Labor Day Challenge - Week 8 - Monday

No exercise today. I slept so poorly last night! I was exhausted and went to be early - I put my book away before 8:30! However, I made the mistake of wearing my headphones with my Zune to listen to music. Every time I'd be on the verge of falling asleep, my brain would shout "Oh, I love this song!" and I'd be wide awake. It was almost midnight before I finally admitted that I just wasn't going to fall asleep unless I turned the mp3 player off. But then I just could not get comfortable - I was too hot, too cold, stiff muscles from the fit test the other night, sore skin from the sunburn.

I've been trying to decide what to do about my body fat measurements. I've been trying to find a semi-accurate way to track it. The first few readings we came up with seemed really low to me. There's no way I'm 19-20% body fat, which is what we got when I first got my calipers. Over the weekend, we got almost 33% body fat, which also seems off. If I go by the directions in that came with the calipers (a one site measurement - suprailliac, about an inch above the hip bone), I get a reading that's middle of the road. Still, everything I've read suggests that more sites of measurement equals higher accuracy. Of course, it does depend on the person doing the measurements, and my husband is certainly no pro!

I'm also reading more about P90X and Insanity and so far, it looks like it is NOT recommended that they be done together. Bummer. I'm still undecided, and still have a month to make up my mind, based on what I read.

8:30 AM - eggs & toast w/ butter

11:50 AM - grilled chicken breast & green beans w/ light balsamic vinaigrette

1:25 PM - banana

2:15 PM - Fiber One bar; I got a free sample in the mail, which I checked on my way to picking up my son at the school. I ate it in the parking lot, even though I knew it was just impulse eating.

4:00 PM - baby carrots & yogurt

6:15 PM - round steak w/ rice & mixed vegetables

8:00 PM - Cheerios w/ skim milk, plum

Tree cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1658
Carbs - 233 (33 fiber)
Protein - 102
Fat - 41
C/P/F Ratio - 54.7/23.8/21.4

Labor Day Challenge - Week 7 - Sunday

What a long day!! I got up at 6 AM to make freaking taco salad and hit the road. We went to Ocracoke today, a small island south of ours. It's really tiny and about an hour and a half by car, plus a 40 minute ferry ride. There is a small lighthouse there, some marinas, a few restaurants and shops...I think it's where the pirate Blackbeard lived. I'm not up on my North Carolina history, even though I've lived here for over 10 years. Heck, I couldn't even tell you the story of the Lost Colony, which is 10 minutes away, with any degree of accuracy. In my defense, I can't tell you the history of western New York either, and I lived there for 23 years.

Anyway, my husband had never been to Ocracoke before. I usually go during the day, when he's unavailable, with vacationing family. So it was boring as hell for me, but it was a nice chance for the three of us to get out, have a picnic, enjoy the ferry. I love riding the ferry. I love boats. I would live on a boat. I just love it.

What I don't love is the sunburn. I remembered to get some on Sebastian, but I forgot to take care of myself. My back and left shoulder in particular (again!!!!) are very red. It's not too painful yet, but it may give me problems tonight and tomorrow.

Food-wise, today was a bust, and I knew it would be. We went to McDonald's for breakfast, ate taco salad at a picnic bench 80 miles from home, snacked on Doritos on the way home, then stopped for ice cream. Dinner was whatever we could grab - we're all exhausted and going to bed pretty early.

Speaking of exhausted, I think I need to look at that using Insanity as the cardio for P90X Doubles. I forgot that extra cardio is only added on weight days. Insanity would have me doing extra cardio every day! I am not taking the idea off the table at all, but I am going to see how the first month of P90X goes, then when it comes time to add the extra cardio, I'll see. I would still LOVE to take on this challenge though!!

Labor Day Challenge - Week 7 - Saturday

Call me crazy, but I've mentioned before that I wanted to do the Doubles version of P90X, which is the regular program plus extra cardio in the last 2 months. Well, it just so happens that the Insanity program is 2 months of cardio! So, it made sense to combine the programs. I put together a calendar to help me keep track of everything I have to do. I'll admit, it looks daunting, and I will have to make sure I am eating enough, but I think this is a fantastic challenge for me. I'll be doing P90X in the morning and Insanity in the evening. And really, it is no more ambitious than a regular Doubles program, IMO.

I tried to stay on plan today, after yesterday's junk-fest. Tomorrow won't be pretty, either, because I'm making old school taco salad, which we have not had in years. It will have Doritos and lots of Catalina dressing, just like my aunt used to make. Yum!

8:35 AM - apple & cottage cheese

12:05 PM - broccoli & chicken breast w/ vidalia onion dressing, yogurt

2:35 PM - green peppers & mozzarella string cheese

6:40 PM - omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce, homemade pork sausage

9:35 PM - Cheerios & banana w/ skim milk

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1561
Carbs - 178 (20 fiber)
Protein - 127
Fat - 43
C/P/F Ratio - 44.4/31.7/23.9

P90X Fit Test Results

I did my P90X Fit Test and body fat measurements/pictures today. I had to get it done today because my husband won't be able to help me with it next weekend. I'll have measurements and weights next Sunday, and I'll be uploading everything to the web, and adding links on my page. Here are the results of my P90X Fit Test:

Resting Heart Rate: 58 bpm
Pull Ups (minimum for women - 1): 3/4, the instructions say your chin needs to be above the bar, and I got mine to the bar, but no higher.
Vertical Leap (minimum - 3 inches): 10 inches
Push Ups (minimum for women - 3 on toes or 15 on knees): 23 on toes
Toe Touch (minimum - 6 inches to toes): 2.5 inches beyond toes
Wall Squat (minimum - 1 minute): 1:19
Bicep Curls (minimum for women - 10 reps w/ 8 lbs): 13 @ 15 lbs
In & Outs (minimum - 25): 35
Heart Rate Maximizer:
-immediately after jumping jacks: 161 bpm
-after 1 minute rest: 116 bpm
-after 2 minutes rest: 88 bpm
-after 3 minutes rest: 82 bpm
-after 4 minutes rest: 72 bpm

Labor Day Challenge - Week 7 - Friday

No exercise today and I ate badly. I can't even begin to remember it all. I'm not overly bothered by it but still...

Labor Day Challenge - Week 7 - Thursday

No exercise today. I did some crap around the house that needed to be done, and it certainly wasn't even close to "heavy cleaning" or anything.

8:50 AM - omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

12:20 PM - roasted chicken w/ broccoli & cauliflower

3:00 PM - apple, tuna salad w/ light balsamic vinaigrette dressing

6:30 PM - chicken breast w/ picante sauce & light cream cheese, corn muffin, peanut buttery bar

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1417
Carbs - 142 (19 fiber)
Protein - 116
Fat - 46
C/P/F Ratio - 39.4/32.1/28.5

Labor Day Challenge - Week 7 - Wednesday

I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 again - 50 minutes, 411 calories.

7:15 AM - cottage cheese & light English muffin

10:35 AM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

2:50 PM - turkey breast on homemade whole wheat wraps

5:15 PM - green peppers

7:40 PM - chicken salad w/ vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing

8:00 PM - peanut buttery bar

9:40 PM - Betty Crocker Warm Delights Mini & frozen banana

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1870
Carbs - 222 37 fiber)
Protein - 133
Fat - 56
C/P/F Ratio - 46.4/27.6.26

Labor Day Challenge - Week 7 - Tuesday

I sent my kid off to kindergarten today and he totally blew me off once we got to the classroom. I barely got in a kiss, and that was me giving him one, along with half a hug as he got right to work in his seat. I knew it wouldn't be a problem for either of us. I packed his lunch - peanut butter & jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread, pineapple-orange juice in his thermos (he's supposed to buy his milk), and apple, and some crackers. That's a good amount for a 5 year old, right? He did eat breakfast, and they have a snack mid-morning, and lunch at 11:40. I plan on having a snack ready for him when he gets home.

After taking Sebastian to school, I came home and finally did some Turbo Jam! It's been over a month since I've done any cardio, and boy, I felt every day of it. I was off on a couple moves, got a stitch in my side, and felt drained. But I loved it. I did Cardio Party 3 - 50 minutes and 427 calories.

7:25 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:40 AM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

12:40 PM - peanut buttery bar; I made these for an after-school-snack and they are very good. High calorie, but good.

2:50 PM - fish taco

6:25 PM - roasted chicken salad w/ vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing; I accidentally put way too much dressing on because my husband was running his mouth at me and I was distracted.

6:40 PM - peanut buttery bar

8:10 PM - apple & cottage cheese

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1809
Carbs - 193 (21 fiber)
Protein - 131
Fat - 59

Labor Day Challenge - Week 7 - Monday

I know I planned to get back to regular cardio today, but my baby starts school tomorrow, so I took the day to play with him. I'll resume tomorrow. But today was Sebastian's day. We got up and made (Fiber One) pancakes with chocolate chips. Then we played on the Wii - I did a little bit of Outdoor Challenge (I saw they have a new version out! I must get that, along with the Wii Sports Resort). For lunch, we had grilled cheese sandwiches on the floor of a sheet fort we built. I snacked on pretzels and peanuts. Dinner was deep-fried turkey potstickers. Shhh. Don't tell anyone!

I fully expect to be "normal" tomorrow.

Labor Day Challenge - Week 6 - Sunday

Really busy day. I haven't been tracking but I haven't been eating horribly. I literally haven't had any free time to blog and do all my good girl fitness & nutrition stuff.

Labor Day Challenge - Week 6 - Saturday

No exercise planned for today. I'm on my weight training break and will start "full time" cardio on Monday. I'm going to shoot for 4 days a week for the two weeks before P90X starts. Speaking of P90X, I want to recommend a new blog. I ran across Maine Girl on the Beachbody message boards, and she's two weeks in to the program. I love her posts - they are to the point, informative, and quite amusing. So please, check out Maine Girl's P90X blog.

8:30 AM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

11:30 AM - ground turkey, green peppers w/ avocado-chiptole hummus

2:50 PM - cantaloupe & cottage cheese

6:10 PM - fish tacos (w/ homemade whole wheat tortillas), tomato cucumber salad

6:45 PM - Thin Mints; I wanted to eat the whole box. I would have eaten the whole thing, too. I knew I wouldn't stop at one cookie or one serving (4 cookies); I ate two servings. And I'm more impressed with myself that I actually added it to my nutritional tracker. For some reason, that doesn't make it feel so bad. Of course, now my coffee tastes like crap.

7:55 PM - Mock Mudslide (milk, Nesquick, vodka & kahlua); I could totally get fat off this. Next time though, it needs more alcohol. I only had one.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 2119
Carbs - 221 (24 fiber)
Protein - 141
Fat - 75
C/P/F Ratio - 41.6/26.6/31.8

Labor Day Challenge - Week 6 - Friday

WORKOUT D:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
deadlift 5x5x85
tricep kickback 5x5x15
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
good morning 3x8x55
Bulgarian split squat 3x8x15

Busy, busy day today! We were out and about ALL DAY. I ate a healthy breakfast at home, but the rest of the day was fast food, and whatever I could grab snacks. I didn't worry about it - I knew today would be atypical. No sweat!

I'm completely exhausted and will sleep well tonight!!

Labor Day Challenge - Week 6 - Thursday

WORKOUT C:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
negative chin up 5x5xbodyweight
dumbbell shoulder press 5x5x20
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
dumbbell pull over 3x8x20
standing calf raise 3x8x85

Negative chin ups are kind of easy now. I think I'll move on to assisted chins for P90X, but for pull ups, especially wide grip, I'll have to stick with negative. I can't even do one wide grip negative pull up. Hell, I cam barely reach the wide grip handles on my bar. I guess that's the only disadvantage to my Iron Gym - I have to put my hands where the grips are. I don't have any in between like I'd have on a straight bar. Being a shorty, I don't have a very big wing span. I let my 5 year old make a video of me doing a chin up. I should have turned the lights on. It's so dark. But I could still see my biceps!!

I snacked on a few pretzels today - just a few - and didn't measure them. But I swear, I was good.

7:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:40 PM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

1:40 PM - grilled chicken breast & baked sweet potato chips

3:45 PM - mandarin oranges, mozzarella string cheese

6:10 PM - Swedish meatballs w/ whole wheat pasta; I did not make the pasta from scratch this time. I only do that when my husband is home to help out. Anyway, this was amazing, and I used the brown sauce recipe on the web page. I am absolutely making this again! I used ground chuck this time, but I can definitely see using it with ground turkey & chicken.

8:30 PM - yogurt

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1927
Carbs - 170 (15 fiber)
Protein - 151
Fat - 66
C/P/F Ratio - 36.3/32.2/31.5

Labor Day Challenge - Week 6 - Wednesday

I made it through another night without eating anything after posting my blog. I wanted to though!

9:15 AM - turkey bacon; omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

11:45 AM - Cheerios w/ skim milk, banana

1:40 PM - apple & cottage cheese, plum

3:20 PM - baby carrots & green peppers

7:30 PM - ground turkey & green beans

8:00 PM - yogurt

8:45 PM - Kashi GoLean blueberry waffles w/ sugar-free syrup

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1555
Carbs - 218 (39 fiber)
Protein - 98
Fat - 45
C/P/F Ratio - 52.3/23.5/24.3

Labor Day Challenge - Week 6 - Tuesday

WORKOUT B:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
barbell squat 5x5x85
dumbbell hammer curl 5x5x20
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
dumbbell step up 3x8x20
SHELC 3x12xbodyweight

I added weight to my squat this week. I suspect I'll be feeling it tomorrow.

In 51 years, I want to be this woman. And for kicks this evening, I tried come chin ups. I did 2 in a row.

I'm very happy that I got through last night without eating anything that wasn't in my blog! I think it's because I ate dinner so late.

6:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:15 AM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

12:30 PM - grilled chicken breast & baked sweet potato chips

3:10 PM - plums

4:45 PM - mozzarella string cheese

6:35 PM - grilled steak, broccoli & cauliflower w/ vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing, corn muffin

7:40 PM - yogurt

8:30 PM - Cheerios w/ skim milk

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 2023
Carbs - 245 (36 fiber)
Protein - 152
Fat - 63
C/P/F Ratio - 43.3/29.3/27.4

Labor Day Challenge - Week 6 - Monday

WORKOUT A:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the circuit:
lying barbell press 5x5x70
one-arm dumbbell row 5x5x30
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
seated calf raise 3x20x40
lying dumbbell fly 3x8x20

The elbow brace didn't really help when I was lifting today. I don't know if I'm just more conscious of the injury or what, but I'm positive this is my last week of lifting, and I'll take 2 weeks off before P90X starts.

I hate to type this but this blog is all about honesty. I ate a bunch of crap last night after I posted: some pretzels, a grilled cheese sandwich, some peanut M&Ms, some cashews and a hot dog. I didn't binge but I did feel out of control. I wasn't even hungry. I drank water, tried distractions, and even argued with myself about how stupid my behavior was. I could have made better food choices (I had vegetables prepped) or even limited my poorer choices (measure out the food) but I did neither. I know I'm not going to be perfect and I'll have setbacks, and I am "happy" that the behavior I was exhibiting last year isn't as intense this year, so I feel like I'm still making progress. Honestly, I think the anticipation of doing the P90X nutrition plan is messing with my head. It's challenging, for sure, so some part of me probably feels like I need to get all the bad stuff in now. Something like this happens, and I begin to doubt my ability to follow a specific eating plan. I never have been able to do it, faithfully, even with Atkins. I think I do better when I don't follow one, but there's something about wanting to do P90X as it was truly intended that keeps tugging at me - like if I do it and fail, I still tried my best. But what if I just do the exercise and fail? I hadn't done my best because I skipped the critical part of the program. The nutrition program is weird, and kind of hard to follow at first. I'll get 1800 calories a day (which is more than I usually eat when I am eating right), but the first month is higher protein, lower carb and from there you decrease protein and increase carbs. I should be an old pro at that, right? I'll get fruit and starch and all that - there are no food groups missing - but for some reason, it just feels intimidating.

9:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:40 AM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce

1:45 PM - ground turkey & brown rice

7:00 PM - green peppers & almonds; Well, 1 almond. I intended to eat these before class, but I didn't have time, so I ate them as I walked home. I made it through the green peppers but when I got my almonds out, I fumbled with the container, and it fell on the ground. So I only got to eat one.

7:35 PM - roast, broccoli & cauliflower w/ vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing

8:30 PM - yogurt & almonds

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1466
Carbs - 132 (26 fiber)
Protein - 113
Fat - 61
C/P/F Ratio - 34.4/29.5/36

Labor Day Challenge - Week 5 - Sunday

Three more weeks until I start P90X!!!!! I've started going through the nutrition part of the program to see if it's something I really want to do. I think it is. I am pretty sure I can do it if I plan properly. And my husband has decided (well, I gave him no choice) that he's going to start working out and eating better. He isn't doing P90X because he doesn't have time for it, but he's going to follow the nutrition plan, and I've decided that one of the New Rules of Lifting programs is perfect for him (the one that's two days a week). So, we're starting that on Labor day. Honestly, I don't have a lot of confidence that Sam will stick to it. The only thing he's ever stuck to even semi-long term was Atkins, and I'm not doing Atkins. I won't accommodate two different ways of eating in this house any longer. Of course, the only meal I have control over is dinner. I can keep healthy stuff stocked up all I want but it's ultimately up to him to eat it or not. I will admit, I am a bit worried about him. He's a stocky guy, and like I did, he gained back everything he lost back before we had Sebastian, plus a few more. I don't know if he's agreed to do it because he wants to, or because he wants me to shut up. I don't really nag/lecture, but I am definitely vocal about healthy choices. Sebastian is picking up some of his father's bad habits and I'm really trying to steer him more toward healthy eating. I've told him repeatedly that he can have whatever fruits and vegetables are in the refrigerator if he gets hungry but he always wants other stuff. He stomps off and ends up eating nothing. We don't keep too much "other" stuff in the house, but if I make even healthy snacks, he has portion control problems. I never know how much I should serve a 5 year old, and I think that's part of the problem. I think I'm still giving him baby portions for his meals, and he's still hungry after. But if I offer more of the meal, he says no. So he doesn't get anything, then half hour later he's hungry. It's frustrating.

I actually got a little bit of exercise today. I walked to Walgreens, about 1/4 mile away. LOL there's some high intensity for you! But I walked there twice - once to buy an elbow brace and once to exchange it for a different one. I'm going to see if it helps with my tendon ache this week. I still plan to take two weeks off from lifting, but I want to see if it will help while I do P90X.

7:30 AM - Cheerios w/ skim milk & banana

10:35 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & salsa

12:05 PM - yogurt; I tried the Yoplait Light Boston Creme Pie and it's wonderful!. I like it almost as much as the Cinnamon Roll.

1:30 PM - salad w/ ground turkey, onion, tomato, light sour cream & salsa

3:40 PM - almonds

4:45 PM - grilled chicken breast & brown rice

7:00 PM - salad w/ broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, green peppers, croutons & vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1734
Carbs - 210 (33 fiber)
Protein - 98
Fat - 61
C/P/F Ratio - 47.2/22.1/30.7

Labor Day Challenge - Week 5 - Saturday

I don't know what my problem is. After I blogged last night, I had a little bit of Fiber One cereal, then some Planters nut bar (which was way too salty), then a banana and I was just crazy hungry. I'm ovulating so the next two weeks are going to be ridiculous in terms of hunger. I was too lazy to cut up some green peppers last night. When I'm not prepared, I eat crap.

No cardio today. I was going to do some Turbo but I was too tired when I got up this morning. I'm so full of excuses lately.

7:00 AM - Cheerios w/ skim milk

10:10 AM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

12:50 PM - green peppers & avocado-chipotle hummus

1:40 PM - DiGiorno Flat Bread Melt; I had the steak & fire roasted vegetables; It wasn't that great - certainly not worth 380 calories. It only intensified my hunger and I'm really, really trying to hold it together and not eat everything in sight right now.

4:40 PM - grilled chicken breast & brown rice w/ onion, garlic & green peppers

6:25 PM - Cheerios & banana w/ skim milk

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1956
Carbs - 245 (31 fiber)
Protein - 120
Fat - 57
C/P/F Ratio - 49.6/24.3/26.1

Labor Day Challenge - Week 5 - Friday

WORKOUT D:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
deadlift 5x5x85
tricep kickback 5x5x15
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
good morning 3x8x55
Bulgarian split squat 3x8x15

After blogging last night, I munched on some cheese and pretzels and grapes. Oh, and a banana. I also got a plum out, but forgot to eat it. I should have gone to bed when I was really tired, but instead I got it into my head that I needed a netbook and went to Staples. They didn't have any in stock, which is good because I'm not crazy about impulse buys, but then I came home and stayed up late researching the stupid things.

I think next week is going to be my last week of this particular weight lifting program. I technically have 3 weeks left, but I've been having problems with my right arm, and I am fairly certain I have golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis). I would like to take a couple weeks off to rest it before I start P90X. I haven't had a week off in almost 6 months, so I think it's a wise decision. I'll do cardio and try to get more random activity, but I have to rest this arm. It's not terribly painful all the time, but there are times when I put pressure on it that I can tell there's something not right. As intense as P90X is on the arms, I don't want to get a few weeks into it and have a serious injury occur. I'd be totally screwed.

8:15 AM - plum & cottage cheese

11:15 AM - omelet w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

2:00 PM - baked sweet potato chips, tilapia w/ romaine lettuce; I am so glad I thought to make 2 sweet potatoes worth of chips because my son couldn't keep his fingers off my plate. I'm even happier he actually likes them - he won't eat regular potatoes.

3:30 PM - green peppers & avocado-chipotle hummus

6:05 PM - roasted pork loin & bacon-wrapped green beans

7:25 PM - yogurt

8:30 PM - Fiber One chocolate mocha bars; I ate two. Ugh.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1795
Carbs - 203 (41 fiber)
Protein - 137
Fat - 54
C/P/F Ratio - 43.9/29.7/26.3

Labor Day Challenge - Week 5 - Thursday

WORKOUT C:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
negative chin up 5x5xbodyweight
dumbbell shoulder press 5x5x20
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
dumbbell pull over 3x8x20
standing calf raise 3x8x80

6:10 AM - mandarin oranges & cottage cheese

8:50 AM - roasted chicken & green peppers

12:10 PM - turkey & bacon w/ lettuce, pepper jack cheese, onions & light mayonnaise on flat bread, chocolate chip cookie from Subway; I didn't add these to my tracker, and I did have trouble deciding whether I really wanted this meal, or just wait until I got home from my trip to eat lunch. In the end, I decided it wouldn't hurt me at all, so I went for it.

3:00 PM - apple & yogurt

6:15 PM - roasted pork loin w/ risotto & corn muffins

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

No official numbers because of lunch, but I know I was way over LOL

Labor Day Challenge - Week 5 - Wednesday

I am super stiff and exhausted today. I'm going to do some mild stretching throughout the day but no exercise. I just wanted to sleep today. I didn't, of course, but I wanted to!

8:00 AM - banana & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - yogurt, scrambled eggs w/ light cream cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

1:35 PM - tilapia & baked sweet potato chips

3:20 PM - green peppers & avocado-chipotle hummus

6:45 PM - roasted chicken & green beans, yogurt

9:00 PM - Fiver One Caramel Delight cereal w/ skim milk

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1557
Carbs - 192 (28 fiber)
Protein - 141
Fat - 30
C/P/F Ratio - 47.9/35.2/16.9

Labor Day Challenge - Week 5 - Tuesday

WORKOUT B:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
barbell squat 5x5x80
dumbbell hammer curl 5x5x20
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
dumbbell step up 3x8x20
SHELC 3x12xbodyweight

No Tabata Tuesday. I know it only takes a few minutes, but getting the house cleaned was my priority. I was pretty wiped at the end of weights anyway - I increased my curl and step up weights - and I don't know if I could have done a Tabata if my life depended on it.

7:25 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:55 AM - turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, salsa & cheese

1:15 PM - roasted chicken w/ dijon dressing on romaine lettuce

3:30 PM - green peppers

6:30 PM - Fiber One pancakes w/ sugar-free syrup, scrambled eggs w/ cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

8:30 PM - frozen banana w/ vanilla yogurt

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1609
Carbs - 171 (21 fiber)
Protein - 124
Fat - 56
C/P/F Ratio - 40.5/29.4/30

Labor Day Challenge - Week 5 - Monday

WORKOUT A:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the circuit:
lying barbell press 5x5x70
one-arm dumbbell row 5x5x30
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
seated calf raise 3x20x40
lying dumbbell fly 3x8x20

I'm not doing Meatless Monday today. I have a ton of crap to do and the chicken is already made, so I'm just going with that. I'm going to be lucky to get meals in at all, and if I don't stop at McDonald's on the way home from substitute teacher training tonight, it will be a miracle.

7:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:50 AM - omelet w/ avocado, cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

12:20 PM - chicken breast w/ avocado & dijon dill dressing on romaine lettuce wrap

3:15 PM - mandarin oranges, mozzarella string cheese, green peppers

7:50 PM - roasted chicken w/ mixed vegetables

8:25 PM - apple & cottage cheese

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1757
Carbs - 168 (28 fiber)
Protein - 154
Fat - 56
C/P/F Ratio - 37.6/34.4/28

Labor Day Challenge - Week 4 - Sunday

Not a whole lot to day today. I've been reformatting my computer and gearing up to deep clean my house this week, so I'll probably be getting to the point each day. I have a ton of crap to do. Aside from cleaning the house, I start substitute teacher training tomorrow and my son has a dentist appointment 90 minutes away on Thursday. I'll be glad to hit the farmers market on the way home! I've been holding off because I need to scrub out my refrigerator.

I tried out a new recipe today. I found it in a booklet SeaPak (the seafood people) sent me. It's Dijon Dill Dressing, and it's very good:

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 tbs lemon juice
3 tbs water

9:50 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, cheese & salsa

12:45 PM - roasted chicken & spaghetti squash w/ dijon dill dressing

1:30 PM - black bean chocolate brownie cake

4:10 PM - black bean chocolate brownie cake

5:50 PM - lasagna & corn bread muffins; I made lasagna noodles from scratch (with dehydrated spinach) & ground turkey. The corn bread muffins were from scratch, too. It was a pain in the ass to put it all in my nutrition tracker, but I did it, and saved it as a recipe so I can make it again. It was our first attempt at lasagna noodles and it came okay (in terms of appearance). Overall, the dish was very good.

8:05 PM - black bean chocolate brownie cake w/ frozen banana

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1860
Carbs - 179 (24 fiber)
Protein - 114
Fat - 80
C/P/F Ratio - 37.9/24.2/38

Labor Day Challenge - Week 4 - Saturday

So yeah, last night after I posted my blog, I ate a pint of freaking ice cream and a stick of string cheese. I wish I knew why I struggle like this on some days and do fine on others. Sometimes I even have the cravings and don't give in. But as I said last night - I'm moving on.

No formal exercise today. I am definitely slacking in the cardio department.

8:40 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:20 AM - Fiber One pancake w/ sugar-free syrup

11:30 AM - omelet w/ cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

2:00 PM - salad w/ chicken breast, black beans, romaine lettuce, tomato, salsa & sour cream

3:05 PM - black bean brownie & pumpkin carrot muffin; I'm really disappointed that I ate both, and not one or the other.

6:20 PM - spaghetti squash & shrimp

7:00 PM - green peppers & avocado-chipotle hummus

8:00 PM - apple & cottage cheese

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1886
Carbs - 209 (41 fiber)
Protein - 182
Fat - 44
C/P/F Ratio - 42.7/37.1/20.2

Labor Day Challenge - Week 4 - Friday

WORKOUT D:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
deadlift 5x5x85
tricep kickback 5x5x15
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
good morning 3x8x50
Bulgarian split squat 3x8x15

No cardio today. We went to the beach again.

Apparently, I can't read a calendar. I've been telling everyone I'm starting P90X on Labor Day, Monday September 8th. But Labor Day is Monday September 7. So, I'm starting September 7, not 8.

7:20 AM - apple & cottage cheese

8:00 PM - black bean brownie; Just half - my son didn't want the rest of his.

10:20 AM - chicken breast & black beans w/ avocado, sour cream & salsa

1:45 PM - omelet w/ avocado, cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

3:20 PM - watermelon

5:40 PM - mixed vegetables & London broil

6:50 PM - green peppers & baby carrots w/ avocado-chipotle hummus

7:50 PM - This is where I lost it - half a brownie, a pumpkin carrot muffin, a 3 Musketeers bar, and a couple corn dogs. BLAH! Frickity frack! It's not a binge but I really could have done better. Oh well, I'm done worrying about it.

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Labor Day Challenge - Week 4 - Thursday

WORKOUT C:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
negative chin up 5x5xbodyweight
dumbbell shoulder press 5x5x15
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
dumbbell pull over 3x8x20
standing calf raise 3x8x70

No cardio, but I did go to the beach with my son. We live about half a mile from the ocean, so we just walked. Some people would think we're lucky to live here, but really, I'm not a fan of the beach. I don't like the heat and the sun damages my skin easily. I burn, even with high SPF, and I have rosacea, so my face breaks out badly if I'm in the sun too long. But today was a very good day, weather-wise, for me - partly cloudy, good breeze, not too hot. The water was quite cold though. We didn't actually swim, but Sebastian loved it. If all goes well, we're going again tomorrow, and hopefully Sunday when my husband can go, too. I'm glad I made my lunch before we left though. By the time we got home and cleaned up, I was starving. Fortunately, my salad was ready.

I tried out a recipe for chocolate brownie cake that I found here. It's made with black beans instead of flour. I tried making black bean brownies before and it didn't turn out (though, I think it was something I did wrong, and not the recipe) so I was really skeptical, but I have to say, this turned out fabulous! It's a bit "spongier" than regular cake - it has a "hard" airiness to it. It's not hard but the texture feels a bit stiffer in the mouth than regular cake. It may have been the way I beat my egg whites - the were starting to collapse by the time I finished putting everything in the pan. I'm going to throw in some cream of tartar next time to help them hold up a little better. And yes, there will be a next time!

7:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:20 AM - omelet w/ avocado, cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

2:00 PM - salad w/ chicken breast, tomato, avocado, green peppers & vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing

5:00 PM - chocolate brownie cake

7:20 PM - black bean burgers w/ mustard on romaine lettuce wrap

8:30 PM - cottage cheese & plum

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1669
Carbs - 177 (41 fiber)
Protein - 137
Fat - 55
C/P/F Ratio - 40.3/31.3/28.4

Labor Day Challenge - Week 4 - Wednesday

It's Wii Wednesday and I am dragging ass. I was up rather late last night, hadn't slept well the night before, and I'm just exhausted. I got out of bed later than I would have liked, after lying there listening to the radio for hours with my eyes closed. I hardly have any energy, so I didn't Turbo. I took a more leisurely approach to exercise today, and played Wii Sports with my son. I'm such a slacker and it's bothering me, but then I tell myself that I'll be getting my ass kicked by Tony Horton and P90X in a few weeks, and begin to look as it as I'm conserving my energy.

9:30 AM - Fiber One pancakes w/ sugar-free syrup & turkey bacon

12:30 PM - black bean burgers w/ mustard on romaine lettuce wraps, green peppers w/ chipotle-avocado hummus

3:30 PM - chicken breast salad w/ tomatoes & vidalia onion vinaigrette dressing

6:45 PM - omelet w/ green peppers, onion, cheese & salsa

7:25 PM - apple & cottage cheese

7:40 PM - 3 Musketeers bar, whole wheat & sour cream chocolate chip cookie; I don't even know what to say here.

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1906
Carbs - 248 (60 fiber)
Protein - 126
Fat - 60
C/P/F Ratio - 48.7/24.7/26.5

Labor Day Challenge - Week 4 - Tuesday

WORKOUT B:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
barbell squat 5x5x80
dumbbell hammer curl 5x5x15
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
dumbbell step up 3x8x15
SHELC 3x12xbodyweight

For Tabata Tuesday, I did two tabatas back-to-back: burpees and Turbo Jam twist. I'm glad I did the burpees first because those bitches were hard!! By the third round, I was dying. I think I managed five burpees per 20-second work interval in those middle rounds. The TJ Twist got my heart rate up, but it was so much easier and a nice way to come down from the burpees. In 10 minutes, I burned 79 calories. And dripped with sweat for a good 15 minutes after I finished.

7:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:05 AM - scrambled eggs w/ cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa

2:05 PM - ham & salami salad w/ onion, green pepper, tomato & vidalia onion dressing

5:50 PM - roasted chicken w/ mixed vegetables & light cream cheese sauce; Not satisfying at all.

6:15 PM - ham & salami w/ cheese on rye bread

8:30 PM - frozen banana treat

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1622
Carbs - 204 (33 fiber)
Protein - 105
Fat - 53
C/P/F Ratio - 47.6/24.5/27.9

Labor Day Challenge - Week 4 - Monday

WORKOUT A:
I did these 2 as a pair, with 45 seconds of rest at the end of the circuit:
lying barbell press 5x5x70
one-arm dumbbell row 5x5x30
I did these 2 as a pair, with 30 seconds of rest at the end of the pair:
seated calf raise 3x20x40
lying dumbbell fly 3x8x20

I increased my press and fly this week. Increasing the bench press without a spotter makes me nervous.

I was prepared for Meatless Monday this time! And I was hungry most of the day.

7:20 AM - cottage cheese & plum

10:30 AM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper, salsa & cheese, whole wheat mini bagel w/ light cream cheese

1:10 PM - salad w/ onion, green pepper, tomato, pumpkin seeds & Caesar vinaigrette dressing

3:15 PM - watermelon

7:30 PM - jasmine rice, black bean burgers on romaine lettuce wrap

8:30 PM - yogurt

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1643
Carbs - 219 (35 fiber)
Protein - 107
Fat - 45
C/P/F Ratio - 51.2/25/23.8

Labor Day Challenge - Week 3 - Sunday

Ah, Serene Sunday. I meditated this morning for about half hour. Okay, mostly I daydreamed, but it was still serene!

I have decided that my next challenge is definitely, 100% without a doubt (unless I die or am seriously maimed on my way home from "vacation" in New York *knocks on wood*) going to be P90X. I am 98% sure I'm going to be doing it with resistance bands, rather than weights. The bands gave me a hard time when I did ChaLean Extreme, but I do not feel like messing around with dumbbells and plates. Those in between weights are difficult because I only have 5 pound increments if I want an even dumbbell. I know there are options but I really don't feel like buying more equipment right now, so I think I'm going with the bands. I'm going to practice the moves with them over the next few weeks and see. If all goes well, I'll be starting P90X on Monday, September 8. I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to do the nutrition plan, too. I'll have to read it over again and decide. I know I'm not spending money on the recover drink Tony Horton pushes. From what I've read, it's just a drink with a 4:1 carb to protein ratio. I can't remember whether they are simple (probably) or complex carbs, but I'll find out and then just have something of my own with that ratio. But I'm excited. If I didn't have this wedding to go to, I'd start tomorrow! Oh, and at some point in the next month, I'm going to be doing the P90X Fit Test, so I can compare to the same test when I'm done. I was lucky enough to get a fantastic (and complex) spreadsheet for logging everything you can possibly imagine for P90X. I'm 95% sure I'll be doing the "Doubles" version, which incorporates extra cardio 3 times a week. I'll do the P90X Cardio workout, but I think I'll only do that once a week, and do Turbo Jam and Tae Bo the other two days. That's going to put me at about 2 hours a day of exercise. I know I said, after finishing the Jillian stuff, I'd never do more than an hour per day again, but I think I'm up for the challenge, or will be. We'll see. "Doubles" doesn't start until Week 5 of P90X anyway, so I have time to see how it goes.

9:20 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, salsa & cheese, plums

12:00 PM - green peppers, tuna fish & light mayonnaise on rye bread

4:50 PM - baked tilapia & sweet potato

7:30 PM - watermelon & mozzarella string cheese

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1394
Carbs - 135 (14 fiber)
Protein - 119
Fat - 45
C/P/F Ratio - 38.1/33.5/28.4

Labor Day Challenge - Week 3 - Saturday

It's Slacker Saturday! No formal exercise but I spent an hour or so on the Wii. I was going to go out and hunt down the Gold's Gym Cardio game but I didn't feel like dealing with tourist traffic. The boxing on Wii Sports completely blows because it doesn't read real boxing motion. WTF was Nintendo thinking with that?

I'm also not measuring or tracking my food today. I am trying to write it all down though. I think it's because I know dinner is, um, liberal, it's putting me in the frame of mind that "it doesn't matter" because I won't have a calorie total today. As a result, I've been hungry all damn day and not making the greatest choices. The only bright spot - I've been keeping portions reasonable.

My husband and I have both been craving his homemade macaroni and cheese, which is very heavy, because it uses a lot of cheese. We decided to have it today. We actually made the pasta from scratch! Last month, I bought some pasta plates for my Kitchen Aid mixer and gave them a go today. Pasta is really easy to make. The booklet came with a basic egg noodle recipe, which is what we used:

3 large eggs, and enough water added to bring the total liquid to 3/4 cup
2 3/4 cups flour (we used 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, and 1/4 cup dehydrated spinach, which we dehydrated ourselves, from frozen, months ago when I was trying to perfect the millet & flax lavash)

While the pasta cooked, we sliced some onions and Italian bread. We toasted the Italian bread with canola oil and a rosemary/garlic blend, then added the onions. When that was done, and the pasta was al dente, we mixed them together and added 1 pound of cheddar cheese and 1 pound of mozzarella - cubed. I told you it was heavy on the cheese!!! Cook it in a huge pot on low heat until the cheese is melted. This stuff sticks to your gut but it tastes so good. And sometimes you just have to have gut-sticking food. I absolutely refuse to live my life without any Paula Deen moments (though she's more butter than cheese).

9:05 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:10 AM - Fiber One cereal w/ skim milk

1:00 PM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper, cheese & salsa

2:00 PM - olive loaf w/ tomato, lettuce & avocado-chipotle hummus on rye bread, 3 Musketeers bar

3:40 PM - grapes & banana

7:10 PM - homemade mac & cheese w/ corn dogs; I know it's an absolutely horrid meal! LOL It was delicious.

8:10 PM - grapes

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.