[Naomi]

mrsjholloway wrote:

I used 1 25lb dumbell for these. Is it recommended to use 2? I know Nicole uses 2 in her demo video. Wondering is that would help balance me better? Also, is depth what the goal is in this exercise? Just wondering if I should shower up my length so I can go deeper in squat. Hope this makes sense

You should use 2 dumbbells for the Bulgarian split squats, yes, but you’ll probably need to go lighter as this is much more intense movement and doesn’t require heavy weight to feel the intensity of the exercise. If you are using one 25lb dumbbell, then you should be fine with two 10-15lb dumbbells.

[Naomi]

Corie Smith wrote:

For breakfast, can I have a meal replacement shake? Mornings are hard as I am getting everyone else and moving and I many times do not eat breakfast (fast 18-6) or I am eating late.
I have added nutritional value of the MRS that I have used in the past.

If you are going to incorporate any foods outside of the challenge meal plan, I recommend you food journal in an app such as My Fitness Pal to make sure you are hitting your daily macro goals of the challenge.

[Naomi]

kathandgreg wrote:

Hello. I am still following PT after knee surgery and am not cleared for curtsey lunges. Is there an alternative suggestion to target the same muscle groups?

Are you allowed to do regular bodyweight stationary lunges? If so, you can do these instead and really focus on driving with the glute of your front leg by pushing up through the heel. Don’t go down in the lunge too low (maybe half way or just above half way) so I doesn’t compromise your knee. Best of luck with recovery!

[Naomi]

Lisa Vinagro wrote:

Are we allowed chicken thighs? Would they fall under FP or P?

Chicken thighs are not on the current challenge menu or on the food exchange list. I would wait until the challenge is over to eat chicken thighs, or you can eat chicken thighs for your mid-challenge “re-feed / cheat meal” which you can learn more about in the video and information in the Nutrition Tab.

[Naomi]

cindywynn1 wrote:

This picture is a baked sweet potato – 3.10 ounces. I baked a few sweet potatoes last night and was going to measure out 4 ounces. This is a big ass sweet potato… but not even one portion?

Quite a bit of water weight is lost when potatoes are cooked, so it might look big but I recommend weighing out a total of 4oz of cooked sweet potato, regardless of what it looks like. Nicole calls for 4oz of cooked sweet potato in the meal plan.

[Naomi]

Peaches wrote:

I’m sorry, I should’ve posted the link

Crockpot Turkey Chili Recipe

Thank you for all you help here on the forums

So this recipe isn’t in the challenge and the calories and macros are not specific to any of the meals in the challenge. I would recommend if you want to include any meals or foods not in the challenge that you food journal in My Fitness Pal so that you know what serving size will equal what calories and macros, and so you make sure you are staying within the target calories and macros.

I can’t do these calculations for you, I’m sorry. The best course of action would be to just stick with the recipes in the challenge and the food exchange list.

[Naomi]

maldonadomigdalia8 wrote:

Question
Crunch Dumbbell to dumbbell floor press

1/3*2/4

12-15*8-10

Does this mean 1/3 week, first set of 3, 15 reps high weight, second rep 12 reps higher weight final rep 12 reps at highest weight x 3 sets

*2/4 week 8-10 the same start first set of 3 at 10 reps at high weight then 8 reps at higher weight lastly 3 set at highest weight is this correct ? Please advise

That is correct except for the weight, just lift as heavy as you are able to for the indicated number of reps 🙂

[Naomi]

Alina Petrovici wrote:

For food exchange can you confirm.

1SC = aprox 2 V
1FP = 1lP +1F

Did I get that right?

Any other ones like this that I’m missing?

That looks correct 🙂

[Naomi]

julianne wrote:

Hello,
I have been loving the challenge so far – thanks so much!
I always struggle with Bulgarian split squats…Could you please detail on which muscle/sensation I should focus? I find it really uncomfortable; I have the feeling the chair is “too high” and lose my balance. It’s really difficult for me to feel a “concentrated/focused” effort in a specific part of the lower body when performing this exercise so I would appreciate a little more guidance to improve this for the next workout.
Many thanks for your help and have a great day!
Julianne

It is best to use a low step if you are just getting use to this movement. I would start with an aerobics board or the lowest step on your stairs (if you have stairs) or maybe even just a stack of books or something no higher than about 2-3 inches. Without using any extra weight, focus on pushing through the heel of your front foot and using your front leg glute muscle to drive up. Make sure you aren’t leaning too far forward.

Keep the movement slow and controlled on the downward movement (you should feel it in the quad of your back leg when you go down, it will burn pretty good), then push up through your front heel/glute (you should feel it in the glute of your front leg on the upward movement)>

Here is a video demo of me doing a Bulgarian Split Squat with the step up a little higher than what I recommend you starting off with: https://youtu.be/ylJ1rSBXSXE

I hope this helps! 🙂

[Naomi]

Jennifer Brady wrote:

Hi there.

I’m doing meal plan 2. There is option 1 and option 2. Do you just stick to just one option for the day or can you do one from option 1 and then the next meal do one from option 2? If that makes sense. Example.. I have the guiltless burrito for breakfast from option 1 and for meal 2 I have the triscuts with cottage cheese from option 2.

Thanks

Hey there- you can swap between options 1 & 2 of the same meal plan. Nicole covers all of this info in the Nutrition Section of the challenge. Make sure you read all the info and watch all the videos so you don’t miss anything important 🙂

Good luck with the challenge! 😀

[Naomi]

Timikie Johnson wrote:

Hello team:

I need clarification. I’m on meal plan 1 and meal 3 is
2 slices of sprouted bread
4 slices of turkey bacon
Mayo
Lettuce
Tomato

I’m eating the butterball turkey bacon and it says it’s 2g of protein per slice which is 8g for 4
My sprouted bread is 5 g per slice which is 10 for both
So my total protein is 18. And meal totals broken down is 25g of protein. Am I understanding this correctly? Do I need more protein…
thanks

Hey there- nope, you are good! Nicole has a +/- leeway factored in the macros for all the meals due to inconsistencies with different brands, food journal app inconsistencies, calorie/macro ratio inconsistencies and other factors. It will rarely ever be exact, but as long as you are in the ballpark you are good 🙂

Keep it up! 😀

[Naomi]

lklinger07 wrote:

Is 14g of Ghee correct in Meal 4 Option 2? It seems like it’s too much…each meal in Phase 1 is supposed to have 11g of Fat. And 14g of Ghee is a lot of calories too. Just wanted to make sure the amount is correct.

The amount is correct, yes 🙂

[Naomi]

Peaches wrote:

Is the chili recipe demoed with the crockpot ok for a meal?
Would love chili today bc it’s freezing here.

Hey there- I am not sure what you are asking. What chili recipe are you referring to?

In general, if you eat foods that aren’t in the challenge meal plan or in the food exchange list, you’ll need to food journal your meals in My Fitness Pal to calculate the correct serving size for any recipes outside of the challenge to make sure you’re staying within your calories/macros 🙂

[Naomi]

I would stick with the steaks Nicole has listed. Here’s why:

A few of the steaks Nicole listed:
4oz to flank steak = 180c, 9g fat, 24g protein
4oz filet = 180c, 8g fat, 25g protein

The steaks you mentioned:
4oz ribeye = 300c, 22g fat, 28g protein
4oz NY strip = 330c, 23g fat, 30g protein

[Naomi]

Angie Walshe wrote:

Are we just supposed to be doing hit cardio during phase 1? It looks like some are doing a regular cardio on bike or running.
I don’t have a heart monitor I know you say if our heart rate is a certain target.
I have a rower and can run outside live in south Florida any suggestions for those 2 things?
Thank you!!!
Want to make sure I am doing the cardio correctly

All of this information is covered in the Cardio Section of the program, which you can find here

Nicole has it all laid out for you, so make sure you read all the info and watch the videos so you don’t miss any important info 🙂

[Naomi]

Angie Walshe wrote:

Goodmorning!!! Instead of coffe i drink something called Spark by Advocate. Wanting to make sure its ok? I can sent a label on it if u want. The other thing I drink is a bang or Celsius during the afternoon to carry me thru is that ok too. Thank you!!!

As long as what you are drinking doesn’t add very many calories or macros, it’s fine.

[Naomi]

Andrea Munoz wrote:

Hey, I know that the Post workout shake is flexible on when you eat them but are the others meals able to be eaten in whatever order we like? Also, is it a good idea to work out fasted if possible?

Thanks, Andrea

The post workout meal should be eaten after you workout, so it is flexible based on when your workout is. All other meals can be eaten in any order you choose. Breakfast for dinner is awesome, lol!

[Naomi]

ssemmelroch wrote:

I know it says Cheddar Cheese is it okay to have American Cheese? I bought the wrong one. I also purchased reduced fat Triscuit is that okay?

Yep, American and cheddar cheese are about the same calories and macros. I would recommend getting regular Triscuts, the reduced fat are not the same calories/macros and you will be under or fall short based on how Nicole calculated it with the regular Triscuts.

[Naomi]

ssemmelroch wrote:

Can you drink La Croix or Bubly? they have no calories or sweetners. Just naturally flavored sparkling water.

Yep, that is totally fine 🙂

[Naomi]

am.deno wrote:

The WO calendar shows HIIT’s to do on certain days but doesn’t indicate which ones to do (20” 30” or 40”).

Please read all the info in the Cardio Section here 🙂 Nicole explains the length of time for HIIT in the information and videos.

[Naomi]

Dynagirl2011 wrote:

I watched the videos by Nicole showing her Olympia meal prep. In the carb meal prep video, she cooks the potatoes whole. I’m guessing she measures them after they are cooked? I wanted to clarify since she was prepping for Olympia at the time, her portions may have varied.

Anyway, for curiosity sake I measured 7 ounces of raw potatoes, cooked them in air fryer and then measured them cooked – 3.3 ounces. If I double that, it’s a lot so I want to confirm before I continue.

Thank you!

Nicole explains in the Nutrition Section of this challenge how to weigh/measure. Any past methods of weighing/measuring that might be different from the challenge applied to what she was doing at that particular time for those particular goals based on her coach’s instructions and don’t have anything to do with this challenge.

For this challenge, Nicole states the following:

Weigh Your Food
Another extremely important part of getting in shape and transforming your body is weighing your food
Every little thing adds up, and if you are not weighing each meal, you could be eating a few hundred extra calories per day without even knowing it.
As a general rule, measure all meat, potatoes, rice and pasta (whole wheat, of course) cooked. Measure oatmeal dry.

[Naomi]

healthnut1977 wrote:

So it would be best to not incorporate a cheat meal until after the first phase? I was also looking at planning a healthier cheat meal option.

Nicole covers all of this at the bottom of the Nutrition Section of the challenge under the heading “Optional Refeed Meal”

[Naomi]

Hey there- sorry about that we are updating some of the discrepancies. Follow the on-line db stiff legged deadlift and include the seated calf raises in the workout (ebook). Sorry for the confusion and thanks for asking for clarification 🙂

[Naomi]

Pamela Parham wrote:

Hello. I’m loving the program and the food!!
Question…I wear a tracker and I burn an average of about 2800 to 3000 calories a day. I’m 5’7″ and about 143lbs. I’m trending about an 800 calorie deficit each day when following meal plan. I’m looking to add muscle. Any ideas if I’m heading in right direction of wrong??

Hey there- I would see how your body responds to the current meal plan more than going by the numbers. If you notice you are losing weight, you can go up a meal plan to increase your calories.

[Naomi]

saraheschmidt wrote:

I am traveling for work and am in a hotel for 2 weeks at time, with no kitchen. I know that the macros are the same for each meal, –excluding the post-workout meal. Because the macros are the same, we can eat the same meal 4 times a day, is that correct?? I am limited somewhat d/t not have a kitchen. However, I did bring my scales!!

Yes, Nicole explains in the Nutrition Section (information and videos) about eating the same meals and interchanging the meals 🙂

[Author]

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