On Friday I finished Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred! Whew, I’ll admit I found it a LOT harder than Level 1. Like, 100% harder. One of the toughest things about this level is that there is a lot of plank-based moves (including the cardio portions!) and I would definitely have to take a second break every now and then because my legs were burning, especially at first. I did manage to do all the exercises at the advanced level but it was a challenge for sure. I also had to get some 3lb weights for the last circuit because there was no way I’d get through some of those lifts with the 8lb weights yet still wanted more challenge than then 1lb ones.

It took me a bit longer to finish this level as I took an extra rest day (I had originally planned to take a day off after finishing the first level and then part way) because I had one day where I was just NOT in the mood to exercise and so didn’t, even though I had taken a rest day two days prior.

Anyway, just as with Level 1, this level also went by very quickly. I liked the second circuit the most (spoiler – there is a lot of lunge work) but really didn’t like the last one, however since it was the last one, it was easy to push through.

One thing that I didn’t like in this level is in general I found that Jillian gave less instruction for proper form or technique as compared to Level 1 and there were a couple exercises that I wasn’t 100% sure I was doing correctly (such as the last ab move). Instead she babbled about random stuff that I found a bit irritating.

I also wanted to add that I’ve been reading a bit of criticism of Jillian Michaels recently and have to say, even I could see that her form was not great in some of the lunge based exercises. Luckily I AM aware of what a proper lunge looks like, but I could see people getting injured if they base their lunge on the way she does it. I also lost a bit of respect for her when I found out that she toutes supplements and weight loss pills (for which she is facing lawsuits claiming dangerous ingredients).

That being said, I am happy with my progress so far – I enjoy the workouts and I am seeing results. I’m now down to 156.5lbs (so another 1.5lbs lost for a total of 3.5lbs since starting) even when considering the fact that I’ve definitely gained a lot of muscle. I do like that the workout is over before I know it and I really think its very doable for pretty much anyone. I usually do the 30 Day Shred in the evenings after I put my youngest son to bed, but sometimes do them earlier in the day if I have an evening event planned.

I’ve also kept on a low carb diet for the most part though I think the reason I’m not losing weight as fast as I’d like is because I’m probably still eating too many calories. I’m not too concerned about this since I’m still losing weight but I think I might adjust them a bit. I want to see those abs, that I KNOW are there, better!

Okay, so here are the before and after photos (the before are from my day 10 photos after completing Level 1). The photo quality isn’t as good and looking at the pictures I don’t see as much change – however, when I look at myself in real life, I definitely can see much more muscle definition everywhere and I feel so much stronger (I can even do proper push-ups now!). But looking at the pictures I see there is still room for improvement (I’m looking at you muffin-top!).

But I’m glad to be done Level 2 and that I’m 2/3rd of the way through! I started Level 3 today and am excited because I really liked it much better than Level 2 – definitely kicked my butt yet again, but I like all the exercises. Can’t wait to see what these last 10 days will lead to!