What’s My After?  First, let me tell you … What Was My “Before.”

I previously had seen advertisements of the 60day and knew a few people that had done the program and had results from it.  For me, I didn’t think I really needed to take the challenge.

After all I was training for Triathlons, so I ran, biked and swam a fair amount.

Then work and life got very busy for me.

In early July, I experienced a pretty bad flare-up with my Guillain-Barre Syndrome/GBS (an autoimmune disease that attacks the outer layers of my peripheral nerves and is known for temporarily paralyzing people for months). I was in a state where I could barely move or function well with my daily activities. I had found myself weighing in at 210 lbs, which was an all-time high for me. My gut had hit to the proportion size of my father’s stomach (something I used to tease him about when I was younger).

Then, right around this time, I happened to receive a routine check-in phone call from Life Time.  I asked about the 60day and they hooked me up with Lauren, a personal trainer, who explained the process to me and signed me up for the Program.

During the initial goal setting session, I realized that some of my eating habits were literally destroying my body. I grew up as a competitive gymnast and early on in my life I had developed bad eating habits. For years they had never really affected my body with weight issues. No matter what or how much I ate, I was always considered “underweight.”

At the time of starting The 60day, my biggest vice was eating an entire bag (or more) of Hershey Chocolate Nugget’s A DAY.

My goals included: to significantly cut down on my chocolate consumption, to develop better eating habits, and to potentially help my current struggle with my flare-up of my Guillain-Barre Syndrome/GBS. Another goal was to reduce the size of my gut and to look trim again.

I also wanted to get back below 200 lbs.

I was dealing with significant nerve pain and “tingling/burning” in both of my hands and feet, so getting to the gym initially was a bit of a challenge for me. After about a week of consistently going to the gym; I started noticing that the workouts were reducing the pain and my tingling/burning symptoms.

While the pain relief only lasts temporarily; this made a significant impact on me looking forward to my workouts every day. I finally had found a way to relieve some of my GBS symptoms, even though most of the times the relief only lasted for a couple of hours.

I attended Every One of the weekly 60day workouts and Information Sessions that were offered to those participating in The Challenge. I was able to learn about different exercise options, diet changes and healthy food choices.  Having access to the gym was always available because of the convenient hours and available workout times. I personally focused mainly on weight training along with running with my Life Time Run Group. I enjoyed trying a variety of group workout classes that are offered at Life Time.  I also utilized the sauna and spa that helped me significantly with recovery time.  I found that the coaches at Life Time were very supportive throughout this process with tips, showing proper form, answering questions and generally being good cheerleaders and motivators.

My wife and I also utilized a lot of the meal plan options that were given as part of the 60day. That helped us, that when life got busy and we needed to substitute something, we were able to make good choices and stay on track.

So, “What’s My After?”

I have lost a total of 21.7 pounds and have cut my body fat by 33%.

I find myself sleeping better at night and I now have more energy.

I can proudly say that I have not eaten ANY chocolate since I started the challenge. While I do not intend to refrain from eating chocolate forever, I will now be able to have it in moderation because my eating habits are much healthier now.

I also no longer add sugar to my coffee. I have realized I do not even miss the multiple spoonful’s I would previously add to my daily coffee.

The most beneficial result I have noticed, is, although I am still in pain with my residual symptoms from my GBS disease; I can tell that I am functioning better now.