P90X 1 round & Body Beast 1 round

Thanks for the encouragement! Great job!!

My P90x story -

Last spring:
216 lbs
245 cholesterol
165/95 BP
High blood sugar, though not officially diabetic
No medications, but I'm sure that would have changed shortly.
Brother with Type II diabetes, both parents and all grandparents with diabets.
Desk job
Every joint hurt

I drastically changed my eating habits (got certified in nutrition so I had a clue) and started on P90x with some additional cardio (walking desk - typing and walking at 2 mph as I type this now, actually).

6 months later:
177 lbs
116/65 BP
Normal blood sugar
134 cholesterol (bad chol is low and good is high as well)
My joints are MUCH better and I felt much stronger.

BUT - I stopped doing the P90x workouts regularly a couple of months ago (reasonable reasons). I still ate well and did the walking, but my weight has jumped a bit (8 lbs) in the past couple of months without that consistent weight training. That consistency matters so much. Now I've started into it again and I'm sore, but looking forward to catching back up and dropping these few lbs that I added back. More than the weight though, it's that confidence weight training gives you. I know that I walked taller, and the clothes would fit better, and it just made such a huge difference.

So - my advice for someone that's doing it is to make sure you find the next thing to roll into before you end your P90x (or other program) routine. If you do have to stop for some reason (travel is a big one), get back into it before you lose the conditioning you gained - couple weeks max. I'm already planning my next workout routine so I don't go through this cycle again...I'm 40 now and I'm not snapping back as quickly as I used to. Doing plyo tonight -- it hurts thinking about it...in a good way though. In a good way.

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you've inspired 1 person to keep going. thanks!

awesome transformation, congrats.

Yep this.

Awesome Results!!! I have P90X and have done it here and there in the last couple years. I can't do the plyo though as it is really hard on my joints, but the weight lifting rocks! You've just inspired me to try it out again. Thanks.

Just wanted to point out that while traveling may be an excuse to not work out or not eat healthy it still can be done. I was on vacation and when my hotel did not have a gym I would run a mile to a local park or so and do pushups and pullups(6-10 sets) and then I'd run the mile back. It can be done, but it just depends how focused you are.

True, though life happens and sometimes the metronome-like consistency you've established goes out the window. There will be moments in all of our lives when we lose focus on an exercise routine --- unless you're Tony . For me, both of my parents recently passed away followed closely by another (young) immediate family member. None of them were local, so my travel was neither short nor vacation-related, and was all-consuming considering I have my own family and a business. Life took my tightly controlled routine, laughed at it, and threw it out the window. Not a reason to go back to the way things were and I didn't -- just lost the weight training consistency -- but at some point we're all faced with events that can derail even a long-term success. The metronome gets disrupted.

I think a lot of people gain weight because of an accumulation of life events and ignoring health in the process. That's been my experience at least. It could be death(s) in the family that demand your full attention, family issues, an injury...like I said, life happens.

For me, it was discouraging to see something I'd worked hard for start to slip away. I don't tend to get depressed, but I did find I was anxious/nervous about it as I felt I'd lost control. I never fully derailed (reclaimed 4 of the 8 lbs I'd gained already), but I could see how easy it would be to fall all the way back down once the routine was broken. In those times we need to "keep pressing play" as Tony says. Get the metronome back and don't delay. P90x and these other routines work, but consistency over a lifetime is the key and it's the hardest part, imho. I wish you and all others on this forum good luck with that aspect of it.

Again - great job, and thanks again for the encouragement!

Question: Why do you think you gained the weight in the first place (beyond just the obvious more calories in than out)? I had to think about that pretty hard, and honestly, my answer helped me get back into the routine once the smoke settled from recent events.

My main obstacle was arrogance - pretty simple at the end of the day. I'd been in great shape through my 20's, I ate well and exercised hard. I'd banked some good health credits. That good health enabled me to stretch myself pretty thin for a while, but through reduced activity, LONG hours at work, a growing family, and a terrible diet, my health went on a slow decline. I was too arrogant (and ignorant) to notice the chipping away until fatigue started to hit and I saw the numbers from a physical. There are certain rules to good health and you can only ignore them for so long, and they apply to everyone. Even skinny people have heart attacks.

So -- with recent events I found that my improved health allowed me to stretch myself thinner, and deal with events better, but this time I know the rules apply to me fully. It can't be ignored, and the damage that I do is long-term, so no point in ignoring it or pretending I can do what others can't.

Motivation to keep myself going - my wife and 4 kids. My youngest (2 year old twin girls) need me around for a long time, and I need to be healthy enough to scare young punks off well into my 50's.:mad: There was no smiley with a shotgun..

Additional motivation - We started a small farm this spring (not primary income generator) so we can grow most of what we eat, and that helps everyone in the family form good habits as well. My kids get excited when they can go out and pick their own food and that's something we can do together which is cool. We also have an aquaponics system going in this fall with a couple hundred fish and year-round veg. I can't wait for that...

INCREDIBLE! Love seeing your progress and results...BodyBeast is awesome!

I'm on my first round of BB, and doing doubles of T25, myself.

Amazing

Great job man!

Awesome job! Seeing your results is definitely a motivation. I'm currently doing Body Beast with 6 weeks remaining. I'm gonna keep eating and keep working hard. Thanks for sharing your story.