100 Days Can Indeed Make a Difference
Well, I finished both my initial 90-day weight loss challenge and my 10-day interim challenge.
The 90-Day challenge was all about isolating one variable, adding Beachbody's premium meal replacement shake Shakeology to my diet. (Full disclaimer, if you've somehow not seen this elsewhere, I am an independent Beachbody coach, so I have "skin in the game" when I recommend it. - Actually, and this is a good thing, I now have less skin in the game before because I lost loads of weight with this highly nutritional addition.)
In that 90 days
I lost 20 pounds. The biggest difference from having Shakeology for lunch that I noticed was that I
no longer had between meal cravings. Part of that is because Shakeology has a glycemic index rating of only 24, which means it burns very slowly, releasing energy very gradually, rather than quickly like candy or cookies, for example, so blood sugar doesn't go up and down rapidly (another reason the American Diabetic Association supports the use of Shakeology and the whole range of Beachbody fitness programs).
When I finished the 90 day program, I wanted to have a short time to get ready for adding a more intense exercise program. So for another 10 days I kept on having Shakeology for lunch, and about half the days also for breakfast, but I also added 40-60 minutes of moderately intense (for me) exercise - like a hard bike ride or working out to an intermediate exercise program on DVD. I was surprised by the weight change results, when I actually
lost another 8 pounds in ten days!
Overall in 100 days I went from 181.5 pounds to 153 pounds - I know that photo above says "approximately 180 and 150 pounds", but those are the real numbers, an actual 28.5 weight loss plus 8% body fat reduction.
During the 10 day period I also carefully considered what exercise program to start and eventually settled on P90X. Now for some reasons it was an easy decision:
- I already owned the program
- It is widely known to be very effective at building strength - and bodies
- As the most well known home fitness program in the country, since it's made by Beachbody and I now work with Beachbody, it made sense to know what it's all about and be able to talk about it.
There were, however, two big reasons to choose another program:
- I'm not an elite athlete nor am I in tip-top condition
- I have a ripped bicep tendon in my left arm that went out four years ago and has only partially healed.
In the end, however, I decided to try P90X if I could pass the Fit Test that comes with it. So this past Sunday, May 1st, I took the test. It turned out that I couldn't pass the pull up part of the test (but then the book gave a pass on that one and said most people couldn't do that test but to check out how I did on the others because if I passed the others I could use my own judgment about going ahead. Bottom line, I met or exceeded the minimum standards on all the other tests, so on Monday, May 2nd, I started P90X.
So now I'm only two days into the P90X 90-day program. I've done it both mornings (P90X includes 12 DVDs with a whole bunch of workouts that you do in various combinations) and so far have pretty much gotten through everything. I may not have the best form, lift the most weight, or do the most reps, but I'm doing it and intend to go all the way through. Maybe I'll have to go through the program multiple times to get "good" at it, but that's ok, my reason for doing it, my 'Big Why' is to eat and exercise healthier so I can keep up with Marge and do my best to be around and be strong and flexible for as long as possible (we're talking about quality of life here).
I'll likely shed a few more pounds as I continue the program. I'd like to get to about 143-145 pounds (my ideal weight). I suspect I'll never get huge musculature with P90X, I don't think I have the genetics or the frame for it, so I likely won't gain too much weight that way (but we'll see). In the meantime, I've already dropped 1% body fat and am down to 16% (from the reading 3 days in a row).
Would I recommend Shakeology to others? Unequivocably yes, not just for weight loss, but also for weight gain if people take it in addition to their normal diet. It's also highly recommendable as an energy shake, for it's vitamins and minerals, for it's core natural nutrition (they say it's the equivalent of 5 plates at the salad bar), as well as for its pre- and pro-biotics, antioxidants, and regulatory aids. It has 18 grams of protein in only 140 calories. Good Stuff.
Would I recommend P90X for everyone? Maybe not. It is an extreme, intense workout program that comes with its own nutrition program (which can include Shakeology) and the company is very careful to recommend that you take and pass the Fit Test before starting the program and if you have any doubts to try one of their many, high quality, but less intense programs, either as a substitute for P90X or to get in condition to do P90X. Of course before starting any exercise program you should consult your physician.
If you're wondering about Shakeology, btw, we have a letter to the doctor we can provide that explains what the ingredients are and how they're formulated. We also have great info from a big group of doctors who talk about the various benefits of Shakeology.
I'm passionate about Beachbody, and about fitness and health. Those who have known me over the years know that this interest isn't new.
I'd love to talk with you about any of your own fitness and health goals. I'm not a nutrition or fitness expert, nor am I a certified personal trainer (used to be, but that was in the 1990s). But I know where to find the information you may seek and I'd be happy to be a resource for you.
You can also check out my two Beachbody related websites:
For the full line of Beachbody products and services:
www.BeachBodyCoach.com/BruceTheCoach
For a site focused on Shakeology:
www.Shakeology.com/BruceTheCoach
Beachbody also has a free fitness club you can join at this site where you can join for free and log your workouts (of any kind) to be entered in daily cash drawings of $300 to $1,000.
Here's my link for Team Beachbody:
www.TeamBeachBody.com/BrucetheCoach
