Most people see my thin face and don’t get why I’d join a bodyshaping program. I’m not fat, but I’m not as fit as I’d like to be. Most people also don’t know that I’ve battled back issues since a car accident in college forced me to quit baseball. I was admired by my teammates for trying to tell the coach I could pitch, but it hurt to run… no big deal, right? It’s not like C.C. Sabathia was a big runner…. Anyway, so in an effort to get rid of my core fat and stabilize my back, I decided to give this workout program a shot.
When asked this weekend what I’d give the program so far out of 10, I said 9. I was afraid of the diet being too radical, but they’ve actually been satisfying. I already eat pretty healthy, but this program has forced me to count the carbs I’m eating, which have been way over what I should be eating. (Counting gets easier once you figure out your frequent meals.) For example, my chili and breakfast burritos are way over from the beans inside. I thought I was going to die eating chili without a heaping pile of crackers, but I tried it this weekend, and was fine. I’m enjoying not having the so stuffed I know to a millimeter how big my stomach feels, as well as not going so far in between meals that I’m starving and on the verge of Hulk-rage. Based on my weight and muscle mass, I have 33 carbs and 18-24 grams of protein allotted for each of my six meals (lower on carbs if I can, and higher on protein is no problem). Three of the six meals I’ve already learned don’t need that amount of carbs, though we’ll see how long I can have cottage cheese before bed. There are other options though, but that is a great one for my before bed meal.
Another interesting thing I’ve learned so far is that if you don’t eat enough protein, you burn muscle first when working out (or something like that). My old routine was to eat two lunches 10 and 12, then eat like an apple at 2pm, work out from 4-6 and eat at 6:30-7pm. That’s way too long without protein (which doesn’t last that long in your system), and so all the work I did from 4-6 was like spinning my wheels because I was burning off muscle.
The manager at Farrell’s warns us not to see this as a weight loss program, but a muscle toning program. I still expect to lose inches off my waist in the process, which is my goal anyway toward stabilizing my back and not ballooning up with each year. Did I mention I get to kick and punch stuff? This beats the hot dogs out of the workout videos I have at home. Not to mention the staff has been really encouraging and supportive. I’m not worried about effort, so as long as my body holds out, I may do this long term.
