21DF Round 2: Day 17

I have failed to post for quite a few days... about 17 or 18 to be exact. I have not failed to workout and eat clean, but posting has been tough. My new schedule has me spinning around in circles so far. I work 10 pm to 7 am and it seems to cause me to lose out on days. Now the last few days I have been feeling bad and missed a couple of workouts, but I will get back to that as well.

When I last posted my "official" weight was 276 lbs. I had dropped 20 lbs during my first round of 21DF and was getting down to a weight that I had not been at for over 20 years. In fact, any weight under the 285 range or so would be the lowest I had been at. My first goal of 235 lbs was getting closer and I was feeling great. I was finishing up my off week on the 27th of April and starting my next round on the very next day. I was doing well with it, but again, with the new job I lost some time daily for one reason (or excuse) or another and I failed to maintain my daily yoga workout along with the primary workout. I am now 4 days to the final day of my 2nd full round and I am down from 276 lbs to now, today, 262 lbs. I weighed today and that is what it showed. That is another 14 lbs lost so far and hopefully I can be under the 260 lb mark by Sunday. I have had some sort of stomach flu or some bug that is going around my house and had to not workout a couple of days and eating was messed up. I didn't go to work 2 days and I left early the other day. I feel better today, but I still feel discomfort in the stomach. I think that I can work through that as well as working through my leg routine. I will also do my yoga today.

I have since my last posting, signed up on IG (Instagram) please follow me @allen_mif .... So you may wonder why my tag is allen_mif well the allen part should be apparent but the mif is something that I have put a lot of thought into. As a beachbody coach we aspire to building a team of people repeating the same thing. We want to help others achieve their goals. It's that simple. We don't want to be hock men/women, salesy or the guy/girl you see coming at you with that determined look of "I'm going to convince them to do what I am doing". Now, if you are helping others achieve their fitness, health and financial goals, why wouldn't you want to multiply that. The business is about people not about numbers.

Whoever helps the most people wins!

That should be the motto of a beachbody coach. Leading by serving, this is not a new concept but it's one that seems to be forgotten by all the people who want that recognition. When you look for what is in it for you, you fail to see the bigger picture. You should be looking at how you can help others and when you do that, you will get what's in it for you. I get off topic too easily. The MIF is Mirror Image Fitness. My team name is going to be Mirror Image. The reason is that you see all these people standing in their bathrooms or in front of some mirror doing selfies with their phones. Most of us who are obese or overweight hate our image in the mirror, so my team will be dedicated to helping you love the image in the mirror no matter the weight or fitness level. Health is not just physical, but emotional and psychological. Now I am no psychologist, but I love seeing how I look now. I love to look in the mirror, where I didn't a few months back. Though I still have confidence and self esteem issues, I am much better than where I was. I like the idea of creating a team of people who love what they see in the mirror instead of dreading of looking at themselves without a shirt on or in a bikini. So my fitness page will be Mirror Image Fitness... MIF and Team Mirror Image... because no matter what, your mirror image is a reflection of you, but not the real you. You start to love you and you will soon love the reflection as well.

Push play and keep kicking ass daily!!

Off Week, Day 7

Today was the final week of my non-scheduled week of working out. I have done yoga after all the workouts except for after Cardio Fix on Friday. It was a time issue that day. I feel like that has really made the difference though. My back is starting to bother me building up this last week. I am sure it's related to my job which can be harsh for my back. I haven't seen a good chiropractor since April of 2013 so my back is sorely in need of a proper adjustment.

Today I did only Yoga Fix and it is not helping me as much as it usually does. The way I slept last night coupled with what I have been doing at work is giving me issues. On a brighter side, my weight today on the scale is 270 lbs. That is 80 lbs lost since Dec 13th which is 4 and 1/2 months or 17.7 lbs per month or 4.25 lbs per week average. The average would be higher if it were to be tracked since mid February when I started using the 21 Day Fix nutrition and portion control. That has been the best part about it and another great thing is that I am not struggling to continue to do this.

Tomorrow starts my 2nd round of 21 Day Fix but nothing will change. I will eat how I have been eating and I will workout the way I have been working out. Nothing will change except my body. For that I am certain. I will go below 270. and maybe be in the 250 lb range before this 3 weeks is up. Once I hit 250 lbs, I will only be 15 lbs from my first goal weight. My pants and belts keep getting too big. I have to alter a new belt already. It is a good thing, but every few days I have an issue with keeping my pants up. Yeah I know, tough problem to have.

The days of going back the way I used to be is long gone. I have gotten down to a point where I see the goal. I can see myself getting down to 235. Before I used to see that as a goal I would get sometime in the future. Now I see it as I will be there in a few months. I don't plan on stopping now, but sometimes like everyone I have a sense of dread before starting a workout. We all get that at some point, but we all have the ability to push past that. It's about building a strong base and changing your habits over time. Once you do that, let the habit take over. If you build good habits the dread and work of doing the daily things will soon disappear.

Off Week, Day 2

I am not on the 21DF 3 week schedule this week. I am taking a one week respite, but funny enough I am still doing the schedule. It's pretty nice that it's the same every week. You can jump in and out of the 3 week schedule as you like. I say I am not doing it because I am not really tracking or counting this week into anything other than my normal life. I am still eating as clean as I can, as I have been this whole time, and I am still doing the workouts with yoga daily. As it really stands this it not a week off of anything other than not being on a "plan".

I have started up my men's and women's clean eating groups and funny as it sounds, I should have just done them together. I really only planned on doing the men's group, but when I stirred up the ire of some of the women, I felt it should have been both, so I did it. The hardest thing is doing the men's meal plan which is larger than the women's which I have done. Adding in the necessary foods to bump up the calorie count by say 500 calories per day was the real challenge. So that is the only challenge, and while I have been doing this every day, I haven't been thinking to formulate a true meal plan. I can go into the kitchen and grab some stuff and eat it and know about what I am doing. I then plug it into myfitnesspal and yeah I was about right, but being responsible for making up a meal plan and shopping list for others is a bit intimidating. I can't wait to get it all posted up on Friday and then the daily meal plans.

I hope everyone gets what they want out of it personally. It's a hard thing to shake the sugars which is the most addictive thing in our diet, even more so than caffeine and tobacco. My goal is to show others that it can be done for a day and then a week. If they can do it for a week, maybe they will stick with it for a month. If that happens, why not forever. We all have issues and hard times and mistakes etc... but we all have the same ability to correct that mistake and move on. I hope that others will see that as well and continue to make better choices both during this challenge and beyond.

The 21DF workouts really challenge my abs. I am also doing an ab challenge this month so couple the two together, and I am getting really sore in the abs this month. I like the 30 day challenge group, but I find I am having more issues with time lately and wanting my body to rest properly is key for making any progress. If you don't you end up like a hamster in a wheel, running and running never getting anywhere. No one wants to be that hamster.

21 Day Fix: Week 3, Day 7

Today is the final day of round 1 of 21 Day Fix. I am pleased with the results. They say lose up to 15 lbs in 21 days. I would have been happy with that. I lost 20 lbs. I am ecstatic with that. 20 lbs in less than one month. If I had lost one more pound, that would have been 7 lbs a week. 2 to 4 lbs a week is great, but 7 is ridiculous. 296 to 276 in 3 weeks. The least amount of weight I have been since around 1995 or 1994. I feel pretty good, but my feet still hurt after being on them all day/night at work. I think that will never change haha.

Today I just did Yoga Fix as this is the one recovery day. I say Pilates Fix is an active recovery day as well. It is mainly abs. I like it and am getting used to it. I still have to finish off my pushups as well. I think I am going to stop doing the challenges for a little while and focus on healing my joints. My elbows mostly have been bothering me and while abs don't bother my elbows, the pushups are starting to. I am no spring chicken and doing workouts is ok as long as I allow those areas to rest properly. I do not want to have issues that require longer lapses in all workouts. I have done well with the pushups and the 3 monthly challenges for the most part. The workouts I am doing daily along with yoga is enough and while I want to add more biking and running into the mix, I have to set my priorities on what is most important. If I had all day like I did to do stuff, no big deal, but now I need to manage my time better. Things in my life are going to be changing, for the better mind you, but changing none the less.

The results were not expected, but very pleasing. I hope that I can continue on this path, probably not at this rate, but this path regardless. I have a goal of 235 lbs by November. If I can focus in on these workouts and nail down my nutrition for 6 more weeks, I think I can be at goal weight by the middle of June. I was shooting for August as my early date. I think I can crush that number. It will take work and dedication, both of which I am willing to put in. I need to nap before work, so I will finish this off with my transition pics from the 21 Day Fix.

21 Day Fix: Week 3, Day 6

Today was the last workout day as tomorrow is day 7 and the "active recovery day" of the 21 Day Fix. I did Dirty 30 and Yoga Fix today. I really have been feeling my back tighten up the past 2 days because I have not done the yoga. I did it today and my back feels better, but I still need to see a good chiro around here. Tomorrow will be Yoga Fix and nothing else, so an easy day. I will also be weighing and doing measurements and taking pictures.

Today I went to the movies, again. I had popcorn and raisinettes, again, and while I know it's not the best thing for you especially the quantity you get at the movies, I don't feel bad about it. I say "what the hell!" I enjoy eating popcorn and a little chocolate at movies. It's ok to have a cheat meal once in a while or even once weekly. I eat clean 90 % of the week, so a little cheat meal once a week is not a huge thing. The part that makes it go south is to do it every day and then let it expand to multiple meals a day. That is when we allow the food to control us and not us controlling our food intake. People say it's not easy. People say it's an addiction. People say it's for comfort. I know this and agree with all those things, but the other thing I also agree with is those are all excuses to allow that behavior and not accept responsibility for what is going on. To make a change, you have to learn to accept that responsibility, own it and make a plan to change your habits. You then have to follow through with it. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. 

The 7 day clean eating challenge for men is something I am working on now. I want to offer something that is more than 1300 cals for guys. I have a lot more work to do on it, but I will get this hammered out. I want to have it all down on paper so I can start that group up next Monday, April 28th. Just before the summer months come along and give the guys, especially the one's near my size, can have something that they can do and not feel like they are starving. When I get it all nailed down, I will do a daily post here for anyone who wants to follow along with the group I start. It will be an interesting thing to do this.

Since tomorrow is the final day of my first round of 21 Day Fix, I now have to decide what I am to do starting Monday. I am not sure if I want to do another round of this or start back on X3. If I start on X3, I will be on that for 3 months which will put me finishing up a week and a half before August. PIYO comes out in June during summit and while I am not going to summit, I do want to start PIYO as soon as it comes out. I also want to to do this and that and the other thing hahaha. I will have to think about this more, but the countdown is on.

21 Day Fix: Week 3, Day 4

Today is Thursday and for work it's my Friday. Yay me! Today I did Pilates Fix and while I have been doing Yoga Fix every day, I decided to take it off today. Sometimes you just have to go with how you feel. I am tired and while I know yoga to help with stretching and probably feeling better and not tired, I wanted a little more sleep. Tomorrow I will be doing my yoga so I am not worried I am slacking off. One thing you have to learn is not regret a decision to either do a workout or not do one. Sometimes you need a break and sometimes you need to push yourself. Today was the day I needed to back off a little. A tough first week at a physically demanding job and I could use a bit of a break. Hopefully not every week will be like this or I will get used to it.

Pilates is a core intensive workout. It really does work the abs and core, but that is how it was intended to be. My abs get sore from this workout and it typically takes a lot of work to really get the abs sore not just for me, but for everyone. The plank series is pretty good as well. There are 2 different plank series in this workout, 1 in full plank then one in forearm plank. Then the bonus move is forearm planking 10 seconds on and 3 second rest then repeat. This is done for 1 minute and then the workout is over except for the cool down. I like pilates, but it was harder to me in X3 due to the focus on the breathing. While this one she talks about breathing with her, it doesn't seem to be stressed as much. I think that takes the mind out of it and allows you to work on the whole thing without stressing about breathing.

Since today is my Friday, I just have to work 8 hours then I will have 2 days off. I will have one of those days to take my end of round 1 pics, weights and measurements. One thing I did before starting work was to buy some shirts and jeans for work. I bought waist size 44's and I could have gone down to 42's which is a far cry from the 50's I was sporting 4 months ago. I have already gotten down to 278 which is 18 lbs since March 31st. I am hoping to hit the 21 or 22 lbs lost mark. No matter what the final numbers are, I have done good work with this program and I have gotten the results I wanted. Losing 18 lbs in 21 days if I stay right where I am is pretty good. If you lose 4 lbs a week is only 16 lbs. That is a great weight loss per month number. I have done more in less time, so I can only be excited about my results. Anything less is just underplaying the work I put into it and the thing is it wasn't hard. I ate and I worked out. I never "restricted" to the point of being hungry and I cheated with a huge tub of popcorn, a box of raisinettes and 2 large diet dr peppers at the movies. If you do things daily and consistently, setbacks are not really setbacks but rather obstacles or moveable barriers that I have to go around. They don't stop me, they don't slow me down but they do keep me in check so I don't get lax in how I do the small daily tasks.

21 Day Fix: Week 3, Day 2

Today is Day 2 of the final week of my first round of 21 Day Fix and I am down 18 lbs so far this round. I have 5 more days to go and hopefully my new schedule will not be the end of me. Working nights can be a bit stressful on the body and the mind and it always screws things up with regards to how we do things.

We tend to eat more at nights to keep the mind from getting tired. This happens because no matter that we switch our days and nights by either staying up and then getting so tired we sleep, we sleep so much the day we go in at night we won't get that tired and will be tired when we get home. Most people get up in the morning so between 5 and 8 am. Go to work do our daily things. We come home between 4 and 6 pm roughly then go to bed between 10pm and midnight. It all varies on our own personal bedtime and wake time, but those are rough estimates. When we work nights we go to work between 7 and 10 pm and work until 6 and 9 am go home tired and sleep. Some wake up, like me, by 2pm and do stuff, workout etc. or they sleep until 6 pm or even later. They get up with enough time to make something to eat and get ready. Those people sleep more based on their schedule being at night. I can't do that, but I can easily switch between night and day where others are more rooted into their circadian rhythm.

I think the only thing that is messed up is my nutrition. I don't feel I am eating too much, in fact, I don't think I am eating enough. I am close, but I am missing a few things the last couple of days and it's because of my wacky schedule. I hope I can get that nailed down too, but it will take some time. I haven't missed a workout yet and that includes the yoga. The last day I posted was the 10th that was Thursday. Friday I did Cardio Fix and Yoga Fix. Saturday I did Dirty 30 and Yoga Fix. I also did a cheat meal of popcorn and raisinettes at the movies. My dinner was salmon, broccoli and salad with some cottage cheese, so I did really well with that. Sunday I only do Yoga and that is all I did. I also started my night shift routine.

When I came home Monday, I was beat. Exhausted from head to toe and covered in 10 years worth of dust. I just went home and got in bed. I got up around 3pm and did my workout Total Body Cardio Fix and Yoga Fix, which was kind of surprising that my feet were not killing me. They hurt constantly being on them so much. I worked all night last night. I had a much better night last night, but still my dogs were howling when I got home. I did some grocery shopping before I left, but I was still home by 8am. I made my shakes and went to bed. My shake is the only thing that I am not right with. I use it as a recovery drink, and I drank mine this morning and then went to bed. I didn't have a recovery drink after my workout now and I hope I don't feel it later. You get the best benefit of it within the first hour after the workout. I will have to work out this food schedule a bit better.

Ok so for the good news, haha. I have been doing the 21 Day Fix now for a little over 2 weeks. I have 5 days left in this first round and I am down roughly 18 lbs since starting. That is 18 lbs in 16 days. This program works and it works well if you are consistently persistent. Don't give up on yourself. You only need one more step to keep moving forward.