21 DF EXTREME Results..but seriously...EXTREME

Guys. Guys. Guys.

Seriously, so happy with my final results from the 21 day fix extreme! They could've been better and way more amazing if I followed the nutritional portion of the program way better than what I did, but honestly...I'm just so happy.

I can see a curve in my waist again.

Everything is so much tighter.

I'm happier.

There are no scales at camp so I can't weigh in, as much as I want too..I'm so glad that I can't. It's not about a number, it's about how I feel, how my clothes feel, and what a difference you can see!

Here are my before pics and after pics... and some other amazing pics!

The 21 Day Fix EXTREME Week 2 Results

Days #8 through #14

My nutrition was SO MUCH better at this point! Was it perfect? Heck no. But it was way better!! I'm hoping to buckle down even MORE on the last 7 days. It's so hard to get back on this lifestyle when I took a short hiatus..and now I'm paying for it. I plan on doing this program MULTIPLE TIMES! This week was much easier than the last in SO MANY WAYS. My eating was better, working out became easier (and a necessity as a stress reliever and a calmer). My nutrition definitely wasn't what it should be, it needs to be exact for this program to truly work it's magic and the scale is showing that. However, I'm seeing crazy awesome differences in my body and that's good too! I plan on restarting this again once it's over and trying to complete it successfully while I'm at summer camp. This just really proves that food and the kitchen ARE 80% of health and fitness, losing weight, and maintaining weight. I can workout all day long and not see results because of the foods I'm eating. This week, I'm hoping to really focus in on my eating habits. It's been hard - between the grad parties and picnics, the busy schedule, etc. I feel ya! But I'm making excuses and that's not okay. I shouldn't be, this isn't hard to do - it's easily doable on a busy schedule and I just am focused on satisfying my taste buds for 5 minutes before thinking of my lasting and permanent results. 


Here are my results from Week 2:
Inches lost: 2.5 inches lost!I lost a whole inch on my waist!
Pounds lost: 1.2 pounds 
Photos: 
I was really disappointed when I saw these photos. I'll be honest, the only place I see is a difference is in my arms (which I don't really care about right now) and in the top of my waist. But these pictures don't do it justice..But take a look at the pics below! 

Here are my total results from the beginning to Day 14:
TOTAL Inches lost: 5.75 INCHES TOTAL! 
TOTAL Pounds lost: 2.8 total...because of my nutrition....:(
Photos: THESE PHOTOS MADE ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER! YOU CAN SEE THE HUGE DIFFERENCE! My favorite is the second forward facing photo. It's legit...and you can see it. 

What I do.

I wanted to do a pretty in depth blog post about what I do as a coach...and how it literally gets done. And how I've been able to make a small side income and take care of my health and wellness - while working a full time job, being a wife, and doing 8,000 other things because I just can't say no. :)

I feel like the judgement of others tends to get clouded and for this reason most people just think I post sweaty selfies and try to sell products all the time. NEGATIVE.

I workout FOR ME. And I post a sweaty selfie because that's my accountability to the people I'm helping.

I run challenge groups on Facebook - to help other women maintain motivation and encouragement while they are working out. Most of the time, I'm not making any money at all because people borrow programs from friends or already have a program, so essentially I'm a free coach probably 80% of the time.

So this is a run down of my day as a coach, you'll end up seeing it's so much more about my journey than it is about making money. I just so happen to have the chance to work with wonderful women and make a little money on the side at the same time!

My DAY:

5:30 AM - wake up, put in a load of laundry, take the dog and cat outside, unload the dishwasher, and clean up the kitchen, make Jared a coffee

Workout! (never more than 30 minutes!)

Post a sweaty selfie, check in to all challenge groups and post a sweaty selfie there too!

6:45 - 7:00 AM Shower

7:00-7:30 AM Get ready and drink Shakeology
(and then go to school! But since it's now summer...clean the house, go get groceries, run errands, etc..)

7:30 AM -3:30 PM Live life - whether I'm in school or I'm at home during the summer, I'm normal. I spend time making meals, hanging with friends, going shopping, watching TV. Summer is pretty busy so I'll be mapping out a large calendar plan and trying to get organized today.

3:30-4:30 PM Write a blog post, check in with a few interested people, answer messages and emails, post a status

4:30-6:00 PM - Dinner and time with the Family!

6:00-7:00 PM - Clean up dinner and red up the house from the day!

7:00- 9:30 PM - Watch TV and multitask while responding to questions. Hootsuite more challenge groups for the following month! (Hootsuite is a social media site where I can schedule my posts to happen in specific facebook groups - a huge time saver when done ahead of time!)

9:30-10:15 PM - Read a great, new, amazing and fulfilling book before hitting the hay.

Then, the alarm goes off and I'm back at it all over again! This isn't about the money for me. This is about bettering myself - this is about trusting my journey! This is about knowing I have something that can help so many people that I HAVE to spread the word about it. That being said, don't EVER be afraid to message me, to ask me a question, to look for recipes. I'll coach you no matter if you buy a product or not. It's what I do. :)

The 21 day Fix EXTREME Week 1 Results

Day #1
Today was fine until after lunch. I thought I was going to freak out if I didn't have a piece of chocolate and if I have to eat fish one more time, I might throw up. But seriously, I ate fish and I downed my broccoli and now I'm sitting here, sleepy, exhausted, and refreshed from my workout. WHOWEE, that's a toughy. I can tell this program is going to kick my bootayyyy...and I'm more than ready for the results! Basically, I'm pretty much just gassy. But I'm down two pounds from this morning! (I know...why are you weighing yourself Alyssa?! - but I was curious) Here's Day 1's video blog...I think I'm too funny.

Day #2 & Day #3 & Day #4
These few days were really weird. My tummy was super rumbly and Jared always thought I was farting but in reality my tummy was just upset. I'm sleeping SO WELL. The best sleep I've had in a long, long, long, time. They say this comes from feeding your body the correct nutrients. Hah! who knew?! I also have been tired, but I have a crazy energy to keep going..weird. These days always tend to be the make or break days. I'm feeling torn between wanting to continue and wanting to stop this whole bologna and eat whatever I want. but I have goals! I allowed myself a few cheats (it's Memorial Day people!!!) but I made sure to stick to the 80/20 rule. I'm down 3.8 pounds as of today - and the progress encourages me to go further. THE WORKOUTS ARE SO HARD! AHH. Hoping to really get into the flow of them as the weeks progress. And I'm hoping to see more and more progress. 

Day #5 & Day #6 & Day #7
Let's be real. Totally didn't stick to the meal plan...at all. Another reminder that I'm human. and that sometimes we slip up.. The biggest and most bestest thing about this situation? I'm ready to jump back on the clean eating bandwagon tomorrow. Like legit. and seriously. Because I know these last 14 days are going to fly by, and I WANT RESULTS. The workouts aren't necessarily getting harder - but, I LOVE that I'm sweating more. I feel I can complete MORE of the workout without stumbling around. The first few workouts were kinda complicated! I know next week will be different though, since it won't be the first time around. 

ALOT of people are wondering what my meal plan looks like!

If you are following the VERY STRICT Countdown to Competition plan (a supplement of the 21 day fix extreme...my meal plan is found here at the, Countdown to Competition Meal Plan.

Here are my results from Week 1:
Inches lost: 3.25 inches ALL AROUND! (This speaks volumes..take a look at my pics!)
Pounds lost: 1.6 pounds (this would've been WAY more if I had stuck to my meal plan. I'm coming for ya week 2!)
Photos:

Countdown to Competition Meal Plan

Hi PEOPLE!
Just wanted to write a small post about my Countdown to Competition meal plan. You can definitely switch this up and change it around - as long as you are using the correct containers for the 21 DF and 21 DFX. No big deal...however, I'm a cheapo and it's easier to buy in bulk than it is to switch it up EVERY SINGLE DAY.
So here is a sneak peek at my eating plan. I just follow this for three days and then repeat.

Day 1:
Breakfast: Shakeology
Snack #1: Fish/Yams
Snack #2: Fish/Broccoli
Lunch: Fish/Broccoli
Snack #3: Fish/Asparagus
Snack #4: Fish/Asparagus
Supper: Fish/Broccoli
Snack #5: Fish/Asparagus

Day 2:
Breakfast: Shakeology
Snack #1: Fish/Yams
Snack #2: Fish/Broccoli
Lunch: Fish/Broccoli
Snack #3: Fish/Asparagus
Snack #4: Fish/Asparagus
Supper: Fish/Broccoli
Snack #5: Fish/Asparagus

Day 3:
Breakfast: Shakeology
Snack #1: Fruit
Snack #2: Veggie
Lunch: Wrap (lunchmeat, 1/2 cheese, lettuce, tortilla)/fruit
Snack #3: Baked Cinnamon Tortilla
Snack #4: Veggie
Supper: Approved recipe (check out my pinterest for the 21 day Fix extreme!)
Snack #5: Fruit

Focus T-25

I have too, I just have too...

*Disclaimer: This isn't a sale post...this isn't a "reason you need to buy this post", this is about YOU understanding how important YOU are!

Maybe it's my love-hate relationship (pretty much adoration) with Shaun T.

Maybe it's the fact that it's only 25 minutes a day.

Maybe it's because I had amazing results and it was so worth and I'm going to go crazy if someone doesn't try it.


I love FOCUS T-25! Seriously. My all-time favorite program. Up next on my list? Insanity Max:30 - also by Shaun T. AND a new program coming out this summer called, CIZE. and it's dancing. that's exercise. I can't wait!

However, I really wanted to write a blog post about Focus T-25 because it changed my life.

So, in June of 2014 (has it really been almost a year already??), my friend (and now coach) Jess posted about doing T-25 and I commented on it and I was like, sure, I'll do it!

In the end, I realized that T-25 is the most expensive program that we sell at Beachbody. It's pricey...there are like 10 DVDs, resistance bands, etc. the whole 9 yards! However, the wedding-planning, just graduated from college me (and my fiance at the time, Jared) did not have the extra $180 to spend on this program. Except..I made it work. and I bought it. Without Jared knowing.

When it came in the mail, Jared saw me opening the box and got really upset with me. It was such an awkward part of our relationship where we were just learning how to combine our finances, how to save together, how to spend together, and most importantly how to budget. Eventually, he got over it and he said something I will never forget..."I can't be mad at you for wanting to be healthier."

Little did I know how my life would change!

T-25 is only 25 minutes a day and I started right off the bat working out each morning. I became such a morning person getting up at 5:30 am, getting my workout in, and going on with the rest of my day. BOY, was I the sorest girl in the world! This was the most consistent I had ever been with a program in my entire life. I completed the entire thing, 10 weeks! And I felt amazing!! I lost 12 inches all over my body and you could see it in the way I stood and the way my body looked. This program is definitely worth the cost, it's my alltime favorite program, and it will bring you results. I even started a second round of it that same summer.

So, Alyssa...really, what's the point of this blog other than to tell us about a program that you sell?

As embarassing as this is.....Please take a look at my results...CRAZY.

(**this was last summer.)

Well, let me tell you. ITS WORTH IT (it being...the cost, the time, the energy) TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Seriously! Start saving your money, start pocketing it away, decide.

My coach posted something the other day: "Stop waiting for the right time, the right time is now."

Amen. Take that leap! It's time to take time to get healthier for you. You can be a more patient Mama, a happier coworker, a more understanding spouse. Taking a little time for you isn't selfish - in fact, it's the least selfish thing ever, because it truly makes you a better person for others!

The 21 Day Fix: Round 2: Week 2 Results

Okay, real talk: My birthday made me go crazy and insane and my nutrition has been off for Friday and Saturday. I brought it back on track on Sunday and I feel better and have lost the weight I gained over my birthday celebration times, but it definitely messed up my results from the 21 day fix, week 2.

I want to be real with you guys, I want to be honest with ya'll. Because I am human, we do "mess up" and we do have cheat days and celebrations! Which means that this weeks results aren't what I wanted them to be because I took two days to celebrate and eat whatever I wanted.

However - I am back on track and excited to continue to lose weight! Despite what the scale is saying - I'm not gaining, but I'm not losing a lot either - my clothes are freaking huge! And loose! and kinda baggy! and it's evident that I'm losing weight - even when the scale doesn't move.

I was cleaning out my closet earlier this weekend and I found 3 pairs of shorts with tags on. Long story short, I bought these shorts last summer without trying them on, I got them a size bigger than I normally wore (last summer), and I just bought them and left. When I got home, I couldn't even get them above my thighs...it was devastating. These were bigger than normal (this just shows you how much weight I had gained and how bloated I was!)

Anyway, fast forward to my closet clean-out a few days ago. I pulled them on, they went over my butt, and fit around my waist. But I can't button them. I've still got some more to lose to get those suckers buttoned, but gosh darn it, I'm seeing progress and that keeps me pushing forward! Rather than put those shorts in my donation clothing pile, I folded them back up and put them in my closet, knowing they will be right there for me when I reach my goal. I AM SO EXCITED for this coming week, for the future ahead, and the extra time I'll have this summer to buckle down and whip myself into shape.

I can't wait for sunny days filled with clean eating ideas, meal prepping, grocery shopping, exercise, being outside with Daisy, and simply taking care of me! Right now, things are crazy - aren't they always? But I'm still making time for exercise!

Some people think it's selfish to take time to better yourself out of the day. But if you can't be the best version of yourself, how are you able to help anyone else?? (thoughts to think about :) )

The 3 Day Refresh

I decided to complete the three day refresh during Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. I just needed a kickstart (even though I'm in the midst of the 21 day fix again) after Easter in order to fully cleanse myself out! PLUS. I have a super huge goal of losing 10 MORE pounds by my birthday, which is Friday, April 10...I'm almost there!!

I did a breakdown of each day, what I had as part of the cleanse, and how I was feeling. This is definitely new for me. Something else to consider is this...this is the second time I've attempted the cleanse! The first time, I gave up at the end of Day 2 because I was so cranky and irritable. I'm hoping that now, since I've been clean eating for awhile, my body will be able to handle this cleanse ALOT easier.

What's the 3 day Refresh, you ask??
The 3 day refresh description, taken directly from my beachbody website : "If you're looking for a way to lose weight, feel lighter and more energized, and jump-start a new healthy-eating lifestyle, then the 3-Day Refresh is for you. This 3-day program of specially formulated shakes, easy-to-prepare clean meals, and healthy snacks has been scientifically designed to help you break the cycle of bad eating habits, lose weight, detoxify your body, and dramatically improve the way you feel—without starving."

What do you get with it?

There are two kits you can get. The complete kit - which comes with Shakeology packets for those customers that don't drink Shakeology daily. Orrrrrrr, you can purchase the kit without Shakeology for those of us that already have Shakeology on hand. Each kit comes with a fiber sweep shake, 2 vanilla fresh shakes, and a recipe guide for each day.

How much?
For the average customer, The 3 Day Refresh is $70. If you become a coach, simply for the discount, it's around $40! Totally worth it! I plan on doing one of these once a month. Even if I hate them. Because I'll clean out my system and lose 3 pounds :) In one year - I could lose 36 pounds!

Daily Eating Plan Schedule
Morning: 1 glass of water, Shakeology, Fruit
AM Snack: Herbal Tea
Mid-Morning: Fiber Sweep
Lunch: 1 veggie option, 1 fruit option, 1 healthy fat option
PM Snack: Herbal Tea, 1 veggie option, 1 healthy fat option
Supper: A supper meal from the recipe book
Nighttime Snack: Herbal Tea

(Because I am working out along with this cleanse (you are allowed to but it's supposed to be low impact since the diet isn't proteiny, I added a protein at night with my supper because my workouts are high impact. So I follow the entire cleanse during the day, and add a meat/carb. So for example, tonight I had spaghetti - with a recipe from the book.)

MONDAY/DAY #1:
Dear Diary, oh my dear lordy, I kinda want to die. I've been fine all morning, but this fiber sweep thing might make me gag. I'm not really good with chugging weird textured liquids that taste like orange medicine. ...okay, I'm being slightly dramatic. It's not that bad, but honestly this is probably the worst part of the day. I think this is what made me quit it the last time! But I'm pushing through. All day has been a breeze - it helps that I've been busy! I specifically picked to put this on week days because I'm busy throughout the week and I knew it'd help to keep my mind off of food and I wouldn't crave much of anything. I had Spaghetti at dinner (healthy!) as an added carb/protein simply because I am working out along with this cleanse! You technically aren't supposed too, but I'm making sure to add the right stuff in so I can still work along with my 21 day fix group. Right now, it's 7:30 pm and I'm getting ready to clean up the dishes, close the kitchen, and get my workout onnnnnn. Cause this girl has a goal to reach by Friday! HERE WE GO! As far as feelings go, I'm not hungry, I have no headaches, and I feel like I have energy. I can't fall asleep!! 
TUESDAY/DAY #2:
Dear Diary, I snuck a weigh in this morning. I'm down 2.2 pounds! WHOHOO. Even though it's not all about the number on the scale, it's good to know that I'm cleaning out my system. I hardly pooped at all yesterday...which is really weird for me. But that fiber sweep must do it's magic overnight because dear Lordy, this morning, I POOPED. Which probably contributes to my weightloss so far! haha! AND I woke up a half hour early this morning ready(ish) to start the day. I think I know why you aren't supposed to workout during the refresh (because you'll get tired faster with less calories in your diet) but I'm also glad I added in a carb/protein and plan on doing that tonight as well so I can keep up my workouts with my 21 day fix group. I still can't stand the Fiber Sweep...gah. It's the most dreaded part of my day. But I gulped that sucker down today because I know it'll go by fast! My stomach has been gurgly all day today though, and I have a weird taste in my mouth too. It's like metallicy. My stomach keeps making weird noises and I just keep pretending that I don't hear them ;) That's how it works, right? I've been so gassy and bloated - all day today. My tummy kinda aches and I just want to crawl into bed. But I'm not hungry...so maybe I just have to take a poop. Update: no poops...awkward diarrhea cloud poops. If you know what I mean. I feel bloated and sick in my stomach, but I worked out anyways! Hoping for good results tomorrow!
WEDNESDAY/DAY #3:
Dear Diary, I weighed myself again this morning - especially after I woke up not feeling bloated or sick in the stomach. I'm down another 1.3 pounds! Making the total so far 3.5 pounds and I'm not even done with Day 3 yet. This is definitely cleansing and refreshing! Even when I'm adding a protein at dinner time! I LOVE drinking my Shakeology and eating fresh strawberries every morning. I think I might keep up some of the habits of this cleanse! Peeing lots and lots has me cleaned out for the week. Today went SO MUCH BETTER than the past two days. It felt normal to just go through the routine - and it was honestly annoying to me because I knew it was the last day! hah! I'm looking forward to seeing my results tomorrow and hoping the scale really shows the changes (especially since I didn't take measurements!) My tummy wasn't grumbly or gassy at all and it felt great. I definitely took a HUGE poop (sorry, TMI) today, but I'd been waiting forever to take that poop and it was awesome.





RESULTS: I lost 3.8 pounds (and even more in inches...silly me didn't measure...but if this helps, even my underwear is baggy!)


REVIEW: I definitely want to do this every month from now on! I want to clean out my system and good news is - this cleanse can be shipped home direct every month without ever thinking about it! (Done AND Done!) I lost a total of 3.8 pounds! WHAT A DEAL! It was mostly delicious - minus the fiber sweep! (gag) but I think I could drink it down three times a month to get these results. I'm getting closer and closer to my goal. Was I hungry? No! I felt fine all three days! Side affects? A gassy and bloated tummy on day 2. IT WAS SO ANNOYING. mainly, because I hadn't felt bloated in so long. But working out helped and then when I woke up on Day 3 it was fine! I'm tempted to continue the eating habits, lightening my lunch, downing liquids, etc. Watching how many carbs I am consuming - but also still allowing carbs to be a part of my diet. I'm really excited for the results this has brought me and I'm really hoping to have a challenge group start soon where we do this again! YIPPEE! Would I have lost more if I hadn't added a protein in at supper time? Probably! But I still wanted to be able to stick with my 21 day fix workouts :)

The 21 Day Fix: Round 2: Week 1 Results

GUYS GUYS GUYS. I'm starting Round 2 of the 21 day fix! We have maintained our weight from the first round, and now we have more goals set and we are ready to meet them! Last time I blogged about our 21 day fix experience, I divided it up into sections for each day...instead..
I thought I'd just post one huge blog about my experience throughout the week and my total results!

This week was ROUGH. Not only was it a holiday week but I didn't realize how much I had let myself have small cheats here or there on a normal week, so sticking to the routine this week was hard. I even had a roadtrip to VA for a job interview but I packed my stuff!

I always enjoy clean eating & making it creative so my food-loving husband enjoys them too  :) and then he doesn't feel like he is "chewing water" or so he says. Anyways, if you are ever, ever, EVER, in need of ideas, please check out my Pinterest page, It's So Yum board. :) MOST recipes are clean eating, except for the ones near the bottom of the page...that was when I wasn't cooking healthy. Everything that is clean eating should say clean eating.

Easter happened through this week and for the first holiday in a LONG time, I'm not stuffed, I'm not sleepy, I'm not tired or bloated or disgusting. I don't need to break out my sweatpants. I ate a plate full and that was it. AND I WASN'T HUNGRY! I will consider this an extremely huge success Day 7/21. :) And going strong!

HAPPY EASTER! Daisy says "Hi!" too!

Tomorrow morning I will weigh in to get my most accurate weight results for all of y'all. It's going to be a great next two weeks. My birthday is this coming Friday and my goal is to be 10 pounds down from my starting weight of this Round. So far, (not counting the weigh in for tomorrow) I'm down around 4 pounds. I'm hoping to reach 10 pounds by Friday for my birthday!!! HERE WE GO.

Tomorrow morning - I'm also starting a 3 day refresh program! Beachbody sells these and gives you everything you need. It's three days, cleans out your system, and gets you pumped! 3 pounds of weightloss a month - do this for a year and you'll be down 36 pounds! :) I'm doing one a month from here on out! I'll make a blog about that too!

I'm starting to see numbers on the scale that I've never seen before...and that, in and of itself, is amazing.


Monday AM Weigh In:
So...yesterday, the scale said amazing things...but today...this said that I had actually only lost like 1 pound. I'm going to go with...I didn't poop yet. and that scales are stupid. However, my clothes are saying otherwise. It looks like I might need all new pants really soon. I heard back from one of my challenge group participants and she's down 5 pounds already, another lady was down 6 pounds on Friday! :) WHAT AN AMAZING PROGRAM.

A day in the life: My typical clean eating day!

ALOT of people ask me about clean eating, what it is, and how it works! I wanted to give you a sneak peek into my life - what my typical clean eating day looks like!

--I've taken the time to take pictures of everything I eat each and every day. I even documented the times! So this is my schedule of life! :)

6:15 AM - Wake up, scroll phone to wake up, hit snooze four times...
6:30 to 7 - Get ready - I'm pretty low maintenance
7 to 7:30 - pack lunch, prep lunch and AM snack (this doesn't take long at all!!), clean up kitchen, pack up teacher bags, get ready to go!
7:30 - DRINK SHAKEOLOGY!
 7:40-10 - get to school, Teach!

10:00 AM SNACK - typically cottage cheese, and a vegetable like baby carrots or a fruit like raspberries/blueberries
10:15-12:30 Teach
12:30 - LUNCH - Everyday I eat a wheat tortilla, 6 slices of low sodium turkey lunch meat, lettuce, and sprinkle of shredded cheese with an orange
1:00-3:30 - Teach and head home
3:45 - PM SNACK - my favorite snack to make when I get home from school is baked tortilla chips. I put a tortilla on a cookie sheet, sprinkle cinnamon on it, and then bake it at 350 degrees for 7 minutes! Delicious!
4:00-6:00 - check emails, prepare dinner, play with Daisy, watch Friends Reruns on TBS, relaxxxx
6:00 - DINNER - my dinner always consists of some fresh vegetable, some grain (baked potato, cup of quinoa, cup of rice), and some meat - I love my burger recipe I posted earlier, but I also make tacos, chicken enchiladas, baked chicken, etc.
6:30-9 - Workout, shower, do some Beachbody messaging, facebooking, instagramming
9:00 PM SNACK - I love having a cup of fresh fruit before I go to bed! My favorite is strawberries!

"Wait, but Alyssa...you eat 6 times a day??" Yes, why yes I do :) I never go hungry, I'm always full, and I'm boosting my metabolism by keeping it working hard.

I can't stress enough the importance of eating 6 small meals a day, even if you have to hide in the bathroom at work to nibble it down ;) Kidding! Don't rush your food! I don't get a planning period in my morning schedule, I teach straight through from 8:15 to 12:30, however, my students know I'm on track for healthy eating and I can usually take a bite, help a student, take a bite, teach, take a bite, continue on. Do I get to sit down and enjoy my snack? No! haha, but sometimes I have to eat and keep busy!

It's so easy to eat clean! It literally takes one hour, one day to plan everything, decide your schedule, and then from then on, for the rest of your life, it's easy peasy lemon squeezy!! :) If I don't cheat and eat clean, it's easy for me to lose 5 pounds in a week. and Keep.It.Off. Because losing weight is 80% food and 20% exercise. Exercise helps to burn fat and build muscle!

I also can't stress enough the importance of Shakeology and how it's changed my life amazingly! I haven't worked out since the 21 day fix in February (I know..I'm not proud of that...) I just started working out again this week. It's Wednesday - and this morning, I was down two pounds since Monday! BUT! I haven't gained a pound because of Shakeology, if anything I've lost weight! It's true, I really can't believe it how much Shakeology curbs my appetite, and keeps my metabolism going!!

7 Day Clean Eating Challenge

Holy Cow! I haven't written a blog in almost a week...not cool, Alyssa, not cool.
I've had the wonderful privilege of leading a 7 day clean eating challenge for my Beachbody Team! Because of the interest, I opened it up to the other coaches on my team and we ended up having over 60 women join in our clean eating challenge! It was definitely a rough 7 days, but we made it! WE DID IT! And I am more than excited to share results with you :) But before I do that, I want to explain a little bit about the 7 day clean eating group and how it worked.

What is clean eating?
Clean eating is avoiding processed foods and using mostly organic, natural, and fresh ingredients to make recipes! It's about being more conscious of your food's journey from origin to your plate. These ladies really buckled down, focused, and stepped away from the frozen foods, the canned goods, the boxed meals, and started eating healthier! This was just the beginning, because let's be real, we can't just go cold turkey ;)

How does the group work?
Once the ladies signed up on my website (or their coaches), I'd add them to the facebook group that I created. Remember - this is FREE! All they had to do was make a free account and commit to the meal plan/participating in the group. On the Saturday before our group started, I posted the grocery list and everyone went shopping. People were posting their groceries everywhere and it was so fun to see everyone participating! Sunday, I posted the meal calendar for the week just so everyone could have an idea of how it was going to work. From then on, each day I posted twice. In the morning, it was usually something inspirational, and in the evening, it was the recipes and directions for the meal plan the next day. The participation by everyone in the group is what made it special! We had mama's, grandma's, college students, it was such a variety of women working so hard to eat clean and healthy - in the midst of crazy busy and different lifestyles.

What did we eat?
Delicious yummy awesomeness! That's what! I'm kidding..but seriously :)
Here is a break down of what our week looked like!
Monday:
Breakfast: Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich
AM Snack: 1/2 Banana, 7 walnuts
Lunch: Tuna Salad
PM Snack: Shakeology/Cottage Cheese
Supper: Honey Dijon Chicken with Steamed Garlic Parm Broccoli
Night Snack: Veggies/Fruit
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Berries and Yogurt
AM Snack: Shakeology/2 Eggs
Lunch: Turkey Avocado Wrap
PM Snack: Celery and Peanut Butter
Supper: Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
Night Snack: Veggies/Fruit
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Pineapple and Cottage Cheese
AM Snack: Veggies and Hummus
Lunch: Loaded Baked Potato
PM Snack: Yogurt/Shakeology
Supper:Chicken Tacos with Beans and Quinoa
Night Snack: Veggies/Fruit
Thursday:
Breakfast: 2 eggs/Shakeology
AM Snack: Nutty Apple
Lunch: Egg Salad Wrap
PM Snack: 10 almonds and a medium orange
Supper: Steak with Spinach and Baked Potato
Night Snack: Veggies/Fruit
Friday:
Breakfast: Strawberry Waffle and Sausage
AM Snack: Yogurt/Shakeology
Lunch: Chicken and Hummus Pita
PM Snack: Veggie and Cheese
Supper: Rosemary Pork Chops with Peas and Wild Rice
Night Snack: Veggies/Fruit
Saturday:
Breakfast: Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich
AM Snack: 1/2 Banana, 7 walnuts
Lunch: Tuna Salad
PM Snack: Shakeology/Cottage Cheese
Supper: Honey Dijon Chicken with Steamed Garlic Parm Broccoli
Night Snack: Veggies/Fruit
Sunday:
Breakfast: Berries and Yogurt
AM Snack: Shakeology/2 Eggs
Lunch: Turkey Avocado Wrap
PM Snack: Celery and Peanut Butter
Supper: Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
Night Snack: Veggies/Fruit

See?! I told you, it was yummy deliciousness and it was ALOT of food. We were allowed coffee, but just one cup with only one teaspoon of milk/sugar. But other than that, mainly water!

Results
  I will share results for the people that reported back to me! I'll use code names instead of real names, just to keep some privacy. Did all 60 women participate? No. Life gets in the way. Did the people that did participate commit 100%? No. Did everyone share their results with me? No. But for the people that did, I'll display here!
I am so proud of each and every person in our group. They are taking the first steps towards a clean eating journey and that is the most important part.
Participants:
A: "4 lbs. and a dress size! I only exercised once and that was on Saturday so it's all the food!!!"
B: down 7 pounds and 13.25 inches
C: 7 pounds and 5.5 inches
D: 2 pounds and 9.5 inches
E: 6 pounds!
F: "4 lbs and 5 inches gone!"
G: 3.8 pounds lost!
H: down 5.6 pounds
I: 3.2 pounds
J: 3.8 pounds
K: 4.6 pounds
L: 6 pounds!

There are so many more ladies (like I said 60++++) that are in my group and just haven't reported results yet! YOU CAN SEE HOW AMAZING IT IS!

THIS WAS ONLY IN 7 DAYS OF EATING! 7!! that's it?!! Imagine if we kept this up until you met your goal! :) It's possible...believe me!

In the end, this was a really really really hard week for me! Although I had been sticking to my nutrition pretty decently since the 21 day fix, I definitely wasn't staying 100% committed to it! This week makes the 21 day fix look easy. During this week, I didn't have a choice what to eat, but with the 21 day fix, I could swap things in and out as I craved them. :) I'm so excited for the next step, because so many ladies have already committed to completing the 21 day fix with me now! Jared and I are starting today with Round 2! WHOOHOO and the ladies will all start next week! I'm so super excited and pumped! It had been a fantastic, tiring, inspiring, and rewarding week!

Personal Development

I am falling more and more in love...
...with Personal Development.

I know I sound like that freaky lady that consistently reads self help books one after another, battling my way through life, trying to be the best I can be. And yes, I have become that crazy lady. I'm diving head first into a pool full of personal development.
--> However, rather than reading self help books, my personal development books are a little different.
I'm reading books on
1. How to enhance myself, not help myself.
2. How to enrich my self, not make myself rich.
3. How to make myself better, not become someone else.
4. How to bloom where I'm planted, not plant myself elsewhere.
5. How to...well you get the picture!


I'm not self-helping, I'm self-enhancing.
I always hated the term "self-help". I mean, yeah, it looks like you are awesome because you have the initiative to help yourself, but it also makes you look kinda sad...like "My life isn't that great, I'm depressed about (insert subject here), I'm trying to read a book about it to help myself."

My mother was one of those self-help people. She was constantly reading books! My personal favorite books of hers was titled, "How to Have a Better Kid by Friday" and it had this 5 day plan of discipline and structure to have better kids. HAHAHAHAHA, I still laugh out loud at that title! Like we were terrible children or something...haha But anyways, she had multiple books on finances, motherhood, wife life, and just plain out being positive ("The Power of a Positive Mom"). I'm not saying any of these books are bad - they stretched my mom, allowed her to grow, and changed her. I just didn't like the point she had to get to to start reading them. On days when she felt she wasn't positive enough, on days when she felt she wasn't a good mom or a good wife, on days when money was really tight and we didn't know how to pay the bills, on her lowest of lows, she turned to these books.

...I hated personal development and self help books for this very reason. I didn't want to be at my lowest of lows. I didn't want to feel sad enough, depressed enough about something in order to decide that I was ready to help myself. I didn't want to personally develop myself because that meant that I felt like I had something I needed to work on and work on badly.

However, coaching has been changing my brain about personal development. You don't have to be at a low point! You don't have to be at a high point! You could be completely mediocre in life, things are normal, life seems fine, and you could always use an empowering book to inspire you on!

I caved and bought a few recommended reads from my coach friends. "You are a BadAss" and "You're Made for a God-sized Dream". I purposefully bought them at the time I did because I was/am happy with life, I feel content, and I know that I'm not currently in my lowest of lows.

So, in the end, I'm falling in love with personal development because I've come to accept that I always have room to grow and be awesome! I think you should come to terms with that too.. :)


*DISCLAIMER** I am NOT saying that you shouldn't read these in your lowest of lows! I highly recommend it! I'm simply stating that I didn't want to be at that point to have to read them, and I realized I didn't have to be! :)

How to Eat Clean on a Budget

With Jared and I being just married and me with a large amount of debt hanging over my head, our budget was, is, and will be tight for awhile. We felt like it was so much cheaper and faster to eat frozen foods - chicken nuggets, pizza, fries, wings, and lots of meat and potatoes.

WE WERE WRONG.

We began the 21 day fix with dread, because the first week Jared had to go to the grocery store 3 times for more fruits and vegetables. We spent over $250 the first week for just the two of us...HOW WERE WE SUPPOSED TO EAT HEALTHY WHEN IT WAS THIS EXPENSIVE?!

Then, I made it my mission. I made it my mission to buy more ingredients rather than single items (fruits and vegetables make this hard but I'll explain that later). I made it my mission to cut our grocery bill in half if not more! I made it my mission to eat clean and eat clean on a budget that we could afford! So...I went to the grocery store.

Now, you have to realize that I have a love of racing, I love timing myself, seeing how long it takes for me to do things, etc. And normally, my grocery shopping trip can be done in a half hour and I love that! However, this time around I knew I needed to look at prices and really compare in order to make our bill go down. The shopping trip where I discovered how to eat clean on a budget, took me two hours...mainly because it was hard to find things! But now, since then, I'm able to go grocery shopping in my 30 minute time period and get all clean eating foods!

Here are a few things (there's probably more that I can't remember right now..) that I did to allow us to eat clean and on a budget at our local Food Lion grocery store.

1. Fruits and Veggies - Jared and I loved having blueberries and raspberries in our fruit containers...but we each needed 4 fruit containers a day and that meant we would go through 1 box of blueberries and 1 box of rasperries EVERY SINGLE DAY. That's like 8 bucks right there...for our "snacks". And if you look at it weekly, that puts us at $56 already! So, now, I buy a big bag of apples and a big bag of oranges. When you buy them in a bag you get a better price. They typically last us two weeks and we get 1 apple as a snack and 1 orange as a snack each day! I also will only allow myself to get two containers of strawberries when there is a sale going on. Strawberries tend to be the less expensive fruit. We often grab a bag of grapes, carrots, and celery as well. It's been working out great. I now spend $25 on all of our fruit for two entire weeks!
2. Meat - Jared and I love ground beef  and if prepared correctly it can be perfect for clean eating. We also love fish like salmon. Can you say EXPENSIVE?! So, I switch to ground turkey (tastes exactly the same but even better for you) and we use tilapia instead of salmon. We also switched to turkey bacon (that's the only kind of clean eating bacon) but it saves us money as well! A typically pound of ground beef is between 6 and 7 dollars. Ground turkey by the pound is usually $3 or $4! Saving saving saving.
3. Ingredients - Main Dishes - The 2nd week of the 21 day fix, I was already tired of making what felt like "2" suppers because I felt like I could only prepare Jared's food first then mine to get correct portion sizes. BUT, on pinterest, they had these amazing recipes for more than one person that worked for the 21 day fix (and other clean eating things too!) and it told you the portion size and what containers you were using. I was able to make big meals that we could then have leftovers for. Instead of buying multiple items to make main dishes, I bought a few things and made multiple main dishes. This has worked out amazingly! And cut our cost down as well!
4. Bread - Tortillas - We used to use Sara Lee Sandwich wheat thins (healthy enough) which were $3.99 for 8. With both of us packing lunches we were going through definitely 10 a week, if not more for the weekends. Putting us at two packs and costing $8 alone for bread. The 21 day fix calls for Tortillas so we switched over. Tortillas are 99 cents for a pack of 8. NOW, I buy 3-4 packs a week (we use Tortillas for snack time as well) and spend only $3-$4. They last us typically a week and a half, depending on snack choices.
5. Make a plan - In our house, as we run out of things or as we need things we just add them to the list on the fridge. We need toothpaste? Write it down. Zeus needs some kitty food? Write it down. It's become this sort of thing so we always know what we need when we need it and I'm able to go get when I get my groceries.Every Saturday (or Sunday..depending on my busy life!) I sit down with Jared and we make a meal plan for the week. This is detailed down to our snacks. Now, this plan is completely flexible and we have never completely followed it to a T. We often change it around and switch things back and forth depending on how our day goes and if we are eating with other people. But - it helps us keep a frame of reference of what we have to eat for the week! I print these off and then take them shopping. I now have a plan and my fridge list and I'm not straying from it at all. If it's not on my list, I don't buy it! I'm serious, even if I think I need it, I refuse to buy it, I know I'll survive!
6. Brands - this brings me to my last tip. I don't know what grocery store you use, I really like Food Lion for this reason, but your store probably has similar perks. We are MVP members at Food Lion and they cater our coupons to us. I can go online before I go shopping and load my card with the specific coupons that I want. In the mail each month I get a flyer filled with coupons of things I buy (they can see what I buy often through my MVP card) AND they have their own brand of things that gives MVP members a discount. I know it looks like a knock-off but is it really that different? Go for the cheaper option, look for the cheaper (and still healthy) brand! You'll save money big!


Our first week of the 21 day fix, I think we spent $260 on food and we were cleaned out by Saturday. On week two of the 21 day fix, I spent $90 and we still had food leftover. It takes some planning, it takes time to figure out what you'll eat, how much you'll eat, and if you'll even like it. Consider these things before you go shopping! Keep in mind our grocery trip is more than just food, but it's also our pet stuff, cleaning supplies, toiletries, bathroom stuff, the whole 9 yards!

In reality, you can definitely eat clean on a budget! It takes some hunting, some scouring, and a grocery shopping trip that seems to take hours. Once you know where everything is, it helps so much more! The rumor is that the healthy foods tend to be on the outside of the grocery store, around the edges, and I'd have to agree! Look there first!

If you need ideas, I literally just typed clean eating into Pinterest, and look what came up! The images in this post are all from a pinterest page!

The 21 Day Fix Review

 On this post, Jared and I are going to share our opinions on the 21 day fix..consider it an insider review of how it really goes down, what it's really like, and how you'll really feel!

Jared and I blogged EACH day of our entire 21 day fix journey. So, if you'd like a day to day breakdown, you can definitely check out my previous blogs in February for an exclusive look at what it's like. I tagged those posts down below for you to click on later. However, this post will be largely an overall view of the Fix and what it can do for you. I'll also be posting my before and after pics so you can see how much it changes your body!

FIRST: Our results
 --> Jared lost 16. 2 pounds and 23 inches
--> Me - I lost 12.2 pounds and 11 inches

Obviously, we saw amazing results in 21 days!  It took a lot of getting used too but once Week 1 was down it became a normal routine. That would be my first piece of advice - consistency, dedication, and planning are the 3 things you need to do in order to make this successful. Jared and I think this quite possibly the most amazing program out their on the market. (oh, they made an extreme one too by the way..like extreme.) It will COMPLETELY CHANGE the way you eat, it will COMPLETELY CHANGE the way you look at food, the way you prepare food, and the decisions you make before you insert food in your mouths. I think the thing we love the most is that we can still follow our plan (making tweaks here and there if we want to go out) and we can pair this with whatever workout we want to do! This ensures that we are clean eating AND working out. To help you: below I've answered a lot of questions (mostly ones that I had before I started the program)

How much does it cost?
      The 21 Day Fix program itself costs $60.00 and comes with the nutrition containers and the workout DVDs. You can get the Challenge Pack (with Shakeology - normally $130 alone) for $140. Honestly, worth it for the life changing effects it'll bring for you. If you need to know more about Shakeology (which I recommend TO ANYONE!) you can check out my page here.

What were the results?
  Obviously you saw our inches and pounds lost below. But check out my pics! (Jared refused pics but I wish he wouldn't have, because he looks awesome..and super hott, but I'm biased.)

It's day to say but in those before pictures on the left, I looked almost pregnant. I felt extremely bloated all of the time! My after pictures show WAY less bloat. Am I where I want to be? Heck no! I've got a ways to go! BUT...seeing visual progress is always helpful, also having my pants continuously fall down because I've lost so much weight is EXTREMELY annoying and inspiring at the same time.

How does it work?
  You'll get a book with easy to follow instructions. I will be making a YouTube video that describes exactly how it works and how to set it up. Breakdown...1) do a math equation to figure out your calorie needs 2) correspond that to the chart to find out how many of each colored container you get 3)look at the lists of food that go into each container 4)decide what you like and make a plan on how you'll spread out your containers throughout the day 5)make a meal plan calendar (you can see mine on my blog posts tagged below) 6)Your meal plan calendar acts as your grocery list!
See my video on YouTube in a few days for extra help!

Was it easy?
  Honestly? No! I mean, would changing the entire way you eat be easy? Heck no! But it got easier each day and by week 3 it was a breeze. The first 3 days were the hardest days that I ever had to deal with food and nutrition wise, but after that it became more of a habit. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit and that's why this program is 21 days. Habits are hard to form and hard to break! So it wasn't easy, but it got better!

What was preparation like/where do I even begin?
  This was kinda answered in the "How does it work"/YouTube video area. However, the best place to begin is in the math equation! It's in the directions book, this helps determine what you need and how much. The Saturday before I started the 21 Day Fix (I started on a Monday) I sat down and calculated our containers. This took me double the time because I was doing it for me AND Jared. I spent about an hour calculating, looking at containers, trying to find foods that Jared liked, planning it all out. Once you spend the time and plan this hour, the rest of your planning will take 5 minutes! No lie! It's always that first ice breaker that takes the longest and then you'll be a pro.


How did you go shopping and make food?
  I just took our meal plan calendar! I did NOT buy anything else than what was on our meal plan. Even if I thought I needed it! Our first week, we kinda went overboard and spent WAY TOO MUCH money on fruits and veggies. But after our first week, we figured it out and we were able to determine how much and what we liked to eat most. After the first week, I researched a bunch of meals on pinterest so instead of making individual things, I was able to make whole meals that would last us two suppers. That saved us money too!

How much time did this take?
  So, on average, I planned every Saturday morning for 5 to 10 minutes. I went grocery shopping each week and that took a 1/2 hour. Each morning, I'd pack my lunch and snacks which took maybe 15 minutes, probably less. Then suppers never took more than 40 minutes, which is normal for me! There was a 30 minutes workout too for each day I mean...that's what...9.5 hours a week. and 1 hour and 30 minutes a day. not even. :) It's easy! You probably spend more time (and money) eating the way you do now!

If you'd like to see details, go here for Week 1
or to this post for Week 2
and finally to this post for Week 3!! and our final results :)

I am not a morning person...

I used to brag about how much I love the morning. There is so much that can be done before 9 am that leaves a day full of possibilities (and typically my possibilities meant crafts, home improvement projects, painting, or other random ideas that popped in my head).

I was a decent morning person, full of energy - ready to kickstart the day - the whole 9 yards. This past summer, without an alarm, I'd get up at 5:30 AM, get a workout in, clean the house, do some laundry, and have an amazing day filled with accomplishments and lists that had been checked and crossed. I felt phenomenal. I was getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep and kicking butt, for lack of a better term.

Then, I got married. Then my responsibilities doubled.  Now I had to get up (later than I normally did, 6:30 to 6:45 AM), pack my lunch, try to look pretty, prepare supper for the evening, maybe get a load of laundry in (unlikely), trip over cat toys...etc, etc. I'd come home and be exhausted because this was my first big girl job after all! I'd get dinner ready and then you could probably call me worthless because that's how tired I was. And my oh-so-truthful husband shattered what I thought had been truth to be proven to lies.

I. Am. Not. A. Morning. Person.

or..at least most of the time I'm not.

Jared likes to put it this way...I'm a morning person if I get to wake myself up, but if the alarm goes off I am not a morning person. You can ask him and he'll tell you embellished tales of him trying to wake me up on school mornings. He'll say that he had to hit me with pillows, drag of the covers, drag me out of bed. He had to lay on top of me, whistle in my ear, tickle me because I couldn't defend myself from my lack of strength in the morning. He'll tell you all of those...truths. None of those are lies, all truths.

I guess it all boils down to responsibility and what I HAVE to do. Because I HAVE to be up and ready for school, I hate it. But this summer, when I didn't HAVE to but I WANTED to, I was up before it was light out and running as the sun rose. Oh what a life...

I'm sure you all can relate. And if you are a morning person, maybe evening's feel like death sometimes and you are ready to crawl into your comfy cozy bed by 7:30 PM. I get it - because that's what I did last night! :) However, there's something about kickstarting your day that changes the whole course of your day!

When people workout in the morning - they are more likely to finish a workout, they feel more energized for the day, they feel ready! Does it take time from sleep? yes! but that means we have to go to bed earlier. Honestly, Jared and I are still working out in the evenings, but that's because our schedules for working are cray cray to the max. I promise you though, as soon as our schedules get back on track, we will be morning people for sure!

I am in NO WAY trying to make you switch up your routine, if morning workouts just don't work for you - but evening ones do, rock it! You Do You! I'm just saying all the good things that can happen out of exercising in the morning. Exercise produces endorphins and endorphins make you happy! Why not work out in the morning (and get it out of the way!) and then be happy all day?! :)

So, let's raise a cup of coffee to those morning workout warriors and hope that someday (very soon) we will all be among the ranks! (I have a dream, that one day work will start in mid morning and everyone will workout before the day begins.)

The 21 Day Fix Week 3 - The Final Results!

We are rounding third base and almost at home plate! WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR OUR RESULTS! We have more energy, I have no bloat, and we have both seen scale and non-scale victories so it's time to really see our final results and compare it to the beginning. After all, it's only 21 days - anyone can do this! And it truly does take 21 days to form a habit, 21 days to make something consistent, I think Jared and I have it down. I also made a whole plan for the rest of the year too as far as fitness goes :)
Here is a sample of my new plan for Week 3. I've been changing things up, especially suppers to help us feel fuller and keep our bodies guessing.

Meal	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Eggs Mushrooms Onions 10 Olives	Eggs Turkey Bacon Mushrooms Onions 10 Olives	Eggs Turkey Bacon Mushrooms Onions 10 Olives
Snack	Shakeology Fruit	Shakeology Fruit	Shakeology Fruit
Lunch	1 Tortilla Lettuce Tomatoes Meat ½ Cheese Fruit	1 Tortilla Lettuce Tomatoes Meat ½ Cheese Fruit	1 Tortilla Lettuce Tomatoes Meat Fruit ½  Blue
Snack	Fruit Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Chips	Fruit Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Chips	Fruit Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Chips
Dinner	STUFFED PEPPERS (1 each) 2 green 1 red ½ yellow ½ blue	BURGERS 1 Red 1 Yellow 1 Green 1 Blue	STUFFED PEPPERS (1 each) 2 green 1 red ½ yellow ½ blue
Snack	Oatmeal	Fruit Oatmeal	Fruit Vegetable Oatmeal

Day 15:
Feelings: Not hungry, but we definitely feel kinda off. Jared felt a little bit sick in his tummy earlier this morning and I just felt off after lunch. I REALLY hope we aren't getting sick, because honestly, I want to finish the strongest that we possibly can.
Body Update: I didn't see any changes on the scale today, but no weight gain is perfectly fine with me! Jared was the exact same too. We think it's because Sunday's workout of Yoga isn't super intense so we aren't working off as much! Who's to say?! All I know is that tonight, Total Body Cardio killed us and we have fingers crossed for results tomorrow!
Jared Quote: "Frog crunches make me look like a woman giving birth."

Day 16:
Feelings: I was super tired last night, but today I feel more energized. I'm hoping, truly hoping, to lose 15 pounds out of this deal! Only 4ish more to go. Jared is hoping to lose 20 and he has about 4 more to go as well! And we happen to have 5 days left. I think if anything, we are feeling more determined to lose weight than ever!
Body Update: I'm down some more weight again - *happy dance*, Jared gained a few tenths of a pound but he think it might be some muscle building since his weights are heavier! We feel like this is more normal, our new normal.  I like it. However, Jared insists that as soon as he can eat normal food he's going to have a burger with two donuts for buns.... hahaha oh dear! He is a challenge for sure!
Jared Quote: "I lied to you, I did eat a brownie today. But I can't lie to Autumn."

Day 17:
Feelings: I've been kinda irritable lately, but I'm a girl so you can't really pin that on any certain thing. LOLZ. Jared seems to be his normal self...avoiding veggies as much as possible. :) Also, today is my Mama's birthday so I always like to get in the birthday spirit. This weekend is Valentine's day and there's so much love in the air - especially as we pick up our new puppy!  <3 AHH. I'm just happy, happy, happy.
Body Update: I'm pooping more again - who's really to say why! Jared and I are both feeling fine. We feel "normal" now which I'm assuming wouldn't be normal if you asked us 17 days ago. It's getting harder to describe to you how our bodies are because now it doesn't feel different. Eating less but more times a day just seems to make sense!
Jared Quote: "Gio's antics aren't as entertaining the third time."

Day 18:
Feelings: We went out to eat tonight. That's right! You can go out and eat healthy and remain on the 21 day fix. True story! It was fabulous and if you are trying to eat healthy, I recommend Applebee's or other chain restaurants that have low calorie menus. What we ordered was 21 day fix approved! AND DELICIOUS!
Body Update: Jared and I skipped our workout today. WHATT. Because we are only human, we were exhausted, and we had to do our taxes and lots of shopping. BUT, we will double up tomorrow! We promise! It's important to listen to your body, to let it rest, to take breaks. But you can't just never get back into it! Rest days are simply 1 day or 2 or 3, but no more...With only three days left of our 21 day fix, we are going to go out strong!
Jared Quote: There isn't one. After a solid 17 days of quotes, Jared is burnt out...or not funny anymore..Who's to say? ;) We'll see what he has to say tomorrow! `

Day 19:
Feelings: At this point, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Tomorrow and Sunday are pretty busy days and we are only hoping things can go smoothly! Especially with a church meal on Sunday..eep! We almost skipped our workout tonight (see what skipping last night did to us?!) because it's so cold outside (and in ) and we just wanted to go to bed. But we did it! And we are completing more and more of what we couldn't before and that feeling can be only be described in one word: progress.
Body Update: Jared and I stepped on the scale this morning! I'm done .6 of a pound and he was about the same. Instead of seeing drastic drops in weight like we had earlier, we are now seeing slower progress.  I'm assuming it's because our bodies are still trying to figure out this system. Hah! Little do our bodies know, this meal plan is permanent! I'm also seeing crazy definition in my arms, shoulders, and calves. Like awesome muscles I didn't even know I was working! I'm excited!
Jared Quote: (about the "music on" version of the workout) "I feel like I'm in a strip tease." *proceeds to shake his butt while doing windmills.


Day 20:
Feelings: We can see the end in sight and that's making it so much harder to stick to our diet plan! Especially with such fun stuff today - a college visit, valentine's day, all of the above!
Body Update: I'm fitting into pants I haven't been able to wear for a while and the pants I currently wear are so huge I don't need to button or unbutton them in order to take them on or off! I FEEL AWESOME! And I also have amazing definition like we talked about yesterday. :)
Jared Quote: After realizing tomorrow is our last day..."On Monday, I'm going to eat a burger with two donuts for buns." Nice try, buddy, nice try.

Day 21:
Feelings: We nailed our workout. I think our biggest feeling is confidence at this point, because we able to complete the whole workout and complete it strongly! Also, we got a puppy today and it's amazing so we are kinda just blissfully happy.

Body Update: We are feeling good! I'm down 1.8 pounds even after cheating a little bit yesterday. This is simply because I drink Shakeology! I KNOW IT!!! I can't wait to weigh in tomorrow and measure our results. You guys don't understand the anticipation I have, mainly because I know you all will be BLOWN AWAY and want to do this too and you should! Our bodies have never felt this "clean" before.
Jared Quote: "Free at last, we are free at last".

I hope this blog really really helps you see the changes in us and in our bodies as we made it through the 3 weeks! It's kinda cool to go back and see the progression of our thoughts too...First to only about food and now I hardly think about food, except for how awesome the meals are when I'm eating them!

WEEK 3 RESULTS:
Jared: lost 1.2 pounds and 4 inches
Alyssa: lost 2.8 pounds and 3.75 inches


THE FINAL RESULTS: It seems like Jared and I have been waiting for this day for weeks (3 weeks to be exact!) The final results are here and I am so excited to share them with you. We waited until the morning of Day #22 because then our results would be the most accurate after completing the full 21 days.

Jared: In total, Jared lost 16.2 pounds and 23 inches in just 21 days!
Alyssa: In total, Alyssa lost 12.2 pounds and 11.25 inches in just 21 days!

Jared's goal was to lose 20 pounds and he came so close! My goal was to lose 10 and then once I surpassed that goal, my goal was 15. WE FEEL AWESOME! Before and after pics of me to come :) Jared didn't want pics!

So now the question remains...what's our plan for after this?!
OUR GAME PLAN FOR AFTER:

We are going to keep following the diet plan (for the most part) and then if we want to eat out on the weekends, we'll be able to adjust our diet and caloric intake! Our next plan is to begin T-25 (well, atleast that's my plan...I'm not quite sure about Jared ;) ) Here's to another workout, a clean eating diet, and more health and wellness!