Power 90 Day 18 - Losing momentum

I'm 3 days away from the 3 week mark for Power 90, plus the 6 day fat burn... so basically a month for us. I know it's working, but I am still getting discouraged.  I've read over and over how I should not get hung up about what the scale says, but it's hard to let it go. I've gained 3 lbs according to the scale we have.  of course it's a cheap ass thing.  It's digital, but must be the cheapest digital scale available. /rant.  Anyway, the measuring tape isn't changing much either! I just don't get it.  I can see muscles developing and I feel stronger, but the tape isn't getting shorter?  Why?? 

The one thing that has really kind of kept me from chucking it all is that I tried on a pair of shorts I've had forever. I've never been able to wear them.  I got them on clearance at the end of summer one year,  there were 3 pairs, different colors. I think they were sized wrong or something cause they say they're 18W, and I wore an 18W back then, but they wouldn't come close to buttoning when I got them home. I was pretty ticked off about it.  I've had them so long I know I moved with them 4 years ago. They've been put in the give away bag so many times, and every time I take them back out saying they were such a good deal, and shorts cost so much now and I REALLY need to lose enough to get into them. Well, yesterday, I was looking for shorts since it was so hot, and I found those 3 pairs in the back of my bottom drawer.  I figured, what the hell.  might as well try.  I knew I'd be disappointed.  I think I almost wanted an excuse to just give up... it was that kind of day. But OMG they fit.  I even tried on all 3 pairs to make sure.  Oh they're tight, but I can fasten them and wear them without feeling like I'm being cut in half. I was astounded! Last time I tried, there was about 3 inches or more between the buttons and the button holes.  Nowhere near meeting and buttoning.

So, that was a good thing, but I still find it hard to get excited about that when the scale and tape aren't budging. I know it's a mental thing, but that's me.

This past weekend not doing the Power 90 workouts has made us both lose momentum.. though life isn't helping.  Doing my workouts while kids were still in school was easy.  I'd get up around 1pm and do the workout and get cleaned up and dressed before they got home.  Now they're home all day with friends running in and out.  I have instituted a rule about no friends in the house while I workout, but it barely works. We get interrupted all the time, even by adults. Today, I laid in bed much longer than I should have.  I just really wanted to get some extra sleep. Finally I rolled out of bed at 2pm, then piddled around a little, and talked to my kids. I was about to go workout, then take the gilrs and go for a walk like last week (though it was pretty hot and I was wishy washy about that).. then I suddenly realized I had a bill I HAD to pay today, and needed the car.  I texted C to see if he had paid it for me or was coming home for lunch.  He texted right back that he was on his way.  So much for the workout! I got ready while he ate lunch and then took him back to work then went on to pay the bill. I figured I'd go ahead and do grocery shopping for the week since I had the car. Called Rhiannon at home and we hashed out a menu and she gave me ingredients I needed from the recipes on Team Beachbody, and I got the groceries.

By the time I got home, and got all the groceries put away, it was time to make dinner. Then it was time to get to work.  So, yeah, no workout for me today. I could do the workout after work at 3am, but last night I could barely move at 3am and couldn't keep my eyes open. I'm thinking about just getting up early tomorrow, doing my strength training workout (which is what Day 19 should be) and then go to the pool at the campground and burn some calories there. I'm not sure though. I'd have to take C to work at 8am for me to have the car all day and that's a bit early for me.

Maybe I'll just do both DVD workouts sometime tomorrow.  I could do Day 18 cardio when I wake up then do the Day 19 strength training with C when he gets off work at 5. I'd love to go swimming though. We'll see.

I just wish my shorts fitting was more of an incentive for me.  I've got some hangups I need to get over.

Oh here's a shot of dinner. Baked chicken with a little olive oil and Italian seasoning and a sprinkle of parmesan with my spinach and baby arugula salad with blackberries and sunflower seeds, and home made baked sweet potato fries.

Power 90 Day 17 - Back on track and a Dr visit

Today I woke up  wanting to get a walk in before all the other stuff started happening.  It was going to be FDN (Family Dinner Night), and I wanted to work out with Christopher when he got home from work.  However, when I finally got fully awake, I realized my mother in law was already here. That's not really a reason not to go walking, but it slowed me down a bit.  Then I saw my kitchen.  It was a disaster area. It looked like 90% of the tupperware stuff in the fridge had been emptied and all the leftovers eaten and dishes left all over the place. The sink was full, the counters were full, there was even stuff stacked on the stove. Rhiannon, I groggily remembered had gone to the park for a picnic and swimming with her boyfriend. It was her week to do dishes. I called her and blessed her out for leaving before doing her chores (she knows better). She came home a little later and got started on them.

Since I was no longer in the mood to go walking, I decided to get started on dinner.  The only thing we could make that would feed a lot of people were kabobs, so I got the chicken prepped and the veggies.  Then I realized someone had eaten all the chunks of pineapple and mushrooms. I also got the feeling we were out of charcoal.  I sent Faelyn and her grandma to the store to get a list of stuff I needed, and I got the food I did have marinating in the fridge.

About that time I wondered where the heck Christopher was.  He worked 6-3 or so I thought, and it was nearly 4. I texted him, and it turns out he worked til 5. Sigh.  So I made my protein and spinach shake and went to listen to my Audible book. When Faelyn got back, she said they were out of pineapple, but I had found a handful someone had left in a small container in the fridge, oh well. Everything had been marinating about an hour by the time Christopher walked in.

He said the kabobs had to be ready to go as soon as he started the coals, so the girls put them together while he and I did our workout. We finally were back to doing the strength training workout. I am proud to say I did all the pushups!  They may not have been perfect or very low, but I did them instead of just collapsing.  My arms are fussing at me even as I write this. The back scratchers on my right arm were rough, but I felt great knowing I DID them! I love the strength training workout, even the pushups.  I really like feeling stronger!

Christopher did tell me what happened at his Dr appt today... this was a special appt he set up after his TIA (mini stroke) last month.  He's going in for a TEE next week. They need to see if there is a hole in his heart that a clot from his kidney tumor could have gotten through and into his neck or brain. If they don't find a hole, then he has to go for an ultrasound later to see if there's a severe buildup in his neck arteries. If there is a hole, then he'll have to have surgery to repair it. I was numb hearing all of this.  Oh and if it is the arteries being blocked, then he'll have to go on coumadin for the rest of his life.  That's dangerous.  And he'll be on Plavix too. Scary.

Another thing was that one of his toenails just fell off last week.  The Dr was not happy to hear that.  He said it could have been due to a blood clot which could be very likely since his mother has a weid rare (in that no one else has ever had this before) blood disorder.  Her blood runs think like molasses and even coumadin does nothing for it.  She was on the highest dose they can give and she was still getting blood clots in her lungs.  So, while we thought his health problems were really behind him and we were going to get healthy for the rest of our lives... it looks like we're still battling his heart disease. I hate it.

Here's a pic of dinner.  So good!

Different Kinds of Workouts This Weekend

Saturday is our rest day (we get one a week), so we had to fit in a workout on Sunday.  This wasn't really hard for me, since I was home with the girls all day.  Christopher was working 10am-10pm and had the car. He was going to work out in the morning before going to work, but didn't get to it afterall.  Weekends are rough on our routines.

I got up around 12:30 as normal and planned on doing my workout as normal, but then I had a great idea. I had the girls get dressed and into walking shoes, and we headed out. I knew from using runkeeper.com that Sav Mor grocery store (which is where I always get produce and many other things on my list) is only a little over a mile from our house if you walk through the neighborhood behind the elementary school. It was a beautiful day, and a walk would feel great, and I decided it would be my cardio for the day. Maybe a little mixing it up would help in my weightloss and getting toned up.

We walked down the road to the new connector road they just put in last year, complete with nice wide sidewalks. It's such a blessing. It goes over the hills between us and town. At the top of the hill if you turn on a little road to the right, you come in the back entrance to the elementary school. If you keep going instead of going up to the school, you end up in an apartment complex. I think it's one of those low-rent project ones. It's a really nice neighborhood though, with playgrounds and landscaping and lots of big shade trees. On the other end of the complex is the road that goes up the hill to my bank, and divides the apartments from the big shopping center. It used to be KMart and Ingles way back in the day, but now it's Tractor Supply and Sav Mor with a high-end furniture/decor store in between them. We decided to walk on to the next shopping center next to it, across another street. It now houses a cash advance place, a game store, the now-closed theater, Staples, and Big Lots.  We walked all the way down to Big Lots where we got the girls Power Ades and I got a big bottle of water.

Christopher's KMart is directly across the 4-lane from Big Lots, so I *could* walk to Kmart and get the car sometime if I ever needed it for some reason I guess. Runkeeper says it's exactly 1.5 miles from my house to Kmart's front door. The problem is crossing the 4-lane. Even with a red light, it's still dangerous. I'd sure not do it with kids. This town is really not pedestrian-friendly. We lucked out that we can walk where we do without getting into much any traffic at all.  We live right where we can come in the backway to everything on our side of the 4-lane.

On our way back, we stopped at Sav Mor and I got an avacado and some tortillas for the black bean veggie tostados. I don't know how I missed putting those on my list before, but I was glad to be able to "run" out and get them easily.  We also got some strawberries and rhubarb for our surprise dessert for Christopher.  As we walked back past Tractor Supply, I got a big re-usable shopping tote bag (didn't think to bring one with us) and a 6-pack of tomato plants they had marked down to $1.  That was a great deal!  The girls took turns carrying the heavy tote back back home, and I ended up with it the last half mile or so. And it';s all uphill to our house after we cross the hill between us and town.  You kind of cross the hill in one spot, walk up the road a bit, then walk back up the hill to our house.  There's nothing but a briar-filled field between our house and the new road, so we have to walk around.  It's fine though.  I needed the cardio. Boy, was I sweating by the time we got home! I definitely got a workout.  The tostados that night were so yummy!

On Monday, Memorial Day, Christopher was off work (Hooray!), so we got up a little earlier than normal (well for me anyway) and loaded the Explorer up with towels, a quilt and lawn chairs, then headed to the lake. It's a little over a half hour away by backroads. Wish it was closer, but at least we have it at all.  So many of the public swim areas have closed, and this one is still free!  They have a special swimming area with trucked in sand, the big orange depth rope thing and big orange buoy things dividing us from the boats. I love just sitting and watching the boats.  We counted 21 around the swim hole at one time. There was a guy sitting on the grass playing guitar. That was nice. I wish it had a little shop like the one I went to when I was a kid.  It sold pizza and had a juke box that piped music down to the beach which was actually all sand even out of the water.  This one we go to now is just sand in the water with grass on dry land. I remember hearing J Geils Band songs played over and over on that juke box the last summer I got to go before it was closed down. 

The water was SO cold. BRRRrrrrrrr! We knew it would be.  The damn hadn't let the water  go up til recently, and it had rained pretty hard recently.  Besides, the weather hadn't been very warm for long. In fact it was just barely above 80 when we went with a cool breeze.  Once we finally got in the water and almost used to it, it made it easier to just stay in the water.  Getting out, in the breeze was just too cold to think about. Finally the sun came out from behind the clouds and it warmed up nicely (outside the water anyway).  After what felt like 2 hours in the water, Christopher and I got out and sat in the sun to dry off.  He still has such a nasty sunburn.  He didn't think to reapply his sunblock when he got out of the water. It'll turn to a tan anyway, which is what he wanted.

While we were in the water, he and I had decided to do some of our cardio workout since it was so much easier to move in the water.  We did the knee raises and I could get that leg way up so the knee was out of the water (which was above my waist).  We tried doing the kicks, which was hard with the resistance of the water, so we figured it would be helping the workout. When I went to climb the stone steps to get out of the water, I could barely pull myself up.  I could REALLY feel gravity hit full force. Christopher had actually done his Sunday workout early Monday morning, so we were both due to be doing the strength training workout for Monday.

By the time we got home, we considered working out for a moment, then decided we were too worn out and sore from swimming.  I don't know how the girls were even still awake. They were in the water a good half hour or more longer than we were.  We started immediately on getting dinner prepped and cooking.  We had two small lean steaks I got on mark down, as well as spinach parmesan turkey burgers for us, as well as hot dogs for the girls. Oh we also grilled corn cobs in the husks. Made baked home made potato wedges and sweet potato fries and a salad. For dessert we made a low-sugar strawberry rhubarb crumble and had light vanilla ice cream with it. Oh it was SO GOOD!

It was a really good day and the girls kept commenting on how much fun they'd had and how good the food was.  What was nice was that it was just the 5 of us. The teens really had a great time swimming and playing together in the water.  They made some great sisterly memories that day.  Zoe had fun with us til we got out then made a slew of friends as always.  There are always several dozen kids there. I miss sitting there, listening to the guitar player and the speed boats and seeing all the boats on the water and the people having fun, and my kids having a wonderful time. 

Our Inspiration!

As I said before, our coach for Team Beachbody is my husband's brother in law.  His name is Chris Garret. My husband, Christopher, did not grow up with his half sisters, so we don't know Chris and Tekoa very well.  We did meet at C's grandfather's funeral a couple years ago. They were very sweet people. We met them before they had started doing the workouts that brought them to where they are now, and we've not seen them in person since... but Chris' photos tell the story!

Check out their website at http://dream-2-reality.com/ - click the photo above.

His transformation in just those first 100 days is amazing! My Christopher started out a little bigger than Chris in his Day 1 photo, but I know he and I both will look and feel great when this is all done. And we'll be able to say we did it!  I'm not expecting Christopher to look like Chris at day 100. I am sure a long way from looking like Tekoa, (heck I want to look like her Before photo! lol - you can see her photos at their site , just click the photos above.) I know everyone is different, but even just dropping some of this weight will be good for our health.

They have a great Facebook group just for the folks they coach that's really supportive and upbeat, and we joined a Challenge Group that started not too long after we decided to buy Power 90. It really keeps us on track and makes us feel accountable. We already are to each other, but this makes it even more serious. It's great to see other people doing the challenge too, even though they're not all doing the same program. Some are on P90X, some are doing Insanity, some Les Mills Combat (which I can't wait to be able to do!).  I'd only ever heard of P90X before... and it was like some mythological thing only super fit people could do without puking... and here I am thinking that someday, maybe in 90 days, I'll be able to start doing it myself! Amazing!

If you're even somewhat thinking about getting into shape, please give Chris or Tekoa a try as your coach.  Having them as a coach is free!  Click the photo above to go to their site and then the top left article there is about how to get signed up. Whatever you end up doing, having support is such a great way to help keep at it and not stop.

In case you're wondering, I am not getting anything for plugging their site and coaching,  I just really want more people to know about this program.  It's really great for folks who need that extra motivation!

Power 90 Day 11 - Keep On Keepin On

We haven't missed a day of workouts! Hooray! We just keep at it. I feel like I'm toning up, but I don't see a lot of difference in the measuring tape or the scales yet. Christopher LOOKS smaller already. I think we may take photos at 15 days, just for our own benefit to see if anything really is changing. I think I need some more reinforcement that it's working.

Yesterday was the Strength training and I did all the pushups!  I am sure they aren't pretty ones, and I doubt I really am doing them like I should be, but I do try!  They're hard!  I went to bed last night looking forward to today's workout because it has the Ab Ripper and I can't wait to lose this gut. Am I going crazy?  Looking forward to working out?

I did the same today on the abs as I did last time, which is pretty good. I do all the reps til the very last set and I just can't do them.  It's a really hard set, and by then my abs have given out, along with the rest of me. It's even hard for me to roll over and do the stretches!

My girls have started working out with us more. Since we have weights and the resistance band, Faelyn had her boyfriend do the strength training one with her yesterday before Christopher and I did ours together. Then today, Faelyn and Rhiannon were watching me do the cardio, when Faelyn said she wanted to do the abs routine too since she wants to flatten her tummy.  Then we talked Rhiannon into doing them too. It was fun doing them with the girls.  We were all moaning and groaning LOL!

After we recovered from the ab ripper, I got cleaned up and changed, and we walked around the block (if you can call it that in the country) to Sonic since they had 50 cent corndogs today for end-of-school celebration. I got them each one as well as their sister who was at a friend's house. We got drinks too.  I got a diet peach green tea.  It was SO good! I usually just drink water, but it was nice to have something different. 

On the way back, we walked by the elementary school and went down to the pond that has a raised walkway over it, then headed up the steep hill to the benches on the top of the hill overlooking it.  Rhiannon found a  geocache there that she'd been wanting to find for a while.  Her dad and I found it a few months ago without her. So that was fun. Then we headed back home. It was such a wonderful day to go for a walk. They were talking about how great it would be to walk on the walking trail that starts at the college and goes through the countryside, complete with a walking bridge over the highway. That's exactly the kind of thing I want to do with my kids.  Before starting Power 90, I would have never given such a walk a second thought.  It's a pretty long trek even though it is on a mostly flat paved walkway. So, I'm hoping we can do that together soon. Once I'm in even better shape, I can't wait to go hiking in the mountains with them again.  We did that with our oldest daughter when she was very young.  Christopher and I were both in fairly decent shape then. That was a LONG time ago.

The girls want to go swimming a lot this summer as well.  I'm determined to get over my fear of the water and learn to swim.  Christopher is going to teach Zoe to swim this summer, and I've asked him to give me lessons as well.

For dinner tonight, we had home made pizzas again, but someone had eaten the last two pitas. So, Christopher and I ended up having to have the regular pizzas I made for the girls. I'd found a 2-pack crust with sauce pack at Big Lots for $3 and couldn't pass that up.  I only ate a piece and a half (small pieces too), because the bread was so thick. It filled me up and I didn't find it very appetizing.  I'll definitely get pitas next time we do them.

Imported Post - Power 90 Day 5 - So Much For Privacy

This morning before work, I packed C's and the girls' lunches, which took some time, then headed to bed. So when I woke up this afternoon, I was dragging. I was determined not to skip my workout, but I was running out of time. The older girls get home on the bus at 3:20 and it was already after 2:30.  I HATE being walked in on during a workout - or watched by the kids. Then I remember both of them were going home with their boyfriends because of parties or volunteer stuff. So, I wouldn't be interrupted.  So, I relaxed, took my time and started the workout.  Today is strength training. I was 20 minutes into the workout, when Rhiannon and her best friend Moneesha came through the front door. There I was in my sports bra, shorts, hair a mess, and probably unshaved armpits, holding a resistance band over my head in the middle of a military press I think it was.. or one of those high ones. I paused it and went to my room. I was embarrassed. Not only for how I looked, but how the house looks. It's a freaking mess right now. So, it ruined my whole groove. Tonight, I am going to do the workout over again with Christopher since he's doing his after work. Since we only have one resistance band, I'm going to head to the store a little early and get some weights. That way we can do the strength training at the same time.

Tonight's dinner/my lunch is chicken stir fry from the power 90 booklet.  It's not really much of a recipe, just cook the chicken in a little oil, add the veggies and a little soy sauce and serve with brown rice. What struck me though is how much better stir fry is with fresh veggies.  I used to only use frozen veggies in my stirfry and it was not the greatest food to eat..  this was AMAZING! Fresh is best!

Update: I got two 5lb dumb bells and worked out with Christopher after he got off work. It was actually a lot of fun to work out with him. Working out in front of people is an issue I am going to have to deal with.  This summer I'll have my 3 kids plus all their friends running in and out of the house all day, every day.

Imported Post - Power 90 Day 4 This Really Works!

I'm on Day 4 of Power 90.  OMG am I sore!  Still.  I know it will ease off the more I do it, but man!  Those leg lifts are killer when you have thunder thighs LOL!

Here's what we've had for dinner the last couple nights.

Shrimp Kebobs with brown rice.  These were SO GOOD!  The smokiness of the grill on the veggies was amazing and the marinade YUM!

Vegetarian Curry with more brown rice. This one is also really good. Very filling. Good to have a meatless meal.

I kind of had a feeling my huge gut was a little less huge this morning, so I got out the measuring tape. I have lost 3 inches on my waist!!!  I'm guessing I was a little bloated from some water gain when we took the before measurements, but whatever the reason, it's AWESOME!  My jeans definitely fit better.  They had been getting so tight I had to unbutton them after dinner at work (good thing I work from home!)

Overall, even though I'm sore when I stand and walk, I feel stronger, more limber (in places that aren't in pain), and even standing up taller. The stretches really help with that.  I am going back to my hometown next Saturday to my nephew's graduation. I wonder if there'll be any noticeable change for the people I see there that haven't seen me for a couple weeks.

Hope you're all doing well!
Patty