Why Michelle Bridges’ 12WBT works for me
06 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in 12wbt, Exercise, Weight Tags: 12WBT, Exercise, Running, Weight Loss
A question was asked this week in a facebook group I am involved in about the pros and cons of the 12WBT. I knew I couldn’t answer this in a facebook comments block, and so thought it easier to blog about. I also know that today isn’t the ideal day for me to be blogging this as I have really really struggled today & made some bad choices – hit the week 4 hump in the road. But here goes.
12wbt is more than a diet, it is more than an exercise or weight loss plan. To me it is life changing. I have tried many programs – Jenny Craig, Easyslim, Herbalife, weight watchers, Fernwood’s slimplicity as well as various attempts at watching what I eat, joining gyms, starting walking plans. But this is the first program that has not only worked for me, but the first one where I have actually achieved my goal weight.
I believe the key to 12WBT success is the preaseason, 4 weeks when you spend time contemplating the reasons for why you have ended up where you are and recording them. Thinking through all the excuses you use and how to overcome them. You get your kitchen organised, you make sure you have the right gear and you measure & weigh yourself.
So apart from this my pros would be as follows:
- the amazing support you receive from Michelle Bridges & her team through the 2 weekly videos (generally one is live where you are able to ask questions), forum posts and facebook page.
- Being given a menu plan, shopping list, recipes & and a workout plan everyweek. No thinking involved (and there is a con with this too).
- You are dealing in calories with every meal and snack. You learn to read the nutrition boxes on packets and understand how many calories are too many – no hiding the facts using points or other methods or carrying around books advising how many points etc in things. This can then be taken outside the program easily to work out whether food that looks OK really is.
- the support from other people doing the program. It really is a community, and as such you see the good, the bad & the ugly. But definitely the good far outweighs the bad. I have made some wonderful friends through 12wbt, primarily through local meetups.
- the cost (though some would say this is a con) . Compared to other programs I don’t believe this is expensive. I know I have spent way more on other programs that have not been as successful.
- you are eating and preparing real food, not prepackaged frozen meals, meal replacement shakes or a heap of tablets. You are learning how you should eat.
- Having a freezer with frozen leftovers of healthy meals for those nights when life gets in the way or I just can’t be bothered.
- Learning new habits & learning to love new things. Who would have thought 18 months ago that I would kinda enjoy running & would voluntarily enter fun runs. How good my day is depends on how much exercise I have started the day with (hence my bad day today).
- Feeling awesome about myself and how I look. This is huge! I have confidence in myself that I never had before. I know I can achieve.
And to be fair the cons:
- it is not magic. You need to work hard, you need to be organised and consistent. But put the effort in and you will see the results.
- the weekly meal plans & shopping list – makes my life a bit tough sometimes. There are some foods I will not eat and so I spend time each week tweaking the plans and working out our own menu plan. Some things I can’t convince my fussy eating boys to even try so need backup meals.
- The consuming nature of the program. I find when I am focussed on the program other things slip by the wayside as I try to find time to fit exercise & cooking into my day.
Each of the 4 rounds I have done have been very different for me, and I have been looking for different things. Round 1 last year was all about weight loss, and I achieved that. Round 3 last year was about consolidating the weight loss & also meeting other 12wbters – again successful. I told myself that round 1 this year was about fitness, and yes, I did run my first ever fun runs, but let the food side slip & did not achieve my goals. The current round is about changing my mindset about food – reinforcing that I am an adult and shouldn’t continue to eat like a child. This is a big deal for me and if I get it, it will set me up forever.
I love 12wbt and I will be forever grateful for the changes it has made in my life!
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