Ripped in 30 – Meet Kathie (again!)

Hi fellow Shredheads, Kathie here, known to some of you as @dapbim. You may recall reading an interview with me on this site in June last year, in which I spoke about my experiences with doing the 30 Day Shred every day for a month, being relatively happy with my fitness and my body, and then getting an injury and struggling to get back into a routine.

When I wrote that, I was determined to regain the fitness I had lost whilst recovering from my tailbone injury, and even when I got pregnant with my second child (which was actually shortly before the interview was published), I remained motivated and really wanted to stay fit and strong throughout. When I started bleeding in my first trimester, however, it became apparent that things weren’t quite going to turn out that way. And, of course, once I realised that I wouldn’t be able to continue working out, my diet went totally to pot as well. If I was going to be unfit, I was at least going to do it with a face full of cake.

All that to say that here I am, 6 weeks post-partum, with a beautiful daughter and 10kg (about 22lbs) of weight to lose, in possibly the worst shape of my life, and of course, who better to help me get out of it than Jillian? And whilst I know that the Shred would still kick my butt (quite literally ), I feel like I know those workouts inside-out, and so although they would still provide me with a challenge physically, I find it difficult to get myself motivated if the idea of a workout bores me. Which is why I was really excited to see that the sequel to the Shred, Ripped in 30 is available. It works in a similar way to the Shred, follows Jillian’s 3-2-1 principle and promises big results in 30 days. The only real difference is that it consists of 4 workout levels, each to be done for a week (as opposed to 3 workouts for 10 days each), and that Jillian actually tells you to take a rest day each week.

Ripped in 30 also includes a meal plan, made up of 10 breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners that you can combine any way you like. The main meals range from 200 – 400 calories, and the snacks are all about 150-200. The choice is quite varied, and is a good combination of meals that require some preparation, and those that are good for on the go. My only criticism at first glance would be that there are no vegetarian dinners and very few lunches [editor's note, Jillian has mentioned she'll be adding vegetarian options]. This doesn’t affect me personally, as I eat meat, but if you were a veggie, you would have to make some changes.

So this is it. I’m going to do Ripped in 30 from start to finish. I will be aiming to do the workout 6 days a week, and eating according to the meal plan as far as possible, bearing in mind that a) I’m nursing, so may need to boost the calorie count slightly, by adding a wholegrain side portion to a dinner or similar, and b) I live in the land that grocery shopping forgot, and so, for example, cannot buy black beans, or hummus, or wholegrain tortillas without travelling 45 mins across town and going to a specialty shop.

I’ll be posting here once a week with a review of each level, and some photos and measurements to show my (hopefully amazing) results! So (deep breath) I weigh 74kgs which is 163 lbs and here are the before photos:

The bathing suit season will soon be upon us! It’s time to shed that winter fat. Join me! Follow @shredheads and me, @dapbim on Twitter and let us know how you’re getting on. Post a link to
your blog if you’re posting pictures. Let’s do it together, and we will be Ripped in 30!!

Tags: April Challenge, Ripped In 30