FTDI

September 5, 2016

The Camp Transformation Center – FTDI

During the week before my challenge started I attended an orientation at The Camp where they went over “The Bible” that I am to follow for the next 6 weeks. “The Bible” contains all the rules of the challenge, the diet plan, recommended supplements, emergency weight loss instructions and f.a.q’s. I’m not going to go into all the details of “The Bible,” but I do want to review the nutrition plan since I will be posting recipes that abide by the rules set forth in “The Bible.” When you are following the rules you are FTDI or following the damn instructions. The promise is, if you follow the instructions, you will succeed.

FTDI Meal Plan

FTDI Protein	FTDI Carbohydrates	FTDI Vegetables
4oz - Women / 6oz- Men	2oz - Women/ 6oz - Men	Unlimited
Egg Whites	Rolled or Steel-Cut Oats	Broccoli
Chicken Breast	Quinoa	Asparagus
Turkey Breast	Brown Rice	Brussels Sprouts
1% Lean Ground Turkey	Yam	Spinach
Tilapia	Sweet Potato	Kale
Tuna	No quick ready/instant	Celery

That’s it! For the next 6 weeks all meals will include a serving of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. In-between meals you are supposed to have a serving of protein or a protein shake. You must eat every 2.5 – 3 hours and drink a gallon of water a day. You should alternate between meals and protein/shakes during all waking hours. There is no limit to the number of meals/shakes. If you are awake you should be eating. It’s important to note that everything except for oatmeal should be weighed after being cooked.

The staff at The Camp only recommend the MyoFx line of products. They have various flavors for protein shakes and I’ll be sure to try them and give you my review.

FTDI Condiments & Drinks

You are also allowed to have condiments in moderation like mustard, lemon/lime, salt/pepper, calorie free herbs and spices, onion, garlic, Tapatio, salsa, liquid aminos, and vinegar. Liquid aminos was something that I had heard about it before, but apparently it’s an alternative to soy sauce.

In addition, you can have diet drinks that are sweetened with 0 calorie sugar (Stevia, Equal, Sweet & Low, etc.). Basically anything that has 0 calories is FTDI. There are plenty of studies that have been done regarding the use of artificial sugar and my recommendation is to avoid it if at all possible. I’m going to take this opportunity to ween myself off of sugar. Maybe I’ll have withdrawals, but I’m hoping for the best.

It is also recommended that you wean yourself off of caffeinated coffee and tea. I don’t drink coffee but I am surrounded by heavy coffee drinkers and I hear that the withdrawals can get really serious. I’m talking horrible headaches, irritability, fevers. So if you are going to attempt to wean yourself off, good luck! Lastly, maybe it goes without saying, but no alcohol during the challenge.

September 5, 2016

The Camp Transformation Center – Week 1

I signed up for the 20 in 42 challenge. That’s 20 lbs in 42 days. That’s an average of 3.33 lbs a week. Anybody that has ever tried to lose weight knows that the first week of a diet is usually successful. When you are exercising as intensely as you are at The Camp, you expect that most of your weight loss is water weight. And though I think that’s true for the most part, I’m not convinced that is what is going on here.

The Diet

As I mentioned earlier, part of being successful at The Camp is “Following The Damn Instructions” or being FTDI for short. Part of that means drinking one gallon of water a day. Now, I thought, “Psssh, I’ve got this. I drink plenty of water.” Boy, was I wrong. You see, I usually gulp down water meaning I’ll fill a tall glass of water and finish it all at once. That habit tricked me into thinking that I was drinking a lot of water, but I wasn’t. I was drinking a little more than half a gallon a day. In order to ensure I met the required gallon a day, I bought myself a 32 oz water bottle.

Obviously you can use any water bottle, but I love and recommend the Hydro Flask. My sister who camps a lot recommends it because it keeps her drinks cold even on the hottest days. There are a ton of water bottles that claim to do this, but the Hydro Flask is the only one that I have come across that lives up to that promise. It comes in all different color and sizes, so I’m sure you’ll find one that matches your style. I separated out my waking hours and determined that I needed to finish 3 of these water bottles before 5 o’clock so that I could drink the last one in the evening.

I followed the FTDI diet all week. Preparing meals ahead of time was definitely a life saver. There were times that I would have skipped a meal because I was too tired to cook, but thankfully all I had to do was warm up the correct portions. Which brings me to my second recommendation/requirement for succeeding at this challenge, buy a food scale. I have a digital food scale that I don’t love, but it gets the job done. It is crazy how out of sync my proportions were. What I thought was a serving of rice, was more like 3 servings. I noticed that once I got into the habit of weighing my food, it didn’t even annoy me anymore.

The Exercise

Lastly, I want to cover the exercise this week. I attended 5 classed this week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. I was planning on going Monday through Friday, but I was soooooo sore! It’s the worst when you need to go to the bathroom, but your thighs hurt from squats. Here’s a tip if you ever feel like that: Use the handicap stall and use the hand bars. This saved me this week. On the recommendation of The Camp Director I also took MyoFX Glutamine FX. It’s a supplement that assists with muscle recovery and soreness. I have to say that it worked because other times that I’ve been sore, it’s taken me several days before I attempted to work out again.

The Results

Drum roll please! In one week I have lost 6.2 lbs! Getting on the scale and seeing such a big drop in one week is awesome! I was expecting some weight loss, but this was amazing. My mind immediately thought of the possibilities if I could keep this up. I’ll be fit and fabulous in no time! I’m happy to report that I did not feel hungry during the week. Eating every 2.5 – 3 hours is a lot and it doesn’t give you the opportunity to get hungry. If this continues, I don’t think I’ll have a problem sticking to the diet. I can’t wait for next week’s results!

What’s the most that you have lost in a week without starving yourself (sorry lemonade dieters)? Comment below and let me know. I’d love to celebrate your success with you.

Stay fit and fabulous!
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August 21, 2016

Joining The Camp Transformation Center

I decided to start my weight loss journey with a bang. For a while I had seen several boot-camp style workouts that promised great results advertised on Facebook. There were several problems though:
1) They were usually held at times I wasn’t available.
2) They were outside in public spaces, which I interpreted as no bathroom access and getting really dirty.
3) I didn’t know anybody that had liked a boot-camp style workout. All reviews I had received were less than flattering.
4) I was 100% sure I wouldn’t be able to get through the entire workout {embarrassing}.

When I came across The Camp Transformation Center on Facebook and I saw all of the testimonials for the transformations that they were responsible for, I decided to give them a try.

1) I wanted fast results.
2) It was a bet on myself (more on this later).
3) They provided all the tools I needed to succeed.

The Camp Transformation Center is a boot camp style gym that provides workout classes all morning and throughout the evening. They are led by two instructors that demonstrate all of the exercises that will be performed during the class. The classes are usually a circuit of high intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises. During the class, the instructors keep time and assist with form.

I could have enrolled in the gym as a member, but I decided to take one of the challenges they offer. Lose 20 lbs in 6 weeks and the classes and nutritional guidance is free. What did I have to lose, right? Well, you have to leave a $500 deposit before you get started. As much as I’d like to say that’s chump change, it’s not. I really have to work by butt off to make sure I get my money back.

I attended an informational session with my sister in which the Camp Director went over the challenge. He told the group that part of the agreement is that The Camp will take before and after pictures and be able to publish photos/videos of our success. We would be required to attend 30 classes in the 6 weeks of the challenge and officially check-in on Facebook every time. This is their main marketing tool. Our success is their product.

There was a meal plan that we would be following during the 6 weeks, though we didn’t go into detail on the specifics during the info session. There was a wall at the Center that I attended that listed everybody’s name who was currently on the challenge and their weekly progress. I glanced through the starting weights and was surprised to discover that there were several individuals in the 200 and 300 lb range. These were real people changing their lives one week at a time. I signed up the same day. 1st day of the rest of my life.