21 Day Fix Extreme Review

I have completed the 21 Day Fix Extreme. Boy I am glad that it is over!

I don't mean that in a bad way, I just not used to being that strict on myself but I can clearly see that I needed it. I needed the structure and discipline and for that I would do it again.

I remember starting out with the meal plan and knowing I was going to make it Real Food friendly but in order to get used to the whole program without deprivation I started my carbs out with steel cut oats before transitioning to sweet potatoes for all carbs. I would say that for a person that is on a Real Food Diet this is probably the crappiest part about the whole thing.....carbs! I love plantain, yucca, among other Real Food carbs but they were not added.


Let's go into the PRO's of this.

I love how everything is laid out in an easy to understand format. Nutrition made simple! I think it is great to have a food list not a recipe list because it allows the person to make the type of recipe they want and exhibit creativity which can create a long lasting habit toward healthy eating.

I loved the workouts. They were challenging and that step up that a lot of us extreme workout peeps were looking for which I really liked. The first few days I was a bit LOST as to what was going on but by week 2 I was charging through those workouts. I liked that you have a different workout every single day which was a great way to experience different kinds of fitness techniques out there.

I love the color coded nutrition cups. Those are a great and different way to speak nutrition and portion control. I liked that the colors are lively and fun and there is no real measuring if it fits in the cup and you can close it than you can go ahead and eat it.

I was NOT hungry! There were a few days in there where I was a bit hungry but with my containers I had 3 meals and 1 snack and my 3 meals were big and pretty balanced. Had I taken the time to be more crafty with my meal plan I would probably have done a bit better.

This program overall was great and I am glad that after my pregnancy and breastfeeding debacles I was happy to actually get through a program!

The CON's to it.

Pilates sucks. I hated the use of the band it was a HOT mess and I spent more time adjusting the damn band than getting the workout done.

It was very leg heavy. I LOVE working out my legs but during the first week I was super sore and didn't feel like my legs had a proper chance to recover. This is more of an observation though. I got the best results from my thighs and hips so hey! Whatever!

The meal plan was a bit TOO strict. I am not trying to be a bikini model so the meal plan here was just a bit to strict for me but that is because I decided to do the program on a whim and I didn't really have my WHY in place to get this done so with that said I kind of in some terms flexed between this and the regular 21 Day Fix meal plan.

Overall:

I think that you need to be in the mindset to follow this meal plan. I would call this meal plan the little black dress meal plan because if you need to tighten up your diet in order to get ready for an event or your bikini body than this is the one for you. If you are looking to lead a healthy regular person lifestyle than the 21 Day Fix Meal plan would be the one for  you to follow. I am going to keep portioning out foods that I tend to over eat (fruit and carbs). This meal plan was pretty close to how I was eating but I like my weekly happy meal and or alcohol day. I LOVE the 85/15 rule. I like to eat things that aren't real like Sour Patch Kids, Pizza, and WINE! I love being slim and normal.

The workouts are amazing and I can't wait to add them into the rotation!

I REALLY think that you should do the 21 Day Fix first before this simply because the meal plan is that much stricter and if you are just getting into a new healthy lifestyle I can probably almost guarantee you that you are going to slide off.

My results?

I lost 5 pounds and 4 inches all over with the most change in my legs, hips, and thighs which I am SUPER thankful for. I have seen more tone in my arms which makes me happy because I can have fat arms if they aren't toned out.

If you are interested in knowing more about the program you can email me at jeannettealverio(at)yahoo(dot)com

Why you need a coach!

I don't know about you but EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I have gone on a weight loss journey I have been well.......alone. 

It wasn't until I got hooked up with Beachbody that I totally understood I didn't have to be alone! I had people cheering me on and checking in on me and I just sat in my room on the other side of the computer saying WOW people really care about me succeeding in my goals! I thought that it was magic. 

You see, I always went at my weight loss alone. I wanted a buddy but when I really got down to it I really HAD to do it on my own. I know most of you won't go straight up to someone out there and say "HEY! Will you cheer me on while I lose my weight!" Your friend says, "WHAT? Um no you weirdo!" But seriously isn't that what we all want? Someone to tell us that we are doing a good job and to notice things when we want them to? Or maybe to notice things that we cannot see. It's not unnatural to want someone to celebrate in your successes and to help you achieve that success!

So why do you need a coach? 

1.) To help you dig deep. 

My job is to help you figure out why and I mean the why that has more importance than you wanting  to get into your skinny jeans. 

2.) To keep you accountable.

Seriously! Only 10 percent of people starting out a fitness program on their own quit. Why? Because there is no one there watching them to make sure they follow through. If you quit it's no ones fault but your own but when you do you are left with this feeling of BLEH is what I like to call it. 

3.) To have a cheerleader on your side. 

I know that having someone there that will be next to you telling you how great a job you did with that workout or someone talking you through your struggles is IMPERATIVE for success. I know for a fact that weight loss journeys are more than just the weight loss. It always becomes about something more and there is a fear that comes when you start to lose the weight. Having someone in constant contact that understands is crucial for success. 

4.) You have someone to tweak your nutrition.

When you are going at it you always think that you are the one that knows what is best for you. While that is true I totally believe that to be true I also think that someone taking a non-judgemental look at what you are doing and eating can help you fix somethings in your diet. It could be as simple as maybe not eating so many carbs or giving up your candy every. single. night. I help to create a healthy balance to keep your weight loss and the weight lost and put you in maintenance. 

5.) You won't be alone. 

Like I said before, your weight loss journey is one that you go on alone. You might have a supportive husband or partner but eventually it will get kind of old. I know that talking to my husband as supportive as he is about all my healthy eating can be a burn out. I am a passionate person sometimes......ok all the time but sometimes you need to step out and think about how you might feel if they talked to you about cars or whatever they were interested in and passionate about ALL. THE. TIME. I don't know but i kind of zone out my husband when he talks obsessively about motorcycles ha ha ha ha. I'm just sayin'

I think everyone needs a coach to help get to where you want to be in your life. If it is business or fitness or anything really if there is a coach available take them up on their help who knows? You just might take yourself further than you have ever imagined going!

21 Day Fix Extreme Week 2

So since doing my do-over I feel GREAT! I feel as if the first few days before my really bad cold was prep to do this thing! I actually would recommend it to people who are just starting out with the 21 Day Fix to have a prep week or a teaser week to play around with the idea of what you are doing for the next 21 days.

Some people starting can feel overwhelmed because the way of eating is SUPER clean and if you don't eat that way already I would suggest by starting out by measuring what you eat for a few meals and starting to try out recipes that you enjoy and portioning them out with some kind of regard to the rules so you get a feel but you can EASE into the program.

SO week 2. I loved it. The workouts felt easier in the sense that I knew what was coming so I was able to adapt and follow along better than week 1 where I was still trying to figure out what was going on and also finding my groove so to speak. Week 2 was where I noticed changes and the ultimate motivation to keep going to week 3.

I have not really felt hungry at all through the plan with the exception of between lunch and dinner but some of that is just from boredom because that is when I am wishing the work day to end and then my real day starts because I am up and about with house stuff, homework, feeding my little, bathing them and then getting them to bed so my mind is occupied on other things which is good because it gears me up for dinner. I have let go of my steel cut oats and focused on doing the paleo thing for the last two weeks.

This is starting to feel like a normal eating plan and I have enjoyed week 2 way better than week one probably for the simple fact that I wasn't "fighting" it, I started to embrace the whole program. I am starting to see results which is crazy to me! 2 weeks in and my stomach is flatter I notice more tone in my legs too!

I can tell you that I am scared that I will eat a little more food and I will gain the weight back because it just happened so fast I am afraid I am going to lose it just as fast which freaks me out a bit. I have not heard of anyone having that happen to them but when you see some changes my first thought is WOAH I love this and hope it sticks around.

My measurements/weight starting were......

129.6
Arms 10.5
Waist 27
Hips 37

Week 2

125.2
Arms 10.25
Waist 26.25
Hips 36.5


AND finally a picture so you are able to see my results!

21 Day Fix Extreme Day 1

I tried to remember to take pictures but all I got was breakfast and lunch but at least you will get some kind of an idea of what I was doing today.

I woke up, weighed myself 128 pounds and went on about my business. I started to make my breakfast only to find that my son has a fever and he has succumbed to the flu that my daughter had a few days ago. This shall be the worst day of it if it followed hers at all. Then I look out the window and I see......a lot more SNOW. Living in New England is the pits especially when you just came out of Alaska ha ha. This too shall pass right? One day I will miss it right?............

For breakfast I measured out my vegetables and meat and made soup. Broth is not technically on the food list but I make it myself, don't add anything to it, and with the colds going around I am not about to miss out on my mineral rich bone broth Jusss sayin'

I am trying to do it Paleo all the way so we shall see how this works. I can already imagine myself OVER yams and sweet potatoes ha ha ha. Hey Autumn add some plantains and yucca in there lady for variety LOL. Anyway! I ate my soup and let that digest and when I put my little to nap I went in and pushed play.

Plyo Fix Extreme was on the calendar and that shhh was no joke! There was a MILLION jumping exercises and speed skaters were a welcome break! It was probably the longest 30 minutes ever but with all due respect to the program it was probably because I didn't know what was coming so now that I know it will be a breeze. I was drenched in sweat and breathing heavy all the way toward the end. I can tell you that I burned some serious calories because my appetite was on point today. I felt hungry but the food was suprisingly enough. I did feel a moment mod day where I was afraid it might not be but I was good and felt satisfied.

Lunch was steak with sweet potato zuchinni and asparagus. That was delicious! I should have added my double carb here because my appetite hit the roof after I ate lunch. so I think I will try doing that tomorrow.

Dinner was turkey meatballs and broccoli. For my snacks I had a protein shake and a whole banana. My other snack was double sweet potato, nuts and half a banana. I went on this plan on a whim and didn't really go grocery shopping to sustain this so Thursday will have to be the day that I do that but I have enough in my pantry to make it work and I guess I will be able to show you how to do it on a whim huh?

Tomorrow is upper fix extreme so we shall see how that works. I will try to take a picture since I already have to be THAT guy and bring the laptop in with me LMAO I don't know if imma take a selfie if you know what I mean ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I can't even! Anyway tomorrow is another day! 1 day down 20 more to go.

21 Day Fix Extreme

SO, I totally bought into the hype and ordered the 21 Day Fix Extreme program. I didn't do the 21 Day Fix ever really. I bought it and it sat on my shelf because I was pregnant and then I had diastisis recti and was waiting for that to calm down and then Body Beast came into play.

**REAL MOMENT** I only lost 4 pounds on Body Beast and I have lost a bunch of inches but I was REALLY bulking. My arms were growing and so were my legs and while I was losing inches I wasn't really digging the look that Body Beast was giving me. I didn't like it because my goal since I have had my baby was to get back into my old clothes.

I had a hard time with Body Beast and the lack of results that I wanted despite knowing the type of program I was doing and was sad that I wasn't getting what I wanted even though the workouts were less than an hour and were still tough........

Bring in 21 Day Fix Extreme. I have hit a plateau, I have done everything from eating paleo and very strict paleo to heal my gut and did the Beast. I have also gone to the doctor and got my thyroid checked, changed my birth control, and my weight has moved so it has not been for a lack of trying and seeing if it was something hormonal that was going on. I even gave up candy successfully when I took on my paleo lifestyle and made it a permanent fixture in my life. So here I am with a struggle to find a solution as to why this is happening so the last thing I could think of to hit this plateau was portion control.......maybe if I give my body that kick in the butt it needs and still do it paleo style I will be able to get rid of this weight and inches that are lingering.

The premise of the 21 day fix is obviously portion control. So I am at the lowest calorie bracket, I upped it one more so that I could adjust to the eating and the last 2 weeks I will bring myself down. With going up one bracket I only add a fruit, carb, veg and 2 tsp of cooking fats I don't see it as that big of a deal because I am going to do it the paleo way so the calorie count will still be low. If I gt hungry I will snack on more vegetables like carrots and that will also add for crunch as well.

I am going to blog every day and take pictures of all my food to keep me accountable and hopefully to encourage people out there to lead a healthy lifestyle and get ideas of what someone eating paleo and trying to heal their gut is trying to achieve this. We shall see how it goes. Tomorrow is day 1.