How Much Can I Eat on the 21 Day Fix?

When I talk to people about the 21 Day Fix, I often hear things like:

"Oh I can't diet.  I need a lot of food."
"I don't like diet food."
"Those containers are so small!"

So I thought I'd take the time today to show you just how much I get to eat on the 21 Day Fix.

If you read my last post, you may remember that I mentioned that I am in the lowest container group for the 21DF.  Let me remind you of the containers if you don't remember.

Red - Proteins
Green - Veggies
Purple - Fruits
Yellow - Carbs/Starches
Blue - Healthy Fats
Orange - Seeds/Dressings
Teaspoons - Nut butters, Oils

In that lowest container group, I get 4 reds, 3 greens, 2 purples, 2 yellows, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 2 teaspoons every single day.  Now that may not seem like much, but let me walk to through my food intake on a typical day.

Breakfast - Vegan Chocolate Shakeology with Coconut Extract and Caramel Extract - 1 Red

Snack - Green Tea with 2 packets of Stevia, Apple, Lightly Salted Sunflower Kernels (not pictured) - 1 Purple, 1 Orange

Lunch - Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Cous Cous and Broccoli - 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Green

Snack - Celery with Natural Peanut Butter - 1 Green, 2 Teaspoons

Dinner - Beef Cubes, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli - 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Green

Snack - Greek Yogurt with Frozen Grapes - 1 Red, 1 Purple

That's all in ONE DAY in the LOWEST container group.  When I was in the next group up, I struggled to eat all of that food.  I can't even imagine being in the higher container groups.  As you can see, I don't eat diet foods.  That stuff is seriously gross.  I eat whole, natural, non-processed foods.  I take the time to meal prep and cook good food.  I then measure out the appropriate portions and chow down. 

Anyone can do this.  You just have to have to want to do it.  It's important to note that THIS IS NOT A DIET!  This is simply learning which foods fuel your body the best and proper portion control.  It truly is a lifestyle change.  But it is one that you will enjoy and lead a healthier life with.

Want more info?  Comment below or send me a message!  I'd love to help you!

How I Plan to Survive Thanksgiving.... WITHOUT Gaining Weight!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow... and we all know what that means!  FOOD!!!  And well, I love food.  But I don't plan on gaining weight this holiday season, so I need to make sure I have a plan in place for tomorrow.

How do I plan on staying on track tomorrow?

My 21 Day Fix containers and my workout!  Tomorrow is Pilates (which I have a love/hate relationship with).  I think I'll also do 10 Minute Abs some time tomorrow.

We have two dinners to go to tomorrow, so there's a lot of potential for disaster.  As I said in my last post, I get 4 proteins/reds, 3 veggies/greens, 2 fruits/purples, 2 carbs/yellows, 1 healthy fat/blues, 1 seeds & dressings/orange, and 2 teaspoons in one day.  I will, of course, have my Shakeology in the morning before I go and I'll probably use some extract in it so that'll count as 1 red and nothing else.

Our first dinner is with my family.  I am going to have 1 red container of turkey, 1 green of veggies (whatever that may be), 1 yellow container of stuffing, and 1 purple and blue apple banana muffin that I am making to take along.  I think I'll also have half of an orange container of gravy to liven up my turkey a bit since I'm not a huge turkey fan.  That'll leave me with 2 reds, 2 greens, 1 yellow, 1 purple, 1/2 of an orange and 2 teaspoons left for the day.

Our next dinner will be with Peter's immediate family.  I plan on having another red container of turkey, a green of asparagus, my last yellow will be sweet potatoes, the other half an orange of gravy, and I'm going to have a sliver of pumpkin pie because it's all about moderation, not deprivation.

The great thing is that I will still have a red, a green, a purple, and 2 teaspoons left after dinner!  Since I'm on this restricted sleep schedule, I'll be able to have a snack around 9pm of yogurt with fruit and celery with peanut butter!  Yum!

So there you have it - how I plan to stay on track for Thanksgiving!  It's totally possible to still enjoy all of the yummy foods available, but not go overboard.  What's important is to do your best to stay on the plan and make sure that your workout gets done.

Have a super good Thanksgiving everyone!

 http://www.tprojects.org/public/images/free-thanksgiving-banner-printable-decorations.jpg

21 Day Fix

I was first introduced to the 21 Day Fix by my friend, Heather (who also happens to be my coach). She lost 40 lbs by following the program and I just HAD to know how she did it.

So for those of you who don't know much about the program, let me give you the run down.  The 21 Day Fix is all about portion control and clean eating. It comes with containers that equal certain food groups.

Red is protein.
Green is veggies.
Purple is fruits.
Yellow is starches/carbs.
Blue is healthy fats.
Orange is dressings and seeds.

There's a little math equation you do to figure out how many of each container you get to eat each day. So, for example, I'm in the lowest group. I get 4 proteins, 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 2 starches/carbs, 1 healthy fat, and 1 dressing/seeds, plus two teaspoons of nut butters/olive oil. It's really dependent on your weight so as you lose weight, your container amount changes.

It comes with a book that tells you what foods go in which container, so it's really fool proof. See the food list in the graphic below.

It also comes with workouts for every day of the week. They're only 30 minutes which is nice when you're busy and don't have time for more. I like them a lot because there's also a modifier in them so when I started, I followed her instead of everyone else. I'm now able to do pretty much everything without a modifier.  The workouts vary and cover everything from cardio to lower body, upper body, Pilates, yoga, and everything in between.

One of the things that I hear a lot from people is "But I already eat cleanly." That's great! Congratulations! However, that's not everything. It all has to do with portion sizes. You can eat cleanly and still eat a 1,500 calorie salad. What I love about this program is that it teaches you proper portion sizes as well as how to eat cleanly.

https://sweetjulianne.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/less-crap-more-food.jpg

Eating clean means that you get rid of all the processed food that you've been eating.  So all of those easy, quick boxed dinners that we as Americans eat on a regular basis need to go. I know they're quick on a busy night, but trust me, your body will thank you for it.  You'll feel better and have more energy.

I started doing the 21 Day Fix in the beginning of April 2015.  It's now the end of November.  In those few months, I have lost 30 pounds and nearly 20 inches.  Right now, I'm really starting to focus on those inches.  The weight doesn't matter that much to me anymore.  I went from a size 14 pant to a size 8.  My goal size is a 6.  I still have awhile to go until I'm there, but I know I will eventually get there because I will continue to work at it!  You can see the differences in me in my before and afters below.  I can't wait until my transformation is complete (will it ever really be though!?) so I can share them with all of you!

Now I know some of you out there are thinking "Okay, this all sounds great, but it sounds like hard work."  It is.  I'm not going to lie.  Sure, you can go out there and do a wrap or a patch or take a bunch of diet pills.  I will not judge you for it.  To each their own.  In fact, I will support you no matter what!  However, once you stop using those wraps, patches, and pills, the weight will slowly come back on.  There is no quick fix for a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Deciding to do the 21 Day Fix means that you are ready to change your ENTIRE life.  You are ready to start eating healthy and watch portions for every meal that you eat.  Is it hard? Absolutely.  Will you have to find time to meal plan and prep?  Yep, you will.  But is it worth it?  YES!  It is SOOOOOOOO worth it.  Your health is so worth it.

Want to know more?  Comment below or email me at amyocumtbb@gmail.com.

Ready to make a purchase?  Follow these links:
21 Day Fix Challenge Pack (with Shakeology)
21 Day Fix Kickstart Challenge Pack (with Shakeology and 3 Day Refresh)
21 Day Fix (without Shakeology)

All About Me!

Hey everyone!

So in the midst of my crazy life, I decided to start a blog about, well, everything! For those of you who don't know me - I'm a nanny, Beachybody Coach, cat mommy (to a beautiful kitty named Chloe), People to People Teacher Leader, daughter, girlfriend, fitness enthusiast, sister, book lover, and just an all around fun-loving Christian woman. I love spending time out and about with family and friends just as much as I love curling up on the couch with a good book.

Some of my favorite things include: kids, kittens, puppies, penguins, books, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, dancing, singing, anything celestial, music, movies, board games, and spending time with other people.  For fun, I read books, go line dancing, exercise, and spend lots of time with my boyfriend, Peter (he's the cutie in my profile picture with me).

About the nannying thing - for any of you who are wondering - I'm a nanny for three wonderful children, S (3), L (6), and G (9).  They are silly and smart and make me smile every single day.  I can honestly say that I love what I do and look forward to coming to work every day (now who gets to say that?!).

Beachbody.  There's a word that some of you should recognize.  What about it, you ask?  Well, I'll blog more on that a little later.  But it is the reason that I am now 30 pounds lighter and a LOT healthier!

I don't want my first post to turn into a book.... so I'll cut it short now.  Thanks for visiting!  I hope to see you back soon!

-Annie