I did it! My first 21 day fix challenge is over! The three weeks actually went by pretty quickly. I like the program and learned a lot about myself and my habits. I learned what like and what I don't like as well as what does and doesn't work for me.
Easiest parts: Switching from Gatorade to unsweetened herbal iced tea was shockingly easy! All I did was started brewing gallon pitchers of herbal iced tea and sweetened it with agave syrup. Then I lessened the sweetness over 10 or so days and now I'm good with unsweetened tea. When I want a little sweet, I add a bit of agave syrup once a day. Also, changing my eating wasn't as hard as I thought. I mostly had to make substitutes for foods I normally ate.
Hardest parts: The Labor Day picnic and the beach vacation previously scheduled during my fix. It's harder to make changes when your routine is so out of whack and temptations are right in your face. During those times I didn't stay on plan exactly but I modified it to my own schedule.
What I learned about myself: Gatorade is too sweet to me. I really like plain greek yogurt and don't think I'll ever eat sour cream again if given the choice. I love the treadmill because I can control the speed and incline so I can maximize my workout. Plus I learned that seeing the calories I'm burning is a really good motivator for me to keep going when my body doesn't want to anymore. The containers are tedious, but it was easy to memorize the measurements and eventually I won't need to use them anymore. I'll be able to control my portions visually. Pounds and measurements aren't motivations for me. Watching changes in the mirror and through clothing sizes are going to get me through the next several months until I'm where I want to be.
Where do I go from here?
Well, not much is going to change. It would feel weird to all of the sudden NOT workout, eat healthy, and focus on hydration. Remember, the goal is to develop good habits. Right now they are there. The only thing I won't be doing it worrying about container counts.
I'm also going to start another challenge in the beginning of October. I still want to lose weight so I will be doing challenges continuously with a couple weeks in-between until I get to my Target weight and health. It might take several months but I'm serious about making these changes. The challenges are designed to keep your from slipping back into the old eating habits you want to change.
My journey into changing myself is far from over so I will still be posting fitness tips and observations.
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