Hey folks....what can I say....I engaged in a "backward slide". I started the 2nd round of P90X a few times...I'd start out great and then lose focus. It was what I would consider to be a rollercoaster ride. I have what would probably qualify as reasons, but to me seem more like excuses. I'm a busy person...November, December, and January are NO busier than August, September, and October, yet I managed to stay on task during those months. I "slid" back into my old habits. I did manage to hang onto the diet thing for quite a while so, in the end, I really only gained about 7 pounds. And...if I'm going to take a positive spin on this, I was STILL more active during those two and a half months than I was before starting P90X. I'm sure my body has changed shape. I don't exactly know when muscle tissue breaks down, but I suspect the gain of 7 pounds is probably a "different 7 pounds" than just gaining fat.
So...the past is the past...I'm not going to stress over it. I'm going to keep pressing on and get back into good habits. I feel good posting about this today since I've had a really positive 1st week back in the program. I am starting my second week tomorrow and already feel pretty great about the progress. I've lost a few pounds and can tell a difference already.
Here's my plan for the "phase 1" portion of P90X:
Monday - Strength Training (Chest and Back)
Tuesday - Running (3.5 to 5 miles) for about an hour
Wednesday - Strength Training (Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps)
Thursday - Running (3.5 to 5 miles) for about an hour
Friday - Stretching as well as various other workouts (X Stretch, Yoga X, Kenpo X, etc.)
Saturday and Sunday will be rest days
I know that P90X suggests a 6 or 7 day regiment, but that's become pretty difficult with my schedule. I am taking this week by week...my goal was to get through the week with good diet and exercise habits...I achieved that goal. I'm going for it again...and...I plan to succeed. I will observe the recovery week, but I'm not sure how that will play out yet...definitely running, stretching, and yoga. Basically, the plan is TBA.
So...I hope you've had a nice 2.5 month break...try and hang with me. I think my head's right and I'm planning to stay on track and post more often. I am looking for a format for my blogging. Recipes one day, workout tips another day, etc. I am totally open to suggestions as to things you'd like to see...
I'm back...hang in there...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Metabolism...My Special Friend!!
So, I'm doing everything I can to boost this thing called Metabolism. Again, I have to state that I am no expert in the area of Metabolic rate or how your body processes calories...but here is the official definition according to MedicineNet.com:
Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within an organism. Metabolism consists both of anabolism and catabolism (the buildup and breakdown of substances, respectively). The biochemical reactions are known as metabolic pathways and involve enzymes that transform one substance into another substance, either breaking down a substance or building a new chemical substance. The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy.
Long definition short...how your body takes the food that you ingest and transforms it into usable fuel for your body.
Over the years, I've noticed that youngsters have "crazy-high" metabolic rates...and as we get older, unless we are regularly active, it slows down. I've seen students eat huge amounts of disgusting food and never gain an ounce of weight. Before P90Xing (I love changing the usage!), if I ate the same thing as those students I would definitely gain weight. I've also seen people eat once a day without being able to lose weight at all. I'm guessing the thought is that if you eat once a day, your body uses up fat stored in your body?!? I've been in that camp before...not really fun at all!
So...clearly...the key to successful weight loss seems to be all about boosting your metabolism. In the limited research I've done, here's what does it: eating often and exercising.
Through the P90X program, they encourage eating 5 times per day. 3 meals and 2 snacks. I break mine up even more. I tend to eat about 7 times a day. By doing this, my body is in the habit of breaking down food regularly and the steady consumption of food increases the metabolic rate. If you add in a steady workout program, like P90X, then your metabolism becomes "crazy-high". When your body is used to processing food and exercising, then when you have a cheat day, it doesn't hurt you. In fact, I found out that some body builders actually believe that having a "cheat day" when you eat large amounts of food will supercharge your metabolism for a brief amount of time. These bodybuilders believe that a regularly built in "cheat day" helps to keep their metabolic rate up. I have to research this more to know what it's all about. If you have any insights into this topic, please share. I'm interested in working towards keeping my metabolism up.
Not sure what topic I'll cover next...feel free to submit ideas that might be on your mind! Have a great night!!
Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within an organism. Metabolism consists both of anabolism and catabolism (the buildup and breakdown of substances, respectively). The biochemical reactions are known as metabolic pathways and involve enzymes that transform one substance into another substance, either breaking down a substance or building a new chemical substance. The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy.
Long definition short...how your body takes the food that you ingest and transforms it into usable fuel for your body.
Over the years, I've noticed that youngsters have "crazy-high" metabolic rates...and as we get older, unless we are regularly active, it slows down. I've seen students eat huge amounts of disgusting food and never gain an ounce of weight. Before P90Xing (I love changing the usage!), if I ate the same thing as those students I would definitely gain weight. I've also seen people eat once a day without being able to lose weight at all. I'm guessing the thought is that if you eat once a day, your body uses up fat stored in your body?!? I've been in that camp before...not really fun at all!
So...clearly...the key to successful weight loss seems to be all about boosting your metabolism. In the limited research I've done, here's what does it: eating often and exercising.
Through the P90X program, they encourage eating 5 times per day. 3 meals and 2 snacks. I break mine up even more. I tend to eat about 7 times a day. By doing this, my body is in the habit of breaking down food regularly and the steady consumption of food increases the metabolic rate. If you add in a steady workout program, like P90X, then your metabolism becomes "crazy-high". When your body is used to processing food and exercising, then when you have a cheat day, it doesn't hurt you. In fact, I found out that some body builders actually believe that having a "cheat day" when you eat large amounts of food will supercharge your metabolism for a brief amount of time. These bodybuilders believe that a regularly built in "cheat day" helps to keep their metabolic rate up. I have to research this more to know what it's all about. If you have any insights into this topic, please share. I'm interested in working towards keeping my metabolism up.
Not sure what topic I'll cover next...feel free to submit ideas that might be on your mind! Have a great night!!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Results Are In!! - Day 14b
Here it goes! Somehow, I've lost track of time. I didn't mean to be late with my results posting. Instead of posting again in 6 days, I'm going to wait until day 30 to post. Also, I didn't have a great week last week in terms of strength building. I didn't do it at all, but I did manage to get the running done that I've added to my plan. This may mean that I extend phase 1 of the workout plan again...however, I'm not sure yet.
July 14th - 293 (Pre-P90X)
July 14th - 293 (Pre-P90X)
July 26th - 290.6 (Day 1 of P90X)
August 4th - 285 (Day 10 of P90X)
August 14th - 281.8 (Day 20 of P90X)
August 24th - 275.8 (Day 30 of P90X)
September 3rd - 274.4 (Day 40 of P90X)
September 13th - 270.2 (Day 50 of P90X)
September 22nd - 268.6 (Day 59 of P90X)
October 3rd - 265.4 (Day 70 of P90X)
October 13th - 263.4 (Day 80 of P90X)
October 24th - 257.6 (Day 91 of P90X)
November 14th - 257.4 (Day 14b of P90X)
November 14th - 257.4 (Day 14b of P90X)
Total loss to date: 35.6 pounds since July 14th.
Going back to the phase 1 nutritional plan was harder than I expected. I grew accustomed to having 5 servings of carbohydrates in my diet and only 4 servings of protein. I'm happy to boost up my protein, but eliminating the carbohydrates has hit me a bit. I've really been pretty good about adhering to the diet but, since I'm repeating P90X and there is no documentation for how to do this relative to diet, I may jump to phase 2 early and hang with that until phase 3. That allows me to have 3 servings of carbohydrates and 8 servings of protein.
Anyway...these are my thoughts for right now. I'm back on the strength training wagon again and hope to see some results soon. It's pretty amazing how my mind messes with me. I took a week off and feel like the muscles are "withering away". Not sure how fast that happens, but probably not much of a difference after a week.
Also...I am starting an "AB Ripper X" club in my school. Anyone that wants to go through 16 minutes of pure Joy 3 times per week with me can do it. If you're a student, we're starting next week!
Feel free to offer up any wisdom if you're reading this and have thoughts! Oh....one more thing, if you drop me a comment, try to do it here if it's beneficial to other people. I'll make sure I get the comment posted.
Thanks! More later!!
Going back to the phase 1 nutritional plan was harder than I expected. I grew accustomed to having 5 servings of carbohydrates in my diet and only 4 servings of protein. I'm happy to boost up my protein, but eliminating the carbohydrates has hit me a bit. I've really been pretty good about adhering to the diet but, since I'm repeating P90X and there is no documentation for how to do this relative to diet, I may jump to phase 2 early and hang with that until phase 3. That allows me to have 3 servings of carbohydrates and 8 servings of protein.
Anyway...these are my thoughts for right now. I'm back on the strength training wagon again and hope to see some results soon. It's pretty amazing how my mind messes with me. I took a week off and feel like the muscles are "withering away". Not sure how fast that happens, but probably not much of a difference after a week.
Also...I am starting an "AB Ripper X" club in my school. Anyone that wants to go through 16 minutes of pure Joy 3 times per week with me can do it. If you're a student, we're starting next week!
Feel free to offer up any wisdom if you're reading this and have thoughts! Oh....one more thing, if you drop me a comment, try to do it here if it's beneficial to other people. I'll make sure I get the comment posted.
Thanks! More later!!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Here We Go Again...
For me, Halloween meant the eve of the 2nd round of P90X. It's been a week since I last posted and I've had a pretty decent week. I missed a few workouts, but I realized that there are just going to be weeks that I am not going to get 6 workouts in. Mentally, it has taken me a while to let that sink in. I always beat myself up when I take a day off, thinking that I'm straying from my program. That change in my approach to working out also has impacted my dietary choices. I've mentioned before that I enjoy the little "treats" life has to offer from time to time. I ALWAYS would think that I was "cheating" the diet, but I don't feel that way anymore. If I eat something that isn't healthy, I don't make a big deal about it, I just make sure that I stay on track. It has never, to my knowledge, had an impact on my road to fitness. I still step on the scale everyday and I see gains and losses, but the weekly trend is always a loss or at the worst, no weight change at all. Pretty cool...apparently I have a pretty rockin' metabolism!! My next post will deal with metabolism changes, but that's for another day!
I had a doctor appointment yesterday and he took my blood pressure. It was 98/72. Now...for many, that is probably no big deal...but my average blood pressure was anywhere from 126/88 to 118/82. Never have I been in the 70's for the bottom number in my adult life. The doctor made a pretty big deal about it. Another thing we talked about at the appointment was the opening in the back of my throat. Seems kinda weird, but he is an ENT guy. He asked me if I snore and, of course, I don't really know the answer to that question. So, I asked my wife and she said I snore less now than I did before, but never a lot unless I'm sick. Doc said that the tongue is one big muscle and showed me the opening in the back of my throat with a little camera that he shoved down my nose. Looked pretty cool! He said my opening was a little on the small side and if I gain weight, it'll get smaller, causing me to snore more. This leads me to believe that if I keep losing weight, then it'll get larger, right?? I'm not sure why people use machines to help with sleep Apnea, but if it's at all related to the throat size and air pressure keeping it open when the tongue relaxes, this creates more motivation for me.
Thanks for reading! I was pretty amazed when I noticed that I was over 2000 hits on the site. I was excited early on when I crossed the 40 hit mark. I really appreciate all the comments, suggestions, and inspiring remarks. I'm really committed to this and knowing that people read this blog pushes me forward...and...of course...helps me push play!!
I had a doctor appointment yesterday and he took my blood pressure. It was 98/72. Now...for many, that is probably no big deal...but my average blood pressure was anywhere from 126/88 to 118/82. Never have I been in the 70's for the bottom number in my adult life. The doctor made a pretty big deal about it. Another thing we talked about at the appointment was the opening in the back of my throat. Seems kinda weird, but he is an ENT guy. He asked me if I snore and, of course, I don't really know the answer to that question. So, I asked my wife and she said I snore less now than I did before, but never a lot unless I'm sick. Doc said that the tongue is one big muscle and showed me the opening in the back of my throat with a little camera that he shoved down my nose. Looked pretty cool! He said my opening was a little on the small side and if I gain weight, it'll get smaller, causing me to snore more. This leads me to believe that if I keep losing weight, then it'll get larger, right?? I'm not sure why people use machines to help with sleep Apnea, but if it's at all related to the throat size and air pressure keeping it open when the tongue relaxes, this creates more motivation for me.
Thanks for reading! I was pretty amazed when I noticed that I was over 2000 hits on the site. I was excited early on when I crossed the 40 hit mark. I really appreciate all the comments, suggestions, and inspiring remarks. I'm really committed to this and knowing that people read this blog pushes me forward...and...of course...helps me push play!!
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Results are In!! - Day 97 (Graduation Day)
Here we go...."Sophomore Year" is done! Monday starts my junior year. Saturday and Sunday is my summer vacation! I'm gonna have a ton of stuff in this post...tests and measurements before and after as well as pictures and a video. Enjoy! My wife sees a big difference, I don't see it nearly as much...not until I look at my belt holes. I went in 5 belt holes...when I move it out to the 2nd hole and see the space between it and my waist, I see a significant change then! I feel a lot better too!
Here are the "Day 97 Pix"
Here's a video of each pose for Day -1, 30, 60, 97.
Ok...enough of the multimedia presentations. Here are some before and after statistics:
Before and After Body Measurements:
Resting Heart Rate: from 92 to 76
Weight: from 293 to 258
Chest: from 51.5" to 47"
Waist: from 54" to 47.5"
Hips: from 48" to 44.5"
Right Thigh: from 25.5" to 24.5"
Left Thigh: from 27" to 26"
Right Arm: from 17" to 15.5"
Left Arm: from 16.5" to 16"
The Fit Test was done the day before I started P90X. There are 2 numbers for each activity. The first is the Pre-test. The 2nd is the Post-test.
1. Pull-Ups: 0, 0 (but I can at least lift myself a bit and I can do a bunch with the aid of a chair)
(Pretty straight forward here...)
2. Vertical Leap: 10.5", 19"
(Standing position, bend knees and leap straight up in the air)
3. Push-Ups: 20, 30
(Do as many standard push-ups until you fail)
4. Toe Touch: 2.25" beyond toes, 5" beyond toes
(Seated with legs straight and together, reach as far past toes as possible)
5. Wall Squat: 1:15, 2:01
(Bend knees to simulate sitting in a chair, knees at 90 degrees and hold as long as possible)
6. Bicep Curls (30 pounds per arm): 20, 32
(Pretty straight forward here also...)
7. In & Outs: 30, 41
(Lying on your back, feet about 6" above ground, move legs in and out without touching the floor)
8. Heart Rate Maximizer:
(2 minutes of jumping jacks with last 30 seconds as fast as possible first, then take heart rate 5 times)
Immediately after jumping jacks: 162, 146
1 minute after stopping: 134, 114
2 minutes after stopping: 118, 110
3 minutes after stopping: 116, 108
4 minutes after stopping: 112, 104
Hopefully this was all clear...I know it's a lot of info, but I wanted you to have a pretty complete picture. I'm looking forward to the progress I make between now and day 187. Have a great day!! Thanks for reading...another exciting 3 months ahead!!
Here are the "Day 97 Pix"
Here's a video of each pose for Day -1, 30, 60, 97.
Ok...enough of the multimedia presentations. Here are some before and after statistics:
Before and After Body Measurements:
Resting Heart Rate: from 92 to 76
Weight: from 293 to 258
Chest: from 51.5" to 47"
Waist: from 54" to 47.5"
Hips: from 48" to 44.5"
Right Thigh: from 25.5" to 24.5"
Left Thigh: from 27" to 26"
Right Arm: from 17" to 15.5"
Left Arm: from 16.5" to 16"
The Fit Test was done the day before I started P90X. There are 2 numbers for each activity. The first is the Pre-test. The 2nd is the Post-test.
1. Pull-Ups: 0, 0 (but I can at least lift myself a bit and I can do a bunch with the aid of a chair)
(Pretty straight forward here...)
2. Vertical Leap: 10.5", 19"
(Standing position, bend knees and leap straight up in the air)
3. Push-Ups: 20, 30
(Do as many standard push-ups until you fail)
4. Toe Touch: 2.25" beyond toes, 5" beyond toes
(Seated with legs straight and together, reach as far past toes as possible)
5. Wall Squat: 1:15, 2:01
(Bend knees to simulate sitting in a chair, knees at 90 degrees and hold as long as possible)
6. Bicep Curls (30 pounds per arm): 20, 32
(Pretty straight forward here also...)
7. In & Outs: 30, 41
(Lying on your back, feet about 6" above ground, move legs in and out without touching the floor)
8. Heart Rate Maximizer:
(2 minutes of jumping jacks with last 30 seconds as fast as possible first, then take heart rate 5 times)
Immediately after jumping jacks: 162, 146
1 minute after stopping: 134, 114
2 minutes after stopping: 118, 110
3 minutes after stopping: 116, 108
4 minutes after stopping: 112, 104
Hopefully this was all clear...I know it's a lot of info, but I wanted you to have a pretty complete picture. I'm looking forward to the progress I make between now and day 187. Have a great day!! Thanks for reading...another exciting 3 months ahead!!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pizza, Pastry, and Pie: Poison?!?
Throughout the workouts, Tony does his best to be motivational and while he's doing that, he makes the comment about certain foods being poison. Donuts, pastry, etc. are on the "poison list". These foods are NOT P90X friendly and because of that, Tony says...NO GO! He, frequently, talks about soups on his cool down sessions by doing "pot stirrers". When his "workout buddies" mention a soup that could be dairy based or not whole wheat noodles, he quickly replies with comments like "with whole wheat noodles, right" or "I hope it's non-dairy". While I really enjoy the workouts and Tony does really help a lot...what kind of world are we living in when we can't enjoy some of the simple, unhealthy, flavors of life? If, to be ripped, I can never eat a piece of pizza, pie, or cake, I don't want to be ripped! It's just that simple! Now...my approach towards those foods has changed significantly in the last 90+ days. I am totally cool with eating 1 or 2 pieces of pizza with a large salad for dinner. Before, I'd eat 6-8 pieces of pizza and be too full for salad. This has been a good shift. Also, I will not deny myself a piece of birthday cake at a celebration. Again...differently than before...a small or medium sized piece with a tiny bit of ice cream does the trick for me. Before...big piece, 2 scoops of ice cream....then seconds the same way. I haven't skipped out of eating these foods, I just limit the quantity. The cool thing for me is that I don't consciously decide to eat less, I just don't really want any more that what I eat. 2 pieces of pizza is really enough. I don't feel like I'm depriving myself. Before, if I ate 2 pieces of pizza for dinner, I'd be looking, longingly, at the pizza all night long. Now, I don't really give it much thought. I made a dessert for my wife and her friend yesterday. When it was baked, I tasted a small square of it. Before, I'd have eaten about 4 of those squares and then eat what they didn't when their evening was all over.
Are you sensing a pattern here? I do my best to stick with the P90X diet on a daily basis, but on a special occasion, I will break free from it a bit. I also try to compensate for it in my daily allotment of food...for example: I usually count 1 piece of pizza as a carbohydrate, dairy, fat and condiment. That is only a guess, but I figure it keeps me thinking along the P90X diet plan. Now...I must mention that I don't eat those things daily...they are done sparingly...not regularly.
The other thing that I noticed is that on days when I eat the non-P90X foods, I don't see any trend in weight gain. Since I exercise and eat about 7 times a day, it seems like the metabolism is working pretty hard. That's my guess anyway...
Well...that's my thoughts for tonight...the next post will be my results for the 1st round of P90X. I'm pretty excited for the fit test. I want to see how I've changed! Anyway....g'night!
Are you sensing a pattern here? I do my best to stick with the P90X diet on a daily basis, but on a special occasion, I will break free from it a bit. I also try to compensate for it in my daily allotment of food...for example: I usually count 1 piece of pizza as a carbohydrate, dairy, fat and condiment. That is only a guess, but I figure it keeps me thinking along the P90X diet plan. Now...I must mention that I don't eat those things daily...they are done sparingly...not regularly.
The other thing that I noticed is that on days when I eat the non-P90X foods, I don't see any trend in weight gain. Since I exercise and eat about 7 times a day, it seems like the metabolism is working pretty hard. That's my guess anyway...
Well...that's my thoughts for tonight...the next post will be my results for the 1st round of P90X. I'm pretty excited for the fit test. I want to see how I've changed! Anyway....g'night!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Results Are In!! - Day 91
Here we go...another "bench mark" on the road to weight loss!! Soon, I'll be graduating my sophomore year and ready to move to my junior year of P90X!
July 14th - 293 (Pre-P90X)
July 26th - 290.6 (Day 1 of P90X)
August 4th - 285 (Day 10 of P90X)
August 14th - 281.8 (Day 20 of P90X)
August 24th - 275.8 (Day 30 of P90X)
September 3rd - 274.4 (Day 40 of P90X)
September 13th - 270.2 (Day 50 of P90X)
September 22nd - 268.6 (Day 59 of P90X)
October 3rd - 265.4 (Day 70 of P90X)
October 13th - 263.4 (Day 80 of P90X)
October 24th - 257.6 (Day 91 of P90X)
Total loss to date: 35.4 pounds since July 14th.
This should be the end of my first round of P90X. I extended it by one week when I had a pretty bad week at one point in the program. So...I am beginning my recovery week now. On either Saturday or Sunday, I'll take all the measurements, pictures, and do the fit test again to measure my progress. That will be a fun post for me!!
July 14th - 293 (Pre-P90X)
July 26th - 290.6 (Day 1 of P90X)
August 4th - 285 (Day 10 of P90X)
August 14th - 281.8 (Day 20 of P90X)
August 24th - 275.8 (Day 30 of P90X)
September 3rd - 274.4 (Day 40 of P90X)
September 13th - 270.2 (Day 50 of P90X)
September 22nd - 268.6 (Day 59 of P90X)
October 3rd - 265.4 (Day 70 of P90X)
October 13th - 263.4 (Day 80 of P90X)
October 24th - 257.6 (Day 91 of P90X)
Total loss to date: 35.4 pounds since July 14th.
This should be the end of my first round of P90X. I extended it by one week when I had a pretty bad week at one point in the program. So...I am beginning my recovery week now. On either Saturday or Sunday, I'll take all the measurements, pictures, and do the fit test again to measure my progress. That will be a fun post for me!!
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