RESULTS ARE IN. Happy summer!

Welllpp. Here we are; the beginning of summer! You all know I've been doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme since April and I've decided to share my results with you! Excuse the bareness, but I feel it's important in my progress pics- at least personally- to see the changes being made.
Anyway, just like I thought- this program worked as well as it did for me the 1st time I did it last Spring 2015. My starting stats are as follows:

Weight: 155.6
Waist (around bellybutton): 32in
Hips (around butt): 39.5in
Right thigh: 23.5in
Left thigh: 23.5in

 

I like to measure these areas in the thickest part of them. For example: my bellybutton is the point where my tummy pokes out the most; lol. I also measure my thighs at the mid-top where they're the thickest. My progress pictures are below. If it helps for proportion/comparison purposes, I'm 5'6 tall.

 

Between my before & after, there's a subtracted difference of 7.6lbs & 5.25 inches (combined in the areas mentioned in my measurements above)! I probably lost more inches in total, but I only measured in my focus areas. I'm super-stoked but am also looking forward to keep pushing. I did break 2 milestones during this process- one of them being an anniversary goal (June 13th) which in fact was lower than my total ending weight shown in the pic above. I met my milestone but then had a full weekend of celebrating my 1yr wedding anniversary so of course added back on a couple pounds by the end of my 21dfx cycle but I have no regrets!

 

If you're interested in taking control of your health and would like amazing results as well (especially to get that bikini bod ready!), you can check out the 21dfx here. It's actually on sale this month along with the regular 21df and both of the programs' challenge packs. The challenge packs come with Shakeology that I have probably also talked about and is a daily regimen of mine which has helped with my results! The challenge packs also means saving on the items. I used this exact challenge pack, with the vegan chocolate shakeo flavor =)



New Weekly Dinner Recipe: 21df General Tso's Chicken!

My new dinner recipe for this week was 21 day fix- friendly General Tso's chicken! I was really excited about this because I LOVE Chinese/Asian Food. Also, I usually get sesame chicken if we ever get takeout, etc. but my husband's Chinese chicken of choice is General Tso's which I like as well.

So- here's the recipe and the 21df portions/nutrition facts will be below! This recipe makes 4 servings.

21 Day Fix General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb. raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cornstarch, divided use
¼ tsp. sea salt (I used garlic sea salt)
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar-free tomato paste
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. pure maple syrup or  raw honey (I used raw  clover honey)
2 Tbsp. cold water
1 Tbsp. or preferred amount toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
3. Place chicken, 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl; toss until well coated.
4. Place chicken in a single layer on prepared baking sheet; bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. While chicken is baking, heat oil, and garlic in large skillet over medium heat; cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add soy sauce, broth, vinegar, tomato paste, hoisin sauce, and maple syrup/honey. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Dissolve remaining 1 tsp. cornstarch in cold water; add to soy sauce mixture. Gently boil, stirring frequently, for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.
8. Add cooked chicken to sauce, coating thoroughly.
9. Serve chicken sprinkled with ground sesame seeds and serve with steamed broccoli and brown rice or side of your choice.

21 day fix/ fix exteme stats per serving:

1 Red, 1/2 orange, 1 tsp

 

Nutrition facts per serving:

Cals: 168

Carbs: 7g

Fat: 1g

Protein: 25g

Fiber: 1g

Sugar: 3g

Sodium: 546 mg

Potassium: 154mg

Vitamin A: 2%

Vitamin C: 7%

Iron: 3

 

 

 

Weekly meal prep

Not much to my meal prep this week but I said I'd do this weekly so here you go!

My meal prep for work is very similar- almost the same- as last week. My breakfast & lunch ARE the same and my snacks are just a tiny bit variation. Again, for me, simplicity (and budget friendly) are key. I spent less than $25 on my work meal prep groceries + the things I needed to grab for dinner that I didn't already have in my fridge/cabinet. And I stay full all day at work!

CTC days: 3G, 6R, 1Y, 3tsp

Breakfast: Whole wheat English Muffin w/ almond butter= 1Y, 1tsp

Morning Snack: ½ scoop Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ 1/2c cashew milk & greens = ½ R

Lunch: Lean ground turkey with green beans=2R, 2G

Afternoon Snack: Choc shakeo “pudding”- ½ sc Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ Dannon Light & Fit greek vanilla yogurt cup (5.3oz cup)= 1.5R

Dinner: Refer to dinner menu= 2R, 1G

Reg Ext Days: 3G, 4R, 2Y, 2 tsp, 2P, 1B, 1O

Breakfast: English Muffin w/ almond butter & ½ sliced banana= 1Y, 1tsp, 1P

Morning Snack: ½ scoop Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ ½ c cashew milk, frozen berries & greens = ½ R, 1P

Lunch: Ground chicken or turkey stir fry =2R, 2G

Afternoon Snack: rice cake with almond butter= 1Y, 1tsp

Dinner: Refer to dinner menu= 2R, 1G

**Swapped blue for an extra ½ Red**

I'm debating on just doing CTC all week. See...my next milestone goal is close and the date I set for it is my wedding anniversary- June 13th. As of Friday (3 days ago) I was literally 1 pound away from this milestone number I'm aiming to reach- with a week to spare. Regardless of the fact that -as usual- the weekend got the better of me and I gained some back by this morning, I'm confident I can reach this milestone goal # before my goal date but if I'm lucky enough for that to be the case, the trick is to maintain it! So I'm thinking instead of carb cycling and doing the 2 days CTC interlaced with 1 day of the regular extreme plan (as given in the meal plan calendar for the CTC plan option of the 21dfx), I'll maybe do CTC everyday- cut out the regular extreme (higher carb) days in order to have more of a deficit and kick butt in reaching my goal by the 13th. I'll try it through Wednesday (since that's supposed to be my 1st regular ext. day this week) to see how it goes and let yall know if my theory seemed to work!

Anywho, DINNER. Here's my dinner menu for the week! My weekly "new recipe" for this week is healthy 21df approved general tso's chicken. I love Chinese food so I'm stoked to try it! I'll let yall know later in the week how it turned out, along with the recipe!

Dinner

Monday CTC: Fish [R] with steamed veggies [G]

Tuesday CTC: Taco [salad] Tuesday! Lean ground meat (R), Lettuce/Tomato (G), Optional Black beans/tortilla strips [Y]

Wednesday Ext: 21df general Tso chicken- 1 red, 1/2 orange, 1 tsp

Thursday CTC: Chicken [R] with veggies [G] or leftovers

Friday CTC: [turkey] bacon-wrapped asparagus (R & G)

 

Another healthy dinner hit!

I've mentioned recently that I made a goal to try a new healthy dinner recipe each week. I'm doing this for 2 reasons other than the sake of staying on track:
1. To work through my Pinterest recipes (lol) and
2. To find husband-approved healthy meals! I've told yall how picky/close-minded he can sometimes be when it comes to healthy habits haha.

Last week my new dinner recipe was healthy, 21 day fix-approved alfredo. This week's new dinner menu item was 21df approved buffalo chicken meatballs (which look more like meat muffins since I put the balls into a muffin tin to bake lol) and just like last week's new healthy recipe, this was hubby approved! Only 86 cals & less than half a gram of carbs per meatball! Recipe with nutrition info & container portions are below.

 

Ingredients (makes 14-16 meatballs/mini meat muffins depending on how big you want them):

1.25 lb lean ground chicken

1 large egg

3/4c Italian breadcrumbs (or oats)

1/4 tsp salt

1/ tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1.5 cup buffalo sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.

2. Roll the mixture into balls and place on non-stick pan or in muffin tin & bake for 30mins or until they pass the clean toothpick test!

3. ENJOY! There you have it. Simple, clean & yummy. =)

 

 

21 day fixers! I counted each meatball as 1/2 Red, and 1/4 Yellow- maybe add a teaspoon in there for the buffalo sauce.

 

Nutrition values per meatball for those of you who use MyFitnessPal (like myself)!

Calories	86	Sodium	855 mg
Total Fat	3 g	Potassium	11 mg
Saturated	1 g	Total Carbs	0 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	9 g
Cholesterol	47 mg
Vitamin A	7%	Calcium	3%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	3%

Weekly meal prep menu. Simplicity= key

With it being a holiday weekend this past weekend, I'm a little later than expected in my last post- SORRY!

Anyway, I mentioned that I think I'll start doing a weekly post on the weekend to share my meal prep for the upcoming week & also a goal of trying a new healthy dinner recipe each week. My new recipes this week are both a dinner & a snack recipe. My new dinner will be 21 day fix- approved buffalo chicken meatballs and my new snack is a Shakeology "pudding."

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm currently doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme and implementing the "countdown to competition" meal plan that came with the 21df extreme challenge pack I originally bought last year to get ready for my June wedding. I may not compete in staged competitions or in any bikini contests, but the CTC meal plan is for quicker/better results. With a goal date/scale number coming up and wanting to break my current plateau, this is good for me/my personal goals.

The CTC meal plan is essentially carb-cycling. It switches back & forth between "CTC days" and regular extreme days throughout the week as far as the meal plan goes- the workouts stay the same. Anyway, CTC days have higher protein/lower carb & fat and the regular extreme days are my normal 21dfx macro/portion calculations which have a little less protein and allow a tiny bit more carb. Here's my meal plan for the week to implement the CTC plan, which includes what my container portions are for the plan:

CTC days: 3G, 6R, 1Y, 3tsp

Breakfast: Whole wheat English Muffin w/ almond butter= 1Y, 1tsp

Morning Snack: ½ scoop Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ 0.5c unsweetened cashew milk & PB = ½ R, 1 tsp

Lunch: Ground chicken or turkey w/ veggies=2R, 2G

Afternoon Snack: Choc shakeo “pudding”- ½ sc Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ 0.75c plain greek yogurt & PB= 1.5R, 1 tsp

Dinner: Refer to dinner menu= 2R, 1G

Reg Ext Days: 3G, 4R, 2Y, 2 tsp, 2P, 1B, 1O

Breakfast: whole wheat English Muffin w/ almond butter & ½ sliced banana= 1Y, 1tsp, 1P

Morning Snack: rice cake with almond butter= 1Y, 1tsp

Lunch: Ground chicken or turkey w/ veggies =2R, 2G

Afternoon Snack: ½ scoop Vegan Choc Shakeo w/ ½ c cashew milk, frozen mixed berries & IW greens = ½ R, 1P

Dinner: Refer to dinner menu= 2R, 1G

**Swapped blue for an extra ½ Red**

 

I realize you're probably asking yourself "does she really eat the same breakfast & lunch everyday?" The answer is yes- for each week at a time, I keep my breakfast and lunch the same. But I usually change what that is each week, so I'm only really eating the same stuff for 5 days at a time (I only prep for the workweek then keep healthy stuff at home too for my weekend breakfast/lunch..and if I cheat, it's on the weekends- for example, going out to eat).
This meal plan-particularly lunch- may seem kind of bland to you as well. However, I make sure to season my meat & veggies with various spices- I always use garlic and garlic salt, along with other seasonings too depending on what the meat is.
I don't mind eating the same thing for 5 days in a row and it's still quite tasty to me and definitely keeps me full & satisfied. I also like to keep it simple, quick & cheap! I've already mentioned in the past that I'm all about saving that money which is partly why I meal prep! It saves tons of money, especially over time. I'm a fan of meal prep that's simple, quick & easy- it keeps me from having a laziness excuse; I can't say "wahh I don't feel like prepping..it takes too long" because my meal prep is quick.
This is just my preference. Using the 21df, 21dfx, or CTC plan doesn't have to be this "boring!" You're free to choose different meats, veggies, etc. if you get bored easily! The simplicity for me is part of what helps me stick to it but everyone is different =)

Below is my dinner menu for the week. Of course when I planned this out last week, I had a brain fart- or as my husband calls them, "Chelseanisms"- and I totally forgot that Monday was Memorial Day, so the planned dinner didn't happen. We'll be on track starting with Taco Tuesday tonight, though!

Dinner

Monday CTC: Crockpot chicken & veggies (R, G)

Tuesday CTC: Taco salad. Lean ground meat (R), Lettuce/Tomato (G), Optional Black beans/tortilla strips [Y]

Wednesday Ext: Buffalo chicken meat balls (1R, 1/2Y per svg) & salad (G)

Thursday CTC: Fish [R] with steamed veggies [G]

Friday CTC: Chicken [R] & veggies [G]