Day 54 I did Red Hot Core again.  This is the one I do most often as it is quick and can fit into my schedule easily.  It also focuses on the area I want to do the most work on.  It is not the easiest of the series to do by any means.  You will walk away sore after doing this one.

Yesterday was the first time I have missed doing DDPYoga in 53 days.  I have to admit it felt good to take a little break but it felt even better to come straight in from work and start again.  I did get a workout yesterday walking about 30 flights of steps and a couple of blocks so I won’t say I took the day off – I just did a different workout.

As for my weight, well, it seems that both of the scales we have in the house are not quite accurate so I am not sure where I am at this point.  I know where I started and am going to weigh myself on an accurate scale as soon as I have the chance.  I can say that say based on my belt that I have lost weight and I have gained muscle in my arms and legs.

I aim to write at least once a week for the next four weeks about DDPYoga and then it will be on an occasion from there.  It has been fun doing this series and we have one more month to go!

It has been 25 days since starting DDPYoga.  Last time I checked which was a few days ago I was down 15 pounds in three weeks!  It feels good and has improved my life in multiple areas.  I am not as tired throughout the day nor as hungry.  I have much more energy in general.  My wife has seen marked improvement in an injured wrist, back, and knees and has seen a change in her energy level.

On top of the DDPYoga I have also made food changes.  I am not one for a diet in any way.  In previous years when trying to go on a diet or cut out things I would do really well for a week or two and then crush all of my work in a day and then I would revisit the concept of a diet the next year or whenever I felt like I was not doing my best.  This time has been quite different though.  I have made alternative choices rather than completely eliminating a flavor or two.  Here are some basic changes:

• Tea: I drink a lot of tea.  Every now and then I will have a pop of some sort but for the most part I am a tea drinker and we generally put two cups of sugar in a gallon.  I like the southern style sweet tea as you can tell.  All we did to modify this was put in a cup of sugar and a cup of Splenda.  We get 1/2 the calories and about the same taste.  Eventually we will cut out a little more sugar for the alternative but we are taking baby steps.
• Water: I try to replace one glass of tea a day with a glass of water.
• Popcorn:  I ate quite a bit of popcorn before doing DDPYoga but now I do it regularly at night as my snack (yes, I know it isn’t good to eat that close to bed – that is the next baby step to eliminate).  Candy and potato chips can be high in fat and calories.  However, the popcorn I eat is only about 225 calories if I eat the whole bag.  This is less than that of a candy bar.  Not only am I losing the calories but it is 94% fat free (approx. 4g of fat).
• Fruit:  I have also switched out snacking on junk to eat mandarin and navel oranges.  These can be high in sugar but they don’t have all the other processed junk in them and run about 80 calories (source).  One can fill you up for quite a while.
• Yogurt:  I am not a huge yogurt fan but I have found some that I really like the taste of.  I tend to stay around the ones that have 100 calories in them as I get a lot of flavor and feel full for a period of time without a lot of downside.  Most yogurt also has good bacteria in them which helps in other areas.

Those are some of the bigger changes.  I know there is still room for improvement within even those changes and I will be working on those as well.  Baby steps my friend.

A lot of friends have asked about the program and all I can give is my opinion.  However, Dallas recently added a 30 day money back guarantee on the program if you are not satisfied.  So, you now have nothing to lose.

It has been two weeks since I started the program and I am happy to say I have yet to miss a day!  I feel better and have more energy throughout the day and that is saying something. I have lost 11 pounds as of this writing, gained strength in my knees, am able to touch the floor, and can almost put my leg straight out while holding it in the air.   These are things I couldn’t do when I was 16!

The workouts that I have completed are as follows:

• Diamond Dozen – The backbone of the workouts.  It is basically the teaching DVD showing you what you will be doing in all the other workouts.  Good to come back to as a refresher or when you need a slow day to keep up the pace.
• Energy! – This is on the same DVD as Diamond Dozen and is your next step.  Gets you stretched out and on the journey to do the other workouts.
• Fat Burner – My favorite so far!  Gets the sweat going and has minimal resting.  I really feel like I have accomplished something here.
• Red Hot Core – My enemy so far.  This is one I will battle back and forth with as I have found it to be my hardest.  This is the one that is the goal to conquer at this point.
• Below the Belt – Only did this one once so I won’t comment just yet.
• Stand Up! – This is a great DVD if you have problems with getting up and down off the ground.  Use this one to gain strength to allow you to do the workouts where you are up and down.
• Wake Up – Good for stretching those muscles out when you first wake up or if you need a quick workout.  Not a lot of sweating going on here but can get you up and pumped for the day.

I believe that this program works if you do it.  You have to commit yourself, go for it, and own it!  Doing it here and there isn’t going to accomplish much.  You’ll have to do it and stick to it.

Like I said in a previous post, the guide book gives you a full program including nutrition.  I am not using the nutrition portion other than for suggestions so I cannot comment on how well this part has done.  I am slowly moving into eating better which mostly includes opting for healthier choices when eating (oranges instead of chips, natural white popcorn instead of butter popcorn, Splenda instead of sugar).  I have also increased my intake of water over what I was drinking and I am making myself eat a small snack during the day to keep my metabolism up.

Lastly, there is TeamDDPYoga.com – if you don’t have a support system at home here is one waiting to be your workout family.  From the time you sign up you get other people posting messages to you, telling you about their story, and giving you the chance to ask questions and get help when you need it.  We all need a push every now and again and this is a great community waiting to help you do that and there is no charge to sign up.

I’ll see you again in about a week and until then if you are interested in getting the DVDs and doing this along with me you can purchase them here.