Progress Report 0 – August 2010
Between January 2006 and January 2009, we both embarked upon and embraced the South Beach Diet lifestyle. We learned so much from the change; change that, for the most part, has stuck. We are more aware of what we were eating than at any time in our past. For this alone, we are both tremendously grateful.
During the course of those three years, I lost a total of 100 pounds, the first 70 of which was lost entirely due to the change of eating habit. Carole lost 33 pounds. No exercise beyond that of getting up in the morning, going to work, and coming back home to eat dinner and watch TV before bed occurred. Simple elimination of heavy, fat-laden foods such as the weekly pizza gorge, frequent (often daily) fast food dinners, elimination of refined carbs from starchy and refined foods, and eating on a more sensible time-line showed us how uneducated we were as to what exactly we were putting into our bodies. By our estimates, our daily diet consisted of 70-80 percent fat.
After a two year plateau during the South Beach Diet which brought Carole much grief, we bought a treadmill (to replace an Elliptical machine that never quite worked right, certainly not like the ones at the local gym had worked). The treadmill was used almost exclusively by Carole but the long, seemingly endless plateau had taken an emotional toll on her, and it sat unused more often than not.
Oddly enough, it was financial hardship that led to the best fitness routines we have found to date. After cancelling our satellite TV subscription, we discovered, quite late, NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” television show. A few seasons passed and it began to sink in that we needed to add exercise to our relatively good eating habits.
"Oddly enough, it was financial hardship
that led to the best fitness routines we have found to date."
This revelation led to investigating Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michaels’ books and DVDs. In May of 2010, we began “Making the Cut,” a 30-Day fitness and diet workout created by Jillian. Within two weeks, Carole began to see her weight budge and I discovered I did indeed have muscles waiting to emerge from underneath my remaining layer of fat. Carole liked the 30-Day program so well, she continued the program by restarting the same 30-Day routine the following month.
While Carole spent June repeating the “Making the Cut” program, I began exercising to Jillian’s “30 Day Shred” DVD while continuing to adhere to the “Making the Cut” diet. In two month’s time, Carole lost an additional 13 pounds, weight she had given up on ever losing. I have lost another 20 pounds and gained muscle as well.
After catching bits and pieces of the P90X info-mercials on late night local TV, in July 2010, I purchased the program and on August 1, 2010, began the workout. The following day, Carole joined in.
P90X is delivering on its claim to be an extreme workout program. It is not for the faint of heart or those with substantial physical limitations. Both of us were given a clean bill of health prior to beginning P90X.
That is not to say we don’t each have our limitations. At age 44, I suffer from Remitting/Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. Carole, ten years my senior, has occasional bouts of severe allergies, both food and environmental, and asthma. We both recognize these limitations and work to the best of our abilities with them. We watch and help each other during times of physical difficulty. And we feel that by making lifestyle changes in the form of fitness, diet, and exercise, we have strengthened our bodies and minds toward a future that will undoubtedly contain physical and mental hurdles but with less negative impact.
