Week 1

Welcome to the first week of your customized nutrition and fitness program!

Every day you will be keeping track of what you are eating and doing your workouts on the days that you have worked these into your schedule. At the end of each day you will take a screenshot of your day’s nutrition. At the end of the week on Sunday, you are required to send me all of the screenshots of your week to me via email. This is how you stay accountable and how I can monitor how you are doing and so I can offer suggestions if you ask.

The goal is to get as close to your calorie goal with the correct amount of carbs, protein, and fats. Don't worry about the calories as much as the grams of carbs, protein, and fats.

I CONSIDER YOU BEING ON POINT IF YOU ARE WITHIN 5-10g OVER/UNDER YOUR PROTEIN, FAT, AND CARB GOALS

I will not be nitpicking your nutrition. I know that you can see you are short or over on your numbers and I will not be pointing out the obvious. My goal is to support you and answer any questions that you may have.

You will be surprised how much you can eat. These healthy foods we are eating are nutrient dense foods! They will make you feel satiated more quickly than the empty calorie, processed foods.

Be sure to get those snacks in. This will help you get to your goals.

Here is an example:

Logging Tips

LOGIN YOUR FOOD THE DAY BEFORE FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY

Doing this allows you to just stick to the plan. This is much easier than logging as you go or at the end of the day after you have eaten everything.

When you are planning ahead and logging in your food the night before (or whenever) I would recommend putting in your meals first. Remember, if you can increase your serving sizes here. For example, I typically have around 6 ounces of protein for each meal or a double serving of vegetables, etc. Be sure to add in things you use in preparation like olive oil, etc.

1. Each meal should have a good protein source.

2. Login each meal- be sure your portion sizes are correct in the app

3. Add in your snacks

4. Look at what you have logged in and adjust things. If you are off on something you can then play around with adding and taking out foods to get closer to your goals. If you are over a certain macro, for example fat grams, look at the foods you logged and see what was highest in fat. Those should be taken out and replaced with a lower fat item or use less of this item. Hint, Salad dressings and cooking oils can be a little sneaky. If you are low on fat and protein, for example, then add some bacon to something or add some egg.

5. Refer to the cheat sheets in the nutrition guide for tipis on high fat low carb foods, fruits, veggies, and protein sources.

6. As you are putting in foods, keep an eye on the grams of carbs fats and protein, not the calorie goal as much. You are aiming to get within about 5-10 grams over/under your fat, protein, and carb goal, because of this you might be over or under calories a bit and that is okay.

7. If you would like to have a treat (some wine, or ice cream, chips, etc.) login this item first and adjust your day around it.

The whole purpose of this is for you to learn how to eat... which foods are best for your body and how much you should be eating. You will learn which foods are most of the time foods and which foods should be only occasional.

Check In

Be sure to check in with me directly via email at kimgoletz@refineyou.co if you have any questions or concerns. We can even set up a time to talk on the phone if you would prefer for weekly check ins. I have tried virtual office hours and many other ways for clients to check in with me and I find that just emailing me directly when needed seems to work best with everyone’s busy schedules. If I do not hear from you then I assume all is going well.

Tips- Stocking your Fridge and Pantry

• Be sure you have good storage containers with tight seals for food to be stored safely. I am a fan of the Snapware glass containers. I get them at Costco.

• Canned goods... Keep some stocks and broths, tomato sauce, flavored spaghetti sauces, beans, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, minced garlic on hand. These can be used for many different recipes.

• Purchase fresh produce each and every time you visit the store. Keep in mind, you can freeze most vegetables and fruit for future use. Don’t forget garlic, onion, and peppers that can be used to add flavor.

• Purchase protein each and every time you visit the store. You can freeze any meat, fish, poultry if you do not cook it right away.

• Nuts and nut butters are great nutrient dense food items to always have on hand. Don’t forget you can use nut butters for baking, and you can use nuts as toppings for cooking and salads.

• Dry items like beans, brown rice (or any rice), quinoa, chickpea pasta, rice based pasta, and edamame pasta are good to have on hand to make a variety of dishes.

• Already frozen foods are great to buy because they are already frozen and ready to go for when you are ready to prepare them. Frozen meat of all kind, fruits and vegetables are things that you should have stocked in your freezer.

• Have a good stock of butter, cooking oils, dressings, sauces and spices in your fridge and pantry. Having these on hand will give you many more options to vary the same food items with different flavorings. Don’t forget about minced garlic and peppers sold in jars.

• Keep some baking supplies on hand. I like to keep almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and honey on hand at all times. These items allow you to bake most paleo based recipes

• Eggs are a great food item to have on hand at all times. Keep in mind most milk can be frozen safely but shelf stable milk or evaporated milk are some items that you can keep in the pantry.

• Avoid purchasing junk food. These can be temptations to mindlessly snack on when you are at home. If you don’t have it, you can’t eat it.

Mindset Task

First and foremost, I would like you to grab a piece of paper or post-it note and write down your why. Dig deep on this. Why are you doing this program. This can be more than one reason! We all have a certain goal we are wanting to reach (losing fat, getting stronger, improving health, etc.). I want you to write down why you want to reach this goal. Is it because you have let yourself go and you want to gain control of YOU? Is it because you are out of shape and you want to run around with your kids without struggling? Do you have a family history of some major medical problems and you want to be the healthiest you can be?

Write down your Whys and put it somewhere that you will see it often. One “why” on Monday might motivate you on Monday but not on Tuesday… so have a few different ones.

This week will be a week of adjustments. The goal for this week is progress. Progress NOT Perfection. Set that mindset at the beginning of the week. We are NOT aiming for perfection. To be successful in learning how to choose the right foods (for life) you must initially keep track of your foods.

Is it a pain in the neck? Yes, it sure is.

Would it be easier for me to just tell you exactly what to eat everyday? Yes, it would be.

BUT, if I did that, what would happen when the program was over? Would you eat the same foods and meals for the rest of your life? Nope. What happens if you go on vacation or go out to eat? Would you know what to choose on your own? Nope. What happens if you want to eat some pizza or some cake on your birthday? Would you feel guilty about treating yourself? Most likely, yes.

This system is to give YOU control over your foods and your health not just for these 6 weeks, for life. At first, counting macros and working in an exercise routine might be a bit difficult. But, in the long run this is what is going to give YOU the flexibility to be lean, strong, and live a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the occasional indulgences without feeling bad afterwards. It is truly the only way to learn how to make the right choices with your nutrition, get results, and maintain this own your own. Once you learn how to eat appropriately, you will not need to track your food and you will not need to worry about every “dieting” again!

Stick to the program as best you can. It is normal to be a bit overwhelmed at the beginning. That is okay! You are implementing something new in your life and it takes time. I have given you a lot of information. I do this so you can understand why you are doing these things and why they work. You don’t have to know it all right away.

Over this first week, you may feel tired and hungry at times OR you might feel full and have a hard time eating all your macros. This is completely normal. You are implementing something new to your body and there is an adjustment period. The biggest problem most people have is actually eating enough these first couple weeks. You just need to keep trying and your body will adjust. You are working hard for your body to make the switch from being carb-adapted to fat-adapted (burning fat for energy).

The Scale…

Important video discussing fat loss vs. weight loss...

This is really important when it comes to your relationship with the scale. This explains why you should not only focus on the scale and why we don't weight ourselves frequently in this program.

Health Task

“The body’s solution to pollution is dilution.” -Unknown

Water

Your body is made up of mostly water and how much or little you drink can affect your health. Water helps with detoxification and we all know there are a lot of toxins in our environment. Drinking enough water will help you clear toxins from your body as well as have clearer skin, improved gut function, and improved appetite control.

The rule of thumb for a normal person is about 8 8oz of water per day which is half a gallon. For those who exercise, who are pregnant, nursing, need more water especially in the summer months.

I would like you to try to at least get 64oz or 1/2 gallon of water a day on rest days and double that on workout days. 1 gallon over the entire day on workout days. This sounds like a lot but it really is not on workout days. This should be done gradually by just adding a bit more water every day and over the entire day. It is not safe to drink all this water in one sitting. Your tea, or anything you mix in water counts as water (BCAA, collagen peptides, etc.).

It is a good idea to invest in a re-useable water bottle. Those one time plastic water bottles from the store are things you should avoid. These sit on pallets in hot trucks in the heat which causes leeching of plastic in the water. We don’t know the long term affects, of this but the rates of cancer, hormone imbalances, and infertility are on the rise. In my opinion, better to be safe than sorry. If you can avoid them on a daily basis that is probably best.

I have some recommendations of water bottles I like on my product recommendations page.

I would recommend avoiding tap water. You can buy filtered bottled water at any store in the big huge bottles or you can filter your own water in your fridge using those pitchers. I get the huge bottles and have a water cooler.

• You should gradually work yourself up to drinking 1/2 gal on rest days and about a gallon of water on workout days, over the entire day.

• Each time you pick up the water bottle take 8 big gulps!

• Drink water from a reusable glass or stainless water bottle.

• Drink 1-2 cups of water first thing in the am, right after you wake up.

• Drink most of your water in between meals so it does not affect the digestion of your food.

Here are some tips for this first week:

• Drink plenty of water!

• Use the Habit Tracker! Our goal is a lifestyle change and implementing healthy habits. Each week set a new habit and add on to it as the weeks advance. Here is the link to access the habit tracker again.

• Ask questions. If you are struggling or confused about something, it is up to you to reach out to me. I have no way of knowing or have no way to help you unless you reach out to me. If you are on the Facebook page, ask your questions there if you feel comfortable sharing. Who knows, someone else may be wondering the same thing!

• Protein Tip-studies have shown that your body can only absorb around 30-50 grams in one sitting depending on the person. The rest may be stored in fat so spread out your protein throughout the day.

  Every lunch and dinner NO MATTER WHAT DAY IT IS should include a protein and vegetable. That is your starting point. Below are some recommendations for those who are carb cycling. If you are not carb cycling, you will be more balanced with your carbs and fats like the “moderate carb day” below.

  • Low Carb Days- Stick to the basics. Protein (can be high in fat) and Vegetables. Add some fat sources in your meals like avocado, bacon, nuts in your salads, cook with EVOO. Snacks should be low carb high fat (refer to the cheat sheet) like nuts, jerky, nut butter and veggies etc. Avoid fruit, protein shakes and bars because they are higher in carbs.

  • Moderate Carb Days-Should be similar to Low Carb Day but you can work in some lower carb fruits for snacks (refer to the fruit cheat sheet) like blueberries. Or, its okay to do some lower carb protein bars or shakes. You may work in a bit more carbs on this day in your snacks or in one of your meals (some fruit in a salad, or some sweet potato with dinner).

  • High Carb Days- Think of these days as LOW FAT Days. Protein should be LEAN choices. Vegetables can be higher carb choices. Each meal should contain a carb. Add quinoa to your salad, sweet potato with your dinner, brown/black rice, fruit in your salad, etc. Your snacks should be low fat/high carb like fruit, protein smoothies, overnight oats, etc. Avoid nuts, cooking with oils, avocado (any of the higher fat foods that you eat on low carb days).

• For the Heart Rate Monitor Users- Most heart rate monitors will calculate your max heart rate using a standard formula. This is an estimate and not set in stone. If you find that you are in a higher zone for long periods of time, that most likely means that your max heart rate is set too low. Feel free to reach out to me if you need any guidance in calculating your max heart rate. This is also explained in THIS GUIDE.

Tips for Events/Parties/Treats

1.  Stay away from the food table.  It is as simple as that.  Don’t stand next to the table the whole time.  Stand away from the food so you are less likely to mindlessly pick up food and eat it.

2.  Keep a drink in your hand at all times.  This drink should preferably be water.  If it contains an adult beverage, then try to stick with those that have less carbs and sugar like light beer, spirits, and wine. Check out this Blog Post about how to choose your beverages wisely.

3.  Limit yourself to one plate. 

4.  Bring a back-up.  Bring something that you can eat as a back-up in case there are not any good choices available.  This could be a protein bar, jerky, nuts, etc. 

5.  Bring a healthy choice as your contribution.  Bring a dish that is a healthy option that you will eat if there are no other good choices available.

6.  If you know you are going to eat/drink something that is a "treat" Try to time it with a good workout day. THE BEST time to have a your cake (and eat it too) would be within a couple hours of your strength workout.  Of course this isn't always possible. I recommend putting your "cake" in my fitness pal at the beginning of the day. This way, you can work the rest of your day around it. You may still be a bit high on fat but if you really watch it, It won't be that bad.

Assessments

Each week you are responsible for completing an assessment. This help you stay accountable, helps you maintain the right mindset, and helps you and I track your progress through the program.

Click the button below to complete the assessment for the end of Week 1.

Week 1 Workouts