Eat More, Weigh Less

So in my last post I had been saying how I was super excited to start a new program called the 21 Day Fix.... I started on Monday and am Loving it!!!!  Not only does the program include 7 different workouts plus 2 bonus ab workouts not to mention a free bonus workout DVD. It also comes ready to rock your nutrition! You get 7 coloured containers, to portion control your eating and let me tell you, you can get a lot of those suckers!  To make sure I am eating the right container I have planned my meals out for a week.  This is the first time I ever have stuck closely to an meal plan that I have actually planned out myself.  It's actually the first time I've ever sat down and pre planned my meals!  The only other meal plan I have used was a reference guide magnet I got for eating Low Glycemic foods.  I just stuck to what was on the list but never really used portion control.

So for this meal plan it is recommended to eat 5-6 times a day.  Why is this you may ask? Eating frequent meals throughout the day helps to control your appetite, prevent overeating at meal times and has been said to keep your metabolism firing throughout the day. So you are eating roughly every three hours. An ideal day of eating should include breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack and dinner. I myself skip the mid morning snack and usually go for a small after dinner snack. I know they also say not to eat after 7pm (which when I work late is impossible) but I also usually workout out after 7 and you need to fuel your body after a workout.

It came with a booklet to figure out your approximate calorie intake. I was in the first category so I checked the break down to see how many coloured containers I get to use through out the day. Then I sat down and planned out all my meals for the week.  Keeping in mind that each container represents a different food group listed on the photo below. So I got to pick what I was going to eat, when I was going to eat it and as long as it fits in my container (with the lid on) I am set!




Here is a Breakdown of my Meals for the first week:

Monday:
Meal #1 Strawberry Shakeology made with frozen mango and water
Meal #2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free ham slices, Greek vanilla yogurt with blueberries and raspberries
Meal #3  Grapes, Shakeology Ball (Find recipe here)
Meal #4 Pork Tenderloin, roasted new potatoes, steamed mixed veggies
Meal #5 Roasted Almonds

Tuesday
Meal #1 Chocolate Shakeology made with 1 tsp. almond butter and water
Meal #2 Hummus (roasted garlic) with carrots, red peppers, cucumbers
and Pita crackers to dip, Tangerine
Meal #3 Grapes, Greek Yogurt
Meal#4 Seasoned grilled chicken breast, brown rice, steamed mixed veggies
Meal #5 Two fat free ham slices

Wednesday
Meal #1 Vanilla Shakeology made with 1 tsp. almond butter and vanilla almond milk
Meal #2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free ham slices, Greek vanilla yogurt with blueberries and raspberries
Meal #3  Grapes, Shakeology Ball
Meal#4 Zucchini Noodles* with Turkey meatballs and Pesto
Meal #5 Almonds
(*Here are Two Ideas for Zucchini Noodles: Recipe & Method)


Zucchini Noodles

Thursday
Meal #1 Strawberry Shakeology made with frozen banana and waterMeal #2 One slice wholegrain bread, 2 slices fat free ham, (made half a sandwich)
carrots, red peppers, Greek vanilla yogurt with blueberries and raspberries
Meal #3 Grapes, Shakeology Ball
Meal#4 Salad topped with peppers, cucumbers, feta cheese, pecans with Balsamic dressing, 3 fat free Chicken slices
Meal #5 no snack

My 21 Day Fix Salad

Friday
Meal #1 Chocolate Shakeology made with 1/2 frozen banana, almond butter and water
Meal #2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free chicken slices, Greek vanilla yogurt, Tangerine
Meal #3 Grapes, Shakeology Ball
Meal#4 New Potato & Turkey Skillet Supper
Meal #5 no snack

Saturday
Meal #1 Vanilla Shakeology made with frozen mixed berries
Meal#2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free chicken slices,  One slice wholegrain bread with Almond butter
Meal #3 Tangerine and Almonds
Meal #4 Turkey Meatballs, with brown rice, and steamed mixed veggies
Meal #5 Vanilla Greek yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon

Sunday
Meal #1 Steel cut Oatmeal topped with raspberries and blueberries, Turkey Bacon
Meal #2 Hummus (roasted garlic) with carrots, red peppers, cucumbers
Meal #3 Strawberry Shakeology made with frozen mango and water
Meal #4 Steak and Veggie Stir fry with brown rice
Meal #5 Vanilla Greek yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon


Sunday Breakfast

The first couple of days I was kinda hungry, ok Monday I didn't know how I was going to make it lol.  It has gotten better, I think I was going threw Carb withdrawl. I never quite realized how many carbs I ate or how much processed food I consumed. Don't get me wrong I still eat some, I try to make those choices organic if possible.  However I mean I loved granola bars and crackers! By making my Shakeology balls and eating almonds I realize that it is far better and way more tasty! Now having said that my Shakeology balls are super tasty and I love them but they are counted as a treat. So for my second week I won't be including them as often, everything in moderation.

I also have surprisingly totally liked knowing ahead what I'm eating. It makes packing lunches way easier! Plus I am enjoying finding and trying out new food alternatives like the zucchini noodles. I am about to sit down and plan out my second week of meals, I already know that I will be cooking up a batch of quinoa this week. I have a ton of fresh veggies and fruit plus I will be making up a big batch of the steak and veggie stir fry from Sunday night and portioning it out to freeze for left overs.  I already did that with mashed sweet potatoes! I can't wait to see the results I get with this program so stay tuned! My Favorite words of trainer Autumn Calabrese...