Nutrition is always the toughest part about losing weight or body fat. If there was a magic pill that we could all take to drop to a size 2 and exert absolutely no effort at all, we’d all be on it! (Kardashian diet pills?? Yes, I’ll admit I tried them. You can laugh. They don’t work.) I didn’t always understand that nutrition is often the most important part of losing weight. I’d spend an hour everyday working out and wonder why I could not drop a few pounds for the life of me! Then this January I started eating differently, and wouldn’t you know… I started losing weight! As soon as my habits slipped back to my poorly proportioned sizes, the weight came right back on, which is obviously why I wanted this Fitness Challenge! Just like the old saying goes: “You are what you eat.” FXB and Max Muscle have given me a nutrition plan that focuses on protein, carbs, calories and fat, but most importantly the protein and carbs. I will need to be very conscious about what I eat throughout the whole experience. This is tough, but it’s definitely do-able!
The nutrition plan is meant to speed up my metabolism, while feeding my muscles the protein they need to build themselves back up. I eat every 2-3 hours and my meals always, always have a protein and I really try to always have a veggie too. I am restricting carbs later in the day, but this not a no-carb diet by any means! I’m starting to miss fruit because I’d eat it a lot in the evenings when I was really craving something sweet… little did I know that those healthy fruits also are carbs! Dang it!
Of course, you can imagine that I don’t just miss fruit. It’s hard to eat that often and have it be fresh, healthy food! It’s not easy to go out to dinner or lunches anymore, but I just have to be mindful of what I’m choosing to eat. A Chipotle Burrito Bowl with their amazing chips and salsa probably isn’t the best choice! There have been very good things that have become of this nutrition plan already though… I have been surprised that I don’t feel the need to snack at all like I used to! I was a true snacker, and I had a bad habit of eating mindlessly while I worked or when I just got home from work. Now, the thought of snacking between my preplanned meal times doesn’t really cross my mind.
So, the next thing that people keep asking is, “Are you seeing results?!!” I wish I could say, “HECK YA! I’m down 10 pounds!!” but let’s be real. I’m only done with week two, and I’ve been told that this is a program that takes time. Tammie (the owner) and Sara (my coach) keep telling me I have to trust the program. Change will happen but I have to be patient! Farrell’s is NOT a weight loss program but a BODY SHAPING program, so I’m having to change my old way of thinking…. It’s not about depriving myself of calories but instead giving my body the fuel it needs to build lean muscle and burn fat! Which also means that the scale may not change for a while, but my body will! I’m okay with that.
Last but not least, I have to tell you I’ve found a new favorite vegetable… Edamame! I’ve eaten it hot and cold and I’m starting to think you could eat it about any way and with anything and it’d still be amazing! Check it out! I’m picky about vegetables and this one really surprised me. Goodbye, potatoes!
What are your favorite veggies and how do you prepare them? I could definitely use some help mixing it up!! Thanks for all your motivation! It really helps! See you next week!
