Calories Burned with the 21 Day Fix Extreme!?!?

 

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  Today has been an exciting day here!!  We have been a homeschooling family this year and yesterday was our 180th day of academics!  Hurray!!  That meant that today was (almost) the start of our summer.  We are now working on putting together our year-end portfolio as we prepare to meet with our evaluator next week.  SO, this meant that today was Day #1 that was pretty much FREE OF ROUTINE!!!  I like systems, I do.  But I get all claustrophobic when locked into one.  I would just rather see where the day leads, for the most part anyways!

I am a member of a fitness/clean eating accountability group via a "secret" FB group and I posted this there two hours ago...

Well, this is what happened.

I slept in. Didn't look at the clock for 3 hours this morning as we enjoyed being done with academics and worked on our portfolio amongst other things.

The kids spent as much time as they wanted at the library.

We walked around "Five Below" for the first time and found a few items.
Shopping for seasonal flowers and then spending 2 hours outdoors. 
Making dinner.
Going out to make all of our workbook copies of selected samples.
And now???
I still have to do Extreme Lower Fix! 
Oh man! Hold me to it!

I can tell you right now that if I was not a member of a group like this, I more than likely would have skipped my workout today!  
So, I pressed play on "Lower Fix Extreme" from the 21 Day Fix Extreme, as that is what was up on the schedule for today.  And from having done this program back in February and March and returning to it for the first time again this past Monday... well, I knew enough to know that this particular routine is HARDCORE.  It should mean something when Autumn (creator of the 21 Day Fix) calls it her favorite.  

 
I was off and running and made it through the first round of exercises and halfway into the second when it was time to exit the basement and help my husband with getting our 6 and 8 year old off to bed.  But now I was committed and knew that I would return!

Well, isn't this interesting??  For 20 minutes, all that I did was walk around part of the house and sit with the kids - yet I burned an additional 80 calories during that time??  Fantastic!!!  This is one MAJOR benefit of getting that heart rate up to a consistent upper 150's through lower body exercise.  The BURN continues!

I made it!!!!  Hurray!!!  This is a 33 minute strength/plyometric workout and I did have that 20 minute pause while getting the kids off to bed.  So, to burn 467 calories and REALLY work my legs and hold 15 pound weights during half of the workout - to me, that is worth making time for this in my day.  We are worth the effort we put in to ourselves!

Earlier this evening we had breakfast for dinner - mine was a slice of Ezekiel toast, 2 scrambled eggs and diced bell peppers.  I knew that I would be very hungry by bedtime with the big calorie burn and exertion of Lower Fix Extreme.  So I blended up a bonus Shakeology for today and split it with my husband.  It hit the spot and kept me from randomly munching throughout the evening.  We have been loving this flavor and I blend it up with a few slices of banana and frozen raspberries, plus 4 ounces of almond milk, 9 ounces of water and 4 ice cubes.  YUM!  It tastes like SUMMER!

Out of curiosity, I checked my calorie burn one more time.  Since finishing my workout 20 minutes prior, I had just been in the kitchen blending up my Shakeology and putting away a few things while checking FB.  So definitely no more physical exertion there, yet with having raised my heart rate during the workout itself, I burned another 90 calories post-workout while essentially doing nothing for 20 minutes.  Bonus, right??

Tomorrow will mark 11 years since the day my husband and I met.  I am incredibly thankful for him and am so glad to be able to say that I am currently in the best shape of my life as I enter my late-30's.  As a wife and mom, sister, daughter and granddaughter, my health is important to me!  Going from a size 18/20 to a 10/12 has been a great side benefit but the bigger boost comes from knowing that I am working to keep my heart healthy and I do this to honor those in my life.  I want to be able to keep up today and tomorrow with whatever life may bring! 

After beginning my own life change in September 2013, I became a coach in March 2014 in order to help others with clean eating and home fitness.  If you are interested in joining my upcoming accountability group, complete the form below!  I hope to see you there!

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Play the Numbers Game!

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  My name is Jeanette and I am a mom of two.  I am a math fan.  I love a good deal!  I greatly value convenience and efficiency.  My health is important to me, especially after having spent a few years at risk due to my own state of health.  I am BUSY and have to admit that I am not so good at margins more often than not.  I tend to squeeze everything possible into a day.

I am also a Team Beachbody coach and very much enjoy my home business where I get to help others change their lives as they reach their own health and fitness goals!  After making some serious life changes myself beginning in September 2013, I was so excited to share these things that I became a coach in March 2014.  

A question that I hear often is: "I would like to start, but isn't it really expensive to do all of this?"  

Well, that depends on how you look at it.  If you think of ADDING a $140 expense to your life out of nowhere, then sure.  That does seem to be costly.  

BUT, if you break it down like I did in the image above, there is less sticker shock.

For me, planning and prepping daily meals for myself and my family is a wearisome task at times!  I run out of ideas, time and energy when it comes to having everything available and ready to go several times a day in the midst of our busy everyday life.  We do cook from home most of the time.  Here and there we grab an option that is a balance of being the most healthy while still being most efficient and most cost-effective.  That is a tall order, right??

So I make one of my meals per day SIMPLE.  And on the weekends, it is not unusual that this meal also serves as a family dinner after a busy day on the go!  We love living in Erie and there is so much to enjoy around here.  Now, let's backtrack a bit.  My husband used to think that any meal which didn't require a fork was not "real food".  He was not satisfied with meals that involved only a spoon.  So how on earth is he now eating a meal that only requires a straw??  Because this is not just some protein shake or weight loss powder!  It is top-notch nutrition and is a perfectly balanced meal.  I get it.  When you think of me having my Shakeology for breakfast and it costs me $3.33, it is easy to think of how you are not spending that much on a granola bar and banana.  The nutrition does not compare at all, but that is a whole other topic!  But when my husband will have Shakeology for his dinner and our kids will split a serving, the value goes waaaayyyy up!  Feeding a family of four for under $10 plus adding in a total of 1.5 bananas, a couple teaspoons of nut butter, 12 ounces of almond milk and some water/ice is a handy option to have!  Convenience is just one reason why I love my Shakeology!

So let's say that you were to go to the store and purchase 30 healthy meals all at once.  Even conservatively, you could factor $6 per meal over the course of a month when you are also thinking of a bit of convenience here and there with being able to grab something quickly at times.  So let's say $180 or so per month for one great meal per day for the entire month.

How about going to the gym? Driving there, working with child-care if needed, planning your schedule around a class schedule, waiting for equipment, paying for classes or a monthly gym membership fee - that will all add up for sure!

And then you have the BIG missing piece which keeps so many people from making the most of their journey.  ACCOUNTABILITY!  Daily support, a community of fitness friends who are also working on clean eating recipes for their families plus a coach who has been where you are and has learned how to get over the humps and move forward with progress is what you find in one of my challenge groups!  

For $140, you can purchase a challenge pack.  This IS a great value!  30 meals.  A 60 day fitness program.  Daily, personal support.  An invitation to a community of other like-minded friends who will be an encouragement to you.  Plus I am there and will be with you each step of the way as you tackle some life changes.  So is it expensive, considering all of this?  To me, it is not a ridiculous price for those who are looking to make progress!

I am currently putting together my May 11th "Find Your Fitness Focus" group and you are invited to be part of it!  I begin a new group each month and would be glad to give you more details on this!  Complete the form below to be entered for a spot in one of my upcoming groups!  

 

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My 21 Day Fix Extreme Results!!! (Day 576)

Hello!  Guess what???  TODAY I completed Week 8 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme!!!  I have been going through this program while leading a Challenge Group (secret FB accountability group) with others who have been doing it with me.  Although this program has "21 Day" in the title, it really is designed for multiple rounds!  Here is a description of the Fix Extreme workouts.  I completed Insanity Max 30 just before launching into the Fix Extreme.  To be honest, I was not quite yet mentally ready to give up Max 30 and move on to the Fix Extreme!?!  There were just 60 days between me receiving Max 30 and the release of the Fix Extreme.  So, during the first month+, I did not give the Fix Extreme all of my heart.  I admit it!  I was not skipping workouts or anything like that!  I was following the meal plan at about 75% accuracy.  I was still eating clean.  But I was not "all in" during each of my workouts.  I even toyed with the idea of doing just the one round or a bit more!  I have never done a program for less than 60 days!  Most have been at least 90 days with me before I transition... guess what happened somewhere in there??  I "got over" Insanity Max 30 and really dug in with the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  

I began my fitness journey with ChaLEAN Extreme back in September of 2013.  I began eating clean and drinking Shakeology for my breakfast each day.  I began the original 21 Day Fix in March 2014.  PiYo was my love during the summer of 2014.  I did a PiYo/ChaLEAN Extreme hybrid during the fall of 2014.  Insanity Max 30 was December '14 into February of 2015.  Now here we are today and I would not trade any of it!  I have become significantly more healthy and I feel amazing!  I went from a size 18/20 to a size 10/12!  

So once I wrapped my head around really diving in the with Fix Extreme, I began to really "dial in" my nutrition and I am pleased to say that I followed the meal plan very, very closely during my Weeks 6 and 7 of the program.  First off, I was PUSHING for my birthday goal of my Size 10 jeans!  I was wanting to make the most of my time with the program.  I just completed Week 8 and this week included Easter and multiple birthday celebrations, travel, family visiting here and a few other things.  I am 100% fine with my long-term, sustainable choices with eating 100% clean at least 80% of the time.  Could I have dropped another pound or two this week if I had kept up with what I did during weeks 6 and 7?  Probably!  But this is about a lifelong thing... Today is my "Day 576" since my start and I am perhaps 20 or so pounds from my goal weight.  If I can lose a size per year for the next two years and then continue to maintain that, I would be thrilled!

The Fix Extreme has been very helpful for reducing more of my pesky belly flab!  Let's see... there is the toll of two pregnancies with two c-sections.  Then we also have to factor in the belly flub that I have been combating ALL of my life!  It is safe to say that I am currently in my best shape EVER and I plan to continue on this path!!!  I return to 60 days of PiYo starting tomorrow and after that I will do second round of Insanity Max 30!

If you would like to join me, I would be glad to tackle this together!!

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PiYo? Plyo? What is the Difference!?!?

Good morning!  Welcome to my blog!  I am a wife and mom who became a Team Beachbody coach after experiencing dramatic changes in my own health and fitness.  Now I greatly enjoy helping others in reaching their own goals!

One of the questions that I am asked on a regular basis is in regards to the difference between PiYo and Plyo??  It is tricky that these two words are sooooo similar yet they refer to two completely OPPOSITE things!  In short, "PiYo" stands for a pilates/yoga based program from trainer Chalene Johnson.  This is a low impact/high results 60 day program with 10 workouts that are ALL PiYo.  "Plyo" is an abbreviation for "plyometrics" which means explosive movement --- think of LOTS of jumping!  In recent Beachbody world, Plyo comes to mind as the bonus workout from the original 21 Day Fix and also Monday's workout from the Fix Extreme.  Picture high-impact with a very high calorie burn.

PiYo is one of my own top two personal favorite Beachbody programs!  I have completed five programs over the past 19 months.  Chalene Johnson is such a neat trainer and she has also produced Turbo Jam, TurboFire and ChaLEAN Extreme.  You really want to hear what she has to say during the workouts - in regards to form and life in general!  See this blog entry for more details on the PiYo program.  Here is an entry which features the PiYo Day 30 results from myself and some of my challengers.  I LOVE PiYo and am actually about to return to it this coming Monday, April 13th!!  I will be completing the 60 day program and then plan to head back to my other favorite (Insanity Max 30) for a second round of that hardcore, intense program.  PiYo is low impact but my body had some of my best results in regards to becoming lean and "PiYo strong".  The increased flexibility and range of motion literally blew my mind, knowing myself and my tendencies.  I can't wait to get back to it once again to see what this round will bring!

The 21 Day Fix is a program with trainer Autumn Calabrese.  This was her first-ever Beachbody workout!  The 21 Day Fix is life-changing and this is the program which I most often recommend to my new clients.  The nutrition management aspect of the Fix is HUGE and once you learn these tricks, your eating habits will be changed forever!  Here is an overview of the workout descriptions and also my results.  You rotate through 7 daily workouts plus you have a "bonus" workout called "Plyo Fix".  Plyo Fix is 30 minutes of challenging cardio!  You are doing lots of jumping!  Great shoes and the right athletic support bra plus a decent floor surface are a must in order to avoid injury when working out with this intensity.   

The 21 Day Fix Extreme was released in February 2015.  I began my experience with it when it was brand-new!  Tomorrow will mark my completion of 8 weeks of this program.  Stay tuned for results!  Here is an overview of the workouts included with this program.  Check out this blog entry for an idea of meal planning with the Fix Extreme.  Plyo Fix Extreme is Monday's workout while you are doing the Fix Extreme.  It is a fast-paced 30 minutes!  You are JUMPING.  With WEIGHTS!!??!  What???  Seriously.  It is a killer workout and I know that I am getting some great results through my efforts during my time with the Fix Extreme.  

I will be offering a brand new group during the week of April 20th!  This one is called "Dust Off Your Workout DVD's" and you are invited to join us!  This is a FREE 7 day group to encourage one another while also sharing some practical tools! Everyone will be doing the workout program of their choice and our common thread will be "how to make it happen" as we keep one another accountable and make the most of this time in our life! We will also be sharing clean eating recipes and general wellness tips. Daily posts will begin on Monday, April 20th. I hope to have you join us!  

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That time when I had a bad attitude...

Guess what?  I realized something today.  Well, I have kind of known it for a while but really put my finger on it today.  I quietly had a bad attitude about doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  Here's the thing... it was released on February 2nd, just two months after Insanity Max 30.  I had pushed myself waaayyyyyy out of my comfort zone and did Max 30 myself and was so surprised to fall in love with it and along the way I had some excellent results.  I have never done a program for "just" 60 days.  I had done each of my three prior programs for 3-5 months at a time.  I was curious to jump right into a second round of Max 30!  Or make a return to a completely opposite favorite - PiYo!  But the Fix Extreme was being released.  Many of the coaches on my team are pregnant or just had babies these past couple of months and not everyone was going to be able to do Fix Extreme themselves and we wanted to be able to do a test group and one of us coaches needed to be doing the program.  So of course I did it.  Begrudgingly, if I am honest with myself. 

I have given the workouts good effort these past five weeks.  This IS no doubt an excellent program.  I was NOT being precise with the nutrition, down to following the clearly defined plan to a T.  It is not within my current approach to life to just turn the opposite direction and begin eating poorly.  No interest in that!  But my ratios were off and some days I would have an extra "blue" (how I love nuts!!) rather than fitting in my last "green" (veggie).  It is when we follow the Fix nutrition that we make the significant progress!  THIS is how many people lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks. 

I have been in a holding pattern until just recently.  Not going backwards at all but not moving forwards either.  This week is Week 6 for me and I had initially "resigned" myself to commit to doing two rounds of the Fix Extreme before moving on to something else.  You may remember my birthday goal of dropping down to the next size of jeans??  My birthday is in 13 days and I am getting closer to those size 10's!  I am going to try them on tomorrow for a progress check!

Something about knowing that I am "almost done" with this program reignited me and I suddenly have a COMPLETELY different mindset this week... and guess what!?!?!!?

1) The scale is already moving since Sunday!  I could feel myself changing and had to take a look.  Down 2 pounds!  After holding steady for 5 weeks.

2) I am newly sore this week after not being noticeably sore since week 3!  I have upped my weights each day.  I am squatting and lunging more deeply.  I am giving utmost attention to my form.  Bottom line, I am enthusiastic about what I am doing. 

3) I am seeing change in how my clothes fit and how I feel in my own skin!  This actually began last week.  Maybe something about sticking with it that first month and hitting Week 5 and I seemed to flip a switch with my own progress!?

4) I have belatedly realized that I really and truly do like the Fix Extreme.  My begrudging attitude has shifted!  I am now SMILING throughout my workouts once again. 

You know what?  I am stubborn.  I admit it.  I am also one to "get a bee in my bonnet".  I didn't feel like doing the Fix Extreme and I let that simmer for a good four weeks.  I was still encouraging towards my challengers.  I still was consistent through my workouts and didn't skip.  My nutrition was clean and nothing that I was unhappy with, although it was not "Fix-precise".  Autumn (Fix Creator/Trainer) oftentimes uses the term "dialed in" nutrition.  Throughout my life, that term will come to mind whenever I contemplate my choices!

So, now that I have reconciled myself to things and am *finally* truly having fun with this workout, Week 6 is NOT going to be it for me.  I am going to give this program at least one more week of me being truly "dialed in" with my everyday mindset, workout efforts and nutrition tracking!  I am quite excited to see where this will lead!

Mini Vegetable Egg Cups - 21 Day Fix Extreme Recipe

Hello!  Tonight's dinner came right from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Eating Plan Guide.  This one is simple to make and is a nice option for a make-ahead and reheat as needed breakfast!  I am going to list the recipe exactly as it appears from Beachbody.  Then below I will include below my own very minor modifications.  

Mini Vegetable Egg Cups 

       from the 21 Day Fix Extreme

Ingredients:
12 large eggs
sea salt
ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
1 bag (10 oz) baby spinach, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
Nonstick cooking spray

 

Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 375° F.
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Add spinach, pepper, and onions to egg mixture; mix well.
3. Lightly coat a twelve cup muffin tin with spray.
4. Evenly pour egg mixture into muffin cups.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cups comes out clean.

So, what did I do just a bit differently on this one?

1) We are not big fans of green onions around here.  So I used 1/3 of a chopped Vidalia sweet onion in place of the green onion.   

2) I did not feel like chopping my fresh spinach.  And I did want to saute my pepper and onion.  So I placed all of the veggies in a skillet like you see in the photo at the top of this entry.  I cooked them on medium high for 5 or so minutes and then added the mixture to the eggs.

3) I did not need any sort of nonstick spray with this Pampered Chef nonstick muffin pan.  I did bake my egg cups for 23 minutes.  What can I say?  I would just rather have my eggs really done!  They were not dry at all.  

***  This recipe was a hit!  Whenever I make it again, I will add just a sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese for some extra flavor.

 

Stripped Meal Plan, Grocery List + Recipe Links ~ Week 5 of the Fix Extreme!

 

Hello everyone! Here is the meal plan that I just put together for this upcoming week! I am headed into Week 5 of 6 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme. TIME TO GET SERIOUS!  I have been talking about my goal of those size 10 jeans in time for my April 7th birthday... In light of this, I have taken my usual 21 Day Fix categories and "stripped down" this plan a bit. I am going with 1 less fruit and 1 less carb per day. I am going to take this approach for the next two weeks. Because I split up my almond milk into 4 ounces at a time and use that within 8 Shakeology servings during the week, that accounts for 2 "yellow" servings per week. I take the remainder of my yellows and space them so that on the days that I am doing a higher calorie burning workout routine, I have two other complete carb servings. The days that get left with just 1 complete yellow (plus that 4 oz. of almond milk) are the days where I am doing the less intense workouts of this program.

Here are the links to some of the Dinner Recipes which we will be making here this week!

Monday and Tuesday ~ Asian Chicken Salad (a taste of summer!)

Thursday ~ Lemon Dill Salmon with Roasted Broccoli (my own recipe)

Sunday ~ Pork Carnitas (recipe from my colleague Molly's blog!)

** Wednesday night's dinner is just a simple stir fry of sliced chicken breast, veggies and a bit of the Wegmans Organic Sesame Ginger Sauce.

** Friday's Mini Vegetable Egg Cups and Saturday's Balsamic Steak Salad are both 21 Day Fix Extreme recipes from the guide book.  Check back later in the week as I will be blogging them as I make them those evenings! 

This week's Grocery List may look to be more lengthy than usual!  Quite a few of the seasoning ingredients may be things that you already have on hand in your own pantry?  But I wanted to include them all here just in case!  My list is color-coded to match the container categories of the 21 Day Fix.  I then put my list together according to the store departments in order to keep myself organized!

Produce

Bananas

Apples

Cherry Tomatoes

Cucumber

Celery

Green Beans

Asst. Peppers

Sweet Onions

Red Onions

Carrots

Broccoli

Baby Spinach

Mixed Greens

Romaine Lettuce

Avocado

Lemons

Limes

Garlic

Ginger

Dill

Cilantro 

Deli

Nitrate Free Turkey

Cooler

Chicken Breast Club Pack

Pork Tenderloin

Beef Tenderloin Steaks

Plain Greek Yogurt

Eggs

Feta

Almond Milk

Grocery Frozen:

Berries

Salmon

Spinach

Grocery Shelves:

Balsamic Vinegar

Cider Vinegar

Low Sodium Teriyaki

Chili Powder

Corn Tortillas

EVOO

Peanuts

Nature’s Marketplace Organic

                                         (at Wegmans)

Shelves:

Kidney Beans

Black Beans

Brown Rice

Almond Butter

Coconut Oil

Sesame Ginger Asian Sauce

Ground Cumin

Bay Leaves

Ground Coriander

Ground Cloves

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Oregano

Himalayan Sea Salt

Veggie Stock

Freezer:

Ezekiel Bread

Bulk:

Sprouted Almonds

Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds

 

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What About Cheat Meals?? My 21 Day Fix Extreme Update?

Hello!  Good evening to you and thank you for stopping by my blog!  My name is Jeanette Paradis and I am currently on my own Week 4 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme workouts.  I am planning to do this program for a total of 6 weeks right now (two rounds) then return to PiYo and then back to Insanity Max 30!  But I will be back for the Fix Extreme again sometime this calendar year!

I have written a blog entry that describes each of the Fix Extreme workouts in detail.  I am getting into a rhythm with them here and definitely have my favorites so far!  Today was Lower Fix Extreme and it is a KILLER.  It is not complex but it sure is intense!  I was alternating between 12's and 15's with my weights last week.  Today was ALL 15's!  I can feel myself getting stronger and was able to really power through Round 3 today.  That to me is the TOUGHEST part of this workout.  My hardest move comes in Round 2 - those TRICKY Single Leg Squat jumps which make an appearance in several of the Fix Extreme workouts.  But Round 3 is the crucible.  Today I was able to do a better job of powering through the Sumo Squat jumps and that was exciting!

My favorite workout from the Fix Extreme is Pilates.  Aaaaahhhhhh..... it is such a great stretch and strength sort of workout!  Just what I love!  This takes place on Wednesday in the schedule and is an "active recovery day".  I am getting the hang of the resistance band and you use it throughout this workout.  The band is also used during Upper Fix Extreme on Tuesdays and Lower Fix Extreme on Thursdays.  Those who know me are aware of my klutzy tendencies - I was picturing myself all tangled up in this thing and waiting to be rescued!  Actually, that has not been the case!

So how about the 21 Day Fix Extreme nutrition??  It is very similar to the 21 Day Fix with just a slightly abbreviated food list in several of the categories and also the idea of "no cheats or treats" during the 21 day.  Umm.... that ship has sailed here in my world!  There have been too many things in life these past few weeks where I am going to be the first to say that I have not had the exact, precise 21 Day Fix world nutrition down pat.  The plan is NOT that hard and is by no means impossible for the average person to follow.  Here is a blog entry with my Week 1 meal plan and grocery list.  

I have just been in more of a eat clean and healthy maintenance mindset.  It is so important to me that I be healthy for the sake of my family.  I have a husband and we are coming up on 11 years since we met.  I want to keep him on his toes!  When I am confident and fit, I am much more fun!  Our two young kids are learning so much about life right now and it is important for me to set a good example for them.  I have by no means "gone backwards" with any of my progress!  At the moment I know that I am maintaining the celebrated spot where I arrived at the end of Insanity Max 30.  Switching up the workouts with doing Fix Extreme had me SORE those first two weeks ~ especially that first week!  But back to the nutrition... the idea is "Don't diet!  Eat according to your goals!" and I LOVE this statement.  For the past 19 months, I have NEVER THOUGHT OF MYSELF AS BEING ON A DIET.  I hate that term.  To me, it conveys the idea of a short term, impossible to maintain, deprivation/crash based approach.  What I am doing is so NOT that.  I learned how to eat clean and to watch my portion sizes and to balance my food categories.  This IS ABSOLUTELY MAINTAINABLE and I have kept off the 50+ pounds that I lost.  I continue to become stronger and more toned and also continue to chisel away at the remaining "flub".  Could I be chiseling more quickly if I followed the nutrition plan exactly?  Of course!

I am just coming up on a new "push goal" here... I recently bought some new jeans in a size smaller than what I have been wearing!  My birthday is coming up in early April and I am ready to do the work to make them a good fit!  So what does this mean for my nutrition??  Back to the idea of "eating according to our goals" means that I am now FOLLOWING the 21 Day Fix Extreme meal plan!  I already have the tools.  I have a great foundation.  I am headed in the right direction and I just need to FOCUS. 

But what about "cheat meals?"  Do they have a place?  In all honesty, yes.  Especially when you are thinking long-term, big picture progress.  But there are still some things to keep in mind!  Check out the ideas on the image above.  I was just talking about this in one of my challenge groups and thought that it may be helpful to share here as well! 

How many times should I aim to have a cheat meal? 

ANSWER- once a week! When you do your weekly planning sit down and schedule out your cheat meal! Write it in your planner and that will make you more likely to stick to your clean plan the rest of the week. We need to create that space for ourselves while on this journey. Remember, we have the focus of a sprinter who is starting strong and is making every moment count while developing these healthy new habits. But we also need to endurance of a marathon runner in order to make all of this a true lifestyle shift and successful long-term approach. 

Here is the catch! If you slip up when it's not your cheat meal or snack then you don't get to take that 2nd cheat day! It is one or the other so choose wisely! Too many cheats can lead you to weight loss plateau and frustration. We may be still finding our way and struggling to break those bad habits so you might not be able to make it the entire week and that is okay. Just keep working at it and start to fight those urges to splurge. If you want something sweet, drink a large glass of water and then wait 20 minutes. Go outside and get busy, play with the kids, go for a walk or whatever. The urge will usually pass! A lot of times our hunger is caused by thirst. Maybe we didn't drink enough water today. Lastly, green tea does help to stave off hunger!! I keep it on hand at all times!!!

Turkey Chili from the 21 Day Fix Extreme!

Well, anything is possible!  True confession - I have always been a little bit (or a LOT) freaked out by ground turkey and never actually purchased it before yesterday.  I have been making some of the new recipes from the 21 Day Fix Extreme guide and I decided to be brave and give the ground turkey a try.  I made chili with it tonight and it was actually good!  My husband even approved!!!  He is not at all picky and I am thankful that he is game for my kitchen experiments.  But I did take his chili stamp of approval as a very good sign as just 48 hours ago he was at a chili cook-off and sampled MANY recipes that night. This one is a keeper!

If you are doing the original 21 Day Fix OR the Fix Extreme, this recipe equals 1 red, 1/2 green and 1/2 yellow container per serving.

* We really like kidney beans so I did 1/2 kidney beans and 1/2 pinto beans.  The kids do not care for fresh cilantro.  So we added a sprinkle of dried parsley instead.  Oh!  And everyone here really likes bell peppers so I used two within the recipe instead of just one.

Turkey Chili from the 21 Day Fix Extreme

(Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each)

1 tsp. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey

1 medium onion

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste; optional)

2 (15 oz) cans black beans (or pinto beans) drained, rinsed

1 (15 oz) can all-natural diced tomatoes, no sugar added

12 fresh cilantro sprigs, finely chopped (for garnish; optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat
2. Add turkey, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink
3. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute
4. Add beans and tomatoes (with liquid). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; gently bio, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thickened.
5. Serve warm, sprinkle with cilantro. 
6. *** This recipe could also be assembled and placed in the crock-pot on low.  When making it here today, I put everything together and then had it simmering on low for an hour or so until it was time for dinner here.