Day #5: The Switch

So I really thought today was the Warrior. I knew I didn’t have the DVD (lost it like a champ), so I spent my early morning browsing YouTube videos of people doing it to find one that was easy to follow (Mike Burritt wins on that one).

Did the whole work out, went to log it in my P90X3 app, aaaaand…. today was CVX. >.<

It's ok, because tomorrow is the Warrior, and CVX is a huge bitch, so I'll enjoy having the day after to recuperate.

MEAL PLANNING DAY

I’m on a mission to actually use the food that’s in my pantry – and boy, is there a lot!

Saturday: Salmon w/ Mango Salsa, Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Sunday: Curry Chicken w/ Roti, Salmon w/ Mango Salsa (I have a lot of salsa still…)
Monday: Veggie Beef Soup, Curry Chicken w/ Roti
Tuesday: Veggie Beef Soup, Stuffed Acorn Squash
Wednesday: Stuffed Acorn Squash, Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Thursday: **GOING TO ALBANY W/ JANORA**
Friday: Buffalo Chicken Casserole, Spaghetti Squash w/ Meatball Marinara
Saturday: Spaghetti Squash w/ Meatball Marinara, Paleo Meatloaf

Snacks: Pistachios, Light Popcorn, Dried Apricots, Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Powder Chia Seed Pudding, Peanut Butter Cinnamon Granola

I wont usually shop at WalMart because I don’t trust their produce (had some shady experiences with them, as well as PriceChopper), but since I already purchased all my fresh produce last week, I headed there for some extra savings:

Unsweetened Almond Coconut Milk x2 ($6.00)
Frozen Blueberries ($10.50)
Frozen Baby Spinach ($2.50)
Pitted Dates ($3.50)
12-Pack Clif Bars for Hubby ($11.00)
————-_—————————–
TOTAL: $33.50

___DAY #5: P90X3

___Breakfast: Mango Strawberry Protein Smoothie (325 Cal, 31g Protein) ___Morning Snacks:  ___Lunch: Salmon with Mango Salsa (235 Cal, 25g Protein) ___Afternoon Snacks: Roti (225 Cal, 4g Protein), Light Popcorn (150 Cal, 4g Protein) ___Dinner: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites (435 Cal, 29g Protein) ___Total Calories: 1369 ___Total Protein: 93g ___Water: 4 Cups

___Workout: The Warrior ___Previous Goal: N/A ___New Goal: Add Modified Push Up to Super Burpees

___Energy Level: 3/5 ___Headaches: N/A ___Stomach Aches: N/A

Day #4: Check the Menu Before You Go

TIL: Eating Out = WOW. I could have had 2 Hawaiian rolls (way better) for half the calories in those Texas Roadhouse Rolls. Looks like it’s an MRP for lunch tomorrow. Good thing I’ve got 4 days until my next weigh-in.

___DAY #4: P90X3

___Breakfast: Mango Protein Smoothie (325 Cal, 31g Protein) ___Morning Snacks: Avocado Egg Salad (378 Cal, 13g Protein) ___Lunch:  ___Afternoon Snacks:  ___Dinner: Texas Roadhouse – 2 Rolls (454 Cal, 4g Protein), 1/2 Grilled Shrimp (185 Cal, 3g Protein), ___Half Slab Ribs (870 Cal, 12g Protein), Sweet Potato (230 Cal, 4g Protein), Veggies (100 Cal) ___Total Calories: 2164 ___Total Protein: 67g ___Water: 4 Cups

___Workout: Challenge ___Previous Goal: N/A ___New Goal: 4 Modified Pull Ups/8 Push Ups

___Energy Level: /5 ___Headaches: N/A ___Stomach Aches: N/A ___Weight: 152.0 lbs ___Net Weight Loss: 2.4 lbs

Day #3: P90X3 & Me

Mmmmm morning smoothie. But you know what was even better than my morning smoothie? The delicious Bacon Avocado Tomato Egg Salad I had for lunch. Super simple: 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 slices bacon, 1 tomato, and 1/2 avocado – diced and tossed. Creamy and delicious!

In fact, I even nailed dinner today. At first, I was hesitant about raw onions and raw bell peppers (neither a favorite of mine), but the sweetness of the mango offset them perfectly. I’m giving myself an A+ on today’s meal choices. Wanna make your own mango salsa? Easy: 1 mango, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/4 onion, 1/4 serrano pepper, 1 tsp cilantro, & 1 tbsp lime juice. Dice and toss (apparently my mantra for the day). Yum!

___DAY #3: P90X3

___Breakfast: Strawberry Protein Smoothie (315 Cal, 30g Protein) ___Morning Snacks: N/A ___Lunch: Bacon Avocado Tomato Egg Salad (420 Cal, 15g Protein) ___Afternoon Snacks: 2 Cups Grapes (220 Cal, 1g Protein), Pumpkin Spice Kashi Bar ___(170 Cal, 5g Protein), Dried Apricots & Pecans (195 Cal, 1g Protein) ___Dinner: Salmon with Mango Salsa (235 Cal, 25g Protein) ___Total Calories: 1555 ___Total Protein: 77g ___Water: 2 Cups

___Workout: X3 Yoga ___Previous Goal: Wear Knee Brace – Nailed It! ___New Goal: Hold Dancer’s Pose the Entire Time

___Energy Level: 4/5 ___Headaches: N/A ___Stomach Aches: N/A

Day #2: NEW PLAN

I totally failed at Whole30. Here’s my complaint:

1) I hate eating solid food before working out, and I love working out first thing in the morning. Making real food and waiting for it to digest adds an extra 2 hours of waffling, wasting time, and not working out in the morning. GIMME MY SMOOTHIE BACK.

2) It’s making me headache-y and tired. I know they warn about that in the beginning, but it’s soooo hard to start up on working out after 3 months off, and have dietary exhaustion on top of it.

Here’s my new plan:

I’m going to do kind of a reverse Whole30. If the idea of Whole30 is to take everything out, then gradually reintroduce it to see how it affects you, the reverse should also work.

I’m going to start by keeping dairy out of my diet, because I know I’m lactose intolerant.

If that goes well, then week three, I’m going to drop gluten.

Week five, I’m going to drop the rest of the grains.

Week seven, it’s bye bye to sweeteners.

I’m not taking soy out. I love my edamame. It may not be a “wonder food,” but it’s high in protein, fiber, & iron – 3 things I don’t get enough of (especially since I hate red meat, and have only a passing acceptance of chicken & eggs).

I did do my P90X3, though it super tweaked my knee out. Going to have to find my knee brace before doing today’s workout just to be safe.

___DAY #2: P90X3

___Breakfast: Baked Egg & Steak Skillet ___Morning Snacks: Dried Strawberries & Bananas ___Lunch: Grilled Cheese & Tomato, Fruit Salad ___Afternoon Snacks: ___Dinner: Turkey, Mixed Veggies, White Rice ___Water/Tea: 5 cups

___Workout: AgilityX ___Previous Goal: N/A ___New Goal: Wear Knee Brace, Complete Entire Workout

___Energy Level: 2/5 ___Headaches: Morning/Afternoon – Front, Above Temples ___Stomach Aches: N/A

Day #1: How do I egg?

It’s my first day of Whole30 & P90X3! Wooohooo! Feeling motivated!

So this morning, I decided to try this delicious looking egg baked in portobello mushroom recipe. Only thing is, I forgot the step where you’re supposed to switch from broil to bake when you put the egg in, so I got this post-nuclear war era looking plastic film over the top of my egg.

I also discovered in the process of prepping the mushroom that my spray olive oil contains soy, which pretty much made me sadfaec super hard – nothing some regular olive oil and a paper towel couldn’t solve though.

Anyway, once I removed the indestructible protective layer (I admit, I tried to chew it, and couldn’t), it both looked and tasted 100% more appetizing.

Hey look, there is an egg under there after all!

Wasn’t super filling – in the future, I should definitely make two.

I give the recipe an overall A+ because usually I’m not really a fan of eggs, but I could definitely see myself eating this again. As for myself? A solid C in reading & following directions.

For lunch I made garlic mayo tuna salad, and I’m pretty sure I made the mayo wrong, because it sure did taste like I just poured a bunch of olive oil on my tuna. This was definitely my first “I could definitely season this and add _______, ________, & ________ to make it taste better” moment. IF ONLY I COULD USE THAT DIJON MUSTARD IN THE FRIDGE!!! Going to have to get some regular mustard the next time I go grocery shopping.

I don’t think I’ll be repeating the tuna salad recipe. Everything I ate this morning was delicious, so it stands to reason that I really shouldn’t be eating things that make me feel like upchucking. As it stands, I made myself eat about half, then nommed on a hard boiled egg and some grapes.

Anyway, here’s my overall breakdown for today:

___DAY #1: WHOLE30 & P90X3

___Breakfast: Baked Egg in Portobello Mushroom ___Morning Snacks: 1 Cup Green Grapes, 1/2 Cup Pistachios ___Lunch: Garlic Mayo Tuna Salad ___Afternoon Snacks: Hard Boiled Egg, 1 Cup Green Grapes ___Dinner: Turkey, Potatoes ___Water/Tea: 4 Cup

___Workout: Total Synergistics ___Previous Goal: N/A ___New Goal: More Reps of Releve-Plie

___Energy Level: 3/5* ___Headaches: N/A ___Stomach Aches: N/A ___Weight: 154.4 lbs ___Net Weight Loss: 0.0 lbs

*Believe it or not, that’s higher than my energy level has been in weeks.

Day #0: Whole30 & P90X3

WOW… are those a lot of letters and numbers! If you’re scratching your head… relax, I had never heard of either of those a year ago, either. Here’s the quick break down:

Whole30: A 30 day paleo detox – no grains, dairy, sugar additives, or legumes. You may remember I was eaten gluten-free back in fall of last year before I completely fell off the wagon and off the blogosphere. (What can I say? – holidays!) This is the program my friend Angel was trying to convince me to do back when I started that.

P90X3: Tony Horton… he annoys the hell out of me, but my boyfriend – AHEM, husband (gratz2me on the November engagement and subsequent elopement and nb4 no she’s not pregnant) – loves this program. And here’s the thing about January in upstate New York: It turns out it’s REALLY. COLD. So… a workout I can do at home? for 30 minutes a day? and feel super sore and whiny the next day? Sign. Me. Up.

That sounds like a lot of hell all at once, right? So why am I doing this?

Here’s the deal: I stepped on the scale today for the first time since the beginning of November to find… I had only gained 2 1/2 pounds since then. Now, inside I did a little rejoicing… I was expecting to have gained at least five pounds over the holidays, but then… wait. Why was I feeling so awful? So tired? So bloated? So headachey? So like I had gained back all 13 pounds I had lost since July?

I put it to the fact that I’ve been eating nothing but junk (see: entire bag of Hershey’s kisses I ate on Friday when my husband left for another 3 months at sea), and not exercising.

So! No time like the present to make a change. I hit Pinterest, found some recipes, went grocery shopping, cleaned out my pantry (ok, I’m lying, I’m going to do that as soon as I finish publishing this), and am ready to get serious about getting back into the swing of things!

The big thing I forgot to mention about Whole30 is that they ask you not to weigh yourself the entire 30 days. Your body does some crazy stuff while detoxing apparently, so I’m supposed to put that little scale away.

But P90X3 is all about tracking your progress! So these are my starting stats (lulz, I said stats, such a gamer), and you wont be seeing any more of these sad sad numbers for the next 30 days (or hopefully ever!):

Weight: 154.4 lbs

Chest: 38 inches
Waist: 34.5 inches
Hips: 38.0 inches
Upper Arm (Flexed): 12.25 inches
Thigh (Gross): 23 inches

Ok, ok… I promise that’s the last disparaging remark I’m going to make about my body.

I’m ready to do this!

How to Be Awesome Tip #13: Remember that it’s never too late to try again!