P90X - Week 8 - Saturday

ARX & Yoga this morning (2 Activity Points) and Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 (429 calories and 4 Activity Points). I did ARX first, then the first half of yoga, then TJ, then the second half of yoga. I was still hot and sweaty from TJ by the time I finished the yoga. And I had a hell of a time with yoga belly today because I did Ab Ripper. It was harder to stay in the pose, but I did it, damn it. I fell out and went right back into it. I completely rocked yoga today, though. All the poses I'd been having trouble with (like the twisting half moon crap), I was able to do. And crane. I did it. Not for the whole time, but long enough (several times). My hamstring stretches kicked total but - I wish I had a yoga block because I was practically kissing my knees. I knew if I kept working at these poses, I'd get them down. Yay for perseverance! Great workout today. I may not Turbo tomorrow like I'd planned. We'll see.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

Halloween cookies [10 pts]

hot dog mummies & Halloween soup [12 pts]; I used turkey dogs. They are wrapped in refrigerated bread dough and baked. Very cute. The soup is just tomato soup (homemade, thanks) with a spooky cheese cut out on top. I did ghosts. Add some fruit punch with ginger ale (all diet) in a skull goblet and you have a party!

cauldron of chili & spider bread rolls [6 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

Actually, I'm going to go get my annual drunk on. Assume I ate everything in sight, and that tomorrow will be an X Stretch only day, eating nothing but my 20 measly daily points.

P90X - Week 8 - Friday

I'm taking off 8 weekly points for crap I ate last night. I knew I should have planned better and not eaten dinner so early before going to the Halloween party.

I did Core Synergistics [2 Activity Points] this morning and I did the entire plank to chaturanga run. My chaturanga run wasn't fast, but it was there. And I absolutely love the plank to charturanga iso. That is probably my absolute favorite move in all of P90X.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

light English muffin w/ light cream cheese & jelly [2 pts]

cajun lime tilapia at Applebees, some of my son's fries [8 pts]; Holy crap - this was really, super good! I'm definitely getting it again.

candy & cookies eaten throughout the day [25 pts]; I have been planning for this all week, but I'm still disappointed that I had so much trouble limiting myself.

tuna w/ salad greens, black beans, corn, avocado & light balsamic dressing [6 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

45 points today. 0 weekly and 12 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 8 - Thursday

I got up early and did ARX, then X Stretch. This is the last time I am going to use the dvd. Tony talks too damn much. I could get done much faster if I wrote all the stretches down and just did them on my own. After I took Sebastian to school, I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 (386 calories, earning 4 Activity Points).

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ light cream cheese & jelly [5 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

toaster strudel [5 pts]

green pepper slices [0 pts]

tilapia w/ black beans, corn, avocado & lime vinaigrette dressing [9 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

26 points today (damn toaster strudel!!). 27 weekly and 16 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 8 - Wednesday

I didn't sleep very well last night so I intended to sleep in a bit, and just get up when my son got up for school. Unfortunately, my eyes popped wide open at 5 AM so I got up. Kenpo today (329 calories burned, earning 3 Activity Points). I didn't work it as hard as I did Saturday. My knee felt tweaky, so I took it easy.

Total cereal w/ skim milk [2 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

venison jerky [2 pt]

chicken breast w/ black bean, corn, avocado & light balsamic vinaigrette on Flat Out bread [6 pts]

baby carrots & red pepper slices [1 pt]

chuck roast & baked sweet potato chips [6 pts]; This was the best damn roast I've ever made! I rubbed it with salt, cumin & roasted garlic, seared the sides, then let it simmer (for 3-4 hours) with a cup of beef broth & a cup of tomato sauce. It was tender, moist, and flavorful. I am definitely making it again!

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

23 points today. 30 weekly and 11 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 8 - Tuesday

I did ARX this morning. For some reason, it is actually getting harder to do the oblique v-ups. I hate doing abs. The bone at the bottom of my spine hurts during some of the moves - I use a yoga mat and a folded up kindergarten nap mat. I don't know what else to do other than try a couch cushion, but I worry that it will not work the abs as well.

Core Synergistics is always interesting. I really, really enjoy the push ups. I didn't do a single push up on my knees today. I was very pleased with that. I also managed to complete the plank-to-chaturanga ISO (but not the run). Oh, for prison cell push ups, I didn't do the part where they jump up. I just pulled my knees in and kept doing reps. I actually forgot about the jump part but wanted to stay consistent. I'll make sure to hit it Friday. Also on Friday, I'll be increasing my weights for all the weighted work. I really should wear my heart rate monitor during this workout. I am drenched and my heart is racing throughout. I can't decide if I earned 2 or 3 Activity Points for this one. I'm leaning toward 2, but every point is going to count this week since a) I have fewer daily points, b) there's not as much exercise on the schedule and c) Friday & Saturday are going to be chock full of Halloween goodness. I have a very scary menu planned for me and the kid.

I wanted to do Turbo Jam again today but I was too lazy. I'm kind of disappointed in myself. It's such a fun workout, but exhausting. Still, I feel like I'm slacking off. Just because it's Recovery Week doesn't mean I shouldn't work hard. So, I loaded up a back pack with fruit cups and boxed milk and ramen noodles and walked to the library to drop that off at the food bank collection they have going. I have a trunk half-full of stuff to donate but I can never get to the actual food bank when it's open. I could at least carry the lighter stuff in my bag. I'll make another trip tomorrow with the boxes of pasta. The canned goods are just going to have to wait until Friday when I can be lazy and drive to the regular location, since Sebastian doesn't have school.

Speaking of Sebastian, I am so proud of MYSELF for being a good fitness influence on him. He's always coming to me with new exercises he's invented, and most days, he jumps in when I'm doing a P90X workout. He loves yoga & stretch, and sneaky lunges. Since Sam & I started doing Weight Watchers, Sebastian is also more mindful of what he eats. He reaches for fruit and pretzels (and doesn't ask for junk all that much - and when he does, a quick "no" does the job). He has a treat every other day or so. With Halloween coming, I'm trying to hold back a bit. We're going to be making some chocolate gremlins & meringue ghosts on Friday. He's been asking to make them now, but I know if we did that, we'd both eat the whole batch before the weekend, then we'd have to make more. You can find the recipes for those in Pillsbury's Halloween ebook. We're making those on Friday afternoon, then on Saturday, we are eating hot dog mummies & Halloween soup for lunch, and a cauldron of chili with spider breads for dinner. I'm very excited. I love Halloween, and I think I'm going to really start playing it up. It's too bad no one around here goes trick-or-treating the way we did as kids. In the decade that I've lived in this house, I've had fewer than 10 trick-or-treaters. Bummer.

Total cereal w/ skim milk [2 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

tuna salad w/ black bean, corn, avocado & light balsamic vinaigrette [5 pts]

raw red pepper slices & steamed broccoli [1 pt]

the crust from my son's grilled ham & cheese sandwich [1 pt]; I don't know if I really ate that much, but I'd feel guilty if I didn't count it as something.

chicken breast & whole wheat pasta w/ red peppers & onions [7 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

22 points today. 33 weekly and 8 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 8 - Monday

It's Recovery Week, but I am still going to bust my butt. I plan to do Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 on yoga and stretch days this week. On the other days, I'm going to add on Ab Ripper X because there will be a point next month when I won't be able to do any hard core ab work for a few days. So I'm going to do it now so I don't miss anything.

Yoga this morning was so-so. I had every intention of bringing it but I had so much trouble with even the easier postures. By the time I got to Warrior Three and Twisting Half Moon, I was ready to scream. I couldn't even pretend to get into Crane, and I spent a lot of time (overall) trying to get into position. Still, I'm taking 2 Activity Points for it, and 4 for Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 (404 calories burned). I love CP3 so much!! If I had to pick one cardio to do the rest of my life, this would be it.

I also drop down to 20 daily points this week. That sucks.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

dry Honey Nut Cheerios [1 pt]; I was so hungry after yoga and it would be a while before i could cook, so I just grabbed some cereal.

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

sliced turkey breast & mustard on Flat Out bread, baby carrots & red pepper slices [4 pts]

steamed tilapia w/ black bean, corn & avocado salad w/ lime vinaigrette dressing [7 pts]; I used my microwave steamer (for the first time, for fish) and in less than 3 minutes, the fillet was ready. So ready, in fact, that a good quarter of the meat blew off. It was good though. I've never had fish ready so quickly! Definitely the way to go for me!

Two cups of coffee [0 pts] and 80 ounces of water.

20 points today. 35 weekly and 6 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Sunday

After I blogged last night, I had some roasted pork, so my Activity Points are down to 10 for today.

X Stretch today. I wish I could get Camel down. That one gives me problems every week.

I know I said recently that I was, for sure, doing another round of P90X. That is still the plan, but I might do another round of ChaLean Extreme. During this round of P90X, I've had a fantastic virtual workout buddy, and she's thinking about maybe doing CLX. If she does decide to do it, I am going to do it with her. It's been very good for me to have her with me during this challenge.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

protein granola bar [3 pts], I had about 3/4 of one.

sliced turkey w/ turkey bacon & mustard on Flat Out bread, sliced cucumber & peppers [6 pts]

yogurt [3 pts]; I tried the new Breyers Inspirations yogurt (mint chocolate chip) and it's delicious! I wonder if this would freeze well to be more like ice cream.

chicken breast & black bean, corn & avocado salad w/ lime vinaigrette dressing [8 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts]

Two cups of coffee [0 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

27 points today, with 4 activity points left and lost.

P90X - Week 7 - Saturday

Kenpo today. I really brought it, too - 392 calories burned (earned 4 Activity Points). I was going to double up and do X Stretch today, so I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow, but I was running late for something I wanted to go to locally (which I ended up missing anyway).

I looked at my calculations again for my Weight Watchers points and since I'm under 130 pounds, I need to drop 1 point from my daily points. So starting Monday, my daily points goal will be 20 points (along with the 35 weekly points and whatever activity points I earn). Being in Recovery next week, I won't be working out as hard. Less food for me. Bummer.

banana & cottage cheese [3 pts]

Total cereal w/ skim milk & banana [3 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

green & red pepper slices [1 pt]

apple & cottage cheese [5 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

roasted chicken, steamed broccoli & cauliflower w/ salsa [5 pts]; I am very, very sad that this meal used the last of my favorite sweet & spicy salsa/sauce. I must find a recipe for it. My best friend in California got it for my for my birthday the last two years. If I can't find a recipe, I'll have to order some. I seriously love this stuff! It's called Sweet Heat Addiction and it's made by chipotlepeople.com.

protein granola bar [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

29 points today. 0 weekly and 14 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Friday

Today was Legs & Back. I did Ab Ripper first, because I'm always toast after doing this workout. I totally rocked it. All my chin ups were unassisted. I also managed 2 close grip pull ups, unassisted. Hell yeah! Then after taking the child to school, I did Cardio X (246 calories burned - I earned 2 Activity Points here, and 2 from Legs & Back). I was tired but I made sure I put in some good effort. I really need to wait until afternoon to do my cardio. I could probably do something more hardcore than Cardio X if I did.

Ugh - I just looked at the schedule. Phase 3 Doubles has Cardio X four times a week, instead of 3, with the extra being on Plyo day!!! There is no f'ing way I am doing ANYTHING on Plyo day. I may move it to Sundays and do it before X Stretch.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, broccoli & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

chicken salad w/ light sour cream & salsa [5 pts]

grilled hamburger on homemade bread w/ roasted vegetables [12 pts]; Totally not worth it. Extra lean burgers taste like ass.

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

26 points today. 1 weekly and 18 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Thursday

Yesterday's disappointing numbers have taken some of the wind out of my sail. I slept like a rock last night (thanks to my BFF, diphenhydramine) and woke up shortly before 5 AM. My first thought was, "Go back to sleep. You can do Yoga after taking Sebastian to school." But that would have cut into my lazy Tivo time, so I got up, ate a bowl of cereal, and got to it. I didn't put my all into it, maybe 80% (100% into child & corpse pose!) and I feel guilty about that. I did sort of get into crane position - I can hold myself up better & longer if my knees don't touch my arms, but then that's not crane if they don't. It just hurts my skin to do that though. I don't know how to get around that. I think - no, I know - I'm not getting my knees high enough on my arms. I will have to work on that. Anyway, I did it, and earned 2 Activity Points for it. I would have given myself 3 but the effort just wasn't there.

I put yesterday's pictures online (at the end). You'll have to pardon the crappy copy & paste job. My computer doesn't have a lot of oomf.

Kashi cereal w/ skim milk [5 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

banana [1 pt]

chicken breast w/ romaine lettuce, green peppers, light sour cream & salsa [4 pts]

protein granola bar [4 pts]; I made my favorite recipe. Instead of almonds, I threw in the last of my Kashi cereal, you know - the crumbs at the bottom of the bag. So good, and so dangerous. I can barely control myself with just 1.

green pepper slices & baby carrots [1 pt]

chicken breast & roasted vegetables [5 pts]; This was the first time I've ever made roasted vegetables and it was awesome!

protein granola bar & frozen banana [6 pts]; I probably shouldn't have had this but it was so darn good!!! Better than a brownie with ice cream on top.

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

32 points today. 6 weekly and 14 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Wednesday

I woke up at 4 freaking AM and couldn't get back to sleep. I sure as hell wasn't getting up at that time to exercise, so I snuggled under the blankets until 4:45. Then I got up and did my warm up for Back & Biceps, did ARX, then proceeded with the weights. I improved in most areas. My chin ups went from 1 unassisted and 11 assisted last week to 3 unassisted and 6 assisted today. I'm not sure if that's improvement or not. Oh, and my towel pull ups sucked because toward the end, my chair slipped off the mat (that keeps it from sliding - go figure) and I couldn't get as many as I wanted in. Anyway, I earned 2 Activity Points from Back & Biceps, and 2 more from Cardio X (208 calories burned). I would really rather do a different cardio on my Doubles days. I get a better burn from Turbo Jam.

At the halfway point, I've lost 0 pounds. That's fine, I didn't expect to. I did my measurements and lost 3/4 of an inch around my chest. Everything else, including body fat, either stayed the same or went up. I gained 1 3/4 inches around my waist AND my abdomen, and 1 1/2 inches around my hips. I don't know what to think. My eating has not been so horrible to warrant such a gain. Most days, I eat pretty well, and I know my body well enough to know that the days I didn't eat so great, shouldn't have had this much of a gain in inches. I'm pretty pissed and upset. On the one hand, I know I need to be patient and see where things stand at the end. I know my food choices could be better, but I am freaking starving all the time and I really don't think I'm eating enough - I think that's why I end up grabbing crap on occasion. I don't know what to do. I can't go back to obsessing about calories, so I do plan to stick with the WW points. This is where I desperately try to fight the urge to cut calories. I am absolutely NOT going to eat less. I'm barely functioning as it is.

I know I can't have it all. I can't enjoy treats and really expect to lose weight. But at the same time, I can't cut them out, eat super clean, then binge. I just can't. I have to make a sacrifice somewhere. I just don't know what I want to give up. I don't have a lot to lose - I am in my healthy weight range. My fitness level is pretty darn good. I'm certainly no athlete but I have made some very good progress across the board, and I'm happy about that. But some visual results would be nice. "They" say that most of the progress comes in the second half, especially for women. We'll see. Days like this, though, they make me want to throw away all my hard work.

The only explanation I can think of that is even remotely possible is that, since I'm doing real ab/core work for the first time (ever), I may have built up some muscle underneath all the fat, none of which has burned off. Still, the numbers are pretty high and I wouldn't have built that much muscle. And 45 days into the routine, my muscles shouldn't still be retaining lots of water to make them all puffy like they do when you first start. I don't know. I am very confident in my measurements. Ugh, this is just so frustrating.

I did take pictures, and I'll have them online some time tomorrow. I'll post the link with tomorrow's blog entry. I'm too tired to fight my crappy computer to get them ready.

I will say that I am super proud of myself for going to the store with every intention of buying junk food, then not buying it.

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa; light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

venison tenderloin w/ raw broccoli & cauliflower, baby carrots & green pepper slices [4 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

baked tilapia on homemade bread w/ romaine lettuce, tomato & pepper jack cheese [8 pts]; Even after eating this, I'm still very hungry. I can't possibly stuff more vegetables down my throat. I'm still gagging over lunch's veggies. I'm already over my daily points, and I estimate that I may have hit 1300 calories - and that's being generous. No way in hell is that enough. No way.

almonds & mandarin oranges [5 pts]; I felt a little better after eating these.

strawberry mini wheats & mozzarella string cheese [5 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

33 points today. 17 weekly and 12 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Tuesday

I don't know why I always dread Plyo so much. I wake up, fret about it, and reluctantly start. By the time I'm done with the warm up and first circuit, it's my favorite dvd in the set. I do need to get up earlier so I can eat a better breakfast. Plyo day is the only day I don't get up at 5 AM to work out. All the jumping, I don't want to disturb anyone. I can't eat too much before doing the workout because I'll probably throw up, but a cup of cottage cheese an hour beforehand doesn't cut it. Today I tried to do the 360 degree spin Dom does during one of the 180 degree jump exercises. I managed a couple but I was just too dizzy. It was fun, though. And finally, after 7 weeks, I managed to do Hot Foot for the full minute (both times) without switching to jumping rope. (Hot Foot is hopping on one foot in a "t" for 30 seconds per leg - a lot harder than it sounds) During Plyo, I burned 422 calories (earning 4 Activity Points). I followed up with X Stretch, which catches me up with the ones I skipped, taking a rest day instead. No more skipping X Stretch on Sundays.

cottage cheese [3 pts]

toast w/ jelly [1 pt]

omelet w/ green pepper & salsa [5 pts]; I was out of onions today, and starving, so I threw in an extra serving of egg substitute.

green peppers & baby carrots [0 pts]

chicken breast w/ sweet potato [4 pts]

cookies [4 pts]; I was doing so well today, too :(

cauliflower soup [1 pt]

yogurt [2 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

21 points today. 29 weekly and 8 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Monday

I am so, so freaking mad at myself! After I blogged, I ate tons of crap: cookies, a hot dog, Toaster Strudel, and a bowl of cereal. I wasn't hungry. Damn it. I didn't even try to avoid it. GRRRR!!!

Today's joyful workout was Chest, Shoulders & Triceps (earning 2 Activity Points). I had a rough time with push up for some reason. I still did most of them on my toes but my arms were so shaky. Even when I did ARX after, my arms were still quivering. I think I either stayed the same or improved on last week's numbers. I also did Cardio X this morning (232 calories, earning 2 Activity Points). I was really motivated to do well, because I remembered that next week is Recovery Week - no doubles!!

I did reach an important point in my food weirdness today. I accidentally bought bread flour instead of whole wheat. At first, I was a little bothered, but then I said, "Screw it! I'm going to make a normal bread and I'm going to eat it." So, I made a plain old loaf of white bread, out of my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I haven't had any yet (maybe tomorrow) but I've decided that I'm just going to stop freaking stressing about food! A little white bread isn't going to kill me. Overindulging now and then isn't going to do any long-term damage. Last night's incident is all but forgotten. I'm not worried about the little binges (not right now anyway - after they happen, I am upset). I'm generally happy with my food. I do still need to work on some things. I'm pretty good about portions - I have to get a little better control over food choices, and stopping myself when I know I'm making bad choices (like last night). But overall, I am content with how I eat, using points as a guide.

Kashi cereal w/ skim milk [5 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [4 pts]

chicken breast, black beans, avocado & salsa [6 pts]

green pepper slices & baby carrots [1 pt]

chicken & dumplings (completely from scratch) [5 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

toast w/ jelly [3 pts]; I used a new bread recipe today and had to try it. I forgot the s

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

27 points today. 29 weekly and 4 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Sunday

I ended up eating 4 more cookies last night, so I subtracted 8 activity points from what I had left.

I did X Stretch again this morning. It felt good, and I didn't dread it.

banana [1 pt]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa; light English muffin w/ jelly [4 pts]

Halloween cookie [2 pts]

chicken breast, black beans, avocado & salsa [5 pts]

apple [1 pt]

deer tenderloin, steamed cauliflower & caramelized onions [9 pts]

Halloween cookies [4 pts]

cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda [3 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

30 points today, with no extras left.

P90X - Week 6 - Saturday

My interlocking foam mats work great. They were good for Plyo the other day, and today's Kenpo, my pivots and drags were much smoother. I was able to keep my heart rate up for longer periods of time and could really put my whole body into the punches. I'm very pleased. I did Kenpo (362 calories) and X Stretch today (for 4 Activity Points altogether). There were two Sundays that I opted to take a rest day, but I've decided to go ahead and make up those X Stretch workouts. I'll do it again tomorrow as a regular Sunday workout, then be caught up on Tuesday, tacking another X Stretch on after Plyometrics.

Kashi cereal w/ skim milk [5 pts]

banana [1 pt]

lunch buffet; I have no idea how many points lunch was worth. I was really, really good about taking small portions, but I did try several different dishes. I had a large plate with salad vegetables and low calorie ranch dressing (that tasted like crap - definitely not doing that again), another plate with various (probably less than 1/4 cup of several proteins and starches). I did eat 2 rolls and 3 pieces of cornbread. I had half a small bowl of a couple different pasta salads, probably 2 tablespoons of each. Finally, I kept dessert reasonable - a small bowl of ice cream and one chocolate chip cookie. I think it probably used up the rest of my daily points, and maybe a few more. So let's call it 16 points?

Halloween cookie [2 pts]; I made these with my son. They are delicious, but the dough is a pain in the butt to roll & cut.

omelet w/ onion, green pepper, avocado & picante sauce [10 pts]; I ate the whole avocado.

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

35 points today. 0 weekly and 17 activity points remaining. Approximately.

P90X - Week 6 - Friday

For some reason, I was absolutely dreading my workout today. I woke up around 4 and dozed on and off until 4:45. At 4:59, I turned my alarm off and intended to try to get back to sleep. At 5:01, I got up because I heard my text alert going off on my cell phone. It was - my sister sent me a message late last night, and it beeped all night. I found out out later that it kept my husband awake until after midnight. Why he didn't check the message to stop the noise or at least bring the phone in is beyond me. Anyway, thanks to my sister and a new call phone that I didn't know would keep beeping if a message didn't get read, I did my workout.

And as always, I'm glad I did. I totally rocked Legs & Back today (earned 2 Activity Points)!! I did my first set of reverse grip chin ups as unassisted as possible. I got 5 unassisted chin ups in, and 1 assisted pull up, before I ran out of time. I've been trying to figure out a better workout because pull ups is something I really want to focus on and improve. Doing them with the chair, even with it as far out as my legs will reach, I don't always feel it in my back and arms. So I was going to go completely without the chair - just do the pull up, lower, re-grip, pull up, and so on. For chin ups, that is feasible, but for overhand grips, not so much. Well, unassisted wide-grip pull ups are probably a pipe dream for me, but I can do close grip pull ups (1 at a time). I posted on the Beachbody.com message boards about this, and it was suggested that I throw some negatives into the mix (get up with the assist and slowly lower down without). So that is the route I am going to take with the overhand grips. I think I can manage unassisted chin ups now, though. I did a total of 14 unassisted pull ups today, compared to 4 in week 1.

And as usual, I did ARX and Cardio X (229 calories, 2 Activity Points).

banana & cottage cheese [4 pts]

Kashi cereal w/ skim milk [5 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ jelly [6 pts]

chicken breast & black beans w/ salsa [4 pts]

Special K snack bar [2 pts]

roasted chicken w/ mixed vegetables, onions & toasted sesame seeds [7 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

33 points today. 9 weekly and 18 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Thursday

Yoga this morning - earned 2 Activity Points.

Kashi honey almond flax cereal w/ skim milk [5 pts]

banana [1 pt]

chicken breast w/ black beans & red peppers [3 pts]

red pepper slices & mozzarella string cheese [3 pts]

omelet w/ cheese, onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ reduced-sugar jelly [6 pts]

waffles w/ sugar-free syrup [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

23 points today. 21 weekly points and 14 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Wednesday

This woman is my new hero. I just discovered her blog today. I'm fascinated and insanely jealous. She is on Round #4 of P90X, and is mixing it with Insanity, sometimes doing 3 workouts a day. I have a lot more of her blog to read but holy hell, I am impressed. And sad to know that I could never do what she's doing.

I think I need a new transmitter strap for my heart rate monitor. This is the second day in a row I've had problems keeping a reading. I am positive the strap was clean and moist enough. I did Cardio X and burned 206 calories (earning 2 Activity Points). I really did not want to get up at 5 AM to do it - that first 5 minutes is really rough. Today's workout sucked even more because I think I pulled something in my glute last night. I couldn't do strong kicks with my left leg and bending over is somewhat uncomfortable. After cardio, I spent some time stretching my lower body, but it still aches. I'm glad it's not Legs & Back day! I did ARX after cardio, took my son to school, then came home to do Back & Biceps (2 more APs). I really, really need to force myself to split the workouts up properly. Doing them both in the morning (especially less than 2 hours apart) leaves me completely drained.

I didn't have huge improvements with Back & Biceps. Last week's weights were so challenging that I stuck with them, and still struggled. I am having problems with the corn cob pull ups and towel pull ups. With the corn cobs, you're supposed to move your body from side to side when you're up, but my pull up bar has rounded handles sticking out right where your body would to on those sides, so I can't really do them properly. I'm not sure how to get around that. I can fix the issue I'm having with towel pull ups though - I was using a regular hand towel, and it's just too thick for my little hands to grip. So next week I am going to try one of my microfiber dust rags. I am pretty sure that will be better for me. (Actually, I just tried it with the dust rag and it's perfect! I actually did one unassisted). The one bright spot in today's workout was during the switch grip pull ups - I managed one unassisted chin up and one unassisted pull up!

apple & cottage cheese [5 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ reduced-sugar jelly [5 pts]

pudding [1 pt]

chicken breast, baked sweet potato fries [4 pts]

chicken breast, baby carrots & green pepper slices [3 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

21 points today. 23 weekly points and 12 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Tuesday

I did Plyometrics today. My heart rate monitor went wonky a couple times - I think my strap needed to be washed. I burned 403 calories (earning 4 Activity Points). I was tired doing this workout. I didn't want to do it. Well, that's not really true. I never like to start the workout, but once I get going, I'm always glad I did it. Okay, that's not exactly true, either. I hate doing the workout, but once I'm done, I am always glad I did it. And Plyometrics always reminds me that I am absolutely not ready for Insanity.

banana & cottage cheese [3 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ reduced-sugar jelly [7 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts]

baby carrots [0 pts]

green & red pepper slices [0 pts]

chicken breast w/ black beans, cheese, corn & salsa on a whole wheat pita [9 pts]

Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk [2 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt], two cups of tea [0 pts] and 100 ounces of water.

26 points today. 23 weekly points and 8 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Monday

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and question my sanity regarding the P90X Doubles program. I almost skipped (or at least put off) Cardio X this morning when the alarm went off at 5 AM. I'd been awake on and off for a good hour, trying to get back into a dream involving John Mayer (not THAT kind of dream!!). I got up and put myself to work. I hate doing jumping jacks as part of a warm up, but I love doing them well into the cardio. It was a good workout (215 calories, so I earned 2 Activity Points here), and I followed up with ARX. I continue to make progress with this one, as well. I can probably do half the exercises without having to pause. I fear I will never be able to do all the Fifer scissors in one shot. Ugh, those things are killer.

My weight workout today was Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. Holy hell, I do like this one a lot. I'm getting to be a pretty good pusher-upper! I am having a problem with the Pour Flys. I can get the fly part down, but when it comes to tipping the hands forward ina pouring motion, my wrists just won't cooperate. I can pour backwards, but not forward. If I use a lighter weight, I can almost get the pour motion, but then my shoulders are not challenged at all. I would much rather lift a weight that challenges my muscles and do an isometric hold at the top, than be able to do the pouring motion. The guy in the video who uses the bands doesn't do the pour move, so I'm figuring I can do the iso move like he does and it will be fine.

I'm doing more and more of them on my toes, and today, I even used the push up part of my Iron Gym. I must get some separate push up bars because the ones on the Iron Gym are fixed, and I can't do wide stance push ups. Push ups on the bars are a lot more challenging than the floor! I didn't use the gym for all the push ups but a few, and I can tell the difference already. My entire upper body is just shot right now, and it feels great! I was sweating my butt off and really, really worked to failure. I'll give myself 2 Activity Points for this, also.

Oh! I got some of those interlocking exercise mats, the ones that are the hardish foamy stuff? LOL My brother had an almost complete set (it's missing two squares) and it's really going to help with plyometrics and kenpo. My landings are softer and I can twist my legs easier. The thing is filthy from being in his truck but whatever.

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts - it was a bigger apple]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, multigrain English muffin w/ reduced sugar jelly [4 pts]

banana [1 pt]

green pepper slices & baby carrots [1 pt]

chicken breast w/ black beans, corn & salsa [5 pts]

Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk [2 pts]

chicken breast w/ romaine lettuce & light ranch dressing [8 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] & 80 ounces of water

26 points today. 29 weekly points, 4 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 5 - Sunday

I did X Stretch today and it felt so good!!!

I thought a lot about WW activity points this morning and looked at the information on the slider. Even for light, not breaking a sweat activities, you get points. I was only going to give myself APs for cardio workouts and the Legs & Back workout (because it's high intensity for me), but I think I'm screwing myself if I don't take APs for the other two weight workouts, the yoga, and the stretch. If I exclude warm up and cool down, I get 2 points per (moderate) weight workout. I'd call yoga a moderate workout as well, because I do break a sweat, - so 3 points for that. Stretch gets 2 points. That's an extra 9 points I'm adding on that I could take this week. I was down to 2 before adding these in. I don't want to under eat and I know damn well I'm not over eating here.

I got an unofficial answer to yesterday's question about servings per day, and points. My friend Caity said, "It's per day. I remember we discussed it in a meeting once. If you eat more than one serving in a 24 hour period, you have to use the higher points." Thank you, Caity!

And I must rant about something right now. I've been using SparkPeople to track my calories for over 2 years. I trusted the nutritional information that was offered there (that was entered by Spark, not other users). Today, I learned that boneless, skinless chicken breast (which I eat tons of) has about 50 calories more per 100 grams than Spark says. I don't know why it's so different - the cooking methods I go by are always roasted with no added fat. My MasterCook recipe program and TheDailyPlate give the same information as Spark, but FitDay, CalorieCount, the USDA database, and CalorieKing all give higher numbers. I don't know what to go by. In terms of WW, the difference in points between the two sets of numbers is 2 points! That is a BIG DEAL.

cantaloupe & cottage cheese [3 pts]

scrambled eggs w/onion, green pepper & picante sauce, light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [4 pts]

yogurt & banana [3 pts]

green pepper slices & Canadian bacon [2 pt]

grilled pork loin & baked sweet potato chips [8 pts]

apple & mozzarella string cheese [2 pts]

cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

27 points today, with 5 APs to spare.

P90X - Week 5 - Saturday

Kenpo today. I read on the Beachbody boards to try doing the routine with light hand weights. As much as I'm opposed to using hand weights during cardio (because of potential injury to the wrists), I went ahead and used my 3 pounders. They were too heavy for this kind of stuff. I used them on and off throughout the workout, but I thought I was working better without them. I used the weights to try to burn more calories, and I ended up burning fewer than usual (328) but I think it's because my legs are still toast.

I'm very pleased. I took this WW point calculator and downloaded the web page to make it available offline, and transferred it to my phone. So now I can calculate points anywhere, and I don't even need to be online. Yay!

I need some help from my WW friends. As you know, I'm pretty compulsive about calories and such, and have always resisted WW because I didn't feel like it was a true account of what we really eat. Obviously, it works for many, many people, and maybe I just spend too much time thinking about stuff, but here's my problem. I'm going to use the Special K Protein Plus cereal as an example. Per serving (29 g of cereal, no milk), it has 100 calories, 3 g fat, and 5 g fiber. That is 1 point per serving. It's almost 2 points, but it clearly falls in the 1 point block. If I were to eat two servings at once, that's 200 calories, 6 g fat and 10 g fiber. That is 4 points. Barely 4, but clearly in the 4 point block. I realize that only the first 4 grams of fiber per serving count, and that's why the number is so much higher.

Let's say I have a double serving of cereal 5 times a day. That's 20 points, just 1 point under my daily limit, but only 1000 calories for the day. If I have 1 serving 10 times a day, that's 10 points, and still 1000 calories. In theory, I can still eat the same amount of cereal, but only use up half the points. Obviously, the latter method is the way to go, but where do you say, "Okay, enough time has passed since I ate that bowl that I can have another and it's still only 1 more point?" How much time has to elapse for servings to be considered separate? I could EASILY eat 4-5 servings of cereal at once. Four servings at once is 16 points. Another example, and this one is relevant to me, is milk. I drink 4 cups of coffee per day (usually), with 2 tbs (0 points) skim milk in each cup. That adds up to 1/2 up of milk (1 point). But I drink those 4 cups over an 8-10 hour period. It's "only" 1 point, but sometimes I need that point. Mathematically, WW is weird to me. The general rule of "if you consume 5 or more servings of a 0 point food, count it" confuses me, too. Count each serving as 1 point? Or count each serving after 5 as 1 point?

Special K cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

scrambled eggs w/onion, green pepper & picante sauce, light English muffin w/ reduced-sugar jelly [4 pts]

chicken pizza pita [7 pts]

shrimp & scallops w/ whole wheat pasta & mixed vegetables [7 pts]

cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda [4 pts]

Two cups of coffee [0 points? Or half a point?] and 80 ounces of water.

25 points today. I still have 2 activity points for tomorrow. I'll have to eat like a bird.

P90X - Week 5 - Friday

I got up at 5 AM and did Legs & Back, followed by ARX. I tried to use the chair less for the assisted pull ups. As a result, I did fewer reps than I did the last time I did this work out, but I felt like it worked me better. Crazy me did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2 (43 minutes and 320 calories) less than 2 hours after finishing my workout and it was rough. I probably could have handled Cardio X that close to the other workout, but TJ was tough as hell with wasted legs.

My son was a riot today. I was cooking dinner and he yelled, "Mommy, I'm doing sneaky lunges!" I walked out to the living room and sure enough, he was sneaky lunging across the room just like Tony Horton and the gang. Then Sebastian wanted to learn more exercises, so I picked out some of the funnier stuff - wacky jacks, Groucho walk, leap frog. Then he wanted to try some yoga. He's pretty good with the vinyasa. He does a fantastic downward dog, too! Child's pose - nails it ;p Then for good measure, he threw in my favorite Turbo Jam move - the Twist. Fun kid. I'm pooped.

Food sucked today, and I'm really disappointed in myself. I bought some candy corn and ate most of the damn bag. I'm completely out of weekly points, and I'm down to 3 activity points (I'll earn 2 more tomorrow) to get me through Sunday. Bummer.

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

chocolate milk & banana [4 pts]; I definitely needed a pick me after my P90X workouts this morning.

eggs & toast w/ light cream cheese [7 pts]

green pepper slices, chicken breast on romaine lettuce wraps [5 pts]

candy corn [12 points]; Yeah. Really.

banana [1 pt]

pita pizza [7 points]; We made pizzas with whole wheat pitas, onions, green peppers, turkey bacon, Canadian bacon & mozzarella cheese. They were delicious.

Two cups of coffee [0 points] and 80 ounces of water.

41 points today. Damn it. I can't even be sure of my math.

P90X - Week 5 - Thursday

Ahhhhh, 5 AM yoga! I still have trouble with the half moon stuff and crane, but I nailed that under the leg/behind the back grab thing!

Meditation is still going well. Mostly, I'm too tired at night to concentrate too much, but I'm making the effort.

I'm so hungry today. I used up all my daily points before dinner.

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

scrambled eggs & English muffin w/ light cream cheese [5 pts]

roasted chicken w/ mustard & romaine lettuce on whole wheat homemade bread [4 pts]

Special K cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

mozzarella string cheese [1 pt]

ice cream [3 pts]

half a Hershey's Sundae Pie from Burger King [4 points - FOR HALF!!!]; So not worth it.

chicken fried steak w/ mixed vegetables [6 pts]; I have a massive Word doc full of WW recipes - I think I got it from someone on Babycenter. It's awesome - if you would like a copy, email me - rjwalker22@gmail.com

Three cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

30 points today, thanks to a couple bad decisions. I'm down to 8 weekly points and I have 6 activity points. I am not sure if I should give myself APs for my weight workouts or not. I'm not giving myself any for yoga/stretch, just the cardio workouts. I'm using the 100 calories burned = 1 point guideline. I have the slider (thanks, Mel!) and it's pretty close to that if I count Plyo (for example) as 45 minutes of high intensity exercise. Yeah, the workout is almost an hour but the warm up and cool down doesn't make me sweat so I don't bother. I do sweat with the weight workouts, but I'm no continuously in motion (as in doing reps). That is the same reason I don't wear my heart rate monitor during weights. So I'm not sure how to classify it. It's definitely high intensity, but what's the actual time of work? Certainly not an hour, or even 45 minutes.

P90X - Week 5 - Tuesday

I survived my second Doubles day. I got up at 5 AM to do Cardio X (43 minutes and 234 calories) and ARX. A couple hours later, I did Back & Biceps. I'd normally wait longer than 90 minutes between workouts but I had tons of stuff to do today. This workout is nuts! I used 25 pound weights for lawnmowers and 10-15 pounders for the rest of the exercises. There were some interesting pull ups (corn cob and towel) that were challenging. The strip set curls at the end were a bitch. I only have 2 pairs of dumbbell handles and one needs 4 different sets of weights for the exercise. I had to stop after each set of 8 reps to pull weights off. I am going to get another set of dumbbell handles to make it easier. I know I talk about doing that all the time, but I am really going to do it now. I also think I was a little ambitious with the starting weight for the strip set (17.5 pounds). It was hard!!!!!!!!! I was so glad when I got down to my last set, with 10 pounds. This exercise being at the very end sucks.

Here is the exercise list for Back & Biceps:
wide front pull up
lawnmowers
twenty-ones
one-arm cross-body curl
switch grip pull up
elbows out lawnmowers
standing bicep curl
one-arm concentration curl
corn cob pull up
reverse grip bend over row
open arm curl
static arm curl
towel pull up
Congdon locomotive
crouching Cohen curl
one-arm corkscrew curl
chin up
seated bent over back fly
curl up hammer down
hammer curl
max rep pull up
Superman
in-out hammer curl
strip set curl

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

Special K protein cereal w/ skim milk, banana [4 pts]

omelet w/ cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce, multigrain English muffin [6 pts]

catfish w/ light sour cream, picante sauce, romaine lettuce & green peppers [6 pts]

roasted chicken & mixed vegetables & EVOO [6 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

28 points today. I'm down to 17 weekly points and 6 activity points. I'll earn a few more APs this week, thankfully.

P90X - Week 5 - Tuesday

Big, bad Plyometrics this morning (58 minutes and 410 calories). I actually kind of missed it. I did NOT get up at 5 AM to do the workout. Well, I was up, but there's too much jumping for me to do when my guys are trying to sleep.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I've started meditating again. I did it earlier this year (or maybe it was last year - it's all a blur) and thought it helped me out a lot. So I've picked it up again. I'm listening to John Edward's "Developing Your Own Psychic Powers" stuff - not because I'm particularly interested in my psychic whatever, but because I love his voice. On Sunday night, I did the introductory meditation and last night I did the one that actually focuses on opening your mind to psychic energy.

And it must be working. I was in the kitchen this afternoon, tearing up a cooked chicken. The song "Feed The Birds" from Mary Poppins popped into my head and I couldn't get it out. I finished up in the kitchen and came out to the computer, started Firefox. I checked my Twitter extension and saw this Tweet from Nathan Fillion: "Feed the birds." No kidding.

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

banana [1 pt]

turkey bacon, omelet, multigrain English muffin w/ butter (bad, I know!) [8 pts]

rice cakes [2 pts]

tuna salad w/ romaine lettuce, baby carrots, green pepper slices & light dressing [4 pts]

cube steak & jasmine rice [8 pts]

frozen banana w/ chocolate protein powder [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

I had to dip into my savings today - 31 points.

P90X - Week 5 - Monday

I have decided that I am 100% definitely doing Doubles. I woke up at 4 AM and tossed and turned until 5, when I finally got out of bed and got Cardio X out of the way (43 minutes and 254 calories). It's a decent work out. I probably wouldn't pick it as a stand alone cardio option outside of P90X, but it's not overly taxing when you've still got another our work. The schedule says to do cardio in the morning and the weights and abs in the afternoon/evening. I'd planned on doing that, and changed my mind. I wanted it out of the way, so I did ARX immediately after cardio, then shortly before lunch, I did Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. This workout was awesome! It's a lot of push ups. I managed a good number on my toes, even near the end. I only had trouble with the clap/plyo push ups - I couldn't get a good push off the ground to get a clap in. I used mostly 5 and 10 pound weights. I'll be going up a bit for a few exercises next week. Overall, I really liked this workout, but my arms are exhausted.

Here's the exercise list for Chest, Shoulders & Triceps:
slow motion 3-in-1 push up
in & out shoulder fly
chair dip
plange push up
pike press
side-tri rise
floor fly
scarecrow
overhead tricep extension
two-twitch speed push up
Y press
lying tricep extension
side-to-side push up
pour fly
side-leaning tricep extension
one-arm push up
weighted circles
throw the bomb
clap/plyo push up
slo-mo throw
one-arm balance push up
fly row press
dumbbell cross-body blow

The decision to do Doubles came to me when I was thinking about the ice cream I ate last night. Doing extra cardio is good motivation for me to eat as cleanly as possible, otherwise, I'm wasting my time. Every time I want more than one serving of junk, I'm definitely going to think twice about it. I'm not doing an extra 45 minutes of exercise just to eat twice as many calories in crap.

turkey bacon, omelet, multigrain English muffin [7 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

catfish & romaine lettuce on homemade whole wheat bread, baby carrots & green peppers [6 pts]

chicken breast & steamed cauliflower w/ EVOO [5 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

24 points for the day. I'm exhausted.

P90X - Week 4 - Sunday

I completely forgot to weigh today. I will try to remember on Tuesday, which will be Day 30. I took a rest day, instead of doing X Stretch. Recovery Week felt like a lifetime. I will be very glad to get back to the good stuff tomorrow.

I've already started to change the way I do things, in terms of food. I didn't weigh my apple today. I didn't write down what time I ate. I only wrote down what I ate and how many points it was. To make things even simpler, I've decided to stop logging all my food in SparkPeople, and I'm going to stop doing all the points-earning activities there. That was taking up too much of my time, reading articles and doing polls and all that other crap. So I'm just going to focus on the message boards, teams, and my blog. Another change - I'm not going to use the computer/online points calculators I'm going to stick to my slider. For some reason (probably user error, because I'm always in a hurry), I was getting different values with the different e-calculators. So no more. I feel less stressed already.

We "officially" start Weight Watchers-style tomorrow. I've been through the list of Filling Foods and, like Michi's Ladder, it's really just common sense eating. That means I'm screwed, because it still comes down to making the right choices, and I'm not really one to do that. Of course, I can still have "bad" things, and chances are I will go over my points limit. Ugh, no matter what plan I'm on, I can still over eat. I could focus on the why of that and blah, blah, blah. Frankly, I am not even sure I care why. I understand nutrition and exercises and all the psychological stuff behind overeating/binge eating and recognizing true hunger vs boredom and emotional eating. I get all that. I know the strategies for avoiding it. I know it all like the back of my hand. Applying what I know is where I fall flat. But that's on me - not the plan I choose. It doesn't matter what plan I choose. I still have free will.

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

Special K Protein cereal w/ skim milk [3 pts]

Jennie-O turkey meatballs [7 pts] & baked sweet potato chips [2 pts]; I really screwed up here. I was going to throw some boneless, skinless chicken breasts on my grill and I realized I bought (2 bags of) the wrong chicken breasts. The stuff I bought had skin & bones. I couldn't just pop them on the grill - they need to have the skin removed, baked in the oven, then taken off the bones. I'll have to prep those tomorrow. I had to scramble for some protein that was quick and "went with" sweet potato. It was either the meatballs or canned tuna.

mandarin oranges [1 pt]

McDonald's chocolate chip cookie [4 pts]; Damn, these thing are evil.

baby carrots & green pepper slices [0 pts]

lasagna [4 pts] & homemade whole wheat bread [2 pts]

Two cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

I had a good 27 point day, until I ruined it by eating myself sick with ice cream.

P90X - Week 4 - Saturday

I did yoga this morning and it went well. I'm still having trouble with the half-moon stuff and crane, but I can see improvement in the other moves. My flexibility is improving - that move where you reach under your leg and behind your back to clasp your hands together, I can do that on one side of my body (I still fall out on the other).

I'm not sure when I'll stop counting calories. This is going to be a transition to just points, then just writing down what I eat. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to track my points. I told my husband I was just going to string some beads and move them from one side to the other throughout the day as I eat. Or, I'll make us both an erasable chart for blocking off points eaten. I don't know. I do know that it's a pain in the ass to concern myself with calories and points, so the quicker I make the switch, the better for my sanity.

8:15 AM - banana & cottage cheese [3 pts]

11:25 AM - turkey bacon, multigrain English muffin, omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce [7 pts]

1:15 PM - baby carrots [1 pt]

3:00 PM - chicken breast w/ light barbecue sauce & cheese on whole wheat bread, McDonald's apple dippers; I ate the whole bag of apple slices but only a quarter of the caramel sauce. [6 pts]

7:15 PM - turkey stuffins (turkey muffins made with stuffing mix), mixed vegetables [5 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1495
Carbs - 170 (28 fiber)
Protein - 121
Fat - 41
C/P/F Ratio - 44.3/31.4/24.3
23 points, if all my math is right. It may not be. I lost my whole blog draft and tried to redo it from memory.

P90X - Week 4 - Friday

Core Synergistics today. I am very mixed on this workout. I don't feel like I enjoy it overall but I love the individual exercises. I do have a hard time remembering to keep my core engaged, but I think the moves are fun and challenging. I love banana roll and Superman/banana. The Dreya Roll is my favorite. I did struggle again today with the plank to chaturanga run, so I stayed in a plank run, but I nailed the ISO! And I love the push ups in this workout. I can't do all of them on my toes yet, though.

I also did 30 minutes on the Wii Fit (breaking 3 of my yoga records) to entertain my son.

I have decided, thanks to the patient guidance of my friend Melissa, that I am going to adopt the Weight Watchers lifestyle. I'm not going to join the program officially, but I am going to start thinking in terms of points. It hit me that this would be a good way for me to move away from being a compulsive calorie counter. I've always said that I don't want to track my calories forever. This feels like a good transition, and a lot of the nutritional philosophy of Weight Watchers matches my own. I'm not sure how I'll handle overeating, but that is a problem with any plan. I'll still be doing the same things I did (food-wise) over the summer, but with a little guidance rather than strict calorie counting. I'm optimistic.

I won't know for sure until Sunday morning, but assuming I weigh 130 pounds, my daily points allowance will be 21 points (and that's being generous with the "how do you spend most of your day?" question). Taking the middle of the road estimate (moderate) with my activity points, I get an extra 3 points on days I work out (Monday - Saturday). With my 35 weekly Flex points, that all works out to about 28 points per day, if I've done my math right.

So starting Monday, I'll begin my transition to counting points instead of calories. By the time I finish this round of P0X, I'd like to be off the calorie counting, and not logging my food in SparkPeople anymore. Gah, that is such a pain, even after all this time, especially with my new computer (which is a netbook and slow as hell - it takes forever to do anything on the Spark web site).

7:55 AM - apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

10:40 AM - turkey bacon, whole wheat toast, scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce [11 pts]

12:55 PM - almonds, banana [5 pts]

3:00 PM - chicken breast & green pepper slices [4 pts]

6:15 PM - catfish on bun w/ ketchup [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [2 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1553
Carbs - 154 (25 fiber)
Protein - 137
Fat - 48
C/P/F Ratio - 38.5/34.3/27.2

Manually calculating and adding the points for the day gave me 27 points, but using this recipe calculator (it's an XLS file), I get 30 points. I'm not sure which to go by - this one seems more precise because it allows for decimals. But it's a 3 point difference. That's quite a bit.

P90X - Week 4 - Thursday

It's weird doing X Stretch in the middle of the week. I was up at 4 AM (yes, that's a 4) and tossed and turned, then finally got up and got it out of the way. My son did not have a fever when I woke up and he came out to keep me company halfway through the dvd. He proceeded to bug the crap out of me for 27 minutes. His fever did come back several hours later, so he's going to be home again tomorrow. I'm ready to pack him up in a box with air holes and send him to live with his Nanna in New York.

I've been talking to friends about what eating plan I should follow. I'm a big advocate of most of them, and I truly believe it comes down to what works for the individual. My biggest complaint with any plan is the restriction. Atkins is too low carb for me. Most other plans are too low fat for me. Or too low calorie. Regardless of the plan, I find myself obsessing about getting everything to fit properly. Do you know that before I started P90X, I calculated - to the gram - how much apple I could eat with my cottage cheese before my work outs? An 86 gram apple gave me exactly half a serving of fruit. This allowed me to have another half a serving of fruit later in the day. What if I wanted the whole apple? Or the whole banana? It didn't fit.

Anyway, Weight Watchers is one I was considering. It's sensible and many, many people have great success with it. I was concerned though, that it might not be enough calories for me. I have no idea about the points to calorie conversion, and people say that's part of the beauty of it - don't worry about calories, just eat your points. Maybe I could learn to do that, but I think in terms of calories for right now and it's hard to change that mindset. And of course, I still believe a protein-dominant diet is best for me. I also like moderate fat intake. I like cheese now and then, you know? I like vegetables. In fact that was one of my main beefs with the P90X plan - it didn't allow enough vegetables. But as I stated in the comments of my last blog, I don't want to find myself hungry and having to "settle" for vegetables just because I don't have any points left for the day.

I used to think I needed to have a plan. Maybe the best option for me is to NOT follow a plan. Over the summer, I was very laid back. I did not binge as much as I have in the first 4 weeks of P90X, that's for sure. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted it. I was happy and satisfied. Sure, I only lost half a pound in 2 months, but that's okay. I think I can make that same method work for weight loss. To be honest, I don't think my diet, overall, is that bad. Yes, the veggies have been lacking the last few weeks but that changes today. Aside from the binges, I've made good choices. And I honestly think the restrictive diet caused the binges. I'm sure of it. I hate being told I can't eat something. So no more can't!

One thing I posted in my comments for yesterday's blog that I wanted to repost here:

It doesn't matter what "rules" I have for food. I'm impulsive and emotional, and that's never going to change. Having rules makes feel weak and out of control. Without rules, I don't have to feel guilty for breaking them. When I break rules, it makes me want to throw in the towel. I'm very big on "Oh, I ate something I shouldn't have - might as well blow off the rest of the day." Or "I ate so much, I might as well keep going." This has always been my issue.

I was all set to eat a healthy chicken and vegetables dinner, then I watched the season finale of Hung (if you've never heard of it, it's about a guy with a very big wiener who becomes a professional wiener-user to make money after his house burns down), and I could not shake the craving for hot dogs. And you have to have mac & cheese with hot dogs. All I had was some deluxe shells & cheese, which tastes like total crap. I took one bite and decided I didn't really want it. I'd called my husband to bring home some hot dogs (I asked for some bigger ones that fit right in the bun) and some whole wheat buns. He brings home these monster quarter pound freaking hot dogs and regular buns. I was pissed. He insisted there were NO whole wheat buns anywhere in the store. Apparently, I need to spell everything out for him, or do it all myself. Even for hot dogs and buns, I have standards. So I told him I wasn't eating it. The he got pissed and said he wasn't eating. Screw him then. I threw the mac & cheese in the garbage. I don't give a crap if he starves, and now I'm too pissed off to eat because he's a freaking idiot. WHO THE HELL EATS A 250 CALORIE, QUARTER POUND FRAKKING HOT DOG WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT???? I could have cut it in half, but at that point, I had no appetite at all because he doesn't have an ounce of common sense.

For a few days, I'm going to track my points as well, out of curiosity.

6:50 AM - apple & cottage cheese w/ cinnamon & Splenda [4 pts]

10:50 AM - whole wheat toast, omelet w/ onion, green pepper & picante sauce [5 pts]

1:45 PM - catfish, green pepper slices & baby carrots [3 pts]

2:40 PM - yogurt [2 pts]

5:45 PM - baby carrots & banana [1 pt]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

Calories - 1132
Carbs - 156 (21 fiber)
Protein - 91
Fat - 22
C/P/F Ratio - 52.8/30.5/16.7
16 points

Obviously, not a good food day.