So, in a normal week, I'd only post once! But! I felt so strongly about the support system thing, I HAD to post it and then I was like, "Wait a minute Alyssa! You and Jared are starting the 21 day fix on Monday so you have to post about that too!"
And yes...I'm starting the 21 day fix tomorrow, and yes, Jared is doing it with me, and yes, I couldn't be happier to have a clean eating and workout buddy who I just so happen to be married too.
I'm sure there are multiple questions filling your head - What exactly is the 21 day fix? It sounds terrible, but it's only 21 days, etc. :)
Well, that's why I'm blogging! This blog is going to be about what the 21 day fix is, how you can use it in YOUR life, and how to prep and begin for it. I think I refused to do this program because I didn't think I could give the time commitment to the preparation and the organization of the food - but alas, I once again have been proven wrong and now it's time to explain it all.
1) WHAT is the 21 day fix:
So, you can read the professional description here:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/workout-routines/21-day-fix-workout
but, my description: It's a workout and portion control program. You get different colored and sized containers (each container is basically a food group), after doing some math you figure out your caloric needs which tells you how many of each container you should have a day. From there, you read the foods you can eat and make a meal plan! If you eat all the containers you need a day, you'll be full - this isn't a "hungry" situation. It also comes with a workout plan that's about a half an hour a day. Do this for 21 days :)
2) HOW it works: basically it's teaching us portion control. As Americans we tend to eat until we are full and we eat three really really big meals. With the 21 day fix, I'm eating six small meals a day! They say (and by that I mean the professional creators of this program) that eventually our bodies will get used to the normal sized and smaller portions we are supposed to eat! Eventually we will only be able to eat so much, eventually our bodies will get rid of these silly "super sized" tendencies! Plus, we are getting a good workout in - so you are sure to lose weight!
3) WHY it works: it becomes a lifestyle - you can apply it to ANYTHING. Birthday party? Portion out your foods. School day? Plan your snacks accordingly for in between classes.
4) HOW to set it up and organize it!
---now this is where I come in! I've spent a lot of time pinteresting, researching, and trying to find the BEST POSSIBLE way to plan for a busy schedule (and I don't even have kids, so I can only imagine!) I combined a bunch of different methods and made them my own. I definitely spent about half a day on my planning and just trying to figure out HOW to make it work. And in the beginning, it's going to take you that long too - just because it's a new thing and you are completely altering your lifestyle and your eating habits. However, now that I have my plan, I'm set for each week and it's easy to write my grocery list, get the food, and be done!
So...here's where I started.
FIRST: I recommend having a way that's easy to document your progress. This will keep you going and help you survive.
I made this :)
As you can see this is how Jared and I will document our weight and our inches lost. We will use pictures for all the rest. Later on, after making this, I used the bottom to figure out all of the math. Jared and I are obviously different sizes meaning we will have different caloric needs. This means our containers and amount of them we get differs as well - but I managed to make it work.
NEXT: Do the math - figure out the number of colored containers you'll each need. Jared isn't a super huge veggie and fruit eater, so I made a list off of the book of the stuff he actually liked.
I knew how much he needed of each colored container and I divided that up throughout the day, making sure it made sense with the meals. For example, he needed 6 green containers (green = vegetables) and with three main meals and three snacks I was going to give him one green container at each meal. But he didn't like the idea of having vegetables at breakfast. So instead, we doubled up his vegetables at lunch when he eats his tortilla sandwich!
I made a chart like this!
I color coated each food group to have to deal with the containers, so that way I knew we were covered! Finally...
THIRD: I knew he and I weren't home together during the day, so I leave a little note card each day with what he can eat and by color coding it, then he knows what container to measure it with! The creator recommends measuring with the containers, but then putting everything on a plate instead of eating from the containers. In this way, our body begins to recognize how full our plate should actually be.
Finally, I went grocery shopping and this is where I WAS FLOORED. I normally dread buying fresh fruits and veggies - it's costly. But since I had a plan, went in with my list, and bought only things on that list, I came out spending $50 less than I normally do and I'm feeding me AND MY HUSBAND 6 meals a day for the next 7 days...
NOW THAT IS INSANITY.
my cart was only half full!
SO. WE ARE READY! You are probably looking at my calendar of food and thinking, "That is a ton of food!" and it really is! The creator of the program says we probably won't be hungry enough to finish everything. It looks like alot because when we nourish our bodies with processed foods we don't need as much, but since it's almost 100% organic then we need to eat way more!
I'm excited for this week and for our results. I'm even more excited because Jared is doing it with me!!
Next week's blog will be about our first week's results and our plan for the upcoming week!
In other news...I've set up my Coaching office and I'm ready to kick some butt for the year!
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