Going down! and Fruit Juice

Great day yesterday.

I did my P90X Plyometrics (a big ugh here) and Aaron didnt get home from work until late. They were signing up a new product to rep. All day I had been craving Buffalo Wild Wings (18 traditional mango habenero) and I had planned to get some after the gym. Well I didnt make it there because Aaron wasnt on his way home until 6:30 so I told him it was his job to pick up BW's. LOL

And K didnt want to walk. She wanted to give her legs a rest. So instead of doing my 20 minute zumba which I originally THOUGHT I was going to do, I popped in the 45 minute Cardio party instead. Oh holy heck. Great workout. And I really pushed myself. I am trying to learn these routines so I can teach them myself.

I was completely done with the video and back upstairs before Aaron even got home.

And I didnt eat ALL the wings. I did eat 12 of them. And I had a beer. And a few chips. And a half a Hershey bar. Ugh. Did I mention I was STARVING by the time he got home???

BUT!!!

I got up this morning and lost 1.5 lbs!! I am down to 178.5! Helloooo 170's! I guess it shows that you can splurge once in a while if you work out good before hand.

SOOOOO tonight is a no gym night. There just arent any classes that I am interested in taking on Wednesdays- Body Pump (I lifted already today), Body Combat (way high cardio and martial arts), and Yoga (I do tomorrow morning). So I am going to do an at home repeat of last night.

Today's P90X is arms, shoulders and abs which I just completed after dropping Xavier off to school. Feeling great because I had to up some of my bicep exercises to 15lbs! Now it is a quick breakfast then running to the Dr. to get Landry's immunization record for school, then to the grocery store. Then home for Landry's lunch, get him to bed and up to get Xavier from school. Dinner. Xavier to bed, and Landry to school for his open house. WHEW! Then home to do the Cardio Party. Oh yeah baby! I want to lose this weight!So glad that I am out of my funk. I noticed that other fellow bloggers have been feeling in a funk too so it is nice to know I am not alone!

This weekend is the 6th month anniversary of the tornado. No fooling. We as a subdivision are having a party to celebrate. Bring a dish to pass sort of thing down at the Community Park. Hopefully the weather cooperates. I cant believe it has been 6 months already and still so many people arent home or are JUST getting started on reconstruction.

I am going to try to be as on point as I can this weekend with eating. I think I should be ok. I am bringing an apple berry salsa to the party as well as a veggie tortellini salad. Both are low fat. And I know some other people are bringing low fat things too. So if I do Kempo and then Zumba in the evening, hopefully I should be good.

I am going to consider my info below as my Tip of the Day but really I suggest you read the whole article. Really. Really. Interesting! I am only summarizing the article and adding in some of my own personal thoughts.

Onto an interesting article I read yesterday called Fruit Juice: Soda's Evil Twin?

Lots of people have the misconception that if you are drinking fruit juice that it is healthy for you. Because people think this, juice is helping in the rise of obesity and diabetes, etc.

In fact, Half of the U.S. population over the age of 2 now consumes sugary drinks on a daily basis -- and this figure does not even include 100% fruit juices, flavored milk or sweetened teas, all of which are sugary too, which means the figure is actually even higher.

Scary huh?

If a fruit drink is labeled "drink", "beverage" or "cocktail" it is because it doesnt contain 100% juice. In fact, it probably has its first ingredient as high fructose corn syrup or some other type of sugar. These drinks usually only contain about 10% juice! Frightening isnt it???

And even if it IS 100% juice, just one 8oz glass of orange juice (for example)  gives your body 25 grams of fructose which is more than you should have for an ENTIRE DAY!! Oh holy cow right?!? And just think- that is for an ADULT! What about kids??

Fructose (for adults) at 15 grams a day is harmless BUT nearly 1/4 of Americans are consuming 135 grams per day!! That is OVER a QUARTER POUND!!! And we wonder why Americans are getting more obese and diabetes are on the rise???

There are other interesting facts and info in this article like how fructose is the culprit for millions of US children that are struggling from non-alcohol induced liver disease and how fruit juice increases your uric acid levels (like soda does).

Read it. Be informed.

And a final note, they recommend (for adults) not to go over 25 g of fructose a day with a max of 15 grams from fresh fruit not fruit JUICE. And it can be tough to wean off. Apparently fructose has the same addictiveness as cocaine!!

I for one am switching my kids from juice to V8. Gonna read my labels today when I go to the grocery store. I am gonna nip our sugar addiction and processed food addiction in the butt before my kids become obese. I want them healthy and to have healthy habits.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!

Back to normal...well sort of

Well Xavier is feeling better and on the mend. After he slept til 10:30 yesterday he was up and annoying me as usual. LOL.

I got my P90X done and I went for a quick walk yesterday with K and her 2 dogs and the other dog she is watching. Yup. 3 dogs. 2 people. We were outnumbered.

Worse was when she couldnt find a third leash and thought that her golden retriever would stick by us. Nope. She proved her wrong. LOL. So I took the one extendable leash we had and ran it thru two of the collars. So both goldens were together on one leash but were still able to get distance between the two because of the lengthening of the leash.

And I had the brittany on my leash which is K's hyper active dog. He is just too cute for words. Hyper yes. But he will just howl you out a story like you would not believe.

Towards the end this is what we looked like:

The Brittany just had to be up with the Golden Retrievers. Too funny. K said he looked like the hot dog between two buns. LOL.

We didnt get much in as a walk, but I think we burned a few calories laughing at us trying to walk these three.

Last night, the kids were up and down all night. I try really hard not to give them major liquids before bed, but last night we had soup. And we didnt eat (well they didnt eat quickly) until 5:30 which means dinner doesnt get done until bedtime at 7.

So Landry was up at 10:30 needing to pee. Then he was up and down with I think nightmares. And then Xavier was up to pee. Then Landry was up again just before 6am. Ugh. Up, down, up, down. Like a frickin yo-yo. Most of the kiddie call outs were before 3am so I only got a 3 hour block of continuous sleep.

Needless to say, I will be getting Landry an early lunch and then both of us will be taking naps today!

Today is Tuesday which means Plyometrics. Ugh. I hate it, but I like it. And I like that I dont have to do ab ripper today. I will be doing that as soon as I get back from dropping Xavier off at school.

Tonight is usually my long night at the gym but I am going to start changing things up. Aaron warned me he isnt gonna get home from work until late tonight- maybe 6:30 if I am lucky. So I may not make RPM. However, now on a "normal" Tuesday, I want to skip CX and Flow and instead lift weights and do RPM. My body has been responding nicely to the Greens, Thermofit and working out. I lost 1.5 lbs yesterday and am down to 180.0.

So tonight, if I dont make it for RPM, I am going to do a walk with K and then maybe do my 20 min zumba express. Depends on how long we walk for.

Also today I am signing up for my zumba certification. I am SO excited!! The class is the end of October.

So have a fantastic Tuesday everyone!

And I would just like to say a quick prayer to all the families that lost someone on 9/11. It is the day that my generation will not soon forget. My thoughts and prayers are with you today.

Tip of the Day:

Mad Monday (not literally)

First thing first...

I want to say a HUGE congrats to my friend K who starts her new job today. She landed her DREAM job. It just goes to show that God only gives you what you can handle at any given moment. He knew that she needed the time to focus on her house rebuild after the tornado and now that she is back in, she could focus on a new job. Congrats girl!

Next thing...

Xavier is at home from school today. Saturday night he was up saying his stomach hurt. And while he didnt complain about it yesterday, he really didnt eat much. This morning he was saying his stomach hurt again and he didnt want to eat and just laid his head on the kitchen table. I finally decided that he was just too punky to send to school. If he is sick, I dont want to get the other kids sick. And if it just exhaustion, he really should catch up on sleep so he doesnt get sicker.

So I put him back to bed. And here it is 10am and he is still sleeping. Hopefully he will feel better when he gets up.

Going back to to last night...

I didnt end up doing zumba or the elliptical.

Instead I went for a walk with K. I finished her picture that she wanted and so when I delivered it, we went for a walk. Now when I walk, I power walk. 4.3 mph or so...a good quick pace and I use a higher knee walk so my heart rate gets higher. Well K isnt used to that. We havent walked lately. So we had to turn around about 3/4 way thru the walk. I am hoping to talk her into walking again tonight. I will whip her into shape. LOL.

Today I did P90X shoulders, chest and abs. Lots of push ups and pull ups. I LOVE the pull ups, hate the push ups. Some of them just kill my bad shoulder. So I just do modifications like regular push ups instead of military or I do more pull ups instead of push ups. And folks- before you think "OMG she does a ton of pull ups" I use a band. So they really arent a true pull up on a bar but I still get great results from it.

So tonight I am going to either walk or do zumba or elliptical.

I am also going to implement a no snacking after 7pm rule with the exception of gym nights where I dont get home until 8:30 or so. Then it will be a quick bit of protein laced food and then to bed. I have to stop the snacking.

I also have been taking the Greens and the Thermofit. I think the Thermofit is going to work just fine. I just need to stop over eating and sabotaging myself with snacks and alcohol and let the stuff do its thing.

The Greens are fantastic and have been giving me lots of energy. Even Xavier had some this morning. I think I am going to start giving it to the boys in their orange juice in the morning too. It is a great way to get your fruits and veggies and I recommend checking it out. It does turn your orange juice green just as a word of warning. But it is orange flavored. I even cut my juice in half and dilute it with water before adding the Greens to it.

I also have a great thing that has been distracting me away from the kitchen a bit. My painting.

I mentioned I finished K's painting. Here is how it turned out:

And here is the next project that I am working on. It is based on a Gustav Klimt painting called Water Serpents II. I started it yesterday and will continue it today.

I plan on this going above our bed in the master bedroom. The picture is a bit blurry but it is because of how I had to take the picture. This will probably take me another few days to finish depending on how much I work on it. I may limit myself to working on it at night because that is when I do my snacking. If I paint then I cant snack.

And my friend A might be interested in a painting too. She just needs to figure out what her and her partner want. Very exciting. I dont mind doing them for my friends if they buy the canvas to get my name out there. If their friends want one, then I will start charging for my works. Hopefully I can turn this into a business. I have really missed painting!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

I saw this on Shape.com and had to share.

It is called Carbs without Cause: 8 foods worse than White Bread

1. Fancy Coffee Drinks- Not only can these have as many calories as a meal, (sometimes upwards of 400) their carb count can be on par with a pre-marathon pasta binge; some have 60–80g of carbs per serving. Add in sugars, saturated fats in whipped cream, and chocolate flavorings, and you've got dessert in a very large plastic cup.

2. Bagels- Bagels are a morning ritual for some, but according to Villacorta, unless you're hitting the gym right after (and plan on staying until lunch), you may want to rethink, even if you opt for whole wheat.
"Depending on the size, I normally recommend a bagel to someone who is going on a two- to three-hour run afterwards," he says. The reason is portion size. Many deli bagels can have 250-300 calories and more than 50g of carbs each.

3.  Juice drinks and smoothies- (this one surprised me) Smoothie and juice spots are everywhere, and they can seem like a healthy drink to get on the go. But a 16oz fruit-heavy juice can have as many as 75g of carbohydrates and 64g of sugar (ditto for smoothies). If you can't start the day without juice, stick to about 4oz, which has a reasonable 15-20g of carbs.

4. Cheese Crackers (like the cheese crackers with peanut butter in the middle)- If you're going to indulge in a few processed carbs, don't do it here. While the carb count isn't necessarily through the roof (about 18g per serving), these orange snacks are particularly cringe inducing because there is literally no other redeeming nutritional factor. They're full of chemicals, additives, and artificial colors, plus they may also contain high-fructose corn syrup. And don't be fooled by organic versions. They may be filled with less artificial junk, but processed flour and high-fat cheese can still be "organic."

5. Baked Goods at Coffee Shops- Muffins used to be a baseball-sized treat. Now they're more like softballs, with some containing nearly 64g of carbs and more than 30g of sugar. If your morning muffin is made with processed flour, sugar, and butter, it's really no different than a slice of cake. Stick to a two-ounce serving and choose whole grain ingredients—think bran, not lemon poppy.

6.  Yogurt with Fruit on the Bottom- It's the ultimate chick pre-workout/afternoon/late-night snack, and yogurt on its own is a great choice. Problem is, that fruit is sugar central. All yogurt contains lactose, which is a naturally occurring carbohydrate; generally in a single serving it equals about 12-15g of carbs, which is fine, but when you add the jammy fruit you can nearly double that amount. You end up with nearly 30g of carbs, half of which is the processed, quick-burning kind. Stick to the creamy (and protein-packed) Greek variety and add some cut-up fresh fruit.

7. Movie Theater Popcorn- It may seem obvious, given the size, but for many of us it's a key part of the movie-going experience, and besides, even if you order a bag once a week, how bad can that be? According to Villacorta, very. Popcorn is already about 1,200 calories, almost all from carbohydrates (and a whopping 580mg of sodium) for a large-sized bag. That's before you add the butter. Don't waste an entire day's worth carbs and calories while you mindlessly munch your way through The Hunger Games.

8. Yogurt Covered Raisins- Essentially candy for health-food nuts, and who eats just one—or five? In fact, a scant ¼ cup contains 20g of carbs and 19g of sugar. Skip the bulk candy aisle at your health food store and pick up a small bar of dark chocolate instead.

catching up

Hey everyone!

I wanted to just give a quick apology for my absence and update of where I am now with my diet, exercise, etc.

My friend Penni that I introduced you to a week or so ago is in the process of finishing up another book. I had volunteered to read it and make suggestions before she submitted it for an impartial view.

So that is what I did all day Friday and most of Saturday.

Last night I finished it up. It is an excellent book and I cant wait for it to get published so I can share it with you all.

Anyways... I have still been able to keep up with the P90X. And I went to the gym thursday night for a quick half mile run, Body Pump and RPM.

Oh man was I sore on Friday! I am definitely going to be keeping up with Pump. I lost some weight that day too. 2.5 lbs.

I did gain it back since then (back up to 181.0) even though I have been eating well but I think it is from muscle bloat. And I remember gaining at the beginning when I originally started P90X too. So no worries here.

Friday even though I was sore, I still pushed thru and did P90X legs, shoulders and abs. Killer.

And that night I went to the gym and did a one mile run, lifted for my upper body, and went to my zumba class. The teacher was not there so we had a sub. It was quite interesting to see the different styles between the instructors. I really liked it and it gave me some different ideas for when I get my instructors certificate.

That night, a bunch of us went to K's house. We had a great time, had some wine, hummus, chips, onion pizza, veggie pizza and ladies had molten lava cake that I brought. We had a great night.

Saturday I had a bridal shower to go to so I was gone from mid morning til afternoon. Once I got home, I changed my clothes and did P90X kempo. I love that dvd. I get a great sweat and it is fun to punch and kick. Dont get in my way anyone!

Before Kempo though, a neighbor friend asked if I could help haul a bronze statue into their garage. No problem. In talking with C, she mentioned wanting to start juicing again. And I really want to try a juicing fast too. Last time I did a fruit and veggie fast, I was on day 3 and the tornado hit. Remember everyone?

So I was telling C how I didnt have a juicer. And she was telling me that the last time she did a juice cleanse she did it for 13 or 14 days and originally did it with some coworkers who only lasted about 7 days. She said the first 3 days she thought she was gonna die. LOL. But that she lost 13 lbs! I told her that if she wanted to do it, then I could bring produce over every night (for me) and we could juice for the next day. She did tell me that she had some veggie protein drink that she took so she could work out. And I told her I would probably continue with my whey protein so I could work out as well. We will see if we do it or not. Either way, I might borrow her juicer to try it myself.

And yesterday I received my bottle of Thermofit and container of Greens. I used the last of our orange juice to try the greens. And you really cant taste it if you mix it well. And so far I have taken two thermofit. I am very excited to see if that helps kick start the body.

I was also surprised to see a difference already when I look in the mirror. Even though my weight has gone up, my side view is definitely slimmer. My stomach goes in under my abs. Keeps me going for P90X.

Onto today...

So today is a rest day for P90X.

And Aaron made a great breakfast of hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon. And I had some. And I took a thermofit.

For lunch I will be having a protein shake. We are out of eggs currently so I thought it would be good to switch.

And I dont have the foggiest idea what I am making for dinner yet.

But even though today is a rest day for P90X, I will still probably do zumba toning tonight after the kids go to bed. So far today looks overcast and yucky so it will be a good day to stay inside. I also might try the stretch dvd that comes with P90X. Nothing like a good stretch.

Ok I am off for today! Have a great Sunday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

Yoga and more...

So last night I didnt do any exercise. I did a ton of running around yesterday and I was exhausted last night. I think this school thing is going to take some adjustment on my part too.

Poor Xavier was so exhausted, he was crying at everything. We ended up putting the boys to bed just after 6pm. Not kidding.

And they slept until after 6 this morning. Yup. They were both tired.

I did good with my diet yesterday with the exception of having some of my left over pasta salad which is actually pretty healthy. Whole wheat pasta, fat free mayo, mustard, carrots, celery, hard boiled eggs and just a pinch of sugar. And I had a little dessert which was left over from labor day. Angel food cake, blueberries, strawberries and whip cream.

I ended up losing a half pound. Good!

And my shoulders and arms are sore from P90X yesterday. But the great thing is that my shoulders, even though I worked them out hardcore, are not stiff like they were with the Jillian Michaels dvd.

So today was P90X yoga. I opted to do P90X2 yoga instead of the original because the original is 90 minutes vs 66 minutes. 90 minutes is just WAY too long.

But boy. I forgot how good this dvd is. I am just not a yoga person. But this gave me such a good stretch and a good sore that I was really glad that I didnt skip it. And yes. I thought about skipping it.

Tonight I was planning on going to Body Pump then RPM but Aarons mom called and wants to go to dinner and see Xavier after his first few days of school. I warned her that he will need to go to bed early- like 6pm. So she is coming over about 2:30 so we can go to an early dinner after Xavier gets out of school. Whew. So I might not make Pump in time but I should definitely be able to make it for RPM. I might even be able to get a run and some weights lifted too. What a concept!

ANNNDDDD....I bit the bullet and bought ThermoFit and Greens from Angelwraps.com. The thermofit will give my metabolism a good jump. For whatever reason, my poor body always needs a jolt from time to time. Hopefully this will give me the jump and the energy I need. The greens should help me get all of my veggies needed for the day. They were put in the mail yesterday so I should hopefully have them by Monday. I will review them for you guys. 

Also, tomorrow is Friday!! P90X legs, back and abs, and Zumba class. BUTTTT.....the summer concert series is over which means no Feta Bread. Instead we will be going to K's house and have a bonfire. If it rains, we will play games. Everyone is bringing a dish to pass. I will probably bring wine, molten lava cake for the ladies, and then hummus and veggies for me. This change in my Friday night will hopefully help keep me on track for the weekends.

I am also working on using my talents as a painter to make a new profession for myself. K has asked me to paint something for her in a 36x48 size. I am working on it and will post a picture when it is done. I am trying to commission out my work rather than doing them and posting them somewhere like Etsy. I would rather know that the paintings are sold rather than have the money go out for the canvas and have them sit around. We will see how it goes. I also do murals, glassware, etc. Maybe I should get a booth for an artfair next year. We will see.

That is the news for me today. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

A Bit Frustrated

So yesterday I ate really well and also did Plyometrics.

Not sure if it was the shock to the system or what happened exactly, but somehow I managed to GAIN a half pound. Really??

So I will be honest and say I am a bit frustrated. I didnt expect to lose a lot of weight in one day but I also didnt expect to gain weight. I am reaching my panic number and I am not sure what to do about it.

I am seriously thinking about getting some more products from the wrap company to see how they work. I am sure you remember how I took Healthe Trim before and I lost all my weight. I am wondering if my body needs that pick me up again.

Today I did P90X Shoulders and Arms. I forgot how much I love these workouts. They are long but I get results with it. Then once I was done with that, I did Ab Ripper.

Tonight I am going to run on the elliptical I think. Either that or zumba. Who knows. Maybe both. LOL.

Tomorrow is P90X yoga. I am going to do the P90X2 yoga because that is only an hour vs 90 minutes with the regular one.

Tomorrow night I am going to hit the gym also. I may do Body Pump before RPM. I really think that my body just needs to build back up the muscle tone. Hopefully then the weight will start to come off.

And with sweater season coming up, I definitely dont want to look bulky in them. I want to be in the best shape I have been in by Christmas to help me thru the holidays.

For now, I am going to keep up the work. I know it takes time to see the results. It is just very hard not to get impatient for them.

Breathe. I can do this.

Tip of the Day:

Back to the Grind

Back to the grind.

Vacation is done.

So is the senseless eating.

And the alcohol.

And the not working out.

Today is a new day.

The start of a new school year.

And the start of a "new me".

AGAIN.

This weekend I didnt exercise at all. Didnt watch what I ate, and drank a lot of alcohol and soda. And the weight went up, up, up with bloating.

But today I am eating clean again. And I did P90X Plyometrics today.

And I didnt give up because my blue ray wouldnt read the disc. I used my portable dvd player. Take that!

And I am dripping with sweat as the alcohol falls from my pores.

Today will be about drinking a TON of water to detox.

And eating good.

And exercising well.

NO EXCUSES! I can do this...

I can get back into the 150's.

Very excited actually because P90X got me the best results.

And now that Xavier is in school, I have a better timeframe to work out the hour needed for it in the morning.

So onto a new day, and the start of a fitter me.

Cheers! and Happy Tuesday!

Tip of the Day: Have magnets help you!