21 Day Fix Extreme: Preparation, What to Expect, My Results So Far!

Results at the half-way mark

I’m a little over a week and a half into 21 Day Fix Extreme and I am shocked by how much I’m loving it so far. I wanted to give you a run-down of why I am enjoying it so much and how it’s helped me in the hopes that this may give inspiration to anyone out there looking to make some healthy changes, especially because I was someone who was *terrified* to start it (I’ll explain why below)!

My starting point and why I chose to do the competition plan:

Going into this, I didn’t have a whole lot of weight that I wanted to lose. The 3 Day Refresh that I did in January took care of the few pounds that snuck on over the holidays and I had been feeling great ever since (http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/02/3-day-refresh-results-feeling-amazing.html). My weight was actually down a smidge since then. 

With the 21 Day Fix Extreme, there’s 2 meal plans you can choose from: the competition plan or the extreme plan. The extreme plan is similar to the original 21 Day Fix (minus the treats and some of the bottom-of-the-list stuff) so it's clean eating but well-rounded. The competition plan cycles between 2 days of a high-protein, low-carb diet and 1 day of the extreme plan. Both utilize the color-coded containers for portion control. So with the competition plan, you just get way more red containers (protein) and less yellow containers (carbs). Fruits and nuts are also excluded on these days.

Your food servings and number of containers are based on a calorie calculation in the guidebook. My allotment per day worked out to be as follows:

Competition days: 3 green (veggies), 0 purple (fruits), 6 red (proteins), 1 yellow (carbs), 0 blue (healthy fats), 0 orange (nuts/seeds), 3 spoons (oils and nut butters)

{Example of my competition average day food is pictured later in this blog}

Extreme days: 3 green (veggies), 2 purple (fruits), 4 red (proteins), 2 yellow (carbs), 1 blue (healthy fats), 1 orange (nuts/seeds), 2 spoons (oils and nut butters)

To reiterate: competition plan you alternate 2 days of the competition diet with 1 day of the extreme diet; for the extreme plan, you would just have the extreme diet every day.

I decided to do the competition plan for several reasons:

1. I like to be a guinea pig for my customers. The extreme plan was similar enough to the original 21 Day Fix, which I’ve done, so I felt like I already had a pretty good idea of that plan. The competition plan was different than anything I’ve ever done. It definitely seemed like the more challenging plan so I wanted to see how do-able it was for the average person so I could give my customers accurate recommendations.
2. I was curious as to how lean it would actually make me and figured why not give it a shot once! As Autumn would say, “you can do anything for 21 days!”
3. Autumn has explained (and the guidebook says this too) that both plans are interchangeable if you change your mind. So I knew that if the competition plan was too difficult, I could switch to the extreme plan instead

Why I was so scared to start:

The competition plan requires me to eat 6 servings of protein a day. That’s a LOT for me!! I don’t eat a lot of meat or animal products normally so a lot of my protein usually comes from plant-based sources. But since things like rice and beans, quinoa, etc count as carbs on this plan, I was very limited in my options. So I knew I’d have to suck it up and start eating more chicken, eggs, fish, and red meat… more meat in 3 wks than I normally eat in 3 months! Fortunately Shakeology counts as a protein serving on this plan. But I was terrified about having to eat all of the meat and animal proteins… it just didn’t seem appealing to me AT ALL! Fortunately, it turned out to not be so bad. I thought I’d be sick of all of it by the second day but that didn’t happen. The recipes that I tried were AMAZING (described below) so that helped a lot. And the necessity of variety in order to eat 6 protein servings/day forced me to try a bunch of the new recipes that I ended up loving!

How I keep track!

My list of options for competition days

Program preparation and initial food prep:

The grocery shopping and the initial food planning was probably the hardest part of the entire program (mainly because I try to avoid going to the grocery store more than I have to). I had to sit down and plan out what I wanted my average competition day food to include so that I could extrapolate that for a week or more and buy what I needed. This also required me to plan what new meals I wanted to try for variety so I would know what food to buy for those. Here’s a list of the foods I decided to make and prep for so that hopefully this makes this step easier for you.

As for groceries, the big things I ended up getting in my initial trip were 30 frozen chicken breasts (5 bags of 6 chicken breasts each), 5 dozen eggs, and 7 yams (I decided yams would be my go-to carb on competition days). I knew I would be able to store these things through the duration of the 21 days so I was able to purchase them all in advance. Weekly, I bought the veggies I would need for that week, 1.5 lbs of lean beef stew meat (I made the beef stew each week), and 1-2 serving of fresh fish to bake. I think I ended up doing a pretty good job in my estimations except for the chicken, which I probably only needed about 3 bags of to get through the program. At least it’s frozen- I’ll definitely use it eventually.

The kitchen counter of a girl who was SUPER prepared for the next 3 wks :)

Delicious food I’ve whipped up:

ALL the recipes from the book were phenomenal and I will be incorporating them into my regular meal rotation. I have been cooking up a storm with this plan, trying new things left and right! Cooking out of my normal comfort zone has been really empowering! Here are a few of the good ones:

Amaaaaazing beef stew!! I'm super proud of myself because I *never* cook with red meat- it's always been way beyond what I consider my cooking skills to be (with the exception of the hamburger helper I used to make in college haha). If I say it's easy, it's SUPER easy!!!

My very first poached eggs!!! Man, do I feel like a champ!!!!! Bonus: it looked just like the guidebook said it would!!

Baked sole with himalayan sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, a little bit of dill, a lot of thyme, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, with lemons baked right on top. I ate this baby right out of the dish. 

I love my shakeology any way it’s mixed but trying this new “recipe” turned out to be a delicious treat!

Unexpected fun surprises:

- There is a different workout each day of the week so you repeat the schedule 3 times. That means that by week 2 you realize that each workout you’re doing, you only have one more time you have to do it! WIN!

- I learned a fun fact about eggs while I was watching youtube videos to learn how to poach an egg. Did you know that if you want to know how fresh your eggs actually are, the 3-digit code represents the number of days into that calendar year that the eggs were packed on? So 040 means these eggs were packed on Feb 9. How cool is that?? Props to Whole Foods for keeping fresh foods in stock because I bought these on Feb 11th!

- Mashing up a yam that has been cooked in the microwave and melting some coconut oil on it is the most delicious tropical treat! Tastes similar to fried plantains. I needed 1 yellow and 1 spoon servings when I decided to try this. So glad I did!! 

What the day-to-day looks like:

Right off the bat, I made a beef stew, crock pot chicken, and egg cups. None of this was hard and only took me about 2 hours. The food I prepped here lasted me most of the first week.

Once I got the initial prep out of the way, it was SMOOTH SAILING! All my food is cooked and ready to go. Each day I know what I’m going to eat since I basically eat the same things every day so I just heat it up when I’m hungry and that’s that! I’ve made another batch of crock-pot chicken and beef stew since I started and some fish along the way but that’s all been SUPER easy to keep up with.

The competition days were tougher to get variety (although trying new recipes REALLY helped), but in general, the competition days actually turned out to be easier because I was eating all day long and never hungry! It also felt easier to get into a routine than the extreme days because you basically know you’re going to be eating meat and veggies all day and that’s all you really have to think about. It's surprisingly simple! Here’s a sample of my average competition day:

Mental aspect:

The thing I love/sometimes hate/but appreciate most about 21 Day Fix and 21DF Extreme is that it doesn't leave room for excuses. With no rest days, I can't swap out workouts and rest days like I do with some of the other programs; I can't put it off until tomorrow. I can't indulge in a cheat weekend and tell myself I'll get my nutrition on track next week. And I don't *waste emotional energy* debating about it because I don't question it, I just know I have to do it. So while that may seem like a tough thing, it actually gets me out of my head and forces me to just get to it. I'm all about long-term, sustainable changes, but I also appreciate a program like this that's going to give me the kick in the butt that I know I need and get me back in full-force action (and I can count on it because I know it's going to work!). I love that. I love that I can go into this program each time with total trust and KNOWING that all of that is going to happen. Talk about motivation!

What I don’t like about it:

The only thing I really don’t like about the program is the pilates workout. For some reason, I really struggle to use the resistance bands in some of the exercises where you’re on your hands and knees. I don’t think the band or the exercise is the problem, I just don’t think I have the strength to get the full range of motion I’m supposed to be getting so I find it really frustrating. But I ended up just abandoning the band for the moves where I didn’t feel like I could stay in proper form while using it. I know a lot of other people doing this program, some seem ok with the band for these moves and some seem to struggle with it like I do.

Restaurants:

I find it easier to avoid restaurants altogether while I’m on this program, but I’ve had several occasions that plans have required me to be at restaurants while on the fix so here’s what I did:

- Eat N Park for a family brunch: There was stuff that I technically could have eaten here that would have fit with the plan (like a salad or hard boiled eggs) but at this particular restaurant, that just didn’t seem appealing to me so I ate before I went and just got coffee while I was there so I could still sit and talk with my family

- Pamela’s with a friend (breakfast foods, heavy on the butter): I felt like there was hardly anything I could trust here so I just took my own lunch. My friend was getting a side dish of potatoes so she let me order that for her so I wouldn’t have to tell the waitress “nothing for me” then I busted out my secret meal hehe. The waitress definitely noticed but I don’t think she cared at all. If she had asked, I would have just politely said I had food sensitivities (which I do anyway).

- Going away party for a friend at a local bar (bar food and alcohol): This was in the evening so it was easy for me to eat before I went then drink water with lemon the whole night.

- Kiku Japanese Restaurant: This one worked out GREAT! I was able to get sashimi, which helped me get 2 of the protein servings I needed for the day! I also ate a few of fish that come on top of rice since I hadn’t had my yellow/carb serving of the day.

What the people in our challenge group are saying:

We have a facebook group for our customers and other coaches who are doing this program so we all can support and encourage each other, compare notes, make suggestions for struggles, and celebrate successes. Everyone is LOVING it so far!!!

My results so far:

I am blown away in so many ways.

- Weight-wise, I have lost about 3 pounds by the halfway point and I have been feeling leaner and tighter all over.

- My friends at the going-away party that I mentioned were all noticing and complimenting me. My clothes were fitting much better and I was able to break out my tighter jeans and a slightly more risque’ going-out tank top from college years for the party, which was fun :)

- I’m feeling great on the inside too. I seem to be digesting better than ever (which is a huge deal for someone who has a lot of food sensitivities)! I honestly can’t believe how good I feel! Somebody in our facebook group described it perfectly- “our insides are feeling cleaner and lighter!” They sure are!

- I was feeling a lot stronger even by then end of week 1. Check out my surprise bicep muscle that popped up along the way!

- I am VERY happy with how fit I look and feel. Feeling amazing!!

"Before" pictures (I try not to smile for these but I can't help it)!

Progress so far. Feeling great!!

My final results can be found here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/06/21-day-fix-extreme-final-review-weight.html

Hope this helps!! Contact me if you have any questions or would like some support and motivation through this program!! Have a great week!

More info on the programs:

21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge Pack:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCP21E160?referringRepId=183908

21 Day Fix Extreme Base program:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/21DFEXTREME?referringRepId=183908

21 Day Fix (original) Challenge Pack:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCP21D160?referringRepId=183908

21 Day Fix (original) Base program:
http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/21DayFix?referringRepId=183908

*Note that for the 21 Day Fix original and Extreme programs, I recommend the challenge packs that come with the shakeology. For me, I felt like Shakeology was essential for getting through the programs in terms of energy, fuel, keeping me satiated, and to get enough servings of protein in!

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

By far the scariest post I have ever written

Today I wrote a Facebook post about something that was INCREDIBLY hard for me to share. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support in response. I never in a million years imagined myself sharing this (especially on this level) but a lot of what I have learned over the last couple years has really taught me to be open and to be as ME as I can be. I've also been blessed to have even more super authentic and caring people come into my life who have inspired me with their openness.  I wanted to pass that favor along :) The final push came from an interview I watched with Teal Swan ("A candid conversation with Teal Swan" with Stephanie Fleitas). She gave me the following reminders (loosely quoted from my notes from the video): there's absolutely no such thing as a secret in this universe; if you are trying to maintain a secret, you are wasting valuable energy; putting your secrets out there gives others permission to do the same; there is a huge freedom in that and it also ironically makes you feel safer; when you’re very open, people are tender with what you give them; the person who can be themselves the most when they walk into a room, that’s the person that holds the most energy. She also gave some empowering examples of how she has made it her own mission to put her story and what would normally be kept hidden out there as much as possible.

Other messages I’ve been receiving lately have been all about facing fears. While this is a message I’ve heard my whole life, this was in the context of how it applies to emotion. If we’re afraid of feeling a certain way (sadness, pain, discomfort, etc), often the best thing to do is just allow ourselves to feel that way and then realize it’s not as bad as we imagined or that at least we have nothing to fear now. That was very true for me. The fear of people finding out about my disorder was way worse than the disorder itself. No better way to shoot that down then to just face the worst, put it out there, and now have nothing to fear! If we desire freedom, the fastest way to get it is to walk right into the eye of the storm!!

I hope my story helps you deal with any of your own fears you may be trying to face!

Here is the post that I wrote:

*By far the scariest post I have ever written*

But written with a lot of love in the hopes that we can inspire a radical revolution of openness, authenticity, acceptance, and compassion.

I believe that we are moving towards a world where we can one day share all of the deepest darkest sides of ourselves and feel completely loved and accepted for it.

In my 2.5 years of being a coach, I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with some of the strongest, most loving, compassionate, open people I know, both customers and coaches, and also others that I have formed even deeper relationships with just because my work naturally allows me the privilege of deep and authentic conversations with a lot of different people. What I’ve come to realize is that despite what our lives may look like on the outside, we ALL have our struggles within; something about ourselves we’re embarrassed about or ashamed of, a secret from our past, a bad childhood that we try to keep hidden, something that we are self-conscious of, anxieties, fears, sadness, you name it. Feeling like there is a part of ourselves that we need to keep hidden is the source of a lot of pain and problems in this world. All along we go about our lives not realizing that it may be possible that we can be loved unconditionally for WHO WE ARE, not what affects us. My problems may look drastically different than yours on the surface but can we not all relate on the common ground of feeling ashamed, not worthy, or not enough with something in our lives?

I take my role as a coach very seriously. I believe that I cannot inspire others to do what I am not doing myself. I believe that change starts with me and my example. I believe this is true for all of us but I also realize how “out there” my life is in the social media world because of my job as a coach and I REFUSE to ever let anyone feel like I don’t go through the same struggles as everyone else. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I value my life and all of the people in it. There is so much about my life that I love and appreciate. But just like anyone else, there is pain in my past and fear in my present. **Working towards a better future means building compassion and love NOW** at the heart of all that we do.

Two things that I believe at the CORE of my being:

1. OUR STRENGTH LIES IN OUR VULNERABILITY

2. CONNECTION LIES IN AUTHENTICITY

So here is another step along my path of being as open and honest as I can with all of you in the hopes that anyone reading this may in some way feel like they are not alone. I also do it for my own liberation. I truly believe that which we keep hidden destroys us; that which we bring to light saves us. I believe that in freeing ourselves, we are freeing the world.

What I would like to share with all of you is that I have a disorder that causes me to compulsively pull out my eyelashes and eyebrows. I’ve struggled with this since middle school and it has been a MASSIVE source of shame, guilt, and fear/paranoia in my life. You may be thinking this sounds really weird, or you may be struggling to understand why this is a big deal. This post is not about my specific issue, per say, but more about the *emotions* associated with it so that it can be relatable to whatever struggle you may be going through.

It took me a long time to understand this disorder myself and it is still something I don’t like about myself and is hard for me to accept. I am grateful for it for all of the compassion it has given me for anyone struggling through their own issues. Most people don’t realize I can relate as well as I can until I tell them this story. It was always something I was terrified of people noticing. The panic that rises internally if I think someone is looking at me in a way that is even close to noticing is indescribable. The source of a lot of my fears is that it’s not something that’s easy for me to explain so it’s not that I fear so much that people know (although I used to fear that; it took me a lot of years to stop caring about that part), but it is SUCH a hard thing for me to explain. They don’t just fall out, this is something that I do to myself. And it’s nearly impossible to explain to someone why it’s something I can’t “just stop”. This disorder used to be in the same category as OCD but I believe more recent research about the areas of the brain that this stems from have turned it into an “impulse-control disorder” classification similar to Tourettes. I’ve been to therapy for it. Sometimes that seems to help, sometimes not. I think it’s hard for people to understand that this isn’t just some “bad habit” like biting your nails, but an actual brain issue that I can’t help. Trust me, if I could “just stop”- I would! One of the big sources of shame that stems from it for me is that there are times when it seems to be easier to control than others. That sounds like a good thing, but in actuality, during the times when it’s impossible to control (because there are times when you literally canNOT control it), it makes me feel weak and like a failure and guilty. And on top of that, I then have physical damage and signs of my “weakness” that can last for months. It makes all social interactions harder because I have that underlying fear of “what if somebody notices”. I have become an expert at hiding it with makeup but I resent the fact that it takes about 4 times as long to do my makeup when I’m trying to cover this up. Travel and sleeping in the same room as somebody else makes it more likely that they will notice and therefore more difficult. There is always a sense of fear leading up to any trip related to this.

There have been times where people have noticed and asked me about it. Some of these interactions, especially in my younger years, still make me shudder to remember the conversations. I remember being in a group one time when I was young where the girls I was talking to were trying to force the issue. I remember being so red and flustered. I remember the raised eyebrows and the looks on their faces that communicated to me that they were super weirded out by what I was telling them. I don’t blame them; I may have reacted the same way if someone had told me something I couldn’t relate to or understand. In my adult life, the reactions I get from people who have noticed and asked me about it are typically really understanding, reassuring, and supportive. But honestly, even with the people who I know will love me unconditionally, there is this internal panic that rises up the instant it gets brought up. This is not saying that I don’t invite dialogue about it. I would much rather someone ask me questions and give me the opportunity to explain why I can’t help it rather than just silently thinking I’m weird or the whole thing is bizarre (honestly, I wouldn’t blame them- I think that too)! Once it’s out in the open, I’m usually ok. It’s just that initial conversation that terrifies me so I literally never bring it up. A lot of my closest friends and family don’t even know. My worst fear is being called out in front of a group. Not only is there the initial panic, but then the quick decision of, do I make up a lie or do I divulge my deepest darkest secret, the thing that I’m most scared/self-conscious about, to people I may not even know that well? With the people I am close with, it’s not that I care that they know, but how do I bring up something like this to people who have known me for years and have never known? That thought is SO uncomfortable to me.

I’ve gotten better at telling my story in more recent years, mainly because through coaching, I’ve had a lot of people that come to me and are very open about their own struggles such as eating disorders, compulsive overeating, OCD, anxiety, etc. It is easy for me to share when I know that my story will not only benefit them, but they will also understand. I even had an amazing conversation with a friend recently where we could totally relate to each other because my fears about this were very similar to how he feels when he feels like he’s being judged or “under the microscope” because of his sexual orientation. Not only was the conversation very insightful in so many ways but it was also reinforcement of how SO many people can relate, if not on the issue, but on the FEELINGS associated and it was added inspiration for me to want to share with all of you.

I’ve only shared this story from behind the safety of a computer screen and I have yet to be able to share this story in person openly without wanting to curl up into my 12-year-old panic-ridden self. I have often said that I wish people just knew so that I wouldn’t have to be afraid any more. And there is still enough ingrained fear in me associated with this to wonder if people will no longer view me as just katelyn, but as katelyn-with-this-new-stigma-attached. But this is me taking a stand against my fears. **When we face our worst fears, it can no longer damage us internally, control us, or have power over us.**

I do not at all want anyone to feel sorry for me. I want to bring light to the fact that we all have something that we feel makes us different or judged. I want us all to be able to openly explore life in all of its weirdness and glory!!!

No matter what you are going through, I hope you feel like you are not alone. At least one person in the world (and probably way more than we realize or allow ourselves to believe) understands and accepts and loves you just the way you are.

Thank you for reading and I hope this benefited you in some way.

My wish for us all:

May we all learn to be more of ourselves.

May we all learn to love and accept ALL of ourselves.

May we learn to allow and accept all of the the “wanted” and “unwanted” aspects of ourselves and our lives and mold it into a perfect creation of our destiny. May we be at peace with the world by seeing all things as a gift.

May we feel safe and supported, loved and connected.

May we feel open to be our true, authentic selves.

May we give permission for others to do the same through our own openness and compassion and acceptance towards all.

May we live our lives in our own truth.

May we live fearlessly!

I love you all.

Katelyn

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

3 Day Refresh results- feeling AMAZING!

I posted this on facebook last month but I thought I would share here in case anyone was searching for more information about the 3 Day Refresh! Feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions or would like to know more about it!!

Here's what I originally wrote:

Earlier this week, I had one of those "oh crap!" moments when several of the dresses I was considering wearing to my cousin's wedding this weekend were way too tight. *I'm pretty sure every girl can relate.* Meanwhile, I had decided to do the 3-Day Refresh, not for the sake of the dress situation (I had other options), but because I've been feeling kinda crappy ever since the holidays.

I was shocked when this morning (beginning of day 3- not even my final results yet!) I was down 4 pounds and NOT feeling bloated for the first time since before Christmas! So low and behold, when I tried on my dresses again, they fit!! And I feel great (my body seems to have finally released the bloat and I feel like a rockstar in my dresses).

PLUS, the food cravings that seemed to be kicked into high gear with the holiday treats, have finally dissipated (yay for eating real, unprocessed, whole, satisfying foods!). I haven't been tempted to snack out of boredom (well, I can't while on the Refresh, but the desire hasn't been there either). And at least for me, going to a wedding while in food-craving, snacky, sweet-tooth mode is about as dangerous as going to the grocery store starving. It ALWAYS leads to me over-eating and feeling like crap by the end of the night. So I'm glad to have solved that problem before the weekend too!

Feeling great and feeling *refreshed* :)

For more information on this program:

3 Day Refresh Challenge pack with Shakeology (full supply, best deal): http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCP3D160?referringRepId=183908

3 Day Refresh (3 days of shakeology servings): http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/3DayRefresh?referringRepId=183908

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions!!

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.