I can’t believe it, but Phase One is already over! These last four weeks really flew by, which I attribute to the wide variety of workouts. Throughout the last four weeks, only one workout remained the same-Saturday’s Cardio Flow. Otherwise we were doing a different number of sets and reps each week. For someone who gets bored with workouts very easily, this was awesome!
I need to come clean and say that during Phase One my nutrition was NOT 100%. There were several days when I went off my meal plan, didn’t eat according to the timed nutrition, had wine, extra cheese on something, etc. I also missed a few workouts when I got the flu a few weeks ago. Rather than making them up, I decided to just move forward. So, with all that said, I STILL saw some results and positive changes despite not sticking to things 100%. I will say that following this program has made be be more mindful of my choices, especially portions, when I’ve gone out to eat or even when I allowed myself a meal that wasn’t a part of my meal plan. Prior to this program, I hadn’t been following portion sizes, I was eye-balling things, which in turn caused me to overeat. This was the perfect reminder that, HOW MUCH and WHAT you eat really does matter the most.
MEAL PLAN
Throughout Phase One, I had been following Vegan Meal Plan C. I am not looking to lose weight, so this was a maintenance meal plan. I found that it was A LOT of food, some days I ate all of my containers, some days not. I never felt hungry, unless I went longer than the recommended 2-3 hours of eating, which goes against the idea of timed nutrition. I didn’t have a whole lot of variety in meals, because repeating meals made my meal prep much easier.
For Phase Two, I am in the same calorie bracket, so my meal plans will look the same. I am diving back into the dairy pool and adding some yogurt/Greek yogurt to my meal plan. Typically I stay away from dairy, but I am finding I need another protein option aside from veggie burgers and foods containing soy. This is such an easy option and I am really excited about the Buffalo Dip that I’m making! We also get a “refeed” day a few times during Phase Two. This is a day where you get a select number more carbohydrates (NOT A CHEAT DAY!) before leg day, to restore glycogen.
MY GOALS FOR PHASE TWO
I want to be more diligent about my meal plan and have less days and times where I kinda go “off the rails.” The weekdays are easy, because of my structured schedule. But like most people, the weekends are where I tend to eat whatever I want (and cocktails). It is possible to go out to a restaurant and stay on course, but it requires looking at the menu ahead of time and possibly asking for accomodations. I’ve just gotten used to doing that, not only as a vegetarian, but restaurant-made food is typically higher in fat and calories, which you can reduce by making some substitutions. In the end, this is all worth it-the timed nutrition, sticking to my workouts, avoiding tempting situations, etc. Eighty days is a long time, which has reminded me that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Small changes over time really do amount to BIG THINGS!!
I will be hosting a *NEW* 80 Day Obsession online bootcamp. To reserve your spot, please visit this short application bit.ly/brownellbootcamp.
ZUCCHINI MUFFINS/BREAD RECIPE: http://leahbrownell.com/2018/02/11/zucchini-bread-80-day-obsession-approved/