Day Twenty Seven

As I continue to be exhausted, it becomes apparent to even me that I've bee overdoing it and not eating enough. Therefore: I am officially subbing my pilates class for this weeks core synergistics. I will do only yoga on Wednesday this week.

My week five is going to look like this:

Day 1 – Pilates Class
Day 2 – Cardio X, Yoga Class (evening)
Day 3 – Yoga Class (evening)
Day 4 – Pilates, Yoga Class (evening)
Day 5 – Shoulders and Arms
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

(The evening yoga classes are easier and tend to me more instructional then the morning ones, so its not as bad as it looks.)

I really needed a rest week, and I refused to give myself one. So this week it is. Also, according to daily plate I'm not eating enough. I really don't know how this is so because its not like I wander around hungry, but El Mejor Pistolero accurately pointed out that most of what I eat is high-nutrient/fiber low calorie (except for desert last night at the Mexican place by the Shakespeare theatre!!!) (apparently that's what it takes to hit my calorie requirements) (all of which causes me to be absolutely mystified about why I gained weight off birth control.) (I promise I'm not getting all Ana., I also am still delivering on my Cuban birthright of hips and ass, and intend to continue to do so, I'm just very confused) (EMP says I'm flat out not eating enough calories.) (If he's right -and he frequently is- I'll be the only person who lost weight by adding HelloCupcake to her diet.) (Which I'd love.)

Something has to give, though. I'm getting pretty addicted to having stuff like muscles in my arms, but I also just healed up from my hip-issue from way back in the beginning of this month. I have to find a balance between working out, homework, and eating an appropriate amount of calories to fuel it all.

One thing I'm going to try is to make protein rich smoothies in the morning. Clearly I'm not eating nearly enough. I can blend up some berries and a banana and some non-dairy-derived protein powder along with my yummy almond milk and (chocolate) Amazing Grass powder, which has just a super-impressive amount of great, great stuff. And, of course, tastes like chocolate cake, which has very much been a theme these past few days. Also, the website has some recipes, just in case somehow you get tired of drinking it. no, they did not pay me for all that, and as a result I'll be getting mine from Vitacost, who doesn't pay me either.

Actually, suddenly I really want meatballs. Must be my period.

Day Twenty-Six

Stretched.

Gotta drink more water.

SLEEPY!

Day Twenty-Five

Did KenPo, which I hate to say it (because it makes me sound crazy), has replaced coffee in the morning. Also did half and hour on an elliptical at school today, keeping a close eye that I stayed in the fat burning range. I think I get quite enough cardio thanks.

Anyhow, this is what I ate today:

Fuji Apple	1.00	80	0g	0mg	0mg	22g	17g	5g	1g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 med (154g, 5.5 oz) Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Trader Joe's Almond Butter	1.50	285	27g	0mg	0mg	9g	3g	5g	12g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 2 tbsp. Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Sunmaid Raisins Raisins	1.00	91	0g	0mg	7mg	22g	20g	1g	1g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 box (28.0g) Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Pepito Flour Tortillas Flour Tortillas	1.00	120	4g	0mg	0mg	19g	1g	1g	3g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 tortilla Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Firm Tofu	1.00	78	4g	0mg	34mg	2g	0g	0g	9g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1/4 package Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Black Beans	1.00	140	1g	0mg	0mg	25g	0g	6g	7g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 4 oz - 1/2 cup Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Tofutti American Soy-Cheese Slices	2.00	140	10g	0mg	580mg	4g	0g	0g	0g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 slice Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Red Pepper	1.00	23	1g	0mg	0mg	3g	0g	3g	1g	x
	^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 middle size (105 g) Optional: When did you eat this? - select mealtime - breakfast morning snack lunch afternoon snack dinner evening snack midnight snack pre-workout post-workout Unclassified or more specifically -- 12am 1am 2am 3am 4am 5am 6am 7am 8am 9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm 11pm
Onions	0.25	16	0g	0mg	2mg	4g	2g	1g	0g

+ DC Restaurant Week!

Really Got To Figure Out What Day It Is

Twenty four?

FINALLY did core synergistics... AND went to my pilates class today too. I was kicking around the notion of going to yoga too, because I really like the idea of going three times a week, but I got caught up in cooking and this is supposed to be "recovery" week, after all. Maybe I'll do a relaxing PM yoga video tonight and call it good.

I've become quite the nibbler since school started.
Breakfast (about 8:30am): green drink, 2 cups almond milk, raisin bran
After Pilates (about 11am): Cherry Lara bar
After Math class (about 12:20): baby green salad with strawberries and raspberry vinaigrette dressing
During Intl Business (about 1:30): box of raisins
On way home (about 2:07): fuji apple
On way back from supermarket (about 3:45): 1/2 an avocado
At home (about 4:30): one bean/garlic/onion/soy cheese/tofu/salsa burrito on whole wheat bun

I cant really decide if this is a lot or a little. I mean, most of this was not especially caloric... green drink is 30 cals, the almond milk totalled 260, and the raisin bran was about 190.

Livestrong.com calls this all about 1251 calories. Tragically, it doesn't give me a way to calculate core synergistics, and the pilates class today was a little short, but I worked up a good sweat in each so I'm doing well.

I've never been much of a nibbler but my school schedule doesn't give me too much of a choice. I eat one of my little snacks whenever I start to get hungry, and I've cut most caffeine out of my diet. That hasn't been a conscious decision mind you, its just sort of happened with waking up early and exercising first thing.

Oh, add 1/2 a srip of button candy to that list.

Dinner will be a bowl of lentil soup. If I'm feeling adventurouse I'll add in some miso.

Right now though the lentils are bubbling in the crock pot, both my roomies are out for the evening and I am going to have a nice soak in the tub with my finance text and the "cuban mojito" bath ball the Notorious EMP brought me from Cape May.

Another Day

Another day of Yoga... no matter what, Wednesday is going to have to be yoga day because there is literally no time in my schedule that day for anything else.

Oh, pooped.

And frustrated.

Food Stuff

YIKES!

"A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit."

No wonder I'm so broke!

Really though, great article from TIME, check it out here.

Hot For Yoga!

Got up bright and early to make an AM Vinyasa Flow Yoga class at my studio. Even though I'm still really, really tired (also, skipped the caffine today... will probably need some later...) I'm so glad I did it. Such a nice change, even if the teacher took us through about one thousand vinyasa and warriors.

Now I have my Finance class and later I get to go to the Zoo with El Mejor Pistolero to visit my favorite cephalopods*. We are going to get there in time for the octopus feeding! Tomorrow I have another Yoga class in the evening, and I'll have to sneak Core into my morning somehow... shouldn't be so bad since I don't have to be in class till 11:30.

Over and out!

*That would be the cuttlefish and the octopus, naturally. Click the cute baby cuttlefish for more info about the recent hatch at the National Zoo!

What Day Is It?

I am SO TIRED.

(...lets call it Day Twenty-One, and call yesterday my rest day.)

So to re-cap: SO TIRED.

I did the CardioX anyway, and maybe I was so pooped because I didn't really eat enough today, or enough good stuff...

Breakfast:
Raisin bran and almond milk, half a bottle of HonestTea (don't worry, I had the other half yesterday and forgot it in my bag! Also, try the new Mango Green Tea... its great, and organic!)

Snacking through school day: Pure Bar. box of raisins, and two (!) beef hot-dogs. They were free, and allowed me to keep my zucchini bake for dinner.

...though according to My Daily Plate (which I try not to use because it makes me obsess) I've eaten about 1,180 calories (ish, since I'm not going to try to estimate what a "smidge" of mustard is). Point is its not even 6, nor am I even hungry, so I don't know why I'm so pooped.

Ugh.

According to Tony, I'm supposed to do yoga tomorrow... little dose he know I'm playing hookie from him and going to my yoga studio (you know, the one I'm still paying for!) instead. HAH!!

PS: PURE bars have (tentatively) replaced Lara Bars as the new love of my life (in bar form). The chocolate brownie is pretty stimulating, but I'll have to try the others to deliver the official verdict. The Lara Bar cherries are very solid and an old standby. Maybe I should stop being such a bum and start saving up for a food processor and make my own, huh?

Day Nineteen

Today I woke up bright and early, made a yummy tofu scrambler burrito with spinach, ate both, then fell asleep till noon.

I really must be tired from this program, but this is unusually sluggish (hence the nudibranch) for me. I know this recovery week isn't going to be "lying around in a hammock", but I hope it gives me a chance to recover.

I hope the Notorious EMP comes back soon. I don't really know when he plans to leave the beach... the timetable is a typically vague today tomorrowish that kind of keeps me hoping and hanging. I just wish he was here. I miss him.

In other news, word on the Sallie Mae Customer Service street is that if I WASN'T getting the loan I need I would have gotten declined in the credit check stage, and since I am being harassed and delayed over lease and drivers licences its looking positive. Well, as positive as major debt can look. So that's hopeful.

Today I wanted maximum arm waving and legs but minimal jumping from my workout, so I went with KenPo instead of my usually (un)scheduled CardioX. Tomorrow I'll either do it again or substitute my bellydance/yoga video for a bit of a mental holiday from good ole' Tony. We'll see if I feel like warmed over death or (more hopefully) have a guy in my bed to let sleep.

And I Think to Myself, What a Wonderful World...

Or day eighteen.

As I write this I am dining on the last of my vegan burritos wrapped in whole wheat tortilla shells and crunching away on my giant salad, which includes beets, carrots, celery, black beans, salad mix, soy mozzarella and goddess dressing. Yum. See, left to my own devices, I am a pretty healthy eater.

Spent most of the day sunning by the pool (I know its bad), watching the giant cumulonimbus clouds tower into storm heads and back up over the course of the afternoon, while taking dips into the pool and reading Pox Americana*. Later on I browsed Barnes and Nobels wildlife and cooking sections, and waxed nostalgic over A Sand Country Almanac by Aldo Leopold (reminds me of my Prescott College Orientation and grandpa) and tried to convince El Mejor Pistolero to retire with me to somewhere in the South Pacific to run a Bed and Breakfast/SCUBA tour operation specializing in Coconut Pecan Pie**. In other words, bliss.

YogaX, however... you know, its challenging and all, but its also sort of boring. Much more strenuous then my regular classes but lacks utterly the poetry some of my favorite teachers brought to the practice. Which I think is fair: one of the things I enjoyed was the spiritual element, whereas with this its primarily a workout. A good work out, but just that.

Also, I lied. I skipped the abs part because I was exhausted, and because --for the second day!!!--- my leg didn't hurt. I'm going to give it a few more days to heal.

I've also been really tired lately, I think I'm just fatigued from the program and my bizarro sleep schedule hasn't helped. Though I've been waking up at a healthy seven (at least the first time), I've had a hard time getting to sleep most nights. Last night I woke up from a jarring dream at 3 am, watched Maxed Out on Netflix, which was a bad idea given my precarious financial situation (still unresolved) and also because it just wasn't that good, then finally fell asleep to another jarring dream. This one was about a molar shattering and me having to remove it with my fingers, and there was all this plastic and metal stuff attached to it like that scene in The Ring. My roommate tells me that tooth dreams are about financial anxiety, which seems about right.

*About the smallpox plagues that shaped American History.
**I think its working.

Day Seventeen

All I can say is umgh.

Shoulders and Arms went really well actually, so well that I'm going to get a 10lb weight for some of the things that went *too* well. Ab Ripper, on the other hand... I got about three minutes in and my leg started acting up. I'm really not willing to aggravate it any more... ignoring it only makes it worse plus there is mucho ab work in Yoga X anyway.

Damn leg.

I did put in a solid three minutes though!!!

I'm not to worried about the ab stuff, honestly, since I'll be starting pilates at school on Monday.

But I still haven't heard anything back from Sallie Mae yet.

In other news, I'm keeping my fingers and monkey toes crossed for the Notorious EMP and his interviews today!

Ballistack

Felt super lazy and tired today, but toddled through Cardio X.

How lazy? I made a cup to tea and couldn't be bothered to drink it. I haven't even had breakfast yet.

Ugh.

Day Fifteen

Man, I feel like poop. Really.

But I did it.

Barely.

Unrelated: The National Museum of the American Indian totally rocks, plus has amazing architecture* and a pretty surprising food court**.

*(architecture)

The museum has an exterior cladding of Kasota dolomitic limestone from Minnesota, giving the building the appearance of a stratified stone mass that has been carved by wind and water; additional building materials include American-mist granite, bronze, copper, maple, adzed cedar, adzed alder and imperial plaster

Acrylic prisms facing true south catch the sun’s rays and reflect a spectacular light spectrum onto the interior of the Potomac, animating the space and serving as one of the most visible design elements relating to the sun and light; This light show changes every day and is at its height from 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

**(food court)

The cafe offers a menu that change quarterly for each of the five geographic regions
covering the entire Western Hemisphere: Northern Woodlands, South America, Northwest Coast, Meso America and Great Plains. The menus include items such as maple brined turkey with cranberry relish (Northern Woodlands), chicken tamale in a corn husk with peanut sauce (South America), cedar planked fire-roasted juniper salmon platter (Northwest Coast), yellow corn or soft flour tortilla tacos with carne (Meso America) and the crowd-pleasing Indian taco—buffalo chili on fry bread topped with onions, lettuce, tomato and cheese (Great Plains). The menus feature traditionally prepared dishes along with conventional items infused with Native ingredients, often bought directly from tribal companies or co-ops.

Breakfast: amazing greens smoothie with almond milk, half cup fiber cereal/almond milk, 1/2 shaved ice
Lunch: hot dog
Snack: cup lentil soup, 1/2 cup mashed red potato

Days 12 and 13

Despite blogular evidence to the contrary I actually have still been plugging away at the p90X, and for the past two days I've had the pleasure of doing them with a workout buddy: my lovely friend Diana.

I woke up this morning from and uncomfortable dream where I was being hounded by people I don't like. Also, no good news about the loan I need to finish my last freakin' year of school. If everything implodes I have another place lined up but the truth is I'd hate to leave the spot I'm in, it will make the commute to school very tedious, and just generally suck-up my life. Not to mention it will take money I don't have to move again. We'll see.

In good news, I saw the movie Ponyo last night, and it was gorgeous!

Well, I Guess That Makes This Day 11

Yoga just flat out kicked my butt. I'm glad I did it though.

I don't know what the scale is going to say come Friday, especially since my eating has been a little idiosyncratic due to my traveling/visiting, but I can tell I'm getting stronger. The Notorious EMP confirmed that I officially have muscles in my arms.

Yes, ladies and germs, after many-a-year, the bicep has returned. Yaaaayyyy!!!

I even went to models yesterday and got a pair of 5lb weights, so no more cans of beans for these two arms.

Reading about Kili helps to keep me motivated, too, though I'm not sure how feasible this trip will be, financially. I'm sort of afraid to look at the ticket prices into the two relevant airports, or how I'm going to locomote hither and tither once I'm in Africa, since the ideal is to scoot up to Ghana to do this women's business initiaitive I had my heart set on for this summer.

That way I don't agonize for the rest of my life over not doing this.

All I can do is try, right?

Breakfast: Coco Green Power Whatchamacallit Drink, banana, latte, lentil soup
Lunch: Trader Joe fiber cereal, coconut milk yogurt, apple (made it into sort of a parfait because I was sad I couldn't have the dairy-full one at the airport as I waited to make sure the cousin got on the plane)
Lunch II: 1/2 a raw snack bar...

TO BE CONTINUED.

Day Whatever.

Had to take a day off due to my busy touring schedule with my angelic angel of a cousin. Today I did the shoulders and arms and half of abs... legs permitting.

Pooped from day.

Goodnight.

Cardio X Take Two

It was almost not gonna happen today, what with the four am wake up, four plus hour bus ride, and the Smithsonian adventure I had with my lovely cousin Pip. But I did!

I also ate like a semi-respectable human being.

Breakfast: eggs and toast.

Snack: cup of grapes, espresso.

Lunch: lighter side signature salad at Cosi.

Snack: light lemonade

Dinner: salad with goddess dressing, pepper, soy mozzarella, lentil soup, and some sweet potato fries, a beer.

There might be a coconut yogurt left in me tonight :)

Good news: my leg feels a little better every day.

Bad news: I still have no idea how I am paying for school this year.

Food Porn

....ugh.

After three days of eating like a lunatic I am porning out on all these vegan/raw food websites. Its funny that despite my burger-love vegan eating and raw food really appeal to me.

Back in my Prescott College days I ate a mostly vegan diet (supplemented by the veggie co-op, dumpster diving and my girlfriend-at-the-times own preferences) while sneaking the occasional Carl's Junior Low Card $6 Burger.

You know I loved it. And I also love making my food fresh out of (mostly) whole ingredients.

I've also been forgetting my vitamins. Its incredible how quickly I've noticed the difference. P90X tires me out, but I think the lethargy has everything to do with what I have-and haven't- been putting in.

I'm really looking forward to this beauty:

...which came to my attention via the lovely Eat. Run. Do Yoga., which I happily stumbled across at the (very) beginning of my P90X journey.

The loveliness above is composed of the following (stolen DIRECTLY from Eat. Run. Do Yoga.):

Here’s what you do:

1. Cut up two bananas into 1 inch chunks and toss into a plastic bag. Store the bananas in your freezer for at least three hours
2. Put the frozen bananas into your food processor and whirl away for about 4-5 minutes.
3. TA DA! Now you have a creamy, low cal, low fat, raw, vegan, delicious treat for two! I added a few blueberries and a drizzle of Bees n Blossoms honey. You could also mix together agave + cocoa powder for a chocolatey topping, or my favorite - pb2!

I really love her blog because I feel like it will help me keep my yoga momentum till I can physically be there again. I'm planning on working my hot yoga classes back into my schedule after next week.

And maybe developing a more regular practice will help my sleeping. I've really been having a hard time with that lately and in addition to frying my mind I'm certain its not helping me lose these extra pounds.

Anyway, here is my raw/vegan wishlist:

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen: Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes

Vegan Italiano: Meat-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free Dishes from Sun-Drenched Italy

The Voluptuous Vegan: More Than 200 Sinfully Delicious Recipes for Meatless, Eggless, and Dairy-Free Meals

The Healthy Hedonist: More Than 200 Delectable Flexitarian Recipes for Relaxed Daily Feasts

...and, well, the rest.
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (Plus)
Sex Pots: Eroticism in Ceramics
The Wordy Shipmates

and in music:
Bed Spring Poker: Meat in Motion 1926-1951 <---(naughty music)

Day...something... eight?

Did the core synergistics. Eat like a fairly normal person... ie: not walking around chomping pieces of NY pizza and chicken parm cutlets all day long.

I don't know if its the workout or what but I'm really, really, pooped and looking forward to getting back to DC tomorrow.

Good news: Can go a little deeper with the push-ups.
Better news: Got a 90 on my final!!! :)

I'm really starting to think I can do this!!!

Motivation:

Day Seven

I'm not even going to try to remember what I ate yesterday, and I drank quite a bit of vodka and wine, so its sort of a hopeless cause. Had a great time with my friends though!

Did the stretching video today. It was pleasant stretch, a little long though.

The tops of my shoulders are a little sore from the Kenpo, but my leg feels a lot better.

Maybe it was the vodka. :)

At the end of next week I'll do another weigh in. I'm sort of afraid to do it here because the scales are different. Also, between this weeks soreness and period I know its not really worth it.

No matter what I'm going to hang in for the next three weeks.

Day Six

So... hooorraaay! I did Kenpo!

It was sort of a challenge, knocking it out in the tiny space in my old room, with the dog running around my feet, but It Is Done.

I also went on a nice long walk with my sister. Jones beach didn't happen today, but tomorrow is still a possibility.

The hard thing is going to be watching my eating with all these new york delicacies such as the stuff my family has on hand from the million Italian Delis in the area. That is sort of at the heart about what I love/hate about DC. We have as many yoga studios as my family's neighborhood has Italian Delis. Now don't get me wrong, I love yoga, but sometimes I miss real good sopresata.

I've been getting more assertive with modifying some of the moves to accommodate my busted hip. I hope it gets better soon though, because I HAVE to walk. So far, just doing low kicks instead of high on that side has helped.

Tomorrow I'll stretch.

During the school year I signed up to take pilates at school. I hope I can find a way to keep up with my yoga practice.

Day Five, I hope...

The good news: I feel fairly un-sore.
The better news: I'm done with manegerial accounting! Horaaay!
The bad news: Since I dont have a pull-up bar, I'm not sure how todays work-out will go.
The worse news: unprecedented levels of inertia.

I'm going to browse through the list of videos and just pick one that looks fun I guess.

And give myself a half hour to digest the lentil/chili and tortilla I had for breakfast!

Ok I decided to do cardio today instead, and I just skipped the chair lifts and bananas because my right hip has been hurting (I think because of the chair lifts) and "clicking" with certain motions, which I definitely think is a strong sign to leave it alone. I skipped Ab Ripper too for the same reason. Sort of funny that I missed abs because of my legs.

I'll admit that I didn't "bring it" all the way, but I put in a solid medium level of "bringing it" and worked up a good sweat. I think I'm going to head out to the pool today, too, because its actually looking pretty nice and sunny out.

Tonight, if all goes according to plan I'll be on a flight to NY, and since I'm committed to doing P90X while there that means I've got to lug along this heavy, stupid laptop.

Breakfast: lentils/chili & tortilla, last little slice of pecan pie
Lunch: pasta with smart balance, parm, and basil
Dinner: Fudruckers burger, 1/2 bun, diet coke (@ airport)
Munchies at Home: piece of fresh mozzarella, quarter of a chicken parm cutlet, handful of fruit crisp, 3 table spoons worth of frozen blueberries, kashi and yogurt

I know, I know, my food intake has been sort of a joke for somebody who wants to lose a few pounds. I'll be back on track tomorrow! (Of course thats what I said yesterday...)

The pool didn't happen today, but I might go to Jones Beach tomorrow with my sister, and will definitely "bring it" tomorrow morning with Kenpo!

To be honest, I think taking it easy today with just the Cardio X was just what my body needed.

Tippy Toes

This is exactly how yoga didn't work out for me today.

Woke up with a big ouch and lumbered through the yoga video. It was actually a little "easier" then my usual classes except for the fact that my body is pretty much on strike. I'm looking forward to Sunday's stretch/rest day.

The fact that the apartment manager kept knocking on the door to tell me to let the handy man in for repairs that I was told would happen last Tuesday didn't make it any easier.

However, instead of doing my savasana on the floor, I got to do it in a nice bed warmed by the Notorious EMP, so that was pretty great.

Also, he made an extraordinary pecan pie!

Breakfast: Cup of lentils, bagel BLT, sliver of pecan pie.
Lunch: Medium coconut soy latte, big protein bar
Dinner: Lentil-tomato soup, small slice pecan pie.

Today I ate kind of shitty, but it was because I was consumed with this final. I'm feeling it though. Tomorrow I'll eat like a healthy person. I'd better. I was falling out of poses I can usually do, like warrior three. I don't imagine tomorrow (legs/back/abs) is going to be much easier. Having done KenpoX a few months ago when I was in better shape I'm really nervous about that one, since I was sore for days afterwards.

I guess there is no use psyching myself out over it though. Unlike yesterday, I already know I can do this one.

One thing I will say though is that so far the program has moved around my body enough that no one part is in total useless agony, yet.

Another thing is that these past few days have really increased my respect for El Mejor Pistolero for having done 90 days of the usual program and is getting ready to do a round of lean. That and the really killer pecan pie he made. Also he surprised me with some protein drinks and muscle repair mix drink stuff... the sweetie knew I'd be needing it.

Tomorrow evening I'm going to NY, hopefully I'll be able to keep up on this the few days that I'm there. Maybe I can get my little sister to do Kenpo with me, she likes violence.

Day Three

I woke up a hurtin' puppy this morning, and kind of psyched myself out over Shoulders and Arms/Ab Ripper X. It turned out to not be that bad. Hard, but not terrible.

Part of that might be that instead of 'light' weights I used two cans of cannelini beans. I'll get 3, 5, and 10 lb weights eventually.

And, no, I'm not worried about getting big like a man. :) For one thing, that would be great, because then I wouldn't have to rely on mind games to intimidate people who secretly make me feel insecure (I'm mostly kidding, but I'm not telling about what). For another, unless I got injected with some Amazon I'm not going to get bigger then the man in my life.



Anyway, if/when I do get all X-ed, he'd be nothing but thrilled.

Of course, I wind up doing ab ripper the same day I go to belly dance. I have feeling that aspirin is going to be my best friend today.

I'm looking forward to becoming Wonder Woman!

Food:
Breakfast- Masala Veggie burger with chutney, mini bagle with butter, pills
Lunches- Borscht, last Masala Veggie burger, 1/2 can vegitarian spicy chili, a tortilla, salad with pepper, cabbage, goddess dressing, 1 pc. dark chocolate.
Dinner- veggie tempura box
...and a whole lot of water.

Wacky Jacks

Just finished that: whew.

When El Mejor Pistolero was starting this program, he was sore pretty much every day for the first few weeks. I'm getting that.

The upshot to all this is that its actually more convenient then trekking across town to do yoga. The down shot is that I'll miss the yoga, since for a while I know I'm going to be to tired to do it. And I don't know if I can freeze my account. :(

I said that one of my motivations was to lose the few pounds I gained since getting off birth control. Which is funny, since usually I hear people complaining that they gain weight once they are on it. Oh well. I'll give p90x a month to see if it can counteract the effects of not being on the pill. I'd also like to ad that I'm holding off on shopping for new clothes (the ones I have, truely, are beat and schlubby) till then. I'm hopeful.

Especially since this fall semester I'm taking a scuba class with my ""free"" electives and I don't want to be buying all new bathing suits.

Isnt that an awesome looking BC? I'm sure its not the one I'll be getting though!

Ok well, anyway, that leaves the rest of the day to studying for my accounting final. And napping. Jeeze.

Food for the Day:

-cereal with almond milk
-salad with red pepper, cabbage, and greed goddess dressing
-cup of soybeans
-soy yogurt
-2 bowls of veggie borscht
-salad with strawberries, raspberry vinaigrette
-2 masala burgers
-toast with almond butter and jam
-applesauce cup
-half-cup cheerios with almond milk and hempseeds

Just a Little Bit

Hello!

I woke up at 8am today, which is a minor victory in itself, since I've been in sloth mode this summer. I can't believe how much of the day I've been wasting in bed lately!

Feeling a little sore, not gonna lie. Mostly in the neck and shoulders region, and the upper thigh, which surprises me a bit.

Behold, above is the half of the red cabbage that didn't get chopped up into borscht the other day. I made some very satisfying borscht yesterday in the crock-pot (thanks mom) by the way, out of four garlic cloves, one vidalia onion, two carrots, half a cabbage, a big handful of spinach, two cups of vegetable broth, a big 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes, and four chopped beets. It turned out nice and fuchsia and once I added a little adobo and a tiny big of Parmesan cheese it was awesome! But what dose a cuban/italian know about borscht anyway?

(Because I think it will help keep track of my eating) Yesterday I ate two bowls of that borscht, a bowl of Trader Joe's fiber cereal, a slimfast bar (because I got caught an hour waiting for a bus), a Trader Joe microwaveable fillet of sole, a mango/peach apple-sauce cup, and a mini whole grain bagel with almond butter and jelly. Also, both yesterday and today I took all my vitamins.

This morning I weighed myself and came it about 151 lbs. My waist measured 29 inches and my hips (at three fingers bellow my belly button) were 37.5. Here are my starting pictures:


Well, I guess I better get to it!

Day One

So I just finished the first video of the lean phase (core synergistics) and all I can say is that I feel like a 98 lb weakling. I could barely carry my tea to my room without spilling it, and I'll have you know that in addition to being fairly active, I am the northeastern tea-to-bedroom carrying champion of the east-coast. I am duly humbled.

I started P90X for a few reasons.

One -and I'm not necessarily proud that this is my number one reason- is that I just gained a few pounds since I got off my birth control and I'd like to un-gain them.

Two- the boyfriend (hereafter referred to El Mejor Pistolero or the Notorious EMP, mostly because it gives me a chuckle) completed the regular version this spring to really amazing results.

Three- in general, I want to be faster, harder, stronger.

Four- and by which I mean number one, I want to get into top shape because next year I want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I shit you not. I am graduating college this year after multi-year diversions, roundabouts, tangents and transfers, and that is going to be my last debt-accruing hurrah before I settle down to a life of employed respectability.

(OR a month on the Appalachian Trail, which I honestly think is more hardcore then Kilimanjaro, but I've always wanted to see Africa.)

Hopefully, keeping a daily blog will help keep me motivated.

I'm not exactly a couch potato. During the school year I typically go to hot yoga (vinyassa) between two and four times a week, belly dance classes once or twice, and walk just about as much as you would expect and impatient ex-New Yorker to walk around a city with depressingly idiosyncratic transportation (that would be DC). This summer I've gotten a bit off track with the yoga I'm sad to say... and the belly dancing...

...and also gotten overly fond of mojitos and Dogfish Head.

...to say nothing of my life long love affair with hamburgers.

On the food front, I'm on too much of a time/financial budget to really commit to the P90x lean diet so instead I'm going to rely on my old standby from my hippie days, which is gorging on lowish-carb vegan food six days a week and then giant low carb meat meals about once a week. I know that this in appalling diet to virtually anybody who uses their food to construct their self identity but hell, I'm the one eating it.

I leave you with an image of future me: