Day 1 LM21DC

So based on my current weight (height is not a factor) I calculated I need to drink 85 oz of water each day (adding 8 oz for every hour of exercise).  That's 2.5 liters.  I am terrible at this practice unless I'm working out.  I started the morning with 32 oz and of course i've already had to stop typing to take an extra bathroom break.  This should be fun....  But there are so so many benefits to drinking water and the biggest one being digestion.  This challenge warns you to drink every oz of water so that the added protein does not hinder the process if you get my drift.  I promise not to be gross but I am a little nervous about this particular aspect.

Now here is what I will be eating each meal:
1 palm full (size and thickness of the palm of your hand) of lean beef, lamb, chicken, duck, turkey, fish, shellfish, pork or eggs
A thumb size of nuts and seeds, avocado, olive oil, fish oil or flaxseed oil.
1-2 handfuls of broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, cucumber, spinach, watercress, onions, all forms of capsicums, raw carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant.

The list of no nos for the next 3 weeks is fairly long.  Say nope to the following:
• Dairy products (except for 100% whey protein for your daily shake). 
• Roasted or salted nuts – eat unsalted raw nuts as the fats in roasted nuts are really bad for you. 
• Grains – wheat, cereals, oats, rice etc. Basically anything that comes in a cardboard box. A good idea is to go through your pantry and get rid of everything! Otherwise, store it where your family or flatmates can easily access it, but it’s out of sight for you. 
• Fruit. It’s only three weeks, you can live without apples for three weeks, right? 
• Legumes. 
• Starchy vegetables – such as potato, kumara, parsnip, yams and pumpkin – you’re replacing these carbs with other vegetables. 
• Soy products. Did you know they are actually carbs, not protein? Don’t be fooled by marketing. The only acceptable soy product is tamari soy sauce, as it doesn’t contain wheat. 
• Salt, dressings and fats in excess. You’ll see that some of the delicious recipes in your recipe booklet suggest small amounts of ingredients such as salt and mayonnaise. Don’t go overboard, these condiments and flavors should be enjoyed in small amounts only. Don’t forget that natural herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor and variety to your food.

As a female I am supposed to eat 5 times each day.  On the days that I workout, one of those "meals" is to be replaced with a whey protein shake according to these guidelines:
You’ll need to have it within 10 minutes of working out (you need 0.3 grams of protein per kg of body weight). You’ll need to source a 100% whey protein, or if you have a sensitivity to whey protein try rice or pea protein. Drinking shakes is a must! They will help you recover faster, keep your energy levels up and help you feel ready to work out again the next day. Even if you don’t do a workout on a particular day, you’ll still need to fit in a shake.

So here is day one:

For breakfast I sauteed chopped onions and spinach in 1tsp olive oil.  Then I beat 2 whole eggs with salt and pepper, poured them over the veggies and cooked  until done  (197 cal, 13 protein, 4 carbs, 1 fiber, 1 sugar, and 15 fat).  Not the most flavorful meal but I like eggs and plan on most all of the breakfast meals being a variation of an omelet.  Oh!!! And my saving grace will be caffeine! As long as it's unsweetened I can have coffee and tea.  So I started the day with plenty of black coffee:).

Mid morning I head to the gym to teach Les Mills RPM cycle class and burn (according to my heartrate monitor) 447 calories in 48 minutes.  I drank 16 oz of water during the ride.  With that workout I earn my protein shake so I add 1 scoop of GNC whey protein powder to 16 oz of water.  (93 calories, 20 protein, 0.3 fiber, 2.3 carbs, 0.3 fat).  Energy wise I am feeling great!

Lunch I had a 6 oz chicken breast pan fried in olive oil and Dale's with raw baby carrots.  (255 calories,  9.3 fat, 10.7 carbs, 1.8 fiber 33.6 protein).  At this point I am starting to feel light headed but I waited to late for lunch so instead of a meal before supper it will have to be after.  Also at this point in the day I have had 75oz of water so the last 10 shouldn't be a problem.

Because I am a fitness instructor I teach twice on some days and tonight is no exception.  Les Mills CXWorx is a 30 minute core training class.  I actually left my heart rate monitor at home tonight so I couldn't accurately measure how many calories I burned. If I'm being conservative I probably burned around 200.  Before class started I was a little concerned about my energy level but during the workout felt great and pushed myself as hard as I always do. Leaving the gym I was so hungry I could have eaten my hand!

Supper was really yummy!  I used one of the recipes from the Les Mills Challenge.  Minced (or ground) Beef Lettuce Cups  (273 calories, 14.7 fat, 29.5 protein, 1 fiber, 2 carbs).  I also finished up the last 10 oz of water. 

Last small meal of the day was natural choice smoked turkey over mixed greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  (188 calories, 6.5 fat, 7 carbs, 22 protein, 0 fiber). Small meal but I didn't want to over do it so late, however I am still hungry.  

Day One was overall pretty good. The worst part is running to the bathroom a million times:/  No horrible fatigue (that they warn you about) but I am still hungry.   Not go blow it all hungry just a gnawing want to go to bed early so it will be morning and I can start again........  

Here are the totals for the day.  Total calories was only 1006 (seems low to me) but I followed the plan to a T.  No "empty calories" so I'm going to trust it!