Zeppelin's Journey with P90X Lean

[zeppelin]

Hello. This is where I will chronicle my journey. I hope some other people will get involved and help track my progress and help keep me on track. Maybe no one will read this, and it will be more for purposes of introspection and self-discipline. I have no clue. You're welcome to come along for the ride.

A little background on me. I just turned 28 years old and am recently married. I basically have your typical post-collegiate body. I'm 6'2", so I can spread my weight out over my long frame, which is helpful, but I have the typical softness around the gut that most beerdrinking 20-year-olds have. Fully-clothed, I probably look fairly fit. But, I want to get to the point where my face is more chiseled and my stomach is flat.

Here are my motivations. 1) I feel like I am at a critical age where I really still the opportunity to get in the best shape of my life. I want to do that. 2) My family and a bunch of other families take a vacation to this beautiful state park every year where we float the river. I want to feel very comfortable in my bathing suit and proud of my physique. 3) My 10-year high school reunion is in July, and I want to be in good shape for that. 4) Lastly, I just want to feel good and healthy and treat my body with respect. I sometimes feel like I take better care of my pets and vehicles than I do myself. I need to change that.

Most of all, I want to make a lifestyle change. I have done this before, but I fell off the wagon. During my last year of law school, I lost 23 lbs. and made a 7% change in my body fat. I was really on the right track and then the Bar Exam came along and took my life over. Since then, I have gradually returned back to my previous state. So, I know I can do this. It's just a matter of eating right and staying active.

I started off really well this year and was hitting the gym daily. Then, along came the bachelor party, the wedding, etc. My bachelor party was about six weeks ago, and I basically haven't seen the gym since then. I was worthlessly hungover the entire week after I returned, and then I was totally focused on all the last minute plans for the wedding. Now that the wedding's over, we're focusing on building and closing on our new house. It's really just one thing after another that keeps distracting me from taking care of myself, and I'm tired of it. So, I'm committing myself to doing this P90X Lean program for the next 90 days. One step at a time. My wife is also doing it, so that will make things easier. It is so helpful when someone else is on board and is eating right with you.

Here are my vitals:

Age: 28
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 193.5 lbs.
Body Fat %: 24%

Chest: 39"
Waist at Narrowest Point: 35"
Waist at Belly Button: 36.5"
Hips around Largest Part of Butt: 42"
Right Thigh: 23"
Left Thigh: 23"
Right Arm, Bicep Flexed: 14.5"
Left Arm, Bicep Flexed: 13.75"

Today is Day 1. I am embarking on a 90-day plan with P90X Lean. In the past, when I have been serious about fitness, I have mostly done workouts at the gym with freeweights and cardio about six days per week. This has worked for me in the past, but I felt like trying something different this time.

Eventually, I hope to "graduate" from P90X Lean and then do 90 days with P90X Classic (more upperbody workouts) and then eventually P90X Doubles (just some hardcore ****), if I'm up to it. I am not here to promote this product or really even to debate its merits with someone who thinks it sucks. It's what I chose to do, and it's what I'm going to do.

My wife and I are both going to be doing the program. It is all done at home with dumbbells, a pull-up bar, and a yoga/fitness mat.

Before you start the program, you do a Fit Test. You then will perform the Fit Test again after the 90 days to measure your progress.

Here are my results. Not so great, but you have to start somewhere:

Pullups (widegrip): 2 (not great, but I wasn't surprised; I have never been good at pullups)
Vertical Leap: 21"
Pushups (to exhaustion): 15
Toe Touch (inches past toes): 2.75"
Wall Squat (to exhaustion): 40 seconds (this was pathetic)
Bicep Curls w/two 15-lb dumbbells (to exhaustion): 29 reps
In & Outs (to exhaustion): 17

In subsequent posts, I will detail the workouts I am doing and how I am feeling. Feel free to comment.

[zeppelin]

My routine for the first three weeks is as follows:

Day 1: Core Synergistics
Day 2: Cardio X
Day 3: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4: Yoga X
Day 5: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6: Kenpo X
Day 7: Rest or X Stretch

I will detail the individual workouts and my food intake in the posts to follow.

[zeppelin]

For breakfast, we had:

2 whole wheat blueberry waffles w/ a small amount of Smart Balance spread and a small amount of sugar-free syrup

1 whole banana

2 slices of turkey bacon (not my favorite)

8 oz. of low-sodium V8 (I added a dash of hot sauce to liven it up)


Workout: Core Synergistics

This is about an hour-long workout that incorportates cardio, stretching, and resistance training for your core muscles. It strengthens the "core" as well as improves flexibility, balance, and coordination.

This workout freaking kicked my butt. The first day back from Lazyville is always a tough one, and this was no exception.

This workout used a lot of cardio to get my heartrate up and the next thing I know, I'm doing pushups, lunges, or some crazy Pilates-like move. I could not keep up with the guys on the video just yet. I would say I got through about 80% of the reps that they wanted me to do. Sometimes I just had to take a breather because I felt like I was going to throw up. There is a fine line between pushing yourself for gains and pushing yourself too far. I am trying to respect that line. I know this will get easier as I get in better shape.

[zeppelin]

By the way, I will take pictures at the following intervals:

Day 1
Day 30
Day 60
Day 90

Here is Day 1. Be nice. [trying to figure out the best way to do this]

Front, hands on hips:
http://i11.tinypic.com/4379eo5.jpg

Front, flex pose:
http://i9.tinypic.com/339ohl4.jpg

Side View (the gut shot), arms relaxed, stomach relaxed:
http://i10.tinypic.com/3y33e5t.jpg

Torso Twist, hands on hips:
http://i3.tinypic.com/2uz6qll.jpg

Back, hands on hips:
http://i5.tinypic.com/4h7l3te.jpg

Back, flex pose:
http://i3.tinypic.com/2luuqrl.jpg

[pierini]

Hello and welcome to DiscussFitness. You've definitely started day 1 of your journal strong. Let's hope you can keep it up. I've seen this newbie zeal before. They come and they go. Hopefully you'll be different.

How bad do you want it?

A good detailed log like you've started will generate lots of interest here with other members, many of whom will regularly jump in and give you good feedback, while privately cheering for you.

You've got youth on your side and that is good so you are very capable of making your workouts "pedal to the metal". I suggest you do that to accomplish your fitness goals.

You may also want to start a journal using the online food journal at FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal as many of us here do. It will help create the rigorous honesty that will be necessary for your success.

I'll be checking your posts out and privately cheering for you. If I catch you slacking, I'll be the first to get in your face.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

p.s. there will always be something getting in your way of superfitness, trust me. You just need to learn to get up earlier and get your fitness in early. I'll be at the gym tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. Why don't you "join" me.

[WESTY]

zeppelin your first journal post was terrific, great stuff dude. Welcome aboard discuss fitness i hope you reach your goals and stick around i enjoyed reading your journal and will continue to do so.

[zeppelin]

Originally Posted by pierini

Hello and welcome to DiscussFitness. You've definitely started day 1 of your journal strong. Let's hope you can keep it up. I've seen this newbie zeal before. They come and they go. Hopefully you'll be different.

How bad do you want it?

A good detailed log like you've started will generate lots of interest here with other members, many of whom will regularly jump in and give you good feedback, while privately cheering for you.

You've got youth on your side and that is good so you are very capable of making your workouts "pedal to the metal". I suggest you do that to accomplish your fitness goals.

You may also want to start a journal using the online food journal at FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal as many of us here do. It will help create the rigorous honesty that will be necessary for your success.

I'll be checking your posts out and privately cheering for you. If I catch you slacking, I'll be the first to get in your face.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

p.s. there will always be something getting in your way of superfitness, trust me. You just need to learn to get up earlier and get your fitness in early. I'll be at the gym tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. Why don't you "join" me.

Thanks for the kind words. I look forward to support on here and to using this site as a vehicle to vent and to keep me disciplined and focused.

I have checked out FitDay before, and I think it may be a little too structured/detailed for my liking. I am already struggling with the idea of counting portions in this current diet. I think DF will probably be the best fit for me to just kinda ramble about what I'm up to...we'll see.

[zeppelin]

Originally Posted by WESTY

zeppelin your first journal post was terrific, great stuff dude. Welcome aboard discuss fitness i hope you reach your goals and stick around i enjoyed reading your journal and will continue to do so.

Thanks a lot. Hope you drop in from time to time.

[zeppelin]

Today was a pretty good start. The workout annihilated me, but I felt good an hour or so afterwards. I have been force-feeding myself water all day, and I had an Endurox R4 recovery drink afterward, too, so I kept my body fueled all day long. I had to pretty much shove a protein bar down, though. I wasn't really even hungry, but I'm trying to make sure my body gets plenty of the stuff it needs.

My wife and I are closing on a house here in the next week or two, and we are going through and writing down all the little piddly things that are going wrong. We spent a few hours doing that today with my parents there, and it was stressful to say the least. We went and had dinner with my parents, and I had to fight the urge to have a beer or a glass of wine to help take off the edge. I ended up sticking with water, though.

My dad cooked some lean steaks, and they were great and healthy. We typically have loaded baked potatoes with steaks, but I asked my mom to cook some broccoli and squash instead. She did a great job, and it was good to realize that I could ask my parents to accommodate a healthier lifestyle. My mom was more than glad to help.

My parents both have horrible eating habits, and my dad especially figures he should just eat what he likes...so it's always been hard to eat healthy around home. When I was in high school, we probably ate out five times per week. I continued this trend through college and law school. My wife and I are trying to cook at home now, though, but sometimes we get busy or tired and just want the quick fix of eating out. That will be a challenge we face in the coming weeks.

I've finished the night with a low-sugar frozen fruit bar and a scoop of whey protein isolate in water.

All in all, it was a great day, but it's a lot easier to do this stuff on the weekend than during the week.

I already have a Ziploc bag with 1oz of pecans in it for my snack tomorrow. I also know that I'm going to have a cup of Grape Nuts in 8oz skim milk tomorrow morning along with an orange, and a glass of low-sodium V8. I find that planning ahead is the key to healthy eating.

The biggest challenge at work is going to be lunch. My co-workers constantly go out to fancy restaurants to eat very rich foods for lunch. I generally don't go much, but I will definitely not be going now. I would say I am generally pretty good at lunch. Typically, I eat a turkey sandwich with some carrots and a diet soda. Not bad if you ask me.

The problem right now is that for the next month, I am going to only be eating one serving from my "carb" list. Let me clarify, the diet breaks food down into groups. My carb list contains breads, grains, etc. This is not the only place I get carbs, though. For instance, there is a whole different group for fruits, vegetables, snacks, etc. that all contain carbs. But, I am only allowed one thing off the "Carb" list, per se. So, my one carb is going to be the Grape Nuts. I really enjoy eating cereal.

But, this is complicated since I generally eat a sandwich at lunch. Instead, I am going to have to start eating salads. Luckily, our company has a very large salad bar with excellent ingredients including hardboiled eggs. That is going to become my customary lunch, I think.

For dinner tomorrow, I think we're having fish and a vegetable. I freaking hate seafood, but I can handle fish if I feel like there is a good reason to eat it. My body's health is a pretty good reason. If it's seasoned well and not too fishy, I should be OK.

Well, off to bed. Tomorrow, I take one more step towards fitness. I've outlined my food intake, and I will be doing a routine called Cardio X. It is a mixture of cardio, martial arts, pilates, and yoga. It should hopefully be easier than today's workout, but I'm sure I will still get a great sweat going. This is a nice change of pace, because I'm used to mostly doing free weights or monotonous cardio (i.e. elliptical). It's kinda fun to get my heartrate going by doing a bunch of various moves and exercises.

See you tomorrow.

[WESTY]

nice, i like how you go into great detail of the foods you take, and its great to see that you eat really healthy. For me the worst thing is going to the fridge and seeing dads chocolate bars and other junk, its extremely tempting to take some but once you start thinking body of over taste you know your heading in the right direction. looking forward to tomorrow of reading your journal mate keep it up

[zeppelin]

Grape Nuts & Skim Milk (organic grape nuts are not as good as the original stuff)

2 scoops of whey protein isolate in water

1 large orange

Taking an ounce of pecans and a Detour protein bar to work with me. Gonna hit up the salad bar for lunch and see how successful I can be there.

I'm gonna do my best to drink mostly water at work today. It's gonna be hard to not have diet sodas for the caffeine. They are not technically forbidden in my new diet, but I am going to try to minimize them as much as possible.

[JMike]

Welcome to the board man. These guys will keep you right. Listen to 'em and ask them questions. They know their stuff. Good luck

[zeppelin]

Well, there is a self-serve salad bar and another salad bar where they make it for you and put some meat in it. I opted for the latter.

I have a salad with spinach greens, tomato, black olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, broccolli, and carrots in it. On top is a grilled chicken filet. I topped the salad with a balsamic dressing and put a little tabasco on the chicken. Not my favorite meal (I'd rather have a sandwich), but it's not bad either. I just kinda miss my bread a bit.

Drank an Enviga (carbonated green tea beverage) this morning. It only has like 5 calories, so I consider it pretty acceptable. Besides that, it's been all water, as evidenced by my frequent trips to the little boys' room.

[Mr VW]

Good job on your 2nd day. It looks like you're really staying on top of your diet and that's great. That's what most people lack. Great job and keep it up.

[pierini]

Most honorable attempts to eat clean fail at the end of the day because of pent-up demand for food so your real challenge is yet to come or hasn't yet been posted.

After years of self-discovery, I have discovered that front-loading my eating (getting more of my calories in the morning) oftentimes results in me eating less overall as I'm managed to avoid the pent-up demand that results in excessive evening eating.

Pedal to the metal cardio training tends to put a damper on my appetite while steady-state cardio tends to inflame it.