#Strength – Shannon Marie

Better Late Than Never!

Wow! I honestly cannot believe that is has been 2 weeks since the final weigh-in of the 6-week challenge!!!!!. I have been so busy battling an infection, studying for a massive exam and volunteering for an upcoming event that I haven’t had the time to get on here and provide an update on my final weigh-in.

So let’s get right to it…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Right before the final week of the challenge, I noticed a small lump that had formed at the base of my right breast. I didn’t think much of it because I have Hidradenitis Suppurativa which essentially is just a skin disease that is known for producing inflamed and swollen lumps. I’ve never had a lump in that area before but was fairly confident that was what I was dealing with and although it was painful, it posed no actual harm. Turns out I was wrong in my diagnosis and within 3 days the lump (which I now know was a sebaceous cyst) had burst internally and infected all of the surrounding breast tissue. I was given some heavy duty antibiotics and a referral to see a general surgeon about “next steps”. This, of course, all had to happen the weekend before my final week of the challenge. I was so upset that I couldn’t work out in that final week. I had come so far and was doing so well and to not be able to finish strong like I had intended was incredibly hard on me. I didn’t expect to feel so defeated but I did. I don’t think I realized until that moment just how much this challenge had meant to me.

I will admit that I did let my emotions get the best of me and my food choices in that last week were less than stellar. I suppose at the time that I felt it wouldn’t matter because I had already “lost” the challenge. I allowed myself to feel that way for a few days before taking a long hard look in the mirror and deciding that I had come too far to let some muscle infection undue all my hard work over the past 5 weeks. There was no way I was missing out on my final weigh-in and I messaged Josh to let him know that despite the fact I couldn’t participate in any classes, I wanted to finish this challenge. Josh was incredibly supportive and understanding during my last week and encouraged me to complete the challenge by showing up for my final weigh-in.

I arrived at the gym that day feeling determined to finish this challenge but with no real hope that I would meet the 20lb weight loss goal. I had assumed that my inactivity and poor food choices in that last week were enough to ensure my failure and AGAIN I would be wrong……………………………………………..

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I stepped on the scale and nearly fell over when I saw the numbers appear on the display! I had lost exactly 20lbs! I made my goal! I succeeded in what I set out to do and at that moment I couldn’t have been happier!

I had already made the decision to sign on with Josh and GFN and I am continuing my regular workout schedule 3 times a week along with following the nutrition plan. I will continue to post updates as well as recipes as I go. I hope you find them helpful or inspiring…… or both 😉

3rd Weigh-In!

This weekend was my 3rd weigh-in which would mark the 4-week point in the challenge. I can’t believe how fast its flown by. I only have 2 more weeks to go. I am proud of everything I have accomplished so far on this challenge and it was an easy decision to make to stay on this journey with Josh and the entire GFN family. So despite the fact that the challenge itself may end in 2 weeks, my journey is just beginning and I have no intention of stopping!

Now concerning this weekend’s weigh-in, I was super nervous going into it. I had a 13lb drop the first 2 weeks which was a bit intimidating because it was going to be tough to match. I also had a minor setback after the Playhouse event in the beginning of week 3 so I was worried that may have hindered my progress.

Nerves aside, I arrived for my appointment and headed over to the scale with Coach Corey and Josh. I stepped on the scale and kept my eyes straight ahead (silently praying that the number went down and not up), as is my typical routine for weigh-ins. Josh and Corey looked at the scale, Corey wrote the number down in the tracking book and they proceded to confirm the math. I stepped off the scale and prepared for the progress pics which is when they confirmed I was down another 5lbs!!!!!!

Now I know this is great and I should be proud (believe me I am) but in that initial moment I was slightly disappointed that it was ONLY 5lbs. Josh and Corey could see as much and it wasn’t until they took the time to explain to me that 5lbs in 2 weeks may not seem like much if you only think of it like that……..BUT……… they reminded me that in total I have lost 17.5lbs in 4 weeks (that’s an average of just over 4lbs/week!!!) which is amazing and something I should be very proud of. When it was put into those terms and I changed my mindset, I could see what an accomplishment that really was. The other crazy part is that those 17.5lbs were fat – I’ll let you think about that for a second – 17.5lbs of fat shed from my body. Josh pulled up some photos on his phone to show me just how much that is and I couldn’t believe it! (seriously, google it!). I certainly felt more motivated and proud walking out of that weigh-in then I did walking in lol.

So here’s to kicking ass the next 2 weeks and crushing this 20lbs goal. I know I can do it and I now know that I’m physically stronger and healthier than ever before. For the first time in YEARS, I am not dreading the summer and trying to plan out how to survive it!

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Halfway Mark

Last Friday marked the halfway point in the 6-week challenge for me and I should have been celebrating with my 9th workout out of the 18 required, however, my body had different ideas. My knee had been swollen and painful for the 2 days prior and that morning there was just no way that I would make it through a workout (even with all the modifications). I’m surprised at how disappointed I was and how thrown off my day became from missing one of my early morning workouts. If someone would have told me 4 short weeks ago that I would be getting up early for 5:45am workouts three times a week, actually enjoying it AND be disappointed if I miss one, I would have told them they were sadly mistaken.

This past week has been a challenge in terms of food and energy (which I’m positive are directly related). The weekend before was so busy that I didn’t have a chance to do my normal grocery shopping and there was zero time for meal prep so I was left with a week where I was winging it ALOT! I didn’t really cheat which is a bonus (unless you count the few bites of my mom’s amazing chopped salad which had caesar dressing in it) but I did come in under my calorie goal for quite a few days. I know some of you are thinking “shouldn’t that be a good thing?” but unfortunately it’s not. I struggled to consume 1000 calories per day for a good 4 days and it had a HUGE effect on my energy, motivation, and alertness. I’m sure you’ve heard the old fitness saying “Your body is like a car – if you don’t ‘fuel’ it with the ‘good stuff’ then it won’t perform at optimal levels”. Well if you don’t put enough ‘fuel’ in your body than it won’t perform at all. You can actually stall your progress by not consuming a sufficient amount of calories and nutrients daily (I’m crossing my fingers that the past week hasn’t set me back too much).

This week I am determined to CRUSH! I spent most of my weekend meal prepping so that I would not be caught unprepared again. I kept the menu as simple as possible and tried to choose meals that were loaded with flavor and that also freeze well. I decided on Challenge Friendly Chili, Beef and Broccoli with Challenge Approved sauce served over brown rice, Chicken Fajita Bowls, and as a sweet treat – Pine-berry Fruit Salad *I will post all recipes from this week in the recipe section 🙂

I woke up with renewed motivation for the week ahead and that was further strengthened after this morning’s core class. I survived my first ever Josh Green Board Challenge and (according to my Fitbit) burned just over 600 cals! For those who don’t know what a board challenge is, it’s basically where you have the whole class (minus warm up and cool down) to complete 1 full circuit which consists of about 12 different activities. You have to complete the repetitions (reps) for ALL activities/exercises in order to complete the challenge. You have your choice of 30, 50, 70 or 90 reps. I chose 30 as a ‘newbie’ and was surprised that I had enough time in the end to start another circuit of 30 reps. I was sure that I wouldn’t make it through the entire circuit, some of those exercises were HARD!! Next time I might have to push myself to do 50 reps 🙂

I’m feeling awesome this morning and I can’t wait for Wednesday’s full body day – I’m even pulling a double to make up my missed class from last week. Here’s hoping I can still walk to the car after the last class that day lol.

Happy Monday Everyone!

“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” – Rikki Rogers