How to Calculate your Portion Containers and Take Before Measurements

Hey Challengers!!!! So you are starting a new fitness routine and have these color coded portion control containers that you aren't sure what to do with. On these programs we don't count CALORIES, we count CONTAINERS!! One mistake people will make is by not eating all of their containers. On these programs we are definitely not left hungry. Most of the time there is more food than I can eat in a day, and I LOVE to eat. However, it is very important to get in all of your containers. If you can't get in all of these containers don't completely skip a container, at least eat a portion of all containers for healthy weight loss and the best results! Skipping a yellow can actually cause you to have less energy, making your workout hard to complete. And, if you have eaten all of your containers and are still hungry, add an extra green or red container to your day!

Here is a quick breakdown of what each Container means and what it should contain.

Green: Veggies
Purple: Fruits 
Red: Proteins 
Yellow:Carbs 
Blue: Healthy Fats 
Orange: Seeds and Dressings 
t: Oils and Nut Butters
FREE FOODS: Eat as many of these as you want:

• Water
• Lemon and lime juice (not lemonade)
• Vinegars
• Muustard
• herbs (fresh and dry)
• Spices, except salt
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Hot Sauce (Tobasco or Mexican)
• Flavor extracts (pure vanilla, peppermind, almond, etc. 
• 21 Day Fix Seasoning Mixes

Okay, so that's great.. but now HOW many should you be consuming each day? That number is going to be different for each person based upon their caloric needs. To find your specific calorie bracket you should be following.

1. Take your current weight in pounds, multiply that by 11. That is YOUR CALORIE BASELINE.

2. Take your Calorie Baseline and add 400 and that equals your calories for MAINTENANCE. If you are not looking to lose weight, you would stop here and that would be the calorie bracket you should follow to maintain your current weight. If you are looking to loose weight, go to step 3.

3. Your maintenance calories - 750 = your Calorie Target.

If you are pregnant, complete add 500 calories to your calorie bracket to find the bracket you should follow. If your number falls below 1200, move up to the 1200 calorie bracket. Eating any less than 1200 calories a day is not suggested for anyone. We need to nourish our bodies!

Here are the different Calorie Brackets for each plan. Determine your plan, and follow the options for how may containers of each color to consume a day.

Alright, so I know not everyone is going to carry around these containers everywhere they go and everywhere they eat. In the begining you are going to want to measure everything until you get a REALLY good feel for what each serving should be. I can't tell you how easy it is to use bad judgement on your containers and either get too much of one item or not enough of an item. MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE until you feel REALLY confident you have the portions mastered. But, if you need a good idea and don't have your portion containers with you, here are the sizes of each container to give you a good idea.

 

Okay, so now that we have or calorie bracket and containers figured out, the next step is to make sure to take your BEFORE pictures and measurements. This is SO important. You may not notice a huge difference on the scale in the beginning. You may lose fat and gain muscle when you start a new fitness program. Muscle weighs more than fat so keep that in mind. You might go down in pants sizes, but stay at the same number on the scale!  

How to take your before pics and measurements? Take your photos wearing as minimal clothes as possible that you are comfortable wearing. I typically wear a sports bra and shorts so I can get a really good visual of my progress in areas such as my thighs and love handles. Those are the areas I am working on the most, so its important they are showing in my pictures so I can see my progress. Here is an example of my before pictures. 

 For your measurements make sure you write them down, track in the challenge tracker app, or in the 21 day fix app. I like to use the 21 day fix app personally.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me! I can't wait to see the awesome results you have with this program! 

-Melissa Nielsen

Free 7 Day Flat Belly Meal Plan

Hey guys!!! So I wanted to show some appreciation to all of my friends, family, and followers who have supported my online health journey over the last year. I truly appreciate it! As a thank you I wanted to send out a free 7 day flat belly meal plan. If you would like to receive this free meal plan there are two steps! #1, go and like my Facebook business page @thefitfoodiemelissa if you haven't already done that! This is the page where I post workout tips, recipes, and just anything pertaining to a healthy lifestyle. Next, opt in to the email list so I can send it to your email! Again, thank you for the support! Love you all! XOXO Melissa Nielsen - The Fit Foodie

Free 7 Day Flat Belly Meal Plan

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A Healthy Alternative to Tator Tot Hotdish - Cauliflower tots

Yesterday I was CRAVING Tator Tot Hot dish. It's one of my favorite meals. So, I decided to make my own version of this meal, but instead with a cheeseburger twist, and a WAY healthier version.

Today starts day one of my #Fit4Feb Challenge group. I would love to have you join me with an at home workout program, a meal guide to follow, and some superfood shakes! Send me an email at melissanielsen99@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the challenge! It is completely free to join, and you get to have ME as your FREE coach walking you through every step of your fitness program, but you do need to purchase a fitness program in order to participate and join the challenge.

The reason I LOVE the 21 day fix is because you can literally eat anything! There is no depriving yourself of the foods you love. Wine, Approved, Sushi, approved. And you even are able to replace any yellow container a couple times a week with any treat you are craving! Anyways, here is the recipe and video for the Cauliflower Tator Tot Hotdish.


Meat Mixture:
1.5 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus a little extra to sprinkle on top
1 table spoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped pickles
1 Tablespoon pickle juice
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
Sea Salt to Taste
Black Pepper to Taste

Brown ground beef and onion in a pan. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Heat until warm. Add to the bottom of a baking dish. Top with Cauliflower tots and sprinkle with Cheese.

Cauliflower Tot Recipe:
2 cups Brocolli Florets
1 large egg
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup parmesean
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup cilantro
Sea Salt to Taste
Black Pepper to Taste

 Steam cauliflower in a pan until soft. Add to food processor to make a fine consistency. Combine all remaining ingredients, and add cauliflower mixture. Spoon onto a sprayed baking dish and back @ 375 for 20 mins turning halfway through.

COCONUT OIL - The answer to EVERYTHING!

I don't know about you, but I recently just discovered the amazingness of coconut oil. It literally can be used for SO MUCH. Cooking, Skin, Hair. I use it as a makeup remover at night, and also as a deep conditioner for my hair. I keep one jar in my bathroom at all times!

I also have another jar in my kitchen for cooking. I use this instead of butter for all of my cooking. And, it can even be used in coffee and is great!

Lately I have been on a kick with coconut oil. Another thing I am in LOVE with as a replacement is sweet potatoes. I have been using this to replace regular potatoes and bread. I just recently made this breakfast, and instead of using bread I decided to slice up a sweet potato, and cook it in some coconut oil to use as a "bun" for my sandwich. This was probably THE best breakfast I have ever made or eaten in my own life! Not to mention, probably also one of the healthiest!

Here's the Recipe for my Sweet Potato Egg Sandwich:

Sweet potato slices (Cooked until soft on stove top in coconut oil)
Egg (Also cooked in coconut oil)
Wasabi Hummus
Pico De Gao
Cilantro


So Amazing! I also love making sweet potato buns for burgers!

If you are a fellow 21 day fixer, you know that sweet potatoes are at the top of the list for our yellow containers too! So its an over all WIN!

CAULIFLOWER is literally one of my favorite replacement foods. It can replace rice, bread, potatoes, and SO many other things. For some reason I was craving loaded potatoes but didn't want all the carbs. Plus, as an avid 21 day fixer,  finding ways to get in greens is always a win!

So, here's the recipe!! Makes 4 servings -- 286 calories each.

-1 head of cabbage 💚
-10 slices turkey bacon ❤
-1 cup Greek yogurt ❤
-1/2 cup green onions. 💚
-1 1/2 cups shredded cheese 💙
- olive oil cooking spray
-sea salt
-pepper


Chop cauliflower
Boil in water 2/3 mins
Strain
Spray baking dish
Cook bacon. Crumble
Combine cauliflower, turkey bacon, Greek yogurt, green onions, half of the cheese, sea salt, and pepper.
Top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins!
EAT your heart out!

Give it a try and let me know what you think!!  What's your favorite cauliflower recipe?? I also recently made cauliflower fried rice and it was amazing!! I'll post that recipe next!!

I also want to know what you guys want to see? Or who wants to challenge me to make a healthy version of their favorite food?? Ready... go!

Healthy Holiday Challenge - Select Spots open for December!

It's that time of year for family gatherings and occasions. That usually means the CAMERAS and PHONES get pulled out for photos! Are you usually the one planning your escape as soon as someone pulls out a camera? Yep, I have been there! This year I refuse to let that be me. I want to feel comfortable in my own skin, and you can too!

 I have already started the Healthy Holidays Challenge group for November, but I am opening this up to a select few who are willing to work on themselves throughout December. Everyone deserves to do something for themselves. YOU are the best investment you can make. Give yourself the gift of feeling good in your own skin, looking nice in that little black dress for your husband's Christmas party, or whatever goals you have this holiday season, let's start NOW!

XOXO Melissa

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10 Tips to Stay on Track with Your Health and Fitness over the Holidays.

Typically the holiday season is the time of year where we all fall off of our health and fitness routines and more than likely over indulge in everything. Did you know the typical person gains around 7-10 pounds from Thanksgiving to New years?! Yikes! This year I want to do everything to have a Happy and Healthy Holiday season, without gaining. Enjoying your holiday season is okay, and actually I encourage you to enjoy it! Life is far too short to not enjoy it. Just enjoy in moderation of course. As most of you know, I have become an avid 21 day fixer, and now portion control is just a regular part of my life. So, here are some tips I have come up with for enjoying the holidays AND staying on track at the same time.  

1. SCHEDULE your workouts each day. Preferably in the morning. When I say schedule them, I mean physically write them in your planner or put them in your calendar. When you do this, it's like making an important appointment you can't miss. Your workout is an important appointment that you should do everything in your power not to miss. Successful people are not people who do miraculous things everyday. Successful people are the people who do easy things everyday to benefit their lives. They take small steps in the right direction consistently everyday. Working out for 30 minutes is so easy to do. BUT, it is also SO EASY NOT TO DO. Schedule it, and get it done! No excuses!  

2. Set aside a specific time each week to make a weekly menu, grocery list and get your grocery shopping done. I do this every Sunday. Then I prep as much as I can on Sunday to make my work week go smoothly.  

3. Portion out HEALTHY snacks that are easy to grab. The snack baggies are my absolute favorite way to do this. I usually spend Sunday chopping veggies and fruits, boiling some hard boiled eggs, and throwing them all into snack baggies in what I call my healthy snack drawer in my fridge. This has helped me to stay on track more than I can even begin to tell you. It also makes packing my sons lunch so simple, and he eats healthy too! No one wants to cut up some celery when they are hungry for a snack. They want to grab something easy and convenient. Usually people will opt for the junk because of the convenience. Fix your fridge/cupboards so that the easiest things to grab are HEALTHY.

4. When going to a party, wait 30 minutes before having seconds. It takes a while for us to realize we are full. If we wait 30 minutes before dishing up again, we will more than likely realize we are not hungry for seconds.

5. DRINK WATER. You should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking a minimum of 100 ounces of water a day!  
6. Be the person who BRINGS a healthy dish to the party. There are so many amazing recipes on Pinterest for the holidays that include HEALTHY food. Find one, and bring it! Everyone will appreciate a healthy recipe, and if they don't oh well, that means you will have a healthy recipe left over to eat at home! ;)

7. Tell your friends and family about your GOALS to be healthy over the holidays. This will hold you accountable.

8. If you are going to indulge in drinks or food one day, PLAN out your meals the next day. There are days when I indulge in far too many drinks, and don't make the best food decisions. Where I really spiral downwards is not the day I indulge. It is usually the day AFTER I indulge, AKA the hangover day. I am lazy, and don't want to cook or make healthy food, I usually don't even want to get out of bed. I also crave junk when I am hungover. Best way to prevent this is to actually make your meals for the next day and have them prepped and in the fridge. This will leave you with ZERO excuses to  it eat healthy the next day. Don't let a cheat day turn into a cheat weekend, or a cheat week!  

9. DO NOT SKIP MEALS. If you know you are going to indulge, one of the biggest mistakes people will make is to skip meals so they feel they can justify eating more later on. DO NOT DO THIS.  

10. FILL up on veggies before anything else. If you are at a holiday party, make sure more than half of your plate is veggies before filing up on all of the other stuff.



XOXO

Melissa