Last October I took on the challenge that was The Body Coach 90 Day SSS (Shift, Shape, Sustain) Plan and 2 weeks in I started a review on the blog. The plan was a HUGE overhaul to my current diet and exercise regime and reflecting back on it I was a little naive to think I would have a super model body by the end of it.
I thought I'd gotten away with starting to review the body coach 90 day SSS plan on here and then not completing the review, just like I didn't complete the plan, but I have had quite a few people ask about it. So I thought I'd do a post rather than explain to everyone who asks separately.
As you will read from my original and only post, I was on the fence almost immediately after starting the plan. After seeing all the #LeanIn15 posts on social media and watching the videos it looked like it was going to be a fun journey where I would feel productive, motivated and energised. I mean exercise releases the feel good hormones and endorphin s right? Here's the breakdown.
The Diet Plan
This is going to sound crazy but I think this is where the plan went wrong for me and it's quite a critical part of it. I am heavily dictated by my stomach. I get the worst 'h-anger' and food seriously impacts on my mood. I also have quite a few dietary requirements which make buying into plans like this incredibly tricky. I have a life-threatening allergy to nuts and a serious dislike for fish, unless from the chip shop or in a finger, and anything remotely spicy. I asked questions about the available/suitable options before I purchased the plan and was assured the plan had enough recipes to omit the items I didn't like.
When my month one plan arrived in my email inbox I excitedly flicked through it and was a little upset by the choices on offer. I understand that it must be hard to cater for everyone with a set of recipes but I feel like maybe the assurances I had received upon my initial enquiry may have been slightly misleading. Out of all the meals sent to me around 15 were suitable, 4 I didn't really like and 2 were smoothies instead of what I would class as meals. It meant I felt extremely limited with options across my 21 meals each week as some of the 15 available we also 'carbohydrate refuel meal options' which meant I could only have them after a work out.
Some of the meals became firm favourites of mine which I still make today such as the cheesy piri piri meatballs, minus the piri piri for me, and the smoothies were delicious. So it wasn't all doom and gloom. I just basically lived on smoothies for breakfast/lunch, meatballs for dinner or the refuel bagel and my allocated snacks.
Even though the above meals were delicious the portions for me were just too much. I was assured by my body coach, Rebecca, that the portion sizes had been calculated for me and that they would just take some getting used to. I was told to cut down my greens by 50% and other ingredients by 25% and then gradually increase them as and when I felt ready.
I never did.
I was bloated, tired, emotional and I had terrible flare up of acid reflux. I was living for cheesy meatballs and my one can of zero anything fizzy drink for my fake sugar fix.
Some of the meals became firm favourites of mine which I still make today such as the cheesy piri piri meatballs, minus the piri piri for me, and the smoothies were delicious. So it wasn't all doom and gloom. I just basically lived on smoothies for breakfast/lunch, meatballs for dinner or the refuel bagel and my allocated snacks.
Even though the above meals were delicious the portions for me were just too much. I was assured by my body coach, Rebecca, that the portion sizes had been calculated for me and that they would just take some getting used to. I was told to cut down my greens by 50% and other ingredients by 25% and then gradually increase them as and when I felt ready.
I never did.
I was bloated, tired, emotional and I had terrible flare up of acid reflux. I was living for cheesy meatballs and my one can of zero anything fizzy drink for my fake sugar fix.
The Exercise
The exercise was part of the plan that I enjoyed as I felt like I was doing something productive instead of just depriving myself of carbs. Plus the carbohydrate reward was just the motivation I needed. How people actually do 'no carbs before marbs' baffles me. You crazy crazy people.
The exercise was easy to do at home and was fairly quick as it was predominantly HIIT sessions for phase 1. I used beginners video's from The Body Coach's youtube channel and facebook page. I even joined in with a live HIIT session that Joe, The Body Coach streamed from Australia. I tried to do the HIIT sessions 4-5 times a week as prescribed in the plan and I was pretty good at sticking to this. The only occasions where I didn't keep up were when I was feeling so bloated and tired that I just ended curled up in bed feeling sorry for myself and questioning why I was putting myself through the plan.
The Supplements
This was part of the plan which surprised me as I just thought that I had purchased the meal and fitness plan but I also got a supplements plan to assist me too. Now the supplements are guidelines and not a mandatory part of the plan but I figured I'd committed so far so why the heck not!
The supplements I was recommended were:
- Multivitamins 1 per day
- Omega 3 (2 per day)
- Vitamin E 1 per day
- Calcium 1 per day
- Vitamin C 1 per work out
This added up to around 6 tablets a day to take alongside the protein powders and BCAA Powders that I was recommended to consume. These supplements aren't cheap, be warned. I nearly fainted in Holland and Barratt at the till when I saw the price.
A friend also commented to me that there must a deficiency in the meal plan nutrition-wise to require so many additional supplements which I hadn't even considered myself. I'm still on the fence about this but it's a good question to ponder.
The Cost
Now I was hesitant over if I should include a little section about the cost because money can be a tricky thing to discuss as money is money but everyone can value it differently. For me the £150 for the plan was a big risk to take and I do regret spending that money but I can see the justification in charging the price. For me the biggest cost really was the ingredients, supplements and time!
As mentioned above the supplements aren't cheap and neither are the recommended powders. The ingredients aren't exactly unusual but things like turkey bacon have an increased cost when compared to standard bacon. That needs to be considered. The recipe's also don't seem to be resourceful with the ingredients. 33g of this or 67g or that, doesn't utilise the portions you can buy in shops and especially with the fresh ingredients I struggled to cook with the little left over bits of everything before they went off. I probably spent twice as much, or more, on the ingredients & supplements as I did the actual plan.
The third cost is the time. 'Lean in 15' was the concept which drew me in as I always struggle with time however things take so much longer. Some of the workouts are 15 minutes long, but you need to do a 10 minute warm up and 5 minute warm down at least, total 30 minutes. The meals as well often cook in less than 15 minutes, but the preparation can take ages. My favourite meal the cheesy meatballs takes time to make the meatballs, chop the onions and veg, then it needs to oven bake.
The Results
I know I only did the plan for 6 weeks which was 4 weeks of phase 1 and 2 weeks of phase 2 so I shouldn't have expected to see many results but considering that phase one is entitled 'shift' I was under the illusion that I would shift some weight. Which I did. My measurements are below:
Start Weight: 58kg
P1 End Weight: 55.5kg
P1 End Weight: 55.5kg
Start Chest: 35"
P1 End Chest: 35"
Start Waist: 31"
P1 End Waist: 31"
Start Hips: 35"
P1 End Hips: 34"
Start Biceps: 11"
P1 End Biceps: 10.5"
Start Thighs: 20.5"
P1 End Thighs: 20.5"
Now everyone burns calories and weight differently due to metabolism, age, gender, hormones and genetics. I mean the contributing factors are huge but I did expect more distinguishable results from the plan seeing as I felt like I had answered so many questions when I started the plan to tailor it, as best, to me.
Conclusion
Overall, for me the plan just didn't suit me or my lifestyle/commitments which is why I didn't continue past week 6. Maybe it's unfair to review the plan having only completed half of it but so many people asked me about my experience and this was my experience up to week 6.
I did lose weight which was a good result however I was more in the plan for feeling healthier, fitter, stronger and toning up rather than losing weight. I enjoyed the exercise and personally feel this is the strength of the plan. I did feel fitter towards the end of the 6 weeks as I could do the burpees and mountain climbers without feeling like I was at the top of Everest with a depleted oxygen supply.
For me it was the dietary side of the plan which ultimately led to my defeat. My dietary requirements weren't able to be implemented within the plan as well as I had hoped especially with my fussy eating, which I did try and over come I promise. The constant feeling of over-eating because of the portion sizes and the acid reflux took me to breaking point where I eventually decided to quit the plan.
Maybe if I had pushed myself for another week or two then I would have turned a corner with the plan and achieved what I wanted but mentally I couldn't keep up. The diet was a complete overhaul to my previous diet of sugary treats and carbs upon carbs and my body probably needed more time to adjust but I couldn't get over the mountain.
Overall the plan just wasn't for me just like Justin Bieber isn't for everyone.
If you have done the plan I would love to know how you got on, compare notes so to say. Have you tried anything similar?
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Make sure to follow me on Bloglovin', Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook to stay up to date.
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