Day 57 - Plyocide

I got home from work in time to be able to workout before we ate dinner.  Thank goodness I did that because it was a lot easier to do all of this jumping around before eating dinner.  I had a pretty big lunch today at an Indian restaurant, so I took it easy for Breakfast and Dinner.  I did a lot of sweating during the workout tonight, so I know I wasn't taking it easy.  I could feel the burn on almost every routine.  I'm still taking some breaks throughout the workout, but am making progress at keeping up with the reps for most of the workouts.  My cold is also getting better, so that's making it easier to workout.  I'm convinced that the workouts and healthier eating are helping me to recover from this cold quicker than I otherwise would have.  My daughter and wife have both had it as well and it seems they were hit by it harder than me.

Day 56 (start of week 9) - Chest and Back and Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

When I got home from work I was feeling a bit run down because of this stupid head cold. I did my workout and am feeling a lot better.  I weighed in this morning and am now down to 160 (so down 28 lbs total).  It seems the more I get in shape the more I realize how much I really needed to lose.  I still have some flab around the middle, but it's definitely getting better.  Now wearing size 33 jeans instead of the size 36 jeans when this journey began.

Day 55 - Rest day

Taking Sunday off to rest and try to recover from this cold.

Day 54 - Base and Back & Ab Ripper

My day started with two hours of basketball.  I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to run up and down the court and not be nearly as winded as I've been in the past.  I treated myself to a Wawa Egg, Ham and swiss breakfast hoagie on the way home.  Yummm.  For lunch I had a half sandwich of Santa Fe Turkey Breast with some tomato slices on it.  Despite my still being a bit sick, the workout today went pretty well.  I didn't increase reps on much, but I also didn't fall off on any. 

Day 53 - X2 Yoga

I still have a bit of a cold and my back was hurting a bit after last night's workout (I'm plagued by a touch of arthritis from a previous injury), so Yoga tonight was just what I needed.  I feel better having finished the workout.  Afterward I made some Chicken stir fry for dinner and had a protein bar for dessert.

Day 52 - X2 Shoulders and Arm & X2 Ab Ripper

Most of the day today I felt like I may be starting on a cold.  I was concerned that it may impact my workout, but actually I felt better by the time I was done.  I decided to do my workout before eating dinner and found this to be a lot better.  I really like this workout.  By the time I got done the biceps felt pumped up. I'm glad that these phase 2 workout are including Ab Ripper more often.  It sure is helping.  Getting dressed this morning my wife mentioned to me that it really shows that I've lost weight.  That was nice to hear from her.  I did pretty well on my calorie count today as well, so I expect that the weight should continue to fall off over time if I can stay vigilant.  As of this morning I weighed in at 162, so down 26 lbs.  I'm looking forward to day 60 so that I can post a picture on the TeamBeachBody site and see if there is a noticeable difference from day 30.

Day 51 - Rest Day

I decided to do some pushups tonight so I did three sets.
       40 - Rest - 35 - Rest - 30

Tomorrow it's back to the routine with intensity.

Day 50 - Plyocide

I felt rather sluggish tonight.  Probably because I worked out right after eating dinner.  Not the best idea, but I hate the idea of waiting until later because then I don't wrap up the workout until later in the evening.  I got through the workout okay, but still find the cardio in this a bit more taxing than I am able to handle without breaks.  So, I take some breaks and let my heart rate come down before continuing.  It takes a bit longer this way, but this is still a pretty short workout.  I added in my normal pushups and dumbbell curls ad the end since this doesn't seem to provide much of an upper body workout.

Day 49 (start of week 8) - Chest and Back and Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

I sure am feeling it today.  I was able to increase the reps on a couple of moves today and every little increase helps.  I didn't have to modify Ab Ripper much today, so that's an improvement.  It was nice to have the day off from work today so that I can do the workout during the day instead of after dinner.  Now it's off to hit some golf balls since it's so nice out.

Day 48 - Rest Day

Heading to church and then taking my Dad to lunch.  Later, watch some golf and take a nap.  Tomorrow it's back to working out.  By the way, I weighed myself this morning and I hit 163, so that officially a loss of 25 from where I started (188).  I added a scoop of protein to my oatmeal this morning for breakfast.  Yuck, won't do that again.

Day 47 - Base and Back & X2 Ab Ripper

Wow, how I hate this workout.  I was able to get through more reps on the chin-up bar this time around, but still well short of where I should be.  But, when I started P90X2 I was only able to do 2 chin-ups.  I'm now able to do 7, so I guess I can't get too depressed.  I'm also able to get more reps done in Ab Ripper this week.  I got through full reps on a lot of the workouts.  I'm still pushing the cardio a bit too far at times.  At one point heart rate got to 166.  I need to scale back more.

High protein day so far:
Breakfast: 2 Poached eggs and a dry piece of toast
Lunch: Low Sodium Turkey Breast on a piece of toast and a few low salt wheat thins
Snack: Protein bar - 20g (after workout)

Day 46 - X2 Yoga

Another enjoyable yoga workout.  I got home early from work because of the holiday weekend and was able to workout before going out for dinner.  Diet was pretty much blown out of the water today.  For lunch I went to Champps with some co-workers.  I got the Cobb salad and had them leave off the blue cheese and avocado, but it was still close to 800 calories.  For dinner Kristi and I went out for our Valentines dinner a few days late (because I have zero interest in being in restaurants on Valentines Day and that chaos).  I had a small lobster tail filled with crab imperial and some potato croquettes.  Like I say, not a good day on the calorie front.

Day 45 - Rest day

Day 44 - X2 Shoulders and Arm & X2 Ab Ripper

Tonight is supposed to be Rest or recovery, but tomorrow night I have an evening appointment that will keep me from being able to work out, so I decided to work out tonight instead.  On the way home I picked up some 15 lb. dumbbells and a smaller stability ball and I was able to use both in the workout tonight.  Going up from 10 lb. to 15 lb. dumbbells for some of the workout really made a difference.  As usual, X2 Ab Ripper lived up to it's name. Dinner was two poached eggs on a piece of dry toast and a protein shake with some frozen strawberries mixed in.

Day 43 - Plyocide

Another good night of doing Plyocide.  My heart rate sure does get up there a bit when I do this workout.  At times I was getting above 160, so I had to scale back my desire to keep on pace with reps at time, but I got to the end with only a few modifications and a few breaks.  My balance also seems to be getting a bit better as I continue to do this.  Compared to Monday night this seemed like a very short workout.

Day 42 (start of week 7) - Chest and Back and Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

Wow, it took almost 90 minutes to get through the whole workout tonight with having to do everything.  Yes, I took a couple of breaks, but not that many.  I sure am feeling it all over.  Doing X2 Ab Ripper after all of the pushups and chin-ups for this workout is sheer torture.  I really felt it in the shoulder with the pushups with my feet elevated on a chair.  Ouch.  Time for some dinner and a protein shake.  Oh yeah, and a shower.  Maybe I'll shower first. ;-)

Day 41 - Rest day

Another week as come and gone.  Six weeks down and a little more than six weeks to go.  It's hard to believe I'm at the halfway point.  I can definitely see progress, but I still have a long way to go to get to where I would like to be.  I'm still at 165 (23 lbs. lost) and I figure losing another 10 or so should be about the right number.  We'll see because mirrors don't lie like scales.  I'm enjoying the journey.

Day 40 - Base and Back & X2 Ab Ripper

Well, it's back to my nemesis again today.  I decided I was going to do the entire workout even if I had to do a lot of modification to get through it.  For a number of the pullup routines I switched to regular chin-ups or using the 90 degree handles. Doing that I was able to get to the end of the work.  I also did the full Ab Ripper and decided to throw in 40 pushups and some curls with the 25 lb. dumbbells for good measure. It seems like it was a bit more manageable this time around, so I just need to keep at it.

Day 39 - X2 Yoga

I have to say that I'm really starting to enjoy the yoga workout.  It works out lots of different muscles and by the end I feel relaxed and refreshed.  Having said that, it's still a really good workout.  In one portion my muscles we're literally shaking as I was holding the pose.  No doubt it's beneficial.  Right now it seems like the weight loss is at a bit of a plateau, so I need to figure out how to get rid of some of the gut fat.  I guess I just need to be a bit more patient.  The transformation is not a 2-week process.

Day 38 - X2 Shoulders and Arm and X2 Ab Ripper

I like this workout because I can really feel the benefit in the muscles when I'm done.  Upper body is pretty much trashed by the time I'm done.  I got all the way through Ab Ripper with my normal modifications.  It's good that I'm spending the time to do full Ab Ripper at the end of the phase 2 workouts now.  It should really help with my abs (which need it).

Day 37 - Plyocide

I'm starting to monitor my heart rate more during the workout so that I make sure to not exceed 160 while working out.  It means I am having to take some breaks between routines, but that sure beats getting my heart rate too high while working out.  Plyocide felt pretty good by the end today, so I also decided to do some bicep curls with dumbbells and then 35 pushups for good measure.  Feeling very good.

Day 36 (start of week 6) - Chest and Back and Balance & Ab Ripper

I'm a day late posting this, but not an issue since the workout is still fresh in my mind.  The pullups hurt so good.  I'm still having to modify quite a bit, but at least I got through the whole thing including the entire Ab Ripper (also with some mods).  My arms seem to be gaining some size and my abs are showing some improvement, so this phase 2 workout is really helping.

Day 35 - Rest Day and eating like a pig

Sunday again, so I have the day off from exercise.  It's Superbowl Sunday and I had family over and had tons of food laid out.  I ate way too much.  I'm glad I don't do that often because I would end up undoing everything I am working at losing.  So. it's one day of indulgence and then it's back to being good.

Day 34 - X2 Base and Back & X2 Ab Ripper

Wow, back to work on chin-ups again so soon?  This routine is broken up into two sections that are the same, so you go through the same set of workouts twice.  By the time I was at the halfway mark my arms were already spent, so I switched to working on Ab Ripper.  I also threw in some pushups at the end for good measure.  I'm looking forward to the time when I can do a more reasonable number of chin-ups.  Until then this routine is going to be a challenge for me.

Day 33 - X2 Yoga

It's been a while since I've done yoga because of the stitches, but now that I'm back to it I remembered how good of a workout this is.  I just can't believe how much I sweated during the workout.  It sure was nice to get a lot of stretching in.

Day 32 - X2 Shoulders and Arms and X2 Ab Ripper

This was the first time I was doing this workout and it seems I need to go through this again so that I'm using the correct weight.  In some cases 10 was too little and in other cases when I tried 25 it was too much, so I guess I need to get more dumbbells.  I still got a good workout, but the benefit will be better with the correct weight.

I got about a third of the way through Ab Ripper afterward before I had to call it done because my abs were done.  Phase 2 includes Ab Ripper three times per week, so I suspect I am going to see real benefit from doing this more often.

Diet today was this:

• Breakfast: Banana, Protein Bar
• Lunch: 3 oz of turkey breast on a slice of bread, handful of cherry tomatoes and some Quakes 
• Dinner: Barley-vegetable soup, 2 eggs, 1 slice of toast
• Snack: Soy protein shake with strawberries and a few Ritz chips

Total Calories = 1550

Day 31 - Plyocide (a.k.a. Death by jumping)

Today was supposed to be a rest day or recovery, but I was off the schedule a bit since I started the week doing X2 core, so to get on schedule for phase 2 I decided to play catch up and do the second day workout for phase 2 today.  Every time I do Plyocide I get further in the routine, but my feeling at the end of the routine is always the same.  I HATE PLYOCIDE.  Actually I don't, but I hate the fact that I have such trouble with getting through it.  I got through most of the workout without having to cut the reps short, but still had to take more breaks in between the different workouts.  I'm definitely feeling the increase in muscle tone lately with the increase in protein intake and getting back into the regular routine of the workouts.  This program is addictive.