21 Day Fix: Week 1

I finished week 1 of the 21 Day Fix on Saturday, and week 2 is already in full swing! I must say, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I began last week. I hadn’t been to the grocery store yet, so I had to make do with what I had on hand at the house. Even though my meal options were slim pickins that day, I decided to pop in the first workout DVD and hit the ground running.

The first workout I did is called The Dirty 30. Let me tell you.

I. Almost. Died.

 

I was sweating profusely, breathing heavily, and screaming at the TV before I was even done with the warm up exercises. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my dogs, who were terrified of the monster I became in mere minutes.

But seriously, this workout is no joke. It is designed to work out the whole body using weights, and it certainly does. By the time I was finished, my legs felt like absolute Jello. I could hardly even walk up and down the stairs. My 60-lb little angel, Rayna, stepped on my thighs so she could lay down in my lap like she does every night. Bless her. I almost threw her across the room. Thankfully, the extreme soreness subsided after a couple of days.

The rest of the workout week consisted of a different “fix” for each day: lower body fix, upper body fix,  Pilates fix, cardio fix, and Yoga fix (technically there are 2 cardio fixes, but skipped one so I could go to a super fun painting class with some of my friends).

I’m telling you guys, Autumn Calabrese kicked my butt this week. I have found it helpful to yell at her during the videos even though she is super adorable and relatable and encouraging. The videos that come with this program are extremely difficult, but I can honestly say that this is the first time in my life that I have genuinely enjoyed working out.

Now on to the fun part… the eating plan!

For some, this might be the daunting part. Thankfully, I was raised by a mom who cooked dinner for us every single day growing up (literally!) and she passed her love of cooking along to me. I am not afraid to experiment in the kitchen and make up my own recipes based on what I have on hand.

The thing I like most about the eating plan in this program is that it does not deprive you of anything. Instead, it teaches you how to control your portions and still feel satisfied. The program comes with a set of containers that are color coded for the food group they represent. You also get a chart that shows how many of each container you can eat per day based on the amount of calories you should be eating. I love this system because it helps me keep track of the amount of fruits and veggies I am getting every day. My OCD little brain loves that I can mentally check off the food groups I have eaten each meal. If you know me well, you know I love my lists (if you don’t know, ask my fiancé :)) so this is perfect for me.

I have to say, the hard work I have put in this week has paid off big time. In one week, I have lost 5 lbs and a total of 6 inches! I am so pleased with my results so far, but the best part about it all is how great I feel. I have had so much more energy to get things done throughout the day. I sleep better at night. It is truly amazing to see what happens when you fuel your body with the right kinds of foods. 

Even though I love coming up with my own recipes, I have done a little searching and found a couple that I really love. My favorite by far is the stuffed peppers recipe I found. You can find the original recipe here or you can follow my tweaked version below.

Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 4 peppers

Fix Portions (per pepper): 2 green, 1 red, ½ yellow, ½ blue

Ingredients

• 4 green bell peppers
• ½ pound 93% lean ground beef
• 1 can Original Ro-Tel tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• ½ cup shredded 2% Mexican cheese
• 1 tbsp each ground cumin and chili powder (more or less to taste)
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
• 1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package instructions
2. In a skillet with a little EVOO, saute onion and garlic until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, brown ground beef. Season with cumin, chili powder, sea salt, pepper, and Lawry's.
4. While the beef is cooking heat a large pot of water to boiling. Chop the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds.
5. Boil peppers for 3 minutes and remove. Drain on paper towels.
6. Open can of Ro-Tel and put a little of the juice in the bottom of a glass baking pan.
7. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sauteed onions/garlic, cooked brown rice, and Ro-Tel tomatoes. Mix well.
8. Fill each pepper with mixture. Top with cheese.
9. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes.
    
    Voila! Your peppers need to cool for a few minutes before digging in. Enjoy!