Well I have reached the end of the 12 week program, and I must say I'm pretty excited. We realized that I didn't put a realistic 12 week ending goal..15% body fat from 37% is more of the 6-12 month goal. I'll be redefining these goals a little later. However lets move on to the numbers!
Week 1
Age: 35 Wgt: 284.5 BF%: 37
Week 4
Age: 35 Wgt: 270 BF%: 35.6
Week 8
Age: 35 Wgt: 262 BF%: 33.6
Week 12
Age: 35 Wgt: 256 BF% 31.8
So a summery of my totals:
27.6 lbs lost
5.2 % body fat lost
18.25" over all inches lost (I have nothing that fits me anymore!) :)
I will be very honest and let you all know that I'm not happy with these numbers. Yes they are good, I could have done a lot better. The last week of the program we almost lost my grandfather, so I was in the hospital a lot, only was able to work out 2 times. I also snacked, unhealthily, for most of the that week as it was stressful. Now I spent two night in the hospital, I was able to get out and walk around for a bit, but I didn't get to work up the sweat I usually do...I really actually missed it. I think the first time I stepped on the treadmill in my grandparents basement was on Thursday, maybe Friday...the whole week is kinda of blur.
I am going to keep this blog going, as Transitions isn't just a 12 week diet, it's a lifestyle change. You change the way you eat, exercise regularly and get healthy for the rest of your life. I still have a Mini-Triathlon I'm training for in April, and the year after that I'm going to set a goal now to run a real one! I have so many goals in my head that I think I'll have to map them out on an excel spreadsheet.
I'm also planning to travel to Fort Lauderdale, FL in March and become a certified Transitions Coach. This program is so great that I have no problem teaching other people how to to do it, and having been a client first I can see things from both sides. This is a life style change, its not a diet...this is something that will serve you well for the rest of your life, should you adopt it. The program is really simple to follow and provides the education to succeed. If I can do this, I can sure as hell show someone else how to.
The program is simple, yet has to be balanced out. The first 12 weeks educate you on label reading, proper low glycemic eating, and exercise. The first week was the hardest, De-tox! Detox was rough because I had a ton of cravings...I wanted something as simple as a sandwich, or even a piece of bread...but for 7 days it was veggies and fruit. I learned to really like the V8 Spicey Hot, a little high in sodium but if I watched my other foods it was fine. After that week, I learned how to add more things into my diet to help level off my cravings and boost my energy level. By the end of the first 4 weeks I had a pretty good handle on it.
Exercising was key also. There were two kinds of exercise that I needed to do, one was to exercise the slow twitch muscle fiber and the other was to build lean muscle. Slow twitch muscle fiber exercise works to burn fat, not sugar. For this I chose a verity of cardio workouts, at the time I was limited to what I could do because of an injury to my feet, I had to go through physical therapy for them...still not 100% but much better then they were. I started at 45 minutes a day and went to 60 as the weeks went on and I kept my heart rate between 110-120. Heart rate is key for burning fat, two high of a heart rate and your body begins to burn sugar for its energy and not fat. This is why you can see some people at the gym that are throwing up 250 lbs on the bench press but have a gut hanging over their belt, they are burning the sugars of their bodies, not the fat and most likely not eating right (but that should be its own paragraph). :)
As for building lean muscle, I'm going to do a plug of a product, I rarely endorse things, but this is by far the best muscle building work out I've ever found. I invested in something called the powerbell by weider (http://www.getpowerbell.com/), and let me tell you it was a fabulous investment. It combines cardio and muscle exercise in a short workout. The first time I did this I over did it...and I couldn't lift my arms over my head...which was a problem because I had a LARP to attend! I had a hard time swinging my sword over my head...I looked like a I have jelly arms. I do the basic workout 3 times a week, its only 12 minutes total...though I've cheated and increased mine to 15 minutes. It is the best muscle building work out I've ever used, immediate results and limited stiffness. I highly recommend investing in one of these.
So we come to the end of my 12 weeks and the beginning of the rest of my life, and it will be a very long and healthy one! If anyone wants more information on transitions or has any specific questions about my journey, you are more then welcome to ask. This whole Blog as been for you guys, as much as for me. I hope I have inspired you to get a grip on your weight and health.
More to come in the future!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
weeks 9 and 10
Has it really been 10 weeks...good lord time has flown. Have I mentioned that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet? I like Garfield's (cartoon cat) impression of what a diet is...Die...with a T on it!
I know that I might sound a little preachy, but what can I say, I have something that really works..and it isn't a hard thing to do once you get into the swing of things. Everyone that went through this program before me has said the detox was the hardest part, and that is so true. Its not hard, at all, to follow the program once you decide that you are going to. You need to buy fresh, organic is nice but if you can't afford it, buy fresh fruits and veggies, learn to read labels and stay away from processed or foods with additives. You don't have to give up everything you love, but the detox is key to clean your body of all the shit you've been filling it with over the years and getting your body ready to burn the foods you will keep going with.
I have added whole grains to my daily intact now. Brown rice, steel cut oats, things like that, and I've noticed a little difference but to be honest I'm finding I don't really need them. A large major of the US population is thought to have an allergy to wheat and gluten products caused by the way that some grains, wheat in particular, are processed.
At this stage of the program you want to only add whole grains. 100% Stone ground wheat is not whole wheat. This program is as much about education as it is numbers and formulas. It teaches you how to read labels, how the first 6-10 ingredients are the most important to pay attention to and what to look for to identify good carbs verse bad carbs. The education of this program is the most important aspect of the program, as when you 12 weeks are up you will be left with the tools to help guide you through the rest of your life.
I am so amazed at how this program works I'm signing up to become a Transitions Lifestyle Coach. I want to share this with as many people as possible and help people live a healthier and happier life. The thing people need to understand is that its a mind thing, you change your mind you can change your life. This program will only work if you want it to. You can follow the program for your 12 weeks, and you can then go back to eating all the shit you did before...unless you actually make the decision to stick with it...for life. You will live a longer and healthier life if you simply change your mind.
So at work I've joined a little competition for fitness. This program has to be one of the biggest jokes or greatest illusions ever. Basically you add up your minutes of exercise for the week and submit it. Some of the activities they say "qualify" as fitness actives is a little ridiculous. My problem with this program is they are calling it a fitness program...its not. Fitness requires training, coaching, and changes to be made in lifestyle, not just what you eat but how you live your life. There has to be accountability to someone for moral support and kick you in the ass when you need it.
I think I've been pretty good to my coach and she hasn't had to kick my ass, but I know that some of her other clients might cause her to go bald! Accountability and Education...those are the keys.
If you want more information then ask me, I've made this blog avaialble to the public so that I can share this with all of you. The US is the most obese country on the planet! According to the CDC "In 2008, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-two states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia ) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%." Thats over 1/4 of the nation that is great then 25% BMI (BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height and provides a reasonable indicator of body fatness and weight categories that may lead to health problems.)
This is a scary state to be living in. Our life expectancy is dropping as our BMI is raising...with our vast strides in technology and modern medicine why is this happening? Education in natural and healthy living is being stifled, because of major drug companies who are finding it more profitable to treat illness then to cure it, and we, as Americans are blindly following the herd.
Sorry to sound political and preachy, but the education of this program has really opened my eyes to the world we live in. Things need to change, and we need to start the change with each of us.
Thanks for reading! :)
I know that I might sound a little preachy, but what can I say, I have something that really works..and it isn't a hard thing to do once you get into the swing of things. Everyone that went through this program before me has said the detox was the hardest part, and that is so true. Its not hard, at all, to follow the program once you decide that you are going to. You need to buy fresh, organic is nice but if you can't afford it, buy fresh fruits and veggies, learn to read labels and stay away from processed or foods with additives. You don't have to give up everything you love, but the detox is key to clean your body of all the shit you've been filling it with over the years and getting your body ready to burn the foods you will keep going with.
I have added whole grains to my daily intact now. Brown rice, steel cut oats, things like that, and I've noticed a little difference but to be honest I'm finding I don't really need them. A large major of the US population is thought to have an allergy to wheat and gluten products caused by the way that some grains, wheat in particular, are processed.
At this stage of the program you want to only add whole grains. 100% Stone ground wheat is not whole wheat. This program is as much about education as it is numbers and formulas. It teaches you how to read labels, how the first 6-10 ingredients are the most important to pay attention to and what to look for to identify good carbs verse bad carbs. The education of this program is the most important aspect of the program, as when you 12 weeks are up you will be left with the tools to help guide you through the rest of your life.
I am so amazed at how this program works I'm signing up to become a Transitions Lifestyle Coach. I want to share this with as many people as possible and help people live a healthier and happier life. The thing people need to understand is that its a mind thing, you change your mind you can change your life. This program will only work if you want it to. You can follow the program for your 12 weeks, and you can then go back to eating all the shit you did before...unless you actually make the decision to stick with it...for life. You will live a longer and healthier life if you simply change your mind.
So at work I've joined a little competition for fitness. This program has to be one of the biggest jokes or greatest illusions ever. Basically you add up your minutes of exercise for the week and submit it. Some of the activities they say "qualify" as fitness actives is a little ridiculous. My problem with this program is they are calling it a fitness program...its not. Fitness requires training, coaching, and changes to be made in lifestyle, not just what you eat but how you live your life. There has to be accountability to someone for moral support and kick you in the ass when you need it.
I think I've been pretty good to my coach and she hasn't had to kick my ass, but I know that some of her other clients might cause her to go bald! Accountability and Education...those are the keys.
If you want more information then ask me, I've made this blog avaialble to the public so that I can share this with all of you. The US is the most obese country on the planet! According to the CDC "In 2008, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-two states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia ) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%." Thats over 1/4 of the nation that is great then 25% BMI (BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height and provides a reasonable indicator of body fatness and weight categories that may lead to health problems.)
This is a scary state to be living in. Our life expectancy is dropping as our BMI is raising...with our vast strides in technology and modern medicine why is this happening? Education in natural and healthy living is being stifled, because of major drug companies who are finding it more profitable to treat illness then to cure it, and we, as Americans are blindly following the herd.
Sorry to sound political and preachy, but the education of this program has really opened my eyes to the world we live in. Things need to change, and we need to start the change with each of us.
Thanks for reading! :)
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