P90X: A Commentary

As I mentioned in my last post I started P90X on Saturday. I am loving it.  That may sound strange to you if you have heard anything about this video series.  Essentially, it’s a set of 5 DVD’s that take you through 13 weeks of hard core, and when I say hard core, I mean hard core training.  It incorporates strength training, plyometrics, kenpo, core exercises, and yoga.  It’s just the diversity I was craving in my exercises and the right kind of cardio for me.

My diet has shifted a little bit, I need to take in more calories now and the diet that they suggest was a bit different than the one I was using before, but I am really enjoying it. You can learn more about the nutrition plan at http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do?code=P90XDOTCOM.  I found this website extremely helpful in finding out what I can eat and when I can eat it. It gives me a list of foods  I can and cannot eat and then a worksheet to track what I am eating.  I also use my “Lose It” iphone app to track my calories.  It’s been great and only required a bit of an adjustment, but I feel like I am eating even healthier becuase I am able to have more veggies on this plan than I was on the other.

Example Day of Meals:
BREAKFAST
Smoothie:  1 c. nonfat yogurt, 2 c. strawberries, 1 scoop of protein

MID-MORNING
6 egg whites
4 slices of turkey bacon
(sometimes I have a whole wheat english muffin)

SNACK
Protein bar/almonds and cranberries mix/pb with celery

LUNCH
Grilled chicken on 2. cups of lettuce with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing or
Lean meat burger with veggies

MID-AFTERNOON
3 oz. of chicken and veggies or protein shake

SNACK
12 small rice cakes

DINNER
3 oz. steak with veggies or baked potato or sweet potato

SNACK
protein shake/4 oz. of frozen yogurt/string cheese

I find it much easier to plan this way and I enjoy having a worksheet to fill out. 

Now, for the exercises.  These are not for the faint-hearted.  They are tough, intense workouts and definitely devised for people who have been working out for a while and want a new challenge.  If you begin this workout without being even a little bit in shape, you will want to take it slow and you’ll also want to be okay with not finishing the videos.  Some of them are really lengthy and can be difficult to complete. But if you feel ready and up for the challenge DO IT.  Every person I have talked to, whether they have followed the diet or not has seen results.  I’ve only been doing it for five days and already I can see changes in my body.  I feel leaner, stronger, and more fit.

 

Restart

Life has been crazy.  I have been getting ready to move to a new state, we are now two weeks away and so there has been a lot of house cleaning, moving, and packing going on in my home . Which is great cause I am getting over and above my normal exercise on some days, but on others I am so exhausted I can barely get my body to move out of bed.  OH and the aches and pains.  Well, you get the point.  At any rate, believe it or not I am losing weight.  I was so excited when I got on the scale in the morning and saw that I am down to 139.0.  I am starting to wonder if blogging is helping or hurting my situation.  It’s hard to put yourself out there and try to lose a lot of weight only to find that you are losing inches.  However, I think that some of the adjustments I made this week of focusing on increasing my cardio has really helped.

So now it begins, p90x here I come.

As we speak I am debating on going out for a walk or if I should start doing my p90x. OH yeah, I’m giving into the hype.  I have a friend who has given us access to the recordings and my husband and I are going to give it a shot. I have a wedding to go to on May 15th and I would really like to not only fit into one of my old dresses but also feel good in it.  That means I have a little less than a month to get closer to my goal weight, which means I have to lose at the very least 2 lbs a week.  The week before we move I have some traveling I have to do so I am going to have to be strategic about getting in my workouts and then the week we move, I don’t know what kind of set up I’ll have so again, I”ll have to be a bit more strategic.  It’s more my diet that I am concerned about when I travel.  I’ll be working and it’s not easy for me to take snack breaks during the day so I’ll have to make sure I am making good higher calorie, high protein options.

Unsure

I am unsure of what to do.  I was just reviewing my stats and I am not looking too good.  I have been working my butt off, working out and eating healthy for 7 weeks now and I have 2 lbs of weight loss to show for it.  2 lbs.  I don’t know what to do and I really don’t know how to feel.  Frustrated is the word that is going through my head right now.

I’m frustrated that the weight just isn’t coming off the way that I thought it would.  I thought that with some hard work and an adjustment to my eating habits, that I would be able too shed this weight pretty quickly.  But I am into week 8 already and looking at my numbers I am not too excited or proud of my accomplishments.  I should have lost at least a lbs a week.  But that first week I gained 3?  Then I didn’t lose any weight.  Then I changed my diet a bit and I started losing more weight 2.4 lbs that first week.  Then another 2.2 lbs.  Then it was just a 1lbs and then I gained 2 lbs.  What in the WORLD!!!  I have no idea what or who to be angry at.  I mean, eating healthy is a good thing right.  And it’s always good to get exercise, so I think…okay, Dawn this isn’t a bad thing.  You have lost the inches and you are stronger and healthier than you were when you started.  But WHY is the weight not coming off.  This past week I added in more cardio so maybe, just maybe I’ll see some changes on the scale when I weigh in on Thursday.

If anyone has any thoughts, words of encouragement, suggestions…I’ll take anything at this point.

Tired, very tired

I went to bed too late last night and 4:50am came way to early.  By body still ached a bit from my weekend work out so I decided to do yoga, 45 minutes of beginner’s yoga.  It was still quite the workout for me but my body feels much better.  I was fighting to keep my eyes open as I drove to work today.  It was pouring down rain and I gotta be honest, it was a bit scary.

I’m going to restart my hardcore workout again tomorrow, probably start with Jackie Warner again.  I really enjoy that workout because when I am done with it I feel stronger and leaner.

I’ve been doing really well with my diet.  I know I haven’t reported much on it but I am starting to hit that 60/20/20 mark a bit better than I have in the past.  I’ve really had to increase my protein intake to make it happen.  So what they looks like for me, typical meals throughout the day is something like this:

Breakfast
Fruit smoothie (organic yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, ice, water, scoop of protein)
Mid Morning meal
4 egg whites
3 pieces of turkey bacon
1 slice of Ezekiel bread
Lunch
chicken/lean beef burger(10% fat)/pork chop/ground turkey/tuna
veggie and/or brown rice
salad with protein
Mid Afternoon meal
tuna with organic mayo
hummus with low carb veggie (cucumber/tomato/celery)
lean meat
Dinner
lean meat
vegetables
brown rice

My snacks consist of:  almonds, veggie sticks, carrots, celery, peanut butter, Laughing Cow cheese
Dessert: Low carb ice cream, skinny cow sandwich

I am usually anywhere between 1100-1400 calories a day.  Once you start getting into the groove it really isn’t too difficult.

Tip: I have found that preparing my food the night before can be really helpful.  For instance, I’ll peel my eggs and take out the yolks and put them in a tupperware container, get my lunches ready, and if I need to decide on dinner, I’ll take something out of the freezer to thaw, if not already thawed.  It can be extremely helpful for me, especially the mornings that I am running a bit late.

Speaking of, my routine is shifting a bit again.  Sawyer is starting to sleep until 8-8:30am so we have decided that I am not going to get him up in the mornings to feed him anymore.  My husband will get up with him.  This way I can work out for 4o minutes a day and not have to rush to get myself breakfast, showered, and the dogs fed.  I think I’m going to miss that time with Sawyer in the morning, but it will help me with not feeling so rushed in the morning.

A good weekend

I had a good weekend.  Sawyer and I hung out the two of us as my husband went hiking and camping with a friend.  I got up with Sawyer yesterday, fed him, fed me and then put him back down for a nap.  I worked out to Jackie Warner again and then got a shower.  We were going to head out with friends to shop and go to church.  I was a bit early in getting ready to so i did some cleaning.

One thing that I found, now that I am working out more is that I am more active and want to be more active.  Where I used to long to just lay on the sofa and chill out, now I feel like I should be up and doing something.  We walked around the outlets yesterday, then took some time to shop at Sam’s club.  I got some jumbo sized eggs, a large package of chicken, a large package of lean meat only 10% fat, and a large package of strawberries.  I still need to head to the grocery today and grab some smaller items but it was great to pick up some things in bulk that I know I”ll need throughout the month.  When we got home last night we made some bbq chicken, sweet potato fries, and green beans.

Did you know? BBQ sauce only has 16g of carbs in 2 tbsps.  Put the 2 tbsps in a bowl and it will be enough for three large breasts of chicken.  The majority of it burns off so it’s actually a fairly healthy condiment to use when cooking.

I just did my measurements and I came in at a loss of 8 inches.  Down 4 inches from last week.  It was kind of disappointing, but I have to remember that I did lose 2.2 lbs this week.  It’s all in perspective.  I also have to keep in mind that I took off two days this week, rather than 1.  So I’ll just have to kick it into high gear this week.  Though, I do have to share that I am a bit nervous.  We head to my in-laws this weekend and I am not sure how well I am going to be able to keep to my diet and/or workout.  I am going to do everything I possibly can to be successful but I may have some items working against me.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

Temptation derailed

I did it.  I squeezed my butt into a size 6 today.  It’s casual day at work so I tried on a pair of jeans…Diva’s from Old Navy.  They fit.  They are a little tight, but they fit!  I was SO excited.  It was totally the motivation I need to fight the temptation that is sitting right in front of my desk.  Someone in my office decided to have a bake sale today and it’s sitting right in front of me.  All I can smell is chocolate chip cookies, one of my all time favorites.  I know it’s for a good cause (Cystic Fibrosis), but geeze, do I have to smell and look at it all day long.   Thank goodness there is a company meeting today (did I just say that) so that I don’t have to sit and smell this for the whole afternoon.

I slept in today.  I was a very bad girl and when my alarm went off I decided cuddling in bed with the hubby was more important…he’s going camping this weekend, can you blame me?  So I didn’t get out of bed until 5:17am and at that point I didn’t have enough time to get myself up, exercise, prepare my meals for the day, shower, and get out of the door in time to get to work by 8am.  I am thinking that I may exercise tonight since it’ll just be me and Sawyer anyway. 

We went out to dinner last night and I was feeling a bit anxious about my meal.  OH MY GOSH!!!  I almost forgot that I didn’t blog yesterday and haven’t shared with you that I lost another 2.2 lbs.  Wow.  How quickly I have forgotten my most exciting news.  My sincerest apologies.  I am now 7 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight and 17 lbs away from where I would like to be.  To be honest, I am not even so concerned anymore about my goal weight as I am about what my body looks like.  If I am fit and tone and eating healthy at 130 lbs I am going to be quite happy about that. 

My tip for today is concerning going out to eat.  I have been thinking a lot about this as I have been requested to eat out with friends quite a few times this past week and in some ways it has caused me some anxiety.   But now I realize it was not needed.  So I have a few suggestions for you.

Tips:
1. Plan ahead
Before I went out to eat I checked the restaurant websites so that I could research what I could and could not eat. Most restaurants have nutrition guides that they have to offer, by law. If they are not available on their website you could always call and ask.

2. Search for protein options
I always scan the menu for protein options, trying to find what chicken, turkey, or pork might be on the menu. Just keep in mind that you are going to have to make some modifications.

3. Accept that you will need to make modifications
Honestly, I have just gotten over the fact that I am going to be a high maintenance customer when I go to a restaurant. I tell the server up front that I need to make some modifications and I am sorry if this is an issue. They are usually very accommodating. Remember they are earning their tip with you sitting at their table. So go into knowing you will have to make modifications because they didn’t make the menu for people like us who are trying to watch their weight and eat healthy.  Last night I had a chicken sandwhich, well, that was what I ordered.  But what I ate was a chicken breast with grilled onions, tomato and a couple of slices of pickle.  I ordered steamed broccoli to replace my fries.

4. Be careful of salads
Not all salads are made equal and not all salads are good for you either. Lettuce is always a good filler for a salad, however, all of the fruits and veggies that they can load up on the salad can increase your carbs fairly quickly. Cheese isn’t all bad, but you want to make sure you are sticking to the white cheeses and only in moderation. Croutons, sesame sticks, wonton strips will all add huge to the carb count. And then of course there is the salad dressing. I often try to stick with a balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or if I have no other options, I ask for it on the side and I will stick my fork in the dressing and then in my salad and eat it that way. You might also try lemon or salsa as salad toppers. make sure you are eating protein with your salad.  Salad in and of itself does not have much protein, so make sure you get chicken, salmon,  or shrimp on top. And of course, go with a grilled or baked option rather than fried.

5. Enjoy what you got
Don’t be concerned with what other people are eating. Remember how healthy your option is, keep your goal in mind, and remember that some day you may be able to enjoy that bread or a couple of fries again, but for now, you need to whole off because it’s the best decision you can make for your body that day. It’s easy to look around the table and wish you could eat that burger or pizza or whatever. Savor each bite and if you need to focus only on your plate. By the time you are done, you’ll be full and not even care about what anyone else consumed.

I hope these tips help you out and subside any fears you might have about eating out. You can do it and your body will thank you for it.

Getting there…almost in a size 6

I am so close to fitting into my size 6 pants, I can taste it.  I had a pair on today and besides having to use a rubber band threaded through my button hole and wrapped around my button to keep them shut, they pretty much fit.  🙂 If the darn buttons, were just moved about an inch to the left, I may have had it.

I worked out this morning with Lia.  I like Lia, she’s calm, for the most part, encouraging, and she thinks it’s important that you have good form so she takes things a bit slower.  43 minutes later I was sweatin’ like a big, but I still liked Lia. I did the Target Tone workout, you can download it from Exercise TV for $2.99, not a bad deal.

Sawyer’s getting his workout while I write up my blog.  He’s bouncing up and down in his jumperoo.  Maybe I need to get me one of those, that’s got to be quite the workout.

I’m struggling with getting enough calories in me each day.  My hunger patterns have changed and I am finding that I am not as hungry as I used to be.  So for instance, this evening I had close to 600 some calories left to consume.  I had done great on my carbs and fat so i decided to eat a low carb ice cream for a treat.  It was from Breyer’s and pretty good. But I still need to eat about 424 more calories to get up to my 1434.  I guess I am eating some peanut butter again tonight.

I am really digging the smoothie idea for breakfast.  Today my smoothie consisted of 1/4 c of blueberries, a c of cut up strawberries, a scoop of strawberry protein shake, 1 c of organic yogurt, some ice and water.  DELICIOUS!  And I do find it quite filling.  All for about 300 calories.  It’s a must try.

Here’s the details:
1 c of organic yogurt (110 calories)
1 scoop of strawberry protein shake (110 calories)
1/4 c of blueberries
1 c of sliced strawberries
ice and water

This is great to make when you are on the go. I sip this as I am making the rest of my meals for the day, get my shower, and sometimes even as I am getting ready. You can always take it with you to go to if you needed to.

Tip:Try and plan your meals in advance, you’ll be much more successful to sticking to your diet if you do.

My mid morning meal came around 9:30am, I was focused when I got into work, even after walking the stairs. Three flights and I am sorry to say I still am a little winded when I get to the top.

Mid Morning Meal
4 egg whites
3 pieces of turkey bacon

I had a few almonds before I got lunch. I accompanied a friend to Babies R Us today and we ended up not eating until 1:30pm. The almonds did their job and held me over.

Snack
15 almonds (104 calories)

Lunch
Chipotle chicken salad
lettuce (10 calories)
chicken (190 calories) This was according to the chipotle website.
pico de gallo (40 calories)

Lunch was good but for some reason Chipotle has been making their mild salsa super hot lately. I thought about complaining.

When I got home my husband had grilled up some chicken and to be honest, nothing else looked great to go with it so I poured about a 1/4 a cup of salsa over it and called it a meal. It actually did the trick. I mean if you think about it salsa is tomatoes, green peppers, and onion. No different than if I had some other veggie to go with it, and except the fact that I had chicken and pico with lettuce for lunch, it really isn’t that odd, right?

Dinner
Chicken 4 ounces (140 calories)
1/4 c salsa (20 calories)

Dessert
Low carb ice cream bar (170 calories)
1 tbsp of peanut butter (100 calories)

Total calories: 1218
Calories burned: 367

A Better Day

I realized this morning what I should have named my last blog post. “Pity Party…table for one.” Lol. That would have been completely appropriate for the venting, no more like whining I did in that last post. It’s a good thing today is a new day. I am feeling much better.

Tip: Better to have one day of venting than to give up. I promised myself that when I started this blog that I would be honest and I think yesterday’s blog post showed that this is not easy. There will be good days and bad days, but if I stick with it I will get to reap the rewards.

I woke up at 4:50am this morning got myself up and found a new Exercise TV trainer to work out with. Jackie Warner. She has her own exercise program on Bravo TV apparently and she helps the celebs workout.  So I am totally ready for the red carpet after her workout today.  Okay, maybe not. But I am getting there.  She mixes strength with some low impact cardio and it was a great workout. I’ll probably do it again.

I made myself a smoothie for breakfast this morning, got a shower and went to the closet to find myself some clothes.  I think I am in a size 8 at this point, though I only have 1 pair of pants in that size.  In the hopes of not having to wear yet another pair of maternity pants, I went searching.  I found a pair of cropped khaki’s that looked like a larger 6 and put them on.  They looked great.  I was so excited I almost yelped out loud.  But kept it quite, not to disturb my sleeping husband. Who by they way, got some kind of stomach bug yesterday and lost 2 lbs.  Ridiculous!

However, before you start rejoicing with me, I soon learned when I went to the bathroom that my pants had small print.  “Maternity” was written right under my Old Navy label.  Great.  So not a real size 6.  But I am loving wearing these pants today because they feel great. And if they feel great, I feel great and so it’s a good thing, right?

Work was busy this morning so I didnt’ get a chance to eat my mid-morning snack.  I’m munching on lunch right now of tuna with some organic mayo, egg whites, and some brown rice chips.  I have to make sure I eat enough calories today since I did a hard-core workout this morning.  It was a 40 minute program.

Breakfast
Blackberry smoothie (271 calories)
1 c. organic yogurt
1/2 c of blackberries
1 scoop of protein mix
ice
water
Side note: Blackberries were okay, but I am going to try out strawberries next time. This also makes a pretty large smoothie, but it kept me filled up almost until lunch.

Snack
15 almonds (100 calories)

Lunch
tuna (109 calories)
1 tbsp. organic mayo (35 calories)
4 boiled egg whites (67 calories)
brown rice snaps (60 calories)

The Blah’s

I am not sure what to title this post, I am not even really sure what I am going to write but I know I have to write.  I don’t know if it’s because its that time of the month or if I am just going through a thing but I am really struggling with this diet and exercise right now.  I’m guessing that it’s because everyone does, I’m sure that’s true.  But I am rebelling.  Well not really, I am having rebellious thoughts. Maybe it is the menstrual thing.  I just want to eat chocolate and I hate it that I feel this way and am having the hardest time shaking it. I also didn’t get up and exercise today. My back was still bothering me and I didn’t want to push it so I decided to take it easy. I will get up tomorrow.

I think I’m also struggling with constantly trying to keep track of my calories.  Its one of things I hate about dieting, but I know it’s something that I have to do to lose this weight and I really want to lose this weight.  So forgive me but there may just be days that I tell you what I ate and not actually go through all the calories.

Breakfast
1/2 c cooked oatmeal (100 calories)

Mid-morning
4 boiled egg whites (68 calories)
3 pieces of turkey bacon (75 calories)

Lunch
salad: lettuce, tomato, onion, pine nuts, feta cheese, chicken

Dinner
1 pork chop
3/4 c of corn

Snack
2 tbsp. peanut butter

Total: 1268 calories

So tomorrow is a new day and 5am will come quickly. I am off to get my stuff ready for tomorrow and head to bed.

Back on Track

Okay, so I didn’t do so great this past week, keeping track of my eating and exercising on here.  But I am going to do better this week.  Promise.

Tip: It’s okay to get off track with your journal, just remember,  keeping a journal of the food you consume and your exercise, will help you to know if you need to make adjustments.

It was a good week for me, for the most part, I was able to stick to my diet well and I exercised every day.  Yesterday I went to level 3 of the 30 day shred and not only did I want to die while I was going through it, my body ached the rest of the day.  I even needed to use a heating pad on my back later on that night.  It’s feeling better this morning though.  I am debating at this point whether or not I should do any strength training today.  I am thinking about doing some yoga in the hopes of stretching my body out a bit.  I think that might be a good idea.  The only problem with it is that it doesn’t burn a whole lot of calories. But it is better than nothing.

So far this morning I’ve gotten a lot done.  Sundays are good days for me because I have the whole day to do stuff around the house, cook, workout, and catch up on bills, etc. I’ve already boiled a bunch of eggs for the week and eaten my breakfast.

Breakfast:

4 boiled egg whites (67 calories)
3 slices of turkey bacon (75 calories)
1 c. of light soy milk (90 calories)

I just put Sawyer down for his mid-morning nap so I think I am going to do some yoga and see how I feel after that.  If I am up to it I may do some cardio or some other type of workout.  I’m really excited about my measurements this morning, lost more inches.

Waist: 2 inches
Thighs: 2 inches each side
Bust: 1.5 inches
Chest: 2 inches
Hips: 1.5 inches
Calves: .5 inch
Biceps: 0 inches

Total body inches lost: 11.5 inches

Total body inches lost to date: 19 inches

I’m not sure why I am not losing in my biceps.  I can feel muscles forming there, just not seeing the adjustment on the measuring tape.  Maybe I’ll work out arms today.