Transform:20 is Happening - Prep Week Part 1

I haven't written anything in a long time...like almost 4 years.  I've decided to write about my Transform: 20 experience because, frankly, I need the accountability!  I blogged my 21 Day Fix experience and it kept me in line and I saw some great results.

I'm excited about this program because I love me some Shaun T.  I did Insanity 7 years ago when I moved to Memphis (and was super sad about it) and it was fabulously therapeutic.  Shaun T has great energy and is borderline crazy and I dig the challenge.  I've been super active in the last three years.  Like  Ironman Florida, 4 HIM's (Chattanooga, Augusta and Ryanman twice) and a couple of half marathons.  Throw in a bunch of 5k's and 10k's and 80 Day Obsession and that's what I've been up to.  Yet, here I am, 12 pounds over my goal weight and wondering what the what!?!

Here's the deal.  I'm not great at the meal plan piece of things.  Well, I'm not good at the empty liquid calories piece of things.

Have you ever watched Ron White?  Depending on your take on things, he is either hilarious or the most offensive person on the planet.  Personally, I find him to be hilarious.  He does a bit about Tiger Woods where likens Tiger (back a few years ago) staying away from women to a dog who likes to kill chickens.  Therapist tells the dog...you cannot kill chickens anymore.  And the dog says, "so let me get this straight, I can still kill chickens. What about THAT chicken, can I kill THAT chicken?"  And it escalates from there...you should look it up and watch it, if you find that kind of thing funny.

Anyway, this translates in my life as "so you are saying I can still drink wine?"  I like wine a lot and, since we went to Napa earlier this year, I like good wine a lot more.  I could have a glass (or two) of wine every night just because I like it.  But, spoiler, this kind of habit makes me fat!  And, when you are 43 and your metabolism is doing odd things and you like wine??  Giddy up, we have a gut!  It is additionally not helpful that I also like whiskey and both wine and whiskey make me love Doritos more than I do normally. Sigh. 

So here I am, 12 pounds above my goal weight (and smuggling an inner tube as I call it because I carry it all around my middle), needing the accountability of photographing and describing my meals for the next couple of weeks.  I can do the workouts, no problem.  Telling strangers on the internet what I'm eating is far more intimidating.

This is prep week as T:20 starts on the 14th.  I am doing the workouts that have already been released in the mornings and then either strength or running at lunch time.  Today, for example, I did the Transform:20 Sample Workout early and ran 5 miles at lunchtime (there's a half marathon that I'd like to do on 2/24, which happens to be right at the end of the 6 weeks).  I'm using this prep week to get back into the routine of the containers and, when I can do it, the timed nutrition of 80 Day Obsession.

Transform :20 has a very straightforward way of measuring what container plan you should be on, see below.  I fall into the Plan A category, which may or may not work since I'm doing double workouts most days.  If I need to, I'll bump to Plan B.  Initially, I'm going to try and stick with Plan A.

If I'm hungry and need to add containers, I'll add a red and a green first.  Plan B also has one more yellow, but I'd like to use that for wine.  I don't intend to entirely give it up, it's not realistic long term.  What I am doing is picking two days a week to have wine and not having more than two glasses on those days. I'm trying to stick with the timed nutrition, but am timing it based on my 2nd workout of the day, not my Transform :20 workout. 

The other program materials include a daily tracker, which I am liking the idea of.  It's a journal of my journey and a great way to look back and see what I did well, or not so well.  A typical day looks like this:

The program is advertised as the whole package, mind and body, and the journal is a big part of the mental piece of it. 

Full disclosure - I did not buy the package that comes with the laminated calendar, journal and step.  I printed the journal out and have it in a notebook.  I also borrowed an old school step from the gym where I work in lieu of buying the Beachbody step.  One of the people in the video is using a step just like mine and it's working just fine for me.  There's also a modifier who doesn't use a step at all, which is great for times when I'll not be at home for my workout. 

I will post Part 2 of Prep Week closer to the end of the week, when I'll have my before pics and measurements (GULP) and a better idea of what my meal plan will look like.  I'm excited and ready to get this challenge underway!!

If you are interested in learning more about Transfom :20 and/or Beachbody in general and you do not have a Coach, feel free to contact my Coach, Melanie.  She will be happy to answer all of your questions and get you started!  Contact Melanie via facebook here!