Seventy five days is a lot longer than it sounds. I can honestly say I am glad it is over. Will I keep doing some of the habits I have started, absolutely. Will I keep all of them, absolutely not.
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| This didn't last long...my mirror was getting too cluttered. |
THE RULES
Follow a nutrition plan of your own, no alcohol or cheat meals
This was sort of a gray area for me. I was going to try and follow the Mediterranean Diet (even bought a couple of recipe books) before I realized that it wasn't really a diet like Atkin's, keto, or whatever one you pick where there are hard and fast rules to follow.
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| North African Peanut Stew, one of the Mediterranean Diet recipes I tried. It looked like vomit but tasted pretty good. |
I remember doing the Atkin's Diet a long time ago and religiously sticking to the "Less than 40g of carbs" rule. I lost a lot of weight doing that, but I was also living off of cheese, meat, and pork rinds. Not exactly a healthy plan. I didn't want to do this again, so I did some soul searching about what this "nutrition plan" would look like for me.
Eventually, the "nutrition plan" I chose to follow was more of a nod to my time in "Overeaters Anonymous". I only had one hard, fast rule, "No eating after dinner". For me, that was my weak point that I wanted to focus on. I am an accomplished snacker and for some reason, even if I am full from dinner, I could always find room for popcorn or cookies or ice cream (Hey, it's keto ice cream! That doesn't count, right?)
I also stuck to the "No alcohol" rule. I had just come off of "Dry January" and had celebrated that feat with a weekend of wine (not too much, but enough). I noted that I really didn't like how I felt the morning after a night of sipping. That Monday, I started 75 Hard and once again pushed my wine glass away.
For me, drinking wine had become a habit and it had gotten worse during Covid. It just became a thing I did. I would go to work, come home, do my workout, have a glass of wine and then another and then maybe another. Retirement only served to make the window of opportunity larger. I would complete my tasks for my part time job and have my workout done by noon. Who doesn't want a glass of wine with lunch?
It took a while for me to replace the wine habit with something else, but I did. Actually, I didn't even realize that a swap had taken place until a few days ago. I woke up early and noticed that I was feeling excited for the day. I was looking forward to my new habits of getting up early to a nice quiet house, enjoying a cup of coffee while doing my reading (bible first and then whatever book I had chosen) and finally doing a bit of writing on my own book. I now look forward to the start of my day instead of the end and I am loving it.
Will there be wine in my future? Yes (I think). However, it is going to be the exception and not the rule.
Two 45 minutes workouts per day - one must be outside
Doing two workouts a day wasn't too much of a stretch for me. Although it did make for tired legs at a couple of races. I didn't find it hard to find a schedule that worked for me :-)
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| Tracking my 75 Hard workouts on Strava |
Of course, it is easy to fit in a second workout when you don't have a choice about the first one. Before I started this challenge, our daily walk with the dogs was a non-negotiable (at least for the dogs). The only adjustment I really made here was making sure the walk was at least 45 minutes. Thankfully, HS and the dogs obliged.
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| Always aware of my pace when walking the pups...didn't want to finish in less than 45 minutes. |
As I prepare to start officially start training for IRONMAN California, I am glad that this part of the challenge will be in my past. Yes, my training plan will have days where there are double workouts, but there will also be days of rest. I want to enjoy those days and get the most of my recovery without worrying about logging another 45 minutes even if it is only yoga or a second walk with the dogs.
Drink one gallon of water per day
I struggled with this one in the beginning and it was my miscalculation that had me starting over after Day 1. Thankfully, I have finally gotten into a rhythm of drinking consistently throughout the day. This is a habit that I will definitely keep. However, if I find myself in a situation where I have only drank 2/3 of a gallon and it's 8:00pm, I am going to let it go. No more chugging water right before bed and getting up several times during the night. Sleep trumps hydration at that point.
Read 10 pages of a non-fiction, personal development focused book
I was a "reader" before this challenge and I did read the Bible every day. However, my daily bible reading was from "The One Year Chronological Bible" which places the books of the Bible in chronological order broken down into readings by date. Most days consist of 4-6 pages. Since this was less than the prescribed 75 Hard reading amount of 10 pages, I added another daily book according to the rules that was non-fiction, educational and that could be used to improve any area of my life.
Here is my complete reading list:
- The One Year Chronological Bible (not finished yet) *MUST READ*
- Never Finished - David Goggins *MUST READ*
- Atomic Habits - James Clear *MUST READ*
- Grit - Angela Duckworth
- Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer - Priscilla Shirer (Part of Bible study group, still reading)
- Story Genius - Lisa Cron
- 28 Day Prayer Journey - Chrystal Evans
- Think Like a Warrior: The Five Inner Beliefs That Make You Unstoppable - Darrin Donnelly
- Dear Food (Journal, still reading)
- A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer - John Piper
Take a progress picture every day
This rule seemed excessive to me, but I did it, begrudgingly. I have several photos in my PJs because I realized I hadn't taken a picture, so I went and snapped one before bed. On most days, however, I tried to take the photo in my workout clothes so I could see the change.
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| Angry pajama pic LOL |
Moving forward, I am still going to take progress pics, but I think they will be on a weekly or maybe monthly basis. My monthly progress pics are in the final section.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good - Down 17 lbs.
I know that Andy Frisella gives the warning that 75 Hard is not a fitness challenge, that it is a transformative mental toughness program..."an IRONMAN for your brain" and yes, I agree it is. However, most people, including myself appreciate the outward changes too. In fact, you will find lots of before and after pics on his website. So here are my results:
- Starting Weight: 159 (and that was down from the start of the year!!!)
- Ending Weight: 141.6 (17 pounds in 75 days is pretty darn good)
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| After years of blaming age, menopause and bad luck, I would never have believed I could lose this much weight in 75 days!! |
On to a new goal :-)
More Good - Progress Pics - Photographic evidence of change
Day 1 (February 5, 2024)
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| A little thick around the middle, not much definition. 159 lbs. |
Day 30 (March 5, 2024)
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| Not so bloated! 149.9 lbs. |
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| Don't ask me why I'm never smiling ;-) 144.5 lbs. |
Day 75 (April 20, 2024)
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| No tan on the tummy! 141.6 lbs. |
The Bad
Going through my pictures today, I realized that I missed April 16 - aka Day 71. Will I start over because of this oversight? No way! As of today, I am done with 75 Hard and I am shifting my focus to IRONMAN California training. If I had skipped a photo on Day 21, would I have started over? Probably.
The Ugly
Looking back, I can't really think of anything "ugly". Could I have made the challenge harder? Yes. Could I have pushed myself more? Maybe. All in all, I would call this experiment a success. It has helped me develop new, healthy habits that I hope will continue long into the future.
If you are considering trying 75 Hard, do some research, get familiar with the rules and lay out YOUR plan. Remember, this is about sticking with something that is difficult, so hang in there!
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