Coming Attractions: P90x

Well next week begins the most dreaded, yet most exciting plan yet: P90x. Dreaded, because it looks and is rumored to be a real butt-kicker, and exciting because I need my butt kicked. Classy words from a classy Southern gal, eh?

In looking it over, I see that I have 3 workout options, and I will probably choose the "Classic" version, because as much as I'd like to go for the "Doubles" version- otherwise known(by me, anyway) as "P90x on crack"- I do not have 2 1/2 hours per day to dedicate to a booty-kicking workout. 1 to 1 1/2 will have to do.

Here are my thoughts at this point, having only a cursory knowledge of what I am about to put myself through:

-I only watched brief snippets of each workout, and may I just say that I am concerned? The guy leading the workouts is totally ripped and as I watched and zipped through some of the chapters it appeared that he is out of breath and straining. A lot. Maybe he's just acting, to make the rest of us feel better. Man.

-I ordered the workout bands and a chin-up bar from Ebay. I tried to pull myself up for a chin-up. That was a no-go. Here's hoping that changes by the end of the program:) Remember, I want to get all "Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor from the Terminator movies". If I can't do a few chin-ups, it's not gonna happen.

-I am kicking myself because this would have been the perfect winter workout! You work out along with the DVDs, so by necessity it is all indoors. What was I thinking?? It's just starting to get nice outside! Also you are supposed to go for a full 90 days, but I'll only be about halfway through before my Austin trip dates are here. Hmmmmm, maybe I SHOULD do the "on crack" version after all...LOL

-In the Craigslist copies I bought I got only the briefest explanation of the nutritional guidelines, yet I'd heard from those who have actually done the program that the diet is critical. So I looked up the guides and they are long & complicated. I have my weekend prep work cut out for me. I preferred the short & sweet version. It basically just involved eating several small meals- portion control and calorie counting. Hope the expanded version is not as annoying as it looks at first blush.

-I sent copies to my friend Carrie F. so that we can do the workouts together...2300 miles apart.

Carrie Ann, I am totally going to take you in an arm-wrestling contest on May 1st.

I plan to start early next week- by March 10, for sure. Will post again in early April to let you know how things are going...if I'm still alive.

Closing Out Diet #2

Winding down the Flat Belly Diet- one week to go. Despite my abyssmal failure at sticking with it properly- almost a whole week of not properly following the guidelines, plus the horror of Valentines night-on which I may well have consumed an entire week's allotment of calories in a single sitting-I like this diet in many ways! I plan to keep the diet book and cookbook because the recipes are tasty, easy, and low-calorie. For me, this will be a fallback plan when I need to lose a few pounds without feeling too terribly deprived and cranky.
Here is one of my favorite easy lunches that I'd like to share with you from the book:
Turkey Quesadilla: Spread 1 Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb Cheese wedge on one Thomas Whole Wheat Sahara Wrap(I actually used an Ezekiel tortilla). On half the wrap, place 2 oz. Applegate Frams antibiotic-free Honey Maple Turkey, 1/4 c. baby spinach leaves, 2T crumbled feta, and 10 sliced large black olives. Fold over and heat in toaster oven or nonstick pan over medium heat. Total calories:346

Here are the Vital Stats for the Flat Belly Diet(if there are any changes over the next week, I will edit this post!). And I want to clarify that my 5-point rating scale for these diets does not represent worst-> best, but rather least->most. In some cases it will reflect the former as well, but not necessarily :

My impression of the overall healthiness of this diet: 3(many of the recipes call for healthy ingredients- I especially appreciate that some call for specific brands that are organic, preservative-free, etc.), and I think limiting calories and portions is healthy in & of itself, but I am concerned that the diet has no limitations- white sugar is included in some of the recipes, for example. I think the reasoning behind this on the author's part leads right into...

Ease of Implementing: 3- I think the author wanted to make the diet attainable, and not such a far cry from one's ordinary eating that the dieter would feel deprived and give up after a few days. And I do believe that for many folks, the ease of implementing would be a 4. I shared my struggle with calorie-counting- I had NEVER done it before, and I was frustrated in trying to utilize recipes that do not include calorie counts or grab a muffin at a bakery, or figure out how to have my Deathcake & eat it too:)...however, if I had simply stuck with the recipes included, I would have been fully satisfied, and ease would have indeed risen to a 4. It was my resistance to sticking with it as closely as I should have that led to problems.

Cost of Implementing: 1- no more expensive than regular groceries- in fact, I daresay I spent less. When your portions are much smaller, it just naturally stretches your food budget! The initial cost of the 2 books sets you back a bit at the start, but you could check them out at your local library or purchase them used to cut down on or eliminate this factor.

Feeling of Deprivation: 2.5 On the days I was doing it right, I felt slightly hungry throughout the day. On some days when I ate dinner early, my tummy rumbled through the night. Suffice it to say I am not used to this:). But in terms of being deprived of foods I enjoy, not at all, because as I mentioned before, you can eat what you want, but you might just need to make it a smaller portion than what you are used to.

Energy Level: 4 I felt fine- really no better or worse than usual. Though I'll admit as I did in my last post that I took to an afternoon cup of coffee on some days to gather the energy to work out in the late afternoon/early evening. But I certainly do not attribute flagging afternoon energy to this diet.

Pounds lost: 3
So now we are at a grand total of 4 pounds lost between the 2 diets. I believe I would have lost more had I stuck with it better, and if I am lucky I'll be able to edit this post in a week and roll the number over from a 3 to a 4:)

Next Up: My older son Derek will be visiting from Feb. 26-March 3, so no diets allowed at that time! My next diet plan will be postponed until a few days after his departure instead of starting it immediately thereafter because I anticipate having some yummy leftovers still in the fridge after he leaves, and I don't want to set myself up for failure...or waste yummies. Anticipated start date for the next plan: March 8. I am both eagerly anticipating the results of this plan and at the same time dreading the work it will surely take to see said results. The plan? P90x. I have gathered my materials and will post in early March to let you know more!

A Fall off the Diet Wagon

And I thought this Flat Belly Diet would be a piece of cake! Turns out it was...literally. 2 Cupcake Royale cupcakes and and an entire Deathcake to be exact. Cupcake Royale wouldn't even tell me how many calories I downed in that thing. And therein lies the problem I am having with this diet: I have never EVER in my entire 39 years of life counted calories. Never! If I cook a meal, I have no idea how many calories are in it, and if it isn't calculated in the cookbook or magazine, I am not ABOUT to make the supreme effort it would take to figure it out. Many restaurants and bakeries cannot tell you how many calories are in their dishes. And this diet relies upon calorie-counting. Sigh. So I fell off the wagon and landed with a thump, and just gave up entirely last week. And it saddens me, because between the detox diet and the beginning week of this one, I was 3 lbs. lighter on the scale. But now after my relapse, only 1- 2 max. I am determined to behave for the next 2 1/2 weeks, at which time I have scheduled a PLANNED "No-Diet-Allowed" week, because Derek is coming for a visit! And you better believe I'll be sharing at least one cupcake:) Hopefully I will not be back to where I started...or worse!

And in a strange juxtaposition, during this week of misbehavior, I have been spending long periods of time joyfully planning a vegan/raw food diet for the summer, when local produce is abundant. Two of the favorite sites I have discovered are the Pure 2 Raw site, a blog written by a set of twins who happen to be raw vegan bakers who are also exercise enthusiasts. They are running a V-day contest right now, and I would love to win some of their treats to try out! The other site is called G Living and has the most gorgeous photos of vegan & raw delights, accompanied by recipes. Although I must admit that at both sites what I am sooooo drawn to would be...ahem...the desserts.

So far today I am back on track- yummy black bean & avocado burger on a sprouted bun for lunch...and is it wrong that I am back to drinking coffee, especially to perk myself up when I am feeling to fatigued to work out? Whoops.

Diet # 2- The Flat Belly Diet

This diet comes to us from Prevention Magazine and is in a nutshell a lower-calorie (but not to the point of starving yourself /deprivation) diet. http://www.prevention.com/health/weight-loss/flat-belly-diet

As a sidenote, I really like the calorie-counting tool in the lower right quadrant of this page. You input your height, weight, etc., and it tells you exactly how much you need to do to maintain or lose.
No foods off limits, exercise encouraged and a plan given, but not "required". There are 2 twists though, that make this plan a little different: 1) the calories are spread over 4 rather than 3 meals per day and 2) EVERY meal is required to include a MUFA- monounsaturated fatty acid- The good news for me is that I like these foods- nuts, olives, dark chocolate...
Here are the pros & cons as I see them prior to starting:
Pros:
-the plan looks easy and inexpensive to implement
-meals look tasty and I have choices after the 1st 4 days
-I don't think I'll feel deprived
-lots of useful tools such as an initial shopping list and 4-day jumpstart telling me exactly what to buy and eat
-there is an accompanying cookbook, which I bought- many of the recipes look delicious!
-the author lists health benefits of MUFAs, one of which includes an anti-inflammatory effect, which is one of my goals
-I can have a gourmet cupcake next weekend as one of my meals...wait, is that a pro or a con? Hmmmm...
Cons:
-the diet is so-so in terms of healthiness- and since nothing is a "no-no" someone could theoretically eat a lot of crud on this one
-the reader is told that while exercise affects greater change, results can be acheived without it

This is a 32-day plan, so I'll check back in in a couple of weeks to report my progress and again at the end.

Last day- whew!

Today is the last day of the 7-day Detox, and I am really glad. On days 3-5 I had very little energy without grains or nuts. The really difficult day to get through was day 4- fast day. The veggie broth was really hard to down, and as a result I think I became somewhat dehydrated. That night as I tried to sleep I woke with a racing heart and dry mouth. The next morning brought- FOOD. I had never been so glad to see a bowl of sliced bananas & frozen blueberries in my LIFE. I did forget to mention that there is one other big PRO for this diet, however: it really attempts to address mind, body, and spirit. It is really integrative.
Hopefully at least my body is a little cleaner and prepared for the new diet I will start tomorrow- The Flat Belly Diet.
So, here are the vital stats for 7-day detox(1-5 scale):
My impression of the overall healthiness of this diet: 5
Ease of implementing : 1 (not so easy)
Cost of implementing: 4 (fairly high cost)
Feeling of deprivation: 4 (felt pretty deprived)
Energy level: 2 (not my usual level- found it hard to exercise and wanted to go to bed early)
Pounds lost: 1(hopefully not just water and/or poop :))

Day 3

Well, I successfully and rather easily weaned myself from morning coffee by simply cutting down by 1 oz. per day the week prior to beginning this diet. The night before I started I went a little crazy though and gave myself something to detox FROM: whole wheat pasta(not allowed on diet) with cream sauce (not allowed), a hunk of yummy bread from a local bakery(not allowed), some local cheese(not allowed) and a half bottle of wine(DEFINITELY not allowed).
I am on day 3 of this 7-day plan, and I am better able to see some of the pros and cons now. I also have a question.
Pro:
-Extremely healthy diet- no quibble there
Cons:
-It takes up a lot of time! I am doing a lot of cooking and special-drink-preparing. Jordan called the mandatory 2x per day smoothies "putrid". The house is messier than usual. It's all worth it, right?
-I am again lamenting that meal plan/recipe choices are for the most part not included. I'm finding it especially difficult on the 2 days where I am ONLY to eat fruits & veggies- no nuts or grains even(luckily olive oil ok)! For lunch today I had a bowl of sliced bananas & frozen blueberries and a baked sweet potato with olive oil, salt & roasted garlic. Not bad. I'm running out of ideas, though...
-the diet calls for no dairy or refined sugar, but encourages the use of alternative milks such as almond or rice for the recommended smoothies- problem is, most of those alternative milks contain...sugar.

Question:
-If the sauna is supposed to help me "sweat out toxins", won't those toxins be right on my skin still when I'm done and have the potential to be re-absorbed? I can see taking a quick shower right after to get them off, but won't my pores be all open from the heat, allowing my skin to absorb ickiness such as chlorine from the shower water? What is the solution to this conundrum, I wonder? And why are there signs outside the sauna saying only short visits are safe, but this diet recommends 30-60 min.? Hmmmmm...

Tomorrow is the fast day- not looking forward to that. I prepared a special detox broth that I am supposed to sip throughout the day. Basically you chop up every icky vegetable you can think of, throw in a couple of decent ones for good measure, add water and boil for an hour. Strain, and the resulting liquid is the product. Did I mention that I am not looking forward to fast day?

Preparing for D-Day

I turned 39 last month, and in this final year before the big 4-0 I am determined to get in the best shape of my life. To that end, I am planning to test 4-6 diet/detox/exercise plans in 2010. I hope that my guinea pig status will benefit YOU by saving you some time, money and effort in avoiding the plans that don't show good result/effort ratios.
A few years ago I felt really good when I was on The Maker's Diet- no weight loss, but that wasn't my goal. But at this point, my ideal includes 1) losing 7-10 lbs. 2) losing dangerous abdominal fat 3) toning and building muscle- not quite "Madonna arms", but somewhere between where I am now and that...? Paul said he doesn't believe I can do a chin-up. Hmph. Maybe I can't NOW, but I so WILL. I'm gonna get all Sarah Connor from the original 'Terminator' movies. 4) Controlling my Lupus/inflammation. This is critical! Much of the literature I've read indicates that vegan and possibly gluten-free is the way to go to meet this goal, and some of these plans fall into that category. The first one does. It's actually only a 7-day detox plan. 4 days are vegan, 1 day is fasting, and the remaining 2 days I would describe as maybe... 'Vegan on Crack'?
While obtaining the plan itself costs you nothing, the recommended supplements do have a price tag attached, particularly in the case of "pectasol". I am on the lookout for cheap pectasol this week, so if you know of a good source, please comment below.
The website for this plan is www.fammed.wisc/integrative/modules You will see a number of patient handouts linked on this page. I will be doing the 7-day Detox plan.
Preparations to begin:
1) clear house of tempting, unhealthy foods not on the diet (by shoving them down my gullet)
2) wean myself of caffeine by reducing my morning cup of coffee by 1 oz. per day
3) create menus for the 6 days which fit the 'allowable foods' criteria, because only a few beverage and soup/broth recipes are actually included.
4) shop for supplements and recipe items
5)mentally prepare

What I like about the plan:
1) very healthy- sound in the recommendations, and very integrative
2) meets my anti-inflammatory needs
3) I can do anything for one week!

Concerns about the plan:
1) It only lasts a week- how much detox will actually occur?
2) I wish the creator would devise a number of recipes to choose from which fit the criteria. I am not normally a person who likes to be told what to do, but in the area of diet & exercise, the more "rules", structure, and guidance, the better.
3) The one recommendation I refuse to follow on fast day is taking an enema. Not. Gonna. Happen. Also this plan recommends a sauna for sweating out the toxins, and I do not have access to one. However, I sweat like a pig on my exercise bike, so maybe that will be sufficient?
I plan to start this diet next week, so I will report back during and after to share my results and thoughts at that time.