Lessons Learned

Day 11 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 2 , Routine 5
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Weight:	278 lbs	-	Loss:	20 lbs
% Loss:	6.7 %	-	Rate:	0.609 %

I started late this morning, but what can you expect on a non-work day. Today ended up being the day of interruptions. As a result of starting late, I did not give myself enough time to finish the workout before I had to wake the kids up and get them ready for school. Also, the youngest woke up about 20 minutes into the workout and started his normal routine of 20 questions and the infamous, "I'm hungry." He was unable to realize that it was still to early for him to be up, and would not agree to go back to bed until it was time to wake up his sisters. I pressed pause today more times than I did in the previous 10 days combined. Needless to say, I probably did not get the full benefit form the workout as I was unable to maintain an elevated heart rate for the whole hour straight through. On the other hand, the extra extended breaks probably allowed for more recovery, more reps, etc. I increased my chin-ups from last weeks 8-12, to 12-16 today. I also felt that I improved my overall participation in the other exercises in the Legs & Back routine. The Ab Ripper routine seemed to go about the same as the last time, except I noticed that the oblique crunches felt really easy which made me work on polishing up my form. It is so hard to motivate myself to get out of bed early on non-work days, but I learned today that it is worth-it if only to avoid all the interruptions.

Diet:

• Lean Pocket - 240 cal.
• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Chicken Sandwich - 200 cal.
• Popcorn - 100 cal.
• "Hot Hamburger" - 815 cal. (ouch!)

Total: 1475 cal.

Player, Dead after 10 days of p90x

Day 10 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 2 , Routine 4
Yoga X

Weight:	279 lbs	-	Loss:	19 lbs
% Loss:	6.4 %	-	Rate:	0.64 %

My dvd player, that is. The dvd player just could not handle the intense workout. 25 minutes into the Yoga X routine it froze and would not continue past that point. I however, may be able to fix it with a lens cleaner. Until I get around to getting the lens cleaner, I will have to move another dvd player in to my workout room. I wasted 20 minutes this morning trying to get it to continue on with no success. Needless to say, I did not finish the Yoga X workout. I did however, improve my participation in the first 25 minutes compared to last week.

Diet:

• Lean Pocket - 240 cal.
• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Red Apple - 85 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 260 cal.
• Green Beans - 40 cal.
• Pizza (2 small slices) - 380 cal.

Total: 1125 cal.

The return of an old friend

Day 9 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 2 , Routine 3
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Weight:	280 lbs	-	Loss:	18 lbs
% Loss:	6 %	-	Rate:	0.667 %

I got started on time this morning. Last week I loved the Shoulders & Arms routine, and maybe it was because it was the first routine that I kept up with to the end. I think Shoulders & Arms is the easiest routine for me, of the phase 1 routines. I also think time seems to pass quicker in this routine than in the others. I completed the whole routine. 100% exercises, 100% reps(15-16 if not specified), 100% sets. Last week I was only doing 8-12 reps.

I made more improvements on Ab Ripper X. I still cannot(yet) do some of the moves, but I completed more reps in the moves that I can do. Also, was able to complete a few reps in some of the moves that I could not do last time.

Diet:

• Lean Pocket - 240 cal.
• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Green Apple - 85 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 280 cal.
• Green Beans - 40 cal.
• Chicken Sandwich - 200 cal.

Total: 965 cal.

Fun with Plyo

Day 8 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 2 , Routine 2
Plyometrics

Weight:	282 lbs	-	Loss:	16 lbs
% Loss:	5.4 %	-	Rate:	0.675 %

I managed to get up to the 3:30am alarm this morning. I work today so it was either get up or miss the workout and missing the workout is not an option.

I enjoyed Pylometrics today, far more that last week. I made it all the way through this time, where as last week I quit at 40 minutes. I even did the bonus round. I could not stop laughing at Tony Horton during the left handed pitching reps. Of course I did not have an audience to laugh at me. Tony is probably twice the lefty that I am. I cannot say that I completed every rep in the routine though, toward the end I just did what I could.

Diet:

• Lean Pocket - 290 cal.
• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Green Apple - 85 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 260 cal.
• Baby Carrots - 70 cal
• Beef Pot Roast Sandwich - 335 cal.

Total: 1160 cal.

Second Week: Second-Wind or Second-Thoughts!

Day 7 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 2 , Routine 1
Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

Weight:	284 lbs	-	Loss:	14 lbs
% Loss:	4.7 %	-	Rate:	0.671 %

Like I planned on Monday, today I skipped the Rest Day(Routine 7) and started week 2 - Routine 1 to get back on my desired schedule. I however approached this routine, today, the same way that svg-p90x did on his Day 1. I swallowed my pride and did all the push-ups on my knees. Yeah I know, when I was in grade school they called them Girl(or Lady?) Push-ups. But, that is not "P.C." any longer and my body weight is 3 times heavier now then when I was in grade school. Also, I do not think I will need to be on my knees in a few weeks, anyway. I completed the whole routine and did 8-12 reps on almost everything. However, I skipped Decline Push-ups in the first round, but I found a second-wind in the second round(The second round is a good place to find a second-wind!) and did 4 reps of normal Decline Push-ups(no knees). In the first round I was thinking(my first mistake!) that I was already doing "easy" push-ups, and I could not figure-out how to do "easy" Decline Push-ups. I did not think putting my knees on the chair would make them any easier(probably harder), and I was too exhausted in the first round to do them normal. The Ab Ripper X routine also went well. I did what I could and I did more today than I did the last time.

I also changed some other things this morning. Last week I would wake up, workout, and then eat breakfast. Today I ate breakfast, then did the workout. I think this change may have been what brought the second-wind that I was lacking last week. Last week, I was worried that if I ate before the workout, it would slow me down or make me sick. Today, I found the opposite to be true.

I feel really good about my performance today.

Diet:

• Lean Pocket - 290 cal.
• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 290 cal.
• Sausages - Hot and Maple - 440cal.
• One Egg- over easy - 90 cal.
• Toast - 1 slice - 40 cal.
• Potatoe's O'Brien - 60 cal.

Total: 1330 cal.

I am Sub-Zero: Kempo Master (Yeah, right!)

Day 6 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 1 , Routine 6
Kempo X

Weight:	286 lbs	-	Loss:	12 lbs
% Loss:	4 %	-	Rate:	0.8 %

I really did not want to get up today. At 3:30am I turned the alarm off knowing it would alarm again at 5am. At 5am I turned the alarm off and thought I would get up in a few minutes. Which I finally did 15 minutes later. Then I remembered today is Kempo X. I had been looking forward to this routine.

I really enjoyed Kempo X, thinking aggressively really helps as a added motivator when you are punching and kicking. I finished the whole routine, but skipped some of the double time reps. This is my new favorite routine!

Diet:

• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lean Pocket - 270 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Potato's O'Brien - 60 cal.
• Baked Breaded Chicken Breast - 300 cal.
• Stuffing - 160 cal.
• Green Beans - 20 cal.

Total: 930 cal. (Wow!)

Legs & Abs: Ready or Not, here it comes.

Day 5 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 1 , Routine 5
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

Weight:	289 lbs	-	Loss:	9 lbs
% Loss:	3 %	-	Rate:	0.75 %

I had planned this morning to try and keep the 3:30am wake-up time this morning despite the fact that today is not a work day. On my days off, I get my kids up at 7:00am to get ready for school. At 3:30am this morning I knew this and decided to change the alarm to 5:00am. At 5:00am I still did not want to get out of bed, but after a few minutes of contemplating my options, I managed to get up and get to my work out. I was pretty successful with the Legs & Back routine and I made it all the way through. I did have to lower the difficulty on the Total Gym about 1/3 through the routine so I could complete the Chin-up sets. This is the third day that the Ab Ripper routine was scheduled and I had to go for it the best that I could, as I had really been slacking on this routine the other two times. I finished the entire routine but could only achieve partial participation on most of the exercises and on a few of them I could not even get one rep. I felt like I achieved a much better cardio workout today than the two days prior, though.

Diet:

• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lean Pocket - 270 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Chow Mein - 500 cal.
• Baby Carrots - 70 cal.
• Chicken Fresca Bowl - 640 cal.

Total: 1600 cal.

Dhalsim, I am not.

Day 4 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 1 , Routine 4
Yoga X

Weight:	289 lbs	-	Loss:	9 lbs
% Loss:	3 %	-	Rate:	1 %

I successfully arose from bed this morning at the new time(3:30am) and got started with Yoga X. I quickly learned that 'flexible' is not a term that should be used in reference to me. I cannot yet touch the ground when I bend at the waist, keeping my legs straight. This really became a problem for most of the moves in the beginning of this routine. Every transitional move, that went from standing while touching the ground with your hands, to prone or a push-up position(and reverse), ended with me either falling into position or going to my knees in the transition. Even though I felt like my overall participation in this routine was low, I still found myself sweating. Hopefully I gained something in this first attempt at Yoga, and there is miles of room for improvement. I ended the workout at the beginning of the more advanced balance positions.

Diet:

• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lean Pocket - 270 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Naked Fajita Burrito - 500 cal. (Big Lunch)
• Lemonade - 300 cal. (I wouldn't have drank it if I knew that it was 300 cal.)
• Baby Carrots - 70 cal.
• Large Banana - 125 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 270 cal. (Small Dinner)

Total: 1655 cal.

I attribute the lack of weight loss to the large lunch that was still in my gut for my afternoon weigh-in. The other days of the week, I had a small lunch before the weigh-in and afterward, a large dinner. Another factor could be the possibility of burning fewer calories in the workout this morning than the other workouts this week. I do believe it is better to have the larger lunch than the larger dinner though, so I will have to deal this this pause in progress and I should see a drop in weight return again tomorrow.

Shoulders & Arms routine is great!

Day 3 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 1 , Routine 3
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

Weight:	291 lbs	-	Loss:	7 lbs
% Loss:	2.3 %	-	Rate:	1.15 %

Today again, I promptly woke up at 4am and got started with the routine. The schedule indicated Shoulders & Arms followed by Ab Ripper X. I came in to this routine expecting another Chest & Back style workout, and thinking, "Well, I will probably be exhausted in 30 minutes." Instead, I completed the entire Shoulders & Arms routine! I even completed the bonus round at the end. Shoulders & Arms is my favorite routine, so far. I however, ran out of time this morning to do the Ab Ripper X routine. Honestly, I was not looking forward to doing the Ab routine, but skipping it is not acceptable. I need to adjust my wake-up time to 3:30am to allow enough time to complete the entire line-up.

I do not(yet) have a set of dumbbells, so I am using resistance bands as a substitute. I think a dumbbell workout would be significantly more precise, as with the resistance bands, the range of movement as well as finding the right resistance and placement(loop size, if any) is somewhat awkward. It may get better though, as I get more familiarized with the bands and the routines.

Diet:

• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lean Pocket - 270 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 270 cal.
• Baby Carrots - 70 cal.
• Spaghetti - 800 cal.

Total: 1530 cal.

Plyometrics?

Day 2 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 1 , Routine 2
Plyometrics

Weight:	293 lbs	-	Loss:	5 lbs
% Loss:	1.7 %	-	Rate:	1.7 %

I woke up this morning ready to go. I had set the alarm for 4am and I got out of bed at 4am. No Snooze! I did not have the slightest idea of what plyometrics is and for some reason I thought it was going to be a step down in intensity from yesterday. Plyometrics a.k.a. jump training, is used heavily by professional athletes. I remember doing some of these exercises when I played football. Needless to say, I could only keep up with about half of the exercises in the first 40 minutes. What about the last 20 minutes? I don't know, we will both find out about it next week, as 40 minutes in is when I ran out of energy and hit eject. I think this is going to be a long road to 90 Days, but there is lots of room to improve and grow in to the program. This week I made it to the 40 minute mark, maybe next week I will make it all the way.

Svg-p90x and I have started a contest with each other. It is a Weight Loss contest and it is already underway. The winner (or biggest looser, so to say) will be determined on our p90x Day 90. We are normalizing the weight loss by comparing percent of weight loss from our starting weights. The one with the highest Percent Weight Loss wins. Check out his site, this will make things interesting.

Diet:

• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lean Pocket - 240 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Long Banana - 125 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 290 cal.
• Baby Carrots - 70 cal.
• Spaghetti - 800 cal.

Total: 1645 cal.

Let's Get Started

Day 1 / 90
Phase 1 , Week 1 , Routine 1
Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

Weight:	298 lbs	-	Loss:
% Loss:		-	Rate:

I originally planned to start yesterday morning, but come 2am I didn't feel the same. I did however, get around to taking my 'Before Picture'(click to play.) So today becomes the new Day 1, and yesterday is forgotten. I do however, plan on getting back on schedule this Sunday. I will simply skip the Rest Day(Routine 7) and start again on Routine 1 on Sunday. All future Rest days should fall on Saturday.

Today I set the alarm for 3:45am, planning for one 15 minute snooze(which I took), and I made it to the play button by 4:15am. I was surprised to learn how out-of-shape I am. I thought I would do far better than I did. I made it about half way through the Chest & Back routine before I was completely out of gas. This routine is a repeat routine, so I really made it all the way through once and skipped the repeat. Then I skipped the Ab Ripper X routine altogether. I watched it, somehow thinking that I would find a second wind, but it never came. At least I have been given a new goal. I can now strive to finish the whole routine.

Diet:

• Crystal Lite - 20 cal.
• Lean Pocket - 240 cal.
• Lite Yogurt - 100 cal.
• Lean Cuisine - 270 cal.
• Trail Mix - 160 cal.
• Spaghetti - 800 cal.

Total: 1590 cal.