My 12wbt Journey - An Explanation for Family & Friends

The fair majority of my friends and family members know that I’m doing the 12wbt and a few know that I’m now in my third round. Some are more than supportive while others are neutral (both completely fine) --- a couple have also shown a serious lack of understanding towards the program I’m completing. That is my main reason for posting this particular message--- to explain what this program is as well as what it is doing for me.

I suppose first and foremost the 12wbt is a weight loss program, although it contains a variety of programs aimed at strength gain & running event training as well. I must admit that I didn’t really start 12wbt to lose much weight--- I have in fact been part of the strength gain (lean & strong) program from the very start & my overall aim was to improve my tone & strength. However while training & changing my diet I did manage to lose 8.5kg and have found myself to be a lot healthier & happier at my lower weight. I am still well within the healthy weight range & I eat over 2000 calories of nutritious food per day for my strength training in order to gain muscle--- so there’s no need for any concern that I’m ‘wasting away’.

The program provides all its members with a meal plan complete with recipes and an exercise regime tailored to suit their particular goals. The meals are healthy, nutritious and require only basic cooking skills to prepare while the exercise regimes come in various ranges of difficulty and may be performed in various locations (home, outdoors, gym etc). There are instructive videos included for all exercises to ensure that members perform them using proper technique. Of course you’d probably expect these aspects from any decent health program.

The reason that the 12wbt means so much to me (& others) and that I’ve been so successful on it is that it also focuses on the psychological level of health. Each week we receive mindset videos from Michelle in which she discusses various topics including self-esteem, self sabotage, planning & the myth of motivation. In reading me write this you’re probably thinking ‘what possible difference could watching a video make?’ Well for me it’s made all the difference. Through a combination of these videos & the support of the wonderful, awesome friends I’ve made on the 12wbt forums (another aspect of the program) I’ve realised how much I’ve been focusing on the negatives in my life & how I’ve been holding myself back. Through this realisation I’ve managed to step back and recalibrate my life by building new & much healthier habits for myself. I’ve developed self-esteem and the confidence to stand up for the things I believe in. I’ve also tried things that I never thought were possible before (six-pack anyone?).

All in all the 12wbt isn’t just some ‘thing’. It isn’t a fad, nor is it a diet. It’s a permanent lifestyle change.