So I completed C1 on 27th September 2016 and submitted my results, 6.5 inches down (18 inches in total) and 7.5 lbs lost (15.2lbs in total). My support hero was really supportive. I didn’t get the usual stock email ‘you smashed it etc’. It seems she actually read my testimonial and checked out this website featuring my C2 friendly recipes that I’ve created and shared. Apparently the support heroes at HQ are really impressed and they’ll be referring anyone struggling with meal ideas to the website – this really amazes me and was such a buzz that people at HQ thought so highly of them. For me, coming up with different recipes has been my way of keeping focus and keeping things interesting throughout the cycle. I really struggled with the C1 foods which I mentioned in my C1 review post, so it was important to me that C2 was a different experience.
I still maintain that for anyone who is seriously considering signing up to the 90 day SSS Plan, that I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Yes you need time to plan your meals, then prep and cook of course, and the workouts need some serious dedication as well, but the results are worth it. This cycle for me has seen me have less naughties, but there was an abundance of carbs so a lot easier to work with on a social level.
So this is what I did in Cycle 2:
The Food – I have to admit the pic and mix style appealed to the cook in me. Being free to put meals together from a list of macro calculated ingredients put me in charge of what I put in my mouth. If I just stuck to the given recipes of a plate of muscle mince (sorry Joe) and broccoli several days a week like some of my fellow 90 day-ers seem to be attempting then I would have probably given up.
The reason Joe Wicks and his ethos appealed to me was because he was peddling the notion of getting lean by working out and eating real food. While he shares recipes for desserts made from protein powder and greek yogurt and mousse me up desert – goodness knows what it actually is and overnight oats (which are mainly fudged into biscuits from what I read on groups on Facebook) goes against the principle of eating real food. I have succumbed to Joes Granola because it’s good to have a break from the cooker a few mornings a week. After seeing so many posts on Facebook questioning the method and how this could be classed as a low carb breakfast I had to give it a go and wrote a blog post to help fellow 90 day-ers when they make it. My only criticism would be that they (Body Coach HQ) could extend the vegetable and condiment list. My support hero was really quick to come back to me with every ingredient I wanted clarification on, but a simple database on their website would be really popular and might stop people guessing if they can have things or bombarding them.
I still see lots of Facebook posts moaning about the amount of food, carb bloat etc etc. , but if you look at my website or instagram feed all you’ll see is plates of normal looking healthy food. I don’t understand why some can’t handle the amount of vegetables and why so many hate smoothies so much that they want to fill them with greens?
For me C2 is about learning what to eat going forward as well as fuelling your body to cope with the workouts. I feel that peoples’ dependency on convenience foods and their perceived lack of time, that as a country we are losing the ability to feed ourselves with fresh healthy food. I’ve worked hard on this cycle and I would feel really hard done by if all I could eat were some cookies made from overnight oats and a smoothie full of spinach. I have learnt that if you want your body to transform, give it something good as fuel and you’re less likely to give in to temptations!
The Snacks – Again, like in C1 I wont lie, I didn’t regularly have 2 snacks each day just because I wasn’t hungry and I have spent years learning to only eat when hungry, so didn’t want to fall back into bad snacking habits and start eating just for the sake of eating. I stuck to fruit, nuts and towards the end of the cycle gave in to the temptation of Carb Killer bars. They are handy to have as an alternative when you’re on the go.
Hydration – This is where I let myself down. I was really busy with the food prep, cooking and working out that I drank a lot less water compared to C1. I limited myself to 2 cups of tea a day and 1 Nespresso made with 1% milk a day. and still had the BCAA pre and post workout. I will do better in C3.
The Workouts – On C1 i managed 5 hiits a week but for this cycle I stuck to the 4 work out days to coincide with the weight training. We did start by doing the prescribed hiit, weights, hiit, weights but because our workout time was after the children went to bed we were working out and eating very late which didn’t suit us. We soon switched to doing our hiit in the morning and our weights after the boys bedtime. I’d read so many comments about leg day and have to admit to feeling apprehensive but there’s lots of squat work in T25 so we were well prepared! I didn’t get my T25 workouts support hero approved which I know some people do, but I gave it my all and am really happy with my results so far. If i’ve learned anything so far its that I feel better physically and emotionally when I’ve worked out. We worked out Saturday and Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We always did leg day on a Wednesday to give us 2 recovery days and we both remain uninjured! Not bad for an old bird!
Supplements – I still took every supplement recommended and there were occasions when we had the post workout protein shake. I still maintain that I’ve managed to keep going without injury partly because of the supplements. They’re not cheap, but neither is the plan. Pointless to spend that money for a personalised plan, injure yourself and have to start again!
Overall – C2 is tougher than C1, but the food is much better, workouts harder and results do vary from person to person. But stay positive, trust the plan, eat real food and eventually you will be rewarded. And if there’s one piece of advice I can offer to anyone about to embark on C2 it’s remember to do a cool down to stretch out those muscles, you’ll thank me for it the following day!
C3, I’m waiting for you!!!!!
Find me on: Web
