Busting my butt, Day 15 P90x

Today I had probably the best work out of 2010.  I didn’t leave one cleanly done rep behind.

Not one.

I have been stagnating, the last month.  Stuck in neutral

Doing my workouts, sure.  Eating pretty clean, (occasional bad food here or there but not once over my WW points). 

Today I decided no more half assing it.  I am going to so what I can accomplish if I believe I can do this.  If i believe that getting under 200 (and 190 and 180) is no different than going from 225 to 220, or 215 to 212.  I am going to trust in the plan of attack I have chosen (Weight Watchers for food, p90x for workouts) and give this every ounce of energy I got.

Don’t get me wrong, I long for the day that this takes no effort.  It’s just something I do.  Eat clean and move more.  But right now I have to fight for it.  Right now I have to make myself go to I think i can’t safely do another rep.  Eat clean but stay nourished.  The next 8 weeks will be the hardest I have worked this year.  It will be the best executed exercise and eating I have put together consecutively.  I will let whatever results come.  I can only control my effort.  Nothing more.

Tonights workout was chest and back with Ab Ripper X.  I am too tired to post up my results.  I hit some highs for the 6 weeks I have been doing P90x (started originally May 30th, restarted 15 days ago) .  It was a great workout. 

Now, bed.

Weight Watchers Week 16 weigh in and progress pics

Well, it was a loss, but not much.

I weighed in officially at 207.4 this am.  I have been 207 or 208 the last 5 weight watcher weighins.  I am not going to lie and say its not frustrating.  But as I have been telling myself over and over, all I can do is eat right, do the exercise and keep a positive attitude and the rest will fall in place.  My weight has no choice but to drop if I do those things.  However slow it may come, it will come.

I am not stepping on any scale this week other than the Weight Watchers scale next Saturday.  I am really going to bare down and stay away from my trigger foods, a big one of which is chocolate chip cookies.  Those were the food indiscretions I talked about last night in my blog.  I had a few of em each day wed, thur and fri after nat made some for the kids. 

I have Kempo X up on the agenda for exercise today and a rest day tomorrow (Stretch X) but I may do cardio X I don’t know we’ll see how I feel.  I used my dumbells last night for some of the leg exercises and i liked it.  I am excited about having the weights to add to some of the movements in P90x, and I also got two more heavy duty resistance bands for exercises I still want to do with those.  I am expecting a really good week of workouts this coming week, and I will break this 207 weight watchers scale barrier.  I weighed myself for the first time all week on my scale on my way out the door this am, and before putting on my shorts and t shirt I was 205.5.  The lowest I have seen on my scale was a week ago yesterday I think (or was it two weeks ago?) and it was 203.1.  So I am not far off.  I know I am starting to build some muscle, so I will do my best to not allow the scale define my success or progress.  This is why I take progress pics once a week.  You can see this weeks pic below.

Off to enjoy the day with the family. 

Half Year Review

I am at work this am and pecking away at this post in between calls. I haven’t worked a weekend in 4 years nearly, and I clearly do not miss it! Oh well its OT, everyone can use an extra few bucks and its only 6 hours. Think after work we are going to visit some friends down at the beach as it is supposed to be a very nice day.

I made it to weight watchers this am, and got to work on time afterwards. I got on the “heavy ” scale at weight watchers that is always a pound or two off the other ones. My mother and I always try to get away from that scale, and I have noticed people in the line up do the same over the last few months, as we get in line to weigh in at the beginning of the meetings. It said I was 207, I was 204.2 on my scale this am in my boxers. So anyway things are going well. A little up from yesterday morning, but I mean that’s negligible. As I aluded to last night, I can’t wait for the days where I don’t stress about it, and have to fight for every single pound.

So we are halfway through 2010 (!) and I have been thinking the past few days of the good stuff that has happened this year. It’s been both a good year and a tough year thus far. With the loss of my grandfather and my health problems early in the year it hasn’t been a bed of roses. But there certainly was a silver lining behind my health problems. March 16th (the day I spent hooked up to an EKG machine after thinking I was having a heart attack) will not be a day I forget anytime soon. It really had a profound affect on me. I was surrounded by people who made my health issues look pretty minor in comparison, but just the same it really scared some sense into me and got me moving. I have lost 25 lbs since that day, with another 25 or so to go (ultimately I’d like to walk around 175-180 at 5’9) . With the medication I am on my bp is normal, and my back feels the best it has in years.

Another thing I found in 2010 is the various Beach Body programs. While I am currently focusing mainly on P90x, I am also throwing in some Power 90 and even a few of the Insanity sessions. Power 90 really got me up and moving and perfect beginner program. P90x I am finding tough and I will be doing mainly p90x workouts probably throughout the rest of the year. As I was saying the other day, for me it will likely be closer to P120 or P150 then P90, haha. I am not saying I will never join a gym again, but I like the convience of the dvds and going in the basement. I will continue mostly following p90x, but throwing in the odd P90x Master series and Insanity workouts for variety.

Later today, or tomorrow I will post some pics for the first time in a few weeks. I measured my waist yesterday, and its down under 41. I have two milestones coming up very shortly, under 200 pounds, and under 40 inch waist. Its been since 1999 the last time I had both of those things. I have gone from TIGHT 42′ pants, to getting into some 36′s, and I am 32 or 33 pounds lighter than I was last new years eve. I am trying to celebrate the progress and not focus on the other shit, and fight through the mental rut.

Well I have prattled on long enough for now. I will be back this weekend, with some more drivel and a pic or two.

Back to Basics

Here I am. No excuses for the last couple weeks. I have been struggling mightily making correct decisions in regards to eating and exercising. This week I am refocusing though (since Sunday) and have exercised 3 days in a row (including at 5:45 am this morning) and I am back on plan. Going to get out of my own way, and just make better decisions every day.

I am getting back to basics and just following the programs I am doing. As always its Weight Watchers for Nutrition, and P90x for exercise. Move more and eat less. You’ve heard it a million times, but thats what I need to do. If I do that everything else will fall into place.

I have thought alot about why I haven’t been writing and why I have struggled so much with food and exercise lately. I was doing so much better when I was writing everyday and taking the once a week pics, and updating facebook. Holding myself accountable was working, and when I started to struggle mindset wise I got away from that. Time to do what I know works. I am 3 days into refocused efforts. I will strive to write, through good and bad 5 days a week minimum. I will not worry about what anyone thinks about the struggles (or the small victories) and I will just write about the journey, because I know that helps me. And thats what really matters.

Weight watchers week 10 Review

Well the week started off sketchy, with hurting my neck getting into my car of all things last Saturday, re-agrivating a very old injury but I had another solid week just the same. On the side there you can see all my weight watchers weighins. Those are taken each Saturday morning in the same clothes at 9:30 am. That is my “official weight” as far as the blog is concerned (210.6) . This am just after getting up, in just boxers I was 208.4lbs on my scale! Lightest I have seen in years! Also I am now down nearly 8 inches off my waist. I am comfortably in size 36 pants, where 10 weeks I was stretching the seams of 42 inch pants. I bought a new belt 2 weeks ago, and have already moved 2 knotches on it. Things are going great!

Here’s today’s pics:

The Pic on the left was 10 weeks ago today, and the other this am.

I will not be doing P90x til fall….

But fear not those of you that are still reading my blog despite the fact that I have barely posted in the last two weeks, I am not returning to my sluggish ways of the past, or planning to drown myself in Jack Daniels or Crown Royal (or insert other alcoholic beverage that I love).  Starting this Sunday, May 16th I am starting 100 days of fitness, that will conclude Aug 24th.  While I will mainly be continuing on doing Power 90 and Power 90 master series workouts during this time, I will also be throwing in a  mix and match of many different workouts.  6 days a week I will do something.  There will be a lot of “Pushing Play”.  I have many different workouts that I have gathered over the years.  And over the last few months I have gotten Power 90 and Power 90 MS, P90x, Insanity, 3 different Jillian Michaels Dvd’s, an assortment of Wii fit games etc.  There will be mountain biking and walking.  There will be hikes with the family, and hopefully playing some pickup sports such as tennis and basketball.  This summer will be my most active summer in years.

 

This isn’t me giving up on my plan to get into my best shape ever in 2010, but rather REDEDICATING myself to just that.  This will be me focusing on moving more, everyday and continuing  living a healthier lifestyle than I have in the past.  I have some big goals for the next 100 days (they are coming).  6 days a week, I will move move move, and I will document the whole journey here.  Then come September I will do P90x or Insanity or some program and follow that to a T.  To get ready for that, I am going to do things that give me the best opportunity to get the best results.  The ultimate goal, is come NYE 2010, my 38th Birthday, be in the BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE.

 

Just as there has been the last few months, there will be bumps and bruises.  There will be detours that life will throw at me.  However, to the best of my ability, I am dedicating myself to working hard every single day to just move move move, and to make healthy choices when it comes to eating.  I will be continuing doing Weight Watchers as I like the program.  I will be more vigilant in tracking my daily points and I will work hard to get all my water in as well as hit my daily point allowance (I have been under eating much of the last 9 weeks).  I will continue taking and posting my progress pictures every Saturday for the duration of my 100 Days of Focus. 

 

What led me to the decision of not doing P90x til the fall is the results I have been having on some of the Power 90 Master Series workouts I have done over the last 10 days or so.  Part of me wanted to stop doing P90 and jump ahead to P90x starting as early as this coming week.  However, if I am going to be realistic about things, I am not quite ready to get the full benefit of the program.  Yes you can modify and yes I can take breaks or hit the pause button etc, but I want to get the best results possible.  While the 1-2 workouts are now to easy, the 3-4 workouts are starting to get boring.  I am 48 days into power 90, plus I had done 6 weeks of it earlier this year.  I am tired of the same couple workouts, and starting to know what Tony is going to say before he says it on the tapes.  Meanwhile over the last 10 days or so I have been doing the different workouts on power 90 master series and done the ocasional Jillian Michaels DVD’s and I am enjoying doing different workouts.  So my thoughts are I am going to take the summer and just do a variety of things.  I will give whichever workout I do my all, and I will just be sure to do SOMETHING six days a week.  I will work hard to build my cardio, improve my strength and flexibility,  and work on my endurance so that come the fall I can give my all to P90x or Insanity or whatever I decide to do and get maximum benefit.

 

Goals for May 16th-Aug 24th 2010

1.  1,000,000 counted steps on my pedometer

2.  500 km on bike (combined mountain and stationary)

3.  lose 30 scale pounds

4.  lose 6 inches from waist

5.  be able to perform at least 3 chinups (minimum recommended to start P90x)

6.  be able to wear my wedding ring again

7.  get to 4th knotch on my weight belt

8.  Be able to jog 2km without stopping

9.  blog 5 days a week minimum

10.  take fit tests at days 25, 50, 75, 100 to measure progress

 

So there we have it, 10 goals, measureable and challenging, yet realistic.  Full starting measurements and pictures will be posted this weekend.  I have my weight watchers meeting tomorrow morning, and I am not sure what to expect.  I have been working out all week, but have not been on the scale, I have been so close to breaking 210 pounds, only to creep up again.  210 is a mental block for me much like 200 has been a mental block for me in the past.  But I will get there, and maybe as soon as this weekend, we’ll see.    I am excited about the next part of my journey.  This 100 days of focus will get me through the doldrums of working out “to feel better” or “to get healthier”.  These two statements are important and they are what I want to do, but they are not truly measurable.  My brain needs something to shoot for, and I think I have given myself plenty to shoot for.  I will be ready come September to give P90x my all.  Over the summer I will start doing the odd p90x workout, mixing it in with power 90, and I will be ready to really rock it.   I am excited for the most active summer I have had in years.  Bring it on!

End of Week 8 WW progress pics

Well, its been a tough week, but all in all I am happy with where I stand today.  My official Weight Watcher weighin was 213.6 which is down 0.2 pounds from two weeks ago.  This past Monday 5 days ago or whatever I was 214.5 i think on my scale, this am I was 210.8 in boxers and a tshirt, which is 0.3 off the lowest i have been through all of this .  The tracker on the side of my blog will be my Weight Watchers official weighins for as long as I go to the meetings, but the 210.8 is closer to what I really weigh obviously, as we don’t weigh our clothes! lol.  It’s funny because I am in a biggest loser contest at work that runs through July 16th, I have weigh ins on three different scales, weight watchers, home and at work.  But anyway.

 

So below is this weeks progress pic.  I can definately see some great changes from the first pic.  I have lost another full inch off my waist and I am down under 42 now.  This is the smallest my waist has been in 7 or 8 years, and although the weight is coming off at a slow steady pace that bugs me at times, I am over the moon happy with the waist coming down.  Long ways to go to where I wanna be, but all in all I am happy with my progress.

 

 

Off to enjoy the nice day, I will be back later this weekend.

End of Week 6 Weight Watchers review

So I am just finishing up my best week yet in terms of effort and healthy decisions.  I walked a tonne, I moved up to the second level of my BeachBody Power 90 workouts, and I am staying on track with Weight Watchers (albeit still struggling to hit my points with healthy foods).  The past 6 weeks overall is probably the best stretch of eating I have ever had…..EVER.

So here are some numbers for the last 6 weeks.

weight start:   229       weight now:  213.8      (the WW scale)

waist start  48.5 inches    waist now  42 6/8 

total inches lost 12

body fat percentage start 31 %    bf now 28%  (still high but its coming)

down 2 pant sizes 42 to 38

need to punch a hole in my belt cause its too big

 

On my scale, in just boxers yesterday I was 210.9.  I haven’t been at this point in 3 years.  Things are really looking good so far, and I am excited to keep going over the next few weeks and months to ingrain these healthy decisions into my life, and make this time For Life and not just another “Resolution”. 

Have a good weekend all !

Not a single rep left behind!

Ever since my weighin Saturday morning at Weight Watchers, I have KILLED every single workout I have completed.  I have walked nearly 18000 steps the last two days, I have been eating clean, and I have been giving every ounce I have to the Power 90 workouts.  That is not to say that I finished every rep I was supposed to, but I can say with 100 percent certainty and honestly I could not have done one more with passable form!  I am very pleased with my efforts.

Sometimes the results on the scale don’t make sense, or do not correlate to the effort you’ve made.  I have had times where I felt I was “PERFECT” (and you know that is very hard to do) where I have GAINED weight, and I have lost weights after near sluglike activity and haphazard eating.  Whatever result the scale shows this weekend, I will not worry about it.  If I can keep up this effort for 2 more days (weigh in is saturday morning) and keep ontop of my eating, it should take care of itself.  And if not, well I will just do it again next week and see what happens!

Tonight was Sweat or cardio 3-4, along with abs 200.  I killed the workout.  When i didn’t think I could go anymore I did reps one at a time, or tried to last a few more sec, then a few more.  Yes I had to stop a few times, but I gave my maximum effort.  I am on Day 25 of Power 90, and I am excited to see what I can do with 65 more days of this!  I will be ready come hell or highwater in July for p90x.  And if not, Well, I will carry on until I am ready.

Going to bed early , for me, and get a good nights rest.  Good night everyone.

Another day, more good decisions

So I got my lazy butt out of bed this morning and got my power 90 workout in.  I am going to stick with the 3-4 workouts from here on out (the workouts start at 1-2 and they move to 3-4 dunno why they are numbered like that).  It was another tough workout but i got through it and I didn’t hold anything back.

Eats were good today, although once again I didn’t eat enough weight watcher points.  I have been under eating through all of this since I started weight watchers.  I am eating right now over the last 30 days  better than I….well maybe better than I ever have.  I have never eaten so much vegetables,  and never ate fish or salads.  However, that being said, I am likely under eating most days even though I am not hungry at all.  I will have to smarten up in that regard.