Spokane Fitness Blog by Amy Hunt
I’m on a mission.
A mission to lose my belly bubble, bye-bye arms and extra thigh fat.
I HAVE to succeed by May 9th, which will likely be the start of a fabulous California vacation, which will likely involve sandy beaches, which will likely involve a swimsuit.
Since January, you’ve heard me talk about various challenges and goals.
This is just an extension of that, but on a hard core, never give up, no cheating level. And Zach is doing it with me.
It’s HUGE to have my spouse do this challenge with me. I’ve talked with several ladies who say that they feel the biggest saboteurs to their success are their close family members and spouses. I think this happens a lot.
I think they really are unwittingly the death to our fat loss diets with their devious schemes and guilt-laden remarks.
I’ll give you an example of a conversation Zach and I had just last week.
“What’s for dinner, babe?” he asked.
On my weight loss kick, I responded, “I was thinking grilled chicken, a veggie-rich salad and maybe some wild rice.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Well if we eat that can we have Dairy Queen for dessert?”
“No.”
“Well what if we put fried chicken strips on top of the salad instead of eating chicken breast?”
“No.”
“Well can we have that tomorrow and eat something good instead”
“NO!”
And so the conversation went. We never did eat that dinner. I can’t remember exactly what we DID have, but I know it wasn’t healthy. I think we compromised and went out to eat for “salads”…which usually contain more calories than anything you would’ve cooked at home.
So I was excited when he approached me Sunday and said, “We should finish out our weight loss goals with a 21 Day Challenge. It’s 3 weeks until vacation and that would be perfect!”
Here we are.
What are the perks of a 21 Day challenge? If it’s so great, why wouldn’t we do it like this all the time?
Honestly, you COULD… but most of us don’t. We need a tangible time period to wrap our brains around. We need to feel like there’s an end to the madness…even positive healthy madness.
They say it takes 21days to make or break a habit. The beauty of a 21 day challenge is that in the 3 weeks it takes you to complete, you are building a healthy lifestyle habit that will likely still influence your daily living after it’s over. And for 21 days, your body can honestly handle anything you dish out at it.
So here’s my 21 Day Challenge.
Monday – Saturday
You MUST follow a strict eating plan these 6 days! Your meals should look something like this…
First Meal (within 30 minutes of rising)
- ½ cup of oatmeal with fruit
- Protein shake made of powder, oats, milk/water, ground flaxseed & instant coffee
- ½ cup of cottage cheese with fruit
- 2 eggs cooked to taste, whites only is acceptable (avoid fried for this time though)
- ½ cup of whole grain granola, low sugar variety with 1 cup of non-fat milk
Notes: Black coffee or pure green tea ONLY is allowable, if you are a coffee drinker. You can add a whole wheat English muffin half or slice of fresh whole wheat toast with some meals as needed. Avoid heavy fatty proteins like peanut butter for this challenge.
Second Meal (3 hours from rising)
- Grapefruit, apple, orange slices
- Granola bar
- ½ cup of cottage cheese with sliced raw veggies
- Low fat yogurt
- Whole wheat crackers & low fat cheese slice
Third Meal (6 hours from rising)
- Whole wheat tortilla wrap with turkey slices, lettuce, tomato, light mayo, mustard
- Whole wheat toast topped with half grilled chicken breast, avocado, tomato, lettuce
- Romaine lettuce salad topped with raw nuts, dried cranberries, sliced chicken/turkey, cheese crumbles, veggies & spritzed with light oil/vinegar or vinaigrette dressing
- Can of tuna or salmon spread on one slice of whole wheat toast or pita, mixed with light mayo, small amount of sweet pickle relish, lemon juice, etc
- Romaine lettuce salad topped with seasoned chicken breast, salsa, fat free sour cream, sliced olives, small amount of tortilla strips (found by the salad section in grocery store), black beans and corn.
Fourth Meal (9 hours from rising)
- String cheese and fruit
- ½ cup raw nuts such as almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds
- Celery with small amount of natural peanut butter
- Whole wheat pita and hummus
- Raw broccoli, cauliflower or baby carrots
Fifth Meal ( 12 hours from rising)
- Stir fry lean beef, chicken or tofu in light oriental sauce with brown or wild rice and generous portion of raw veggies added to stir fry
- Grilled chicken or salmon, whole wheat pasta or brown rice, steamed vegetables lightly seasoned with lemon juice or black pepper
- Grilled chicken or salmon, sweet potato, spinach salad loaded with veggies, vinaigrette or lemon juice
- Grilled chicken or tofu, couscous, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, curry seasoning
- Grilled ground turkey burger on whole wheat bun with light condiments, lettuce, tomato, pineapple ring, onion, etc
Sixth Meal (1 hour before bed)
- Protein powder shake in 1 cup of water or milk
- Greek yogurt with fresh berries
Water Intake
On top of your 6 small meals, you need to drink 24 ounces of water between each of your meals. This is imperative to successful weight loss on this challenge. DON’T SKIP IT!!!!
DAILY EXERCISE
Daily exercise is the second step to this challenge. Your workout regimen should look something like this…
Monday – Wednesday – Friday
High intensity interval training with emphasis on total body exercise, medium weights, bodyweights, cardio – 45 minutes
An optional second workout of 45 minutes straight cardio such as elliptical, running, stair steppers, jumping rope, etc
Tuesday – Thursday – Saturday
Weight days to work on muscle toning. Emphasis on heavier weights, less repetition, shorter sets/longer recovery, total body with emphasis on trouble areas if you like – 45 minutes
Sunday
Rest day. Take time to continue eating correctly, but give your muscles a chance to recover for the coming week.
Zach and I started this challenge this week. Kylie and Leta will be starting next week.
Here’s a challenge for you…join us!!!
It’s JUST three weeks. Anyone with enough will power and desire for change can do this, regardless of their current weight and fitness level. And if you need accountability on the exercise level, all of Physzique’s workouts will fit around this type of schedule, so give me a call!
Are you on board with me?!
Let’s do this!
No stinking way. I ABSOLUTELY want to know if anyone can lose weight eating that much food. Truly! Truly! Please let me know if anyone sticks to this and loses weight.
It can be done! And you should definitely join us! Each of those 5-6 meals are fairly low in calories…and the calories you ARE taking in are from healthy foods. You’d be surprised at how full you are yet how much you can lose on a diet such as this!
Woah.. this sounds hard! But I’m in!!! Thank you always Amy and Zach for the motivation and inspiration.
Yay! So glad you’ll do this with us Jamie! I’d love to hear updates from anyone who takes on this challenge! In the studio, we’ll be keeping tally up on the white board, but if you’re not part of Physzique, then keep us updated here on the blog!
Really, this sounds great and all. But I doubt that most people have enough time, even for an hour a day to do these daily exercises as well as prepare these elaborate meals…
It’s all about a little pre-planning.
I agree that it would be hard to keep up this regimen long term, but three weeks is hardly enough time to blink! The meals themselves can be pre-packaged at the beginning of each day or planned at the beginning of the week for the snack type items.
I wish you guys could post pictures of yourselves. So that we can at least see a reference of what you look like..
Great site by the way, articles are very well written.
Jane, we’ll work on that very soon! If you have facebook, you can find both Zach and myself on there at our fan page… http://www.facebook.com/physzique.
This sounds like hard work, but I’m in!!!
Perfect! I’m so glad to hear it! When are you going to start?!
This is such a great site! I will definitely be bookmarking this site… Look forward to all your future articles!!
I love to hear that Stephanie! Thanks for stopping in and look forward to hearing from you again!
Amy, I am in! At least on the working out portion. I will do my best to eat healthy along the way but it is hard (I am not saying impossible) to cook healthy when you have 2 kids tugging on you the moment you step in the door, work full time, and still manage to get 6 hours of sleep per night. I so appreciate the ides of what to eat and when but one question that I have is when do you eat your first meal if you workout first thing in the morning? Since I will be coming to the 6:00 a.m. trainings do I eat before I come or within a half hour of finishing the workout?
Thanks for the challenge, it will help me get in there 3 days a week and do other workouts on my own at home. My family and I are also doing a California trip May 13th so this gives me a full 3 weeks starting Monday and motivation to feel great because I have worked out!
Heidi, this is entirely up to what your body can handle. Personally, I can’t workout without eating something first. The small portion size should help with any problems you may have getting queasy during intense workouts! But if you’re the type who just can’t stomach food before a workout, then by all means…eat afterwards! Just adjust your eating times accordingly!
Seems you’ve got quite a lot of following Amy… Would love to hear your stories and experience guys.
Yumm… Hardly sounds like a challenge at all… Except for the amount of exercise required, the menu sounds great! I’m in!
Great Rachelle! Have you started yet? Post your progress here! We’d love to know about it!
Hi there.. I have been trying to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle for the past 2 years. Unfortunately, I end failing in most of them. Partly, because of lack of self-discipline and another part because of the lack of a good support system. The people around me are the same ones who lure me into bad habits again or otherwise discourage me from reaching my goal. But enough is enough, I’ve talked to them all, and they agree with me, WE’RE ALL IN for the 21 day challenge, starting today!
Henry, it’s definitely harder without a support system. How’s it going so far? Are you keeping to the challenge?
Wow! This is impressive! Let me dare my hubby to do it with me!!
Good for you! Did he take the bait? Are you guys doing the challenge?
I’m excited about the menu! It seems delicious!! Haha, but the exercise is uhhhh… But hey, let me try this! I’m in!!
You can do it Kaylee! Exercise can be tough but think of it as it’s ONLY 21 days. Can’t be *that* hard.
You already got me when I read the word Challenge! Haha! Can’t wait to start this! Im super excited!!!!
Yay! Rise to the challenge! Have you started yet? How’s it going?
21 days only? COUNT ME IN!!
Exactly! 21 days is a piece o’ cake. You can do it!
This is great! I’ll tell my roommates about this! Can’t wait to start!
Awesome…way to get others involved with you! How have you done so far?
Seems so exciting! I’m just scared that it might get personal with me and my hubby! Haha.. Have a fun trip you guys!
I’m up for anything, so I’m in!
This is really challenging , but the food menu seems hard to prepare. Any alternatives?
Ruby…most of the options aren’t that hard to prepare. Finding foods that are in that same calorie range as alternatives would be suitable. Just avoid anything fried, fast food, high in processed sugars, etc
Just want to share that this is actually my 19th day for this challenge and results are amazing!!
You did the challenge?! Tell me about your results! It’d be encouraging to everyone else to know what kind of results someone got doing this challenge! Please share!
Okay, I’ve checked the menu.. And I noticed the 6th meal, 1 hour before bed.. So is it okay to eat 1 hour before bedtime? Coz I usually do like 3 hours or 5 hours before bedtime, I make sure that I don’t eat anything anymore
Monica, for me, the 6th meal is optional. It IS okay to eat a very small snack before going to bed. Make it small though and definitely lean towards healthy options for that last meal.
I really love your blogs! Its very informative and helpful , and you always find a way to put humor in whatever you write!
This shouldn’t be a 21 day challenge, it should be a lifestyle!!
Agreed! That’s the idea behind doing it for 21 days though…helps create a good habit!
Yummy foods! Can’t wait to try this!
I completely agree with your menu! Great set and healthy meals!
This is great! Some people think that going on a diet will lead you to starvation but the truth is, it’s revising the intake of your food that will work best for you and your body without forgetting the proper nutrients for you.
Just a quick trip to the grocery and I’m IN!!!
This is great! Definitely in!
So this is the 21 day challenge the gang was talking about, great, i’m in!
This is fascinating! I can’t believe that you can eat this much while being on a diet! I’m so in!