It's been a little crazy over here. As you can probably tell by looking at all the times it says "eat out" on the meal plan. And all the times I changed the plan and went out.  My twin sister gets married in 3 weeks! I am super excited for them, but I forgot how busy weddings make you. I am learning a song for her ceremony (Shhh! It's a secret!) and we just started some great FB groups for our team. We are about to begin a 5 Day Clean Eating Challenge (starts April 11!) and we have a new support page to keep all of our challengers motivated no matter what fitness program they're using. If you're interested in joining either of our groups, make sure you add me on Facebook and let me know! We'd love to have you!

 I have to say I LOVE my team. The one thing that surrised me the most when I got started with Beachbody was all the SUPPORT. My team is so encouraging and motivating. I've never met most of them, and yet I feel like we're best friends. They are AMAZING! That is the thing that makes Beachbody so great. The accountability and the support make all the difference. For the first time, I have stuck to a workout and I love it. I have challengers posting their workouts every day and that is my motivation to get my workout in.

Alright. On to the meal plan. As you can see, I use a lot of the same meals over and over again. Dirty rice is a staple in our house and I have to stop myself from making it every day. I also modify a lot of the recipes that I used to make before we started eating cleaner. The pasticio that's listed is awesome, but I have to tweak a couple things to make it 22MHC approved. I only use a little bit of the cream and add extra Greek yogurt. I also use either Dreamfields pasta or whole wheat pasta and watch your portions! Luckily, a huge side salad is the perfect accompaniment. And whenever you're craving a sweet after dinner treat, have some berries! I added a dollop of whipped cream just to be extra decadent. Enjoy!

I am so excited to share these results with you! I've been doing 22 Minute Hard Corps for 1 full week now. It's amazing. It's super intense and pushes me past my comfort zone but I love every minute of it. I don't think I could've seen these results in such a short time with any other program.

I took my measurements two weeks ago when I first ordered my challenge pack. That means that these results reflect drinking Shakeology daily and doing 22 Minute Hard Corps daily.

What Did I Measure? 

I use the Progress and Goals section on TeamBeachbody.com to track my progress. I track my weight, waist, chest, hips, arms, and thighs. Side note: I am really, really bad at measuring my arms. It's really difficult to hold the tape there while trying to read the measurement and keep your arm in a neutral position. Any tips would be appreciated! 

If you're not sure how to measure check out the Measurement Tracker form Beachbody. I love how the pictures show you exactly where to measure on your body. Don't forget to pull your measuring tape tight! You want it to be tight enough so you're getting an accurate measurement but not too tight that it hurts or is pushing into your skin. If you're still not sure, there's a ton of videos showing you exactly where and how to measure. 

My Results 

I am super excited to see the inches coming off. I never thought it was important to track inches as long as  you're losing weight, but they make all the difference! I am getting stronger each day which means I'm building muscle. Muscle takes up less space than fat, so measuring yourself weekly allows you to "see" this process. This is also what you notice if you've gone down a size or two in your clothing. 

I haven't seen much progress in my arms yet, and I think that's because my weights aren't heavy enough. I've been using dumbbells that I borrowed from my mom. I'm going to increase them for next week and see if I see any new results. 

Are you doing a Beachbody program right now? Share it in the comments and let me know how you're doing! Don't forget to check in on Sunday for my Week 2 meal plan! 

Here is is! Week 1 of 22 Minute Hard Corps is about to begin, and I am so excited! This meal plan was based on the Level 2 Plan. Feel free to modify if you need more or less food.
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I rearranged the meal schedule and containers based on what works for me. For example, I like to have my Shakeology for breakfast. I tried to include one protein in each meal/snack to keep myself full. I definitely don't want to get hangry!
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There is also a quick overview at the bottom of how many containers I should be having in a day. If you notice, I freestyle on Sundays so this comes in handy. You can also check off how much water you have each day to make sure you are drinking PLENTY!
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This meal plan is 100% husband approved. What are you doing to prepare for 22 Minute Hard Corps?

I don't exercise. That may sound weird coming from a Beachbody coach, but up until about a week ago, exercise was a foreign concept to me. Don't get me wrong. I knew that I should exercise. And that it was good for me. And that it would help me lose weight. And that it has about a thousand other benefits, but it is just so hard. I would much rather sit on the couch with a good book or another rerun of Gilmore Girls. In fact, I was much more concerned with what I ate and that's what led me to Beachbody.

When it comes to mornings, I am the worst. I have heard rumors that people prep the night before or prep meals for an entire week in one sitting. I don't think that will ever be me. Try as I might, I am not that motivated. My morning routine goes something like this. Wake up. Hit the snooze button at least 3 times. Wake up for real. Get dressed for work. Go into the kitchen and freak out about how late it is. Grab leftovers from the fridge for lunch. (I don't know how I'd survive without leftovers.) Freak out about how late it is. Decide to stop at Dunkin because I cannot get through the day without coffee.

And you know what I do when I get to Dunkin? Order a breakfast sandwich. I mean, I need breakfast. It would be unhealthy to skip a meal. And breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But breakfast sandwiches every day add up money and pounds. So I started researching some healthier ways to get my breakfast that would also allow me to lose some of those breakfast sandwich pounds. Enter Shakeology. I agonized over the decision to start Shakeology. I care a lot about ingredients, and I researched every single ingredient in Shakeology. I wanted to know what it did, why it was there, what was it going to do to my body. (Yes. This is the same girl who ate those mysterious breakfast sandwiches every day.) And you know what I found? Shakeology was worth every penny. By switching to Shakeology, I spent a little less every day, and I got a LOT more nutrition.

So I contacted my friend who was a Beachbody coach, and before I knew it, I was signing up for the 22 Minute Hard Corps challenge group. Oh yeah, and I was a coach. She told me I didn't have to coach. I could just take the discounts. But something in the back of my head said you should do this. So the girl who doesn't exercise signed up to exercise. No big deal. It's only designed to mimic basic training. How hard could it be? Right now, I'm on Day 2. It is intense. I long for my couch when I'm finished working out. But, I haven't missed a workout in 5 days. I've been having Shakeology every day. Even during my sister's bachelorette party. I've been sharing my progress and the products with people. And I'm loving it.

I love the extra accountability that coaching gives me. I love my challenge group. I love meeting new people who are doing amazing things with Beachbody. I never thought I'd do anything like this, and one week in, I'm pretty excited.