I have always tried to prioritize my well being through health and fitness. I have stumbled along the way, especially on weekends.
Even though I have not lost the body fat I would like to have lost, I did lose a total of 9.6 pounds of body fat mass for a total percentage loss of 4.1% which is 6.1 pounds! That being said, I do not let the scale define my success. With the body fat loss, I also gained skeletal muscle mass.
This challenge has taught me that health is not just about aesthetics, it's about prioritizing self-care and building a sustainable lifestyle that empowers me to live life to the fullest. I will continue to prioritize and focus more on my activity and consumption on the weekends.
As someone who has struggled with gaining weight for the majority of my life I decided to take on the 12 week showcase challenge to keep me accountable when it comes to food intake and exercise. I had just competed at the Showcase Super Classic 4, and had needed to cut weight to make my weight class (very frustrating). Taking this as a sign that my body wanted to grow, and with the timing of the challenge, it only made sense to sign up. I'll be the first to admit, I do not track any of food. This isn't the smartest or most conducive way to go about diet, however, for now, it's working for me.
Increasing my protein has been my main focus with carbs and fat being close behind.
The In-Body scans were a great way to track progress and compare on paper the changes to weight, body fat, etc. that were happening. Having my peers from the gym also participating in the challenge was great motivation. I enjoyed seeing everyone's progress, learning new recipes, and keeping each other accountable. All-in-all , Im super happy with and proud of the progress I've made in the last 12 weeks.
I joined the challenge to keep myself motivated to keep working out and reach new personal goals. With a family history of health problems and getting older, it helps to be proactive as much as I can be. Showcase Strength and Fitness keeps me going, not only to the gym but in everyday life. As a busy mom of 3 active kids, I love that I can keep up with my family and lead by example with a healthy lifestyle. In the last few years I have gained more than muscle, I have new found levels of energy and self confidence that I would never have found without the one and only Jordan Wong. I couldn’t ask for a better gym community than Showcase Strength and Fitness!
My fitness journey actually began in 2018 when I started with a weight loss goal. I lost a total of 100 lbs, during which time I began strength training and ultimately found my passion in powerlifting. The strength training and powerlifting aided to help me drastically shift my body composition, but in the past couple of years I had several significant life events, including moving my family from Ohio to Florida, that distracted me from diligence with my nutrition tracking. I also fell victim to the assumption that heavy lifting was enough, that I didn’t need to also incorporate something as simple as walking and drinking more water.
As a result, the number on the scale began to creep up and my comfort level with my body went down.
Enter this Transformation Challenge! I used this challenge as the instigator to “dial back in” to the bigger picture of my fitness goals, adding more water, better nutrition (macro) tracking, and walking back into my daily routine. As I say all the time, “I never do anything halfway”. Starting Day 1, I was committed to 12 weeks of following my plan without a single variance. NO CHEATS! I drank all of my water, walked my prescribed steps, counted every gram of food, and of course, continued my strength training without fail.
I even went above our challenge’s InBody scans and had before & after DEXA scans performed to get the most accurate picture of progress possible. The results were astounding. Overall, I’ve lost a cumulative 6.8% body fat, and GAINED 2.3 lbs of muscle. I am over the moon! Not only am I absolutely proud of my accomplishment, I now feel like I have re-established, improved on, and even formed new healthy habits as a result of being 100% faithful to my daily fitness routine that will help me stay happier and healthier as I move forward. I am so grateful to this challenge for getting me back on track!
The last 12 weeks were complimentary to a journey I started last year. When I joined showcase I was around 275/280lbs. I had been able to lose weight before but never could keep it off because I hadn't made sustainable changes with my lifestyle. I hired Jordan to help me with training and got great results. Those results came from consistency and accountability by having someone to check in with.
I added Jordan as my nutrition coach as well and we were able to recomp pretty well. I put some weight back and I think these last 12 weeks once again proves that having a plan, having someone in your corner and having a community can help tremendously. It’s a lot more fun and less stressful to have a great group of people to support you and a great coach to guide you through. I was able to lose 20lbs and drop my body fat from 18% to 15%.