| On March 3rd, we
never thought we could make it. Memorial Day was 12 weeks away, and
we had a trip planned to Port Aransas to spend the weekend on the beach
with 15-20 friends. While our main goal was simply to learn to live
healthier lives and get into the best shape possible before our mission
trip, in the back of our minds, we wanted a bit more. For me, I
thought that all of that would be great, but if I could build a
"Fabio Physique" in the meantime, I sure wouldn't
complain. For Gabby, it was all about frugality. She thought,
"wouldn't it be nice to be able to fit into some of my old Jr. High
Bikinis, so I wouldn't have to waste money buying new ones!"
;-).
Now... here it is May 26th and
neither of us missed a workout in 12 STRAIGHT WEEKS (unless you count the
one morning when Gabby was near death and couldn't get out of bed due to a
sinus infection)! The diet wasn't too fun, but we got used to it,
and now actually find ourselves enjoying fresh fruit, vegetables, and
smaller portions. We plan on continuing this program in a modified
form until we leave for Guatemala.
Elsewhere on this site, take a peek into our
"Body For Life Group's" journal entries, or check out how
we got roped into this program. However, if you've already been
briefed on all that, read on to see how we did.
Every four weeks, we would go to the gym and have our body fat
tested. As disgusting as this sounds, it's actually
painless. The nice trainer girl at the gym uses the pinchers to
try and "pinch an inch", and uses the results to find out what
% of your body weight consists of fat. The only embarrassing part
is the shirt removal early on in the program (the girls don't have to do
the 'shirt removal' part, darn it, or this testing thing would be a lot
more interesting.) Anyhow, From the caliper test, you can figure
out how much body fat you lost and how much muscle you gained.
It's not so much about how much weight you lose, but rather, how much
leaner you can get. In fact, when looking at the scale, it only
looked as if I had chosen to wear some lighter running shoes and opted
to take my huge wad of keys out of my pocket. But, like the old
adage goes, "Lady... if you could weigh 400 pounds and wear a size
6, would you care?"
So... what was the final tally?
Gabby
- reduced body fat by 8%. All told, she lost a whopping12.5 lbs.
fat and gained 5.5lbs. of muscle.
Scott -
reduced body fat by 11% and lost 20.5 lbs. fat. Also gained 12.5
lbs muscle.
So, together we lost two regulation size bowling balls worth of fat (a
disgusting thought) and gained another back in muscle. Per the
Body For Life contest rules, we promptly took our "after" pics. For
maximum laughs, check out the before pics first. The "we are
SOOOOOO miserable" look on our faces is intentional, but not
entirely fake.
Still, the belly is real. Sure, there is a little pooch, but the love
handles are authentic.
The after pics are another story
altogether. First, I made sure to don a pair of Gabby's skimpy workout
shorts. Next. we each pumped up by doing a bunch of push ups and sit
ups. Finally, we greased each other up with tanning oil. (It's much more
fun to be the "oiler" than the "oil-ee") After a
mere 36 seconds in the sun dressed as a basted turkey, I received a
sunburn. Still, the before and after pics are pretty good when compared
to the cheese-o-rama buff-body pics that get submitted to the contest.
I'm thinkin' we may win a Body-For-Life keyring or something. Not bad
for a 12-week investment of time and finances. For what it cost to buy
protein bars for the three month stint, we probably could have funded an
orphanage in Moscow for 17 years.
Now we simply sit back and see if we won
anything for our effort. Whatever the case, we're darn happy with
how we feel. Lots more energy to go around! If anyone has
questions about the program, just ask us. It's hard work, but worth
it to feel better.
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