The Start of Something New

I once again had a fairly major health scare.  I'm not getting into it but it may have finally cemented the fact that the lifestyle I'm leading is not going lend itself to many more years of life.  I look at my kids and I wonder if I'm going to be around when they grow up and start families of their own.  I look at my husband and realize that if I don't start making some sort of changes, he will have to live out his golden years by himself.  I look at the life around me and think how it would suck if I didn't get to participate in it anymore.
I started the 21 Day Fix and did fairly well on it.  I wouldn't say it was easy by any means but it was doable once I got the hang of it.  I ended up losing 5 pounds fairly quickly and I was feeling good!!  I don't have an exact reason or pinpoint for why I stopped doing it, but I did.  And all the progress went away.
Then the new health scare.
Now I know what you might be thinking because I would think the same thing if I read a blog where the owner couldn't get their shit together.  Why would I continue to write a health and fitness blog when I can't seems to succeed at either?  Well...I continue because giving up is not an option.  I know that one day, something will catapult me to succeed.  The desire is there, it's just that the willpower lacks sometimes.
In an effort to hold myself accountable I started looking into Beachbody coaching again. I met a friend of my sister who is a very active Beachbody coach and she holds monthly challenges.  I decided that I needed to be in her group and participate in a challenge.  I'm sure this will help me stay involved and working hard.  To do the challenge the requirement is that you own 21 Day Fix and that you purchase a month supply of Shakeology.  Since I already owned 21 Day Fix the only missing piece was the Shakeology.  I had tried Shakeology (that sample you get with any program you order) and wasn't a big fan of the taste BUT that was probably because I sampled the chocolate flavor and to tell you the truth, I'm not going to enjoy chocolate because that's not me.  I did FEEL better on Shakeology though so I decided to order the Tropical Strawberry flavor.  I imagine it tasting kinda like Strawberry milk, but probably not.  lol
Long story short, I ended up becoming a coach, ordered a Challenge pack (with the Brazilian Butt Lift program), and I'm starting the "Beach Bum" challenge tomorrow.  21 day from tomorrow I have the goal of being down 10-15 pounds but more importantly I hope to have established a habit of exercising and eating clean. 
Who knows where the Beachbody coaching opportunity will take me.  For now I'm a discount/hobby coach looking to get on the road to better health for myself.  
Follow along on this blog for updates on how its going, tips and tricks I discover along the way, and whatever else comes up.  I WILL finish the 21 days if it kills me.  You can do anything for 21 days, right?

21 Day Fix - Week One

I'm the worst blogger in the world.  I did my New Years resolution post and then the blog died again.  I honestly want to be better about it because I think it helps ME but I just don't have the time or energy sometimes.  It would be so much better if this was my job.  ;)

I did my resolution post and have been trying but I'm doing my usual.  You know, "the start a plan, it doesn't work right away, so quit" plan.  I was doing wheat and sugar free for a couple of weeks.  Not consecutively but randomly.  I felt so much better while I was doing it and did notice that I didn't have the daily headaches.  Because I'm still searching for a reason for my "why I feel like shit everyday feelings" I asked my doctor to test me for gluten intolerance.  Well, that test came back fine which is good because BREAD.  But my doctor did mention that a lot of my symptoms could be IBS related which is crappy (see what I did there?) on a whole other level.  I haven't seen my doctor since the gluten test, they post results online and call you, so I haven't delved deeper into the IBS thing but I'll do some research and see what happens.

Anyway, all of that and the wheat/sugar free thing didn't seem as important anymore, so I quit that.  I've been eating whole grain (more on that below) and have the same headaches and body aches as I did before so I'm sure that wheat/sugar is definitely not a friend.  I don't want to go wheat free all together because BREAD but I think there are some benefits to scaling back.  So....I was on a search for something new and manageable.

I have no idea how I ended up on the Beachbody website but I did.  It might have been an ad on Facebook.  I have known of Beachbody for years because I was introduced to it by my sister and own some of the programs but I never had the oomph to make it through a whole program before.  So, I was on the site and discovered the 21 Day Fix.  Other Beachbody programs have meal plans but none had the portion control containers so I was really intrigued.  I had heard other people talking about 21 Day Fix on health sites so I decided to do some additional research.  What I came up with is that 21 Day Fix is easy to follow, laid out step by step (you know exactly what to eat and how much) and it includes a workout program (which my doctor has been pestering me to start).

I ended up ordering the system on a Saturday and it arrived that Thursday.

At first I was a bit overwhelmed.  There were containers and food lists and daily workouts.  I didn't really think I could do it all.  BUT once I got myself organized it didn't seem all that bad.

I'm currently on day 6 and here is what I have noticed:

Pros

• Easy to know what you should eat.  Mainly whole foods.  You can have "treats" 3 times a week.
• Containers are great for teaching portion control and "eyeballing".
• There is a wide variety of foods.
• The workouts are 30 minutes long and doable.  You will work and you will be sore but I think anyone can do it.  Kat is my go to gal.  She is the modifier girl in the workouts.
• You don't need much equipment for the workouts.
• Autumn is great!  I think she might be my favorite trainer from Beachbody.

Cons

• You get a ton of food.  This wouldn't be a problem in usual situations but eating a ton of whole foods is hard to do.  I have a hard time hitting my calorie and macro count.  I don't think I have hit it since I started
• If you are new to workouts and eating well you will not lose weight the first week.  I didn't anyway.  This can be discouraging.  I had to really tell myself that I needed to keep going.  A lot of people tell you this is normal because your packing on a lot of muscle during the first week.  And your sore.  So you are retaining water like crazy and have inflamed muscles.
• Planning ahead.  I suck at this so I find it a con.  If I can start planning ahead I think I'll be better.  Even after I'm done with this program because it is a big downfall for me.  Eating on the go is not a strong suit of mine.  I tend to make REALLY BAD decisions on the go.

I'm happy to have made it this far with the program.  I did miss one workout but other than that I've been doing everything as assigned.  I have big hopes for the next 2 weeks and can see that this program has the potential to teach health newbies how to eat well and exercise consistently.  It has given me a lot of determination.  I want to prove that I can do anything for 21 days and I hope that this will be my lifestyle changer.

Tips to succeed

• Focus on building strength, as mentioned, the weight might not come off at first but you will notice your clothes fitting better.
• Plan ahead.  Have meal planning Sundays.  Get your lunches ready for the week.  Get a notebook and write down what you will eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  Get your food game strong!
• Utilize the Facebook groups, Beachbody website message boards, your Beachbody coach, whoever will support you.  I was getting discouraged this morning and talked to my FB group and they made me realize that I just need to keep going.

I'll be back next week to update on my progress.  I think!