Top Transformations! Tips of how to succeed during your 12 weeks!

CAROL JELICH

Water!
Drink all the water.  I didn’t think I would be able to drink it all (12-14 cups a day for me), but I did since the point deductions would have been so big!  I drank a 16 ounce cup of green tea with lemon every morning on waking.  Each morning I filled 3 quart jars with water – 4 cups per jar.  Through the day I would pour them in my tea cup, or fill up my water bottle if I was going out.  I always kept a water bottle with me when I left the house.  I did have to make sure I knew where all the restrooms were during the challenge, or in a couple of cases, a thick stand of trees!

Food!
I have always been on the seefood diet (yes, that’s right – “see food, eat it.”)  So I cleaned out all processed foods and did not have them in the house except for company, who I rarely invited during the challenge.

I did not drink alcohol during the challenge.  I also cut out added sugar and baked goods.  That means I didn’t bake the muffins or other grain items on the plan.  I ate Ezekiel sprouted grain bread only. No routine pasta, just once or twice before races.

I have a breakfast that I always like – a slice of Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, and 1/3 cup of 2% cottage cheese.  This is a good mix of carb and protein to begin the day. If I am doing a race that morning, I eat a slice of Ezekiel with some peanut butter, with a half a banana a bit later.
I ate every few hours, the meals and snacks.  I keep a bowl of baby carrots front and center in the fridge, and ate a ton of those.  Other easy snacks are clementines; pineapple chunks; ½ cup of 0% fat Greek yogurt with either almonds and blueberries and some stevia, or with cucumbers, green onions and dill; a slice of Ezekiel or sliced apple with peanut butter.  I always traveled with some of these snacks so if I was running late and hungry, I could pop a healthy snack and not be tempted to drive through somewhere.

My usual lunch was a green salad (I like the prepared boxes at the Safeway, the herb blend or spinach/kale, already washed) with either baked skinless chicken breasts or hard boiled eggs that I prepared on the weekend for the week ahead.  I would add blueberries or apples; avocado or shaved parm, and some veggies – cucumbers, grape tomatoes, etc.  I have a good balsamic vinegar that I sprinkle on instead of salad dressing.  If I am making the salad for company, I make a dressing with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, adding turmeric, ginger, lemon juice, a bit of salt and pepper.

Dinner was a lean protein and vegetable.  I ate red grapes for an evening snack, after reading somewhere that they can reduce fat (well, red wine, but I wasn’t drinking wine).
I usually did not eat after 7 pm.

Now this was not on the plan, but I did plan one meal a week where I could have something that would cause a point deduction.  I coordinated it with lunches or dinners out that were on my schedule.  I did not go crazy but had a piece of bread or pasta the night before a race, or even a little dessert if it was a pot luck and someone brought something delicious.  I stayed within my calorie range for the day.  I believe that knowing I had this kind of safety valve ahead in the week, kept me on the plan the rest of the time.

Exercise!
I did the TRX perk and it was great.  I was nervous about it at first but I noticed I progressed in balance and strength over the course of the challenge.  I also did some WLG classes.   Great varied workouts where you can really sweat it out and feel your muscles getting stronger over time.
 
I did all the bonuses plus activity for activity points.  Usually I did the walk/run bonus miles.  Once I did a long bike ride, and several times I was able to do the bonus Pinterest workout that was posted.  I liked that they targeted different muscles each week.  Sometimes I would do one session of the bonus Pinterest workout for my daily activity and walk/run the bonus miles for the week. Sometimes it was hard to get it all in, but I definitely think sticking with the level of exercise that was recommended contributed to my success.

Tracking!
Planning and journaling.  I used the weekly planning charts to plan the week ahead.  Every morning I updated my points and exercise from the previous day.  This mentally prepared me for another day on the program. Also I use a program online called loseit.com to write down everything I eat and all my exercise.  You can put in how much you want to weigh, and it tells you how many base calories you should have to get to that goal.  It keeps track of the calories in food and exercise, and I always stayed within the recommended range except for a couple of special occasions.

Plateaus were tough.  I got through them by mentally imagining my body going through a reset to get used to the new lower weight.  I changed up my exercise routines.  I made sure I had water all the time, to reduce water retention (sounds counter-intuitive but it is true, body will release water if you keep drinking it).  Tracked sodium intake to make sure it was low.  Ate on low end of carbs.

Results!
I lost body weight, body fat, gained lean muscle mass, and progressed on my athletic ability. Since the challenge ended a couple weeks ago, I started slipping away from the good clean eating, daily exercise, and the water.  I can really feel the difference.  So this week I have been drinking more water and eating back on the plan, and feel better. This is definitely a life-long commitment.  I am looking forward to the next challenge to keep it going.

-Carol Jelich, WLG Athlete

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