Becky's Body Challenge: From Puff To Buff

P90X - Week 9 - Saturday

2009-11-07T20:41:00.001-05:00

I ate a protein granola bar & yogurt after blogging last night - six activity points subtracted.

Yeah, my legs are total toast today, so no Plyo. Instead, I did X Stretch, Turbo Jam 20 Minute Workout (143 calories) and Jillian Michaels Cardio Kickbox (24 minutes, 148 calories). Altogether, 291 calories, and I gave myself 3 Activity Points.

Banana Nut Cheerios [3 pts]

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

chicken breast, green pepper slices, corn & black bean salad w/ avocado lime vinaigrette [7 pts]

banana [1 pt]; I am desperately trying not to eat the chocolate in the freezer. I have the points to have a piece or two but I'm afraid I won't stop with one or two.

chicken, pasta & vegetable casserole [7 pts]

chocolates [6 pts]; Obviously, I failed.

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

30 points today. 0 weekly and 6 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Friday

2009-11-06T20:30:00.003-05:00

Crazy exercise day. Things start doubling up and shifting around as I try to get everything out of the way before my tubal on Thursday. I know I should probably just suck it up and take an extra week but I am SO OVER this program. Don't get me wrong - I love it, I think it's fantastic, and I see myself doing it again some day, but right now, I just need to get away from Tony Horton. I just want it to be over.

This morning was Ab Ripper X and Legs & Back (2 Activity Points). I didn't get as many unassisted chin ups as I did the last time I did this workout (2 weeks ago). I don't know if it's my mental state or I'm just tired. This whole week, I haven't been satisfied with my performance. I'm improving in some areas and not in others - sometimes even going backwards. I'm sure it's just mental. I know I haven't been nearly as excited about Phase 3 as I was about the first two. Plus, decided to try to squeeze in all the extra stuff is stressing me out. Too late now. I just need to get through the next 6 days.

It's marathon weekend here on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I knew there was an annual marathon but I did not realize there was also a half-marathon, an 8K, and a 5K. So, in honor of this weekend, today's Doubles cardio was a 5K walk (50 minutes 224 calories, 2 Activity Points). I did this immediately after Legs & Back. Don't ask me what I was thinking. I wasn't. But it gets worse.

After my 5K, I grabbed some food and sat down for 45 minutes to watch Friday Night Lights. It's a little light on the Riggins so far this season, which is disappointing. Man, Taylor Kitsch is one fine hunk of meat. What is it with guys named Taylor and total hot? Taylor Lautner's body is even better than Taylor Kitsch's, but since TL is only 17 (18 in 4 months), I can't really comment further. But I digress. After my quick break, I got a head start and did tomorrow's Kenpo X workout (323 calories and 3 Activity Points). I will admit, it was rough because my legs were tired. I have never been so happy to do blocks in all my life. Needless to say, I am exhausted!!! But, I'm hoping my legs will be well enough to do Plyo tomorrow. I know I should rest them more, but this crazy situation I've put myself in really is a one-time thing. I can handle all the regular workouts being scrunched together. It's this Doubles stuff that has me stressed, trying to fit in FOUR extra cardio workouts a week (instead of the three from the last phase). Those three and a half days of rest I'll be getting after my surgery next week are going to be bliss!

Banana Nut Cheerios w/ skim milk [3 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

chicken breast, green pepper slices & avocado hummus [4 pts]

venison sausage patty w/ cheese on multigrain English muffin [6 pts]

green pepper slices [0 pts]

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

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

25 points today. 0 weekly and 19 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Thursday

2009-11-05T20:14:00.002-05:00

I ended up eating 2 granola protein bars after I blogged last night, taking away 8 of my weekly points. I could have eaten a ton more.

Butt crack of dawn yoga today. I am really getting better. I can do just about everything - the only two poses I still have even a little trouble with are twisting half moon and crane, but I can hold them for a bit. Rock on. 2 Activity Points for Yoga. I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 again (371 calories burned, 3 Activity Points). Technically, the fourth day of doubles is supposed to go on Plyo day. Screw that!!! I don't even want to walk to the shower after Plyo, much less do more cardio. So I do it after yoga.

Today is Day 60 for me. Technically, I should have weighed in and done pictures and measurements. That's too much work. I'll wait until the end.

I am rethinking whether I'm going to do another round of P90X. I was so sure I would do P90X+ (along with the other Beachbody stuff I had planned). Then I read this blog. It's a critique of P90X that points out the "flaws" in the program. They aren't really flaws but they do go against my "lift heavy for fewer reps" preference for weight lifting. The blogger points out that the P90X routines are essentially circuits of mid-to-high reps. Yeah, I do opt for the 8-10 rep range, but even that is pretty high compared to what I like. I like the 3x5 and 5x5 or 4x6 rep ranges. I like multiple sets of really heavy (for me) weights. So I don't think I could be happy doing P90X again. And if I use that same logic, ChaLean Extreme won't be "right" for me again. I can't say anything about Insanity yet - that's all cardio, and I know I'm not ready for it. So now I need to rethink my game plan.

This does not mean P90X hasn't helped me. Hello!! I can do pull ups and push ups now. Know what that means? That I can actually use those in any routines I design on my own, or actually do them in routines I find (like New Rules of Lifting - I love that program). I will continue to do yoga and stretch when I finish P90X (probably not the P90X dvds though, unless I need a Daniel fix). I think I need to pull out my NROL book again and maybe do that. My husband has been "doing" the workouts for a couple months - that means he did 2 weeks of Break In workouts, then moved on to the goods, and only did one week (and his workouts are only twice a week!!!). Maybe if I'm doing it, he'll get his ass in gear.

Banana Nut Cheerios w/ skim milk [3 pts]

protein granola bar [4 pts]

chicken breast, cauliflower w/ light mayo & mustard, yogurt [5 pts]

Strawberry Mini Wheats [5 pts]; I only eat Mini Wheats dry. And these were getting stale. I do like them for a snack.

apple [1 pt]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly, homemade venison sausage [7 pts]

pumpkin pie [6 pts]

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

31 points today. 0 weekly and 17 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Wednesday

2009-11-04T20:06:00.002-05:00

Ab Ripper & Turbo this morning (353 calories - 3 Activity Points). I got through the Fifer Scissors without a break!! I really dislike ARX. Really. I did Shoulders & Arms in the afternoon (2 Activity Points). I wanted to skip the workout so badly. My head was killing me and my gut felt like someone ran into me with a battering ram (side effect from ibuprofen is the only thing I can think of, even though I've never had a problem with the stuff before). I half-assed the warm up and took lots of breaks (usually after every 3 sets). It sucked. My performance was good, until the end - that last set of Congdon curls (or maybe it was the crouching Cohens) didn't go as far as I would have liked. Oh well. I am, for damn sure, doing Legs & Back first on Friday (well, after ARX) and saving the cardio for later in the day.

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

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

grilled chicken breast, baked sweet potato fries, green pepper slices, avocado hummus [5 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts]

ground venison & cauliflower casserole [5 pts]

yogurt [3 pts]

protein granola bar [4 pts]

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

30 points today. 18 weekly and 13 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Tuesday

2009-11-03T20:25:00.002-05:00

I am so off my game this week. First there were yesterday's pitiful workouts. I followed up today with another less-than-stellar performance. I did Plyo and only burned 359 calories, as opposed to the 400+ I normally burn. I felt like I should do another workout, because those numbers blow. I only earned 3 Activity Points today.

Then I sat down and thought about it while I was eating my breakfast. I am doing enough. I don't need to exercise more for weight loss. I'm now 100% committed to exercising for fitness now. So the real question is - do I want to lose any more weight? I don't know. I'm considering a bulk next summer - maybe I should rearrange that and do it in the spring. I just don't know. I definitely want to add some muscle, but I'd have to really drop the amount of cardio I do, and find that fine line between eating enough over maintenance levels, and eating too much. I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. So maybe I'll wait until summer.

I'm really sore today. You'd think it was the first time I did pull ups and chin ups.

banana [1 pt]

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

homemade venison jerky [2 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

mozzarella string cheese, steamed cauliflower w/ light mayo & mustard dressing [3 pts]; I did not want to eat before dinner but I was so hungry, my stomach hurt.

yogurt [3 pts]

turkey sandwich [4 pts]

ground venison, steamed cauliflower w/ light mayo & mustard dressing [5 pts]

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

27 points today. 28 weekly and 8 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Monday

2009-11-02T20:21:00.002-05:00

When I woke up this morning, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to do Cardio X or Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3. On one hand, Cardio X is part of the program. On the other, I burn more calories and have more fun with Turbo. I went with Turbo, but I didn't get nearly the burn I usually do (only 366 calories - I gave myself 3 Activity Points). I think it's because it was 5 AM and I was afraid of waking the guys up. Next time, I won't care. I did Ab Ripper before Turbo. Then, as I'm supposed to, I did Chest & Back (2 Activity Points) way later in the day. I did it after I picked Sebastian up from school. For some reason, I really struggled with the pull ups today. My push ups were great though - lots of improvement there!

I've decided that I am going to celebrate the completion of this round of P90X by going to see New Moon. I haven't been to a movie by myself in a while, though I keep meaning to go. I definitely think becoming a P90X grad deserves a little reward. And I sure as hell need the motivation to get through the next 5 weeks. So, as soon as I finish my fit test on December 6, I am off to the theater.

The next two to three weeks are going to be a little hectic. This week will be normal until Sunday. I need to start next week's workouts on that day, then move a few things around in order to get everything in by that Thursday morning. I'm having a tubal ligation (cut & burned!) on November 12, and I did not want to get behind. I should be able to get everything in, and that will leave me the afternoon of surgery, and Friday through Sunday to recuperate. And since I did 3 Ab Ripper workouts last week when they weren't scheduled, I'll have the entire week after the tubal free of any ab work. I am pretty sure I can handle the weights & cardio, but I wanted to give my abs more time to heal.

I've mentioned a few times that I bought myself a small bag of dark chocolate M&Ms, but wouldn't eat them unless I had a plan. They are still in my freezer. And I have a plan. I bought the bag on November 12, 2008. My surgery is exactly one year later. Since I can't eat anything after midnight, and only a very light dinner - they actually prefer a clear liquid diet after noon on the 11th (surgery is at 9:30 AM, and I do have a workout that morning before I head to the hospital), I am going to eat the whole bag on the way home from the hospital. It's not much of a plan, but I'm just going with it.

Yikes! Sorry for the novel.

banana [1 pt]

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

grilled chicken breast, green pepper slices w/ avocado hummus [4 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

roased Bambi, mixed vegetables & jasmine rice [6 pts]

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

20 points today. 35 weekly and 5 activity points remaining. After this weekend fiasco, I'm afraid to dip in to any of my extras. Fortunately, I wasn't all that hungry today.

P90X - Week 8 - Sunday

2009-11-01T17:19:00.002-05:00

Last night was absolutely horrible. I ended up not drinking but I ate so much crap, my body feels as if I got completely drunk. And I have a really bad headache. I just want to crawl in bed and dream of guillotines. There is a reason I don't drink alcohol very often. I absolutely hate how it makes me feel after the buzz is gone. It's the same damn thing with sugar. The buzz from liquor lasts longer than the high from sugar, too. I can very easily say no to booze. I drink once every year or two. And I mean have anything alcoholic. I don't have a beer now and then, and I use as hell don't have the occasional glass of wine with dinner. I want my relationship with sugar to be the same way. Why can't I get to that point? I never crave alcohol. Why do I crave sugar all the damn time?

Thus, my heart was not in X Stretch today. I did it, but it was half-hearted. I don't care to do this workout on its own anyway. I do much better when I've had some cardio warm up. So, I'm moving it to Saturdays after Kenpo.

sliced turkey breast & avocado hummus on Flat Out bread, red pepper slices [3 pts]

grilled chicken breast & baked sweet potato chips [5 pts]

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

pumpkin smoothie [2 pts]

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

I ate the rest of the chocolate gremlins. I am over on points for the day/week. Starting fresh tomorrow.

P90X - Week 8 - Saturday

2009-10-31T17:07:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-30T20:12:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-29T17:05:00.001-04:00

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

2009-10-28T19:59:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-27T20:40:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-26T20:35:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-25T17:52:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-24T18:57:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-23T20:45:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-22T19:06:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-21T20:15:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-20T20:50:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-19T21:01:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-18T19:26:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-17T19:46:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-16T19:17:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-15T20:04:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-14T18:51:00.002-04:00

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.