3 Day Refresh Review

I don't not normally endorse any sort of 'diet' program. I believe in clean eating and exercise to lose weight and be healthy, that being said the 3 Day Refresh has proved to me to be a great chance to reset my system and get back on track. 

It is not a miracle cure. 

If you are looking for a quick fix and a way to lose 20 pounds in 3 days I'm telling you now to go waste your money elsewhere! This is a cleanse only, meant to jump start your health and fitness goals, not to rocket you to the finish line and gain it all back! There are plenty of other magical pills and supplements out there that have crazy guarantees of doing such a thing but I wouldn't put anything with chemicals like that in my body! 

If you have never done a cleanse if any kind, this may not be for you. 

I have done juice cleanses (talk about being hungry!!), shakeology cleanses (turns out this is NOT recommended!), tea cleanses (I can't drink that much tea!!), the military diet (another Pintetest FAIL!) and just about everything else a 20 something year old girl can get her hands on and each one was MISERABLE! The idea of a 'cleanse' is to rid your body of toxins and essentially flush your system, what about that sounds fun?? 

I'm not saying that you shouldn't do this program if you are a cleanse virgin, I just want you to be prepared! It was however in my opinion the easiest to follow without starving yourself! 

What does the Refresh consist of? 

The refresh is 3 days, each day is the same foods: 

Breakfast is shakeology and a fruit option, you pick your flavor, I did vegan chocolate which I highly recommend (the other shakes are vanilla and you can only take so much!!)

Mid morning is Fiber Sweep with is a Metamucil like digestive health drink (these were a bit rough!) I had the hardest time with this one, however keep in mind it's all natural so there is only so much they can do to make it bearable without over-processing it! 

Lunch is Vanilla Fresh shake plus a fruit, vegetable, and healthy fat option. 

Afternoon snack from the fruit, vegetable, or juice option list. 

Dinner is another Vanilla Fresh shake plus a meal from the dinner recipe list. 

Along with these meals.. You have the option to drink a morning and evening tea which I highly recommend! It cut my hunger cravings and will help with headaches if you are used to drinking caffeine daily! 

You also need to drink a lot of water!! It's recommended to drink half your body weight in ounces during the Refresh, so I weighed 184 when I started meaning I had to drink 92 ounces of water a day on top of the shakes and juices! 

My thoughts and results from the Refresh 

In 3 days I lost 5.6 pounds, I wasn't hungry like with other cleanses, and have kept most of the weight off for over 4 days without extreme dieting! The best part is that I feel my body is back on track to keep tackling my fitness goals after being off track for almost a month!

• Its very hard. I am not going to lie and say it was easy to sit and eat my veggies while everyone else at work was downing pizza and chocolate!

• Day one I was not hungry at all. After forcing down all the shakes and spacing the meals around my work schedule I was so full and bloated that I couldn't eat another thing! 

• That didn't last! Days 2 and 3 I was hungry in between meals, but once I ate I instantly felt full again. I was eating wayyyy less than usual and feeling satisfied which was a huge plus for me! 

• I slept better and woke up feeling rested. I have NEVER felt like that before!  

• It was very hard to do after eating such a high calorie diet for so many days! It would have been much easier to ease into, however that was why I felt I needed a cleanse was to kick start my healthy eating again! 

• I didn't workout during the 3 days. The program allows for mild to moderate exercise, however with my current work schedule and how often I had to drink shakes and water I didn't feel able to push myself! 

• It works. I feel "Refreshed" and in the days since the cleanse I have continued to eat less and feel satisfied! I also didn't have any 'stomach cleansing' effects, however I was constantly in the bathroom due to how much water I was consuming!! 

I would definately recommend this program to someone looking to kick start a fitness program, however I'm still not sold on cleanses without an ongoing fitness plan! They are a quick fix and not a substitute for a healthy diet and daily exercise!! 

Email me for a free fitness evaluation! Let's do this together mariagracefitness@gmail.com

Beachbody Summer Sale

Beachbody is having a HUGE summer sale starting today by 3pm EST (although I heard sales could start as early as 12:30pm EST). There is a TON of stuff that is going to be available so I tried to simplify it for you with my top picks.

 The *blue stars* are great deals for great programs; the *orange stars* are my personal top favorites. Some of them that were great deals I skipped over (like P90X) because honestly, it's a great program, but I find that most people (myself included!) have a much easier time sticking with a shorter program like P90X3, so I didn't want to steer you wrong just because there was a good deal! But Brazil Butt Lift and Slim in 6 (which I find to be highly underestimated) are some of my original favorite Beachbody programs; Combat is a blast; and the Pump deluxe DVDs are the ones everyone been raving about recently that includes that killer step workout. Hope this helps!!

Typically these deals go FAST and you need to have a coach in order to get them so I recommend signing up in advance so you'll be all ready. You can do it by going through this link: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=405678 Or go toteambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and just enter my coach ID (405678) when it asks for a referring coach.

I believe that once the sales go live, they will also be available here:http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/summer-sale?referringRepId=405678   I recommend checking frequently before the sale starts if there is something you really have your heart set on!!

Super Simple Fat Free Taco Dip

I make this recipe ALL THE TIME mostly because it is so quick and I usually have most ingredients in my house anyway! It's always a big hit and most people can't even tell that it's fat free ;)

Ingredients:
1 can Fat Free refried beans
1 package taco seasoning (low sodium preferred!)
2 tomatoes
Shredded lettuce
Shredded Fat free cheddar cheese
1 can fat free sour cream

(may substitute Greek Yogurt for 21 Day Fix)
1 small can of black olives
Salsa - optional


So like I previously stated in the title.. This recipe is super simple!

1. Mix together taco seasoning and refried beans until well blended.

2. Cut up tomatoes and olives into small pieces, I usually do mine really small so they are scoop able on a chip or pita

3. Later dip into a small dish, refried beans first, then sour cream, then lettuce, and top with tomatoes, olives, and cheese. (If you are adding salsa I usually layer it before my lettuce so the top layer looks cleaner!)

4. Serve with your favorite chip, pita chip, or tortilla.. This part won't be fat free, but feel free to load up and take a BIG SCOOP!

Baked Eggs

Tried something new tonight during my meal prep: baked eggs!  No matter how many Pinterest recipes I follow I can never get my hard boiled eggs to be 'perfect' so I thought I would give this a try. 

They actually turned out great.. And were super simple! This is definitely my new go to for meal prep! 

Baked eggs 

Place eggs into a muffin pan so they don't roll around 

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes 

Place in cold water 

Peel and enjoy!   

Handling Temptation

I know I'm not alone in my struggles to keep my hands off the refrigerator door when I'm home alone! I am not even hungry but the temptation... The temptation... The temptation.. Haha. 

I've compiled a list of things to do instead of eating that will move me closer to my goals: 

1. Work out. Yup, that's right. Positive energy being created instead of eating my weight in carbs until I want to nap! Doing some piyo, yoga, going to a walk, even planking for 60 seconds is enough to get my mind off food. 

2. Personal development. I'm always working to better myself and there are so many inspiring books out there! Gets my mind in the right place and refocuses on the positive goals I have set for myself. I'm not much for meditation, so this is as close as I get to my 'happy place'.  If I don't feel like reading I'll check out YouTube which is also a hotspot for inspiring videos! 

3. Play. I have two adorable pups and a crazy cat who I don't get to spend enough time with. Keeps my heart happy ❤️ 

4. Clean. My wonderful husband does most of the cleaning in our house. (Luckiest girl in the world!) But there is always more to be done! I am not a cleaner, but I do like doing house projects and rearranging decorations! Keeps the house looking good and my hands out of the cookie jar! 

5. Meal prep. So if I can't keep myself out of the kitchen I might as well meal prep for the rest of the week! This is the best way to stay on track and have quick healthy meals and snacks to grab in a hurry. I am currently following the 21 Day Fix which is awesome if you need help planning your meals and staying on track! 

If I still want food after all of this, I guess I'll eat an apple 

Challenge Groups

I'm sure you see posts all the time from Beachbody coaches talking about 'Challenge Groups' but wonder what all the hype is about. The truth is: what AREN'T they about?? I got my beachbody start through a challenge group and ultimately became a coach because of my experience. Let me explain.

In the fitness world there are a lot of options for diet and exercise. Finding the option that is just right for you is another importance of having a coach. We can help you decide on a fitness program and encourage you along the way. Beachbody offers many different program options such as P90X, Insanity, T25, PIYO, and the 21 Day Fix. Each program comes with workout DVDs and an eating guide. A challenge pack also comes with a month supply of Shakeology which is so important to curb cravings and give you energy!

When you buy through a Beachbody coach, we will add you to a challenge group. This is a small group of people just like you who are on a journey of their own to get healthy and stay in shape. Often the groups consist of challengers all doing the same program and motivate each other to stay on track. Similar to bringing a friend to the gym, a challenge group can help hold you accountable for completing workouts and not falling off track with your eating plan.

Encouragement, Support, Information, Fun, and the Knowledge that you are not doing this alone are some of the reasons that people who join challenge groups have such great results!
Hear about it from people who have been where you are and decided to make the change:
http://www.beachbodycoach.com/mariacharles?bctid=1560922949001

21 Day Fix Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate Craving?? Don't let it Ruin Your Day!

21 Day Fix Approved Peanut Butter Cups

So I'm a huge fan of sticking to something once I start. That being said, I'm also a fan of cheating on diets! The problem is that when you cheat enough it can throw you way off track and make it even harder to stick to your goals! What you eat can have as much if not more of an impact on your health and weight loss than working out. As Autumn says "you can work your butt off, hours a day, and you can undo it in one meal if you're over eating".

 

Here is my newest solution to staying on track. I count 2 pieces as a serving and a serving as 2 tsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp for the peanut butter for everyone doing the Fix.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup all natural peanut butter / almond butter (save some extra to fill cups with)

1/4 cup organic raw honey (I used regular honey which is all I had)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

 

 

Directions:

Whisk together all ingredients

Pour half of mix into cupcake tins with liners

Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes

Top each cup with a small amount of nut butter and cover with remaining chocolate mixture 

Place in freezer for 40-50 minutes

Unpeel cups and place in a freezer bag

Enjoy!

 

**TIP: Make sure you use paper liners in your cupcake tray! I only used them on 1/2 of mine and it is impossible to get the peanut butter cups out of the tray without liners**

 

Want more information on the 21 Day Fix? Contact Me or Visit My Website