Day 25 of 25

Xtreme Fat Loss Diet program - completed. I know the day isn't completely over, but I'm not doing the cardio session today and it's my protein-only day so the menu until I go to sleep tonight is protein shakes, tuna, and sardines. It's safe to say, I'm pretty much done with the program. Tomorrow would have been Cheat Day, so I'm going to take my final measurements then and post up the results.

Did I lose 25 pounds in 25 days? No. Is it possible to lose 25 pounds in 25 days? Mathematically, yes. I've read more of everyone's results posted on the Facebook forum and no one has achieved the 25 pound mark, which makes me feel good about what I've achieved. I know for sure I've lost inches and weight, so I'm really happy about that. Plus this is the first fitness program I've finished - EVER. I know I didn't do everything by the book and half-assed certain exercises, but the thought never crossed my mind to quit early - which is an achievement in itself since I usually give up when it comes to working out.

A nice little accomplishment I didn't expect was the change in attitude. I feel healthy and a little more confident about my body. It's not where I want it to look, but it's a reasonable start. I have a pretty good idea of what works for me, gets me motivated, and what I am willing to follow - apparently, I really like having structured workouts and am somewhat more willing to do cardio if it takes less than 30 minutes. I've learned to appreciate the gym more. I still absolutely hate it from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, but it turns into some kind of temple of health that my body can't resist at 5:00am (it probably has something to do with all the equipment being readily available and not having to suffer through douchebags/douche-ettes being, well, douches). As for the nutrition part, the Fast Days remained the worst part of the program but 24 hours of fasting every 5 days is doable for me. I have learned a little bit more of what I should be eating and when. I also know that (deliciously) bad food can be helpful in the whole process of getting in shape, but I just need to eat it at the right times and in the right portions.

I'd say a BIG part of what got me through the program was having Albert right there alongside me. To start off, this whole thing was his idea and he took the initiative to get all the supplements we needed for 25 days. Next, I know he HATES waking up early, but he was at the gym at 5:00am (sometimes earlier) ready to go over the exercises with me and make sure I did them right (actually, I'd say we did that for each other). Plus, I liked doing the lunges next to him because he HATED them while I LOVED them. I also tried to hold planks longer than he would. Sometimes I won, sometimes I didn't, but trying to beat Albert is always a good way to get me going. Lastly, there were a ton of times where I wanted to stuff my face with horrible food on non-Cheat Days. But on our second Fast Day, he went to poker night with our friends and had to eat 97 BCAA pills while everyone else ate fresh pizza from Masa. That showed me he was pretty committed to doing to the diet, so I decided to match it.

What's Next...
After the measurements tomorrow, I'm taking a break until Monday. It's April's Bachelorette Party in Vegas, so there's no way I'm going to turn down the food and alcohol. The creator of XFLD has a follow up program called Cheat Your Way Thin (CYWT). I've skimmed through the diet and workouts and I'm still undecided about whether to follow it or not. I'm going to go through it in more detail over the next couple of days and see what I come up with. If anything, I've already been through some of another program (The Truth About Six Pack Abs) and will stick with that if CYWT isn't what I'm looking for.