FWTFL low-carb days can be the most daunting when you’re getting started with the program but after a full year, I’m finding they’re my favorite days! Find out why…

Not going to write too much of an intro to today’s post as it’s a long one packed FULL of information about FWTFL low-carb days. These days are the ones I receive the most questions about. A LOT OF QUESTIONS – what do you eat these days? how do I find recipes? what workouts are you doing? what tips can you share? and more. So today I’m spilling ALL of the deets on low-carb days and even sharing why they have become my most favorite days! 

If you end up having additional questions after reading this post (read it all!!!) feel free to shoot me a DM on instagram or comment below with your question and I will be share to answer you ASAP. Also if you want to sign up for the next round of FWTFL you can do so here. 

FWTFL Low-Carb Days Workout

On low-carb days you want to focus on high intensity workouts. The reason for that is those types of workouts will burn up all that fat you are eating. For me, I love sprints. Now this didn’t happen right away, definitely took some time but now I am completely hooked and look forward to sprint days (as I lovingly call them). 

Below you’ll find the workout I do now. However, when I initially started my sprint intervals lasted only 8 minutes. Then every week I would add an additional minute until I hit 20 minutes. Sometimes I still do just 10-12 minutes if I am not totally feeling it or kind of in a rush. Either way, it is an awesome workout that gets my heart rate up, burns calories, and has me sweating! 

HIIT Sprints: 

Warm-up: 5-10 minutes at 3.0 with a 2.0-3.0 incline 

Sprint Intervals: 10-20 minutes 
30 seconds sprinting at 7.5-8.0 with a 2.0 incline
30 seconds walking at 3.0 with a 2.0 incline 

Cool-down: 5 minutes at 3.5 with a 3.0 incline
5 minutes at 3.0 with a 2.0 incline 

If you give sprints a try and find they are not your thing (try more than once, promise I was the worst runner ever when I initially started), look up HIIT workouts. You can find several that are quick 15-20 minutes that really get your heart rate up. 

FWTFL Low-Carb Days Meal Plans 

Last year, I shared a couple of posts about what I ate on low-carb days due to y’all requesting ideas and help for those days. Low Carb Day Meal Plan Ideas and FWTFL Approved Snacks for Low Carb Days – lots of meal and snack ideas!  However, I wanted to give you an updated look at what I eat on these days. It has changed a bit and I’ve found a couple of new recipes I absolutely love (Joshua approved as well). 

Recipes: 
Two dinner recipes that have become my go to meals on low-carb days. Joshua absolutely loves the first one and I am working on perfecting the second one. Both recipes I switch up a bit, will share below how I make them my own/work for us. 

Ground beef, cauliflower, and feta skillet – we use fresh cauliflower vs. frozen and trade the cheddar cheese for feta. We’ve also found the full 2 cups ins’t necessary. We typically end up using just about a cup of cheese. 
Ground beef zucchini boats – skipped the bruschetta and traded the marinara sauce for barbecue sauce. LOVED the flavor! 

What I have learned about FWTFL Low-CARB days

Planning ahead is of the most importance!

With FWTFL they are all about planning ahead and that is totally great when you’re able to. But we all know there are days, events, travels, and friends that catch us off guard and throw that planning out the window. HOWEVER, I will say low-carb days NEED to be planned out. At least until you really understand what is low-carb and how to hit your macros appropriately on those days. So take the time before heading to the grocery store to really plan what you are going to eat on your low-carb days. Your belly, tastebuds, and overall self will thank you when those days come! 

Research!

Much like planning ahead, doing your research on low-carb items, recipes, and what you like is a must. Otherwise you’ll find yourself without anything to eat or completely over the same meal you’ve had the last five weeks in a row for low-carb days. Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to this. Simply search FWTFL low-carb days, FWTFL low-carb meals, low-carb dinners, low-carb breakfast, low-carb lunch…you get the picture! 

Challenge yourself to find one or two new recipes every week for low-carb days. That will really help you get excited about them and also satisfy your tastebuds. 

Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower are your friends 

If you’re like me (or like Joshua really) you have to have a vegetable with your dinner. Unfortunately a lot of vegetables are pretty high in carbs (even though they’re the good ones, you still have to stay under 50g of them). Therefore, stocking your fridge with the correct ones is necessary. Cauliflower is the number one pick as it is very low in carbs. Right behind cauliflower is brussels sprouts then broccoli. 

I personally love to roast them in olive oil, garlic powder, and oregano. The olive oil helps pack in a little extra healthy fats! 

Trader Joe’s is a must visit 

Trader Joe’s is amazing. I think we can all agree on that. But is especially amazing when it comes to low-carb goodies. You can find soooo many that you will find yourself making something different for low-carb days every single week! Number one item to pick up – Trader Joe’s crisp breads. They are perfectly packed with healthy fats and fiber while being low in carbs. They also provide that cracker crunch you may be craving on low-carb days. 

I also love their whipped cream cheese, smoked salmon, everything but the bagel seasoning (EBTB), frozen cauliflower rice, and frozen cauliflower pizza crust. 

They are my favorite days

At first, I loathed low-carb days. They were a struggle for me! Lots of planning went into them. Like lots and lots of planning! At the end of the day I would be left with 20g+ of fats still needed and trying my hardest to figure out how to get them in. But after lots of trial and error plus planning I have them down! Now they’re my favorite days! 
Why?
Well for one, they’re sprint days as mentioned above. Two, they are the most challenging and require the most creativity which I have kind of turned into a game and find quite entertaining haha. Three, when Wednesday morning rolls around (I do low-carb days Monday and Tuesday) I feel skinny, tight/toned, and no bloating is in sight. It is quite the wonderful feeing! I also always weigh the least on Wednesday mornings and let’s be honest, what gal doesn’t love that? 

Are you doing FWTFL? If so, what are your favorite days? Favorite recipes?

If you want to sign up for the next round of FWTFL you can do so here. And definitely let me know if you’re joining! I would love to hear from you and am happy to be accountability partners!