Final weeks

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!