21 Day Fix Extreme: Week 3 Upper Fix Extreme

Today's workout was Upper Fix Extreme.  Can I tell you, I did not get my ass out of bed.  I even thought about not doing my workout because it's "only upper body."  Once I got up, dressed, and was ready to workout, my wife called from Africa.  Her first question was if I worked out yet, then she made me hang up until I worked out.  Even from Africa she was super supportive. So, I got it done.  Push ups and dolphins killed me.  I cannot plank to save my life; it is really hard for me.  However, I was super excited when I could hold myself up and do tricep dips.  These are so hard for me, and while I couldn't lift my leg, I could at least keep my butt in the air. Definite win for the last time I'm doing this workout in a while.  I'm pretty sure tricep dips are going to come back in before I revisit 21 Day Fix Extreme though. 

Breakfast was the same as yesterday, but I added a banana.  It was just as good as it was yesterday.  I don't know how I feel about microwaved eggs, but it is good that I'm eating a nutritional breakfast before I go to work.  

Here's a picture of the salad I talked about yesterday, and it was just as good today as it was yesterday.  You can't see a whole lot of what's in the salad, but at least you get a decent idea.  It's super yummy.  

Dinner was Honey Lime Sriracha Chicken with green beans and yellow squash.  It was also super yummy.  The chicken was excellent, but it was not as spicy as I thought it would be.  We think that maybe it needed to be marinated overnight and eaten right off of the grill.  The squash is also grilled, but the green beans are roasted.

For dessert, I had reese's peanut butter cups.  Yes, I had a treat, but I was also spot on with my nutrition throughout the day.  I go by the 80/20 rule; otherwise I'm going to crash and burn.  So, today was a good day.  Now, to do it again tomorrow.  I'm hoping by the time I complete Focus T25 Alpha, this is a habit and it doesn't become so hard to get up in the morning.  

Here's to hoping!!

21 Day Fix Extreme Week 3

While the title of the post says week 3, you all know I skipped a week in there, so I haven't really completed the program.  Side note, for this reason I'm not sending in pics for the shirt.  Anyway, I figured I would finish out the month with this program and change to Focus T25 in June.

So, today was the last day of Plyo Fix Extreme.  I decided to try out my Beachbody Performance Energize, and it was Amazing!! It is meant to give you energy to enhance your workout.  I read reviews that have said it's especially good for people who workout early in the morning and are tired during their workouts.  That's me(!), so I was excited to try it.

During my workout, I felt like I was on fire!  I did the whole workout for the whole time.  I felt SO GOOD when I was doing this workout.  I was able to have a good range of motion, I barely stopped even thought there were a lot of jumps.  I usually poop out or "half ass" it, but not this time.  I was a machine.  However, my fitbit did not necessarily reflect this, which was kind of disappointing.  I still think I need some Energize in my life though.  We are going to see how the rest of this week goes, but I'm certain I'm going to be purchasing more of that soon. 

The left picture is from today (with energize), and the right is from the last time I did this workout.  Notice I spent a minute with my heart rate in peak today, but last time I spent more time in "cardio."  I think the biggest thing for me is how I felt during this workout.  I legitimately felt like a beast, and I have never felt that way before.  

As for meals, I ate really well today.  I only took a picture of my breakfast, but I ate salad for my other two meals, and it's the same salad I'm eating for lunch all week so I will eventually get a picture.  This is an egg casserole I made.  I realized yesterday as I was meal prepping I got rid of my muffin tin, and I improvised.  I cut the casserole into 12 pieces, so I would only get one egg per square.  In this, I used 12 eggs, lots of spinach, mushrooms, and feta cheese.  It was actually really good.  I refrigerated the whole casserole and only reheated the squares I need.  I think in the future, I will add some red bell pepper.  I also don't know how I feel about the feta.  It's just not evenly spaced. 

Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta Egg Casserole

1 green, 1 red, 1/2 blue

My next two meals were Honeycrisp Salad.  It had spinach, blue cheese crumbles, dried cranberries, pecans, and a homemade apple vinaigrette.  It was delicious.  During lunch, I added some shredded chicken, which was also really tasty.  This is definitely a salad I will bring back.  I also used the spinach I bought at the Farmer's Market, which was really yummy.  It was extra crispy, so it will really a different kind of spinach than what you purchase in the store.  I'll be sure to take a picture of it tomorrow.  

Honey crisp Apple Salad

2 green, 1 red, 1/2 blue, 1 purple, 1 orange

finally, a friend of mine asked to meet me at Dairy Queen.  To be honest, I wasn't really excited for ice cream.  I didn't really want it.  I had a mini blizzard, and I was surprisingly good with that.  Considering yesterday I wanted to eat all of the candy, cookies, and ice cream in the town, today was a pleasant surprise.  I was on my cycle this previous week, and I wanted to eat everything in sight.  Good thing that doesn't happen all of the time.  

Today was a great start to getting myself back on track.  Even though it was a stressful day (that's what happens when an employee walks out on you), I didn't let it get me down and I didn't stress eat. Overall, today was a win.  Let's hope I can continue my awesome decision making through tomorrow. 

STATurday and Farmer's Market

I weighted myself this morning, and the scale said 260.  Which means, the scale is definitely going the wrong direction.  Since I started 21 Day Fix Extreme, the scale has been going up.  I know my diet hasn't been 100% on point, but it has drastically improved from where it was.  I think that is part of my problem.  I don't need to be so fixated with the number on the scale.  Because it had been going up, even if my body fat percentage went down, I got a little discouraged.  Now I'm super discouraged.    But, I'm going to do something about it.  

Today, we went to the farmer's market in effort to purchase local produce so I can meal prep tomorrow.  

This is an awesome farmer's market with lots of local farmers, and a lot of them are all natural/organic farms.  There were a lot of flower and herb vendors this time, and the selection at the farmer's tables were very limited.  I think this is because it is early in the season.  We were able to get some spinach, zucchini, and meat.  

They also had this awesome band that played while you can hear it throughout the market.  It's nice to have some atmosphere.  This is something I really enjoy doing, but I don't do it enough.  We are going to try to make it a habit to go every Saturday.  It is kind of far out of the way for me (it's about an hour north), but I'm hoping that it will be worth it.  

There were also food trucks while we were there.  There was one called Pandamonium Doughnuts, and it had a humongous line.  I've heard they're really yummy.  We ate at this food truck called "Cracked," which had egg products.  I had an egg sandwich with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, hash browns, and chipotle pesto.  It was delicious.  

Tomorrow is definitely a reset day.  Yoga Fix Extreme, meal plan, and clean the house.  That's going to be the plan, and I am going to post day by day to assist me in documenting my journey.  

New Goals

Clearly what I'm doing isn't working for me.  I haven't worked out in a week, I haven't been eating the best (although it is better than eating greasy fast food every day).  I know I need to change things up (drastically), so I'm going to change the way I do things.  Clearly specialized posts aren't working, so I'm going to post daily.  I'm going to post pictures of what I eat and the workout for that day.  I'm going to try to make it my nighttime ritual.  That and reading.

The first thing I need to do is figure out my photo storage so I can access all the photos on my phone from my computer so I can post them.  I'll also post them on social media and Facebook to keep myself accountable too.  It's just something I need to do anyway, but this will give me a good excuse.

Also, I want to complete all of the exercise programs I have purchased.  So, I have created the following schedule:

May: Finish 21 Day Fix Extreme
June: T25 Alpha
July: T25 Beta
August: T25 Gamma
September: Bodyshred (month 1)
October: Bodyshred (month 2)
November: Insanity Max 30
December: Insanity Max 30
January: P90X3
February: P90X3
March: P90X3
April: 21 Day Fix Extreme

Then, I also have Insanity (the original) and Insanity Asylum Vol. 1 as well, but those seem really scary right now, so I will just hold off.

I'm also going to meal plan and count my calories.  I'm going to post pictures of my meals and make sure my calories count.  I will try to post the containers if I can figure it out.  I'm not very good with following that meal plan.  I know it works for a lot of people though.

Here's to a new plan, and continuing the journey of me.  I just have to accept that during this time there is going to be rough spots.  I'm going to have to figure out what works for me and how to keep myself motivated.

Workout Wednesday: 21 Day Fix Extreme, Week 1

This was my first straight week of 21 Day Fix Extreme, and boy is it extreme!!  However, it is just the right amount of intensity for me.  It's a good challenge, to say the least.

Monday: Plyo Fix Extreme
This workout is made of five rounds.  Each round has two moves (three if you are doing something with legs...one for each leg).  Each move is 30 seconds with a 30 second water break in between.  30 second may sounds like a lot for a break, but it goes by fast.  It does not go by fast when you are dying in your weighted lunge hops though.  Lunges are soooo hard for me.  I'm not sure why.  The burped tuck jumps are a-la insanity, but it's only 30 seconds, and you get a break.  So...just a little crazy, not fully insane.  I felt this one afterward.  It's that good kind of sore feeling, and you know you've worked your ass off.  I'm excited to get better on this one.  I know I will progress far.
Max Heart Rate: 137          Calories Burned: 379

Tuesday: Upper Body Fix Extreme
I don't remember how many round this workout is, but I do remember you do it twice.  There's a nice little progression of shoulders to back to biceps to triceps.  Man, does it make your arms hurt.  my favorite move was the ones with the resistance band.  You really want to make sure you are using proper form with these.  I have a hard time knowing if I'm actually working the muscle I'm supposed to be working.  And, crab dips are the worst.  This was one you didn't feel until the next day, but man oh man do I feel it.  I have zero upper body strength, so I'm hoping this helps out! 
Max Heart Rate: 117          Calories Burned: 249

Wednesday: Pilates Fix Extreme
This was a great workout, but I'm having a hard time seeing the benefit.  Don't' get me wrong, I know there is one, but I didn't burn a lot of calories, and I don't feel a whole lot different.  The resistance bands were tricky to use.  When we did moves on our hands and knees, the band hurt to hold on to, and it would rub against my leg and get stuck.  I don't know that I got a whole lot of good out of this one.  I'm ready to do something a little more intense that will burn mega calories and get my heart rate up.  That's probably going to come tomorrow
Max Heart Rate: 111          Calories Burned: 177

Look for the other workouts to come next week.  I'm glad I'm doing all of this, but I really need to dial in my nutrition as well.  That's going to be most of the battle. 

Truth Telling Part 2

Here is the second part of the 20 questions from The Big Fat Truth.  I've been gaining insight since reading the book, and I've noticed a difference in the way I think about food.  I don't want fast food anymore, but I eat it sometimes because that's the way we live.  My wife was stressed beyond belief this week, and we chose to eat out more than we usually like.  However, this has really helped me conceptualize the emotional part of my weight loss journey, and I have taken back some of my power over food.  I'm excited to see where this journey takes me.

Food to me is....
Wow, this is kind of a hard one.  What I believe and what I practice are two different things.  I understand and believe in the "fuel" concept.  I know that food is fuel for my body, and putting bad things in there is clogging up the lines, and eventually, the car will stop.  However, I treat my body and eat like I believe my body is a convenient store.  I run though fast food because it is convenient and fills my need for grease and sugar.  I treat food like a drug and use it to fill emptiness for things I haven't quite dealt with.  Food is the answer; although, I know that it's not.  Food is the problem. I only need to conceptualize food as fuel; what I put in my body will determine how efficiently the car runs.

Do you have kids?  Have you passed on your poor eating habits?
I don't have kids, which kind of reinforces bad eating habits because I don't have to set examples for others.  I am conscious of what people are around when I eat and what I eat when I am around them.  Not necessarily because I think they are going to take on my habits, but because I am embarrassed.  Also, in my line of work, I talk about the importance of nutrition and how healthy nutrition benefits the body and helps combat symptoms of mental illness; however, I feel like a hypocrite.  I know that people know I don't necessarily practice what I preach, and I think that discredits me a little bit...a lot bit.

Are you afraid of dying prematurely due to your weight?
Hell yes, I'm afraid of dying prematurely.  I'm also afraid of my wife dying prematurely.  I have nightmares about it; it causes me a lot of anxiety.  I constantly think something is going to happen to one of us; it secretly consumes me sometimes.  I tell my wife this, and she assures me she's not going to die, but I am still afraid.  Before my wife lost a lot of her weight, she was having heart palpitations, and she didn't really tell me until much later.  This contributes to my fear.  

Describe how your family upbringing has played a part in your weight gain.
I feel like I've already answered this question before.  My dad was very conscious about his weight because his father passed away early due to a heart attack.  Because of this, he was very critical about everything we ate, which caused my mom and I to sneak food.  We also ate out all of the time, which didn't help anything.  Being overweight was shameful in my family, but it is also the norm.  I mean, everyone (almost everyone) is overweight.  It was normal to go out, have lots of carbs and cheese for holidays, and gorge ourselves on food.  That was the pattern I saw and I lived in, and that is the pattern I am trying to break.

Have you let yourself down by being overweight?  Have you let your family down by being overweight?
Yes I have let myself down by being overweight.  I am better than this; I am stronger than this.  The me on the outside doesn't project me on the inside.  I don't think I have been treating myself the way I deserve to be treated.  That makes me sad.  I do think I've let my family down as well because they worry about me.  I also think I disappointed them a little but because I cannot seem to get my stuff together.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?
I try not to look in the mirror, especially when I'm naked.  I don't really look at myself because I'm ashamed at what I see.  When I am clothed, my eyes immediately go to my midsection to see if I look too "lumpy" in the clothes I am wearing.  I think I don't look because I know I'm going to see someone who is unhappy with the way she is, and she is overall unhappy.  I would see someone who doesn't have her shit together (and I am someone who always has my shit together).  I see someone who is sad and unfilled...and lost.  I don't know that I know what to do to get back on track.  Well, I do, but it's about consistency, and if I don't see results I get discouraged and don't do anything.

Is there anything you haven't even told your significant other or best friend?
Nope, I have told my wife everything and she knows me and loves me anyway.  I'm pretty open with people who ask about my background.  I don't share with everyone, but those that are close to me (wife and best friends) know.

How much weight do you want to lose?
I want to lose about 130 pounds.  This will get me down to where I'm supposed to be health wise.  I want to have a healthy level of body fat, and I want to be toned.  I also want to lose the stress of being overweight, I want to lose the sadness I feel sometimes, and I want to lose the negative self-image I have about myself.  I think once I let some of that go, and I think I've already started, then the rest will follow.

What is going to be different this time around?
I'm actually diving into the why of being overweight.  I'm doing the emotional work as well.  I can already tell I don't want to run through fast food or that I'm disappointed when I don't work out.  I'm changing the story I tell myself about losing weight and why I'm participating in this journey, and I think that makes a big difference.  I think I've learned to set small goals and make small changes.  I'm holding myself accountable.  I'm also posting things more often, which helps in holding me accountable.  The next step is probably posting things where my support system can see them or knows about them, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

Update on Life

I know I was supposed to have week 1 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme, and I did the first two days, but the other days I was extremely tired, and I could not get out of bed.  I did pretty well on eating until the last couple of days.  We had a cookout for some of the students my wife is associated with, so the last couple days have been spent eating leftover hotdogs and hamburgers.

Today, I felt like crap.  I have bad sinus issues, and it all caught up with me today.  I've spent most of the weekend sleeping and trying to just take care of myself.  I learned some things about work that were not the most pleasant, and I've been ruminating on how to manage the information I have and what my responsibility is since I now know.

I've ordered a couple of things I think will help with my fitness journey.  The first is a Beachbody performance sampler.  This has things for pre workout, during workout, post workout, and sleeping supplements to help further my performance.  I'm excited to try it, and I will definitely be posting about it.  I never feel like I get the right nutrients for working out, and I know this is going to help tremendously.

Also, I've been doing a lot of research on PCOS, and I'm convinced I have it.  While I've never been formally diagnosed, I have a lot of the symptoms.  While I take birth control to control my cycles, I still feel really symptomatic sometimes when my body is trying to have a period.  i've been doing some research, and I found a lot of people use Teami products to help control the symptoms (bloating, acne, stable moods).  So, I ordered the detox pack today.  I'm excited to try it and see how it works.  Again, I will be posting about this too.

My wife leaves for South Africa next Saturday, and I'm pretty worried about her.  This is the longest we will have been apart with minimal contact in a while.  My mom is coming to help me take care of the dogs, and I'm hopeful I will have enough distractions to manage while she is gone.  She is gone for two weeks, is back for a couple of days, and leaves again for a month residency for her phd program.

So, that's what's going on in my world...and why you haven't heard from me in a while.  That changes this week :-)