Naomi
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Here is another place you can find all of Nicole’s parterships and promo codes: Promo Codes
Hi Stacey!
Nicole’s promo codes are:
Polar.com: NICOLE16 (caps)
– for a discount off select heart rate monitor items only
Selfiez.me: nicolew
– for a discount off magnetic phone cases
@shoppinkivy (on Instagram) or search for Shop Pink Ivy on Etsy: NICOLE15 (caps)
– for $15 off any order
sixpackbags.com: nicolew5
– for 15% off any bagI hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Marybeth- I am so sorry about all that you are dealing with this year through the holidays, but we are here for you and I hope this challenge has helped you be able to channel your stress and feelings in a positive way, and hopefully make some friends and pick up some great health habits and tips along the way!!
I would strongly urge you to please still upload you final pics, even if they aren’t in the same location and you aren’t wearing the same thing!! Please do this, for several reasons:
1. you NEVER know, you might have made more changes than you think and could be in the running as a winner! You just don’t know!! 😉
2. you have worked so hard and come so far and embarked on this journey with so many emotions and expectations. You owe it to yourself to CROSS THAT FINISH LINE!!! There is something you do for yourself when you complete something that you set out to do. It instills a confidence and trust in yourself that you wouldn’t get if you didn’t finish. It is a gift you are giving to yourself. Do this for you, if for no other reason.
3. you will always wonder, girl! And you may at some point eventually just wish that you had uploaded those darn pictures! LOL! Don’t let that be the case, because you won’t ever have THIS exact opportunity again (though we will have more challenges 😉 )
4. you have nothing to lose by uploading them!
I really hope you will cross the finish line of this journey you started 30 days ago and upload your final pics! 🙂 Good luck and we are thinking about you through these holidays as a single mom and first one without your mom. xo ~ Naomi
Hi Monica- the simple answer is yes: in theory, and in most cases, as long as you are in a caloric deficit you will lose WEIGHT (not only fat, but weight in general including some muscle – it’s almost always unavoidable).
There are so many factors that go into a caloric deficit, however, and it’s not just numbers. The difficulty (in my opinion) lies in determining how many calories a person is burning in a given day. You could have two people eating the exact same foods, exact same calories on a 40/40/20 macro split, doing the exact same exercises at the exact same weight and intensity levels but one person may be burning twice as many calories as the other because their metabolism is twice as fast. The factors that go into a fast metabolism can include: muscle density, genetics, hormones, exercise history, etc.
So it’s not just the numbers of calories in (total consumed at the end of the day) vs. calories out (what the cardio machines or exercise apps tell you you’ve burned that day). If only it were that simple 😉 I know this probably isn’t the simple answer you were hoping for but I hope this helped! 🙂
Hi Rebecca- I think both are great pieces of equipment and both are beneficial in different ways. I have a lot of older clients that I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting on the 90 degree leg press, as there is more control over the 45 degree leg press. Any time you have equipment that is at more of a steep angle, you can have less control (for the most part) of the weight because the steeper the angle the more gravity and momentum is allowed to come into play. Depending on what your current fitness level is and what your goals are the 90 degree leg press can be the better option, though you can get a really good, intense leg workout on the 45 degree leg press also depending on the weight and technique you use. All-in-all, I feel the 90 degree leg press is a more advanced piece of equipment and you can engage your leg muscles more at that angle. A similar comparison would be like starting someone off doing squats on a squat machine or the Smith machine (both are assisted) instead of going straight to the squat rack (unassisted). You can get a great intense workout from both pieces of equipment, but the squat rack is the more advanced way of doing squats. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Kylie- if you food journal in MFP and you go in the “nutrition” tab, it will show you exactly how many macros you’ve eaten so far and how many you have left to eat to reach your goals, or will tell you if you’re over or under. MyFitnessPal is definitely the best tool I’ve used for staying on track to hit your nutrition goals. There is also a tutorial tab in MFP that will guide you on how to use certain tools. Maybe give it another try! 🙂
YEAH GIRL!!! You are doing amazing, keep up the hard work, positive attitude and determination! Almost there, home stretch! YOU’VE GOT THIS!!! 😀
Hi Kylie-
That is a great question! Yes, absolutely you can just count macros and stay within the macros set forth by the meal plan you are following. One gram of carbs is 4 calories, one gram of protein is 4 calories and one gram of fat is 9 calories, so as long as you hit the right number of macros, you should be hitting the right amount of calories and not going over or under on your calories.
As far as your second question, if you are short on fats, you can add in whatever amount of fats you need to reach your fat macro goal. If a tablespoon (16 grams, measuring by weighing in grams or ounces is much more accurate) of almond butter will get you to your fat totals, then that’s what you would do, yes. If you are short on protein or over on protein, then you would weigh out the appropriate potion of chicken, yes.
Are you food journaling in MyFitnessPal to make sure your totals per meal/per day are accurate?
Hi Judith,
I suggest not running at all with the issues you have. Running will only cause more problems in the long-run and increase the severity of your injuries. You shouldn’t be in ANY pain (except for lactic acid muscle burn) while you are doing cardio. If you feel any type of pain other than that, it is your body’s way of telling you there is something wrong going on and you need to stop. It is really unwise to try to push through that kind of pain, or to keep doing exercises that you experience bad pain with. I actually just wrote about this topic last week, if you have a chance to read this article.
My advice is to ONLY stick to cardio that does not cause any pain (fast walking, elliptical, bike, etc.) which may not feel as intense but at least 1) you will be able to get through the whole session and 2) you are not causing any further pain or harm to your body.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
HI Wendy from Holland!! 🙂 We’re so happy to have you! 😀
Unless you had a muscle density test conducted at a professional facility and then have another muscle density test conducted after the challenge is over, you won’t know what percentage of weight loss is muscle vs. fat. Whenever you lose weight, even if it goes along with body composition changes, you also run the risk of losing muscle as well. It’s almost impossible to lose fat without losing a little muscle as well. Remember this is just a 30 day challenge so any slight muscle loss you experience can be gained back after the challenge is over 😉 I have personally experience many different phases of losing, then gaining, then losing, then gaining. It’s almost like taking two steps forward, one step back. It’s still progress! 😀
It sounds like you are doing fantastic, so if I were you I would focus on how your clothes fit, what muscula definition your are noticing, and maybe take some current progress pics so you can assess for yourself any changes you are noticing instead of going by the scale alone.
Not much longer now, Wendy, keep the faith and trust the process! You are doing GREAT!! 😀
Hi Araceli,
In your original question, you asked: “on the meal plan is states if you take the additional protein shake that to adjust a meal. If i do the whey, banana and water for meal #1 can I cut out the egg whites? I hate egg whites…lol”
The answer is yes, you can cut out the egg whites.
The answers to the rest of your questions:
– “Can’t I eat more oatmeal and hard boiled eggs?” Yes, you can eat more hard boiled eggs.
– “The meal that I have salmon listed, I believe it’s meal 4, I eat flank steak which is on the food exchange list. Is Carne Asada equivalent to flank steak? it’s thinner and a lot more affordable.” If the macros are similar (calories, fat, proteins, carbs) between flank steak and Carne Asada then yes you can eat that instead of flank steak. As long as your total macros at the end of the day add up to about what daily the totals are in the meal plan you are following, then yes you can exchange the salmon for flank for Carne Asada.Good luck with the rest of the challenge! 🙂
Angela- Yes! Exactly what Amanda said. Don’t let one slip up allow for negative thoughts and more slip ups. Today is a fresh start, just push forward and allow that slip up to fuel your fire and be even more determined to stay on point. You’ve got this!! Almost there, you can do it!!! 😉
Hi Michelle- really building a close mind/muscle connection does take quite a bit of time to develop, but it is great that you are taking a serious interest in what you should be feeling for when conducting an exercise. That being said, I would suggest you try at some point in the future to work with an experienced, knowledgeable trainer who can help you with this. Working with a tainer for even just 3-6 months can help give you hands-on insight and a really good base of what to feel for 😉
In the meantime, the best guide I found is this one here. Scroll down to the graphic of the human body to the front, and to the back, and click on any muscle group. If you click on back for example and scroll down, you will see a list of all the exercises that work different areas of the back and what targeted areas of the back that particular exercise is working.
I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂
Hi Savannah- You are doing great!! It is very difficult to be 100% on target with calories and macros every day. Don’t completely take out the rice, just cut it in half. If you are over/under on calories by 20-30 or over/under on macros by about 5-10g it’s not going to make or break your results. You want to be as diligent and accurate as you can, which you are doing, and you are not so far off the mark that you’re botching your hard work. If you are over 14g on carbs, just find a way to cut out about half of that, then if you are under on calories a little because you cut out some of your carbs, it’s not a huge deal. Keep doing what you’re doing, you’ve got this!! 😀
Hi Samantha- for this challenge, after doing any resistance-training/weight-training workouts, including body weight workouts, you should have a post workout meal 😉 The TRX is a great piece of equipment and you can get some really good, hard workouts in on that thing! Good luck 😀
Hi Angela! I actually wrote about injury and pain for today’s Tip Me Tuesday because it is SO important and it is all too common! Great minds think alike 😉
Nicole, having gone through a shoulder injury, suggest that in order to try to balance the strength back out on both sides after an injury, do 5-10 more reps on the weaker side, the side you are trying to strengthen, of whatever exercise you’re conducting. So with all exercises you do when working the weaker/recovering muscles that you listed, do 5-10 more reps on the weaker side only.
As with the reverse dieting I mentioned in your other question about nutrition, strengthening injured/recovering muscles to be as strong or almost as strong as the uninjured side, takes time … a long time. Basically you are giving yourself rehab/physical therapy, which can take anywhere from 6 months to years to get back to feeling as strong as it once was, but it depends on the severity of the injury and all the factors you are doing to heal it (icing, resting, therapy/strength-training, etc.)
I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂
Hi Amanda- first of all, I want to say I am so sorry you are feeling defeated. I completely understand, as you had certain expectations going into the challenge. In reading both your posts in detail, my assessment of your particular situation and your body’s response to the nutrition portion of the challenge is this: your metabolism has likely been through alot over the years and it will take time of consistent caloric intake/macro levels to readjust back to normal a functioning level.
I don’t know how long you were in a caloric deficit prior to the challenge (or how long before the challenge) or how low your carbs were, but a long-term caloric deficit and/or years of yo-yo dieting can cause the metabolism to not function properly, to slow down to snail speed and to all but shut down. I have worked with several clients over the years who had such metabolic damage due to extreme dieting that some took between 6 months to a year to correct back to normal functioning levels that finally allowed them to see some weight loss and other body composition changes.
The change in birth control could also play a part in how your body is reacting, as your hormones directly affect your metabolism.
Going back to your diet previous to the challenge: since I am not sure what your calories and macros were, let’s just say you increased your calories by 200-300 per day and significantly increased your carb ratios relative to your proteins and fats, and your birth control changed, and you increased the amount of cardio you’re doing (energy expenditure). You throw all of that at a slow functioning metabolism due to long periods of a caloric deficit, all of which would explain why you are experiencing the results you’re experiencing.
Someone trying to overcome a long period of a caloric deficit should slowly, over time increase in calories, carbs, cardio, etc. in order for the body to properly adjust and to assess how the body is responding to it. This is referred to as “reverse dieting” and Nicole explains this in depth in this blog here.
My recommendation is to follow through the challenge to the end and assess your progress at the end of the challenge. Who knows, you may see some different changes over the next week and a half, as two weeks is not long enough for your particular body to adjust to the changes you have introduced to it. Since you said you are feeling stronger, you are likely getting fitter and healthier!! 😀 Then once you have been consistent with this for a longer period of time and your metabolism starts to “trust” you again, your metabolism will start to kick in and you’ll start seeing the results you want to see. It may just take longer than 30 days because of where you were before the challenge (from a nutritional/metabolic standpoint) and what your body is overcoming.
Hang in there Amanda! You are healing in many ways, you just have to see it through!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! 😀 xo ~ Naomi
Hi Candy- as with the previous two 31 Days, 31 Workouts here and here (not challenges, but just workouts), Nicole won’t leave everyone hanging lol 😉 There will be some type of closure post-challenge on what to do next and suggestions on how to stay on track by continuing a structure workout regime and nutrition plan. Good luck with the remaining week and a half of the challenge 😀
Tracy that is fantastic!! We are SO happy you are experiencing these little successes, that you are getting stronger and that you are loving the challenge! WAY TO GO!! KEEP IT UP!!! 😀
Hi Stefania- for this challenge, stay within the macros set forth in the meal plan you are following and try to stay under 35g of sugar. Remember that this is only a 30 day challenge and we are halfway through, so refraining from excess foods you are “addicted” to will be a good exercise in self-discipline. As long as you are not going over in your carbs and sugars, fruit is fine.
I am sorry, I will clarify. For this particular challenge, weigh and measure based on the directions indicated in the nutrition portion of the challenge so that you stay within the totals set forth in the Meal Plan 😉 Continue measuring veggies by the cup and the 4oz sweet potato by oz. Whatever the Meal Plan indicates measurement-wise, go by that measurement 😀 Sorry if I confused things!
I know this can all be a little overwhelming at first but you’ll get the hang of it. You’re doing GREAT!! The most accurate way of measuring all foods is by grams 😉
Challenge participants will have access to all the challenge information on the web site for one week after the last day of the challenge, then the info will no longer be available 😉
