21 Day Fix Results!

Top 10 things I've learned:
1.  Planning is key!
2.  The first week is tough.
3.  Doing it with friends is awesome because you hold each other accountable.
4.  I love steel cut oats with peanut butter!
5.  Make it a game, then you won't cheat.
6,  Bring food with you when you know you'll be gone for more than 3 hours.
7.  I can't believe the amount of food I'm eating!
8.  Get a coach...like Antonette.  She's awesome!
9.  I need to learn to like hard boiled eggs more.
10. They tell you it gets easier...and it DOES!

The only foods I've eaten out of my pantry have been walnuts, peanut butter, steel cut oats, black beans, chocolate shakeology, spices, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and canned tomatoes. I've given up my Kashi cereal with blueberries and almond milk.  That was tough for me as it's been my staple breakfast for a few years.  I've also given up pretzels, chips, pasta, bread, and rice.

From my fridge I'm living on EGGS, beets, spinach, carrots, celery, peppers of every color, cucumbers, tomatoes, hummus, chicken, fish (mostly salmon), steak, ground chicken, ground turkey, pork, cottage cheese, and cholula hot sauce.

I tried avoiding all dairy, however, I was really getting tired of all the meat I was eating so one of my proteins ended up being cottage cheese which I like anyway.  I stayed away from yogurt because the damn stuff seems to make my stomach hurt.  I'm getting old!

I haven't mentioned it until now, but I had a lot of friends question why I was doing this.  I workout, I'm fit, I exercise, and I eat pretty well.  All I can say is that at the bottom of this blog, I will share my results and the wonderful things that came out of completing the program. You'll never see me hype anything up unless I truly believe in it.

Here's a few texting highlights and lowlights with my friends.

My freaking dog chewed up my protein container!  I ate tuna out of it, then set it near the couch.  Ugh...I'm sure she couldn't resist the tuna smell.

Sometimes threats help!

By this time I was sleeping much, much better!  I think with the deeper sleeps, we're also dreaming more, thus dreaming of food we crave!

And then we had these moments...  Antonette said it...we were acting like we were on Survivor.

Then we were turning into eggs, and giving up our first borns???

Costco cart example...

 I'm pretty sure this was 5 days in.  I've been dealing with t-zone redness for quite some time.  It's just incredible that by now it's almost completely gone!  I'm amazed.  If you deal with complexion issues, doing this will work wonders!

Holy Crap...look what Carrie found just a week in!  Hahaha!!!  Only a bunch of moms would see the c-section scar.  Yes, I have one too:)

And then this happened.  I was so upset throwing out food I'd purchased.  Luckily, we have a second fridge to throw stuff in, but if I had to go to the basement any more I was going to kill someone.  Our new fridge is awesome though!!!

Let me just say this...Carrie made an unbelievable pumpkin oatmeal, and brought it to the studio.  It was amazing.  I usually ate my carb between 3-4 in the afternoon to get me through until dinnertime, and my choice was either this oatmeal, or steel cut oats with a teaspoon of peanut butter.  Jodi swore that there was something in there that was a NO NO.  Come to find out Carrie put Almond Milk CREAMER in it!  Seriously??  A violation of our 21 day fix program and she didn't even know she sabotaged it.  Damn you, Carrie!  Lucky we all still love her though. 

Just like the mint I had at Egg Harbor, Jodi ate a candy corn.  It's over.  She ruined everything.  HA!!!

And then I had the toughest weekend of all.

Thursday night:  Luke Bryan Concert

Luckily, I was going with another friend who also was on the Fix.  I did not drink, but I did successfully smuggle chicken, veggies, hummus, a clementine, and a La Croix into the United Center!  I felt like I was sneaking booze in.  Seriously, what had this world come too!

Friday night:  40th Birthday/Halloween Party 

Thankfully, this was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be.  Enjoying La Croix with a twist of lime makes it a bit more fancy...like you're drinking.  When everyone is dressed and looking goofy, you kind of forget about drinking.  Lastly, I brought veggies and hummus, however, their food fit perfectly into the FIX!  They had fajitas which I got to enjoy a full plate of chicken and veggies.

Saturday night:  Halloween

I'm the first person to admit that I'll sit on my front porch drinking blood (wine) or beer as those cute little trick or treaters come on by.  Luckily, the weather kind of sucked so it wasn't as bad.  Also, our new fridge was being installed.  I was super excited about that.  Now let's talk about candy...today is November 26th, and I have yet to dig into my kid's Halloween candy.  THIS IS HUGE!  One of us didn't fare so well...

Sunday:  Bears Game

THE SINGLE HARDEST DAY OF THE ENTIRE 21 DAYS.

For 19 years, Wade and I have been going to Bears games together.  Tailgating wasn't bad.  I had fish grilled for me without the breading.  I drank water.  So far, so good.  Now get myself into the game and not having a beer at my seat???  That was awful.  I yearned for that beer so bad.  Instead, I drank water and ate the veggies and oranges I smuggled into Soldier Field.  Yep, clementines down my pants.  Seriously, this was ridiculous, but mandatory.  Find me healthy food there...you won't.

Our goal is here!!!

Day 21 comes and goes.  I NEVER cheated, and then Day 22 comes!  Our goal was to get to the Hot Chocolate Run in Chicago to celebrate!  YES!!!  We run the race, indulge in amazing chocolate fondue, head out for a couple beers and lunch, and enjoy rehashing our experience.

It's not the end...

Every single person in our group decided to continue on with the maintenance program.  We may not follow it to a T, however, now we know what to do.  Our results continue to amaze us, and we still text sharing our triumphs, whoopsies, results, and everything in between.  I've gotten to know these women better and appreciate everything they've taught me.

My results and what I learned:

After the 21 days, I lost 7.5 inches and 6.25 lbs., which is exactly where I want to be.  I felt great! My complexion looks better, I'm able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night, I'm more productive, my workouts feel better, and my kids and husband are eating a ton more vegetables and fish now.  I feel like there's always something to eat, whereas, in the past I remember thinking that I didn't have anything to eat in the house.  Lastly, I feel way more confident in my swimsuits!

I'd like to thank my friends who did it with me, and my friend and coach, Antonette, was second to none!  Last but definitely not least, Wade.  He was incredibly supportive throughout each day.  I think he liked the fact that dinner was on the table or leftovers in the fridge a little more than usual.

Disclaimer:  Beachbody did not put me up to this.  I doubt they even know I wrote it, but in the end, I loved the program, and will let friends and clients know that I believe in it.

21 Day Fix with Friends Part 2

I've committed.  But now the big question is finding the absolute perfect time to start.  There is NO perfect time to start.  My head is thinking I've got a wedding, overnight at a hotel, Luke Bryan concert, 40th birthday party, Halloween, Bears game, and the first Mother Pucker game of the season (HELLOOOOOO, Fireball shots!). Will. I. Cheat??

It's like the perfect time to get have a baby or getting a puppy, right?  OK, that's stretching it just a bit:)

So, I think let's get through the wedding and start off on Sunday, October 18th.  Now there's a motive to this date.  My friend, Jodi who has also committed to the 21 Day Fix, and I signed up for the Hot Chocolate Run in Chicago on November 8th.  It just happens to be Day 22 which means we can celebrate our 21 days eating chocolate and having a few cocktails.  I needed that carrot in front of me to help the situation I've just gotten myself into.

The night before Day 1 is a Saturday night. I went shopping and bought all the necessities to prepare for the next week. I stay home and made turkey meatballs, turkey chili, and steel cut oats. I planned to enjoy a pumpkin beer, but don't. Note the texts I'm receiving...

While they're having their last supper, I'm home preparing. 

I'm ready!  I'm Set. Let's Go!!

Day 1

I'm not going to bore you with every detail, but here's the gist of what's going on here. I'm eating clean. My cycle goes 3 cups veggies, 0 cups fruit, 6-1/2 cup protein, 1-1/2 cup carb, 0-1/4 cup healthy fats, zero-2 tbsp seeds and 21 fix approved dressings, and 3 teaspoons of nut butters (I'm going to say that every teaspoon throughout the program was peanut butter. Often the highlight of my day!) for 2 days. Then on every 3rd day, I have 3 cups vegetables, 1 cup fruit, 4-1/2 cup proteins, 2-1/2 cup carbs, 1-1/4 cup healthy fats, 1-2 tbsp seeds and dressings, and 2 teaspoons peanut butter.

And this cycles for 21 days!  This is the official 21 Day Fix Extreme Countdown to Competition Program. Day 1 a success!!!

Loving that National Chocolate Cupcake Day just happens to be on our first day. 

The following Tuesday proves to be my first test. I head to Egg Harbor for lunch.   I pack food to bring with me, and I was just going to drink coffee, however, Coach Antonette talks me into saving my food for later, and ordering from the menu. They have turkey burgers.

Egg Harbor doesn't serve turkey burgers anymore. What??  They don't serve veggie burgers. What??  I order a chicken sandwich and instead of harbor potatoes, I asked for a side of fruit. The meal ends up being $14 with tip, and I ate a piece of chicken (took off the bread), slice of tomato, and fruit. $14 freaking dollars!!!  We leave with our mints, I pop one in my mouth, take a swig of coffee, and comment how good the coffee tasted with the mint. Then it happened, I messed up!  I had a mint!!

I fessed up. 

And Carrie is starving. 

Below it's mentioned that one of us experienced headaches at the beginning. It subsided. Also, one of us was always hungry, and a few of us couldn't get all the food down. For me it was a lot to eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

That first week proved to be a huge adjustment. It's got to get easier, right?

To be continued...

21 Day Fix with Friends Part 1

Last summer was probably the toughest summer at the pool for me in years.  There, I said it.  I bought 2 swimsuits that I considered "not my style", but cute.  I'm obsessed with abs (and shoulders), and I didn't have them anymore.  I accepted it.  People may disagree, and that's totally fine.  I'll still love all of you.

There's the back story, before I continue on.

Fast forward 3 months, and I'm looking forward to the fall and winter months.  Boots, sweaters, layers, scarves...  I've consistently worked out as that's definitely something I enjoy.  Not always at the time, but who can't love a tough workout after it's been completed!  Here's my problem...I fell into crappy, awful, terrible eating patterns.  Mindless eating; handfuls of this; handfuls of that; all the time.  Overall, I'm not a terrible eater, but I could use some reminders that my choices weren't always positive.  A classic example was my daily dose of desserts.  I always grabbed a handful of chocolate chips after dinner, or I ate a Zone Bar or Cliff Bar that had chocolate on it.  I am a chocolate fiend!

In September, my friend, Antonette, began talking about a 21 day clean eating program that she was going to follow.  It's a Beachbody program where people can purchase workout DVDs, a shaker, portion control food containers, food manual, and a shake called Shakeology.  She followed the 21 Day Fix Extreme Countdown to Competition eating program, drank the shakes, and followed her own workout regimen.  Throughout the week, I witnessed her eating from these colorful containers.  I saw her excited about 12 almonds or getting her teaspoon of peanut butter.  She DID NOT CHEAT for 21 days, and get this, she couldn't drink alcohol the entire time!  Those of you who have read my past posts know I like my beer.

Antonette prevailed.  Her before and after pictures were crazy awesome!  She was thrilled.  So why would one not be interested in trying it out after seeing her results.  DAMN, the girl became a Beachbody Coach following her experience.  After knowing her and her personality, this girl always gives 200% and that is what captured me.  I had the opportunity to watch her coach a few of our clients through the 21 days only to see them see positive results.

I needed to experience this program and believe in it myself before I could encourage others to give it a go.

And then it began...

Hangry, anyone?

Wednesday, February 4th:  I eat the same breakfast almost every morning.  I was out of my usual Kashi Toasted Berry Crumble, so I drove to Jewel only to find out they were out of it.  GASP!!! SO... I resorted to the Frosted Mini-Wheats already in my pantry for a couple days in which I will spare you the details of how my digestive system was put into overdrive.  My belly did not fare well...and I probably did have more than the recommended serving.

Thursday-Sunday:  I was out of town for a few days eating beer and fireball.  YES, that was a majority of my caloric intake.  Not to mention pizza, mozzarella sticks, dark chocolate pretzels among other super unhealthy foods that were intermingled between the Spotted Cow, Labatt Light, a shot of moonshine, slippery nipples, and Fireball Whisky.  Don't judge...

Monday morning:  I still haven't been to the store yet.  Ate a mini-bagel with margarine and raspberry jelly.  I am starving by 11:30, which is typical, however this time I was feeling like I was going to pass out.  I ate a random clementine on the desk at work, and never made it to Jewel.

Tuesday (today):  I looked in our pantry for cereal.  Skipped right past those Frosted Mini-Wheats and eyeballed Lucky Charms.  Yes, I will have them with another mini-bagel with margarine and raspberry jelly.  By 11:45am, I am getting a bit light-headed and the hangry-ness is beginning.  I run a couple errands then head right to Jewel to finally buy my cereal.  YES!!!  It's there:)  I also pick up a few other things which included a bag of Hint of Lime Tostito's.  I became one of Pavlov's dogs.  I salivated instantaneously, and couldn't get to the car fast enough to open the bag for my 30 second drive home.  I COULDN'T EVEN WAIT TIL I GOT HOME.

MORAL OF MY STORY:  Even though you know what's right, it doesn't always mean you make the best decisions.  I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I know sugar packed cereal will not sustain me long.  I know I need to eat a mid-morning snack so I won't stuff my face before I even have a chance to make myself lunch.  And quite honestly, I know that I need to include protein in my breakfast to keep me feeling full.  My Kashi cereal has 9 grams of protein which helps me get through most of my morning until I need a healthy snack.

So as I sat there eating Tostito's in the car, I think it's been a while since I've shared a story. Well here you go!!!

I found a great article about the Benefits of breakfast that will help you make wise breakfast decisions.  In a nutshell...you just can't skip it.

Until next time...