Day One – The 21 Day Fix!!

Yesterday I started the 21 day fix.  More about it HERE.

As you may have read previously, I have been in a bit of a rut and my weight loss has stalled.  So I thought this could be the kick start I once again needed.  I also have the encouragement of a dear friend who is the Beach Body coach and about 20 people in our group who are also doing similar “fixes” for the next 21 days!!  So that coupled with the continued support of family and other friends I thought, I NEED TO DO THIS FOR ME!!!

Note: A support group is priceless.  I never use to think that, now I am all like…the more the merrier!  (Online of course.  Never in person.  Can't take that social interaction.)

Now I get I am ONE day into the program, but still here are my initial impressions of what the 21 day fix is all about.  I wanted to write them down now and then go back and see what I think after 21 days.

The 21 Day fix is all about changing your habits (it takes 21 days to make new habits, so they say)  It is about clean eating, working out, learning about proper portions, keeping your body properly fueled, and making a lifestyle change.

Let me say while this program does say you will lose weight and inches, and in many cases a large amount in a short period of time, I would not consider this a diet.  Or at the least a fad diet.  This program could (and should) easily be incorporated into your daily life when you are at the fitness level you wish to be at.  It is VERY well balanced between food and exercise and is more of a kickstart to healthy living.

Here are some things I have noticed with the program and one day in:

It is a lot of food to eat.  As a recovering (do I say recovering?!) binge eater, believe me when I say you will feel full!!  You will also feel hungry and that is a GOOD THING.  Because of my weight, I am on the high end of the diet (2100-2300 calories).  Folks.  When I started my weight loss journey in January I was limiting myself to 1350-1400 calories a day.  I lost fast and then stalled.  I wrote a post (HERE) about possibly eating too few calories so I bumped it up to around 1650 – 1750.  My weight loss still stayed the same, never changing.  Now, I am eating 2100 – 2300 calories a day?!?!  Seriously.  It feels like so much food…I am always eating something, I swear.  However, I don’t feel overly stuffed after I eat but I feel hungry when it is time for my next meal.  My hanger seems to be under control…no seriously, even without coffee I have been VERY pleasant the past two days!

But how the hell am I supposed to lose weight and inches eating more than I have since on this health kick?!?!

Let me tell you.  First, this is probably closer to what I should be eating to lose a healthy amount of weight and to KEEP it off. 

Second, the foods I am eating are whole/clean foods.  A piece of pizza may be 300-500 calories a slice and will not fill me up and I will be hungry after eating my pizza.  But do you know how much food I can eat for 300-500 calories that is whole and how long that will last and fuel my body?!  A lot and a long time.  Granted, a piece of pizza and a salad may not taste the same, but this program is teaching me how to eat better and what clean eating can do to my body and how I feel.  I am very much open to this.

Third, I am working out every day (barf) and that 30 minutes every day helps make my body strong, fueled, and metabolizing which is what I need to lose weight.  Along with removing that fat!!

It is a lot of prep work.  And this is coming from the person who loves to meal plan and prep.  I don’t know how many hours I was prepping food Sunday and I didn’t even pack my lunches for the week, just did one day.  However, I feel the more I do this the easier it will become.  I am a creature of habit and like the same things for breakfast and lunch, so as I continue I am certain my prep time will be more reasonable.  But still, you must prep.  You must plan.  I don’t think you can properly do this if you don’t.  I know I couldn’t.

I MISS MY COFFEE!!!  Folks, this saddens me so much.  You are allowed to have black coffee.  I mean seriously. NO CREAM OR SUGAR?!  What is the point.  I bitched and moaned about it ALL DAY yesterday.  I literally could only think about coffee and wanting it.  I am a baby.  I tried a recipe that uses coconut oil and vanilla extract and while it may be good OK on the weekend when I have time, it does not work for me in my morning rush to get out the door as by the time I got to it, it was cold and the oil was separating.  Barf again.  But today I tried raw sugar.  The program says I can have a couple teaspoons a day, so I added it to a little coffee and it was tolerable!  I do miss my cream…I actually miss milk in general on this plan.  But I am hoping this will help to reduce how much creamer I am using moving forward.  

Yesterday my husband told me when I was whining about my coffee for the 100^th time “stop thinking about the coffee and start thinking about how good you will feel in a few weeks, let alone a couple months.” DAMN HIM AND HIS INSIGHTFUL LOGIC!!!! He was correct.  I still miss my coffee.

Not looking forward to working out every day.  I am very overweight…I don’t like to use the other “O” word.  I don’t like to workout.  Probably part of the reason I got to where I am at.  But being so overweight, working out is painful…on top of already being painful.  It is frustrating.  I get down on myself saying “how could you let yourself get like this, you can’t even do a 30 minute workout”.  It seems like one more chore I need to do, like folding laundry or clean the toilets when you have a 4 year old who pees everywhere.  Unpleasant, frustrating, and something I dread to do and can’t wait for it to be over. 

This program has you working out SEVEN days a week. Let me tell you, the first day KICKED MY ASS.  I can barely walk today.  I think I had to modify the modified poses.  I am not sure if every day is like this, today is upper body so hopefully my legs can relax a bit!  I also have piyo that I will be doing and replacing at least one of the exercises that looks just way too much for me this time around.  But I am still moving and that is something!!  And it will get easier.  I have to push through.  My goal is to take it ONE DAY at time.  Don’t think about what is left, just focus on today.

The containers are teeny tiny when you get them, but I believe they have Tardis technology. (Only dorks like me will get this.  Bigger on the inside for those who don’t.)  Seriously, they are itty bitty.  That is all the avocado I can eat?!  That is enough for one chip…wait, I can’t have chips?!  Or  That pasta is like 4 bites!  But I have this huge pasta bowl I need to fill!  (Obviously, my portion size radar is a bit off)

But it really is a good amount of food when you eat clean.  My salads at lunch are huge!  And you can double up on containers if you need/want too.  For example, tonight I am having "healthier" fajitas so I saved two red to have extra chicken, 2 green for the peppers and salsa and 2 yellows so I can have 2 corn tortillas and fat free refried beans, and a blue for a teeny tiny bit of avocado.  YUM!

Here are My Goals for this first round of the 21 Day Fix:

1.      Focus and make time for MYSELF each day.

2.      Workout every day and take it one day at a time.

3.      Don’t give up!

4.      Lose weight and get past this plateau.

5.      Acknowledge each success and don’t focus or be hard on yourself for any “misses”.

Here is Day 1 eating.  Again, so much food!  And in ALL the colors :-)

 Breakfast - Turkey bacon, spinach and egg "muffin" and 40 calorie toast. Half a banana not pictured 

(1 red, 1/2 red, 1/2 green, 1 yellow, 1 Purple)

Snack 1 - Steel cut oats, strawberries and blueberries, a dash of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of agave  

(1 yellow, 1 purple, 1 tsp)

Lunch - Romaine lettuce with chicken, tomatoes and cucumber & dressing.  Hummus and carrots 

(4 Green, 1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Orange)

 Snack 2 - Cottage cheese and pineapple 

(1 Red, 1 Purple)

 Dinner - Spanish quinoa, 21 Day Fix meatbals (OK, going to try an asian one next time), asparagus, leftover hummus from lunch 

(1 1/2 Red, 1/2 yellow, 1 Green, 1 1/2 yellow)

Dessert - 1 small apple, yogurt, 2 teaspoons peanut butter. THIS. IS. DELICIOUS!!! 

(1 red, 1 Purple, 2 tsp)

Seriously, I am on board with this plan 100%.  I am sure in a couple weeks I will be craving something sweet or want something I can’t have.  There will be days I just don’t want to work out (every day?!). I probably will not want to prep one more meal for myself.  And want that piece of pizza.  

But for now, I want to give this all I have. 

I NEED TO DO THIS FOR ME. 

They ask you “what are your whys”.  Meaning, WHY are you doing this? 

For me, my “why’s” could be because of my son, my health, to wear skinny jeans.

But really, MY WHY is simple. 

Why am I doing this?  For myself. 

I need to get healthy and do this for ME.  For so long I have put ME on the back burner.  It is time I put myself first.  My happiness, my health, my love for my son, husband, and family and friends, my feelings, my skinny jeans.  Whatever falls under that, I first and foremost need to focus on me.

So that ends this all over the place, random start to the next 21 days!!

So have you done the 21 Day fix?  Thoughts?  Please share!!

And I will keep you updated over the next three weeks!

I am not a beach body coach, nor am I getting compensated for anything I said or any products I am using.  I am just really opinionated!!