4 Days In

I am 4 days in to the 21 day fix and my overall review is, so far so good! I know 4 days may seem a bit soon to be giving a report, but I am already seeing and feeling changes and it's pretty cool. I'm going to divide my reports up into three sections: Eating, Workouts, and How I Look/Feel.

Eating
I thought this part would be the hardest. I've been eating whatever I want for a LONG time, and I thought the cravings would be pretty strong. They haven't been!  It does take some thought, effort, and prep to make sure all the good stuff is on hand when I get hungry, but eating that instead of processed food and sweets has not felt hard at all. I've felt GREAT (but more on that later)!

It has been 4 days since I've had any processed sugar or coffee. Now, before you coffee lovers freak out, you CAN have coffee during this program. You just can't include all the stuff (cream and sugar) I want to put in mine. I have made the switch to green tea with honey, and I enjoy 2 cups a day with one (very generous) tablespoon of raw honey in each. Yesterday I was craving some coffee, so I put in my coconut creamer (which is not allowed, but coconut milk is*) and one packet of stevia. I almost spit out that first sip. I'm not a fan of any sugar substitute.  I thought I could do stevia, but I can't. It is in Shakeology, but the taste is not so strong and I really like my chocolate vegan shake each day. My coffee, however, was terrible. I immediately dumped it out and made myself a cup of green tea.

I have actually enjoyed this switch, however, I will not make this switch forever.  I just want to give this 21 Day Fix 100% to get optimal results. Then I will change things up in order to maintain. I may not have a cup every day, but eventually I will return to my sugar and half and half in my coffee, but I may not indulge every day.

Workouts
I'd say day 2 and 3 are the hardest regarding workouts. This is not so much because of the workouts themselves (although they are challenging), but because of the soreness I have felt going in to each one. Wow!  The first workout was fun and fast-paced and I was able to do it. I was pouring with sweat, but it was fun and over before I realized 30 minutes had gone by. By that afternoon, however, I was feeling it.  The run I tried to do with my class was VERY hard and I stopped after 2 miles.

The next two mornings were tough, but I knew it was important to push through that initial soreness. Once I got moving it wasn't so bad, and it loosened up all those sore muscles, which I think helped in the long run. Today, day 4, was the Pilates Fix, and I was sore, but not nearly as much as I have been. The workout was challenging, but it also felt really good. I think by tomorrow's Dirty 30 (yikes!) I'll be fresh and ready to ramp it up again.

How I Look/Feel
I feel really good. I was worried I'd feel tired and draggy, but I haven't.  In fact, I've been able to push through the afternoon slump with a cup of green tea. When I finally get my two anti-nappers to nap (a workout all its own) I have done chores and other tasks on my to-do list instead of wanting a nap myself.

I did make the decision to increase my calorie bracket so I could have a few more carbs because my two runs this week have felt REALLY hard and I think that is because I didn't have enough fuel. I'm not trying to go overboard, but I still want to run 3-4 times a week, even if it is only a few miles each time. One of my main reasons for doing this program is to benefit my running, so I don't want to hurt it in the process.

I also don't want to endanger my milk supply and I'm worried if I cut calories too much, I won't be able to continue feeding Matthew (who is hitting the 7 month mark soon!).  Since I'm not trying to lose weight, I think this adjustment is ok.  Especially since allowing myself more calories isn't giving myself permission to have junk, just allowing one more portion of the good stuff.

As far as how I look, my middle is already starting to tighten up.  That is a pleasant surprise for sure!  Only 4 days in and already seeing results?  I'll take it!

So far so good! I have no idea what the Dirty 30 workout has in store for me tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to it anyway!

*Coconut milk is a "cheat" of sort and replaces a portion of the yellow container (I think).