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.

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.

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.