Day 54: Containing the Damage

It had to happen at some point--one of those weeks where there wasn't enough room for my life, my job and P90x. This is the week that it all went "boom" (although not quite as dramatically as pictured).

I won't bore you with the gory details of my week, except to say it involved a work holiday (Monday) in which I worked eight hours and two consecutive 14 hour days on Wednesday and Thursday. Add a couple of unexpected events and my son's 8th birthday and you do not have a PDaddyx-friendly environment.

I realized midway through that this week was about containing the damage. And, I did a pretty good job of that. I didn't go off the eating plan very much (although dinner tonight may very well include a margarita) and I only missed one workout (so far).

In fact, this week made me realize how far I've come. On Wednesday, I was at a night event, as was my P90xing colleague, Eric Davis. Neither of us had worked out yet, so we made a pact. No matter what time we got home, we'd do our workout. Unfortunately, my day did not stop until about 10:30 p.m. when I found myself at a family friend's house keeping an eye on their two kids, while they were stuck waiting for a plane to take off. But, I put the DVD in and did the workout at their house. Realizing that, for a teenager, there is nothing worse than seeing a middle-aged man exercise, I did this in a side room where they did not have to watch.

Thursday was the day I missed. Frankly when I got home, I really WANTED to work out--but I hadn't really eaten and I was exhausted. Since it's my recovery week, I figured it was best not to push it.

In the past, this type of week would have been a health disaster--lots of bad food, a few too many cocktails and absolutely no exercise. But I'm proud that I did the best I could given the circumstance and remain committed.

Now... about that Margarita!

Day 51: Are There Enough Hours in the Day?

Perhaps what I am most proud of over the past 51 days is that I haven't missed a single workout. Regardless of how sore I was, how much work I had, whether my kids were sick or whatever, I have done my workouts six days a week.

That all may change tomorrow.

The problem is simply that there aren't enough hours in the day. I have to be up super early tomorrow so I can't workout in the morning. Then I have work obligations all day and an event at night that I have to attend. By the time I get home it will probably be close to 9 p.m. and I am sure I'll be dog tired. If I have the energy, I'll workout then, but chances are I won't.

I'm hoping some free time will open up or I'll get home earlier than I thought. But, if that doesn't happen, I guess it's not the worst thing in the world to miss one workout, especially during my recovery week.

But to me, it's the principle of it: I missed my workouts for 10 years or longer, so I don't want to miss a single workout during these 90 days.

Either way, I can promise you I'll be up on Thursday morning ready to go.

Day 49 & 50: Why Am I So Damn Sore Today?

Sunday is rest day from PDaddyX meaning that when I wake up on Monday, I usually feel pretty good. I'm not sore and I'm ready for the morning beating, um, I mean workout.

But not this morning. When I woke up this morning I ached in a way I haven't felt since before I started P90x. When the alarm went off this morning I hurt so badly, that I turned it off and decided to skip my workout altogether. While laying in bed, I kept trying to figure out why I was so sore. And then it hit me....

Yesterday was Easter. I decided to give myself a day off from the eating plan. I didn't overdo it but my diet consisted of things that I have generally stayed away from the past seven weeks--crackers, a few cookies, pizza, pasta (baked ziti to be exact), beer, big hunks of Italian bread and ice cream (and a few jellybeans).

This is what my diet was like before I started this program and I remember waking up sore almost every morning. So, to me I think yesterday's feast and this morning's soreness are directly linked. I have no scientific evidence for this--just my experience.

I figured the only way to get through the day was to work through it. I got up, had a couple of ibuprofen and drank a cup of coffee (Advil and French Roast, the breakfast of champions). Then, I did my Yoga workout (it's my recovery week, so Yoga comes first).

After sweating and stretching for 35 minutes, I felt much better. And it's just more proof to me that I cannot go back to the way I was living--my body just hates it.

Day 48: Gaining a Day and Getting a Break

It's nice to gain a day on my P90x calendar without doing an extra workout!

After making a big deal about hitting the halfway point--Day 45--on Thursday, it turns out I had actually PASSED the halfway point. Due to a clerical blog error, I forgot a day and actually hit Day 45 on Wednesday. Woo hoo.

Anyway, with a rest day tomorrow, I am taking a couple of days off from the blog for the holidays. I'll see you again Monday or Tuesday as I begin my "recovery" week and wrap up phase 2.

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful Easter holiday!

It's a Glorious Day.

Day 47: What The Heck Are Soy Flakes?

We eat out a lot--probably too much.

This not only presents a problem for our wallets, but it has been a major PDaddyX challenge. As anyone who has been on any type of diet knows, your dining choices can be very limited. This is even more true for restaurants that cater to families. The portions are generally huge, everything comes with french fries or onion rings (as God intended) and the "healthy" choices are usually bland, unsatisfying or both.

The other night, we met some friends at the Hard Times Cafe, which is famous for its Chili Mac, essentially chili over pasta. As I perused the menu for healthy items, I saw vegetarian chili. Unfortunately, the first two words of the description were "Soy flakes..." Now, nothing against my vegetarian friends, but "soy flakes" sounds like a really bad cereal. It does not say "chili" to me. (Yes, those are soy flakes in the picture, not purina cat chow).

I decided to try it anyway (with no pasta) and add a salad. The chili tasted good but the, um, flakage had a very odd consistency--somewhere between chewing gum and gristly meat. But it filled me up and, generally, kept me on the plan.

Still, the Soy Flake industry needs some marketing help---a new name will make it go down much easier.

Day 46: Celebrating the Halfway Point!

Today is Day 45 Day 46, meaning I have made it exactly a little more than halfway through P90x. Honestly, I'm very surprised I made it. Discipline is not exactly my strong suit, but there's little doubt in my mind that writing this blog--and knowing people are reading it--has made a huge difference for me.

Now, I know what you're thinking. To celebrate this pseudo-milestone, there's nothing I'd like to see more than a video of a sweaty, middle-aged, heavyset bureaucrat telling me about his workouts.

Your wish is granted!

Thanks for the support everyone! Hope you'll stick around for the second half.

Day 45: "Why Are You Sleeping" During the Ab Workout?

As I've mentioned before, the one part of P90x I've backed off on is the ab work. I paid for that today.

You're supposed to do the "Ab Ripper X" program--16 minutes of exercises only a contortionist could love--after your "resistance" workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I tried it the first day, did about 10 percent of the exercises, and decided to give myself a pass on this part of it. In the second phase, I started adding basic ab work (crunches, etc) after some of my workouts.

Well, given that this is spring break, I decided to beat myself up today and try Ab Ripper X again (I was also inspired by my friend who did the workout during his first week). It hurt, my friends. A lot. However, I probably did about half of the reps and that is progress. Also, there were a couple of exercises I couldn't even do the first time that I was able to do 5-10 times today. So that's progress, too.

Still, it was very hard, and it didn't help that each time I would stop a particular set because I was hurting, my pint-sized workout partner would say "Daddy, they are still going. Why are you sleeping?"

Daddy calmly suggested that his 4 1/2 year old join Mommy in the family room.

Day 44: Not Rolling with the Changes

Damn you, REO Speedwagon--you almost killed my workout!

Well, it's probably not fair to blame Kevin Cronin and the gang. Being off for most of this week means that I can wake up later, so I can stay up and watch some late night TV. Last night, I watched Conan and then the George Lopez show came on, with Tracy Morgan (crraazzzyy) and, yes, REO Speedwagon. I just wanted to see what they looked and sounded like now (they're in their 80s, right?), so I stayed up til, yes, 1 a.m.

Add a 4:30 a.m. wake up call from a coughing child and my plan for getting up and exercising at 6 a.m. was foiled. 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 9 a.m. passed me by too. By around 10 a.m. we were talking about what we were going to do today, but I still needed to work out.

So around 10:30 a.m., I started my Plyometrics workout and it was pretty brutal. I hadn't eaten, I hadn't slept much and I was already a little distracted by what was going on with the day. I did the workout with fidelity (or is that High Infidelity?) but it was definitely tougher than usual.

The lesson is clear: Working out first thing in the morning is what works for me. And when a change in the schedule comes, I've just gotta Roll with the Changes.

Oh....and I need to stay away from REO, because I just can't fight this feeling anymore. (Sorry, I'll stop).

Day 43: On My Knees

Today was Chest, Shoulders and Triceps day, which means a lot--and I mean A LOT--of pushups. Regular, one-armed, side-to-side and many other types of pushups aimed at working your body from different angles.

I'm getting better at this workout but I'm not ashamed to say I'm on my knees...and not just because it's Easter. By the end of the workout, I'm hurting and the only way I'm going to finish a set of pushups is by doing some of them from my knees.

To some, this may be a sign of weakness and frankly it is--after all these years of ignoring my health, it isn't surprising that my chest muscles aren't able to handle 100-plus pushups. And, even though I've dropped a few pounds I'm still pushing a lot of weight around (although, apparently Homer is getting it done...).

To me, doing some pushups from my knees allows me to extend my workout and still get the "burn."

It may not be the most macho way of doing things, but that's okay. It works. And my 4 1/2 year old, who joined me for the second half of my workout this morning, was very impressed. And that's all that matters.

Day 42: A Happy Reminder

Today is Sunday, my one day of the week where I don't have to get up and exercise. So, I was sleeping in a little this morning.

At around 7:30 a.m. my 4 1/2 year old, Daniel, comes busting into my bedroom and screams:

"Daddy, did you forget to do your 'extercise' this morning?"

While being awakened this way might annoy some, it actually made me smile. It made me realize that Daniel (pictured in his alternate identity) now associates his Daddy with extercise...er, I mean exercise.

And, after all, that was the whole point.

Have a great Sunday!

Day 41: More Than 12 Oz. Curls

The text message Monday was from one of my closest friends in the world. It was short and direct:

"I'm mad at you."

Now, I was pretty sure he was joking. After all, he lives 500 miles away, we haven't seen each other recently and I'm pretty sure I'd have to burn the guy's house down to actually make him mad at me. When I asked "why?", he texted back that his muscles were so sore that he couldn't pick up the phone at work. You see, after reading my posts the last few weeks, he was inspired to try P90x and Monday was his first day.

Folks, I've inspired people to do a few things, like have another beer or get another plate of nachos. But never in my life have I inspired anyone to exercise. But my friend (who will remain nameless to protect the sore) said that was the case.

Funny thing, though. My friend inspired me a lot this week, too. Almost every morning this week, I was dragging and was fighting with myself to get up and do my workouts. But knowing that my friend was doing the same--or similar--workouts as me gave me the motivation I needed to get up and get at it.

It's interesting how things change. When we lived a short drive from each other, I don't think this friend and I ever did anything together that would be mistaken for exercise, unless you count a series of 12-ounce-curls and multiple rounds of Golden Tee golf (see picture). But now, we live hundreds of miles apart and we're helping each other through some very toughest workouts. Go figure.

Still, I'm looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow, but probably not as much as my buddy is. Keep pushing play, my friend!

Day 40: Pushing Pause

There's a lot of talk about "Pushing Play" in P90x. If you just get up, push 'play,' and do the exercises, you'll be in the best shape of your life. Fair enough.

But recently, I've been finding myself pushing "pause" a little more often.

Most of the workouts are about an hour and short water breaks, from 30 seconds to a minute, are peppered throughout the sessions. Tony Horton, the taskmaster, encourages participants to hit pause if they need a longer break. The first few weeks I refused to push pause. But recently, I've been doing it more because I need a slightly longer break. But I think this is a good thing.

I'm able to do the exercises more vigorously and more completely. Therefore, I'm putting out more effort than I did in the past and I'm sweating like a corporate executive during a 60 Minutes interview. For that reason, I'm a little more spent during the workouts.

I don't pause the workouts for more than an extra 20-30 seconds, but in many cases that extra break is all I need to keep going.

So, definitely push play each day. But don't be afraid to push pause.

Day 39: PDaddyX and Spring Break

As I was blundering through my Yoga workout this morning, I was thinking about next week, which is Spring Break. I've taken the whole week off and I'm hoping we will be able to get away for a few days.

But then it dawned on me: how will I do my workouts if we are in a hotel. A portable DVD player means I can play the workouts. But am I going to take weights on the road with me? Bands? My Yoga mat?

This is no small thing. I have a lot of momentum going for me right now. Missing a workout or two will definitely jeopardize that.

I still don't have a complete answer, but wherever we stay will have to have a workout room with weights and such. I might look foolish squinting to see a portable DVD player in a hotel space...but at least I will get my workout in.

No Spring Break for PdaddyX!

Day 38: What's Next?

The email was trying to sell me something but, instead, the subject line got me thinking about the future. It read: "What's Next after P90x?"

It may seem a little premature considering I have 53 days left to go, but I started thinking about what I'm going to do after I finish this 90 day program.

You see, I've lost weight before and I have even gotten myself into pretty good shape. In 1996, I lost 40 pounds for my wedding. In 2001, I trained for and successfully completed a sprint triathlon and a half-marathon. But each time, once I reached my goal--after I crossed the finish line--I slipped back. And usually added some tonnage, to boot.

While goals are good--and it is a huge part of PDaddyX--I am concerned about what happens when it's all over. My intention is to do the program a second time after a short break, but I can't say I'm all the way bought into that. I am really enjoying P90x, but it is an investment in time and I don't ultimately know how it will end.

It's something to keep in the back of my mind over the next 53 days. In a way, I guess it's good that I'm already thinking about it.

Days 36 & 37: A Face for Newspapers

For a Fat Man, taking pictures is bad. But nothing--NOTHING--is worse than doing a TV interview. The TV camera has a way of making your skin paler, making your chins multiply and finding the perfect angle to accentuate your fatassness. Unfortuantely, in my job, TV interviews are something I have to do every once in a while.

Such was the case on Sunday when I did a quick interview with the local NBC affiliate. A few friends who saw the report said to me "MAN, you've lost weight." One co-worker said I looked "skinny," which is a lie, but I'll take it. I watched the report and I do see a change. If you are interested in such things, you can see for yourself.

Here's an interview I did on February 1.

And here's the interview I did on Sunday. In my opinion, I look less hefty, but very squint-eyed. (By the way, arrests were made in this case on Monday)

Regardless of how much weight I lose, I'll never enjoy doing TV interviews. I still have a "face for newspapers" if you get my drift.

Day 35: SNAP!

Over the past five (!) weeks, I've learned to really appreciate the workout bands. As I've mentioned, I've been using the bands instead of doing pull-ups due to the poor strength of my back and the doorways in my house. I've also been using them to do exercises that require lighter weights since I don't have a full array of dumbbells to work with. They provide great resistance and a full range of motion.

But each time I use them, I wonder to myself: How long does it take one of these to snap? Apparently, the answer is 35 days. In the middle of the second-to-last exercise in the "Chest, Shoulders and Triceps" torturefest--SNAP--the handle came right off. See the picture for the carnage. This was perhaps a little bit of a warning to me.

Full confession: I ate like crap this weekend. Friday night, I had gelato; Saturday, I went out to dinner and had eggplant parm; Sunday, I had pizza for lunch and for dinner had some type of fast-food Mexican dish that was made up to look like a salad, but without the vegetables.

Consequently, today's workout was ROUGH. I pretty much made no progress from last week's C/S/T workout, and last week wasn't pretty either.

I won't be TOO hard on myself. I still ate better than I was eating five weeks ago. I didn't have dessert on Saturday night and there wasn't a french fry or cheeseburger on my plate. But I ate just poorly enough to feel the difference when I tried to workout this morning. And "try" is the operative word.

So, I'd better be careful or the next thing to "snap" may be me!

Day 34: Not Pulling the Trigger

The diet part of P90x is getting a little harder. I'm starting to crave some of my favorite foods-to-avoid.

In some cases I have given in a little. For instance, last night we met friends at Carmen's, an awesome Gelato place in Rockville. I allowed myself a small mango gelato (it rocks). In the past I would have ordered a large and then eaten whatever my kids didn't. Last night, I just had my small.

But there are some foods I just have to avoid. I call them trigger foods--once I start eating them, I can't stop and that leads to more and more bad eating. Chocolate Chip cookies, cheese sticks and Gen Tso's Chicken are trigger foods. But Doritos are my worst trigger food.

Pictured here is the bag of Doritos my son got at lunch today. I decided to try to have just one. A mistake. I wanted to shove the whole bag in my mouth. I resisted but now I've got that wonderfully artificial nacho taste in my mouth and I've got a major Dorito jones going.

Somehow,  a celery stick just isn't the same.

Must.....resist....Nacho-y....goodness. HELP.

Day 33: Daddy's Super Power Smoothies

Pretty much since I started P90x, I'll do my workout first thing in the morning and then come upstairs and make myself a smoothie. My boys love to help me make it. They help me put in the frozen strawberries, half a banana and skim milk. And, of course, they love it when Daddy puts his "Super Daddy Power Powder" in it.

In reality, it's just whey protein, but to them, it's what gives Daddy his "superpowers" (Apparently, falling asleep watching TV is now considered a superpower).

This is a nice ritual for me, because it's a way I'm living healthier and making my boys a part of it. They get to have fun and they see Daddy eating better. And, of course, every once in a while, I let them have a taste (like this morning--see picture)!

But I won't let them have too much, because if they had a lot of Super Daddy Power Powder, God knows what would happen!

DAY 32: When Life Interrupts (UPDATED)

UPDATE AT 9:57 P.M.: I did it! Even after a long, hectic day, even after taking the kids to Berry Cup, even after our nightly struggle to get them showered, teeth-brushed and wrestled into bed....I did my yoga workout.

It wasn't the greatest of workouts. I'm tired and after I hit "publish post" on this, I'm going to bed. But I didn't let life knock me off my goal.

Note to self: If you're going to workout after dinner, don't eat chili. Chili and Dolphin pose do not mix well. Blech.

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Original Post

Two straight bad nights of sleep and a hectic work schedule today have put me in the position where I can't workout this morning. So, I am mentally committed to doing my Yoga workout tonight, after I get home from work.

This is perilous for me, because it is this kind of procrastination that has undone my workout programs in the past. It concerns me, but I don't really have a choice today.

I promise you, my intentions are good. The question is, are my intentions good enough to get me to push play tonight?

I'll update you tonight.

Day 31: Eating on the Run

Here's a little quirk about me: I do not like box lunches. I can't explain why but they just gross me out. Well, today I had a box lunch as part of my monthly Leadedrship Montgomery meeting. It was a turkey sanwich, chips and a cookie. I was very hungry so I partook....a little.

I ate the turkey without eating the bread, had half the chips and passed on the cookie. Me not eating a cookie is a major accomplishment.

Controlling what you eat is much easier when you have control of your meals. But when someone else is in control, you have to improvise, which I did today.

You also have to plan. I brought pistachios and a protein bar to satisfy my hunger before snacks and lunch came out. This worked well this time.

No cookies = Mission accomplished.

Day 30: Picture Day!

Today is picture day at my son's elementary school. He, like his mom, is very photogenic. His dad, however, is not.

I remember always hating picture day--I'm not the kind of person who can force a smile. I look awkward. Of course, in recent years, I hate pictures for another reason: I'm fat and the camera shows six or seven chins at least.

But for P90x, you are encouraged to take your picture at the beginning of the program, throughout the 90 days, and then at the end. You need to take a shirtless photo (for men!), a "bicep" photo and a side photo. I've decided to do these photos every 15 days.

I shared a "likeness" of the before picture with you but didn't want to scare people away and run my real picture. It wasn't pretty. It still isn't. But, it's a lot better.

The difference between day 1 and day 30 is very noticeable. Some definition in the muscles. A little less of me spilling over my shorts. And even from the side (a fat guy's worst angle), you can see that my gut is smaller.

So, where are the photos? Tucked safely and neatly on my computer, thank you. I'm still not ready to share. So, you'll have to take my word for it at this point.

Day 29: Really?

One-handed push-ups? Seriously?

Chest, Shoulders and Tricep Workout.

Ow.

That is all.

P.S.: I did not look like this during the workout.

Day 28: Accentuate the Positive

For most of my adult life, I have hated shopping for clothes. Each shopping trip is a depressing reminder of how heavy I've let myself get as an adult. Getting fitted for a suit or a tux was worst of all--each measurement read aloud and memorialized for your enjoyment. A diary of blubber. Good times.

But I had a slightly different experience on Saturday, when I went to get fitted for a tuxedo for an upcoming event. I braced myself to hear a big number when the tailor did my waist measurement, but, lo and behold, it was lower than it has been in a while. Mind you, it's still a pretty big number---but headed in the right direction.

Since starting P90X, I have lost 14 pounds and easily two inches on my waist. I also have started to see some semblance of a physique emerge again and--wait--what's that?---is that....a BICEP??? Why yes it is. In short, I'm not Patrick Swayze in this skit, but I ain't Chris Farley either (by the way, is this one of the funniest SNL bits EVER?)

As I enter week 5 of PDaddyX, here's a list of a few other things that I feel pretty good about:

1) I haven't missed a single day of working out and, except for one ugly morning, I felt good about working out each and every time--at least before I started.

2) I've been told by a few friends that I have "more energy" than I ever did. A good sign.

3) This blog has received 1,671 page views and I've received a lot of kind, supportive comments. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how motivating it is. I'm also encouraged because a few people have found reading this blog motivational for them to start--or to continue--working out. That's awesome and not something I expected.

But the best sign of all, for me, is that my two boys continue to notice that Daddy is exercising more and is trying to eat healthy. I even shared a salad with my 4 1/2 year old the other day and played a game of tag without getting so winded, that I had to pitch a tent on "base." How cool is that?

Yes, there are warning signs out there and I need to stay on my guard. But, so far, PDaddyX has been a great experience. I'm psyched for what the next 62 days will bring!

Let's go!!

Day 27: Warning Signs

This morning, I finished up week 4, my "recovery" week, with a Yoga workout. I'm actually starting to make some progress on Yoga, meaning I can do about 50 percent of the poses well and the rest are just an epic fail waiting to happen.

The recovery week has been nice and, this particular moment aside, my body is definitely not as sore as it was before. I feel ready for the next phase of P-90x. But during this week I've seen a few warning signs.

Slip-slidin' away: For the first three weeks, I was gung ho. I was getting up at 4:45 a.m. and was working out by 5 a.m. This week, I've been hitting snooze a little more, starting my workouts closer to 5:30 a.m. and then rushing to get them done. I think this is natural for any long-term fitness routine--the excitement can quickly turn to drudgery. But, I AM still excited about P90x and I am COMMITTED to being up at 4:45 a.m. and getting started by 5 a.m. Feel free to call my house at 5 a.m. to check! (Not really)

The mind is willing, but the core is weak: One thing I haven't talked much about is the fact that I've been giving short shrift to my ab and core workouts. The recovery week is all about working the core and I realized that my abs and lower back are not at the same place as the rest of my body (not that the rest of my body is in any great place, but it's better). So as I enter Phase 2, I will definitely be working my core as much as I should. For the record I HATE ab work.

A twinge of something, but not regret: Yesterday, as my friend Eric was torturing leading us through a work out, my left knee kept acting up. This knee has always been a little balky and it has given me a twinge here and there, especially during leg workouts and Plyometrics. But, for the first time in four weeks, I got a little worried about injury. I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

I'm still really encouraged by how I'm doing and I'll share some of the "good news" with you tomorrow. In the mean time...

GO UCONN HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!

Day 26: Not Pretty Progress

Every Friday at around 5 p.m., I can hear the music coming from the auditorium across from my office. That tells me that my colleague Eric (the same one who got me interested in P90x) is starting his weekly aerobics class. Eric does this class for free for the folks who work in the central office of our school system.

I've always told Eric (in this picture at the annual MCPS Back to School Fair) that I wouldn't EVER take his class. I'd say: "My co-workers don't want to see all this trying to do aerobics. It wouldn't be pretty!"

Well, today I gave it a shot. Instead of doing the "Core Synergistics" workout this morning, I took Eric's class at 5 p.m. I was right. It wasn't pretty. Eric is in great shape, in good part due to P90x, and he put me and about a half-dozen other folks through a very hard workout.

It was the first time I've worked out with other people in a very long time and, actually, it was nice to struggle along with some colleagues. And, it was a nice checkpoint in the PDaddyX journey.

While I struggled with some of it, I actually was surprised how much I was able to do. I know that four weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to make it through a quarter of the workout. But, today, I probably did about 75-80 percent of it. So, that's a sign of progress.

It ain't pretty. But it's progress.