Good morning! We are back from Disney and this post has been months in the making. In January, I committed to doing Caroline Girvan’s Epic Endgame program. It’s 50 workouts over 10 weeks and I knew it would challenge me. Little did I know just how much! I’ve shared bits of the journey along the way on Instagram, and I always got a ton of comments and questions. I had taken control of my fitness during the pandemic, but I could feel myself getting a bit complacent towards the end of 2021. I was knocking out random workouts without any real plan or goal in place. I had done plenty of Caroline’s videos in the past, so when she announced this program, I knew it was going to be just what I needed. The workouts are all 40ish minutes [excluding warm up and cool down] and I knew based on the below calendar that I’d be able to plan and schedule my life to make sure I was able to get in all these workouts. That’s what I love about Caroline. She is so intentional about everything she does and never leaves you hanging or guessing. The structure/cadence of this program is what I had been craving.
I started January 1st off at 158.1 lbs [I went HAM during the holidays so I knew that was coming. I was probably closer to 152-155 for the majority of 2021].
One month in, I was definitely feeling really good and really strong. I had already upped my dumbbell weight I could use during the videos. On Feb 1, I was 155.4 lbs, so down almost 3 lbs. I definitely felt leaner.
For my final weigh in on March 12 [I did this one day early since we left for Disney the morning of the 13th], I weighed 152.8. The week prior, I had gotten as low at 151.5. So, overall, I lost 5-7ish lbs. I think these photos definitely show my midsection is leaner and my arms are more defined. I also feel a difference in the size/shape of my quads. As a reminder, the scale isn’t the only metric of progress! I think if you compare these photos to my Jan 1, you see a big difference.
I also wanted to show you guys this chart because another task I did daily during this challenge was weigh myself daily. I wanted to eliminate the mystery around the scale and get comfortable using this simply as data and not get emotionally tied up in the numbers. As you can see, there were peaks and valleys. Changing your body is not linear. But I’m really happy that my trendline was downward! FYI – this screenshot is from the Inner Circle App [which I’m also currently a member of, though I don’t utilize it to its fullest].
If you’ve been around a while, you know I did FWTFL years back, and lost 5 lbs in 6 weeks on that program, and actually ended up weighing ~153 at the end of that, but my body looks SO different now; which is proof that the scale isn’t everything! This program from Caroline truly transformed my mind and body. One unintended side effect was that I found myself making so many better choices through my day knowing that I had these workouts coming up. This post includes a few of those better choices, but overall I can attribute my progress during this program to the following:
- committing to the 5 workouts a week and never letting myself skip – super proud of this one!
- getting at least 10K steps a day
- aiming for 90-100g of protein a day
- staying in a calorie deficit the vast majority of the time [based on my goals, I tried to stay between 1400-1700 a day, but always consult a professional before making any calorie adjustments]
- cutting way back on alcohol [I can count on my hands and feet the times I drank during this program, which was a significant change]
- prioritizing sleep [getting no less than 7-8 hours a night; not a problem for me, I love sleep!]
By keeping all of the above in the forefront of my mind, I was able to really hone in on my commitment here. I’ve been tracking my food in My Fitness Pal for years, so that part wasn’t an issue, but I definitely would keep myself in check by not staying up late or saying no to that last drink because I had to workout in the morning. I don’t personally believe this is sustainable to always live like this, but for the duration of the program, I felt physically AND mentally strong by committing to this. I also want to note that for those 6 bullets above, I aimed for ~80% consistency on those throughout the month. That basically meant that I could have a “cheat day” once a week where I didn’t necessarily track my food/protein but still tried to prioritize movement and make decent nutrition choices. I definitely did not hit every single one of those bullets every single day but that leeway was what made this new lifestyle work for me.
Phew. That was a lot. But I had gotten tons of messages and questions about the program and what I did and how I did it, so I hope this helps answers everything. If you decide to give it a go, let me know how you get on! It’s truly an amazing program and I feel so good. I may go start some of her other Epic programs [I’m eyeing Epic Heat next], or I may re-do this one next year! Guys, this was a LOT of work. There was no overnight success or secret sauce here. It’s getting to the gym, getting your steps in, meal planning, exhibiting self-control, and placing boundaries that helped get me here. AND the work isn’t over! This is a lifelong process. But I wholeheartedly enjoyed this program and feel proud of the results I got.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this is what works for me. Please consult with your physician before starting any new regimen.
