[Naomi]

Margaretshaffer3 wrote:

This is not my first challenge however its my first on this platform.
In the other lean bulking programs from trainers ive eaten 2200+ calories. I just realized the workouday is 1800and some. And the off day is 1700 and some. I want to gain 5-10lbs of muscle not lose weight. I did a lean program that had me at 1700. So I’m really confused on how I will gain muscle and weight which is my goal with less than 2k. Everyone keeps saying they are so full not finishi6the meals. And I’m over here starving. But I do also know I’m supposed to be hungry all the time while bulking thats how you know your metabolism is going how it should.

Hey there- everyone is starting from a different place, both metabolically and in their fitness journey. If you feel, based on where you are in your fitness journey and how your metabolism responds to a certain caloric intake coupled with workouts, that you personally require more calories to reach your goals, simply bump up to the next meal plan. It’s not uncommon for challenge participants to “level up” to the next meal plan or “level down” depending on where they are on their fitness journey and what their goals are for any given challenge.

I hope this helps! Good luck with this challenge and reaching your goals 🙂

[Naomi]

jsnead2315 wrote:

Hi there,
I purchased the 40-day build and I’m also a yearly member of the site. I love the challenges but this is the third one I’ve done in a row. I know that working out needs to be a sustainable action for me. If I take a day off here and there (I’m not looking to win the challenge) will I still see results? For example, I missed Friday’s workout but if I workout Sat. I’ll still be okay right? I feel like I have to do life too. I’d like to know your thoughts…if I’m okay with the results being slower it’s okay to take an extra day here and there right? Thoughts?…and honest thoughts, please. Thanks for all you do for us.

Yep, that is totally fine! This is your journey, your goals and your life! You do you however you feel like it works for you 😉 Best of luck with your fitness journey 😀

[Naomi]

stacy.wills wrote:

I could use some trainer/coach feedback on this issue. I teach a 60 minute Spin class at my gym on Friday mornings. It’s great because it works into the Day 5 HIIT training – if a little more than is called for. Today I burned over 500 calories in Spin. The only real feasible time to get my lift in is immediately after this class. Today, I felt like I was running on empty going into my shoulder workout, and I was STARVING halfway through. I did complete the workout and then had to get home to get my post workout meal.

Thoughts on something I could eat in between – or ways to break up one of the meals on the plan – so I can get an energy boost in between workouts?

Hey Stacy-

You can take food from any of the other meals (except post workout) and have it in between for extra energy. A cookie, or muffin might be the most convenient. You can eat the meals or food from meals however you want to as long as you eat the goal total for the day, does that make sense?

I hope this helps! 🙂

[Naomi]

running.gal wrote:

Hello there,
I was looking at an exchange for a serving of FP and the list show 4 slices of bacon ? that seems really high based on the macros on the package I was using, could you please clarify for me ?
Thanks so much !!

Which brand of bacon are you looking at? There are some variations in calories & macros depending on the brand, but Nicole has calculated the meal plans based on some variations and there is about a 10g/macro window (up or down) 🙂

[Naomi]

HappyGirl wrote:

Hello,
My main goal is to loose weight and gain strength.

I play tennis, mostly singles, at least 2x/week and also 3 miles (with my dog) power walk 5days/week with 2 of these days run.

I’m hoping to substitute above activities for my cardio. Your thoughts?

Also, do you suggest completely take 1 or 2 days off without any activities or I can still do cardio on my days off. My plan to do all the weight training in the mornings.

Thank you

Hey there- Nicole explains in the Cardio Section of the program that you can do whatever cardio you’d like, as long as you keep your HR up and stay within the guidelines of the cardio (time, frequency, duration, etc) outlined in the program.

Ideally, you should be pushing so had on your workout days that you NEED to take rest days. Rest days are just as important for progress as workout days are, do I suggest following the program rest days as Nicole prescribes in the challenge. You should be working out so hard and lifting so heavy that you should feel tired, sore, fatigued, etc. on your rest days and feel like you couldn’t physically workout even if you wanted to. Rest days are a great opportunity to stretch, foam roll, do light yoga or go for a leisurely recovery (not speed) walk.

I hope this helps! Best of luck with the challenge 😀

[Naomi]

Christift wrote:

Can i eat any meal at anytime of the day or even the same meal twice or interchange them as I feel like (except meal 5 of course).?
Or do i need to pick between the 2 different suggestions for each meal?

Yep, all of this is covered in the nutrition section of the program, so please make sure you read all of the info and watch Nicole’s videos so you don’t miss any important info 🙂 Good luck with the challenge!

[Naomi]

narby67 wrote:

Hi, this question is for Nicole,

I am in women meal plan 2 and on meal 1 option 2 have 2 slices turkey bacon and also 4 oz of lean ground turkey, but the meal plan call for 28g of protein per meal and nu using MFP going by the book with the exchange list (regardless brand)

You said that 1 serving is approximately 25g of protein and 1/2 serving is 12.5g and so unless my math are wrong this meal is
2 slices turkey bacon (12g p) and 4 oz ground turkey breast (25g p) equal 37g p and the oatmeal I believe have some protein

It is ok be more than 5g over?,

Thanks in advance

Yes, it is fine as long as you are consistent. Progress not perfection 🙂 Good luck with the challenge!

[Naomi]

trapperm716 wrote:

Can we change our rest day or should the rest day be as written because of the carb cycling? I still want to workout but not sure if I can still weight train or do a HiiT instead on rest days

I would try to keep everything as Nicole has it written if possible, but if you need to switch rest days, I would still keep the crab cycling the same schedule as she has it or else it will just throw everything off. She did correlate the carb cycling days with the workout/rest days, but switching the carb cycling days will mess up the carb cycle schedule, does tat make sense?

[Naomi]

Angela Thompson wrote:

Can we have light mayonnaise to make tuna ? Or do you have any suggestions on this?

If you incorporate anything that isn’t on the meal plan or exchange list, I would recommend food journaling in a food journal app such as My Fitness Pal so that you can calculate your servings of what food you want to incorporate to make sure you are staying within the caloric goals and macros.

Best of luck with the challenge 🙂

[Naomi]

kristinbrantley18 wrote:

Hi!
I’m sorry if this has been asked previously. I searched through the forum and couldn’t find this question. I would like to use a whole egg as a fatty protein. I know that 2 yolks equal a fat and 6 egg whites equal a lean protein, so I’ve been using two eggs as a fatty protein. Is this correct?
Thanks!

I believe that is correct, yes 🙂

[Naomi]

juliebessire wrote:

Hello,

I’m on MP 1. Could I have BOTH options of meal 3 IN ONE DAY? Or Should you only have ONE of the options of that certain meal in a day?

Thanks, Julie

All of the meals on the Meal Plan 1 are the same calories and macros, so you can eat the meals interchangeably, more than once, etc., except the post-workout.

[Naomi]

pholoylwbrkrd wrote:

Clerify the protein total per muffin for me please….i entered ingredients to MFP and im getting more than 5g protein per serving.
Thank you 😊

According to the recipe, total protein per each muffin is 5g of protein give or take due to differences in what brands of ingredients you’re using. Nicole explains all of this in the nutrition video under the nutrition tab where she covers allowing some wiggle room for different brands of products being used. It’s never going to be exactly the macros or calories but if you are about within 5g up or down you are fine, she emphasizes that being consistent is the most important thing.

I hope this helps, good luck!

[Naomi]

jcampbellcrew wrote:

Hi! Is it possible to substitute one of the written cardio options for a group fitness class such as kickboxing? The classes are 45 min long and includes other types of exercise besides punching/kicking (such as running, medicine ball slams, battle ropes, box jumps, kettle bells, sleds, hurdles etc). Also what about throwing an occasional Piyo class in on top of the program’s workouts? Thanks! 🙂

Yes, Nicole explains in the cardio section that the workouts are just ideas and examples but you can do whatever cardio you’d like as long as it stays with the guidelines of the cardio outlined in the challenge 🙂

I would not recommend doing any additional workouts beyond what is called for in the challenge. You should try to use all your strength and energy for the lifting sessions, but it really depends on what your goals are for the challenge and what you want to get out of it 😉

[Naomi]

kelly_kirk wrote:

Hi,
It’s on the dumbell only plan
But either way could u still define drop set 😬 lol
Thanks!

Oh, gotcha! Sorry, thank you for clarifying which workout it is 🙂

You will do 4 sets of 20 reps total each set 10/10, but you will do 10 reps at a higher weight (for example, 20lb dumbbells) then you will drop the weight to, for example, 15lb dumbbells and do the next 10 reps. A drop set is when you start at a higher weight for a certain number of reps, then drop to the next weight down for a certain number of reps. I hope that helps 🙂

[Naomi]

tracylawrence12 wrote:

For the exercises that we’re doing 2 sets of higher reps followed by the drop sets… should the first two sets be at a lighter weight with the drop set going from higher to lower or do we go heavy on the first two sets? Thank you!

For all the exercises, you will choose a weight where you struggle with getting the last 2-3 reps in. It depends on what exercise you are doing and how strong you are, but you should barely be able to do the last 2-3 reps of any exercise, whatever the reps are, choose a weight tat correlates with that. So if an exercise calls for 8-10 reps, theoretically you will choose a heavier weight than if you were doing 15 reps.

Short answer: yes 😉

I hope this helps!

[Naomi]

kelly_kirk wrote:

I thought I heard Nicole define dropset somewhere but cant find it again. Could someone please let me know
Example: tuesday, legs, dumbell squat 4×10/10 drop set ?

Hey there- Nicole doesn’t have a drop set in Tuesday’s legs. It is the following:

Squats: 5 sets 2×15-20(warmup) 3×10-12 reps working set

If the workout says “drop set” then you will do a drop set, but I don’t see one for Tuesday’s leg workout.

I hope the helps! Good luck with the challenge 🙂

[Naomi]

Vandal29 wrote:

I was curious if there was a low carb waffle or pancake mix/frozen with similar nutrition as far as fat and carbs and sugar to say Dave’s Killer thin slices good seed or Ezekial bread and can that be used? If so does anyone know of any? I was just thinking a head for breakfast variation…..but not a big deal if not able to exchange!! Thank you

Hey there- Nicole has not included a pre-made waffle or pancake mix in her challenges, as I don’t believe there are any other market that are close enough to the recipe she provides. There might be a pre-mix that is close in calories and macros, but it may also include additives/preservatives for longer shelf life.

I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂

[Naomi]

jmerdman76 wrote:

First off I want to say wholly cow ladies great job answer questions!!

I did my workout today and backed my weights and cardio cause I’m not overly comfortable at the gym so know I won’t go for 2 sessions. I tried the treadmill one where you increase speed for a few min then increase again. I’m not a runner so went 1mph below the noticed speeds. I never reached the max speed and I couldn’t finish the full 30 min.

Wondering if it would be as effective to 30 second run/1 min fast walk for 10 cycles. My lungs, knee and new shin splints might tolerate that better.

Have a blessed day and that you for all you are doing to support everyone.

Hey there- GREAT JOB!! Yes, that is totally fine. Nicole explains in the cardio portion that you can do whatever cardio works best for you as long as you are pushing as best you can and meeting the requirements of the cardio outlined in the cardio portion of the challenge.

KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK!! 🙂

[Naomi]

ruygrats4 wrote:

Hi, Just wondering if it’s supposed to a full serving of LP instead of the 1/2LP that is written of the halibut? Otherwise not enough protein in that meal…

I will email the team and confirm the correct serving 🙂

[Naomi]

reneklopf wrote:

I bought the Build Challenge hoping to only miss the 1st few days after my shoulder surgery. Unfortunately, it looks like an additional week+ till I can lift any sort of weights at all, much less heavy. During my recovery time should I follow the OFF days meal plan or would that still be to many calories since I am rather sedentary right now?

Hey there- listen to your body. You need whatever nourishment will help you recover right now, so if you are hungry then eat and follow the meal plan as best you can, and if you aren’t hungry then don’t eat. It is impossible to know how much or how little calories you body needs while recovering from surgery so listening to your body is your best bet 🙂

Bets of luck and please keep us posted on you recovery!

[Naomi]

courtney.jackson wrote:

Hi Everyone!

I’m not a big breakfast person and the laid out options for Meal 1 aren’t overly appealing for me – thank god for the exchange list!

However, having trouble with exact swaps. Just looking for feedback on my meal:

I didn’t want oatmeal, so I switched to two slices of sprouted grain bread. Didn’t feel like ground turkey either, so added on a third piece of turkey bacon and nut butter on my toast for fat. Plus my berries at measurement.

Does this check out or can anyone recommend any tweaks?

Thank you!!

Hey there- you can eat any of the meals on your meal plan (except post-workout) as your first meal of the day 🙂

[Naomi]

pholoylwbrkrd wrote:

Coffee drinker here
Can i swap my meal 1 fat for heavy cream? Sugar free creamer not my thing.

Sure, as long as it all adds up at the end of the day to the goal totals 🙂

[Naomi]

Grupka wrote:

I know there is a variation between products used and what Nicole has written but Im coming in way over the totals for Women’s meal plan 2. My protein is coming in at : 160g not 140g, my carbs are at 216g not 230g, and my fat is 45g which im ok with. The only thing I have different on my plan than listed is using up whats left of my Dymatize protein powder. So for the day I’m totaling 1921 or 1940 according to MFP, not the 1840.

Hey there- the most important thing is to be consistent, you aren’t too far over or under to where it is going to make or break your progress so I would just see how your body responds the first few weeks of doing what you’re doing 🙂 Good luck with the challenge!

[Naomi]

Denise wrote:

How is it possible to gain muscle in a deficit? The meal plan calories is a deficit for me. My maintenance is calculated at around 2000 Cal. Shouldn’t I be in a surplus if I want to gain muscle?

Everyone’s maintenance, deficit and surplus will be different. If this is a deficit for you, then go to the next meal plan up.

[Naomi]

Daniela wrote:

I am on the same page with Vandal29. Do I need to purchase the monthly membership in addition to the 40 day build challenge price to see the demonstration videos? I am logged in but cannot access the videos.

Let me find out about that, you should have access to the challenge demo videos, but the link may not be working for this one so I will email the team and find out 🙂

[Author]

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