Day 4 wasn't really that great

Well, here I am, writing on this blog, grizzled at how yesterday turned out.

Didn't work out. Way too tired from stress at work and general life issues that when it came time to work out, both the wife and I decided to make it our rest day and kick it up for the weekend. Which is fine by me, but it still makes me feel guilty about it. I feel like I just cheated on my wife or something. Sure, we're supposed to take a day to rest, but I was hoping it would be Sunday, not Thursday. Of course, we are doing Fat Burning Express, which isn't structured the same as the regular P90 regiment, so I guess when it comes down to it, I can't be too bummed about it.

My menu, on the other hand, wasn't what I wanted either. I did moderate things in a major way, but its still not what I was hoping for. See, in my building, we celebrate the birthdays of our employees for the month. This month, we only had one, which happened to be the new girl's. We wanted her to feel part of the team, so we decided to order Olive Garden take out. Now, this was all worked out BEFORE I started this program, so I can say it was all a matter of bad timing, but still, its not the best food to eat. And then for dinner, the wife and I, already feeling like crap, decided to not cook anything (I am the chef of the house and when the chef's exhausted, nobody's eating). So we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and had dinner. Below is the menu...keep in mind that the way we ate is 150% better than we have ever eaten out before...so even though we shouldn't have gone out...we didn't fill ourselves to excess either.

Menu for Day 4

Breakfast
1 cup blueberry yogurt
1 cup orange juice

1st snack
A handful of peanuts
12oz of water

Lunch
4 cheese ravioli lightly covered in meat sauce (Olive Garden gives you 6 and smother it in sauce)
1 garlic breadstick
1/2 of Olive Garden signature garden salad with 6 croutons, 1oz of Romano cheese, and 1.5oz of salad dressing
40oz of water

No 2nd snack

Dinner
1 Buffalo Chicken Wrap - medium buffalo sauce, diced breaded chicken tenders, shredded cheese, ranch dressing
10 Blue corn chips
7 Buffalo chips with cheddar cheese
2 bites of daughter's 3-cheese quesadilla to see why she wasn't eating it - too hot
24oz of water

So there you have it...horrible meal choices and no workout to take care of it...the scale tells me I've lost another pound...but I don't believe that...not after all that badness. Gotta get on track...can't fall victim to old habits...diligence....DILIGENCE!!!!!!!

Josh

Day 3 is done, man!

Well, another day down, another workout done, more sweat expelled, and better health for all. Wednesday's workout was probably the toughest. My back has been giving me problems all day and coming home to work out didn't really help matters...more like exacerbated them.

Still can't do the Power Yoga...but its beginning to get easier to attempt. Also, the Chair to Prayer was too much to handle as well. irish_robbie says by day 5 the pain will be gone...and I am beginning to believe him. This morning I woke up with only a slight stiffness in the back and neck. My legs feel pretty good, my abdominal area doesn't feel like its on fire, and my thighs don't feel like Jello® anymore. So here's to day 4 being better than day 3.

Menu for day 3

Breakfast
1 cup lowfat strawberry yogurt
6oz orange juice

1st snack
10 white seedless grapes
5 shelled walnut halves
20oz water

Lunch
2 balogna sandwiches with lowfat American cheese on reduced fat wheat bread
15 white seedless grapes
20oz water

2nd snack
4 cubes of Cheddar Cheese
4 shelled walnut halves
20oz water

Dinner (O' Charleys)
6oz Filet mignon
1/2 baked potato w/ butter on the side
1/2 leafy garden salad w/ ranch dressing on the side
2 yeast rolls with less than a teaspoon of butter
2 large glasses of water

Stepped on the scale this morning...doing what I told myself I wouldn't do until Sunday but I keep doing anyway....said I weighed 299.4 lbs. This is the first time I have seen this side of 300 in almost a year. I know its too early to get excited...but it still feels good to think I lost 8.7 lbs. Hopefully this keeps going.

Josh

Day 2...wow this hurts

Well, day 2 has come and gone and here I am...hurting all over. But what's the saying, no pain no gain? Or in my case, no loss. Anyway, during my session with Fat Burning Express, I got excited that I actually lasted the whole workout...sure there are still some exercises I cannot physically do yet (anything that involves standing on my toes is out...I think I fractured one a couple days ago at work). But I got sweaty, I felt the burn, and I slept like a baby...so I am doing something right.

The menu was about the same as yesterday...save for the dinner, where I switched it up with a bowl of homemade chili (tomato juice, kidney beans, lean lean ground beef, seasoning, and pasta shells). While it isn't the best for me...once again, I had only one helping and that was it. I didn't force myself to eat more because I thought I needed to. I just ate one serving and was done...big change for me.

Here are my starting stats that I promised to have for you:

Weight - 308.1 lbs
Chest (in.) - 51
Waist (in.) - 54.25
Hips (in.) - 49.25
L. arm (in.) - 16
R. arm (in.) - 16.5
L. thigh (in.) - 29
R. thigh (in.) - 29
Body fat % - 34 2/9%
BMI - 41.78

See, I have quite a lot of work to do. Here's hoping I can see it through.

Onward to day 3.

Josh

Day 1 is in the bag

Wow, what a rough first day. I know starting a new regiment and diet is tough, but man, I wasn't expecting this. I'm going through some severe caffeine withdrawals. I have a constant headache and my body feels a bit weak. I know this is my chemical dependency for caffeine as I suffered similar effects when I went on Atkins 2 years ago. By the third day I should be fine.

Anyway, here is yesterday's menu. Its not the greatest, but it is a HUGE change for me.

Breakfast
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt with fresh raspberries
12 raisins

1st snack
20 shelled walnuts

Lunch
Thinly sliced lean roast beef wrapped in a slice of non-fat provolone cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese w/ 3 pieces of pineapple
small romaine lettuce salad w/ 2 tbsp fat-free ranch dressing

2nd snack
7 carrot sticks w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner
1 cup spaghetti w/ 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1 piece garlic bread
8oz glass 2% milk

I also had about 12 20oz bottles of water. Considering dinner is usually take-out or dine-in and I usually drink about a 2-liter of Coke in a day, I'd say this is a huge improvement. The best part is I don't feel that hungry. Sure, I've got the hunger pangs....but nothing major like I was expecting. Its all about will power and this time I am not going to fall on old habits. Not this time.

As for the workout...man that kicked out butts. We're doing the Fat Burning Express portion of the program and its just killing us. I don't know if we'll keep doing it or not...its a lot of work. We may just start the regular P90 program and then come back to the FBE when we feel we can do it. Its not that its too hard...its just so fast paced and obviously built for those who have done the program for awhile (hence the success story customers are the workout crew). But, don't count us out...it's only for a week. And it should get easier. But alas...I'm tired.

Well, that's it for now. I will be posting my beginning weight and measurements a bit later today. For now, its time to get to work. The wife will be posting tonight when she gets home from work. Take care, people, and if you're doing the program, remember to keep "Pushing Play".

Josh

And so it begins

Ah, the first post to what will hopefully prove to be a motivational and successful tool for all those out there looking to lose weight. Over the course of the next 90 days, I, along with my wife, will be taking part in an exercise program/lifestyle change from the folks at Beachbody, the Power90 Fat Burning System. This program touts massive results in just 90 days with a commitment to a proper, nutritional diet, and ~40 minute workouts 6-days a week. Click on the links and browse this and other programs this company offers. You will be amazed at the results these people have achieved.

A little background on myself

I have always been overweight. Food and me are like "peas and carrots". I was never athletic when I was growing up, always choosing to stay indoors and read or watch TV instead of playing outside. Little did I know that these choices early in my life would pan out to a future of laziness and bad health. As the years passed, I've noticed that the small things that I used to never think twice about doing are now an ordeal to even attempt. Take hiking. I'm not talking mountain hiking, but normal trail hiking at a park. Before, I used to hit the trails and walk them for hours. Now, I can't go 20 minutes on one without having to sit down and rest. Camping is another activity that has become too hard to endure. The heat alone leaves me running for shade and saps me of any energy. I never worried about that before. Now, I can't go camping without a fan and water bottle. Something has got to give. I can't live like this anymore.

And that's where Power90 comes into play. By combining the exercise regiment that Power90 employs, and reducing my intake of fatty foods and sugar, it is our hope to transform our bodies from soft blobs to hard, solid muscle. Now, I'm not looking to get all Schwarzenegger or anything, but I do intend to knock out this stomach and see my feet again. How bad can it be? How fat can I possibly be? Well, look at the pics and see for yourself.

As you can obviously see, I have my work cut out...but come hell or high water...I WILL lose this weight...and you all will be there with me. I hope to inspire you all and prove that I can do this. Please feel free to leave comments for each post...but don't be judgmental and all that...how big of a person are you to slam someone who is obese over the Internet with no chance for reprocussions. Be adult about this.

Josh