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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Clean Eating 101 + Nutrition Fix


Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  This evening we are going to take a look at a very basic definition of clean eating.  I have been eating clean for the past 25 months and it has made a tremendous difference for me and my family!  I have more energy, my cholesterol has significantly lowered along with my triglycerides.  I have said good-bye to 60 pounds as I went from a size 18/20 to a 10/12!

Weight loss, lifestyle change, getting healthy, Beachbody, home fitness, clean eating, Shakeology


Here is an excellent article that is “big picture” and will give you a feel for what clean eating is and what this could look like in your everyday life.  We will talk more specifics below.  Check out the brief article above to see how this could all work for you!

Clean Eating 101


What to avoid:

  • All over processed foods particularly white flour and sugar
  • All chemically charged foods
  • Food containing preservatives
  • Artificial Sugars
  • Artificial foods like sliced cheese
  • Saturated and trans fats
  • Sugar loaded beverages(juice)
  • Alcohol intake(very limited)
  • All calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value
  • super sizing your meals

Why is it worthwhile to eat clean?  Does the list in the image below sound like a daydream wish list?  It is not!  I spend lots of my time working with my customers along with interacting with many other coaches who share reports about their customers.  It is TRULY AMAZING to hear of all that is possible when an individual makes the decision to begin eating clean.


As with anything, the key is to see beyond the moment.  Look at the future and ask yourself if the decision that you are making right now is taking you in the direction of where you want to be?  Is it a bump in the road and a little detour?  Or will it take you completely off course and send you far from where you want to be?  There are many of us who take the approach of eating 100% clean 80% of the time. We live in the real world and it is key to find a way to make this work.  Avoid becoming so idealistic that you are bound to become frustrated and feel as though you are failing already and then you just give up on the idea.   

21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Containers, 21 Day Fix Tracker, Clean Eating, Portion Control, Healthy Eating

You know those nights where you have been busy having fun all day and then you have to make dinner and you truly have no idea what you are going to make...

Yet you are trying to stay on track with a decent nutrition plan and eat balanced/clean to fuel yourself and your family well and you are watching the spending and did out for lunch with your husband?

Yes - that was my situation this evening!

I am currently doing the 21 Day Fix as my fitness program! I did this one for 4+ months back when it was brand-new in late winter 2014. Although I have done four other programs since, my approach to balanced nutrition was shaped by the 21 Day Fix!

So, what does that look like in a day??

Am I hungry all the time? I mean, what is up with those little containers???

Do I cook one thing for myself and something else for my family?

Is it hard to find this stuff? How about cost? Is this type of clean eating food expensive? Is it all organic or something?

How do my challengers consistently lose 5-15 pounds when completing their first round of the 21 Day Fix???

HERE WE GO!  Let's take a look at each of these things!

The little "pie charts" in the image above is a print out of the nutrition tracker that I use. These little spots reflect how many servings of each category I aim for within a day. I am truly not hungry! Even though the containers appear to be small, it really is plenty of food! I have my protein container mounded up a bit as I did have some mushrooms mixed in with my beef so that meant some extra veggies in there and I still wanted to have enough of my protein count. Extra veggies are truly just a bonus in my mind!

This is what my whole family ate this evening! Corn is not usually my first pick as the highest-quality grain but when we do incorporate corn, it is an item where I do go organic and ensure non-GMO. The kids LOVE corn and it was a quick and simple side on a night like tonight. They always like ground beef and I had pulled this out of the freezer last night. That was the extent of my meal planning for tonight. Oh boy! I added in some portabello mushrooms, as my daughter loves them! I also happened to have about 3 tablespoons of salsa in the fridge so that was added to the beef and mushrooms! With that small amount spread among our dinner and lunch for my husband tomorrow, I did not "count" the salsa into my container figuring here. Our veggie tonight was cucumber and matchstick carrots with fresh lemon juice and a dash of olive oil and pink sea salt. Yum! So fresh and zippy! My son was not loving this veggie combo so he grabbed a rib of plain celery instead. Works for me!

To be honest, clean eating in general and the simple foods of the Fix ARE very much family friendly. My kids like most of what I serve around here. We do a lot of basic, whole foods and they can easily identify what is what and they appreciate that! We do not go 100% organic as wonderful as that would be. It would break the grocery budget. So we do what we can! I also like to buy local whenever possible!

The 21 Day Fix is just plain balanced nutrition! You make the most of your metabolism and energy and you incorporate a nice variety of 30 minute home workout routines with two cardio days, three strength days, a Pilates day and a yoga day plus 10 Minute Abs whenever you like to add it in to the mix! I lead challenge groups which are "secret" FB groups where we have daily coach posts and all support each other with clean eating and home fitness. My challengers do consistently see great progress and are thrilled with their results! This approach is grounded in creating a new habit in 21 Days but then implementing it for the long-run!

If you are curious to learn more, just ask! This program is actually on special these next two weeks! I am doing it myself and love helping others to make the most of our fitness and nutrition!

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