Anna reviews the Fitgirlcode Happy Healthy Guide
The older Fit Girls may remember me, I used to be one of the Fit Girls at Fitgirlcode. Two years ago I replaced my gym shoes and sneakers with wedding dresses and veils and left the Fitgirlcode nest. Am I still a Fit Girl today? I still have my doubts every now and then. It is and it will always be a bumpy ride for me. Luckily, the awesome girls at the Fitgirlcode HQ didn't sit still, and launched a new guide with tasty & healthy recipes following the success of the Fitgirlcode Guide. I followed the new Happy Healthy Guide and will share my experience with it right now!
Reason: jeans don't lie
When I started my new job at ThePerfectWedding.nl, some changes didn't go unnoticed. I wasn't surrounded by those die-hard Fit Girls everyday anymore, so I l naturally let myself go a little bit. I had to get adjusted to my new job, which I combined with freelance assignments, and it was also summer... The latter is always accompanied by more wine than in the winter. In addition, I stopped going to Crossfit as I wanted to do more of 'my own thing' at the gym. In summary: I exercised less fanatic and I ate less healthy. And what happens then? Yup, your jeans all of a sudden aren't able to close anymore.
In the summer I could still fool myself a bit, because well, a flowy summer dress usually has no zipper or buttons. But as soon as the leaves started to fall off the trees and I needed to wear a pair of jeans again, I knew what time it was. Woops. I had no idea how much weight I gained exactly because I had thrown my scale out of the window a while ago, but it was definitely a kilo or 5. Maybe even 7... Ouch. It was a real slap in the face. I was angry too, because I had the idea that I had everything under control. Boy, was I wrong. I found it so confrontational that all the Fit Girls I followed on Instagram (and where I started my own Fit Journey) were showing progress, but I on the other hand was experiencing set backs. How did I let it get so far? I guess my priorities simply shifted. It was time to get back in the game! Right at that time, Fitgirlcode launched a new guide: the Happy Healthy Guide. The timing could not have been more right.
No discussion
Maybe you're thinking: pff, I'm already a super advanced Fit Girl. I don't need that guide at all. I thought so too! But why did those jeans miraculously not fit anymore? Sometimes, it doesn't matter what level you're at, you can always use something new and refreshing. I know that you can't get a tight butt if you're eating fries, and that you should generally go for non-processed foods in your diet. I'm also familiar with the whole macro-concept and I know what to eat in order to get enough carbohydrates, fats and proteins. But the devil is in the details. If you eat very clean, it's easy to see what should and what shouldn't be on your plate, but if you want to enjoy life a little and strive for 'balance', then the dividing line between what is and what isn't good gets a bit more blurred. The Happy Healthy Guide makes sure you don't have any endless discussions with yourself about what to eat or not. Can I have some cheese in my salad or eat an extra rice waffle with peanut butter? Is it in the guide? No? Then the answer is clear. Everything that you eat during that day is perfectly balanced, so if you eat what's in the guide, you won't be short on anything. You don't have to think about anything either, just eat what's on the menu that day. It's as simple as that!
New and improved
I've experienced the launch of the first Fitgirlcode Guide. It was a lot of work but oh were we proud! The new Happy Healthy Guide is, in my opinion, really the new & improved version of the first guide. Girls you have outdone yourself! This guide is really chill to use. You see at just a glance what you have to eat that entire day, with accompanying recipes. So, you don't have to endlessly look for breakfast recipes and what to eat. In addition, you still have a separate weekly overview so you know what to expect in the coming week. Also, before you start your week, you get to know what healthy snack you have to prepare. I found that very convenient, because on Sundays, you usually have more time to prep. If you get back on Tuesday night and figure out that you have to bake a banana bread for the next day, it can be a bit overwhelming on busy days. Now, of course, at the beginning of the week you can see what to expect so you're not overwhelmed or surprised by a random banana bread. It's clear that the Fit Girls have been thinking along. Nice!
Point of improvement
I must of course stay critical, otherwise it'll seems like I was hired to write this review? If there is another new guide in the making, I would like to see some more beans in the recipes. There's a whole lot of chicken in th guide! I love chicken, don't get me wrong, but I would like if the protein sources are a little more varied. Throwing in a meat substitute like tofu into the mix also isn't wrong, for example. It doesn't have to be a complete Vega Guide, but some more variety in the protein department would be great!
So far, I have followed the first 6 weeks of the Happy Healthy Guide. I'm not ready to go to part 2 just yet because I want to drop my fat percentage a bit more first. That's why I'm going to do part 1 again. FYI: part 2 is similar to part 1, but you eat more.
Awareness
The guide made me find my focus again. I know how to eat healthy, but by following the nutrition plans in the guide, I became more aware of the quantities that I was eating. You underestimate how many calories you eat unconsciously throughout a day, mainly when you're busy snacking. At the beginning I often thought: really, 6 walnuts? Are you kidding me? But those walnuts were not the only thing my salad consisted of. There was also chicken, feta, olive oil, etc. When it comes to food, you have to make choices. You can't expect to eat what you want and then to easily slide back into your jeans again. Would you rather eat 12 walnuts, fine, but then you shouldn't eat the feta cheese for example. The guide makes you aware of these kind of choices. I feel like my system has been rebooted by following it.
In control
In addition, the food prepping and thinking ahead of the groceries gave me the feeling that I had my shit together. That control is nice! You have to be a real tough guy if you want to seduce me with a KinderBueno one day when there are 4 nicely-packed meals in my bag. F*ck off with that trash, I got my own food! ?Many people around me doubt that they are going to start with the guide because they are afraid that they will give up when prepping the food in advance. But people, you have to cook anyways, right? Whether you do this the evening before or in the afternoon when it's lunchtime. You have to do it anyway! This way, you can look forward to that delicious cauliflower curry with coconut in the morning. I rest my case.
Use the code "CELEBRATE20" and get 20% off your very own e-guide until the 31st of March. That way, you'll have all the tools you need to kickstart that healthy life of yours. Good luck and let me know how it goes for you! :)
