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A touch of a setback today. I ate over my portions. Lots of different stressors combined to make me hangrier than I have been the past few days. Luckily I completely avoided the ice cream, chips, and soda! I honestly wasn't even tempted to eat them. I was just hungry. So I overate on my proteins, cheeses, and had a few handfuls of dark chocolate chips. All in all it really wasn't anything terrible, I just really need to do better with meal planning so I know exactly what I'm going to eat during the day. I also didn't fit in any exercise. I've had a chest cold all week that keeps getting worse, and has moved into my lungs. Lots of coughing doesn't make for great cardio. I did, however, do a boatload of cleaning and organizing which worked up a sweat, so I'll call it even.

Going strong with my third 100% day in a row! I was a little off in my ratios today, eating way too big of a brunch to try to get more portions in one meal. I have been getting used to eating the smaller meals throughout the day and I didn't feel as rounded. I feel like it helps keep my mood and energy more stable when I eat smaller, more frequent meals. I was super craving chocolate today and almost went for some fudge ice cream my husband has in the freezer, but kept to my goals and the craving eventually passed. I'm not one of those, "wait 10 minutes and the craving will go away" type of people. My cravings last for hours. What I need to learn is that they will eventually subside and I'll be thankful I stuck to a healthy diet. I did a yoga video today. Goodness gracious, I have lost so much flexibility! I did a lot of yoga in college and it's one of my favorite ways to exercise. I'm excited to ease back into it and need to be on the lookout for some more yoga videos.

Another 100% day - food portions, water, and exercise all met! My 21 Day Fix materials arrived today - containers for food portions, book with recipes, workout DVDs, and Shakeology. I already knew to expect the containers being small since I've been using those portions, but it was still surprising to see just how little they are! However, you can pack quite a decent amount of food in them and I still can't get in all my servings of everything as I end up being too full. Today I made it to 3 proteins, 2 veggies, 2 fruits, 3 carbs, and about 3TBS of healthy fats. My stomach is still adjusting to changing my diet, but I know it'll go away in a few days. I did another cardio/strength workout today. Boy, it's tough to exercise every day. The program is set up with a daily workout, but I think I'm going to alternate between the cardio/strength DVDs and a yoga video every other day. It's just a lot to do right away and I worry about pulling or tearing something. Plus, doing the stretching routine yesterday made me realize how much I miss doing yoga and how great it makes me feel! It'll be a good mix throughout the week. I gave the Shakeology a try, which is essentially just a protein/vitamin powder. It actually wasn't too bad just mixed with water. It's sweetened with Stevia, which I don't love, but is better than sugar or other fake sugars. It's extremely spendy so I'm not sure if it's a habit I can keep up. For now it'll do. What I like about the philosophy of this program is that it really doesn't limit many types of food outside of junk food. In the past I've tried doing elimination diets, but I have a hard time sticking to it when I have to take out so many things at once. Also, I've read about lots of ways to incorporate some "gray area" foods, like mayo and milk, by just swapping it out for another container that day. It's definitely not about restricting, just about learning how to manage portions and trust your body to be nourished by healthy foods. And I totally get that you can easily set up the program on your own by using measuring cups and finding the approved foods online - but something about those colored containers is just so fun and motivating!

I did a stretching routine today in lieu of workout. It felt awesome and I'm glad I scaled it back - though at the end of the day I'm feeling like I have that extra energy I was starting to get out over the past few days. I stuck almost 100% to my portions, except for a little extra cheese with dinner. I'm trying to eat the things we have in the house before buying new things, so the food isn't "perfect" yet. White tortilla instead of wheat, Tasty Bites and microwave rice instead of from scratch. I just don't like to waste things. Whenever I start to clean up my diet I toss a bunch of food, and this time I'm trying to just be mindful about it. I also got in all my water. So, 100% day! It really is a LOT of food during the day, even though the portions are fairly small. It's hard to fit it all in. I'm trying to just trust the process, knowing that if I eat too little it'll catch up to me eventually. Also, when I get hungry, I get hungry quickly, so I think it's probably the perfect amount. I'm a little bummed that half the challenge has already gone by and I have done so poorly, but I'm ready to reset and recharge.

I couldn't help but stop by when I saw Tina . . . I thoroughly enjoyed reading through your posts and am inspired by your challenge! I know you posted it a while ago, but I completely resonate with the crying over animal videos thing - I laughed out loud when I read that. In fact, that was me all this past week! Go, hormones! Thanks for being so honest about your journey, it really helped me remember why I'm doing mine. Good luck!

Noor, that's what led me to go ahead and purchase it. On its own it is definitely overpriced (as most Beachbody products are - I think about $70 for the containers, book, and DVDs), but I was able to go in with a friend on a deal that made it much less expensive. The biggest change from my current eating habits will be eliminating milk (in all forms) and butter, though I may still include those in moderation so as not to set up any habits I can't keep. And, of course, junk food - but that needs to happen anyway! It limits alcohol with a few exceptions as well. In the many, many reviews I read I found that almost all participants felt it was a great way to learn about food portions and make good food choices. People seem to do the program over and over, though it's definitely something you could do outside of just 21 days. A lot of people wrote that they just continue to use their allotted portions and containers in their daily lives! I like the apparent simplicity of it, and the fact that despite it's name, it's not just a quick "fix." Having "hacked" my own measurements and portions for the past few days I can say it's not hard at all, and just feels like I'm eating good food in a normal, healthy way.

Today has been so much better than the past several. I stuck (mostly) to my food portions aside from one treat in the evening and completed another 30-minute cardio/strength workout instead of a yoga workout. I'll do my "recovery" day tomorrow so I don't injure myself. It has been so long since I've done actual circuit-type exercises that I'm completely exhausted, but having a great time. The portions worked super well. It's roughly the same amount of calories I've been consuming, but with such nutrient-dense food rather than junk food I'm filling up a lot more quickly and staying full a lot longer. Toward the end of my calorie-counting I was starting to see how much of my day could be composed of Reese's peanut butter cups and still fit within my calorie limit. It's tough to fit in all the freggies - I'm supposed to get 7 servings each day. I can make it about 4 pretty successfully so will have to keep working on finding ways to enjoy them. I'm trying not to focus on my weight right away. I'll take my measurements when the official program shows up and I get my nifty containers, book, and workouts. The internet has warned me that I might actually gain weight due to re-building muscle, so (as always) to focus more on the measurements and how my body feels rather than what the scale says. I'm glad I've started a little early so I get a feel for what it's like to make the change. I want to be 100% successful when it gets going!

Thanks for the encouragement! What really sold me on this was the fact that it's not actually pre-packaged. Essentially you're buying specifically sized containers, figuring out what foods you can put in each one, and then setting up how many of each container you can have every day. You could definitely do it by just figuring out the portions without the containers, but it was cheap for me to buy. I was really surprised to see that most things I already eat were on the "approved foods" lists, which will make the transition mostly about portion control and not about changing my diet completely.

It always gets a little tough halfway through the challenge. You're doing awesome! The daily updates are great, and it seems like you've been making progress. Sometimes you have to flub a little when friends are in town. Keep it up!

Week 3 Review: Rather than go through every goal, I'm just going to cut to the chase. I had 0/7 successful days for eating, 0/7 successful days for water, and 2/7 successful days for exercise. It's hard to admit that, and hard to use it as reflection. There were a few days that I came close. I almost hit 6,000 steps a few days this week before I had my two days of 30 minute exercise. For half of the week I made it to half of my water consumption, but unfortunately chose soda more often than I should have thanks to the ridiculously hot weather we're having (which should have led me to wanting more water; darn soda and it being so refreshing). But there weren't any days this week that I was even close on my calorie limit. I sort of stopped caring because I was tired and was handling a lot of stress with some family issues. I think I also finally felt I was actually on vacation, so let go of my goals. I'm disappointed because I had really wanted to focus on my eating this week, and also because I'd been so previously successful with my walking and my water. What I Feel Good About: There's always a positive, right? I'm a perpetual pessimist, but on here I seem to morph into an optimist. I feel good about staying reflective and for not giving up. I could have thrown in the towel and quit this challenge, but I am determined to see it through. I made some realizations about my summer lifestyle. I recognized that even though I don't have the stress of work, summer is a tough time for my ADHD brain. There's not a lot of structure and it leads me to making bad decisions. But, ultimately, I came face-to-face with the reminder that I need to cut myself some slack. That some days I just need to let loose and take a break. That I need to recognize when those times are, and then recognize when I need to hop back on the wagon and keep going. What I Want to Work on This Week: I changed up my goals a bit to coincide with the 21 Day Fix. For the next few days before the program arrives, I want to stick to my food portions. Guys, it's a LOT of food. 4 veggies, 3 fruits, 4 proteins, 3 carbs, 1 healthy fat, 1 nut/seeds, 4 tsps healthy oils. The protein is the hardest, and I realized how little protein I was actually eating. I'll also continue my daily workout and get back into the groove of drinking water. I was trying to use a bigger water bottle so that I only had to drink 3 of them rather than 4 glasses, but for some reason it totally threw me off. So it's back to grabbing a pint glass for the day and filling it up with yummy water 4 times. I want to also say . . . When I was with the recruits a lot of us were super excited and motivated and we made it through to the end, even with setbacks. Now that I'm past that "honeymoon" stage, it's a lot harder. I'm like, "Oh, so I have to be healthy forever?" It's not a quick fix, it's not a one-time thing. I'm forever struggling to figure out how to make a permanent change in my lifestyle, and I know that so many of you are, too. We're not alone in this!

Sounds like you're doing an awesome job! The closet was a struggle for me, too. I held onto a lot of clothing for a few years, hoping I'd fit back into them eventually. I finally realized that a) I needed to get rid of some of my clothing regardless of whether or not I fit into things, and When I lose the weight I want, I'm going to want to treat myself to some new clothes! I purged about half of my things and it felt great. I kept those things I knew were special to me and really wanted to wear again, and got rid of those things that I probably wouldn't wear much anyway. Good luck with the second half of the challenge!

Thanks! I'm hugely skeptical of most of those types of programs. I've tried "challenges" before and it's never long-lasting. I'm interested to see how it goes, and I'll be going in with the mindset that I'm working on making life-long changes and habits and not looking for a quick solution. Yesterday went fairly well. I was able to do another 30 minute workout, and made it most of the way through. I'm unimaginably sore today, but it feels good. I'm going to go for a yoga/recovery video today. I was also able to eat pretty well yesterday. I've figured out my food group and portion needs that'll coincide with the program, and have tried to eat mostly accordingly. I didn't overeat at a BBQ but still enjoyed myself. I think it's all about finding out how we can make those lasting changes for ourselves in a really meaningful way, and in a way that works best for our lives and our mentality.

I'm awaiting the arrival of my 21 Day Fix + Shakeology pack. I know, I know. The purpose of this site is to teach us about normal habits that don't require fancy equipment or gimmicks. I actually found Nerd Fitness while looking up Shakeology a few months ago, which led me to the article about the supplements and programs not to use. But what I'm running into now is that I still simply don't know how to portion correctly, eat the right amount of food, or trust myself to stay away from sweets. This past week has been a total bust for all my goals - even the day I said was back on track ended up being way off track again. A friend of mine has done Beachbody programs in the past and was really interested in the 21 Day Fix. I spent hours looking up all kinds of reviews and articles, and surprisingly . . . most of them are positive. Aside from the name "fix" being a point of contention, most people felt it was an incredibly reasonable program to help with basic nutrition and portion control. The thing that really sold me is that I can eat almost everything I normally eat at home, except for junk food. I got the program for really inexpensive, so I figured I'd give it a try. This morning I found a workout online to see what it would be like to actually exercise again. Oh, boy. That was so much harder than I thought! I didn't make it all the way through, but it was good. Hoping to make some changes in this journey!

I came across your thread while searching for others doing the 21 Day Fix. I just ordered my pack (a Beachbody enthusiast friend convinced me to give that and Shakeology a try). It looks like you've had some success with it! I'm looking forward to starting when it arrives. I hope the challenge continues to go well for you!

I love that "super energy" feeling that healthy eating gives you! It also causes me to wake up early Great job so far!