3 Day Refresh - Check!

The past 3 days have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It really proved to me how emotionally invested in food I am. This is something I want to work on, but let me tell you how the 3 Day Refresh went.

Day 1:
I woke up gung-ho and prepped. I made my first shake and almost gagged, but I got it down. I was surprisingly full from the Shakeology and didn't take the optional tea break. This also meant I didn't have my morning coffee. The next step was the fiber sweep. I was optimistic, but cautious because I had read that it was not a great taste or texture. Well, I got about half of it down before the gagging started. I couldn't get anymore down, so I had to be ok with just half. So far, other than not liking the drinks, I was feeling ok.  Lunch was the Vanilla Refresh, 12 strawberries, 1/2 a large carrot, and 2 tbsp of hummus.  I was surprisingly full. At this point, I had also been drinking water consistently which meant I was consistently in the bathroom. I had my mid-afternoon snack which was the other half of the carrot and 2 tbsp of hummus (which is a lot of hummus for just a little bit of carrot!). By this point, I was craving cheeseburgers, big, juicy cheeseburgers. I needed to take my mind off food and pass the next couple hours until dinner, so I took a nap. I was pretty tired after all! Dinner was another Vanilla Fresh and a spinach salad. The salad was surprisingly large and filling. I then took a 45 minute walk until I wasn't thinking about cheeseburgers or Cheetos anymore. Overall, I was really focused on food and that made for a miserable day.

Day 2:
I woke up knowing I wouldn't be hungry, but also dreading the shakes. At this point, I had lost 3 lbs., so that motivated me to keep going through day 2. All my meals were the same, but this time, I went to a meeting for 3 hours in the morning. I tried taking the fiber before leaving, but I just couldn't get it down. I knew I was going to have to do this without the fiber sweep. I was fine for the first couple of hours, then I started having a lot of digestive rumbling. All I could think about was getting out of there. I made it home just in time. I spent a lot of time in the bathroom but it wasn't due to all the water like on day 1. By dinner time, I physically couldn't get the Vanilla Fresh shake down. I ended up putting a little bit of chicken in my salad to get some protein. I took another walk this time for an hour until I didn't want ice cream or Cheetos. I don't even really like Cheetos, so I don't know where this craving was coming from! I ended up going to bed early because I was so exhausted!

Day 3:
For day 3, I was determined to try the shakes one last time. I was now down 6.6 lbs. which brought me back to where I was before falling off the wagon at the end of the school year. This alone made me very happy and proud of myself. Unfortunately, I gagged every time I tried to drink even a sip of the shakes, so I had to get my protein somehow. I ended up trading each shake for a lean protein. The rest of the eating plan stayed as is. I went on a longer errand run, and that was successful. For some reason, I was still craving Cheetos though. The rest of the day was similar to day 2, and I had to keep reminding myself that this was the last leg and I was going to get through it! Unfortunately, 3 days of craving Cheetos got the best of me. I did buy a small bag and quickly realized they tasted pretty nasty, but it got rid of my ridiculous craving and I didn't overdo it.

Overall, for me, I think I did pretty well. This was one of the hardest diet goals of my journey. I will be happy to never drink a shake again, and I won't be buying the refresh again, but I'm glad I did it. Today, I am back to following the 21 Day Fix eating plan. Eggs with veggies, toast, and a fruit smoothie for breakfast was so satisfying. I also finally had a cup of coffee :-D! I'm also getting back into the C25K running program since I have a race at the end of the month!

So, the 3 Day Refresh is over! I will keep you up to date on my progress, but this refresh was a good kick in the butt to start off my summer!

Summer has arrived!

Summer has finally gotten here! The end of the school year was tough for me. I was very stressed, but I couldn't identify the reason. I was also counting down the days until the end of the school year which is highly unlike me. With all this, I lost my motivation for working out in the morning, and I went back to old eating habits. I wasn't eating anything horrible, but I wasn't cooking regularly, and I definitely wasn't eating all my containers. So, I decided I needed a kick in the butt. I made the leap and ordered Beachbody's 3 Day Refresh.

3 Day Refresh is basically a low calorie cleanse that helps you break your eating habits including sugar addiction, while cleaning out your system. The eating plan includes shakes, fruits, vegetables, and a fiber flush. Since I have never done this before and I don't know how my body will react, I am choosing to try it on 3 consecutive days that I have nothing planned that requires me to leave the house or participate in social eating. If I feel fine, I have some things I could do but don't need to.

I will kick off July with the 3 Day Refresh, then I will get back into my eating and exercising. Now, that does not mean that I can sit around and eat everything in sight for the next few days. I am doing what I need to do until the refresh to try and get back into my motivation. That means I didn't eat dessert at my cousin's graduation party, today I am getting back into C25K (I have a race at the end of July), and I am meal planning before grocery shopping this weekend.

Being the type of person that is motivated by goals, I decided to let you all in on my goals to help keep me accountable. So, my summer goals are.....

1. Complete the 3 Day Refresh
2. Transition to Black Coffee :-/
3. Work out at least 5x/week
4. Complete C25K (again!)
5. Enjoy my summer!

Obviously, nutrition is also a goal, but that is a work in progress. Also, 5 goals is a lot! I know #1 will be done shortly, but #5 is the most important which means not overburdening myself with health goals. My health needs to be a focus, but it cannot engulf my entire life. 

With that said, Happy summer! Make the most of it!

April Vacation

This week was April vacation. I went into the week knowing it would be tough because I would have lots of time to eat what I shouldn't, and I made sure not to have any junk in the house. I also made my meal plan for the week. After making the meal plan, I never went grocery shopping, and I never did my meal prep. Big mistake! I didn't eat anything I wasn't supposed to and I didn't sit around doing nothing all week (as my previous vacation weeks have been). In fact, I did the opposite; I did lots of yard work, but I didn't eat all my containers on any given day. I realized that I need to have my food prepped, and I need set times to eat. For example, during the work day, I eat breakfast after my workout, have a banana when I get to work, have a snack on my prep, have lunch, have a snack after school, and have dinner. Those are all set times to eat. During vacation, I was busy and didn't stop to have snacks every couple of hours. I'm glad I figured this out though because with summer not too far away, I will have to remember to schedule my snacks each day. I also need to work on snacks that do not need to be refrigerated. I tried packing my snacks for golf and a trip to IKEA, but I needed a small insulated bag with ice packs for each trip. So, I need to find some snacks that fit what I need in containers and don't need to be refrigerated that will be convenient for day trips. Any suggestions???

On the other hand, I did really well with my workouts. I did all my workouts this week even though I was planning to do yard work almost every day and golf once. I'm actually really proud of myself for that because the old me would have just seen the yard work as exercise and skipped an intentional workout. In fact, I really like the 21 day fix workouts (except for pilates and maybe yoga). I also did yard work on 6 of my days off. In the past, I would do a couple hours and that would be it for the entire vacation. I also went golfing and bowled a few times. Overall it was a very productive week.

Tomorrow starts week 3 of my first full round of 21 day fix. I have a great meal plan set and went grocery shopping last night. Meal prepping will start as soon as this post is complete! I am even looking forward to my workouts. On Sunday, I will be completing a checkin. No matter what the scale and tape measure say, I am proud of myself. I have worked hard and have come a long way. I might need to remind myself of this if my results are less than expected, but for now, I am going to think positive. I am happy and feeling healthier every day. That is the most important piece! I am really seeing this as a lifestyle improvement, not a diet.

MFP vs. 21DF

I have been following the 21 day fix eating plan for 3 weeks now. Previously, I had been using My Fitness Pal for years. Now is the time to compare the two. Obviously, people should use what works for them, and this is completely my own opinion. I do not pretend to have any scientific information or expertise in the area of weightless, but I know what works for me.

Let's start with My Fitness Pal (MFP). On MFP, you can calculate your calorie needs based on your goal and activity level. From there, it is simply calories in must be less than calories burned. You track everything you eat, no matter what it is. You also input your exercise. I found that most food calories were low and exercise calories were high. I did have better luck when I wore a heart rate monitor for a more accurate calorie count. I didn't really change what I was eating. I just ate less and made sure my calories stayed within my goal. Most days, if I ate healthily, I had a hard time reaching my calorie goal. I stopped gaining weight when I was good about exercising and logging my food, but I didn't really lose any weight. I didn't learn what foods were better choices. I just learned to eat less. The exercise made me feel better, but I didn't notice any changes in my body. It really wasn't working for me.

About a month ago, I switched to 21 Day Fix. Now let me start by saying the name really doesn't fit the program. Yes, it works in 21 day cycles, but you will not have the perfect body in 21 days, especially when you have a large amount of weight to lose. With this program, you calculate your calorie bracket based on your current weight. After each cycle, you recalculate your bracket. Your calorie bracket tells you how much of each food group (container) you should be eating. For example, I am in the highest bracket so I should be eating 6 veggies (green), 6 protein (red), 4 fruit (purple), 4 carbs (yellow), 1 healthy fat (blue), 1 oil/seeds (orange), and 6 tsp. of oil to cook with. First lesson I learned, I was not eating nearly all the food groups and definitely not enough of anything. This program also comes with workout DVDs. There is a cycle of programs you use to cover all areas and give appropriate rest too. Second lesson I learned, I need more variety in my workout. So now, I think of my food based on color and plan ahead of time what I will be eating. I also exercise 6 times a week. I feel fantastic, have already seen a significant decrease on the scale, and can see improvements in my body shape as well. This is really working. This is becoming a life-style change, not a diet. Once I reach my goal, I will recalculate to maintain, and this will be how I eat normally.

My official decision (for all it counts for) is that 21 Day Fix will become my lifestyle approach to eating right and working out. My Fitness Pal would be a never ending frustrating yo-yo. So for me, 21 Day Fix is where it's at! I CAN DO THIS!

Progress

I have officially successfully completed 1 week of eating via the 21 day fix guides. I have also completed my third week of Hip Hop Abs. In the past week, I have noticed improvements in how my clothes fit, my mood, my energy, how my body feels, and more. Although I am trying to stop using the scale as my primary mode of measuring success, I did weigh myself yesterday (1 week from my last weigh-in). The results were shocking.....I lost 5.2 lbs! I knew I was feeling better, but I didn't expect that.

I have also noticed a few differences in my body. A few people have mentioned my face looks thinner. In the shower, I noticed I am starting to get bicep muscle definition. When I stretch, I can reach to mid-calf instead of just my knees. I don't feel as tired at the end of the workday.
All these little things keep me going.

This week will be my last week of the Hip Hop Abs cycle and my second week of following the 21 day fix eating guidelines. I will measure to check my progress so far. I haven't measured since before starting this new process. I am feeling very optimistic. I will let you know how I do!

After finishing Hip Hop Abs, I will be starting the 21 day fix workouts with the eating plan. My goal (and this will be very difficult) is to not weigh or measure myself until day 22. I want to focus on how I feel and not on the numbers. I know with the help of my family, friends, and coach I will be successful!

I am loving the new me! I am not a completely different person; it is the old me with a few upgrades! I know I still have a long way to go, but I am worth it.

21 Day Fix

I did it! I got my 21 Day Fix kit in the mail. I am so excited. It arrived on Tuesday, and I spent Wednesday through today just practicing with the cups. A huge win is that all the foods I wanted to eat fit into 1 of the container categories. The tough part was I wasn't eating nearly all my containers.

So, today I sat down to plan out this coming week. Not much will change for the basic meals, but my meals include a lot more now. I am trying a couple new recipes, and they also contain a wider variety of foods. I got a lot of advice from my coach and did some research online to help me spread out the containers appropriately. The squares on the left are the recommended containers for each meal. Most days, I was able to plan out appropriately for that. There are a couple days where I had to move a green from dinner into my afternoon snack, but I still planned for all my containers.

The other challenge is drinking enough water. I am supposed to drink half my body weight in ounces of water. That is A LOT of water! Yesterday, I drank about 80% of the recommended water amount and spent a lot of time in the bathroom. LOL! I hope my bladder gets used to this much water.

As for working out, I am officially 2 weeks into my Hip Hop Abs workout cycle. I have completed all the recommended workouts. I did switch my rest day this week, but I got all the workouts in by the end of the week. I have 2 more weeks on that cycle, then I will start the 21 day fix workout cycle. I don't want to quit the Hip Hop Abs, and I don't want to wait to start eating healthier, so I am giving it a 2 week overlap. I will finish Hip Hop Abs and start eating according to 21 day fix for 2 weeks, then I will start the 21 day fix workout plan while continuing to eat accordingly.

Can you tell I love visuals??? I love crossing out my workout days and seeing what I will be eating makes me realize I won't be going hungry with this new eating plan. This is a life change, not a diet!

NSV

I have had quite a few NSVs (non-scale victories) this week. I had bought the Hip Hop Abs DVDs as a switch up for running and walking. With this purchase, I could sign up for a BeachBody Coach. At first, I thought it was ridiculous. I thought I didn't need someone who was going to tell me what to do and make me feel bad if I messed up. Then, after talking to a friend who has a BeachBody Coach, I realized that this person could be the support I really needed. So, I signed up. At first, I was just assigned a random person, but I didn't feel like that was the connection I needed. After talking to my friend, I decided to switch coaches. That is how I met Amanda. She has been amazing. She asked me where my trouble spots were and shared with me some of her struggles and successes. With her support, I had the best week ever for workouts and eating.

I started Hip Hop Abs on Sunday. It is set up as a 4 week program with rest days every 7 days. This week, I did the workouts every morning (at 5:15am!). I usually give up by Wednesday or Thursday, but I didn't want to have to tell Amanda I didn't work out. It's so strange because I barely know her! I also walked or ran every evening. Today is my rest day. It feels so strange not to workout. I almost feel guilty, but I know my body needs rest.

I also got back on track with my eating. I had been pretty good, but when I treated myself I went overboard. This week, I decided that a treat (I don't like calling it a cheat because that makes it feel wrong) doesn't need to be anything big. I also learned that I wasn't eating enough whole grains. Due to this, my body may have believed I was starving, so it was not burning fat. I was under my calorie goal by 500+ calories every day. I feel like I am eating a lot more, but I feel full and I am staying within but close to my calorie goal.

Now, I didn't come upon all this on my own. I asked my coach a lot of questions. I mean, a lot of questions. I hope I am not driving her crazy with them. She also has been great about celebrating my small victories. She has reassured me that I am doing the right things on a regular basis, especially now that I am eating enough. The biggest piece of advice I think I have gotten from her is to hide my scale. I did cheat on weighing myself this morning, but it's ok. I set a new goal to wait until Saturday to weigh myself again, and I want to achieve that goal and make my coach proud. It is so strange to want to make someone I barely know proud, but if that is what works, then that is fantastic! It may sound cliche, but this time feels different.

I can't wait to see what next week has in store! I will start week 2 of Hip Hop Abs tomorrow, and I am going to do more research on the 21 day fix system. The system is designed to help you manage portions while also ensuring that you eat a balanced diet. It also focuses on eating cleanly. This may help me get away from counting calories and learn to eat healthy, appropriate portions on my own. I don't want to have to log everything I eat for my entire life. I want this to be a lifestyle change, not a sentence to constantly be attached to a calorie counting system.

This week, I had more energy and felt great! I also was sleeping better than ever. That made getting up at 5:00 much easier. I am looking forward to continuing all of that. Week 2 here I come!