21 Day Fix Extreme Update

Officially made it to Day 9!!! It is amazing because I truly thought I would have caved in by now and cheating with some nachos, pizza, muffins...anything.  Plus sticking to the meal plan while being on vacation for a few days was an achievement. And personally, me going 9 days without frozen yogurt is UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Funny part is though, when you are eating healthy, working out, and in a routine holding each other accountable, it doesn't seem that hard at all.  Your cravings go away, thanks to shakeology too, and you don't think about the junk food.  I really do not miss it...OK I MISS THE FRO YO!  But on the days I can have 2 fruit servings, I blend up frozen strawberries and banana and that is my make shift fro yo.  SO good!

How are the workouts??

Well, I have to admit after going through insanity max 30, I thought they would be a breeze.  Boy was I wrong.  Autumn pushes you with utilizing the weights and giving minimal breaks.  I feel like the second I have a sip of water, we are already going again.  I like this because it keeps your mind focused on the exercises and not on the soreness you are beginning to feel.



How is the meal plan?  

My girlfriend and I have stuck to it!  Is it hard?  YES.  And I say yes because it seems like we spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  But comparing week 1 meal prep to week 2, we are speeding up the process.  Make several servings of each dish, use teamwork in the kitchen, have one person chopping while the other is using the stove...little ways to make it go by faster.  And come the end of meal prep, our fridge is full of tupperware containers ready to go!!

How are the recipes?

Tried Autumns Vegetable egg cups which are to die for and great to take on the go.  And we tried the turkey chili. With how cold it has been in New England, this was the perfect dinner to warm us up.
This week Chicken Fajitas and Turkey Meatballs, and Hearty Beef and Butternut Squash Stew are going to be tried from the 21 Day Fix Extreme book!!  Can not wait!





How are the results?

So far we have not taken inches but I can tell that I have a bit more room in my jeans which is never a bad thing!  On the scale we have dropped a few pounds, but ultimately the goal is to feel better, and feel healthier.  My skin has cleared up just by e



ating healthier and getting enough water / sleep in my life.  It is awesome to see that fueling your body does to you on the inside and out.  Less cover up is always a goal! haha

So heading into week 2, here is our meal plan!  It will be hard again towards the end of the week since we will be traveling for work, but again holding each other accountable will get us through!

PROTEIN BITES

Mix together:
1 cup oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

You can add chocolate chips if you would like OR for lower calories....after the bites have been refrigerated/in the freezer, mix together 2 tbsp melted coconut oil, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3 tbsp cocoa powder.  You can add some powder sugar if you want to.  Then drizzle on top as seen in the pictures and put back in refrigerator until ready to devour!!

More about My Story

Almost a year ago I was close to going to the emergency room. I couldn't walk on my own, cried and screamed due to the excruciating pain I was in and I could barely go to the bathroom by myself. In a blink of an eye I went from my tough college athlete 'push through anything' mentality to wondering if this was going to be forever. 

Pain management, drugs, a lot of money for treatment and therapy,chiropractic appointments, etc. With time, patience, self motivation, and the inspiration from others I slowly was able to get back to the active life I knew and loved.

So what happened? OVERTRAINING. I thought working out longer, harder, eating less, was going to break my plateau and finally bring me the confidence I longed for. I had been doing a home workout program, plus would go to the gym for at least an hour. It was truly INSANE. This reality check put things into perspective perfectly for me. Yes, I was recorded on the doctors table, drugs in me, machine hooked up to me, so that I would remember this weak moment in my life.

This is only a part of what brings me to inspire others. Patience to get into shape. Patience to learn the steps to making changes to your nutrition to make huge impacts on your body. Motivate others to workout SMART and NOT OVERTRAIN. Working out is only about 30% of it...the rest is what you're putting into your body.

So I urge you to take that first step towards a healthier, happier life. I'll be right next to you on the journey.

More about me and my fitness story

***Honesty Alert***
What was I like before beachbody?

This is a question I get asked quite a bit. I was a former college athlete who struggled with my weight and self confidence all throughout college. I loved competing and working hard but absolutely hated shopping for new clothes. I did not like how I looked in the mirror, didn't like how clothes felt on me besides my soccer clothes, and I didn't know how to fix it.

I joined weight watchers, lost some weight, worked my ass off in soccer and finished my 4 years. I had thunder thighs at the end of 4 years.

Afterwards I fell into the trap of putting on weight, dropping weight...always back and forth. I would workout for hours, but I was still never happy with my definition or the way I felt. I didn't know what to do.

Beachbody saved me. I was introduced to insanity from my beachbody coach and entered my first 30 day healthy eating group. The support from others, the health tips, motivation and meal planning...it was truly amazing to experience!! Beachbody helped me incorporate weight training, not just overdosing on cardio. It helped improve my confidence, my enjoyment in shopping came back, my love for cooking and cooking healthy was finally there. The workouts came with a schedule to follow, eating right and making unhealthy recipes the right way, drinking the shakeology...it all came together for me.

I was once an unhappy, unconfident person and then grew into a confident, outgoing person who is enthused to share my beachbody experience with others. There truly is nothing better than being healthy and getting fit.

Whenever you feel like there is nothing left, you just have to take a step in the right direction.

I am always here to help people. If they have a will...there is a way!!

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Craving Chocolate??? Don't want to pack on the pounds???

THIS IS THE PERFECT SOLUTION!!  Satisfies any chocolate craving and couldn't be easier to make!  Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor/blender and refrigerate in 4 different serving dishes.  I put them in little tupperware containers to have them on the go.  ENJOY!

BLEND:
1 1/2 Scoops Chocolate Shakeology
1 avocado
1 banana
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp h
oney
1 tsp vanilla

21 Day Fix Results!!

This 21 day experience was pretty amazing.  I learned so so much about myself, my eating habits, how nutrition truly makes the biggest difference in results, and how food is surrounding us in our day to day lives without us even realizing it.

Week 2 was a bit of a struggle as I will flat out admit I cheated several times. The media surrounds us with food and I was weak and gave in. But week 3 I was STRONG and DETERMINED as I knew I had a trip to Florida just days away.  I stuck to it, did the 3 day quick fix at the end, did the double workouts and nailed it! It is more about what I learned than my "number" results but at the same time I am so happy with how much toning and how hard the actual workouts are. I thought there was no way a 30 minute workout could kick my ass...WRONG!

Things learned:

• I used to eat SO MUCH EXTRA food during meal prep
• I ate too much carbs
• I used to crave sweets and fruit all the time
• I would eat too close to bed time
• I didn't hydrate enough
• I worked out too much and did not match my efforts in the kitchen

After this 21 day fix, I will now take it into round two after a few days away in Florida to get some sun and relaxation time.  I will still hold myself accountable while away by knowing how much of each kind of food to eat, even when I am out to eat. SERIOUSLY those few bites of bad, unhealthy food is NOT WORTH THE GUILT AFTER! I will get my workouts in before hitting up the beach, and you better believe I am taking my shakeology with me!  I already looked up that the hotel had a gym before we booked it...have to sweat it out before putting the bikini on.

So the results.... Lost 7 pounds, 4 inches.  I am told my booty looks a lot smaller but that isn't one of the measurements I took haha so add a couple inches to that total lost! Waist is smaller, I FINALLY lost inches off of my soccer legs, and toned up my back and abs.  Beyond excited!

This program was by far the best way to learn how to eat properly.  It truly SIMPLIFIES NUTRITION, and CHALLENGES YOU IN 30 MINUTE WORKOUTS!! The color coded portion controlled containers were awesome!  If you are thinking about this program, JUST DO IT!

And always ask me Lynng258@gmail.com if you have any questions about the program!

Week 1 OVER! Heading into Week 2 of 21 Day Fix

Wow did this week go by so fast!  I was prepared for a week of starving and got just the opposite.  The 21 day fix is no joke...you are NOT starving, but instead are fueling your body with what it needs.  I was shocked that my body handled it so well.

DOWN 4 pounds so far--have yet to measure inches. But it isn't even about that, it is about how amazing I feel and how much more energy I have!

Things I have learned:

1. You can take the 21 day fix on the road!  I traveled out of state to North Carolina to visit my best friend.  I was scared because I had only been on the fix for 2 days and traveling was definitely a major concern.  Honestly, it was so easy to stay on track.  As long as your meals are packed and you are prepared then there is NO reason not to succeed!

2. WOW did I eat a lot of carbs before the FIX.  I used to eat wayyyyy to many, and crave them all the time.  I was probably over eating carbs because my body was still hungry due to lack of protein in my previous meal plans before the fix.

3. I used to eat fruit too close to bed time.  I will admit...I love my sleep. I have the habit of at least getting 8 hours a night so that I am not cranky.  Before the fix I would eat too close to bed time AND be eating fruit before bed. (Plus I was choosing the fruits highest in grams of sugar!)  All those sugars were bad for my body to break down.

 

4. 30 minutes of working out is definitely enough!  I LOVE being in the gym for hours.  Not sure if its the people interaction or what but it is fun and enjoyable to me.  But I have A LOT more time to do other things I love AND be caught up on all my work emails.  Plus working out from home is so convenient..no travel time around crazy Boston. TOTAL BONUS!



Looking into Week 2...

Meal planning was SO MUCH EASIER and I was SO MUCH MORE CREATIVE in the meals.  So excited for some of the foods this week!!  I may even substitute some healthy pancakes in for a breakfast planned!  And yes, there will be some edits for some "treats" which replace a yellow container in there twice this week because seriously those recipes in the 21 Day fix book are AMAZING!!  Here is the meal plan.