You must have heard about the crazy BBG program all over instagram, right?
I sure did, and at first I refused to jump on the bandwagon. I don’t follow certain workout regimes; I make my own. Heck, when I did Insanity 6 times a week, I still didn’t follow the workout calendar. I just put on whatever video I felt like doing that day. But after seeing countless transformations of girls going through amazing changes, I finally asked them what the contents of the regime was. I started to get curious because I was seeing it so darn often.
Then I began my own. I remember exactly the moment I decided I was going to embark on the 12 week program, and it was a time I was feeling low about myself and life. I was visiting a friend in Whitby. I had a wonderful time with her, but I also went because I needed a retreat from my own life. I was feeling disconnected from my true self, tired, low, puffy, and stressed. I honestly don’t know exactly what got me in this rut–I was just feeling depressed and mentally unstimluted and it drove me nuts. I couldn’t find pleasure or gratitude in the things that brought me joy, like watching movies, anymore.
I thought to myself, I need to get my sh*t together. I need a clean slate.
I wanted to prove to myself that I was mentally strong enough to go through a challenge. Like the BBG. It was 3 months long–that’s quite the commitment. I knew that above anything else, if I could get my fitness in check, it’d spark a fire in me to be a go-getter for everything else in life. It’s always been that way in the past.
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Sometime the 2nd week of May, I began the journey. It started with a Monday.
This was myself before I embarked on the 12-week workout program.
And now:
The tan lines are REAL. (They’re from running in a sport bra and shorts)
Let me tell you, it was NOT an easy journey. I think I started at a weight of 115 and by the end of it I was around 100. I’ve lost about 15 lbs.
There were days life got in the way. Drama happened, and I really wanted to quit my workout, quit fitness, and check out of life. My flame just…went out. But I kept with the program regardless because I didn’t want to give up on a commitment I made to myself, and above all, I would hate to go back to the rut I was in before I embarked in the BBG program. It was the reason I started and it’ll be the reason I continue, I thought to myself.
There’s a difference between my faces, have you noticed? Here are before’s:
I had a pretty round face.
This was in November 2015.
This was September 2015.
And this was July 2016, about 2 weeks from completing BBG 1. What a difference! My face has certainly slimmed down and taken shape. I can finally seek my angles and cheekbones. It’s nice; it hasn’t been that way in a long time, especially after I returned from China. I feel an inner sense of calm and more self-esteem than I did in April, which is prior to the start of BBG.
I took some photos in between these times; I don’t remember what day this was, but I was feeling really good because my abs were coming in!
This was sometime April 2016.
And this is week 10 of BBG, mid July:
🙂
Was the weight loss ONLY attributed to the workout program?
Absolutely not. I was also doing intermittent fasting, eating more strict paleo-keto, making meal plans and adhering to them, as I was not in the past. Apparently, I think there is a diet plan Kayla Itsines has provided, but I never took a look into that. I did my own thing.
How strictly did I follow the regime?
Almost to a T. Like, 90%. I almost never missed a workout day, and there was 2 or 3 days of the week when I swapped a LISS session for 30 minutes of insanity, and occasionally on my LISS sessions, I’d get lost and end up running 60-70 minutes as opposed to 45 minutes. For the resistance workouts, I did 4 sessions of 8 minutes instead of 4 sessions of 7, like it suggested. (I like to be an overachiever and more than anything I wanted to prove that I was strong enough to push through 1 more minute). On week 12, I remember having to forgo some of the LISS sessions because it was too hot outside to run. I tried jogging indoors but it just wasn’t the same; I had less patience for that.
How hard was the program?
It’s not terrible; but it’s certainly not for beginners. I highly suggest that you have a basic fitness base before embarking on the BBG, and even if you are advanced, this regime will still challenge you.
Any rest days?
Sundays were yoga days.
Critiques about BBG?
Sometimes I found it annoying that I didn’t have the necessary equipment. I had to use bodyweight instead/substitute a move for those involving a bosu ball, a bench, and stepups. I only had with my a pair of 5lb dumbbells.
Would you do it again?
Absolutely! I just have to find the time. After doing BBG 1 again, I think I’ll move to BBG 2.
What’s your fitness plan now?
School is starting soon and I no longer have the luxury to exercise 60-90 minutes beforehand. I usually wake up around 10am, but classes in September start at 9, and I don’t think I want to wake up at 6am to do everything. If things were different, I would redo BBG a second time. I don’t want to go told turkey and stop working out just because I finished this workout regime. I am slowly tapering down my workouts by cutting them shorter and shorter week by week so that when school starts my body is used to 30 minute workouts. Also, with reverse-exercising(a term I coined similar to reverse-dieting where you slowly add in calories), my intention is to maintain my physique while simultaneously reducing activity level. These days I exercise about 5 days a week, anywhere from 30-60 minutes. I can’t wait until I find the time to do BBG again–it might not be until May next year when school is finished. I made it into the acting program at my university which has a vigorous schedule.
Myself happily going on a date night.
When I feel good, I tend to take a lot of photos. So bombs away?
Have you tried BBG? What are your thoughts on it?
Have you ever adhered to a workout program? Did you follow its diet plan too?
Fitness creates inner calamity for me; does it for you?
Any other questions about BBG for me?
*I was not compensated in any way to share this program; I did so on my own terms. Affiliate links are included to support the blog! a linkup with Amanda.
