Day 47

As I always say..I love Saturdays! Today was extra special because one of my good buddies met me at the gym for classes today! She's not a member but she printed off the free 7 day pass they have on-line and came along. It is SO MUCH MORE FUN to work out with a buddy! Anyhow, we did kickboxing, zumba and then abs. I wore my HRM but I guess sometime during kickboxing my glove must have bumped the stop/start button and turned of it off. Bummer!--I was excited to tell her how many calories we had just burned...but oh well...she'll just have to come back again next Saturday so I can give her the count! (okay Tori? :o)
Anyhow, after a shower I had a bowl of Progresso Light Sante Fe Chicken soup with 1/2 a protien shake and then we all took an afternoon nap. My stomach got really upset and even now--4 hours later--I still feel pretty queasy. Don't know what's up with that...but whatever. We are going to try the Saturday night services at our church tonight and probably skip tomorrow morning. I hate missing Sunday School on Sundays...but once won't hurt too bad. Tomorrow evening is the volunteer banquet at our church and we are going. They are serving KFC!!! AUGH! It's not like you get to choose what you're having...they just give you a plate all made up. I haven't eaten breaded, fried chicken in YEARS! I guess I'll just scrape all that yummy fried skin off though and try to eat as healthy as I can. But I can just tell you this right now: I'm eating the dessert. :o) I'm a good girl most of the time but even good girls have to be bad every now and then!! :o) Have a great Saturday evening ya'll!

Day 46

Legs & Back and Ab Ripper. I really put my all into it today. It feels so satisfying to say that and know it's true. I rarely ever go easy on work outs...but occasionally I do (like when it's my 3rd one of the day!) and afterwards I always hate it. It's just a waste of time to spend an hour working out with only 50% intensity. When I finish though and I know I gave it my all...I feel so strong! I'm frustrated with the chin ups. I don't understand HOW Dreya can do 10 unassisted pull ups and I can hardly do one. Grrr... Just fuel for my fire though...:o)
Anyhowsers...I'm giving myself a little test---to see if I can actually eat healthy on the weekend. So far, so good. We went to a hockey game tonight and I passed on all the snack foods and drinks and ate my protien bar and drank my bottle of water! yay! Even though I was really hungry when I got home, I just went off to bed instead of having something--and that was tough. One day down--2 more to go!

New Skin

That's it!!! I want some new skin. I'm done with these stretch marks. I don't need them anymore. I'm not "that girl" anymore so why do I have to carry the proof of my fat childhood around with me forever? AUGH!
I was walking around in my sports bra and shorts getting ready to do Ab Ripper and I thought about something Demi said to me about maybe if I took some pictures, I could see the differences I've made in my body in the last 45 days. Okay...so I whip out the camera and snap a few. (I don't know WHY I didn't wait until AFTER doing ab ripper to do this---as I would have been a lot more "tight" and "ripped" looking probably--but anyway.) So they look decent on my camera's 1 inch viewing screen so I uploaded them to my computer where I get to look at them on my 19 inch monitor and ohhhh gross!!! The abs are not horrible...but the stretch marks are totally disgusting. Yes, I got stretch marks on my tummy from being pregnant but the ones that gross me out the most are the ones on my sides and hips and legs from being heavy all those years. For those of you who don't know...I was never OBESE or anything...but I was always a good 20 pounds (or more at times) heavier than I needed to be. Plus, I grew up fast. It was like I went from an average 10 year old little girl one day to a 13 year old double-D wearing, 110 pound teenager overnight. Anyway, I deleted all of the pictures I took except for this one because the stretch marks were really obvious...like glowing irridescent streaks. Gag me. Somehow, you can't see as many on this pic so I decided to post it because I am quite proud of the improvment in my ab area. I can see a lot more "cut-ness" than before. Anyway...I just REALLY wish there was something I could do to get rid of the SM's. It doesn't seem fair to put so much work into a toned, fit body and then have to look at sagging, streaky skin. The more weight I lose, the more deflated my chest and stomach look. And not in a good way. I am beginning to resemble a raisin. {giggle-giggle}
I tried turning this picture black and white to see if that helped...I don't think it did. Anyway..here you go:

Here is a pic of my abs before P90X:

Welcome To Supplement City!

As I looked in our pantry today for the protien powder to make myself a shake after my work out, I realized we have accumulated quite a collection of powders and bars and pills! Wow--no wonder our pantry feels crowded--all these big tubs! Anyway, I opted for a Muscle Milk Light Chocolate Peanut Butter shake with a banana mixed in. Yummmm.....

My Handsome Warrior

I caught Matt in the "act" last week during Yoga X. I was so proud of him for pushing play all by himself (I had already worked out that day) and on top of that---doing Yoga--the one we like least! Hooray Honey!

Day 45

Wow! The half-way point! You'd think I'd be excited...and I guess I am a little...but there is a big part of me that is sad about this middle-mark. Sad I guess because I've been at this for 45 days now and haven't seen any real noticable results. Sad that I only have 45 days left to make a HUGE difference if my after pics are going to wow anybody (especially myself). Sad that in 45 days I will have no work out plan in place anymore. I'll just be floating here and there going to this class and that class...not really knowing what I'm doing. Or, of course, I could start another Round of the X...but I think I'm ready for a break from it. I'm totally stoked about starting X+ but I haven't actually bought it yet....so don't know when that is gonna happen. Anyway, I know I'm the only one to blame for my lack of results. I haven't been eating totally right and I know (from experience) that it takes as much dedication to the nutrition as to the work outs if you're gonna get those ripped results. At least I'm focused and I honestly believe my eating is getting better all the time. Even if I have to do P90X 3 times a year for the rest of my life---it's better than not doing it and being overweight and lazy!
So..about Day 45. I got up this morning and had my Kashi oatmeal for breakfast. Then off to the gym I went to my step class and then interval class. It was super hot in there today (as our weather got up to 75!! and they probably haven't turned the air on yet) so I was SOAKED in sweat by the end of the 2nd class. I burned 743 calories in all for those 2 classes (1 1/2 hours). After a quick shower, I met a girlfriend for lunch at Qdoba Mexican Grill. I ordered a Naked Fajita Ranchera Burrito...meaning they gave me the "innerds" of the burrito but I forfieted the tortilla. I figured that would help me save at least a couple hundred calories right there. I opted for chicken instead of steak and I had salsa instead of queso. It was sooooooooo good. I tried to come home and look up the nutritoinal information online..but they don't have it on there. I hope I didn't do too bad. I really tried to be careful. Then for dinner (at about 6) I ate a big bowl of fresh cut u fruit with some walnuts mixed in. Then at around 7:30 I got hungry again, so I had a small bowl of froot loops and then a small bowl of raisin bran. I know...very weird "dinner". I didn't really cook tonight, so I was just eating whatever I could find that wasn't too high in calories. Hopefully tomorrow will be better! (but then it IS Friday--the beginning of the weekend--AUGH! That's when I usually start really messing up!)
By the way Trav & Jess--yes, you're right FF cheese is just the way I shorten writing out fat free. Also WW is not weight watchers on my blog but rather whole wheat. :o) Dang--I wish BeachBody would come out with a FF cheese that has 30 grams of protien! ha ha

Day 44

Feeling good! I started out my day healthy with 2 turkey bacon, egg white scramble and 1 slice whole wheat light toast. After a quick trip to Wal-mart, I came home and did Cardio X. I soooo wish I had worn my HRM. I couldn't believe how hard it was this time. I was really putting my ALL into it though and that makes a HUGE difference! After a shower, I was going to make my "lunch" a.k.a. protein shake---but---then I remembered we had a 4 oz. baked tilapia in the fridge that needed to be eaten, so I had that instead with a few steamed veggies. Later, at 3 pm, I made up a protein shake and halved it with Brooklyn. Then Matt got home and we did Back & Biceps. As usual, my biceps were bulging. I tried to use 15 lbs everywhere I could. I never can decide if it's good or not to be using heavy weights. I do not want to bulk up...but everybody keeps telling me that women typically don't bulk up because of the lack of testosterone in our bodies. I really wouldn't mind doing more reps at a lower rate...but when you're following P90X...you can only do as many reps as they are allowing for...so if I can do at least 15-20 reps using 15 lbs. I figure I probably should...???!!!
Anyhow, we ate a quick dinner (turkey tacos on whole wheat tortilla and FF cheese) with some fresh sliced up fruit (pineapple, grapes, strawberries, bananas, kiwi) and then headed off to church.
Just now I sat down in bed--all ready to get comfy and sleepy and it dawned on me that I hadn't done Ab Ripper yet. So...back out of the bed I went and into the living room to do it. Now that I'm BACK in my bed all comfy cozy, I am SO GLAD that I got up and did it. It only took a few minutes (16) and now here I am, right back in my spot! yay! Anyway....that was my day in a nutshell. If you want to know about the "rest of my day" you can check out my other blog! fun-fun
Hey Christina, if you're reading this....leave me a comment and let me know you're okay! Your blog disappeared!!??....

Day 43

God Bless the designers at American Eagle. The new "boy fit" line they have come out with for this Spring fits me in a size 4. FOUR!!! Yah, I know---It's a false sense of achievement. I know I really wear a 6. But hey...anytime I can squeeze my booty into a 4, I'm a happy girl---no matter WHY it fits. Sadly, I wasn't crazy about the high-waistedness of the "boy fit" so I passed on buying any. Apparently--according to the sales girl they're meant to be worn in a "sag like a guy" which is why they run a little bigger and are a little higher waisted. Whatever. If I wanted the crotch of my pants to be hanging around my knees, I'd just borrow a pair of Matt's old jeans!
Anywho...I have had a fabulously succesful day so far. Demi sent me a wonderful note this morning that gave me an idea. I am going to start replacing lunch with a protein shake. I can't skip my breakfast and I can't skip my dinners...so lunch was the only feasible option for skippng. Today was my first day and I feel great! I had my shake at about noon and then I had a Pure protein bar (180 cal) and a small banana at 3:00.
I went to the gym this morning for my normal ball/core class and then 45 min. of Zumba. Just now Matt and I finished Core Syn. In all, I burned 853 calories today. I think if I can keep that up and substitute the shakes for my lunches...I could be on the way to my goal weight! Yay!
Of course..there is always a speedbump in the road. We are leaving in a couple of minutes to go to my parents house for dinner. I will really have to be careful of what I eat so I don't mess up all my hard work today. Wish me luck!

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Here is a pic of those wonderful fries. Look in the bottom left corner for the website I got it and the recipe from!

Day 42

Today was Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. This is a pretty intense work out if you want it to be---and today I wanted it to be. I did almost all the push ups the boy-way this time. I had to drop to my knees a couple of times towards the end of the set so I could get a few more reps in. The only one I didn't attempt the "boy-way" on was the clap and one-arm push ups. I'm lucky not to fall on my face on those as it is. Still, I did 10 of each which is a victory for me.
Anyway, eating was not the best today. I felt like I did pretty good until at the end of the night I sat back and really thought about it. During the process of the day I had eaten a lot of healthy food but I also had a slice of pizza and 2 oreos throughout the day. As we all know--that is NOT P90X food nor is it what I should be eating if I want to get down to 125 by summer. So, yet again, I am making promises to myself to be a clean-eater from here on out. No more of that junk in my body. It does nothing for me but add pounds (well and satisfy a craving).
Now...speaking of food, I did have something amazingly fabulously wonderful for dinner tonight that I have to share with you guys! I'm not sure how bad/good it is on the healthy scale but I know it can't be nearly as bad as regular fast-food french fries. Anyway, here is the recipe for Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries. I promise you..my family devoured these before they even made it to the table. Both Matt and I agreed they were the best fries we have ever eaten!

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
serves 4-6

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (preferably the easy release kind).
Peal the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side.
Place the sweet potatoes into a sealable plastic bag. Add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. Spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.
Cook for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

Days 39, 40, 41

The freakin' weekend. That's what they call it on one of the radio stations around here and I tell ya--that's about how I feel about it today. Grrr....
So, as I mentioned before, I was going out of town Fri. & Sat. with my mom and Brooklyn. Well, Friday after I posted "Day 38's" post I started getting sick. Sicker and sicker as the day progressed. I never did actually barf...but I was as nauseated as I've ever been in my life ALL. DAY. LONG. It was miserable. I never was able to eat anything that entire day other than a few crackers. I took a 2 hour nap that morning in place of my work out. Then on the way to our out-of-town destination, my mom drove and I slept the whole way. When we got there, I practically passed out on the couch. I'm sure no one knew what to make of me--as that is SO NOT my normal personality. I am the kind of person who will be sick and you'll never know it because I just tend to ignore symptoms. Literally, when I mention that I'm not feeling well...people know it must be pretty serious. Anyway...no work out on Friday. Saturday we got up early and amazingly I felt AWESOME! I mean..not just "back to normal" but I felt Grrrrreat! I was awake and energetic and very cheery feeling. It was terrific! Anyway, we went to Ihop for breakfast and I ordered an egg substitute veggie omlet. It came with 2 silver dollar pancakes so I ate them with sugar free syrup and had water. I felt great about that. Then we went to Lowes and bought paint and I spent the rest of the day painting the nursery (for my neice)--ceiling included. We had Subway for lunch. It ended up being about 8:30 pm before we got home...so no work out on Saturday either. Sunday, which is normally our rest day, we decided to play catch up and do Friday's missed work out--so we did Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X. I was glad to have at LEAST done that.
Still, I have got to figure something out with my weekends. I have a feeling my diet on those 3 days is what is sabotaging my weight loss. I really do well with eating M-Thur. but come Friday, I get sloppy.

Day 38

Okay, I'm writing this the "morning after" because time didn't allow for my regular post last night. Yesterday was a great day, workout wise. I did my step class and interval classes at the gym and burned 789 calories (we worked hard!). I ate good all day until dinner when I went to a "recipe swap" with a bunch of girls from my Sunday School class. It was such a good time and it was a real treat to be with all grown up women eating, talking and lifting each other up. I had forgotten what an encouragement talking to other women is. It's so relieving to see that you're not the only one whose kids run wild through the store sometimes or whose 8 year old daughter looks at you after you've just said something to her and says "What-Ever!"
Anyway, nothing there was even remotely healthy food, so I just took small portions of everything and stopped there. I didn't get overly full so I felt good. I ended up staying till 11:30 pm!!! I had told Matt I'd probably be back around 8:30 so he was not happy--and that's putting it nicely. We ended up having a loooooong talk until 3 am. Although it started kind of tense...it ended wonderfully and Matt commented we needed that kind of intimacy more. The kind where we share our dreams and goals and concerns and really listen to each other. I think it was one of the few times in our lives where he actually enjoyed listening to me ramble on for hours! And as a treat for me...he actually talked some this time too! :o)
Anyway, now this morning I am paying for the lack of sleep. I "slept in" till 10 minutes after 7 but that was as late as I could stay in bed before I had to get the kids up and ready for school. I literally feel sick. My head hurts, my stomach hurts, my muscles ACHE and I feel totally dazed out. Unfortunately I can't just go back to bed. I haven't done my work yet and today is Legs & Back and ARX and I have to get that done this morning before I shower. My mom and Brook and I are going out of town for the weekend (well, today and Saturday) and I won't have a chance to work out again--probably until Monday unless I find time to push play on Sunday. Anyway...that's it for now guys! Let the Joy of the Lord be your Strength!

Really Tony?

Can you really do Ab Ripper too much? Why does that have to be the "tip of the day" on the ARX video? I WANNA DO AB RIPPER EVERY DAY!
He says "Don't do it every day. You don't need it--Especially Ab Ripper X." Can't you just hear him saying that right now? ha ha
Anyway, what's the consensus? Do you--would you--do Ab Ripper more than is scheduled? I am really trying to concentrate on my abs and getting them totally ripped out for summer and I just don't think Ab Ripper 3 times a week is gonna cut it. Tony must not have seen what having BABIES does to your tummy! :o)

Day 37

Finally, a day I feel proud of!!
I stayed super-dooper busy today and still managed to fit in an hour of yoga, a 1-mile run, P90X Back & Biceps and most of Ab Ripper! Yay! I also ate really healthy all day until tonight after church when I ate a jr. cone of icecream!
For breakfast I had my Kashi G0-Lean oatmeal with raisins & walnuts w/ coffee.
For "snack" I had a Pure protein bar with 2 apple slices and about 15 grapes.
For lunch I had 9 Kashi whole grain crackers with cheddar cheese on top and 1/2 a banana.
For dinner I had half of a Chick-Fil-A chicken salad with about 1/4 a packet of Ranch dressing and CokeZero.
And as I already admitted..I had a junior cone of Moo-linium Crunch ice cream at our Church ice cream shop tonight after service.
It's crazy how one really good day can make me feel so much better about myself! I feel stronger and thinner and just more determined than usual. I LOVE that feeling!

Last Chance to Impress

So--I gave yoga one last chance to impress me today. I decided that probably the reason I hate it so much doing it through P90X is because I'm doing it at home--where there are a million and one distractions. My kids and dogs think that the instant they see me in downward dog, it's an open invitation to climb on me. Without fail the phone will start ringing, someone will drop by for a visit or whatever...but I just can't concentrat at home. So...there's a new 1-hr yoga class at the gym. Today was "it's" chance to impress me.

So did it?

NO! I'm sorry...but the only thing challenging about it was the fight going on in my mind to stay or leave. I had determined ahead of time that I was going to do the whole thing-whole heartedly and really give it a shot. So I stuck it out and I was miserable about every minute of it. Yes, it was relaxing. But that's it. I wouldn't say it was even 1% physically challenging. Now, I will admit---I really think that because this is a new class at our gym, they are starting out "for beginners" and working their way up. But I am not a beginner. I may not be a yoga-pro...but I am way too physically fit to spend 30 minutes practicing my breathing and the other 30 minutes stretching. We did about 3 minutes of Warrior 1 and 3 minutes of Warrior 2 and a couple seconds of Warrier 3 "just to show us what it looks like".
Not only did I NOT work up a sweat...but I was actually chilly most of the hour with goosebumps! I never even got warmed up. I did wear my HRM to check my calories...but after it was over, I jumped on the treadmill and sprinted for a mile before I checked the #. But even after my mile on the treadmill AND the whole hour of yoga--I still was only at 173 calories.
Grrrr.... I can't help but feel like that was a TOTAL WASTE of my time. I am WAY too hyper and bouncy and energetic for that.
I know on BL last week when Bob had his teams doing yoga they were drenched! Now that is a yoga class I'd like to try...but until Bob comes to teach, I doubt I'll be going to this class again.
Maybe, if I can EVER get everyone in my house to bed at a reasonable hour (meaning by 8:30 pm), I'll attempt the Yoga-X video again. I've only done it the whole way through like 2 times. Usually I just stop after the first 45 minutes. Anyway...okay...so that's my feelings on yoga. What about you guys? How many of you like it?

Day 36

I started out today with scrambled egg whites and a piece of turkey sausage with whole wheat toast for breakfast and 8 oz. skim milk. Then off to the gym I went for my core class. After that I did 3 miles on the treadmill (in 38 minutes) but I only ran about half the time today and walked the rest. I was talking to some friends and I just can't hold a conversation while I'm going 7.0 on the treadmill. :o)
Anyway, afterwards, on the way home from the gym I ate a protien bar with a little baggie of fruit. That held me over until about 3 when I ate a bowl of Kashi oatmeal for "lunch." Then I still wasn't really satisfied after that, so I ate a bowl of salad (just lettuce) with light Ranch and a few Ritz.
When Matt got home, we were going to do Plyo--but--he didn't really want to do it and I had been having a toothache/headache all afternoon long so we decided to just skip it tonight. I did Ab Ripper though.
We had leftovers from last night's dinner tonight so that was quick and easy.
Overall, it was a pretty succesful day--although anytime I miss my P90X work out I feel really guilty. I just really wish I was doing the program "by-the-book"...but oh well. At this point in my life---I've just got to give it my best..and call that good-enough. :o)

Days 32, 33, 34 & 35

Okay...so....we had a blast at the hotel/water park last week. The kids were totally shocked and way excited. The throw-the-rolls place was closed for remodeling so we ended up going to a Italian resturant we'd never been to. It was delicious. I've found a new favorite kind of nachos--the Italian kind! YUM! I ate like a buffalo that night and had NO desire to run back to the hotel room and put on my swimsuit...but the kids were havin' none of that! They were very anxious to get in the water--so the suit went on. THANK GOD I decided against a bikini! Last year at the end of the summer, I saw that the tankini that matches my favorite bikini was on clearance so I bought it up. I was so grateful to not have to expose my mid-section after that big meal! :o)
The next morning (Friday) we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Brooklyn and I halved an order of pecan pancakes with turkey sausage. I used sugar free syrup--so while I know it wasn't the perfect breakfast, I was glad I at least didn't go bezerk. After breakfast we took the kids back to the hotel for a little more swimming and then we headed off to the batting cages. (Grant is going to play ball this summer). It was so much fun and we ended up all trying it. Not to brag or anything :o) but of 15 balls--I hit 15! Yep, I knocked every single one of them out-of-the-park! It felt good to not make a fool of myself! Grant also did very well and was impressing all the people there! For a tiny little 4-yr-old--the boy has got an arm! I really think baseball might be "his thing." Every person that pitches to him is totally amazed. Brooklyn also gave it a shot and was doing pretty well herself until she popped one up into the air and it came right back down and hit her in the cheek! She threw her bat down and started crying. Poor thing. I think she was more embarrased than hurt (the place was FULL of young boys!) She covered her head with my jacket for the remainder of our time there and when I pulled it up to check on her she said "I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE MOM!" Ohh...that young innocence!
After batting, we went bowling! Nothing like packing all the fun things to do into one day! ha ha
Next it was time for lunch. STUPIDLY we opted to go out to eat AGAIN and chose a Mexican place this time. Besides all the money we'd spent on food already....the last thing we needed to do was eat 10 bowls of tortilla chips while waiting on our food to arrive...but we nearly did. Thankfully all I ordered was a little house salad with the dressing on the side.
So...that was Friday.

Saturday, Valentines Day, I got up and went to the gym for my kickboxing, zumba and ab classes. It felt great to be sweating and working off some of that gunk that I'd eaten the past couple of days. After I got home and showered, my mom kept the kids and Matt took me to a surprise place for lunch. I had NO IDEA where were were going until we pulled up into the parking lot of the new Dave & Buster's. I didn't even know it was open. It was a fun surprise and I had the yummiest food! I ordered a turkey BLT panini. (turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato and avacado on whole wheat bread, grilled and I substituted fresh steamed veggies on the side instead of the fries). We ordered a small order of cheese fries for appetizer so I didn't need fries again. I ended up only eating half and saving the other half for later. Anyway, after we ate, we shopped around and I got some really cute new gym shorts (just what I wanted!). We found him a really cool pair of shoes (just what he wanted). Then we ended the night at Baskin Robbins having wonderful, intimate conversation over ice-cream sundaes!

Sunday, no working out at all. A guy Matt works with and his family decided to attend church with us. I had never met them and we really didn't have much of an opportunity to visit at church, so we asked them to eat out with us afterwards. (eating out AGAIN! AUGH!) We went to one of my favorite resturants and I ordered my usual bowl of tortilla soup. I would have done pretty good except Grant didn't eat very much of his meal (chicken and fries) so I picked at it and got really full. I was super-super-super busy all the rest of Sunday doing extra work for the dr. office so I had no time for anything but sitting at this computer and working. NOT a fun day...but good for the bank account.

Monday, yesterday, cleaned house most of the day and went grocery shopping. When Matt got home from work we did Chest, Shoulders & Triceps and promised each other we would do ab ripper after dinner. Ya right. We had such good intentions...but I ended up falling asleep on the couch at about 8:45 while watching last weeks Biggest Loser. Apparently it was on Sunday night from midnight till 2 am...and my DVR recorded it--so I finally got to see it afterall!! YAY!
We had a yummy dinner of turkey spaghetti with ceasar salad pizza on the side.

Okay, I think that brings us back up to date. I will update again tonight with today's info. Now I'm off to go read all of your blogs! I feel like I've been away forever!!

Day 31

It's bad enough when you look back after a meal and go "man, I shouldn't have eaten that" but it's REALLY bad when you're in the process of eating the meal and you can hear a little voice in your head going "stop! stop eating this! it's baaad. stop!" and you just keep shoveling it in!
That is what I just did. Just this very minute. I just loaded up on carbs--against my better judgement. Here is my excuse. I ate a bowl of oatmeal this morning (6:30 am). Then I went to the gym and did a step class and then a core class. On the way home I ate a few slices of apples and about 10 grapes. When I got home it was time to get Grant ready for school and take him. When I got back from that I showered and then was going to eat (I was SO hungry) but I remembered that I hadn't finished my work for the dr. office yet and I really HAD to get that done ASAP so I put off eating until just now. My body is not used to being "starved" for that long. It had been 4 1/2 hrs since I had eaten the fruit but NINE hours since I had eaten any kind of a meal. My stomach was cramping and I had a headache. So what did I do? I heated up some left over Fat Free refried beans, put some Fat Free cheddar cheese on top and scooped it up with about 30 tortilla chips. THEN I ate a bowl of Kashi cereal with a banana in it. !!! I know you might hear "fat free" and "Kashi" and "fruit" and think " that's not so bad" but really...it is. I haven't had any veggies today and I had carbs with every bite. Oh well....life goes on right?!
So...in other "news" I am SOOO excited! Matt took off work tomorrow (the kids are out of school) and we are taking the kids and spending the night at a hotel in our town that has a whole indoor water park in it. Matt gets a discount if we tell them what company he works for so it's only costing us $62 (+tax). It's a very nice hotel and they even have sleep number beds! Cool! We are also taking them to one of their favorite places for dinner. It's home-cookin' and they actually throw the rolls at you! I'm sure it won't be the healthiest thing ever...but this is a special occasion and I'll just do the best I can.
We aren't going to tell them anything. I've already packed their bags and have hidden them in the car. They are going to think we are just going into town to return the movies! I also decided to take their valentine baskets and have them sitting on the counter in the hotel room when they wake up tomorrow. It will be more exciting that way than if I wait until Saturday morning right before I run off to the gym.
So....anyway, I'm telling you all this because I won't be posting again until tomorrow night probably. I am not doing the P90X work out today...but I got in 1 1/2 hrs at the gym this morning and burned 588 calories...so it's all good.
Hope you guys have a great night and I'll talk to ya tomorrow. Wish me luck...I have to put on a bathing suit tonight!! AUGH!

Sheryl Crow on The Red Carpet at Grammys

All the cool girls are doing it!

Day 30

Well, I'm paying for yesterday today. I hurt all over. Everything is a struggle--even simple things like lifting my arms or squatting down to pick up something. So when it came time to work out tonight...I was SO. NOT. INTO. IT!
Nevertheless....(the key word here)
I pushed past the pain and did Back & Biceps (minus about half the chin ups) and half of ARX. Matt didn't do it with me tonight as he got called out to work at 2 am last night (after going to bed at about 10pm) and worked until about 5:30 today (4 hrs sleep). He was pooped. The minute his booty hit the couch, he conked out. I quit Ab Ripper half way through because I was miserable and HATING every second of it. The kids were patiently waiting on me to finish so we could all watch Madagascar 2 but poor Grant. He fell asleep before I got done anyway and so we didn't watch it afterall. Guess I'll just have to pay late fees and keep it another night. Anyway, much to my MAJOR disappointment, when I got ready to watch The Biggest Loser today that I had DVR'd....I realized that I didn't record it after all. Apparently 3 shows that I had set up to record were on last night and the DVR picked the other two and left off Biggest Loser!! AUGH!!! I guess now I'll have to watch it online. I'm happy that at LEAST I can still watch it...but bummed that I won't be able to watch it while I do the elliptical now.
Anyhow, I'm really hoping that tomorrow I will wake up and feel back to my normal self. Today was just a crazy day--with all the soreness and then I'm covering for a friend with her work plus today were the kids Valentines parties at school and I'm homeroom mom. Just so much going on....Anyway....goodnight for now y'all!

Day 29

Well, I did something today that I honestly didn't think I could do. I ran 3 miles. It took me 33 minutes. I'm just amazed that I could actually run 3 miles. I am NOT a runner. I took cross country my freshman year in high school and that confirmed it---I hated running. That was the most miserable semester of my life. I was always the last one to finish the runs and no one wanted to run with me because I whined like a baby the entire time. Fast forward 15 years to me now. I am NOT the same girl I was back then. So-so-so many things have changed. 2 of the biggest ones are my self confidence level and my fitness level. I was the "traditional" teenager back then--lazy and unhealthy. I also had extremely low self-esteem. I never thought I was good enough for anyone (guys or girlfriends). Thankfully, that began to change little by little and by the time I was a senior in high school I was into aerobics classes at the local gym and was active in many groups and clubs at school--even the leader of our Bible study group.
Anyway, I said all of that to get to this point: I am going to quit saying "I'm NOT a runner" and change my confession. I really enjoyed that run yesterday and felt totally empowered by it. I didn't set out to run 3 miles..it just happened. I kept thinking, 'okay-when I get to 20 minutes I'll stop' and then 'well, I'm just past 2 miles--so when I get to 2 1/2 miles I'll stop' . Then of course, when I got to 30 minutes I saw that I was just short about 2/10ths of a mile of making it to 3 miles so I decided to keep on going.
This all took place AFTER I had already done a 45 minute core/interval class!!
Anyway, I ate good all day and when Matt got home from work, we 'pushed play' and did Plyo X.
I'll admit, I didn't put much heart into it this time. I could tell my body was aching already from my earlier workouts...so I kinda just did what I had to get through it. I still worked up a good sweat and burned a couple hundred calories. (in additoin to the 600 I burned earlier!)
In all, it was a great day!

Day 28

A great first day of Phase 2. I ate well all day and then did my work outs strong and intense tonight. Today was Chest, Shoulders & Triceps with ARX and I know what you mean Christina about your arms being noodles! All those push ups--by the time we got to the one-arm-balance ones where you lock your heels together, go into a side plank, raise your arm and look up--I could hardly hold myself up on one arm, I was shaking so badly! Nevertheless, I pushed through and finished it. Then I was really looking forward to setting a goal with ARX. I have never done all 25 of every one of the exercises. I always seem to take a break somewhere in there...so I was determined that today was the day. I was going to do every single one of each exercise. It was all good and going perfectly until I got to about #20 on the mason twists. My legs were shaking so bad and I was so exhausted that my stomach muscles actually gave out on me for a second there. So I ended up doing about 40 of them with my feet up and 10 with my feet down. Not too shabby though. I think by next time, I will be able to say I did all 344 (or whatever it is) ab exercises right along with the group on the dvd.
I didn't bother to wear my HRM tonight--as I don't really burn many calories on these weights work outs and it's actually kind of discouraging.
For breakfast I had an egg white scramble with FF mozerrella cheese and 1 turkey bacon with coffee/cocoa.
For lunch I had a chef salad with light ranch and 5 crackers (70 cal). Also a bowl of fruit with 3 apple slices, 10 grapes and a very small banana.
For snack I had 5 tortilla chips and 1/2 of a Honey & Oats granola bar.
For dinner we had baked tilapia with stir fry veggies and a little brown rice and a big green salad.
We did each have a homemade rice crispy treat tonight for dessert. I have no idea how "bad" those are but they are all gone now...so no more to worry about.
Kate: I got on the scale today and it said 137. I was like WHAT??? It's been staying at 134 consistently and I've been doing better and better with my eating and workouts so I was really expecting to see a loss. I have no idea why I would be going UP...but whatever. I'm not going to let it affect me too much. I know I'm doing what I should be...and that's the best I can do.
For all of my readers who may not know Demi Eliese--I want to introduce you to her! She is super cool and super hot and super hardcore into fitness. She became a Beachbody coach recently and can help you if you should ever decide to try any of Beachbody's amazing programs! You can check her out at http://www.beanbabes.blogspot.com/ If you do go to her site, you should check out her before and after pictures! They're enough to inspire ANYBODY! When I say I want to see results at the end of this P90X program--THAT is what I'm talking about!!

Okay, well, I'm off to the bed to watch a few minutes of the Bachelor before I drift off to lala land. I'm looking forward to tomorrow--gym classes AND plyometrics! Mega-calorie-burning day! Bring it on!!

Planning for Success!

I've spent the last hour or so preparing these calenders. It was a little time consuming...but I totally think it is going to REALLY help us SUCCESSFULLY complete the next 62 days of this program. I am going to post these right next to the TV where we work out and keep a marker beside it so we can physically check off each day as it is completed. I think seeing what is before us is going to really be a great motivator. I just thought I'd share in case any of you want to copy this idea. I got these blank calanders from http://www.calendersthatwork.com/ if you're interested.

Day 25, 26 and 27

So, Friday was Day 25--and I did nothing. No exercise whatsoever. It was a super busy day and there wasn't an opportunity to get in a work out of any kind unless I had done it at 5 am or at 10 pm. Literally, I was gone from the house from 7:30 am until 10 pm! I had a dentist appt. first thing in the morning to get a cavity filled. It's the craziest thing. I go get my teeth cleaned every 6 months and everything is always perfect. Then all of a sudden I have this very bad, very deep cavity that "almost needs a root canal" according to my dentist. Crazy. Anyway, I got the filling which took about 2 hours and then a couple of hours later when the anesthesia wore off....Oh My Gosh! I was HuRtInG! Thankfully I had some Fioricet (for headaches) that I could take and that helped some. I eventually decided that I was going to tough it out through the night and then if it wasn't better by Saturday morning, I'd call the dentist. (who happens to be a personal friend of ours who is also doing P90x!!) Anyway, I woke up on Saturday morning feeling about 85% better. Yay! So...off to the gym I went. (Ya, Kandy, I decided against doing the 5K race this time). I did my "normal" 1 hour of kick boxing, 45 min of Zumba and 15 min. of abs...but I burned a RECORD number of calories this time--1,001!!! I think it was because of the outrageous humidity. Our weather went from being in the 40's to being in the 70's almost overnight and it was HOT in the gym. I was sweating before class even began! Anyway, as you can see...I took a picture of my HRM for you all. I had to have proof to show you! This was all burned in 2 hours and 4 minutes! Yippee!
I am typing this on Sunday afternoon. I just got home from church (teaching the 5-yr olds) and lunch at Lone Star where I had a chicken sandwich. My tooth is hurting again and I have a headache. We are about to take the kids to the park for a little running around and I'm gonna pop a couple of Tylenol and take my Womens Health magazine to browse through while they're playing. Hopefully, I'll feel better by the time we get back home and I will do Core. I am SO excited about starting Phase 2 tomorrow. I am printing out a schedule for the next 62 days and posting it right next to the DVD player so we can see exactly how far we've got left to go and what is coming up next. I really think having this in front of us will be a great motivation. Every day that we complete our workouts, we can check off that day and see how we are doing. I know for myself---I can't STAND to miss a day when I've got a streak going. :o)
I hope the rest of you all are doing good and sticking to your work outs and clean, healthy eating???? Kate...are you feeling better yet? Kandy, are you still training and eating good? Christina--do you do all 25 Fifer scissors without a rest? Demi-Almost time for your vacation! I bet you're ready! How's the vegetarian life going?

Day 24

I feel like I'm cheating on this program because I haven't done any of the videos this week. I totally intended to...but intentions aren't enough apparently. I have, however, still been working out daily. Today was my regular day at the gym. I did a 1 1/2 hours of HARD working out and burned 798 calories. I am actually very anxious to starte Phase 2. It seems like we've been on Phase 1 forever because we started the program over so many times only to quit after a couple of weeks--that we've done the videos from Phase 1 way more than the rest. As a matter of fact, the only time we've really done any of the other videos was during our first round of the program. I can't even remember what comes next...but I know I'm ready for it. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, then Saturday is my gym day and Sunday is stretch--then it's Phase 2 time! I got an email tonight from BB showing the latest million dollar body winners and it is SO inspiring! What a dramatic change some of those people have made in their appearance in just 90 days! (like you too Demi!) I really want my 90 day pics to be like that this time.....a major change--not subtle. Of course, I know for that to happen, I am going to have to get WAY more serious about this than I have been. (especially the eating part).
As a matter of fact, you know what? I was fixing to close up this laptop and go to sleep...but I think I'll get back out of bed right now and do Ab Ripper. It's the least I can do--just 16 measly minutes and then I can get back in my cozy, comfy bed with ripped abs instead of flabby ones. Yah....that's what I'll do. Adios my amigos!

Day 22 & 23

Tuesday, yesterday, I did a 45 min. interval class at the gym and then hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes for some cardio. Ate good.
Today, Wednesday, I did 35 min. on the elliptical while I watched The Biggest Loser (that I had dvr'd). What a crazy episode. Carla and Joelle...I just couldn't figure them out. How they ever became friends in the first place is beyond me--they're SO different. Anyway, I'm actually glad they're BOTH gone. They both brought drama to the show and that is one thing they don't need any more of.
On a different note...I noticed that I lost a "follower" today. Crazy but I feel rejected. Like---I wonder what I did or said to make "X-follower" want to stop reading my blog and remove their name from my list...??? Strange.
Anyhow, as much as I HAAAAATE to admit it, we haven't done any P90x videos since last Friday. It is the recovery week and I am still working out...but I wish I was at LEAST doing the days that Core is scheduled. I really feel like I'm getting something out of that work out! Anyhow, we went to church tonight, then came home and put the kids to bed and I am finally getting to get into my jammies and into my bed (with my laptop) and suddenly I feel zombie-fied--drowsy--like I'm unbelievably tired. So I'm gonna put this up for now. Tomorrow is my double-class-day at the gym so I need my rest and energy!

Day 20 & 21

Sunday and Monday.
I had really good intentions of doing StretchX on Sunday...but a quick afternoon nap won out. We didn't have much time between church, eating lunch and then heading back to church for a super bowl party at 5...so I just took a 20 minute snooze instead. (couldn't risk getting sweaty before the party!) Eating wasn't great on Sunday...but not as bad as I normally would have done at a party like that. I had a small plate of my favorite things and then stuck a piece of gum in my mouth. (that always does the stop-eating trick for me!)
Monday was supposed to be the beginning of our Recovery Week for phase 1. Yoga was on the schedule. As you guys know, I hate yoga, so I was going to replace it with something else. Well...something else ended up being falling asleep on the couch at 7:30 pm! We rented Open Season 2 and watched it with the kids after dinner and it made me sleepy. I was disappointed that I didn't get in a work out on Sunday OR Monday...but I also know that life happens sometimes and I am trying to learn "balance".
When your friends start describing you as "this is my exercise-obsessed friend, Jen" you know there could be a balance problem! (wow...how did I become THAT girl? That's what I used to always call YOU Kandy! ha ha)