21 Day Fix Extreme: Days 7&8

Sunday was a bit of a mess because of the time change. By the time I was up and moving and ready to workout the clock already said 9:30. I went downstairs for the Yoga Extreme video. It was brutal. I really do love stretching and feel very tight after working out all week, but this Yoga video is not my favorite. I made it through, but I think that in the future I will do the Stretch video from the T25 series. Meal choices were mostly just what I could throw together out of the fridge. Full disclosure, I also drank some wine this weekend - lifestyle choice :-)

Day 7:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk, peanut butter, and frozen berries
Lunch: Chicken Fried rice - Brown rice, bell peppers and onions, rotisserie chicken.
PM Snack: 1/2 Apple with peanut butter
Dinner: Rotisserie chicken mashed with avocado in lettuce wraps.

Day 8:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk, peanut butter, and frozen berries
AM Snack: Greek Yogurt with Strawberries
Lunch: Broccoli, Brown Rice, Rotisserie Chicken
PM Snack: Corn Tortilla with Cheddar Cheese
Dinner: Beef and Butternut Squash stew from the Meal Guide

I am also focusing this week on making sure to eat all my yellow and purple containers early in the day. This is a recommendation in the book and I didn't focus on it much last week. Tomorrow is my weigh-in day, so stay tuned!

21 Day Fix Extreme Days 1-5: Feeling Awesome

OK, I have (almost) survived the first week. What I love about this program is there are modifications that are NOT in the W30. There is a carb container - not white carbs, but whole wheat and corn is ok. Cheese is also ok in your blue container. I love it! Also, you eat ALL THE TIME! So, here are my meals for the first 5 days...I also did one of the workouts each day. As of this morning I am down 4.2 lbs (I took pictures, measurements, and my weight at the beginning of the program, but will only weigh myself once a week moving forward and take measurements at the end.)

Day 1:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk and frozen berries
Lunch: Salad with Chicken, Balsamic Dressing. Carrots with Hummus
PM Snack: Peanut Butter (yes, by itself, I  was hungry)
Dinner: Whole Wheat Pasta, Marinara (homemade), Ground Turkey, Parm Cheese, Broccoli.
Dessert: Strawberries

Day 2:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk and frozen berries
AM Snack: Greek Yogurt with Strawberries
Lunch: Whole Wheat Pasta, Marinara (homemade), Ground Turkey, Parm Cheese
PM Snack: Celery with Peanut Butter
Dinner: Hungry Chick Chicken Soup and Kale Salad (SOOO Awesome - from Costco and even Ben loved it)
Dessert: Strawberries

Day 3:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk and frozen berries
AM Snack: Greek Yogurt with Strawberries
Lunch: Hungry Chick Chicken Soup and Kale Salad
PM Snack: Corn Tortilla with Cheddar (melted in toaster oven - yay for work kitchen!)
Dinner: Roast, green beans, roasted sweet potatoes with rosemary and EVOO
Dessert: Strawberries

Day 4:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk and frozen berries
AM Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Eggs, Asparagus and one whole wheat English Muffin
PM Snack: Corn Tortilla with Cheddar. Carrots
Dinner: Fajitas in lettuce, refried beans, avocado
Dessert: Strawberries

Day 5:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk and frozen berries
AM Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Eggs, Asparagus and one whole wheat English Muffin
PM Snack: Corn Tortilla with Cheddar. Carrots
Dinner: Fajitas in lettuce, refried beans, avocado
Dessert: Strawberries

Day 5:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk, frozen berries, and peanut butter
Lunch: Salad with chicken and Oil and Vinegar
PM Snack: Corn Tortilla with Cheddar. Berries
Dinner: Salmon, Asparagus, Brown Rice
Dessert: Strawberries

Day 6:
Breakfast: Shakeology with almond milk, frozen berries, and peanut butter
Lunch: Burrito Bowl from Chipotle: Brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, chicken, pico, lettuce, guacamole
PM Snack: Carrots
Dinner: Fajitas in lettuce and Avocado
Dessert: Strawberries

I will continue to post my meals and I am excited to see my results after 21 days!

Whole 30? What Whole 30? Time for 21 Day Fix Extreme

Ok, so here is the backstory. Although I did get a lot out of the Whole 30 last year, I was not happy with the experience over all. I felt it was hard to maintain in the long run took so much motivation to commit to. For the last 8 months or so I have been doing some of the Beachbody workouts. I have a friend who is a Beachbody coach and would talk about how great the workouts are and she was getting super fit! So, although it wasn't a meal plan, I started doing the Beachbody T25 Series with her. The workouts were incredible! It is 25 minutes each day and the workout varies each day. So, especially when I started work, this seemed like an amazing place to start.

Fast forward a few months and I realized that each morning my before work breakfast was getting too time consuming, and my friend Amanda (the Beachbody coach) was raving about Shakeology and how easy it was to fit into her morning. So, I decided to try it, and I LOVE it! I make a shake every morning and drink it after I drop the kids at school. I get the variety pack of Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla, but each day I add pretty much the same thing: a cup of berries and 1/2 cup of Almond milk (sometimes a banana or a teaspoon of peanut butter). The shakes themselves only have 130 calories, so I was LOVING IT!

Turns out, my first Shakeology order also came with the 21 Day Fix. It was a meal plan WITH new workouts. I decided to supplement my T25 workouts with some 21 Day Fix, and I really enjoyed Autumn. By December I was solely doing 21 Day Fix workouts because I really liked the way that Autumn structured them.

In February Beachbody launched the 21 Day Fix Extreme, and I decided it was finally time to add the meal plan to my workouts. I bought the pack and it arrived about a week and a half before our almost 2 week trip to Oregon, so I started with just the workouts. They were great! I really felt they built on what I had accomplished in the 21 Day Fix.

On March 2nd I decided to jump into the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan. Amanda added me to her Challenge Group on Facebook, and what I love is that everyone is SO encouraging! Even if someone has a bad day and slips up, everyone helps them along and just encourages them to do better the next day - this is what I was missing on the Whole 30! On the W30 we are taught that a slip is a tragedy and you have to start all over, the 21 Day Fix is about a lifestyle and establishing good eating habits and portion control.

So, I have decided to track my journey here a bit and see how I am feeling after the 21 Days...
21 Day Fix Extreme Meal Plan
21 Day Fix Extreme Program Guide

Whole 30 Wrap-Up Plus 2 Weeks

I kept meaning to write up my final feelings about the Whole30, but then I really felt like it didn't really end. And I didn't want to write a "The End" blog because that meant that I could go back to eating like crap and feeling yucky. So, I just put it off. So funny how in the beginning you hate the Whole 30 and can't imagine how you will make it through 30 days. And then by the end you know you don't really want to go back to eating the way you did before. I hadn't really realized how much crap I was eating. The funny thing was that my crap intake was not really at meals, it was the snacking! Chips or pretzels, some cheese, some of the kid's snacks. And the bread - lots and lots of bread. Now that the Whole 30 is over I really look at all those foods differently. I don't stay away from them all together, but I think of them as treats - special foods, not everyday snacks. 

By the end of my Whole 30 I was sleeping better, my clothes were fitting better, and I was feeling good. I did notice some definite changes in my digestion and that was great because I have had some stomach issues in the past. I also did have quite a bit more energy. In the beginning of the program I felt like I was eating often to keep up my energy, but by the end I was eating a lot less often and maintaining the same energy levels. Amazing what eating "real" food will do to you. I did take some before and after photos, but those will not be posted on the internet for obvious reasons! But I definitely noticed a difference overall. So, for those reasons it was definitely worth it. 

What did the Whole 30 really teach me? I can eat like that at least 80% of the time. I can eat Paleo Monday-Friday and then eat "modified Paleo" on the weekends. This allows me to not stress or miss out on going out with the family and feeling like I can eat at whatever restaurant we go to. For me, that was one of the most difficult parts of the month. I have always planned our weekly menus so I only have to grocery shop once a week, so that change wasn't that much different, but now I have a whole wealth of new favorite meals to make. And I am having fun finding ways to adapt some of my pre-Whole 30 recipes to make them paleo - who knew that spaghetti over zoodles would be something I would actually enjoy?!? So, moving forward that is my plan - staying to the program as much as possible during the week, but accepting that I want to enjoy my time with friends and family on the weekend. 

Luckily the re-integration period was not too difficult for me. We celebrated my first official day off the Whole 30 with an amazingly indulgent meal out at Morton's Steakhouse. I had bread, dairy, and sugar all at the meal, but didn't suffer any really side effects. But, in the weeks since I have noticed how some foods definitely change my system. Bread will definitely be a treat from now on and not a daily food. Also, I think limiting my cheese moving forward would be a good idea. I just don't think that it is worth it most of the time. And everyone knows we should limit sugar, but I am going to be less strict about the "sauces" that contain sugar that I use in cooking. The homemade Worcestershire sauce was good, but a little too much work, so I will probably switch back to regular now. 

So, Whole 30 plus two weeks has been a great learning experience. I have really changed how I eat and I think I can plan on continuing this journey. I don't know that I will want to do another Whole 30, but who knows? Maybe someday I will feel the need for another detox. For now I will be happy with my accomplishments and my ability to be more mindful about the foods I eat. 

Days 18 - 21: Feeling Some Magic

Due to Snowmagedon our house experienced the longest weekend ever! This was a big struggle for me because during the week I am able to manage my meals much better. During the weekend the schedule is always a little hectic, plus if we don't have an "activity" planned it is so tempting to chill on the couch with some wine! Here Monday was a holiday for MLK and then the snow began on Tuesday morning. School and work was canceled on Tuesday and Ben had a delayed start on Wednesday. It was so hard to stay in our routine! 

Monday I took the kids downtown to the Smithsonian's Postal Service Museum. It was very fun and they had a great time. We had lunch at the food court at Union Station after the museum. Luckily, I had planned ahead and had my own lunch with us. So, the kids ate at the food court and I had a Larabar, some carrots, and some freeze dried fruit. It was more of a "snack" so I ate some more veggies and protein when we got home. It was nice to feel in control of my food even though we were out. Being out and about did just remind me again how bad the "quick" food choices are when you are out and about. 

I am finally starting to feel some "magic". I don't know if I would call it Tiger Blood, but I definitely have more energy throughout the day. I also have noticed more that my stomach and sides are slimming down. I made it through another Jillian Michaels workout on day 21 and it was much easier than the first time. It was great to feel like I was making some progress and hopefully my body is starting to really adjust to my new fuel source.

Cravings are still a weird thing for me. They come at times when I actually see the food - and that triggers the craving. Like the kids eating french fries, or wanting to eat the crust on Parker's PB&J. Otherwise I really don't think about the foods I am not eating. I also find it funny that I had been so excited that I will be done with the Whole 30 by the Super Bowl, but now I am finding myself instead thinking of compliant Super Bowl food. I even had a dream last night about bacon wrapped little smokies! Ha ha! I am sure little smokies are not "Whole 30" but they are definitely more compliant than Chips and Queso!

On to food:
Day 18: 
Breakfast: Egg scramble

Lunch: Salad with chicken

Dinner: Ben smoked some delicious chicken thighs and we had them with some salad. Nice to have a hubby who loves to cook meat!

Day 19:
Breakfast: Egg muffins

Lunch: Larabar, carrots, dried fruit, salad (spread out over about 2 1/2 hours)

Dinner: Roast Turkey Breast, green beans, mashed sweet potato. The turkey breast was delicious. I brined it for about an hour before putting it in the oven. I sauted the green beans in a little bit of bacon grease and they were yummy too. No one was very crazy about the mashed sweet potatoes. The flavor just wasn't quite right for the meal. I think they would be OK with a different meal, but when you are looking for the turkey-and-mashed-potato flavor, sweet potatoes don't really cut it. But the turkey was very good and had some leftover for lunches.

Day 20:
Breakfast: Eggs with veggies and sweet potatoes

Lunch: BLTA on a plate. Turkey from last night, lettuce, bacon, and avocado. It was very good, and satisfying. Also had some baby carrots.

Dinner: Balsamic Chicken in the Crockpot. This is one of my all-time favorite crockpot recipes and the great news is it was already compliant! Here is the recipe: Crock-Pot Balsamic Chicken I never had put sugar in the crock-pot for this, so it wasn't a stretch to leave it out. And the flavor is great. I made some noodles for the kids and Ben, but I really didn't miss them. We also had a salad with our chicken. So happy this is a paleo meal!

Day 21:
Breakfast (late): Eggs with veggies and sweet potatoes

Lunch: No real meal due to the really late breakfast. But I snacked on a banana, some carrots, and some macadamia nuts late in the afternoon.

Dinner: So, apparently Flank Steak is a go-to paleo cut of meat. I had purchased a few at our commissary last week and decided to try a new recipe from pinterest. Let me tell you there is a reason they call this Favorite Plank Steak: Paleo-style. This recipe was nothing short of AMAZING! It was beyond delicious. I did make the paleo Worcestershire sauce for the marinade - and it was very quick and easy. I marinaded the meat for about 3 hours before putting it on the grill. I grilled it on each side for about 5 1/2 minutes. Did I say amazing? Everyone loved it. I made some Rice Pilaf for Ben and the kids and Sizzled Green Beans with Crispy Prosciutto for vegetable. The green beans were also delicious. The recipe calls for pine nuts, but I am not crazy about nuts in my vegetables, so I left those out. The flavor was really good and the lemon zest added a great dimension to the green beans.  Definitely a dinner Win!

Day Twenty!

Day 20...a "reflective" day on the calendar. A day I really, reeeeaaallly toyed with the idea of requesting a hall pass and diving into a glass of wine. But...I didn't. "Do you really want to throw away days (20 of them!) for a moment (or in my case a few hours) of emotion?" I could imagine myself calling my teammates and letting them know I was diving in. But again, sheer determination (and fear of my daughter's wrath) kept me on the outside of the wine bottle.


Ok..


BS 136
Breakfast: 2 breakfast muffins topped with salsa and diced avocado. Fresh pineapple. Coffee w/almond milk.
Lunch: Leftover pork stew. Green salad with MPV.
Dinner: Leftover stuffed chicken rolls. Baked sweet potato French fries. Roasted asparagus.




Preparation of sweet potato fries: peel and cut into "French fries" (note, try and get these as uniform as possible and error on the side of the size of "fast fries" not "steak fries."). Put in a colander and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Let set for about 20 minutes (don't skimp on the time, sometimes less is more, in this case more is better!). Rinse thoroughly, lay out on a fresh towel and roll, and squeeze dry. Lay out on a parchment lined baking sheet (the parchment helps them get crispier). Drizzle with melted coconut oil (this time, I opted for garlic infused olive oil). Season with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, chili powder or any combination of these; I just went with salt and pepper. Toss. Spread out. Single layer. NO TOUCHING! Place in the top 1/3 of a 425 degree preheated oven. Bake for about 15 minutes. Stir/flip. Rotate pan. Return to oven to desired brown-ness. Mine took about 30 minutes total. Yum!


For the asparagus, I also drizzled (lightly, ever so lightly...about 1 Tbsp. for 8 spears of asparagus) some garlic olive oil over these and sprinkled sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Pop into the 425 oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with fresh squeezed lemon juice. This really does make a difference and you'll never miss the fresh grated parmesan.


It was a good Paleo day. Great, in fact, considering my fragile emotional state. Yay, me!

Countin' Down...Day 19!

...Day 19 and all is well! I'm feeling so much better than I did at the beginning of this "Experience." Noted differences:

• Noticeable Reduction in rosacea
• Fitting into my previously, "yeah, I can get them on and barely zip them, but man, am I uncomfortable" jeans
• Occasional heartburn is now non-existent
• Cravings have diminished dramatically; grains and sugar especially...wine, still a yearning, but that is more behavioral than  physiological
• Increased energy, especially in the evening
• Sleep, while still challenging trying to fall asleep in a timely manner, once I do, is sound and deep
• Consistent improvement in blood sugar readings; 30-40 points below what they were before TW30 (this is HUGE for me!)

 BS: 126

 

Breakfast: 2 breakfast muffins, fruit salad, coffee w/almond milk
Lunch: leftover flank steak over "loaded" green salad with MPV
Dinner: Nom Nom Paleo Pork Stew - This was a new recipe for us and even my loveable however pretty "selective" eater husband liked it! I used Herbs d'Provence and, while I thought I might have been a bit heavy handed with the seasoning, he loved it. So, maybe I won't pull back next time as I thought I might. I omitted the fish sauce; I've looked for it here locally and the only fish sauce I can find at F4L or TJ's has sugar in it. I also threw in some sliced fennel bulb because I had it on hand from a mahi mahi dish I made last week. I've really surprised myself with how much I like fennel; when it is prepared properly, it really adds a nice flavor. However, I don't think I'll ever find myself loving raw fennel in salads. The one addition I will make next time is to add quartered mushrooms. This is definitely a one-dish dinner and super, duper easy; especially when you have some "Mandy's Marinara" on hand in the freezer. It literally took me less than ten minutes to throw this whole dinner in the crock pot. For the pork, I used what I had on hand, which happened to be some really thick pork loin chops. I used two for the two of us and I cubed them. We have enough leftovers for two lunch meals.

 

A very successful Paleo/TW30 day!