Pebble in my shoe!

It's week 7! I've been anxiously waiting for this week so that I can finally have visual proof of my progress thus far. All this anxiety could have been avoided had I taken those darn pictures on day 1! Ugh.

Putting the scale and measurement numbers aside, I have noticed some progress over these past 30+ days. Without the visual comparison of the before and after photos I've been depending solely on how my clothes fit to "feel" that there has been progress. Some jeans that used to fit me snug are fitting better if not loosely. There are some shirts that had made me feel self conscious when I put them on that no longer have the same effect. And of course the tell tale sign that you're losing weight amongst women, the breasts reduce in size. Now, I personally feel that this should go in the "Not so good" file. Unfortunately for us women, there's no way around it. If your goal is to lose weight, you must be prepared to lose some filling in your cups. haha.
I was hoping that in the transition from week 6 all through the end of week 7 I would be able to push myself a little more just so I can end Phase 2 on a high note and also to get better results when picture day came around. That, of course, isn't the way the cookie crumbles. Last week during my yoga exercise I felt a pain in my right shoulder which was preceded by, I believe, something being pulled in it. I decided to just take a minute and shake it off then proceed with the rest of the work out.

The following day I opted to take as a rest day instead of possibly putting greater strain in my shoulder. I knew that this would require me to work out on a Sunday, but it was a good decision. That day came and went, so did the following day, and so did the next. In other words, I went 3 days without working out. My conscious was definitely heavy, but I couldn't shake the nagging discomfort in my shoulder. Fortunately for me it wasn't a constant discomfort otherwise I'd have to make a trip to the doctor's office which would more than likely result in unwanted news.

As if that were not enough, I'm coming down with a cold. Being sick inevitably turns me into a big baby and I want nothing more than to lay on the couch and be papered. I'm hoping that I can keep this cold at bay, because I am absolutely certain Tony Horton will do no pampering. haha.

So here I am, 4 days away from "picture day", anxiously hoping that the days I missed last week won't affect my desired results for this week. Sigh. Here's to hoping...

 "I truly believe that we can overcome any hurdle that lies before us and create the life we want to live. I have seen it happen time and time again." -Gillian Anderson

It's MY body

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and instantly became dissatisfied with what you saw? Have you ever tried to put on your favorite pair of jeans and nearly passed out from all the effort you put forth to try and get the button closed? Remember the day that absolutely nothing you put on felt and looked right? Do you wish you could go back in time have bring back with you that body you had a long time ago? I sure have.

My decision to improve myself, inside and out, was a decision that I've put on the backburner for a long time. Too long, maybe. What's important is that I'm finally doing it. I'm getting myself up (most) mornings for my daily workout. I've become more conscious of what I eat. More importantly, though, I'm starting to feel good about myself. Isn't that what really matters? When someone makes a conscious decision to change their eating habits and to incorporate exercise in their day to day rituals isn't it solely for the purpose of feeling better about themselves? To build up their self esteem? Granted, in some cases it's more of a medical decision if a person is obese. But in general, for those of us that would just like to shed a few pounds or tone up a few muscles here and there, that's what it's about.

In the past 30 days I've lost 3lbs by working out and eating better. To some, the change is visible. To me, there's still work to be done. Going into this change of lifestyle I expected only positive comments in response to my progress. Never did I expect there to be negative comments. The other day someone I've known for years saw me and said, "Wow, you've lost a lot of weight. You're so skinny." To which I responded, "Thanks, but I've only lost 3 lbs, I've still got a few more to go." The other person then said, "Oh, no. Don't lose anymore weight. You'll look like a boy." Now I find this very hard to believe being a woman with curves. I was honestly baffeled at this comment. I alone should determine how much weight loss is too much. I don't look sickly. I'm not starving myself. I'm not taking any crazy dietary supplements that accelerate my heart rate. I'm doing things the right way. The healthy way. And yet I still get comments like these.

I almost expected comments like: "You don't need to lose any weight" ; " You look fine the way you are" ; "You're skinny as it is" and the like. I guess it's normal for people to react that way when they hear that someone who isn't overweight or obese saying that they're going to start exercising and eating healthier and/or less. Comments like these really don't bother me, because that's only others' opinions of you. Of course, we all have a different perception of our own body. We're the ones that see our own flaws day in and day out. Everyone has flaws and everyone ultimately wants to have those flaws fixed. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what other people say, because I'm going to continue my progress. I'm going to lose weight. I mean, that's part of working out. So, say what you will. Go ahead and have your own opinions of me and how my body looks. All of that doesn't matter, because in the end it's MY body and I'll do with it whatever I choose to do with it.  :)



 "Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."

-Benjamin Spock

Drum roll please...

It's been 30 days since I first started my P90X adventure and it has been exactly that, an adventure. Though I'm only 1/3 of the way done, I can honestly say it's worth the pain. I am starting to feel better about myself, not only physically, but mentally as well. Having that drive to keep going day after day is increasing steadily and I now find myself craving the burn. Quite honestly the first 2 weeks weren't easy, but it definitely gave me a good work out. The 4th week in the P90X schedule is different than the first 3. It's less hardcore, for a lack of a better word. The workout included: Yoga, Kempo, Stretch, and Core Synergistics. The core synergistics workout was the one that presented me with more of the burn I was looking for, but ultimately I felt that the week was lacking for me. The design of the work out is to have a recovery week, which is usually the last week of each month (or 30 day cycle). But I digress... let's get to what really matters.


Here are the results after 30 days:

                             DAY 1                   DAY 30
LEFT LEG           27.5 inches             22 inches*
RIGHT LEG        27.5 inches            22 inches*
HIPS                     37.5 inches             37 inches
WAIST                 27 inches                26 inches
LEFT ARM.        10.5 inches             11 inches
RIGHT ARM.     10.5 inches             11 inches
CHEST                 34 inches                34 inches

* I'm not quite sure this measurement is correct. There may have been a flaw in the initial measument on Day 1.


This data was obtained by our Bowflex body fat scale:

                                Day 1                      Day 30
WEIGHT                 133.8.                    130.8
BMI                         25.3                       24.7
BODY FAT             29.3%                   29.2%
BODY WATER.     51.8%                   51.8%
MUSCLE MASS    34.4%.                  34.7%
VISCERAL FAT     7                           6
BMR                       1390 cal                1377 cal

As previously mentioned, I did not take Day 1 pictures, I took them on week 3. Therefore the comparative pictures will have to wait until week 7. Until then, let the calorie burning continue!

"The results you acheive will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply"

-Denis Waitley

You are what you eat

All my life I've eaten what I wanted, when I wanted, and how much I wanted. I was always very picky with what I ate. There were phases where I wouldn't eat a grain of rice and had either my grandmother or my mother make me french fries instead. Vegetables were placed no where near my plate and I had absolutely no intentions of trying anything that grew out of the ground. Honestly, I must thank the great genes that have been handed bestowed unto me by my parents. Were it not for my great metabolic system I would probably be obese and not able to do every day functions properly. My motto used to be: "The less healthy the better." Which in truth isn't that far fetched. The better tasting foods are generally those that aren't very healthy for you, and those were exactly the types of food that I indulged in. Oh, how things have changed.
 To compliment this new exercise routine I would have to give up and change a lot of my day to day eating habits. Which would be no easy task to take on. Luckily P90X comes with a nutrition guideline and recipes. Also, Turbo Fire - another at home work out routine - does as well. Combining those two books with The Biggest Loser Cookbook that I purchased a while back would give us a jumpstart to eating healthier by providing recipe ideas for every meal.

It all start with simple things such as, discarding salt from all food preparation unless necessary and if so then only adding a miniscule amount. We've gradually switched from whole mild to 1% which will then give way to purchasing skim milk. Some have advised me that switching to soy milk instead of skim is a healthier choice, but seeing as how Matt and I only really use milk for cereal and coffee there doesn't seem to be a need to switch to soy milk. I gave my up potato bread for whole wheat bread months before I began my new year's resolution. White rice was switched to brown rice; from regular pasta to whole wheat pasta; from vegetable oil to, as Rachel Ray says, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil); from regular salad dressing to non-fat salad dressing. I'm sure you get the point. No real drastic changes, just small, tolerable changes here and there. That's really all it takes though. If you make a lot of small changes, it all adds up.

Breakfast, my favorite meal of the day, usually consists of a cup of coffee and a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich or the occasional waffle. I've only altered breakfast slightly and only on some occasions. I've opted to use deli thin whole wheat bread instead of sliced whole wheat bread, I've discarded the butter completely by switching to a cooking spray, and I often cook only the egg white. Much to my younger sister's chagrin (when she sleeps over), I no longer buy the sugary kids cereal we all grew up with and loved. The Cap'n and I parted ways just recently and it was quite an emotional farewell. In his place... Multi Grain Cheerios. I have yet been able to conquer my dislike for oatmeal and with the need for that morning cup of Joe to wake me up it's not an urgent change. On the weekends I try to pick things from one of the recipe books to make for Matt and I. They all normally require egg, which is fine with me. I love eggs. :)

Lunch was not as easy to change. Since moving in with Matt I began preparing dinners just enough for two and at times would have a little left of over so that one, if not both, of us could take it for lunch the next day. On days that I opted to go out for lunch I would just run to the nearest fast food place and order at least 3 things off of the value menu with a medium juice of some kind. Luckily enough neither Matt nor I really like drinking soda so it's never purchased. Now that I started eating healthier it became a little difficult to avoid running to the nearest McDonald's. I've made wraps, salads, and sandwiches in the morning to try and prevent myself from going for what's most convenient over what's healthy. Having all the right types of food at home makes it 100% easier though. I must say that I'm quite proud of myself for a decision I made just yesterday. Lacking any ingredients to make either a salad, wrap or sandwich I came to work without a lunch and would be left to try and find the healthiest food around. Instead I decided to look up Muscle Maker Grill locations to try and have them deliver lunch. Seeing as how the closest one is a little over 5 miles delivery was not an option unless I was making a large order. Determined to not give in to the temptations of KFC, McDonald's, and Smash Burgers that are less than a mile away, I drove those 5 miles each way and gave up 45 minutes of my 1hr lunch. It was probably the best decision I made that day!

I was never really conscientious of how snacks in between meals are important. After skimming through the nutritional books I realized that keeping your metabolism going with healthy food is much more beneficial than just abating a sugar craving. Apples, oranges, bananas, Special K bars, non salted nuts, yogurts and even cottage cheese doubles are my primary choices for snacks. Recently added to the repertois are cereal bars and protein bars. In the event that I hadn't gone to the supermarket to stock up on healthy snacks at home I'm literally S.O.L. (shit out of luck) until lunch time or after work. The vending machine at my job has a piss poor variety of healthier snacks. Potato chips, salted nuts, overly sweet cookies and the like fill up the entire vending machine. Which is often the case anywhere. It's just unfortunate that for those people who are trying to be mindful of what they eat.
Dinner time becomes the most exciting meal of the day. After becoming the woman of the house I've been eager to look up new dinner recipes and try them out at home. It's a challenge that I most willingly accept and now making sure that the dinner I cook is a healthy one makes it slightly more challenging. When time permits me to attempt to make a new, healthy recipe I'll dive in head first into it. My most bold attempts have been the chicken & sugar snap peas stir fry and the chili rubbed tilapia with lemon asparagus. Though one wasn't an absolutely success it was at least edible. Whole wheat pastas, grilled chicken breasts, brown rice and steamed vegetables are practically staples as dinner options. It is, at times, difficult to follow these recipes, because they often require herbs and spices which I do not possess and have never tried. A prime example would be last night's dinner, chicken breast with sugar snap peas in spring seasoning. The recipe called for either saffron or dill and assuming they were similar in taste I just opted for the one I found at my local Trader Joe's,  which was dill. I've never cooked or tasted dill and had no idea what to expect. After adding the exact amount the recipe called for I could immediately sense that the smell of dill overpowered any smell in the room and almost gagged. Needless to say, and without going into much detail of my disapproval of dill, I couldn't eat the dinner I had just prepared. Oh well. You win some and you lose some. Last night, the dill won. ha ha
I will not be discouraged by any failures as a nutritionally sound chef. I will only surpass my herb & spices obstacle and try again another day :) I'll make sure to share overly successful dinner recipes.

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul"

- Douglas MacArthur

 

Take 3!

Decide. Commit. Succeed. That's the Beach Body slogan. It's short, sweet, and most definitely true. 



With this being my third attempt to tackle the grueling 90 days of this workout regimen, I knew what I was getting myself into. I must say, having that slight advantage this time around made it some what easier to get in to. Today is Day 16 and I feel like I can navigate through the morning's workout with greater ease than my last two failed attempts. I was told by a friend of mine, who is also immersed in the pursuit of P90X success, that with time the workouts begin to get easier. And I use this term "easier" very lightly. By no means is this home fitness routine easy. A better way to describe it, I guess, is that you become more accustomed to it.

Eager to begin my workouts I overlooked the guide book and mistakenly forgot to take the suggested photos. They urge you to take 6 different pictures of yourself in order to have something to look back on and compare your results at the 30, 60, and 90 day marks. Since I don't have a picture to look back on I'm finding it slightly harder to motivate myself. I don't perceive ANY difference at all in my body and I practically overdose on the false hope the scale feeds me. It's kind of disheartening to think that I've been working my butt off for almost 3 weeks and nothing has changed. Not even a little bit. When I get into my "this stupid thing isn't working" mood, Matt brings me back to reality. God ol' Matt. He's my rock in this whole debacle of an experience. :)

Going through the motions of the everyday work out has become a piece of cake. Crunches... lunges... squats... push ups... dips... curls... downward dog... etc.. That's all becoming routine, as it should be. But just going through the motions isn't enough. Where's the drive to do more? Where's the need to accomplish one more sit up than the prior week, or go lower on your lunges? Or even attempt to do the crane pose in the Yoga X DVD? To me you don't plateau when you can't do more... you plateau when you choose not to do more. This is something I need to practically beat into my own head. Once my body starts to hurt my brain automatically screams, "Abort! Abort!" And I oblige. I never imagined that a workout routine would throw so many hurdles in my path to success. Did I mention I quick the cross country team after only 1 practice because of hurdles? ha ha.

Right off the bat I cut my success rate down by at least 25% since we're not using the nutrition book verbatim. We, Matt and I, decided to try a generally healthier method by cutting out certain types of food and opting for generally less caloric and less fatty foods. In essence it makes sense to do things this way since we're looking for a change is our diet that will be long lasting. Becoming accustomed to, for example, drinking fat free milk rather than whole milk will be advantageous in the long run. Moderation is key. Were we to drastically change our daily dietary routine, it would probably fall by the wayside and we would be back to square one.  

The end result is still a long ways away so for now I'll strive to come out of my zombie-like trance of crunches, dips, squats.. and the like and push myself to work harder. The 30 day mark is fast approaching and that is a prize in and of itself, for it shows that I've overcome my "commitment" hurdle.

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you see."

- Mario Adretti

There's a beach at the end of my rainbow...

Honestly, what's the purpose of a goal without a little extra incentive or motivation? Of course, the prospect of becoming a healthier and leaner person weighs heavily on my decision to work out and eat better, but there's also a little more...



Aaahhh, the beautiful beach of Punta Cana. Can't you just imagine it folks? You sitting there on the, usually, uncomfortable beach chair with the beaming hot sun warming up every inch of your uncovered skin, while you chug your frozen drink before it turns into a warm runny mess... Feeling the sand between your toes as you adjust your bathing suit to apply the very much needed 3 layers of sunblock... Wait, bathing suit??! Eek! I have to put on a bathing suit? And walk around in front of people?? -- My feeling exactly. I'm very much unprepared to strap on that itty bitty, teeny weeny, yellow polka dot bikini.

In approximately 77 days I, along with my BF and a bunch of friends, will be in the Dominican Republic for 5 glorious days. So I now I have to use this deadline to motivate myself when I feel my commitment begin to abate. So far, it hasn't really helped. To be completely honest, I have myself up to a month before the trip to see physical results. If by that time I don't see a difference I'm adding a dietary supplement to my everyday routine just to lose those remaining, nagging, pounds.

In a way that decision is bitter sweet. I know I'll see the results I anticipate, if not more, but I can't help the vexing feeling that I'm cheating. Surely disappointment will then set in, because I wasn't able to finish on my own. As I have stated in my previous blog post, I'm used to quick fixes and not seeing instant results makes me displeased and disheartened. To my chagrin, I respond better to instant gratification...

One thing that keeps me motivated, even if ever so slightly, is how my Matt's doing. I see a significant change in him and I long to accomplish the same. I am not as disciplined as he is. Though I'm hoping that going through this experience together will instill that discipline in me. I am very proud of him. and I am very happy to be able to look up to him as a guide, or a reference even, for how I should modify my lifestyle, both nutritionally and physically. I will delve into this topic further in another blog.

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength"

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

Banana Ramble

Before I begin to recap my journey to a new, better fit, more physically active me, let me first present some background information on me so that those who read this will have someone what of an insight of who I am and where I come from...


I've never really considered myself to be "fat" or large in any way, but as is common with many, if not all, members of the female gender, I was, and still am, displeased with certain images the mirror reflected back. I'm a fun-sized 5'1" , 27 year-old, Brazilian woman weighing in at about 132 (weight prior to beginning my exercise routine). That number doesn't quite qualify as shocking, but sadly enough body image does weigh heavily (no pun intended) in today's society. With that in mind I'd love to be able to sit here and say that that doesn't influence me at all, but then I'd just be lying to myself.

I've always wanted to lose weight or start exercising regularly. I even began random exercise routines every now and again, but have never had the determination to stick with it. I either resorted to good o' diet pills for that quick fix or had help via emotional distress, i.e. breakups. Seeing as how those quick fixes never really lasted I came to the realization that it is time to get my butt off of the couch and motivate myself. I mean... I'm not getting any younger here and sooner than later my great metabolism would dwindle and I would be left to my own devices. This realization is what prompted me to make my New Year's resolution and do my very best to stick with it. I knew very well that my commitment to exercise normally falters around the 2 week mark therefore I would really need to push myself to get past it and onto week 3.

I've even contemplated joining a gym with my boyfriend, Matt, but due financial and scheduling issues I was unable to do so. Then about a year ago I purchased a not very authentic set of P90X DVDs to see what this work out was all about. The DVDs didn't come with a meal plan so we weren't completely immersed in the whole P90X experience. Matt and I got through weeks 1 and 2 with tremendously sore bodies, but were able to start week 3...and that's where it ended. Matt would have most definitely continued because he has an unwavering commitment to exercise, but my mental and physical hurdle was tremendous. Not to mention that we were exercising after a full day of work, which for me is around 6pm, after cooking and eating dinner, and also washing dishes. A few months later we decided to give it another go, sticking with the same routine. Needless to say, that didn't work out either. We (mostly just me) barely made it past the 2nd week of the work out. Very disheartening.

Putting these 2 failed attempts behind me and focusing on my goal we've embarked on another journey down the P90X highway of pain. ha ha This time, though, we're doing things a little differently. We purchased the real P90X workout with nutrition plan, schedule, and guides all included. I also decided that it may be to my benefit if I were to work out in the morning right before work so that I don't have to worry about putting dinner on the table and then cleaning up after myself just in time to drag myself to bed. Now approaching day 19 of the 90 day workout schedule I can say, without a doubt, that that was a wise decision. Especially if there are days when it seems that the world would end if I parted ways with my uber comfy bed at the ungodly hour of 5:30AM. If one morning I slack off on my exercise I'll have the evening to try and catch up on what I missed in the morning. Getting up that early is hard enough for me, since I am in no way, shape or form an early bird. In fact, I still cringe at the thought of getting out of bed before the sun comes up. But I digress...

This is just a tid bit of the back story to my new journey, and now I must trek foward for a journey does not commence without first placing one foot in front of the other and thus repeating... Here goes nothing.