Day 90 (late)

So this post is a week late.  I hate to be this far behind. I had an incident that left me with a slight concission and a huge knot on my head and the rest of the week out of the office (unPCP related).  Anyway, well on the road to recovery and started working out again on Monday.

Final thoughts on PCP, hard, amazing, life changing.  All the things that I thought I would crave and eat when this was over haven't really happened.  I guess that's a good sign that PCP really does change your habits and life style which was exactly what I was hoping to get out of this.  You really get out of it what you put into it.  In probably should have lost more weight but it was hard from me to commit 100% some days because I was just to tied up with  work and other things going on.  However I am glad I did it and stuck it out becasue I don't think there ever would have been a "right time" to start.  It's better to just jump in.  I didn't focus on the weight and went more by how I felt and the way my clothes fit.  I dropped several sizes, sleep better and feel great! I am very thankful for all the support of my great group and friends that were past PCP and non PCP people and especially Patrick!  I am sure I will have more final thoughts but I need to take a few days (now that I can) and think about what else I want to say.  I will also post final photos after I am fully recovered from my fall last week.

Heat!

Went down to Shimoda to hang out with Tony and some other friends at the beach.  It was HOT!!  Water was cold which kept a pretty nice breeze going on the beach.  OFF the beach however was another story.  We started yesterday's workout in the afternoon and even with the breeze it was super hot.  Today we opted to not do the workout out in the heat.  Still it was fun and we agreed that it's always better working out together.  I know if we hadn't been doing it together and Richard wasn't on our a$$ about it I prob would have quit around the 2nd month. 

Woke up this morning and went over to have breakfast at Tony's cafe.  I knew the eggs tasted to good to be PCP but I ate them anyway.  Wish I had asked first.  Apparently the eggs are pre-mixed with cream.  For those of you who don't know (OR REMEMBER TONY) I am doing PCP dairy free bc it does a number on my stomach.  So something as rich as cream is a disaster.  Withing about 30 minutes I was sweating and running for the ladies room.  Quite an exciting sight for the Japanese people in the Shimoda grocery store to see the white girl turn red, break out in a sweat and sprint for the toilet.

Watched some guys at our table last night down n serious amounts of meat.  All Tones and I could think was that the amount of meat they ate in one sitting would have been a few weeks worth for PCP!  Funny the things you notice now.  I did cheat a little but was still very good about portions and stopped before I was full.  I don't think I could eat the portion sizes that I used to even if I WANTED to which is great.  Went for dinner tonight and still had to take more than 1/2 to go.  Was quite a nice feeling since my dinner companion (a non-PCPer) ordered so much food that the waiter thought it was for both of us and at first walked off without even taking my order.  My friend finished ALL of his food and was holding his belly when we walked home.  I took my doggie bag and feel great! 

Have to confess that the past week I haven't been so great on my workouts.  Late nights at work, lack of energy and the freaking heat (I have to do my workouts outside where I live now).  So even though I am excited about PCP being over soon I really still feel like I owe it one good solid last week so when everyone else finishes on in a couple of days I plan to have my PCP finish at the end of this week.  Of course PCP isn't just about the 90 days, it's a lifestyle change so it never really ends does it? ;-)

ugghhhh, no f&^king idea what day it is

I am so over PCP today.  I'm drenched in sweat, feel like I am about to die of a brain aneurysm and I want to vomit! Tony is working last so I was on my own for workout tonight.  Didn't get home til late and ate dinner at 8:45pm.  Didn't even start my workout til after 10pm and it still felt like I had just eaten :-( Pushed through the workout (for reasons to long to explain I did day 79 workout today) and when doing the show offs or whatever the hell they are called I got a massive headache that further advocated  the feeling of needing to throw up and has yet to go away. After doing the workout I added 8 minutes  bc I am trying to be extra good the last 10 days but felt like the aneurysm that I am now convinced I developed in the last hour is going to rupture causing me to die right here on the floor of my house drenched in sweat with a messy ponytail.  Finally it's over, I made it, but wait then I remembered that I haven't done my f#@king cardio yet and it's after 11:30pm so now I have the choice of cardio or trying for 7-8hours of sleep.  I am choosing sleep bc I can here Patrick in my head saying I'm wasting my time if I don't sleep and I will not die of an aneurysm in vain so cardio will have to wait.  I choke down the 2 egg whites that feel like 200 because I am so sick to my stomach that I feel like emptying it NOT adding to it.  (rant over) bed time!  Hope every one had a better day :-) I usually don't complain but Patrick always says blog it out and since my PCP is almost done I felt like I should get one good one in!

Sunday Day 80

I had planned to head to Shimoda with Tony for the weekend for a friend's birthday party but at the last minute I decided to stay back and get some things done.  I am barely finding time during the week to sleep so lots of things at home have fallen by the wayside.  I haven't even finished unpacking from my move a few weeks ago.  My big outing for yesterday was going to the market to load up on PCP food so I could do most of my cooking for the next few days today.  My new place is really tiny and workouts have to be done outside, which in this heat is a KILLER.  Tony and I did a few workouts at the park this week (after the sun went down) but I now have mozzie bites all over me not to mention that the heat really zaps your energy.  I usually walk home from the grocery store but I bought so much stuff that I decided I would take the bus.  Of course I never take the bus so I got on the wrong one and got a full tour of Azabu Juban and a side of Hiro-o I rarely see.  I could have gotten off but the AC felt so good that I just stuck it out and used the extra 40 minutes to catch up on some emails :-)

I have mixed feelings about PCP ending....

Day 73

Headed out to the airport to visit a friend from Houston who had a layover on the way to Korea.  We went for lunch and there didn't seem to be any healthy options. I finally settled on a chicken sandwich with no dressing but then when it came out it was breaded and fried! Bummer!  So I skipped the bun and picked as much of the breading off as I could and ate the chicken.  Not exactly PCP friendly but made the best of it. 

Depending on who you ask or which study you read it takes 4-6 weeks to break a bad habit.  I think it  takes longer, but maybe that's just me.  I'm not sure how long it takes to develop a good habit but for me it must be around two months since that is about the time I stopped counting down the days til PCP was over and I could have....(fill in the blank with something non PCP friendly)  I no longer count down the days or look forward to those things anymore with the exception of alcohol and even that will now be done in much more moderation. I am so bus right now that I haven't noticed it much but in the small free time I do have I notice that I am having to plan things differently.  Usually everything is planned around dinners, lunches, drinks, and now I am having to find different things to do which is nice.  I have seen friends I usually only see out drinking for walks and coffee and shopping and other things which in someways has strengthened some of my friendships :-) Yeah! Another bonus of PCP.

Have a great week everyone!

Saturday day 72 Eating out in Tokyo

I have been meaning to get on and blog all week but as usual just to much to get done when I get home if I want to have any chance at getting all the recommend sleep.  So excited to see the wedding photos of Geenie and Wei after the big wedding today.  I am among those in our group who was really tired this week and consuming extra coffee to make it through the day.  I tried to give coffee up on Friday but only made it til 4:30pm when the office Starbucks run happened. 

Also wanted to tell those in Tokyo that there are enough of us and present that some of the foreign restaurant hang outs are now familiar with PCP friendly food.  Andy and Andy's (Hibya station) will make you salt free grilled veggies and some amazing fish.  I also live down the street from Suji's so I go there a lot and they will also make you salt and oil free veggies and fish (chicken too) for lunch and dinner. At brunch you can ask for egg whites with roasted veggies wrapped in a tortilla or on whole wheat toast as well. I have also actually spoken to her about creating one or two PCP meals so stay tuned for that. If you are in the middle where portions of the protein are low they will pack the rest up to go so you aren't even tempted to "clean your plate". Stefano of Stefano's (Kagurazaka) will also do fresh veggies and fish or meat (also prob some of the best food in Tokyo so if you haven't been there check it out). It's a small place and upscale dining so make a reservation and leave the kids at home.  Stefano plans the food himself so you can tell him your "no salt no oil" or "same diet as Lori" and he will fix you up.  Good place if you have client dinners or lunches and don't want the client to feel awkward about eating what they want while you "skimp".  If I have a date with someone who I don't want to explain the whole PCP thing to I go there and call ahead to tell him my exact grams and such so I don't look like a gram obsessed freak when it's time to order at the table (same with clients).

Patrick and I had a hat this morning about how PCP seems to be developing a cult like following.  I met Connie in the group behind us at a birthday party at Andy's.  I recognized her from the photo on the blog.  She actually had her scale at the table! So funny! But almost everyone at our table of 20 people knew about PCP, was doing PCP or knew someone who had or was.  The foreign community here is pretty small so we usually run in the same crowds, go to the same bars, belong to the same clubs ect....  I told Patrick I didn't necessarily think it was a bad thing and to be honest because everyone usually gets such good results and the word is spreading it actually makes it easier because people in the community are much more supportive.  I was talking to another guy living here in Tokyo that I have seen around many time but never really spoken to but when he heard us talking about PCP he came over and joined the conversation. Turns out a female friend of his had done PCP last year and gotten great results.  Then a friend on facebook now living in Taiwan said his friend in Tokyo had just finished PCP so YEAH Patrick!!  Word is spreading, in a good way!  Even those who hadn't done it but had friends who had were saying it was tough but singing the praises!  :-)

Also

I'd like to say happy birthday to my biggest PCP cheerleader and supporter who isn't even part of PCP.  It's one of  my best girlfriend's birthday today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICTORIA!  There is no way I would have gotten this far without her.  On the days I can't get on to the blog she is still there with her daily check ins and making sure I'm doing what I am supposed to.  When I am tired she sends me positive reminders of why I am doing this and when that doesn't work she threatens to tell Patrick what that I'm being bad.  Nagging, supporting and cheering the whole way!  Thanks V!  You're the best!!!

Xxx
L

Day 63

Logged on to help Tony look at a blogging issue he was having and then stayed on to see how the new PCPers were doing.  Came across one of their pages singing the praises of the blog and supporting each other and felt guilty that I wasn't doing my part so here I am :-)  Half the time this thing doesn't work and I get so frustrated that I want to toss my laptop out the window.  Things are going well except the 12 - 13 hour days at work. I am still getting my workouts in but that puts me skimping on sleep a little which I know is a big NO NO.  Was looking forward to doing cardio outside tonight since the new place is so small inside but it's raining AGAIN so looks like it's a kick boxing cardio video instead. Wish me luck, the last time it rained I tried a Tae bo one I had downloaded and when I was about to drop on the floor Billy Blanks say"now that we are warmed up let's get started" F%#k!!! I'll be having to come back to that one but challenge Billy!!!!  I haven't been hungry many times during PCP but the last few days I seem to be a little hungry in the evenings. I was concerned maybe I wasn't eating enough veggies on the EAYW so I am back to weighing them just to be sure.

Any one besides me worried about PCP ending to soon for them? Like in th email I sent around to our group the other day, I feel like I'm getting released from rehab to early! 

day 60

Photos loading as I type this. Hopefully it works this time. Not sure what order they will be in. Since I moved a couple of weeks ago and have been out of the country I haven't sorted the internet out yet and I am "borrowing" wireless from a neighbor so it is REALLY SLOW.  Patrick takes the photos when we go on Saturday. They aren't really at the most flattering angle so I am not sure they actually show all the progress but hoopefully you get the idea and I won't be in trouble for not having photos up anymore :-)

Ok 1/2 of the photos didn't post but the oldest one and most recent one did so that will have to do for now. I will work on getting the in between ones up soon.  Looks like they may need to be resized.

OMG

Nice to be home where I can get back on track.  Advice to the new guys starting out....don't take days off!!!  Just skipping a few days here and there in the last 2 weeks is almost lilke starting over!!  Not really but still really rough now that we are into so many sets reps.

While in Singapore I had a chance to weigh on the same scale I weighed on when I was there in March in April after earthquake.  Since I left there on April 3rd I have lost about 17 pounds.  I rarely get on the scale when I am in Tokyo except when out at Patrick's on Saturday so I don't go much by the weight.  I put on a suit today that I almost gave away a few months ago and it was actually a little loose in the waist and the jacket buttoned across the chest (something it barely did before even when the pants did fit :-) Yeah!  Also saw some friends in Singapore who didn't know I was doing PCP and while it was obvious that I had lost weight many said that they could see the tone in my arms and legs which was nice. 

I promised I would get photos up so that is my project for this weekend along with unpacking from moving house a couple of weeks ago.  It wasn't easy to just not give up on PCP the past couple of weeks but I'm glad I am sticking it out even if I am a little behind.

I had been looking for an olive oil mister to cut back on oil when coating the pan for eggs and such and finally a friend gave me a little travel sized purse spray bottle that is probably meant for water or hairspray. Doesn't work perfect but it does the trick so if you can't find a mister try a spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle (kind of like Windex has for stream or mist options).

Day 55

At narita airport waiting for the bus. Finally back after missing my flight yesterday. Took a couple of photos in Singapore so hopefully I can get some of them up soon. The last 2 week have been ok diet wise except that I'm actually having trouble eating all the food just because of timing. Little bit harder when you are away from home. Workouts have been another story. I only missed one day of cardio in the 7 days I was away but I struggled to get my workouts in. My energy level has been extremely low. I'm not sure if it's emotional or physical since I'm struggling with some personal decisions that need to be made right now. Plan is to snap out of it today now that I'm back and focus on the part that I know makes me feel better (PCP)

Many days behind on posting

So I won't bore you with the usual how busy things are at work stuff. Things are busy, I'm working crazy hours, I'm tired but I'm still PCP ok diet wise. Exercises are getting done at the end of the day which means less energy but getting done none the less. I'm having the most productive month ever at work so although PCP hasn't had 100% of my attention I have to say in this case it was a bit of a trade off. I'm only finally being able to catch up on my posting because I'm sitting in a lobby waiting on next meeting to show up. I've had 6 meetings today including a client meeting and to be honest I'm tired of talking, listening and writing!! I'm hoping for a sudden burst of energy at 8:30pm when I finally head home to exercise and pack for my trip to Singapore tomorrow. I'm looking forward to being away for a few days so that I can focus on my workouts and give work a little of a break.

Day 42

Wasn't planning on catching up on my posting until tomorrow morning but I had a little bit of an emergency. I NEVER cheat on my diet but tonight when I got home I was starving....it started with a hand full of goldfish crackers, then 1 piece of salami, then 2 pieces of bread and 10 dorito chips :-( I feel terrible. I'm not sure what happened other than waiting to long to eat and being starving when I walked through the door. Anyone else had a crash and burn episode like this yet?

Day 40

I can't believe it's already been 40 days. Every thing is so busy that in some ways it feels like we just started 2 weeks ago. I still hate the jumprope but with all the rain lately I'm having to use it because I can't walk or run the stairs outside. I haven't really been using a scale except once a week when we go to Patrick's. The weight has been coming off at an average of about 1 kilo a week but I'm mostly going by how my clothes fit. My pants all fit much better or are loose (they were tight or didn't fit before) an the buttons on my shirt don't pull across the chest anymore and I can see my abs! Yeah!

Hayfever mixed with the rain has my sinuses in bad shape which really drains your energry and gives you bad headaches. I can't imagine how much worse they would be if I wasn't eating "clean".

On Saturday night Tony and I were out with a friend visiting from Singapore and met a guy that had just finished 2 rounds with Patrick and lost 63 pounds. Amazing! Great job Brian. My coworker has decided to do it to so the PCP is spreading through Tokyo.

Anyone had their cravings pop up out of the blue? Mine usually don't but this week I have been craving something sweet which is kind of strange since I don't really like sweets. I HB been dying for a chai latte (full of sugar) or a chocolate and coconut cookie from the place near work.

Day 36

Ok, since someone dropped out of PCP I started getting mails asking if I was ok. I am great! PCP is still going strong. I guess I hadn't worried about hitting the 10 day no contact mark because I workout with Patrick every Saturday but I realize that doesn't let anyone else in the group know what is going on. I'm the busiest I've ever been at work which is great but it doesn't leave much time for anything else. As a matter of fact I only have time to type this
Because I'm typing from my iPhone in the taxi on the way to a meeting:-/ I also usually only sleep about 4-5 hours a night so now that I'm trying to get in 7-8 hours my days are much shorter:-)

The workouts are getting harder which for me means they are harder to do at the end of a long day but I have yet to be able to switch into the cycle of getting them done in the morning. The diet part has been pretty easy from day one which I am still amazed by. I think being so busy also doesn't leave much time to think about what I'm missing and I have always loved to grocery shop so going every day for fresh food doesn't bother me at all. The first time I have actually been hungry was this week. By 4pm my stomach is growling. I tried rearranging the spacing of meals and I was still starving so I've started eating dinner around 5 or 6pm which is pretty early for me and then the veggies at night after my cardio and that seems to be working.

The chest dips STD hard bc I'm having trouble finding 2 things to do them between. I've ended up having to do them separate from my workout between 2 desks at the office. I get some pretty strange looks but I'm very lucky in that all the guys at the office have been really really supportive..

Will get my backlog of photos up over the weekend. Promise!!! Thank for the reminder Patrick!!!

Day 28

Very behind on posts and blogging but only because I'm so busy at work right now and every spare moment is being spent cooking, grocery shopping and working out. So don't worry it isn't because I have fallen off the PCP wagon. PCP diet is going extremely well, workouts too even though I am having to squeeze them in where I can. Cardio is a little behind because it's been raining the last few days but still getting some in here and there and being forced to use the jump rope since I have a covered area outside I can use when it rains.

I'll catch up the rest of the blog soon.

Day 22

Just finished dinner.  I was pretty sad that there weren't any carbs on my dinner menu.  I know we aren't supposed to have any packaged food but I was in a hurry on the way home from work so when I stopped at the shop to pick up fresh veggies I also picked up some smoked salmon.  Right about the time I put the last bite in my mouth someone walked past the table and told me that smoked salmon has tons of salt and SUGAR in it.  Uggghhhh!  I'm so upset.  I cheated with out even knowing it!!!!!! Guess that's what I get for breaking the no packaged rule.

Looking forward to getting tonight's workout over (except the jump rope) and getting into bed early.

Day 21

I just opened up the email for the exercise for day 21.  Knowing how much I hate the jump rope I am sure you can imagine the look on my face when I saw my only exercise for today was 1000 jump ropes :-(  Glad I didn't see it this morning, it would have ruined my day.  Off to do them but not happy about it!!!!  I know they keep saying I will like the jump rope more, still waiting for that day.

Day 19 and 20

It's Golden Week here in Tokyo which equals a few days off mid week. I am using the time to clean out some boxes and get rid of stuff and catch up on some R&R. It has been nice to get my workouts in during the day instead of at the end of the long day.  I've also been spending the extra time walking every where instead of taking the train or taxi. Tuesday I walked from Hiro-o to Azabu-Juban and all around Midtown and Roppongi Hills and yesterday I walked from Hiro-o to Omote Sando and back (doesn't sound far but my knees were killing me at the end).  Diet part has been easy to stick to but I still hate the jump rope. 

Last night was only the second time I have been out to eat since our strict diet started.  We went to a friend's restaurant so I could make sure there was no salt and the grams were right.  I was trying to do my full 90 days with no drinking but I had 2 glasses of wine last night. After dinner we went to our favorite bar where I had 6 bottles of water but this morning I still woke up with a really bad headache.  Not sure if that is related to the small amount of wine or not but it was enough to convince me that special occasion or not even a glass of wine is out for now.  I haven't missed waking up feeling like that at all.

Day 18

It's 11pm and I am just now sitting down from work.  I'm tired and I am glad the next 3 days are a holiday here in Japan.  I haven't have any cravings since PCP started until today (and maybe the lasagna at the party the other night that looked pretty good).  I was cleaning out my desk and found a snickers bar that I bought to eat the day before our 1/2 rule was over but then I got busy at work and forgot about it.  I put it back in my desk drawer for about 5 minutes before deciding that it probably wasn't safe there and fed it to my work husband.  He finished it in 2 bites and looked quite happy so I was thinking it was win win.  But as the day went on I kept thinking about it and wanting to eat one which is kind of strange because I am not a big candy or sweets person at all.  I made it through the day and then got home to a house full of people eating pizza and drinking wine.  Once again, I am usually able to see people eating and drinking things and not want any but I was hungry and tried and cranky and that pizza and wine looked so good! :-( BUT I was strong and went into the kitchen and put a weighed out carrot into my mouth and chomped on it while I weighed out my chicken and 1/2 bagel.  Another disaster avoided, now if I can just get my workout in before midnight today will have been a success.