p90x Day 21 Results

Another week of p90x lean. I was really tired this week due to work (12 hour shifts) and I think just things catching up with me.  I was a little less creative on my meals, but nutrition still went really well. I have no desire or craving for any cheats at all...no sugar or fatty treat cravings.  Feels really good to be in control.

Here are this week's measurements & weights:

Date 1/29/13 
Weight 148.8 (-4.6 lb)
Chest: 36"   (- 1")
Hips 41"  (-1")
Thighs 22.5"  (-1")
Waist:  30.75" (1.75")

And the bodyfat summary from
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Body Mass Index:	26.4  kg/m2
Waist-to-Height ratio:	0.49
Percent Body Fat:	33.7%
Lean Body Mass:	98.6 lb

TEt


HEre is my summary comparing total weight with lean body weight and a little projection for realisti body weights and body fat %ages...

Total weight loss 4.6 lbs
Body fat starting: 37.7% (OMG!)
Lean Body mass starting: 95.7 lbs

Current body fat: 33.7%  (Awesome!)
Current lean body mass: 98.6 lbs

Which means that I have gained 2.9 lbs of muscle mass, and lost 7.5 lbs of Fat!  

Goal body fat 20%, which means if I add no extra muscle, my target weight is 123lbs.  That sounds a "little" extreme since I have not been that weight since I was 17! 

So re-estimating the numbers based on current lean body mass and goal weight of 135lb would bring my body fat to 27%...that seems entirely doable as a target by beginning of April.  

Onward!   
====

Previous Week's Body Fat summaries:
End of Week 2

Body Mass Index:	26.8  kg/m2
Waist-to-Height ratio:	0.49
Percent Body Fat:	35.6%
Lean Body Mass:	97.3 lb

Beginning of Week 1:

Body Mass Index:   27.2  kg/m2 Waist-to-Height ratio:   0.52 Percent Body Fat:   37.7% Lean Body Mass:   95.7 lb

p90x Lean Body Results Day 15 (measurements)

I'm on Day 15 of p90x following the lean program, and so far have been happy with the results.  Not quite as rapid as the last time but I'm 4 years older, 10 lbs heavier and in worse shape than when I started last time, so I'm happy with the progress.

Here is the 2 week update:
Weight:  151.3"  (2 lbs lost)
Chest: 36.25"  (3/4 inches lost)
Biceps:  13"  (same)
Waist: 30.75"  (1 3/4" lost)
Hips: 42" (stubborn)
Thighs:  22.5"  (1" lost)

I'm not trusting the body fat calculator I used last time because it did not include waist measurement. It seems impossible to lose inches from your waist and lose weight and not lose body fat %age.

I'm going to try this one for awhile, even though it's more depressing...

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Body Mass Index:	26.8  kg/m2
Waist-to-Height ratio:	0.49
Percent Body Fat:	35.6%
Lean Body Mass:	97.3 lb

For comparision starting measurements from 2 weeks ago:

Body Mass Index:   27.2  kg/m2 Waist-to-Height ratio:   0.52 Percent Body Fat:   37.7% Lean Body Mass:   95.7 lb

So I've lost a total of 2 lbs
Added 1.5 lbs of muscle
Lost 3.5 lbs of fat

Day 4 p90x Lean - Yoga X - Fatigue & Soreness

Today was the hardest day so far, not training wise, but energy, mood  & motivation wise.  Woke up very groggy, tired sore & achey muscles all over.   Never really got my energy at all today. I stuck with the diet and front loaded the day with my calories and the fruits to get some good carbs into my system. 

I was supposed to attend a meeting today but I was so foggy in the brain I just couldn't make it. I finally motivated to go do some training and was planning to hit the pool first, but a text from my friend Todd said he was getting ready to do Yoga X in the studio above the bike shop, so I headed there.

It was really motivating to do it with a friend!

Yoga X is HARD!  I made it to the half-moon pose, then we did a few of the following balance moves and I was done. 

The stretching in Yoga X felt great, especially in the hip flexors. I'm looking forward to doing it next week.  I'm a little bit dissapointed I've missed swimming all this week, but seeing how difficult many of the moves in the yoga and core synergistics have been, I think I've allowed my body to become very much a single sport (or tri sport) body.   It may be good in the short term, but for simply living live, enjoying movement, and keeping weight under control, I'm seeing more and more how important full body work is, especially as we get older.

What is it about the body turning 40s that makes it rebel so much? Is it simply the inactivity that has set in ? Keep in mind this is only relative inactivity...I mean I still raced my bike a bit this fall and swim regularly, and was running up to 3 miles last summer.  

I'll keep you all posted of course.

interesting stats so far:
Body weight up by 2 pounds
Seeing muscle definition in my upper body/shoulders (deltoids & biceps)
Lost 1/2" from my waist (I think??)

Keep pressing play!!

Days 2 & 3 - p90x Lean - Cardio X , Arms & SHoulders

Normally I like to do a post for each day but yeasterday was day 2 AND it was a 12 hour work day for me.

I was super stressed trying to make sure i got up in time to do the workout, eat my breakfast and fix all the foods I needed for the day at work.  Turns out the cardio X was really great, and I felt awesome afterwards.  It was fun an I had a big smile at the end.

I did pretty well on the food, bringing snacks & a chef salad with me.  It was a tough, tough day though...in the end I was very, very tired. I think the switch from too many processed foods to eating on a schedule with high protein resulted in some significant brain fog.  I got home and fixed a hearty dinner following all the guidelines and still ahd trouble getting enough calories in.

Today was Day 3 and I was really, really tired until about 5pm.  I'm not sure if it was the exercise, the calories, 2 days of working late in a row or what. 

I finally got my shakeology today and I tried that out and LOVED it!! I might already be addicted to it!

Then I did shoulders & arms...I kept the weights pretty light, mostly 5 & 8 lbs, but did do some 10lbs dumbells for one of the bicep exercises.  It felt really good in the end and I finally felt energized!

Finsihed up the day with coaching some masters swim, then back home for more FOOD!  Still a bit low on the calorie targets, but we'll see what happens with the weights and measurements. 

Confession:  I skipped AbRipper X today. :(  

Recipe: Tuna with Avocado, Dill & Lemon Mustard Dressing

It's Day 3 and I've been doing well on the diet as far as not eating anything "off limits" but fixing fast, convenient foods is almost an oxymoron with p90x.  Fast proteins are hard to come by in whole food products.

One of my costco purchases was a case of 6 oz. White Albacore Tuna cans, so this is what I ended up putting together.

Tuna with Avocado, Dill & Lemon Mustard Dressing

2 Servings
6 oz white albacore tuna
1/2 diced Avocado
2 tbs Dijon Mustard
2 tbs ginger dressing (low fat if possbile)
1/4 tsp dried dill or 1 tsp fresh dill
lemon or lime juice

Each serving ~ 1 portion protein, 1 portion fat, 1 portion condiment.

Starting over with Round 3. Day 1 Core Syngergistics - p90x Lean

Here we are again. Here i am again. It's been a long day, a sleepless night, I can't quite understand why I have so much anxiety about this.  It's not the training, it's not the workouts, it's not the committment...but fear of failure I think.

I'm afraid of "failing" the nutritional aspect of this.  This morning was so much work, so much thought!  it took time, it wasn't just "grab adn go".  I didn't used to be like this. I used to really enjoy cooking and fixing my meals.

I think as I've gotten older (I'm 44)  I've lost touch with what really healthy living feels like. Healthy in all respects starting with respecting myself and my body.   I've become lazy and given in to indulging in things that make me feel good because well, "I deserve it!".

Things like:

• Sleeping in on days off
• Eating out
• Reading Forums
• Posting in Forums
• Watching Netflix
• Skipping Workouts or Planned Training

At the same time I've taken on more responsibilities and juggle a training business, one-on-one coaching sessions, traveling all over to train new coaches for Total Immersion, participating in improvement projects for the coach training process, and working 2 'regular' part time jobs as a physician. 

It's a lot but I don't want to let any of it go. My coping mechanisms are all a way to deal with the stress.  in reality I'd have a lot more energy if I applied some willpower to my vices and took more time for healthy activities.  

So this round of p90x isn't even as much to get back into shape or learn to eat well, but more an accountability system with my amazing friends, and something to force myself to stick to so I can learn to re-allocate time to important things.  

Oh...and core-synergistics today kicked my butt. I did about half of each exercise after the first few and knocked off at about 45 minutes in.  I still got a lot out of it, but wow it's so much harder than it looks like it should be.

nutrition so far so good, but I'm hungry and still have 2 1/2 more hours at work.  I have about 1000 calories still to eat today.  :(   I know what I'll fix when I get home but it takes time!  

Some of my previous habits are startign to get refreshed in my memory...fixing a lot of brown rice at once and storing in single serving bowls for example.     Well, day 1 is 3/4 of the way through. 

Just don't look at that chocolate lava cake...Must.Resist.

Starting measurements pre-p90x lean - Day 0

Per my routine before, here are my measurements and BF %age.  

As I've said before, I'm not sure how accurate the bodyfat calculator is but as long as I use the same calcuator I'm OK with it.

Your Results
You have 29.5% body fat.
You have 45.1 Pounds of fat and 107.9 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

That's actually less than what I've measured in the past.

My goals right now are 10% total body weight loss at the end of the 90 day program, and a BF %age of 20%.  

That math would work out like this:

Total Body weight
Current:  153lbs  
Goal:   135 lbs

Body Fat %age
Current:  29.5% 
Goal:  20%

Lean Body Mass
Current:  108 lbs
Goal: 108 lbs

Fat Mass
Current:  45 lbs
Goal: 27 lbs

Wow...here's what's really intresting is that with those goals which I arbitrarily chose, my fat mass decreases significantly, but my lean body mass stays the same. I actually have a hard time believing I won't add lean body mass with this program.  let's just even say that I add 5 lbs of lean body mass and reach my goal weight of 135 lbs, then my BF%age would actually be... 16%.  Wow, that sounds extreme.   Pretty much cutting my BF%age in half.  

Let's see what happens!

p90x Shopping List for Week 1 - Fat Shredder Phase

This is absolutely the most challenging part for me in doing both the p90x project and in general just maintaining a healthy weight.

I struggle with making the time, space and organization to plan what I eat, shop, unpack and then have the energy to fix the foods I want to eat. 

I'm approaching week one with a combination of the portion approach and the recipe appraoch.  I anticipate going through some shock to my system from upping my protein in take so much and reducing my simple sugars (i.e. bad snacks!).

I know I can do this as long as I'm organized.  I searched around online for p90x shopping lists and found copies of the list of food items in the p90x Nutrition Plan book, but needed something more practical.   I ended up skimming through the meal plan for week one, nutrition level 2 (2100-2400 calories for me), and simple made a list of the simple ingredients I'll want to have on hand for things like the mushroom and spinach scrambles.  

Also, some of the soups sounded good so I figure if I take the time to make a batch I can freeze the rest and plan ahead that way.

So without further ado, this is my shopping list for Week 1 (many of these ingredients should last several weeks), but this is where I'm starting.  I'm taking one of my accountability partners shopping with me so we'll be able to be very efficient when shopping I hope.

Week 1 p90x Shopping List

Fats
avocados
Tahini
low fat mayo

Proteins
Glazed Chicken Breasts
Egg Whites  (mushroom scramble)
Eggs
Turkey Bacon

Carbs
Sweet Potatoes
Whole Wheat Wraps
Whole Wheat English Muffins

Dairy
1% Cottage Cheese
Part Skim Mozzarella (sticks or shredded)
yogurt, non-fat plain
Feta Cheese

Fruits
StrawberriesApples

Grapes
Raspberries/blackberries

Veggies
Tomato paste
Shallots
Asparagus
Mushrooms (mushroom scramble)
Green Onions (mushroom scramble)
Roma and/or Plum Tomatoes (mushroom scramble)
Spinach (spinach scramnle)
red onions
broccoli
yellow pepper (1)
5 red peppers
Celery

Snacks
Non-fat frozen yogurt

Misc/herbs/spices
White Wine
Arrowroot
Dill
Lemongrass
Garlic
Thyme

p90x Food Shopping!!!

I think this is possibly the most important part of doing a p90x or beachbody challenge, getting your kitchen prepared. 

Last night I went to costco and looked for pantry staples so that I would never have that "There's nothing to eat" feeling and be tempted to get something unhealthy at the corner store.

Let me tell you it's a challenge to find good food, organic, without added junk in bulk.  So not everything I bought was organic and there are some processed foods in there, but I figure that in the big picture it's better to get the nutrition my body needs than worry about an extra pesticide here or there.

Because what would actually happen if I didn't have any food in the house? I'd go get some pizza and greasy fries across the street.  So which one is worse? Yeah...the greasy fries! 

Once my body gets into it's fat burning mode I can make some adjustments in my food purchasing choices, but I really need a solid start.  Looking forward to day 1!!

p90x Lean vs. p90x Classic - Why I chose Lean

OK, this time around i'm going to give p90x Lean a shot.  The first time I did p90x classic. I was 4 years younger, a little bit better fitness coming into the program.

The biggest difference I saw between Lean & Classic is that the Plyometric routine of Classic is replaced with CardioX in "p90x Lean".  

First of all, I LOVE the plyometrics routine!  But over the last 4 years I've lost a little bit of strength overall, have less leg strenth, weigh a little bit more and have had several 'knee' incidents over the past year.  Grinding and popping in my knee with some sticking.  I've decided to lose a little bit of weight first and gain some more general body strength before resuming teh plyo routine.

I may switch it out partway through and add plyo in for the 2nd training block, we'll see how it goes.

Tomorrow I"ll be taking my before photos, with a copy of the newspaper for 'proof', and doing my fit test and measurements.   

What will you be doing tomorrow?  :)

New Year 2013 - Getting Ready for p90x to start!

Last night I got out my p90x training and nutrition guide and read through them.  I'm getting the kitchen a cleaned up so I've got room for everything I'll be shopping for this weekend. 

Pretty excited. I've been telling several friends of my plans to help keep me accountable. I also ordered my first Shakeology with the coaching package, so we'll see how that works out as well.

I'm going to try a couple of different nutrition products so that I can always have something to choose from while I'm traveling.

So it's January 1st... T minus 6 days and counting...

Return of p90x - with Shakeology this time?

Wow, it's been a really long time since I posted on this blog. Let me catch you up a bit...

Since I last posted in April of 2009, I've been busy doing triathlon coaching and especially Total Immersion swim coaching. I took my total immersion workshop in January of 2010 and during that workshop saw myself on film in a swimsuit. I was horrified! Frankly, "Whale" is the first word that came to mind. Now I know that I was not really THAT big, but I'd never seen myself swim before.

Looking at it now I think I look just fine but it was a big, big motivator for me.
Fast forward over the next 4-5 months and I was swimming almost daily. The exercise and excitement of the Total Immersion swimming and the improvement I saw almost daily helped me lose weight and get back down to what seems to be a fairly stable weight for me of about 140 lbs.

Introduce boyfriend...

Now i"m not saying it's his fault by any means, but more time with him meant less time for just me, more dinners out, more stressing over how I looked, etc, etc. Over the past 2 1/2 years I've put back on about 15 lbs. It's been really, really, really hard to keep it off.

I let my beach body coaching membership lapse, as I wasn't actively involved in helping anyone anymore.

Well lately i've just been finding myself thinking a LOT about redoing p90x, or some other beach body program. A good friend of mine is a beach body coach and he's doing really well both finanicially as well as trying all the different rpograms, motivating people and starting challenge groups.

Part of me let the BB coaching thing slide becuase I just didn't feel like i could give it my enthusiasm...but I've now come to realize that I was so excited about beach body becuase of the incredible results I had!!

Just rereading these posts and reviewing these photos...WOW>..the progress even in just 1-3 weeks? Incredible!

My BIGGEST challenge is diet. it's so easy to get sidetracked. Even though I eat well much of the time, unless I prepare ahead...bad food is easier to get ahold of. I swear I am one of those people that gains weight just LOOKING at bread or chocolate.

So I'm really eager to get back to the person I want to be, that athletic muscular person inside of me.
I've got athletic goals, I've got weight goals, I've got diet goals and I will not compromise my body, health or happiness any further.

Are you ready to do this with me? YES????

Sweet!! Let's go!!

Ten Minute Trainer Yoga Flex

Today is my 3rd day of 10 minute trainer.  I'll tell you what. As much as I LOVE p90x, it's very time consuming.  Ten Minute Trainer I can sneak in anytime, and it feels great.

Yesterday's cardio workout, was about the toughest 10 minutes I've done since I can remember playing soccer in High School.  Just constant movement.

Today was Yoga Flex.  10 minutes of bliss!  Sure, 10 minutes isn't really quite long enough to get totally limber, but it's enough to make me feel good enough to tackle the afternoon.

If you are thinking about getting this...GET IT!  (Go to the "Shopping" button over on the right there).  You just won't regret it.  I feel great.

Plus, if I decide I want to add a p90x workout, I still can, but now I've got my 10 minutes in at least and I can feel like I've done something productive.

Tony Horton's Ten Minute Trainer

Hey everyone, sorry for the absense. I've been riding my bike a bit, not enough, but also very, very busy.   I decided to give Beach Body's Ten Minute Trainer a try.  It arrived this afternoon and I tore it open!

I just did the first working, upper body. I was skeptical that 10 minutes could give you a great workout, but I trusted Tony!

Sure enough, my arms are FRIED right now!  I ordered the deluxe kit that came with 3 bands. (I ordered the medium kit). I chose the middle band, the purplish one. I think next time I'll try the light one for awhile.

So for sure, I've got 10 minutes a day to give this a shot.  I did the 2 minute warmup and cooldown as well, and I feel great right now. Time for bed!

Weekend Workout - Kempo & AbRipperX

Well last week's plyo wore me out...it had been about 4 weeks since I did it, and I was fairly sore (but not the worst I've been) for several days.  I did yoga on Friday, and it was the best yoga I've done so far with Tony.  After two 12 hour work days today I did KempoX and a bonus AbRipper X.  Both were the best workouts of each that I've done so far.

Funny how I can take time off, not follow the program, come back and be better than before!  One big problem though, is taking time off wiht my diet...that definately does not work!  I'm on the heavy side right now, and no idea what my BF% is...been too lazy to check it.

Anyway, I feel good after today's workout.

Also, I recently became a coach...leave a comment, email me or check out my beach body site if you want to become a coach with me and make money while you get in shape!
http://www.milliondollarbody.com/suzannea

p90x Round 2 Chest Shoulders Triceps

Hi everyone!  Sorry no update for awhile. Workouts have been scattered, but I am not daunted! I will not stumble due to a few missed workouts, I am STILL a p90x warrior!  It's been about a full month since my schedule was disrupted due to travel and family comittments, but I am back again today with a full Monday workout for Round 2.  And guess what?  Despite not working out with Tony for about 2 full weeks (I did 2 workouts with Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs), I was able to increase weights on 5 of my exercises today!  Sweet.

AbRipper X is still HARD, but I'm doing better and better (again, despite the little holiday).  I feel pretty good, now I just need to get my diet into gear.  Headed off to Trader Joe's to buy some nutrition (after my recovery shake of course!)

Bring it!

p90 x Round 2 Day 29 Back and Biceps

OK guys, if you are paying attention, you'll know that day 29 is NOT Back and Biceps.  I've had a lot of "life" going on in the past week and a half and basically took a whole week off.  Last time I worked either of these body parts was about 2 weeks ago, so I decided to start the week with it.

Man, it was tough. 

Over the weekend I visited with my nephews, 4 & 7 years old, about 35 and 55 lbs respectively.  In the guise of "playing" with them, I tried to come up with all sorts of creative ways to lift, press, squat and curl the little guys, LOL. 

Guess I also didn't update you guys on going running last week...first time in over 2 years!  10 minutes straight!  I was thrilled with myself.  The following day I did have some soreness in my back, but it was gone by the day after that.  Didn't get a chance to try running again over the weekend, but will integrate that slowly into my routine. 

p90 x Round 2 Day 22 - Yoga!

Recovery week, and its about time!  I went climbing last night at the local climbing wall, and I felt GREAT. It's been over a year since I went and I attribute it to p90x.  I was VEry, very tired today, however, and a little bit sore.  Basically accomplished nothing all day.

So I was excited to see that todays workout was yoga.  It felt great. I'm usually impatient, but I can tell I'm getting stronger.  The first few yoga sessions are so frustrating b/c it doesn't seem like it should be hard, but it is.  It takes core, hip & shoulder strength to hold poses.

I made it through to Wheel pose and then decided to call it quits. 

Down dog was feeling great by the end.

Thanks Tony!

p90 x Round 2 Day 19

Chest and back and Ab Ripper X.  I'm totally thrashed.  For some reason I love this workout...it really feels like I'm hitting all the major body movers...gluts, hams, back and core.  No silly bicep curls (alhtough I love those as well)

Like I've said many times before...It doesn't get easier, you just get stronger.

p90x Round 2 Day 17 Shoulders and Arms

This was an awesome p90x workout!  I'm getting stronger quickly and am using 15 lb dumbells for my shoulder presses, and did 12 side lying tricep raises today.

The ab ripper x workout today was possibly my best p90x ab workout so far.  I did MOST exercises...skipped the v-ups, took, a little break, then hit the obliques. 

I still have a long way to go, but I feel better every single workout.  One of the best parts?  My back pain is gone!  I havn't noticed any back pain for about a week or more now.  Today I jogged to work a few blocks and  it actually felt good!  I may even take up running again once more weight comes off.

I'm going to start posting pictures again starting this Monday.  This time around (round 2), I have not been as strict with the diet & photos, but at least I am working out most days of the schedule.  If I can make little changes that stick, instead of trying for a big change that I don't follow through with, I'll be much healthier in the long run. 

By theway, I recently became a p90x coach!  Stop by my p90x Coach's page here to read my story and get in the game.