When in Doubt...Check Your Diet.

...and your pictures. If you've been wise enough to take before, during, and after pictures, this is where they will come in handy and help you see the progress you've made.   For your enjoyment (hopefully not too much laughter), I've included mine.  Please be kind and keep in mind that these were taken after a morning workout with no make-up on.

Today is day 136 of the quest to find my rock hard abs.  As you can see by the pictures, I have definitely shaped up and for the most part I am very happy with my results.  But my abs are still a work in progress.

Day 1 P90X

Over the last 4 (almost 4 1/2) months, I've gone from a 37.5, 31, 37.5 figure to a 35, 28, 36 figure and dropped 9 pounds.  When I began this workout routine and diet regimen, my goals were to: drop to 125 lbs (I'm currently at 128); get back to my high school figure of 36, 26, 36; and lose 5 inches (of fat) around my waist (I've lost 3).  But lately, I haven't lost anything.

Because of that I've felt a little discouraged from time to time. And recently, I've started wondering whether or not I'm working hard enough.  Considering that I exercise 6 days a week, I don't believe my workouts are the issue, but rather my diet.  Now, I've done very well cutting out the bad stuff and adding more good stuff.  I drink the daily recommended amount of water (half my body weight in ounces...a day, which for me equals roughly 65 ounces of water) and I have no problem keeping my calories low.  So what gives?

Actually, the question that has been bouncing around in my head recently is...have I plateaued?  And to me plateauing is worse than not working hard enough.  At least if I wasn't doing the work, I could easily make adjustments, but if I've plateaued, I'm not sure what the heck do.

Day 132 - P90X & Rev Abs

So, my first thought was to get seriously strict on my diet.  Cut out even more... cut out sugar and go on the...dare I say it...14 day "starvation diet" that is discussed in the Rev Abs nutrition guide. (I really don't want to do that because I don't eat much as it is already.)  However,  what else can I do?  Well, Friday I started reviewing my Rev Abs nutrition guide again and braced myself for what I thought would be the inevitable solution.  But what I discovered was not what I expected. 

At the beginning of the 90-day plan, I came across a section titled "Adjust calories according to your goals."  Right there in black and white (actually black and gray) was a wonderful little tidbit of information (that I had read before but never considered until now).  And it said... "Still need to lose: To speed your weight loss, try adding or subtracting 100 - 200 calories per day."  (Adding? Seriously?)  It goes on to read..."Why add? Because your metabolism may have increased to where you need more nutrients to recover from your workouts.  Without enough fuel your workouts will hit a plateau." (Holy crap! I'm thinking... there is no way that could be my luck). However, the last sentence said..."Subtraction is more obvious, but never go under 1200 calories a day, which could cause your metabolism to slow down because it thinks your body is starving."

Day 1 - P90X

Could my issue really be that I've cut out too much?  Well, that got me thinking...you see, I've talked in other blogs about planning my meals, but quite frankly, it can be cumbersome. Don't misunderstand me, planning your meals is a great way to keep your calories, carbs, fats, proteins...etc... in check and I highly recommend it, but I always start out with good intentions of doing this and end up just winging it.  I've learned enough to know what to eat, but for knowing the actual caloric intake, that's a little fuzzy.  However, Friday night, I started estimating my daily caloric intake over the past few weeks.  As I started to do the math, I realized that it is very possible there were several days a week that I was not eating 1200 calories. (What do you know? I could have done the starvation diet... if, of course, it had only been about calories).

Day 132 - P90X & Rev Abs

But, this isn't just about adding calories. It's the kind of calories that are important.  And no, I'm not talking about eating donuts and Oreos.  I'm talking about the good stuff...wait, let me rephrase...the healthy foods.  As I thought about my diet and what I need to do, I thought about what would be the best way for me to achieve that goal and decided I needed to go back to basics, which means going back to the diet I was on when I started P90X - add more protein and fiber to my diet and go back to planning my meals for each week to make sure I'm getting enough calories. 

And that is precisely what I am going to do.  I planned my meals for this week (every meal - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) for 6 days a week (I know, there are seven days in the week. But if God can have a day of rest, I certainly should be entitled to one too, don't you think?)  And if I happen to go out to dinner then I will be good and select a healthy meal (which I did last night...and the night before.  Don't judge... nobody's perfect and dammit I'm tired when I get home from work).  My point is...when it comes to your diet, do the best you can to eat right and cut out the bad stuff, but make sure you eat enough.  Take it one day at a time and when in doubt...check your diet. 

Day 1 - P90X

Day 132 - P90X & Rev Abs