"I really wanted to win this challenge. Todd Williams, (Winner of the 21 Day Challenge in Mar 2015), had a really good plan and I used his this go around. My motivation this go around, besides the awesome prizes, was that I needed to kick my weight loss up a notch. I had plateaued a little. I got use to eating the same things, specifically the bad carbohydrates. I would eat the white bread/rolls, french fries and white rice. Moderation is key, but I found myself eating those more and more. So, even though I was working out I wasn’t making any moves regarding my weight loss. I did see gains with muscle and being toned. I used the 21 day challenge as a way to eliminate the bad carbs and sugars from my diet in order to get a clean start. 

A year ago, I weighed almost 170lbs. I vowed to lose 20lbs by the next doctor's visit. I actually managed to lose 23lbs from a year ago. Besides my doctor recommending some weight loss, I needed to do it for me. I constantly felt tired and I never had a good feeling about myself. The CD Fit bootcamp has helped me push myself and I am truly grateful to Judson and CD Fit for being an awesome trainer and fitness program. I may not always appreciate those jump squats or burpees when we’re doing them, but the results are pretty good. These challenges where we try to eliminate bad stuff for a time period actually helps me do it long term. I’ve managed to eliminate sodas from my diet. I know it’s just one thing, but you start small and build up. That’s what I’ve managed to do over this year.  

How I achieved this...

My eating plan was similar to Todd's.

5:00am Protein Shake

5:45am CD Fit Largo class with Judson Tallandier

7:30am 2 eggs with Spinach. I didn't measure the spinach. I usually just filled the pan because it cooked down a lot. Sometimes I would add some chicken leftover from the previous meal. 8-16 oz of water

10:00am unsalted almonds or unsalted cashews. 8oz if water

12:00pm 5oz of salmon or baked chicken thighs w/o the skin or steak or lamb. Lamb is fatty but I like it. I trim most of the fat.

All with sautéed broccoli and garlic cooked in olive oil. I would cut up a bunch of fresh broccoli. A half head of broccoli per meal usually. 8-16 oz of water

3:00pm can of tuna in water

6:00pm dinner was lunch repeated. 8-16 oz of water

8:00pm gym for extra 45 minutes of cardio (particularly on the days I did not make it to class, and at least 2 days per week on my off days from class)

9:30pm protein shake slow digesting (Todd mentioned in his plan).

For my lunch and dinner:

Skinless Chicken thighs or breasts

Lean ground beef usually 10% fat

Thin slices of Lamb shoulder with fat trimmed.

Vegetables: broccoli, kale, spinach and asparagus.

I eliminated: all bread, dairy(cheese, yogurt, milk), fruit and sugar. I had little to know carbohydrates for this plan. If I ever found myself hungry I would just eat a handful of almonds or cashews. I drank only water. No juices, coffee, alcohol or tea.

(Note: Todd had a cup of black coffee each morning before the 5:55am class while on the low carb diet that helped him to drop 26 lbs in 21 days. I suggest the same because your energy levels will be a little low on this eating plan. Also, for long term health I would suggest that you add 1 to 2 servings of fresh fruit to your meal plan if you plan to follow this eating plan for the long term. Fruit is a necessary item to include into your diet on a daily basis for long term health. CD)

Routine:

I attended the CD Fit 545am Largo class as regularly as possible. When I wasn’t able to get to class I did manage to go to the gym in the evenings when I missed the morning class. I admit that my gym workouts are not as intense as when I attend Judson’s class. My routine was to do 45 minutes of cardio with either the step machine, elliptical or treadmill (low-impact on joints) followed by stretching, push-ups, sit-ups and planks. I worked out at least 6 days a week (4 CD Fit classes and 2 off days). On some days I would add an extra cardio routine on days when my daughter didn’t have a game or late practice. I did find with the low/no carbohydrate plan, my energy level was low in the morning. By the evening I had a little more energy.

My advice is to keep pushing. It took time to get the weight on, it’s going to take time to get it off."

- Deirdre Baruti 

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