2 Months until the annual Team Beachbody Coach Summit in New Orleans. It's time to get my nutrition in check and be ready to kick up my boot and summer shorts. So here is the bottom line, whether you are going on vacation, a wedding, a special event or you just want to truly look and feel your best there are a few things that I do to stay in tip-top shape.
1. You have to track your progress. Whether you use an application like My Fitness Pal or you use good old fashioned pen and paper you need a system for keeping track. The 21-day fix comes with the nutrition guide, the portion controlled containers and the tracking sheets so that you document what you are eating. How often do you go through a day thinking you were spot on with your nutrition and then you had an extra handful of nuts, finished your kid's ice cream or a glass of sweet tea? I mean it happens to us all, but we think we were on track! We don't think those little things add up but in reality, the will break your results. So TRACKING IT no matter what you do, find a system that works for you!
2. Cut back on dairy, fruits and carbs. When I am leaning out for any reason I always cut back my starchy carbs to 2 servings per day of whole grain carbs. I do not eat any bread or pasta. The only whole grain carbs I have are sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, and steel cut oats (most nutrient dense). The rest I pass on because they do not have a lot of nutritional value regardless of the fact that they are whole grain. I also do NOT under any circumstance have carbs after dinner as a snack!
3. Limit your fruits. When it's that learning phase I cut out bananas, grapes, and mangoes because they are the highest sugar fruits. I stick to berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries because they are low on the glycemic index. I also eat green apples as well! I only allow myself 2 fruits per day!
4. I do not eat dairy. During my learning phase, it's so hard for me to cut out almond milk and greek yogurt. So I typically scale back over the course of a few weeks. So what I tend to do is take my Shakeology and just do 1/4 cup almond milk a few times a week, the rest of the time I mix it with water. For the greek yogurt, I measure 1 Red container and only 2 times a week. By week 2 I cut back to no dairy at all. Dairy in any form tends to bloat me and keep that extra layer of fat that I don't need.
5. LEAN PROTEIN is your best friend. I eat chicken, fish, ground turkey, flank steak, eggs and that is it! No pork or processed meats or turkey bacon. The sodium level plus the fat is just not a good combination when it gets down to those last few pounds. Keep it simple. Stay away from marinades with honey, maple syrup or extra salt. It will just plump you up and keep you away from that 1-2 lbs goal. I use Penzeys spices no salt added seasonings and they are great and add a ton of flavor to my food!
6. Water! This is now more than ever the time to stay hydrated. Aim to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day! If you have a hard time getting your water in each day then add some fresh strawberries to your water. It gives it some flavor and doesn't add anything artificial at all. Water is so important to keeping your metabolism stoked and your body in the weight loss zone!
7. Push Yourself. In your workouts bring your A game every day! If a set seems too easy then increase those weights. You want to be reaching failure by the end of each set. If you aren't pushing yourself, your results are not going to follow!!! Keep track of your weights, your reps, and your progress. A fitness journal allows you to look back on last week and identify where you can improve! I always challenge myself to do more than the week before. Even if it's just 1 rep more its an improvement!
8. Visualize yourself at your goal weight! What does your body look like? How does your body feel? What will you be able to do once you reach your goal that you can't do now?
Visualization is key. Trust me, there are going to be times when you want to quit when it's hard when temptation is everywhere! But you hold the key to your success. Only YOU can be strong enough to stay on track when the rest of the world is living in the unhealthy zone! Don't get sucked into what everyone else is doing. Because everyone else's goals are not YOURS!
You might think it's a little strict and YES it truly is! But it really really works. I also love the results and how confident I feel so I don't mind being strict when I have to! I have a great balance between feeling party ready and enjoying life and what I want!! :) So you have to make that decision in your mind that you are going all in! It's total willpower and self-control! Having someone to keep you accountable definitely helps!
You are more than welcome to fill out my challenge group application and I would be glad to help hold you accountable!!
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