Getting back on track after the Summer

21 Day Fix was the very first at-home fitness and nutrition program I was introduced to after I had had our 3^rd son and was trying to lose the baby weight. I wanted to lose 40 pounds and since we had completed our family, I also wanted to get rid of all those lovely maternity clothes and XL clothing pieces that were still hanging in my closet. 

I was always a bit bigger of a person but I did enjoy being active.  So after our son was born, I believed that I could out-exercise a bad diet.  Before starting the 21 Day Fix, I would bike to work and back, do Jillian Michaels Shred workout and go for a walk after dinner.  I also had a membership at the gym but I felt so guilty leaving my family at home while I was there.  Even with all this activity, hard work and time I was putting in, I still couldn’t get that scale to budge and keep up with what I was putting into my mouth.  There was no way around it - I needed to put better quality food and nutrition into my body.

I didn't want the quick fix. 
 I wanted to grow new healthy habits
for life.

So when I was introduced to the 21 Day Fix back in 2013, I treated it as an experiment for myself.  Since I was spending the money on this program, I was dedicated to make the money spent worthwhile because we didn't have a whole lot back then.  My husband thought this was another weight loss quick fix thing so I was even more motivated to prove him wrong and make the money spent worthwhile.   

I cut my workouts back to just 30 minutes a day following the 21 Day Fix workout calendar and workout videos.  I followed the set out nutrition plan that went along with it.  Since nutrition was my biggest struggle, I wanted to see what would happen if I really just surrendered to the "healthy eating thing" for just 3 weeks.  Would I be further ahead and would it be worth it?  Would skipping dessert and eating more veggies be worth it?
 

The workout schedule that you follow. 
Push play on the scheduled workout,
get stronger and better each time

I learned SO much by following that nutrition plan for those 3 weeks.  I learned about  the different size portions for each food group.  I learned about how many servings of each food group is ideal in a day.  I learned that the reason I couldn’t lose the weight before, even though I was exercising and active, was that my diet was full of carbs and hardly any veggies.  If I’m being honest with myself, some days I would go without any at all.  I also learned to say no to foods for comfort and had to work through my emotions for those 3 weeks by distracting myself elsewhere.  I was a big emotional eater and I would eat things to perk me up if I was running low on energy or having a hard day.  I learned that the food doesn't really fix anything and after saying no to emotional eating for a week, it got easier, and I grew more self disciplined.   

 

For anyone out there wanting to start to change their eating habits and lose weight, I personally just feel the nutrition plan is genius.  You aren't eliminating any food groups (except my sugar food group) You have a great balance of protein/carb/healthy fats without the food scales and the plan does allow for a treat or adult beverage by swapping out a carb container a couple times a week.

When I dedicated myself to just 3 weeks of this new way of eating, I lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks and I was proud that this was done through putting clean foods into my body (not starving) and exercising just a little bit each day.  I was hooked and I was slowly growing new healthy habits  that would really change not only my lifestyle, but our whole family's.  I knew I had to let go of old eating habits in order to finally get rid of the weight and this quote always sticks in my mind,  "If you want something different I had to do something different" and that’s exactly what I did.
 

I followed that nutrition plan 100% that first round.  I checked off each container on my tally sheet, I worked through the cravings that I had by distracting myself with other things and just giving myself a little pep talk each time cravings popped up. 

So why all the talk about the 21 Day Fix again?

Because for the next 21 days, I'll be dedicating myself to this program again and sharing my progress and my days over on my FB page. I got off track this summer.  I let the ice cream and treats become a daily thing, and I let my workouts slip.  I know how much better I could be feeling if I ate better and got up for my workouts in the morning, it will just take a bit of focus again and making this a priority. 

It's just 3 weeks and I'm going to re-dedicate myself to this again starting tomorrow.  I took my before photos, I have a meal plan that I'm going to follow and stick to for this first week (I'm going with this one)  and I have cleaned out the sugary foods and made room for the good foods again.


Are you recommitting this week because the kids are back in school and you've got more of a routine going on this week, let me know. 

If you have Beachbody on Demand (BOD),  you know you already have access to not only this program, but ALL the Beachbody programs they have ever released - including Instanity, Country Heat and Body Beast to name a few. 

You get the program's workouts that you can stream from your laptop, smart TV or tablet. Because exercise and nutrition go hand in hand, they all come with their own nutrition plan too, that you can customize to suit your food preferences. 

If you don't have BOD, I will be happy to talk to you more about it and how you can get started too.  If you'd like to just watch and see how I do with this, you can follow me over here on my FB page 

Take back control and re-dedicate yourself.  Let me know how you're doing!