The Peak Condition Project - Denise

Eat your greens....Adios

2009-12-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

Eat your greens Denise…..Day 90+

WOW….can’t believe it has been 90+ days since we all started this amazing journey. I bet that most of us choose different reasons for doing this program. For me…several factors were in play.

1) Fat loss: I had been slowly gaining weight over the past 3 years. Even though I was exercising (running on treadmill, elliptical and some (loosely used term) free weights).

2) Eat better: My diet consisted of meat, cheese, red wine, carbs (I love pretzels). Lite on fruit and veggies.

3) Be healthier: Knowing my family history of obesity, high blood pressure, cancer. I did not want to end up with those in my shopping cart at checkout time. Most of these health issues are a result of poor exercise and eating habits. And I’ll add…bad information.

4) Peer pressure: I am a competitor. Honestly, I had always been “the” fit person in my sphere of friends/co-workers, and I was losing control. Special kudos to Elena….she nagged me everyday to do SOMETHING……anything….but do SOMETHING consistently.

Results:

I wish I would have taken my measurements before I started this program.

SO, here are some not so scientific observations:

1) Lost 12 lbs of weight. Mostly the fat “ring” around the middle and legs. 163 vs 151 lbs. Height 5’8’’ (no change here).

2) Lost 1.5 dress sizes.

3) More flexibility. I have always have been flexible but now I can wash the middle part of my back with no problem…..both arms too.

4) Improved skin clarity and suppleness. I truly respect fruits and veggies.

5) More energy

OK...here are some not so scientific images.....Day 90ish.

What I have learned:

It’s OK for your body to get hurt……you will heal. During PCP I have experienced SORE knees (solution: use a exercise mat to jump on and NOT the concrete. Ibuprofen too.), Pulled hamstring (solution: better and different stretching exercises before and after workout), pulled shoulder (solution: Ibruprofen for that temp fix and more strengthening in that area). During our 90 days, I missed about 14 days of scheduled workout time due to these.

Simple food is simply the best! Case closed. You know we go back to our grandparents and remember what they ate and how they peacefully they left this earth. They had simple foods (although it was laced with lard and meat) but those items were from animals NOT injected with growth hormones, anti-boitics, and what not. Today, to eat like that, we need to eat organically. Raw butters/milk/eggs, free range meats, and non –pesticide laden fruits/veggies. I have seen enough people pass on in this life struggling at the end to hold on. I don’t want my body to FIGHT until it succumbs to cancer, etc. I just want it to “run out of gas”…wear down naturally.

Packaged products are not anyone’s friend. Not even the healthy bars or protein shakes (which I took great pride in consuming). Make your own bars with ingredients that you have bought/harvested yourself. Only then you will know what you are eating. Controlling what goes in is very important.

Back to basics with simple exercises. We on the PCP used nothing more than our own weight, bands, cans of tomatoes, etc . No gimmicks…no gyms required. There is no hocus pocus when it comes to having a FIT body…good from the inside as well as the outside.

Now for the kudos:

1) Patrick and Chen: Thank you for having the fortitude, guts and belief to put this program out there. Your daily emails will be missed.

2) Jonti/Gwen Bell: Thanks to Gwen for participating in PCP and spreading the word. It got to the ears of Jonti. Thank you ladies.

3) Me: For wanting to do SOMETHING and having that SOMETHING to do.

4) Office inspirational people: There has been a growing movement in my office to be fit. It started with a small group called the “Fat bastards club”. Money, recognition and bragging rights are certainly motivational factors for this group.

5) My fellow PCPers. Emily…….”Energerizer bunny”…….Shelly…..Naomi…..Jonti. To you, I tip my hat….you have been inspirational with your insight, kindness, thoughtfulness during these days. Muuuuuaaa to all!!!!

Day 82......outside/inside

2009-12-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

This morning was beautiful....of course after the sun came up and melted the ice/snow from driveway. Got my mat out and did my 7min x 3 jumps. Had my full regalia of winter workout clothing......TurleFur hat, fingerless gloves, fleece outerwear on top of UnderArmour compression s/s shirt and l/s shirt. Felt good to breathe in some "fresh" air (I don't know if Houston has fresh air but with the cold front it should have blown some Canadian stuff down).

This after noon, we'll go to gym and do our PCP homework.

Day 81.......inside

2009-12-04T17:57:00.001-08:00

Friday......Snow...Houston TX. Earliest recorded snowfall in city. Couple inches on ground. Ice will be building on the roads and highways early evening. So movement will be hard.

Since we have no room to jump inside, and outside is cold and getting icey....and our gym closed early (like most businesses today), I have committed to do the band exercises. And definitely the abs.

Tomorrow we'll throw a pot of chicken soup on. Nothing like soup to help a cold!

Day 79...after the fall (of grease)..I3

2009-12-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

Well…..Jonti summed up the experience pretty well. After all our hard work, exercising (most days of PCP), eating really well and then to be “forced” to have another indulgence. Rrrrrr. The first two I really looked forward to having but knowing how my body reacted, I was reluctant. I had the fried egg sandwich (bacon, cheese, artisan bread) coated….literally coated in truffle oil. Everything I touched became oily. I was never so happy to run to the restroom and wash off the mess. Could not do that with my digestive tract. Had to suffer another day or two with that.

Are these meals supposed to be the norm? I mean….are we all supposed to make them a twice/week occurrence. If so, then I can see why Americans are unhealthy and much too overweight.

Nope…..not eating that again. I can make a better fried egg sandwich for $14.

Update…….walking at lunchtime in our garage (in addition to PCP daily WO). Suffering a little from a winter cold. It’s been challenging to get up early (with the weather being cold) and go to gym to jump. This past holiday weekend I had several full workouts in the morning (normally we WO after 6pm). WOW….does that make you tired all day long. Must be the food balance…..burning the stores of fat from body instead of the food taken in during the day.

Day 75......I3

2009-11-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

WOW.......Jonti read Patrick's latest mail in the car as we were driving about town on our errands. I got so excited to hear that we have another indulgence. But then....I became nervous and anxious. How would my body react to a"normal American style meal". Would I have indigestion (again), have a fainting goat experience......? Time will tell.....after Sunday we will know.

Choices floating around are 1) Argentinian steak 2) Tapas and red wine 3) good Mexican breakfast (including salsa and chips).

Day 73.....Day of Thanks

2009-11-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

Shout to the ladys......Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the ones close in your heart. Many Thanks to Patrick and Chen for the program.

Jonti's post sums it up. I am thankful to be healthy ( and getting more healthy with program). This is a beautiful way to start off the coming (OMG 4 weeks away) New Year.....fit, strong and internally healthy.

Day 67........"Oh my

2009-11-20T04:22:00.000-08:00

......what indentations you have"! In your stomach. Noticing some nice indents from those ab exercises. That's why I love (sometimes hate) those planks. RRrr...90 secs.....maybe the love is less intense.

Day 65......less is best

2009-11-18T04:34:00.000-08:00

Random thought........by eating fresh foods on PCP, we tread lightly leaving a small "greener" footprint. We can't we promote eating fresh (supporting our farmers) to help the environ and the economy?

Day61....on the other side

2009-11-14T06:24:00.000-08:00

Whew.......Day 60 or 2/3 done has come and gone. It's amazing how my body has changed. How ALL of our bodies have changed through this process.

So....I embark on another facet of PCP. Last week I asked Patrick if there was a way that I could lose 4-5 kg more (before end of regime). I wanted to look more trim and lean....like my inspiration Jackie Warner. Patrick responded by saying that it would be hard but it could be done. My diet was already pretty low on calories.....he modified it with a slight decrease in calories and switched out fruit for more veggies. He also added that I do an extra cardio (jumps or fast walking) along with our normal workout.

So far, I have been able to add an extra cardio (most days it has been the fast walking during my lunch beak) and have stuck close to the meal plan. I have noticed I am craving some bread at night.....after workout. I had about 40-50 g last night. That seemed to help.

I still continue to notice my clothes fitting loosely. Today we go to the gym, and I will put my self on the scale.

Day 55 remembered......fainting goats

2009-11-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the day I chose to have the second coming of the indulgence.

Thank you everyone for the feedback as to what I should have......you won (so did I)...and chose the fried shrimp from Ragun Cajun restauant. A Houston favorite for Cajun cuisine. Fun and entertaining too. So after a long day of working in the yard with Jonti's project '82 Jeep CJ7, we hit the local speciality market (namely Central market) to pick out our goodies and then to get zee fried shrimp. Here's my plate....(I think it was a little more than 500-700 calories). But the fried shrimp came in 1 doz...with some spicy french fries and jambalaya. Also on the plate was some goats milk Blue and Serrano ham. A small glass of Layer Cake to wash things down. I ate the shrimp, a little of the FF and a bite of the andoula sausage.

I have to say....it was good but not amazing. I think that I was afraid what it would do to my system more than anything else. For that I took some live culture bacteria just in case of a gastric explosion. No worries....the fire trucks were not called to our location.

After about an hour of consumption (Isn't that one of the deadly sins?), I did the "fainting goat" reenactment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_3Utmj4RPU

Yep.......out for the count. I am Soooooo glad Jonti did not take a picture of me passed out on the sofa (probably because she was there too). Lucky day.

Next morning....woke up a little tired.....but (I think) with a overdose to salty, heavy food. Geez.......so that is what the norm was before PCP. Ah....no thanks.

Day 55 - twirling

2009-11-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

When I first started jumping rope, I was sore hurt and uncoordinated. Knees took a beating...not sure why but maybe it was due to the movement of the skipping. Can't remember how long ago I last jumped rope....wasn't even good at it when I was a nappy headed kid growing up in PA.

So I bought a new rope. The one being used was a 9' black leather. When I purchased it, I did not realize that there is a science to a proper fit. Proper length, ball bearings for better movement, material is important (speed rope made of plastic, leather or beaded),etc. After reading and searching for ropes (hard to find locally....praise the Internet for a multitude of choices), I found a Harbinger beaded rope. It's black and blue (some BA colours) and adjustable in length. First thing with a new toy is to rip it out of the box, and use it. I did that last night. OMG.....not what I expected. I could not skip more than 10 times. I felt like I was stooping over to get the rope past my head....then I was so worried about it I could not get my feet to go upwards over the rope.........oooppppsss....stumble. Dammit...I threw it down ( the end caps came off of it), and picked up the ol' 9'. Did my 3 mins X 5 . (Rocky Balboa with his arms raised on the top of Museum steps.. da da daaaaa da da daaaaaaa...)

Day 52....I2 dilema

2009-11-05T04:38:00.000-08:00

Even since Patrick announced another indulgence, I been thinking about it. What should I choose. After last indulgence, I said " my next will be wine and blue cheese". Now I am not so sure.

After reading Naomi's post and going to that Flickr photostream I question what is an indulgence. Could it be some big luscious blackberries (we found some at local store from Mexico...OMG...the size of peanut) or lightly coated fried shrimp (Gulf of Mexico variety).

Not sure.....but I know it won't be anything that resembles those Flickr images.

Day 48.....sore

2009-11-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Whewwww. It is day 48 (sunday Nov 1). After yesterday's workout at the gym I am feeling sore all over....but most especially the lats, triceps. I think it had to do with that new exercise called kung fu sit up. Used the power station for this but can't figure out how not to swing as I raise my legs. Maybe it takes more stomach control.....

Today, I felt more confident on my strength. Halluah on PCP workout...cause I don't think I could have comfortably carried my Aussie up/down narrow steps. Looks like he strained his ankle. He's 60 lbs and does not like to be picked up.

Day 45.....4"-5" too

2009-10-29T19:05:00.000-07:00

WoHooo....We made it! Day 45...the halfway point. Looking back at my day one photo was a little scary. It's amazing how much has changed (my eating habits, energy levels, and new sense of what is good for me). Thank you Patrick and Chen for the PCP. And a Big thanks to Gwen Bell for her blogging and inspiration.

Tonight.....is a workout inside. Rain...heavy...tornado warning...gusting winds to 50mph. We are staying in. Can't jump inside the motorhome...maybe I can go out btw the big rains and do alittle. We'll see.

Diet.......I think I will like this week's food choices. I am trying to eat dinner before WO...but the banana is causing my stomach to feel full and really heavy. I tried eating half of one.....still about the same feeling. I wonder if Patrick or the group has suggestions.

Day 43

2009-10-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Day 43 pictures posted. Not such good lighting ....930pm. And Cold outside.....for people who live in the south......60F is cold. Exercise is going well...up to 1200 jumps. Wow....those pistol squats are killers.

Day 39......Feeling good

2009-10-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Friday...day 39. Just checking in for the day.

JT and I (with dogs in hand...Akita and Aussie) will be heading out in the RV to a friend's recently acquired ranch-ette (where they will be raising goats,gardening, and trying to live a simplier life) for the weekend. This weekend I think (yippy) we will learn the art of building fences or tearing out a kitchen. Not your average weekend......but I love to learn this stuff.

Lets see how the body will fair over the weekend. PCP regime has made me alot stronger. I am really noticing how much my upper body has developed. Traps, lats and biceps have really "puffed" out. And strangely enough, I have some indentation btw the bicep/inner elbow area. They seem to be getting cut. Nice.....

Jumping.......since my lay up for one week, I am back to a consistent 1000/night. Knees are in good shape (taking some glucosamine/MSM/Vita C combo has helped too). Hammy feeling good too. Going to get to 1400 soon.

And there was...

2009-10-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

Denise.......back from the terrible weeks 4 & 5. Saw a hamstring pull and Jonti getting the swine.

Have a recipe to contribute....inspired by events during this time period.

Smoked Carrots with ginger

Some quantity of baby carrots

water

steamer basket/pot

1/2 tsp fresh ginger,sliced

1/2 c red onion

Place water in pot. Add ingredients to steamer basket/pot. Bring to boil.....continuously....until you smell essence of burnt sugar. At this time pot bottom should be blackened. Done. (Surprisingly they're good. :-) )

After effects..

2009-10-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

After the I1

Say it isn’t so……… I thought the Ben & Jerry’s coffee coffee buzz buzz small dip would be the most indulgent item to eat. I even went to another ice cream shop (Amy’s) and had a version of their coffee ice cream……good…but not a knockout. Well……it wasn’t. Even the salty pretzels I had with them were…well…mediocre. All that anticipation…angst….over ice cream. A let down.

Day 27 - the I1

2009-10-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday...Day 27.

THIS will be the day of our indulgence. When Patrick announced that we could have a small (200-400 cal) indulgence, I was a little taken back. Dumbfound......but unsure. It has taken me about two days to determine what that food is.

Cheese (blue cheese...my fav), red wine (too many choices to pick one variety), something salty (I miss not having the additional sprinkle in all my food).

But after some meditation......and divine inspiration from above.....I have chosen.

Let it be.................Ben and Jerry's coffee coffee buzz buzz buzz ice cream and a small bag of pretzels (brand to be determined on store site).

Weeeeeeeh......

A funny thing happened....

2009-10-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

...on the way to the candy bowl.

During the past 20 days on PCP regime, I have been impressively resistant to grabbing a fun sized candy bar at work. You see one of the Admins has a plentiful glass bowl of Kit Kats, Snickers, Reese cups, etc. I donate money to keep this bowl full. But since PCP, I have been abstinent. (Maybe there should be a t-shirt....Hmmmmm). Well, I cheated. I ingested several Kit Kats. Let me tell you...I did not know I wanted to do a study on the effects of chocolate on the digestive tract.....

No placebos here. Every time I see that bowl...I think....."Gas vs. no gas?" OMG....not pleasant.

So...learned my lesson.

Day 16 - Chop Chop

2009-09-30T04:27:00.000-07:00

Day 16 finds me up earlier than normal with the PCP. Last night was a late working night. Time spent going to the gym (rrrrrr......just cause I am not able to jump right now) did not give enough time to chop the head of cauliflower normally done.

Exercise: It's been surprisingly good. I am finding pleasure in the push ups and deltoid work. It's probably due to the results. Seeing a peak of tricep definition......Cool. As for the jump rope......I have laid off doing any since last Thursday. They feel like "knee splints".....if that is such a thing. Last night I did some recumbent biking for 20 minutes. Patrick.......question....."What is an alternative to jumping?".

Food: Recipe swapping is a good idea. Me.....I am not too creative with food. I leave that to the resident foodie. Which leads me back to..........

The morning......more chopping. First......coffee....."Get in my belly"!

Day 10....This WG can't jump

2009-09-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

What's up with the knees?

Yesterday and today were not a good jump days.

Tuesday Jonti and I went to the local gym since our normal routine was interrupted by rain. We normally are outside on the property doing the "PCP". I have a 3/4" mat I lay down on the concrete driveway. It really has helped during jumping. The mats were in the car but was a little embarrassed/lazy to haul these mats inside the gym. Well, of course I am paying for that one day. DON'T be LAZY. Wednesday I could not jump at all. Even bouncing on my toes hurt. Today, I was able to jump 400 (not the required 650). Really disappointed.

Week one under the belt

2009-09-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Day 7.

To: Patrick

Turn us on. We are excitedly waiting.

Jump rope: Yippy. 500 . Advil next.

Ankle, Knee and thoughts

2009-09-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

Day 6 of 90 on the PCP.

Well my week has been going fairly well. Limiting my food intake has been interesting. At first, I thought it would be the toughest part of the week. Seems like past injuries have taken over.

After the first few days, all my joints hurt me...saying "OMG what the H". They had to remind me that I am closer to 50 than 40 YO. As I completed Day 6 I have to remember back why I feel sore. It's not the quads...its not the calves..nor arms. Joints...let it be joints for Denise.

In 1997, softball got the best of me one day. Playing in a competitive co-ed team, I slid into 3rd and heard some pops. 3 to be exact. Really did not know what that was, until I couldn't move. Drove home and next morning was at the ER with ankle and leg broken in 3 places. Time shift to 2006...training for 60 mile walk over 3 consecutive days (Susan G. Komen 3 Day Breast Cancer walk). I had decided that a Boot camp would be a great form of strength and stamina training I need to do this. OMG....I got into shape. Hopping up stairs, bear crawls in the morning mud in humid Houston was nothing when it came to leap frogging over adults. Pop again.....this time it was the right knee. Swollen and sore I just took it in stride.....until I needed to run across a busy street. MADE IT. But it really "popped". Dr visit was next.....torn ACL and he did not want me to do the walk. I was determined....people counting on me and I made a promise to my mom...a breast cancer survivor..... So surgery was done with less than 3 months before the walk. I could not train until 2 weeks before the 3Day. I thought...If I could do a back to back 17 mile/day, I could walk 60. Yup. Walked 60 miles over 3 days.....every mile....with the help of a walking stick. Whew.......

So.....fast forward 2009. PCP. Jumping rope does not fair well with the injured ankle and knee. I chant "Advil and Ice are my friends......A&I are my friends.....&%$#*".

Here We Go

2009-09-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

OK. Whew. Thanks for Patrick for getting me up and running.

I am looking forward to these next 90 days. Like the Greatful Dead song.....I think its gonna be a strange and wonderful trip...something like that.

My thoughts.......first: reduce calories by half. WTH! I did a head spin. (exorcist). I understand what Patrick is saying (that we eat too much), but living on about 1000-1200 calories a day. That will be MY challenge this week. I think Jonti might get the bad end of that stick. When I dont eat enough, I get grumpy. Good luck.

Exercise: Day 1: Not bad......didn't skid on the concrete. Easy.....for now. Morning might be different.

Since I am not much of a writer...I'll sign off for now.

Success and hugs to the "last bunch of '09".....Shelly, Emily, Naomi, JT, and Meeeee.

UPDATE: Calories consumed for Day 1 = 1237 ( 84g Protein, 166 g Carbos, 31.7 g Fat) How I know......well, for the past few years I have been using "BodyBugg" (as seen on "The biggest Loser" network show). I been pretty consisitent with tracking it. It has helped my be accountable and to recognize how and how much I eat. The body bugg itself is a cool little computer device that attaches to your right arm and measures HOW MUCH you burn (the biggest mystery of all).