Earning My Wings :: Training Week 8

Well, I'm halfway there.

The past week focused on resetting my eating habits and working out... a lot.  I actually did two workouts a day.  Crazy, right?  The reason why may surprise my friends.

I've always been a strong critic of crash diets, slim down plans, "get skinny quick" solutions though I have never actually tried one.  So, deciding not to be a hypocrite and embrace the "Don't knock it until you've rocked it" philosophy, I planned to follow the Tone It Up 5 Day Slim Down.  I chose this specific slim down because I trust Tone It Up and it seemed manageable.

Last Sunday, I did all the prep work, took my measurements and my "Before" picture, and braced myself for the coming week.  Honestly, it seemed really intimidating to completely change the way I eat for a week while adding in an extra workout every day (first thing in the morning).

Here's what I learned...

1.  I really love working out in the morning.  Sure, going to bed at 8:00 PM is difficult, but the benefits of working out first thing in the morning can't be disputed.  I felt more energized, accomplished and after the first two days, it didn't seem optional.  After only two days, it was part of my morning routine.
2.  Eating 5 small meals a day is incredibly manageable.  A little bit of prep work goes a long way.  I'm not talking about cooking all your food on Sunday night and filling up 8,000 tupperware containers.  Really, all you need to do is make a meal plan for the week and get your grocery shopping done.  Half the battle is knowing what you're going to eat first before hunger kicks in and you make poor decisions.  Also helpful - having an alarm to remind you to eat.  I programmed my Jawbone to buzz me when it was time to eat, but you can have your cell phone alert you just as easily.
3.  On the topic of food, you have to really love healthy food to get through a slim down menu.  Like... really love veggies.  Otherwise, you're going to suffer.
4.  Working out twice a day - not nearly as exhausting as you would think!  By the time I was done with work, I was ready to run or do yoga.  Something to shake out the rest of the day.
5. Be very careful with these slim downs!  Tone It Up's plan puts you in the position of a 1000 calorie a day DEFICIT, which is why they don't recommend doing them more than 3 times a year.  By the time Thursday came around, I found that I was slightly impaired.  My thought process was a little fuzzy and my reaction times were way off.  Don't worry - I fixed that with a Snickers.  I'm kidding, of course.  I added more protein than recommended and had just a few carbs to rebalance.

So how did it end up?  You tell me...

Definitely an impact.  I didn't lose a significant amount of weight - which is fine by me.  But I did tone up - losing about an inch off every measurement.  Even better, my eating habits are back on track and I learned a ton about my body.

I'm happy to be back to my normal healthy eating (with some modifications due to lessons learned) and focusing on my running for an 8k on Saturday.

Until next week...