A little back story on why I chose to start the 21 Day Fix:
I have watched Autumn's infomercial for a little over a year now, and every-time I saw her pop up on my TV - for some reason, I just couldn't make myself change the channel. Mesmerized by her abs and liveliness. I wanted that.
Fitness and Nutrition is something that I am very passionate about, and for some odd reason, 21 Day Fix seemed like a fun way to track my food intake MORE accurately.
For the past few years, I've literally tried everything to shed these last few pounds of weight that haven't left my sides (literally) since my senior year of high school. Frustrated and worn down I wanted something new to try and I'm hoping it works.
My life has been full of counting calories, weighing food, counting macros, and everything else in between. I work out constantly and obsessively and still see little results -- which is why I started to realize that my nutrition must be the one that's off.
I was eating extremely healthy -- but technically, eating too many calories, even if it's 2000 calories of apples -- will still make it hard for your workouts to counteract those extra calories.
Which is why 21 Day Fix will be a fun challenge to help me watch my food intake and get shredded while I'm at it :)
I just love this quote, "Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes." It's SO incredibly true.
I started the 21 Day Fix a week ago, and although I have only lost a mere 1/2 pound, I can truly say it has changed my entire mindset when it comes to HOW much I've been eating, and HOW much I was eating things out of balance (too much fat/carbs & not enough protein).
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Here are the containers you get -- One Green (veggies), One Purple (Fruits), One Red (Protein), One Yellow (Carbohydrates), One Blue (Healthy Fats/Nuts), Two Orange (Dressings/Seeds)
photo via: eatingbirdfood.com
The best way to be successful while using this program is to meal prep. Let me break down what a week's worth of meal prep looks like for me.
I do this on Sundays, and although it takes a big chunk out of my day, it's better than stuffing my face when I don't feel like cooking.
On that note, let's get started!
Breakfast
One Purple -- One Yellow -- One Red
For breakfast I have one yellow container of rolled oats, one purple container filled with a banana, and one red container filled with greek yogurt -- then I top it all with cinnamon and a little stevia. Perfect! Now I'm fueled up and ready to take on my day.
Snacks
I really enjoy eating a little blue container of nuts/seed mix while I'm at work. I buy this trail mix in bulk to save money and the hassle of mixing your own nuts and raisins and seeds together is well worth it.
I also like to pack one purple container of berries to take with me - I pre-portion them out into little snack bags so they are easy to grab and go.
Sweet potatoes are my jam! Slice and dice them how ever your little heart desires.. and then..
Season them generously with cinnamon... and I mean generously.. my mouth is watering just thinking about the smell of warm sweet potatoes and cinnamon roasting in the oven.
How good do these look? I told you I'm not crazy.. well maybe just a little bit, but they're so good you'll thank me later. Promise.
Remember when you were a little kid, on your way home from school, and you'd think about eating a jar of peanut butter and some oreos? No? You're joking right... maybe that WAS just me but - regardless - 2 tsps of Peanut Butter and 1.5 Scoops of protein powder shaken up with unsweetened coconut milk (or water and ice) make a pretty close second.. or third.. okay maybe forth. But you still get some peanut butter. So I wouldn't be complaining.
Lunch
Lunch is an easy concoction of one green container kale/spinach mix, and one green container romaine lettuce.. yep, that's two greens. One container of dressing of your choosing (orange container) -- Mine happens to be this one. YUM -- Panera Bread Dressing: 30 Calories per serving. Not too bad ingredient-wise either.
Now it's time to prepare that chicken..
I buy the frozen Chicken Tenders from good 'ol Trader Joe's -- Then I set them on a baking sheet covered with foil, and season them generously. It's my favorite thing to do. SEASON ALL THE THINGS.
Spice up your life! and your chicken. I especially love Mrs. Dash seasoning because it has no salt. Woohoo!
Next up -- You're going to cover said-chicken with low sodium vegetable broth. Not about that salt-life. Bloating is nobodies friend. Nope.
Pour a little veggie broth over the chicken and pop it in the oven.
Bake chicken at 350° F and then, once it's finished cooling down a little, cut it into little chunks and portion it out into your handy-dandy snack bags. Then pop them in the fridge.. because salmonella is also not your friend.
Dinner
Are you ready for this one? It's the fanciest meal out of all of these. Don't believe me? Look.
BAM!
I portioned out some chicken for dinner (one red) and then I measure out one serving of veggies after I've steamed these puppies in the micro for about 6 mins. #wifeme. For the leftover veggies, I save the next few servings for the rest of the week. Fresher is always better when it comes to veggies, so I wait to cook this until I need to.
Grand total = 3 Greens, 2 Purple, 4 Reds, 2 Yellow, 1 Blue, 1 Orange, & 2 tsps.
Everyone's amounts may be a little bit different depending on what calorie bracket you are in, and what your goals are.
Hopefully that helps a little bit!
Leave your comments and questions below & follow along as I continue with this program.
xoxo
P.
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