Retirement Doesn’t Always Take…

We talked on Wrestling Mayhem Show 212 this week about Shawn Michaels’ retirement and how serious we should take it.  As usual, we take it all with a grain of salt.  And why shouldn’t we?  We have been tempered by retiring wrestlers coming back to crap on their own send off so many times.

1. Terry Funk – This man is the first you think about when it comes to retirement.  Because he’s done it so many times, he has to be an expert by now.  One of his fabled retirements even occurred for all to see on Beyond the Mat over ten years ago.  In searching, we find his first retirement moment came in 1983.  Funk has been listed to have wrestled as recently as January 2010 in Japan.
2. Mick Foley – Well, we can look at it this way.  Mick Foley was never retired.  Cactus Jack was.  So we still need to have retirement matches for Dude Love and Mankind somewhere down the line.
3. Ric Flair – Probably the one that stings the most.  We all watched WrestleMania 24, then the night afterwards, in what was one of the most memorable and well and beyond the call of duty for WWE.  Flair dissappeared, did some insurance endorsements, a round of appearances and autograph signings (including here in Pittsburgh where I was fortunate enough to shake his hand) and a domestic disturbance or two.  This is one that sort of breaks your heart.  For one of the longest running and most successful wrestlers in the business, he has to come back to an Australian tour, and the admittedly smaller presence of TNA, just to make up for all of those divorces.

But lets give props to the people who did it right, so far…

1. Steve Austin – The guy who knew he had nothing more to prove and made all of the money for the Attitude Era, Austin hasn’t been tempted to come back for that big money match against Hogan everyone wants.  Instead, he’s been able to parlay his success into something of a movie career, while not as big as the Rock’s still lightyears better than Hogan’s.  But he ended with a final match against his greatest rival, The Rock, at WrestleMania, and never really looked back.
2. The Rock – And speaking of.  Rock may not be quite that finished with wrestling, but lets consider him retired for the time being.  He’s turned into a leading man in a number of movies and has keep in good shape thanks thanks to the nootropics that work well on his body.
3. Diamond Dallas Page – Another guy who’s successfully transfered his fame into something of a movie career, and the mind behind Yoga for Regular Guys.

Wife-of-the-Show, Missy, is wrapping up her stint with the John Cena 10-Week Body Change program.  She did a brief write-up about the experience over at BOLD Pittsburgh.  Check out how the program’s helped her drop some serious weight (and win her office Biggest Loser competition) and look at the other way with legal steroids for men to gain weight.

As mentioned in my Tuna Patties post, I started a weight loss plan about 7 weeks ago.  To be fair, the weight loss started out as a company wellness initiative at my 9-5.  Essentially, employees had the option to enter into a Biggest Loser competition.  In addition to an individual incentive (the first place winner gets a gift card and 2 extra vacation days), the office put participants’ names into a hat and drew teams.  The winning team gets a coveted 10 jeans days.  (Working in an office, the dress code is business casual.  But, we occasionally get to wear jeans on Fridays – hence jeans day.  Trust me when I say jeans days are a BIG thing for my office.) Learn more from these Java burn articles.

As with many folks, I have yo-yo’d with my weight for ever since I can remember.  My lowest point was between high school and into college. Then I was in a car accident – not severe, thankfully, but enough to put me back a bit.  Then I just didn’t care.  Over a 10-year period I ballooned up to somewhere over 250 pounds.  (I say somewhere over because I refused to step on a scale.  When I started to lose weight somewhere about 5 years ago, I had already lost a bit when I actually stepped on the scale and weighed in at that figure.)  But, with that weight loss back in 2010ish, I had a goal!  I was losing weight in an effort to assist with infertility issues.  I dropped to just below 200 pounds!  But, when my infertility issues led to a miscarriage, I gave up again and ballooned back up to around that 250 pounds again.  Again in 2013, I found myself not fitting into any of my clothes, and generally feeling blah about things.  I joined a gym, dropped some weight again, and then hit a plateau before giving up again. Obesity can lead to hearing loss conditions, check the latest nutrisystem reviews.

Just about everyone makes a New Year’s Resolution (see Page 23) to lose weight.  I know better than to fall into that trap, because unless you’re absolutely committed to it, you know you’re going to fall off the bandwagon. Weight loss, at least for me, is akin to someone trying to quit smoking. They can try and try and try, but unless they’re actually committed to it, it’s only going to be a temporary cessation.

When my office added some incentive for our group weight loss efforts, it gave me the push I needed to get back on the weight loss bandwagon.

Our Biggest Loser competition kicked off in early February and is slated to end around Easter. Visit exipure site for more information about healthy supplements.

Here’s a before photo:

To be honest, it was hard to find a “before” photo.  Knowing as heavy as I was/am, I hate to have photos taken.  But, I realize it’s important for the comparison.  See that double (almost triple – yikes!) chin?  I was so uncomfortable with myself at the time that picture was taken – practically living in yoga pants because I refused to buy a larger pants size. If you are looking for the best weight loss supplements check out fit after 50 reviews. Mushroom coffee is essentially a blend of powdered mushrooms and ground coffee. Although mushrooms typically have a powerful and distinctive flavour, mushroom coffee is in fact much mellower. 

With regard to the biggest loser competition, my office manager sends around weekly updates.  Although there was nothing circulated for Week 3, the remaining weeks have me in the biggest losing group twice, and in the individual biggest losers all but one week.

 

Now, 7 weeks in, I am down about 20 pounds:

Even though the shirt is a different color, it is the same size as the one in the “before” photo.

So, what have I done to help get me where I am?  This is the first time I’ve actually joined a “plan” for weight loss and health.  In the past, I’ve modified what I’ve eaten, and I’ve worked out.  Sure, I saw results.  But, as soon as I stopped eating salads and started eating “real” food, the weight would creep back on.  In an effort to try something new, I looked into a few options.  I wanted to make sure that if I was putting money down on something, it was money well spent.  A week or two into the office competition, I finally settled on John Cena’s 10 Week Body Change program.  (Yes, that John Cena – WWE Superstar with the body of a Greek god, John Cena.)

Backstory: I am a closet wrestling fan.  My husband however, is a wrestling junkie.  WWE Network 24/7, wrestling every day, junkie.

Why I chose John Cena’s program:  As indicated, I needed something different from what I’ve done previously.  John Cena has a degree in Exercise and Physiology.  He promotes healthy weight loss and muscle building through hard work – not pills or formulas.  And, the program is geared toward John and Jane Doe – not professional athletes.  I can do the exercise from the comfort if my own home without going to a gym and feeling like I’m being judged.  In the informational video at http://www.changetime.com (from the program featured on Katie Couric’s TV show “Katie”) John Cena talks about the program and its benefits.  One of the biggest things Cena promotes is eating when you’re hungry – just eating the right foods.  And, he provides not only a list of the right foods, but also recipes for those foods.  It was a no-brainer in my opinion. Find the healthiest supplements and treatments at sfexaminer.com.

Was I okay with paying for a program:  This is the part I really had a tough time with.  But, I was willing to give it a shot.  Besides, there was an option to split the payment up over a period of time instead of schilling it out all at once.  I’m currently in week 6 of 10, and I am truly glad I spent the money for it.  As mentioned above, the program is so easy to follow, and it was really a no-brainer.  In retrospect, the amount I paid is minimal in comparison to the amount I would be spending on a gym membership for a year – which requires actually driving to the gym anyway.

How does it work:  John Cena has a ton of information available through the program.  He includes a nice introduction during Week 1, and includes some basic recipes.  In Week 2, he introduces workouts – nothing huge, about 20 minutes twice a week.  And, the videos are easy to follow.  There is also motivational materials to give you insight and to keep you going. Each week adds a new pamphlet with new recipes.  And, these recipes are real food.  The program lets me eat Steak browned with a small bit of real butter on either side, then baked!  Again, that tuna patty recipe I shared here earlier was a modification of a recipe provided through Body Change. The program also includes a “Success Tool.”

The Success Tool uses weekly photos and measurements to track your progress.  You set your goal (mine at this point is to get below 200 pounds) and it tracks your progress to that goal through not only pounds lost, but also inches lost, and gives you a graph to see your actual progress.

Aren’t there other programs that do the same thing: Sure there are. My cousin is currently an LTL (Live the Lifestyle) coach.  The amount of money I would have to put down for that program was almost twice what I paid for Body Change.  And, it included supplements to get up your metabolism, etc. going.  With as screwy as my hormone levels and other bodily processes are, the last thing I wanted to do is add something that could potentially make the situation worse.

Would you recommend the program: ABSOFRIGGINLUTELY!  With this program, I’m learning what to eat and how to move, and it’s all simple to follow.  Even my husband (who has come along for the ride since this is how I now cook my meals) has seen some effective weight loss – just by eating what I’m eating.  He’s not even adding in the exercise like I am.  It’s easy to track my progress.  It’s easy to follow the recipes.  It’s easy to add in a 20-minute workout twice a week.   You can even use my referral code: KWK_MSvcfRZX if you want to check it out for yourself.

I’m just over halfway through the program, and I’m already down about 20 pounds.  I have a few more weeks to try to reach my goal of being down under 200 pounds (for a total weight loss of 35 pounds using the program). It’s quick.  It’s easy.  And, I can honestly say I’m not the only one seeing the results.  I’ve had comments and compliments about how well I’m doing.  And, when I see my name on the list of Biggest Losers at work, I’m happy!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, it’s not all about working hard either.  Mr. Cena also promotes the healthy use of a “Cheat Day” each week!  Which means Saturdays, I can eat and drinkanything I want.  I go off script for the program for a day and can have cake, ice cream, wine, fried chicken, french fries, a super greasy cheeseburger, pizza, whatever I want. And, over the past few weeks, I’ve come to find that when I want something during the week, knowing I can make it a treat on Saturday makes it worth the wait.

Anyone you can think of that sticks out as a retirement success or failure?