Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

About me: I'm a 31 year old Registered Nurse. I work 12 hour days taking care of my patients on a medical-surgical floor. My job can be physically, mentally, and occasionally emotionally draining. I found myself exhausted and not wanting to do anything active. It didn't help that I was indulging in the over abundance of candy, donuts, cakes, cupcakes, pies, and goodies constantly around the nurses station. I'd come home from work exhausted and all I wanted to do on my days off was "rest". I felt like I was "working out" at work since I was rarely sitting and my legs were almost always sore at the end of the day. However, the weight kept adding on. I would sometimes partake in the drive through window. I quit fast food about 9 months ago. It helped but I still wasn't motivated to be proactive about my weight and overall health. One day, while in a patient's room, I saw the infomercial for T25. I thought, "25 minutes, I can do that! I waste AT least that much time every day." So I bought the set and I am on week 4. Working out after work (sometimes before) is doable. I'm like, "It's only 25 minutes!" Haven't missed a work out yet. I have more energy. I've completely changed my eating habits. Replacing 1-2 meals a day with a protein smoothie and indulging very seldom in junk foods. I'm feeling better and looking better. Can't wait to reach my goals! At the end of week 4 I've lost 13 lbs and 15 total inches off of my waist, arms, thighs, and hips. As my husband pointed out: "that's over a foot!" Ha ha. Along with T25 I've been replacing 1-2 meals per day with Garden of Life Raw meal replacement. I make smoothies for breakfast each day and sometimes for lunch. Been eating lots of quinoa and using coconut oil in all of the things I cook. I don't drink soda or eat junk. Although I did have a BBQ and drink beers. (I gained 5 lbs that week). Been completely avoiding the donuts and sweets at the nurses station that are ALWAYS there. I'm very motivated and I think that's the number one ingredient. If I can do it, anyone can!!!! UPDATE: I've lost a total of 20 lbs. I find myself being more active in general. Hiking more and doing more "double days" than the program calls for. People at work have commented on my weight loss and my scrubs are fitting more loosely. I am on to the "Beta" round of the program but also adding in some workouts from Alpha (such as AB intervals which still gives an amazing core workout). I still can not do all of the moves and I am 49 days in. I "modify" at least 1/3 of the time. My husband is naturally lean + naturally athletic. He has been doing the program with me and finds it challenging and is putting on some muscle. I basically drool over his arms. This is a great program for couples to do together in lieu of watching 30 minutes of TV. I like that the program is suitable for many different fitness levels. UPDATE: Completed the first round. 10 weeks. Alpha+Beta. Didn't miss any workouts. Added a few extras in. Lost a total of 29.2 lbs. I haven't had time to measure but I can tell I've lost more inches as well. I've moved on to the Gamma round which so far is pretty challenging (Speed 3.0 was sooo hard). I highly recommend this program to anyone who is short on time but wants to challenge themselves to work out intensely. Shaun T is very motivating. One thing I ditched almost right away were the resistance bands. It took several seconds to set up the moves with the bands- as another user mentioned: precious time lost. Also doing squat walks with those under your feet is impossible. The only thing is if you chose to use weights you may need a few different ones. I purchased some 5lb weights which work perfectly for most exercises. But for some I want something heavier/lighter. Don't get really heavy weights, you do a lot of reps. What else can I say, there's NO excuse not to do 25 minutes!