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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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.