Beta Round 2 Week 2 Progress Photos!

Hello all! As promised, here are the photos that show the difference between Round 2 Week 1 and Week 2! I’m once again blown away by the difference a week makes!

Hahaha, now that I’ve once again shown pictures of me in a bikini, I have to confess that I am really starting to get excited for swimsuit season! I’m not sure that I’ll be bikini ready by beach time, but I’m hoping to at least look great in a one piece or a tankini! It’s been a long time since I’ve felt confident in a swimsuit, and I think that this year is the year!

Just as an update: I probably won’t have the opportunity to do another Tuesday Tidbits for about a month and a half, since I am putting pretty much every ounce of free time I have into working on my thesis (and it is taking FOREVER!). I’m so sorry that I won’t be able to do a Tuesday Tidbits for a while, but I will at least update my blog with my progress and how I’m feeling!

So, yesterday was Core Speed, and it was SO MUCH FUN. In fact, it was TOO MUCH FUN, since my ankle is really really sore today. I’m taking it easy (got my ankle sleeve on), since today is Upper Focus, I’m hoping that will give me a bit of a break. I plan on doing a little walking to keep it warm, but I’m sticking to sidewalks and stopping the second it starts to really hurt. I’m also doing my balance exercises so I’m hoping that will help. But, despite it being sore today, it feels like a different kind of pain, and I’m hoping that it means my muscles are sore because they’re strengthening and not because they’ve been injured. Out of my two ‘ankle sprain’ tests, doing a quad stretch hurts (typical, since it pulls the muscle), but doing a calf stretch doesn’t hurt, which is a really good sign (if the calf stretch hurts, that means I’ve probably gone and re-sprained it).

Today, Sylvia and I are getting our reward massages for making so much progress (she’s almost past the lowest she’s weighed in her adult life, and I’m so proud of her!), so I’m looking forward to a little me time. Also, hopefully, my masseuse can soothe my ankle!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day! Stay healthy, my friends!

Results – Focus T25 Beta Round 2 Week 2

Hello and welcome! I’m currently still having a difficult time believing how well I did this week, all things considered. I only did 3 Focus T25 workouts this week, and I wanted to post my schedule so that everyone can know what I did this week:

• Monday – skipped Focus T25 and went for an hour long walk
• Tuesday – did Core Speed followed by a half an hour walk
• Wednesday – did Rip’t Circuit followed by a half an hour walk
• Thursday – did Upper Focus followed by a half an hour walk
• Friday – felt completely drained and my ankle was bothering me, so I rested.

The only other changes that I made this week was eating more (yes, about 250 cal/day more), and drinking a little less water (around the recommended 64 oz instead of my usual 80-100). I checked my hydration index at the local pharmacy, and I am still hydrated (however, I’m probably going to increase my water again since I am less regular now). That being said, here are my results this week:

Weight: 196 (-1.4)

Waist: 34.5 (-0.25)

Hips: 44.5 (-0.1)

Bust: 39.2 (-0.3) (my chest has been shrinking RAPIDLY lately!)

Under Bust: 34.25 (-0.5)

Right Arm: 13.1 (-0.15)

Left Arm: 12.5 (-0)

Right thigh: 23.75 (-0.25)

Left Thigh: 23.4 (-0.2)

Body Fat: 39.7% (-0.3%) (UNDER 40%!!!!)

This week was crazy good, and I think it is entirely due to adding walking in! Also, it was the most pleasant part of my day, just walking around and soaking up the sunshine!

Now, everyone wants to see pictures, right? I have them, but I have not had any time to edit them together, so I promise that I will post them tomorrow!

In summary, I walked on Saturday, and did Stretch on Sunday followed by another walk. Other than that, I’ve been resting. My ankle feels much better, though still not 100%, so I’m going to take it easy and let it heal some more! Today is Core Speed, and I’m really excited! I’m going to work my butt off today, since it’s raining and a post-workout-walk is unlikely.

I hope everyone is having a great day! Stay healthy friends!

Focus T25 – Final Results!!

Well, everyone, it happened! I finished Focus T25 Alpha and Beta (plus a bonus Beta week!)! I am so pleased with my results, I almost cried. I am a completely different person now. I am in control. I am happy and I love how far I’ve come!

My experience through Focus T25 was a real eye opener. It made me realize that anyone can get fit, if they’re ready to commit. Over the past 2 years or so, I’ve been trying and trying to get fit, and nothing has stuck. I tried Weight Watchers, lost 20 lbs, then gained it all back when I did P90X and didn’t watch what I ate. I tried Insanity, and started losing weight again, but stopped during the 4th week in due to getting a cold and never started it up again. I twisted my ankle and tried to work out with stationary bicycles and weights, but it wasn’t the same, and I gained more weight. I thought I was eating healthy and I wasn’t being dragged around by my cravings, but I was. I ballooned up to 220.2 lbs. My skin was terrible. I was starting to have terrible back pain all of the time. My ankle had healed but the pressure of my weight still caused it to hurt and prevented it from healing all of the way.

I’ve never hated myself, but I was pretty close.

But something good and life changing happened to me two years ago: I started working out and getting healthy with Sylvia, the best workout buddy ever. She was the only one consistently at my side during Weight Watchers, P90X and Insanity. We got injured together; we healed together. And, most importantly, we ranted and raved during the Fast Track week of Focus T25. I don’t want to get too sappy, but sometimes I’m just overwhelmed with how much those moments have shaped where my health is going, and due to both of our perseverance, we’ve finally hit the point where eating healthy and working out even happens when we’re apart. Because we love being fit now! I couldn’t have done it without you, girl!

Now that I’ve had my moment to be sentimental, let’s get down to the moment we’ve all been waiting for! I’ve listed my results like so:

Area: current measurement in English units (units lost since heaviest/ units lost since start of T25/ units lost since last week)

So, *drumroll please* here are my results for Focus T25!

Weight: 200.4 (-19.8/-13.6/+0.6) (I knew I was going to gain a bit since I did two weeks in a row of week 5 of Beta, which is mostly strength)

Waist: 35 (-4.5/-3.5/-0.5)

Hips: 44.75 (-3.25/-2.25/-0.75) (It is SO hard for me to lose inches here!)

Bust: 40 (-3/-2.5/+0.6)

Under Bust: 34.75 (-2.25/-1.75/-0.25)

Right Arm: 13.1 (-0.9/-0.5/-0.2)

Left Arm: 12.9 (-0.4/-0.3/-0)

Right Thigh: 24 (-1.25/-1/-0)

Left Thigh: 23.75 (-1.25/-0.75/-0)

Body Fat %: 40.4% (-7.9%/-5.8%/-1.4%) (My waist and hip measurements were weird last time I did measurements because I got a new tape measure, so my body fat went up by 1.4% and now its back down!)

Pounds of Body Fat: 81 (-25.35/-17.86/-2.54)

Pounds of Lean Body Mass: 119.39 (+5.55/+4.26/+3.14)

I am now over 28% of my way to my goal of 20% body fat with my current lean weight! Almost a third of the way there! Also, over the course of T25, I’ve lost 16.8 inches from my heaviest, and 10.35 inches from when I started!

Okay, okay, okay. Now, I know everyone wants to see pictures. I can’t believe how much I’ve changed! I want to post these pictures EVERYWHERE I GO I’m so proud of them! Well, here they are:

The last one is my favorite picture, for obvious reasons 🙂

The best part is, that you can do it too! Tomorrow, I’m going to try and post a review of Focus T25-Beta while it’s still fresh in my brain 🙂

So, what happens now? I keep going! Sylvia and I are going to do another round of Beta (incorporating running in as well), and then we’re going to try and do Insanity!

I hope everyone is having a great day! Stay healthy, friends!

Focus T25 – Beta Week 4 Results!

Hello! I have to say, I was surprised at this weeks results. From Wed. to Fri., I went on a minor cleanse again, eating 1100-1300 calories based on the Fast Track meal plan. I felt a lot better by the end of Friday, but was also RAVENOUS by the end of the 3 day stint, mostly because I was still kicking my own butt during the workouts. That being said, I also got a new tape measure that creates its own consistent tension, so my other measurements went up, which I expected. But, without further ado, here are my results!

Weight: 199.8 (-3.2)

Waist: 35.5 (+0.5)

Hips: 45.5 (+0.75)

Bust: 39.4 (-1.6) (I have NO idea what happened here, but I guess that’s where I lost some weight!)

Under Bust: 35 (-0.25)

Right Arm: 13.3 (+0.2)

Left Arm: 12.9 (+0.3)

Right Thigh: 24 (-0)

Left Thigh: 23.75 (+0.25)

Body Fat: 41.8% (+1.4, entirely due to my waist and hip measurements going up)

Overall, though, I’m pleased 🙂 Also, I HIT MY TWENTY POUNDS LOST MARK!!!! Since I started at 220.2, I’m officially down 20.4 lbs from where I started 🙂

That being said, this week I’m focusing on keeping my nutrition healthy and wholesome, and under 1600 calories. Also, Sylvia is out of town this week, so we decided that we were going to repeat week 5 next week so that we can finish Focus T25 together!

Here are my before and after pictures for this week! I think the one where I face front and twist is one of my favorite pictures of me EVER 🙂

There you have it! My results for this week! Tomorrow’s Tuesday Tidbits is probably going to be short and sweet, so I’ll be talking to you again tomorrow!

Stay healthy, my friends!

Focus T25 Beta – Week 2 Results

Hello all! It’s Monday again, so it’s time for some results from last week! Hilariously, though the pictures I’m going to post are from only one week’s worth of difference, I didn’t lose hardly any inches this week. I know exactly why this is though. Last week, I was absolutely exhausted when I did my measurements, therefore I was feeling more emotional than I normally would be if I’d gotten a full night’s sleep. So, I think I pulled the measuring tape a little tighter than I should have, and I’m making up for it this week by being more accurate with my tape measure! So, here are my measurements that changed (for all of the others, see my post last week!):

Weight: 203.4 (-0.8)

Waist: 35 (-0.25)

Right Thigh: 23.75 (-0.15)

Body Fat %: 40.7 % (-0.3)

Overall, not too many inches, but considering my pictures, I can clearly see that I lost a lot! Look at the difference in my face, waist, and flexed back!

My abs got much stronger this past week, as well as my arms and back!

I hope everyone is having a great day, and remember to stay healthy!

Tuesday Tidbits – Typical Day while Detoxing!

Hello! Today on Tuesday Tidbits, I’m going to level with you on my detoxing experience with the Focus T25 Fast Track. The Fast Track is just a 5 day cleanse of sorts in which you restrict your daily intake of calories to 1100 calories and do a daily workout. It’s designed to prep your body and mind by kick starting your metabolism and rewarding you with fast results. The meal plan guide comes with the Focus T25 base kit, the ingredients are relatively inexpensive, and the recipes are easy to make. Overall, after completing the Fast Track, I’m really glad that I did because I felt way better and more in control of my cravings after doing this for 5 days. I also went from the kid who ate 2200 calories a day to the kid who thinks that 1500 calories is way too much food. It really changes your perspective on what food is (fuel), and teaches you how to eat better.

And the Fast Track was absolute hell for me and my workout buddy.

A little perspective: when I first started T25, I weighed 220.2 lbs, was bloated, and sick of the way I looked and felt. I craved junk food all of the time, and the final straw was the new stretch marks on my gut. When those appeared, I knew they were permanent, and that I needed a permanent change. Sylvia was feeling the same way, so we decided to give Focus T25 a shot since we’ve liked Beachbody workout programs in the past. We thought the 5 Day Fast Track was a good idea to get some quick results and get rid of all of the toxins that were floating around in our bodies.

Translation: we were fat chicks who liked to eat junk and had spent years building up fat and toxins in our bodies. Here is a great article that I read that explains how toxins are stored in our fat and then released when we work out: http://bcotoronto.com/2012/07/19/toxin-release/

When we started the Fast Track, we started feeling terrible from the first couple of meals. We experienced a multitude of unpleasant and strange symptoms, which I tried to document in last week’s Tuesday Tidbits: Strange Detoxing Symptoms.

The most prevalent symptom was anger. Sylvia and I were angry all of the time. I’m generally not an angry person, but to show you the emotional roller coaster that was detoxing, I’ve included a typical day for me while I was on the Fast Track:

• Wake up (oftentimes not hungry, surprisingly!!)
• Weigh self
• Be disappointed by seemingly small amount of weight lost considering sacrifices
• Eat breakfast (surprisingly satisfying :))
• Feel like I’m coming down with the cold
• Go to work
• Eat a snack (and be angry when it’s not satisfying, though most of the recipes were yummy!)
• Work some more
• Pray no one tries to talk to me at work
• Eat lunch
• Be satisfied with lunch
• An hour after lunch – get hit with massive hunger
• Be angry about hunger
• Leave work
• Go home
• Have a snack
• Go over to Sylvia’s house for workout
• Have 30 minute long ranting session about how hungry we are and how stupid other people around us are being (normally with a LOT of yelling involved)
• Finally work up the courage to do the workout
• Do the T25 workout and struggle throughout the entire thing
• Try not to cry
• Drink fluids and do some more ranting before dinner
• Make dinner and be disappointed with dinner
• Have Sylvia’s roommate come downstairs and eat pizza in front of us
• Contemplate jail time and psychological trauma that would result from killing Sylvia’s roommate
• Have burst of willpower that is just strong enough to resist the murderous impulse (because I really do like her roommate as one of my best friends down at school, and I don’t really want to kill her)
• Go home
• See that roommate is having chocolate pie for dessert
• Contemplate murdering roommate (but I need her for rent :P, also she’s like the best roommate I’ve ever had)
• Decide to take the high road and go to bed early after sending a text to Sylvia about how roommate is eating pie (with several expletives in it)
• Pass out an hour and 30 minutes before my usual bedtime for 9.5 hrs of sleeping time.

Yeah, I’m not proud of it, but that was a typical day for me. I’m sure some of you can relate to the strange mood swings that happen when you’re so hungry!

But, the bottom line is that, after all of that, I felt in control for the first time in my life. Once the calories picked back up and I felt more recharged, I had no problems resisting junk food, even if it was being eaten in front of my face. In fact, sometimes, when I really craved junk and ate some, my stomach would even ache and reject the junk I put into it. I felt rejuvenated, like I’d been given new life. You know what they say: anything that you can get easily isn’t worth having!

And now, as a special treat, here is where I show you why detoxing is so worth it… with a few before and after pictures!

I can’t believe the difference, personally. I lost almost 5 pounds in that 5 day period. You can do it too! But if you want some tips, wait until next week when I give you my top tips for a successful detox!

Thanks so much for reading, and stay healthy, my friends!

Week 3 – Focus T25 Results!

Hello everyone! I’m absolutely thrilled with this week’s results! Without further ado, here are my measurement results!

Weight: 207.8 (-1.6)

Waist: 36 (-1)

Hips: 45.75 (-0.5)

Bust: 41.25 (-0.5)

Under Bust: 35.25 (-0.25)

Right Arm: 13 (-0.25)

Left Arm: 12.6 (-0.2)

Right Thigh: 24.25 (-0.25)

Left Thigh: 24.2 (-0)

Body Fat: 42.4 (-0.8%, correction to last week’s post, my body fat last week was 43.2% and not 44.5%)

Yes, you read that correctly. I lost everywhere except my left thigh. I lost a total of 2.35 lbs of fat and gained 0.75 lbs of lean body mass. Also, I lost 2.95 inches!! To make things even better, my waist to hip ratio is finally normal, which means that my risk for complications that stem from high amounts of fat in the gut are now significantly lower! And now, as promised, here are some before and after pictures (please try to not run away screaming as I am wearing a bikini :D):

There are some before and after pictures that absolutely blew me away when I looked at them! I hope these results encouraged you to be fitter!

So, to recap the weekend. I had every intention of being good on Saturday, and I was good until Sylvia accidentally accepted her coworker’s invitation to go out for drinks and knew that I would need to be there to help her not get too out of control. Instead, we went out with a couple of friends and had a great night out… plus 3 drinks. I did shots to attempt to save on calories, but the bottom line is that Sunday, I wasn’t feeling well at all. I was incredibly nauseous and tired all day, and ended up over indulging on cookies. I drank lots of water and made sure to get a full night’s sleep, but I’m still a little tired and nauseous today. I’m hoping that working out and eating right today will put me right back on track!

Well, everyone, that’s where I stand! Stay healthy!