Day 76

Not much to report today - I had a poor night's sleep last night. Woke up, groggy, convinced that the night was nearly done and annoyed with myself for waking before the alarm.

Then I checked the clock - just a little past 9pm. I don't think I'd been asleep for an hour. Then I woke again a little past midnight. Something in me just wasn't prepared to sleep last night. So I'm a little sleepy today.

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg, couscous, and broccoli rabe.

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

chicken and couscous and broth

chapati
steamed sugar snap peas

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

avocado and Egg whites.

Evening Snack

pineapple
milk

Day 75

Well, it was a struggle to get out of bed this morning. I'm not sure, but I think it had something to do with the soothing patter of lots of rain that roused my primal cave instinct. But I had work, and my PCP workout to do first so ...
I didn't think I'd manage it, but I did 2 full reps of 90 second planks before I had to collapse. Which was great, but I'm feeling it in my lower back so I wonder whether if I was doing it wrong ...

*****************

So Patrick has emailed us to tell us that we have another indulgence coming - which surprises the heck out of me. Firstly, because we're so near the 90 days (just over 2 weeks left - GASP! How will I cope?) that I just didn't expect another indulgence. Secondly, because ... I'm oddly unexcited about the prospect. I sort of feel that I had my indulgence on Sunday when I went out to brunch with friends. Except I'm not sure that was 1000 calories ...

We'll see. Maybe I'll get into the mood. Maybe I'll just share a normal Easter dinner with my family. Or ...

and I know this will send Patrick 'round the bend ... but ....

I still find this appealing:

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg, couscous, and broccoli rabe. Yum.

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

chicken on pumpernickel
steamed sugar snap peas

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

red bell pepper, mushrooms, avocado and Egg whites.

Evening Snack

pineapple
milk

Day 74

And my ankles are still sore. But I still can't bring myself to regret my run...

Wait a minute. It occurs to me very belatedly that throwing some one-footed jump roping in the same weekend I start throwing in a long run might not have been the best idea ever. Doh!

There was something I was supposed to do this weekend, but I find it kind of stressful and kept putting it off and putting it off and ... didn't do it. So I didn't sleep well last night, stressed about it, and spent some of my valuable PCP time this morning actually doing it. And, having done it, I felt alot better. Except. I’m paying for it all day today. Not enough sleep – low focus. Not done with PCP – a distraction until this evening. Not enough sleep – too much caffeine during the day. Not enough sleep - low mood.

Maybe one of these days, before I'm eighty, I'll learn that a job doesn't get easier by putting it off. In fact, it often gets harder. It's certainly alot more stressful. One of the reasons I like to do my PCP workouts first thing in the morning - then I don't need to worry about finding the time and energy to do it later - my slate is clear. My legs might be giving me lip, but it's done...

Food

Breakfast

chapati, egg, broccoli rabe with sesame oil

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

couscous with chicken (and broth) and braised cabbage

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Dinner

Egg whites and a little red bell pepper and avocado

Evening Snack

Pineapple and milk. No - not together.. Ewwwww!

Day 73

No run today - though I was tempted. But my left calf is tight, so I thought I'd take it easy today. (I also felt pretty wiped by the end of yesterday).

Later: glad I didn't. muscles in ankles and calves sore.

As are my arms. Oh la la

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

Went out to brunch with friends at a not so PCP friendly place. Breakfast quesedilla

mid-morning snack

still out and about - and not hungry

Lunch

egg and veg chapati - but didn't finish, still not hungry

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

Egg whites no veg. not hungry

Evening Snack

milk no fruit - still not hungry.

Day 72

This morning, for a treat, I went for a 5 mile run instead of jump roping. It looked beautiful out - but on stepping outside I realized it was a bit more chilly out than I realized so stepped back in for a fleece and some gloves. But it was beautiful. And I saw masses of robins. 23 on one lawn, 31 on another. It's been raining, so I wonder if there was an earthworm buffet for them?

The rest of the PCP workout was killer, and I had a real hard time with the planks for some reason today. Oh well.

Then I made chapati for breakfast:

250 g whole wheat flour:

Mix with 175 ml water and let rest for about half an hour:

then roll out a chapati:

Sear for one minute on a cast iron skillet, and 30 seconds on the other side:

Put directly over the flame until it puffs up:

And there you have it!

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg with broccoli rabe

mushrooms

red bell pepper

chapati

avocado

(I forgot my milk again. sigh)

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

couscous, chicken, cabbage

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

2 Egg whites (late lunch - still not hungry).

Evening Snack

banana milkshake (I think bananas aren't supposed to be "fruit" but it's the last one I have)

Day 71

I have to say that I'm super excited with the change to my dinner plans! No more all-white meals! hurrah! Unfortunately with the new diet, there is also more food ... which means ...

Dum Dum DUM...

More exercises.

I fully expect my arms to fall off tomorrow. Or perhaps later today. In which case, for my next set of arms, I want a stronger set.

I should also like to note that my jump rope has thinned considerably where it strikes the pavement, and I'm beginning to suspect that I'll be on jump rope number 3 by the end of PCP. I'm getting better at the cross-overs, but the doubles ... not so much. Shivani talked about what it feels like to be in the zone - while I can't speak to what it feels like to look forward to jump roping (except by analogy to what it's like to look forward to a run) but I am totally in-sync with her about the marvel of being in a new body. I know we've been at this for a little over two months, but while that's not no time at all, it still seems like nowhere near enough time for the changes I'm registering in myself. Especially as it seems as though most of the changes have occurred in the last few weeks. I'm shrinking faster than I ever imagined I would, and have been pulling out clothes from the back of my closet that fell into the "hope-I'll-wear-again-someday, but-feel-like-I'm-holding-onto-them-just-to-hold-onto-the-hope" category and finding them loose on me. Not losing weight so fast, though. Before I began the project, I had a hoped-for weight at the end. I've revised that - UP. With the added muscle mass, I no longer think my initial hopes are sensible.

WHICH BLOWS MY MIND.

Unfortunately, this means I'm very shortly going to need to go clothes shopping. Which I loathe (in this respect, I am so not a girl). Before I began this project, I would occasionally think of the vast array of health/exercise books in the bookstore and wonder about the authors and their wild enthusiasm for their topic. Now I understand a bit better. It feels amazing to be in a strong and healthy body, with a good diet and exercise routine in place, to be where I am now. No wonder they want to share.

Note: After writing the above, I was struck by the forewarned temptation to let up because I feel I'm doing so well. Yay veggies for keeping me in check.

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg, couscous, red bell pepper, corn

I left the house in a rush and forgot to drink my milk. come to think of it - I ran out of milk making yogurt last night.

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

chicken on rye with avocado as a spread (with an egg - I ran out of other protein)
red bell pepper (a little, not so hungry after the carbs and protein)

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

Egg whites, mushrooms, bell pepper and corn

Evening Snack

Egg white. Peach milkshake

Day 70

Whoopie! A day of rest!

And to cap it off, I actually feel as though I got a good night's rest (although my face is a bit red from allergies). So I spiced up my jump roping with some cross-overs (I could do left over right ok, right over left was a disaster) and some doubles, which made the exercise more interesting.

The only thing I don't like about the plastic jump rope, is that it stings like hell when I trip over it and it catches me behind the legs! Motivation to not trip, I suppose.

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg, rice, broccoli rabe with soy

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

chicken on rye with avocado as a spread
pickled beet slaw

mid-afternoon snack

egg white with cayenne

Dinner

banana. Green Tea latte. Egg white.

Evening Snack

Egg white.

Day 69

Spring has sprung. There is (for me) usually a day or two (last weekend) when I'm excited and overjoyed that spring is finally here.

Then allergies kick in, and I remember why I don't like spring. I don't sleep as well (check), my eyes become swollen (check), my skin is itchy and rough (check), and I get congested (not yet).

Grrrrr. Arrgh.

So I'll need to remember to stay away from the raw veggies for the next month or so. And maybe strategize my outdoor workouts.

The workout? I'm Sooooooo excited that tomorrow is a rest day! Everything felt difficult this morning, even things I don't think should have. whew!

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg and rice
steamed sugar snap peas

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

rice & chicken
Steamed sugar snap peas

mid-afternoon snack

egg white with cayenne

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white with lavender pepper (couldn't taste the lavender).

Evening Snack

Egg white.

Day 68

Has kicked my butt-

I could barely finish 1 plank without collapsing. Those elevated push-ups? If you squinted you could see my dipping - which was all I could manage.

Oi!

I think that I'm looking forward to our rest day.

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg and rice and broccoli rabe with a splash of soy sauce

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

rice
arugula and avocado salad

mid-afternoon snack

egg white

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

egg white

Day 67 - 48 bpm, baby

Another day, another PCP workout under my belt. I actually think that I'm beginning to get used to pushing myself.

It was a delightful weekend - but my skin and eyes are telling me that allergies have come early this year and perhaps it's a good thing I'll be breathing filtered air at work today.

I missed my mid-morning snack today because I was getting my biennial physical for work. Grr. You'd think that they'd see me within an hour of my appointment but noooo.... and the x-ray technician wasn't there so I have to go back tomorrow. What a waste of time. On the plus side, everything checked out excellent and my pulse was measured at 48 bpm - which surprised the doctor who measured it again and found about the same thing. I'm pretty sure that's lower than it's ever been. Ever. I'm not in any rush to get it lower, either. How low can you go without being, you know, DEAD?

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg and brown rice
steamed sugar snap peas

mid-morning snack

whoops, missed

Lunch

green pepper stuffed with rice and chicken
arugula salad

mid-afternoon snack

egg white

and an odd thing happened - our office brings in bagels and cream cheese for all on Mondays and my officemate had half a toasted bagel ... and I was not even remotely tempted! Maybe new habits are setting in!

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white (cooked in chicken stock).

Evening Snack

egg white

Day 66

Wow - am I glad I ran only a couple of miles yesterday. It appears that I was running on empty since I slept like the dead, and it seemed like every part of my body is feeling either sore or lethargic.

I took a lazy start to the day, and when I finally brought myself to the PCP workout mat ... I had to push myself all the way through it. I worked most of the soreness out - but suspect that I'll be sore in new places tomorrow - and am now feeling tapped out. And my left calf is still stiff and annoying.

Looking forward to a lazy day!

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

egg

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

chicken on rye

carrots

avocado

mid-afternoon snack

egg white

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

egg white

Day 65

Wow. Day 65 already.

And the weather is GREAT! I had no idea how much I'd missed nice weather until it came back. Yay!

Last week I had three people comment (favorably) on my changing appearance, which was great to hear, though I didn't think it was so very obvious. But still ... Yay me!

Today, because the weather was so nice, I went out and had my first outdoors run of the year. It was only 2 miles because

a) I'd already done my PCP and didn't know what I had left in the tank

b) my left calf was/is pretty tight and while it doesn't hurt it's not comfortable

c) (the main reason) I left the run too late in the day and it was a little over-warm in the sun

Despite the heat and my calf ... it was lovely.

Since last week was a bit of a disaster time-wise, I invested some time today preparing my food for the week:

washing vegetables,

roasting a pepper:

cooking brown rice in beet juice with an onion:

steaming broccoli rabe:

Food

Post PCP snack

egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

it's the weekend and I had time - a rainbow of veggies, including a fresh batch of mushrooms!

egg with tarragon

rye toast

avocado

red bell pepper

steamed broccoli rabe

spinach with garlic and cayenne

non-fat latte

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

green bell pepper stuffed with brown rice cooked in beet juice and chicken

red bell pepper

sugar snap peas

mid-afternoon snack

egg white with cayenne and cilantro

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

egg white

Day 64

Hey - new diets and new workouts ...

I'm not sure how I feel about the diets - it looks like my calories are moving about the day. I think I'd rather have more flexibility at dinner time. Because, really, there's never any excitement about dinner anymore :(

And I'm back to yogurt twice a day. Sigh. I think that much yogurt does not-so-great things to my digestive system.

This morning it took an amazing effort (and, really, more hitting of the snooze than I think appropriate) to pull myself out of bed and do my PCP workout. Once I got going, it felt great, but beforehand ....

I'm thinking I just may go to bed as soon as I get home this evening - and sleep until I wake up.

Food

Post workout snack
egg white and yogurt

Breakfast

couscous cooked with and egg and cilantro
spinach with garlic and cayenne

mid-morning snack

yogurt

Lunch

Joined friends and colleagues for lunch to wish a friend well as she goes on maternity leave:
roasted veggies
1 slice pizza with roasted garlic and fresh mozzarella

it was salty. And it was GOOD!

Felt like napping afterwards, - though I can't be sure if that was the food or that I need sleep, or both.

mid-afternoon snack

egg white

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white. Sigh

Evening Snack

Egg white

Day 63

And boy-oh-boy do I feel the need for a rest day. Although I didn't feel it yesterday (except in my stomach) my muscles were a little sore this morning - and I'm just generally feeling worn down. I went to bed a little earlier last night, exhausted, and then frustratingly found it more difficult than usual to fall asleep (To be fair, sleeping might very well be my super-power, so more difficult to fall asleep probably meant about 20 minutes), and then I found it difficult to pull myself out of bed this morning. So a slightly more leisurely morning really hit the spot.

This has been a very busy week, so I'm really looking forward to the weekend!

Food

Breakfast

couscous cooked with and egg and tarragon
spinach with garlic, cayenne, and ginger on the side. (used a little too much ginger ... meh)

mid-morning snack

egg white and red bell pepper

Lunch

arugula and chicken on chapati with avocado
arugula and avocado salad

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white. Sigh

Evening Snack

pineapple. Egg white

Day 62

So today I finished my little project of not wasting egg-yolks and, erm, corrupting my colleagues for after eating all those egg whites I have a pretty substantial collection of egg yolks:

A Fruit Tart! (aka: Death in a tart pan). As I was making it, I was reminded why I haven't had or made one in more than a decade. I used to think they were a healthy-ish dessert, until I made one for a friend's birthday and realized what was in them.

In the crust: flour, confectioner's sugar, butter, egg yolk, and cream
In the custard: egg yolks, half and half, sugar
In the glaze: mostly sugar, some fruit

Their prime redeeming feature is that they taste fantastic. At least, I assume this one does. I didn't have any.

And then I was so excited to be making it, I forgot to eat breakfast until nearly 9:30. Doh! And then forgot my mid-morning snack until 11:30. And then I got busy at work and didn't realize I'd forgotten my afternoon snack until I got home, hungry for a change. Sigh. Brain freeze. I keep thinking that I'm getting enough sleep ... and then feeling like I didn't. A couple of years ago, while training for a marathon, this happened to me and eventually I figured out that I just needed more sleep than usual to compensate for my training. I wonder if that's happening now? The plus side is, that pizza was provided at work and I wasn't even remotely tempted.

Food

post-workout egg-white with cilantro and cayenne

Breakfast

couscous cooked in beet juice, spinach sauteed with garlic, cayenne, and ginger, all cooked with an egg:
Looks abit like a Christmas disaster, but was tasty!

mid-morning snack

egg white and sugar snap peas

Lunch

arugula and chicken on chapati and rye toast with pickled beet (yum! ... yes, I have weird food tastes)

mid-afternoon snack

forgot!

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white. Still Boring

Evening Snack

pineapple. Egg white

Day 61

Woke this morning feeling a bit unwell in the stomach. Did my PCP workout and felt a bit better - but those planks were the longest 5 minutes EVER. It felt like every pore in my body opened up to sweat.

Feeling a nervous rush about the end of PCP - today I keep thinking about things I'll do "after PCP". Which kind of makes me wonder if I'm really embracing the idea of a lifestyle change, or if my subconscious is going to make a run for dominance when the pressure is off. Or maybe I'm just feeling the urge to celebrate after finally seeing the sun after way too long ...

Food

post-workout egg-white

Breakfast

fried egg on beet greens and chapati - yum!

mid-morning snack

egg white and beet greens

Lunch

arugula and chicken on chapati
carrots

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white. Boring

Evening Snack

pineapple. Egg white

Day 60 - 2/3s through PCP!

Wow - we're 2/3 of the way through PCP! The first third went by really quickly, and I had some doubts that 90 days would be long enough to really cement in some of these good habits. I'll confess that the second third went by a bit more slowly. Which I think is a good thing, on the whole, as it is partly because the novelty was coming off and I'm beginning to see how I'm going to adapt to a new way of living, instead of viewing this as a quick band-aid.

I really want these to cement into habits - so I will feel more comfortable with occasionally stepping out, instead of petrified that I'll fall tumbling back into bad habits.

Food

I was initially excited to have my food allotments ramped up ... but now I've a little sense of deja vu to week 2, when I had a hard time eating all that was on my diet. I'm not really hungry for the bigger mid-morning snack - and it just makes me less hungry for lunch. Although for all I know that could be the plan - we'll see.

Breakfast

egg white after workout

egg and red bell pepper on chapati with wilted arugula and avocado

mid-morning snack

egg white and sugar snap peas

Lunch

chicken and arugula on rye bread

beet greens

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner (not really hungry)

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

strawberries and egg white

Day 59

Today has been pretty hohum, PCP-wise. However, I've relaxed a bit in the kitchen doing non-PCPy things. For example, I made butter! Which is now safely in the freezer for some post-PCP cooking. (And it was cool and easy to do!).

I've also started a project for my work colleagues, who will be benefiting from all those egg yolks that I've not been eating.

Seems a little contrary to the spirit of PCP to spread REALLY non-PCP food to others, but on the other hand it eliminates waste ...

Food

Breakfast

egg and broccoli and rye toast

mid-morning snack

egg white and sugar snap peas

Lunch

chapati & chicken & avocado & bell pepper 'tacos'

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. buttermilk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

strawberries and eggwhite

Day 58

Long day - running about and doing stuff - so my PCP diet went a little haywire: had dinner out at a baby shower and missed some, well, all of my snacks.

Food

Breakfast

latte

egg on chapati with bell pepper and avocado

Lunch

poached chicken, bell pepper, arugula and avocado on chapati

Dinner

Chocolate milk. 2 meatballs on bread

Day 57

I like Fridays. Aside from the normal reason - that the weekend is nearly here - I get excited about Friday's because that is the day I usually take stock of my PCP progress. I weigh myself on Fridays, take my weekly PCP photo on Fridays - and this Friday ... well, while I'd like to say the PCP for me is all about the health and well-being, I would like to point out that I AM human, and today I preened a little bit in front of the mirror, checking out my muscles and steadily slimming form. :)

So - happy dance!

Look - baby guns!

I've also been recording my resting pulse as the project has progressed:
It bounces around a bit - mostly dependent on when I measure it and what I've been doing before hand - but it's dropped from an average of about 64 bpm to being pretty regularly below 55 bpm!

Yes. I am a bit anal :)

Food

My new diet plan is a bit of a surprise this week - more food! I'm not sure how I feel about that. Yay more food! But it's more food in the morning, when I'm already getting more than enough to satiate. I would prefer more food later in the day ...

As far as the PCP diet has been concerned, I definitely feel that I have a built in advantage (aside from loving vegetables and natural foods), in that the balance of my day is in the morning and that is when I usually do my PCP workout. So a typical day is:

1. get up, putter about
2. PCP workout
3. shower
4. pack food and go to work
5. breakfast
6. mid-morning snack
7. lunch
8. mid-afternoon snack
9. home and putter about
10. dinner
11. evening snack
12. and in bed by 8

So most of my food is up front with when I am the most active. If I were a night owl and did my workouts in the evening - I think I'd be STARVING and hating the skimpy dinners.

Breakfast

couscous, egg, and beet greens cooked in beet juice
milky coffee

mid-morning snack

egg white with broccoli

Lunch

egg whites, rye, broccoli and purreed roasted red pepper

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

pineapple. Egg white.

Exercise

Day 56

I miss cooking. I also miss having more time to do other things. But, really, I miss cooking. I don't mind the food, per se, on PCP - it helps that I love me my veggies, although I'm not a massive fan of milk and would prefer a less sweet end to my day ...

But I enjoy cooking, find it relaxing, soothing, and fun - and I'm chafing a bit at the restrictions PCP places on my cooking. Baking treats is clearly out - I can get behind baking treats to lavish on others, but to not have any myself? Really takes the fun out of it. The limitations on salt and fat likewise take the fun out of it.

To be honest, perhaps I should just cut myself off from food porn for the rest of the PCP project:

• The Smitten Kitchen
• 101 Cookbooks
• David Lebovitz
• Seven Spoons
• Orangette
• Lottie & Doof
  

Sigh. Or maybe I can just see it as a challenge and try to find something PCPy to make. Or rummage through my cookbooks and find something to make to bring up to my parents. Or just suck it in and find something else to do to relax.

I did make a loaf of rye bread this morning - mmmmm, fresh baked bread ..... mmmmmm.

Would have been AWESOME with butter.

Food

Breakfast

Rye bread
egg and corn and green beans and artichoke hearts. And that uses up my freezer veggies

mid-morning snack

egg white (with a sprig of cilantro and a splash of cayenne)

Lunch

beets, beet greens, goat cheese and tuna on rye
broccoli rabe and tomato sauce

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

pineapple. Egg white.

Exercise

Just the jumproping - I liked the extra time, but contrary to the last few weeks, didn't really feel the need for a rest day. The fact that spring is in the air helps.

Day 55

Well, I got a little more sleep - but as a consequence, had a rushed morning. Counting the days until I can have a relaxed morning ...

My energy remained high until about lunchtime, at which point it slipped, and I found myself - for the first time in weeks - tempted by food because my energy was low. I wasn't hungry but wanted to eat. I didn't - but it wasn't a great feeling. I'm definitely going to bed early tonight.

Food

Breakfast

egg&couscous&green beans&corn&artichoke heart

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

arugula and tuna salad
steamed beets and beet greens on rye w/hint of goat cheese

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

pineapple
milk

Day 54

I Soooooo did not want to get out of bed this morning - I'm still playing catch-up on sleep - but half-awake, I did so anyway and hied myself off to do my PCP workout. I think it was a plus that I didn't quite wake up until partway through my push-ups. Still not a fan.

But I felt more and more awake, and more and more energized the further into the workout I got, and am now really glad that I got up and did my full workout this morning. I find that working out in the morning, for me, is really the only way to go. And working out at the same time everyday helps my recovery.

But ... I really miss a leisurely lazy morning. Really, really, really miss it. And since I'm playing catchup on sleep and sleeping a little longer, and since I was away last weekend and didn't prepare my meals in advance ... these mornings are a rush with no quiet and restful time for myself. Time I think I need. Hopefully tonight I'll be able to prepare my meals and go to bed early and tomorrow I can recapture some quiet time.

Food

Breakfast

egg and couscous and green beans and artichoke and corn (kinda garbage meal, but tasty)

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

tuna and arugula on rye, arugula salad, carrots. Ok. This was HARD. A vendor brought in Primo's hoagies which I find very hard to ignore. I had a spiced mozzarella ball. Well, two. But then I could cut myself off. A little worried about day 91 ...

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. Milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

fruit salad and egg white

Day 53 - The Day After

Well - reflections on my indulgence ...

Overall - both a disappointment and a pleasure. Let me explain. First of all, thus far I have had no side-effects from my indulgence, unless you count general fatigue from staying up too late which is really just my own fault. Second of all ... where I was once a cheap date, now I'm a "practically free" date. I got a little buzz going on half a glass of wine. Thirdly, the indulgence both was and was not all I'd built it up to be in my head.

I enjoyed it, and it tasted good, but not quite as good as I expected it to. So in that sense, a bit of a disappointment. On the other hand, I had also been really worried that my old bad habits would come snapping back as if they had never left, and I'd find myself reaching for more than my allocation of chips, or a second glass of wine. And that was soooo not an issue. I could have stopped eating chips or not finished my glass of wine without any real regrets. The real joy of the evening was the freedom to eat them and to not think about what I should or should not be eating, and I'm ready to go back to my PCP diet.

Well, to be honest, I'm still not wildly excited about the evening meals. Sigh.

Food

Breakfast

rice, corn, artichoke heart, green beans, and egg

milk

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

tuna and arugula on rye

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

fruit salad and egg white.

Exercise

I'm so tired right now, I can barely remember my PCP workout. The pistol squats are killer - and I've reminded myself once again that I'm happier if I allow a full 24 hours between workouts ... working out last night and then this morning really wore me out. I'm also a little frustrated that I feel that I'm dropping further and further behind in the pull-up and dip departments. Sigh.

And I must be in the minority, but I'd kind of like to have Madonna arms - or, more precisely, Linda Hamilton arms. Not to keep, mind. But I'd not be disappointed to get there. I'm pretty sure I have the cup space to support it :). Not having a "feminine" shape isn't something I think I can achieve without surgery :)

Day 52

Well - you know what they say about best laid plans and all ...

Despite my best intentions, I overslept 2 HOURS yesterday morning and did not have time to do my PCP workout before leaving (an hour late) for Boston and then did not have time to get to them later in the day.

Which tells me in a giant way how much sleep I needed to make up - and probably still need to make up.

I also forgot to bring my resistance band with me so could only get partway through my PCP workout this morning (ah ... spring is FINALLY on the way and it was a beautiful morning for a workout) and tacked on some squats and creeps 'cause it felt good.

After the long drive back to NJ, I thought for sure I'd cave and fail doing the rest of the PCP workout - but I didn't!

YaY me! I also threw in some dips and a plank! Maybe I should take my temperature or something ....

But now the rest of the evening is for my indulgence:

Wine! And chips! (salt and alcohol weeee!)

but to put it in perspective:

A single glass of wine (I love these little bottles - no need to open a full bottle when all you want is a glass!) and a bowl of chips, zoned out in front of the boob tube to watch the shiny-glossy-people in my former town: LA.

To be honest, I think I'm more excited about the prospect of just kicking back than the actual indulgence, but we'll see how it goes ...

Day 50

Fridays are always hard for me - I think I've said that before. I managed to get up early and finish my PCP workout this morning, but at the expense of getting enough sleep :( Before all you monkeys get on my back - I'm making certain to get my PCP workout done early so that I'll be able to go to bed at an appallingly (I hope) early hour this evening. Exercising in the evening is a good way of making getting to bed and sleeping early all but impossible.

I'm going to Boston this weekend to help out my folks - I'm looking forward to a lazy weekend NEXT weekend. Sloth sounds verrrrrry good about now. Fingers crossed that I'll have time on Sunday to get a jump on preparing the week's meals, or next week will be a mess.

Aside from being frazzled and tired, I'm in a pretty good mood. My weight has been slowly dropping. I don't understand why it's not clearly evident in my weekly photo (hated weekly photo), since my clothes are noticeably looser and I'm beginning to think about shopping soon for a belt to hold my pants up. .. which delights me no end :)

Food

Breakfast

egg, zucchini, red bell pepper, and roasted red pepper puree on rye

milk

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

chapati

tuna

arugula

avocado

carrots

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

banana. milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

fruit salad and egg white. I like the egg whites!

Day 49

Yay - another indulgence!

But what I really need now is a good night's sleep - I've woken up the last couple of nights with strange dreams (a laptop/skateboard?) and am really looking forward to a good night's rest.

Food

Breakfast

egg and wilted arugula on rye

milk

broccoli rabe and tomato sauce

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

chapati

tuna

arugula

avocado

carrots

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

apple. banana. milk. Egg white.

Evening Snack

fruit salad and yogurt

Day 48

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

Am I EVER ready for a rest day. My whole body feels limp and useless. But I was really surprised to find I could manage 60 seconds of plank. Only for the first rep - I collapsed after 40 sec for the next two reps and after 30 sec on the last rep.

Hmmm. I think I'm seeing an explanation for my feelings of limpness ...

Food

Breakfast

egg
red bell pepper
zucchini
arugula
chapati
milk

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

steamed broccoli rabe and tomato sauce
eggwhite and arugula and avocado on rye

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

apple. banana. egg white. milk

Evening Snack

fruit salad and yogurt

Bed early for me today!

Day 47

Well, I woke a bit tired this morning - that's what happens when you start reading a good book! (and which is why I try to remember not to start a book until Friday ...). Sigh.

Food

Breakfast

egg scrambled with roasted red pepper and paprika
chapati pizza with avocado, zucchini, and arugula
milk

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

steamed broccoli rabe with tomato sauce and clams
arugula, avocado, and red pepper on rye

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

apple.

banana.

egg white
milk

so boring!!!!!!!!

Evening Snack

fruit salad and yogurt (you know, I'm going through milk at an unprecedented rate with all this yogurt making - it's almost like I'm a normal American family!)

Exercise

Got up and did my PCP even feeling tired - which gave me some energy until about mid-afternoon ... A little sore everywhere ...

Day 46

All right. Now I'm in a good mood (YAY!) and ready to reflect on my PCP journey so far.

Exercise

I've liked the variety in workout exercises. The lazy part of me, however, was and is less than enthusiastic about how painfully difficult many of them are. I'm getting more into (but not yet enthusiastic about) pushing myself but there are some exercises that I like better than others. For giggles, I ranked them (in decreasing excitement about doing them):

1. squat
2. lunge
3. sit-up
4. side crunch
5. floor jump
6. standing ovation
7. triceps extension
8. rowing
9. lawnmower
10. davinci
11. thumbs up curl
12. ski jumper
13. shoulder press
14. pull down
15. chicken wing
16. curl
17. outside curl
18. one-arm curl
19. shoulder fly
20. show-off
21. leg-up
22. forward shoulder raise
23. v-sit
24. creep
25. jumprope
26. pistol squat
27. double katana
28. triceps dip
29. elevated tricept dips
30. pull up
31. chest dip
32. push up
33. plank
34. bicycle

In general, I prefer leg and core exercises to upper-body workouts - and I prefer exercises that don't kill me to complete. Upon reflection, this isn't altogether surprising. The sports I've participated in have been:

• running
• skiing
• skating
• springboard diving
• Tang Soo Do

Only Tang Soo Do involved much upper body strength, unless you count pulling myself out of the pool when diving. Skiing, skating, and diving require decent core strength (especially diving). So I prefer exercises that play to my strengths. Or - more to the point perhaps - because upper body strength is my weakness I find the exercises more frustrating and dispiriting.

Today I could finish only ONE complete rep of the push-ups, and all the remaining reps had one or more breaks when my arms collapsed. I'm nowhere near pulling my full body weight on my pull-ups and dips and I'm still working to muscle collapse.

Leg-lifts got demoted because my left hip jumps in it's socket while doing them, and while not painful is certainly not comfortable.

Jump roping got demoted not so much because I hate jump roping, but because I CAN'T STAND COUNTING. It's just too boring.

I find that the pace of the exercise ramp-up is a little frustrating - but admittedly is directly related to my initial level of fitness. In the first few weeks I had no real difficulty with the exercises (push-ups excepted) and in hindsight would have benefited from a faster initial ramp up. In the last few weeks I've been a little frustrated because while my lower body is able to play catch-up ... my upper body has most definitely not and I feel as though I'm falling behind. Which is a bit frustrating.

It's also a bit humbling to realize how poor my initial upper body strength was.

Food

The first two weeks I found very difficult with the PCP diet - partly because I'm a bit detail oriented and always felt I was on the edge of cheating because my usual diet was variable enough that I had no idea what half-portions would have been appropriate.

I naturally prefer more hard and fast rules.

The second week was a nightmare of feeling nausea - it was just way too much food for me and I wasn't accustomed to it even at the end of the week. When a more sensible and reduced plan arrived week 3, I was relieved. I expected the plans to continue to reduce, and expected to find some difficulty in the other direction:being hungry.

To my surprise, while I've occasionally been ravenous, by and large I have found instead that my appetite has been suppressed and I haven't always been hungry for the food when one of the nine meals rolls around. Which I find SHOCKING. I really like the regular eating, which I think plays a huge role in my reduced appetite. I like the smaller dinners - though I miss having carbs at dinner time and right now am heartily sick of so much fruit and yogurt weighted at the end of the day. I haven't really had too much in the way of cravings (yesterday excepted), but I miss salt. I really miss cheese. And I miss being able to occasionally have a glass of wine.

I'm (usually) getting better about planning my meals ahead of time - but before starting the PCP, I'd grossly underestimated how much time I'd end up spending preparing and packaging my meals. Which, with the exercise, has been a significant chunk of my available free time and I've found that difficult to manage. I miss the freedom to eat without all the calculation and thinking. On the plus side, my grocery bills are moderately lower (see cheese, absence) as my normal diet was heavily vegetables and home-cooked meals to begin with - with significant amounts of expensive goodies. Moreover, I'm wasting practically no food (excepting all those poor egg-yolks ...) and have a more open refrigerator.

How I feel

I feel GREAT and am feeling more alert, stronger, and healthier. I occasionally hit snag days - and am sometimes upset by the hemmed in feeling that I have by adhering so strictly to the exercise and diet plan. But overall - very pleased and optimistic that what I'm doing will transfer more easily to regular habits than I thought it would before starting this project.

Looking ahead to the next 45 days!

Food

Breakfast

homemade rye bread

egg scrambled with pureed roasted red pepper and paprika

avocado

steamed broccoli rabe

milk

mid-morning snack

egg white

Lunch

chapati pizza with zucchini, red pepper, and avocado

broccoli rabe with tomato sauce and clams (yum!)

mid-afternoon snack

yogurt

Dinner

apple. banana. egg white

Evening Snack

fruit salad & yogurt