Mmmmm...Lunch!

I thought it might be interesting to post some of the meals we eat on P90X.  That is, if I remember to take pictures before they are half eaten!  Most days I don't even eat everything I am supposed to, so I can't really day it is a diet.

Take a look at this...

Doesn't it look yummy?  The recipe called for snap peas, but I didn't have any on hand so I used green beans instead.  I am not a big shrimp eater, but this quickly became one of my favorite meals.  It is a cinch to prepare, and contains no oil so it is really healthy.  And it is delicious!

It's what I am having for lunch today!  Yum!

What are you having?

K

P90X Update Week Eleven?

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that I was so enthusiastic about changing my ways?  Wasn't I telling everyone who would listen what a great program P90X was?  Wasn't I proud of my newfound abs and core strength?

What happened?

That is what I have been asking myself these past two weeks.  The enthusiasm is gone, and dread has set in.  Dread of cooking all day every day (not really, it just seems that way), dread of my entire morning being consumed by this thing called P90X, dread of being controlled by something other than myself.  My attempt to refocus this week didn't work.  I can't justifiably count this as week eleven because I didn't really do it.

I could sit here and write a book of all the reasons (read: excuses) as to why it didn't happen, but the fact is, it didn't happen.  It didn't happen for my husband either.  We both made bad choices and paid the price.  I was shocked beyond belief when I weighed myself this morning.  My jaw actually hit the floor!  I knew I had probably gained weight, but didn't think it would be more than a pound or so.  I don't even want to reveal how much I gained, but since part of my reason for blogging this P90X journey was to keep me accountable, I feel I must.  After all, I am only human.  I am completely embarassed to say that I gained 3.5lbs.

IN ONE WEEK!  Ack!

I am ashamed of myself.

Add that to the 0.4lbs from last week, and I have put on almost 4lbs in two weeks.  I am trying not to beat myself up over this, but it just goes to show how difficult it is to make good choices all the time.  Looking back, I'm still not quite sure what happened other than my mind just wasn't in it.  And once again, it is time for a change.

My husband and I were discussing our lack of compliance yesterday, and decided to go out for dinner last night to bid a final farewell to our bad choices.  In keeping with the theme of bad choices, we went to Chili's.   I started off with an El Nino margerita, had the Old Timer hamburger with fries (at least I didn't add cheese - I was saving the calories for dessert!), and finished it off with the Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, which I split with our two kids.  Oh, I almost forgot the two orders of chips and salsa we all polished off before our dinner arrived.  I was so stuffed, I wanted my husband to roll me out of the restaurant.  And he probably could have!  It was a horrible feeling, but I enjoyed every yummy bite that went into my mouth.   I feel like I need to call a psychiatrist!

Wait a minute...that's it!  Most of the 3.5lbs is water weight from all the sodium I ingested last night!

Yeah.

Whatever.

K 

P90X Update Week Ten - The Rollercoaster Continues

Have you noticed a pattern here?  Good phase, bad phase, good week, bad week.  This was a bad week, and my worst week so far.  I strained my shoulder early in the week and that was an excuse for me not to exercise.  Plus, it was a busy week with other activities, and the exercising just didn't happen like it should have.  My husband hurt his back playing golf, so he was out of commission, and his motivating factor wasn't there either.  Instead of having one day off from exercising, we had four!  Ooops!

I can feel it, too.  I don't have as much energy, and I feel sluggish.  I am not motivated to stay away from the chocolate and raisin bread.  I paid the price and gained 0.4lbs this week.  There is no one to blame but myself.  I know I need to recommit myself and stay focused on my goal...to be healthy and feel good in my skin.

I really want to go take a nap right now.

And eat a piece of chocolate.

But I think I'll exercise instead.

Make it a great day!

K

P90X Update Week Nine

Yea!  I am one week closer to my goal of completing the P90X program.  Only four weeks to go!

This was a good week for me.  We started the third phase of the program which is called Endurance Maximizer.  The menu changed, and I was very grateful for that.  I was ready for some new recipes.  My chocolate cravings have (temporarily, I'm sure) subsided, and that was a big help, too.  The days I ate chocolate were fewer than the days I didn't.  That was a good thing.

Part of the beauty of this program is being able to track your progress on the worksheets for each video.  Not only can you feel how much stronger you get, but you can see how much stronger you get over the course of the program by writing everything down.  If a particular exercise was too easy/too hard, you can note that on the worksheet and increase/decrease the weight the next time.  Your progress is right there in black and white.  I really pushed myself during the exercises this week.  My body is definitely stronger, and I was able to do more reps with more weight.  My arms paid the price and were a little sore this week, but it felt good to feel strong.

Once again, I didn't lose or gain any weight for the week.  That's ok with me, because weight is just a number.  I feel stronger and look better, my clothes fit me better, and I am probably in the best shape physically of my entire life.  Sure, I still have some fat to burn off, but it will happen with time.  I have a good twenty years of accumulation to get rid of, and no matter how hard I try, I know it won't all be gone in 90 days.

One thing that makes me happy, though, is I am actually looking forward to shopping for a bathing suit this year.  I have never said that before!

Guest Designer Week

This is my week to be a guest designer for the CAS57 challenge.  This week, our challenge is to layer 2 different shapes while keeping it clean and simple.  I struggled with many different ideas, and in the end, they all came together for me.

Here is the card I submitted as a designer.

This was the first idea I came up with - an oval on a circle.  When I first put the shapes together it looked like an eyeball, or the CBS logo, and that weirded me out.  Then I saw a beach ball and knew that is what I could make.  Then I had to figure out how to get it into a card design.  A day or two later, this is how it came together.

Supplies used:
Stamps - none
Paper - SU whisper white, real red, yoyo yellow, brilliant blue
Ink - yoyo yellow and brilliant blue for sponging
Accessories - Nestabilities oval and circle dies, circle punch, black marker, daubers, pop dots, computer generated sentiment using Write me a memory journaling font volume I.

Here are the other cards I made for this challenge.

I love this cute little image from A Muse, and decided to use stars in my design.  I didn't have a star big enough to go around the circle, so I enlarged one of the punched out stars by hand and cut it out.

Supplies used:
Stamps - Rock star by A Muse
Paper - GKD white, brilliant blue, tempting turquoise
Ink - Memento black, brilliant blue for sponging
Accessories - Copics, circle and star punches, dauber, Zig writer

Another one...

This one is very simple - a square on a rectangle.  I just learned how to make this kind of bow from ApricotRose on SCS.  I had tried many times before, but just hadn't fiddled with it enough.

Supplies used:
Stamps - baby firsts, warm words
Paper - GKD white, barely banana, bashful blue, prints pack
Ink - Memento black
Accessories - Copics, square Nestabilities, ribbon, pop dots

And another one...

This cute image is by Stamping Bella, and I came up with the color combo from the Bali Breeze DSP pack.  I colored the button to match with a Copic marker.

Supplies used:
Stamps - pots o' stuff and sentiment by Stamping Bella
Paper - GKD white, taken with teal, Bali Breeze DSP
Ink - Memento black, pumpkin pie for sponging
Accessories - Copics, Nestabilities label die, ribbon, button, embroidery floss, glue dot

I had a great time as a guest designer this week.  I hope you enjoy all my creations!

K

P90X Update Week 8 - Phase 2 Complete

Whew!  I am so glad the second phase is over!  It was the hardest part of this whole ordeal so far.  I'm not sure if it was the menu, the cooking and cleaning up, not wanting to go grocery shopping, feeling controlled by the program, or my chocolate cravings, but I can't say that I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't as easy or as gratifying as the first phase.  The one part I did enjoy was the exercising (for the most part).  There were a few days where my husband had to light a firecracker under my computer chair to get me going, but after working out, it was worth it.

Exercise is always worth it.

I didn't lose or gain any weight this week; I weighed exactly the same as last week.  We are supposed to take our "after phase 2" photos and measurements today, but my husband is out of town, so I'll have to post those results later.

We have five weeks left on the program, but it will never be over.  Eating right, exercising, and making healthy choices is a lifetime commitment.

But that doesn't mean I can't dream about PW's cinnamon rolls and molten chocolate lave cake!

Make it a great day!

K

CASE-ing Myself

Remember when I said my embossed buttons with the gingham ribbon would make a cute baby card?  This is what I had in mind.

The CAS56 challenge this week was to make a square card.  This one is 4 1/4" square.  I normally don't make square cards, but this was fun.

Supplies used:
Stamps - Wild about you, so many sayings
Paper - GKD pure luxury white
Ink - Bashful Blue
Accessories - CB folder and machine, gingham ribbon, popdots


Here is another card I made for the same CAS challenge.

Supplies used:
Stamps - none
Paper - GKD pure luxury white, In color DSPs
Ink - none
Accessories - large needle (for piercing), white gel pen, 1" square punch, Zig writer, pop dots

It's a beautiful spring-like day here.  Hope you have a beautiful day, too!

K