P90X

So I've been at it for 5 days. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not sore. Because I am. I know loads of people who have started this program and stopped. I have some theories on that.

1. It's too hard
I don't think it's all that hard. It's not like I can't finish the reps.
2. Time
I enjoyed the 90 minutes of yoga, but not everyone has that kind of time to invest.

Why I would quit (I'm not going to, but what my reasons would be):
1. Not functional enough. I think it's a program to make pretty muscles, but not the kind that you use in real life.

2. Not aerobic enough. I like to have my heart pounding and sweat dripping off my face. My heart rate has probably gotten into the 140's, but I have yet to sweat.

Really I need to get some weights heavier than 5lbs, but I don't want to get bulky muscle. It's something my body is good at, but I don't like how it looks. My shoulders already struggle to fit into my shirts.

Basically, that was week 1 and I have 11 more to go. Also, the first 3 weeks repeat; boring.

Insanity

Appropriate name for a workout I would love.
I know this is a bit of an infomercial, but it is 100% true. It's not for everyone. You have to be crazy about working out, love the pain, and love sweating. It's the hardest workout I've ever done, and I've done it 2x back to back. My results have been awesome. I've lost 3 inches of my hips/butt, 2 1/4 inches off my waist and 10 lbs. I have never loved my butt and thighs as much as I do right now. What I'm surprised about is that my arms aren't more cut after all the upper body stuff. Typically my arms are cut long before any fat starts to melt off my butt.
I love fitting into my old jeans, and having a body that will do anything I ask it. Including carrying 45 lbs worth of kids up 2 flights of stairs without being winded or having any muscle burn. I want to try P90X next. And I'll review it in 3 months. But for now anyone who is crazy about getting in shape, this is it.

How To Tape Your Abs

Most to nearly all people who have been pregnant and even more who have actually pushed the kid out, have torn their abs. Mine were torn badly after Dylan. Mostly because I was stupid and thought I was invincible. Just because you can do a sit-up doesn't mean you should. So my abs were torn mostly below my ribs, but all the way down to my belly button. I could also stick my fingers in to at least the first knuckle.

If you want to test this yourself, lay down and lift your head up, unsupported, like doing a crunch. Now stick your fingers vertically in between your abs in the center of your stomach.

My fellow PT and women's health specialist, Dureece, told me to tape my abs when I did abdominal work and they would grow back together. I kind of didn't believe her. So my abs were painful and I rarely worked them out in between being pregnant with Dylan and Maisy. Since I've started working out again after Maisy, I've been taping my abs. Holy Smokes! It works! My abs are not painful and are closer together.

As we say in PT taping is more of an art than a science. You can use regular wide athletic tape.
1. Start up by your ribs
2. Tear off 4 3-4 inch strips
3. Anchor on the left side of your abs, just under your ribs
4. Pull to the right side and anchor that end (your skin should be bunched up)
5. Anchor another strip on the right side just below and slightly overlapping the first strip
6. Pull to the left side and anchor that end
7. Repeat with the last 2 strips going back to the left side then the right side
Note the bunched skin.

I'm done here

I'm bored blogging about what I eat. I like to eat and not think too hard about what I'm eating even though I don't usually eat much. I like to exercise. If I had sore muscles everyday I'd be a happy person. I never had any intention of losing 10 pounds. I'm already pretty bony, and I would look more disgusting if I did. I hate being told to eat a cheeseburger because I'm too skinny. I don't really like burgers. Really this all started to be supportive and prove that you can work out and eat few calories/day if you have the will power.

Well, Melissa upped the stakes and now I'm trying to go without sugar. This maybe the biggest challenge yet. Even though I don't eat much, I always eat sweets. I think I may gain weight by cutting out sweets. As strange as that sounds, it was like a way to tell my body I was done eating. Since I've stopped eating cookies and candy I've been hungrier in the evening. It's bizarre.

So, love yourself for who you are. I've always thought everyone looks great. Skinniness doesn't equal happiness. I'm out.

Tuesday

Breakfast-bowl of smart start
Exercise- cleaned house and 55 min taebo
Lunch- 1/2 tuna sandwich, chip and salsa
Snack- couple handfuls of goldfish crackers
Dinner-stroganoff and asapargus
Snack after dinner- granola bar

Monday

Breakfast- last bowl of multigrain cheerios (I need new cereal, cheerios are not enough)

Exercise- rollerblading pushing Dylan around Liberty Park 30 min about 3.75 miles. It was an awesome workout especially for my butt and inner thighs. They were burning before I got a quarter of the way around.
Walked to the library 2 miles.

Lunch/snacks- apple, granola bar, chips and salsa

Dinner-a helping of some Italian bake thingy I made.

Melissa-
I've considered joining you on your quest to stop the sugar until Cozumel. I've been testing myself all day; walking past the Easter candy without snitching any. I've thought about being more reasonable than none at all and saying I have Sundays and birthdays off. Wes laughed. At my joining you and my stipulations. Then I had 3 jr mints and 1 of those small reeces eggs, and I felt horrible guilty. So, I'm going to support you with holidays off. Does syrup count?

Friday-Sunday

Friday
Breakfast- 2 packets of plain oatmeal, but I put white sugar on it
Lunch- bread bowl with minestrone soup (ate all but the bottom of the bowl), 1/2 a brownie that was originally the size of 3 brownies
Exercise- skiing until my quads were cramping and twitching and I couldn't anymore
Dinner- 2 rolls, 2 helpings of cheesy potatoes, ham (that I kept snacking on repeatedly all night), asparagus, some weird dessert thing with ice cream, reeces peanut butter egg

Saturday
Breakfast- bowl of multigrain cheerios
Lunch- vegetable soup, 2 rolls, quite a bit of brownie, some of Wes' fries
Exercise- skiing (not so much exercise, but we had a lot of fun)
Dinner- sirloin kabob with vegetables (didn't finish any of it), a scone with honey butter, peanuts, robin eggs and I drank a lot of Dr. Pepper that day

Sunday
Fast Sunday
Dinner- 2 helpings of cheesy potatoes, 2 rolls, ham, asparagus, robin eggs

Gained 2 pounds this week, my work outs were lame and I ate like it was Easter weekend. But I didn't gain any body fat, so I like to think maybe it was all quad muscle. Will someone please vouch that I don't have an eating disorder?

Thursday

Breakfast- bowl of multigrain cheerios
Lunch- slice of chicken alfredo pizza
Exercise- hip-hop workout video, 6 hours at horse therapy
Snack- some apple slices
Dinner- at like 9 1/2 turkey sandwich, 2 chocolate chip cookies.

Wednesday

Breakfast-bowl of multigrain cheerios
Snack-2 crescent rolls (this is why I can't leave food on my counters, I eat it)
Exercise- ran 3 miles, cleaned house for 2 hours (I count this because I get sweaty)
Dinner- 1 slice of homemade chicken alfredo pizza (not low fat), 5 oreos, and some robin eggs

Also for the record, I drink loads of milk all day. I really only drink water at dinner, but I go through about 2 gallons/week on my own.

Note: that pilates gymball workout was worthless, I wasn't sore after and it didnt' get my heartrate up

Friday-Tuesday

I went too long without posting. I have no idea what I ate Friday-Sunday.

Friday
4 mile run

Saturday
Lazy, lazy slacker. No work out, but I did ride horses Saturday and Sunday and was really sore after.

Monday
Breakfast- bowl of multigrain cheerios
Exercise- ran 4 miles 5.0-6.3 mph, walked to library 2 miles
Lunch- chips and salsa
Dinner- 1/2 pork chop, pasta, green beans, crescent roll, 2 oreos

Tuesday
Breakfast- bowl of multigrain cheerios
Exercise- 50 minute pilates video (very not aerobic, as in at all. I guess we'll see if I'm sore tomorrow) Mowed and edged the lawn.
Lunch- chips and salsa
Dinner- 1/2 chicken breast, no rice it smelled disgusting, crescent roll, grapes, 1 oreo

To add to my dilusional world, I think that when I'm hungry I pretend that I have sore abs from some awesome workout that I didn't do. Oh, and I weighed in on Sunday. I lost 1 pound and 1% body fat if my parents scale can be trusted.

Thursday

Oh, I was a lazy slacker today. Really, I was tired, I got to bed really late last night.

Breakfast- 2 packets of cinnamon roll oatmeal 320 calories
Lunch/snacks- grapes 62 calories, granola bar 170 calories, chips and salsa 300 calories
Dinner- morroccan chicken let's call it 500 calories
Then I took 1 bite of one of the pasteries from Wes' birthday. ONE BITE. It was delicious.

I did my tae-bo work out today 30 minutes. Not impressive. I plan to get new videos when I next walk to the library. So it needs to be not nasty-windy-rainy.

Tuesday-Wednesday

Tuesday
I walked to the library 2 miles total, I mapquested it.
Dinner- ravioli 200 calories
Then it all went down hill with the eating of many pasteries for Wes' brithday

Wednesday
Breakfast- oatmeal squares 250 calories
Ran 4 miles 600+ calories according to my treadmill
Lunch- 1/2 tuna sandwich I don't remember how many calories from the other day
Snack- 1/2 granola bar 80 calories
Dinner- french toast, like 600 calories I'm making an educated guess

Self Doubt

I've wavered back and forth on this idea for a long time, but almost all of you have talked to me about it at some point. This is what I learned in school, and it's something I work hard at. I feel like an arrogant b*#%&(@*# that I made this other blog, because maybe Matt has something. Maybe skinny people just don't know. This is what I do know; being skinny isn't a genetic given right, and I'm smug about the fact that I am. I know I've been 10 pounds heavier than this, not pregnant, and have lost it. I've been 10 pounds lighter than this and lost my period. I'm currently 24% body fat, I'd like to be 19%, but we'll see. I don't believe in anything gimmicky, but through diet and exercise. Maybe I'm obsessed. I do posterior pelvic tilts to work my abs while I read. I'm fully crazy if you want to open up the can, which I think I just did. Until now I've offered subtle advise to not let out how bad I am. But it's all out now, and I'll be seriously sad if I'm the only one lose 10 pounds in an effort to help everyone else achieve 10 pounds. I will lose the last remaining curve on my body that hints toward the fact that I'm a girl and not a 12 y/o boy. And maybe everyone will despise me for it. I almost don't want anyone to respond to any posts on this blog, because my help in this extreme hasn't been asked for. But I have to think maybe I do have something to offer. My self-confidence is on a roller coaster.

Sunday through Tuesday

Sunday
Breakfast- bowl of oatmeal squares 250 calories
Lunch- nature valley peanut bar thing 170 calories, apple about 240 calories
Dinner- 2 gold dollar size pieces of roast beef, 1/2 apple size portions of potatos and gravy, waldorf salad and green beans I have no idea how many calories
Then I ate a junk load of robin eggs and a piece of apple pie.

Monday
Breakfast-bowl of oatmeal squares 250 calories
Ran 4 miles at 5-5.5mph burned 500 something calories
Lunch- 1/2 a tuna fish sandwich with carrots and celery in it. 210 calories
Dinner- spaghetti and meatballs, green beans and 1.5 breadsticks. I don't have any idea how many calories, but my plate was far from full.
Then I had about 7 oreos 385 calories, plus 80 calories for the glass of milk.

Tuesday
Breakfast-bowl of oatmeal squares 250 calories
back to back aerobics video workouts 50 minutes
Lunch- market street grill for Wes' birthday. 1 piece of sourdough bread no butter, not all of a bowl of clam chowder, some mahi mahi and some potato. Really didn't finish it.

Confessions of a Closet Anorexic

This is what you'll be thinking after this post.

Most of my philosophy comes from my dad to the never ending annoyance of my mom. Eat less; exercise more. It's a pretty simple mantra, but sometimes easier said than done. Especially when we all have a sweet-tooth. So these are some of the things that I do and think, and for the record you have all seen me eat loads of food and I never throw up. Not even pregnant.

1. For me to lose weight I have to do an intense cardio workout 45-60 minutes/day.

2. I stop eating when I reach the point that I'm not hungry, not full, just no longer hungry.

3. I frequently go to bed hungry. What's the point in eating before bed? They're calories that you aren't going to burn off sleeping. If I'm so hungry I can't handle it I'll eat some grapes or have a glass of milk.

4. I cannot have the mind set of: I worked out today so it's ok if I eat this high fat and calorie ________. You don't deserve anything.

5. Social eating is a killer. When you go out to eat remember point number 2.

6. Don't eat by the clock, or a schedule, or because you should. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're not.

7. Remember your brain doesn't register thirst as quickly as it does hunger. So really, if you feel hungry, you're probably just thirsty. Have you ever been out to eat with me and have my fly through 4 lemonades before the meal even gets there?