Weight loss update

Weight loss progress update:

This week went pretty darn well.  I’m down another 3 lbs which puts me only just shy of 10% of my body weight lost.  I’ve also lost 10 inches between my waist, hips and thighs!   Just to recap, I’m mostly following Chris Powell’s program from his book, choose to lose more for life.

I feel confident that the contestants on his show Extreme Weight Loss, follow a very different program.  While I am very happy about having lost 3 lbs this week, I genuinely don’t know what more I could have done to lose more than that; at least, not if I am following his plan strictly.

In Powell’s program you carb cycle; each morning you eat within 30 minutes of waking up and every 3 hours thereafter until you’ve hit 5 meals.  Monday and Tuesday are low carb days (however you start your day with a good carb, like Oatmeal or fruit etc.) Then Wednesday is a high carb day, adding a complex carb to each of your 5 meals for the day. Thursday and Friday follow with low carbs days, Saturday is another high carb day and Sunday is a reward day.  For women, we need to eat approx 1200 cals on low carb days and 1500 on high; Men are 1500 and 2000 respectively.  I should add that I am doing this program with the hubs and he is officially down 15lbs!! Men suck! Why do they always lose so much faster than women?

For my workouts, I’ve been doing Powell’s 9 minute missions first thing in the morning before I eat breakfast.  He has 30 different 9-minute mission routines listed in his book, but you can also find plenty of them on youtube.  It’s shocking how painful 9 measly little minutes can actually be!?  Then, usually around 10:30 (if I’m lucky enough to get my twins down for their naps at the same time) I’ll do my full workout (when I’m unlucky, I typically have one or more babies climbing all over me during the workout).  I’ve been doing the Tapout videos and I’ll just say, they are not for the faint of heart! J My 3 year old kindly tells me, “Mommy, you’re doing it wrong.  The people on the tv do it different.” Truth.  But I’m doing it.  I’m gonna say, Tapout is probably for people who already have a great baseline of fitness; I do not.  It’s mildly depressing actually.  Especially since I’ve been very fit most of my life, but I’ll say, even back in the day, those videos would have STILL kicked my hiney!  I also am mixing it up with some fully body kettle bell routines, just random ones found online…I promise I’ll share as soon as I find anything I actually really like.  Mostly they’re boring…I mean, they’re difficult, but ultra repetitive, which I hate.

I’m super sore every day, but I really feel like I’m improving FAST!  I know it’ll kind of plateau soon, but I’m just happy to see my repetitions and endurance increasing so much this quickly.

So, back to the diet part.  I was particularly skeptical of the “reward day.”  Even though you can eat whatever you want, you’re still supposed to keep it in moderation (not to exceed 1000 over your usual daily calorie count) and still get in your 5 healthy meals, each with protein.   I was convinced I wouldn’t lose much this week because of last Sunday’s reward day, in which we ate my hubby’s amazing Texas Chili and cupcakes.  I kept it at that and got right back into the low carb day the next day and saw great results.  Three lbs may not be the kind of results you see on Extreme Weight Loss and Biggest Loser, but I feel like I’m eating a ton of food and getting much stronger and this program feels so much healthier than diets I’ve done in the past, so I’m glad of that.

My complaints so far:

Um…I don’t have many.  I did read Chris Powell’s book from my phone, which was a little annoying and felt disjointed. His app is quirky and has quite a few issues with updates etc, but generally it does okay.  I will say, I hate that he pushes the Vemma Bod-E so much.  It’s super expensive, and I have NO intention of trying any of it.  I use the Gold Standard Whey protein, which is the best tasting protein I’ve ever had, and believe me, I’ve tried TONS!  I also keep Premier Protein shakes on hand so if I’m running about, I always have something I can take with me so I don’t cave and get fast food.

So, there ya go.  I’m hoping to post a few before and “during” photos maybe in a couple weeks if I’m starting to see a difference (else, what’s the point, right??).

I’d love to hear from you and hear about what you’re doing and what’s motivating you!