It will be worth it!!

I am sitting here extremely proud of my husband. All his life he has struggled with his weight. We both started working out together in February 2011.  I started Zumba and he would do the elliptical.  I lost about 30-35 pounds in 6 months.  Brad might have lost 5 pounds so he would get discourage and later just do enough.  This streak continued until now. For about 3 years we have been watching the show Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell and his wife Heidi.  They take on clients that are extremely obese and help them lose 40-50% of the original body weight.  We kept talking and saying that we need to try what he is doing with his clients.

We gave every excuse in the book.  The most famous one out there is I will start Monday.  Well Monday rolls around and then it is next Monday.  We didn't want to give up things that in all honesty we shouldn't have been eating. So luck would have it we came across his book one day when we went to Books A Million after taking the kids to Sky High to play.

We started his program the week of the fair and he has stayed consistent with it. Consistency is the key to have a successful weight loss. So we read his book and the first couple of days we were extremely tired and trying to get use to everything.  The cravings that were coming on and all that.  It was hard at first but we chose to stick with it.  There are 4 different cycles that you can do.  We have chosen to do Turbo.  This is where you do two low carb days followed by a high carb day followed by another two days of low carb and another day of high carb. You will finally come to Sunday which will be a free day.  Let me break it down a little bit more for everyone that has been asking.

On any of the carb cycles that you choose to do, you will be eating 5 times a day and every 3 hours.  You are to eat 30 minutes after getting up and then every 3 hours after that. Your breakfast no matter if it is a high or low carb day will always consist of a carb.  Whether it is a piece of whole wheat toast or a banana.  There are definitely more options than just those two but those are just an example.  We normally eat egg whites versus the whole egg and I will have mine on a whole wheat tortilla with some hot sauce. 

For my morning snack, I will usually have some chicken with a little bit of ketchup and a handful of pecans.  For lunch, most days I have a chicken fajita salad.  Then for snack I will have some more chicken and sometimes will have some more pecans or a banana. For supper is usually some more chicken with some sort of vegetable. 

The serving size is different for men and women.  The serving size for your protein is usually the size of your palm.  I don't have the book with me right now to tell you the serving size for the carbs, vegetables and fats.  I highly recommend that you buy his book.  It will be most beneifical to you if you are wanting to lose some extra weight. 

Above is a picture of Brad.  To date he has lost 19.2 pounds. This past week he has learned what foods causes him to retain water because of the sodium.  He has done extremely well overall.  He is doing amazing and I couldn't be more proud of him.

Above is a picture of me. To date I have lost 7.8 pounds.  My biggest problem is I obsess with the number on the scale.  Even though I see in the mirror the changes and I have been complimented on how much I have slimmed down.  I am still working on not obsessing over what the scale says.  It is definitely a work in progress.

We also try to work out 5 days a week along with this lifestyle change. I am starting to incorporate weights and on Saturdays right now is the day that I workout the hardest.  I will do a long run followed by Zumba. Brad will do the elliptical machine and also weight training.  This can be done without exercising but I would strongly recommend that you do. The benefits are so worth it.  You feel so much better after a good workout.  Even if you have a bad workout it is still better than no workout at all. 

My husband and I chose to do this journey together so that we can keep each other accountable.  We also want to set a good example for our children.  What are you willing to do for your weight loss journey?  Remember it may be hard now but it will be worth it in the end.