days 7-9: moving on!

I completed Days 7, 8, and 9 without a hitch. Today, Day 9, was the best I've felt this whole time. I had a lot of energy during the cardio dance and was really able to get into it. I felt strong and healthy. And it was amazing.

I've been wearing my heart rate monitor during these workouts and I average about 415 calories burned each time. I love adding those burned calories into my MyFitnessPal app and seeing that I have earned the privilege of eating 415 more calories that day. ;)

I am very excited (I use that term loosely) to be moving on to Level 2 tomorrow. Here's hoping she kills my accessory muscles!

P.S. My husband commented a few days ago that I was "looking skinny." Then, yesterday, he noticed that my butt looked "smaller." Thank you, Tracy Anderson! Thank you!

Oh! I almost forgot. I get to take my measurements tomorrow since it will be Day 10 of the program (not calendar days, y'all, just the 10th time I've actually got my butt in gear). I'm hoping to see some changes!! I have lost 3 pounds and have kept them off even with splurging on the weekends in regards to my diet. I am definitely headed in the right direction and even if the changes in inches are monumental tomorrow, I FEEL so much better! I feel lighter on my feet and not nearly as bloated and puffy as before. That's worth all the work!

day 7: the day that wasn't.

Oops.

I didn't work out today. This is the first day I've missed as per TAM schedule. I feel like a lazy slob. At least I stuck to my calorie allowance. I've been using MyFitnessPal for the last two days and I've been able to stick to it. I'm a budget-kind-of-gal and I like keeping my numbers in the black (green). It makes me feel good about myself at the end of the day.

Back to this not working out thing...

Today was the second-to-last Mother's Day Out for my daughter. Her last day will be Thursday. No part of me wanted to drop her off and then come back HOME to workout. No! I wanted to get dressed for the first time in a week and actually go out and DO SOMETHING. I needed some "me" time that did not involve sweat and pain. So, I went shopping. During my shopping spree, I got really hungry. REALLY HUNGRY. I Googled and MyFitnessPal'd several fast food options. I really wanted Chick Fil A. But once I saw the calorie counts for some of my favorite foods, I reasoned that it would be best (difficult, but best), to just drive the 30 minutes home and eat something healthy out of my own fridge. So, I fought the little devil on my shoulder and did so. I went home and ate some cheese and organic chili. I kept the lunch around 300 calories. And I felt fulfilled. So...yay me!

I may have not worked out, but I did eat according to plan. That means something, right?!

I HAVE to get my butt in gear tomorrow. I don't really have an excuse. Must do it. Must.

Oh, in case you're wondering, since I skipped Day 7, I don't get to cross off Day 8 tomorrow. Nope, I'm back to Day 7. So, I still have to do 4 more days on Level 1 before I move to 2. Uggggggggggh!

days 3-6: not much to report.

Just because I didn't blog, doesn't mean I didn't work out :)

Days 3-6 came and went and I did my workouts as prescribed. There isn't too much to say about days 3-6. I am getting better at the cardio workouts. Instead of going strong for only 10 minutes, I can do about 18 minutes now. Then, my calf muscles start to lock up and the last 12 minutes are torture.

I'm having a really hard time sticking to the eating plan. The diet is just SO restrictive and I find myself feeling shaky, irritable, nauseated, etc. I then have to eat something in order to function. As a result, I still haven't lost any weight. I am eager to do my measurements on Day 10, though, to see if there's been any change there. I need to see results soon or else I know myself...and I'll quit. And I don't wanna.

I started using MyFitnessPal today as per recommendation from one of my friends, T.C. You know who you are ;) I'm hoping tracking those calories will help. I just don't know what to do about that dizzy, shaky feeling. Surely that's not healthy!!

Ok, on to Day 7. Blah. I am getting bored of the strength training workout. I am so ready to switch things up! I have to stick it out for 4 more workout sessions and then she changes the strength workout. Thank goodness !

That's all for now!

day two: like night and day!

Rejoice!

Today was a million, trillion times better than yesterday! I think waking up late just set the whole tone for my no-good, rotten day yesterday.

Today, however, was fantastic!

First off, I woke up at a normal, decent time and weighed myself. (The TAM wants you to weigh yourself every day. I think this is crazy, but whatever. I'll do it). And guess what? I already lost a pound! How is that possible!? To lose a whole pound in one day? I don't care - I'll take it!

That was enough motivation to keep me going. I ate my applesauce concoction for breakfast, along with my blessed cup of coffee. Things weren't rushed this morning and that made a huge difference. I realized I enjoy my applesauce a bit warmed up. Yesterday, I had to eat it straight out of the fridge and it was YUCKY.

After breakfast, I played with the little one until it was time for her nap. As soon as she fell asleep, I popped in the DVDs. Oh, and before doing so, I guzzled a very large cup of water. I did NOT want to get another dehydration headache.

The workout was SO MUCH BETTER this time. I did the cardio in my kitchen because there's a lot more room to move around and that helped. I went strong for about 10 minutes and then had to stop and take little breaks for the remaining 20 minutes. But, I did it. No headache this time and it felt good. My body felt a lot lighter and "springier." Thank goodness! I checked on the kiddo after the cardio (she was awake!!! agggh!!) and then went right into the Strength Training DVD. I let the little one stay in her crib. She was happy and cooing and playing, so whatever ;)

I did the other DVD and although it was hard, it was nothing like yesterday. In fact, yesterday was so bad that I don't even remember some of the exercises that I did today. That shows you where my head was yesterday: Not in the game! I am a little sore from yesterday, so some of the movements today were a bit tough. I definitely can't hang with Tracy yet, but I am doing them at my own pace and that's what she advises to do, anyway. As long as I get them done, right?

After the workout, I was a little shaky, so I grabbed more water and some cheese and carrots. I've deiced I just can't eat some of the purees, so I'm replacing them with nutrient-dense, healthy substitutes.

I did eat the veggie soup last night and although I would never crave it, it was edible and not *too* bad. I also ate the chocolate pudding and if you can believe this - didn't finish it! It was almost too sweet. Gasp. I know.

So, day two is done and I'm feeling MUCH better today than yesterday. Only 88 more days to go...

day one: ugh.

I started the TAM today, including the diet plan. I hate the word "epic", but I have to use it when I describe today as an epic failure.

Here's why:

1. I had an appointment this morning. I woke up late. So, the day started off on a bad note, anyway. I was rushing around and couldn't really enjoy my breakfast and most importantly, the coffee didn't get made. I thought I'd be okay...

2. Got home from said appointment and put the baby down for a nap and started my workouts. Baby picked today of all days to not fall asleep instantly. Of course. So, I had to stop the workouts and tend to her. This went on for about 30 minutes.

3. Did I mention that the berry applesauce I had for breakfast, which I thought was going to be delicious, was actually quite opposite?

4. During the cardio part of the workout, I got a terrible headache. Like, can't see straight kind of headache. I took my ponytail down and that helped a little, but as the workout went on, the headache got worse and worse. I had to stop (again) for some water. After that, it was just brutal. I wanted to quit so bad, but I pressed on and finished. I have been nursing said headache since then. I'm pretty sure it was a dehydration/no-caffeine headache. HORRIBLE.

5. I felt so heavy and slow during the workouts. You know that feeling? When you feet just can't move your body off the ground and everything feels labored? That was today. It was miserable.

6. I stuck to the pureed food diet until...1pm when I caved and ate a bowl of grapes and a bowl of carrots. This puree stuff was disgusting. I tried so, so hard to like this food. And perhaps I'll try it again tomorrow. But...OMG. It was gross. The applesauce was edible, FORGET the Corn and Sweet Potatoes baby food. I literally gagged three times before tossing it. The gazpacho just tasted like cucumbers in salsa (I didn't finish it), and the carrot/parsnip puree was...like eating baby food...totall gag-worthy. I still have yet to eat the veggie soup and chocolate pudding. I will "indulge" in those while I watch The Bachelorette. Oh, and after my day today, I didn't' even TRY to Power Juice. I'm not sure my gag reflex could handle it.

So, that was my first day on the TAM. Not a good one, that's for sure. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. It has to be!

I wrote down my stats (weight, measurements, etc.), but I don't really feel like sharing them just yet. They're sort of embarrassing. :/

Ok, I'm off to eat vegetable soup and chocolate pudding (that has prunes in it). Yum!

food update.

While taking a shower this morning, I thought I remembered seeing a jar of baby food in the pantry called "Sweet Potatoes and Corn."

That would really save time and money for making the Sweet Potato and Corn Pudding, I thought.

So, I headed to the pantry and lo, and behold! A jar of Sweet Potatoes and Corn! Perfection! I checked the ounces on the jar - 4 oz. I checked the menu plan - 4 oz. per serving. Easy peasy!

Now I don't have to puree corn and sweet potatoes together. I can simply purchase 6 jars of said baby food, warm it up, add a little salt, and call it good.

Score!!!

(But totally disgusting that I am going to be eating baby food).

gazpacho?! (and other oddities)

I am dead-tired and I have a serious (ok, it's really just a minor) burn on my finger from the hot glue gun, so I won't make this post incredibly long. But I wanted to post before my excitement (and I use that word very loosely) over the Tracy Anderson Method (TAM for short) meal plan subsides...and I forget that for a brief moment in time I was loosely excited about gazpacho.

Yeah. Gazpacho. What the heck?!

So, I sat down with my TAM meal plan and wrote out the grocery list. I studied the manual over and over to see how I could create some shortcuts that would speed the meal-making process up a bit. See, for the first week, we are to do what she calls a "Nutrient Boost Week." This week consists of smaller, nutrient-dense meals that are mostly purees. Ugh.

On the menu?

Power Juice (you don't even want to know what's in that), Blueberry Applesauce (doable), Sweet Potato Corn Pudding (ew), Carrot Parsnip Puree (double ew), Gazpacho (what the heck is gazpacho?!), Veggie Protein Soup, and Chocolate Pudding (uh, yes, please).

Doesn't sound all that appealing, does it?

Well, I broke down all the ingredients and realized these foods may not be *that* bad. I calculated how to prep a full week's worth of food in one day - I pretty much used all my math skills. I'm exhausted. Multiplication is hard, especially when fractions are involved ;) My grocery list is ready...and I think I might be, too.

I concluded that to save little money and time, I could simply use some of my kid's baby foods in lieu of pulverizing vegetables to a pulp. Explanation: Instead of buying three sweet potatoes, after doing the math, I concluded that I could just use 3 jars of sweet potato baby food instead. After all, the only ingredients in said baby food are: sweet potatoes and water. I say this is fair game. I plan on doing the same thing with carrots and prunes. My poor kid. I'm stealing her food and she doesn't even know it.

I also concluded that instead of making my own blueberry applesauce, I could simply purchase organic, unsweetened berry applesauce. I believe Whole Foods sells this stuff. I'm crossing my fingers they sell this stuff because I am making the 45-minute drive out there tomorrow morning to get it.

I'm also hoping they sell premade gazpacho, which will save a significant amount of time and heartache. I mean, I own a food processor, but I don't exactly know how to use love it. And I have a 7-month-old for crying out loud. I can't spend hours upon hours pulsing my veggies to death.

I'm also going to save time by purchasing organic, canned white corn instead of slicing corn off the cob. Again, I'm hoping Whole Foods meets me halfway on this deal.

I got a fabulous tip from a new blogger buddy about the Power Juice. Instead of juicing kale, spinach, beets, and apples (I know, sick), one can simply BUY fresh, pressed juice from Whole Foods which has very similar, if not exact, ingredients in it already. To me, that is SO WORTH the money. I do NOT want to buy a juicer and I do NOT want to juice vegetables and drink them. Ugh!! If I just buy juice, however, I think I'm more likely to drink it. Does that make any sense at all?

So, there we have it. Week One is a doozy. Week 2 is a lot easier in terms of preparation. I can actually eat solids and they don't take nearly the amount of energy to create as this Week 1 does.

I better get to bed. I have a big day of fresh-food shopping tomorrow. I'm taking the little one with me, so it should be interesting.

This is gazpacho, by the way. Doesn't it just look...delicious?