where I want to be which is at least another 8lbs. See you all at the gym and definitely take advantage of the Alamo Shape Cafe ladies as Dena truly did help me with my goals.

15 Holiday Treats from Food & Wine

(AlamoShape note: Sometimes a little bit of something decadent is much more satisfying, and fewer calories, than a lot of something low-fat.)

Bittersweet-Chocolate Bark with Candied Orange Peels From Food & Wine

http://www.delish.com/entertaining-ideas/holidays/christmas/holiday-treats

In this smart recipe, Grace Parisi boils orange peels in water, simmers them in sugar syrup, and coats them in sugar. Then she tosses them with pistachios and spreads them over chocolate for a divine bark.

Yields: 1 1/2 pounds

Total Time: 2 hr

Ingredients: Peels from 2 navel oranges, washed

3 1/2 cup(s) sugar

1/4 cup(s) light corn syrup

1 pound(s) bittersweet chocolate (preferably 66%), chopped

1/2 cup(s) unsalted roasted pistachios (2 1/2 ounces)

Directions Using a sharp knife, remove the bitter white pith from the orange peels so they are about 1/8-inch thick; cut the peels into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Transfer the peels to a saucepan filled with cold water; bring to a boil and boil the peels for 7 minutes. Drain. Repeat with fresh water, until the orange peels are tender, 15 minutes total. Drain. Rinse out the saucepan. Add 2 1/2 cups of the sugar, the corn syrup and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange peels and simmer over low heat until slightly translucent, about 30 minutes. Spread the remaining 1 cup of sugar in a pie plate. Using a slotted spoon, lift the candied peels from the syrup, letting the syrup drip back into the saucepan; transfer the peels to the pie plate. Toss the warm peels in the sugar to coat thoroughly. Let the peels cool completely in the sugar, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a double boiler set over a pot of simmering water, heat the bittersweet chocolate until two-thirds melted. Remove from the heat. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until it is completely melted and registers about 90 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Spread the warm chocolate on the parchment paper to a rough 9-by-13-inch rectangle. Working quickly, so the chocolate doesn't set, pick out the orange peels, reserving the sugar for another use. Scatter the orange peels and pistachios evenly over the melted chocolate; gently tap the cookie sheet on the work surface to flatten the chocolate and allow the toppings to sink in slightly. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, just until firm. Cut or break the bark into 2-inch pieces and serve.

11 Best Mobile Apps to Run Faster and Smarter http://greatist.com/fitness/best-running-apps-faster-smarter/ (AlamoShape note: Here’s one example of the app selection from this article) Gone are the days of just lacing up sneakers and running the road. With today’s mobile apps, anyone can get a challenge each time they hit the pavement. Whether it’s a built-in GPS tracker, getting encouragement from friends, or running away from a horde of zombies, these 11 running apps have it all. Running has never been this easy — or this fun. Ghost Race Looking for an extra push to help reach a specific running goal? Pick a distance or pace you’d like to beat and then start training against your own worst enemy — yourself. This app lets users compare day-to-day performances and get audio cues alerting them of their (relative) progress. It’s a not-so-spooky way to break a tough PR.