[Naomi]

Nicole Wilson wrote:

Lima beans isn’t listed as a starchy carb. Would this be a substitute that is okay?

Yep, you can include lima beans. If you would like to include a food that isn’t listed in this challenge, you are free to do so but will have to make your own calculations with portion sizes in a food journaling app, such as My Fitness Pal, to get the accurate portion size for your meal plan, food exchange equivalent.

[Naomi]

Jill Olson wrote:

Please forgive me if I have missed the answer. Has there been clarification regarding the AMRAPs in the sets column vs. rep colum?

Can you tell me what workout you are looking at? Page number please 🙂

[Naomi]

Genna Fusner wrote:

When it says 1 cup of egg whites is that 1 cup liquid before cooking or one cup after cooking? I’ve been doing 1 cup liquid then started to question whether that was correct.

Measure liquid egg whites before cooking 👍

[Naomi]

Michelle Hernandez wrote:

Women’s Meal Plan 3 phase 1 meal 4

There are 2 options with the same FP amount and Veges amount. However the SC amounts are different. One is 1 1/4 SC and the other is 1 1/2 SC. If left up to me I’m choosing the larger portion of SC…tehehe but just checking to see which is accurate.

They are both accurate, the difference between the two will be within the acceptable range of your allotted carb goals for that meal. Make sure you read through all the nutrition info and watch the nutrition videos, she explains the portion sizes, food exchange list and “acceptable wiggle room.” 😉

[Naomi]

Stephanie wrote:

Can I get a little more explanation for the AMRAP finisher for day 1 upper body gym workout? The other AMRAP finishers for other days are for 5 minutes or have a defined stopping point, but this one appears to go on indefinitely? Just keep going until failure?

I will let the team know of the correction, but follow suit with all other AMRAMP instructions, finishing as many rounds as possible in 5 minutes.

[Naomi]

yolandashin31 wrote:

Thank you but I just checked all the meal plans and they all call for 1 serving. For the ricotta toast.

The recipe makes two servings, so one serving would be half 👍

[Naomi]

Shirley Lindmark wrote:

When I want to add fruit do I substitute it in for the SC? I don’t see a full serving of FR in any of the meals for Meal Plan 1, Phase 1
Thanks

The post workout meal has one full serving of fruit in it (meal 1 has 1/4 serving of FR). You shouldn’t substitute a fruit for a starchy carb, they are not an even exchange. Only fruit for fruit and starchy corn for starchy carb.

[Naomi]

Laura Nehoda wrote:

Silly question but in the first section of the warmup is the incline dumbbell press and wide grip pull-down part of warmup?

No, just the first 3 exercises for 2 sets are the warm-up exercises.

[Naomi]

yolandashin31 wrote:

The recipe states 2 servings
But it only calls for 2 slices of bread so we are only supposed to have 1 slice? I’m seeing people eat 2 slices as 1 serving could you please clarify thanx

The serving size for your meal plan depends on what meal plan you’re following.

[Naomi]

cowen06 wrote:

I have a question – I’m 55yrs old and have a hard time losing fat and gaining muscle, menapausal. I normally workout out on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and take a BCAA prior/during workout. Would it make a difference in my results if I tried to eat an actual meal before a workout? It’s harder for me to eat and then workout with schedule but I want to get the best results possible also. Need guidance. Thanks

I always think it is better to workout with food (energy) in your system, yes, you can try it. Try eating 1/2 your meal 1 before your workout, then eat your post-workout meal within about 30-45 min after your weightlifting workout, then eat the second half of the meal you ate before your workout. After that, follow the rest of the meal plan as written and see how that works for you 🙂

[Naomi]

lindsaybarnett wrote:

Are there example links with each exercise? When I click on the exercise it isn’t doing anything like it has with other challenges.

The Gym workouts have video demo links for each exercise and the At-Home has follow-along workouts for each workout. There are no demo exercises for the cardio portion.

[Naomi]

Shayna Keen wrote:

Planning for the week and I anticipate difficulties with making time to eat. I work a full time job, like most, and am thinking I will have 2 meals during my shift to spread out my meals and not set me too close to my workout time or bedtime. I can already tell, I may not have eaten enough (of the right) foods in my previous attempts at weight loss. I have prepped all my meals today and am thankful as this will be helpful to stick with the meal plan. But if you have any tips on how best to manage my time for eating as they will take more time than a sandwich or protein bar. Thank you for your help. Excited for the challenge!

You can double up on a meal or two if necessary for time-management. As long as your total calories and macros add up by the end of the day, if you end up eating 3 larger meals instead of 5 smaller meals, do what works best for your schedule.

[Naomi]

Jacque DeLoney wrote:

I joined VIP for the first time, I haven’t received a welcome email, but I was able to download the program. I don’t know how to access the VIP information.

For technical issues like this, you’ll need to reach out to [email protected] so they can help you there with instructions.

[Naomi]

amaury098 wrote:

I am following the 5’4”-5’6” meal plan. I know meal 5 it is supposed to be taken as a meal 5 on non training days or 30-45 minutes after workout. My question is. If I workout first thing in the morning. Do I eat that first and then the rest of my meals?

Correct, it should be your post workout meal regardless of what time you work out, so it could be your first meal of tequila day, in which case meal 1 on the meal plan would then turn into meal 2.

[Naomi]

jstoltz456 wrote:

Naomi, when I click your link it still doesn’t work. I had tried searching the site. The exercise has the NW logo on it but when I click that it takes me back to page trying to get me to be a member. I was still signed into the Ebook I know to make sure of that. I’m wondering if the people it’s working for are also Members? I currently am not.

The videos in the challenge are available to all challenge participants, you don’t need a membership. If it still isn’t working for you, please email [email protected] and someone with more tech knowledge can help you with the tech issues you’re having.

[Naomi]

jennbley79 wrote:

I have a question regarding the abs portion for day 1 – I am following mostly the gym workouts for the most part at home, but need to sub some of them out with the at home portion due to me not having a smith machine, etc. So I am doing more of a combo of the gym and at home workouts- hope that is okay- I am just trying to match the exercises together.

I noticed that on the abs portion at the end, the gym workouts call for only 2 sets of the each of the ab workouts while the at home workouts call for 3 sets. Is this correct?
Thank you!

Let me double check on this for you and get back to you.

[Naomi]

jstoltz456 wrote:

I’m logged in. When I go to play the Smith Machine Shoulder Press video it takes me to a page where it tries to sell me the membership.

Could you please let us know Inc ethos is fixed? Thanks

Hey there-

I just clicked on the link and it worked fine for me. Try this: https://nicolewilkins.com/exercise-database-smith-machine-shoulder-press/ (it’s the same link as in the ebook)

[Naomi]

Margie Rodgers wrote:

Understand. I’m just trying to troubleshoot why I haven’t lost as much in 6 weeks as I did in 4 and I’m so much more hungry. I’m thinking we did more cardio at end of few days for the shred, and I thought the extra protein may have helped my hunger.

You can always subtract 1/2 protein from another meal and use it for post-workout to add 1/2 scoop of protein if you feel like that will help!

[Naomi]

Margie Rodgers wrote:

The other challenge I did was the Summer Shred. Its meal 5 was 1.5 scoops of protein. With this challenge being more on building muscle I’m curious why only 1 scoop this time?

Nicole creates all the challenges differently. Nutrition can be slightly (and I mean SLIGHLTY, you are talking about 1/2 scoop of protein which is 12g of protein) difference based on a number factors throughout the entire overall programming, including cardio frequency, intensity and duration, workout structure and protein throughout the entire meal plan.

Look at your overall protein for the day, as well as other macronutrient ratios, overall programing with cardio, weightlifting, rest days, etc. It all comes in to play when looking at adding in or taking out 12g of protein post-workout 😉

[Naomi]

Stephanie wrote:

I’ve noticed recent challenges the last couple years don’t include HIIT cardio anymore and it’s generally moderate intensity. I’m just curious about the thought process/science behind the shift (definitely not complaining)? What are the thoughts on throwing in a HIIT cardio session once in a while? Is HIIT not as beneficial as it once was stated to be?

Hi Stephanie-

I didn’t create the cardio for this program so I can’t directly answer your question, but here is the answer Nicole gave to another challenger in another forum question about HIIT:

“Regarding HIIT: While HIIT is effective in short bursts, overdoing it, especially in later decades or in a calorie deficit, can lead to burnout or muscle loss. I’ve found that moderate, consistent intensity is often more sustainable for long-term results and recovery, especially for women balancing stress, sleep, and hormones.”

I hope this helps! If you want further explanation regarding the “why’s” behind the creation of the challenge program, you can email your question to: [email protected]

~ Naomi

[Naomi]

Christina Orourke wrote:

Hello,
Just wondering what % of our max weight on the sumo deadlifts we should be using for these 3 second negatives. I’m thinking I went too heavy the other day. I have never experienced this much muscle soreness in my lower back. I’m thinking my form wasn’t correct with trying to lower the weight so slowly?

Hey there- if you are feeling what you described then I would definitely go about 15-20% lighter than the weight you used and see how that feels.

• This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by Naomi.

[Naomi]

Naomi wrote:

Martiza wrote:

Hi Naomi,

Yes, I checked because I wanted to try out the vegan meal and, since I normally eat the omnivore meals, I’m use to seeing only one portion of protein per meal.

Thanks for your help.
Martiza

I understand but am just wondering what food journaling app you used and what foods/brands you plugged in to get your calculations. Can you upload a screenshot of the food journaling entry where you came up with those totals? That will help me better address your question and pinpoint where the totals might be inaccurate.

Martiza wrote:

Oh, I see, so it’s probably an app issue. I attached a screenshot from My Fitness Pal.

Can you let me know what the macro totals are that you are coming up with in MFP for that meal? Not just the calories. The macros per meal should be about:
26g carbs
25g protein
11g fat

I can’t see from the screen shot where you are going over on your macros. Also, it won’t be exact, so if you are a little over by 5-8g on all of the macros, then that could account for the additional 50 calories. But let me know how many grams of carbs, proteins and fats you’re getting for that meal total.

[Naomi]

Martiza wrote:

Hi Naomi,

Yes, I checked because I wanted to try out the vegan meal and, since I normally eat the omnivore meals, I’m use to seeing only one portion of protein per meal.

Thanks for your help.
Martiza

I understand but am just wondering what food journaling app you used and what foods/brands you plugged in to get your calculations. Can you upload a screenshot of the food journaling entry where you came up with those totals? That will help me better address your question and pinpoint where the totals might be inaccurate.

[Naomi]

Martiza wrote:

Hello,

I was wondering if the Vegan Woman’s Meal Plan 1, meal 2 is correct.

• (P) 6 oz extra firm tofu
• (¾ SC) 3 oz sweet potato
• (V) 100g zucchini
• (½ F) 5 ml olive oil
• (P) 15g nutritional yeast

When I add it up I’m getting around 350 cals, 29 protein, 32.5 carbs, and 16 fat.

Thanks for your time!

Hi Martiza-

I can double check on that for you to confirm, but how are you adding up the calculations? Are you using a food journaling app?

[Naomi]

cher6505 wrote:

Hi Loving this Challenge just having an issue with fitting in the cardio somedays the workouts take me longer especially if Im lifting heavier weights and I need a lil more rest… please can anyone give me some advice as to how you fit it in. I am doing the Mount Sweatmore on the treadmill thanks 🤗

Hey there- YOU ARE DOING GREAT prioritizing your lifting! How people fit in cardio will really depend on everyone’s individual work, life and sleep schedule. I typically recommend you try to do cardio right after your weightlifting. If you have a hard time fitting cardio in after weight lifting ,is there another time you can get in cardio? What time do you do your weight lifting, and what time do you wake up, work and go to sleep? All of these factors play in to when/where you can fit in your cardio during the day.

[Author]

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