Sore today

I am sore today from the P90X Back and Bicep workout yesterday. It is a good sore – I am not crippled like that very first week of doing pull-ups!  Tonight was Yoga X and it was pretty good. I have just really been focusing on each move and trying to do it better each time. I am getting better. I can hold the poses longer and I really focusing on the breathing like you are supposed to. I wore the heart rate monitor and I was surprised to see I burned 430 calories – most of which were the first 45 minutes.

I decided not to do my lunchtime workout again today. I am just feeling tired… not really physically, but tired of exercising and constantly having to do something. I still have  along way to go so I do not want to get burned out. I thought it would be good to alternate weeks with double workouts.

My calories were more in line today then they were yesterday I ended the day with 1690. Still higher than I was but not as high as the P90X plan puts me. Since I am feeling tired I thought the increase would help.  I am really working out hard so I hope I still lose some weight this week.

I really am in the mood to run more, but I just cannot fit it in. At lunch time it is too hot to go out and run outside. After work between dinner, the garden and P90X there is no time. I have a 5K race on July 11th – I will not plan on setting any PR’s that day since I haven’t run in awhile. It will just be fun to get out and do it.

Nothing exciting going on in the garden. I put some lime around the tomatoes in hopes that it will stop them from all turning yellow, whithering away and dying. I have lost a lot of tomatoes to the blossom rot and the lime is supposed to help. We will see….

GOOD NIGHT!

I hate it… but I love it…

That’s what Tony Horton says about Ab Ripper X – my version is I hate it… but I hate it… ! Seriously – it is SO HARD! However, I am happy to say that I really think I am making progress. I could do several “Crunchy Frogs”, which were nearly impossible to me before recovery week. Also the “roll up, V-ups”. I am, if I can say so myself, getting pretty darn awesome good at them! They say that results come during recovery periods and I believe it – I really did feel much stronger tonight.

The main workout tonight was a new one “Back and Biceps”. I have never done so many bicep curls in my entire life! I also did assisted pull-ups instead of using the resistance band. I worked really hard but I am so not good at even the assisted version of pull-ups I am just not sure if I should do them. Next week I might try the band variations.

I was starving today so I ate more calories. I actually ate 1900 – which is 500 more than I have been eating, and more in line with what Tony wants me to eat. I think I was so hungry because I did not get enough protein. I ate vegetarian all day today, so I think that was the problem. The protein I had was in the form of my protein shake for breakfast, some hummus on my Ezekiel bread at lunch, a green shake and yogurt for snack and some black beans for dinner. I think tomorrow I am going to have some egg whites with my breakfast and some tuna for lunch.

I have had the oddest craving for cheese lately. I could eat it morning, noon and night. Obviously I do not, but I could! especially that raw milk cheddar that I bought- I should never have tried it. Who knew it would be so delicious!

I skipped my lunch time workout today because I was sore from this weekend’s workout and I wanted to give it my all tonight for P90X. Tomorrow I will have to workout at lunch because P90X is Yoga. I need to get my cardio in.

I am pooped tonight!

Another Good Weekend

Well, another good weekend is wrapping up. Saturday was a nice, relaxing day. Other than my P90X workout – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, I didn’t do a thing… Well, I did drive to my sister-in-law’s pool and swam a bit, then lounged, then swan, then lounged… it was nice for a bit, but a bit boring so I headed home.

I got home and sat, and read, and watched TV, and laid on the couch, then sat… you get the picture. Nothing. John did the same so I didn’t feel too lazy. It is so busy during the week that it is really nice to be able to have that time to just relax. I did make a a wonderful dinner – smoked pork chops. Normally we do not eat pork chops because John usually has trouble swallowing them correctly.. but since he made them a few weeks ago I figured they were legal now. Again, I was so lazy I didn’t even take a picture, but they were magnificent. I bought center-cut, bone-in and cooked them over the Weber with some hickory chips. I made some homemade BBQ sauce to go with them. YUMMY. I will definitely make them again and when I do I will photograph them!

Today I managed to get quite a bit done. I woke up and caught up on some posts on some message boards, had a terrific Green Monster and an Ezekiel English muffin. After that I loaded up and headed to the garden for a couple of hours. I got a lot of weeding done and harvested more beans, cucumbers and zucchini. Also I picked a few green peppers. I found a nasty green worm filling himself on my beautiful tomatoes. I killed him!

I found the worm on these tomatoes. Hopefully they will be ok.

One of the Black Krim's is almost ready!

My first OKRA!!!

After gardening I headed downstairs for my P90X workout – Plyo. It was tough, as usual… you would think it would eventually get easier, but I guess the fitter I get the more I “Bring It”. I burned 680 calories – I love it!

I cleaned up and headed to the adidas Outlet. My goal was some new workout clothes, but they really didn’t have a whole lot. I walked around the rest of the Outlet mall a bit and headed home. I stopped by the grocery store to get our food for the week and really tried to focus on getting more organics… Jillian’s “Cleaning House” Challenge this week is to buy organic. I have been pretty good at that since I started reading her book “Master Your Metabolism”, but there is always room for improvement.

Here are some of the yummy things I bought this week. I love all the organic cereals – they taste so much better than the regular kind.

I posted this picture on Jillian's site as part of the challenge.

Good night!

P90X Phase One Results!

Week 4 completed the first phase of the P90X program. I am very pleased with my results and it makes me want to push even harder through this next phase.

Weight lost: 7

Inches Lost:
Chest: 2
Waist: 3
Lower Belly: 4
Hips: 2
Thighs: 1
Bicep: .5
Total inches lost with 4 weeks of P90X: 12.5

I also looked back to my original measurements from September when I started and since then the total inches I lost have been pretty good. I wish I did all the other measurements in the very beginning – I only did the big three…

Chest: 7
Hips: 8
Waist: 11

23 inches total lost with the 71 pounds

The body fat is a little more difficult. I never bought the calipers that I should have. When I got the Wii Fit in Decemeber I used it to measure my BMI (Body Mass Index). According to what I did when I start P90X and now my BMI dropped 2%. I do not even know how accurate it is. I also have a Tanita scale that supposedly does body fat but I just do not think it works for me for some reason. No matter how heavy I have been vs. now it shows the same %. Certainly I have lost some fat. I may have to find a caliper and start now.

Week 4 – DONE!

What a great week. I have felt great and full of energy all week. My workouts have been top-notch and to top it all off I lost 2 pounds. I am very happy because that means everything worked the way it was supposed to. Based on my calorie intake and expenditure I planned on losing 2 pounds. I love it when a plan comes together!

The best part was that it wasn’t that hard… yes, I burned 1,000 almost everyday, but I am really just in the groove lately. I have accepted the fact that to lose the weight I have to workout really hard. There is no walking any more… no half-hearted workouts… if I want the weight to come off it takes effort. Jillian has a good rant that I think about sometimes where she says something to the effect of – “you just can’t take the stairs… you can’t just park a little further away at the mall… you have to work hard – so many people say “I’ll just take the stairs” and think that will be enough. It’s not…” It’s so true.

My actual weightloss total right now is 71 pounds. My weigh-in page somehow got a few pounds off so I will have to adjust that. SEVENTY ONE POUNDS. It is actaully working. I think I finally just got my mind right and I am doing what I need to do. No more excuses, no stupid stories I am telling myself about how I will fail. I know I will lose the weight and I know I will hit my goal and keep it there. There is no doubt in my mind anymore.

Tomorrow starts week five and I am really looking forward to hitting the weights again. I get a couple of new workouts this week so that will be fun. I am sure they will include pull-ups and this week I am going to try assisted pull-ups again. With assisted pull-ups you can use a bench or chair and put a little weight on the chair with one foot to give assistance to the pull up. This is what I did the very first workout that left my arms crippled for a week. I am hoping that I have gained some strength since that day!

This week I am also adding something new to my diet – My Amazing Meal arrive today in the mail and I cannot wait to try it. I will have a REAL Green Monster tomorrow.

I am going to get up early tomorrow and do my workout and then treat myself to some time at the pool. My sister-in-law has THE BEST pool and I am going to spend a couple of hours out there and swim. I cannot wait. I have not been there since last summer.

Rest Day Eve

I love Thursday nights because I know I have a rest day coming! Last week my decision to cut out the Stretch X and rest instead as a good one and I am going to do it again tomorrow. I worked really hard this week… at P90X and my extra lunch time elliptical. Today I burned 520 calories at lunch knowing the Yoga X was tonight.

I have to say that I really did Bring It with the Yoga tonight – more than I have before. I guess now that I know the routine a bit more and decided to “clear my mind” and just go with it – it helped. I also did wear shoes for the first half. It helped me a lot and I will continue wearing them. I know that is probably not the right thing to do in yoga, but it helped me perform better so I am going with it.

I didn’t make it out to the garden tonight – I was too tired and it was late by the time I finished yoga and ate dinner. Hopefully everything is still in tact!

Tomorrow is weigh-in day. We will see how my calorie adjustment worked. I have been getting a lot of advice about increasing calories lately so we shall see. I have been feeling satisfied with my food intake and have had really excellent workouts this week. I think it is the addition of carbohydrates back into my diet for than anything.

Off to read a couple of my favorite blogs and go to bed!

More Durable

That’s what Tony said Core Synergetics will make me! I believe it. This is the best workout so far. I really got into it tonight since I knew what was going on. Once again I was sweating buckets. It is really hard!

Tomorrow is Yoga X and I am NOT going to dread it all day tomorrow. I am going to “free my mind” (as Tony says) when it comes to this workout. I am going to wear some shoes – I think I have some running flats that will not be bulky. I really do not like working out barefooted. Believe it or not, my toes actually start hurting during the first half of the workout. I know my feet are probably getting stronger, but maybe shoes will help me like it better.

I had a less than optimum calorie burn today. I was really busy at work, plus I forgot my towel so I wouldn’t be able to shower, AND my upper back hurts a bit. So, I only did 20 minutes – about 200 calories. The Core Synergetics, as hard as it was, only burned 510 calories.

Not sure what is going on with my back today. It hurts a bit right in the upper center. It was a pain, literally, to sit at my desk all day today. I just wanted to lean back in a recliner or something. Thankfully I do not have Ab X this week because I do not think I would be able to get up!

I am going to take some Mortin and go lay down. Good Night!

New Jillian Challenge!

Jillian Michael’s has started her summer challenge “Cleaning House”. It is all about going organic. The challenge will involve weekly tasks that we have to do then post about what we did and how we accomplished them – including photos.  We have to take “before” and “after” shots of the tasks.

This week’s task is to buy organic and remove toxins. I do not buy as much organic as I should – some things are easy, but some not. I will have to figure out what to do this week.

For P90X today – it was X Stretch day. I do not mind the stretching as much as the yoga – stretching is only an hour and pretty easy. I can tell that I am getting more flexible – I am no Gumby or anything, but little by little I can stretch a bit further. The problem with stretch is that it does not burn many calories! Luckily I had a good lunch time elliptical and the walk to and working in the garden.

The garden is looking good. Nothing to harvest today except weeds… they are everywhere. Really out of control! I worked on a few of the beds – at least trying to get the weeds that are closest to where the plants are growing. I was sweating buckets – it was so hot – even at 7:00. Luckily John came by with some water… I really needed it.

Katheryn sent some really cute pictures of Mollie today – my favorite is one that included her, too!

Katheryn and Mollie

The bad thing about getting them at work is I get distracted and want to look at them all the time! I cannot wait to see them on July 4th!

Laura Eats Real Food

I finally made a decision about my diet. I do not know why I go so confused and worried about it. When I started on my journey in September I decided not to “diet” anymore. I do count calories, that is the only way I can know that I am burning more than I am taking in – a crucial key to weight loss. However, I wanted to do it eating good, wholesome real food. A diet balanced in good carbs, lean proteins and fresh fruits/vegetables and occasional snacks. Gone were the days of low-carb, no carb, fake food, etc….

Enter P90X. The diet I was to fully was generally healthy, but was really a low carb diet with protein drinks, protein bars, recovery drinks, extra meat… I just couldn’t stomach it. I really felt terrible the first week on the program. I thought since I was following P90X and shelled out a good bit of money for the program that I should obey everything in it. Out the window with all the things I have learned about healthy, balanced eating the past few months. Gone with the way of eating that has brought me success in the weight loss area. I decided I needed to change.

The first week I felt bloated and nauseous all week. I was tired. I read the Beach Body message boards and many people feel this way in the beginning, but said it goes away.

The P90X plan also had me eating way too many calories. Up until now I have used a formula that Jillian Michael’s suggests in her books and website. Right now that puts my ideal calorie intake (provided I burn 1,000 calories per day) at 1,456. Doing this should give me a two pound loss per week. (That’s in a perfect world, of course I have had many weeks this did not occur, usually because I ate too much or didn’t exercise enough).

If I do the math in the P90X book apparently Tony wants me to eat 2,952… yes, almost DOUBLE what Jillian recommends. I KNOW that is not right for ME.

Tony’s equal is really based on someone at a good weight, but someone who is trying to lose fat and gain muscle. P90X is not really a program for people with a lot of fat to loose. It’s just not. It is an awesome workout and I am going to keep doing it, but I am going to follow my own food plan.

Jillian gets results – her stuff makes sense and I have seen the proof myself. I have to get over second guessing myself all the time and trying any new thing that comes along. I am going to stick with Jillian and use the P90X as an excellent calorie burning workout. For the next 90 days I am still not going to allow myself any free days (Jillian does not recommend them either, anyway!) or any alcohol (even if I do build it into my calories).

I feel so much better now that I finally realized what I need to do. Today I had an excellent food day – I felt satisfied and energetic all day. Here is what I ate today – and what I will probably eat all week, except for dinner, that will change:

Breakfast: Smoothie with spinach, almond milk, fruit and protein powder (I am going to keep using this until my Amazing Meal comes) 210 calories
Snack: Vegan fruit and nut bar – SO DELICIOUS – 230 calories
Lunch: 2 pieces Ezekiel bread, toasted and topped with hummus, roast turkey, cucumbers and red bell peppers – 310 calories
Snack: Greek yogurt and berries – 180 calories
Dinner: Turkey Italian sausage, marinara sauce and green beans – 265 calories
Snack: cottage cheese and nectarine – 130 calories
Total: 1325

Calories burned: elliptical – 415, Kenpo – 610
Total: 1025

I am finally not going to bed hungry!!!

Lazy Sunday

I did not feel like doing a darn thing today. Of course I did, but I would have rather laid on the couch watching movies. I was really hoping there would be a TV movie marathon of some sorts on, but luckily there was not. There was nothing on so that was a good thing.

The most active part of my day was an awesome P90X workout… a new one – Core Synergetics.  It is tough, but fun. The hour flew by as I was trying to figure out all the moves. I couldn’t do some of them – par for the course with me and P90X.  The toughest one was the “Dreya Roll” apparently named after one of the P90X people. I couldn’t find a picture and there is NO WAY I will be photographing myself tyring to attempt it. Luckily the handy-dandy P90X book has a description:

From a standing position (at the edge of your mat with your back towards the mat – I added that), squat down and place hands on floor. Roll from buttocks to back and kick legs straight up in the air, keeping hands and forearms on the mat alongside body. As feet come back to floor, roll up and thrust arms forward to stand up. Try no to push off with your hands.

Ok, so you probably have to see it to realize how difficult it is. I cannot “roll up and thrust arms forward to stand up”. Not to save my life could I thrust myself up.

Most of the other moves were doable, with modification. I burned 525 calories, which is really good considering I had to watch the moves before doing them and I could only do a few of them or with modifications. When I get the moves down I am sure the calorie burn will rival Plyo.

The sun actually came out today and dried everything out a bit. The garden looks good and I found my first melon – a honeydew. There is not a sight of cantaloupes.

A little, fuzzy honeydew

The acorn squash is starting to look like an acorn squash

Hopefully these will become Butternut squast

A beautiful cluster of tomatoes!

For dinner I made flank steak on the grill for fajitas. I also grilled up some peppers, onions and zucchini (from the garden).  I never made flank steak before – I marinated it for 4 hours and put it on the hot grill – about 7 minutes per side. I was medium rare and pretty good.  I wish I got pictures – it was a good meal, but I was starving.

I did get a picture of the cheese… I learned on this cheese on Jenna’s blog. She raves about it and I found some at the store today. It was a bit more expensive then regular cheddar, but oh so delicious. I have to say it is some of the best cheese I have ever had.

Raw milk cheese - so creamy and delicious!

That’s it for today.

P.S. It was Father’s Day and I didn’t forget my dad! We all got together last weekend and had a great time, as usual. He still has another present coming soon – I had to order it and it was back ordered… I hope it gets to him this week!