P90X Lean Week 2 Update

I have begun to lose weight again, which makes me happy. ^_^ I lost 3 1/2 pounds this week. I am eating about 70-80% raw food still, and I can feel the difference that has made. I'd like to go 100% raw, at least for a few months and see how it feels. That will probably be one of my focuses for next year.

P90X was somewhat easier this week. I was able to push harder and really get the most out of the workouts. Here is my day by day summary:

Day 8:
Core Synergistics- I was able to accomplish a lot more of the exercises because I have a mat now. I pulled my lower abdominal muscle yesterday and it hurts when I put too much strain on it (All I did was roll over too quickly, but I suppose my muscles are already a bit overtaxed).
I was just careful not to overdo it on the exercises that affected that area today, but was still able to complete most of the workout. I didn't do the extra part at the end, but I plan to next time.
I worked much harder this time than last time and was able to do more. I feel awesome about it. My body seems slimmer, less jiggly already. ^_^

Day 9:
Cardio- It seemed easier this time. I actually had to jump around and jog in place  while he was just talking to keep my heart rate up.
I really think there are probably better cardio workouts than this one, but I don't want to deviate from the program this round. Next time I may add in my own workout on the cardio days.
I still had trouble with the planks because of my pulled muscle, and when I tried to do a Dreya roll, it felt like I was going to make it worse, so I took it easy.

Day 10:
Shoulders and Arms- Even easier than the first time, but I still didn't do the extra  part at the end or the ab ripper because my lower abdominal muscle still hurts pretty sharply. I do need heavier weights, though (All I have are 3 pound weights).

Day 11:
Yoga- I did 20 minutes, but was in quite a bit of pain, so I decided to let my ab have a bit of a rest. No sense in injuring myself worse, or for longer. I'm sure tomorrow I'll feel much better. I do still walk for thirty minutes every single day pushing a double stroller, though.

Day 12:
Legs and Back- I did the entire workout and was able to do all of the exercises except for full chin-ups. I did 90 partial chin-ups (with only the tips of my big toes touching the ground). I felt like I did much better than last week. This is the first day I felt strong enough to really push and challenge myself.
Ab Ripper- I'm still resting that ab muscle so I can come back strong next week.

Day 13:
Kenpo- I did all of the workout except for the last 5 minutes (My children woke up). It was tough, but I had that same feeling I did yesterday. The feeling of being strong and wanting to push myself.
I can feel muscles in my body I never have before, plus I can tell my waist and arms are already smaller.

Day 14:
Rest Day- My body was exhausted, but I still did a lot of walking today.

Overall, I did okay, but this next week I want to push myself and really bring it. I'm so excited about all the changes I'm starting to see in my body. :D:D

Day 2 of P90X

Hello! This morning was my second P90X workout. I am having fun and working hard. P90X is pretty intense so far, but I already feel stronger and my muscles are already firming up.

I've decided to follow the lean plan, as I have a large frame and don't really want to bulk up. Also, I still have  quite a bit of weight to lose, and I think this will be the best way to do it.

I'm still eating about 60% raw foods, and I'm researching ways to get more protein in my diet without having to eat a ton of meat or use fake protein powder.

Here's my P90X Day 1 photo. I'm a bit embarrassed to show this, but I can't wait to see the difference when I'm through. I weigh about 195 and I'm 5'9".

I'm Back!

Hello!

I realized today that there really is no point in retiring this blog until I have really become who I want to be, right? What kind of weight loss blog would it be if you never got to see the end result?

So I'm back.

My weight is back up to 200 lbs, not because the HCG diet failed, but because I have blatantly gone back to my old lifestyle. I'm done with it! I miss what it felt like to be strong and for my body to feel clean and free of the automatic bloat that crappy food gives you.

I plan to finish this up and get down to 160 lbs the old-fashioned way, with a lot of work and habit changes. I want to change my lifestyle this time, not just lose a bunch of weight as fast as possible.

I started a video log of how far I've come, what I look like now, and what I plan to change in the next couple weeks.



Thanks for sticking with me and I'll update again soon!

Ladies, Don't Panic! HCG and Your Period

I'm going to be quite frank in this entry, though I realize for a lot of us ladies it can be an embarrassing subject.

The month after I did the HCG alternative drops, I had a late period. I was honestly a little freaked (as I'm sure you can understand, most of us have been there).

I began researching when I was a couple days late and came to the conclusion that it was not an unusual occurrence, even for women who are very regular. Losing weight as fast as you can on the HCG diet can cause you to not ovulate, or to ovulate late.

I started my period about two weeks after I was supposed to, so all is well in my orbit now. I wanted to write about this very personal topic for all of the women out there who want to do the HCG diet. I honestly had no idea about this side effect and I wanted to help prepare you guys, or at least ease your panic if it happens to you.

By the way, after doing the HCG diet over a month ago, I feel that my metabolism has been completely reset. I still eat quite reasonably and healthily, and I find that I just don't want a lot of junk food. It seems too rich and I just don't crave it. I have continued to lose weight slowly and I now weigh 192 pounds. Yay!

What has been your experience? Don't be embarrassed, we're all girls here! (Mostly) ^_^

A Week Later...

Hello, again! I'm pleased to say that I've been eating normally (about 1500 calories a day) and I haven't gained a pound back. I weigh 197.2 pounds.

I've been doing cardio a few times a week and riding my bike a lot. I got these fancy new shoes that make me feel awesome when I exercise... I've never had 'workout' shoes before really, and these feel so light on my feet. I love them!

New Balance Minimus... 

I haven't written lately because I've been trying to give myself a little rest from the whole 'diet' lifestyle. It was starting to make me a little crazy. I was very pleased to find, though, that I have no cravings for 'bad' foods. We went to a Chinese buffet for dinner last night and I didn't have a single piece of fried food. Plus, I ate one single layer plate of chicken, vegetables, and sushi with no noodles or extra rice. For desert, I had some fruit and cottage cheese. And it was easy. It wasn't a struggle. I wasn't fighting to convince myself not to have any egg rolls. I just didn't want any.

After all of the struggles I've had with food in my life, it feels wonderful to be able to happily make healthy choices. Or even to be able to say no after one if I slip. (One donut is much better than 6!)

I am very happy with my choice to use the Formula One diet drops, as difficult as it was at times. It gave me the boost I needed. Now that I can fit into all of my clothes and truly see a difference in my body when I look in the mirror, I am much more motivated and confident in my ability to get to my target weight range. I feel healthy and I'm loving it!

Anyone else using Formula One or any other type of HCG alternative drops? I'd love to hear about your experience!

HCG Before and After

Before.... Day One..... And Today

Finally the day is here! I'm honestly a bit embarrassed to show you these photos, but I think it is necessary to illustrate the difference the alternative HCG has made. Yes, I could have lost more weight if I hadn't cheated. Yes, that would have been awesome, but honestly, I feel great and I don't care.

I look great in my clothes, I feel better and stronger. My eating habits have changed completely and I exercise (and enjoy it!) every day. I really think I can lose the rest on my own, and I'll continue to log my progress. There are so many things I have been doing and will continue to do to improve my health. This isn't over yet, but so far this journey has been amazing. 40 pounds down, 28 to go!

Hey, remember that photo from Day 1?

Day 1

Here I am today!

Oh, yeh.

Day 28 and 29

I'm still going strong! And still losing. I weighed in at 198.6 this morning. It's about much more than the weight, though. It's about the fact that I can see and feel a major difference in my body. I feel stronger and leaner and I look MUCH better in my clothes. Speaking of my clothes, I can fit into almost every pair of pants I own now. It feels incredible. It's like going shopping in my closet.

I am still taking the drops, but it's more like an experiment at this point. I am eating about 1,500 calories a day now and still losing. I'm considering just sort of weaning myself off of the HCG alternative drops (keep in mind I am not taking true HCG drops, and I'm sure my case is not typical).

I've decided to take them until the bottle runs out. There is about 1/4 of it left. We'll see what happens.

In other news, I discovered the most fun exercise ever. I've caught it. Zumba fever. I am playing it on the Wii right now and it is so much fun I don't even realize I'm exercising. I seriously doubt I am any good. I probably look like an awkward dancing bear or something, but it's still awesome. I just don't do it in front of anyone.

I feel so much better and so much more me now that I am eating more food and exercising. Seriously.

Under 200 on Day 27!

Um, YAY! ^_^ I weighed in at 199.6 this morning. I felt fantastic all day, and I even rode my bike for like 4 miles! It was a good day.

I think I need to start going to bed earlier, though. I always seem to get all grumpy in the evening. I get very anxious about the next day's weigh-in. I'm seriously considering asking my husband to hide my bathroom scale after I finish this diet, at least for a couple weeks.

I think a break from constantly monitoring that stupid number instead of focusing on how I feel will do me good.

Cheating and Losing Anyway on Days 24-26

I haven't written in a couple days because I was testing out a theory. First of all, let me just say that everyone is totally different, so this may be a fluke. Don't run out and try it on your diet without some serious thought. (Plus, trial and error). Also, I'm not doing the actual HCG drops, just an herbal alternative, so that could also have something to do with it. (After all this time reading about HCG drops and people's descriptions of being on the actual hormone, I'm pretty sure the experience is much different as far as hunger and the ability to cheat go).

Here's the big news. Today I was 201.8 pounds. For the past 3 days I have eaten over 1000 calories. WHAT?! I know, it's weird. I have been eating healthy food mostly... but still. Strange.

And here's what happened. I had been feeling quite miserable on the HCG diet (as I'm sure you could tell from my blog posts). I wanted to quit, but I felt really lame, so I just cheated a little instead. And lost weight. Cheated again the next day. Stalled. Cheated yesterday. LOST 2 POUNDS. I'm pretty much baffled. I am still taking the HCG as directed. I have started to exercise as well. Plus, the extra food I have been eating is basically an extension of the diet, with some healthy dairy and grains added.

I have been reading YOU: On A Diet by Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D. and it is quite an exciting read. The book basically explains how your body uses food, completely destroys tons of common myths about dieting, and explains how you can learn to eat and exercise without really thinking about it. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. Something I can maintain and feel great about.

Anyway, my silly little brain got all caught up in those ideas and I started implementing some of them without actually quitting HCG first. We'll see how tomorrow goes as far as loss/gain, but if I keep losing, I see no issue with continuing to take the alternative HCG. I still haven't decided how I'm going to approach Phase 3, the maintenance phase. I'll probably just ease into it.

I feel like my path is shifting and I'm exciting about making some changes that will be more permanent, and not just changes for a quick result. I'll keep you posted!

Day 22 and 23

Oh. Em. Gee. So, I was feeling really bummed out for pretty much the last few days and on a whim I went and tried on some pants I have. As I sit here typing, I am wearing... wait for it.... 13's! That may not seem like a big deal to some of you out there, but to a girl who was squeezing into 18's two and a half months ago, 13's feel like skinny jeans.

I weigh 204 today and I don't really care. I feel amazing.




I'm also quite pleased because I ate popcorn last night and still managed to lose almost half a pound.

Here's the deal. The longer I'm on this diet the more I'm realizing it may not matter. That although I'd love to weigh 170 and be able to wear a bikini and blah, blah, blah, I am gorgeous right now. At 204 pounds.

I always have been.

Back on Track on Day 21

I guess my husband's theory was correct. I lost almost 2 pounds last night. I feel a lot better about it now.

I'm feeling a little crummy and I think I'm just going to go to bed early. I'm looking forward to the end of this diet,but I want to get the most out of it as possible. Despite that, I'm finding it very hard not to cheat at least a tiny bit each day.

I feel and look thinner and better, though, and that is what matters.

More Gain on Day 20

Boo. I weigh 206.2 today. My amazing Easter dinner is definitely catching up to me. I still feel good, though, and I refuse to let this get me down. I have 10 more days (or more if I decide) and I plan to stick to protocol as closely as possible.

I've found something interesting about cheating. Even the one day of eating basically whatever I wanted to caused a lot of cravings to come back. Yesterday I had little nibbles here and there of cheese and crackers, etc., etc. Today I'll be more careful. I may even go on a bike ride.

I still have this sinking feeling that as soon as this diet is over I'll gain the weight back. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'll let you know how I did today later.

**Update... End of Day**

I did well today, and I did go on that bike ride. It made me happy. ^_^

My husband's theory about the weight gain is that my metabolism wigged out a bit when I ate all the starch and sugar at Easter and it will take a few days to get back to normal. I sure hope he's right. I'm sticking with it.

We'll see tomorrow!

Day 18 Doesn't Count

Yesterday I weighed in at 203.6 and today I am 205.4. The reason? Big, bad Easter dinner awesomeness. I'm not even ashamed. The food was too good. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Gracefully, slowly, but thoroughly.

So, today, needless to say, I'm back to the normal protocol. It's Day 19 today and I want to make these next days count.

A concern that is beginning to creep up on me is that I will gain a lot of weight back after this diet. I will be going carefully through the "maintenance phase" which includes eating more food, but still no starches or sugars. I'm just going to knock out as much weight as possible, and not worry about all that right now.

On another note, yesterday at Easter dinner everyone noticed how much weight I've already lost and I got tons of compliments. That felt amazing! Yesterday was awesome.

Day 16 and 17... I'm halfway there!

It seems like the last few days have been a bit easier now that I know when the end will be. I weighed in at 204 this morning. I've reached the halfway point in my weight loss goal. 34 pounds down, 34 to go! Very exciting. I'm already feeling like I look pretty awesome, I can't wait to see how I feel at 170.

I'm not going to lie to anyone out there. This has been very difficult. I wonder if the actual HCG drops are easier as far as hunger and cravings, because I have been quite hungry at times. I am pleased with my results and I know it will only get more impressive, but this diet has been far from easy.

Tomorrow is Easter and I'm a bit concerned about cheating. I'll look up some tips tonight, and of course I'll take my trusty Trident gum, but it is definitely going to be a challenge of my willpower. I'll do the best I can!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It's A New Day! (Day 15)

Today I will be positive. Today I will love and celebrate who I am right now, and I will allow myself to be excited about my progress without looking to what I haven't accomplished yet.

Here are the facts: I weigh 206.6 today. That is easily the lowest I have weighed in over 2 years. My clothes are starting to fit better, and my 18's and 17's are falling off. My shirts are looser. My love handles are disappearing, and my face is starting to look like my normal, lovely face again.

I weigh the same right now that I weighed when I started dating my husband 6 years ago. He couldn't take his eyes off me then, and there are still times when he can't. I have worked hard. I have lost 32 pounds since I started this whole weight loss thing 2 months ago. That is an amazing loss. I am curvy and earthy and beautiful. I deserve to love myself.

I have decided to put a limit on this diet. I'm not going to quit, I don't believe I should. Before this point, though, I had not set the amount of time I wanted to do the hcg protocol. My goal for this round is 195 pounds or 30 days. That's it. I already feel better with an end in sight.

I am going to focus more on doing the protocol completely correctly. For example, this morning I didn't have my boiled egg I normally have. I know from my experiences so far that if I follow the diet and get plenty of sleep, I can lose this last 11 pounds or so quite quickly.

I am so excited about going back to exercising as much as I want and eating my healthy dose of calories. I want to try Zumba and I want to ride my bike more. I miss sweating. Ha! It's so funny how your perception changes.

I also want to write about other topics than my weight. I have made so many positive changes this year for myself and I've come up with so many recipes and tricks to share with you. Soon, I will. I think it will be good for me to pull away from focusing on that stupid number on the scale and write about other things.

Today has been a wonderful day so far! I feel so much better.

Day 13 and All is Well

I am down two more pounds today. Yaay! I weigh 207.4. In other good news, I am finally coming up out of my funk a bit. I have more energy, I feel less hungry, and I'm seeing light at the end of this weight loss tunnel. I feel much better after changing my goal to 170. That feels really attainable to me.

I was looking at pictures of myself today from high school when I weighed about that much, and it made me feel really excited.

I'm also trying to keep in mind, though, that I need to be more kind to myself. I tend to be quite self-loathing sometimes. I don't want to be that way anymore. I want to feel beautiful however I look, but sometimes it's hard knowing you could look better. I'm constantly searching for perfection, and it sometimes turns to obsession. I want to mellow out and not feel so anxious. It plagues me sometimes.

I am beautiful right now! This is a journey to get healthy and strong, not attain beauty. Must remember that always.

Days 10, 11, and 12

These few days have been rather uneventful. I stalled at 210 for a couple days, then today weighed in at 209.4. I'm glad to be moving along again, though I still find it hard not to cheat at all, especially at dinner time.

In other news, I changed my goal weight to 170. I realized that I haven't weighed 160 since I was like 13 and it would be more reasonable for me to shoot for 170 and go from there.

I rode my bike today. It was lovely. I do believe it's my favorite form of exercise.

Day 9 & 8 Pounds Gone So Far!

I am so happy to be seeing such definite progress. I weighed 210.6 this morning, which means I've lost about 8 pounds since day one. That is quite exciting for me, as my rate of loss before was 2-3 pounds a week. Certainly respectable, but it is nice to see the pounds dropping off this quickly.

I still feel odd. Kind of foggy and unmotivated. I find that if I stay active and move around I feel better, but if I exercise or run around too much I get too hungry. There is a balance I try to find everyday.

I cheated quite a bit today because I ran out of meat yesterday and couldn't go grocery shopping until this afternoon. My body friggin' panicked. I felt like I was starving and took three pretty large bites of my husband's meatball sub he had for lunch. I didn't eat meat for lunch on top of that, but with the extra fat and all the extra crackers I ate because I was ravenous, I won't be too surprised if I don't show a major loss tomorrow. It's only one day. I choose to move on and do better (and not let myself run out of meat!).

Day 8 on HCG Diet

I'm down to 212.4 pounds! I have to conclude that these drops are working. I have been on low calorie diets and 'cleanses' before and I always felt terribly hungry and had to quit. I'm not saying I'm not hungry, but it's definitely not as intense. Chewing gum helps, as well as drinking hot tea and spreading my allotted food carefully throughout the day.

I feel somewhat lethargic and depressed today. I'm sure it's just because I've been eating 500-700 calories a day. I think I'll just go to bed early. Lack of sleep may also be a factor.

I made up an amazing HCG dinner tonight that I want to share the recipe for. I will soon! It was so yummy.

Just for fun before I go, here's some inspiration for me... This is me at about 180-190 pounds back in late 2006.

Pretty lady ^_^

Day 7 on HCG Diet

I think all my cheating finally caught up to me. Today I weighed in at 213.8 pounds, only a 3/4 pound loss. I am doing MUCH better today, though, and I even added some light cardio. I jumped on my rebounder trampoline for 15 minutes this morning and I feel quite excellent. The gum is helping curb food cravings, too.

It's funny, but I also think one of the biggest factors of me doing so much better is that my husband is off of his vacation and back at work. When I am alone, I tend to be more disciplined. I'm not sure why that is, seems like it should be the opposite.

I'll keep you updated on the rest of the day.

Update: Evening

I cheated much less today. Other than my egg this morning (which I may or may not continue to eat, depending on my weight loss tomorrow), I had a couple taste tests of spaghetti sauce I was making, and 2 of the bread sticks I made today in addition to my allotted crackers.

How could I not taste these?  They're yummy! Make your own.

I haven't felt as hungry, but I have felt a little foggy. Not tired, or even irritable, really, just a little out of it. I hope this passes.

I think I did well, as my calorie count was much less than yesterday. I'll just have to wait and see what I weigh tomorrow morning.