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Phase Three

Monday, September 6th, 2010

I’m halfway through Week 10 of P90X. Since it’s a 12-week program, that means I’m almost done! I haven’t been perfect, but I read somewhere that if you stick to your training program about 90% of the time, that’s pretty damn good. I’m paraphrasing, of course.

I feel like my overall fitness has improved through the program, and I can see a difference in my arms – there’s some actual definition there!

Unfortunately, I haven’t really lost much weight. Weight loss is about 80% diet and 20% exercise, so – given my eating habits of late – it’s no surprise that I haven’t seen good news on the scale.

Last weekend my parents visited, which was quite enjoyable. However, we ate out for every meal while they were here. You know how when people you are dining with are eating dessert it’s harder to refrain yourself? Yeah, I had an ice cream sundae on Saturday and cake on Sunday… after mostly unhealthy meals…

Then on Monday, my husband and I went to DC; he had a business meeting on Tuesday and I have a friend who lives nearby who I spent the day with. Of course, this friend has been perfecting her homemade cupcakes for theca last few months and I coerced her into bringing me some. I ate two. They were delicious.

Wednesday was back to normal. I went grocery shopping (for the first time in about three weeks!) so we finally had food to cook. I should really try to be better at keeping the house stocked with food; it’s much easier to rationalize eating out or ordering in when there’s not much food available to cook.

I’ve been trying to be good about my eating for the last bunch of days, but that one week was pretty detrimental: On Friday I weighed 174 – a heartbreaking increase from 171 from the week prior. Even though I worked out every day that week, my food intake was so bad that I still gained three pounds. Ridiculous.

I’m not sure why I keep doing this to myself. Two steps forward; two steps back.

Unless those three pounds weren’t legitimate and I’m magically down to 170 this week, getting down to 164 by my birthday is going to be a stretch. I’m not willing to call it yet – I still have about a month left – but it’s not going to be easy. I need to get back on my game and start trying harder.

Here goes nothing!

Posted in Personal Stories, Workouts | 3 Comments »

The Wager

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

I have an older sister. She’s not a lot older – just two years. Growing up I both worshipped her and resented her. She was everything I wanted to be: Smart, pretty, popular, athletic.

Thin.

I remember one time when I was about 14, my family put up some foreign missionaries for the weekend. One man from Bulgaria or some such pulled my father aside, and when he thought everyone else was out of ear shot, said in his thick Russian accent, “Your daughter is very beautiful… The older one.”

Harrumph.

That was more than 10 years ago, and I can remember it like it was yesterday, because it so perfectly captures how I felt compared to her. It was really tough growing up in the shadow of what I wanted to be. And of course she was a great sister, too, so I couldn’t even really hate her. The bitch, lol.

I’m ashamed to admit that when I started losing weight, I was giddy at the prospect that – thanks to my hard work and a little help from weight she put on during pregnancy – I might be able to catch up to her and even become smaller than her.

Then something changed in me: I stopped wanting to ‘beat’ my sister, and rather wanted us both to be healthy and happy with our bodies. We started encouraging each other and challenging each other to do better and be better. When I visited we would go to the gym together – something that was previously unheard of.

My sister recently had a second daughter, and we are now within a single pound of each other. When I heard that, I immediately told her I’d race her to 150, which happens to be both of our goals.

Even though I was mostly joking when I initially said it, I got to thinking and decided this was a pretty good idea! My family is incredibly competitive, and I figured a little healthy competition would hold us accountable and help us both reach our goals. I know that I don’t want to be the fat sister again, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to become the fat one after a lifetime of being the thin one.

Since we were both at about 175 at the time, I decided going all the way to 150 would take too long to be an effective challenge, so we changed it to 165 and are on our way! Last week I weighed in at 171 and she at 171.2 – so close! When one of us reaches 165, we’re both going out for a manicure and pedicure purchased by the loser.

I hope she’s not offended or embarrassed by anything here. My sister is one of my favorite people, and I’m glad that in the last few years I was finally able to shed my own insecurities and stop competing with her.

Except when I’m actually competing with her.

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Phase Two

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

I can’t believe how quickly time has been flying! It seems like I just woke up, and yet it’s the middle of the afternoon. I have to (try to) get some work done, do my workout, and pack up the bikes in time to meet my husband for our new regular biking date on Monday evenings (so fun!). Then it’s home to shower, make and eat dinner and then – hopefully – relax for an hour or so before heading to bed to do some combination of the same tomorrow.

This is a pretty typical day lately. I’m certainly not complaining – I like having things to do, especially when those things are active and fun! Every day, I’m scrambling to fit in a full work day, an hour long (or more) workout, and then whatever the evening’s activity is (Monday: Biking, Tuesday: Kung Fu, Wednesday: Softball, Thursday: Kung Fu, Friday: Run with N-Cat). It’s no wonder I haven’t been blogging much lately!

This past Thursday marked the start of Phase Two for me in the P90X program. For those of you who aren’t familiar, P90X consists of three “phases”, each 4 weeks long. The first 3 weeks of each phase are pretty intense, each day doing a different type of workout (or working different muscle groups), and the fourth week is for ‘recovery’, which still has you working out every day, but it’s the lower intensity workouts mostly.

When I attempted this program 2 years ago, I didn’t make it to Phase 2: I quit during the recover week. I guess I never quite felt ‘recovered!’ Anyway, that makes this particularly exciting! New territory! In fact, on Saturday I did a workout I had never done before (Chest, Shoulders & Triceps) and it felt great! I’m sore again, and in brand new ways and places.

I’m noticing some results, too! In July, I lost a total of 4.5 pounds – better than a pound a week! – leaving only 8.5 to go in order to reach my Third Quarter Melt Down goal by October 5 (my birthday!). I’m highly optimistic at this point :)

Also, I can tell that my balance and flexibility are improving. Not just because I’m getting better and better at the Yoga workout, but I can feel it at Kung Fu, too – very cool. It also seems like I’m building some serious arm muscles, but unfortunately, they’re still buried under some fat, so I have more work to do!

I’m pleased with where I am and how I’m progressing. I’ve been faithful to the program and haven’t missed a single workout, and I think it’s paying off.

And if I feel this good after just 4 weeks, I’m really looking forward to seeing where I end up in another 8 weeks!

How about the rest of you? We’re a third of the way into the Third Quarter Melt Down… are you pleased with your progress? Do you need to reassess your goals – or maybe reassess your efforts to reach your goals? Hit me up with how things are going!

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Making Progress

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

I’ve been asked a number of times in the last few days how things have been going with P90X… and my Third Quarter Melt Down in general. That’s a pretty good indication that I need to work on my blogging frequency. Sorry about that – I’ll try to be better!

Even though I haven’t been very good about blogging, I’m pleased to report that I’ve been sticking to the P90X program without fail. In fact, I’ve completed the first three and a half weeks without missing a single workout! Some days, it was particularly difficult to ‘push play’ as they say, but I’m committed, and I’m doing this. So there.

I’ve been feeling pretty good, too! I can tell that I’m improving, which is great. I haven’t really lost much weight – only about 3 pounds since July 1 – but I know it will come. I can feel my body getting stronger and my balance and flexibility are improving. Noticing all these differences drives me to keep going and try harder and harder so that I can continue to make these positive changes.

It feels good… It feels really good.

How about the rest of you out there? It’s been a while since you’ve committed to kicking it up a notch; have you been working on reaching your goals? If you’re not proud of what you’ve been doing over the last three weeks, recommit: You can’t go backwards, but you can start again today. Right now. Do it with me!

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Third Quarter Melt Down

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

I love that a number of you are with me on the Third Quarter Melt Down! It’s so important to have goals – long term and short term – so I think this will be good for everyone. I’d love to hear about your progress as the weeks go on, so please feel free to keep me updated in the comments, on Facebook, via Twitter (@_kimbolina), or send me an email if you prefer (kimberly@watermelonwaistline.com).

It’s now one week into the Third Quarter, which also means I’m one week into P90X. When I started, my weight was 177. This morning, I was 174.5. A 2.5 pound loss this week? I’ll take it!

While I’m sure that has a lot to do with the hour-long intense workouts I’ve been doing each day, I know the other part of that is my diet, which I’m thrilled to announce has been hugely improved over the last few days. I’m once again logging my food (thank you, My Food Diary), which really keeps me accountable for what I put in my mouth. I’ve found that much of what I’ve been eating has been fine, but definitely not everything. Also, many of my portion sizes have been out of whack in the last few months: I’ve reverted to eating as much as my 6’2″ husband. Not cool.

The Third Quarter Melt Down starts off with a bang! If this rate of loss keeps up (I don’t expect it to, but it would be a nice surprise!), I may have to up my goal! Right now, I’ll just enjoy the fact that I only have 10.5 more pounds to go.

How are the rest of you doing? Anyone else want in on this? I’m not staging a contest with rules or anything: The Third Quarter Melt Down is just a personal challenge to use the next 3 months to step up your weight-loss and/or training efforts. Set a goal for yourself and then take the necessary steps to reach them. For me, it’s lose 13 pounds by my birthday (October 5) and I’ll be focusing on my diet much more closely and continuing with P90X.

Let’s do this!

Posted in Diet, Personal Stories, Weight Loss | 6 Comments »

New Goal

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

I’m five days into P90X. So far, so good! I was oh-so-very-sore after Day 1, which was astounding. It was a good workout, but I didn’t expect to feel it quite so much in the days that followed. By Day 3, when I had to do a 15-minute ab workout, it hurt just to get on the floor.

I stuck with it though, and even though it’s only been a few more days, I think my body is getting used to the more rigorous routine. My muscles are still achy, but it’s far more manageable. In fact, it’s kind of nice, actually – reminds me that I’m doing something. Pushing myself. I like it.

Here’s the thing though: I know it’s only been 5 days, and I typically recommend to folks (and myself) not to weigh yourself every day, but each day this week I’ve weighed exactly the same thing. I feel like it should have changed, at least a tiny bit, after doing an intense workout for roughly 60 minutes each day… on top of Kung Fu.

But no. Of course that’s not going to happen… Not with the way I’ve been eating.

I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t put much thought into how I’ve been eating over the last few months. I haven’t thrown everything out the window or anything – even my ‘reckless’ eating is far better than it was a few years ago – but I haven’t been eating in such a way that will cause me to lose weight.

In fact, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted my weight here in quite some time. That’s because I haven’t actively been working to lower it, and therefore, it has instead risen.

My current weight is 177.

*sigh*

At my lowest, I got down to 169 at the end of March. I guess I’ve slowly but surely tacked on 8 pounds. How ridiculous is that?! Clearly I don’t quite have the intuitive eating/maintenance thing down yet, and still need to pay some attention to what I’m putting in my mouth.

I know that doing P90X in addition to Kung Fu and occasional running will be a huge help. But I also need to focus more on what – and how much – I’m eating.

I need a goal. I’m very goal-oriented. And it’s been a long time since I’ve set a goal that had to do with the scale. (In some ways, I think that’s healthy, but clearly I’m not quite there yet as I’ve gained 8 pounds in 3 months…)

So: I started P90X on July 1. That will take me to the end of September, and my birthday is just a few days later on October 5. That got me to thinking that my birthday would be a great target date for this short-term goal.

After crunching the numbers and thinking realistically about what I can do if I really try, I’ve decided to set my goal for October 5 at 164 pounds. That’s 13 pounds in 3 months – more than doable. It seems so doable that I’m almost afraid I’m not challenging myself enough, but I don’t want to set myself up for failure, either.

Besides that, 164 is a significant number for me. When I was young – 14 maybe? – I remember going on a diet with this as my start weight. At 14, 164 is a lot. At 29, it’s a lot more reasonable!

Incidentally, who goes on a diet and then puts on nearly 100 pounds?! Crazy.

So wish me luck, people! I’m going to really put in the effort again. I know what works: Counting calories and exercising. I’ve got the exercise on track, so now it’s time to focus on the food and I know I can do it.

Anyone want to put it into high gear with me for the next 3 months? We can call it the Third Quarter Melt Down… or something :)

Posted in Personal Stories, Weight Loss | 11 Comments »

Stepping it Up

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

A while back – about 75 pounds into my weight-loss journey – I attempted Tony Horton’s P90X program. Sadly, I only lasted about 3 weeks of the 12.

If you’re not familiar, P90X is a 90-day system comprised of 12 different workouts that you alternate to keep your muscles “confused” so you don’t plateau or get bored.

It’s incredibly challenging. And time-consuming. And tiring.

And I’m ready to try it again.

When I tried it before, my husband did it with me. Committing to doing something with someone else can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. When the time commitment became too much for my husband with his work schedule, I just let it go too. (Even though since I have my own business and work from home, I have more time than most…) I didn’t stop because I felt bad that he couldn’t do it with me – he’s always incredibly supportive. I stopped because I wasn’t invested enough to do it on my own.

I’m further along in my journey now. I’m in better shape than I was then, and I’m mentally stronger, too. I’ve always secretly wanted to try this again (I hate feeling like a quitter!), but I’ve never taken the leap. After reading about how Rachel of (Body by Pizza fame) is about to give it a go and “get buff”, I was inspired to finally try it again.

Honestly, I’m still a little afraid that I’ll fail again. If this is going to beat me, though, it’s not going to be from lack of trying.

And so, starting tomorrow, July 1, I will restart P90X. I think the structure and the intensity and the challenge will be good for me. We all know how good I am at following schedules! And how good I am at doing nothing when I don’t have a schedule…

I’m actually a little excited :) Wish me luck!

Posted in Personal Stories, Trials and Tribulations, Workouts | 3 Comments »

Back Into the Swing of Things

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Things have improved quite a bit this past week. And when I say “things” I’m really referring to just one thing: Motivation.

I realized, with the help of a very wise brother, that most people don’t work out because it’s fun. They do it because they should. Because it’s good for their bodies and minds. Because they are training to achieve goals they’ve set for themselves. Obviously, it’s ideal that you’d find workouts that you like because it makes it more enjoyable and easier to stick to, but working out just for the sake of working out is generally not fun for most people.

I am one of those people.

Sure, when I’m going to work out there are things that I like doing more than others – running, most notably – but as I’ve discovered this past month, I don’t like it enough to want to do it with the frequency needed to keep my fitness level where I want it. I now know I also need the… pressure, for lack of a better word… of training to reach a particular goal.

To that end, I’ve registered for a 5k on June 26, and my goal for this race is to finally break 30 minutes for a race of this distance. I believe I’ve done it once or twice during training for the half, but never for a precisely timed race, so I can’t say for sure. I was only about 30 seconds too slow at the Race for the Cure on May 9, so I think if I push a little more and do a bit of speedwork beforehand (which I’ve never really done) I should be able to make it.

I’ve also scheduled a weekly run with a new running buddy, N-Cat, which keeps me committed to running at the very least once a week. (And if I want to be able to keep up with her, I know I’ll have to get out there on my own a few times each week, too!)

Just talking about my troubles with motivation last week has helped me identify the problem and come up with possible solutions to help me get past it. So far, so good, too: I’ve already upped my run frequency by about 300% from the week before and I have to say that my outlook overall is significantly improved.

Maybe it’s because of all of the Vitamin D I’m making out there in the sun :)

Thanks to everyone for their input! And Rachel: I’m seriously considering your suggestion to attempt a change-up by doing P90X with you. We shall see!

Posted in Personal Stories, Trials and Tribulations, Workouts | No Comments »

Losing It With Jillian

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Last night was the series premier of Jillian Michaels’ new show. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of hers, so obviously I watched it.

I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I actually cried at one point during the episode. Some touching moments there, folks.

If you missed it – or want to watch it again! – there’s an encore presentation (ie: rerun) of last night’s episode on tonight. You can also watch the entire episode on NBC’s website. If you’re a fan of The Biggest Loser, you’ll like this show. It’s different of course, but in a lot of ways, it’s actually more realistic. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean.

If you saw it, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on it. Love it? Hate it? Really miss Bob?

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I Know Squat

Monday, May 31st, 2010

I use the loo a lot during the day… A lot. I think it’s mostly a mental thing due to my proximity to the bathroom. I work from home, and anytime I leave my office for anything – to get the mail, to get something to drink, to break for lunch – I have to pass by the commode. I see it, and I suddenly have to go.

At night or when I’m out, it’s not nearly an issue. In fact, I’m almost camelesque at times. But during the workday, I can go six or seven times. By the end of the day, that jumps to 8 or 10 times.

As insane as that is, it’s not the point of my story.

Since I’m in the ladies so much, and since I’ve been so busy lately – too busy to work out as much as I’d like – I figured I’d try to add a little exercise to my bathroom breaks.

For the last 4 days, following every single trip to the W.C., I’ve done 10 squats. Good squats, too – nice and low. By bedtime, that can add up to 80 or 100 squats! And it takes virtually no time out of my day.

I’m starting to feel some soreness in my quads from it, which tells me that it’s doing something! At some point, I think I’ll switch it up and do squats one day and another exercise the next, but for now, I’m sticking with squats.

Anyone else know squat?

Posted in Personal Stories, Workouts | 4 Comments »