So, the carb cycling plan from the last post did not last long.  I am extremely inexperienced at carb cycling and planned macros in general.  I came to realize that my “low-carb days” weren’t low at all and the whole plan could use work  

I’ve been frustrated my weight is a few pounds higher than I would like.  When I didn’t see progress, I went back to maintenence calories out of pure frustration.   My weight went right back to where it was pre-P90X.   I didn’t eat anything that I wouldn’t normally eat but I did eat more than I knew that I needed.  I was also waking up hungry during the night sometimes. 

My Body Fat was tested at 15.5% which is 2.4% lower than it was in January when I began lifting.  I don’t know how accurate the handheld machine is though…

 If it’s correct that means I have gained 7 pounds and lost 2.4% BF.

  It sounds good but I seriously doubt the accuracy:)

Lol I don’t know what that facial expression was about !  But there is no way this is 15.5% BF. 

Since I actually enjoy intense workouts 5-6 days a week, I would like to see some effects of those workouts!

I am still doing the P90X workouts and I still enjoy them.

I love to workout.  I love feeding my body healthful foods.  I apply both of these every single day of my life.

 But, there are so many women who look much more fit than I do and they eat processed crap day in and day out and rarely exercise…what gives?

I needed some guidance from those who are more knoweldgable than I . 

I am lucky enough to have made some fantastic contacts via health blog world.  I reached out to a few fellow bloggers and received the most friendly, helpful, encouraging responses.   I have never received so much support from women that I have never even met in person.  THANK YOU

April pointed me in the direction of a fantastic contact who helped me out with my macros.  That was extremely helpful.

  But, I realized that I needed more than just a good macro plan.  Of course I want to achieve a healthy lean and cut physique but I want it for more than a few weeks for a contest or photo shoot.  I want a cut body that I can maintain. 

I totally respect those who are able to eat moderately healthy and daily treats and then cut down to figure competion physique with a couple months.  But, I think that the cycle of cutting weight would be detrimental to me personally.  Going back and forth sounds exhausting

I have spoken with someone who is in the business of making lifestyle changes.  Her business is Hollistic nutrition and fitness.  I think this may be a better fit for me.  I have been extrememly overweigh and a bit underweight.  I want to be lean for good

According to Dr. Suess, the answer is, “Camel on the ceiling.”  I was thinking more along the lines of Carb Cycling though  

In this post, I told you that I was planning to follow the P90X Nutrition Plan throughout my P90X journey.  I felt that I would get the best results by following the program as intended by it’s  creators.  I have been following the Nutrition Plan. 

 The only change I have made is lowering the caloric intake to fit the calories I actually burn during the workouts.  The Plan just used a generic number of 600 calories per workout and built that many calories into the Plan.  I never burn that much in a P90X workout.  I think it’s averaged using people of higher weights and of course men as well.

I have noticed that my appetite varies greatly day to day.  I think that most people have days when they are starving and days when they are rarely hungry.  So, why eat the same amount of carbs, protein, fat and calories everyday?  This may be one major reason that many people have trouble “sticking to their diets”. 

 There is a huge difference in the intensity of Plyometrics versus Yoga X.  Both are tough but Plyo will keep your metabolism on fire all day!  

The  P90X Nutrition Plan switches things up every 30 days. I’m still not making the progress that I thought I would be making.  I’m not just talking about Body Fat loss but about muscle gains as well. 

 Naturally, my body would need more fuel for a more intense workout.    As you may have read, I like structure in my life   I like a set plan.

  I’ve been doing a lot of research on carb cycling. 

I’m obviously no expert but here’s my plan:

(I started on Monday because that’s how the P90X Workout Plan is lined out)

 

Monday, Tuesday:  High Carb

185.93 grams carb, 745 calories

1632 Total Cals

Wednesday, Friday: Moderate Carb

143.75 grams carb, 575 calories

1462 Total Cals

Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: Low Carb

100 grams carb, 400 calories

1287 Total Calories

My high, low and moderate carb days were chosen based on the workout that I will be doing that day.  I want to be sure that I am not denying my body of proper nutrition.    Of course my protein and fat macros will stay the same each day.  This said, I know that I will get comments that my calories are too low or that I shouldn’t concern myself with numbers.  But, this is my choice so I hope you can be supportive

Have any of you tried Carb or Calorie Cycling??  I can use advice from anyone who has experience in this!

Some New Loves

Thanks to Nustevia, I am finally making some major progress in giving up artificial sweetener.  I thought I could never like Stevia.  It tasted bitter.  But, I gave this stuff a whirl and I love it! 

I add it to plain Oikos and Naturally More for a little protein dessert

Of course, I mix it up!

My second new product is a common “dessert” ingredient as well

 

I used to love Fiber One products.  But, I have found some ugly ingredients in some of them.  I was glad to see this while I was browsing the cereal aisle at Whole Foods.  It’s not sweetened so I add my own flavors to it in a yogurt mess

 Thanks to my fiber-filled desserts, I have been able to bake and refrain from devouring the fruits of my labor

We saw that our new neighbors had moved in so I had to bake some cookies

Made with whole wheat pastry flour (my favorite baking ingredient), vegan chocolate chips (they were on sale a few weeks ago), Earth Balance and 365 natural peanut butter.   I didn’t explain that they were made with natural ingredients …I didn’t want to overwhelm my new neighbors with my healthy mission just yet

I also baked some banana bread per Mallard’s request

 

Snuffy has had tummy troubles for almost a full week now.   She still insists on coming along with me to run  errands though.  I promised her that if she was exceptionally well behaved, she could have whatever toy she chose.  She asked for a dump truck.  I couldn’t find what she wanted anywhere!  We eventually took the 20 minute drive to Toys R Us to get her this one

She has dog treats in it in the picture which explains her attentive audience

…and yes, we are still on our tutu kick.

I’m not one to run to the doctor but Snuffy’s tummy issues have gone on too long .  Hopefully, I can get out of a class tomorrow to take her in

Just a short note about my P90X progress:  I was brushing my teeth this morning and realized that I may need to start selling tickets to the Gun Show.   They aren’t there yet, but there is certainly progress.

I know I already posted my 30 P90X pics…

But , my arms have NEVER looked like this

I can’t wait to see them after 60 days.

Maybe someday I will catch up to this lovely lady…

Okay, enough of my narcissism.  I will post for real soon