P90X - Week 4 - Wednesday

I was not motivated at all today. I took my son to the doctor this morning and the poor little guy has oink flu. Most likely, anyway. He was negative for regular flu so the doctor assumed, based on what they've been seeing there, and his symptoms. I took him in to rule out strep throat. We can deal with flu on our own but he needs antibiotics for strep. Anyway, he doesn't have strep but he has lots of pus in one ear, so she prescribed antibiotics anyway. And for the flu, we just keep on with the ibuprofen and liquids.

So, it was pretty late (after noon) before I got my Kenpo in. I burned 378 calories. I know I wasn't putting in 100% effort. Sebastian was bugging me (not in a sick and needy way, just an annoying, the-fever-is-down-for-now kind of way) so I was distracted. I almost skipped it altogether, but I'll have to be half-dead with the flu myself to skip a workout.

I will admit, I am afraid I'll get sick and have to push my schedule. That would royally piss me off.

After lots of thought, I've decided that the P90X nutrition plan is not for me. I've tried, really, I have, but the more I obsess about getting it "right" the more I want to binge. So I'm going back to my more intuitive eating style. I want to be able to grab a yogurt or a couple handfuls of vegetables without worrying about whether they fit into what I can have for the day. I'm still going to focus on protein, but I need to be less strict. If I want three servings of fruit, I'm going to have 3 servings of fruit, not settle for the one serving I can have with Tony's plan. And two servings of vegetables a day is not cutting it. I need my green peppers. So I'm done following any plans.

8:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese

11:40 AM - Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk

2:45 PM - chicken breast, baby carrots & green pepper slices

6:00 PM - roasted chicken w/ risotto

6:35 PM - part of a Snickers bar; Funny story here. I was cleaning up the dinner dishes and put some Palmolive w/ Oxy dish soap in the bottom of the roasting pan. I didn't notice the fork at the bottom until I put the soap in. I picked the fork out, tossed it into the sink and immediately licked the chicken grease off my fingers. But it wasn't chicken grease. It was dish soap. My husband fell over laughing at me as I gagged and spit and tried to ask for water without my tongue touching my mouth. It was quite amusing. I rinsed my mouth out, but I still needed something to get the taste out. Of course, chocolate was the closest thing.

9:00 PM - eggs w/ multi-grain English muffin

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1509
Carbs - 158 (27 fiber)
Protein - 140
Fat - 43
C/P/F Ratio - 40/35.6/24.3

P90X - Week 4 - Tuesday

Today was my first go with Core Synergistics. It was a good workout. I only had trouble with the chaturanga stuff. I couldn't hold it the whole time I needed to, so I'd just go back to plank for a few seconds, then back to chaturanga. Here's the complete list of exercises in Core Synergistics:

stack foot/stagger hands push ups
banana rolls
leaning crescent lunges (24)
squat run
Sphinx push ups
bow to boat
low lateral skaters (20)
lunge & reach
prison cell push ups
side hip raises
squat x-press (30)
plant to chaturanga run
walking push ups
Superman banana
lunge/kickback/curl/press (20)
towel hopping
reach high & under push ups
steam engine (50)
Dreya roll
plant to chaturanga ISO
half back
table dip leg raise

It was another long night with a sick kid. I wasn't up as often as Sunday night, but I was still exhausted this morning, so when Sebastian slept, I slept. I finally had to get up and work out though. I hope my next go at this one Friday is better than today's. I could tell I wasn't 100%.

9:25 AM - apple & cottage cheese

12:15 PM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ onions, green pepper & picante sauce

2:40 PM - chicken salad w/ light sour cream & picante sauce

6:00 PM - taco salad

7:45 PM - chocolate banana protein shake

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1667
Carbs - 146 (22 fiber)
Protein - 171
Fat - 41
C/P/F Ratio - 35.6/41.9/22.4

P90X - Week 4 - Monday

It's Recovery Week - no weights!!! I did Yoga this morning. I was up at 5 AM, but I'd been up all night with my son. I didn't actually start my workout until almost 6. I'm making some really good progress with most of the moves, but the half-moon sequence really gives me trouble. I keep falling out of position but I do get right back into it. I'm determined to master these moves by the end of the program. I'm also going to get crane one of these days. I have a hard time getting both feet off the ground. My skin hurting is still the biggest problem, not lack of strength or balance. And because I was so exhausted today, I fell and skinned the side of my face a bit on the rug. Yes, I know he says to put a pillow down, but I wear my battle scars proudly.

I had a really hard time with food today. I was stress eating, but I think I stuck to decent foods. I just ate a lot.

5:45 AM - apple & cottage cheese

8:30 AM - chocolate banana protein shake

11:15 AM - tuna fish w/ onion, green pepper & light mayonnaise on multi-grain English muffin

2:10 PM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

3:55 PM - tomato basil soup, left over roast

6:40 PM - green pepper slices, grilled chicken breast w/ mozzarella string cheese, yogurt

7:00 PM - tomato basil soup, left over roast

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounce of water.

Calories - 2047
Carbs - 182 (24 fiber)
Protein - 217
Fat - 54
C/P/F Ratio - 35/41.7/23.4

P90X - Week 3 - Sunday

I got up early (for a Sunday, anyway) and did X Stretch. It's not my favorite "workout" but I did tell myself I'd do it every other week, instead of always taking a rest day on Sundays. There's not really much to say about X Stretch. It's boring, but the body loves it.

Going into Recovery Week, my goal is to be up at 5 AM every day to exercise. I enjoy the workouts I have this week, the ones I'm familiar with anyway. I've not yet done Core Synergistics, but I enjoy Yoga and Kenpo and can tolerate X Stretch. So I'd like to get up early and do them.

Thankfully, I only have one more week of this Phase One nutrition plan. I can cut back from 50% protein to 40% protein and bump my carbs up from 30% to 40%. I have really, really been trying to do it, but it's hard. I've had a couple bad days but I'm glad I decided to give it a shot. It was a challenge, but this whole program is a challenge and I'm not going to know if I can do something unless I try it. When I do Round 2 of P90X, I should have the protein thing down pat. Yes, I'm going to do another round - I will probably start the Monday after Christmas. I'll have 3 weeks of whatever exercise I want in between rounds. I really miss Turbo Jam! Or I might do nothing but Tae Bo for three weeks. Who knows! I may just go ahead and start Round 2 (or P90X+).

8:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:30 AM - tuna noodle casserole

12:30 PM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

3:20 PM - mixed vegetables w/ hickory-smoked beef roast; I wasn't all that hungry so I didn't have much of the beef.

6:50 PM - frozen banana w/ chocolate protein powder; I was a bit apprehensive about this because I don't care much for protein powder but it was very, very good. Good enough to give me the courage to possibly try a protein shake tomorrow.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1486
Carbs - 144 (19 fiber)
Protein - 156
Fat - 30
C/P/F Ratio - 39.2/42.3/18.5

P90X - Week 3 - Saturday

I was so pumped for my Kenpo workout! This is absolutely my favorite P90X workout. I tried to keep really moving during the breaks, jogging and jumping instead of just walking and sipping water. It made a difference - it kept me more energized and I burned more calories than last week - 382 today.

Food was okay today. I did hit my ranges and my ratios were close. Not super close, but close enough.

10:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

2:10 PM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

4:40 PM - tuna noodle casserole

7:15 PM - grilled chicken breast & yogurt

9:00 PM - chicken omelet w/ picante sauce

Six cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1660
Carbs - 130 (10 fiber)
Protein - 184
Fat - 38
C/P/F Ratio - 32.5/45.9/21.6

P90X - Week 3 - Friday

Legs & Back today. I actually did the Ab Ripper exercises first. HUGE difference in how I feel at the end of it all. I made huge improvements this week. I can get through everything in Leg & Back, except for balance lunges, without a break. Oh and the left leg deadlift squats - I need a break for those, but I can do all of the right leg, if I tap my toe down at the end. So I'm definitely making progress. I got the wall squats (both versions), the chair salutations, and the toe roll iso lunge all in one shot. My pull ups have also improved. In week one, I managed 3 unassisted and 69 assisted pull ups throughout the entire workout. This week, I did 5 unassisted and 81 assisted pull ups. Of course, all the unassisted pull ups are of the chin up (reverse grip) type. But hey, progress is progress. The only area I did not improve in, in fact I regressed, is the calf raise. For the first two weeks, I'd been using weights but I wasn't able to get the height on the raise. So I ditched the weight this week to see if I could get teh heigth, and I can. So next time (two weeks from now), I will use weights again, but probably lower then my initial weights.

Food has been bad today. I know I said I was going to try to be good because of our anniversary dinner, but it just didn't happen. I'm not upset about it. I just made some bad choices. It wasn't a case of being out of control - I was fully conscious that I was making crappy decisions. No one to blame but me.

And I am posting this early because I am off to the library to pick up the latest book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (my favorite books ever), and I am turning the computer off. The book is over 800 pages, and I plan to read until my eyeballs fall out.

P90X - Week 3 - Thursday

Yoga today. I was up at 5 AM again - a 2 day streak. I am going to try to go for 3, but I don't know if I can get Legs & Back and ARX in and take a shower before I take Sebastian to school. Fridays are my roughest days, workout-wise.

I came pretty close to my ratios today, and I hit my ranges. I'm craving chocolate and food in general. Tomorrow night, we're going out for dinner. It's our 10th wedding anniversary so the three of us are going to pig out on sea food. I will be good for the rest of the day though.

I did have a really rough afternoon/evening. I was craving ice cream in the worst, worst way, just like last weekend. I didn't think I would make it through. I was miserable.

5:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

8:20 AM - turkey bacon, multigrain English muffin w/ light cream cheese, omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

11:20 AM - tuna w/ salad mix, green peppers & light balsamic vinaigrette dressing

3:25 PM - green pepper & turkey slices

5:50 PM - chicken breast omelet w/ picante sauce

7:40 PM - cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1570
Carbs - 124 (18 fiber)
Protein - 194
Fat - 35
C/P/F Ratio - 31.3/49/19.7

P90X - Week 3 - Wednesday

Shoulders & Arms today. I either held last week's performance or improved. I did get up at 5 AM to get it out of the way. That was good. I also snuck in the Ab Ripper exercises during the breaks, so when I finished the workout, I only had to do 5 of the 11 ARX moves. That was nice.

I am getting a little frustrated with my dumbbells. In the video, they use the hexagonal dumbbells. Mine are weight plates on handles. The handles stick out at the ends, and get in the way when I do some of the moves. I was doing the deep swimmer's presses today and every time I pushed up, I felt like I had to also keep my arms angled away from the middle, so the handles wouldn't get hung up on each other.

Oh, and I almost bashed myself in the mouth doing crouching Cohen curls today. That would have sucked.

Sometimes I feel like I'm doing really well, and other times I wonder if I'm really working up to potential. I struggle with the shoulder fly moves. My front raises suffer because my side raises are weak. I've always had problems with lateral raises, and haven't shown much improvement in 2 years. Of course, I don't do them often enough to actually make progress. It may be something I'll focus on after this round of P90X. I'm still trying to decide what I want to do after, but whatever that is, I'll have a 3 week break if we end up going to New York for Christmas. Hopefully not. I would love to just stay home.

I did pretty well with food today. I hit my carb & protein ranges, and was only over my fat range by 2 grams. I came pretty close with the ratios, too!

5:05 AM - plum & cottage cheese

8:15 AM - multigrain English muffin w/ light cream cheese, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

12:50 PM - green pepper slices, chicken breast w/ light barbecue sauce

3:10 PM - mozzarella string cheese

6:10 PM - chicken breast, green beans & whole wheat pasta w/ marina sauce

7:30 PM - chicken breast

9:00 PM - cottage cheese w/cinnamon & Splenda

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1784
Carbs - 134 (20 fiber)
Protein - 217
Fat - 42
C/P/F Ratio - 30.1/48.6/21.3

P90X - Week 3 - Tuesday

Plyometrics today - 58 minutes and 432 calories. I'm burning quite a bit less than I did the first two weeks. I feel like I'm working out just as hard - I know I'm squatting deeper and jumping higher - and I'm in my zone most of the time. I can't really believe that my body is that good at adapting. I don't know why I bother with the heart rate monitor. I don't use it as a motivational tool to work harder. I do what I do.

Food was really good today. I hit my ranges, and came close on my ratios. Well, sort of. I consider it a good food day. No cravings, lots of protein, excellent planning.

7:05 AM - plum & cottage cheese

10:00 AM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & picante sauce

1:00 PM - tuna salad w/ light balsamic vinaigrette dressing & green peppers

3:15 PM - grilled chicken

6:20 PM - turkey bacon, omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce, Fiber One pancakes w/ sugar-free syrup

8:30 PM - cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1575
Carbs - 134 (13 fiber)
Protein - 175
Fat - 39
C/P/F Ratio - 33.7/44.1/22.1

P90X - Week 3 - Monday

Chest & Back today. I improved in most exercises, and at least held the same from last week in the rest. Those decline push ups are the hardest exercise in this whole program. I hate them, and can only do 4-5, and that's with my feet elevated only a little off the floor, certainly not chair seat height. Oh well. I'll get better. I did ARX with no problems. I'm still pausing for the middle set of exercises, but I can do in & outs, bicycles (and reverse), crunchy frog, leg climbs, and Mason twists without rests. I actually did 61 Masons today because my mother-in-law called on rep 11, so I started over when I finished talking to her.

I'm over my issues from this weekend. I'm not having any cravings for sugar and junk. I think I should do well this week. I did go buy my son more ice cream, since I ate all but two small bowls of his. But I'm totally uninterested in it. I am craving grilled turkey breast, though! I bought some on sale at Harris Teeter this weekend and they are so good, already cut and trimmed into perfect portions. I just toss them on my little grill and in 5 minutes, I have a some quality protein. I'll have to keep my eye open for those again. Now that tourist season is over, Harris Teeter starts having really good deals again. I love the buy 2 get 3 free bags of boneless, skinless chicken breast!!

Except for a quarter of my son's ham sandwich (on whole wheat!), I did really well today, and came in pretty close to my ratios. And I hit all of my range.

7:10 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:15 AM - plum

11:30 AM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper, turkey breast & picante sauce

3:00 PM - chicken salad w/ lettuce, onion, green pepper, light sour cream & picante sauce

5:45 PM - chicken salad w/ light mayonnaise & peas, baked sweet potato fries

8:30 PM - grilled turkey breast

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1650
Carbs - 128 (18 fiber)
Protein - 193
Fat - 38
C/P/F Ratio - 31.4/47.6/21.1

P90X - Week 2 - Sunday

I need a stronger sleep aid. The one I took last night took forever to kick in, then just as I was about to fall asleep, my eyes popped wide open and I got up and ate two damn bowls of ice cream. Then I couldn't sleep because I was so darn cold from it. I had to put warmer pajamas on. I was so angry and defiant last night, but I vowed today would be better.

And it was, until I tasted the homemade bread. I ate a great breakfast, great lunch, and I was on track. Hungry, but doing well. I can always eat a horse when I have PMS. I was trying out a new bread recipe (which was a pain in the ass to execute but tasted pretty darn good), and before I knew it, I'd eaten a quarter of the loaf. And it went downhill from there. I would call it a binge, for sure.

I did not do X Stretch today (I hadn't planned on it) and I forgot to weigh (my subconscious keeping me off the scale, perhaps?) so it's been a dud of a day. I did some grocery shopping then lounged around reading a book and playing Wii Sports.

I will not have a repeat of this weekend.

P90X - Week 2 - Saturday

I had a great Kenpo workout today - 58 minutes and 362 calories. I wish I had a better surface to do this workout on. Carpet makes it tough to twist my feet, but I have to keep my sneakers on for the "breaks" (which are jogging in place, jumprope, jumping jacks and some X jump). I wonder if a plastic mat, like the kind you put under a rolling computer chair, would work?

I'm a little bit upset at myself right now. After dinner, I got it into my head that I wanted ice cream. I tried talking myself out of it, reminding myself that I already had one free evening this week, and I didn't need another. I tried distracting myself. I wasn't even hungry. But still, it nagged at me, and it was one of those nags that was constant, and only a bowl of real ice cream would do. Not a bite, not a low fat substitution but a bowl (probably 2 servings - 1 absolutely would not do) of honest to goodness ice cream. So I said, "Screw it!" I dished out a small bowl for my son and a bowl for myself. I sat down to take a bite and from the other side of the room, I hear my husband say, "God damn!" Those were his words, but what I heard in my head was, "God damn, you pig!" My husband would never in a million years say that to me, but in my guilt, that is what I heard. So I stomped off and put the ice cream back in the carton. I am irrationally hurt by this, and it's really bothering me. When I'm angry, I want to binge. I really want that freaking ice cream, but now I feel like big fat pig because I do. And I feel like that ALL THE TIME, no matter what food choices I'm making. I don't even think I can explain it. If I buy red meat, I feel guilty. If I buy Fiber One products, I feel guilty. I should not have to freaking feel guilty for my food choices, just because they aren't raw or vegan or vegetarian or low fat or low carb. None of those are right for me but I feel like my choices aren't good enough for others and that's ridiculous!!!! I'm not doing this for anyone but myself. So why do I feel like I have to fall in line with everyone else's way of thinking?

I'm stressing over food a lot, quality and quantity. I really, really want to shed some fat and all the exercise in the world won't do it if I don't keep my diet in check. I know I can (and will) have treats now and then. My anniversary is Friday and we're planning on going out for dinner. I'm going to have some of those hush puppies that set me off the other night, for sure. I also know that I walk a very thin line in terms of stopping a binge. My biggest fear is letting one or two treats make me sloppy. Before starting P90X, I was sloppy. I ate whatever I wanted, though I did keep the portion sizes reasonable. I also ate a lot of things that weren't exactly good for me, and that is probably why I only lost half a pound in 8 weeks. It was fine for maintenance (which is what I was going for) but weight loss is a different beast.

I hit my calorie range for the day, but carbs and fat were over and protein was under goal. And my numbers do no reflect that small bite of ice cream. I still want that ice cream, damn it, but I've already brushed my teeth and taken my sleeping pill. I'm just irritated as hell right now and it's best for everyone if I just go to bed.

8:25 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:40 AM - Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk

12:55 PM - tuna salad w/ onion, romaine lettuce & light balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1:30 PM - shrimp dip (canned shrimp, mustard & light mayonnaise) on rice cakes

4:15 PM - pork ribs w/ homemade General Tso's sauce, vegetable risotto

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1436
Carbs - 141 (14 fiber)
Protein - 129
Fat - 44
C/P/F Ratio - 38.3/35/26.7

P90X - Week 2 - Friday

Legs & Back - this workout makes me sweat. I have improved a bit over last week. That is always good. Ab Ripper - doing the V-up roll ups right helps, but I couldn't get through all the Mason twists without stopping for a break. I hope it's only a problem I'll have on Leg & Back day. I wasn't as pooped as I was last week, but I still needed to eat something immediately after I finished. And yes, I still will not buy the recovery drink. Product pushers...

Speaking of product pushers, I see Jillian Michaels has a new line of supplements out. I wish I could remember from her podcasts exactly why she was opposed to the supplements that were already out there. Seriously, at this point, I doubt there is anything "new" to be offered. She just wanted her name on something because she has a following. I am a part of that following, sure, but she's a product pusher now and because of that, I've lost a little bit of the respect I had for her.

7:10 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:55 AM - plum

11:20 AM - toast w/ light cream cheese, omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

3:30 PM - chicken breast on romaine lettuce & black beans

6:30 PM - tilapia w/ picante sauce, broccoli & cauliflower w/ pepper jack cheese

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1426
Carbs - 123 (23 fiber)
Protein - 170
Fat - 30
C/P/F Ratio - 47.3/34.2/18.5

P90X - Week 2 - Thursday

Yoga X today, and I was up before 5 AM to get it done. This is the perfect workout to do at that time. My house is small and the workout is quiet. Of course, my son did wake up by 5:30 so I don't know why I bother being quiet.

I was way over on carbs today. I'm doing a terrible job following the P90X nutrition plan, but that aside, my food intake is really good. I could stand to get more vegetables though. That is the one thing I absolutely hate about the P90X plan - only 2 servings of vegetables a day.

THEN...my husband brought home some hush puppies from the restaurant his boss owns. He's been raving about these fore weeks and finally brought some for me to try. I ate them all. Then I lost it. I ate the coconut M&Ms I planned on eating after I finished P90X. That ticked me off. Not that I ate crap, but that I ate something I specifically set aside for a later date. Oh well. I'm over it.

5:00 AM - banana & cottage cheese

7:00 AM - apple & peanut butter

10:15 AM - Kashi blueberry waffles w/ sugar free syrup, omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

1:30 PM - chicken breast w/ light barbecue sauce, baby carrots & green pepper slices

3:30 PM - yogurt

6:50 PM - tuna patties on romaine lettuce, half a grilled cheese sandwich my son didn't finish; I hate letting food go to waste. I actually logged the grilled cheese in my tracker.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

P90X - Week 2 - Wednesday

Shoulders & Arms today. I improved or stayed the same in every exercise in terms of weights and reps. For some exercises, I added weight, so I'm pleased with this workout. ARX still blows. I am still taking breaks to get all the reps in, but I can do all the reps for in & outs and leg climbs without one. And today, I did all of the Mason twists without a break. Go me LOL

HOLY CRAP!!! I just watched the Ab Ripper video to double check something and I've been totally screwing myself on the V-up roll ups!!! I have been counting the V-up and the roll up together as 1 rep, but each one by itself is a rep!! I've been doing twice as much work as necessary! No wonder I loathe those.

7:20 AM - banana & cottage cheese

10:05 AM - plum

11:00 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

1:30 PM - yogurt; I debated whether or not to eat this because I had the rest of the day planned out and it would have put me over calories and messed up my ratio (which wasn't perfect, but good enough). Then I said screw it.

3:10 PM - chicken breast, baby carrots & green pepper slices

6:30 PM - turkey meatloaf, corn muffins, broccoli & cauliflower; I really overate. It wouldn't have been too bad if I hadn't eaten the corn muffin my son didn't want. I need to find a healthier corn bread recipe! No guilt though.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1784
Carbs - 210 (19 fiber)
Protein - 141
Fat - 45
C/P/F Ratio - 46.4/31.2/22.4

P90X - Week 2 - Tuesday

Big, bad Plyometrics today. I didn't sleep well or long last night, so I was dragging during the workout. I only burned 475 calories and didn't "bring it" as much as I wanted to. I'm also really struggling with my ratios. I may have to just settle for something other than 50% protein, 30% carbs, and 20% fat. I'm so much more comfortable with an even split among them.

And I have to fess up. I ate a quarter of a cheese hot dog and about 3 mini wheats. :( I don't know why this bothers me, but it does. Two weeks ago, it wouldn't have, but now that I am actually trying to be good about following the plan, it annoys me. But I suppose it is further proof that the P90X nutrition plan is not the plan for me. Though, I did hit all my ranges today, and my ratio was pretty close. But I'm not really enjoying food anymore. Time to rethink things.

7:10 AM - apple & cottage cheese

9:15 AM - tuna fish w/ light mayonnaise & romaine lettuce on whole wheat bread

12:15 PM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

2:00 PM - green pepper slices

3:35 PM - mozzarella string cheese

5:40 PM - roasted chicken breast w/ broccoli & cauliflower

8:20 PM - chicken breast w/ light barbecue sauce

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1432
Carbs - 115 (17 fiber)
Protein - 170
Fat - 35
C/P/F Ratio - 31.6/46.9/21.5

P90X - Week 2 - Monday

First off, thanks to my mom for the link to this PDF coupon for a free Protein Blitz at GNC. I'll have to try it out and report back.

Chest & Back, ARX. I did all the ARX reps, with rests. Chest & Back, I showed some improvement in most of the push ups and pull ups, except for dive bombers. I double checked my form and I was a little sloppy last week. I did them properly this week and quantity was lacking. Quality counts though!!

After the workout, I spent two hours cleaning my house. I was completely wiped when I finished.

I hit my goal for calories, protein, and carbs, but my fat was under so I didn't hit my ratios. Oh well.

7:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:25 AM - omelet w/ pepper jack cheese, grilled chicken breast, onion, green peppers & picante sauce; I also ate a whole grain waffle and a dry slice of whole wheat toast while I was cooking - I was starving after my workout!!!!

1:30 PM - plum & cottage cheese

6:20 PM - roasted chicken breast w/ barbecue sauce & peas

8:05 PM - roasted chicken, yogurt

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1514
Carbs - 132 (13 fiber)
Protein - 185
Fat - 27
C/P/F Ratio - 43.5/48.8/16.2

P90X - Week 1 - Sunday

Today would normally be a rest day, but I sucked it up and did the P90X X Stretch DVD, 58 minutes of relaxing stretches. I felt really good afterward, and my son even joined me for a few of the moves.

I did end up getting on the scale this morning - down half a pound. No yippee or boo. It is what it is.

I didn't even come close on my target calories & ratios today. I'm feeling completely nauseated so I'm just going to bed.

8:50 AM - banana & cottage cheese

11:25 AM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce, homemade pork sausage

1:35 PM - tuna fish w/ onions, green pepper & light mayonnaise on romaine lettuce wraps

4:45 PM - shrimp stir fry

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water

Calories - 1209
Carbs - 112 (15 fiber)
Protein - 133
Fat - 28
C/P/F Ratio - 36.3/43/20.7

P90X - Week 1 - Saturday

I did Kenpo today (58 minutes and 392 calories) and Turbo Jam 20 Minute Workout (170 calories). I don't know what I was thinking, adding on that extra 20 minutes but there really isn't much in the way of logic when you're a pumped up bundle of sweat. I thought the Kenpo would be more like some of the Tae Bo videos that I've done and haven't gotten a good workout from. I was wrong. It's no Plyo but the Kenpo is definitely a good workout for me.

I was a bit sore in the lower butt/upper leg area when I woke up today, and it got worse as the day went on. Nothing like DOMS of the past, but man, Legs & Back really worked me yesterday. I've been trying to keep my legs and glutes stretched today, and I definitely think I'm going to do X Stretch tomorrow, instead of taking a rest day. I'm going to try to take a rest day every two weeks. I don't see any reason not to do X Stretch on Sundays. I'm still debating whether or not I'm going to get on the scale though. I think I might. I don't expect a loss in the first week, or even in the first month, but I'm doing P90X with a group of women who are weighing in weekly. Might as well try to fit in!

I did not hit my ratios again today. I did hit my calorie range though. Freaking protein.

9:05 AM - banana & cottage cheese

10:05 AM - Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk

12:35 PM - tuna fish & light mayonnaise on rice cakes

2:30 PM - grilled chicken breast & green pepper slices

4:15 PM - apple & cottage cheese

6:00 PM - cheesy mashed cauliflower & lemon garlic tilapia

9:00 PM - yogurt

Calories - 1608
Carbs - 171 (16 fiber)
Protein - 154
Fat - 39
C/P/F Ratio - 41.6/37.2/21.2

P90X - Week 1 - Friday

Legs & Back today, along with Ab Ripper X. I did ARX without using the dvd, and I had to take a few pauses. I did all the reps though. Here are the exercises in Legs & Back:

reverse grip chin up
wide front pull up
closed grip overhand pull up
switch grip pull up
balance lunge
calf raise squat
super skater
wall squat
step back lunge
alternating side lunge
single leg wall squat
dead lift squat
three way lunge
sneaky lunge
chair salutations
toe roll iso lunge
Groucho walk
calf raise
80-20 Seiber speed squat

I used 5 and 10 pound weights for some of the exercises. Some of the unweighted ones, I had to pause the video. I swear, my goal for this round of P90X is to just get through the damn workout without pausing. I felt pretty good during the workout, but I was totally wasted by the time I got into ARX. When I finished ARX, I just sprawled out on my yoga mat until I could get the energy to crawl into the kitchen for some fruit. Then I was fantastic! I suppose this is where some people would drink the P90X recovery drink, but honestly, I hate when an exercise program pushes particular products. So fruit or chocolate milk will do.

I did better with my calories today but I still didn't hit the right macronutrient ratio for this phase of P90X. I hit my range for calories, carbs, and fat but this protein is killing me. I wasn't under by much and I could have pushed it, but it would have put me over elsewhere.

7:05 AM - banana & cottage cheese

10:50 AM - plum

11:35 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

3:05 PM - chicken breast & broccoli

5:15 PM - chicken breast, black bean & corn salsa

7:20 PM - chicken breast, turkey meatballs & pepper jack cheese

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1535
Carbs - 130 (18 fiber)
Protein - 165
Fat - 40
C/P/F Ratio - 33.8/42.7/23.5

P90X - Week 1 - Thursday

Yoga today. It was the workout I had been dreading because I'm not a fan of yoga and everyone else seems to hate it. I can't count the number of "Do I have to do the Yoga or can I do something else?" threads I've seen on P90X boards. I am a firm believer that the program is written the way it is for a reason, so I told myself I was going to do it and I wasn't going to bitch about it. I was quite surprised when actually doing the moves was a lot easier than watching them and thinking, "Damn, that looks rough!" I really, really enjoyed the work out. I couldn't do some of the more advanced moves and I could not hold most of the moves the entire time, but I did the whole 90 minutes. Half hour into the dvd, my husband called with an emergency - he forgot his phone and needed it for work, so I had to stop the dvd and drive 45 minutes (one way!) to take it to him. But I jumped right back in when I got home. The worst part of the dvd is most definitely the ab work near the end. I hate ab work.

It was another day of not so great eating. I did have a plan to eat better than I did yesterday, but having to take an hour and a half out of my day to take my husband is phone messed me up. By the evening, I'm just not hungry enough to try to cram in the rest of my calories. I do need to make a better effort though. I get so worried during the day that I'm going to go over my limits that I tend to under eat. I think I need more food in the morning.

7:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

12:00 PM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

2:20 PM - chicken breast

5:00 PM - chicken breast & whole wheat pasta

5:30 PM - yogurt

7:35 PM - tuna fish w/ light mayonnaise & onion on romaine lettuce

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1197
Carbs - 116 (10 fiber)
Protein - 131
Fat - 22
C/P/F Ratio - 44/39.3/16.7

P90X - Week 1 - Wednesday

Today's workout was Shoulders & Arms, along with Ab Ripper X. I did every rep in ARX, but I had to pause the DVD. From now on, I'm not even going to bother putting the DVD in.

Shoulders & Arms:

alternating shoulder press
in & out bicep curl
two-arm tricep kickback
deep swimmers press
full supination concentration curl
chair dips
upright row
static arm curl
flip grip twist tricep kickback
two-angle shoulder fly
crouching Cohen curl
lying down tricep extension
in & out straight arm shoulder fly
Congdon curl
side-tri rise

I used 7.5 and 10 pound weights. I did manage my first set of alternating shoulder presses at 15 pounds, but that was too much. 12.5 might be better for next week. I am trying to be careful when I have an uneven dumbbell so I don't injure my wrist. Sometimes, 5 pounds is just too light and 10 pounds is just too heavy. I am not going out and buying any more weights. I'll make do with what I have. I have a lot of plates and two pairs of dumbbell handles. I think I might get a third pair though.

It was a horrible food day. I was so busy that I didn't get to eat on a very good schedule. I was doing my observations for substitute teaching in the morning, came home to squeeze in a workout before picking my kid up from school, then I had to go to my last class for teacher training and it ran late. By the time I finished dinner, it was 8 PM, and I was way under calories and not at all hungry. I was over on carbs, way under on fat and protein. But I just could not eat.

7:15 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

11:15 AM - banana & cottage cheese

1:15 PM - Cheerios w/ skim milk

3:30 PM - tuna salad w/ light balsamic dressing, onion & green peppers

7:45 PM - chicken breast, broccoli & green pepper, half a yogurt my son didn't eat

Three cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1190
Carbs - 147 (18 fiber)
Protein - 127
Fat - 16
C/P/F Ratio - 47.5/40.8/11.7

P90X - Week 1 - Tuesday

Plyometrics today. It reminds me a lot of Jillian's Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. Yuck. The workout is 58 minutes long and I burned 481 calories. The program claims people will burn about 600 calories per work out, but I think it's important to know when you're not. If I weighed 20 pounds less, I'd be burning even fewer calories, and it would mess up my deficit. This is why I don't stick to the 1800 calorie recommendation! Ranges are good things.

7:15 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce

1:00 PM - tuna salad w/ light balsamic dressing; Again, I ignored the 2 cups of salad vegetables rule because I was only using lettuce. I'll make a better salad some other time, but all I have right now is broccoli and green peppers.

3:30 PM - plum & cottage cheese

6:15 PM - broccoli & quinoa crusted chicken fingers

8:30 PM - tilapia & pepper jack cheese

Calories - 1608
Carbs - 130 (13 fiber)
Protein - 197
Fat - 36
C/P/F Ratio - 31.8/48.3/19.9

P90X - Week 1 - Monday

Chest & Back today. It was so awesome!!! I was surprised how quickly the time went by. I don't care much for waiting for Tony to shut the hell up and get started, but as soon as I know all the moves, I won't bother using the video much, or I'll fast forward. I did some push ups on my toes, some on my knees, especially in the second round. Pull ups were all with the chair, and I managed one chin up without it. I did have problems with my chair staying put. It was sliding forward every time I braced against it, so I need to figure something out. I had that same problem doing the decline push ups until I finally just used my weight bench instead of the chair to put my feet on. For heavy pants and lawn mowers, I used 20 pound weights for 10 reps. I might move up to 25 pounds next week. For back flys, I started with 10 pounds and 10 reps but it was too light so I did 15 pounds and 10 reps the next round. Not too shabby.

If you're not familiar with Chest & Back, it's basically:

standard push up
wide front pull up
military push up
reverse grip chin up
wide fly push up
closed grip overhand pull up
decline push up
heavy pants
diamond push up
lawnmowers
dive bomber push up
back fly

Then repeat the exercises. You use weights for heavy pants and lawn mowers (which are variations of rows) and the back fly. Aim for 8-10 (for strength and size) or 12-15 (to lean out) reps for weighted exercise, to failure for the others.

Ab Ripper X SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was hard. I rarely do isolated core work, and it shows. I made it through maybe half the reps. I was able to do most of the Mason Twists, but only because I kept my feet on the floor. Next time I'll try to raise them up. After In & Outs, I was pretty much toast. Forget V-up roll ups or whatever the heck they are called. Not fun. But I hear it does get easier, so I'm hoping!

ARX is 11 exercises, 25 reps each, except for the last move (which is 50 reps):

in & outs
bicycles/reverse bicycles
crunchy frog
cross leg/wide leg sit ups
Fifer scissors
hip rock & raise
pulse ups
v-up roll up
oblique v-up (25 per side)
leg climbs
Mason twists

6:55 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:30 AM - chicken breast & black beans

2:00 PM - chicken salad w/ green peppers, picante sauce & light sour cream; We're allowed 2 cups of salad vegetables but I probably had close to four - there's nothing in lettuce!!!

5:10 PM - tilapia & mixed vegetables

5:50 PM - yogurt

8:30 PM - omelet & homemade sausage; I was so under my calorie and protein goals that I had to make a monster omelet. Even with that, I barely cracked my minimum - a self imposed 1400 calories. I was nowhere close to the recommended 1800 calories!!

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1488
Carbs - 117 (16 fiber)
Protein - 177
Fat - 32
C/P/F Ratio - 31.9/48.2/19.9 [Remember - the Phase I goal is 30/50/20]

P90X Prep

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to finally be starting P90X! I've spent weeks going over the materials (videos, documents, Web materials) and putting my plan of action together. You know me - I like to have the deets ironed out before I begin something.

I have decided that I am going to do the Classic P90X program, but I'm not going to rule out some extra cardio in Phases 2 and 3. I am NOT going to do Insanity as my Doubles component. I'm probably not even going to do a true Doubles program. I may just throw in a Turbo session here and there. It will all depend on what happens with subbing. I'll be completing my Effective Teacher Training this week, and my application goes before the Board of Education in mid-October, so I could start substituting any time after that. I'm only going to be on the list to sub at my son's school, because I wouldn't have time to sub somewhere else and still get him to and from school (the bus is not an option, it still wouldn't work), so I don't know how often I'll actually be called.

For the first month, I don't have to worry about subbing, so I'm going to be doing my workouts after I take Sebastian to school. When I start subbing, I will probably get up early (if I know I have to sub) or work out in the afternoon (if I'm called in last minute). My husband is going to be doing New Rules of Lifting (the twice a week routine, with one day of cardio - I'm going to try to get him to do the P90X Kenpo with me), so hopefully we won't be fighting over equipment in the evenings.

To keep track of everything, I've decided to take advantage of one of the spreadsheets I've found online. I did not create it, but here is my spreadsheet. I'll be updating it daily. I will still be updating my blogs, but the spreadsheet is nice because everything is in one place. So far, I have my pre-P90X Fit Test results & measurements in there, as well as links to the before pictures.

For the first time, I will actually be following the nutrition plan that goes along with the exercise plan. For the last (almost) 3 years, I've just sort of been winging it, but this time, I'm doing it all to a T. I look at it as a challenge. And it will be challenging! But I really want to put my all into this. The best summary for the nutrition plan is on this blog, but here's an overview of how I need to eat (a "portion" is approximately 100 calories):

Phase 1: 1800 calories, 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat
5 portions of protein
2 portions of dairy
1 portion of fruit
2 portions of vegetables
1 portion of fat
1 portion of carbs
1 portion of condiments
1 snack
1 P90X recovery drink
1 P90X protein bar

Phase 2: 1800 calories, 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat
4 portions of protein
2 portions of dairy
1 portion of fruit
2 portions of vegetables
1 portion of fat
2 portion of carbs
1 portion of condiments
1 snack
1 P90X recovery drink
1 P90X protein bar

Phase 3: 1800 calories, 20% protein, 60% carbs, 20% fat
2 portions of protein
1 portion of dairy
2 portions of fruit
2 portions of vegetables
1 portion of fat
3 portion of carbs
2 portions of condiment
2 snacks
1 P90X recovery drink

I am 100% certain I will not be using the P90X products. I will make my own protein bars and use chocolate milk as my recovery drink. The recovery drink needs to be a 4:1 carb to protein ratio, and chocolate milk comes up again and again as an alternative.

To be honest, I am a bit nervous about the protein. It is a lot of protein. It's only for a month though. I'm working on some menus so I'm not eating chicken breast all the damn time. I love chicken, and it was actually on sale this week, so I can go for a while on it. But after a while, I need a burger. I think I've put together a reasonable menu:

Meal 1: apple (1/2 fruit portion) & cottage cheese (1 dairy portion)
Meal 2: omelet (approx 1.5 protein portions, 1/2 vegetable portion, 1 condiment portion) & coffee (1/2 dairy portion if I drink 4 cups of coffee)
Meal 3: chicken breast, tuna, or tilapia (approx 1.5 protein portions) & 1 portion of salad vegetables
Meal 4: yogurt (1 snack portion) or cereal (1/2 carb portion, 1/2 dairy portion) or protein bar
Meal 5: chicken breast, tuna, or tilapia (approx 2 protein portions), cooked vegetables (1 vegetable portion) & 1/2 portion of carbs (rice, pasta, potato, etc)
Meal 6: if there's anything left over in my allowances, it will go here. Technically, I should only get 5 meals a day, but I want to leave this option open.

And there is one small hiccup to deal with. My 10-year wedding anniversary is this month, and we did want to have a special dinner. I'm trying to decide if I want to go ahead and have a free meal that evening, or try to make a good meal that fits my nutritional needs. I'm worried that if I try to be 100% perfect, I'll fail. But I really, really want to do this properly!

As far as the workouts go, at first, I was going to use the resistance bands to give me more options in terms of resistance ranges. When I did ChaLean Extreme, I found myself needing some "in between" weights because I use plates and can only go in 5 pound increments. That will likely be a problem again but I'm going with weights anyway. Since I want to focus more on strength and muscle development than fat loss, I am going to be using weights that are good for the 8-10 rep range, rather than the 12-15 rep range.

Labor Day Challenge - Week 8 - Sunday

The last day before P90X! I'm taking a reasonable free day. My allergies are still killing me and I've just about had enough of being home alone with our son. My husband has been out of town since Tuesday and I've been very resentful and stressed about it.

After 8 weeks of not doing so, I actually had to weigh in today. I was a little worried that I'd gained lots of poundage because I was rather liberal with the food on some days. My goal these last two months was to maintain my weight of 130 pounds. I am proud to day that I did maintain. Actually, I lost half a pound and I lost inches. This gives me a little confidence that I can actually do maintenance. Though, when I'm in maintenance, I will probably weigh more than once a month - probably twice - to keep myself in check.

Oh, and quick comment about my weight loss pictures. I've linked to them before, usually when I complete a new challenge and take new pictures. I won't be doing that today because I'm not renewing my domain and web site. I wasn't really using it for anything except random stuff and file storage, so I'm going in a different direction. I am working on getting some stuff up on my Picasa account but it will take me some time to organize it.

For fun today, since I did all my measurements, I figured I'd play around with the various body fat calculators to show just how much discrepancy there can be.

First, I used this site, which relies on body weight and linear measurements to calculate body fat. Based on gender, age, weight, and 4 different points of measurement, my body fat is 23%, with 29.9 pounds of fat and 100.1 pounds of lean body weight (which includes everything that's not fat - bone, muscle, water).

Using this site, which also relies on body weight an linear measurements - which are different from the first site, my body fat is 25.7%, with 33.4 pounds of fat and 96.6 pounds of lean body weight.

According to this spreadsheet, which relies on who knows what because all the calculations are behind the scenes and too complicated for me to understand, my body fat is 29.25%, with 37.87 pounds of fat and 91.63 pounds of lean body weight.

Using the instructions that came with my Accu-Measure calipers (a one-site test at the abdomen), my body fat is 26.7%. I can use this site to calculate 34.7 pounds of fat and 95.3 pounds of lean body weight.

Using the 7-site caliper test here, my body fat is 32%. Using the 3-site caliper test on that same web site, my body fat is 29.6%

And according to the spreadsheet I'm tracking with in Google Documents (which uses some) different caliper sites than the other calculators) my body fat is 39.2%. There's no freaking way I'm 40% body fat.

The average of all these crazy readings is 29%. I don't want to believe that number either. I'd like to go with that 23% measurement LOL But it's not the actual number that matters, but the trend from here on out. Still, I wish I weren't so obsessed with hard numbers.

Edited to add: I just hopped on my Tanita scale (thanks to NSIMON116 for reminding me that I had one) and my body fat on that is 29%. I have no idea if I'm "properly" hydrated though.

Labor Day Challenge - Week 8 - Saturday

I'm not logging food in my tracker today because I'm too lazy to deal with it. My allergies are kicking my butt and I'm quite content to sit on the couch, sipping water and coffee, and catching up on Torchwood, Hung, and True Blood.

10:15 AM - grilled cheese sandwich, plum

2:00 PM - chicken breast & black bean salad w/ light sour cream & picante sauce

3:45 PM - sugar free fudgesicle

6:00 PM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper, cheese & picante sauce, homemade pork sausage

7:10 PM - peanut buttery bar

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Labor Day Challenge - Week 8 - Friday

My son got out of school early today, and the plan was to take him out for a late lunch at our favorite restaurant. And since I would be indulging, I figured I'd go ahead and make it a free day. I'm glad I changed my mind. I did measure and track everything I ate at home, and I kept my portions at the restaurant reasonable (it's a buffet), AND we walked there and back home. It does help that my throat hurts and I still feel like crap. Oh, and it's rather chilly here, so that keeps me away from the ice cream. Though, it does help my throat.

7:00 AM - apple & cottage cheese

10:20 AM - scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & picante sauce

2:00 PM - a little bit of everything, and four cookies; Oops.

5:00 PM - green pepper slices; I'm really not hungry, and my allergies are making me not want to eat.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

No numbers today.

Labor Day Challenge - Week 8 - Thursday

I tried a new recipe for vegan black bean brownies today and it was NOT good for me at all. I am very upset that I wasted 2 bananas and half my bag of beans on it. I don't know how to describe the taste. It was bitter and didn't cook all the way through, even though I did add the extra oats. I much prefer the chocolate brownie cake.

8:15 AM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & picante sauce, Fiber One pancakes w/ sugar-free syrup

11:10 AM - roasted chicken w/ green pepper slices

3:05 PM - apple & cottage cheese

5:00 PM - turkey patty w/ ketchup, mustard & cheese on whole wheat bun

5:40 PM - peanut buttery bars; I had to eat 2 of these to get the taste of the vegan brownies out of my mouth.

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1575
Carbs - 173 (19 fiber)
Protein - 115
Fat - 52
C/P/F Ratio - 42.6/28.3/29.1

Labor Day Challenge - Week 8 - Wednesday

7:20 AM - Cheerios w/ skim milk, banana

11:50 AM - omelet w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & picante sauce

3:00 PM - peanut buttery bar, yogurt, green pepper slices

7:45 PM - chicken & peas

Three cups of coffee. No water. I'm not feeling very well.

Calories - 1105
Carbs - 154 (18 fiber)
Protein - 71
Fat - 25

Labor Day Challenge - Week 8 - Tuesday

No exercise again today. I've been trying to get stuff ready for my husband's trip, and I have some stuff to do for my substitute teacher training course that has my anxiety peaked. We have to do observations at the schools before our last class next Wednesday, and I need to call one of the schools to arrange this. I cannot make phone calls without freaking out. I can answer the phone and talk, but every time I have to call someone, I panic. Today I even started crying. It's so distressing, and one of the main reasons I don't go anywhere or do anything or have a job. I just can't do it without a complete meltdown. It sucks.

8:35 AM - eggs w/ cheese, toast w/ butter

11:25 AM - grilled chicken breast & green beans w/ light balsamic vinaigrette dressing, yogurt; I am seriously in love with the Yopliat Light Thick & Creamy line!

2:50 PM - apple & cottage cheese, green pepper slices

6:00 PM - roasted chicken & baked sweet potato chips

9:00 PM - apple, grilled cheese sandwich

Four cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1667
Carbs  196 (27 fiber)
Protein - 119
Fat - 50
C/P/F Ratio - 45.8/27.9/26.3