In case you missed it, I did the 75 Hard program. All the details are here.
Yesterday was day 75 of the 75 Hard program! I successfully completed all 75 days.
As a reminder, these were the tasks I had to do every day:
drink 1 gallon of water
take a progress picture
do two workouts per day, 45 minutes each. They had to be at least 3 hours apart, and one had to be outside.
read 10 pages of a non-fiction book
follow a diet
no alcohol
Let me tell you about my favorite parts, and my least favorite parts…
My favorite parts of 75 Hard
These were the three best things about the program.
1. Reading
My #1 favorite thing about 75 Hard was reading. I ended up getting through 7.5 books.
My favorite book is Very Good Copy. (That’s the one I’m halfway through.) It’s such an easy, but thought-provoking read. I highly recommend this book if you’re a writer.
My least favorite book was The Psychology of Money. I love money, but investments and stock market charts are so boring to me! I will say, this book has a lot of stories, so it wasn’t hard to read. (And most people love it, so don’t take my word for it.) It just wasn’t my thing.
2. The workouts
My second thing about 75 Hard was the workouts. I enjoy working out and moving, so doing two (and sometimes three if my husband wanted to go on a bike ride) workouts wasn’t a problem.
Plus…I mostly walked.
Some people think that’s cheating, but it’s not. The only thing you can’t do is call something a workout you were going to do anyway. Mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, or doing housework doesn’t count.
I only had one rainy walk for the entire 75 days, and it was a light sprinkle.
Doing this in the summer made my life much easier!
3. Drinking a gallon of water
My third favorite part of 75 Hard was drinking water. I always say I’m the thirstiest person in the world, so drinking a gallon of water is not an issue for me.
I usually had that done by early afternoon.
My least favorite parts of 75 Hard
None of 75 Hard was too hard. (Weird, I know.) It was all fine! But these parts were my least favorite.
1. Progress picture
Taking a progress picture every day was the easiest task to complete. It was also the most tedious.
2. Counting calories
Counting calories works! And I got used to doing it, so it wasn’t a big deal. It’s just annoying. Sometimes I want to not think about what I’m putting in my mouth. (And that’s how I get myself into trouble…!)
3. No alcohol
I enjoy alcohol (especially wine), but I’m also happy to take long breaks from it. I didn’t mind the 75 days off, and I take long breaks now and again anyway.
I always sleep so much better when I’m not drinking. I looked forward to going to bed every night!
With that said, I’m going to have some wine tonight. lol
Final weight loss results
Here are all my weigh-ins, including the very last one I did this morning.
As a reminder, I’m 5'6":
Starting weight: 142 (But this was the day after a glorious 8-course meal, so it wasn’t my true weight.)
True starting weight: 140.3
Week 1 weigh-in: 137
Week 2: 136.3
Week 3: 136.3
Week 4: 134.5
Week 5: 135.2
Week 6: 135 (but poofy from sodium)
Week 7: 133.7
Week 8: 130.7
Week 9: 130.6
Week 10: 132
Final weigh-in: 130.6
My weight settled in at 130.6. My goal was 130, so this is very close, and I’m super happy with the results.
I did take before and after photos, but since it was only 10 pounds, there’s not a huge difference.
However, I see the difference mostly in my stomach. (It’s flat again!) And I feel the difference in my clothes.
Would I recommend 75 Hard for everyone?
I thought it was a great program, and I’m very happy I did it. I don’t think it’s right for everyone.
I can’t imagine trying to do this with small children, or a demanding job. (Although, people with these limitations do it all the time!)
The water portion is difficult for some people. Not everyone is meant to drink a gallon of water. Some people get dizzy or ill from too much water.
Most people could do the program just fine, but if you have concerns, talk to your doctor first.
What’s Next?
For the next few days, I’ll relax a bit on my diet and enjoy some wine, chocolate chip cookies, and other desserts!
Then next week my family and I are going to start a mostly animal-based + fruit diet.
I’ll continue to count calories. I wouldn’t mind losing about 5 more pounds to get to my ideal weight.
I‘ll continue reading every morning and doing two workouts per day (unless I do one long workout instead).
I’d like to work on strength training and yoga because my muscles are weak and flabby! lol
I may revisit doing 75 Hard again next year. We’ll see!
My #1 goal is to not undo all of my progress. That’s happened to me too many times to count!
I’ll see if I can join or come up with another challenge to help me stay focused. (If you have any ideas, send them my way!)
Final Thoughts
There’s one thing I did that I’m ecstatic about, and it’s posting about 75 Hard on Medium.
My original story ended up getting boosted, which meant two amazing things:
It became my highest-earning story ever. (It’s at $623.44 at the time of this writing).
A lot of people read it and some started following my journey.
Because I knew a lot of people were looking, I felt like I couldn’t let anyone down. Writing about 75 Hard forced me to stay accountable and on track.
And to those of you who stuck with me, I thank you! You helped me get through this. Even if you didn’t post any comments, I knew you were there watching.
You gave me the push I needed.
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