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.

Diet is not a verb

Somewhere in the course of history we added a second meaning to the word diet. It went from this

Noun: the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.


to this

Verb: restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight.

And that is the problem. When we think of the word diet we tend to think of the second definition. It is this dirty word that we all loath, and it has certain unmentioned caveats. One being, it is temporary. The original definition of the word diet is clearly not temporary, it is the kind of food you eat, you eat to live you eat every day, it is simply a description of the kind of foods you eat, nothing temporary about that.

But when we go on a diet, I think we all imagine it will be a temporary thing, "just till I lose the weight, then I won't have to be so restrictive." The truth is that's a sad little lie we tell ourselves to make it more manageable, more palatable. "I can do this because I don't have to do it forever."

But see the original definition tells us otherwise... Your diet is what you eat ALL the time. You have to keep it up, you have to keep going. You are making changes, you are not DIETING (verb), you are permanently changing your DIET (noun).

Personal story: when I started my weight loss journey I was determined. I was crazy about my diet and my workouts. I lost weight quick. I was down 30 pounds in 3 months. I was strict I was regimented, I said no to yummy things, I was a drill sergeant about working out even on vacation. I was committed. I was also under the illusion that it was temporary...

One day I had an ephiany. This is forever. If I go back even a little bit to the way I used to eat, the way I used to be about exercise, I will be right back where I started. I will gain it all back. I can never again be complacent about workouts, I can never again say "it's ok if I eat this."

This is a lifestyle change, you are changing who you are, changing your habits. You are a new different person. You have to give up the old and embrace the new. That was a hard pill to swallow. I reached a point where the weight stopped coming off. I kept up my "diet" (using it a s verb here) and saw no change no results, nothing. I hit a major plateau that I am still riding. The worst part about the whole thing was I kept thinking (and still do sometimes) but I am eating so well, I am doing so good, I am dieting! That kind of thinking discourages and leads to relapses.

Obviously this is my maintain point. It is going to take something drastic to get over this hump. I work out 4-6 times a week. I eat healthy, I count calories. I don't lose. I maintain, and that means if I stop, if I don't work out, if I don't eat this way I will start to gain.

You reach a point where you realize, these changes are permenant. I want you to know that now going into this so maybe you wan't be so shocked and disappointed like I was.

In all honesty I have a difficult time maintaining this. When I saw other mommies with stellar results and six packs and flat tummy's I used to think "I want that!" But now I know what it would take for me to get there, and I don't want it bad enough. It is easier to maintain than to lose especially when you are starting out. When I was heavier I burned so many more calories, now that I am 30 pounds lighter the same workout burns 1/4 of the calories it did before. That is discouraging, and makes it difficult.

I don't have the motivation or desire to have a flat tummy. And that is OK. My goal is to be happy and healthy and help my kids start good eating habits and have a good relationship with food while they are young. I would love to lose the extra fat I carry, but if that means more work than what I am doing now, it's simply not happening, and I am ok with that. I seriously have reached a peaceful place (after much whining and frustration).

You will reach a point where you are ready to stop "dieting" and simply maintain a healthy diet. Make your goals attainable, make them sustainable. Be happy with the little victories. If you find that you are miserable evaluate whether or not you can maintain this forever. You cannot think of this as a temporary thing. You are making changes for a lifetime. This is not A diet it is YOUR diet.

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.

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?