Pasta is calling my name - Week 8

Just completed week 8 of P90x. I can hear the carbs calling my name as we enter the final stage of the program. The athletes diet....CARBS!!!!!!!!!! Yay for pasta!! Ok as far as this past week. It was a rest week so we went back to some of the oldie but goodie workouts we did the first month. And they still kicked my butt. I mean....Core Synergistics is just horrible. Not as bad as Plyo. But still! I made it through and am gearing up for the next 5 weeks. I really can't think of much more to say other than I worked out and I worked out hard. I ate how I was supposed to, maybe closer to the 1800 calorie diet than the 2400 calorie diet or somewhere in between.

So my new and improved grocery list with less meat and more carbs landed me at $158. Ha ha. So, there you have it. Regardless of what I do, it is just my magic number. I want to shave off $20-$30. I really do. I only get the essentials, even for the kids no chips not that many snacks, no junk AT ALL. But I guess that is why it is so high. I buy lots of fruit and that is pricey. I enjoy how every week I am surprised that I can't meet my goal of $130. And every week I rant and rave about why it is so high. I will just resign myself to the fact that it costs roughly $600 to feed a family of 5 healthy food for an entire month every meal of the day every day of the week ( including diapers and cleaners). Ok there, I'm done!

Results:
I lost another 2 pounds!!! In case you are curious as I know you are I was at 151 when we started and today when I stepped on the scale I was 145! That is 6 pounds, and below my pre Kaden weight. I was way too skinny before I had Addison and so 137 doesn't seem possible. I am happy with that. Only now my jeans don't fit. I guess that means new clothes right! My back is still painful, not all the time...but just annoying. Great week!

I almost forgot- week 7

This has been such a crazy week getting ready for school to start and all that I almost forgot to blog about the past week!! Anyway, pretty uneventful week. I am starting to get a little lax on my meal plan. Don't get me wrong, we are still following the portion plan only breakfast has become a pick your own type of thing. We have gotten into the groove of knowing we get 1 carb at every meal and breakfast is usually a carb, dairy, fruit and protein power in there somewhere. That could be a bowl of oatmeal, bagel, pancakes, kashi cereal or protein shake. Lunch is boiling down to turkey sandwiches, carrots, and a V8 (for Nate, I hate the stuff). OR leftovers. It is nice, kinda feels like we eat this way all the time. I guess it is sinking in!

Grocery shipping was great, $150. There is that number again! I switched to some frozen veggies because of the variety and they are cheaper sometimes. Cut out Salmon and do Tilapia instead, for the same reason, cheaper. Ummmm...yeah that's about it.

Oh yeah, I went to McDonalds for the first time in over 2 months. Addison had to get another shot for school and he chose to have McDonalds be his treat. I researched the nutritional info before I went and was able to eat a grilled chicken sandwich and a small berry smoothy. It was filling and I enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed knowing I was full and I was meeting my 600 calorie, 12 grams of fat limit. And I snagged 2 of Kaden's fries, and they were good. But I didn't crave anymore than that, self control is tough. The kids ate their entire happy meal, which they never used to do. I think we all appreciated the special trip a whole lot more than we usually did.

Results, I lost another 1-2 pounds. Honestly I think because I am just not eating as much, I am lucky to get my snacks in, and my portions are smaller then what I am supposed to be getting. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe not. I am not looking to bulk up like the Hulk so, a leaner me would be great!

Half Way There - Week 6

This week went pretty well. I fell back into not wanting to workout. One of the workouts I was dragging until about 30 minutes in, then I felt great! I don't know why, my energy was zapped this week. I was soooo looking forward to my day off yesterday. So what did I do....I went grocery shopping with Addison the hyperactive energizer bunny. He was jumping all around the store running into people, getting run over and so on. I am so much better able to handle his antics when he is by himself. Otherwise he drags his siblings into the mix and things get ugly...fast. Although he did get hugged by the creepy oversized HEB grocery bag, named Buddy I think. I thought he did ok with it, cause most of the other kids just screamed :) Anyway I spent $160. Seems like no matter what I do, there I am! On the menu for this week : Kung Pao chicken / Chicken in Shells / Shrimp Pompodoro / Hamburgers / Baked Tilapia / King Ranch Chicken. YUM!!! I also have to once again mention that grilled Pork Tenderloin with rub is by far the BEST way yo eat pork. TRY IT NOW! TRY IT NOW! 5- 4 -3 -2 Try it now! ( a little tribute to THE OFFICE)

Boys start school next week and I am nervous. But I think it will give me more time during the day to have some peace and rejuvenate for my workouts!

Results: I've got muscle! I see some new indentations in my abs and my legs are like rocks! I bought a pair of new hot workout shorts because my other ones are now too big! I'm still 3 pounds down. I know you are thinking...3 lbs...lame. But really I was not overweight, just out of shape. SO give me a break! He he. Also, the lunches the past two weeks have been so easy to prepare, we just do a turkey sandwich with some veggies or a wrap...easy peasy.

Finally! Week 5

Yeah! Week 5 is done~ I broke through my wall and now I'm back. This week reminded me of week 1 because I switched to the classic mode with a few new workouts, plyometrics being the mother of all hated workouts. It was insaine!!! I hurt so bad I was begging, yes begging for Yoga X. It was a nice break to get to the Yoga X workout on Thursday. It is so funny that I would say that because it used to be Yoga X that I dreaded, now it is what I look forward to :)

So, I know you are interested in my grocery bill for this week......$150. Not to shabby, Glad not to be back up closer to the $200 mark. Yay! I still bought a ton of meat, but I think I am figuring out how to try to do it for less. My main problem is I can only shop at HEB or Walmart. Both are close to the same prices, but on any given week one is cheaper than the other. I need to buy the large 4 lb pork tenderloins at Walmart and split them in half. Freeze for 2 meals. I grilled one this week with a great rub and it was oh so yummy. Took a little over an hour on the grill. SUPER AMAZING! I have had people ask me what my kids eat. And they get a well balanced meal. They just eat what we eat with no portion requirements. They are not by any means on a low carb diet. But I do not make them special meals. If I make fish, they eat fish (or try it anyway) plus veggies and rice or noodles. Low carb lasagna with bread, or chili with crackers and cheese. I never keep the carbs from them, or fat for that matter. It gets a little tricky when I make them popcorn, but can't eat any myself. A true test of my will power.

Onto Results:
Holding firm to my 3 pound weight loss. I also pulled out a really old pair of shorts that were about 2 sizes too small and I could zip them up. Still a tad bit too tight, but I couldn't even pull them up before. I have lots more energy this week, I mean...LOTS! Yay for carbs! My parents were so inspired by my results they are going to do the P90X as well. So it looks like we will have a few more beach body babes!

Week 4 - Just have to keep going!

I seem to have hit a little bit of a brick wall this week. It was supposed to be a "rest" week, whatever that means, because we still workout everyday. No strength training this week, just cardio and Yoga. Anyway, it was still hard. I was a little down this week thinking things are never going to get easier with this workout stuff. I didn't have the motivation to work out...at all. I still did it, but what really gets to me is that at times I feel imprisoned by having to work out every day. Example: I went to a fabulous dinner with the Auxillary and then had to leave at a decent time so I could get home to work out. I don't feel free to go out nights because I have to work out. Yoga takes an hour and a half to complete, it is very hard to go into a workout knowing you will be in pain for an hour and a half. So, I don't mean to be down, I think I am just hitting a brick wall and I have to push through it. It isn't forever that I will be working out everyday. When this is done I am going to go down to every other day.

The nice thing is that I got a treat and wen't to Cheesecake Factory this week. Not to eat, but I did have some appitizer and a bit of cheesecake. It was yummy and a nice escape. YUM! I am a little bit more relaxed with the meal plan now. I think I am just getting into a groove. I spent $170 on groceries this week. BLAH! Man I just keep hitting these numbers. You are all probably wonder what the heck I buy. Well, whole grain things just cost so much more as do low fat cheese, whole grain pasta, whole grain bagels, and so on. They don't ever seem to be on sale either. I did still buy all the nuts Nate and my kids seem to scarf down in a week. The thing is I bought little to no meat, since I did that last week. Just depressing, I am certainly NOT in budget yet. What to do...I have to think about a better strategy. To give myself a little credit I did purchase more because my parents are coming this week, YAY! Also, we don't eat out AT ALL. So, this is every meal every day for 5 people. It just seems pricey to me.

OK OK...so onto results: I put on a pair of pants that I alsmost gave to Goodwill because they were too small...and they FIT!! So, yay for losing inches! I can tell a difference in my body shape. I was able to have a turkey wrap this week and it was so so so good! Even with the whole grain tortilla, I loved it! If you ever dislike whole grain breads or pasta, go without carbs for 4 weeks and then try it. You will LOVE IT...he he.