I’m blogging my way through the 21 Day Fix. Come along on the journey. Here’s Day 6!

Meal 1: 1 Red 1 Yellow 1 Green 1 Tsp
2 Eggs
1 Piece Toast
Veggies

Meal 2: 1 Red 1 Purple .5 Yellow  2 Tsp
Shakeology
1 Cup Berries
1 Cup Almond Milk
2 tsp Almond Butter

We were out of spinach. That made me sad. I like getting a serving of veggies in without even tasting them.

Meal 3: 3 Green 1 Red  1 Orange 1 Blue 1 Tsp
Salad (3 green worth)
Grilled Chicken
Feta Cheese
Almonds (1/2 Orange)
Dressing (1/2 Orange)

We were at a retreat all day with our Mission Trip group. I knew they were having Subway Sandwich box lunches. I also knew that wasn’t going to be good for the 21 Day Fix. So, I brought my own lunch.

It was yummy.

Meal 4: 1 Purple 1 Red
Strawberries
Greek Yogurt

Yes, I was eating this in the car after our fun adventures on the retreat. No excuses people. If you have a cooler, you can bring it with you! And, yes, I ate it all before driving out of the parking lot. No eating and driving.

Meal 5: 2 Purple 2 Yellow
2 servings of oatmeal
2 servings of fruit

Totals for the day:
4 Green (short 1)
4 Purple (over 1 – because I forgot I only needed 3)
4 Red (short 1)
3.5  Yellow (short .5)
1 Blue
1 Orange 
4 Tsp (short 1)

Workout: Tromping through the woods with my Mission Trip team
Maggie and I are going on a mission trip at the end of the month, and today we had team bonding that included tromping through the woods in June in GA. It’s hot y’all. I sweated through all my clothes and got my heart rate up a couple of times. There was no energy for a workout when I got home. But, I’m pretty sure I got one in the woods.

Takeaways:

• You can stay on this program even when you’re going to be out and about all day. It just takes planning, a cooler and lots of ice packs. Even more if you’re in GA. Just be prepared to talk about why you’re not eating what everyone else is.
• I’m beginning to love my Shakeology. Like truly. I was so bummed that there was no spinach in the house this morning. You can hide so much in there. So much.

The 21 Day Fix Series (June 2015)

• #HOHGetsFit Starts the 21 Day Fix
• 21 Day Fix : Day 1
• 21 Day Fix : Day 2
• 21 Day Fix: Day 3
• 21 Day Fix: Day 4
• 21 Day Fix: Day 5

The 21 Day Fix journey continues here at the House of Hills. It’s just me doing it so far, but that may change. We’ll see. Let me tell you about Day 5.

Meal 1: 1 Red
2 Hard Boiled Eggs

I got up early again today to get some work done so went ahead and fueled my body and got a couple of cups of water in. Previous to the 21 Day Fix, I would have just waited until after I worked out to eat. But, I can’t get all my food in that way.

Meal 2: 1 Red 1 Purple .5 Yellow 1 Green 2 Tsp
Shakeology
1 Cup Berries
1 Cup Almond Milk
1 Cup spinach
2 tsp Almond Butter

Putting all this in with the Shakeology got in A LOT of my containers. And, it tasted REALLY GOOD!

Meal 3: 1 Red  1 Purple  2 Yellow 1 Tsp
2 Eggs
2 Pieces of wheat toast
Cantaloupe

I’d been craving dippy eggs and toast and then remembered that there was some wheat bread in the freezer. Oh. Happy. Day! Pretty sure I cheated when I put a little bit of Maggie’s margarine spread on there. Just being honest.

Meal 4: 1 Orange 1 Blue
Almonds
Mozzarella Cheese

I’m pretty sure I messed up the system by putting whole almonds in the Orange. I think it’s only supposed to be chopped, but I was hungry and had to go pick up Maggie so I needed something portable.

Meal 5: 3 Green 1 Red 1 Yellow .5 Orange 1 Tsp
Chicken
Brown Rice
Salad
Peppers

Meal 6: 1 Purple 1 Red
Peach
Light Ricotta Cheese
Cinnamon 

Yes. Again. I love it!

Totals for the day:
4 Green (short 1)
3 Purple 
5 Red
3.5  Yellow (short .5)
1 Blue
1.5 Orange (over .5)
4 Tsp (short 1) However, I’m sure that extra 1 was probably in there somewhere.

Workout: Cardio Fix (3o min DVD)
So…. this one kicked my tail. Dripping sweat. It’s going to be a good one. I had to do quite a few modifications to help my knees. And, there are burpees. Ya, those.

Takeaways:

• Getting as much as possible in the Shakeaology is the key I think. I’m pretty sure I might even be able to get some kale in there and not taste it. Gonna pick some up.
• Speaking of kale, I’m thinking of making some of my green smoothies for next week. They are so refreshing in the summer and will get in a fruit and a veggie for the day.
• I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I kinda miss the gym. SHOCKER! I won’t say I’m enjoying the workouts, but I don’t hate them. I’ll probably like them better the second time around because I’ll know what to expect. However, I miss the adrenaline rush that comes with finishing several miles on the elliptical and being drenched in sweat. I haven’t been able to work that hard on these videos because they are so high impact. My knees won’t take too much bouncing around. I’d developed a routine at the gym that was pretty low impact. I’m going to see if I can get a trip to the elliptical in soon.

The 21 Day Fix Series (June 2015)

• #HOHGetsFit Starts the 21 Day Fix
• 21 Day Fix : Day 1
• 21 Day Fix : Day 2
• 21 Day Fix: Day 3
• 21 Day Fix: Day 4

I’m blogging my 21 Day Fix journey. And, we’re on day four!! It’s been quite the journey already.

First, let me say that I noticed today that I feel good. Like really good. I’m not hungry. I’m not tired. I’m not cranky. I just feel good. Now, the Beachbody people would say that’s the Shakeology working its magic. And, they may be right. That stuff is PACKED with nutrients. I’m know it has something to do with the fact that I’m now getting enough food. I think my coach, Julie, was right yesterday when she said that I may not have been eating enough, well at least enough of the right things.

The other thing that I find interesting is that I have not craved chocolate in like two days. Now, people, this is MAJOR. I LOVE chocolate. I do get a chocolate taste with the Shakeology because I of course ordered the chocolate flavor. But, let’s be real. It doesn’t take like actual say Godiva chocolate. Or even Hershey’s for that matter.

Just a few observations.

Here’s what I ate on Day 4!

Meal 1: 1 Red
2 Hard Boiled Eggs

I got up and ate these BEFORE I did my workout having learned that I need to get some fuel in there and get the eating started earlier.

Meal 2: 1 Red .5 Purple .5 Yellow
Shakeology
.5 Cup Berries
1 Cup Almond Milk

Meal 3: 1 Red  .5 Purple .5 Yellow
Greek Yogurt
Frozen Berries
Steel Cut Oats

Meal 4: 1 Green 1 Blue
Chopped Veggies
Hummus

Meal 5: 2 Green 1 Red 1.5 Yellow 2 Tsp
Baked Fajitas
Brown Rice

This is one of my FAVORITE recipes. I make it for my team meetings every once in awhile. I knew right away it was a recipe I wanted to do during the 21 Day Fix. There were plenty of leftovers so I’ll be enjoying it for the next week.

Meal 6: 1 Purple 1 Red
Peach
Light Ricotta Cheese
Cinnamon 

Yes, this is the same thing I had last night. I seriously looked forward to eating it ALL DAY! So good. So good.

Totals for the day:
3 Green (short 2)
2 Purple (short 1)
5 Red 
3 Yellow (short 1)
1 Blue
No Orange (short 1)
2 Tsp (short 3)

Workout: Pilates Fix (3o min DVD)
This one really helped stretch out everything. I was still REALLY sore today. However, not as bad as yesterday. I’m going to have to watch my back on this one and make sure that I do the movements the exact way she does. It gets a little tricky.

Takeaways:

• Still didn’t finish my containers, but I’m getting the hang of it better. I got some great advice tonight to add more things to my Shakeology. So, I’m going to try that tomorrow. The goal being to get lots of green stuff in there without tasting it.
• I’m feeling good and don’t want to quit. THAT my friends IS A WIN!

The 21 Day Fix Series (June 2015)

• #HOHGetsFit Starts the 21 Day Fix
• 21 Day Fix : Day 1
• 21 Day Fix : Day 2
• 21 Day Fix: Day 3

I’m blogging my 21 Day Fix journey! Here’s Day 3.

I went into this day already learning a lot from Days 1 and 2. One thing I determined was that I liked drinking my Shakeology after I worked out. So, I needed to get my workout in early if I was going to have that first thing. I also knew the day had to be planned well, especially since I was going into the office for the whole day. So, I lined up my containers in order of the meals I planned to have while I was away from home. They didn’t all get used, but I had plenty of food with me!

I also was sorer than I have been in years today. I mean let’s just say that I was thankful that the bathroom at work is handicap accessible because that means there is a bar by the toilet. Seriously, every time I would sit down in my chair at work I would count to three to prepare myself for the pain. My co-worker was laughing at me. Well, not really laughing out loud, but I’m sure it was funny. I know it will get better as I get stronger and keep stretching my thigh muscles, but my goodness are the ticked at me right now.

Meal 1: 1 Red
Shakeology

Meal 2: 1 Purple 1 Yellow
Mixed berries – some frozen, some fresh
Steel Cut Oats

Meal 3: 1 Green 1 Red 1 Yellow 2 Tsp
Grilled Chicken
Roasted Zucchini, Squash, Onion
Brown Rice

FYI – This was REALLY GOOD. I picked up the zucchini, squash and onion mixture already cut at Publix over the weekend. Then, yesterday I roasted it while I was cooking the oatmeal since I had to be near the kitchen then anyway. I just tossed it with olive oil and then sprinkled with salt and a little pepper. So yummy when paired with the chicken David grilled me over the weekend.

Meal 4: 1 Purple
Cantaloupe 

Meal 5: 2 Green 1 Red 2 Tsp
Fresh, chopped vegetables with 2 eggs
Salad w/Dressing

Meal 6: 1 Purple 1 Red
Peach
Light Ricotta Cheese
Cinnamon 

Y’all! This is SO GOOD. Like I couldn’t wait to eat it again good. It almost tasted like cheesecake. Well, I mean, a light cheesecake. But, it was so delicious I totally consider it my go-to for dessert now. You’ll be seeing this picture a lot.

Totals for the day:
4 Green (short 1)
3 Purple
4 Red (short 1)
2 Yellow (short 2)
No Blue (short 1)
1 Orange
4 Tsp (short 1)

I was short a green and blue because I didn’t eat the veggies and hummus I had planned to. I just ran out of time.

Workout: Lower Fix (3o min DVD)
I was SERIOUSLY dreading this workout because my legs were so sore. However, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It felt good to stretch everything out. I had to do some of the modifications as these knees have been through A LOT in their 43 years, and squats are not something they do with ease. However, I didn’t fall out and die. So, there is that. I was, however, dripping sweat into my towel.

Takeaways:

• I still haven’t been able to get in ALL the food. I found this very interesting and briefly talked with my coach about it. She thinks that the reason I hit the weight loss plateau is because I haven’t been eating enough. It’s a thought. I have been eating decently, but nothing like the structured eating I’m doing now. I’ve for sure been eating better since I was before January and #HOHGetsFit began, but I knew I could improve on the nutrition, which is one of the reasons I wanted to do the 21 Day Fix.
• You need a lot of little containers to do this thing. Like lots of them. That might be its own blog post – the number of containers in my fridge right now is staggering.

The 21 Day Fix Series (June 2015)

• #HOHGetsFit Starts the 21 Day Fix
• 21 Day Fix : Day 1
• 21 Day Fix : Day 2

I just started the 21 Day Fix and wanted to share the journey with you. If you have any helpful tips, please share! Here’s Day 2.

Meal One: 1 Red
Shakeology

Meal 2: 1 Purple 1 Red 2 Tsp
2 Hard Boiled Eggs
1/2 Apple (A purple is a small apple. This was a big one.)
2 Tsp Almond Butter

Meal 3: 1 Green 1 Red 1 Yellow 1 Tsp
Grilled chicken
Brown Rice
Grilled Peppers

Sad – no picture. This was GOOD though. David grilled chicken and peppers for me over the weekend and then I put them with brown rice. Yummy!

Meal 4: 1 Purple
Cherries – I love cherries… especially in the summer. So good.

Meal 5: 1 Blue 1 Yellow 2 Tsp
Mozzarella Cheese (not pictured)
Steel Cut Oats
Almond Butter

Meal 6: 1 Green 1 Red 1 Purple
Shakeology
Spinach
Berries

Totals for the day:
2 Green (WAY short. WAY)
3 Purple
4 Red (1 short)
3 Yellow (1 short)
1 Blue
No Orange (1 short)
4 Tsp (1 short)

Workout: Upper Fix (3o min DVD)
I was really excited about how well I did on this one. Well, until we got to the planking. My thighs were so sore from the full body yesterday, that I couldn’t plank. The problem wasn’t my arm strength. It was my legs! The big win for this workout was that I was able to use 5 pound weights!! The last time I did any DVD with weights I was only able to use 2 pound weights. So, I was VERY VERY thrilled to be able to use the 5s. I had to document it.

Takeaways:

• Today, I didn’t start eating until after I worked out, which was like 9:30. That is NOT going to work. I MUST start eating earlier. Much earlier.
• Preparation is the key. Each and every day.
• All that working out I’ve been doing has been great, but there are many muscles my body has NOT been using.

The 21 Day Fix Series (June 2015)

• #HOHGetsFit Starts the 21 Day Fix
• 21 Day Fix : Day 1

This 21 Day Fix journey is interesting to lots of folks so I thought I’d try to blog through the days. So, here is Day 1.

First, I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH that preparation is the key to doing this. If you do not have food prepped and you either work or have children or both, you will find it difficult to do this correctly at the start. I’m a pretty organized person who meal preps for the week anyway, and I’m still struggling a little bit. I’m confident that it will get easier over time, but this first week, you’ve got to get your ducks in a row.

The other thing to note is that you’re encouraged to eat 6 “meals” a day. You and I, we would call them snacks in between meals, but no. It really is more like 6 mini-meals, and I’m trying to get my head around that.

So, here’s what I had on Day 1

Meal One: 1 Green 1 Purple 1 Red
Fresh, chopped vegetables with 2 eggs
Banana not pictured

Meal 2: 1 Purple 1 Red
Mixed berries – some frozen, some fresh
Plain greek yogurt

Meal 3: 2 Green 1 Red 1 Yellow 2 Tsp
Lunch at Cinco with Team
Fajitas with corn tortillas
Side salad

Forgot to take a picture, and I’m pretty sure I went over on my fats here, but it was worth it. I did say NO to chips and salsa, which is HUGE for me. So, I considered the meal a win for my first day on the 21 Day Fix.

Meal 4: 1 Red
Shakeology

Meal 5: 1 Green 1 Blue
Veggies and Hummus

Meal 6: 2 Green 1 Red 1 Yellow 1 Orange
Salad with grilled chicken and dressing
Side of brown rice

Forgot to take a picture…

Totals for the day:
6 Green (over by 1, but if you’re going to go over, this is the best place to do it)
2 Purple (short 1)
5 Red
2 Yellow (short 2)
1 Blue
1 Orange
2ish Tsp (pretty sure all 5 were covered and I just didn’t know)

Workout: Total Body Cardio Fix (3o min DVD)
I was able to do it with some modifications. Obviously, I’m not in great shape or I wouldn’t be doing this. They do have a fabulous lady, Kat, who shows you how to modify each exercise. We are becoming great friends.

Takeaways:

• Getting the 4 yellow containers in is going to be hard. I have avoided carbs so much that trying to eat some, even healthy ones, is hard. I’m pretty sure that’s because I never eat healthy carbs.
• This is A LOT of food. A LOT!
• If I had not already been working out consistently since January, this would be really hard. It’s totally doable, just requires commitment and discipline.

The 21 Day Fix Series (June 2015)

• #HOHGetsFit Starts the 21 Day Fix

Yes, you read that right. #HOHGETSFIT has jumped on the 21 Day Fix bandwagon. 

If you’ve been following along, you know that the House of Hills has been working toward a fitter lifestyle (AKA #HOHGETSFIT). Maggie and I joined a gym. David has been doing workouts at home. We’ve been trying to improve our eating.

Here Mags and I are the beginning of the journey.

And, it’s been going pretty well. I lost ten pounds by the end of February. And, I lost another ten by the end of April. Then, I stalled out. Don’t get me wrong. I still FEEL BETTER. I have more stamina. I think I’m a nicer person to be around.

Here we are at the end of May.

I’ve continued to exercise…

However, I haven’t been consistent like I was. I was starting to get lazy with the food. (I mean, my child started a cookie company and doesn’t eat cookies. Who do you think is taste-testing those things?) I needed a little nudge in the right direction.

THE ONE THING I DID NOT WANT TO DO WAS QUIT!
I have too much at stake here people.
I need to be alive to meet my grandchildren.

I have quite a few friends, both in real life and online, who are Beachbody coaches and while none of them pressured me, all had reached out to tell me about Beachbody. So, for Mother’s Day, I got the 21 Day Fix Program, and I joined a challenge group that started yesterday.

For those of you that don’t now, the 21 Day Fix is a three week (duh) program that encourages you to track your eating through monitoring how many “colors” or servings of different types of food you eat each day. In addition, they provide a workout DVD that gives you a 30 minute workout rotating through multiple types of workouts so you don’t get bored. Finally, you are encouraged to drink Shakeology, which is a nutrient packed protein powder that is actually a meal replacement.

I got the vegan Shakeology in case Maggie can have it.
I’m still investigating if it’s Low Fodmap or not.

Because everything is portion controlled, it is VERY important to be prepared. So, I spent a good bit of the weekend dealing with this.

And making it look like this.

Lots of little containers people. Lots of little containers.

It’s been worth it though. The first two days have gone pretty well. I’m excited to have a new focus and a new accountability group. If there is one thing I’ve learned on this fitness journey, it’s that I respond better when I know people are either counting on me or encouraging me. An accountability group does both.

I’ll keep you updated!

Have any of you done the 21 Day Fix?