Tag Archives for Ripped In 30 Challenge
Ripped In 30: What I Ate
I’ve received quite a few questions about what exactly I ate during Ripped In 30. I have highlighted a few of my favorite meals here that worked for me. Everyone is different, but I just wanted to share what I found to be a good fit for me.
My diet consisted of 1,600 calories a day and I kept a detailed account of everything I ate. Now that I’ve finished the challenge I no longer count calories and have kept the weight and inches off by sticking with (mostly) unprocessed foods, tons of fruit & veggies, eggs, whole grains, beans and nuts.
Pita Pizzas » These are great because you can always have something different just by choosing different veggies. I used Ezekiel brand pita bread and really liked it. All you need to do is take one piece of pita bread and cut along the edge like this so that you end up with two crusts for your pizza.
I made my own sauce by using canned low-sodium tomato sauce and added basil, a bit of salt and oregano. My favorite toppings are mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and onion. Just play around with the toppings, find your favorite combo and enjoy!
Baked Potatoes with Greek Yogurt » During Ripped In 30 I found out that greek yogurt makes a wonderful sour cream substitute. It’s packed with a ton of protein and not many calories or fat which is great. I used this brand of yogurt and really liked it.
Veggie Stir-fry » It’s so easy to make these and they make the perfect workday lunch. I would pre-chop veggies and store them in tupperware bowls and make a large batch of quinoa on Sunday so that it would last the entire week. When I woke up in the morning for work I would just heat up the veggies, add some quinoa and sauce and be on my way. Easy!
Remember not to deprive yourself. I think one of the biggest reasons I failed so much in the past is because I viewed getting healthy and in shape as a temporary diet and it shouldn’t be that way. I felt that I couldn’t have anything “bad” and that was just me setting myself up for failure. You begin to tell yourself no so much that you eventually break and think you can’t do it anymore.
It needs to be a lifestyle change in order to work. Watch portion sizes. Eat whole, clean foods. Drink plenty of water. Make smart substitutions and choices throughout the day. Fuel your body properly. Make the change. Get stronger. See the results.
Ripped In 30: Q & A
Since finishing Ripped In 30, I’ve gotten a few questions about the workouts and meal plan so I thought I’d do a little question and answer post. If there’s something I didn’t cover here and you want to know about just ask in the comments or e-mail me and I will add it to the post!
How many days did you actually workout?
I did each level on Monday through Friday and had rest days on Saturday and Sunday. I did the program for 30 days as far as meal plans, but only actually worked out for 20 of those days.
What are you going to do next now that you’ve finished Ripped In 30?
I don’t really have a plan at this point. I am just rotating some of the workout DVDs I have. I will continue with the meal plan because since I’m used to it now and have an eating schedule I never get super hungry or dips in energy. I mostly eat whole, clean foods in healthy portion sizes and feel better overall.
Where do you find Ezekiel bread?
It’s located in the freezer section of health food stores. I can find it ay my local Kroger’s in their natural foods section so check your normal grocery store as well. It is always frozen since it has no preservatives so check the freezers.
What did you eat while you were doing the challenge?
I tracked all my meals using The Daily Plate. I started the challenge on May 16 and ended on June 10 so check those diaries on those dates to see what I was eating during the program.
How did you track your calories burned while doing the challenge?
I used my Polar FT7 heart rate monitor (Amazon affiliate link). I love this watch! The chest strap is comfortable and the watch is small and don’t annoy me at all. It stores up to 99 workouts and gives you weekly calories burned which I love.
What are some sample examples of meals you ate?
I’m a really picky eater and once I find something I like I eat it every day. I’m not the best person to ask as far as variety is concerned, but here are a few things I ate: pita pizzas, egg whites on Ezekiel toast, sweet potatoes, baked potatoes with greek yogurt, veggie stir-fry using one tablespoon of this sauce & quinoa, pistachios, almond butter and a variety of fruits & veggies.
Even though I was on the meal plan, I still indulged every once in awhile. Like Greg & I went out for Chinese food one day. I brought my own tupperware bowl and once the food arrived I halved it immediately. This way I kept my portion size in check and also had lunch for the next day. It’s totally okay to have something you like every once in awhile as long as it’s not a daily thing.
*Disclaimer: I’m not a health professional, doctor, or nutritionist. What I did during this workout may not be the best for you. I just got great results and like to share how I did things during this challenge.
Ripped In 30: Before & After
Yesterday I finished the Jillian Michaels’ Ripped In 30 Challenge! I did these workouts before work every morning (except one day where I woke up late and had to do it after work) and followed her meal plan with a few modifications. I posted everything I ate during these 30 days here at my Daily Plate. I’ll make a post soon of my favorite meals along with nutrition information soon.
I did each workout Monday through Friday and then took rest days on the weekend. My only exercise was Ripped In 30 and one day where I mowed the yard. I don’t have a regular mower so it’s a bit of a workout!
I have a lot more to talk about regarding the DVD and meal plan, but for now I’m just going to share the before & afters because I’m so excited! :]
Weight:
Before: 133.2 / After: 125.8
Body Fat
Before: 22.2 % / After: 20.0%
Muscle Mass
Before: 39.9 / After: 41.4
Bone Mass
Before: 4.1 / After: 4.4
Body Water
Before: 56.9 / After: 59.2
Biceps
Before: 11 inches / After: 11 inches
Chest
Before: 34 inches / After: 33 inches
Waist
Before: 29 inches / 27 inches
Hips
Before: 36.5 inches / After: 35.5 inches
Calf
Before: 14.5 inches / After: 14 inches
Thighs
Before: 20.5 inches / After: 19.5 inches
There’s so much more space between my thighs and between my arms and hips.
I love this one because you can see how my arms have changed. Notice how you can see my sports bra behind my arm in the after photo, but in the before my arm was too big to be able to see that.
I don’t see much of a difference in my biceps, but I am so much stronger. I can do regular and chaturanga push-ups like it ain’t no thing anymore!
I still cant believe this is my after shot! I am really happy with the results.
Overall, this DVD is awesome! The workouts are short, effective and don’t get boring at all. The meal plan isn’t ridiculous and I always made sure I got enough protein and healthy fats and drank a lot of water during this. I would definitely recommend the DVD, but it is no joke and Jillians packs a lot in a twenty minute workout!
Here is my Amazon affiliate link to purchase Ripped In 30 if you want to try it for yourself! » Ripped In 30 @ Amazon.
Last Week and the Week Ahead
Last week I worked out for 4:37 and burned 1,948 calories. I am so proud of myself for last week because not only did I complete five straight days of Ripped In 30, but I got up at 6:30am each morning to do it! It wasn’t easy at first, but later on in the week I actually found myself waking up before my alarm and ready to get working! I did go to bed quite a bit earlier (around 9:30-10pm) but it was fine because by working out in the mornings it freed up quite a bit of my evenings to get things done.
Tomorrow starts week 2 of the challenge and I’m worried as to how tough it will be. The workouts get progressively harder each week and week one had me sweatin’ and out of breath at the end. This was after the last set of ab work and the end of the workout:
It’s no joke! I love it though because I am seeing changes just in one week. I’ve been eating really well though and drinking tons of water. I can’t wait to share the final results and photos, but just to show how awesome this is.. I started the challenge at 133.5 pounds and ended the week at 130.8.
I’m not one for fad diets and I can see how this may be viewed as such since it’s a 30 day program. I started this to help me focus and break through my plateau. I want to use this challenge as a means to get it right when it comes to portion sizes (my biggest problem) and quit with the processed foods. I really aimed to eat whole, quality foods last week and it shown.
By the end of these 30 days I want it to be a habit to wake up at 6:30am and get my workout in. I view this as an opportunity to think about my goals and realize how much hard work it takes to get there. I want to be strong, get my portion sizes in check and be healthy. I believe I’m on the right track and it feels good!
Ripped In 30 Challenge Day 2
So today was day two of the Ripped In 30 Challenge and I can’t believe I have gotten up at 6:30 two mornings in a row and worked out. Not only do I feel better after getting a morning workout in, I also have so much more time and my morning isn’t as rushed.
I know that I’m only on week 1 of the workout and it’s the easiest of the bunch, but it’s not bad at all. With warm up and cool down it is around 34 minutes and I burn around 260-300 calories each time. A few of the moves are repeated from 30 Day Shred (squat & press, push ups, side lunge with front raise, etc.) but there are also some new moves thrown in. I’m using 5lb weights and some of the strength moves are a bit of a challenge.
I really like how it’s the 3 minutes of strength, 2 of cardio and 1 of abs (which is mostly plank work). You don’t do any move for more than 30 seconds so that’s really nice and makes it go by quick. So far week 1 is going well! Let’s see what I’m saying when I’m halfway through this thing.
I haven’t really followed Jillian’s meal plan in regards to the specific meals she plans out, but I’m following the rules. Each meal is around 400 calories and the snacks are around 200 each. I’ve pretty much eaten the same thing these past two days. I’ll try to switch it up later, but I get in this habit of eating the same thing over and over until I get tired of it. Right now, this is what I’m loving:
Breakfast was two pieces of Ezekiel bread, four egg whites and a glass of iced coffee with unsweetened almond milk. 224 calories (and 24g protein!).
Lunch was a very unphotogenic plain baked sweet potato and a salad with field greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, grilled tempeh, alfalfa sprouts, avocado and balsamic vinaigrette. 534 calories.
For dinner I had a baked potato with Fage’s plain greek yogurt. I was a little hesitant to sub sour cream with greek yogurt, but it tastes really close to the real thing and has much better stats. For 1 cup it’s 120 calories, 0g fat, 85mg sodium and 20g protein. How awesome is that?! I didn’t use nearly an entire cup so it was pretty much nothing compared to sour cream.
I also had pita pizzas with this pizza sauce, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. They were so good! I just took one piece of pita bread and cut around the edge to create the two pieces. I put all the veggies on, sprayed with olive oil and baked for a little under ten minutes at 350°.
All of this was only 493 calories and I was stuffed. It was a great dinner and I can tell that I’ll be making pita pizzas a lot this week. I’ve been doing really well with eating well and you can always check out my food diary if you want to know a more detailed breakdown.
