[Naomi]

Hi Abby- there is no “food curfew” lol 😉 …. you can eat your last meal as late as you need to! 9-10 p.m. is fine, it will not affect your progress!

[Naomi]

Hey there- if you go to the “help” section in My Fitness Pal, there is a FAQ/Feedback tab. In there you’ll find information about getting started and general questions, etc. I recommend starting there 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Martha- I would recommend having your first meal about 30 min before your workout, then have your post workout shake and apple after your workout. Then have your second meal about 2-3 hours after your post workout shake and apple. You’ll want to space your meals about 2-3 hrs apart and your post workout meal is considered a “meal”. In other words, no need to have your post workout meal AND meal 2 at the same time 😉

I hope this helps! Good luck!!

[Naomi]

Hi Bridgett- I don’t have any experience working those hours but what I would recommend is treat your waking hours just like any person would with “normal” waking hours. So whenever you wake up, eat your first meal of your meal plan, and follow your meal plan along during your waking hours.

Just look at it like someone working 6 a.m. – 2 p.m., then working out after work and going to bed at about 7-8 p.m. You still have the same number of waking hours and your workout, it’s just at night instead of during the day.

I hope this helps! 🙂 Good luck!!

[Naomi]

Hey there- I recommend following the meal plan as-is. The calories and macros will decrease for each phase as the challenge progresses. If you drop your calories in Phase 1 you aren’t giving yourself 1. enough nourishment to lift heavy or recover for building muscle and 2. you aren’t giving yourself any room to decrease calores that phases 2 & 3 require. You can only drop your calories so low.

Trust the process and think about the long-term duration of the challenge. You have 4 weeks in each phase and each one is designed the way it is for a specific purpose to get certain results. You will start leaning out in Phases 2 & 3, but if you jump the gun and try to drop calories now, you may not be setting yourself up for a successful Phase 2 & 3. I hope this makes sense! Good luck 😀

[Naomi]

Christa- you can use any form of cardio that will keep your HR up and for the time duration specified in each phase. So yes! 😉

[Naomi]

Hi Jennifer- the best time to do your weight training would be the next time you can fit it inro your schedule. If you have a flexible schedule, just wait a few hours (between 3-5 hours) then do your weight training.

For example, I did my 45 min fasted cardio this morning at 5:05 a.m. and I will have another opprtunity in my schedule to do today’s back workout between 4-5 p.m. this evening. You don’t have to wait that long, but that is just the next best opportunity I’ll have to do my weight training workout to give you an example. I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂

[Naomi]

Dawn- that is the hashtag for the before pics. Roberta is asking about the social media hashtag to post throughout the challenge on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. ??

[Naomi]

You will aim for the daily goals 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Marci- aim for about 1 gallon a day 🙂 Good luck!

[Naomi]

Hi Sharon- I would recommend that you do your weighted workout with food in your system for muscle-builidng and to fuel your workout. Phase 1 only calls for cardio 45 min 5xs per week (1x per day).

For Phase 2, this is the recommended order for cardio:
Phase 1 45 minutes in the morning or after your weight training workout
Phase 2 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes after your weight training workout
Phase 3 45 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes after your weight training workout

If you need to do your weights first, then your first 30 min of cardio post-weights, then your second cardio in the evening after you get home then that’s fine too, but the above recommendations is the best order for optimal results. Good luck!

[Naomi]

Hi Lizette- black coffee would be best, but you could also put a packet of stevia and/or some unsweetened almond milk. Dairy creamers and any added sugars of any kind are not recommended on this program.

[Naomi]

Hi Amanda- real food is best and I would recommend no more than 2 shakes per day unless you have to have protein and a shake is the best/most convenient or only option. Good luck!

[Naomi]

Hey guys! If you are having technical issues, please email your problem to: [email protected]

[Naomi]

Hi Roe! I will let you know as soon as I hear back from Nicole about a hashtag 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Arielle- anything that you do additionally outside of the challenge guidelines is totally up to you. But for best results, I recommend following the challenge as it is outlined since any changes you make to the workout program (additional classes, cardio, weights, etc.) may affect the goal of each phase. Good luck! 😀

[Naomi]

Hey there- if you read through in detail the Program Overview of each phase, it will explain the purpose and intent of each phase. That may also help you understand the reasons for the calories/macro ratios, cardio protocol & weight training structure ☺?

[Naomi]

Hey there! Phase 1 will be 5x 45 min cardio, we will fix the wording so it is consistent across the board. Sorry about the confusion and thanks so much for the catch! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hey there – for any technical issues, please email: [email protected]

[Naomi]

Hi ladies- my advise it to follow the Meal Plans recommended for your height/weight — if you fall into a catogery where your height calls for one meal plan and weight calls for another, then go by height.

The first phase of this plan is a building phase and although you might be eating more than you are right now, you should be lifting more, heavier and with higher volume during your workouts than you are right now. So all of those calories and nutriensts will be going toward building muscle over the next 4 weeks. Your body will NEED the nourishment.

You will have 8 weeks after that of lower and lower calories, so don’t worry too much about the calories of Phase 1. Believe me, when you get to Phase 2 and especially Phase 3 (where your calories drop even lower), you’ll be wishing you had the calories of Phase 1! 😉

Trust the process …

[Naomi]

Thanks so much, we’ll look at it today and make any corrections! I will post again after they’ve been addressed 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Roe! If/when your weight fluctuates throughout the challenge, I would recommend sticking with the same meal plan. For example, if you start with Meal Plan 2, stick with Meal Plan 2 for theduration of the challenge regardless of your weight fluctuation 😉

[Naomi]

Hey Rebecca – everyone’s body will respond differently, some will gain weight, some will lose weight, some will stay the same weight. The goal of Phase 1 is to build muscle. That’s not always the same as gaining weight, but it could mean gaining weight.

[Naomi]

Hi Wendy – my recommendation is to follow the meal plan as-is based on your height/weight (so you would go with Meal Plan 1). You know your body best and knows how it responds, so any adjustments you make outside of the recommendations for the challenge will be up to you. Good luck! 🙂

[Naomi]

Hi Kaitlin – you will choose the meal plan based on height in this case.

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