I have one week down of the 75 medium challenge, and so far so good! My goal is to do brief weekly recaps during this challenge of what exactly I ate during the day, what non-fiction book I am reading, any obstacles or challenges, or any other tips/inspiration! For me, coming up with 75 medium meal ideas every week is one of the biggest challenges, so hopefully if you are doing 75 soft, 75 medium, or 75 Hard, these posts can help give you some healthy meal ideas.
Just in case you missed it, here is a video and a post all about the 75 medium challenge that I am doing:
Day 1/75 (12/27/23)
Starting weight: 140 pounds
Exercise: Gym for weight/strength training: arm day!
Reading: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Breakfast: Breakfast burrito with egg, spinach, bell pepper, turkey sausage, salsa, and queso fresco + coffee with collagen mixed in.
Tip: Mixing collagen into my coffee has proven to be the easiest way to sneak extra protein into my diet. You cannot taste it and it also helps with your hair, skin, and nail health!
Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti squash with ground turkey meat sauce
Dinner: Crock-pot salsa chicken thighs with cauliflower rice, black beans, salsa, queso fresco, and avocado
After Dinner Snack: Low sugar Greek yogurt with granola (I really like this granola and the amount of sugar and carbs in it is a lot better than a lot of other granola I’ve tried!)
Day 2/75
Exercise: stationary bike for 45 minutes
Breakfast: Blueberry waffle using Kodiak cakes high protein waffle mix + coffee with collagen
Lunch: Unpictured leftovers from dinner made into a burrito bowl
Dinner: Chicken Cesar wraps with oven baked zucchini fries– I just used a Caesar salad kit from the grocery store and added shredded rotisserie chicken from Costco.
Day 3/75
Exercise: Gym for strength training: leg day!
Breakfast: sweet potato, spinach, turkey sausage, egg scramble topped with avocado, salsa, and queso fresco + coffee with collagen
Lunch: piece of sprouted bread with rotisserie chicken, pepper jack cheese, avocado, lettuce, and mayo plus leftover zucchini fries
Snack: Barebells protein bar— these are the best protein bars in my opinion! They taste just like a candy bar!
Dinner: Salmon with roasted brussel sprouts and pan fried potatoes and onions (topped with a bit of cheese)
Day 4/75
Exercise: Stationary bike for 45 minutes
Breakfast: (unpictured) English muffin with egg white and avocado and side of blueberries + coffee with collagen
Lunch: (unpictured) wrap with rotisserie chicken, cheese, avocado, ranch and an apple
Dinner: Chicken stir fry– made with chicken breast, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms and a bit of Kung Pao sauce with rice. This was SO good!
Day 5/75
Exercise: active recovery day
Breakfast: Kodiak cakes blueberry waffle + coffee with collagen
Lunch: Flatbread pizza topped with veggie sausage, spinach, mushrooms, olives, and onion
Dinner: was not very hungry– had Greek yogurt with banana and peanut butter
Snack: Protein shake– this one was just ok! It tasted like a really thick chocolate milk.
Day 6/75
Exercise: Gym for strength training– arms, back, and chest
Breakfast: egg breakfast burrito with egg, spinach, turkey sausage, salsa, and avocado + coffee with collagen
Lunch: (unpictured) Ham sandwich with apple
Dinner: 1 pot chicken and rice with zucchini, spinach, and mushrooms, topped with a little parm– I’ll need to work on sharing this recipe soon. It was so easy and yummy!
Day 7/75
Exercise: Stationary bike for 45 minutes
Breakfast: Oatmeal with almond butter, a bit of raw honey, blueberries, chia seeds, and a handful of raw nuts + coffee with collagen
Lunch: Mason Jar Ramen Noodles with rotisserie chicken, rice noodles, broccoli, cabbage, and mushrooms. This was SUCH a yummy and filling lunch and I had meal prepped it a couple day prior!
Dinner: Pesto ranch crock-pot chicken with broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms with egg noodles. It is one of our favorites and a really easy 1 pot crock-pot meal (other than the noodles on the side). It’s also toddler approved which is the biggest win of all!
75 Medium Week 1 Recap
Overall this week went honestly smoother than I expected it to go! I’m trying to stay optimistic and I get a lot done during my toddler’s nap. I often will read my 10 pages of non-fiction (reading Atomic Habits by James Clear) while I am on the stationary bike or while I am eating lunch.
The hardest part? SLEEP. Not at the fault of my toddler, but I just keep waking up at 4 or 5 am and CANNOT go back to sleep! Luckily, I am going to sleep at a reasonable hour and I don’t feel tired, but I am surprised my body isn’t craving extra sleep with the extra exercise!
Drinking water has been one of the easier parts. The mindfulness journaling is something I am so glad I included in this challenge because it really is helping contribute to my better mood. The daily exercise is proving to be less of a challenge than I thought it would. I’m trying to frame it as a new habit and that it’s only 45 minutes that I am spending on it!
Also, like I said, meal ideas! If you have any easy healthy 75 medium meal ideas (bonus points if they are in the crock-pot), please let me know! Sometimes when you are trying to eat healthy, you end up eating the same thing over and over again and I don’t want to get bored of food.
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