starting a 6 week challenge at the gym.

Billy323

When I first got fed up with my weight I used this website and app to lose 70 pounds. It has been about 3 or 4 years since I hit 215 pounds and I have yet to really dip far below that. I fell for one of those targeted Facebook ads for a local crossfit gym who is having a 6 week challenge. What made me choose this gym over another is the level of accountability. If I fail to hit what I consider to be a reasonable goal of losing 25 pounds I am out $500. They furnish us with a diet plan and you are required to send pictures of your weekly grocery bill so they know you are doing as you should.

Tomorrow is my official weigh in and the challenge begins June 25th. I am holding myself accountable by not purposely gaining as I enter the challenge. I am sitting at 216 which is right around the lowest I have been in a few months.

I am using this challenge as a jump start to a huge loss. At the weigh in tomorrow they will test my body fat percentage with a handheld device. They want to track lean gains along as well as weight loss. Since those devices are not known to be super accurate I got a Dex scan done today since it is the most accurate way to measure bodyfat percentage.

My results were shocking to say the least. 33.1% bodyfat.

Anyways, I will be updating this often for posterity and in case anyone was interested in what its like to be involved in one of these challenges.

One fun fact about the Dex scan. Next time I hear someone say they are "big boned" I will be able to laugh in their face. I am 5'11" and all my bones combined only weigh 7.6 pounds.

Lillymoo01

I personally would eat a meal high in sodium tonight and drink heaps of water before weigh in just to give myself a few extra pounds hee hee.

Good luck. I hope you have success.

malibu927

Can you get a refund before the start date? 25 pounds is not a reasonable goal in that time period.

aokoye

A little over 4 pounds lost a week is not reasonable. I don't care how much external accountability you have, what you appear to have fallen for is a crossfit gym that isn't looking out for their clients' best interests.

AnvilHead

If you do manage to lose 25 pounds in 6 weeks, chances are good that a considerable amount of it will be lean body mass. I don't know how close your current weight is to your goal weight, but that's not a bet I would take unless I was at least 200 pounds over my goal weight and morbidly obese. Over 4 pounds a week is a very....ambitious.... (and inadvisable/unreasonable) weight loss goal. In very rough math, that works out to a calorie deficit of around 2000 calories per day.

It sounds to me like a shady crossfit gym found a good way to earn some quick money from overconfident people. If it was me, and it was my $500 on the line, I'd be hedging my bets by eating like a pig, sodium, carb and water loading like crazy before the initial weigh-in, and studying cut strategies used by fighters, wrestlers, etc. to "make weight" before the weigh-in at the end.

Either way, good luck to you - you've got your work cut out for you.

Danp

AnvilHead wrote: »

I'd be hedging my bets by eating like a pig, sodium, carb and water loading like crazy before the initial weigh-in, and studying cut strategies used by fighters, wrestlers, etc. to "make weight" before the weigh-in at the end.

I did this to prove a point to some people at work a few years ago who were having a six week weight loss challenge. I told them I could win without actually 'eating healthy'

I loaded up big time before the initial weigh in and made sure I was as heavy as possible. Then for the next 6 weeks I made sure that everyone saw that I wasn't 'eating healthy'. Every day they'd eat their salads and laugh at me and I tuck into a hamburger and fries and smiled knowingly.

48 hours before weigh in I stopped eating
36 hours before the weigh in I stopped taking fluid
12 hours (night before) the weigh in I the took diuretics and spent pretty much all night in a steamed up bathroom sweating under blankets and multiple layers of clothes.

Won the competition by 200 grams but told them to keep the prize money and give it to 2nd place. I'd made my point and couldn't in good conscious take the prize when I'd used such unhealthy methods to game the system and win.

Lillymoo01

malibu927 wrote: »

Can you get a refund before the start date? 25 pounds is not a reasonable goal in that time period.

I didn't even take notice of how quick the weight loss needed to be. Yikes. They are not promoting long term health but I am guessing they don't want the goal to be overly achievable as they make more money that way.

nutmegoreo

malibu927 wrote: »

Can you get a refund before the start date? 25 pounds is not a reasonable goal in that time period.

This or see if you can set a more realistic goal. Like half of your current one.

Billy323

It's 25 pounds or 6% BF loss. The first gym I talked to had a 12 week program that cost $2600 and you didn't get that back so even if I fail to hit my goal it only cost me $500. They just uploaded the recipes and such and I'll look them over after work and see what kind of stuff they have me eating.

bagge72

Danp wrote: »

AnvilHead wrote: »

I'd be hedging my bets by eating like a pig, sodium, carb and water loading like crazy before the initial weigh-in, and studying cut strategies used by fighters, wrestlers, etc. to "make weight" before the weigh-in at the end.

I did this to prove a point to some people at work a few years ago who were having a six week weight loss challenge. I told them I could win without actually 'eating healthy'

I loaded up big time before the initial weigh in and made sure I was as heavy as possible. Then for the next 6 weeks I made sure that everyone saw that I wasn't 'eating healthy'. Every day they'd eat their salads and laugh at me and I tuck into a hamburger and fries and smiled knowingly.

48 hours before weigh in I stopped eating
36 hours before the weigh in I stopped taking fluid
12 hours (night before) the weigh in I the took diuretics and spent pretty much all night in a steamed up bathroom sweating under blankets and multiple layers of clothes.

Won the competition by 200 grams but told them to keep the prize money and give it to 2nd place. I'd made my point and couldn't in good conscious take the prize when I'd used such unhealthy methods to game the system and win.

I can't think of any reason why this would prove any type of point. It seems like a terrible idea, and just to lie to your coworkers. This isn't a diet a fighter would use to cut, they still eat food through the day they fight, and water until the day before.

Silentpadna

Nothing quite like having a place whose sole purpose (besides profit of course) is to promote health turning around and incentivizing exactly the opposite. My hunch is that those promoting the challenge don't see the stuff that jumps out at those who know better how unhealthy weight loss works (like the veterans on these forums who have taught me so much).

mitch16

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Billy323

I was 216.0 yesterday with 33.1 BF. 6% BF loss is 18 pounds of fat so 3 pounds per week. It's certainly not a scam. I get three hours of personal training each week. Meal planning and nutrition coaching. I lost more than 25 pounds in a six week span using this app and minimal cardio a few years back.

BZAH10

Billy323 wrote: »

I was 216.0 yesterday with 33.1 BF. 6% BF loss is 18 pounds of fat so 3 pounds per week. It's certainly not a scam. I get three hours of personal training each week. Meal planning and nutrition coaching. I lost more than 25 pounds in a six week span using this app and minimal cardio a few years back.

But were you at a heavier start weight than you are now? If so, you won't lose as quickly as you did before.

I hope it works for you, honestly. I personally wouldn't have committed until after I saw the meal plan and the daily calorie intake and made a decision from there.

Silentpadna

I wouldn't call it a scam either. But I do think it's unwise to incentivize unhealthy weight loss rates - especially since more people know far less than they should about what is healthy and what's not. I also wouldn't trust a nutrition coach that didn't understand the importance of not creating excessive deficits - which would affect the results of any training in a negative manner.

That said, six weeks is not going to be really dramatic because it's not long-term, but I would caution you from carrying on in that same manner after the contest is over. And recommend that you adopt a more moderate approach afterward.

MelanieCN77

It's scammy in the sense that they know you're probably not going to be able to lose that weight in that time. I actually think I was seeing these same ads for "local" crossfit gym challenges. I told Facebook to hide them.

Billy323

BZAH10 wrote: »

But were you at a heavier start weight than you are now? If so, you won't lose as quickly as you did before.

I hope it works for you, honestly. I personally wouldn't have committed until after I saw the meal plan and the daily calorie intake and made a decision from there.

Actually I went back and looked over my spreadsheet and I was mistaken. I have a few 20 pound loses over 6 weeks. Ya, it for sure will be difficult but I intend on giving it my all and will certainly be leaner at the end of the program.

Billy323

Something else that merits mention here. The other guy who was at the initial sales pitch with me was pretty lean so they tailored the challenge to his needs and his goal is to gain lean mass. Anyhoo, follow along and see how I do. I will update often with a weekly weigh in and measurements.

kshama2001

I lost about 25 pounds in 6 weeks in Boot Camp. Only having access to food three times a day, those meals not being particularly appetizing, having to chug two glasses of water before I left the table, and only having a short time to eat, made it fairly easy. Additionally, we had our group runs, plus marched everywhere, plus I ran again at night during free time because what else was there to do?

However, this large calorie deficit I created certainly wasn't healthy and I'm not recommending it. It started me on a lifetime of yoyo weight gain and loss.

aokoye

Billy323 wrote: »

Something else that merits mention here. The other guy who was at the initial sales pitch with me was pretty lean so they tailored the challenge to his needs and his goal is to gain lean mass. Anyhoo, follow along and see how I do. I will update often with a weekly weigh in and measurements.

I'm not sure why this is important - from what you're telling us there's no customization of goals for you specifically. Either way, for whatever reason you have chosen to give $500 to a gym that doesn't have your best interest at heart. Yes of course their goal is to earn money, but they're doing that at the determent of their clients' health. Sure you'll probably lose weight, but that 25lb goal is not healthy nor is it sustainable. I, quite frankly, would be unsurprised if the owners of the gym realize this as well, know that most if not everyone will fail to meet that goal, and are banking on keeping people in their gym via having them fall into the trap of escalation of commitment (or a sunken cost fallacy).

Themajez

11% weight loss in 6 weeks. I wish that you had asked our opinion before signing up. In my experience, few people can manage 1% a week. However, it's still possible to achieve with care and attention. Basically, dedicate the next 6 weeks to exercise.