How I did it: Honestly had to restart 21 days in as I wasn't consistent. Weird since you'd think I'd have learned from last time huh? Well honestly even with one week to go until completion I realized I was scared, didn't believe I was worth it and didn't want to part with my old, huge/fat clothes (ie XXl, XL & L sized) and lose my old ways. So I massively binged on food to the point of shame and realized I'm a compulsive overeater - checking into overeaters anonymous. Realized that my eating habits were learned from an abusive and neglectful environment (not exaggerating here) as well as my core beliefs about myself. My weight/appearance was just a manifestation of how I felt about myself. So that said, in a way I'm kind of glad it happened so far in as I wouldn't have realized that I self-sabotage and that's why I'd been having difficulty without going to extremes in binging/purging.

Learned something new too in the rooms - no longer call it "Losing Weight" as that implies I miss it, can get it back, and has negative connotations as well as seems victim-like. Rather, it's "Giving Back The Weight" which is empowering, letting go of the food/weight I was hoarding and sharing more with the world, and has positive connotations. Small shift in perception and language but yields big results.

Fortunately I lost the extra weight I put on that weekend and did the shakeology cleanse to remove the gunk from system as well as help get me past the plateau. No hunger and got results.

Also, of course, kept self accountable - 43things, told others I'm doing P90X and working towards weight goal, kept journal of what/how much I ate & how many calories each thing was as well as water intake and what workouts I had done. I modified calories down about 10-15 a week using the calorie calculator to give up weight as well.

Of course, you have to do the workouts - push yourself but not to the point of pain. Me, I like structure so 90 days is a great way to know how far I am and how far I need to go. Also, weighing myself once a week is a good check in without being compulsive since we fluctuate on a daily basis.

Also I had a "carrot" (encouraging goal) and a "stick"
(punishment). My carrot = new, slimmer clothes which I'd been saving for
and also got gift cards for my birthday. My stick = donate $100 to the
republican party if I failed to complete this goal by today.

Now that I've done P90X regular (see another "how I did it" under my name) and P90X Leans which got rid of a lot of excess fat and slimmed me down, going to do P90X Doubles to get rid of the remaining excess fat and also to bulk up/become more muscular (thereby hitting weight goal, body fat percentage goal hopefully and 6 pack abs goal)

Lessons & tips: Accountability is so crucial - tell everyone that you're working out to reach a certain goal or weight. Post photos online every 30 days as recommended in the program. Put updates on 43things! Check into teambeachbody.com every workout- bonus is possibly winning cash! Keep a food journal to see how much you're eating in terms of servings, what you're eating and the calorie content (after a while it'll be intuitive and trust me after a longer while you'll begin avoiding processed unhealthy foods)

Workout daily, go past your comfort zone. Not to the point of pain but don't half ass it either.

Shakeology cleanse - yes it's expensive I agree BUT it does help lose weight in terms of toxins and fat from body - lost 6 pounds in 3 days without hunger or side effects. Best to do at the very end though.

Also helpful to have a "carrot" (encouraging goal) and a "stick" (punishment). My carrot = new, slimmer clothes which I'd been saving for and also got gift cards for my birthday. My stick = donate $100 to the republican party if I failed to complete this goal by today.

Also, would recommend as you slim down to get rid of old, baggy, fat etc. clothes as there's a subconscious desire to keep them and thereby not really lose weight. And as they say, nature abhors a vacuum so you will get slimmer clothes that fit better then. Doesn't have to be this though, it can be a photoshoot, a trip to the beach to show off your body, or anything related - just don't celebrate by eating a whole pie or something like that!

Resources: P90X DVDs
Pull up bar, yoga mat, weights, yoga blocks
Teambeachbody.com website (WOWY link)
Shakeology
Food journal
Calorie calculator to lose weight
http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/
Overeaters Anonymous

Apr 22, 2012, 11:10AM PDT | 2 comments | 10 cheers