Operation Snap Back™: 21 Day Fix Extreme FINAL Results

Yesterday was the last day of my 21 Day Fix Extreme challenge. For 21 days I worked out, ate clean and ran 25 miles with the girls from Operation Snap Back™. I completed all of my challenges and I'm still alive.

Not gonna lie, this past week was hard. I was tired. Mikey caught a cold. Moses started crawling. The laundry piles got higher and higher but we all made it. 

To say that I am amazed at my results would be an understatement. I honestly can not believe I went from not even being able to suck in my stomach to not having to suck in my stomach at all. What a difference 21 days can make.

I'm even mentally in a better place as far as food is concerned. I still crave all my favorite things but moving forward my goal is to enjoy them in moderation. Let me be clear - I still plan to eat all the things I love. But from here on out I'll be eating clean more and indulging myself less.

I'm going to practice some restraint and keep moving toward my goal of maybe one day having an ab or two.

BEFORE PHOTO - JULY 11, 2016

AFTER PHOTO - JULY 31, 2016

Here are the most important lessons I learned during the past 21 days:

- Giving myself 30 minutes a day to workout isn't going to make this family fall apart.

- I will never like burpees.

-A life without french fries is not worth living.

- Eating clean is much easier than I thought it would be.

- I may need to give up certain dairy products for good.

- Waking up early to workout is worth it.

My next 21 day challenge starts today. This time around I will be alternating my workouts between 21 Day Fix Extreme and Cize. I will be keeping my same meal plan. My goal is to eat clean for another 21 days and on the 21st day I will eat whatever I want for dinner. I like to celebrate with a treat meal.

Here are my measurements from start to finish:

July 11, 2016               July 18, 2016                    July 24, 2016                July 31, 2016

Chest - 33.5                  Chest - 33                        Chest - 32.5                 Chest - 32

Left Arm - 12               Left Arm - 12                  Left Arm - 12              Left Arm - 11.5

Right Arm - 12            Right Arm - 11         Right Arm - 11.5 (muscle?) Right Arm - 11.5

Waist - 32                    Waist - 30                        Waist - 29                     Waist - 28

Hips - 40                      Hips - 39                          Hips - 39                      Hips - 38.5

Left Thigh -24             Left Thigh - 22.5             Left Thigh - 22.5          Left Thigh - 22.5

Right Thigh - 23.5      Right Thigh - 22.5           Right Thigh - 22.5        Right Thigh - 22

I lost a total of 11 inches. During August my goal is to continue to tone up. I really don't want to lose any more inches. If you have any questions about what I'm doing feel free to ask. Visit the Operation Snap Back™ Facebook page to join the next fitness challenge and be motivated through your own journey. 

21 Day Fix Extreme Results Week Two

Just like that, week two is over! I can not believe that I have been able to eat clean for this long. I honestly can't believe that I haven't had wine in two weeks.

Can I just tell you that I am amazed with these results? I'm not sure how fast I thought the program would work or if it would work at all but I they have made a believer out of me.

I feel so much better. All I wanted was to get rid of my belly and I have gotten so much more than that. Getting up at 5:30 to workout hasn't been bad at all either. This program has created new habits for me that I plan to weave into my lifestyle.

I think about food differently now. I see myself differently too.

14 days ago I was riding that wave to Lostdom. The place where Moms go to lose themselves. I'm so glad I pulled over for a pit stop.

Do you feel that you've lost yourself or that you're on your way to losing yourself? Well, it's never too late to make a good decision and make some changes. (My husband always says that)

MEASUREMENTS

July 11, 2016               July 18, 2016                    July 24, 2016

Chest - 33.5                  Chest - 33                        Chest - 32.5

Left Arm - 12               Left Arm - 12                  Left Arm - 12

                    Right Arm - 12            Right Arm - 11         Right Arm - 11.5 (muscle?)

Waist - 32                    Waist - 30                        Waist - 29

Hips - 40                      Hips - 39                          Hips - 39

Left Thigh -24             Left Thigh - 22.5             Left Thigh - 22.5 

Right Thigh - 23.5      Right Thigh - 22.5           Right Thigh - 22.5

As I enter the last week of my challenge I want to encourage and motivate you to be be your best self. Whatever that means to you. For me, being fit is one of the components I need to live my best life. I need to feel good from the inside out.

So many people have reached out to me about the program. Please continue to send your questions. All of the equipment and the programs  I use are now loaded in my amazon store. Feel free to check them out!

What's something that helps you feel your best?

Healthy No Sugar Mongolian Beef

A few weekends ago when we were in Seattle hanging out with my brother we had lunch at the fanciest Chinese restaurant I've ever been too. There were tablecloths and tea and all kinds of breakable items on the table for the kids.

There was a view overlooking the water and there was Mongolian beef. I immediately fell in love and wanted to try making it at home.



All of the recipes I found call for brown sugar or enormous amounts of honey. Neither one of those fits into my new meal plan so I thought long and hard about how to still get that sweet beef on my dinner table without using all the sugar.

My long nights of watching Chopped paid off and I decided to try using a honey crisp apple as my base for the sauce. Let me tell you, I have never been so happy with an educated guess before in my life.





This meal was so easy to make. Now - if I'm being completely honest this did not taste like the restaurant's Mongolian Beef. BUT - it was good and tasty. I haven't had fake sugar since July 10th so my tastebuds were very happy.

If you'd like to make my healthy no sugar Mongolian Beef the recipe and instructions are below. Don't forget to pin it for later.



What you'll need:

2lbs Flank Steak, chopped
1/4 cup cornstarch (you could always use arrowroot)
1/4 cup water
2 TB olive oil
1 cup olive oil for frying
1 medium honey crisp apple
1 1/2 TB gluten free (wheat free) soy sauce
2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped, 1 tsp chopped
1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced garlic
green onion
veggies of your choice

What to do:

1. Slice flank steak against the grain. Dredge in cornstarch. Let it sit for 10 minutes before frying.
2. Start buy cooking your apples in a tiny bit of water (just enough to cuddle the apples) until they are soft. Puree apples using a blender until smooth.
3. Cook 2 tsp pf ginger and 1 tsp of minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until fragrant. Add apple puree and cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Add soy sauce. (Taste the sauce - add more soy sauce if needed) Remove sauce pot from heat.
4. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan and cook the flank steak for about 2 minutes, flipping over halfway. Do small batches if needed, do not overcrowd the pan. Drain steak on paper towels as you cook.
5. Put all the steak back into your pan and add the sauce. Toss to coat. Simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Pour grease out of pan. Try to reserve any flavor bits that may be there.
7. Add water to the pan and toss in veggies and remaining ginger and garlic. Cook until done to your preference.
8. Sprinkle with green onion after plating.

That's it! So easy and fast. I served our Mongolian beef over brown rice. It was delish. Not as sweet as the restaurant's sauce but still oh so good - and good for you!

21 Day Fix Week One Results : Pros, Cons & Tips

I survived the first week of 21 Day Fix Extreme. The first day or two was rough. I was hungry. Some of the workouts were very hard. I would even go so far as to say they were indeed extreme.

The skeptical side of me didn't know if I would see any results this early into the challenge but around day three something happened...



It's like Autumn Calabrese hooked me up to a machine and sucked a great bit of my bloat out. That was very encouraging. Seeing that small bit of change made me want to stick with the meal plan and get those workouts in.



Now that I'm a week in I'd like to offer some pros, cons and tips for anyone thinking about doing this program. First, let me say that I am not a Beachboy coach and my reviews about this program are not sponsored. No one is paying me. I purchased everything myself.

Now that we've gotten that little disclaimer out of the way...



What I love about 21 Day Fix:

- The workouts are only 30 minutes.
- The exercises are broken up into 30-60 second increments. "You can do anything for 60 seconds", she says.
-The meal plan is simple enough to follow.
- If you do it right, you will feel or see the results almost instantly.
-The Beachbody website has tons of info and a community to help you succeed.

Things I don't love so much: 
(And I'm being totally picky here)

- I don't like that she doesn't do the workout with you the entire time. She kind of walks around and talks about form, which is important, but I kinda want to see her do it from start to finish with me.
- I wish the kit itself came with more recipes and meal ideas. I have been using Autumn's website and Pinterest but I think it would be great if a true cookbook came with the kit.




So how do I measure up from when I started? Here are my inches... (the level of bravery here should be revered)

July 11, 2016                            July 18, 2016

Chest - 33.5                             Chest- 33
Right Arm - 12                        Right Arm- 11            
Left Arm -12                           Left Arm - 12
Waist- 32                                 Waist - 30
Hips - 40                                  Hips- 39
Right Thigh - 23.5                  Right Thigh - 22.5
Left Thigh - 24                       Left Thigh - 22.5

Since July 11th I have lost about 7 inches. Not too shabby.

I had Savannah take a pic of me this morning because I could notice a difference in my tummy. It looks like a bit more progress has been made since yesterday when I took the pics above. Here I am this morning after my workout.

My tips to make it through the first week would be get up early before anyone in your family and get your workout in. Drink plenty of water. PLAN YOUR MEALS and do not cheat the meal plan. 

So I'm hanging in there. I'm ready for week two! If you would like to see what I'm eating everyday and how I feel after my morning workouts be sure to follow me on snapchat (TheChicSAHM). 

How is everyone doing on their own fitness journey? What do you think of my results so far? I'm cheering for you all. We can be Moms and be in incredible shape, let's do it together!