Because I want you to succeed....

I started this journey in May of 2013. I changed my diet, and got active, like super active, and in 4 short months I shed 30 pounds. For about a year and half I tried hard to keep losing, to define my body and get that six pack I always dreamed of. But it proved to be much more difficult than I initially imagined. So about a year ago I let go of the obsession and decided I just wanted to maintain, and for the most part I have! There is a good 10 lbs that comes and goes, but I still wear the same pants so I call that a maintenance victory.

In the last 3 years I have spent and insane amount of time studying, researching, pouring over articles, and blog posts, and books searching for information on nutrition. There is so much conflicting information out there, and it is difficult to figure out what you should be doing. There are diets that are low carb, no carb, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, and the list goes on and on. They all promise if you just follow THIS you will see the results you want. But how on earth are you supposed to figure out which one is right?

In 2014 I was at a standstill with my weight loss. I couldn't figure out why. That was when I met a friend who was doing something called the 21 Day Fix. I was immediately intrigued because it came with an eating plan that made it super simple to see what size portion you needed and how much you needed every day. It seemed like the answer I was looking for. All I wanted was a silver bullet answer, something to just tell me in layman's terms what I was supposed to eat! I attempted it for 1 week, and then gave up. I was starving following the plan and I felt like it just couldn't possibly be the answer I was looking for. Surely I wasn't supposed to be so hungry all the time.

So I did more reading, more research, and found so many resources that were in direct opposition to the eating plans that come with most "get thin quick" plans. I love Beach Body workouts, but  you must keep in mind when doing them that the eating plans are meant to be used to lose weight quick. They are not meant to be sustained over long periods of time. The Beach Body programs do work. If you follow it you will see results. If you need a jump start they are a great way to get yourself going. BUT if you are looking to make changes long term, do not rely on these programs solely.  Quick fixes  are not sustainable over time, especially if you are not a personal trainer, or a fitness model. You can see more about my feelings on restrictive eating programs here . The programs are a great guide. They are great way to retrain your brain and change your eating habits, but you have to figure out how to keep those changes going once the program ends.

When you begin a Beach Body program you must think about where you are. If you are someone who regularly consumes over 2300 calories a day and you suddenly cut that down to 1500 a day and add in intense exercise you are setting yourself up for failure. You will be tired and hungry and could potentially screw up your metabolism ( Read more on this here , here , and here ).

I found a great book "Strong is the New Skinny" about a year ago and I started following their eating plan which allowed me to eat 1800-1900 calories a day 3 days a week, and every 4th day I upped it to 2300. I followed this for over a month with no variations, I was consistent and I lost weight! My body started to change. I saw definition, and I saw results, and I wasn't hungry. I didn't have to starve. I was finally feeding my body enough that it could work efficiently and make the changes I wanted (read about more on that here) . If you want to see more about this plan and the calculation I used click here . Or buy the book, it is great!

This last year my journey has been about finding out what my goals really are, what is really sustainable for me, and what is realistic. A little advice on what I have learned...

These bodies, are A LOT of HARD work, all the time. These people live fitness. They always think about what they eat. Their life is their body.





And that's ok, but that is not me. And it's probably not you either. Chances are you need to find a way to make health and fitness a part of your life, but maybe not your entire existence. I am guessing you want to lose weight and feel good about yourself. You want to make changes, but you still want to live and have cake and wine sometimes.








As much as I would love to be fitness or swim suit model, I just don't have the energy or time to devote. Now that I know what it takes, I realize that is not how I want to live my life. I want to be healthy, happy, confident, and feel good. But I also want to enjoy a burger with my husband, eat cake on my birthday and get a beer with my friends. I want to live a life of balance. Back in August of 2014 I was the smallest I had been in years, my waist (measured just under my belly button, the widest section) was 33 inches today it is 39 inches. Would I like to go back to that smaller midsection, heck yes! But that wasn't a sustainable life for me.

I want you to challenge you to think about what you really want, and what you can really achieve while still living a life you enjoy.

If you are tired of starting over....

One of Autumn Calabrese's favorite things to say is... "If you are tired of starting over, stop giving up." Truer words were never spoken. However the advice is much harder to follow than one might imagine. In my journey over the past 2  1/2 years I have pretty much continued to keep gong, but i hit a slump, and I got tired and I got lazy, and unmotivated and I gave up for while. But here I am again, starting over.

The important thing really is not whether or not you give up, it's whether or not you start again. We all get busy, we all get tired, and unmotivated. It's hard to keep that kind of steam going forever.

Why We Track

Looking back through old posts this morning and saw something that caught my eye. In August I was down to 34" waist, but still at 167. My waist is back up again to 36" (dang it). But this made me curious, what on earth was I doing in August that was working so well? I went back on to MyFitnessPal (thank goodness for tracking) and I went through July and August looking at food and exercise. I was eating between 1800-2300 calories on any given day, and I was maybe working out 30 -40 minutes a day max. Now it was summer and I think there were many walks and hikes that I didn't log during that time so I am unsure if this is completely accurate. But assuming I did track everything since I am kind of a tracking freak, it looks like the key component was carbs. I netted around 160-200 grams of carbs a day but none of that came from white flour, white rice, or any refined carbs.

I literally ate fruit, veggies, and meat 95% of the time. There was no brown rice, no quinoa, bread, nothing like that. The most carb filled item I ate was sweet potatoes. I had just started the 21 day fix program so I was using this workouts, combined with occasional hiking and evening walks with the kids. But that's it.

So three things I guess- one eat only healthy carbs, mostly from fruit and veggies, with the occasional brown rice, quinoa, or oats. Two, 21 Day Fix works, and three, TRACK YOUR PROGRESS.

I have been tracking for almost two years. Yes it can be exhausting, but it is so important! Not only does it keep you accountable, it helps you to clearly see what is working and what is not, and that information is priceless.

A Week of Workouts

I had a request for the workouts that i do at the gym. I figured I would blog it in case there was more interest. I don't want my body to get bored, or get used to the workouts I do, so I try to keep my body guessing.

Sunday: Rest day

Monday: 

Tuesday: 

Wednesday: 

Thursday: 

Friday: 

Today's workout (Friday) is listed as circuit training but more specifically it is Autumns Calabrese's 21 Day Fix Total Body Cardio. I will do this workout at home. On Wednesday you can see I also listed circuit training, I make myself cheat sheets to use at the gm of the 21 day fix workout routines. That day was Dirty 30. 

Saturday is yet to e determined, but I will probably be at the gym running intervals. I found this great new challenging routine on Pinterest.  

Speed     Incline      Duration

4mph        5%            5 min

6mph        2%            3min

7mph        2%            1min

3mph        10%          1min

Repeat 3 or 4 times 

I loved this one because it really worked my gluteus, and my hamstrings.

I get bored pretty easily with the same routine. I like things for a short period of time then find I need something new to stay motivated. I switch it up between floor routines and machines.

Dirty 30 Cheat Sheet

Today's gym cheat sheet... Dirty 30 workout from the 21 Day Fix

Warm Up: 2 times through
Run in place 1 minute
Jumping jacks 1 minute
Windmills 30 seconds forward 30 seconds backwards
Side stretch 30 seconds right 30 seconds left
Toe touches 1 minute alternating sides


Workout:  Each set is done two times, 1 minute per workout. 15 second rest between sets.

Set 1
Side Lunge with weights
Renegade Row (weights in hand in plank position, raise and lower the weight alternating sides)

Set 2
Sumo Row
Chest Fly Raise

Set 3 
Squat Lat Raise
Tricep Kick Back

Set 4 
Side bend with weights
Side Plank Raise ( Get in a side plank and lift and lower your leg 30 seconds right then turn over 30 seconds left)

Morning Smoothie

Smoothies and Cardio

I am falling in love with smoothies. This morning I had a peach, strawberry one. It made way more smoothie than I anticipated so I shared with my husband, which meant less nutrients for me... I need to switch up some portions next time so I can add more protien. Here  is what my smoothie contained

These amounts were doubled in the entire smoothie, I only listed my half. This is such a yummy easy way to get your fruits, veggies, and protein in.

Todays workout will be 21 Day Fix Cardio at the gym. I actually quickly scrolled through the video to write down the work out because I could not find it anywhere online which is super irritating so I am going to list it here for you if you are like me and can't be home to do a workout video, or you simply don't own the 21 day Fix and would like to really challenge yourself ftoday. It kicks your ass.

All workouts begin with the same warm up:

1 minute run in place
1 minute jumping jacks
30 second pinwheels forward
30 second pinwheels backwards
1 minute toe touches
30 second side reach right
30 second side reach right

Repeat this warm up section 2 times.

Workout:
Do each workout for 1 minute the entire workout should take 25 minutes.

Round 1
Cross Jacks
High Knees
Cross Jacks
High Knees

Round 2
Skater Jumps
Mountain Climbers
Skater Jumps
Mountain Climbers

Round 3
Reverse Lunge
Burpee
Reverse Lunge
Burpee

Round 4 
Lateral Squat Walk
Oblique Knees
Lateral Squat Walk
Oblique Knees

Bonus Round
Down Ups (Plank)

Weekend Food Prep You will Learn to LOVE it!

As I said in my last video the key to weight loss, and healthy eating is preparation. Every weekend we go shopping but before we head out I make a menu. I plan out dinners for the whole week, as well as lunches. This helps me to make a list. This weeks menu

Salad for lunches (with shrimp, chicken, beef)
Salmon with Aasparagus
Chicken Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice
Spaghetti Squash with homemade sauce and meatballs
Naked Turkey Burgers with Cauliflower
Grilled Chicken with Broccoli
Burgers with Terra Chips

We go to Sams and buy produce and sometimes meat in bulk. This is what the cart looked like this week.

We also make a trip to King Soopers for things Sams doesn't carry. Overall we spend about $160 per week in groceries. What made us super excited was that switching to more produce didn't raise our bill at all.

When I get home I start prep. I get out all the produce and start chopping. I put everything into bags all measured out. ( I bought a pack of 6 peppers from Sams two weeks ago, these are the two we had left).

We get several servings of meat from one bag  so we put some of it in the freezer. I am not someone who worries about GMO's and I don't care about all organic or grass fed. This is a personal choice, but you can always buy organic free range meat and cook it and then measure and package. It's up to you. I buy precooked meats  a lot because it makes my life easier, with work and kids I need a little easy. two weeks ago I bought a precooked brisket from Sams, it made 19 servings and we still have some in the freezer to take to work.

The red container is from 21 Day Fix. It is a 1/2 cup. 

I will usually boil a carton of eggs as well to have boiled eggs all week as an option.

This preparation means I don't buy things I don't need at the store. It also means I can quickly grab foods that are good for me to make for lunch or snack. I am not tempted to grab a granola bar because I have healthy choices readily available. If you are committed to changing your life, you need to become committed to a little prep time. It will make you life  so much easier.

Why Counting Calories is Better

After trying a program that touts  a "no calorie counting" method to healthy eating and weight loss I have determined that for me counting calories is so much easier and allows me so much more freedom in food choice. In the 21 day fix you use the cups provided to measure out food portions. There is a guide that tells you what types of foods should be measured in each cup. It is a helpful way to see appropriate portion sizes, however it s not a long term solution in my opinion and here is why....

There are many foods and beverages that are not included in the guide, that leaves you wondering what color cup it should fit into. You risk throwing yourself off by eating/ drinking too much, or getting  discouraged if you do happen to have something that isn't on the guide because you worry you aren't really staying on track. I love soy chai, I don't have it all the time, but when I do what cup does that go in?? If I want an Odowala Bar is that a fruit? A grain? Is it a mix? What about Naked Smoothies.. are those a fruit, a veggie? Both? How do I measure that? What if I want a latte? The possibilities are endless honestly there are many foods that don't fit this profile. If I was committed to eating completely clean, no processed foods at all I can see how this would possibly be the best solution, but thats isn't real for me and I am guessing that isn't real for many of you. You are making changes, but still eating some of the foods you used too.

If you are counting calories you can easily see where you are all all times in the day. the My Fitness pal app has literally every food you can imagine. People add to it all the time, the database is immense. You can also add your own foods, which allows you freedom to be creative and make up recipes. You can eat out and quickly see the calorie content.

You can't carry those cups everywhere. I mean you could, but where is the practicality in that? You can track calories on the go on your phone. You can even scan in barcodes and it will add the food for you right away. You also can't dissect foods you eat at a restaurant and start measuring them out at the table.

The cups are great for teaching yourself portion control, and for teaching you the right foods to eat, and how much of each food group you should eat in a day. I was eating way too many grains. I still use the cups to measure out meats because I don't have a scale, but the red cup is 1/2 cup which ends up being 3-4 oz of meat, that is a serving size. It is a helpful guide. It is also helpful to see what bracket you should be in for your weight loss goals, however the My Fitness Pal app gives you rough calculation on that as well. It has worked very well for me so far.

After a while you start to know how many calories are in all the foods you eat, you become super educated and prepared to make choices on the run. Counting calories trains you to really see the food for what it is, and allows freedom in choosing foods. If you find yourself struggling with the cups, maybe switch it up, use them as a measuring guide, but start counting those caloires. I think you will find it's actually easier in the long run. Give the fix a chance for 21 days at least. Especially if you have really been struggling to lose. You paid for it, use it! But don't try to live on it forever.

Week One Complete

My first week on 21day fix is complete. (I did not follow the plan this weekend.) This morning I woke up two pounds heavier than I was at the beginning of the week last week. Pretty disappointing. Despite the fact that I did not follow the plan over the weekend I shouldn't have gained weight. That doesn't make any sense. I am trying to think back on all the things I have read to come up with an answer. It's not two true pounds because I certainly didn't eat 7,000 calories over my maintain range. Maybe it's water weight, maybe it's muscle... I don't know. But after busting my ass all week and being hungry and grumpy and hating almost every minute that two pounds is like a slap in the face.

I can't be on a plan that isn't sustainable. If I follow the plan all week to lose and then on the weekend eat to maintain but I gain... something isn't right. I can't live on this plan 24/7 for the rest of my life. I know I can't maintain that. At some point I have to stop eating at a deficit and eat normally to maintain and I shouldn't put it all back on.

Now I am not saying that this plan doesn't work. My husband is also on the plan and he lost 3lbs the first week. It is working for him. However he has more to lose than I do, this is a drastic eating change for him. Plus everybody's body is different and responds differently.

This is not a huge change for me. This is a slight variation. I love using the cups as a guide. It is so helpful to see what I should and shouldn't be eating, and how much. I love that it is helping my husband, and the workouts are killer, I love the challenge. I recommend the program. I do.

With that being said I am going to tweek it. The week prior to starting this I lost 6lbs on my own. I am going to mimic that week. This week I will use the cups as a portion guide, and the plan as a serving guide, but I will be sticking to that calorie intake and that workout plan and see if it works.

One of my biggest issues this last week was the dressing servings. I was eating probably two a day, one on my salad and one in the afternoon on my veggies. This plan dropped me to one a day so then I had to choose, which meant I actually was choosing other foods over veggies. Cooked vegetables I love, and will eat plain, but raw veggies, I just can't. I need ranch. Broccoli is no fun raw and plain.

So, goal this week, eat around 1600-1750 calories everyday, workout 20 minutes cardio, 20 minutes weights 5 days this week. To put it in perspective the 21 day fix plan had me eating 1400 calories a day and working out. I honestly think this was simply too little for me. I think eating a few hundred more every day is really going to help.

If you are on the 21 day fix, don't give up!! If you are seeing results keep going. If you are not just make adjustments. I am not quitting, I am simply making changes to fit my body and my needs.

Salad, your new best friend

My favorite salads

Berry Bacon Goat Cheese

2-4 slices of bacon
1-2 cups of mixed greens
1/4 cup of goat cheese
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
2 TBS sliced almonds
2 TBS light raspberry vinaigrette

Shrimp Avocado no salad Salad

1/2 cup salad shrimp

1/3 cup chopped orange bell pepper

1/3 cup cucumber diced

1/3 cup sliced baby tomatoes

1/4 cup avocado

2 TBS light Italian dressing

Beef Brisket Chipotle Salad

1/2 cup beef brisket

1-2 cups spinach

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup baby tomatoes

2 TBS Chipotle Ranch dressing

Day 6- 21 Day Fix *An Honest Review*

Ok day 6, it's becoming more automatic. I don't miss the cheese as much as I thought I would, but avocados... that's a whole other story. Sweets too, that's a hard one. Some friends recommended date roles, which are in fact pretty tasty and can satisfy a sweet tooth. Finding out they were considered a yellow (carb) was pretty disappointing, I was so hoping they were a fruit since my goal is only two yellows a day.

I increased my calories a bit and I am feeling much better. I think that is something important to note with this diet, because you are eating within a bracket it is entirely possible that you are eating towards the low end of your goal. If this is the case you may feel tired, weak, faint etc. Be careful with your body. This "diet" is designed to have you eating at a deficit and then working out creating an even greater deficit. For those of us in the lowest bracket 1200-1499 calories it is very easy to net less than 1,000 calories a day after a workout. That is not healthy! Be careful and if you feel hungry or tired or run down you need to add a red (protein)  and some greens. I use myfitness pal in conjunction with this plan and so I am tracking my caloires. I do this mostly because I have been doing so for over a year now and it's a habit. But I am so glad I was because it very clearly showed me I was not eating enough.  The last thing you want to do is hurt your body or starve yourself.

The whole idea of this program is to help you understand portions, understand how much of each kind of food you should be eating, and to shock your body into making fast changes. I think the premise of the program is awesome and helpful for people struggling with weight loss. I also think there should be some careful considerations. The plan promises up to 15lbs in 21 days. Any nutritionist will tell you that is not really a healthy amount to lose in such a short amount of time. You should technically not lose more than 10lbs a month.

With that in mind if you start to feel terrible on ANY diet plan take a careful look at your calories. Don't try to take short cuts, this is meant to help you make a lifestyle change. It needs to be sustainable or you will gain it all right back. Healthy changes, that's what you are striving for.

I have learned a lot about what my body needs vs. what my brain wants. I have learned that I am capable of more than I realized. I feel good. I feel healthy. I don't feel bogged down by fatty crappy foods. I feel thin, I don't ever feel bloated and gross. I enjoy the challenge. Truthfully I do whine a lot, but I stick to it. Sometimes we all need to push our limits and push through the "pain."

After a lifetime of making terrible food choices it is difficult to make such drastic changes, and not just in the way you eat but the way you think. I feel some days like I miss donuts, I mean geez it's a food! How can I "miss" a food? Training your mind to think of food as fuel for a healthy body is a challenge.  Training your mind not to think of food as a reward or a celebration or a way to be happy is HARD. That's why we do this 21 day fix. To push our limits, to retrain our brain.

My coach asked today to give 3 feeling words to describe why we are doing this... my words? To feel sexy, confident in anything and strong. I want to add one more, proud. I want to be proud of myself. What are your words?

A Day in the life of a 21 Day Fixer

My daily goal is 3 greens, 4 reds, 2 purples, 2 yellows, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 2 tsp. 1200-1499 calories

The day starts with 1 Green and 1 Red- Spinach Mushroom omelet (no cheese) 

Snack around 9:30am or 10:00  1 Red and 1 Blue- Greek yogurt with pecans 

Lunch is 1 Yellow, 1 Green, and 1 Red- Brisket, couscous, and broccoli

 11/2  purple- A peach for snack

Dinner is 1 Green 1 Yellow and 1 Red 1 tsp-  Turkey meatballs, spinach and mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and brown and wild rice mix.

After dinner snack 1 Purple and 2 tsp- 1/2 an apple and 2 tsp of organic peanut butter.

(not pictured 1 Red- 1/2 cup pulled pork for snack)  

**Total of 1622 Calories- my daily goal is 1488. However the last two days I netted under 1000 calories a day so going a bit over my limit today seemed reasonable. I had been feeling weak like I was going to  pass out today so I decided I needed to eat more. I also had two cups of coffee today with 2 individual creamers in each. Creamers are technically not "allowed" in the 21 day fix**

My workout today