21 Day Fix Extreme - Week One

I was so excited the day this program came in the mail!  I was in the middle of week 5 of Insanity Max:30 and am not normally a program jumper, but I had to for this one.

So what's the deal with this 21 Day Fix, you might ask yourself.  The regular version has been available since last February (2014) and has been changing so many lives.  It is more that JUST a fitness program, it comes with a meal plan... which is where  a lot of people fall short when they are working out like hamsters running on wheels but not ever getting anywhere.

Do you feel like that?  Like you put all this time in at the gym, or running endless miles a week but no weight comes off and your body barely looks different after a few months?  Yeah, I have been there.  I used to run 25 ...... TWENTY FIVE.... miles a week and never lost a single pound. Sure, my legs were more toned, but everything else was still just.... JiGgLy (gasp). It wasn't until I started clean eating that I noticed a huge difference.  But, I still knew that I had lots of areas of improvement.  So when the 21 Day Fix Extreme came out and all of the workouts were weighted, I knew it was a perfect match for me!

I was excited.  But I was scared.  Not scared of the workouts, but of the meal plan.  I have NEVER portion controlled my diet before and I was afraid I was going to starve.  Ha!  Think again!  Let me start from the very beginning.

What is the 21 Day Fix Extreme?  Read HERE for all the details about what it is if you aren't sure then come back here and find out how first week was!

Step One: Open my box.  Whew that wasn't too hard!  I read through all the material first and unpackaged and washed  my little containers.... when I say little I really thought I was going to starve while on this program. I can only have HOW much!? Right.  Well, after reading through everything, I did my worksheet to figure out which calorie bracket I am in so I could see how many of each container I could eat in a day.  Once I did that, I spent some time making up our meal plan for the week.  THIS IS KEY!!!!  If you do not prepare for your week, it will be harder for you to stick to the meal plan.  I went shopping, got all the food I needed for the week and prepped the stuff that I didn't want to have to deal with... like grilled 14, yes 14, chicken breasts, hard boiling 2 dozen eggs and cleaning and cutting up fruits and veggies to make it quick and easy for my meals.  I have said it and I will say it again.... spending an hour or two meal prepping on the weekends will make your week SO MUCH EASIER!  And it is worth the effort put in over the weekend... this is nothing new to me though, I have been meal prepping for about a year now just not to this extent. Now, since my husband is doing this program with me (I know aren't we cute), I had to figure out his containers too, hence why I prepped so much food.

Step Two:  BEGIN!

So, I have to admit, I was really stressed out over the meal planning.  I really thought I was going to mess up and to be honest, I was making it harder than it actually was.  Nothing really has changed, we are still eating basically the same foods we have always eaten, maybe more of one and less of another... but it is still the same... just PORTIONED OUT.  Well, I didn't get that through my head the first few days and I literally spent WAY too much time planning and re-planning.  It was stupid.  This is not rocket science.  The list of "allowed" foods is given to you in your book that comes with your program and there are some really great recipes provided as well.  I think what my biggest challenge was.... fitting ALL that food in during my day.

Meal Planning for the week ahead.

A recipe for an easy, make ahead breakfast.

Example of my first week's meal plan.

So, no... I am not starving.  In fact, I am eating more food during my day than I ever have before.  I have never really been a breakfast eater so this program kind of forces me to take the extra couple minutes in the morning to make my oatmeal or my omelet.  And it has been worth it.  My overview of week one meal plan was that I stressed for NOTHING. 

The workouts. Are. Amazing.  Like, I LOVE them.  I love weight training, so this program feeds both my weight training needs with a little cardio.  Thirty minutes from start to finish including the warm up and cool down. And I always finish feeling like I got a GREAT workout.  So far, nothing to complain about except for my sore (in a good way) muscles!  I actually was surprised that I was sore after the first two workouts because I just came off of doing Insanity Max:30 but, it means that Autumn is giving me a heck of a workout without doing all that high impact jumping around that I was just doing with Shaun T.  So, if you are worried about that, other than Plyo Fix Extreme on Mondays, there really isn't a lot of jumping or stress on your joints with this program.  My favorite day is Sunday..... yoga.... haha.

I just started week two this past Monday and, though I haven't taken measurements since the beginning, I did step on the scale and was pleased to find that I had lost 2 pounds in the first week.  My abs have decided to make an appearance (yay!) and the definition in my arms has really started to come out which is what I was looking to achieve with this program... and I still have TWO WEEKS left to go!

So I will leave you with this teaser of a post and will post my final results and a FULL overview at the end... and also invite you to JOIN ME!  I have a great group who are all doing the 21 Day Fix or Fix Extreme who took advantage of it being on sale this month.  That sale ends on the 28th of February... so now is your chance.  Get signed up with me as your coach and let's get you started on your road to fitness.

In my challenge groups, you are NOT ALONE.  I am there as your coach to guide you through your program and help you when you get stuck.  To encourage you, motivate you and hold you accountable to your goals.  This isn't about ME.... this is about me helping YOU to better your life, to help you feel better in your skin, look better, feel healthier... be happy.

**If you are a beginner and ready to give the 21 Day Fix or Fix Extreme a try, I highly recommend you START with the original version and work your way into the Extreme.  If you are in pretty good shape and are stuck... hit a plateau... or have that last 5-10 lbs to lose, then the 21 Day Fix Extreme is for YOU.**