So let me back up a bit. If you have no prior knowledge of what I'm doing....I'm on Day 10 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme program. First of all - these workouts are the bomb.com. The original 21 Day Fix was my favorite program to date (read about that journey here), but this one definitely takes the cake and has moved to my #1 spot. So anywho - there are two nutrition plans that you can follow. One is the Extreme Meal Plan - which is very similar to the original 21 Day Fix meal plan except that it's a little more strict, offering no cheats and no alcohol for the entire 21 Day duration. And then there is the countdown to competition meal plan. This meal plan looks a little different in that 2 days you follow that (carb depletion days) and one day you follow the extreme plan. When you're following the countdown to comp plan, you are allowed less yellow containers (carbs), no purple containers (fruit), no orange (dressings/seeds/nuts),....but you eat a TON more protein!
The last two days were my first following that plan and I'll have to admit, it's definitely much more challenging. She suggests that you eat every 2 hours and you're eating SO much protein so you are literally eating all day and you are NEVER super hungry. I like the part about not being hungry, but it did feel like every time I turned around, I was eating!
Why am I doing the countdown to competition plan? I'm not doing it because I plan on competing. Nor am I doing it because I think I have a lot of weight to lose. I'm doing it for a few different reasons. One, I LOVE to challenge myself and to see how far I can push myself. This meal plan is doing just that for sure. Two, I want to be a credible source for people when they ask me what I think of the meal plan. If I don't try it myself, how can I give feedback to my challengers and coaches about it? I take my coaching business very seriously - and I want to help people as best I can. So that means doing the hard work myself first so I can talk honestly and from experience. Here is a quick visual showing the major differences between the original 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme.
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A few things that I like about the 21 day fix nutrition plan so far
- I love to eat - so it was nice to be able to eat a lot and often and to never feel like I'm starving
- I really just FEEL better. I feel like I have more energy because I'm paying attention to when I'm eating and I'm making sure to eat the right things at the right times. When I'm not following a plan like this I feel like I get off course really easy. I already feel like I'm at my leanest, my stomach has thinned out and I don't feel bloated, and I feel like I'm getting a LOT stronger from the workouts.
- My body is changing and it's only been 10 days. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's easy and that you're definitely going to lose 10-15 pounds in 21 Days. Honestly, people who tell everyone that drive me a little crazy. Everyone is different. Our bodies are made differently and our bodies gain and lose weight differently. It all depends on how much weight you have to lose, what your metabolism is like, how strictly you plan to follow the program and your nutrition plan. For example - when I started 10 days ago, I was the heaviest I'd been in a while. The weeks leading up to starting this, I allowed a lot more cheat type meals and snacks, wine and desserts than I have in a long time. So I had some extra weight put on because of that. I could tell the world that I lost 5 pounds in 10 days so far because of the program to get people hooked in, but I'm not going to do that without sharing the whole story. Those 5 pounds were extra pounds that I tend to gain and lose very quickly once I start to change my nutrition. After that 5 pounds is where my hard work is really showing. So PLEASE be careful believing everything you see in social media. Remember that YOU are an individual. You can't be promised that you'll definitely lose 15 pounds in 21 Days and that it will be easy. It will be hard work. It will take dedication to your workouts and it will take will power in the kitchen. But I can tell you this - it's SO worth it! There is no magic pill or patch that's going to give you the body or health you always wanted. You have to work for it the old fashioned way and make it a lifestyle and not a diet. This is the only way you'll maintain the body and life that you dream of.
- Wow - I really went on a rant in that last one - sorry about that. Super passionate about this stuff, guys.
- I've gained some invaluable knowledge about nutrition just from following this type of portion controlled nutrition plan. Even when I'm not following it strictly with a program, I still have the core values instilled in my brain and try to follow it as closely as I can.
A few things that I feel should be noted about the program:
- It's not easy. You do the best you can and you should be PROUD of yourself for even making the effort to make your health a priority.
- In the original 21 Day Fix you can have a few cheats and some wine for substituting a yellow container. You can't do that in the Extreme version. I do miss that part :) But they don't call it extreme for nothin!!
- Do I think we all should use color coded portion controlled containers for the rest of our lives? Absolutely not! This is a learning tool. After this, you are mindful of portions and you know what kind of foods you should be eating each day. If someone tried to do this every day forever, they would start to develop a sick relationship with food and it would be too overwhelming.
- Food is meant to be fuel for our bodies and we CAN enjoy it. Sometimes it's a little easy to get so wrapped up into the details that we can get frustrated and want to give up. DON'T! Just take a step back and think about how you can make it simpler.
I want to provide as much honest feedback as I can because I believe that is what truly helps people make the right decisions for themselves. I cannot recommend the 21 Day Fix enough - and I will keep recommending it because it's an amazing program that has changed a LOT of lives.
I have 11 days left of the Extreme program and I can't wait to see what my progress looks like at the end. I already feel SO much better just after 10 days. I haven't been perfect - but I've been very dedicated and diligent in the kitchen. For me, 80% of my results and progress comes from my nutrition. The workouts make me stronger and the nutrition plan gives me the results I want.
I hope this helps anyone who wanted to know a little more about the meal plan and why I decided to do the more extreme one. Or if you didn't care at all before and just clicked on this link because you were bored - I hope you at least learned a few things about it :)
