Can I have a Taco Supreme 90 Day instead?

Why hello there, dear readers! It's finally Friday and the week has slowed down enough for a nice lil' blog update. I have another food post coming up soon, but before I work on that, I wanted to throw some fitness schtuff in between.

Today, I started Day 1 of the Supreme 90 Day Workout System:

(got a better price on Amazon, of course).

I've been hearing about this program for a while, but didn't jump on the bandwagon right away since I'm a bit wary of "As Seen On TV!" labels. I didn't let it fall completely off my radar though, since it's basically a MUCH more affordable option to P90X.

I kept reading good reviews though and for the price, I decided the risk was pretty low; surely out of 10 different discs, there would be something I would enjoy...

Now, before I go into the basics of Supreme 90, I felt I should share my experience with P90X...

First of all, I love Tony Horton. I really do. He's motivational, funny and uh, let's just say that even though he's old enough to be my father, I wouldn't kick the man out of bed for eating crackers. I actually still have, in a box somewhere, his original Power 90 workout system on VHS. So I respect the man and his work. But...

I just wasn't feelin' P90X. Definitely a great variety of workouts that will no doubt deliver results when done consistently, but all in all, I just felt each workout was too long. Sixty minutes or more, nearly everyday, wasn't doing it for me. I have no qualms (most of the time) about getting in a good workout most days of the week, but I also get bored easily and do best with faster-paced workouts in the 30-45 minute range.

Enter Supreme 90.

It could be (and probably has been) labeled as the "poor man's P90X," but I am indeed a semi-poor [wo]man who is still intrigued by the idea of muscle confusion and seeing improvement in all major muscle groups in just a few months. Sign me up!

The program is hosted by Tom Holland (who doesn't sound or look unlike Tony). There's also a 28-Day meal plan included, which was put together by Tosca Reno (author of the Eat Clean Diet books and regular contributor to my favorite, Oxygen Magazine). So all in all, it seems pretty legit.

Anywho, the next biggest selling point to me, after the number of workouts and the price, was the duration of the workouts. Turns out, instead of one grueling hour after another, the Supreme 90 routines fall between 30 and 47 minutes, including the warm-up and cool down stretch.

Next pro that caught my attention? A short list of equipment: Dumbbells and a stability ball. That's it. No extra pull-up bar or anything like that. Simple, simple, simple.

Now, that said, a good variety of dumbbells is what I would recommend. After doing the Chest & Back DVD this morning (which I really dug, by the way), a good mix to have would be light (3-5 lbs) medium (8-10 lbs) and heavy (15-25 lbs). The disc I did this morning included a few moves using a stability ball, but Tom provided alternatives to complete the routine without it. I won't say (yet) that you can do the whole program without a stability ball (there's one disc called "Ultimate Ball," for example), but so far it seems like modifications will be prominent throughout.

SO, how was the Chest & Back workout? Pretty darn good. And fast, too (finished in about 32 minutes, including warm up and cool down). It was a basic circuit routine where you would perform 2-3 different exercises, 8-12 reps each, repeat the set 1-2 times and then move on to the next round. Tom has 3 different people working with him (two guys, one girl) and they all go at different paces so you're encouraged to go at your own pace as well. This was an adjustment for me because I'm used to being in sync with everyone in the video, but it is nice not to feel rushed. Tom encourages you to avoid rushing through the moves because it affects your form.

Today, I did lots of push-ups, deadlifts, chest presses, supermans, bent-over rows, push-ups to plank rows (kill me) and a few other moves that were completely new to me. Definitely felt like my chest and back got a thorough workout in a short amount of time. The pace was steady enough to work up a nice sweat, but there was also just enough time in between sets for Tom to explain each of the moves and show how to perform them.

It's a bit early for me to judge, but I'd say this would probably be better suited for intermediate to advanced fitness levels. Although, with the people in the videos going at their own paces and with the modifications, a beginner looking for a challenge might benefit from this system too. Either way, I'll follow up on that after trying the majority of the discs.

I'm really excited to keep going with this plan. I can't guarantee that I will stick to it 100% for the full 90 days, but I'm sure gonna try. I probably won't do daily blog updates either, but I'll definitely check in every week or so to recap which workouts I tried and how I felt afterward.

Have you tried P90X or Supreme 90 Day? What are your thoughts?

Enjoy the weekend!

FOOD:

breakfast:
light english muffin- 1
egg white/3 slices ham- 1
f.f. shredded cheese- 1
green onion- 0

snack:
ww giant ice cream bar- 2

lunch:
smart wrap tortilla- 1
black beans- 2
f.f. shredded cheese- 1
salsa- 0

dinner:
corn tortillas- 1
2 f.f. hot dogs- 2
turkey chili- 2
cheese slice- 1
potato- 2
olive oil- 1

post-dinner:
fudge bar- 1
apple- 1
PB2- 1
s.f. pudding cup- 1
strawberries w/ light syrup- 1

total points used: 23/23
activity points: P90X (Kenpo)- 3
WAPs: 35/35

I've made it to Sunday morning and I still have all of my allowance points! Haven't accomplished that in a while. Now, if I can make it to tomorrow with all of them, that would be sweet.

Breakfast stemmed from an idea from Doug. The only thing I changed was making it into a sandwich with the english muffin. The green onion and ham really added a nice flavor. I mixed my cheese in and cooked everything until the cheese got a little crusty on the outside. So friggin' good.

Dinner plans aren't set in stone, but I'm thinking chili dogs (healthy version of course) and baked fries. Mmm. I got paid earlier than I thought I would (Friday versus tomorrow), so we busted out some serious grocery shopping yesterday. I still want to stop by Sunflower Market today and pick up some produce though. The produce selection at Wal-mart is never really worth much to begin with and the prices at Sunflower are way better. They have cheap apples and I need to stock up!


EXERCISE:

Did the P90X Kenpo disc today. It was ok. I didn't find it particularly hard and I only burned 300 calories after an hour. But it still got me sweating and made me focus on form, so I can't really complain too much.

Weigh-in Day.

Today's weight: 162. A gain of 2.2 pounds. Um, what? Seriously? I'm really, really not happy to see this. At all. First of all, I was so close to hitting the 90 pounds mark and having a normal BMI. Second, I'm back in the 160s. I've been trying to get out of the 160s since May. And here we are, rolling out of August and September will be here before you know it. Third, I kicked ass this week. I had one day (last Saturday) where I went over my points, but it wasn't even close enough to warrant a 2 pound gain. I earned 34 activity points this week; 3400 calories burned.

An unwarranted gain is nothing new to me. I've experienced them before. It's just part of the process. I understand that. But I'm just so tired of wild card weigh-ins, be they good or bad, where I really cannot figure out what worked/didn't work that week. I only have a couple of guesses for this week: 1) I didn't eat enough in relation to my activity; 2) I experienced a lot of bloating from eating a lot of fiber? I don't know. I usually eat a lot of fiber anyway, so I'm not sure what made this week different. I did notice I've been super-bloated the past few days, but I thought working out would get rid of it. I had a couple of days where my sodium was a bit high, but nothing insane. It was a pretty normal week, in terms of food. I did consume a lot more caffeine than normal though... I got on a coffee kick this week and I usually never drink the stuff, let alone a cup every day. I don't think that was the culprit though... I don't friggin' know.

I know, "I've come so far!" Blah, blah, blah. I know I've accomplished a lot as far as the big picture goes, but to be perfectly honest, I really don't give a shit about the big picture right now. And at this very moment, I don't even know what I care about. I'm so frustrated and desperate to know exactly why my body does what it does week to week, that I can't really focus on anything else.

SIGH. I'll be alright. I'll get over it (already starting to). I just needed to bitch 'n' whine. I'm still a little lost on how to approach this week. I'm still debating on whether or not to try the Wendie Plan. Perhaps I've hit a plateau and I've just been in denial for the past month. I don't know. I suppose it's worth a shot, but at the same time, I'm going out of town this weekend, to grandma's house no less, so trying to stick to a new plan may be kind of tricky. I'll mull it over some more. I'm gonna try it, starting today.

FOOD:

Brief re-cap: The Kashi Pesto Primavera Pasta dish from lunch yesterday: Meh. On the upside, it had a lot of veggies, but overall, I just wasn't feeling the flavor. It was just kind of oily and blah. The Lemongrass Coconut Chicken on the other hand- totally awesome.

For dinner, I went with salmon tacos with a side of green beans. And I discovered a new way to jazz up green beans a bit: salt, pepper, couple sprays of spray butter and a dab of sour cream. The extra bit of creaminess just really made the beans taste, well, awesome.

breakfast:
fat-free greek yogurt w/ strawberries- 2
Special K cereal- 1

snack:
kashi bar- 2
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
Healthy Choice tomato basil penne- 5

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
chicken- 4
green chile- 1
f.f. cheese- 1
sour cream- 1
smart wrap tortilla- 1
8 oz. coors light- 1

post-dinner:
PB2 sandwich- 2
popcorn- 1
fudge bar- 1
kashi cereal- 1
almond milk- 1
s.f. jello- 0

total points used: 27/27 (Wendie Plan)
activity points: day off
WAPs: 35/35 remaining


EXERCISE:

Since I worked out Wednesday morning (my usual day off), I'm taking today off instead. That, and I'm a little sore from my P90X workout last night. It wasn't too bad. It was still challenging, but I kept up with it better than I thought I would. I actually skipped Chest & Back because I'm in the process of acquiring the proper equipment. I'm getting my dumbbells today and I'm waiting on a door attachment for resistance bands. Apparently, somehow attaching bands to your door and pulling them that way serves as an alternative to the pull-up bar. I might get the pull-up bar eventually, but can't justify the cost right now.

Anywho, so I skipped to the second workout, which was Plyometrics (jump training). I have to give Jillian Michaels some credit on this one, because she does a lot of that in her DVDs too, so I think that's the main reason why I was able to keep up. That, and Tony likes to take breaks. Lots of 'em. Jillian never takes breaks, so stopping every few minutes took some getting used to.

He goes at a slower pace too, which is good in the sense that you can focus on form a bit more and get more out of the move, instead of trying to do it super-fast and half-assing it.

My least favorite move during that whole workout was what he called "Hot Feet." You basically hopped on one leg and tried to make a cross figure with your foot (up, back, left, right). It doesn't sound like much, but staying on the same foot for just 30 seconds KILLED me. Hadn't felt a burn in my leg like that in a long time.

Overall, I liked it (well, as much as you could like a workout DVD called P90X). I liked the pace, I liked the little timer on the bottom of the screen and I like how my ass is killing me right now; that means I pushed myself. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other stuff, especially more of the weight/strength/resistance stuff.

I also got the new[ish] Biggest Loser Bootcamp DVD in the mail yesterday, so I'm still debating on trying that tomorrow or doing another P90X workout. I'm not leaving for my grandparents' until the afternoon, so I'll have time in the morning to do something. We'll see.

Taking things up a notch?

Brief re-cap of last night's dinner: Tuna salad sandwich on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin. Those are definitely becoming a favorite of mine. Had a baked potato on the side w/ some light sour cream and chives. Topped it off with a deep chocolate vitatop and a glass of chocolate almond milk. I love vitatops so much. Unfortunately, they're pretty damn expensive, whether you buy them in the store or online, so I usually only order them when they have some sort of special promotion going on that includes free shipping. Although, I recently discovered that Amazon sells them as well, with the "free shipping on $25 or more" deal, so my addiction may just go on...

Moving on for today...

FOOD

breakfast:
thomas light english muffin- 1
cheese single- 1
egg beaters- 1
boca sausage links- 1

snack:
9 almonds- 1
baby carrots- 0
PB2- 1

lunch:
kashi pesto pasta- 6

snack:
lightfull smoothie- 1

dinner:
salmon fillet- 3
corn tortillas- 1
salsa- 0
fat-free cheddar- 1
light sour cream- 1
green beans- 0

post-dinner:
fudge bar- 1
frozen sliced peaches/strawberries- 1
chocolate almond milk- 1

total points used: 22/22
activity points*: P90X- Plyometrics- 5
WAPs**: 23/35 remaining

*Activity points are also part of the WW program. I wear a heart rate monitor when I work out and award myself one activity point for every 100 calories burned. APs can be used to swap out food points on the days I eat a little extra and go over my daily food points.

**WAPs stands for Weekly Allowance Points. These are like extra back-up points that I can use during the week. I get 35 each week and only use them if I go over my daily food points, which includes days where I swap out all of my activity points and am still over (i.e., days where I'm feeling a little on the piggy side).

Breakfast this morning was the same as yesterday, because it's good. I have some salmon in the fridge for dinner and am still debating on what I want to do with it. I can either make salmon tacos or simmer the fillet with some spinach, tomatoes, garlic and white wine. Both of those options turned out pretty awesome last time I made them.

As for the Kashi dish, I'll have to report on that tomorrow, as it's my first time trying it. I love Kashi; they're one of my favorite food brands. Love, love, love their TLC granola bars, Go Lean Crunch cereal and their flax waffles. I don't buy their products that often because they can be pretty pricey, but if I catch them on sale and/or with a coupon, it's definitely worth it.

EXERCISE

My usual routine on Thursdays is to go to the gym and run or do some incline training. But last night, my boyfriend informed me that he acquired a copy of the new P90X DVD set that I've been eying for a couple of months now. Yes, it's an infomercial product, BUT, I've been hearing reviews from people both online and in-person and I'm more than ready to give it a shot. My mom's boyfriend's son, who is a personal trainer, says it's a pretty kick-ass system and will definitely bring on a challenge. I actually used to have Tony Horton's older system, Power 90, on VHS back in the day. I remember it being a good workout, but of course I wasn't nearly as dedicated back then, so I never stuck with it all the way through to really experience the benefit.

Well Tony, I'm ready to give you another shot, you handsome tiger, you. Ideally, I want to dive in head first, stick with it and become totally ripped, but there's also the possibility that I will completely wuss out. At the same time though, I've been able to bust through all of Jillian Michaels' DVDs pretty well for the last few months, and her workouts are pretty brutal. So at the very least, P90X will give me a better idea of where my current level of fitness is; it may be considerably higher or lower than I think.


That's all for now. Tomorrow (Friday) is my weigh-in day. I'll also share a recap of tonight's impending dinner and of course, my first P90x workout.