Here we go again: Orangetheory Transformation Challenge 2019

Fruits, vegetables, juice, smoothie and dumbbell health diet fitness concept

Last year, I participated in my first Orangtheory Transformation Challenge. From that experience, I learned that transformation doesn’t necessarily happen in eight weeks (unless you’re a butterfly), but that eight weeks is a solid start to forming healthy habits that aid in the ongoing process of transformation. If you’d like to see other lessons learned and achievements made during the 2018 challenge, you’ll find them here.

The good news is that at least part of what I learned must have sunk in, because my initial scan for this year’s challenge shows more progress.

InBody scan results

I gained 1.1 pounds of lean body mass and decreased my body fat percentage by 3.3 percent, for a net weight loss of 3.5 pounds. That may not sound like a lot in 10 months, but it does put me in the healthy range for all three measurements—if just barely.

Ultimately, the recommendation for me is to lose 4.4 pounds of body fat and gain 2 more pounds of lean body mass, which would result in 23-percent body fat. My goal for the eight-week Orangetheory Transformation Challenge is to get at least halfway there—lose 2.2 pounds of fat and gain 1 pound of muscle for a body fat percentage of 24.3 percent.

The challenge started Monday, January 21 and ends March 17. It requires attending 24 Orangetheory sessions and provides opportunities to attend nutrition courses and access to a private Facebook group for encouragement, information, recipes, and connecting with others participating in the challenge. At the end of the Orangetheory Transformation Challenge, each participant receives a second scan, hopefully showing progress towards a fitness transformation.

As I did last year, I will be including a summary of each week’s efforts, results, and lessons learned at the end of my weekly blog posts and a final wrap-up once the challenge ends. Wish me luck!

Your turn

Are you on a fitness journey? I’d love to hear about it.

  1. What guides your physical activity and food choices?
  2. What motivates you to keep going?
  3. How do you gauge success?

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22 Comments

  1. Hi Christie. I had a little chuckle when I saw your topic. Seems we are both in a similar place and having similar thought. I love reading your challenge updates and look forward to more to come. I’ve never had a body scan. They are recommended in Maxine’s so I might try to get one. #MLSTL Shared on SM

  2. Hi, Christie – I look forward to following your challenge again this year. My fitness journey is frequently hit and miss (lots of walking, and fairly regular yoga) but everything else is dependent upon many things). For February, I plan to follow The New Mayo Clinic Recipes for healthy eating inspiration, and attend ONE fitness class (yoga, gentle cardio, core, step) per day, for five days a week. I’ll let you know how it goes. Good luck with your challenge!

    1. Hi Donna. Your fitness plans for February sound perfect. I remember when I first found your blog, you were walking the Camino Trail, which I find truly amazing. Thanks for your encouragement on my challenge.

  3. Hi Christie – I see you and Jennifer are both challenging yourselves big time this year. I am a little in awe of you both! I’ll be aiming to keep up my 2x a day walking and to watch my calorie intake. I’d love to lose at least 5kg and that isn’t going to happen overnight either!
    Thanks for linking up with MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂

    1. Yes, Leanne, Jennifer and I were commenting on our similar focus. I’m impressed (and a little jealous) with walking twice a day. Right now our weather isn’t conducive to a lot of outdoor walking. It’s either slick snowy sidewalks or poor air quality. I have a desk job, so find myself sedentary for much of the time outside of planned physical activity. Good luck with the 5kg loss. In the states, we always complain the last 5 pounds is the hardest to lose. Maybe that’s true of kgs as well. 🙂 Have a beautiful day!

  4. This sounds like a great challenge for you Christie and I’ll be keen to see your results as you progress through the weeks. I’m keen to get back into running and increasing my cycling b ut it’s been quite hot so exercise is best early in the morning here. #mlstl

    1. It appears we’re at opposite weather extremes, Debbie, but both make outdoor activity challenging. Right now, we’re dealing with snow and treacherous sidewalks or dry weather and poor air quality. I live in a valley, and we get inversions that end up trapping all the pollution. I hope you are able to get back to your running and increased cycling soon. Whatever you do, enjoy your week!

  5. Hi Christie! Great timing for my #FitFabFeb2019. We can support and encourage each other. I look forward to reading more about your progress and the challenge. Good to see you have improved on last time before you have even started! That has to encourage you. I hope you can comment during my #FitFabFeb2019 to share your experience. Have a great week and it is always a pleasure to have you join us at #MLSTL.

    1. I am excited for #FitFabFeb2019 and definitely plan on participating. As you said, the timing is perfect with my fitness challenge. I’ll take all the encouragement and support I can get and look forward to offering the same to others. Enjoy your week!

  6. Christie, this sounds really motivating. I don’t own a scale or belong to a gym of any kind – so my fitness is more individual and intuitive – otherwise, I would totally obsess. I know I could stand to lose some weight but my recent (about 5 months) push for more exercise and better eating has already made a difference. At my next checkup, I’ll know better how much…But I love how you share your challenges. It keeps me motivated.

    1. I can understand the scale obsession, Janet. I used to weigh first thing every morning. I still weigh weekly, but if the number seems out of whack for what I’ve been doing, I let it go. Some day I may give it up entirely. Of course, our habits are the part we actually control, and it sounds like you’ve been moving in the right direction. Here’s to our health! Enjoy your week!

  7. Good luck! I know you can and will do it! It all sounds so interesting. As for myself, I’m trying to be as active as I can and trying to eat healthier, similar to to the paleo diet. Maybe I should keep track and post my success ♥

    1. Thank you for the encouragement, Dee. Health concerns can make physical activity challenging, I know. I’d love to hear about your efforts and progress. I think that’s a great idea!

  8. Congratulations on taking this challenge. I’m sure you will meet your goals. You are an inspiration to mid-lifers who want to get fit. My husband and I are perpetual travelers and work out regularly, at a gym, wherever we go. I think running is what keeps me trim, but I also do strength training. Have a great day, Christie! Hope this goes through.

    1. Thank you for the encouragement Christina and for the persistence in figuring out why your comments were going through. It looks like we figured it out. Yeah! Isn’t it nice that most hotels have gyms now? I agree that a combination of running and strength training works well–at least for me. Have a great day!

  9. Sounds like a healthy challenge Christie, and I’m sure with the dedication you apply to most things I see on your blog that you’ll do well. Yes, i agree a scan or some kind of definite start point is a key motivator in attaining fitness goals. I’m planning to keep up my exercise habits but possibly do the 5 x 2 diet – I’m reading more about it right now. Thanks for the inspo 🙂 #MLSTL

    1. Since I posted this, I went over my scan and my overall goals with a coach. She helped me set some revised goals for the 8-week challenge, so the scan was helpful in that process. I have heard of the 5×2 diet. I’ll be interested to learn more. Right now I’m focusing on cleaning eating–most of the time.

  10. Christie, maintaining fitness and following healthy living guidelines is hard when spending many hours a day at a sedentary desk job. I have now been retired 18 months, and I am still trying to regain my fitness and figure after packing on the pounds sitting at a desk 11 hours a day. I certainly am more active, more sociable, and getting more sleep than before.

    Good for you for your persistence over the past year, and for setting new goals for this year.

    Jude

    1. You are so right about that, Jude. I do have a desk that can be raised to standing (which I do quite often), and I set a reminder to get up and move every hour, but I still find I’ve only walked about 4,000 steps a day on the days I don’t work out. It’s a challenge.

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