I started working on changing my body composition at the end of August after a summer of feeling sluggish and out of shape. My 175lb body felt burdensome and excessive rather than capable and stable. I embarked on this adventure because the idea of losing fat in honor of my 30 twirls around the sun sounded quite enchanting. (I’m turning 30 in December)(!)
If I really wanted to lose fat, not just weight, I determined that I needed to have my body fat percentage tested to get a baseline. I utilized the BOD POD at UNH and found that I was 37.7% fat. Generally, health professionals recommend that women should not exceed 30% fat for optimal health. I have some work to do!
I began jumping on my Bellicon rebounder more frequently and for longer lengths of time. I took up reading r/loseit and r/progresspics daily for motivation. I got a FitBit Zip and embarked on walking more and more each day. I also started tracking my food and workouts on MyFitnessPal as well. In the six weeks prior to the start of Round 1 I lost 8.4lbs.
Once the numbers on the scale started moving down I decided to join this DietBet 10. I added weight training to my routine. Kelli and Daniel of FitnessBlender.com became my workout buddies and hearing ‘Workout Complete’ at the end of each session gave me a great sense of accomplishment! I feel much stronger and had to purchase heavier dumbbells in the month I’ve been lifting. I’ve also taken up hiking with my husband in the woods near our home. It’s a wonderful lunch or early evening date and fall in New Hampshire is just beautiful.
It wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows though. Aside from having the final Round 1 weigh-in during ‘shark week’, I also gained several pounds and became incredibly fatigued mid-Round due to changes in my thyroid medication. Thankfully it was sorted out and I dropped that weight relatively quickly. Phew!
During Round 1 I lost 5.8lbs for a 3.5% loss. I’ve lost 14.2lb total.