21 Days

as i mentioned in my first post, i started a meal plan that will last 21 days. the company is called My Fit Foods and they are located in various areas in houston, most being in upscale neighborhoods. it was created by an ex marine who became a local fitness and health guru...i believe his name is Mario. site here: http://www.myfitfoods.com/

i found out about the company from doing a 515am boot camp workout last month with some people from my work. a rep who knew our trainer brought some sample breakfasts and explained the benefits of doing a 21 day program. guys were typically expected to lose 8-10 lbs if they follow the diet and work out on a regular basis. after a few fellow testimonials from upper level execs in the class - i decided to give it a try.

first off - this is not a cheap program. you get 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. you start by eating a larger breakfast and progressively eat every 3 hrs after that rotating snacks and meals. there is also a 'liver cleanse' drink that you make first thing in the morning. i bought all of the ingredients which consists of water, unsweetened cranberry juice, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. not great tasting, but it wasn't as bad as what their packet warned. i went into this program with the agreement from my wife that she would cooperate and not try to steer me away to eat out over 3 wks. the avg cost per day for the meals is around $30 (catered to my size/portions). 30 x 21 = 610. yikes. i do however get 20% off the first week as a promo for my company. my wife and i figured that if we don't go out to eat on the weekends as we normally do, then the total amount wasn't much higher than our normal monthly spending for junk food and restaurants. she's been a great support...coupling the fact that she gets to chow down on the stuff i normally don't like to eat (fish paste?!).

meals/snacks - the meals and snacks come in prepackaged microwavable plastic containers which are sized small, med, and large. i was given medium meals and small snacks. the food is apparently cooked and prepped on certain days of the week, packaged, refrigerated, and good for 4-5 days if stored cold. microwave for 1 1/2 mins and your meal is ready to go. being as skeptical as i am, i wasn't expecting much in terms of taste. fortunately, i was proven wrong. my first breakfast were breakfast tacos - three decent sized corn tortillas filled with 4:1 egg white ratio, ground turkey, diced onions, and low fat cheddar cheese. the nutrition consultant (salesperson) said i could add a little salsa if desired. they were a little dry without salsa, but nonetheless a good meal. my first four days of food are pictured above...

i'm on Day 4 and it's 930am - i'm actually eating a Chocolate Almond Patty snack as i type. as i'm calculating my daily caloric intake (every container has the food statistics conveniently on an outside label), i see that i'm taking in around 1500 cals/day while getting an enormous amount of protien. i used to eat 1500 cals in ONE horribly satisfying, yet fat-laden Whataburger meal. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT is stated in their packet of information. ugh.

i'm finding that the basic principle of this program is not a quick money maker for the company, but overall wellness and education to be aware of what you are eating and when u should eat it. you don't have to stop eating bad food, just eat it less often. by eating 5 well balance meals throughout the day is much better than eating 2-3 meals, even if they are low in calories. 2-3 meals will spike your energy levels, which comes with the downfall of a crash in energy later. the 5 meals keeps your body on a consistent supply of fuel. there's even a little diagram in their packet which should impress the layman. basic science never seemed so....interesting.

turning 30 last month made me think a little bit. i really should be in the best shape of my life at this age. typical athletes peak at around 30 with their experience and work ethic...why can't i be the same? even if i can't follow this phase 100% of the time moving forward, at least i can say that i've tried and experienced it. and who knows.... the littlest of change may bring suprising results...


plenty more to come,
-E