Sweaty.

I hate being sweaty.. but that's slowly changing! I guess I measure my workouts by amount of sweat produced. This is week 4 of phase 1, and that means a different workout routine. Today I did Core Synergenics and it kicked my butt! Yesterday was Yoga, and of course I did not do Yoga X. Instead, I did Yoga for Health on my Netflix, and it was incredible. I have never ever liked Yoga, but this program was great and it was exactly what my body needed.

This week's workouts are: Yoga, Core, Kenpo, Stretching, Core, Yoga, Rest
I will also be going to Zumba class on Monday with a friend, so it will be Yoga & Zumba that day.

Sounds pretty easy to me. School starts next week, so this is coming at the perfect time as I adjust my schedule. I'm really happy I started this workout plan because by now it is a habit and I don't really have to force myself to do it anymore. Hopefully that habitual attitude will stick with me as I add homework and classes into the mix.

Collapse

Today was so incredibly hard. I barely made it through Legs and Back + Zumba Abs. I collapsed afterwards and was shaking for a while afterwards. This is what happened last time and I know it's from not eating or drinking enough. You'd think that since I know what the source of the problem is, I'd be able to fix it...but old habits die hard. Trying to incorporate more food and water into my day is much harder for me than it should be. I really reject the thought of eating more than I already do.

Let my experience be a lesson- while on P90X you MUST eat a lot and get tons of water or else you will collapse from exhaustion. It's not preventing me from working out, but it does make my recovery time about three times longer than it should be.

The end of week three is tomorrow, and I will be checking my measurements. I'm so nervous! P90X doesn't work the same way for women as it does for men. For a lot of people the first 30 days does not produce weight loss- it can even make your weight go up since you're gaining muscle. Phase two and three are where you see the fat melt away. The first time I did P90X I had a huge success in phase one, but this time I'm not losing. A lot of people quit after week four because they didn't see the huge results they had hoped for and do not keep going. I'm determined to get beyond week four!

Exhausted

I'm laying on the floor, panting, after finishing Ab Ripper X and Coco takes the opportunity to smother me with kisses. I make the conscious decision that I'd rather be covered in dog spit than have to get up and make my protein shake. I'm just that exhausted!

This week I upped the reps on every single workout. It's taking its toll, and I was shaking and barely making it through Shoulders and Arms today. I'm excited and nervous to weigh myself at the end of this workout week. I can't say that I lost any inches- I haven't measured, but I haven't noticed a difference in my clothes. To be quite honest, I didn't even dress up to go anywhere this week, so maybe that's why I haven't seen a difference...sweatpants aren't going to show you anything. My arm muscles are becoming visible and so are my thighs! I've had a busy week at home because I spontaneously decided to buy a hedgehog. I've been trying to get her used to me, set up a bigger cage for her, and sew her little toys to play with.

I haven't been eating or drinking enough and I'm getting dizzy spells. I had this problem the last time I attempted P90X. I just..don't like eating or drinking. I'm not the kind of person who eats when they're bored, because I get bored of eating. Nothing seems to appeal to me lately, and so I normally eat this in a day:

Breakfast- Cinnamon Oatmeal with Chia seeds
Lunch- Salad and all natural dressing, sometimes Miso soup too
Post-Workout- Protein shake
Dinner- A piece of chicken and some veggies
Snack- Popsicle
Water- 3 or 4 glasses

So... I'm getting about 900 calories. I have heard that eating less than 1200 can actually damage your weight loss  efforts because your body goes into starvation mode. This is the way I have ate my entire life- maybe I'm doing it wrong?

OW!

I finished 5 out of the 6 workouts this week. Legs and Back is so so so so painful, that I need an extra day to recover. I'm literally icing my butt- and it's not helping. I hate the legs and back workout to death.

Tomorrow I will be doing Yoga and Pilates instead of taking my rest day. I am not sleeping quite as well as I wanted to be, but I did keep the friend drama out of my mind and I even managed to meet someone who is so much like me, it's unbelievable!

I'm excited to see how much I have accomplished at the end of next week!

Sleepy

I looked at a lot of motivational sayings and photos today on pinterest and created a Fit board! It was a way to delay my workout, but it's going to benefit me in the long run.

Today was Shoulders and Back + Zumba Abs.

This is my favorite workout! Last year when I first started P90X, I thought this workout was a waste of time because I barely sweat. I soon realized that I needed to up the weight- I am not as weak as I thought I was! Right now I'm doing 12 reps (unless it requires 16) of each with mostly 8lb weights. I use 5lb weights for the two triceps kickback exercises. I will go up to 15 reps of each before I up the weights.

Zumba abs is so much better than Ab Ripper X! It is a 20 minute exercise, and it works all your abdominal muscles and your lower back. The dance moves really target your obliques- and you need strong obliques before you can try to get rid of the fat on your tummy.

Music is extremely important to me during my workouts. I listen to Korn, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, and other high energy songs that make my blood pump. Usually I can cut out 20 or more minutes from the P90X videos because I do them on my own with my phone app. My app tells you what exercise is coming next and allows you to record what you've done, so I can just do the work without watching Tony. I can't do this with the Cardio X and Kenpo X videos though.

If you don't want to pay $150 for the program, you could just get the videos on your phone for $29.99. I'm not sure what the app is called, but I saw it on my droid.

Week One Done!

I've been fairly successful this week. I have created some new habits, and actually Pinterest has become one hell of a bad one. I'm on there ALL the time (It's worse than fb). I'm sipping on my protein drink and thinking about what I could have done differently last week and apply it to this week. The first thing is to just do it! I conveniently distract myself whenever my workout time comes around. I'm at war with my body- I just don't know which parts are on which side.

I'm not going to weigh myself or take measurements until the end of week three because I'm just not that kind of person. I track my progress by my muscle tone, soreness, and reps. My arms are already shaping up. It's not visible, but the muscle is pretty much rock hard already. My thighs are the same. Week one is always killer because you're just getting used to the feeling of being sore. I did not do all the workouts this week, which I am very ashamed of. So...motivational quotes are going up on my computer screen and mirrors.

I've had a lot of drama in my life lately and it's taking a toll. My best friend and I had a falling out, over stupid stuff, and did not talk for over 3 months. Now we're trying to be friends again, and it's just not working. I'm really lonely and whiny right now since she is the only one of my best friends that actually lives where I do. I'm also sleeping an unbelievable amount right now (like 10+ hours a night) and I never feel rested. I don't want to sleep that much, but I just can't wake up. When I finally do wake up, I'm exhausted and tempted to fall back asleep on the couch. I'm not sure what's going on. I'm going to make it a goal to put the friend drama out of my mind for this entire week and see if that helps.

Remember my resolution about not being on the computer so much? I really need to get serious about that one.

My workout partner and I:

Those Dreadful Measurments

I'm going to have a really long introduction because I need to get a lot out there before I "officially" start my weight loss goals. I like to read about other people's stories and how they succeed, but there are always so many details missing from their journey that I'd like to know. I'm going to try and be as thorough as possible and of course, brutally honest.

About my body:

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 205lbs (ouch)

Measurements-
Arms (each): 13.5

Thighs (each): 24.5

Chest: 43

Tummy (not waist): 42.5

Hips: 46.5

Neck: 14

Weaknesses: carbs! I love pizza and pasta.
                     I never drink enough water

                     I snack all day (will power) 

Strengths: Knowledge- I know what I need to do, but... 

                Support System

Health:

I'm not in the best health. I get sick often, right now I have problems with my feet since I bruised both of my Achilles tendons. I have to wear a walking boot if I'm doing a lot of walking- this is just temporary. I have carpal tunnel that has been acting up lately. I wear braces to bed and whenever it is bothering me. Diseases like Fibromyalgia, Lupus, and Diabetes run strongly in my family. I'm not pre-diabetic yet, and trying to make sure I wont be any time soon. 

About My Lifestyle

 I am a photographer, a full time student, and I have a part time job. I am exhausted pretty much all the time. I'm 21, very soon to be 22, and I'm pretty sure I have the body of a 40 year old. I love to go geocaching, but my husband and I haven't gone often this year. I'm insanely stressed out most of the time because I have too much going on. Despite being busy, I do have time for exercise but I have a lack of motivation. I would so much rather be online or watching TV. So, I have a normal lifestyle in terms of activity. I have to walk to classes, when I work I am walking for about 5 hours straight. On my days off I always lounge and stay on the couch. 

Also, I'm not a vegetarian, but I very rarely eat meat. I just don't like meat. I cannot shake the thought of eating muscle and veins from another living creature. When I do eat meat it takes forever because I examine every little piece looking for veins and fat. I just avoid the stuff as much as possible. 

Fitness Plans

I want to be down to 140lbs, curvy but not soft. I admire women who have strong arms and visible muscles. I want to be lean and strong. I will be starting P90X Classic today.

I have tried it in the past and had success. My first month devoted to P90X was difficult but I lost 15lbs quickly. I pulled a muscle in my hip during a Yoga X pose and it took almost 3 months to heal! Needless to say, I gained that weight back and more. I also did not drink or eat nearly enough to push through the workouts. I passed out a few times my first time around. This time I will definitely eat and drink enough and not push myself too hard too fast!

You see results very fast with P90X, but even though I've had it for over a year now, I haven't been motivated enough to start another round until now. I will be tracking all my workouts and diet with an awesome app on my droid called 90Droid Extreme Fitness. 

Diet

I'm going to be following the P90X nutrition plan. Phase 1 requires a huge amount of protein so I will be drinking two protein shakes a day. Since I'm going to have to eat protein, I am planning on eating chicken everyday. Basically I do not count calories, I just make sure I meet these servings:

Proteins (5)

Dairy (2)

Fruits (1)

Veggies (2)

Fats (1)

Carbs (1)

Snacks (3)

Water (8)

I usually only drink 2 glasses of water a day, so this will be a challenge. I have always hated drinking fluids, and yes I know that's extremely weird. I only drink enough to keep myself conscious- not healthy at all. Although the plan says stay away from alcohol, Dr. Oz says you should drink a glass of red wine to get rid of belly fat. Hmm.. not sure what I'm going to do with that information.

Alright, so I'm embarking on my weight loss journey starting... tomorrow. Don't judge me.