64 Days Left for P90X Phase 1

I am in full swing of of my Active Rest week. Everything is going great so far. I feel as if Iam losing more body fat, and getting a lot stronger, not to mention flexiable. I did hurt myself by straining my Hip Flexor. Hip still seems a little sore, but I got throught my workout this morning just fine. I just did what I could, and did not try to push it to far. I am trying to reorganize when I do my workouts. I scheduled an early morning workout today, and really enjoyied it. The DVD was Core Synergistics which I was much better at today than in the past. My eating last night was good. I am still enjoying the food and really cant get over how good I feel. It is pretty dramatic how much differnce this time around is. Honestly, I have never eaten bad, but I am a volume eater, so doing the Fat Shredder program is a huge eye opener to me. I would of never thought that eating this much protien would be so benificial. Benificial in the manner of appatite suspressent and over all satifaction. I have been doing the program for almost a month and its not like I have been complaining about the process; like times past. The big question is am I making the progress that I think I am. I think I will take some new pictures this weekend and see if I can tell. One thing I can say is that I dont feel like slowing down.

66 Days Left in P90X Phase 1 - Active Rest Week

66 days left in the Phase One Classic Routine. I am in the "active rest" phase of the program. I did Core Synergistics last night and I enjoyied but just was not very good at it. I sweated like man man, but I dont think I got my heart rate very high. Diet wise I have been doing great. I have had no booze in a month, really dont miss it to be honest. I feel ten thousand time better on so many levels. I know that has a lot to do with the quality of sleep I am getting now. It is so critical for me to get a good night rest. Wine just makes for a restless night and I am usually tired the next day, which in turn makes me hungry all day. I am getting restless to start running again, so hopefully the weather will get a bit better, been mainly windy and chilly. I really have no buring desire to run out when it is like that. I dont think I have lost much weight, as my scale is pretty consistant, but my body is changing. I can see my ABs, and obliques. Top of my ass is finally hollowing out and getting rid of that nasty back fat I had. Gross! I just want to be dialed in and lean, hard, and just crazy full of energy. I am well on my way. Diet is key, and the food choice make such a huge differnce. I am learning so much about myself physically and mentally just doing this program. I have never had such good results, and to be.....cont.

73 Days Left of Phase 1 of P90X

73 Days left of Phase one. Today I am sort of tired, nit sure why, but I am. Last night I had a great workout with Plyometrics. Its amazing much exercise wakes the body. and the mind. I had my usual dinner and recovery drink. I weighed myself after exercise and I was 179.5. It may have been due to water weight, but as I ahave said before, I like what this program has to offer. Its not so much what it is, but I guess how it is presented. I know if I dont cheat myself and am diligent with my effort I will reach my goal. I have been trying to get ultra fit for many many years, but never was able to reach that point. I think I would talk myself out it, or thought that I did not deserve it for some reason. Its funny how people react to me. Granted many think that I am a carazy fitness freak, but in my mind all I am trying to do is reach a level fitness that I believe I should be at. I understand genitics and how that plays a part, but diet is such a crutial part in a healthly lifestyle; and diet is so controlable. I eat my chicken and yogurt most everyday; and all I really hear is people making comments on why would I eat like that. Why do I choose to do that. I guess I want people to say of corse you eat like that, look at yourself. Your totally fit and healthly. In my mind I feel like that, but I really want to look the part. I want to be lean and not worry about any flab hanging off me. Plus, I love being flexiable. What a differnce being flexiable makes in the day to day. It really is wonderful.

For the past year I have been working off a Audio Book called Goals, by Brian Tracy. It is a fasinating book with tons of useful advice and activities. It has taught me many things, but the main thing is that it has taught me self disipline. You have to have self disipline to reach any goal. I needed to break out of immediate gratification and look further into the future. Plus, it has taught me that if I do "X" and do it 100%, then I should very likely reach "Y". I know easier said than done, but it is a critical component of reaching goals. I have learned to listen more to that little voice inside me. Telling me how fun it will be when I reach my goal. The feeling of gratification I will feel. Plus, just the boost in self confidence it provides. In any goal you want to reach you have to try, and not just wish, but actually take action to reach your destination. I find that getting healthy for me is almost an hour by hour task. I wish it was not the case but I find that most of my thoughts are consumed with this goal. I am either hungry, or thinking about being hungry, or thinking about workout, or just feeling the soreness in my body are all constant reminders of my effort. At times I find a great feeling of accomplishment attempting to hit this goal, but then other times I feel as if I am being to diligent and forgetting about balance in my life. Perhaps this is what people struggle with when they want balance in thier life. They are struggleing with the same internal dialog I feel now. If others are reading this I encourage people to comment and provide me feedback on this, as I am finding it difficult to maintain. The difference about this time is that I am convinced I am going to hit my mark. On this eating plan i dont feel as I am always fighting for food, or to tired that I am munchie all the time. This is pretty much my main struggle now; the struggle within myself. I need to keep fighting that I rewire myself that this lifestyle is considered normal and predictable, rather than stepping out of my comfort zone.

I have made great ground already and I know that, but I still dont feel as if I am at my goal. I still got work to do. I would like to hear others comments considering this issue and how you are sucessful with it. I dont want to hear excuses from people, because there are none. You are either on the program and living it, or your not. The metaphor I can think about that applies, is a metaphor with money. Some people are born into money. They will never ever have to worry about money, so they live thier life as such. There are others who begin with nothing, but with work they achieve thier goal of sucess. Then there are the scrappers, who just fight and claw their way to get what they want all the way. This is all very simlar to dieting, or working to be fit. Some people never have to worry about or really have to work at it. Then there are others whom just need to be educated about it and they easily apply the pricipals to make the needed change. Then there are people who just fight and fight their way to reach their gaol. Then there are those who never do anything and just blame and point the finger at the one who succeed. Saying that its not for them. Being 179.5 last night that mean I am 100 pounds down from my heaviest, so I know the process, and I respect the process, just sometimes I feel a bit like a boat without a rudder. I just know now that feeling waxes and wanes. I will obtain laser like foccus again and be more motivated than I was before, be more diligent in reaching my goal.

74 Days Left till the End of Phase One P90X

I had a great workout last night at the gym. I did Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X. The more I do this workout the more I like it. I am seeing some great results in my arms. I am not losing much on the scale, but I am certainly changing my composition around, which I love.

I also found a great resource from a female who goes by Chicken Tuna. She is not a fitness model, nor a competitve bodybuilder, just a lady who loves to stay in shape. I love the dedication and focus she delivers. Here site Http://www.chickentuna.com The site is worth looking into. Basic scope on this whole fitness gig is that you need to work at it, and you need to take action to reach your goals. Always know your goals, and always ask yourself if your actions are helping you achieve your goals.

I have 74 more days to deliver fantastic results. I have been focues on both diet and the program. I probably should cut back on the sorbet at night, but I find it nice to be able to have it, and not put all my work to shit. Right now I am getting results without depriving myself, so that is a win win situation.

76 Days Left

Monday morning and I sit drinking coffee and eating my Oatmeal, Berries and Yogurt. I had a decent weekend with the plan. I was consistent with my food. I did splurge with some Frozen yogurt, but it was not all that bad, maybe 200 extra calories. I had no wine, although I would of loved to hang out and drink a nice, plumply, chewy, red. I did make a new discovery that will help my process with the diet. I have been vacuum packing my protein in 6 oz servings, which I take to work during the week. The reason I like this method is that I can make a few pounds and my efforts will last for about 2 weeks. I just find it easier if I am not cooking off Chicken all the time. To extend my Chicken supply I have been switching up my dinners with Tuna and three servings of egg whites, plus a TBSP of Truffle Oil, or 3 oz of Avocado. I use the Seal A Meal Brand to vacuum my food. System cost $60 bucks and I think make your food taste better than using zip lock bags for extended storage.

I have not weighed myself in a couple of days, but I have not seen much shift in the numbers, but I do feel changes in my clothes. I can see and feel how my clothes are fitting me different, so that is a testament to the program and having it work. I have no doubt that this program will get me to my goal.

I have noticed significant improvement in my strength and flexibility. I am much better on certain moves, especially using my core. Some I still struggle, or can't even do, but I small improvement which allows me to see that in time I will master all the exercises, I have no doubt of that. AB Ripper is still kicking me hard. I have yet been able to perform Mason Twists with both feet off the ground, but with one foot touching I can bang out 30, but at the start I could not even do it. The Yoga X series I am able now to get in something that resembles a Half Moon, hard as hell, and I sweat buckets, but I am trying to get that down. One part of this program I really do appreciate is the stretching. I have never been a big stretcher, but I see now how important it is for the body. I am a runner, and I stretch my hamstrings, but not much more than that. I am finding out that just how tight I really was, and how uncomfortable my body was. Being tight sucks! I also see how booze affects my body. When I drink my sleep is affected, and I normally don't sleep well, so my body suffers. When my body suffers due to not being rested I tend to tighten up, and that just cascades to numerous others issues.

Today is the third week of of the program for me, so next week will be a "rest" week for me, which will be a good thing. Last friday I felt great, full of energy, felt strong and tight, but Saturday, I was sluggish and tired. I took a nap in the afternoon, although I woke with tons of energy. Sunday I was tired all day till I worked out and I felt thousand times better, which just reaffirms that if you drag your body; the mind will follow. Overall I had a sucessful weekend and feel great that I did not let myself down in any way by cheating myself. Although, I spaced my session of AB Ripper X I owed myself, just proves to me that even if I am short on time, 17 mins is nto going to make or break anything.

78 Days Left In Phase 1 P90X

Saturday morning and I am up and full of energy. I had a great workout last, but I did not do my AB Ripper X, as I was trying to accommodate my girl friend on a "date night". I do have a question I will pose to the public audience: Do you find that being strict in diet and diligent in the program to be disruptive to your life? I find that it is, but I don't mind. I would like to hear others opinions about the issue.

Diet: Has been going great. I am not hungry, I have TONS of energy and my overall well being is going great. I can speak enough of what eating clean can do the body. I always thought I ate clean, and I did, but I was just not eating the proper combination of food. I really feel as if a door has been opened to me.

Workouts: Excellent. Really been diligent in doing my workout, but it has not been that difficult, as I look forward to the process. I still cant get over how much I enjoy yoga. That program is HARD for me but I am seeing constant improvement, so I keep plugging away at it. My definition is coming. I can start to see individual muscles in my shoulders twitch as I lift, which I just love. I can not wait till I get ripped! How fun is that going to be!

All in all I am just having fun with it. I can say that I am so happy about it that I do not feel hungry. When I do feel hungry its not like a huge hole I need to feed, so I can stop the process quickly and return to focus on something else. I have energy to devote to the demand of the exercise, so that is a great feeling, plus I am seeing gains in all areas. My pull ups, Wall Sits, Yoga Strength and Flexibility, and my overall outlook on my world. I am starting to make a habit of waking without a alarm clock, which is a wonderful feeling and so not like me. Plus, I am just pounding into my head that alcohol has NEVER done me any favors in my life. I actually think it just makes, or contributes to making me fat. It kills my motivation.

I will keep posting and letting you know how I am doing with my life change. I am seeing some outstanding results. Peace.

80 Days Left on Phase One of P90X

80 more days to go and so far I am loving this workout program. I know this time I will hit my mark. The diet is really not bad. I have been doing the Fat Shredder Plan for about 3 weeks. I received the program at the start of the year, but I know I was going to go run in Arizona, so I did not officially start the till 10 days ago. I found that it takes about 3 days to kick in and then I start feeling all sorts of great energy. I also seem to be more clear headed and not so distracted. The added protein is just what I needed, I would of never thought it, but it does wonders. I am on Level 2, and although I have not seen a significant drop on the scale, I can feel it in my clothes and I also see way more definition when I am working out.

Here is a recent picture of me that I took yesterday. I know it is sort of cheesy, but it makes me happy to see results. Really, what makes me happy is that I am not killing myself to get results. Don't get me wrong, I am working my ass off and I am being incredibility consistent, but I am inching my way to my goal. I know if I just do the freaking program I will get what I want. It really is a cool feeling. I am really beginning to love how my body feels when I am working out. I never thought I would get to this point with my health.

My Pre Photos

I am horrified that I once that this was acceptable. I have no idea why I thought this was ok for me to live this way. This was taken right after my divorce. I was in a bad place and all I know I needed to do some serious house cleaning of myself. Believe it or not I was actually 50 pounds heavier than this picture. I dont have one without a shirt, but I was big country and miserable. Long story short on this post, I had dropped 50 pounds through running, and just not eating like a Viking. When my divorce hit I was 230 and was just devistated. My life was a real mess. Thorugh sheer depression I lost another 30 pounds, so I eneded up aroun 200 pounds. When I get stressed I walk. Lot of my friends were calling me Gump because I was walking so much, lol. Oh those were good times... not, lol!

Well as you would guess couple of months later I ended up gaining the 30 pounds back. I remember the day, I just said uncle. I remember saying to myself that I CLEARLY HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF. It was then that I decided to go to Weight Watchers for help. Through their help and some dedication I was able to take off 52 pounds, and achieve Lifetime status. All that was just huge,and I have kept it off since. I ebb and flow but I dont let myself get to far from 178. Although I was thinner I was not lean, which is really my goal. I want to be ripped, and see what my body looks like at around 6% BF, currently I am at 12% with a weight of 180 lbs.

Looking at this picture is just sobbering to me. Never again will allow myself to be in that state.

9 Days in P90X

I am 9 days into the program I love what I am seeing and feeling. I have been following the Fat Shredder Plan by using the portions. I have had no booze, and I really try to get enough rest. I have to say that I am making progress, its slow, but I am making progress. I did not do the fitness test before hand, but I know I am making progress. I am more flexible, stronger, and i am seeing a leaner mid section. I love it.

Every workout I am trying to do what I can, so I can honestly say that I am trying. Plus, I am being very diligent on my diet. The program works! Just follow it to a tee and it will produce the reward.