12 WEEK MELTDOWN CHALLENGE

One_Buff_Mom

One_Buff_Mom

Cathlete
Hi Everyone! First let me begin by stating that my former user name on Cathe's forum was Solara. Last year, my life was very busy and not conducive to consistent workouts. This, combined with poor eating habits and aging (!) was re-shaping my body into a form I did not want it to take! January 2, 2006 I started a 12 week "meltdown" challenge which was completed on March 26th. For the challenge, I primarily used Cathe's Hardcore series of DVD's (I used a few of her others, too, for variety, particularly SLOW & HEAVY). I also incorported some interval training on the treadmill for additional cardio. Needless to say, I cleaned up my nutrition as well. The purpose of my post it to encourage those of you training at home. My results are proof positive that you don't need to go to a gym...you just need to stick to a good program. BTW - My stats Jan 2 were: 124# and 19.6% BF. My stats Mar 26 were: 117# and 13.1% BF.

Thank you, Cathe, for sharing your gift and producing excellent exercise videos!

P.S. Sorry the pics are so big...don't let the "BEFORE" shots scare 'ya! :7

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d36/One_Buff_Mom/F4.jpg
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"Welcome the challenge...embrace it...don't fear it." -Cathe Friedrich
 
You look great!!! Thanks for the needed inspiration! I am going to go out for my run right now :) . Hopefully someday I will be able to post pictures like yours.

Karin
 
FREAKING AMAZING!!! I am speachless...........I have not been working out, been busy your pictures here just motivate me to slap myself in the face and get my A** moving again.

You look great! so defined and tone GOOD JOB!

Andrea
 
I've noticed your great work! Congrats One Buff Mom. I too find Slow and Heavy soooooo effective for weight loss and muscle definition simultaneously.

X
 
Wow, you look great!!!! You have alot to be proud of. Only 12 weeks....so impressive!!!!

I can't believe you built such muscle in such a short time. You must have worked like a dog....and eaten like a bird. Do you include protein drinks or something to help build muscle?

Thanks, Nancy
 
Thank you, everyone, for your kind words. The first 8 weeks of the challenge I used SLOW & HEAVY and the Gym Style series. The last 4 weeks, I used the Gym Style series exclusively. My rotation was a 3 day split: LEGS, Chest & Triceps, Back, Shoulders and Biceps. I trained my abs probably a total of only 8x - the core gets a workout stabilizing...if I had time and the inclination, I did an ab workout. The first 7-8 weeks I alternated cardio and weight-training days and took one day completely OFF. The last 5 or 4 weeks, I did fasted HIIT cardio for 30 mins (60 minutes 1x/week) and weight trained in the afternoon.

The first 4 weeks, I had one "cheat day"/week. Weeks 5-8 I cut that back to one "cheat meal"/week. The last 4 weeks I did my best to have "zero" cheat meals. I eat 5-6 250-350 calorie meals/day with protein and carbs and no added fat or sugars. M1 is a protein shake - chocolate whey protein, 1 small banana, 8 oz. 1% milk, 8 oz H2O, 4-5 ice cubes,1 heaping tablespoon instant coffee. (This has been my M1 for years whether training or not). M2 is 5 hard-boiled egg whites and 1 cup cooked oatmeal. Lunch(M3) and dinner(M5) are fish or chicken and vegetables. In the beginning, I had brown rice, too. (I will incorporate more grains now that I'm not cutting). M4 (between lunch and dinner) is usually 1/2 cup low fat salt-free cottage cheese with stevia and chopped fruit mixed in. I did not drink diet soda or juice the entire 12 weeks. I do not consume foods made from white flour and try very, very hard to avoid sugar. I drink loads of water...1 gallon +/- and I enjoy green tea (no sweetner)at the office.

That's it in nutshell...nothing extraordinary. If you're interested in seeing my workouts in more detail, drop me a PM or email. I don't measure my food or calculate P/C/F macros...no time for that...so I couldn't tell you specifically about what I ate the entire 12 weeks. I am logging my food now so I will be able to share more nutritional details in the coming weeks.

And again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for the compliments...they mean so much when they're from people in the lifestyle. Eat right...train hard...get rest. Take care!
 
Thanks for sharing the oh so clean eating schedule. It gives me a lot to think about. I am very familiar with BFFM and "clean eating". Did you have to put a lot of time into meal prep?

X
 
OneBuffMom....amazing, simply amazing. I'm inspired, truly, to reach your levels. I've been working out for years, and finally found CAthy and women like you. I'm 47 now, just had a birthday two days ago and can't believe it. But I'm going to keep on going until I can get as buff as you! I just wanted you to know that I compliment you, truly on your dedication. Now, I eat fairly clean, but I'm having trouble giving up the little bit of sugar I eat. Thanks for sharing with all of us on the board.
 
I don't spend a lot of time on meal prep...I boil eggs 18 at a time...I cook off chicken breasts 4-6 at a time...veggies can be cooked in a few minutes in the microwave...I buy bagged salad greens and grape tomatoes and it takes 1/2 a minute to slice up a cucumber...I portion out my cottage cheese and fruit(4)1/2 cup portions)...I'll cook fresh fish for dinner and divide it into two meals so lunch the next day is all set. I usually have about four days of "meals" ready at all times... I also keep some protein bars on hand for emergencies...GOLDEN RULE: NO MISSED MEALS!!

You can do this!
 
Janet, X, and Marietta! Thanks for checking out my post and the compliments. Consistency is the key to success! Go for it!
 
You look fabulous. Congratulations on your hard work and determination. Thanks so much for sharing your pix and your routine/diet.
 
I am soooooo impressed with your 12 weeks results. You are truly an inspiration to us fitness buffs, no matter what our goals. Your results are even evident in the "glow" of your face and the "glint" in your eye.:)

Thanks for your inspiration to all of us.
 
One buff mom, You look terrific. You are an inspiration to all of us with similar goals. You achieved what I've been trying for a while w/o much success. I guess the key is the clean eating. I have followed a pretty clean eating plan ( no rice, pasta, bread, sugar etc.0 but with a cheat meal or two a week and I guess lately it's been a cookie here and there and although the rest of my meals are very clean those little cheats are sabotaging my clean eating. Coinsidently I have followed a similar w/o program with the S&H, the GS and now I switched to the Pyramids to see if by doing so I would see more results. Although I see a lot more definition in my arms, I still am way off in the body fat percentage. I'm not over weight just the little bulge on lower ab and some extra fat on the upper thights in other words I look very close to what you looked before. I'm 5'4 and weight 125-127lbs. I guess I just have to try harder on the eating area. I don't want to get discouraged and give up ( not that i'll stop exercising. I could never do that) but I just don't want to settle for less if I can accomplish more. Well soryy this is soo long, But I just wanted to let you know that thanks to your post and pictures I got another shot of inspiration to hang in there and clean up my eating even more.

Thanks again!
rachel
 
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