Karina Heinrich of The Karina Method.
I met Karina at a local event and I remember her beautiful smile and friendly demeanor. In my line of work, I meet TONS of people and I’m horrible at names and faces as over the years, I go to so many events, and my brain just doesn’t work like it used to. BUT I remember Karina. I tend to find an immediate connection to certain people and I did with her. She reached out for lunch (which I love that she did) and after few email tries, we met and had a two-hour lunch in which I learned all about what she did and I was INTRIGUED!
Karina is a successful Certified Integrative Nutritionist and Celebrity Health Coach. She is on E!News frequently, so believe me that she knows what she is doing!
Karina eats super clean, super lean, no salt or sugar and while she spoke, I felt inspired to change some of my unhealthy habits, and with my Cabo trip that was about to happen, I wanted to try her 5-day meal plan (one on one coaching, check out details here) and clean up my diet and feel good before my big trip.
I absolutely LOVE salty foods and crave it morning to night. I don’t have a sweet tooth so giving up salt for 5 days sounded hard, BUT I could still drink (hello, that’s what it is important lol). We sat down and went over a plan, she asked me a ton of questions. Read on for more information and my “after” photos.
Before The Karina Method
My stomach has been a problem area forever, it is where I gain my weight, it’s where I hold weight all the time and depending on the time of the month or what I eat, it bloats heavily and no matter how skinny I am, it’s never the FLAT look I want. You guys have seen me do cryosculpt and coolsculpting which has helped, but I really wanted to see what we happen if I cleaned up my diet.
Prepping for The Karina Method
Karina spoke to me for about 30 minutes about my current diet, schedule and eating habits. From there she modified a shopping list for me that would help me eat for the 5 days without it feeling like I made too much change. This isn’t a “diet” it is about eating clean and things better for you and that’s what I personally loved. If you look below, she added in nuggets (I love chicken nuggets) and even salad dressing (I love ranch). What I learned is that I could buy things that are healthier and watch my size portions. See my shopping list below.
During The Karina Method:
Must do during the Karina Method:
{1} When I wake up drink 2 full glasses of water. This helps train your stomach to feel fuller and hydrates you right away (as I usually run for coffee).
{2} Strive for 8 full glasses of water all day. She reminded me to drink water ALL DAY!
{3} Drink 1-2 glasses of water before meals (preferable 30 min. before)
{4} Berries or vegetables are key to every meal. I loved this part as I don’t eat much fruit and I do love vegetables so this was easy! High fiber, water, and clean carbs are important.
(5) Low fat (think nuts and seeds). I stuck to tons of avocados
{6} Lean Protein, I stuck to chicken, tuna fish, and shrimp! These are things I love anyways and went to Whole Foods to get quality lean protein.
{7} No Salt or Sugar. I cut soda, any salt on my food (so hard), and no candy (my other weakness).
So I did think about what I was going to eat for each meal. Below are examples of what I had daily.
I’m so busy that keeping it simple was my motto and I kept thinking, it is only 5 days! Lots of water and coffee and 2 eggs scrambled with light olive oil and side of fruit was my go-to every morning. Easy and I felt good!
Lunch was mostly salads and on the last day, I had sushi to treat myself but had a tiny bit of white rice which is a no-no. On my salads were tons of vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, mixed greens with spinach, two slices of organic turkey, and loads of hummus). I had a side of dressing but honestly didn’t use much as I wanted to really stick to this diet. On one of the days, I had Karina’s special menu at SummerHouse in Chicago. The chicken was a green onion grilled dish that was amazing.
Dinner twice was a dish I make for myself (often) with shrimp and celery stirfry with loads of ginger, green onion, and garlic mix. One night was salmon roasted with garlic and side of asparagus, and another night was chicken nuggets and small size of whole wheat pasta.
The biggest difference was how I felt during the 5 days. I didn’t feel weighed down, lethargic and I felt great. If I was hungry I would snack on berries, carrots, and hummus, and at the end of the night, I would have some tea before bedtime.
Karina sends these text messages all day and night for the 5 days. It is so motivating and amazing. It helped keep up my energy and dedication for the 5 days.
And I almost forgot – each day starts with a mantra that you text Karina. Its sets the mood of the day and I do this daily now!
After The Karina Method:
So I weighed myself daily and on day 4 I went up a pound. But my weight fluctuates slightly from day to day depending on what I eat. Overall, I didn’t drink the 4 out of the 5 days which I think also helped. 
So I have never lost 6 pounds in 5 days, my weight isn’t that heavy and I don’t focus on numbers but I know most women do so I wanted to show that in my post. What I LOVED was that I felt good. I did see a difference in my waistline and how it looked, plus I didn’t feel drained which I do with junk food.
I have never done a true diet, I’m not good at committing to weird fads and Karina’s way of thinking about eating cleaner and making sure to check on my water intake and changing out some bad things to better things, helped me stick to this plan. She also recommends working out 2 -3 times a week, I went once :).
OVERALL OPINION: I LOVED it and it was easy to do especially before a big event or trip. I’m going to continue to take a lot of what I learned and infuse it in my life but still eat my Asian foods. But before any big trip, this is such a good way to clean out and feel good.
For the important info:
Have Karina guide you for 1 on 1 help like me? Check out details on her website here.
For her guides (a steal) and do it yourself. Shop her guides here. You get all her tips for $30
Follow her on Instagram here.
Ask me any questions friends. As I age and go through this journey we call life, I’m always looking for tips to get healthier, do self-care, and feel good. It isn’t all about how I look on the outside with fashion but taking care of my insides as well. As always, thank you for following along with my life journey.
