MY TRANSFORMATION
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
Here is what I wrote for my bio(transformation of the week) Let me know what you think. I hope that maybe it can inspire people. This site is bringing me so much and I love to share back! StatsBefore:
Age: 35
Weight: 185 lbs
Body Fat: 31%
Measurements: 37.5 – 35 - 45
After:
Age: 37 (after 2 years of bb)
Weight: 160 lbs (lost total 25 lbs)
Body Fat: 16% (lost total 15%)
Measurements: 35.5 – 29.5 – 41.5 (lost total 12 inches)
Why I Got Started
I’ve always been active and somewhat into healthy living. I was the cardio queen who lived in the aerobic room of the gym countless hours a week. I ran 2 marathons a year, took swimming and spinning classes and martial arts. My diet was healthy-ISH, or so I thought. I enjoyed salads and wholesome foods, but huge quantities of it. And I had a love relationship with carbs and sugar, not to mention SALT. I always thought if you do 2-3 hours of cardio a day, what harm is a piece of cake?
You’ve heard of SKINNY-fat. I was what you call a FIT-fat. I had always dreamed of shedding the extra fat layer I was carrying, but after 15 years of rigorous daily exercise, I had accepted the fact that this was the way body had to be and it just does not want to change. Plus, I just adored my eating parties where I just went crazy with food after a long cardio session! So I lived with it. I wasn’t unhappy, but I always secretly wished for a hard body.
How I Did It
The first session with the trainer was really a wake-up call. I had though of myself as being in good shape, but this was embarrassing! I remember going on the chin-up machine, at the easiest level, trying to pull my weight, and for the life of me, could not pull myself up, not even once! After ONE WEEK of proper dieting (eating 6 clean and balanced meals a day), I was SHOCKED when I actually pulled myself up 10 times!! Right then, I had a WOW moment and realized the power that diet has on my body and my muscles. My trainer always said diet is 80% of the work and training is 20%, now I realized just how true that was.
I decided to completely change my life and break away from all bad habits. To do this, I would have to make drastic changes. I stopped going out. Going out led to drinking, late-night binging, and oversleeping. I quit drinking completely. Next, I eliminated all refined sugar. It took about 2-3 weeks for this junkie to be off it! I was shocked how quickly I adapted. The next challenge was incorporating my new lifestyle and eating plan to my career, which involves work meals and lots of travelling. Let me tell you, where there’s a will, there’s a way. The hardest thing is probably having to argue with co-workers who want to “push” you to over-indulge, because it will make THEM feel better about doing it. My next test was to not listen to that voice in my head that would tell me: ‘don’t train today, take the day off, stay in bed!!’
I wanted EXTREME results and I knew that to achieve this, I would have to do EXTREME actions. My plan was simple: 6 meals a day, 6 workouts a week, one day off a week, one (and only one) cheat meal a week. I saw results almost right away. This kept me challenged and very motivated. After one year of living the lifestyle, I discovered bodybuilding.com. This was incredible for me because I had no one around me up to that point who understood the sacrifices and demands of bb…and all of a sudden, I have thousands of friends to share with. Anytime I felt unmotivated to go train, I would log on and somehow, found the strength to go and kick it at the gym.
Supplements
I experimented with many to see how my body reacts. I do not react to caffeine at all, so any energy supplements to not work on me. I use Optimum protein, Creatine post-workout, Glutamine after workouts, and multi-vitamins. Fat burners are great for appetite control. My all-time best supplement is my own personal adrenaline!
Diet
My diet is 1500-1800cals a day, balanced and very clean. My proteins include whey, chicken, and fish. Carbs: oats, vegetables, fruit, bread on occasion. Fats: peanut or almond butter, measured dressing for the salads. I train in the morning, so I eat my carbs earlier in the day. I’m very strict and do not allow any food not on my diet to enter my mouth! (except for cheat meal, once a week) Oh, and NO alcohol at all. I drink 4-5 litres of water a day and, yes, TONS of coffee! Love my java! (with milk only) I do not snack at all between meals. If I have cravings, I control with sugar-free drinks.
Training
I train like a dog!! Hardcore!! I train with weights and do cardio 6 TIMES A WEEK. Whatever I’m doing, I make sure it hurts! I only rest 30 seconds between reps which keeps me going aerobic for my whole workout. After my weights (45 minutes), I immediately jump on the stairclimber, spinning bike or elliptical and DESTROY whatever I have left! I bring it! I do HIIT or just stay HIGH for the whole time. I judge the quality of the workout by the size of the sweat puddle I’ve left on the floor! Many people don’t believe in weights and cardio daily, but I’ve found that it works best for me, my metabolism and my body.
Suggestions for Others
It’s human nature to be envious and jealous of other’s successes, and so people will continuously try to sabotage your efforts, especially if they are you old eating buddies, or worse, your spouse. You can attempt to explain how important this lifestyle is to you, but in the end, you may have to severe ties with people who can negatively influence you.
There are NO good or valid reasons to fall off the wagon. If you’re sad; go workout, you will feel better. If you’re happy, have a nice healthy meal, you’ll feel even greater. Had a fight with your child or boss? Go sweat it out at the gym. After an hour of spinning, you’ll forget ‘what’s his name’! DON’T MAKE EXCUSES.
Set realistic goals and visualize them. Making a goal like “I want a 6-pack by Christmas” or ‘I want to lose 20lbs this month” may not be realistic and could set you up for self-sabotage. However, picturing yourself on a beach, looking fit and hot and feeling great could be just what you need to get yourself off the couch tonight and off to the gym!!
I hope this inspired you
thanks to my bb friends! You inspire ME!!
Post by: sparkie
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