Final post

It's day 91 and there are peppermint patty and pb cup wrappers strewn all over my apt.  ....PSYCH! In all fairness, with me that's totally possible. :P Heck, on the day I met Brett (team running rats, who told me about the pcp), I offered him pork rinds and pringles at 9AM. When he said no, I just figured PRP wasn't everybody's idea of breakfast. Little did I know. I'm sure he was probably disgusted.

So post pcp life begins. The funny thing is that you would've thought someone like me would go out boozing and eating fried foods and tons of chocolate after the final workout. Instead I went to bikram, hit the grocery store (zucchini, yogurt, seltzer water, pears, oranges, grapes, apples, lemon, avocados),  went home and took pics. Damnit camera batteries died before I could take a pic of me in fat pants or jeans.

On post-pcp day1, I went to see the doctor to make sure my earache wasn't more serious (just a sinus infection but ear hurt like a mofo), came home steamed some zucchini and ate some toast with yogurt. Feels weird not to squint at the scale but also extremely liberating. I also prepped some broccoli for roasting. Might as well take advantage of being home sick.  This is not to say that I won't be eating fun again but right now that's not what my body needs. LKR. I've got pizza plans on Friday and a friend's birthday on Saturday.


Things I learned:
1) I like eating and "cooking" well. I always liked veggies but who knew I could enjoy any protein that I prepared. I'm still amazed by how little time it takes to prepare your own food and how much you can enjoy it. No more frozen dinners, even the healthy ones are processed and filled with crap. In fact, I'm saying sayonara to most processed stuff except for a couple indulgences from time to time. :P

2) If  I don't eat crap, I'm don't feel tired during the day. I used to eat to stay awake at my desk. It was typically junk food. The sugar would be a temporary fix before I crashed again. Same was true for game days. Even on days that I clocked fewer than five hours of sleep, I didn't feel sleepy cause my body wasn't wasting energy processing bad stuff. I love the farmer's market. I had no idea farm fresh eggs, fresh produce, nice baked bread could make me sooooooo happy.

3) Who knew alcohol doesn't have to be coping strategy No. 1 to deal with stress and problems? I really thought I'd miss cider and wine more but it was shockingly easy to be sober.

4) I love being given a name and trying to live up to it. First, it was Sam's name for me - hot and strong and then being a BADASS.

5) I love being part of a REAL team. I can be super hokey so please indulge me since I just finished a life-changing experience. I've played mostly teams sports all my life and it's been a LONG time since I've been on a time with true support where one person's success didn't diminish someone else's.

None of this would've been possible without team Badass. I've tried diets and exercise regimens before and most have failed. Either because my partner wasn't similarly motivated or I was doing it alone. I needed Haley, Louise, Sarah, Ilan and Will every step of the way for cheerleading, sympathy, arse-kicking, forgiveness, cajoling and inspiration. I heart you guys and to the other PCP alums, particularly Team Sexaaaaay, I would've never reached 90 days without y'all.


Speaking of inspiration, here are my motivational phrases for working out/sticking to the diet in no particular order

1) WWSD - what would sarah do
2) There I said it, now I have to do it
3) The world will not run out of ice cream and chocolate in 90 days.
4) Gotta treat the body w/LKR (love kindness respect)

Stats
Others like to track inches lost, body fat reduction, dress sizes, etc. Me? I take stock a little differently. Disclaimer: this list doesn't include the numerous jump rope lashings, resistance band snaps into my chest/back, weird muscle tweaks or trips off the reservation.


PPCP days - nailing every rep/gram
3



Ridiculous pcp inflicted "injuries":

1) Eating dookie powder 
2) lactose intolerance night spent bonding with the porcelain goddess
3) mixing up cayenne powder with cinnamon in my greek yogurt. blech.
4) Burned fingers on burner after transferring hardboiled eggs. I dunno what possessed me to touch the burner w/my bare hand to see if it was still warm. I had just removed the pot. Of course, it's hot! 

Avoid injuries or potentially humiliating behavior by getting your eight hours of sleep y'all!

Recent stranger compliments - prolly forgetting a few

"You have more definition in your arms than I do" - pretty fit guy working at the gym
"You go on girl" - old dude whizzing by on bike when I was waiting at crosswalk.


Ok, here's a "real" stat. Day 1 -145 pounds Day 90 - 131.5

Confession time (again): I reported my starting weight to Patrick as 143 (64.7kg) but really it was 145 (65.6kg). It was only a few pounds more but I was mortified that I let it get up that high especially since I had been holding steady at 143 for a decade. Even though he wasn't judging (at least I hope not), I was embarrassed by that number. BTW, for the first time since I was 16, I no longer live a lie. The weight on my drivers license (130) hasn't been updated in years. Feels good to be honest now. My low was 129.5 on day and I've been holding steady at the 131-133 range the last few weeks. But the pics tell it all. Ta-dah!

d90-post workout

done. d-d-d-one, d-d-d-done, done, done. la-la-la-la.

Did the workout during lunch. It didn't take much time and I'm stronger but there are still things that wind me. Per Patrick's instructions, I kept the diet until I finished the last workout. Now, I'm munching cookies (two) that a friend made as a belated birthday present. She left them at my desk this morning. No better way to celebrate! And it was a treat that's homemade, even if I didn't make it. :P It's weird to not have restrictions. I was admiring my breakfast and lunch and thinking how much I loved the food I got to know on the pcp. But I was really stoked to do the last dishes associated with the pcp. No more have-tos for awhile! Oh, except for final post and pics. well, ok, almost done.

p.s. a friend emailed me out of the blue and asked if i wanted to do p90x. HA! i told her to check out my pcp blog and pics.

d90 - HELLZ YEEAAAAAAAAAAH

ALL. FUCKING. DONE. You read right. I did the entire gruesome workout. Patrick wanted to make the last one a doozy. And that he did. Floor jumps on a pulsating left quad and all. I didn't think I was gonna get through it during the first triple exercise superset. Brain going "uh-oh, you're too tired. You're coughing up bloody phelgm. You can slack off." (Sorry if that was TMI.)

It's been said before but we probably put up way more psychological road blocks than actual physical ones exist. Had to tell the feeble brain to shut it. The best part came when I was getting my ID and the dude at the gym asked "Why do you need the assisted pull-up machine? You have more definition in your arms than I do." He might've been flirting with me but it's still nice to get that recognition. Endorphins + feeling strong = addiction I want forever. Will post pics of day 90 tomorrow. GOOOOOOOOOO Team BADASS!!!!!

d89 - nearly there but not quite

Don't rush us pcp web site! Team Badass still has 1.5 days left.  I got a congratulatory email from a friend who saw the site. She asked what I had learned and if any of it will stick. I'm not ready to answer that yet. I'm too busy having a pity party this morning. Everything hurts. My back, my arms, my leg, my throat. I feel like doo-doo. Throat swollen and coughing up nastiness. I suspect this was from being in the rain yesterday morning at the tournament w/o being properly attired. Team Badass, I'm not sure how I'm gonna make it through today's workout. It looks ridonkulous and my body appears to be on shutdown mode. I barely dragged self into work and I have no appetite. Obviously, I didn't jump rope this morning.  I don't want to finish the pcp with a whimper but whimpering is just about all I can manage right now. Did I mention that my left quad muscle involuntarily pulsates? It's really strange. I suspect it's cause that's the leg I favor when I land from hitting the ball. The weather in DC don't help either. It is grey, muggy and generally disgusting today. Oh how I heart this city.

d88 - WIPED. OUT.

Short post since eyes are closing quickly. Proud to say I did today's workout after the tournament. Did every fucking plank, v-sit AND 8min abs. Who's BADASS now?

I did skip jump rope since I had been jumping all damn day long on the court. That should suffice right Patrick? My partner and I made playoffs. We are a notoriously slow starting pair and every game (7 total) began with us in an 0-4, 0-5 or 0-6 hole to climb out of. We played old school rules where you have to serve to earn a point and we were not at all efficient about that. I did lots of sprints today chasing down balls as ball control was a bit lacking. All this to say that I am fucking tired. Back and legs are begging for mercy. Have earned my sleep fo sheeeze and gonna get on that now.

d87/88 - tired but heckuva day

Nothing like a monster victory by UCLA to inspire me to work my ass off during today's workout. Gawd, I loved that the Bruins put the hurt on No. 7 Texas. SWEETNESS. Legs, shoulders and abs put the hurt on me though. btw, having football on while jumping rope is perfect for the Mu Shin.

Did I mention I'm playing the last vball tournament of  the season tomorrow (today)? Thought about skipping the legs part to save self but then realized this is the last official pcp-leg workout so I sucked it up. I probably screwed myself for tomorrow but oh well. Gotta finish strong! I'll be curious to see how I manage the workout tomorrow after balling all day. I imagine there might be a lot of bawling moments in tomorrow's post.

d86 - thank goodness

This is a quick post to express my gratitude for the pcp. Today was a crapola work day. Luckily this did not carry over to the workout. Hooray for supersets? I know, sounds insane but a really intense, burning workout was what I needed. It made me feel BADASS and in control when other elements of my life are SUCKASS.