Recently, a group of women, including my aunt, signed up for the Home Burn system. Here’s her entertaining day-by-day account of their journey to take control of their health.
“Shorts Season” is just around the corner, but I’ve moved past worrying about swimsuit season in many ways. Around this time each year, I usually start looking into the latest weight loss discoveries. Recently, I cleared out about $150 worth of “Dr. Oz recommended” items from my medicine cabinet—they were expired. I’ve tried everything from Weight Watchers to Slimfast to Intermittent Fasting and pretty much every quick-fix program you can think of.
If you’ve noticed a pattern of avoiding strenuous effort for big results, you’ve got me figured out. I even tried Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred but bailed after just five days because my body wasn’t up to it.
After chatting with a couple of my co-workers (let’s call them Fitness Buddy 1 [FB1] and Fitness Buddy 2 [FB2]) about the upcoming shorts season, we decided to take action! We’re teaming up to follow a program designed by a strength training coach named Josh. It’s an online program, which is perfect for our hectic lives because we can do it anytime.
The program includes a daily fitness lab (about 15 minutes long) and a daily nutrition lab, with each day building on the previous one. The information provided is fascinating, with little tips and a checklist for the day’s tasks—like drinking half your body weight in water. I’m not a fan of water, but it’s only 30 days…I think I can manage.
FB1, the organized one, printed out the start-up handouts and made folders for each of us, which included a contract to ourselves that seemed a bit much, but we signed them anyway as a team effort. We also completed the baseline measurements and fitness test, which wasn’t too challenging since I’ve been doing some strength training. My teammates, however, felt out of shape and unsure if they’d move the next day, but I assured them that soreness is a good sign.
We all made it to work the next day, which was a good start. FB1 and FB2 were sore, but I wasn’t too bad since my muscles are more accustomed to the exercises. I realized I’d need to push myself harder and use heavier weights. Despite some complaints, Day 2 was a success!
Today’s workout was the hardest yet, but that’s okay—no pain, no gain! We’re logging our calories using the My Fitness Pal app, and luckily, we have an exercise room at work. During breaks, my teammates walk on treadmills, and I use the elliptical. Even burning just 80 or 90 calories during a break is enough to skip the two mini Snickers bars I usually have.
I have a weekly hour-long workout with Josh, so I’m pulling double duty. Despite feeling exhausted, the strength I gain from pushing myself is worth it. Today was challenging but good.
The day after, my muscles were really sore—especially my butt and quads—but it’s okay because those are my problem areas. FB1 and FB2 seemed slightly amused by my struggle, seeing me slowly climb onto the elliptical during our break.
Weigh-in day is Friday because it’s easier to stay disciplined during the week. We were all pleasantly surprised with our progress: FB1 lost 1.6 pounds, FB2 lost 2 pounds, and I lost 2.4 pounds. Our goal is to lose 5 pounds each in 30 days, so it’s a great start!
On day 5, the program covered our calorie needs based on our size, age, and weight goals, including the necessary amounts of protein, fiber, and carbs. The My Fitness Pal app is handy for tracking all this easily.
It was a rest day today, thank goodness—no fitness lab! Happy birthday to FB1! She brought snacks, but I ate a protein bar to avoid temptation and stayed out of the break room.
My water intake is better than expected thanks to Crystal Light caffeine packs. I haven’t had a Diet Mt. Dew in five days, and I’m still going strong. I started wearing a UP band (similar to a FITBIT) and noticed I wasn’t getting enough steps in, so I had to get creative with my workout since I didn’t have my weights.
It’s 3 p.m., and I hadn’t heard from FB1 or FB2, so I did my workout first. It turns out we were all working out at the same time. Post-workout, I felt energetic enough to clean my kitchen and do some laundry. That’s a nice perk of exercising!
Monday brought good news. We all weighed in and didn’t do much damage over the weekend. Weekends are our downfall, but today’s workout focused on arms and shoulders again. A co-worker showed interest in joining our group. Although she’s slim, she feels her arms are flabby. The more, the merrier! Attitude is everything, and her positivity is a great addition.
Today, I noticed I didn’t have the usual Monday afternoon slump. If this keeps up, Diet Mt. Dew sales might decline!
Stay tuned for more updates on our weight loss journey!