Mary has lost 7 pounds and dropped 2% in BF in the last 6 weeks.  Here is her take on why this is happening:

“Last summer, I was drinking more than I should have, not taking care of myself and felt disgusting when my clothes were starting to fit tight. My weight felt like it had shot up.  It was time to join a gym, but after so many traditional gyms and personal training sessions that I failed at in the past, I knew that I wouldn’t last but a month. I remembered when Nick showed me the website for the IC; back then it looked intimidating because of my lack of natural athleticism, but I thought I’d give it a try.

I’ve been attending for 3 months now and was very pleased when I weighed in seven pounds lighter the other day. Wanting to get my time and money worth out of the IC experience, I knew I had to stop drinking so much and take better care of myself, and it has paid off.  I still really enjoy sugary cocktails, but have cut down on them considerably.  It’s very important for me to reach my goals with regard to weight and fitness, but now my focus is to be consistent in my attendance.  I’m glad to have this healthy outlet to relieve stress and feel better emotionally.

I have a long road to go before I can consider myself “fit,” but I’m not as conscious about weight loss as I am about just having a long-term healthy work out regimen.  Hopefully I’ll be one of those 70 year old women who can do pull-ups and run circles around her grand kids.”

-Mary D.

Click Image to Watch Video

Five months ago, bootcamp supermoms Randi, Nisha, and Nina successfully developed an IC carpool/childcare system that continues to work beautifully for them.  Enjoy this video of the three of them in action this morning between 9 and 10 am.

“To my friends at Ice Chamber, I’ve been invited to share my experience with going Gluten Free. It is a rather big subject but I hope I can convey in a short version how it has benefited me and those I know who have pursued it (independent of the IC). One of the most astonishing facts is that only 1 out of 40 people who have problems with wheat and gluten ever get diagnosed for it.

First off you don’t have to have Celiac Disease or even Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance to get the benefits of going GF. The overall biological challenge of consuming wheat and gluten is well understood and becoming more and more mainstream. The evidence of this is in how many quality GF bread, snack and baked goods companies that have come on the market recently. Whole Foods now has an entire GF section and in North Oakland there is the Mariposa Bakery that specializes in GF goods.

I studied the symptoms for a couple of years and identified several in myself. I definitely procrastinated at first because of how giving up things like pizza, pasta, sourdough and pancakes seemed an impossibility. Once I saw how many supportive products there are on the market and on the web I finally got started last June.

I committed to try it for 30 days and even gave myself an out if I couldn’t take it after 10. I prepared myself and anticipated the experience to be something like giving up smoking cold turkey. It was nothing like it. Not even close.

The first few days went quick and were made fun by trying some new combinations and substitutions. By the 4th day I noticed all kinds of changes: I slept so much better, my allergies almost completely went away and my aches, pains and recovery time from those wonderful Ice Chamber workouts shortened and my performance during the workouts improved. As a result of making my workouts better and because my body was changing its relationship to food, I lost 30 lbs in about 4 months.

As to making it through the first 10 days? and then the full 30? It made such a dramatic difference that it became one of the easiest things I’ve dealt with in life. Having said that, around the 7th or 8th month I got a little bored with some of the changes I’d made and some old cravings came up. It took a little adjusting but I found some new ways of doing things and I feel comfortably back on track.

We’re all different and you’ll all have to figure out what works best for you and your family but one thing to be aware of is that GF products are not diet foods. They can be high in calories and sugar so pay attention. Ultimately there isn’t yet a great bread substitute out there, gluten gives cakes and breads that beautiful mouthfeel and texture, but cookies, pretzels and some pastas are indistinguishable.

I found if I just come up with meals that avoid grains altogether and indulge with some of the GF products occasionally it keeps a good balance.

It wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be and seeing others enjoying the things I’ve given up is easier when I compare how I would be feeling if I was eating those things. It has been said that nothing tastes as good as being fit feels. Now I understand what that means. If it is something you are looking into and want to try I can’t encourage you enough and I wish you all the success with it.”

Blessings,

Timothy

In the spirit of our Body Change Challenge, we thought we’d check in on weight loss winners, Craig and Stephanie.  …only, surprise-surprise, they don’t feel like they’ve declared victory at all.  Because Craig and Stephanie have never been interested in short cuts, they’re now facing an even greater challenge: keeping the weight off.  Here they speak honestly about this lifelong journey and why Craig’s doctor still wants him to steer clear of the white stuff.

Craig:

“I have lost a lot of weight. Perhaps not as much as the celebrated Jerod, but almost as much as he currently weighs. I’m also something of a numbers freak, and weigh myself on the Wii fit every day. One would expect that in the course of losing 160 pounds that I would have become wise in the ways of weight loss and appetite. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am still constantly baffled by the why’s and wherefore’s. I am also completely at a loss to understand my own relationship with food and appetite. I’ve been dieting for a little over three years now. It was prompted by my doctor diagnosing me with type 2 diabetes. That little jolt of reality shocked me into the realm of the dieter, and got me out of my sedentary lifestyle.

I started out on a low calorie diet. This is akin to starvation. Starvation is not fun. I would find myself in a pattern of staying strictly on it for a couple of weeks, and then finding some “special” occasion to pig out. That resulted in a cycle of feeling good about myself, and then ashamed of my lack of control when I let it go. I stuck with that for about two and a half years, losing about 140 pounds. At the suggestion of my sleep doctor, I started on the South Beach diet last October, 2008. This diet concentrates on foods with low glycemic index, and not so much on calories. To my amazement, I found that I was able to eat normal meals (albeit no bread, pasta, or other delicious carbs) while still losing weight even faster. It is a lot easier to stay on than the low calorie diet. However, I still find myself struggling to maintain a balance. I know it’s OK to have a piece of birthday cake on that special occasion, but I have a great deal of trouble not making that two (or more!) pieces.

A prime example happened over Christmas. Every year, we gather at my wife’s parents house for the best 2 weeks of the year. There are typically 20-30 people in the house at any moment. Of course, there is sugary food everywhere. Peanut brittle, chocolates, sheet cake with thick buttercream frosting, persimmon pudding abound. My attitude has always been that the reason I struggle through the rest of the year is so that I can enjoy myself during these special time. So, I let myself eat whatever I want. I was shocked and dismayed to discover that, over the course of those 10 days, I had gained 26 pounds! So, I’m back in the saddle. I’ve lost about 20 pounds of it again, and I’m still searching for that happy medium.”

-Craig

Stephanie:

“I have lost a lot of weight since joining the Ice Chamber back in July 2006. It wasn’t really my intention when I started. I had ALWAYS been overweight but also quite active. Craig and I joined the IC as Craig was working hard to change his life by losing the weight that was threatening his health. I was along for the ride but didn’t think there would be much weight loss in my future. I was very wrong.  After about six months at the IC I really noticed that I too was losing weight and decided to give it more of an effort. I logged my food on FitDay. Loved all the charts and graphs. I started having a huge salad for lunch everyday (which I still have, the exact same one, everyday, and look forward to it–am I in a rut?) I cut out all sugar and bread. Because Craig was struggling with diabetes we had already cut out potatoes and rice and pasta. All I know is that it worked for me.

It’s been about a year and a half since I lost all the weight. I’ve kept it off fairly successfully. I still don’t know how to balance having just a bit of bread, or a bit of sugar. I’m trying to now. As many of you know, I work at the Cheeseboard and so it can be a real challenge. I have always allowed myself to try the cheese while at work. That has worked for me, adding the bread in is a little more problematic. It was easier for me to not allow myself any of it. And no, I don’t eat the pizza.

So that’s where I’m at right now. This is for the rest of my life and I’m trying to sort out how to find that balance. It ain’t easy, that much I know for sure.”

-Stephanie

“I quit smoking last March and wanted to see how much easier it would feel to work out as a non-smoker. I started in August weighing 147 and just over 26% body fat. Now it’s 22% and I weigh 135. This is the first time in my life that I exercise because it makes me feel good (as opposed to working out because I want to look better or because I know it’s good for me.). I love how strong I feel. I didn’t make huge conscious diet changes either, but getting regular exercise has brought more awareness to my diet. For the most part my strategy has been to eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full.”

-Jenny

“I share my meals with a cyclist. Five to six meals a day. Up to 6000 calories a day. Well, that’s for Neil. With many hours of cycling per week, this caloric intake is required to fuel his body. Even though I eat significantly smaller portions, this large intake of food across the table has certainly influenced my eating habits. In the four years since Neil began racing his bike, I gained an average of 10 pounds a year. More troublesome than the change in my appearance was my noticeable decrease in energy level. I just wasn’t feeling good.

We are both vegetarian and moved to the Bay Area with the aim of supporting California’s organic farms and enjoying the spoils at the many sustainably-minded restaurants. So, how did I gain weight on vegetables? Butter. Sugar. More sugar. Too many calories all around.

I am an emotional eater. I eat when I’m celebrating, stressed, or otherwise. With an increasingly stressful job, I found myself buying treats more regularly. These were not foodstuffs you would find in our home. I would eat four cupcakes in a sitting. I would buy chocolate cookies at the farmer’s market while stocking up on vegetables and fruits for the week. I would get a tartlette to go with the loaf of bread for dinner. I would take the daily dessert offering at lunch. I was stressed out and had been in a pattern of relieving that stress with sugar consumption. To add to this, I was further upset by the knowledge that my father and maternal grandfather had both been diagnosed with diabetes. With these eating habits and lack of activity, I was only putting myself more at risk.

When I started at the Ice Chamber this past May, I weighed in at 168 pounds with a body fat percentage of 29.5%. I had noticed the weight gain, but I had not committed to changing my routine. Biking to work and swimming once a week had not helped me shed pounds. With a torn meniscus in each knee, I did not see a way to exercise more without causing additional pain. I had been battling this knee injury while participating in running-intensive sports and lost. I had not found a suitable outlet to replace run or Ultimate.

Ann-Maree convinced me to join her for 7 am classes. I am not sure what prompted her to ask me, but I am so thankful that she got me there.

I wasn’t worried about getting my stats taken. I knew where I was at. My doctor and I had had the talk. For the first time in my life, I was officially overweight with a BMI of 25.8. That first week, none of this mattered because I was more concerned about being able to walk down the stairs or turn over in bed without using my arms. The squats and partner sit-ups had done me in. Jess and Steve had put me through the paces, and Ann-Maree had proven to be a faithful and inspiring partner, keeping me honest and advising me on weight selection and form.

After standing in line for stats a few weeks, I stopped checking in. The numbers were trending in the right direction. More importantly, I was getting stronger.

Now, when feeling ambitious, I look to Wendy and grab the 25-lb dumbbells. Ab exercises are more achievable, but words of encouragement from Tracy or Heather motivate me during extended plank holds since I can barely hit the 1-min mark. In core class, chats with Samine keep me running at a decent pace. Cheers from Nani are infectious. Commiserating with Gunther after class has validated my conviction that each class is still difficult. Much to my surprise, I have been able to laugh with Susan and Riley about carrying Doug three different ways down the mats. Things have certainly changed since last May.

Somewhere in the last few months, I have dropped fifteen pounds: 153 lbs with a body fat percentage of 23.1%. While I am happy with the weight loss, I am more enthusiastic about the other positive changes that have come from the IC. That’s likely why I switched my routine from three times a week to showing up at the gym 5-6 times each week.

My health is improving. Knee pain has been nearly eliminated with the strengthening of stabilizer muscles in my legs. My posture has improved with better core and back strength. My blood pressure has returned to pre-Bay Area levels. My blood sugar levels have stayed within the normal zone. I am working fewer hours, striking a better balance between work and home because I have set commitments at the gym in either the morning or evening.

I am also smarter about what and how much I am eating. There are less baked treats and more vegetables. At the farmer’s market, I steer clear of cookies and carry home bags of each season’s fruits. I let Neil finish my plates at restaurants. By decreasing the amount of refined sugar in my diet, I have found that I crave it less. When I do have it, I feel lethargic. My body has reversed course and now seeks foods that are healthier for me. This isn’t to say that I am 100% off baked goods. Far from it, but I am regulating my intake better.

A couple months into my membership, I confessed to Ann-Maree that I had a distressing realization: this wasn’t a quick weight-loss phase in my life, but a complete lifestyle change. At that point, the dedication to daily exercise was still daunting. Now, I have no problem committing to and advocating for an active lifestyle. Taking control of my health is one of the most empowering decisions I have made. I am well on my way thanks to my training buddies (especially Ann-Maree, my first one, and Neil, my newest one) and trainers at the IC.”

-Katie B.

“I have only recently joined, but I have already seen some great results! For five weeks, I have been coming to the 7am Morning Bootcamp three days a week. My weight has dropped from 208lbs to 200lbs and my percent of body fat has dropped from 18.0% to 15.9%! I am so excited to see the rewards of exercise, a well-balanced diet and positive motivation!

Moving here almost 2 years ago from Tennessee, I was amazed at the cultural atmosphere of healthy eating and being active, but the relocation disrupted my running routine and with all the new culinary adventures, I eventually gained 18lbs. After all the cookies over the holiday, I knew I needed a big change to pull me out of my slump. With the help of the Ice Chamber, a new nutritional plan, and a positive outlook on life, I feel proud to have come this far already.

The biggest change would have to be my breakfast. Since I was a teenager, I have eaten 3 bowls of sugary cereal every morning. Yes, three big bowls of sugary goodness. Now, on IC days I eat a ½ cup of oatmeal with some brown sugar and on non-IC days I eat ½ a bowl of grown-up cereal (Fiber-One Honey Clusters, yum.) Lunch consists of a simple sandwich and some fruit and Dinner is usually a grilled chicken breast, rice and some veggies. The most helpful habit I have picked up is healthy snacking. I usually have a small mid-morning snack and one in the afternoon. For example, a stalk of celery with organic peanut butter, 3oz of Almonds, or some plain yogurt with a little bit of granola. Those snacks really help me not go overboard during bigger meal. If it is after 8pm, forget it! I have been really adamant about making dinner the last meal of the night. I think I remember Oprah talking about that some years ago. O’ and water, we have a pretty tight relationship.

I am human; therefore, my diet is not perfect! I try to keep either Friday or Saturday as an indulgent dinner option. (Last week, I made this killer broccoli, cheddar, and potato soup!) I am trying to keep my excesses in smaller portions and in less frequency than before. Balance.. Moderation.. Terms you hear all the time but whose practice require a great deal of will power. I’m no where near perfect, but I have sure made a lot of progress. Just saying no to that sweet girl with a beautiful box of Samoas is a big step for me!

As I look towards the remainder of the IC Challenge, I hope my physical strength continues to grow. Everyone will agree with me, that the trainers are amazing and I couldn’t be where I am now without you. To all of you who push me to work harder, Thank You!”

-Jason

“I’ve lost about 3 pounds in the past three weeks and 2.7% body fat. My strategy has been to adopt and maintain a realistic combination of habits. Full disclosure: pre-challenge, from Thanksgiving through New Years Day, we were eating pretty poorly and IC attendance was sporadic. But since the challenge started, we decided to take a middle of the road approach that is both healthy and enjoyable. Food and drink are very important to us, and we couldn’t be to extreme or we’d break after a week. Also, we have frequent visitors from the east coast, and everyone who comes here wants to partake of the great food and wine the region has to offer. To offset that, we began to see our daily meals as fuel: something that should be tasty, but primarily service our needs for nutrition and convenience.

Foodwise, we haven’t done anything radical. We turned to fresh herbs and spices, veggies, fish, and chicken. We use a good non-stick pan and pump spray with olive oil. I ate legumes and lentils pretty regularly, but recently I’ve started eating more chicken, fish, and the occasional steak. I reduced the amount of carbs from bread and pasta. (Mind you, reduced, not eliminated!) We try to get more of our carbs from whole grains and things like basmati rice, wild rice, and potatoes. When we make a grocery run, we get fresh everything, but we also have lots of frozen stuff (primarily vegetables, chicken, and fish) on hand so when we run out, we don’t use that as an excuse to order out. Portion control is a big challenge, and sometimes my husband thinks of Maya’s post and why we eat which helps bring back perspective. We are more aware of calorie content, and we might try and cancel out a “bad” meal with a “good” one. For example, if we know if we are going out to dinner, we might have a light breakfast and lunch of mostly fruits and veggies.

For snacks, we keep fresh fruit that doesn’t require much work: Grapes, clementines, bananas, and blueberries. For breakfast, blueberries work great with low fat yogurt and flax-granola flakes. If I want more protein, I might have an egg.

Of course, IC attendance is also key. I’ve been trying for 4 days a week. It’s not just burning calories and increasing muscle mass, it’s also the sense of well being. The support and motivation that we have found here is playing a major role. After a great workout, binging on burgers is the last thing on my mind.”

-Lina

… as written to Jess a day before the AKC Southeast Championship:

“In July of this year (2008) I walked into the Ice Chamber for the first time and met with Steven to discuss my goals. I’d given him my background– I’d played Division I soccer in college, but that was 15 years, 1 badly broken foot, 2 kids, and what seemed like a lifetime ago. My goals were pretty simple. First and foremost I wanted to lose the baby weight. Not only did I miss my old clothes and my old body, but we were redoing our life insurance and at my current weigh our premium was going to be a killer. Beyond that, my wetsuit didn’t fit. And I really missed my wetsuit… though not that I had enough upper body strength to go surfing again any time soon.

That first day I worked out with you I remember thinking, “I can’t believe I’m paying someone to make me feel this way.” The second day, “This is harder than childbirth.” (And no, I’m not kidding.) My quads were so sore for the first two weeks that I had to crawl down the stairs in my house. There are a lot of stairs in my house.

Other IC members started to ask me what I was training for. I’d recite the goals I’d shared with Steven. But after a while it didn’t seem like enough. My arms didn’t hurt when I went surfing. I lost enough weight in the first 6 weeks that my life insurance premium dropped by $100 a month. Those first goals were starting to feel as though they were short term. Once I reached them what then?

Around that time my old soccer coach sent around an email about an alumni trip to Sweden that he was putting together for July 2009. For the first time I realized that doing something like that was not beyond the realm of the possible. I talked to him about the trip and he said he’d had a lot of interest from younger alums, people who were just a few years out. Not people like me. But how could I let an opportunity like that go by? If I really wanted to, could I do it? Could I play at that level again? What was I training for?

I added another goal to the list. Baby weight, surfing, and the alumni games in Sweden. A few weeks ago we measured my vertical jump at 16.” The last time it was measured was in college. It was 18.” You and I talked a lot about this, why this measurement was so significant to me, why it meant more to me than the weight loss, looking good in the mirror, being able to do exercises now that I couldn’t do when we first started. I couldn’t really articulate it at the time but I think I understand it now. This number to me is all about my potential. I had no idea I was still capable of a 16″ vertical jump so I assumed I wasn’t. How could I at 36 be even close to doing the same things I was doing at 20?

Potential has been on my mind a lot since that jump, potential and how it fits in with my goals. Speaking of goals, I hit that original one today when Steven weighed me. The baby weight is gone. I suppose I could have taken a moment to relish in it, but my immediate thought was if needed a new goal what should it be? Another five pounds? Another two inches? How about three? What was my bench press max in college anyway? What am I capable of? What is my potential? What am I training for?

I couldn’t name any goals. Not any numbers anyway. I don’t really know how to define my goals because a goal signifies an end point. And right now, I honestly can’t see the end. I don’t know how high I can jump. I don’t know how strong I can be. I may be 36 years old, but I think I am finally starting to grasp that my best days physically may not be behind me. Furthermore, whatever life throws at me, I know that I not only have the potential to excel, I also have the potential to do better than I ever have before.

So the next time someone asks what I’m training for I think I’ll have a better answer. I’m just training to be the best that I can be in life. The way I see it, if I can do what you want me to do in the gym I know I’ll be able to handle whatever happens outside of it.

Now go kick some ass this weekend.”

Carolyn has been losing about 1 pound per week since the inception of the challenge.  Though the numbers themselves might not seem that significant, Carolyn feels and looks great.  Her strategy is to use patience and experimentation, along with online tools to help her manage the logistics.  Here’s an excerpt from her progress report:

“My strategy is to plan my meals really carefully and keep an online food log. I’m using Fitday, which is OK but slow — I would be interested to know who has had luck with any others. It doesn’t just track calories, but breaks things down by carbs, fats, proteins which is really helpful … I do eat meat, all kinds, but mostly now chicken because of the calories. I’m trying not to drink during the week, but not all the way off the wagon. I find that if I really pay attention, plan my meals ahead and don’t get too starving I can control my hunger and my eating pretty well.

I’m on the three day a week plan at the Ice Chamber and try to get 45 minute runs in on at least one weekend day.”