"It has lightened my spirits and made me much more accepting of myself"

I entered the challenge having already started exercising and attempting to eat healthier.  Over the course of the last 15 years, I have acquired so much information about so many different “healthy” eating rules I was confused and needed help making sense of all of it.  I wanted to challenge what I thought I knew, and get affirmation if what I knew was actually correct.  I also needed a structured program with a lot of hands on coaching and community support in order to motivate me and give me the clarity and strength to make my path straight again and start actually doing what I knew I needed to do.  I didn’t feel I had much weight to lose, rather I had body fat to lose and muscle to gain.  I had hoped to see inches decrease and muscle tone to increase. If I lost weight, that would be a bonus because I have an underlying belief that my weight will always hover around 132 (+ or – 5 pounds).  I also hoped to be lead back to cooking, shopping for the right foods and eating the right foods again (not just saying it, but actually doing it).  The ultimate goal of being healthy – not only to look and feel good – is to prevent lifestyle related diseases. I don’t want to end up sick, in the hospital with tubes sticking out of me, or end up on prescriptions. 

 

·      Improved body composition – I want to see my muscles that are currently hidden by excess fat.

·      Edification & Affirmation – Use Wild Fit as a “final” source of information surrounding what the human diet should consist of, weighing it against other philosophies in hopes of finding common grounds that can be trusted and used as a lifelong truth for a healthy lifestyle.

·      Motivation & Support – I need to not feel alone in this.  I get a lot of support from my husband, but I am more of an “all in” personality; he isn’t.  The intensity with which I buy in is so much more than his, I needed others just as crazy as me for support in order to actually succeed with my goals.

·      Concrete information surrounding why certain foods are good / bad and how your body responds to them. 

 

The following chart compares what I expected from this course format with what I actually got:

Typical Online Class | Wild Fit Experience | The Wild Fit Advantage
Something you buy and the whole course is delivered to you; you go through it all on your own. | You buy the program and it is released one lesson at a time in a very intentional, methodical manner. | Unlocking daily lessons that truly lead you was refreshing.  To be “taught” was such a blessing in a world where we now have to do so much self-serve.  To get a well thought out lesson that had a “plan” and intention; no need for me to piece it all together and try to make sense out of it.  It also helped keep excitement up during the program and it continues to be the highlight of my day; I am “greedy” for it.  In fact, I will probably go through withdrawal after the program because I need “fed” daily. 
Q & A calls are all pre-recorded from a time when there actually was a Q & A call with callers. You never get “face time” with coaches and you are definitely not blessed with face time with the person who developed the program! | Weekly LIVE calls and you even get called on when you raise your hand!  Any pre-recorded calls are provided with a daily lesson and enhance that daily lesson, and do not replace your group’s live call. | The weekly coaching has by far been the most “above and beyond” expectation part of this course.  I was truly humbled by it.  To have Eric’s personal time and to be able to have him really truly there and interacting with the group was amazing.  I loved it and believe it is probably the biggest reason this program works.  Additionally, there were certified coaches online answering questions the entire duration of the call.  This was also an amazing additional service provided.  As questions / comments came up surrounding what was being discussed, side-bar questions were being answered real time… still blown away by the personal consideration and respect given to all participants…. Truly amazing.
Facebook group that is not monitored by anyone with credentials so you and a bunch of other knowledge seeking / health seeking individuals are all “punting” and supporting one another without anyone correcting bad information you may be sharing with one another. Everyone in the group is also on a different path. It’s a “drop in” group full of people just starting their own journey, as well as, people who have been on it for a long time.  This isn’t necessarily bad, but there is a lot more power behind everyone being at the same place at the same time when you are just learning the fundamentals of a program. | Facebook group for others who are at the same place you are; facing the same struggles you are at the same time. The group is monitored by certified Wild Fit coaches.  | It is very reassuring and instills more confidence and credibility when you get your questions answered from a coach and get your “counseling” from a coach. I don’t want to minimize or downplay how important it is; however, to get input from community members. My Wild Fit community was so much more than I had anticipated.  Their support, inspiration, love and genuine concern for one another blew me away. 

Have Wild Fit Eating Guidelines Delivered Desired Body Changes?  Absolutely…

Although these numbers were initially disappointing, I had to remember that I didn’t have much weight to lose, and I also tried walking a line between my previous training commitments and the Wild Fit training recommendations.  I even did some unapproved experiments during deep spring (thankfully I did learn from these even though they were not approved).

 

Measurement | Net Change
Weight | -5 lbs
Body Fat | -10% (currently 20% down from 30%)
Neck | (no change)
Shoulders | -1 inch
Chest | (no change)
Arm | -1/2 inch
Mid-Section | -1 ¾ inch
Waist | -1 ½ inch
Hips | -1 inch
Thighs | -1 ¼ inch
Inner Knee | +1 ½ inch (?? Getting quads ??)
Calf | (no change)
Ankle | -1/2 inch

Before and After Face Pics

 Week 1 Face Week 13 Face

Before and After Right Side Pics

Week 1 Week 13

Before and After Back Pics

 Week 1 Week 13

In Summary:

Although the physical changes aren’t huge, there are some changes and overall I do feel as if I have more muscle and less fat. I have also learned more tools for combatting mindless eating and my convictions have been renewed!  I really like the concept of seasonal eating and I believe there is some relief in viewing eating in this way. There are definitely seasons for eating higher carbs / sweeter foods, and there are seasons for not eating them. To construct our own “seasons” provides a level of control and release at the same time. My “cheats” are no longer what my “cheats” used to be. My “cheats” include fruits, sweet veggies, root veggies, honey and raw cocoa (I know, not WF approved…) now, with the norm being mostly greens, meat, nuts and fats (I do overdo the nuts… gotta’ watch that!).  Although there are some foods I am not ready to put below the don’t line (coffee, cashews, peanut butter, cocoa), I believe I will be more in control of these foods eating them rarely or occasionally instead of weekly.  I also believe that having a new awareness of “cascade” foods will help me further increase the list of foods below the never line.  For instance, I learned that maple syrup may just be a cascade food for me where honey is not.  I am looking at some of the neutral foods differently now; as an experiment, and being much more intentional. It’s as if I am my own ally now, instead of disciplining myself with negative thoughts of deprivation, I am helping myself out.  This is a major shift and it has lightened my spirits and made me much more accepting of myself.