before

Welcome back, Darklings! Are you ready to come along with me on my journey to get fit and ripped the goth way?? N0?! To hell with you then..

In the last post I discussed goths and a little about the goth style and mindset. I also talked about myself and the goals I have regarding health and fitness.

Now, I'd like to show you some "before" pictures and mention some stats to give you an idea of what I'm working with here. OK, like is a strong word. I'd rather not show anyone these photos, but I believe in accountability and when I take another group of photos in 30 days I want you ALL to see results. In other words, I want to prove not just to you that I can do this, but to myself, too.
Weight: 120 lbs
Height: 5'7 and change

Measurements:

Chest - 33"
Arms - Bicep: R 9.75" / L 9.75"
Forearm: R 8.75" / L 8.5"
Waist - 27"
Hips - 34.75"
Legs - Thighs: R 20" / L 19.5"
Calves: R 13.5" / L 13.25"

I wish I could post my fat percentage, because that is really what I'd like to lose. If I get a body fat caliper, I'll make sure to add those numbers, too. My shape is basically flat on top, a little soft and pudgy in the middle, getting saggy in the butt, and strong but undefined legs. In summary, I need shape, poise, flexibility, and strength.

I hope I didn't get too scary you with those photos. Staring isn't nice! It was tough for a vain Leo like me to put that out there. And yes, I am that pale. Dig it.

Now I'll lay out the exercise schedule and diet plan for the first phase. My boyfriend and I are following the LEAN program which is a higher cardio, less maximum weight program. The emphasis is on lean muscles rather than bulky. The first phase of the diet, called "fat shredder", basically focuses on low carb, high protein foods.

Phase I
Week 1- 3
Core Synergistics
Cardio X
Arms and Shoulders, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X
Rest or X Stretch

Week 4
Yoga X
Core Synergistics
Kenpo X
X Stretch
Cardio X
Yoga X
Rest or X Stretch

Per Day
5 servings of protein
2 servings of dairy
1 serving of fruit
2 servings of veggies
1 serving of fat
1 serving of carbs
3 snacks
1 condiment
8 glasses of water

My boyfriend and I did a test week, sort of a walkthrough, if you will, to make sure we had the proper food for the diet portion and to get our bodies ready for the rigorous exercise we'd be doing for the next 90 days. The results of the first week were quite eye-opening. We both found that we were never hungry throughout the whole week. Matter of fact it was difficult to eat the amount of food required. For me, I had to do some modifications for the proteins since I don't eat beef or poultry. We bring snacks and lunches to work with us and I feel like I'm eating constantly. My boyfriend found he had a lot less indigestion and I felt better in general keeping to eating every couple of hours. The biggest changes for me were eating a big breakfast and eating a much better lunch than what I would usually get at work. Also, I drank a lot more water, especially during workouts. I eat quite a bit of tuna, salads, veggies, black beans, boca burgers, fruit, whole wheat spaghetti...and we try to have one "free" meal a week. The first week, we had pizza and cake at work. But when you're working out that isn't as huge a deal if you keep it sensible.

And so to the exercise videos...They are hard. I'm not going to lie. Some of them I can barely get into the position required to do the exercise! That mostly applies to Yoga X and Core Synergistics. I have incredibly weak abs as well, so the Ab Ripper is virtually impossible. But I do my best. That's all Tony Horton asks. The workouts last from 45 minutes to 90 minutes depending on which day it is, so it's a commitment. But my boyfriend and I diligently came home and got into the groove of working out each day. I ended up looking forward to it after a long day of sitting around crunching numbers at work. Tony's commentary is rather cheesy though and soon we'll be muting him and turning up some cardio jams. When the weekend rolled about I found I had a bunch of energy to get things done, rather then my usual weekend lethargy. What a bonus!

We're both looking forward to the next weeks, even though we'll be working our butts off and cursing Tony Horton for his torturous pursuits. But wait, goths like torture, right? I guess I'm not that kind of goth.

Next post will be the results of the official Week 1.

I'm also implementing a photo at the end of each post for inspiration. Hopefully it will be goth-esque, but if anything it will nurture our need to be motivated.

Stay dark!

intro

Welcome to my world. My goth world. OK, so maybe more of my pseudo-goth world. But I say goth is a state of mind, not necessarily an all encompassing lifestyle. I'm sure there are those that disagree, but whatever. It's a free country.

I know the first thing you might think of when you hear goth is not fitness or even health for that matter, but bear with me on this. Typically, goth may conjure up images of sickly, malnourished, drugged up individuals. And rightly so. All that prolonged angst and constant attention to the morbid can only make you weak, physically of course. And while the sunken eyes, translucent skin, and skeletal frame can be seen as beautiful and important to the gothic style, I'm hoping to change a small aspect of that image. Why be so fragile and delicate? Why not be strong, agile and fierce?

Gothic subculture defines itself by its dark and dreary moods, black hair and dress, and its slight women and frail men. But it is also a rebellious movement at heart...so wouldn't going against its own terms be exactly what it desires? True goth in a sense. My point is why not redefine goth as something more powerful and mighty?

There are already instances of this power in the goth scene. Think Kate Beckinsale in Underworld or Brandon Lee in The Crow. Both are in shape and kick major ass, regardless of their fantastical powers. Lean and sculpted is sexy. Strong is sexy. So why not let the goths' tap into that?

Personally, I've tried many times to get into the kind of shape that I know my body has the potential to be in. Long ago in high school, I was athletic. I was on the varsity track team and in pretty good shape. I ate horribly, but that was when I could and not worry about it. Now, not so much. I would go through phases of getting in shape with exercise and diet and then fall out of it a couple months down the road when it stopped being convenient. Until about three years ago, I played with becoming a vegetarian, or moreso, pescatarian (veggies and fish). It was a combination of factors that led to that decision. I knew I wanted a big change, since I was gaining weight, and I started to research the meat industry. It wasn't pretty or something I was comfortable being a part of so....I became a pescatarian, figuring I could handle mostly vegetables and fish or shellfish every once in a while. I did it for a year and successfully. I lost weight, even without exercising, though I would throw in a workout or two sometimes, and I felt better. Then the meat dreams started. I would have these dreams that I accidentally ate meat and it gave me incredible anxiety. I finally caved and slowly started eating poultry and red meat again. More time and weight added up again as well as the end of a long term relationship. I began doing more and more research into vegetarianism, knowing it was something I felt very strongly about the more I delved into it. Finally, last May I started the way of the pescatarian a second time and have been going along well with it since. No meat dreams and hopefully I'll be able to go full throttle vegetarian someday soon. So with that under control, I wanted to see what I could do to change my body.

My goals are simple. Eating right. Eating fresh and as organically as possible. The proper amounts and types of foods to help burn calories and increase my metabolism naturally. I'm not looking to weigh less now, but to gain lean, sculpted muscle. (See photos above.) I want my body to work for me - internally and externally. Emphasis again on the lean. And most of all I want to feel good and have lots of energy to accomplish all these things that I want to do in life!

How will I do this, you ask? P90X. You've probably seen the infomercials before. It's a fitness program created by Tony Horton, of P90 and 10 Minute Trainer, that uses muscle confusion to sculpt you into a lean and muscled machine. Muscle confusion is just a fancy term for using a variety of exercise techniques 6 days a week to build a solid body. My boyfriend and I are doing the LEAN version, meaning we don't use as much weight and do more reps to get longer muscles rather than bulky ones. Tony gives you a wide array of videos to do each day - cardio, core, yoga, kenpo, and good old weight training. He also gives you a meal plan to help you with each section of the 90 day workout. My boyfriend and I began a trial run last week. I'll post the results in a day or so.

This blog is more of a journal for myself during this whole experience. My trials and tribulations and of course, my progress. I also plan to review the P90X program as I go and if it goes well try the other programs in the Beachbody family.

The Goth girl in me might be a little resistant. But change is always a bit scary. Exciting, but scary. Next post, before pics! Talk about scary! Yikes!