When a co-worker came to me with the idea of competing in the Body For Life Challenge, I was receptive and fancied the idea of a good challenge. The thought of the required commitment was a little intimidating but I felt as if it was time to add another chapter to my life transformation. In three years I had lost 60 lbs strictly from running 5 days a week and watching what I ate which at the time mean not over-indulging on a regular basis. Although all this weight was gone, my clothes fit better and I felt much like a new person, I was by no means fit but rather a "skinny fat guy". At 6'0" tall and 185 lbs, I still had a gut and little muscle tone in my upper body.
After several temporarily successful "fad" diets I peaked at 245 lbs nearly 4 years ago. Like many, I have struggled with weight loss for much of my adult life, which was a somewhat foreign environment for me after grown up a relatively skinny, active kid. In 2004 my second son was born 12 weeks premature and as a result had to live on a breathing machine. This being a very trying time for our family, I found myself running more on a regular basis as I felt that it wasn't fair that I had two healthy lungs and my son had none so I had better put mine to good use. Running served as an emotional outlet as well which I never realized the therapeutic potential of so much until after my son left this world at 7 weeks of age. The year following our tragedy would prove an emotional test, which we eventually overcame. I can honestly say that I would not have made it through this difficult period without my now favorite past time of running. While it would have been easy to go in the opposite direction, dealing with loss by overindulgence and recklessness, I knew that I needed to ride this emotional wave out using the most positive tools available to me in order to get back on track for my family as well as myself. Two years later, the bulk of the extra weight was gone but not all of the fat. This time the weight would remain off as my fitness continued, eventually shifting from running to cycling 8 miles to work and back home each day.
In October 2007, a co-worker with experience as a personal trainer, approached me about weight training. This sounded like an interesting idea and much like what I needed, until he explained the Body for Life Challenge, which really got my attention. In the weeks to come I learned more about the Body For Life Challenge through the Body for Life website and Bill Phillips book and I was astonished not only by the before and after pictures of past competitors but by the philosophies of the program that echoed my personal fitness shortcomings, like weight training and a diet that made sense. For quite some time, I had known and said that I needed to change my eating habits but was afraid to commit to a diet due to past experiences with fad diets. I had always heard others refer to diets as more of a "lifestyle change" but such a term never really appealed to me until I learned of the Body for Life nutrition program. The prospect of six meals per day and one free day each week was all I needed to get on board with this lifestyle change.
After a month of unexplained lower abdominal pain that my doctor could only guess may be due to an acid problem, I began my challenge on January 7, 2008. My initial weight saw me at 194lbs, no discredit to the abundance of goodies within my reach throughout the recent holiday season; my body fat 25% and my still unfit waist at 40". Following the program, I immediately found myself much more energetic despite having weaned myself of coffee a week prior and within days that pesky lower abdominal pain was gone. My first free day saw me making two meals out of a cheeseburger and onion rings that would have been an easy meal, if not an appetizer just a week before. And would you believe that after what turned out to be a rather disappointing inaugural free day, I found myself sluggish and not as thrilled as I expected I would be? This taught me that even though you may choose to take a free day, it is in your best interest to keep up on your protein intake and try no to overdo it on anything, especially carbs. Throughout the entire challenge, I supplemented my post workout meal with EAS Vanilla 100% Whey Protein mixed with a serving of Phosphagen and 100% natural Orange Juice, making for an very good vanilla creamsicle-like drink. Evenings saw my last meal normally, a Chocolate shake concocted of EAS chocolate protein powder, skim milk, and frozen fruit. I was sure to keep Myoplex bars and EAS Advantage bars on hand for emergencies.
Within three weeks, I saw 2 inches gone from my waist and 10 lbs of scale weight out the door. Every day in the gym, I saw myself grow stronger and learned the importance and fundamentals of weight training. Weight training was nothing new to me however, successful weight training was as past stints with weight training yielded little to no results for me which I have come to learn were do mostly to mental strength and willpower. I had heard the old adage of "No Pain, no gain" and up until I started the Body for Life just thought it to be another lame, mainstream saying and while lame it may be it is truly that simple. This challenge has taught me that sore muscles are not necessarily a bad thing. A sore (uninjured) body to me, now means that the training is working, it's gotten to the point where I almost crave soreness on post workout days.
The cardio side of the challenge came easy to me for obvious reasons previously stated. In the beginning, I parked my bicycle, careful not to over-train, out of concern of burning muscle or placing too much stress on my body. I began the challenge riding a stationary bike in the comfort of my family room, which despite the comfort felt foreign to me. Prior to this my normal cardio required coexisting with the meteorological elements of the Pacific Northwest, which I was more than content with, adding to my list of lame clichés, "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger". I soon grew bored with the cozy, family room cardio sessions and was back to my old ways- running the streets of my neighborhood, which seemed to yield better results in regards to fat loss. A little more than halfway through the challenge, my passion for cycling overcame me and I decided to curb the car get back on the bike, careful to take it easier on non-cardio days and working the cardio into my commute on cardio days. At this point, the body fat almost seemed to melt off as I saw some of the quickest and best fat loss results of the challenge.
To date I have lost 24lbs of scale weight, 15% body fat and 6 inches from my waist. Around week 7 of the challenge, I found myself in need of proper fitting pants. I bought two pairs of pants, which no longer fit two weeks later, but I guess that's why we have belts, which by the way I had to replace for similar reasons as well. At the end of the challenge, I have met and exceeded my three main goals-
• To be in the best shape of my life by my 30th birthday
• To lose 20lbs of fat
• Change my eating habits
It seems that I have finally made that “lifestyle change” which the Body for Life has taught me goes far beyond just diet. I plan to continue the way of the Body for Life, indefinitely. This is a program that anyone can do and when followed, will yield the most positive results of any fitness program. As this program has become part of my life, I spread the word of the Body for Life to anyone who will listen- friends, family, or strangers and will continue to do so, serving as living proof that this program can and will better your life. By accepting the Body for Life Challenge, you have nothing to lose except weight and bad habits.
