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fit<br />
gIrl’s<br />
guide<br />
The 28 DayJumpstart<br />
A <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> Worldwide eBook
Without written consent from the owner of FGW Media, Ltd.,<br />
no portion of this copyrighted eBook may be reproduced or copied.<br />
!<br />
The publisher and author do not assume, thereby disclaiming,<br />
any liability to any individual for any loss or damage caused by inaccuracy.<br />
!<br />
This book does not contain medical advice. Consult your physician for matters relating to your<br />
health. The exercises contained in this eBook, like all exercises, do pose some inherent risk, and the<br />
author urges readers to take into consideration their individual levels of experience and training<br />
before attempting any activities described in this eBook.<br />
!<br />
Copyright © 2014 <strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong>Worldwide, FGW Media Ltd. All rights reserved.<br />
Book Design and Production by FGW Media, Ltd.<br />
Written by FGW Media, Ltd. Third Edition.<br />
!<br />
www.<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong>Worldwide.com
Hey Girl! Let’s Get <strong>Fit</strong>!<br />
This isn’t a diet. This is an event.<br />
This is the first 28 days of becoming the <strong>Fit</strong> Girl you’ve always dreamed about. Every girl<br />
has an inner <strong>Fit</strong> Girl and we’re gonna help you find yours! And we’re gonna make the<br />
journey as fun and yummy as possible — pizza, dark chocolate, and dance parties<br />
anyone?<br />
The 28 Day Jumpstart is a Challenge that will help you build fitter eating, exercising, and<br />
living habits in a way that’s easy to follow and really really pink. Forming new habits<br />
doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. The positive decisions we make every day take us<br />
closer and closer to turning <strong>Fit</strong> Girl habits into our habits. At the end of the 28 days you’ll<br />
be on your way to having a bod that’d make you totally jelly.<br />
The Challenge is a detailed eating plan (that can be made vegan, vegetarian and glutenfree<br />
friendly!) combined with a kick-in-the-booty exercise Jumpstart. It’s designed to get<br />
you results you’ll notice so you’ll be stoked to keep going on your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl journey. It<br />
introduces you to way of life that leads to lasting fitness, not flash-in-the-pan “omg I<br />
looked so fantastic for a week and then it all went away” fitness.
OK, so that’s why the Challenge isn’t a diet. Here’s why it’s an event …<br />
#1 — Cuz friends. You’re not alone in this, <strong>Fit</strong> Girl! You’ll have a buncha <strong>Fit</strong> Girl friends online<br />
for the Challenge and can follow each other’s journeys on Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>. We’ll give<br />
you lots of little thoughts along the way about things to share!<br />
#2 — Cuz rewards. Ditching old habits is an accomplishment and we want you to pat<br />
yourself on the back at the end of every week for meeting your eating and exercising goals.<br />
Yeah, we’re being a tad excessive, but we think it’s great to reward ourselves a little bit extra<br />
in the beginning. Just because our <strong>Fit</strong> Girl bodies are the biggest reward doesn't mean<br />
treats aren’t a fun bonus! And by treats we don’t mean food-related treats. We’re girls, not<br />
puppies. (But we do love puppies. Hold on a sec. We have to go look at a picture of puppies<br />
brb.) We’re back, sorry. What were we saying? Oh, right. Rewards! Rewards that push us<br />
further toward our <strong>Fit</strong> Girl goals. Here they are. Coming right up. Drumroll please …<br />
M<br />
This is the picture of<br />
puppies we just looked at.
the rewards<br />
A★ WEEK ONE Get a mani in a color or design you don’t normally get. A new look for the<br />
new <strong>Fit</strong> Girl you! Now you’re literally wearing a reminder of your accomplishments.<br />
Whenever you look down at your hands think about where you’re going! (Frugal Girl<br />
Tip: DIY with Sally Henson Salon Effects Strips. Love.)<br />
A★ WEEK TWO Go shopping for a new workout outfit that makes you feel amazing.<br />
(Frugal Girl Tip: TJMaxx, Target, and Forever 21 have adorb workout clothes on the<br />
cheap. Must. Resist. Temptation. To. Go. Online. And. Shop.)<br />
A★ WEEK THREE Your body’s been working hard for you. Time to pamper it! Treat<br />
yourself to a massage and get your muscles geared up to keep going. (Frugal Girl Tip:<br />
Look for sweet deals on Groupon and Groupon-esque sites or hit up those massage<br />
people in the middle of the mall. They’re usually really good!)<br />
★ WEEK FOUR Celebratory shoes for crossing the Challenge finish line! Pick out a pair<br />
that make you feel really special. Then keep walking toward your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl future!<br />
(Frugal Girl Tip: DSW aka shoe heaven. Hit the clearance section for double frugal.)<br />
A<br />
Ok, so are you majorly stoked now? We are!<br />
Grab your besties and come on in to the Challenge! It’s time to get fit!
Table of Contents<br />
Part I Living<br />
Part II Eating<br />
Part III Exercising<br />
Part IV The Challenge
here we go,<br />
future fit gIrl!<br />
!<br />
Read Parts 1-3 Before Getting Started!
part i: living
Those Goals look great with that Skirt.<br />
What’s the first step to getting fit? Eating right? Exercising? Nope — crafting! “Crafting?<br />
Have you completely lost your minds?” Maybe. It’s debatable. But we’re definitely right<br />
that crafting is the first step to getting fit. To be a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl you need to 1) Craft your goals<br />
and 2) Craft your goals.<br />
First, craft your goals. Why are you doing the Challenge? What are your goals? Write<br />
them down. Be as specific as you can. Getting yourself pumped and goal driven is step<br />
one to becoming a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl. Keep it positive! No writing goals that are body-shaming or<br />
self-hating in any way. You can write that you want thinner thighs but you can’t hate on<br />
your current thighs. K? K.<br />
Second, craft your goals. Cut a heart out of a piece of pretty paper and write your goals in<br />
the middle. Decorate around the edges till your crafting heart’s content then go hang it<br />
somewhere where you’ll see it every day and smile!<br />
Tag us on Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong> with a picture of your heart<br />
or email us at pink@fitgirlsworldwide.com!
Audrey Hepburn loved to sleep ...<br />
… and you should too. Sleep might sound like the total opposite thing you need to do to<br />
become a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl, but it’s not. Your body does all sorts of amazing free repair work for you<br />
while you sleep — and that repair work makes you fitter.<br />
“Wait, you’re telling me that lazing around in bed makes me fitter? Shut the front door.”<br />
Um, it is shut. We don’t want strangers to come in, duh. And yes that’s exactly what we’re<br />
telling you. Not getting enough sleep messes with our metabolisms. Those carb and sugar<br />
cravings we get when we’re tired? That’s because our hunger hormones are thrown off.<br />
We’re more likely to lose fat and control our appetites when our bodies are properly<br />
rested. We’re also more likely to have the energy to exercise, another thing that makes<br />
metabolisms happy. 7-9 hours a night. Do it. Your body will majorly heart you. (Hearts!)<br />
PS: And sleep really does make you more beautiful. That free repair work we mentioned?<br />
That includes repairing your skin. Well-rested skin looks more youthful and has fewer fine<br />
lines and dark circles. Sleep is the best free beauty treatment on the market next to water.<br />
(We’re gonna talk a lot about water later but why don’t you go ahead and have a glass<br />
right now to pre-game. Mmmmmmm.)
“off to go get<br />
fit and pretty.”
5 Tips for a <strong>Fit</strong>ter Night’s Rest<br />
If you’re thinking, “This sleep thing sounds amazeballs and I wanna get me some but<br />
I’m like the worst sleeper ever,” here are a few tips to get you going. Or rather, not going.<br />
1. BEDTIMES AREN’T JUST FOR KIDS. Having consistent sleep/wake schedules is just<br />
as good for us now as it was when we were child people. If you have way diff sleep/<br />
wake schedules on weekends and weekdays, you might be experiencing what<br />
researchers call “social jet lag.” Your body literally thinks you’re taking it between<br />
time zones. Staying as consistent as possible with your schedule will keep your body<br />
from thinking you’re going to Europe and back every weekend, unless you are going<br />
to Europe and back every weekend in which case we’re tired just thinking about it<br />
and we hope you’re good at sleeping on planes.<br />
2. GO OLD SCHOOL. Using things with screens too close to bedtime gets in the way of<br />
sleep. The light from the screens combined with the mental stimulation makes it<br />
really hard to wind down. Aim to go technology-less an hour before bed — yes, this<br />
includes your phone. Especially your phone. No, seriously, your phone. Turn that<br />
phone off. And the tv.
!<br />
3. CAFFEINE DON’T GOT YOUR BACK. Caffeine stays in your system a lot longer than<br />
you think it does and wants to ruin your sleep. After all, that’s like its job. Reduce<br />
overall caffeine intake and cut it off completely by 3pm. The earlier the better. #sofit<br />
#sopretty.<br />
4. EXERCISE IS SLEEP’S SORTA BFF. Regular exercise is fab for getting your zzz’s. But<br />
exercising within a couple hours of bedtime makes it harder to get your nighttime<br />
Zen on. Plan your exercise jive sessions to jive with your sleep schedule — you know,<br />
that regular one you’re gonna start keeping on both weekends and weekdays like a<br />
rockstar. (Wait, bad analogy, don’t listen to us. Not like a rockstar, they have the<br />
worst sleep schedules. Mega social and legit jet lag.)<br />
5. GET YOUR MIND TO CHILLAX. If your mind goes into hyper thinky-mode the second<br />
it hits the pillow, try writing down the things that are on your mind before you climb<br />
in bed, whether it’s tomorrow’s to-do list or bigger worries and woes. A calm mind<br />
makes a calm and sleepy body. A calm and sleepy body makes a fitter, healthier,<br />
prettier you!<br />
Bonus Tip: Gentle yoga or light stretching — in bed. Great for waking up too!
“what kind of day<br />
will i have?
Weighing yourself every day is So 1927.<br />
Ok, now that you’re all rested, let’s talk about what happens after you wake up. Do you<br />
hop on the scale every morning? Does the number on that scale determine your mood for<br />
the day? A lower number and it’s a good day, a higher number and it’s misery? It’s time to<br />
end the tyranny of daily weigh-ins.<br />
GRRLS IN FLUX. Why are daily weigh-ins a bad idea? Well, for starters our weight<br />
naturally fluctuates a couple pounds every day — and even within the same day —<br />
depending on what food and beverages are inside of us, how much sodium we’ve eaten,<br />
and whether we’ve used the ladies’ room. Chug down 16oz of water? That’s an extra<br />
pound inside you right now. Have you gained a pound (or 0.453592 kg for our metric<br />
friends)? No, of course not. But if you stepped on the scale the number would say you did.<br />
SODI-DUM-DUM-DUMMMM. “Wait, why does sodium make our weight fluctuate?<br />
Sodium doesn’t have calories.” What sodium has is worse than calories. It has the power<br />
to turn us into girl-shaped water balloons. Excess sodium makes us retain water aka<br />
weigh more aka be bloaty. We’ll have more to say about sodium in the eating section. For<br />
now let’s keep on with the scale.
PERIOD TALK. A lot of women gain a few pounds before/during their periods. If you’re<br />
drinking lots of water, exercising, eating a healthy diet of fruits, veggies, nuts, and whole<br />
grains, getting plenty of sleep, and limiting caffeine, and sodium (aka everything we’re all<br />
about in this book), then it’s just water weight and will go away after your period’s over. If<br />
you’re not doing the above things and binging your way through PMS cravings, then<br />
some of this is real weight gain that you can control by changing your habits. Basically the<br />
things that makes a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl also lead to happier periods, if there is such a thing. Maybe<br />
you’re the only girl ever who enjoys her period. That’s cool for you. We def don’t. (PS: The<br />
hot lemon water we talk about in the beverage section also helps with bloating.)<br />
THE MORAL OF THIS STORY? Don’t friggin weigh yourself right before or during your<br />
period unless you’re in the mood to make yourself feel unhappy and defeated for no<br />
reason whatsoever, which is just cray.<br />
SANE GIRL WEIGH-INS. Weighing yourself isn’t necessary to becoming a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl (there<br />
are other ways to track your progress that we’ll talk about in a sec), but if you want to<br />
weigh in, try monthly or x2 monthly weigh-ins that are timed with your period. For<br />
monthly weigh-ins, do them right after your period. For x2 monthly weigh-ins, do them<br />
right after your period and exactly two weeks later. This will free you from letting<br />
numbers control your daily life while also giving you more accurate readings. Snaps!
f.a.b. o.n. for accurate weigh-ins!<br />
F<br />
A<br />
B<br />
O<br />
N<br />
First thing in the morning<br />
After you use the ladies’ room<br />
Before you eat or drink<br />
On the same scale<br />
Nekkid
That whole Muscle / Fat Thang.<br />
The other big reason weights are tricky is because of muscle. You’ve probably heard<br />
people say, “Muscle weighs more than fat.” Ok, so that’s not technically true but their<br />
hearts are in the right place. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat just<br />
like a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks — they all weigh a pound.<br />
When people say “muscle weighs more than fat” what they’re really trying to say is that a<br />
pound of fat takes up a lot more space than a pound of muscle.<br />
What does that mean? Two girls who are 5’4 and weigh 130 pounds can have completely<br />
totally different bodies. The one with more fat will look significantly larger than the one<br />
with more muscle. Your ideal <strong>Fit</strong> Girl body could be one that weighs similar to what you<br />
do now — only with the weight in muscle rather than fat. And that’s why weight doesn’t<br />
tell the whole story.<br />
Bonus: The girl with more muscle also burns more calories in her resting state, aka by not<br />
doing anything. Yay! Building lean muscle is one of the tricks to being able to eat more<br />
once you get to Maintaining <strong>Fit</strong> Girl Bod Mode. We’ll talk more about strength training<br />
when we get to Exercising. For now, a few more notes about tracking your progress.
Other Ways to Track <strong>Fit</strong> Girl Progress!<br />
THE MEASUREMENT TEST. Measurements, like weight, are a good general<br />
guide. Their hiccup is also related to muscle. A rounder booty, for instance,<br />
takes up more space than a flatter one. Still, like we said, a good general<br />
guide. When measuring, measure the smallest part of your waist and the<br />
fullest part of your hips, upper thighs, chest, and upper arms. Once a month<br />
right after your — yes — period is a good time to measure.<br />
THE CLOTHES TEST. If your clothes feel looser and it’s not because you’ve<br />
been sitting in front of the tv with your legs tucked up in your shirt (oh, how<br />
many shirts we’ve ruined this way) that’s a sign you’re getting your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl on.<br />
This is great for girls who want to quit the numbers game. <strong>Fit</strong> Girl Project:<br />
Take a picture of yourself in a pair of jeans at the beginning of the Challenge<br />
and take a progress picture at the end of every week and then collage them!<br />
THE PHOTO TEST. Before & After photos are another fab way to track<br />
progress. No numbers for this one either. B&A pics are best taken a month<br />
apart in the same outfit with the same background, same pose, and same<br />
angle for the most accurate comparisons. We (again) recommend the day<br />
after your period for happiest results. (PS: Share your B&A pics with us on<br />
Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong> or email us at pink@fitgirlsworldwide.com!)
Bananas and Apples and Pears, oh my!<br />
Knock knock. “Who’s there?” Banana. “Banana who?” Banana why are we always talking<br />
about women’s bodies as fruit? (And how did Hourglasses rando get mixed in? Probs cuz<br />
no fruit looks like an hourglass — except maybe kinda butternut squash?) Anyway, we<br />
don’t know who started the whole “Women are Fruit” thing but we like fruit so we’re<br />
gonna play along because it’ll help us talk about something super important that gets<br />
majorly ignored.<br />
GENES AND JEANS. We all have genes. And they impact how we look in our jeans. It’s<br />
important to remember the role genetics plays in the <strong>Fit</strong> Girl journey. How your body<br />
looks depends not only on how much weight you carry, but where your body carries it.<br />
Some girls carry more weight on top (Apples) and some more on bottom (Pears). Some<br />
have straighter bodies (Bananas) and some have curvier ones (Hourglasses). We can<br />
dramatically alter our shape through eating and exercise, but we can’t completely erase our<br />
genes. Nor do we get to pick where we lose fat from. (Sry.) A Pear doesn’t get to say, “Imma<br />
go for a jog and burn this extra weight off my thighs” any more than an Apple gets to say,<br />
“Imma go for a jog and burn this extra weight off my arms.” Sure, fat will come off those<br />
areas, but not just those areas. It’ll come off a little from all over. (Even your boobs, sry<br />
again.) Our bodies each have their own fav places to store fat. Just how they roll.
PRACTICE SAFE FRUIT. We want everyone’s <strong>Fit</strong> Girl journey to be as happy feelings<br />
making as possible. (Sparkles! Unicorns! Rainbows! Penguin kisses!) So just a friendly<br />
reminder to look to your own fruit when getting your <strong>Fit</strong>spiration on and setting your<br />
goals. There are great-looking <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> of every natural body shape. Again, you can<br />
absolutely dramatically alter your shape through Eating and Exercise, but if a Banana is<br />
looking up to an Hourglass, it ain’t ever gonna happen without a lotta plastic surgery. And<br />
you don’t need that, Banana! You can be an awesome sexy <strong>Fit</strong> Girl Banana! We love<br />
bananas! Especially with almond butter. #yum (PS: To be clear, that was not a threat to eat<br />
you, capital B Bananas. We are just getting excited to talk about food. And have a snack.)<br />
BE YOUR OWN FIT GIRL. That’s the message we want to leave our Living section on. The<br />
Challenge isn’t about getting everyone to rock the same ultimate fitness goals, it’s about<br />
getting every <strong>Fit</strong> Girl to rock her own goals. That’s why we didn’t write your hearts for you.<br />
The Challenge welcomes all healthy fitness goals and shapes and sizes. The Eating and<br />
Exercise sections you’re about to read are a Jumpstart blast to help everyone start losing<br />
fat and building lean muscle tone — two things that will help <strong>Fit</strong> Girl progress toward any<br />
goal. After the Challenge you can further go after exactly what kind of body you<br />
ultimately want. You’ll have an amazing base of healthy habits to build from! And some<br />
rockin’ strength. Go forth and Be Your Own <strong>Fit</strong> Girl, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>. Rock those hearts.
ps: remember to wear sunscreen.<br />
SPF 30. Every. Single. Day. Forever.
part ii: eating
Team Food for the Win!<br />
What’s more important to becoming a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl, eating habits or exercise? “Exercise!” Did you<br />
not read the heading? We totally gave away the answer. “Oh. I skipped that. Can I change<br />
my answer?” Sure. “Eating!” You’re right. What you eat is more important than exercise.<br />
Like, way more important. Way way. And that includes what you drink. Unless you’re a legit<br />
professional athlete (in which case it’s super weird that you’re reading a book about<br />
jumpstarting your fitness), you’re never gonna find the time to burn off all the excess<br />
calories you’re consuming. “Awesome! So you’re saying I don’t have to exercise. I love this<br />
book!” Um, no, that’s not what we’re saying. Exercise is the cherry on top of the strawberry<br />
smoothie that is eating. It’s what helps us lose fat faster, build slimming muscle tone, and<br />
keep our hot <strong>Fit</strong> Girl bods once we get them. Also, it’s great for our overall health.<br />
BAD MATH. Most people majorly overestimate how many calories they burn working out<br />
and majorly underestimate how many calories they eat and drink. No bueno. This is why a<br />
lot of people who work out regularly don't lose weight — or worse, gain weight. And we’re<br />
not talking about muscle weight, we’re talking about fat. Yes, many people who work out<br />
consistently continue to gain fat. Maybe you’ve noticed this happen to you, or maybe it’s<br />
happening to you right now. We can fix that. That’s what the Challenge is all about.
STOP US IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE. Girl Z is trying to get her <strong>Fit</strong> Girl on. She goes on a<br />
solid morning run for 30 minutes. She’s feeling great about herself. A+. She got her exercise<br />
in for the day and it’s not even nine o’clock yet. Woot! On the way to work, she rewards<br />
herself to a carmel coffee frap with whip. She deserves it. She was a baller this morning. It’s<br />
true, she was. Only here’s the prob. Her hard job running burned about 350 calories and her<br />
drink was about 400 calories. She’s not gonna lose an ounce. She’s gonna slowly gain<br />
weight. She drastically overestimated what kind of “reward” she deserved for her run. (And,<br />
again, we’re all about ditching food and drinks as “rewards” for fitness goals because, this.)<br />
“BUT SHE JOGGED SO HARD!” I know. She did. She was legit. But the cold truth is that it’s<br />
time-consuming to burn calories and it’s not time-consuming to eat them. We can pound<br />
down 600 calories of fries in 10 minutes, but it takes an hour of hard exercise to burn them<br />
off — and that’s just a side dish and with a very rigorous hour workout. It would take about<br />
2.5 hours of walking to burn off those fries. Restaurant meals often crush the 1500 calorie<br />
mark. Post-dinner marathon, anyone?<br />
CUTER MATH. The Challenge is here to get your eating on track so that you finally start<br />
seeing the <strong>Fit</strong> Girl results you want. We’re taking you on an eating and exercise adventure<br />
that turns bad math into cute math. Cute math is gonna change your life. Get ready.
This is our assistant, Ray.<br />
He likes chasing moving<br />
objects, high fives, and naps.<br />
P<br />
Calories burned ><br />
Calories eaten<br />
=<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl!!!
Clean is the New Pink.<br />
JK. Nothing is. But Clean Eating is pretty rad. And it’s what the Challenge eating plan is all<br />
about — detoxing our eating habits of heavily-processed foods while enjoying favs like<br />
pizza, tacos, lasagna, and grilled cheese in a revamped sexy Clean way.<br />
“WAIT, WHAT ARE HEAVILY-PROCESSED FOODS?” You know those foods with tons of<br />
ingredients on the label and a buncha strange long words nobody knows how to<br />
pronounce? “Yeah.” Those are heavily-processed foods. Heavily-processed foods typically<br />
contain a lotta white flour and sugar. White flour and sugar are high in calories and low on<br />
making us feel full. They also make us crave more white flour and sugar. Quick trick:<br />
Heavily-processed foods are (generally) the ones on the inside aisles of the grocery stores.<br />
“SO WHAT’S CLEAN?” The foods on the outside aisles! You know, the ones that look closer<br />
to how we find them in nature: fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, dairy, whole grains. (It’s great to<br />
buy organic when you can for meat, eggs, and dairy because the animals are more<br />
humanely raised and haven’t been pumped full of hormones.) We’ve made you a little chart<br />
on the next page with some of the many many Clean Eating foods. There are way too many<br />
for us to list, for instance all fruits and veggies and beans are Clean, but you’ll get the idea.
Fruits Veggies Starch Protein Nuts & Seeds Oils<br />
berries kale brown rice eggs almonds olive<br />
melon green beans black rice Greek yogurt walnuts coconut<br />
citrus spinach quinoa chicken pistachios sunflower<br />
papaya snap peas whole wheat tuna cashews safflower<br />
avocado sweet potatoes oats turkey peanuts avocado<br />
kiwi bell peppers m salmon sesame seeds walnut<br />
mango asparagus Beans white fish sunflower seeds m<br />
cherries cabbage lentils lean red meat pepitas Sweeteners<br />
banana broccoli black tempeh m honey<br />
apple squash garbanzo whey protein Spice coconut sugar<br />
pomegranate artichoke navy hemp protein all spices maple syrup<br />
grapes<br />
brussel adzuki rice protein hot sauce agave<br />
pineapple<br />
sprouts<br />
tomatoes kidney pea protein vinegars fruit juice
“THIS SOUNDS SCARY!” Stay calm. Do not freak out. Breathe. “Bu-bu-but my favorite thing<br />
to do is pass out on the couch unwrapping Starburst while I guzzle from a liter of soda and<br />
suck down Cheetos.” We get it. We’ve been there. We used to eat embarrassing amounts of<br />
junk food. (Whoa. Flashback: Cheese from a can. Lots of cheese from a can. Empty cheese<br />
cans littered all around the room. Tripping over empty cheese cans. Injuring selves from<br />
tripping over empty cheese cans.) If this is you, the Challenge might be a shock to your<br />
system — but it’ll be a good one! This is food the way food was meant to be and we’re<br />
gonna show you how life-changing, body-changing, and taste bud-changing it is.<br />
“ARE YOU TRYING TO BRAINWASH ME?” Yes. And we’re gonna succeed. The Challenge is<br />
gonna rewire you. It’s gonna show you how you can be full on less food when you eat highprotein<br />
Clean meals filled with whole grain carbohydrates, fruits and veggies, and healthy<br />
fats. It’s gonna give you a new direction for your future, one that you can actually maintain<br />
so that all your hard work doesn’t go to waste once the 28 days are over. Like we said, the<br />
Challenge isn’t a diet. It’s a new way of life. Welcome to the party, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>!<br />
“CAN I RSVP MAYBE?” Sorry not sorry we already RSVP-ed for you. It’d be totes rude not to<br />
come. If breaking eating habits was easy, everyone would be a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl. You picked up this<br />
book and you wrote down your goals and you’re gonna freakin reach them. You are a future<br />
member of the <strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s Club. Now let’s go get you there!
over-processed food is scary…<br />
…like these giant creepy dolls.
Umkay, here’s how this is gonna go down.<br />
The Challenge has four different Meal Plans, one for each week. The Meal Plans are<br />
designed to introduce you to a variety of Clean Eating ingredients and recipes so you’ll<br />
have tons of go-to ideas for after the 28 days. We want you to be ready to keep going<br />
toward your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl goals when day 29 rolls around!<br />
THE MEAL PLANS. Each week’s Meal Plan has one breakfast option, one lunch option<br />
(with suggested daily variations), and two alternating dinners. Breakfasts are comforting<br />
good morning hugs designed to hold you over until lunch. Lunch is a detox meal of lean<br />
protein, grains, and vegetables, and dinner is a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl makeover of an Every Girl favorite.<br />
All meals are high in protein to keep your energy up and help you build lean muscle tone.<br />
There’s also a daily power snack for when you need a little boost.<br />
FIND YOUR INNER CHEF. The Meal Plans aren’t just going to help you reach your fitness<br />
goals. They’re going to help you find your inner chef, if you haven’t already. Every <strong>Fit</strong> Girl<br />
has one. We’re gonna let you in on our easy secrets to making food that looks and tastes<br />
wayyy more difficult and calorie-filled than it actually is. You’ll be hosting dinner parties<br />
in no time! (Also, bonus, cooking burns off a few extra calories!)
CRASH COURSE. The meal plans are designed to be easy enough for the beginning chef,<br />
but they do involve a small bit of basic cooking knowledge. Namely, that you know how to<br />
sauté vegetables, fry an egg, and cook a chicken breast (unless you want to buy pre-cooked<br />
ones). If you don’t yet, have no fear! There are about 10 million people on YouTube who<br />
want to teach you to how to do each of these things. (Or, like, 5 people in your real life.)<br />
PREP MADE EAZY. Each week we’ll give you a suggested meal prep schedule to limit<br />
kitchen time for <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> on the run. There are even many meals that you can prepare<br />
multiple days worth of at a time and pack in ready-to-go containers. You don’t have to be a<br />
celebrity to have your own ready-made meal service. You can be your own!<br />
GROCERY LISTS ON THE READY. Each week we’ll also give you a grocery shopping list.<br />
Some leftover ingredients from one week carry also over into later weeks to cut down on<br />
wasted food and extra expenses. Frugal Girl snaps! Depending on the brands that you<br />
choose, quantities may vary, but we’ve done our best to make your shopping as easy as<br />
possible. (Pssst: Remember to adjust your list for any substitutions you make or bonus<br />
ingredients or beverages you add!) For additional savings, substitute fruits and veggies<br />
and proteins that are on sale for the ones on the menu. Our Meal Plans are highly flexible<br />
and you can adjust them to whatever you desire to spend!<br />
WE HEART OUR VEG FRIENDS. The Meal Plans can be made vegan and vegetarian<br />
friendly. We’ll be talking about general substitutions in a few pages, but we’ve also put<br />
lots of specific vegan and vegetarian tips within the actual recipes.
“this is gonna be so<br />
fun, isn’t it coco?”
Double, double, toil and trouble ...<br />
Portions are the potions to <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> success. Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone but you can lose<br />
weight eating Twinkies — so long as you’re not eating more Twinkies than you burn off.<br />
“Hella yeah! I wanna get me on that Twinkie eating plan. Hook a sister up.” No. “Yes!” No!<br />
Look, that wasn’t the point of us telling you this and we’re sorry we ever did. “Gimme<br />
Twinkies!” We’re trying to make a bigger point here, so can you like just forget about the<br />
friggin Twinkies for a sec and keep reading? “Fine.”<br />
Just because we can lose weight on junk doesn’t meal we’ll feel great, or that it’s good for<br />
our health. In one sense a calorie is just a calorie, but in another sense what kind of<br />
calories we eat does matter. They matter for making us feel full rather than triggering<br />
sugar and carb cravings and for giving us the energy we need to do all the stuff we want.<br />
And again, our health, obv.<br />
Even when we’re eating healthy, though, it’s still all about the portion size. And portion<br />
isn’t fundamentally about the quantity of food on our plates — it’s about the calories on<br />
our plates. That’s why we’re Clean Eating brainwashing you. You’ll get to eat more food for<br />
less calories and feel more full.
Let’s take a couple questions from the imaginary audience in our head …<br />
“I THOUGHT I COULD EAT AS MUCH AS I WANT IF IT WAS HEALTHY?” Whoa. Who told<br />
you that? “The Internet, my mom, three friends from work, this one talking cat I know.”<br />
What’s your name? “Kacie.” Hi, Kacie. I’m sorry the but Internet, your mom, your three<br />
friends from work, and the talking cat lied to you. Maybe not intentionally, but they did.<br />
(Can we meet the talking cat, though?) The myth that you can eat whatever you want if<br />
it’s healthy is one of the worse weight-loss myths ever and we’re sorry it’s still out there.<br />
It’s why a lot of people get weight-loss disappointed when they try switching to healthier<br />
foods and still don’t lose weight. Similarly, a lotta people also mistakenly think a vegan or<br />
vegetarian diet alone will help them lose weight — nope. A calorie is still a calorie.<br />
Whether it’s white rice or brown rice, meat or tofu, you gotta measure it.<br />
This is the talking cat,<br />
whom, yes, we totes got<br />
to meet.<br />
M<br />
“THAT DOESN'T COUNT FOR NUTS, RIGHT?” Grrl you cray? It especially<br />
counts for nuts. Don't be another casualty in the “nuts are a great<br />
snack” trap. Nuts are a great snack, but you only if you eat a tiny<br />
handful. Eat a couple regular handfuls and you've got 500-600 extra<br />
calories to burn off. “That's nuts!” Um … yes.<br />
Ok, that's all we have time for. Be a <strong>Fit</strong> Witch, know your portion potions.<br />
(Or just, like, cast a spell on yourself, obv. #shortcuts #magic)
“i totes didn’t cheat<br />
and use a spell.”
WinNing POtions<br />
Who run the Meal Plans? <strong>Girls</strong>! — And accurate measurements. Ya know that<br />
potion thing we were just talking about? The recipes in the Meal Plans have been<br />
carefully portioned so that you can have maximum taste and get maximum<br />
results. But this only works if you follow our recipes super duper carefully like<br />
your Challenge results depend on it. Because they do. So, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>, get out your<br />
measuring cups and spoons and let’s rock this mother Beyoncé style!<br />
1. PACK LIGHT. Lightly place grains and shredded cheese into measuring cups,<br />
don’t pack them down. Packing things down drastically alters portion size.<br />
2. MIND YOUR Ts. Make sure your tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are<br />
exact, not heaping. Remember that “T” means tablespoon and “t” means<br />
teaspoon. It’s important not to confuse the two. (Cute Tip: The little “t” is the<br />
littler measurement! #aww)<br />
3. VEG OUT. It’s ok if fruit and veggie measurements overflow a little (except<br />
avocado and potatoes) — and you can def pack down leafy greens because<br />
they’re feisty and like to pop out! The main reason to stick closely to veggie<br />
quantities in the recipes is so that everything assembles properly. After all,<br />
there’s only room for so many veg friends on the Zucchini Boats.
BTWS, you also get to eat dark chocolate.<br />
Every. Single. Day. This is another thing we stole from Audrey. She loved to savor a midafternoon<br />
square of dark chocolate. We almost never go a day without one. (Sometimes we<br />
even eat ours as a morning snack. We’re doing that right now. Shhhhh. We’d share but we<br />
don’t have enough for everyone and our moms said that’s rude. Sry.)<br />
And by dark chocolate we do mean dark chocolate. Most “dark chocolates” are more along<br />
the lines of semi-sweet chocolate (about 55% cocoa content). That means they have a lot of<br />
sugar in them. We want you to get your taste buds to love the 85% variety — but if you’re<br />
not ready to go there 70% is fine. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the more chocolatey<br />
goodness and less sugar. A square of 85% dark chocolate has less than 2 grams. Huzzah!<br />
PS: All brands are sized a little different, but most squares are 60 calories. If your brand has<br />
teeny squares, just treat yourself to a 60 calorie portion. (Hint: It’s also great melted and<br />
drizzled onto the fruit that’s part of the Meal Plan!) If you don’t like dark chocolate, 1) who<br />
are you? “Tara!” (that was a rhetorical question) and 2) you can have 60 calories of fruit.<br />
“Fruit?! Boo! I want candy.” Well, dark chocolate actually has health benefits so the best sub<br />
is fruit not candy. “Okaaay.”
ahem. we said one piece.
Eating on the Reg.<br />
There’s a lot of talk about how many meals a day we should eat, what time we should eat<br />
them, and whether we should be lounging in a hammock when we do. (We made that last<br />
part up. We’ve never heard anyone say that. But could somebody please say that? We really<br />
want an excuse to get a hammock. Maybe we’ll just get one anyway.) We think how many<br />
times a day you eat is fundamentally a personal choice about makes you feel the most<br />
satisfied, so long as you’re consistent fueling and not letting yourself get famished before<br />
hitting the food. Some people prefer the Old-Fashioned 3 larger meals and a snack, and<br />
some people like the New-Fashioned 5-6 mini meals.<br />
CONGRATS! EVERYONE WINS A PONY!<br />
“OMG. This is the best day of my life. I’ve<br />
always wanted a pony but like my parents<br />
wouldn’t get me one and now it’s finally<br />
happening like I knew it would and OMG when<br />
does my pony arrive? I’ll be waiting outside for<br />
her. What’s her favorite color, does she like —”
Whoa there, <strong>Fit</strong> Girl. By “pony" we just mean that our Meal Plans are bi-fashioned and you<br />
get your pick of which way you want to eat. “I don’t understand [eyes welling up].” We were<br />
joking. “There’s no pony?” Uh … no. “But you said —” Sometimes people just say things.<br />
“[Inaudible through hysterical sobbing].” Ok, clearly this went totallllly different than we<br />
were hoping and we tapped into something major. We just thought you’d like to see a cute<br />
picture of ponies. We feel terrible now. Um, here’s a tissue. Take all the time you need.<br />
~ 2 HOURS LATER ~<br />
“I’m great now! We can go on. I went out and adopted 6 dogs. If you add them together it’s<br />
like having a pony!!!” Great. Whatever makes you happy. I hope you have a spacious house.<br />
So, really, all we were trying to say before the whole P-O-N-Y debacle was that the Meal<br />
Plans are set up the Old-Fashioned way for prep convenience and Old-Fashioned eaters, but<br />
they can easily be eaten New-Fashioned by dividing lunch in half and having it as two<br />
smaller midday meals, having the fruit from dinner as an evening snack, dividing the<br />
official snack in half and having it as two smaller snacks — or whatever division of the day’s<br />
food makes you feel the most happy! A few of the meals also have hard-boiled eggs, which<br />
make great mini-meal pick-me-ups. The important thing is that you’re sticking to the<br />
amount of food on the plan. How you eat it throughout the day is <strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s Choice.
Send your salt shaker a breakup text.<br />
All right, it’s time. More of “the sodium talk.” Following the Meal Plans accurately also<br />
means not adding extra salt. “But I love my salt shaker!” He’s not good for you, ok? End it.<br />
Our bodies do need some sodium, just not nearly (like not even remote nearly) as much as<br />
we give them thanks to all the added sodium in fast foods, frozen meals, and other heavily<br />
processed foods. The Meal Plans have plenty of sodium in them without shaking on more.<br />
Remember: Salt is one of the main things not making you look as fit as you want to. So<br />
push your salt shakers aside, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>. It’s not you, it’s them.<br />
This might be an adjustment at first if you’re a salt fiend — but your tastebuds will reset<br />
over the course of the Challenge. When we eat lots of sodium we lose our sensitivity to it.<br />
(The same goes for sugar.) The Challenge is gonna reset your sensitivity to both sugar and<br />
salt. This means you’ll be satisfied with less of them and foods that are overly salty and<br />
sugary will taste like major overkill if you encounter them in the future.<br />
“Great, so you’re condemning me to a life of bland food.” As if! We would not stand for<br />
that. Lowering sodium doesn’t mean lowering taste. Do you know how many flavors are<br />
out there beside salt? Like a whole lot. Our recipes are full of things like garlic, onion,<br />
ground pepper, fresh herbs, and spice that make things taste flavorfully delicious! And<br />
you can always add any herbs, hot peppers, or spices you want. You’ll be fine. Great, even!
“One plateful of feelings, please!”<br />
Emotional eating is one of the biggest obstacles for a lotta girls who are trying to get their<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl on — it was one of ours too. “What’s emotional eating?” It’s when we eat for reasons<br />
other than hunger. Like when we’re excited or bored or sad or stressed or nervous or tired.<br />
“Ohhhh. I totes do that. Frowny face.” Don’t stress. (Or stress eat!) Like we said, we used to<br />
emotionally eat too. You’re <strong>Fit</strong> Girl-izing all sorts of habits this month, let’s <strong>Fit</strong> Girl-ize this<br />
one too!<br />
You already have a set Meal Plan for the month. Try making a set eating schedule to go with<br />
it. This eliminates you from thinking of food as an emotional option during other parts of<br />
the day. And when you’re tempted to emotionally eat, reach for your water instead. (Why<br />
don’t you go drink another glass of water right now to keep pre-gaming for that upcoming<br />
water discussion we told you about? Woot!) Drinking water satisfies the desire to consume<br />
something, but does it in a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl friendly way. Tea is another good go-to.<br />
Food is fuel. It can be delicious and fun, but it’s fun-damentally fuel. (Yeah, sorry. We’ll<br />
stop.) It feels so good to eat for nourishment rather than emotion. It even makes your food<br />
taste better! Our feelings aren’t food, so let’s stop trying to eat them.
what did we<br />
just say?
Can we get a Sub in here?<br />
WHO RUN THE MEAL PLAN (THE SEQUEL)? <strong>Girls</strong>! — and accurate substitutions. We’ve<br />
done our best to make a meal plan that’s maximum yum for as many people as possible,<br />
but we know that all <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> are dealing with different preferences, allergies, and<br />
available ingredients. We want you to feel confident that you’re making substitutions that<br />
keep the Meal Plan in fighting form, so we’ve put together a chart. (Charts! Charts rhymes<br />
with hearts! Hearts!) Make sure to follow it as closely as possible. It’s important to match<br />
the calories we’ve suggested so that your meals are the samesies as the Meal Plan. This is<br />
just as important as measuring accurately. We want everyone to get the most benefit<br />
possible out of the the Challenge. Everyone put a hand in. “<strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>” on 3. 1-2-3-FIT GIRLS!<br />
TO SOY OR NOT TO SOY. That is the <strong>Fit</strong> Girl question. There’s a lot of conflicting research<br />
on soy and people have different experiences with how it makes them look and feel. We<br />
find it makes us lethargic and bloated and stick to an almost totally soy-free diet. But if<br />
you’re vegan or vegetarian you’re going to need to make protein substitutions in the Meal<br />
Plan and a lot of protein substitutes contain soy. So we want to talk about your best<br />
options, both soy and soy-free. (PS: Our non-veg friends can use these too when you feel<br />
like having a veg day!)
SOY PROTEIN SUBS. If you have a positive relationship with soy, you can sub in tofu,<br />
tempeh, and edamame for Meal Plan proteins. Avoid meat-imitation products. They’re<br />
processed veg junk food. Stick to the pure stuff. Organic soy veggie burgers made with<br />
whole grains are ok, too, but most of them have much less protein and higher calories<br />
than tofu, tempe, and edamame and are more like eating a grain than a protein.<br />
NON-SOY PROTEIN SUBS. Unsweetened pea, rice, and hemp protein powders are rad.<br />
Unsweetened whey powder is too, if you’re dairy-friendly. Vegetarians can also eat extra<br />
eggs and Greek yogurt. Nuts and beans have some protein in them, but not nearly as much<br />
as these others. We encourage non-soy vegans to have one protein shake a day to keep up<br />
with their protein points. (Actually they’re called protein grams but protein points sounds<br />
funner. Like we’re playing a food game with prizes — which we totally are.)<br />
WE HEART OUR GLUTEN-FREE FRIENDS. Like soy, there are two kinds of gluten-free<br />
products: junk food ones and Clean Eating-friendly ones. The junk food ones are the ones<br />
made out of white rice. Boo. The Clean Eating-friendly ones are the ones made out of<br />
brown rice, quinoa, and bean flours. If you want to substitute gluten-free bread, be a label<br />
hound and make sure it’s the good stuff. (PS: You also have the option to substitute equal<br />
calories of brown rice, black rice, or quinoa for bread products. Our bread dishes taste<br />
great “bowl style” too! Anyone who prefers quinoa and rice to bread can do this too!)
m<br />
Chicken<br />
Eggs<br />
Sliced Turkey<br />
Greek yogurt<br />
Cheese<br />
Ricotta cheese<br />
Vegetables<br />
Sweet Potato<br />
Fruit<br />
Pomegranate Seeds<br />
Substitutes<br />
120 calories of any alternate protein<br />
60 calories of any alternate protein per egg<br />
30 calories of any alternate protein per 1oz turkey<br />
Regular plain yogurt if necessary,<br />
but nothing matches the protein of Greek style<br />
Equal calories of alternate protein or non-dairy Cheese<br />
Same quantity cottage cheese<br />
Same quantity of any alternate vegetable<br />
except potatoes or sweet potatoes<br />
Same quantity regular potato, equal calories protein,<br />
or twice as many other vegetables of your choice<br />
Equal calories of any alternate fruit<br />
1/3 cup of extra veggies<br />
“I can’t find a good avocado!” Same quantity of store-bought guacamole<br />
“I’m allergic to avocado!”<br />
25 calories of whatever you want per 1T avocado
m<br />
Brown Rice<br />
Quinoa<br />
Polenta<br />
Whole Wheat Products<br />
English Muffin<br />
Almond Butter<br />
Almond Milk<br />
Nuts<br />
Nut Allergies<br />
Honey<br />
“I don’t like this meal.”<br />
Substitutes<br />
Equal quantity of quinoa or black rice<br />
Equal quantity of brown rice or black rice<br />
1/2 cup pasta, quinoa, or brown rice<br />
Use regular versions if you can't find whole wheat<br />
Equal calories whole wheat bread<br />
Any other nut butter<br />
1% milk or any unsweetened alternative milk<br />
Equal calories of another nut or seed<br />
Equal calories of any non-nut ingredient<br />
Same quantity of agave or maple syrup<br />
If you ever don't like a meal, do the Build-A-Bowl from<br />
Week Four, sub another Meal Plan meal, or create your own!
“i totally forgot<br />
my meal at home.”
In the Event of a <strong>Fit</strong> Girlmergency.<br />
You have a work event.<br />
Or a friend’s birthday dinner.<br />
Or a holiday party.<br />
Or (gasp) you forget your meal at home.<br />
Fear not, we have a solution! It’s virtually impossible to find a 28 day stretch where there’s<br />
nothing special going on — and that’s a good thing. After all, what’s the point of being a<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl if you don’t have a life to go out and live? Even if that nothing special 28 day stretch<br />
existed, there’s still that chance of forgetting to take your lunch to school or work. So let’s<br />
go over all the scenarios for when you can’t have your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl meal so that you make the<br />
best choices for staying on track with the Challenge!<br />
YOU HAVE A RESTAURANT EVENT. This one’s easy, so long as you have the willpower to<br />
avoid the breadbasket and order like a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl — which you do! OK, so what does a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl<br />
order? She orders things that have the ingredients you see on the Clean Eating list. She<br />
orders lean proteins with lots of vegetables and a small serving of grain, sauce on the side<br />
(and she only uses a dollop of the sauce, like the portion we use in the recipes).
She is cautious toward salads. “Salad” sounds like the ultimate <strong>Fit</strong> Girl friendly of all foods,<br />
but a lot of restaurant salads are as high in calories as their other meals — and it’s not just<br />
because of the dressing, although that’s part of it. It’s all the cheeses, nuts, dried fruits,<br />
and fried fixin’s they often load them with. If salad strikes a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s fancy, she pays<br />
attention to the ingredients and looks for one with lots of veggies that’s topped with<br />
unbreaded and unfried protein. And, of course, she also gets that dressing on the side.<br />
The other main thing a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl watches out for at restaurants is portion size. Restaurants<br />
often serve 2-3 meals worth of food in one serving. Hopefully by the time your first<br />
restaurant event rolls around you’ll have gotten the hang of Meal Plan portion size and be<br />
a savvy judge of a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl friendly meal size.<br />
YOU FORGOT YOUR LUNCH. You have a lotta good options here. You can hit up a grocery<br />
store that has a salad bar and make your own Clean Eating masterpiece. Also at the<br />
grocery store, you can go for a low-sodium frozen meal from an organic brand like Amy’s.<br />
You can grab take-away from a place that has Clean Eating friendly foods. Fast food isn’t<br />
preferred, but it works in a pinch due to their expanding healthier menus. Look for<br />
something that’s under 400 calories and has the most Clean Eating happy ingredients.<br />
And then there’s always this easy option: 150 calorie protein shake + one piece of fruit +150<br />
calories of nuts. Have your pick!
YOU HAVE A HOLIDAY PARTY. Pop quiz. What’s a holiday party? “Are you asking me?” Yes,<br />
you, you in the pink top. (Pink!) “An event where I go binge on anything I want to lalalala<br />
parties are for stuffing my face omg my mouth is getting so full just thinking about all the<br />
food imma put in it at that party. Nom nom nom.” No! That is not a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl friendly answer,<br />
but we love your pink top. It’s important to ditch the mindset that holiday party =<br />
bingefest. Binging can really set us back in our fitness goals, mentally and physically. It<br />
promotes an unhealthy relationship to food, re-triggers emotional eating habits, and<br />
undoes our hard work — and fast.<br />
There are almost always Clean Eating friendly foods to be found somewhere at parties. You<br />
can even bring one to share if it’s a potluck! But even if you only bring your willpower, you<br />
can stay on the Challenge at parties. Take a look at your goals before heading out and focus<br />
on the companionship over the food. Having your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl meal before going and then<br />
snacking on veggies as you mingle is a great option. It may not sound like the sexiest eating<br />
adventure, but it will keep you on track as you finish rewiring your eating habits.<br />
FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY. These guidelines are intended for emergency use only. If you<br />
want to get all the benefits of the Challenge, only veer from the Meal Plans if totally<br />
unavoidable. We want to make sure you have a solid backup plan that won’t leave you<br />
feeling lost, but remember, it’s just that — a backup plan.
“i cheated.”
In the Event of the Dreaded C-Word.<br />
You cheated. Ok. That’s not ideal, obvi, but it’s also not the end of the world. The best thing<br />
you can do is get right back on track at the next meal and not skip your daily workout.<br />
The quicker you get back on track the less damage you’ve done.<br />
Record this on your phone and play it on loop while you sleep. Kidding — kinda. Here's<br />
what absolutely not to do: Binge the rest of the day away, ditch working out, and tell<br />
yourself you’ll “start again tomorrow.” We don’t know who popularized this way of thinking,<br />
but it’s completely ridic and needs to go so far away. It turns what should have been a little<br />
problem into a big one. There’s nothing magic about a new day. You don’t need a new day to<br />
start over. You just need a new second.<br />
So if you cheat, get positive. Immediately. Get so super<br />
positive. Encourage yourself. Be nice to yourself. Think about<br />
all the good decisions you’ve made. Reflect on why you<br />
cheated and write down a plan for in the future. You’re<br />
building new <strong>Fit</strong> Girl habits and the next second is a chance to<br />
keep building them. You got this, Sister. Keep on keeping on!
do you want more tips<br />
for meal plan success?<br />
“yes please!”
Tip 1: Chew like we’re paying you.<br />
If we told you we were going to pay you one dollar for every time you chewed, you’d chew<br />
more, right? Ok, we’re not gonna actually do that because that’s way beyond our budget —<br />
but pretend. (If you’re rolling your eyes right now thinking, “Chewing? Please. I’m an adult.<br />
I think I know how to chew my food.” No, you don’t. You’re not chewing enough, and it’s<br />
holding you back in your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl goals.)<br />
Chewing is actually more than just chewing — it’s the first step of digestion. The more<br />
fully we chew our food, the easier it is for our bodies to digest, which greatly reduces<br />
bloating and indigestion. You want a flatter tummy? Chew your food. This is especially<br />
important when eating vegetables and whole grains, which you’ll be eating a lot of. Your<br />
body needs extra help breaking down the fiber.<br />
“How do I know if I’ve chewed enough?” Kindergarten Girl Trick: Say the alphabet slowly<br />
while you chew, one letter for each chew. (Say it in your head, not out loud, silly — we<br />
don’t want to see that and your friends probs don’t either. Also they’ll get really sick of<br />
hearing the alphabet over and over again.) Once you get used to how much you need to<br />
chew, you’ll do it naturally and can skip the ABCs!
Tip 2: Slow down, G.<br />
Chewing is also one of the things that slows us down when we eat. “Why should we slow<br />
down?!! Time is money!!! Tick tock!!” Whoa girl, you’re stressin' us out. But we’ll answer<br />
anyway. Slowing down helps our brains register when we’re full (it takes them a little while<br />
to catch up), which prevents us from overeating, which helps us get fit. Chewtastic!<br />
The other thing that helps us slow down is actually paying attention to our food while we’re<br />
eating. Ever eaten lunch at your desk then looked down at the empty plate and wondered<br />
where your food went and not have any satisfaction of having eaten it? Been there. Practice<br />
eating without distractions — as if every meal is at a restaurant and the purpose is to enjoy<br />
the meal. By taking the time to experience your meal, you’ll feel more satisfied after you<br />
finish it. That’s why we take a little extra time to plate our food pretty in the Meal Plans.<br />
When you get your food dressed up, it seems more fun to party with.<br />
PS: If you don't already, practice putting down your fork between bites.<br />
Sometimes we even like eating with chopsticks to keep our bites smaller.<br />
Chopsticks also make any meal feel a little bit special! Unless you eat with<br />
chopsticks all the time in which case it won't feel special at all. Just norm.
Tip 3: Brushing your teeth, bonus edition.<br />
We all know that we’re supposed to brush our teeth after meals. Happy gums, fewer<br />
cavities blah blah blah. But! Brushing our teeth after meals also helps make us a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl.<br />
When we brush our teeth after eating, it gives a sense of closure to the meal and stops us<br />
from mindlessly grazing. It’s hard to crave food when our mouths feel clean and delicious<br />
and minty fresh! Give it a try. It’s made a big difference in our sense of meal satisfaction.<br />
And our dentist has been sups impressed at our checkups. Curtsey.<br />
Tip 4: If you feel hungry, drink.<br />
No, not as in get drunk, as in drink water. (Why don’t you go have one last glass of water to<br />
pre-game for that water talk we promise is almost here?) Our bodies often think they’re<br />
hungry when they’re actually just thirsty. They get confused. When in doubt, drink. Staying<br />
hydrated helps you feel full and energized. Having a glass of water a half hour before you<br />
eat is another great Full Girl trick. We have a lot more to say about beverages. Actually, you<br />
know what, now seems like a good time to get into that …
let’s talk beverages.
You are what you Drink.<br />
What you drink during the day is just as important as what you eat. This is so important<br />
that we're going to say it again in magical unicorns. What you drink during<br />
the day is just as important as what you eat. You<br />
can completely wreck your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl goals by packing on extra calories in beverages —<br />
especially in seemingly “healthy” beverages like juice. And don’t even get us started on the<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl disasters going down at coffee shops right this second. (One drink in particular is<br />
positively shaming the color pink. You know who you are, Drink.)<br />
PASS ON FRUIT JUICES. Fruit juices are exceptionally high in calories and sugar. Like higher<br />
than soda high. “Cray!” Major cray. Even though fruit is a naturally occurring sugar, it’s still<br />
a sugar. Ditch the fruit juice. Don’t worry, we’ll give you plenty of actual fruit in the Meal<br />
Plans. You’ll be well fruit-ed. And actual fruit is more appetite satisfying anyway.<br />
ENJOY COFFEE IN MODERATION. If you’re a coffee drinker, limit coffee to 1-2 small cups<br />
with an optional splash of milk or unsweetened milk alternative. Skip the sugar and faux<br />
sugar. “What!?! No sugar?!? My life is overrrrrr.” You’re fine. Your new <strong>Fit</strong> Girl body will<br />
convince you you’re fine. Try playing around with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and<br />
extracts like vanilla bean and almond instead.
ENJOY GREEN OR BLACK TEA IN MODERATION. You can also have a few cups of green or<br />
black tea, again with an optional splash of milk or unsweetened milk substitute. Moderate<br />
amounts of coffee and tea can legit make you happier and more productive — and recent<br />
studies have found all sorts of other health benefits to both beverages. Too much caffeine,<br />
though, can make you irritable, lead to overeating and anxiety, and as we already talked<br />
about, wreck your sleep cycle. Reducing caffeine will take a little while getting used to if<br />
you are currently hitting it hard (and you may experience headaches the first few days), but<br />
you got this! (And obv you can also go caffeine-free if you prefer.) Herbal aka non-caffeine<br />
teas are also great to drink. Have as much of them as you want any time of day. There are a<br />
zillion kinds to pick from. We’re currently going through an “anything peach” phase.<br />
PASS ON SUGARS AND SUGAR WANNABES. Skip all beverages with sugar and faux sugar.<br />
This means all sodas and pretty much everything you buy in a bottle or can that isn’t water<br />
or unsweetened iced tea. “But diet soda’s totally chill. Woot!” No. It totally isn’t. Woot!<br />
“You’re mean.” Sry. We’re just trying to help. We’ll talk more about diet soda in a bit.<br />
“FINE BUT CAN I AT LEAST HAVE A DRINK?” Are you 21? "Are you for serious carding me?"<br />
Yes. [Hands over ID.] Oh, you're 24. "Duh." You look really young. "Thanks!" Yeah, you can<br />
drink a tiny little bit. But before we tell you about that you have to read about water. No<br />
skipping ahead.
Water is so fetch!<br />
This is the sandcastle<br />
you and water built<br />
together on your<br />
honeymoon.<br />
P<br />
You love water. You want to marry it. You want to carve your initials in a tree with “+ Water<br />
4evr” and then carve a heart around it with an arrow going through. You and water are like<br />
Allie and Noah without the breakup period because you were not even remotely tempted<br />
by Lon and/or dissuaded by your family’s classist values. “Who the F are Allie and Noah?”<br />
WHAT? Do you not speak girl? The Notebook. Watch it while you stretch. Burn some extra<br />
calories crying your friggin eyes out. You’re welcome. #Gosling #Abs<br />
“Why are you asking me about water? I want to get fit. I don’t care about water.” Aha! We<br />
knew it! You aren’t drinking your water. You probably didn’t even drink the three glasses<br />
we told you to drink before getting to this section. “We were … busy. What’s so great about<br />
water anyway?” Only everything. Water does all sorts of wonders. It makes your skin look<br />
prettier and younger. It makes your kidneys happy. It keeps your digestive system moving.<br />
It makes you less bloated. (Sounds like it would be the opposite, but it’s not. When your<br />
body doesn’t get enough water it retains water.) And like we already talked about, water<br />
helps control your appetite. So start getting down with water ASAP cuz you are totes<br />
gonna marry it and love, honor, and cherish it for the rest of your life and have its babies.
m<br />
m<br />
m<br />
m<br />
m<br />
m<br />
m<br />
m<br />
YOUR FIT GIRL WATER MISSION. Drink at least 8 cups (64oz) of water a<br />
day, throughout the day. The throughout part is important. That's what<br />
keeps your body energized and from feeling confused about whether it's<br />
hungry or thirsty. If you chug all your water in a couple sittings you'll just<br />
have to go to the bathroom a lot. Boring.<br />
“UGH. DO I HAVE TO COUNT? I HAVE ENOUGH ON MY MIND.” You totes don’t have to<br />
count. Try this trick: Fill two liter-size bottles in the AM. Take them with you and make sure<br />
they’re empty by the end of the day. Voila! No counting! “Uh, you just counted to two.” Yeah,<br />
ok, you have to count to two. Why are you being so snippy? “Because you won’t let me have<br />
sugar or diet soda and you’re making me drink water.” You’re gonna so love us for it in a<br />
month. You’ll see. “Whatever.”<br />
“HOW DO I REMEMBER TO DO THAT CONSISTENT THING?” Try the same method only<br />
draw four evenly spaced marks on each bottle and label them with hours. IE: 7am, 9am,<br />
11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm. Just finish each portion of water by the listed time. Happy<br />
dance! (PS: Draw hearts next to the marks to remind you of your goals slash to make your<br />
water bottles look extra adorbs. But don’t accidentally use a dry erase marker because we<br />
did that once and ended up with a lot of ink on our faces and had to completely redo our<br />
makeup and were late to a meeting. #learning #lesson #inkonfacesucks)
drink water like this<br />
girl buys hats.
Did we hear someone say Makeover?!?<br />
Flavor water — it’s not like regular water, it’s cool water! If you’re still freaking out at us for<br />
making you drink water, give flavor water a try. All you do is put a small handful of fruit (or<br />
cucumber or herbs) into water and let it marinate. Add your ingredients the night before<br />
and store it in the fridge for bonus flavor. Wake up to water that tastes magically less like<br />
water! Drink through a cute straw for best results. #yum #awww #adorbs #iwantit<br />
Try whatever flavor combos you want. If it’s a fruit you like in real life, you’ll probably also<br />
like it in flavor water life. You can even drop fruit into a water bottle for flavor water on the<br />
run. Go ahead and eat a tiny handful of the fruit a day — just a tiny handful. We trust you.<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
* Origami fruit not recommended.<br />
Our all-time fav flavor water is Spa Water (cucumber, orange,<br />
lemon & lime slices) because 1) it’s delicious and 2) it helps us<br />
make-pretend that our whole life is one big spa experience. For<br />
further spa-delusion fun, cut a couple extra cucumber slices for<br />
your eyes to use during your coconut bubble bath later tonight.<br />
PS: Most store bought flavor waters other than Hint either contain real or faux sugars.<br />
Companies are shady with what they try to pass off as “water” so read labels carefully.
And now it’s time to say goodbye.<br />
… to diet soda. “Not yet. [Chug.] Just one more moment. [Chug.] Have a soul! [Chug, chug,<br />
chug.]” Ok we’re gonna take that can now. Come on. Leggo. Ok. You’re strong. Got it!<br />
Whew. “Diet soda has zero calories. I don’t understand you. I think you’re just trying to<br />
make me sad.” You’re right we’re just trying to make you sad. Here’s your diet soda back.<br />
“Really?” No, not really. “Then like what’s so bad about it?”<br />
First off, you’re pumping a lotta excess carbonation aka air into your tummy, which is<br />
keeping it from being as flat as you want it to be. But that’s not even the real problem. The<br />
real problem is that it’s made with faux sugars. They’re bad news. They come disguised in<br />
cute little “oh look at how adorable I am I have no calories” packages but they mess with<br />
your body — everything from dulling your taste buds to real sugar with their way sweeter<br />
taste to increasing carb and sugar cravings to lowering metabolism.<br />
“So you just want me to like, what, stop?” Yes. 100%. That. “I wouldn’t even know how to<br />
start.” Oooo! Call on us! We’re raising our hand. “Ok, you.” When the need to fizz strikes,<br />
grab an unsweetened flavored bubbly water like Peach Pear La Croix instead. (We really<br />
are in a peach phase.) You’ll still be getting the carbonation, but it’s way better than faux<br />
sugar. Eventually cut back to 2-3 cans a week. “I guess I could tryyyy…” You can more than<br />
try. You can succeed. <strong>Fit</strong> Girl for the win. “Ok, I have to go now see you later.”
um we can<br />
totally see you.
“So what’s that you said about Alcohol?”<br />
Did you throw out that diet soda? “Yes. Promise. Now tell me more about this drinking!” Since<br />
you've been doing such an amazing job drinking water, limiting your caffeine, and are five<br />
seconds clean from lying to us about your diet soda drinking, we want to make sure you're also<br />
having a little fun this month. (Tweenies, this isn't for you. Close your eyes. “Why?” Because<br />
you're 18. Go have a Starbucks with your friends and come back and teach us some new slang,<br />
ok? “Totes!” We already know that one. We'll be expecting something new. [Runs off.] Wait! Sry.<br />
Come back! “Yeah?” Go read the UNDER 21 section on the next page first so you make <strong>Fit</strong> Girl<br />
coffee shop choices! “KK!” xoxo)<br />
DRINKING LIKE A FIT GIRL. All right, legal <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> who like to have a drink, two nights a week<br />
you get to have one — ONE — drink. That's two drinks total a week. And, sups important, it<br />
can't be any drink. Most cocktails are filled with sugars and creams and have more calories than<br />
a meal. They will destroy your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl dreams. Legit Challenge drinks are drinks under 150<br />
calories. Think: a Corona, a 5oz glass of wine (not a “the bartender thinks I'm hot” glass of wine),<br />
or 1.5oz of hard liquor with club soda & a splash of juice. Yes, we said the J-word. We're not<br />
trying to trick you. A splash is fine to snazzy up your drink.
DRINKING LIKE A FIT GIRL — UNDER 21/NON-DRINKERS EDITION. Hey under-agers and<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> who don’t like to get their drink on. We want you to have two special drinks a<br />
week too! Same rules apply. Under 150 calories, still staying as Clean as possible. If you’re<br />
the proud owner of a coffee-stained “I Heart Coffee” t-shirt, you’ll prob want to use your<br />
drinks at the coffee shop. Skip both the ‘light’ drinks (they’re packed with faux sugar) and<br />
the blendy ones (heavily processed). Lattes and cappuccinos are the most Clean friendly.<br />
Have the barista throw in one packet of honey or agave if you want a little bit of sweet. A<br />
green tea latte isn’t bad. Check the calorie info at whatever store you go to. If they don’t<br />
have it, you’re always safe with a 12oz 2% milk latte or cappuccino.<br />
We can’t even drink it. All we can do is look<br />
at it and talk to it like it’s a new friend. Hi<br />
new latte foam friend Chet!<br />
M<br />
“I HATE ALCOHOL AND I HATE COFFEE!” Then whip<br />
yourself up a 150 calorie fruit smoothie! Most of the<br />
ones you get out-and-about have tons of calories and<br />
are made with sugary mixers. You can make a way<br />
Cleaner, yummier one at home. Kombucha is another<br />
fab choice for people who take to its tang. GT’s<br />
Strawberry Serenity is our fav. Another drink we love<br />
is a Green Tea Latte (1t matcha powder + 1 cup milk +<br />
1t honey). You can skip the bonus drinks if you want,<br />
but if you treat yourself, remember to stay Clean.
BeVERAgE RecAP<br />
Whew! That was a lot of beverage talk. Let’s recap everything just so we’re all<br />
clear. Like we said, what you drink is as important to getting results as what you<br />
eat. So be super mindful of what you’re drinking during the Challenge.<br />
A★<br />
A★<br />
A★<br />
A★<br />
A★<br />
A★<br />
A★<br />
Required 8+ glasses of water a day<br />
Optional 2-3 sparkling waters a week<br />
Optional 1-2 small cups of coffee a day<br />
Optional green, black & herbal tea<br />
Optional two 150 calorie bonus drinks<br />
No diet soda, soda, or sugar water<br />
No fruit juice<br />
PS: We love to start our mornings with a mug of hot lemon water and you’re<br />
welcome to join us. This simple drink of one tablespoon lemon juice and hot<br />
water is a great way to get the digestive tract going. To protect your teeth from<br />
the citric acid, you can drink it only slightly warmed with a straw.
part ii: exercising
Britney Spears is your Spirit Animal.<br />
We’ll get to the specific Meal Plans a little later, but first let’s talk about the second part of<br />
the Challenge. Exercise! Like we said, Exercise is the cherry on top of the strawberry<br />
smoothie that is Eating. Actually, justa sec. Hold please. We wanna change our metaphor.<br />
Ok, here we go: Exercise is the little blue cocktail umbrella on top of the piggy bank that is<br />
Eating. It may be little but it’s still important — else you just have a piggy bank. All that<br />
stuff we said about speeding up fat loss, building lean muscle tone, maintaining <strong>Fit</strong> Girl<br />
bods, and making health happy? “Yup. I remember.” Awesome. Ok, so that stuff. That’s the<br />
stuff this section of the Challenge is about.<br />
Don’t worry. It’ll be shorter. Because when you first go<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl — or are returning to your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl glory —<br />
what matters most in terms of exercise is super<br />
simple. Moving more and building strength. It’s<br />
important to take it slow if you haven’t been<br />
exercising regularly so you don’t get injured. We want<br />
you to stay healthy so when Day 29 rolls around you<br />
can keep going strong toward your goals!
YOUR CHALLENGE MISSION. Ok, here we go, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>. Your Challenge exercise mission,<br />
should you choose to accept it (jk we already accepted it for you) is to work out for at least<br />
30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. You have the choice of following our DIY no-equipmentrequired,<br />
no-gym-required plan at the end of this section or making your own. You can<br />
split your workout into two 15 minute workouts, three 10 minute workouts, or do it all at<br />
once. As long as you’re getting your heart rate up and adding in some strength training at<br />
least two days a week, we’re happy. (Savvy Girl Tip: Make an exercise plan at the beginning<br />
of the week and write it down. You won't have to think about when you’re going to exercise<br />
— it’ll already be on your fit-genda! Snappity snap snaps. #jazzhands)<br />
YAY LIKING THINGS. It’s way easier to stick to exercise goals when we’re doing things that<br />
we like. We’ve found there are two ways we like exercise. The obv way: When we’re doing<br />
something we enjoy. The non-obv way: When we’re doing something that gives us results<br />
we enjoy or that we know makes us feel great after. In conclusion, if the gym makes you<br />
want to tear your hair out, don’t go there. You have such pretty hair, and you don’t need a<br />
gym to get fit. You just need to get moving.<br />
“WAIT SO WHY IS BRITNEY MY SPIRIT ANIMAL?” Please, grrl, why isn’t she. “Are you<br />
going to take my question seriously?” Yeah. Sry. Um, because she’s amazing to work out to.<br />
Have you ever listened to “Work B**ch!” and not wanted to do a set of crunches? That.
“we’re on a girlventure!”
Operation: Girlventure.<br />
Ok, so if you’re all “but I don’t know what I like, I mean I’ll totally follow your plan for now<br />
but I’d love to actually know what kind of jumping around type things I like” then it’s time<br />
for a Girlventure. Grab a friend! Let's go! There are so many jumping around type things<br />
waiting for you to explore!<br />
Girlventures are a totally optional but completely encouraged part of the Challenge. And<br />
thanks to the Groupon-y websites, there’re tons of fab deals that make it easy to try <strong>Fit</strong> Girl<br />
things without breaking the Frugal Girl bank — not to mention there’re a lot you can have<br />
right at home. We’re excited for you to figure out what makes your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl swoon!<br />
Here’re just a few of the many many Girlventures out there for the taking …<br />
If you want to tone up your abs and feel like a kid again, join the adult world hula<br />
hooping fad. Weighted hoops + familiar swirly delights = legit workout.<br />
If you’re tired of walking and want a low-impact cardio alternative, slip on some<br />
skates at your local ice rink. Burns way more calories too.<br />
If you’re feeling sporty, pick a sport. Any sport. The more running around the<br />
better. You can even join a recreational team if you want to go big.
If you’re looking to improve your flexibility and tone up all over, try Vinyasa yoga<br />
aka Power Yoga aka Yoga Flow. It’s the bomb.<br />
If you’re want a killer tummy and lean muscle tone, Pilates. Pilates, Pilates,<br />
Pilates. Nothing does core quite like Pilates. Pilates owns the core.<br />
If you want a big strength challenge, try rock climbing and Boot Camp. (But totes<br />
be prepared to get yelled at at Boot Camp. They aren’t kidding with the name.)<br />
If you’re feeling bouncy, holla trampoline!<br />
If you have some aggression to get out, cardio box.<br />
If you want to reconnect with your childhood dancer self, do it. There are tons of<br />
classes for adult beginners and they’re great for overall fitness. Ballet, jazz,<br />
modern, hip hop, salsa, swing dance, take your pick.<br />
If you want to get your 19th-century on, chop fire wood. (We just wanted to see if<br />
you were still reading but it’s for real intense exercise.)<br />
And as for the at home portion of the Girlventure, there are awesome DVDS for many of<br />
these activities that you can rent online or at your library. Our current fav are the Ballet<br />
Beautiful “Blast” DVDs — a lifted ballet booty and toned thighs for non-ballerinas in 15-30<br />
minutes a day? Yes please and thank you.<br />
So go forth and Girlventure! The world of fitness is yours! (And the world of fitness is also<br />
yours even when you don’t want to Girlventure. Read on …)
“what? i’m just looking<br />
for more exercise.”
Life, Active Edition.<br />
Look around you. What do you see? Your office? Your dorm room? Your house? Wrong. You<br />
see a calorie-burning jungle gym and it’s always open for business. All the moving around<br />
we do during the day adds up to faster <strong>Fit</strong> Girldom. You say, “I have to go grocery<br />
shopping.” We hear: “Imma go burn some calories moving around a food maze.” This<br />
doesn’t count as part of your 30 minutes, but every move you make during the day counts<br />
as <strong>Fit</strong> Girl extra credit. And you know what that means? Yup! MERMAID STICKER!<br />
Easy Ways to Earn Mermaid Stickers<br />
1. TEN OF SOMETHINGS. Take mini-breaks every hour to do Ten of<br />
Something. Esp if you work at a desk. 10 calf raises, 10 wall pushups,<br />
10 desk tricep dips, 10 mini-jumping jacks, 10 standing crunches. So<br />
many options. Our bodies hate sitting around all day. Ten of<br />
Something makes them happy and earns major mermaid stickers.<br />
2. WOBBLE CUSHION. Oh! And have you tried a wobble cushion?<br />
We’re wobbling around on ours right now. It’s a free core workout<br />
and your back will heart you for it. And it makes sitting still more<br />
fun — cuz you don't have to sit still! “Brb Googling that now.” Do it!
3. ATTS. Always Take the Stairs.<br />
4. BAD SPACES ARE GOOD. Park far away when you’re running<br />
errands. Bonus, you don’t have to wait for that chick to pull out of<br />
that space. Double bonus: Nobody scratches your car. (Unless there’s<br />
some jerk going around keying cars that are parked far away.)<br />
5. FLATS ARE FRIENDS. When you wear flats you’re more likely to<br />
walk more during the day. Extra walking is one of the easiest ways<br />
to build up your extra credit bank. #stickerlove<br />
6. THE WALK AND TALK. Have a call to make? Make it on a walk. Can’t<br />
get outside? Do the walk and pace. (Bonus: If you walk briskly and<br />
get your heart rate up this counts as part of your 30 minutes.)<br />
These upcoming two also count as part of your 30 minutes.<br />
“Will you still give me a mermaid sticker?” Sure.<br />
7. FRIEND DATES. Move friend dates from the restaurant to the street.<br />
Walking with a bestie is like getting paid to hang out in exercise<br />
dollars. #freemoney<br />
8. “FRIEND” DATES. Your TV character friends are almost as good of<br />
an exercise distraction as your real ones. Get any last minutes of the<br />
day’s workout in while you zone out.<br />
Tag yourself earning mermaid stickers at #mermaidstickers!<br />
(Legit go buy/make mermaid stickers. Trust us. It’s way fun.)
now presenting …<br />
the d.i.y. home challenge
The DIY Home Challenge!<br />
Here it is, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>, your no-equipment-required, no-gym-required 28 Day Jumpstart<br />
Exercise Challenge! It’s a little bit cardio, a little bit strength, and a lot bit “Imma be a <strong>Fit</strong><br />
Girl hella yeah.” And it only requires you to learn 12 moves — 12 amazing moves for getting<br />
toned and slimming down. You’ll see a noticeable change in your body at the end of the<br />
month if you keep up with them — and probably start going around like a frat guy being<br />
all, “Punch me in my strong abs. Srsly. Do it. Punch me.” (We did this once and the person,<br />
not to name names but it was our friend Julia, punched a little too hard and we’ve cooled it<br />
a bit on the “hey punch me in the stomach” game. Let that be a lesson — or go forth and<br />
learn from your own mistakes.)<br />
“WHAT EXACTLY WILL I BE DOING?” We’ve written it all out for you on a calendar that’s<br />
coming up in a couple pages. Cuuuute! (We got a little carried away. Sorry. Kinda. Not really.<br />
We never apologize for crafts.) All you have to do is follow along. You’ll find detailed<br />
descriptions of each exercise as well as pictures to go with them at the end of this section.<br />
The plan is broken up into 5 cardio/strength days, 1 cardio only day, and 1 rest day where<br />
you mill about a field picking wildflowers then stretch a little. (Not really but you can<br />
totally do that if you want.) Let’s talk more about each of these …
CARDIO/STRENGTH DAYS. The days of the week listed as Arms, Booty, Abs, Bootycore,<br />
and Armcore are your cardio/strength days. The days are are, obv, named after the area<br />
we’re targeting each day. These are, not obv, also kinda not. Why? Because the exercises<br />
we’ve picked out for you are amazeballs and all have almost-full body benefits. You’re<br />
welcome. We heart you. And we want you to heart your new body. (PS: Booty day is also<br />
thigh day but booty is so much more fun to say than thigh so that’s why we named it booty<br />
day. Just sayin’. ) These cardio/strength days are the days when you’ll be following the plan<br />
listed in bubble heart letters right after the calendar. You can’t miss them.<br />
CARDIO DAY. This is the day you get to pick your choice of 30 minutes of cardio. It can be<br />
an exercise DVD you own and love, a new one you’re trying out, a Girlventure with your<br />
besties, or just a brisk walk. If you’re walking, jog a block every now and then to get more<br />
out of your walk. “Ew.” Or don’t, the brisk walk is fine. “But like maybe I’ll try a couple<br />
blocks of jogging once and awhile.”<br />
Obvs don’t pick wildflowers if<br />
you’re going to this field.<br />
MILL ABOUT THE FIELD/WILDFLOWER DAY. Ok, actually, on the<br />
calendar it’s just called Stroll & Stretch. This is your rest day. It’s<br />
still good to move around a bit and stretch, though. A 15 minute<br />
gentle walk and 15 minutes of stretching will do — 30 of each if<br />
you have a phone call to make and a show to watch is even better.<br />
Def take it easier this day. Your body needs a break.
YOU HAVE SUCH NICE FORM. Even if you think you know the moves in our plan,<br />
please hear out what we have to say. Proper form is what makes exercises work. And<br />
prevents injury. Engaging the core is the secret to a lot of proper form — and it helps us<br />
get a flat tummy faster. Shaza. Less reps with good form gets better results than more<br />
reps with bad form.<br />
EXTRA CREDIT. We’ve included some Extra Credit exercises for more experienced <strong>Fit</strong><br />
<strong>Girls</strong>. These are intended for people who are already familiar with the proper form for<br />
these moves. Don’t worry if you don’t know them. If you’re just getting started the<br />
regular program is plenty. Trust us. Your burning inner thighs will tell you that after<br />
those Sumo Squats. If you’re more experience, feel free to add some extra credit on to<br />
our program. “Do I get a —” Yes. You get a mermaid sticker.<br />
THE GOLDEN PINK RULE. The little things you do every day go a long way toward <strong>Fit</strong><br />
Girldom. It’s all about sticking with it. Results that we get super quick are usually the<br />
ones that we lose super quick. The Challenge is all about helping you build habits that<br />
will lead to a lasting <strong>Fit</strong> Girl life. We hope you enjoy the exercise part of the Challenge.<br />
Stay safe, listen to your body, make modifications and/or substitutions for exercises<br />
when you need to — and remember, like anything else, these moves are skills you get<br />
better at with practice. Enjoy the ride, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>!
The d.i.y. home challenge<br />
m Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7<br />
Week 1<br />
ARMS x3<br />
!<br />
5 PUSH UP<br />
20s PLANK<br />
10 MT CLIMBER<br />
8 TRICEP DIP<br />
BOOTY x3<br />
!<br />
10 BRIDGE<br />
30s SWIMMER<br />
20s WALL SIT<br />
10 SUMO SQUAT<br />
ABS x3<br />
!<br />
20s SIDE PLANK<br />
5 ELBOW-KNEE<br />
10 RUSSIAN<br />
15 CRUNCH<br />
CARDIO<br />
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
BOOTYCORE x3<br />
!<br />
10 SUMO SQUAT<br />
20s WALL SIT<br />
20s SIDE PLANK<br />
10 CRUNCH<br />
ARMCORE x3<br />
!<br />
10 RUSSIAN<br />
8 TRICEP DIPS<br />
15 MT CLIMBER<br />
5 PUSH UP<br />
STROLL<br />
+<br />
STRETCH<br />
Week 2<br />
ARMS x3<br />
!<br />
6 PUSH UP<br />
40s PLANK<br />
20 MT CLIMBER<br />
12 TRICEP DIP<br />
BOOTY x3<br />
!<br />
12 BRIDGE<br />
30s SWIMMER<br />
30s WALL SIT<br />
12 SUMO SQUAT<br />
ABS x3<br />
!<br />
40s SIDE PLANK<br />
8 ELBOW-KNEE<br />
15 RUSSIAN<br />
20 CRUNCH<br />
CARDIO<br />
BOOTYCORE x3<br />
!<br />
12 SUMO SQUAT<br />
30s WALL SIT<br />
40s SIDE PLANK<br />
15 CRUNCH<br />
ARMCORE x3<br />
!<br />
15 RUSSIAN<br />
12 TRICEP DIPS<br />
20 MT CLIMBER<br />
8 PUSH UP<br />
STROLL<br />
+<br />
STRETCH<br />
Week 3<br />
ARMS x3<br />
!<br />
8 PUSH UP<br />
60s PLANK<br />
30 MT CLIMBER<br />
15 TRICEP DIP<br />
BOOTY x3<br />
!<br />
15 BRIDGE<br />
30s SWIMMER<br />
40s WALL SIT<br />
15 SUMO SQUAT<br />
ABS x3<br />
!<br />
50s SIDE PLANK<br />
12 ELBOW-KNEE<br />
20 RUSSIAN<br />
25 CRUNCH<br />
CARDIO<br />
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
BOOTYCORE x3<br />
!<br />
15 SUMO SQUAT<br />
40s WALL SIT<br />
50s SIDE PLANK<br />
20 CRUNCH<br />
ARMCORE x3<br />
!<br />
20 RUSSIAN<br />
15 TRICEP DIPS<br />
30 MT CLIMBER<br />
10 PUSH UP<br />
STROLL<br />
+<br />
STRETCH<br />
Week 4<br />
ARMS x3<br />
!<br />
10 PUSH UP<br />
80s PLANK<br />
40 MT CLIMBER<br />
20 TRICEP DIP<br />
BOOTY x3<br />
!<br />
20 BRIDGE<br />
45s SWIMMER<br />
60s WALL SIT<br />
20 SUMO SQUAT<br />
ABS x3<br />
!<br />
60s SIDE PLANK<br />
15 ELBOW-KNEE<br />
25 RUSSIAN<br />
30 CRUNCH<br />
CARDIO<br />
BOOTYCORE x3<br />
!<br />
20 SUMO SQUAT<br />
60s WALL SIT<br />
60s SIDE PLANK<br />
25 CRUNCH<br />
ARMCORE x3<br />
!<br />
25 RUSSIAN<br />
20 TRICEP DIPS<br />
40 MT CLIMBER<br />
10 PUSH UP<br />
STROLL<br />
+<br />
STRETCH
“i love your new<br />
workout shoes.”<br />
“thx.”
THE WARM UP<br />
Put on a song that makes you wanna get up and jump around, cuz you’re gonna get up<br />
and jump around. Pick any three moves from the list below and switch between them<br />
whenever you want throughout the song. This is a form of active stretching, ie: stretching<br />
through motion. It’s getting your body warm and loose and giving you a cardio jolt.<br />
Aloha morning! Imma come get you, Day.<br />
The moves you get to ! pick from …<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
• Jogging in place while air punching<br />
• Skipping in place while swinging your arms up high<br />
• Butt Kickers (literally kicking your butt as you jog)<br />
• Pretend or real jump roping<br />
• Jumping jacks<br />
• Dancing with lots of bopping around and arm movements<br />
When the song’s over, you’re done! Take a 60 second rest and have a sip of water.
THE strength<br />
Now comes the strength circuit. “What a circuit?” A circuit’s when you do short bursts of<br />
one exercise and then move on to a few others and then repeat them all again. Your<br />
circuits will be 4 moves (with reps that slowly increase throughout the month as your<br />
strength increases) and you will repeat each circuit 3 times, resting for 60 seconds<br />
between each. That means you’re repeating all the moves and all the reps 3 times.<br />
Except for The Swimmer and The Mountain Climber, slowwww is wayyyy better. When<br />
you work slowly, you make your muscles work harder and get more out of the exercises.<br />
You are also less likely to get injured. Slow double wins. #jazzhands<br />
Though we suggest completing the full circuit without breaks and then taking a 60<br />
second break in between, that’s just a goal. Take breaks as often as you need to —<br />
especially when first starting. If you can only do one or two circuits at first, that’s fine.<br />
Stop when your body needs to stop. Don’t move onto the higher rep days until you can do<br />
the lower ones perfectly. It’s ok to repeat weeks multiple times before moving forward.<br />
You definitely want to push yourself, but not to injure yourself. Stay safe, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>!
THE cardio<br />
The warm up and circuits won’t ever take you the full 30 (unless you’re listening to, like, a<br />
symphony as your one song). However many minutes it take you to finish your warmup<br />
and circuits, subtract that from your 30 minutes of exercise. What’s left? 10 minutes? 15<br />
minutes? You have three main sets of options:<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
1. GET IT DONE OUT. Head out for a brisk walk, jog, ride, skate, or<br />
swim. Exercise for the day, complete!<br />
2. GET IT DONE IN. Stay in and do another couple songs of the<br />
cardio until you hit your 30 or pop in a fav workout vid. #boom<br />
3. FINISH IT LATER. You can finish your workout later in the day.<br />
Like we said, breaking your workout up is peachy with us. (OMG<br />
peaches. Love.)<br />
If you’re going to do your remaining minutes now, wait until you’re done to do The Home<br />
Stretch. If you’re going to go about your day and sneak in the other minutes later, do The<br />
Home Stretch now. Your workout’s not done without it! (PS: For faster <strong>Fit</strong> Girl results, do<br />
a full 30 minutes of cardio after the warmup and strength circuit.)
THE home stretch<br />
And now we stretch. “Noooo!” Yesssss. Stretching is what means you get to exercise again<br />
tomorrow. Cuz without it you’ll be crazy sore and will not only have a hard time working<br />
out — you’ll have a hard time moving around. Just like what you drink is just as<br />
important as what you eat, stretching is just as important as exercising. Also, it’s part of<br />
exercise. Stretching burns calories. Don’t skimp.<br />
General rule: Active stretching before you work out and passive stretching (aka<br />
traditional stretching where you hold stretches for 15-30 seconds) after when you’re<br />
super warm. And sneak in as many little stretch breaks throughout the day as you can.<br />
You can stretch just about anywhere — in bed, in the shower, at your desk, waiting in<br />
line. We're stretching right now. Ahhhhh. It feels so good. #mmmmm<br />
All we’re asking is that you stretch for at least one song (can you do two? that’d be rad)<br />
after your circuits. Stretch everything. Relax into your stretches. Enjoy them. You’re<br />
preparing yourself to fight the good <strong>Fit</strong> Girl fight another day!
the extra credit<br />
These are just a few of our fav exercises to help more experienced <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> kick our exercise<br />
Challenge up a couple notches. Newbies, pls, for reals, don’t try to be a hero(ine) and end up<br />
getting hurt. Our regular program is plenty challenging.<br />
Arms Extra Credit<br />
• Add 20 plank jacks into circuit.<br />
• Add 10 diamond push ups into circuit.<br />
• Add 10 Spiderman push ups into circuit.<br />
Booty Extra Credit<br />
• Add 30 calf raises into circuit.<br />
• Add 20 regular squats into circuit.<br />
• Add 20 clamshells into circuit.<br />
Abs Extra Credit<br />
• Add 10 roll ups into circuit.<br />
• Add 30 reverse crunches into circuit.<br />
Bootycore Extra Credit<br />
• Add 20 lunges into circuit.<br />
• Add 20 straddle criss-cross leg lifts<br />
into circuit.<br />
Armcore Extra Credit<br />
• Add 30 standing crunches into circuit.<br />
• Add 10 froggies into circuit.<br />
• Add a Pilates 100 at the end of circuits.<br />
Stretch Extra Credit<br />
• 10 minutes of foam rolling.<br />
• 3 songs of stretching.
ed stretching for<br />
serious counts.
This is our imaginary friend Sam.<br />
She’s really good at exercises and<br />
will be helping us out.<br />
M<br />
The P lank<br />
arms<br />
THE PLANK. Start in the top of a pushup then lower to<br />
your elbows. Now, imitate a plank of wood by tilting<br />
your pelvis forward and squeezing your abs. Continue<br />
to squeeze your abs as tight as you can throughout the<br />
whole plank. This is what gets you results and what<br />
keeps your lower back and shoulders safe. No arching<br />
that lower back. Keep your neck in line with your<br />
plank, look between your hands and breathe. (PS: No<br />
booties in the air pls, xoxo.)<br />
THE PUSH UP. First off, you can totally do these with your knees<br />
on the ground. That’s how we still do them most of the time<br />
because it helps us keep perfect form. And that’s what you want<br />
above all with the push up (and everything). Perfect form. Just like<br />
the plank, you’re holding your abs in and making your body one<br />
straight line with no arch in the lower back. (After all, the push up<br />
is a form of plank. It starts and ends in high plank.) Breathe in as<br />
you slowwwly lower down close to the floor and breathe out as you<br />
slowwwly push up. Breathing is the secret to exercise. Your body<br />
can do way more when you feed it air. Learning how to breathe<br />
right will rock your world. (PS: No booties in the air and no<br />
dropping or arching necks xoxo.)<br />
The Push Up
arms<br />
The Mountain C limber<br />
THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER. Start at the top<br />
of a push up — tummy engaged, one straight<br />
line, you know the drill. Now bring your right<br />
knee up. (Sam is just showing us the<br />
beginning of the motion. She’s going to keep<br />
bringing her knee forward until she touches<br />
the ball of her foot on the ground.) Jump and<br />
switch the position of your legs so the left leg<br />
is bent and the ball of the left foot is touching<br />
the floor. That’s one rep. For this exercise, you<br />
can go faster once you ace the form — just so<br />
long as you keep a perfect plank and keep<br />
your tummy engaged. Cardio + full body<br />
toning = we’re obsessed.<br />
THE TRICEP DIP. Sit on the edge of something stable.<br />
(We use our couch. Heavy chairs also work.) Slide your<br />
booty off the end and hold yourself up, keeping a teeny<br />
bend in your elbows. You want to be right up against the<br />
couch, chair, whatever. Tummy engaged. (Yes, proper<br />
form makes everything a secret core exercise.) Breathe in<br />
as you dip down until your arms almost make 90 degree<br />
angles. Breathe out as you push back up, still keeping<br />
that tiny bend in the elbows when you reach the top.<br />
Make sure your shoulders stay down and stay pointed to<br />
the wall behind you. #sexyarms<br />
Sam is letting her back<br />
curve and her booty tilt<br />
forward. We keep telling<br />
her about this. Get that<br />
back straight and that<br />
tummy engaged! You want<br />
to be one line straight up and<br />
down. Sam’ll get there.<br />
q<br />
The Tricep<br />
Dip
“we have lifted booties.”
Sam is giving you the thumbs up but you<br />
BOOTY<br />
can keep your palms open if you want.<br />
M<br />
The Swimmer<br />
THE SWIMMER. Nothing like a living room swim to<br />
tone the booty (and everything else). Stretch out like<br />
Superman, arms and legs off the ground. Pull your<br />
abs in as tight as you can, like you’re trying to peel<br />
your belly button off the floor. Now flutter like you’re<br />
swimming! Breath in-2-3-4-5, breathe out-2-3-4-5. (PS:<br />
Keep your shoulders from scrunching up and and<br />
your neck in line like Sam’s.)<br />
THE BRIDGE. Start with your back on the floor and both legs bent on<br />
the ground with your knees together. (Sam is one step ahead of us.)<br />
Arms can be at your sides or out like Sam’s. Lift one leg, keeping it glued<br />
to your other leg. Now slowly raise up into a straight line. Keep your ribs<br />
pulled into your tummy. (Sam rocks this one. Look at how straight she<br />
is.) Squeeze your glutes. Hold for 5 seconds. Slowly lower. If this is too<br />
intense (and it prob will be if you’re brand new to bridges), do a twolegged<br />
bridge first. You’ll still get amazing results. It’s almost the same<br />
thing — it just means you’ll be keeping both feet on the ground. You’ll<br />
want to keep them shoulder-width apart for this one. It’s really<br />
important for the bridge that you’re squeezing the glutes and holding<br />
your core super firm and tucked in. (Bonus: Strong glutes keep the<br />
pelvis from tilting and make tummies look flatter.)<br />
The Bridge
BOOTY<br />
The Sumo<br />
THE SUMO. Sumo squats are super fab for your<br />
inner thighs, legs, and booty — and we’re adding in<br />
a calf-toning, cardio-blasting jump! (The jump is<br />
optional for people who want a bigger challenge.)<br />
Stand with your legs wider than shoulder-width and<br />
your feet turned out about 45 degrees. To do the<br />
regular sumo, slowly squat down low (you don’t<br />
have to go down as far as Sam) and slowly come<br />
back up. Breathe. To do the sumo jump, blast off<br />
from the bottom of your squat and land back in a<br />
squat, then take a sec to recover and blast off again<br />
and land back in a squat. Start with the basic sumo<br />
and see how it goes, then build in the jump if you<br />
can! (PS: Keep your abs engaged.)<br />
THE WALL SIT. “You just want me to sit with my<br />
back against a wall? [eye roll]” Yeah, go try it then<br />
come back and mock us. 30 seconds later: “OMG my<br />
legs! My legs! I'm sorry I mocked you.” We forgive<br />
you. Yes, this exercise is just sitting with your back<br />
against a wall, legs at a perfect 90 degree angle,<br />
tummy engaged, upper body one straight line. But<br />
it's got major punch. (PS: You'll get through it<br />
easier if you breathe. “You guys are like obsessed<br />
with breathing.” Um, yeah.)<br />
The Wall<br />
Sit
“hahahaha. we’re so silly.”<br />
“and fit.”
Sam is doing extra credit. You can absolutely<br />
keep both feet on the ground, either on top of<br />
each other or one in front of the other.<br />
The Side P lank<br />
r<br />
abs<br />
THE SIDE PLANK. Lay on your side then push up on<br />
your forearm. Now you’re a plank of wood on its side!<br />
Belly button and ribs pulled in super tight, head in line<br />
with everything else. Squeeze those abs so hard you<br />
think your belly button’s gonna make out with your<br />
spine. (PS: When we do two-leg Side Plank, we add<br />
small hip dips to work our obliques even harder. All<br />
you do is dip your hips a few inches, then raise them<br />
back to starting position. #sexywaist)<br />
THE ELBOW TO KNEE. This is another one that’s gonna whittle in<br />
your obliques, as well as work your entire core and get a little arm<br />
action in. Start at the top of a push up — aka high plank. Ribs<br />
pulled in, tummy engaged, shoulders not scrunched up. Keeping<br />
your perfect form, bring you right knee toward your left elbow.<br />
Actually touch it to your elbow if you can without losing your<br />
form. Then repeat, left knee to right elbow. That’s one rep. If you<br />
want to start with something a little easier, do same elbow to<br />
same knee. To get even more out of this exercise, hold each<br />
position for three seconds. (PS: Remember to squeeze your abs<br />
the entire time. That’s when the magic happens. The magic of flat<br />
abs! #weheartmagic)<br />
The El bow-to-Knee
abs<br />
Sam got tired and had to<br />
take a break. This is our<br />
other imaginary friend,<br />
Sam. Tip: Don’t name<br />
both your imaginary<br />
friends the same name. It<br />
gets really confusing and<br />
feelings get hurt.<br />
q<br />
The Russian Twist<br />
THE RUSSIAN TWIST. There are two ways to do this. Our<br />
buddy Sam is doing the advanced way where you lift your<br />
feet off the floor. Go ahead and try that if keeping your feet<br />
on the ground gets too easy for you. Remember: Form first!<br />
It’s way more effective to do a basic version of an exercise<br />
well than an advanced version sloppy. To do the Russian<br />
Twist, sit on the floor leaning slightly back with your back<br />
completely straight and tummy pulled in tight tight tight.<br />
Now twist from one side then the other keeping your legs<br />
perfectly still. That’s one rep. All the movement is coming<br />
from your core. This takes practice to master. Don’t be<br />
frustrated if your legs want to move at first. As you learn to<br />
engage your abs harder, you’ll be able to keep your legs<br />
stiller. This is an awesome exercise worth investing<br />
practice time in!<br />
THE CRUNCH. Last but not least, The<br />
Crunch. Ah, the poor misunderstood crunch<br />
that gets done in terrifying, neck-hurty ways<br />
— ways that don't even properly engage the<br />
abs. Here's a path to a healthier crunch: Get<br />
in crunch position on the floor. Now, adjust<br />
your shoulders further back to stretch out<br />
your spine as long as you can. This is going to<br />
help you engage your deep abs, the ones that<br />
make tummies flat. Nature's own Spanx. Pull<br />
your ribs like we've been doing in the other<br />
exercises and engage your lower abs as tight<br />
as you can. Bend your elbows and put your<br />
hands to the outside of your ears, not behind<br />
your neck. You're not gonna be using those<br />
arms at all. These crunches are all abs, <strong>Fit</strong><br />
<strong>Girls</strong>. We're not doing a lot, but we're doing<br />
the good ones. Stay looking at the ceiling<br />
and breathe out as crunch to lift your<br />
shoulders off the floor. They may not come<br />
off very far at first. That's ok.The ab squeeze<br />
alone is a workout! (Last exercise! You made<br />
it through! Go team!)
est day.
namaste<br />
As a parting thought before we get into the Challenge, a little Sun Salutation fun for our<br />
Yogi friends. Add 3-5 rounds into your day as a morning wakeup, an evening rejuvenation, or<br />
a post-workout meditative stretch — or all three!<br />
The Sequence: Mountain Pose, Chair Pose, Forward Fold, Halfway Lift, Chaturanga, Upward Dog, Downward Dog, Warrior 1,<br />
Chatarunga, Upward Dog, Downward Dog, Warrior I, Chatarunga, Halfway Lift, Forward Fold, Chair Pose, Mountain Pose
get ready for takeoff!
part iv: the challenge
a a<br />
a<br />
It’s go time, <strong>Fit</strong> Girl!<br />
AHHHHHH! Did you skip to this page without reading the book<br />
first? “Yes.” [Blushy face.] Go back and read it. It won’t take long.<br />
Lotsa pictures. Big type. The book is a super important part of the<br />
Challenge. You won’t get all the info from just this section. We’ll<br />
go play with our new pet unicorns while you read. #sparkles<br />
“I’m done! I read it! Let’s do this!” Awesome. Let’s!<br />
Ok, so if made according to our exact recipes (take another look<br />
at Winning Potions on p.37), the Meal Plan averages 1450<br />
calories a day (that includes your daily chocolate and two 150<br />
calorie weekly bonus drinks). If you want a higher calorie plan,<br />
add Clean snacks or a protein shake to reach your desired<br />
number. If you need a 1250 calorie plan, skip the snack.
a<br />
a<br />
a<br />
MAKE IT YOUR OWN<br />
To allow for maximum flexibility in food choices, we’ve updated the<br />
Meal Plan for this edition so that you can now mix-and-match<br />
meals from different weeks. Snaps to major meal options! The<br />
breakfasts in the Challenge are 350 calories. The lunches and<br />
dinners are 400 calories. The snack is 200 calories. (Plus you get<br />
your daily chocolate and two 150 calorie bonus drinks a week.)<br />
Remember: This is YOUR Challenge. While we hope you’ll try some<br />
new foods, we above all want you to love what you’re eating. Use<br />
our Substitution Charts on pp. 47-48 whenever you need to. (Tip:<br />
Screenshot them so you have them handy for easy access!)<br />
If you want to sub for an ingredient that’s not listed on the charts,<br />
just look up the calories in that ingredient and sub something Clean<br />
with equal calories. You can also replace an entire meal with an<br />
equal calorie Clean Meal of your choice any time you want to.<br />
a<br />
a<br />
a
a a<br />
a<br />
a a<br />
CONTACT US<br />
Please contact us at pink@fitgirlsworldwide.com if you need to<br />
get in touch during the Challenge. We respond within 48 hours.<br />
We do not use our Insta DM due to the amount of spam that we<br />
get as a large page. Also given our size, we do not see all the<br />
comments on posts. We want to make sure we get your message!<br />
For substitution questions, just follow our advice on the previous<br />
page. You can literally substitute for any ingredient by just<br />
looking up the calories. You never have to eat anything you don’t<br />
like. Make choices that make you happy!<br />
a
go after your goals!<br />
(Get it? Hearts!)
Shopping Tips from Bentley.<br />
Look for bread products that say ‘whole wheat<br />
flour.’ ‘Wheat flour’ means white flour. White<br />
flour technically comes from wheat so they’re<br />
not lying lying but they’re being tricky. (I know<br />
tricks. Do you want to see my #tricks?!)<br />
Look for marinara sauces with as few<br />
ingredients as possible. I don’t recommend<br />
using the same jar of marinara after a week.<br />
Buy bricks of mozzarella cheese and shred<br />
your own. Pre-shredded cheese has a bunch of<br />
extra ingredients in it. Also, it doesn’t last as<br />
long. Also it’s not as #delicious.<br />
Don’t use fat free dairy products because they<br />
aren’t as satisfying and typically have more<br />
additives. My motto: “Use less dairy, use the<br />
good stuff. #Arf!”<br />
Trader Joe’s is a great place to get swank deals<br />
on a lot of the ingredients in the Meal Plans, if<br />
you have one nearby. They also make a<br />
delightful creamed honey.<br />
#Remembs the Internet is your bro. They’ll<br />
hook a dog (or human) up with anything.<br />
Frozen fruits and veggies are fine when you<br />
don’t have access to fresh. Just make sure they<br />
don’t have added #sugar and #salt.<br />
Ricotta is best used within 3-5 days of opening,<br />
that’s why you’ll need 2 containers during<br />
Weeks Two and Four. Try to find a friend — or<br />
even a sworn #enemy — who wants to share!<br />
I buy fruits and veggies twice a week. Because<br />
my cart is small. Also because I like them extra<br />
#fresh. Also I like extra #. #hashtag #lol<br />
PS: Bread products in grocery lists and on<br />
recipes are labeled with calorie counts to give<br />
you an idea of what portion size we used.<br />
This is our other<br />
assistant, Bentley.<br />
He likes chasing his<br />
tail and picking out<br />
ripe avocados.<br />
M
Snack Time!<br />
Each week’s menu has one 200 calorie snack a day. Pick one from the<br />
options below or design your own Clean snack that’s 200 calories! You<br />
can also split your snack up into two 100 calorie snacks if you want!<br />
Sweet Savory Nutty<br />
1 cup frozen grapes and<br />
1 piece of string cheese<br />
200 calorie store bought protein<br />
or snack bar<br />
1/2c cottage cheese and<br />
1 cup of diced pineapple<br />
200 calorie protein shake<br />
Two Doughettes<br />
(recipe on the next page!)<br />
150 calories hummus and all the<br />
raw veggies you can eat with it<br />
200 calories edamame<br />
100 calories tuna and 100<br />
calories whole grain crackers<br />
Rice cake with 1/4 avocado, 1 egg<br />
& crushed red pepper flakes<br />
200 calorie salad w/protein<br />
Two celery spears with<br />
2T peanut butter<br />
22 cashews or 28 almonds<br />
100 calorie bag of popcorn<br />
and 14 almonds<br />
1 banana and 1T nut butter<br />
mashed together and frozen (you<br />
can melt and drizzle your<br />
chocolate square on top!)
!<br />
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
Chocolate Chip Cookie<br />
Doughettes<br />
Mix 1/3 cup almond butter or peanut butter,<br />
2T honey, 1t vanilla extract and a pinch of<br />
salt in a bowl. Pour in 1/2 cup oats (whole or<br />
lightly ground in a food processor) and 2T<br />
mini-chocolate chips or finely chopped dark<br />
chocolate. (Or raisins if you want.) Mix it all<br />
up. Using your hands is totally allowed.<br />
Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (No, staring at<br />
the fridge will not make time go faster.) Use<br />
a tablespoon to measure out portions of<br />
dough and roll them in your hands into<br />
perfect little Doughettes.<br />
You can also roll them in some sprinkles if you're feeling extra adorable. (You'll have to press<br />
them into the sprinkles to get the sprinkles to stay on. Don't be shy!) Store in the Fridge<br />
Nutrition Note: We measured ours in slightly heaping tablespoons and got 10 Doughettes out of<br />
the batch. If making 10 per batch, these come out to almost 90 calories per Doughette (100 if<br />
adding sprinkles). #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong>DeserveCookieDoughToo
PHOTO IDEAS<br />
crazy location wall sits<br />
Grocery haul<br />
GOAL HEART<br />
workout song<br />
Mermaid stickers<br />
two week progress pic<br />
meal prep<br />
fOOD<br />
Bff<br />
fit girl pet<br />
mani/pedi<br />
note jar<br />
lunchbox note<br />
vision board<br />
swolemate<br />
pretty water<br />
progress collages<br />
fun videos<br />
anything else you want!
week one
Week One Menu<br />
!<br />
BREAKFAST<br />
Cherry Pie Fridge Oats<br />
!<br />
LUNCH<br />
Roasted Veggie Power Bowl<br />
!<br />
SNACK<br />
200 Calorie Snack<br />
!<br />
DINNER<br />
Sweet Potato Street Tacos<br />
(Day 1/3/5/7)<br />
!<br />
a<br />
a<br />
a<br />
Pita Pizza Party<br />
(Day 2/4/6)<br />
a
Grocery List<br />
1 bag spinach<br />
1 bag kale<br />
1 bell pepper<br />
1 avocado<br />
1 container mushrooms<br />
2 sweet potatoes<br />
1 container pre-diced onion<br />
2 apples<br />
1 package strawberries<br />
vegetables for roasting<br />
* 1 dozen eggs<br />
2 16oz 2% Greek yogurts<br />
* 1 brick mozzarella cheese<br />
1 container hummus or dressing<br />
7 3oz servings of chicken<br />
1 can black or any kind of beans<br />
1 jar marinara sauce<br />
1 box unsweetened almond milk<br />
1 pkg whole wheat pitas (160 cal)<br />
1 pkg hard or soft corn tortillas (60 cal)<br />
1 bag frozen cherries<br />
* brown rice<br />
* 1 bag old fashioned or rolled oats<br />
* 1 bottle Cholula or jar of salsa<br />
* 1 bar 85% dark chocolate<br />
* 1 bag chia seeds (recommended)<br />
* 1 jar almond butter (recommended)<br />
!<br />
! Stock your pantry with olive oil, balsamic,<br />
! honey, garlic powder, fresh ground pepper,<br />
! cumin, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg,<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
Ingredients with a * also<br />
be used in future weeks!<br />
cayenne pepper & cooking spray.<br />
a a<br />
a<br />
Don’t forget to add<br />
your<br />
snacks!
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
mmmmm. water.
Week One Meal Prep<br />
THE NIGHT BEFORE DAY 1<br />
• Make 3 Cherry Pie Fridge Oats and 7 hard-boiled eggs.<br />
• Make 3 Roasted Veggie Power Bowls. Ziplock makes a Frugal Girl version of<br />
divided storage containers. (That’s what we used in the pictures!) We<br />
recommend investing in four for easy lunch meal prep.<br />
• Prep the strawberries and sweet potatoes for 2 days of Street Tacos and prep the<br />
bell pepper and grate the cheese for 1 day of Pita Pizza Party. (Prep just means<br />
to cut them so they’re quicker to use later!)<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 3<br />
• Make 3 Cherry Pie Fridge Oats.<br />
a a<br />
• Make 4 Roasted Veggie Power Bowls. (The Mayo Clinic does not recommend<br />
keeping leftovers for more than 4 days, so don’t do all 7 at once.)<br />
• Prep the strawberries and sweet potatoes for 2 days of Street Tacos and prep the<br />
bell pepper and grate the cheese for 2 days of Pita Pizza Party.<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 6<br />
• Make 2 Cherry Pie Fridge Oats. (Yes, this means 8 total. You’re making one extra<br />
for Day 1 of Week Two. We’ll explain at the beginning of Week Two!)<br />
a
“weee! i’m getting fit!”
BREAKFAST — WEEK ONE<br />
Cherry Pie Fridge Oats<br />
1/3c old fashioned or rolled oats<br />
1/3c unsweetened almond milk<br />
1/2c 2% plain Greek yogurt**<br />
1t chia seeds (optional)<br />
1/2T almond butter (optional)<br />
1t honey<br />
1/2c chopped frozen cherries<br />
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
Refrigerator oatmeal is one of our fav foods and we’re super excited to share it. It’s like<br />
having dessert for breakfast! #yesplease You can make it with any fruit you want. See<br />
Week Three for more varieties! Fridge Oats are eaten cold and made the night before.<br />
They stay good for up to three days. (**While we strongly recommend plain, you can<br />
use vanilla Greek yogurt and skip the honey if you’re not ready to take the plunge. If<br />
omitting the chia and almond butter you have 70 extra calories to use during your day.)<br />
Our favorite way to make refrigerator oatmeal is in an adorbs small mason jar, but a<br />
bowl works just as well. Layer the uncooked oats first then the milk, chia seeds, honey,<br />
almond butter, Greek yogurt, and cherries. Stir everything together. A butter knife<br />
works great for this if you’re using a jar. (We left it as a parfait because it looks cuter.)<br />
Cover and put in the fridge. All you have to do is take it out in the AM and eat it.<br />
Ultimate Lazy Girl breakfast. (PS: The jar in the picture is a 12oz Ball Quilted Jelly Jar.)
BREAKFAST — WEEK ONE<br />
“Help! I Don’t Like Refrigerator Oatmeal!”<br />
Many girls get so addicted to Fridge Oats that they ask us if they can eat them the whole<br />
Challenge. (The answer is: “Yes, you can.”) If you’re one of the ladies who doesn’t vibe with<br />
them you have loads of options. Try these: 1) Blend everything into a shake. 2) Sub 100<br />
calories of granola or cereal for the oats and make a parfait. 3) Make the oatmeal hot, top<br />
with the fruit, and have the yogurt and honey as a side. 4) Make the breakfast from Week<br />
Two or Week Four. 5) Have any 350 calorie breakfast you love! #weeeeee<br />
Smart Girl Tip:<br />
After taking the foil off the 16oz yogurt<br />
container, draw an X on the top of the<br />
yogurt with a spoon. Scoop out one of<br />
the four sections. It’s a prefect 1/2c<br />
serving. No messy measuring cups!<br />
You’ll have exactly the amount of yogurt<br />
you need for all eight breakfasts.<br />
Vegan Fridge Oats<br />
Vegan Fridge Oats are just as yum as<br />
their dairy cousins! Just cut out the<br />
Greek yogurt (obv) and use an extra 1/3c<br />
almond milk. Don’t use non-dairy<br />
yogurt. It’s loaded with sugars and not<br />
very high in protein. Add a 100 calorie<br />
protein shake on the side instead so you<br />
start your day off with the same jolt of<br />
protein that’s in the original recipe!
“please. i never rush<br />
through a meal.”
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
LUNCH — WEEK ONE<br />
Roasted Veggie Power Bowl<br />
3oz prepared chicken breast cooking spray<br />
1/3c prepared brown rice your choice of spices<br />
2T your favorite hummus handful of steamed kale<br />
1c roasted veggies hot sauce (optional)<br />
3T canned black beans Lunch Box Note<br />
Feeling powerful? You will be after you eat this bowl loaded with filling protein, whole<br />
grains, veggies, and beans — and it’s great for lunch on the go! It’s also a terrific detox<br />
lunch as you begin your journey to Clean Eating. To pack ahead, arrange all the<br />
ingredients in the container (that’s paprika we put on the hummus and cracked pepper<br />
on the chicken) and stir together in any combo you want when lunchtime comes, using<br />
the hummus as your dressing. (Tip: Sub 60 calories dressing if you don’t like hummus.)<br />
The Roasted Veggie Power Bowl is great cold or heated, depending on your mood.<br />
Keep reading to see how all the ingredients break down. These are some of the staples<br />
of <strong>Fit</strong> Girl friendly eating that we’re going to come back to throughout the Meal Plans,<br />
so we’re taking a few extra moments to explain them. Don’t worry, almost all the other<br />
recipes in the Meal Plans will only be one recipe card. Cross our hearts!
LUNCH — WEEK ONE<br />
KALE. Kale is one of the super raddest of veggies. It has all sorts of vitamins and<br />
minerals that make for healthy bodies and glowing skin. It’s like hyper-spinach. It’s<br />
hearty and versatile and comes in a variety of types. (Don’t worry, Spinach. We still<br />
heart you and will prove it by putting you in some of our recipes too.)<br />
Here’s how to steam kale: Put a steamer basket in a pot, add a couple inches of water,<br />
and toss in your kale. (Kale also comes out fine if you don’t have the basket, in our<br />
opinion.) Cover and bring to a boil. You can throw in a finely chopped clove of garlic for<br />
extra flavor, which is delish. Let cook about 8 minutes, until the kale is bright green.<br />
You can cook less if you want a crunchier kale or more if you want a softer kale. Give it a<br />
taste test and find the kale that you like best. (Rhymes!) Cooked kale is great hot or<br />
cold and an awesome way to add veggies to almost any dish. (PS: We find raw kale a<br />
little too prickly for our taste but if you like it raw, feel free to use it that way, too!)<br />
BROWN RICE. We use microwavable bags of organic brown rice when we’re feeling<br />
Lazy Girl and make rice in our rice cooker when we’re not. (Although the rice cooker is<br />
so easy it’s basically still Lazy Girl.) You can also cook rice on your stove or use boil-inbag.<br />
Just make sure it’s brown rice. That’s the good stuff. You’re welcome to add any<br />
spices or herbs to your rice, just no oils. Cilantro and a squeeze of lime makes a great<br />
combo, fresh dill is yummy too. Have fun experimenting! Whatever form of rice you<br />
choose, follow package directions for prep.
LUNCH — WEEK ONE<br />
CHICKEN. Chicken is a terrific source of lean protein for non-veg Clean Eaters. It’s<br />
another versatile power food that you can dress up or down according to your mood.<br />
And — Lazy Girl cheat — a lot of grocery stores sell prepared chicken strips in the<br />
fridge section. Applegate Naturals makes yummy organic ones. Just make sure<br />
anything you buy is unbreaded and unfried and doesn’t have added sauces.<br />
If you're preparing your own chicken, you can use any spices, herbs, citrus, or lowsodium<br />
(under 100mg) flavor rubs that you want with 1t olive oil. We like making<br />
chicken on our mini-electric plate grill (holla George Foreman!) and in our crock pot.<br />
(Marinara sauce + chicken breasts in crock pot = yum.) Changing up your chicken<br />
seasoning drastically changes the taste of the power bowl and adds variety to the week!<br />
Here are a couple simple 1-2 hour marinades we enjoy …<br />
FRESH: 1T lemon juice, 1t olive oil, pinch of pepper & fresh parsley<br />
TANGY: 1t balsamic, 1t olive oil, pinch of pepper, paprika & garlic<br />
SPICEY: 1T lime juice, 1t olive oil, cayenne, cumin & garlic<br />
Remember to be über food-safety conscious when handling raw chicken. If you’re not<br />
familiar with raw chicken safety, study up on it before making chicken. Salmonella is<br />
no joke. The government’s food safety website (foodsafety.gov) has great resources,<br />
especially their essay “Chicken from Farm to Table.” Check it out! We want our <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong><br />
to be Safe <strong>Girls</strong>. (PS: We love recycling, but never re-use used marinades.)
“we wrote you a new warm up song.”
LUNCH — WEEK ONE<br />
ROASTED VEGGIES. No veggie tops a roasted veggie, at least in our humble opinion.<br />
They’re so delish they’re worth making the kitchen toasty for even in summer. We used<br />
cauliflower, mini-zucchini, and pre-cut butternut squash in the picture, but you can<br />
choose another 3 veggies if you like (except any kind of potato).<br />
Other suggested roasting veggies:<br />
mushrooms asparagus tomatoes bell peppers eggplant<br />
broccoli zucchini carrots yellow squash<br />
Here’s how to roast veggies: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut your veggies into<br />
even pieces for even roasting. Cover a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with parchment<br />
paper (for super easy cleanup), spray with cooking spray, and spread the veggies out in<br />
a single layer. If you put them on top of each other they steam rather than roast and<br />
you don’t get the deliciousness. Just spray the veggies with cooking spray and sprinkle<br />
with garlic powder. Add in a little onion or sprigs of rosemary for extra flavor. Roast for<br />
15 minutes. Check to see if the bottoms are browned and they’re to your desired<br />
tenderness. If not, give them a couple more minutes and check again.<br />
#RoastedVeggies4Life (That’s not a real hashtag we want you to use, that’s just how we<br />
feel about roasted veggies.)
LUNCH — WEEK ONE<br />
LUNCH BOX NOTES. “What? That’s not a food!” No, it’s not, but it’s part of your lunch<br />
recipe! We know you’re looking at your heart everyday and keeping your eye on your<br />
goals, but we want to make sure you’re giving yourself a little extra special<br />
encouragement throughout the day as well! Each day, write a new positive energy note<br />
to yourself and pack it with your lunch. Keep it in at your desk or in your purse or<br />
pocket (if your outfit has one — not enough girl clothes have pockets, right?) and look<br />
at it throughout the day. At the end of the day put your note in an empty jar. It’s your<br />
Spirit Jar of awesome energy that you’ll keep adding to as the month goes on!<br />
Remember to keep your notes positive. Write whatever it is you think you need to hear<br />
that day to keep going.<br />
“IS THAT YOUR DARK CHOCOLATE I SEE?” Obvi! We never leave home without it! We<br />
even broke it into four smaller pieces for maximum savorage. If you’re heating your<br />
bowl, just remember to take it out first or else it’ll be a puddle. We did that once. It was<br />
still delicious, but I don’t think the way we licked it out of the container would have<br />
made Audrey proud.<br />
m Can’t wait to see what you write and cook up! m
LUNCH — WEEK ONE<br />
One Meal / Many Ways<br />
There are endless ways to add variety to<br />
the roasted veggie power bowl by using a<br />
different protein, a different bean (just<br />
use the same quantity of any bean you<br />
want), a different sauce, and changing up<br />
the veggies you roast mid-week. If you<br />
want specific ideas, try one of these!<br />
Pasta Primavera Bowl<br />
To make this version, all you have to do is<br />
add a box of whole wheat or gluten-free<br />
pasta to your grocery list. You have all the<br />
other ingredients! Sub 1/3 cup cooked<br />
pasta, 1/4 cup marinara, and 2T<br />
mozzarella cheese for the hummus, rice<br />
and beans. Mix it all together and —<br />
hello Italian deliciousness!<br />
“I Love Potatoes!” Bowl<br />
Sub 2/3 cup of diced potato (any kind of<br />
potato you like!) for the rice and black<br />
beans. Sauté the potatoes with 1t olive<br />
oil, garlic, and fresh ground pepper. Serve<br />
hot with the roasted veggies, kale,<br />
protein and hummus or dressing.<br />
#spudlove #owningthepotatocraving<br />
Faux-Potle Bowl<br />
Burrito Bowl in da houseeeeee! Sub<br />
lettuce for the kale and 2T cheese & 2T<br />
salsa for the hummus. Add cilantro and a<br />
squeeze of lime to your brown rice and<br />
chop your protein into cubes. Your Frugal<br />
Girl fast food is served!
aise your hand if<br />
you like bubble baths.<br />
“i do!”
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK ONE<br />
Sweet Potato Street Tacos<br />
2 corn tortillas (60 cal each) 5 sliced strawberries<br />
3T mozzarella cheese 1 hardboiled egg (not pictured)<br />
1/2c sweet potatoes 1t olive oil<br />
1c baby spinach 2 slices avocado (or 2T guac)<br />
1/2c mushrooms 1t hot sauce (or 2T salsa)<br />
2T chopped onion spices<br />
It’s BYOTS (Be Your Own Taco Stand) week! This is another recipe you can make a ton of<br />
diff ways. We’re currently hearting this one, and not just cuz it's pretty. But that too.<br />
Coat a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray. Sauté mushrooms and onions for 2-3<br />
minutes. Add sweet potatoes, olive oil, and a small sprinkle of cumin, oregano, and garlic<br />
for a taco flavor. Cayenne too if you want a little spice. (Tip: We partially pre-cook our cut<br />
sweet potatoes in the microwave for easier sautéing. 1-2 minutes in a bowl with a splash of<br />
water does the trick.) Sauté a few more minutes until everything is a nice golden brown,<br />
stirring occasionally. When the veggies are almost done, add the spinach. It will quickly wilt<br />
before your eyes. When it does, you’re done!<br />
Set the veggies aside and put the corn tortillas in the pan (which will have a little oil left in<br />
it). Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese on one side of each shell and heat on medium.<br />
Cook until melted and the tortillas are soft. Fill with veggies, avocado, and hot sauce or<br />
salsa. Enjoy with a side of strawberries sprinkled with cinnamon and a hard-boiled egg!
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK ONE<br />
Adventures with Hard-Boiled Eggs<br />
Hard-boiled eggs are one of a <strong>Fit</strong> Girl's power secrets. They're cute little portable protein<br />
capsules that are perfect for snacking or pumping up any meal. Lazy Girl Tip: You can buy<br />
ready-made hard-boiled eggs at the grocery store, but they're really quite simple to make once<br />
you get the hang of it — and a lot cheaper. Just put your eggs in a pot of cold water. Make sure<br />
there's about an extra inch of water on top of the eggs. Bring the water to a boil without the lid.<br />
Once the water's boiling, boil for exactly 1 minute. Take off the heat and cover. Leave covered for<br />
20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. You can eat them right away or store them in the<br />
fridge for later. We love making multiple days of eggs at a time. It's a great way to cut down on<br />
meal prep time. (Psssst. Food Safety Tip: The FDA advises to eat hard-boiled eggs within one<br />
week, so don't make too many at once.)<br />
Shirts v. Skins<br />
Yup, that’s right. we left our sweet<br />
potato skins on. If you’ve never left them<br />
on before, give it a whirl. It’s not only<br />
one less prep step, sweet potato skins<br />
are loaded with nutrients and tastiness!<br />
“I’m too hungry to cook!”<br />
Sometimes so are we. Why don’t you see<br />
the hard-boiled egg in the picture? Um,<br />
because we ate it while we cooked dinner.<br />
A little protein is a great way to tide<br />
yourself over while you fix up your tacos!
A SPECIAL MeSSAgE AbOuT AVOCADoS<br />
Avocados are not only hella good, they’re also loaded with potassium, amino acids, and the<br />
healthy monounsaturated fats that your body needs. Since we’ll be using a lot of avocado in<br />
the coming weeks, we wanted to share a few avocado tips for your Challenge journey.<br />
TO TELL IF RIPE. Ripe avocados have a slight softness when you give them a gentle squeeze.<br />
If they feel super soft, they’re rotten. You can also pop off the little stem button on top if it’s<br />
still there. A ripe avocado will be green underneath the stem. If it’s brown underneath,<br />
that’s a rotten one. It’s fine to buy hard avocados and wait for them to ripen at home.<br />
TO RIPEN FASTER. Put the avocado in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple and store<br />
at room temperature. Ta-dahhhh! Magic! (Actually, it’s science. The ethylene of the bananas<br />
and apples helps the avocado ripen faster.) Note: Avocados will not ripen once cut open, like<br />
most other fruit. (Yeah, avocado’s a fruit! It’s nicknamed the “Alligator Pear” because it looks<br />
like if a pear got dressed up in alligator skin. Ok, we know too much about avocados, we’re<br />
gonna stop now.)<br />
TO CUT. Cut your avocado in half. Take the half without the pit in the palm of your hand.<br />
Slice or cube it inside the shell with a dull knife. Scoop out the part you want with a spoon.<br />
It’ll scoop out in cute little pieces. You’ll get the hang of cutting pretty avocado in no time!<br />
TO STORE. Store with the pit still in the avocado and wrap it in foil. If you only use part of<br />
the non-pit half, put the halves back together before wrapping. #avolove
don’t forget your zzz’s.<br />
(Lion cub and lamb optional.)
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK ONE<br />
Pita Pizza Party<br />
1 whole wheat pita bread (160 cal) 1/2c baby spinach<br />
3-4T your favorite marinara sauce 1/2 sliced apple<br />
1/4c shredded mozzarella 1 hardboiled egg<br />
1/4c diced mushrooms garlic power<br />
handful of sliced bell pepper strips<br />
There’s no such thing as life without pizza, even in <strong>Fit</strong> Girl world. This is one of our easy<br />
Pizza makeover favs. We’ll do another variety in Week Three because — pizza.<br />
Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, cover<br />
a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Sauté the mushrooms and yellow pepper. Add the<br />
spinach after the veggies are almost done to your liking. (We like ours to get a little<br />
golden brown around the edges.) When the spinach is wilted, give all the veggies a<br />
light dusting of garlic powder.<br />
Place your pita on a baking sheet and spread evenly with sauce. Top with the sautéed<br />
veggies and cheese. Bake 6-8 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Serve with a side of<br />
sliced apples and a hardboiled egg (we sprinkled ours with chives and paprika). You<br />
can shake on some oregano and red pepper flakes and bring out your red-checkered<br />
table cloth for the full pizza parlor effect! (Note to selves: Buy red-checkered table cloth.)
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK ONE<br />
Green Girl Tip:<br />
Pita bread usually comes in packages of 6 and doesn’t stay fresh after the first week. Like<br />
we said, we’ll be having another Pita Pizza Party in Week Three, so freeze your 3 extra<br />
pitas and you’ll already have them ready to go! A couple bucks at the store saved and no<br />
guilt over wasting food. You can even freeze your pitas in their original bag. Just wrap it<br />
in foil first for best results. You can also freeze any leftover marinara sauce in a freezer<br />
bag or plastic container (not in the glass jar) at the end of the week. Not to mention the<br />
obvious option of legit having a Pita Pizza Party like with actual other people. #besties<br />
“I don’t have time for this!”<br />
Busy Girl Method #1: Put your pita in a<br />
frying pan, top with your ingredients, and<br />
heat until the cheese melts. Busy Girl<br />
Method #1: Cut your pita in half, stuff all<br />
the ingredients inside, and microwave<br />
yourself a Pita Calzone Party!<br />
Gluten-Free & Vegan Tips:<br />
Gluten-free pita bread can be hard to<br />
come by. You can still make a delish<br />
pizza using a brown rice tortilla or<br />
gluten-free English muffin! Vegan<br />
friends can use Daiya cheese and sub<br />
in a 60 calorie serving of protein — or<br />
skip the cheese and make a 140<br />
calorie side of protein.
congrats! you did it!<br />
Collect your<br />
mani!
Dear <strong>Fit</strong> Girl,<br />
!<br />
First, congrats again! It’s not easy to change your life and you did!<br />
A couple Green Girl Tips: If you have leftover veggies, you can roast or sauté<br />
them and sub them for your snack Day 1 of Week Two. If you have leftover<br />
fruit, you can freeze it in baggies to make smoothies with for your special<br />
drink or for after the challenge. And don’t forget to show us your Lunch Box<br />
Notes and fab new nails! Tag us on Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong> or email us with<br />
pics. Congrats one last time! You’re off to a Girltastic start!<br />
xoxo,<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> Worldwide<br />
#1
week two
Week two Menu<br />
!<br />
BREAKFAST<br />
Egg Mc<strong>Fit</strong>fun<br />
!<br />
LUNCH<br />
Salade Niçoise Redux<br />
!<br />
SNACK<br />
200 Calorie Snack<br />
!<br />
DINNER<br />
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls<br />
(Day 1/3/5/7)<br />
!<br />
a<br />
a<br />
a<br />
Dreamy Polenta<br />
(Day 2/4/6)<br />
a
Grocery List<br />
4 red peppers<br />
1 bag green beans<br />
1-2 containers cherry tomatoes<br />
1 bag or bunch kale<br />
2 1/3 cups small potatoes<br />
bunch of Bibb or other lettuce<br />
1 avocado<br />
pomegranate seeds (optional)<br />
2 tomatoes<br />
1 bunch grapes<br />
3 packages raspberries<br />
bottled lemon juice or lemons<br />
1 bag fresh or frozen peas<br />
1 bunch parsley<br />
fresh basil<br />
3 servings your choice of protein<br />
* 1 container eggs<br />
1 2% Greek yogurt (optional)<br />
1 package sliced swiss or Monterey Jack<br />
2 small containers ricotta<br />
1 pkg whole wheat Eng muffins (150 cal)<br />
4 5oz cans tuna (or sub chicken)<br />
1 can pumpkin<br />
1 jar marinara sauce<br />
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles<br />
* 1 bag polenta (or cornmeal or grits)<br />
* 1 bag sun-dried tomatoes<br />
Don’t forget to pick up your snacks!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
!<br />
a<br />
aa<br />
Ingredients with a * also be<br />
used in future weeks!<br />
Remember to adjust<br />
for subs!
Week two Meal Prep<br />
THE NIGHT BEFORE DAY 1<br />
• Make 4 Salade Niçoise Redux, but only 2 days of the tuna stuffing. It’s better<br />
fresh. Pack the dressings in separate tiny containers. (PS: Take the dressings<br />
out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before you eat them.)<br />
• Wash, dry and freeze your grapes in a baggie.<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 1<br />
• Make a double serving of Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls at dinner. They keep<br />
awesome in the fridge and you won’t have to cook dinner on Night 3!<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 3<br />
• Make 2 days of tuna salad stuffing.<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 4<br />
• Make 3 Salade Niçoise Redux. Again only 2 days of tuna stuffing.<br />
• Make another double batch of Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls. Dinner for Night 7, done!<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 6<br />
• Make 2 days of tuna stuffing. (You’ll have one extra serving and one extra half<br />
of red pepper. Sub for a snack Day 1 of Week 3 or share with a friend!)<br />
a<br />
aa
“you got this girlfriend!”
emember to do your ten of<br />
somethings.
BREAKFAST — WEEK TWO<br />
Egg Mc<strong>Fit</strong>fun<br />
1 whole wheat English muffin (150 cal)<br />
1 egg<br />
1 slice heirloom or regular tomato<br />
1oz Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese<br />
2T avocado (or 3 very thin slices)<br />
optional hot sauce<br />
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
This is a quick hot breakfast we make for Leo [-nardo DiCaprio] whenever he stays over.<br />
Start off by prepping the tomato and avocado and setting out your cheese. Cook the<br />
egg over-medium (or however you desire) in a non-stick frying pan using cooking<br />
spray. While that’s cooking, toast your English muffin. You can add the tomato to the<br />
other side of the pan for a few seconds if you want it heated up.<br />
Right after the muffin comes out of the toaster, put the cheese on the bottom half so it<br />
starts to melt. You can microwave for 15 seconds if it doesn’t melt enough to your<br />
liking. Layer the cheesy side with the tomato, egg, avocado, and a few shakes of hot<br />
sauce, if desired. Neat Girl Tip: Mash the avocado before putting it on top of the<br />
tomato for a less slidey-aroundy sandwich. That’s how we eat it in front of Leo.*<br />
(*Sry, we were still asleep. Leonardo DiCaprio has never spent the night at our house.)
BREAKFAST — WEEK TWO<br />
Mind your Fridge Oats<br />
Remember to eat Cherry Pie Fridge Oats for Day 1, then move on to Egg Mc<strong>Fit</strong>funs. English<br />
muffins come in packs of 6 — the perfect amount to last for a week (almost). We make up<br />
for the “almost” by doing one extra day of oatmeal. Bonus: It lets us use the last serving of<br />
Greek yogurt and prevents us from having a meltdown about package quantities at the<br />
grocery store à la Steve Martin in Father of the Bride. (One of our absolute favorite movies.<br />
And great to watch while you stretch or work on your awesome incoming abs!)<br />
PB&B Mc<strong>Fit</strong>fun<br />
Missing your sweet breakfast from<br />
Week One but need a break from<br />
oats? Try a PB&B Mc<strong>Fit</strong>fun! Toast<br />
the muffin then add 1T peanut<br />
butter (or almond butter), 1 sliced<br />
banana, and a teeny drizzle of<br />
honey. #mmmmmm<br />
Get in the Ring!<br />
Egg rings are one of our fav discoveries because<br />
they give eggwitches that extra special “look<br />
how cute I am” final touch. You can get them<br />
super cheap at most stores that sell kitchen<br />
supplies. Regular fried eggs are totes fine too!<br />
You just have to fold them a bit. (PS: Poached<br />
eggs are also yum for this if you have that skill<br />
in your repertoire.)
“are you remembering<br />
to drink your water?”<br />
“i totally am.”
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
LUNCH — WEEK TWO<br />
Salade Niçoise Redux<br />
1/2 can low-sodium tuna in water 1/2c raspberries<br />
2T 2% Greek yogurt (or 1t olive oil) 1 hard-boiled egg<br />
1T diced sun-dried tomatoes 2/3c little potatoes<br />
1T cooked peas 1/2 roasted red pepper<br />
1t finely chopped parsley Balsamic Vinaigrette (next page)<br />
handful green beans, cherry, Bibb lettuce Lunch Box Note<br />
Bienvenue en France, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>! Salade Niçoise (pronounced: nee-swazhs) literally<br />
means salad in the style of Nice, a city on the southern coast of France. It was a favorite<br />
of Julia Child. The classic Niçoise uses plain tuna, but we think it’s fun to serve with a<br />
stuffed-pepper twist. This is another great make-ahead, easy-to pack lunch. Bon appétit!<br />
First the STUFFED PEPPERS …<br />
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the red peppers in half, remove seeds and<br />
membranes, give em a spritz of cooking spray and sprinkle of garlic (if desired). Roast<br />
with the cut-side up for 20 minutes. Let cool.<br />
Mix tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, Greek yogurt (or 1t olive oil), cooked peas, parsley, and<br />
fresh ground pepper to taste. Stuff into 1/2 of the red pepper. (It prob won’t all fit. Pack<br />
the extra on the side for a snack. You def want to eat it all because holla protein.)
LUNCH — WEEK TWO<br />
Now for the VEGGIES …<br />
Steam the green beans exactly like we did the kale. Again you have your option of how<br />
crunchy or not crunchy you like them. Take your pick! After they’re done to your liking,<br />
you can run them under cold water in a colander to cool them down faster.<br />
To make the potatoes, pop them whole in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook 5-15<br />
minutes depending on size. We used super tiny ones that cooked in about 5 minutes.<br />
The potatoes are done when you can poke them with a fork. They should feel like a<br />
potato that you’d want to eat. Check them early to be safe side so they don’t turn to<br />
mush. You can also run these under cold water in a colander for quicker cooling.<br />
And the VINAIGRETTE …<br />
Mix 1t olive oil, 1t lemon juice, 1t honey, 1T balsamic & pepper to taste. Shake it up!<br />
Want another option? “Sure!” Apple Cider Vinaigrette: 1t olive oil, 1t honey, 1T apple<br />
cider vinegar, dill & pepper to taste. (You can also use 60 calories of your fav dressing.)<br />
And the ASSEMBLY …<br />
If eating now, arrange the tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, egg, and stuffed pepper on<br />
a bed of Bibb lettuce. Drizzle with dressing. Très jolie! (You can pick the stuffed pepper<br />
up like a sandwich or cut it with a fork and knife, real Proper Girl like.)<br />
If you’re packing your lunch in a 3-part container, pack the egg and the extra tuna on<br />
the side. (We cheated a little so we could show you all the ingredients. You still love us,<br />
right? Awesome, thx.)
LUNCH — WEEK TWO<br />
Chicken Niçoise<br />
Don’t like tuna? You can easily make this<br />
a chicken salad stuffed pepper by using<br />
90 calories of cooked chicken breast<br />
(about 2oz) instead of the tuna. Dice the<br />
chicken really tiny and make the recipe<br />
exactly the same way. C’est bon!<br />
Chopped Niçoise<br />
Looking for a more traditional salad?<br />
Leave the pepper raw. Chop up the<br />
veggies and egg and toss them together<br />
with the dressing. You can stir in the<br />
tuna salad or put it on top. (You can also<br />
sub 120 calories of any protein for the<br />
tuna salad to change things up!)<br />
Vegan Niçoise<br />
Go Veg Niçoise with just a few simple<br />
substitutions! For a soy option, sub 120<br />
calories sautéed tempeh with 2T hummus<br />
for the tuna salad. (This also counts as your<br />
egg sub.) For a non-soy option, sub 1/2 cup<br />
beans, 2T diced avocado & 1T hummus for<br />
the tuna salad & egg. Or fill the peppers<br />
with any 180 calorie sauté of your choice!<br />
This is Nice. Where we’d like to be right now,<br />
writing this book on a French guy’s yacht.<br />
q
LUNCH — WEEK TWO<br />
Bonus Alternate Lunches!<br />
Here are some other options for this<br />
week’s lunch if you want to let your inner<br />
chef out to play! With each recipe you can<br />
also have 1/2 cup fruit for dessert. #mmmm<br />
(PS: You can stick with any of the bowls<br />
from Week One, jump ahead to next<br />
week’s lunch, or do a Build-A-Bowl! Pick<br />
something you’ll love!)<br />
Quickie Fried Rice<br />
Sauté 1 cup of your favorite veggies (we<br />
recommend shredded carrots, onions,<br />
sliced pea pods, and broccoli) with 120<br />
calories chopped tofu or pre-cooked<br />
animal protein, 1/2 cup cooked brown<br />
rice, 1t sesame oil, minced garlic, and red<br />
pepper flakes if you want to feel the<br />
heat. Top with 2t soy sauce and break out<br />
the chopsticks! #holla<br />
Abs Salad<br />
Kickin’ it old school. Lay down a couple<br />
handfuls of lettuce, top with 1 cup of your<br />
favorite veggies, 120 calories of your<br />
favorite protein, 1/2 cup potatoes sautéed<br />
with 1t oil (or 1/3 cup brown rice or<br />
quinoa), and 80 calories dressing.<br />
Five Sec Wrap<br />
150 calorie tortilla + 2T hummus + 2 oz<br />
reduced-sodium deli turkey + 50 calories<br />
of cheese or avocado + all the veggies<br />
you can fit on top = Operation Five Sec<br />
Wrap complete.
“oh hey, i’m just getting<br />
a little exercise in<br />
while i sit here.”
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK TWO<br />
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls<br />
2 lasagna noodles (200 calories) 2T shredded mozzarella cheese<br />
1/4c part-skim ricotta 1/4c your favorite marinara sauce<br />
1/4c canned pumpkin spices<br />
Every girl ever in November’s all “OMG I heart my pumpkin latte imma Insta 100 pics of<br />
this cup,” but true pumpkin fans know that pumpkin is a woman for all seasons. So is<br />
lasagna. Love connection! XOXO. Let’s make some pumpkin lasagna rolls!<br />
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the noodles according to the package<br />
directions. Mix the pumpkin and ricotta cheese with a teeny pinch of nutmeg and a<br />
light sprinkle of garlic powder. When the noodles are done, rinse with cold water till<br />
they’re comfortable to touch. Lay the noodles on a cutting board covered with a paper<br />
towel and pat off excess water. Spoon half of the ricotta mixture evenly onto each<br />
noodle, covering the length of the noodle, then roll them up into cute little coils. (You<br />
can add some extra veggies to the filling if you want! Spinach is a great addition!)<br />
Next, put a few spoonfuls of marinara down on your pan (a loaf pan works especially<br />
well). Place the lasagna rolls on top, seam side down. Top with the rest of the marinara.<br />
(Cover the whole noodle if you don’t like crispy edges.) Top with cheese and bake for<br />
20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and they’re heated through.
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK TWO<br />
Notta Pumpkin Fan?<br />
Notta problem! You can also do these with butternut squash, either fresh-cooked mashed<br />
or canned. If you’re no bueno on squash altogether you can add in another veggie you<br />
prefer. Broccoli is great, as is spinach. You can also try mushrooms, bell pepper, and<br />
cauliflower. Just chop these veggies finely and sauté/steam/roast first. If using another<br />
veggie, aim for about 1/2 to 1 full cup. Like so many of the foods we’re making, lasagna<br />
rolls are friendly with lotsa peeps. #mostlikelytohangoutwitheveryone (PS: Adding other<br />
veggies to the pumpkin rolls is also yummy and totally allowed! Let your inner chef play!)<br />
All Hail Kale!<br />
Don’t forget to have some veggies on<br />
the side to complete the meal! We did<br />
a handful of steamed garlic kale with<br />
2T pomegranate seeds and cherry<br />
tomatoes — but you can do 1 cup of<br />
whatever veggies or salad you desire!<br />
If making a salad, keep the dressing<br />
under 40 calories and skip the pom.<br />
Vegan & Gluten-Free<br />
For vegan rolls, sub 2T non-dairy cream<br />
cheese for the ricotta and use 2T non-dairy<br />
cheese on top. For gluten free, use 200<br />
calories of any gluten free pasta if you can’t<br />
find lasagna noodles and enjoy a<br />
Deconstructed Lasagna Bowl. (This is great<br />
with veggies mixed in!)
get your move on!
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK TWO<br />
Dreamy Polenta<br />
1/4c dry polenta/cornmeal/or grits <strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s Choice of protein<br />
1/4c part-skim ricotta garlic<br />
1c diced cherry tomatoes 10 frozen grapes (not pictured)<br />
1/2t olive oil fresh basil (optional)<br />
You will dream about this polenta. You will dream about riding around on the cloud<br />
that is its ricotta creaminess. And as you ride around on your cloud, you will high-five<br />
people riding around on their clouds. And you will become cloud-riding besties.<br />
At least that’s what happened for us. Regardless, polenta is a cinch to make — Lazy Girl<br />
like a mother. Put the polenta in a bowl, add 1 & 1/4 cups water, microwave for 5-7<br />
minutes. It will have a slight nuttiness but mostly taste creamy. Add a little extra water<br />
if it’s too thick. The sec the polenta is done, stir in the ricotta and a teeny tiny pinch of<br />
salt. (Yes, we said the s-word.) Add sautéed garlic and onion for more sass.<br />
While the polenta is cooking, sauté the tomatoes with olive oil and a light dusting of<br />
garlic powder. Pour onto the polenta. Toss with some chopped fresh basil, if available<br />
— and if you like it. (It wasn’t available for us, but oh do we like it. We get down with a<br />
lot of dried herbs, but not basil. Ain’t nothing like the fresh thing.)<br />
Enjoy some frozen grapes to end the meal! Sweet dreams, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>. #clouds
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK TWO<br />
Polenta Plating 101<br />
“How do you get the polenta to be all even and cute like that?” Easy peasy can’t wait to<br />
share! Right after you’ve stirred the ricotta into the polenta, pour it onto the middle of the<br />
plate. Then take the back of a large cereal spoon and press gently into the top of the<br />
polenta and slowly make wider and wider circles until you’ve smoothed the polenta out<br />
over the whole plate. (Yes, it’s cray how much food 1/4c polenta and 1/4c ricotta becomes.<br />
Cray awesome.) I-Hate-Dishes Girl Tip: Leave the polenta in the bowl and pour tomatoes on top.<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s Choice of Protein<br />
We’re giving you your choice of 120<br />
calorie protein for this meal. You’re<br />
welcome. We used a veggie burger<br />
because we had them in our freezer<br />
being all noisy and “Please eat us!<br />
Please!” but a filet of salmon makes a<br />
lovely pairing. (Pssst: Remember not to<br />
use more than 1t oil in your prep.)<br />
Options, Options<br />
Change up your polenta using whatever<br />
sautéed veggies and spices you want! You can<br />
also add marinara sauce on top to sauce-y<br />
things up. And vegan/dairy-free girls, we<br />
haven’t forgotten about you! You can sub 2T<br />
Daiya cream cheese for the ricotta — or 3/4T of<br />
non-dairy butter. This will get your non-dairy<br />
Dreamy on. #clouds
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK TWO<br />
pOlenta anD I Do NOt like EaCh Other<br />
Have a rocky relationship with polenta? No problem. Try one of these ideas! You can also, of<br />
course, sub a Build-A-Bowl from Week Four or any 400 calorie Clean Meal of your choice.<br />
Remember: This is YOUR Challenge. Make everything as yummy for yourself as possible.<br />
LASAGNA FEVER. If you’re loving the Lasagna Rolls you can make things super easy on<br />
yourself and have those for every dinner this week. Make a big pan using different fillings to<br />
add some variety! You can also switch up your veggie side to shake things up even more.<br />
THE PICKY GIRL FEAST. Have it 100% your way with the Picky Girl Feast! Serve your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s<br />
Choice of Protein with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat (or gluten-free)<br />
pasta and 1 cup vegetables sautéed in 1t oil and your favorite spices. Tip: For bonus flavor,<br />
add the rice/quinoa/pasta into the veggies as they’re almost done cooking and sauté<br />
everything together for a minute. Have 1/2 cup of your favorite fruit for dessert.<br />
RICOTTA PRIMAVERA BOWL. Another low cal pasta option for the pasta lover! While your<br />
whole wheat or gluten-free pasta is cooking, sauté 1 cup of your favorite veggies in 1t olive<br />
oil and fresh garlic or garlic powder. Stir 2T ricotta and your veggies into 1/2 cup of piping hot<br />
pasta. Top with fresh basil and serve next to your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s Choice of Protein. (PS: You can<br />
also make this with 1/2 cup brown rice for a risotto feel.) Enjoy 10 frozen grapes for dessert.
congrats. you did it!<br />
Hello workout<br />
outfit!
Dear <strong>Fit</strong> Girl,<br />
!<br />
Two weeks two weeks two weeks! You’re halfway there! Wooooo!<br />
If you have leftover veggies and fruit, you know wuzzup. (Pssst: Remember to<br />
share that extra stuffed red pepper or sub it as a snack Day 1 of Week Three.)<br />
What’s going on in your Challenge world? Any fun Lunch Box notes?<br />
Girlventures? Pictures of your adorbs puppy doing something ridic adorb?<br />
Tag us on Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong> or email us with pics. Can’t wait to see! One<br />
order of Week Three, coming right up!<br />
xoxo,<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> Worldwide<br />
#2
week three
Week three Menu<br />
!<br />
BREAKFAST<br />
Apple Pie Fridge Oats<br />
!<br />
LUNCH<br />
Quinoa Cleanse Bowl<br />
!<br />
SNACK<br />
200 Calorie Snack<br />
!<br />
DINNER<br />
Growed-Up Girl Cheese<br />
(Day 1/3/5/7)<br />
!<br />
a<br />
a<br />
a<br />
Superfood Pizza Party<br />
(Day 2/4/6)<br />
a
Grocery List<br />
1 tomato<br />
1 bag kale<br />
1 bag broccoli<br />
1 small sweet potato<br />
2 avocados<br />
1 bag sugar snap peas<br />
2 bell peppers<br />
chives<br />
1 bunch asparagus<br />
4 peaches or nectarines<br />
2 apples<br />
2 large containers strawberries<br />
2 small containers blackberries<br />
pomegranate seeds (optional)<br />
* 1 brick mozzarella cheese<br />
* 1 container regular sour cream<br />
2 containers 2% Greek yogurt<br />
butter or vegan butter<br />
7 3oz servings of chicken breast<br />
11oz low-sodium deli turkey<br />
1 loaf whole wheat bread (100 cal)<br />
1 small bag chopped pecans<br />
1 can artichoke hearts<br />
1 unsweetened almond milk<br />
1 can lentils<br />
1 bag raisins<br />
* 1 bag quinoa<br />
Snack ingredients<br />
!<br />
!(Add: Marinara sauce and<br />
!<br />
pita bread if you don’t have<br />
in your freezer!)<br />
!<br />
Ingredients with a * also be used in<br />
future weeks!<br />
Adjust for your<br />
dressings!<br />
a a<br />
a
Week three Meal Prep<br />
THE NIGHT BEFORE DAY 1<br />
• Make 3 Apple Pie Fridge Oats and 3 Quinoa Cleanse Bowls.<br />
• Prep the artichoke hearts and chopped kale for all 4 Growed-Up Grilled<br />
Cheeses and the sweet potatoes and broccoli for all 3 Superfood Pizza<br />
Parties. Just chop them up. Don’t cook them. This’ll make things faster for<br />
when you do!<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 3<br />
• Make 3 Apple Pie Fridge Oats and 4 Quinoa Cleanse Bowls.<br />
a a<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 6<br />
• Make 2 Apple Pie Fridge Oats. (Yes, again this makes 8 total. You’re making<br />
one for Day 1 of Week Four because of an English muffin-esque situation.)<br />
a
“i heart wearing<br />
the same outfits<br />
to celebrate the<br />
halfway mark.”<br />
“right?”
BREAKFAST — WEEK THREE<br />
Apple Pie Fridge Oats<br />
1/3c old fashioned or rolled oats<br />
1/3c unsweetened almond milk<br />
1/2c 2% Greek yogurt<br />
1t chia seeds (optional)<br />
1t honey<br />
1T raisins<br />
A quarter of an apple diced<br />
Tiny pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg<br />
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
Refrigerator oatmeal round two! Apple Pie à la Fridge Oats. All y’all know how this<br />
goes: Layer the oats, almond milk, chia seeds, honey, raisins, Greek yogurt, cinnamon,<br />
apple, and nutmeg in a small mason jar or bowl. Stir it all up, cover and pop in the<br />
fridge. Take out in the AM and eat them oats! (This breakfast is only 300 calories so you<br />
can either add 50 calories of nuts on top or add them to your day anywhere you want!)<br />
PS: If you’re grooving on the Fridge Oat train, here are couple other oat-tastic options<br />
to try in the future: Pineapple Cream Pie (sub 1/2 cup diced pineapple for the apple &<br />
raisins, sub 2T shredded coconut for the almond butter/chia seeds, skip the spices) and<br />
PB & Banana Parfait (sub half a banana for the apple & raisins, sub 1/2T peanut butter<br />
for the almond butter, skip the spices).
“this clean eating is<br />
making me so tiny.”
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
LUNCH — WEEK THREE<br />
Quinoa Cleanse Bowl<br />
1/3c cooked quinoa 2T canned lentils or beans<br />
3oz diced prepared chicken breast 5 strawberries<br />
1/4c diced bell pepper 2T pomegranate seeds (optional)<br />
1/4c sliced sugar snap peas 3T diced avocado<br />
Dressing (next page)<br />
Lunch Box Note<br />
Quinoa — KEEN-wah! — is a teeny powerhouse of fiber, iron, protein, and magnesium,<br />
among many other things that make bodies happy. It’s also gluten-free and makes a<br />
killer sub for couscous in Tabouli Salad. You can use it to vary up any dish you’d<br />
normally use rice in. (Quinoa Fried “Rice” = yes please. More on that in a sec.)<br />
The Quinoa Cleanse Bowl is the ultimate Lazy Girl meal, especially if you use cheats<br />
like frozen quinoa and precooked chicken. All ya do is mix everything together and eat.<br />
It’s even more delish if you let it marinate for a few hours. Dress your bowl in the<br />
morning, go about your business, and by lunch it’ll be full of flava. #flavadance<br />
PS: We like to use cooked sugar snap peas. And, yes, there’s a Lazy Girl cheat for that,<br />
too. They make fresh sugar snap peas that you can steam right in the bag. Frozen sugar<br />
snap peas ain’t too shabby either. They’re quite delish.<br />
PPS: You can also enjoy this bowl hot. Just eat the pom and avocado as a side!
LUNCH — WEEK THREE<br />
Dress It Up<br />
Our fav dressing for this bowl is a simple<br />
homemade tahini. (Tahini is made from<br />
ground sesame seeds and you're most<br />
likely to find it in health food grocery<br />
stores.) To make a low calorie Tahini<br />
Dressing use 1t tahini + 1t olive oil + 1t<br />
lemon juice + 1T water + optional<br />
chopped parsley. If you don't like tahini<br />
(or don't want to shell out for a jar — it's<br />
pricey but it lasts a lonnnnng time), you<br />
can use 70 calories of any other dressing<br />
you like! You can use one of the<br />
vinaigrettes from last week or bring out<br />
our inner chef and create your own. You<br />
can also use 2T store bought hummus or<br />
a Clean store bought dressing for added<br />
convenience. Salsa is also yummy if you<br />
leave out the pomegranate seeds!<br />
In the Kitchen with Quinoa ...<br />
Cook quinoa according to the package<br />
directions for the stove or rice cooker. You<br />
can use low-sodium veggie broth instead of<br />
water if you’d like. Tossing in a few strings of<br />
saffron also makes us happy. You can freeze<br />
any leftover quinoa and save it for after the<br />
Challenge. Quinoa freezes like a champ.<br />
... Or Not.<br />
If you don’t like quinoa or can’t get your<br />
hands on any (but, like, srsly check out that<br />
internet, <strong>Fit</strong> Girl, you can get your hands on<br />
anything — even Unicorn Meat and flying<br />
slingshot monkeys), you can use 1/3c rice<br />
or pasta instead. Boom.
LUNCH — WEEK THREE<br />
One Meal/Many Ways<br />
You can easily turn the Quinoa Cleanse<br />
Bowl into different tasting meals by<br />
changing up how you flavor your chicken,<br />
subbing another protein, using different<br />
dressings, or using alternate veggies. You<br />
can also go back to any of the lunches from<br />
Weeks One and Two or look ahead to next<br />
week's Build-A-Bowl! And here're two more<br />
meals to throw into the ring …<br />
Souper Quick Lunch<br />
Have 1/2 of the Five Sec Wrap on page 152<br />
with 200 calories of your favorite lowsodium<br />
soup. Leave the hummus off the<br />
wrap so the other half will be fresh the<br />
next day for a second lunch!<br />
Fried Rice Quinoa<br />
If you haven’t tried Fried Quinoa, now’s<br />
your chance! You can make it using almost<br />
the same ingredients from the Quinoa<br />
Cleanse Bowl. All you have to do is leave<br />
out the pomegranate, avocado, and<br />
lentils. Then, use 2/3 cup quinoa (instead<br />
of 1/3 cup) and add 1/4 cup peas (which<br />
you have from last week) and 2T chopped<br />
onion. Sauté 1/2T sesame or vegetable oil<br />
with onions, a double portion of the<br />
Quinoa Cleanse Bowl veggies, and a clove<br />
of minced garlic or a sprinkle of garlic<br />
powder. (A pinch or two of fresh ginger is<br />
great too.) Add in 120 calories chopped<br />
tofu or pre-cooked animal protein once<br />
the veggies have cooked for a few<br />
minutes. Top with 2t soy sauce and have<br />
the strawberries for dessert!
stop stalling<br />
go exercise.
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK THREE<br />
Growed-Up Girl Cheese<br />
1 piece whole wheat bread (1oo cal) 3T shredded mozzarella cheese<br />
2oz low-sodium deli turkey 1T regular sour cream<br />
1/4c diced canned artichoke heart 1T cut chives<br />
1/2c finely chopped steamed kale 1 peach or nectarine (xoxox)<br />
1t butter 1t pecans<br />
garlic powder 1t honey<br />
Confession: We used to think Grilled Cheese was called “Girl Cheese.” After all, we were<br />
girls and we liked it — why would it not be called Girl Cheese? We know better now but<br />
we’re giving snaps to our little girl selves with this growed-up girl treat.<br />
After you’ve made the pretty fruit, butter one side of the bread and sprinkle with garlic<br />
powder. Place in a non-stick pan covered with cooking spray. Put the turkey on the<br />
other side of the pan. Heat on medium until the turkey is warmed and the bottom of<br />
the bread is golden brown. Flip the turkey once for more even heating.<br />
Meanwhile, microwave the kale and artichoke heart for 2 minutes. Immediately stir in<br />
cheese, sour cream, and chives. Take the bread out of the pan, top with the turkey, kale<br />
mixture, and a slice of tomato. Put it on your plate next to your fruit. Eat the pretty!<br />
(PS: You can also use your sour cream as a spread between the turkey and the bread.<br />
That’s what we did in the pic. We like it both ways.)
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK THREE<br />
Fun with Kitchen Scissors<br />
Kitchen scissors are the shizzle. They’re scissors you … keep in the kitchen. IKEA has some<br />
good cheap ones. They’re great for cutting up things like chives. We basically use them<br />
whenever we can. Because cutting food is ridiculously fun and is like saying, “Hi food. You’re<br />
my craft project. Muahahahah. I will craft you.” You can even scissor cut pizza. Once you start<br />
cutting food with scissors you will try to cut all foods with scissors. And might even get so high<br />
on your scissor powers that you decide to give yourselves those new bangs. Oooooops.<br />
Veg Alts.<br />
Vegetarians, make it the same<br />
w a y , j u s t u s e 2 T e x t r a<br />
mozzarella cheese. Vegans, sub<br />
1T non-dairy cream cheese for<br />
the sour cream and use a 140<br />
calorie veggie burger sub for<br />
the cheese and turkey. Just as<br />
good. #promise<br />
Hunny Craft<br />
That would be the Winnie-the-Pooh spelling of<br />
honey. (Homebear knew how to party.) Ok, so,<br />
how’d we get the honey to look all streamy like<br />
that? We used something called creamed honey<br />
(#sogood) and put it in the corner of a ziplock<br />
baggie. Then we cut off the baggie tip (with our<br />
kitchen scissors #highfive) and squeezed it out<br />
like icing. You can totes just normal drizzle the<br />
honey on. We were on a crafting high.
dance party!
don’t forget to stretch.<br />
srsly.
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK THREE<br />
Superfood Pizza Party<br />
1 whole wheat pita bread (160 cal) 1oz reduced-sodium deli turkey<br />
3-4T your favorite marinara sauce Handful of steamed asparagus spears<br />
1/4c shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2t olive oil<br />
1/4c diced broccoli 1/2c blackberries<br />
1/4c diced sweet potatoes garlic powder<br />
As promised, your second round of Pita Pizza Party! This one’s the Superfood Edition.<br />
More on that in a sec. First, let’s eat.<br />
Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, sauté<br />
the broccoli and sweet potatoes in the olive oil. (Dice em both up real small. The<br />
potatoes will be so small that there’s no need to pre-cook in mic.) When the veggies<br />
are done to your liking, dust with garlic powder.<br />
Place your pita on a baking sheet and spread evenly with sauce. Top with the sautéed<br />
veggies and cheese. Bake 6-8 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Serve with a side of<br />
steamed asparagus spears wrapped in turkey (we sprinkled ours with cayenne pepper<br />
for a little jazz — #jazzhands) and blackberries. Oregano and red pepper flakes<br />
welcome, always.<br />
PS: Flip back to Week One’s Pita Pizza Party for a reminder of the shortcut edition!
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK THREE<br />
“What’s a Superfood?”<br />
“Superfood” is nutritionists’ way of saying “totes amazeballs foods loaded with tons of<br />
great stuff that makes your body and mind happy and your skin pretty.” Eggs, almonds,<br />
lentils, dark leafy greens, strawberries, brown rice, quinoa, Greek yogurt, turkey,<br />
raspberries— all of these are superfoods. Ok, you caught us. We’ve been feeding you super<br />
foods for three weeks. Clean Eating is superfoods. That’s why it’s such an awesome way to<br />
eat. Also, we’re (obvs) big fans of the word super so why wouldn’t we want it with our food?<br />
And it’s fun to think of our foods wearing sexy latex costumes that show off all of their hot<br />
muscles. Actually, no, it’s not. It’s just fun to think about how hot Chris Hemsworth is.<br />
Lazy Girl Tip:<br />
You can steam asparagus in the<br />
microwave. Some grocery stores<br />
even sell asparagus that you can<br />
steam right in the bag. Music to<br />
our Lazy Girl heart. #swoon<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl Fruit Roll-Ups<br />
Yes, we mean reduced-sodium deli turkey. Roll it<br />
up and eat it as a snack while you cook if you’re<br />
feeling peckish. Have a glass of water while you’re<br />
at it. You’ve had your 8 glasses today, right? Go<br />
ahead, have one more for good luck! Peace, Love<br />
and Baby Unicorns!
congrats. you did it!<br />
Collect your<br />
spa treat!
Dear <strong>Fit</strong> Girl,<br />
!<br />
Happy end of week three! Holla 21 days of new <strong>Fit</strong> Girl habits!<br />
We hope you enjoyed your visit to the spa.Refreshed and ready to take on the<br />
final week? “YES!!!!” Love that attitude. We’re ready to cheer you on! Any<br />
Girltastic new pics? Tag us on Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong> or email us! (Psst:<br />
Don’t go through withdrawal after leaving the spa. Make up some of that Spa<br />
Water we talked about at home and put those cucumber slices on your eyes in<br />
the tub!) Ok here we go, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>, Week 4 heck to the yeah!<br />
xoxo,<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> Worldwide<br />
#3
week four
Week four Menu<br />
!<br />
BREAKFAST<br />
Spinach Feta Wrap<br />
!<br />
LUNCH<br />
Build-A-Bowl<br />
!<br />
SNACK<br />
<strong>Fit</strong>berry Shortcake<br />
Or 200 Calorie Snack<br />
!<br />
DINNER<br />
Mediterranean Polenta<br />
(Day 1/3/5/7)<br />
!<br />
a<br />
a<br />
a<br />
Fajita Zucchini Boats<br />
(Day 2/4/6)<br />
a
Grocery List<br />
1 bag of spinach<br />
1 bag of kale<br />
1 bell pepper<br />
2 sweet potatoes<br />
3 zucchini<br />
1 bag shredded Brussels sprouts<br />
tomatoes (or salsa)<br />
bunch of cilantro<br />
7 pears<br />
1 1/2 cups your choice of fruit<br />
2 containers strawberries<br />
1 lime<br />
1 dozen eggs<br />
1 block feta cheese<br />
2 containers ricotta (or snack sub!)<br />
4 servings <strong>Fit</strong> Girl's Choice protein<br />
1 pkg whole wheat tortillas (150 cal)<br />
1 can black beans<br />
+ Ingredients for your Build-A-Bowls<br />
(Hint: You have rice and quinoa!)<br />
!<br />
(Add: Sun-dried tomatoes, sour cream,<br />
polenta, and mozzarella cheese if you don’t<br />
have any leftover, but you totally should<br />
unless your boyfriend, roomie, Mom, or<br />
second-cousin Stacey ate them.)<br />
!<br />
No ingredients have a * because<br />
there is no next week! #tear<br />
a a<br />
a<br />
Finish strong<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>!<br />
a a<br />
a
Week four Meal Prep<br />
THE NIGHT BEFORE DAY 1<br />
• Make 3 Build-A-Bowls and prep the sun-dried tomatoes for 7 days of Spinach<br />
Feta Wraps, the sweet potatoes for 2 days of Mediterranean Polenta, and 3 days<br />
of strawberries for <strong>Fit</strong>berry Shortcake.<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 2<br />
• Make a double serving of Zucchini Boats at dinner if you don't want to cook<br />
dinner on Day 4. They reheat well — and taste good cold!<br />
a a<br />
THE NIGHT OF DAY 3<br />
• Make 4 Build-A-Bowls.<br />
• Prep the sweet potatoes for 2 days of Mediterranean Polenta, the bell pepper for<br />
2 days of Zucchini Boats, and 4 days of berries for <strong>Fit</strong>berry Shortcake.<br />
a
“oooo! we’re almost there!”
BREAKFAST — WEEK FOUR<br />
Spinach Feta Wrap<br />
1 whole wheat tortilla (150 cal)<br />
1 egg<br />
1T finely diced sun-dried tomatoes<br />
2T crumbled feta cheese<br />
1/2c thinly sliced spinach<br />
1 sliced pear (not pictured)<br />
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong><br />
What’s red, white, yellow, and green and wears a tan overcoat? Spinach Feta Wraps!<br />
Here we go: Lay out your tortilla on a plate. Sprinkle the feta down the center. Sauté<br />
the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes in a non-stick pan covered in cooking spray. It’ll<br />
only take a sec. Pour them on top of the feta. Spray the pan again and cook your egg.<br />
Put it on top of the veggies and cheese on the tortilla.<br />
(Tip: We like to do a fried scrambled egg for this one — aka crack the egg into the hot<br />
pan and scramble it while it cooks. It’ll be done super quick and tastes like the egg you<br />
get in fried rice. Traditional scrambled eggs and fried eggs also work great for this.)<br />
Now here’s the key part for max delish. Wipe out your pan then put the ingredientcovered<br />
tortilla in. Heat until the tortilla gets a bit crispy. Slide out onto your plate, fold<br />
in half or wrap like a burrito and enjoy with half of a sliced pear. #hellogorgeous
BREAKFAST — WEEK FOUR<br />
Wraps Got Tricks<br />
We’ve given you the Spinach Feta Wrap in its purest form, but there are lots of ways to trick<br />
it up. You can add sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions into the mix. You can also<br />
add a dusting of garlic powder. Hot sauce too if you’re feeling the heat. We usually like it in<br />
its basic form because it highlights the taste of the feta and sun-dried tomatoes. But you’re<br />
welcome to add in some extra veggies and spice! Don’t worry, it’s ok. This is a totally<br />
approved measurement snub. We’ve got your back. (PS: Tortillas also come in packs of 6 and<br />
that’s why we’re doing Apple Pie Fridge Oats for Day 1. Crisis averted. All is well. Namaste.)<br />
Vegan Style<br />
For a happy morning vegan wrap, load up on<br />
extra veggies and sub 1/2 cup of your favorite<br />
bean for the feta/egg. Our favorite combo is<br />
chickpeas with diced mushrooms, broccoli,<br />
and red pepper (as well as the spinach and<br />
sun-dried tomatoes, of course). Only eat 1/2<br />
the pear and add two slices of avocado for<br />
veg perfection. And def a shake of Cholula!<br />
More Protein, Pls<br />
Sure! If you want a protein bump,<br />
only eat 1/2 pear and have two eggs<br />
in your wrap instead. We recommend<br />
adding a little extra spinach and<br />
tomatoes if you’re going to do that so<br />
the eggs don’t overwhelm the flavor.<br />
(Again, totes a measurement snub<br />
we approve. You all good.)
“have you strength<br />
trained this week?”
LUNCH — WEEK FOUR<br />
Build-A-Bowl <br />
!<br />
For your last lunch on the Challenge we<br />
! want to give you the recipe for infinite<br />
! wisdom. Master the art of the 400 calorie<br />
! Build-A-Bowl and you hold the secret to the<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl universe in your hands. You can<br />
!<br />
make Build-A-Bowls for lunch or dinner —<br />
!<br />
or even breakfast if you’re an “all foods are<br />
! game for breakfast” type of person. It’s a<br />
! great go-to for whenever you don’t know<br />
! what to make or want to make a few meals<br />
!<br />
in advance. And it’s a great way to use up<br />
whatever’s in your fridge and freezer. Come<br />
!<br />
on, <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong>! Let’s go build! m
LUNCH — WEEK FOUR<br />
Build-A-Bowl Etiquette<br />
To Build-A-Bowl, just pick one option from each category, combine, and power up!<br />
Step 1 Protein 120 calories chicken, turkey, fish, tempeh, tofu, edamame,<br />
eggs w/1t oil allowed for prep<br />
Step 2 Grain 1/2c cooked whole wheat pasta, quinoa, brown rice or …<br />
3/4c diced potato or 1oz brown rice noodles or soba noodles<br />
Step 3 Greens 1c kale, spinach, chard, or other leafy greens<br />
Step 4 Veggies 1c sautéed, roasted, steamed or raw veggies<br />
Step 5 Beans 3T any choice of cooked bean<br />
Step 6 Dressing 50 calories cheese, hummus, sauce or dressing of your choice<br />
Step 7 Note Lunch Box Note #always #4evr #heartyourself<br />
We’ve created three bowls for you and named them after our favorite characters from<br />
80s girly movies. Veronica from Heathers, Lynne from <strong>Girls</strong> Just Wanna Have Fun, and<br />
Andie from Pretty in Pink (obv we had to do that one — pink!). Pick one of our bowls<br />
and follow the portion potions on this page, or build your own. Hence the name!<br />
Tag us on Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong> or email us<br />
at pink@fitgirlsworldwide.com with pics of your Build-A-Bowls.<br />
m PS: Don’t forget to include the recipe! m
LUNCH — WEEK FOUR<br />
The Lynne<br />
Pre-cook diced potato and carrots<br />
in microwave 2 minutes. Sauté<br />
with 1t olive oil, diced tempeh,<br />
kale, bell pepper, and squash until<br />
you have some pretty brown<br />
edges. Toss with black eyed peas<br />
and 1T light Goddess Dressing.<br />
(We like Annie’s!) #<strong>Fit</strong>Goddess<br />
#whatsyourdamage<br />
The Andie<br />
Sauté kale, shredded carrots, bell<br />
pepper & shredded cabbage with<br />
edamame in 1/2T sesame oil. Toss<br />
with prepared diced chicken or<br />
tofu, boiled soba noodles, 2t lowsodium<br />
soy sauce & 1T rice<br />
vinegar. Top with optional cilantro<br />
and scallions. Great warm or cold!<br />
The Veronica<br />
#dinocessary<br />
Sauté broccoli, portobello<br />
mushrooms, cherry tomatoes,<br />
spinach, and 1t olive oil with a<br />
dusting of garlic powder. Toss<br />
with prepared chicken,<br />
chickpeas, and spiral whole<br />
wheat pasta. Top with a sprinkle<br />
of parmesan cheese and eat!<br />
#floralpower
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
SNACK — WEEK FOUR<br />
<strong>Fit</strong>berry Shortcake<br />
1/4c part-skim or low-fat ricotta cheese<br />
1t honey<br />
1c sliced strawberries (or any other fruit you prefer)<br />
1T chopped pecans (not pictured)<br />
For your last week of the Challenge, we wanted to give you an extra special snack. This<br />
little ricotta number makes us twirl around and say “mmmmm” like we’re in one of<br />
those yogurt commercials where girls are pretending their Lemon Bar diet yogurt<br />
tastes like a Lemon Bar. (Ok, we’re guilty of naming our Fridge Oats after “real” desserts<br />
too. But we think they’re way more deserving of it.)<br />
All you do here is stir the honey with the ricotta and scoop on top of the berries. Or,<br />
even easier, put the berries on top of the ricotta. Sprinkle with nutmeg if you’re a fan.<br />
Your snack awaits! (PS: You have 50 calories left … 1T pecans is the perfect addition!)<br />
PS: Yes, those are flowers on top. Edible ones. We were feeling über-girly and saw them<br />
at the grocery store and went, “Squeeee! Pink!” We got a few looks, not gonna lie.<br />
Anyway, Edible Flowers add nothing to this and we don’t recommend them but now<br />
you know Edible Flowers are real, if you didn’t already. Use them as a garnish for a<br />
dinner party when you want to get all Pretty Pretty Princess.
swinging is fun.<br />
(So is drinking water!)
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK FOUR<br />
Mediterranean Polenta<br />
1/4c dry polenta/cornmeal/or grits 1t olive oil<br />
2T feta cheese 3/4c shredded Brussels sprouts<br />
1/2c sweet potatoes <strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s Choice of protein<br />
Another Lazy Girl-tastic polenta meal! This one with a Mediterranean twist! If you’re<br />
not feelin’ the feta, goat cheese does a the job proud. So does parm.<br />
Put the polenta in a bowl with 1 and 1/4 cups water. Microwave for 5-7 minutes. Add a<br />
little more water after if needed. The second the polenta comes out, stir in half the<br />
feta. Plate it. (You know what to do.) Add sautéed garlic and onions for more sass.<br />
While the polenta is cooking, sauté the shredded brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes<br />
with olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic. (Reminder: Pre-cook them in the microwave for<br />
1-2 minutes with a little water for easier sautéing.) When the veggies have golden<br />
brown edges, add on top of the polenta and sprinkle with the other half of the feta.<br />
Serve with your choice of protein and enjoy your feast!<br />
PS: You can also save 1/2 of your pear from breakfast and have it for dessert sprinkled<br />
with cinnamon. (To be clear, the cinnamon goes on the pear. We cannot vouch for the<br />
flavor of cinnamon in the polenta. But now we’re kinda curious … and it’s inspiring us<br />
to invent a Moroccan Polenta.)
DINNER 1/3/5/7 — WEEK FOUR<br />
“People shred Brussels sprouts?”<br />
We can’t speak for people, but the Trader Joe’s elves for sure do. They magic pack them in bags<br />
next to the cabbage. (Pre-packaged Elf-shredded Brussels sprouts — ten points for team Lazy<br />
Girl! High five! #dancingcat) If you want to shred your own at home, we’ve heard tell you can<br />
do it by holding the sprouts by their stems and grating them on a cheese grater. Alternately,<br />
just slicing them really thin. Alternately, quartering them. Alternately, using easier-to-comeby<br />
pre-shredded white or red cabbage. Lotta alternates. Your call, <strong>Fit</strong> Girl. But if you’re only<br />
quartering them, do a 2 minute pre-cook in the microwave with a little water so they don’t<br />
take forevs to sauté. Unless you have a lot of extra time on your hands, in which case can you<br />
please come Swiffer our house instead? We’re totally behind on Swiffering.<br />
Vegaterranean Polenta<br />
What to do for the feta? Try 50<br />
calories of non-dairy sour cream so<br />
you get some tang. We rec a veggie<br />
burger or lemon-garlic sautéed<br />
tempeh as a protein with this one.<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> Girl’s Choice of Protein<br />
100 calorie <strong>Fit</strong> Girl's Choice of protein for this<br />
polenta (+ 1/2t oil for prep). We used our final<br />
veggie burger (cleanin’ that freezer out — no<br />
veggie burger left behind!), but a chicken<br />
breast with lemon marinade is delightful, as is<br />
a piece of white fish.
go fight win!
#<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong>
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK FOUR<br />
Fajita Zucchini Boats<br />
1/2c prepared brown rice 1 zucchini<br />
1/2c beans 1/4c finely diced bell pepper<br />
1T feta cheese 1/4c finely diced kale<br />
3T mozzarella cheese 2T salsa or diced fresh tomatoes<br />
1T sour cream (not pictured) 1/2c Choice of Fruit (not pictured)<br />
What’s your hobby? Ours is stuffing veggies into other veggies. Also, re-connecting with<br />
our Skip-Its, smelling all the candles at Target, and anything with glitter crayons.<br />
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the zucchini in half and gently scoop out the<br />
seeds, leaving about a half-inch rim all the way around. Put the zucchini on a baking<br />
sheet coated with cooking spray, white side down. That’s how you get the nice brown<br />
around the edges. Spray the zucchini again and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake 15<br />
minutes and check to peek if the rim is golden brown. If not, let bake a little longer.<br />
Meanwhile, sauté the bell pepper and kale with cooking spray and a small dash of cumin,<br />
oregano, and garlic. After the veggies are done, mix with the feta and salsa or tomatoes.<br />
Time to fill the boats! Press the mix down so it stays put, and top with mozzarella cheese,<br />
again pressing it down a little. (We also added red-pepper flakes for a little heat.<br />
Jalapeños are also delicious.) Put the boats back into the oven for 5-8 minutes until the<br />
mozzarella is melted. Serve over black beans and cilantro-lime rice with sour cream!
DINNER 2/4/6 — WEEK FOUR<br />
A Boat-load of Awesome<br />
Zucchini Boats are one of the newest additions to our <strong>Fit</strong> Girl food-genda and they look<br />
good in any neckline, re: cuisine. They work great as pizzas, lasagnas, and eggplant parms.<br />
As Caprese salads. As tacos and enchiladas. You can stuff them with the kale-artichoke dip<br />
from our Growed-Up Girl Cheese or the tuna salad from our Niçoise. They make a mean<br />
quinoa vessel, ditto rice. You get the idea. And these are really great for guests because they,<br />
happy heart face, look so much more kitchen skill-y than they actually are. We’ll drink one of<br />
our two weekly glasses of wine to that! (Not you, kids. Here’s a latte. JK it’s after 3pm we were<br />
just testing you. “Mean!” Sry. Here’s an almond milk peach smoothie. #peachesforeveryone)<br />
Cilantro-Lime Rice<br />
All ya gotta do to make cilantro-lime<br />
rice is toss your cooked rice with some<br />
chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze<br />
of lime juice. Yeah, it's that easy. We<br />
didn't really even have to tell you, we<br />
know. But hi! Nice to talk to you.<br />
Pump Up the Protein<br />
Want to pump up the protein? Only use 1/4<br />
cup beans and 1/4 cup rice. Now you have 100<br />
calories leftover to protein your heart out.<br />
Some sautéed chicken or beef strips? Tempe?<br />
Fish? Whatever you're in the mood for! Go get<br />
dem protein grams!
OMG GueSS WhAT
wooooo!<br />
end of the challenge.
Hello new<br />
Shoes!
Hello new<br />
ME!
final thoughts<br />
Ahhhhh! We’re so proud of you! Like, legit. You know how many girls talk about<br />
getting fit and you actually started doing it. #yay #doubleyay #snaps #jazzhands<br />
#dancingbabyanimals<br />
We’d like to tell you to go out and get an “I Survived the 28 Day Challenge” tattoo on<br />
your arm but you’d probably just regret it in the morning if not immediately,<br />
probably also during. “Please, my <strong>Fit</strong> Girl bod is my tattoo.” That’s right, Sister, it is.<br />
“So what happens now?” Well, we’re already going through major withdrawal. We<br />
don’t want it to be over. But it’s not over for you! This is the part where you keep going<br />
strong toward you <strong>Fit</strong> Girl goals. You probably have more you want to accomplish —<br />
and even if the Challenge was all you needed to get to where you want to be, you still<br />
need to maintain your rad bod. So let’s talk about how to move on without undoing<br />
the hard work you’ve done.<br />
Here we goooooo …
If you like the pace of results you’ve been getting you can do the Challenge again<br />
right away. 2-for-1 sale! (We love sales!) Make the meals with different variations for<br />
a totally new flavor month. You can also add 1-2 extra credit exercises to each day of<br />
The DIY Home Challenge. (Psst: Just like 10 million people online will teach you how<br />
to fry an egg, 10 million people online will teach you how to do a Pilates 100.) Future<br />
Girl tip: After the second month you’ll want to shake up your exercise program if<br />
you’ve been doing the same things. Our bodies love being confused by new physical<br />
challenges. It keeps them moving <strong>Fit</strong> Girl forward. (PS: If you want to repeat the<br />
Challenge at a slower pace — or repeat the Challenge with a more hard-core<br />
exercise plan, add a 100-200 calorie protein shake each day.)<br />
If you’re ready to start branching out and trying your own thing, pick your favorite<br />
meals from the Challenge and build around them using the Clean Eating principals<br />
we talked about. We recommend continuing to eat as purely Clean as possible, but<br />
if you can’t, try for at least 80%. The Challenge is a good jumpstart, but 28 days isn’t<br />
enough to fully kick a habit. It’s easy to slip back into the heavily processed dance<br />
once you “go there.” The longer you eat Clean, the more Clean becomes a way of life<br />
and processed foods become foreign “what are these triangle orange powder<br />
covered things?”
Remember that even when you’re eating Clean, portion potions are everything.<br />
Everyone needs a different level of calories to maintain their bod or to continue<br />
losing weight. If you’ve been losing fat during the Challenge and now want to<br />
maintain, add a little more food to your day and figure out your magic daily calorie<br />
number. If you’ve been losing weight during the Challenge and want to keep losing<br />
weight, stick to a 1400-1500 calorie diet or add another snack and incorporate<br />
longer and/or harder workouts.<br />
Ok, one last pat on the back to you. You did amazing. You’re gonna keep doing<br />
amazing. Be the <strong>Fit</strong> Girl you’ve always dreamed of being. Cheer yourself and cheer<br />
your <strong>Fit</strong> Girl friends. Enjoy the journey. Rock those hearts. <br />
xoxo,<br />
<strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> Worldwide<br />
PS: Please share your story with us and the future <strong>Fit</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> who will follow in your<br />
inspiring footsteps! Comment your testimonial on www.fitgirlsworldwide.com.<br />
Your stories mean so much to us and the other girls who read them. Thank you for<br />
being part of our awesome community!
share your before and after pics!<br />
Tag us on Insta at #<strong>Fit</strong><strong>Girls</strong><strong>Guide</strong> or email us at pink@fitgirlsworldwide.com
see you soon, fit gIrl!
!<br />
!<br />
PHOTO CREDITS<br />
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