Monday, August 31, 2009

P90X - 1 Month Left

I am close to the end. I have four weeks left in my P90X journey and I am fairly satisfied with my results. I am definitely stronger than I was when I started the workout and I have lost some fat. I have to be honest and admit that I slacked off a little bit this past month and therefore I haven't seen the results I probably could have seen had I tried a little harder.

I still enjoy the workouts because even though I've been doing them for 2 months they are still challenging and I feel like I've worked out. I have some thoughts about what I'm going to do after I finish this last month but I will wait to share those with you once I get closer to the end.

Hands down my biggest pit fall is FOOD. I am starting to think I have a problem. It is a problem that I share with many other people but it is still a problem. I generally can do alright during the week (unless someone tempts me into going out for lunch). I cook healthy dinners and I keep healthy snacks on hand. Where I fall apart is the weekend. There is something about the weekends that just messes me up completely. How do you blow a week's worth of healthy eating in two days? With cheeseburgers and fries that's how! Even if it isn't fast food, I still end up eating too much on the weekends. If I really want to see the results I desire then I need to fix this problem of mine. That will be a goal of mine over the next few months....stop having disastrous weekend eating habits.

Does anyone else have this weekend eating problem? What do you do to avoid overeating on the weekends (or in general)?

Monday, August 17, 2009

Recipe of the Week: Oven-Fried Spicy Chicken

I know it has been a while since I posted a recipe but I honestly hadn't made anything using any new recipes. I decided to get it together this week and try out some of 100s of recipes I have around here.

Ingredients:
1 cup corn flake crumbs (I just crushed up some Special K)
2 tsp chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp season salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 bone-in chicken thighs (I removed the skin)

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 375. Line backing sheet with aluminum foil. (I recommend spraying the foil with cooking spray because mine got stuck to the foil.)

2. In a bowl mix together buttermilk, 1 tsp cayenne pepper and seasoning salt. Place chicken in bowl to soak.

3. Meanwhile, mix corn flakes, chili powder, cumin, salt and rest of cayenne pepper in a large ziploc bag.

4. Remove chicken from bowl and place in bag. Shake until coated with cornflake mixture.

5. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 50-55 minutes or until golden and crispy and internal temperature registers 160. (I just want to say that having a probe hookup in your oven is wonderful.)

Nutritional Information per thigh: 285 calories, 18g fat, 21g protein, 9g carbohydrates

Thursday, August 13, 2009

P90X - Week 6 or 7

I was nicely reminded by my good friend Dena that I've been slacking on my updates ;-). I won't even promise to do get back to daily updates but I can make weekly ones for sure.

My first week 5 didn't go so well because Mother Nature and I had a disagreement and I really didn't feel well enough for a week full of workouts. I made the decision to do week 5 over since I missed several of the workouts. That makes this week my new week 6. Only 6 more weeks to go.

Workouts:
This set of workouts incorporates two slightly different arm workouts. I like both of these workouts but I still have problems with the push-ups due to my wrists. Luckily doing them on my knees still provides a workout for my chest and arms. It does however cause rug burns on my knees which is definitely not a good look during the summer...

Body Changes:
My back fat has not decreased as much as I would like but I'm still keeping hope alive. My arms and legs are stronger and more toned. I'm excited because I'm only half way finished so if I keep it up then I'll have some really noticeable results.

Nutrition:
As I said before, I hadn't been doing as well as I should have concerning my eating habits. This week I have been very diligent and have recorded all of my food and exercise into my calorieking account. I have met my calorie goal every day so far and my carbs/protein/fat ratios haven't been too far off. Now if I can just stick with this for the next six weeks.....

Additionally, I went for a four mile run today and it was great. I had been feeling kind of frustrated the past few days and the run definitely made me feel better. I have to make sure to keep running as a part of my routine.