It could be worse.

I have completed the first phase of the P90X (classic version) without skipping a workout and the results are not stunning, but tolerable! I lost 2.5 lbs but my body fat % has remained the same (24.8%). Here are the pretty big wins:

1) Push-ups: +20 (10 to 30)
2) Vertical leap +2" (8.25" to 10.25")
3) Toe Touch +1.75 (5" to 6.75")
4) Wall Squat +35 sec (1:26 - 2:00)
5) "in and out" Ab crunches +30 (45 to 75)
6) Bicep curls +8 reps (22 to 30 w/10 lb weights)

Okay phase two, I am ready for you. BRING IT.

Not too much!

For me there seems to be a very fine line between enough and too much.

We have all heard of the "20 minute rule" where it takes this much time for the food you have eaten to reach your small intestines and signnal to your brain to stop eating. In theory if you eat slowly your food will get to your gut before you have woofed down a super-sized serving.

Why can't I be more like my mother and nephew? If you want to see a slow-eaters contest you just have to check these two out. Breakfast is only half eaten by lunch time. Me, well, not so much. I am more like my dad. We can eat a meal lickedy split. Since I can't seem to slow myself down I have implemented a new strategy. While I am cooking dinner I eat my salad in hopes to fill myself up on some healthy PLANTS and allow enough travel time for the road trip to my intestines.

That's it. Now go read the book: In Defense of Food.

Mostly plants....

This is a toughy. But, to sum it up, it is pretty much a universal consensus that eating plants is good for you. However, since I am an omnivore so here is the next point - you are what what you eat eats, too. Just as I should eat veggies, cows should eat grass. But they don't. Why? Because it is cheaper to feed them seeds. And this makes them sick. And so we give them antibiotics. And therefore I eat a less healthy slab of beef with too few omega 3's and too much saturated fat. You'll have to read the book (see previous post) for the details...

So, what to do? Pull out your wallet and eat organic. 100% grass fed beef....look for the word "pastured" on the package so you know the animals has access to grass. The same goes for chickens and their eggs.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

I watched a movie a few weeks ago called "Food, Inc." about the food supply in America and all the things most consumers do not know or understand about where it comes from. It was interesting so I decided to read one of the books recommended on their website called, "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollen.

Here's the deal...he begins with the punchline- Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. That's it. That is the answer to all our dietary woes, right? After reading 150 pages of background info he finally gets to the good part. Some rules to live by:

1) Eat food

- don't eat anyting your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as "food" (I guess than means those yummy fruit roll-ups are out of the question)

- avoid foods that contain ingredients that are unfamiliar, unpronounceable, more than five in number, or include figh fructose corn syrup.  (damn near impossible)

- avoid foods that make health claims (do the "got milk" commercials count??)

- shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle (got it, everythng in the middle was diqualified in the first, second, and third points)

- get out of the supermarket whenever possible

This is a lot to digest (hehe)...I'll get back to you later with points 2 & 3 (Not too much; Mostly plants). Anyone think they can follow step 1 for a week?

Results Matter. Here are mine.

In September I started P90X ...which hence the name should have taken me 90 days. It took me about an extra month. I did the "Lean" version which is slightly less intense than the classic version. Drumroll please............

Results matter. My results from the past few months are not very impressive. So, to make a better story I will start back in 2005 when I graduated from college. I had maintained my weight around 130 for most of previous seven years (yea, it took me awhile to graduate). Here I am at my graduation party with my nephew.

Then off to Ohio for a real J-O-B. Between 2005 and 2007 I gained 10 pounds. Thus, I decided I needed to lose the weight. I decided to do "Body for Life" and took my before photos in October 2007 and measurements. Here they are along with a couple other of my favorite (fat) photos. I remember looking at this one from the Red's game and thinking, "OMG, I look pregnant! &%$#^*!!". Something needed to be done.

October  2007 Measurements:
Weight: 139
Body Fat 30%
Bust: 35"
Waist/Navel: 34"
Hips: 38"

Between then and June 2008 I really did not make much, if any, progress. I still weighed about 140, had not  significantly changed my diet and did not stick to an exercise program. Here I am as a bridesmaid at my friends wedding.

I suppose I just needed an incentive that would motivate me to change my lifestyle. It came on July 18, 2008. Matt proposed! I had 11 months before the big day. Here is a photo from the night in Chicago just minutes after he popped the question.

I lived in DC by myself while Matt was in school in Cincinnati until his December 2008 graduation. I started sticking to a healthier diet and exercising more (jogging, workout videos, etc.).  I made some progress. I probably lost about 5 pounds in 6 months. We had some engagement photos taken in October and here is a photo from Matt's graduation in December.

Luckily when Matt graduated he moved to DC and was willing to become my personal trainer. He worked out with me 4-5 times a week and we ate MUCH healthier together. We were not, however, following any commercial diet or exercise program. We cut all white bread/rice from our diet, ate mostly lean meats and a lot more veggies, drank more skim milk....you know, all the stuff we should have been doing all along. We used the gym in our apartment building, jogged around the national mall, and planned a wedding. Whew....it was exhausting :-) But it worked!!! Here are some of my favorite pics from the best day of my life:

And the Honeymoon!!!

So here are the facts. May 2009 Measurements:
Weight: 119 (-19.8 lbs)
Body Fat 20.2% (-9.8%)
Bust: 34" (-1")
Waist:/Navel 30" (-3.5")
Hips: 33.75" (-4.25")

Not bad, eh? Well, this brings us back to reality. We returned to DC, back to our real lives and back to old bad habits. After a few months I started to gain the weight right back so I decided to start P90X.  Here are my starting measurements:

September 2009:
Weight: 123 (+4 lbs)
Body Fat: 24.3% (+4.1%)
Bust: 34 (n/c)
Wasit/Navel: 31 (+.5")
Hips: 33.5 (-.25")

And finally the moment you have been waiting for....
December 2009:
Weight: 127 (+4 lbs)
Body fat: 24.5% (+.2%)
Bust: 35 (+1")
Wasist/Navel: 33" (+2")
Hips: 34.5" (+1")

WHAT WENT WRONG?? I have lots of excuses:
1) I did not stick to the exercise routine, especially when traveling for work/holidays
2) Did I mention holidays?
3) I have been much less strict about my diet

So, it is time to regroup and try again. I have decided to do P90X again, but this time the classic version (http://www.beachbody.com/). I started on January 1 (yes, after a night of partying...now that is dedication). I am also going to do the Abs Diet (http://www.absdiet.com/). Here are my goals:

1) Measurements:
Weight: 122
Body Fat: 22%
Bust: 34"
Waist: 31"
Hips: 33"

2) Strength: 1 FULL PULL-UP!!!

3) Endurance: I am going to run in the St Patty's Day 8K

To help me stick with it this time I have enlisted the help of a "coach" (Thanks Jeff!) and I am looking for anyone who wants to be my workout buddy (virtual that is....). Just let me know!