I can’t believe how quickly this last challenge went for me. Almost a year ago I started this #21DayFix program but I never did the portion containers. I thought they were a joke. I laughed at the size of them assuming I’d starve! Well I did not. Here I am 21 days later alive and well! Now I’m here to tell you just how much this system works. Read here to see what my challenge originally was for myself. It was more than just the #21DayFix for me. It was about taking off the last 5 lbs and being healthier and more fit now than I was before I got married. It was a personal challenge where no matter where the results left me, I was going to be happy with it.
I lost 2.5 pounds. I know what your thinking, that’s it? Well let me tell you something, the last 5 lbs are always the hardest to loose, that’s why I decided to give these little cup portions a try after all. Keep reading because I’ll give you hope I promise. Please remember I only had 20 lbs. to loose with my original goal almost a year ago. I then tacked on 5 more and never lost any because no matter what I did the scale wouldn’t budge. I didn’t want to measure my food, I’m a foodie! I LOVE food and everything that is connected to it. I love cooking and being in the kitchen. My little kitchen is my happy place. So here is what I’ve learnt from this challenge:
LISTEN TO THE PROFESSIONALS: Those little containers are designed for a reason. The workouts are designed by professionals, here I was trying to become a professional by designing my own system, assuming Cardio was what I needed the most so I was incorporating T25 workouts as well.. After 2 weeks I hadn’t lost a pound! Not one. I reached out to my coach (she is pretty awesome!) and she suggested sticking to only the 21 Day Fix programs. Let Autumn show me the way! So I did. I didn’t know what to expect when I stepped on the scale yesterday. I was so happy to see a number I haven’t seen in YEARS. So you see…..I lost 2.5 pounds in one week after all.
IT’S OK TO NOT PLAN EVERY MEAL: When I first started I planned out my whole entire menu including my all my meals and snacks. I set off to the store and got everything I needed. Hung my schedule up on the refrigerator and began my week. The second day in it turned 70 degrees here in New England! I looked at what I had planned for dinner and thought well this isn’t good, I wanted to grill. So again I reached out to my coach (god I love her!) ok I really just instant messaged her to complain and she told me that planning out every meal every step of the way doesn’t always work. From that point on, I just made sure I had fresh ingredients, a lot of fruits, vegetables, yogurt and all of the things I knew I could have and slowly as the weeks went on I planned dinner the day of and could go with the weather.
I EAT A LOT OF PROTEIN: I had no idea how much protein I ate. Around the same time I started this challenge I also started the #ProteinChallenge that Beef. It’s what’s for dinner is currently hosting. You can still sign up! You log the food you eat and the amount of protein you take in each day. I was amazed. Then I had another thought, I was barley eating carbs, and when I did eat them, they were portioned! Yes sometimes I saved both carb containers my weight allowed for dinner time when I could enjoy pasta or rice with my family.
I DON’T EAT ENOUGH FRUIT: The containers will fill you up. You will not starve I promise you. I’m not going to lie and say the first week wasn’t hard as I figured out what worked for me and my family. I also have to take medication every day since having my gall bladder removed last year so I had a few kinks to work out. In between meals and snacks there were a few times I was hungry. I looked at my chart and said to myself, “OK fruit it is.” So yes I’ve even learnt to incorporate fruit in my diet more. It’s not that I don’t like it, I love fruit. I just always choose other things over fruit.
SUPPORT IS THE WAY TO GO: I belong to a few FB groups where we log our fitness routines everyday, we ask food/recipe questions and vent when we’ve had a blah day and want to eat nothing but chocolate! We all need a push, we all need support and self confidence on bad days. My goal for these 3 weeks were at least 5 days of 30 min routines. Life got crazy the last week with some things going on at home but I stuck to it! My husband urged me on, my friends compliment me and just hearing “It’s OK, just get back to it the next day!” Can really get you through. I will never be that person who doesn’t splurge on pasta and pizza. We all deserve that. Just get back on track the next day!
I WAS SO OVEREATING: I love food. Who doesn’t. I’m that person that will keep eating even when my belly is telling me to stop because, well it tastes good and who cares! Well I care now because I never realized that I was actually overeating with every single meal I ate. I ate until my stomach hurt for breakfast, lunch and dinner because I thought that’s what being “full” meant. I was wrong. I gave the containers a “chance” by trusting them. I’d measure my food, sit back and relax and like magic I was pleasantly full without that “OMG I ate too much” feeling. I may not have been gaining weight but I wasn’t loosing because I was overeating. Doesn’t that make sense? After a few days your stomach actually gets used to it believe it or not. I’ve been measuring dinner for my husband and I through this whole challenge and one day at the end of the first week he said, “I can’t believe I’m eating half of what I usually eat at work for lunch and snacks and I’m not even hungry.” Huh, imagine that. Could overeating be the reason why your not loosing? We have to mechanically teach our bodies to say no at a certain point and if the food is NOT on your plate to overeat isn’t it easier that way?
MY HUSBAND IS AMAZING: I just can’t say enough how supportive my husband has been about everything in my life never mind with the healthy changes we’ve made for our family recently. Ehhhm I won’t tell anyone that he still snacks on candy when the kids are in bed (hey we all have our weaknesses!) Not only does he eat whatever I make him he also compliments me everyday. I used to think he was just being nice but now when he says these things, I feel like he really means them. I’ll give you an example: “I don’t think your legs have ever been that skinny.” Now do you see why this man is so amazing! I feel bad though, he likes a little junk in the trunk and I’m loosing my junk guys! 😉
With every challenge in life we are always faced with hard times and difficulties. Here are some difficulties and weaknesses I had because hey I have to be honest with how this challenge really went:
Dessert: I entered a contest to win myself a free pass to the Food and Wine Conference this Summer. I had to create a recipe that had chocolate in it. I don’t bake much, but I can manage a mousse. So I developed Black and White Blueberry Mousse. Can you believe I never ate one of these beautiful desserts??!! Not one folks. I taste tested throughout the recipe development and I had 2 bites of my husbands one night but I did not consume one of these cups of goodness. So Sad.
Date Night: Yes I saved both of my carb containers for my night out with my husband one night. I did well, I chose a pasta dish that had chicken in it. I didn’t over eat, I used my judgement on measurements, I thought bringing my containers and measuring my food out right there at the table would have been a little “unromantic” if that’s even a word. However I cheated by having an appetizer….and well wine of course! We also had a date lunch during this challenge. I set myself up well, I ordered a pasta dish loaded with veggies, however I clearly overate that day. It’s so easy to overeat once your on this program. My stomach hurt for hours.
Parties: I did well with this but it took some creativity and some self control. Once a month a few friends and I have a Dinner Club. We rotate themes and homes and of course this fell right in the middle of this challenge too. It was decided we would have an Appetizer night. Everyone brought yummy appetizers. I made sure I brought something I could munch on that still stuck to my #21dayfix program. I made Crisp Cucumber Salsa and it was a big hit. Such a big hit that I made it again the next week just for myself and had it on top of my salads and in sandwiches! However I did have a little bit of Bruschetta Dip that a friend brought but I’m proud because I ate nothing else, no cheese and crackers, no scrumptious warm appetizers that came from the oven. I consider that a win, but it was difficult!
Life: I’m calling it life because well life happens. You have to be willing to go with the flow. During the last week of my challenge my Mom wound up in the hospital (she’s OK!) and my husband and daughter got a stomach virus (yuck!) I had to change meals around and also MAKE time for my workouts. The last thing I wanted to do was workout after visiting my mom for a few hours so I skipped one day and made up for it on a Sunday when I usually take the day off. It’s life, but there are ways around it. I considered this a difficulty for sure!
Push Yourself: I say this because I am just not good at it. I’ve always despised Cardio because I’m not good at making myself go that extra mile to go a little further than the last time. I realized that I’ve been doing the 21 Day Fix routines for months, almost a year, however I was still using the same weights and still moderating the same moves. So I woke up. I pushed myself harder and made myself use more weights when I didn’t think I could and I moderated on less things, I was pleasantly surprised at what I could do (though I’ll never be able to do a side plank to save my soul!) I’m pretty sure that Autumn has my all time favorite quotes in these routines. They are fun, you feel fantastic when you are finished, you can’t go wrong.
So my friends, my journey will never be over. I’ll continue with #Beachbody product for the rest of my life because I’m convinced that it’s best for me. I’ve gotten my body and mind to a place it’s needed to be for years. I’ll have more healthy recipes so make sure you keep coming back! It’s been so fun creating new healthy and fit recipes for my family. I know they will continue to love it as much as I do. My four and a half year old always asks if she can watch her show during Momma’s workout, I love knowing she sees me be proactive, someday she will understand why I’m jumping around like a moron!
I’ll share one more picture with you today that blew me away when I came across a pair of pants during this challenge. I bought them when I was pregnant with my first and I wore them through my whole pregnancy but I also wore them in between my children when I was at my heaviest. Results will come.
Never say never and remember becoming healthy and fit isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle change.
