21 DAY FIX- WEEK 1 Meal/Exercise Plan

WEEK 1 of 21 DAY FIX

I love constantly setting new goals for myself.. One goal that I change every so often is my goal body.  I set small goals to reach my larger goals in the long run.  I have reached my goal weight, and maintained for a while (about a year), but want to change things up.  I really want to tone, so in order to lose the last 5 or so pounds, I need a strict nutrition regimen, along with a workout program that works well for me.

Since I am a mommy of 2 amazing little boys, a wife, and a nurse, I need to manage to make time for my health and fitness goals as well! What better way than picking a program that is giving my home DVD's that are 30 min a day, and a meal plan that I can understand and live off of! NO DIETS FOR ME! I do not believe in them and feel you should the way you can live off of forever! It's a LIFESTYLE right?!
The 21 day Fix is literally 21 days long, but you may repeat as needed, and includes the focus on both nutrition and exercise! It is all about portion control and self control! I know for me personally, having a specific regimen that tells me what to do makes my life so much easier! Not including how convenient the home DVD's are.. I no longer have to pull my kids out of the house to drive to a sitter so I can go to the gym!






Yesterday was day 1! Sunday I had all of my food prepped and ready to go for the week! I had made my meal plan ahead of time, went to the grocery store and got all my goodies, and cooked everything! I spend about 3-4 hours total getting all my meals ready for the week. It sounds like a long time, but I save lots of time during the week and lots of money by sticking to the same foods every week.. I like to keep things simple.. Its easy to follow and easy to remember what I am eating every day.  Here is what my meal plan looks like this week!

And then the prepping!! I honestly LOVE to cook now! It use to be something I felt was a waste of time and was not good at it... Until I made goals.  I knew eating out at restaurants was not healthy, no matter where you went! Foods are cooked with so many extra calories its crazy! I decided, I am not wasting my calories that way.. I want to reach my goal and now that I cook for myself, I enjoy it! I also think I enjoy it more because I know its the best thing for me and my family!

 These are the containers that came with the 21 day fix.. They looked extremely small when I took them out of the box and all I thought to myself was "How in the world am I going to be full off these portions!?"

As I was cooking my food and actually putting what I thought was a portion size in the container, I was pleasantly surprised that I was pretty much on with the portions! So for example, one of my current snacks is 3 hard boiled eggs and an apple.. That was a meal on here, but looking at the containers, I didn't think my normal portions would fit and they did!

I am still eating lots of my every day foods- Chicken, fish, salmon, stir fry veggies, eggs, Quinoa and brown rice!

I think the hardest part is not using additives to cook with.. So I am only using EVOO twice daily. No condiments on my food either! That is tough because I am a HUGE condiments LOVER!! But that may be the key for me to lose this last 5 pounds! We know its the hardest to lose the last couple!

 Day 1 went well!! I was a little distracted without having my E&E to drink ( beach body's Pre workout formula with natural flavors and vitamins) but I made it through!
I am drinking 1 gallon of water a day.. YES gallon!! It is in the books and I am going by it! Its a great way to cleanse your body and take away all that extra bloating that is not needed!!
In order for me to enjoy an entire gallon, I am using lemon in my water to help me out! Makes it so much fun when I am drinking something other than plain water all the time lol! Nothing like spicing it up with some fresh fruit also!!
This may sound silly but one way I am getting my water in is having chugging contests with my friends! Yes, even at my nursing job! We chug water to make sure we are ahead of the game! NO SLACKING HERE! :)

How often am I eating?
During the 21 day Fix, I am eating every 2 hours.  Since I wake up so early and do not go to bed right when I should, I try to make it every 2.5 hours, which works for me much better!





What do I do when I get hungry and its not time to eat?
I am not going to lie, I have been hungry a couple times prior to the time I am suppose to eat.. So I drink Green tea! Nothing in it, just plain Green Tea! I use Zen and it really helps me, also it helps cleanse and take away bloating!




Day 2 today went really well! It was easier than yesterday, and I am enjoying my meals, and my workouts! I love that you still are lifting weights, but are also incorporating your own body weight into your exercises! I got my water in ... YES the whole GALLON.. with the help of another chugging contest!!! ;)
I already feel less bloated and like I can really tell when I am actually hungry vs emotional hunger!

 I am going to bed and ready to take on another day... another day closer to reaching my ULTIMATE goals!! WOO HOO!! Oh p.s. Although I would love to lose 5 pounds, I also understand the scale is not everything! I will be happy with more definition! :) Good night and get ready for a yummy recipe to be posted tomorrow!!

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T25 WEEK 3 DAY 4

WEEK 3 DAY 4

FOCUS T 25

So I had an exhausting evening and definitely did not wake up this morning prior to work to get my workout in. ughh! I know if I would have gotten up, I would have been fine, but I’m human and do these things sometimes.

 I had my shake for work which was great- Berrylicious Blast SHAKEOLOGY made with Greenberry Shakeology! 

For my snack, I had plain Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries (1/2  cup) and kashi go lean cereal (¼ cup).

I was starving for lunch even though I was drinking my water, so I had ½ medium sweet potato and Quinoa salad from the Ultimate Reset.  This is definitely one of my favorite meals from the Reset cleanse! 

My 4^th meal, or should I say snack was raw veggies with ¼ cup hummus and 1 oz raw almonds.

For dinner, I had a greek salad with kalamata olives, feta cheese , with a piece of grilled chicken.  I used oil and vinegar for my dressing!!

No evening snack! Drank lots of water!!

Just because you do not workout, does not mean you need to ruin your nutrition part!  Remember, nutrition is 80% of your weight loss!! If you can’t do it all, do what you can to get the most of your results!! It’s an early night for me so I will update tomorrow!! 

T25 WEEK 3 DAY 3!

T25 WEEK 3 day 3!

Today was yet another awesome day!! I did feel like I did not get enough calories because I was slightly lightheaded throughout the day.  I woke up bright and early and did LOWER FOCUS.  For 25 minutes, it definitely gives you a great workout when you give it your all!!

Here was my meal plan for today:

Breakfast-  SHAKEOLOGY I tried my new Cinnamon-Bun recipe with VANILLA SHAKEOLOGY!! It was sooo yummy and was definitely a great treat!!!

Snack: ½ cup oatmeal, ½ cup fresh blueberries, 1 tbsp  almond butter, 1 tsp flaxseed.  I switched up my first 2 meals and this was the first time I had this snack and it was great!!

Lunch: Quinoa salad (used from the Ultimate Reset) and ½ medium sweet potato.  I did add a tbsp. of feta cheese with the quinoa salad to give it a little extra taste!

Snack: raw peppers with ¼ cup hummus and a small apple.  This picture shows a little bag of apples, but don’t worry, the caramel was thrown away J!!

Snack: I was starving before dinner so I had a string cheese and 5 red bean triscuits. 

Dinner: Grilled chicken with stir fry veggies (from Ultimate Reset)

I drank 80 oz of water and I am literally going to the bathroom every 5 min! TMI but its definitely working!! Eating every 3 hrs and not snacking in between really makes a huge difference, esp when you write down your meals!!  I am learning so much self-control and it is such an awesome feeling!!

Is there something you can change to help yourself gain self-control?? Whether it be allowing yourself to eat only every 3 hrs?? Not eating 2-3 hrs before bed?? Make yourself drink your daily dose of water that you need??

If you learn self-control, you will feel such a great sense of accomplishment and will feel so much better emotionally, mentally, and physically!!

Cinnamon-Bun SHAKEOLOGY

Cinnamon-Bun Shakeology

1 scoop Vanilla SHAKEOLOGY

½ tsp cinnamon

½ graham crackers

4 oz almond milk (I use unsweetened vanilla)

4 oz water

12 oz ice (I like mine thicker like a smoothie)

Why I love vanilla SHAKEOLOGY so much?? Even my kids love it and are healthy!! What better thing to do than to teach your kids to be healthy and set a great example for them!!  My 1 year old does not want to give up this shake for anything!! <3

Get your SHAKEOLOGY now in any flavor of your choice!! 

VANILLA

CHOCOLATE
GREENBERRY
VEGAN CHOCOLATE
VEGAN TROPICAL STRAWBERRY

Get yours now in HD (home direct) and get FREE shipping!! To place an order and sign up with me to coach you, visit http://www.MyShakeology.com/deidrap8

Join me in my AUG 12th Fitness Challenge Group! Message me for details!

deidra.penrose@yahoo.com

WEEK 3 DAY 1 complete!!!

Week 3 day 1 was a great success!! This is why I do what I do.. I FEEL AMAZING!!! I am so mad that I wasted time last week eating those extra meals, but no more dwelling, time to move on and be stronger than ever!! I got my total body circuit in (T25) in the morning, and also had FIT club and did Turbo Fire (Fire 45) and ohhh how I missed Turbo Fire and Chalene!!! She is definitely my motivator and just LOVE the energy with those workouts!! By far, my favorite workouts to do!!! 

I drank ONLY water the entire day and got my 64 oz in!!! MY meals:

1. Breakfast- Egg Whites with 1 slice Ezekiel bread, little fat free cheese and 1 piece low sodium ham
2. Snack- SHAKEOLOGY (chocolate with 1 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter)
3. Lunch-Turkey Stuffed Peppers (used my banana Peppers from my garden) ½ sweet potato
4. Snack- 3 oz grilled chicken
5. Dinner-Spaghetti Squash (amazing!!!!)
6. Snack post workout- Turkey stuffed peppers ( veggies and protein- light on sauce)

• What helps me the most is eating ONLY every 3 hrs and NOT snacking in between.. You would be surprised on the extra calories that you add when you snack!!

• Drinking a lot of water before your meals really helps you determine your hunger vs. thirst!

• Not eating 3 hrs before bed will let you sleep better, and when you wake up, you are not bloated and have that YUCK feeling in your belly!!

• If you are having problems sticking to healthy diet, try writing everything down, whether it be on paper, on your computer and printing it off, OR MYFITNESSPAL APP on your phone!! I love it and it really helps me with seeing the calories and other nutritional facts in the foods I am eating!!

**ADVICE- Make a meal plan, PREPARE ahead of time,  STICK WITH IT and BE PERSISTENT!! It will go a long way!!!! Make yourself happy and be happy with the body you live in!! You only get one so treat it with respect!!! 

T25 Day 4~

Day 4 T25-

Today was my off day for working out, which was needed because I have been going to bed at midnight and waking up at 4 am to workout before work.  I also did 2 workouts yesterday of T25 since I had FIT club.  So I woke up exhausted!  I worked again today and packed awesome, but did not follow.  I had my SHAKEOLOGY of course for breakfast (Butterfinger), which you can find under my SHAKEOLOGY RECIPES, I had plain Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and strawberries and ¼ cup Kashi Go Lean mixed berry for snack (amazing)!! For lunch, I made it my off meal, which probably was not the best choice, but I enjoyed it and made it during the day so I burned it off!! I had Panera- Fontega Chicken ½ sandwich and small cup of French onion soup without the bread! Since my friends and I went to lunch together, we decided we wanted to splurge on a fudge brownie.. We are human, that’s what we do… BUT we helped each other!! HOW??? We splint 1 brownie into 5 different servings and each had 2 small bites!! Remember, the 1^st bite always tastes good, the 2^nd is the best, and the rest is not needed after the best!!! So you only need 2 bites to get satisfied!!  For my next meal, I had 1 fat free string cheese, 4 oz salmon, and grilled mixed veggies!!

 Around 5 pm, I decided to have some natural peanut butter and 1 low fat cinnamon graham cracker with my son, and I am done for the night!! I am so full from all this food, today was definitely my off day!! Better day tomorrow!!!Will wake up early workout, and travel to Pittsburgh to see my mom for the day!!  Healthy snacks will be with me!! 

I also got my water in that I need! How do you know how much water intake you should have daily?

Take you weight and divide by 2.. that is what you should have in OUNCES!!!

DRINK UP!!!

P.S. If you are tired of the same old water, add a little flavor... Lemon, Lime, fresh fruit, mint.. make it fun and enjoy every drop!!!

Why Water?!?!?!

WHY DRINK WATER WARM & FIRST THING IN THE MORNING?!?!?

I know some people do not like to change up their rituals often in their daily life, BUT I recommend adding this ritual to your life!! You will realize why when you start doing it!!

Start the day out with a mug of warm water and the juice of half a lemon.

Medicinal Values:

•  It helps prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria and the decomposition of tissue

•   It assists in “cleansing the system of impurities” and will help prevent disease

• It is effective at dissolving uric acid (often the cause of pain and inflammation in joints) and other poisons in the body

•  It can help reduce symptoms of malaria, rheumatism, gout, rickets and tuberculosis.

Liver:

•  Provide a natural strengthening agent to liver enzymes when they are too dilute

•    Help fix oxygen and calcium levels in the liver, which ultimately affects blood oxygen levels

Digestive Aid

• One of the most important benefits of drinking lemon water regularly is its effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Lemon water assists in the process of digestion and elimination.

•  Lemon juice is similar in atomic structure to saliva, hydrochloric acid, bile and the stomach’s other digestive juices.

• The digestive qualities of lemon juice help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, belching and bloating.

• Since lemons are high in minerals and vitamins, they will also help to eliminate waste through the bowels more efficiently, thus preventing or alleviating constipation, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders.

Drinking lemon water has an alkalizing effect on the body.

• Although lemons are acidic, when they enter the inside of your body, they are actually alkaline. (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). An alkaline body is really the key to good health.

• Increasing body alkalinity is one of the key benefits of drinking lemon water. In addition, because of its antibacterial properties, lemon water will help control unhealthy bacteria.

Boosts your Immune system

•    Lemons are high in Vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates brain and nerve function and helps control blood pressure.

Acts as a gentle, natural diuretic

•   Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.

Clears skin

• The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well.

 Hydrates the lymph system

• This cup of goodness helps start the day on a hydrated note, which helps prevent dehydration (obviously) and adrenal fatigue. When your body is dehydrated, or deeply dehydrated (adrenal fatigue) it can't perform all of it's proper functions, which leads to toxic buildup, stress, constipation, and the list goes on. Your adrenals happen to be two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys, and along with your thyroid, create energy. They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone. Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by your adrenals that regulates water levels and the concentration of minerals, like sodium, in your body, helping you stay hydrated. Your adrenals are also responsible for regulating your stress response. So, the bottom line is that you really don't want to mess with a deep state of dehydration!

Fight cravings

• For all of you who want to drink warm lemon water for weight loss, here it is!! Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster.

Helps Kick Bad Habits

• Drinking lemon water in the morning can help kick your coffee or tea habit by hydrating, invigorating, and stimulating the body. I find that if I drink lemon water first thing in the morning, I hardly ever feel the need to drink my morning tea because the lemon water wakes me up and curbs the craving for caffeine.

Additional benefits for drinking lemon water:

• Helps purify the blood and will also control a tendency to bleed

• Assists in lowering high blood pressure

• Reduces the amount of phlegm in the body

• Relieves symptoms of asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems

• Nourishes brain and nerve cells due to its potassium content

• Helps dissolves gallstones, calcium deposits, kidney stones, and pancreatic stones

• In pregnancy, it will help build strong bones in the child.

Putting this simple activity into your daily routine can completely change how you feel, look, and think!! If you have not given it a try, THIS IS YOUR TIME!!! 

Like I said, the recipe is really simple—a cup of warm (not hot) water and the juice from half a lemon.

Make sure you comment below, so I can see your progress and your results from such an easy change in your daily routine that completely changes your lifestyle!!