Diet vs Lifestyle Change

This is the age old discussion.  Something I am REALLY focusing on right now is to NOT use the word "diet."  I want change the way I eat forever, not just for now.  That's really what I LOVE about the Beachbody 21-Day Fix program.

About 3-4 years go I tried counting calories.  I downloaded an app that told me how many calories I needed a day and I could manually type in information or scan the barcode of what I was eating and it would add in my calorie intakes.  Here are some of the problems I faced doing it this way:

1) It didn't change the way I ate.  I ate pretty much whatever I wanted and then by the end of the day I was over calories and starving!
2) It was very visual.  What do I mean by that?  I had to stop and put in what I was eating into my phone, something my son picked up on.  I would tell him I was just trying to eat healthier but what he ended up hearing was the word "calories".  I didn't count calories long but to this day (3-4 years later) my son still will say to me on occasion "Mom, if you were still counting calories this [whatever he was eating] would be [blank] number of calories."

Is it important to teach proper nutrition to our children?  ABSOLUTELY!  But, there truly is a right and wrong way to do it.  For me, I felt like focusing on the word "calories" didn't point out what really needed to happen with this lifestyle change.

21 Day Fix is AWESOME!  It's not quite as visual.  You know what you can eat and you make a plan.  The containers are there to help but once you know the plan I (personally) don't even get my containers out anymore.

The way it works.  There are 6 colored containers that represent different food groups that should be represented in our diet each day: Veggies, Fruit, Protein, Starches/Carbs, Cheese/Nuts, and Dressings/Seeds.

Using this chart you determine how many of each container you need to consume each day.  Example, if you're less than 168 lbs you need 3 Veggies, 2 Fruits, 4 Protein, 2 Cabrs, 1 Healthy Fats, 1 Seeds/Dressing, and 2 tsp oil.

Then, you plan your menu.  What can you choose for each color container?  Here are some examples:

Just a note, I do a few substituting.  I'm not a huge veggie person so I take what I can get there.  Sometimes I count potatoes as a veggie instead of a carb (but I don't go crazy with that substitute).  I can't eat corn but I when I could I would sub corn as a veggie also.  I count pickles and sometimes olives as veggies.

It's really pretty simple.  Again, you get a feel for what you're supposed to eat and then you don't really need the containers anymore.  I'm not great at making recipes that combine the containers, I usually just do for dinner (as an example):

Chicken Breast (red)
Carrots (green)
Banana (purple)
Potatoes (yellow)
Slice of Cheese (blue)

Some people could come up with a meal without making these separate elements, that's great!  I know Pinterest has some great ideas!  Have fun with it.  Make it what works for you.

I should also admit I am NOT perfect at sticking to this.  There are times I splurge a little (see previous post) but I think that's necessary.  Now, don't go crazy on your splurge.  Don't stick 100% to this lifestyle plan and then every Saturday eat an entire pint of ice cream!  It doesn't work like that.  Moderation but NOT deprivation.

Now, just changing your lifestyle of eating isn't all it takes.  A lifestyle change also includes exercise!  I was not a fan of the 21-Day Fix workouts (at first).  Why?  Because they were too "workout-y."  I like the dancy type exercises where it doesn't really feel like I'm working out...but I have to say over time I really like these workouts now too.  I don't do them all the time, but variety is good.

Are you ready to make a lifestyle change?  Something you can stick to?  One reason I LOVE Beachbody is they have SO MANY different types of workouts to choose from!  If you buy a challenge pack you get a sample of the Shakeology AND one free month of Beachbody On Demand which has access to ALL the Beachbody workouts...ALL OF THEM!  If you want a yearly membership, it's just $99/year!  That's under $10/month for ANY workout!  One day you can MMA Fight (Core de Force), another day you can Line Dance (Country Heat), wanna pop dance (Cize), how about some Yoga, or jamming with kicks and punches (TurboJam/Fire)...there's even a whole program for maternity (though most of the other programs can be adapted for pregnancy as well).  The possibilities are ENDLESS and they're always releasing new programs!

Let me know how I can help you on your journey to HAPPY HEALTH!

Jess Because...Fitness DOES Matter