RESULTS from the January Shred!

Let me start off by congratulating each and every person who completed the January Shred! I have to say that I am blown away by the results that our "Shredders" achieved in just 31 short days! I expected some of the most disciplined Shredders to lose about 5 lbs, which would equate to about 1 lb per week during the program. Me of little faith! We had 3 people lose double digits, and many others weren't far behind them at all. What was so great about this program was it didn't involve counting calories. Yes, to lose weight our Shredders moved into a caloric deficit, but they did so by keeping up with 10 simple rules each and every day, versus having to count and track everything they ate for an entire month. You think counting calories is easy? Try it for more than 2 weeks and tell me if you don't go crazy. The 10 rules were challenging, but easier mentally to wrap your head around. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, HERE is the initial January Shred post with the video and all of the rules. Now, onto the final points, the results, and a few comments from our Shredders.

The Points

The point system was more for accountability and competition than anything else. However, those who kept up with their points certainly fared well on the shred. Here is how our final point totals looked . I'm only going to include the top 10 for space:

NAME	WEEK#1	WEEK#2	WEEK#3	WEEK#4	WEEK#5	TOTALS
Lacresha Merkle	35	40	56	51	45	227
Nick Merkle	35	40	56	51	45	227
Jessica Drosyk	28	50	50	51	47	226
Vanessa Rogers	25	52	49	50	47	223
Matt Abele	31	50	49	48	43	221
Audra Laking	29	49	46	51	45	220
Leigh Abele	31	47	48	47	41	214
John Drosyk	26	47	47	46	42	208
Carole Nettles	20	39	42	42	38	181
Barry Jones	31	49	47	38	0	165

The Results

The results are what we are really after. Ultimately, burning fat was the goal of the program, but not everyone had the benefit of calculating their body fat % before and after. However, the scale is a pretty good indication of what kind of results people are achieving. Therefore, I'm going to sort this list by weight loss.

NAME	LBS LOST	MEASUREMENTS
Jessica Drosyk	12	Lost 3.5 inches in waist, 4 in chest, 2.5 in hips, 2 in thigh and 1.5 in arm.
Barry Jones	10	Lost 2 inches in waist.
Carole Nettles	10	Lost 2.5 inches in waist, lost 1.5 inches in waist.
Leigh Abele	8.8	Lost 2 inches in waist, 2% body fat, 1 inch in waist.
Bobby Brown	8	Lost 2 inches in waist.
Nathan McMullin	8	Lost 2 inches in waist. Starting to see ABS!
Audra Laking	7.5	Lost 3 inches.
Cindy Greer	7	Lost 5.5 inches.
Nick Merkle	6.5	Did not measure.
Matt Abele	6.4	Lost an inch in waist. Lost 1.52% body fat. Now at 10.15%.
Tracy Allgrove	6.2	List 2 inches in waist and 1.25 in hips.
Lacresha Merkle	5.5	Did not measure.
Vanessa Rogers	4.2	Lost 2 inches in waist and 2 inches in hips. Lost 7.5 overall.
John Drosyk	4	Lost 2 inches in waist, 2.5 in hips, gained 1/2 inch in biceps!
Julie Owens	4	Did not measure.
Natalie Ivy	4	Lost 1 inch in waist.
Daryl Greer	2.2	Did not measure.

Comments from a few Shredders

Jessica Drosyk (Lost 12 lbs, 3.5 inches in waist, 2.5 in hips)

"Matt, I really can't say thank you enough for your encouragement and support. This shred was the best idea ever!! Intermittent Fasting (IF): This was the biggest change for me. I have always been a breakfast person and would eat oatmeal or eggs within 30 minutes of waking up. The first week of IF was pretty tough. But, I did enjoy having extra time to get ready (or sleep late) since I wasn't preparing and eating breakfast AND eating more at lunch/dinner while still staying in my calorie goal was pretty nice too. The Rest of the Rules: The rest of the rules were easy to follow. Not that I didn't struggle with temptation but they weren't a big lifestyle change. I think most of the success (for me) with the shred is that it wasn't low carb everyday. Having only 3 LC days a week made it do-able. Accountability: FAVE!  Accountability works. I don't have to tell you that. It's just easier to have a community to celebrate and commiserate with. Positives: Increased energy, Positive outlook (overall happier), Great skin. I've had 4 people tell me this month that my skin looks amazing. (all that water and no junk... who knew :D), Closer to my goal and totally motivated to keep going!!

John Drosyk (Lost 4 lbs, 2 inches in waist)

"I am glad I did the January shred. I originally did it to help motivate Jessica, but toward the end I could see how much I benefited from it as well. The toughest part for me was the IF as well as the low carb/empty calorie rules. I am a cereal and chocolate milk junkie. I would usually eat a large bowl of cereal after dinner right before I went to bed as well a couple of bowls in the morning. I would drink several glasses of chocolate milk all though the day. Cutting out those items as well as fasting at night and into the morning was a challenge. It eventually became easier and now feels normal. I plan on continuing many of the shred rules going forward so I can get my six pack. I know that abs aren't made in the gym but in the kitchen. Glad I did the shred. It made my heart-shaped cookie dough filled doughnut this morning that much better. :)"

Cindy Greer (Lost 7 lbs and 5.5 inches overall)      

"Drum roll.............................I lost exactly 7 pounds and 5.5 inches!  And if we were on Biggest Loser that would be a 4.7% loss.  I have no pictures.  I am thrilled with my results.  I started cutting back on December 26 and had lost 1 pound before we began the shred -- so just personally, I have lost 8 pounds.  I have been at this weight and even lower, but I lost my focus and let myself gain a pound here and there. My point totals probably don't lead you to believe that I would have good results, but I was trying to be totally honest with them.  If I forgot to plan my meals for the next day or if plans changed, I didn't get a point.  That doesn't mean that I ate poorly, though.  If I had a few grams too low on protein, I didn't get a point, but I still had a large amount of protein.  The one thing I didn't do very much were the low carb days. I love to cook and I love to eat.  I would love to visit most every restaurant in Montgomery just to experience it.  Dining is my recreation.  This month, though, I tried to look at food more as fuel and less as entertainment.  I stayed hungry much of the time, but it wasn't stomach hunger, it was emotional.  So, it took me about 2 1/2 weeks to break that 'addiction'.  Since then, though, I have not felt hungry.  I have eaten the right foods in the right amounts."

Vanessa Rogers (Lost 4.2 lbs and 1.52% body fat)

"Following the 10 "simple" rules isn't too far from my normal clean eating regimen. Tracking with the points held me accountable for my problem areas--eating out (although I try to eat clean even then....it's still not as good as eating at home) and ensuring I squeeze in some type of strength or HIIT workout.  What was different from my normal routine was tracking carb and protein intake. I found it much more difficult to get the protein in than it was to cut back on the carbs. But after a few days, you tend to learn what you can and cannot eat and what you need to eat more of. I didn't have any problems with the I/F, not in waiting 14+ hours to eat. My struggle was trying to get all of my necessary foods in before I started fasting each night. I always went to bed full (content, not stuffed). My absolute favorite part....going to bed full but waking up with a flat tummy! It made getting dressed each morning much easier. Most women will probably agree, but what we usually choose to wear depends on how we feel physically when we wake up. As in....'where is the bloating this morning? What area do I need to conceal? A baggy, blousy shirt to cover the tummy? Loose slacks to avoid the muffin tops?' and so on...During the shred, I didn't have those concerns because I woke up each morning feeling leaner and leaner."

Matt Abele (Lost 6.4 lbs and 1 inch in waist)

I have to say, I'm really excited about the way the shred turned out! I had planned on doing something like this just for myself to cut back after the ridiculous feeding frenzy I had over the holidays, but I'm so glad that nearly 40 other people joined me. As Jessica said, accountability is HUGE! I wouldn't have had nearly the success that I did had I been doing this on my own. We all banded together to console each other on low carb days, and many of us held strong on our goals because we didn't want to let down the other Shredders who were counting on us to be right there with them. Could I personally have done better? Sure...but overall I stuck to the plan much more often than not. I was hoping to get down into the single digit body fat % again...it didn't happen, but I'm awful close. I definitely think all of us learned more about healthy eating. I am so proud of what everyone accomplished, and I hope that the success continues! I know it will!

LAST DAY OF THE JANUARY SHRED!

Congratulations to all of the SHREDDERS who made it through the entire month of January! For the past 31 days you've exercised a tremendous amount of discipline following a list of 10 very simple...yet challenging rules. You suffered through the initial hunger pains as you stretched your fasting window from 8 or 9 hours to 14 or 16 hours. You set aside cravings for foods that you normally would be all over...and you probably had to watch family and friends eat them in front of you. You conquered the dreaded low carb days...UGH! You bought all kind of green thingies on that front isle in the grocery store...many of them you had no idea whether to cook or just eat them raw...but dadgum...you did it! You barely touched out to eat food all month...your grocery bill probably went up...but WOW did you save money on out to eat food!! Finally, you learned how to PLAN your food and stick to it...something that will benefit you tremendously every single month that you take the time to do it.

I'm proud to have been on this journey with you guys and gals...and I am absolutely beside myself with excitement waiting for the actual RESULTS that some of you obtained. I'm also absolutely beside myself with excitement about pigging out at The Melting Pot tomorrow...I won't tell you which I'm the most excited about :)

Points

We will have the FINAL update of our point standing sometime this weekend...that just depends on how quickly you send me your point totals. Do you win anything for having the most points? Nope...but it's fun to win even if you don't actually get anything right?

Results

I STRONGLY encourage everyone who lost weight or lost inches to send me your results, and if you are brave your photos. I want to be able to do a BIG blog post with the progress that each person obtained and maybe get a short write up about your month...maybe something you learned or how you have started a change in lifestyle, etc?

Just the Beginning?

The success of the January Shred, while not official yet - but I've been hearing good things from many of you, has got my wheels turning. If I can find the time to organize some of my thoughts into an actionable plan, the January Shred could be just the beginning of an awesome way to really transform ALOT of people's bodies and help people finally reach their potential. Our Boot Campers would probably be the first benefactors of what I'm thinking about...

Thanks to each and every one of you SHREDDERS. Now my challenge to you is to keep up as many of the good habits that you've practiced over the last month as possible. You know what works now...and you can continue to make BIGTIME progress toward your goals. STAY STRONG AND TRUST THE PROCESS!

- Matt

January Shred Week 4 Point Totals

Hey Shredders,

Sorry, my daily blog updates have crashed and burned. I am getting completely annihilated at work and have been working a bunch of extra hours. Crazy thing is that I'm just getting further and further behind even though I'm working at a frantic pace. It is a good problem to have to be so busy...so bear with me and finish this shred strong even though I'm not exactly Mr. Motivation right now.

Here are your week #4 point totals!!!

NAME	WEEK#1	WEEK#2	WEEK#3	WEEK#4	TOTALS
Lacresha Merkle	35	40	56	51	182
Nick Merkle	35	40	56	51	182
Jessica Drosyk	28	50	50	51	179
Matt Abele	31	50	49	48	178
Vanessa Rogers	25	52	49	50	176
Audra Laking	29	49	46	51	175
Leigh Abele	31	47	48	47	173
John Drosyk	26	47	47	46	166
Barry Jones	31	49	47	38	165
Rachel Jones	30	47	46	38	161
Nathan McMullin	27	49	40	42	158
Carole Nettles	20	39	42	42	143
Jonathan Martin	22	27	42	39	130
Bobby Brown	23	39	26	38	126
Natalie Ivy	19	31	36	40	126
Richard Rogers	26	29	35	36	126
Alyson Yarema	0	43	33	45	121
Tracy Allgrove	11	34	33	40	118
Bryan Isbell	25	32	19	30	106
Cindy Greer	26	31	20	25	102
Julie Owens	0	26	31	27	84
Anita Jones	32	46	0	0	78
Hayley Lavendar	0	19	20	26	65
Meredith Renfro	31	32	0	0	63
Kimberly Nichols	28	34	0	0	62
Daryl Greer	24	18	14	0	56

January Shred Day 23

Day 23

Day 23 with only 8 days to go! They say it takes 21 days to form an effective habit, so by now everyone ought to have settled into this Shred thing and is going strong! For me, focusing on the results I'm after versus the points I'm collecting or what I'm giving up is the best approach. Today is a low carb day, but instead of being miserable all day because I can't have carbs, I just remind myself that these are the days that fat dies!!!

I'm also trying something today I don't normally do...well actually a few things. I'm going to go workout in Boot Camp this evening (normally don't workout in the evenings) and today is a low-carb day. Yes, I'm going to go bust my tail this evening with little to no carbs in me :) I should burn a lot of fat, but I expect to be completely worn out by the time this day is over.

My Plan for Today

12:00pm - Chicken salad made w/light olive oil mayo and sweet relish + lots of spinach + protein shake w/ water
4:00pm - Muscle Milk Light
5:30pm - BOOT CAMP!
7:15pm - Grilled chicken + steamed broccoli.
7:45pm - Protein shake w/ milk

Stay strong SHREDDERS!

January Shred Day 22

Day 22

So I haven't really been blogging as much lately...I've been SUPER BUSY and working longer hours at my full-time job. It is a good thing...but man would I be ok with a slow day or two here and there. Today is day 22, which means there are only 9 days left to go!!!! WE ARE IN SINGLE DIGITS!!!

Just some anecdotal information. I don't know how much weight/inches Leigh has lost, but I can visibly see changes since we started this thread. I don't notice my changes as much, but I am pretty sure my love handles have gone down a little bit. Still 9 more days to build on that!

My Plan for Today

5:15am - Strength Training (Legs)
7:00am - 1/2 scoop of protein w/ water (<75 calories). Since I had a heavy leg workout this morning I decided to get in a little more protein for the day, and fitting it in the fasting window makes that easier to do.
12:00pm - Protein and Oats w/ milk + Turkey and Ham on Jewish Rye w/ provolone, spinach and light olive oil mayo + mozzarella stick + peanut butter protein bar
4:00pm - Honeycrisp apple + Muscle Milk Light
6:30pm - Grilled chicken + brussel sprouts + red potatoes?
7:30pm - Protein shake w/ milk

January Shred Week #3 Point Totals!

We are 20 days into the Shred, and only have 11 days to go! We've still got 26 Shredders in the game. We either lost about a dozen along the way, or they just haven't been concerned about the points. If someone didn't have any points by this week, I left them off the list.

Remember, as I keep on saying...points are great...but RESULTS are what we are after. At the end of this month that is what we really want to see! Great job everyone who is keeping their heads in the game! Keep at it! 11 days to go! TRUST THE PROCESS! #SHRED!

Week #3 Point Totals

NAME	WEEK#1	WEEK#2	WEEK#3	TOTALS
Barry Jones	31	53	51	135
Lacresha Merkle	35	40	56	131
Nick Merkle	35	40	56	131
Rachel Jones	30	51	50	131
Matt Abele	31	50	49	130
Jessica Drosyk	28	50	50	128
Leigh Abele	31	47	48	126
Vanessa Rogers	25	52	49	126
Audra Laking	29	49	46	124
John Drosyk	26	47	47	120
Nathan McMullin	27	49	40	116
Carole Nettles	20	39	42	101
Richard Rogers	26	29	35	90
Bobby Brown	23	39	26	88
Natalie Ivy	19	31	36	86
Anita Jones	32	46	0	78
Tracy Allgrove	11	34	33	78
Cindy Greer	26	31	20	77
Alyson Yarema	0	43	33	76
Bryan Isbell	25	32	19	76
Meredith Renfro	31	32	0	63
Kimberly Nichols	28	34	0	62
Julie Owens	0	26	31	57
Daryl Greer	24	18	14	56
Jonathan Martin	22	27	0	49
Hayley Lavendar	0	19	20	39

Congrats to Barry still holding the lead. We've got less than 2 weeks to go. DON'T LET UP NOW!

January Shred Day 19

Day 19

Wow what a day so far. I had the opportunity to get up on stage at church this Sunday and talk a little about physical training and how it relates to spiritual training. One of the verses I shared was Hebrews 12:11 that talks about discipline. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't want to be healthy and be in great shape...but the reality is we Americans are more obese and have more health problems than we've ever had. So desire isn't enough...it takes discipline! I appreciate Pastor Mike Mozingo (Journey Church in Prattville) for inviting me to come up and share.

Alright...it's the beginning of a new week, and only 2 weeks left on the January Shred! Sometimes it is hard to see and feel the results you are making because change takes place gradually. That is also how some of us gain so much weight and can get out of shape...it just seems to sneak up on you. I know I've made progress on the Shred, but looking in the mirror I can't really notice much. Of course, there are still 2 more weeks, and I know the measurements will tell the real story...but I am definitely expecting to drop a % point or more of body fat. Ideally my goal is to get back under 10%. Regardless, this has been a great way for me to get back on track with better eating habits. Leigh and I have talked, and even after the shred is over, we're still going to keep up with some of the rules like planning healthy meals, low carb days, and less eating out. We both want to continue to make progress towards our goals. Of course, we're going to celebrate our successes a bit with some awesome food first :)

My plan for the day

6:45am - Coffee with allowable amount of creamer <75 calories
11:30am - Strength training (Chest & Triceps)
12:45pm - Taco soup made w/ ground turkey + protein and oats w/ milk
3:45pm - Honeycrisp apple + protein shake w/ milk
6:00pm - Chicken and blackbean tacos w/ lettuce and spinach salad on the side
7:00pm - Protein shake w/ milk

Scripture for the Day

As mentioned above, I had the opportunity to talk at church this morning, and one of the verses I talked about was from Matthew 7:24-27. I brought this up in the context that when trying to get in shape and lose weight, you have to have a plan that has a foundation for success. The wise builder had a good plan with a solid foundation. The foolish builder had a poor plan. In both cases the results were predictable. The take away...be wise and have a foundation in the truth!

Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”