The Way Of The Hand

Since I started this journey a few months back I've been really good with my food choices. It's been all healthy food all the time. I haven't had any junk food, fast food, alcohol or anything else that would derail my results. The one thing I haven't been overly strict on has been my portion control. I really need to work on that because it's certainly possible to over eat healthy food too. I've got 22 days left in the P90X3 program and I'm making it my goal over these next 22 days to really do my best to stick to the portions listed in the X3 Nutrition Guide. I'm hoping that by sticking to these guidelines I'll really be able to blast the remaining belly fat that's still hanging around.

So I thought I'd share some of the info in the Nutrition Guide. I know it's tough to read some of the items listed in these pictures so if you have some questions just fire away.

Based on my current weight and goals, this is the meal plan I should be following. The numbers are number of servings of each: Protein, Carbs, Fat. And yes, your body needs a certain amount of fat and carbs.

So how do you measure out a serving? If you have a measuring cup and/or food scale those are the most accurate ways of course, but if not...just use your hand. The guide below shows you how to measure food with your hand and then in the food lists you'll notice amounts listed as "1 fist" or "2 fingertips."

Here's a sample of how the food is listed in the guide. All of these foods are healthy, but they're listed from "healthiest" at the top to "healthy" at the bottom. These are the protein and fruit carbs pages. If you're interested in what else is listed just let me know. Hopefully you can read these. 

So starting tomorrow I'm really going to try to stick to these portion sizes. I'm going to plan out my meals as much as possible. Here is what I put together for tomorrow. We'll see how this goes...

Breakfast	Shakeology w/ 8 oz Almond Milk and Banana
AM Snack	Strawberry, Mango, Pineapple Mix (Frozen, thawed) & 6 Whole Raw Almonds
Lunch	6 oz Lean Ground Turkey, Avocado Slices, 1/3 cup Quinoa
PM Snack	1 1/2 Cups Broccoli (cooked)
Dinner	Skinless Chicken Breast, 10 Brussel Sprouts, Bell Pepper/Onion Mix over Lettuce Mix, 2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

Oh yeeeeeah

So I've had this pair of size 36 jeans sitting in my closet for God knows how long. They haven't fit me in years. This morning I decided to try them on and see where I stand. Turns out they not only fit, they're a little bit LOOSE on me. Wow. That is all.

Weigh In Sunday - I'm under 20% Body Fat!!

Ok, so i'ts not much under. My numbers actually stayed pretty level this week. But for the first time in who knows how long, my body fat came in under 20%. That's right, it's......19.9%! I'll take it. It's progress. And I'm pretty sure the last time my body fat was under 20% was about a decade ago. So I'm happy. About a half pound drop in weight and BMI stayed level.Here's my current stats:

Weight -

Starting Weight: 213.8 lbs

Current Weight: 186.0 lbs

Total Change: -27.8 lbs

Body Fat Percentage -

Starting Percentage: 27.7%

Current Percentage: 19.9%

Total Change: -7.8%

Starting BMI: 31.5

Current BMI: 27.5

Total Change: -4.0

Target hit

Well, today is the day I had in mind back in February when I decided to start on this journey. I didn’t want to turn 35 feeling the way I did back then. And today I turned 35. And today I feel about a million times better than I did in February. I’m down around 28 pounds. I’m no longer short of breath constantly. I don’t have any more occasional sharp pains in my chest. You know, life is good. I had set a target for myself of losing 20lbs by my birthday and I surpassed that target. Now it’s on to the next goal - 6 pack by Christmas! 

Here are my updated results photos since starting P90X3. I’m really happy with where I’m going. 

Weigh In Sunday

As I mentioned in my last post, I was traveling last weekend so I wasn’t able to weigh in, so these results are over a two week period. I’m pretty happy with where I’ve gotten. When I started out on this mission my goal was to be in better shape by my 35th birthday. Well that’s this coming Wednesday and I’d say I’ve certainly made a few improvements. 

Weight - 

Starting Weight: 213.8 lbs

Current Weight: 186.6 lbs

Total Change: -27.4 lbs

Body Fat Percentage -

Starting Percentage: 27.7%

Current Percentage: 20.0% 

Total Change: -7.7%

Starting BMI: 31.5

Current BMI: 27.5

Total Change: -4

And now the journey continues….

The choice is yours

Since I was traveling this past week I didn’t get to weigh in on Sunday, so I’ll just wait until this coming Sunday. Hopefully I’ll like what I see. 

For any of you that have to travel for work, you know that your will power will constantly be tested while you’re on the road. Your co-workers will order a bunch of fried food and alcohol and it can be tempting to join in. I’m not saying you can’t indulge once in a while, but for me personally I know that if I were to eat that stuff I would feel horrible afterward. And then that would lead to skipped workouts and it’s all downhill from there. So I have to force myself to stay on track. Here are a couple things I do to help fight off the temptation:

- When you arrive in town, find a nearby grocery store and go buy some fruit, veggies and healthy snacks that will stay good for the time you’re there. Even better if your hotel room has a fridge.

- Drink a lot of water. You should be doing this anyway, but for me I find it helps reduce cravings for crap food. 

- When you go out to dinner, ask for substitutions. Ask for a double order of veggies instead of the veggies and cheddar potatoes that’s listed on the menu. If the desert menu is nothing but sugar filled cakes and pies, ask them if they can make you a plate of fruit. They will. 

- Exercise. It’s key to stay on a schedule as close to what you do at home as possible. I brought my P90X3 DVDs with me and worked out every morning at 5:00 AM. If you’re anything like me, it becomes easier to eat bad food if you skip workouts. 

I knew this week was going to be a challenge for me and I’m pretty proud of myself for sticking to my program. Every little success like this is a step in the right direction. 

The choice is yours…

Patience Is A Virtue

Having a three year old, the wife and I regularly use the phrase “patience is a virtue” when he decides he wants something and he wants it now, like three year olds do. I can’t blame him though. I know what it’s like to want something immediately. I feel this way with my fitness. In my head I know that I’ve made really nice progress and I’m well on my way to getting to where I want to be. But if I’m being honest, I also tend to get discouraged because I’m not there yet. I want that six pack and I want it now. I’ve been feeling like this a lot this past week for some reason. As if 48 days of P90X3 should have my abs popping by now. 

Well today I had a nice reminder of the progress I have made. I am traveling for work and spent the day in airports and on planes. When I went through security at the airport I had to take my belt off to go through the metal detector. When I did, I had to catch my pants so they didn’t end up around my ankles. I had to actually hold my pants up the whole time I was going through security. Just a few months ago, these pants not only fit, but were actually a little snug. Now they won’t stay up by themselves. Made me feel good about where I’ve gotten. 

So I just need to keep reminding myself that I didn’t get to where I was overnight. It took a few years to put all that weight on. It’s not going to disappear overnight. It will take time. I need to have patience and eventually I will get to where I want to be. In the meantime, it might be time to invest in some new pants.