Just a Few Opinions.

Hi everyone!

Still waiting to heal up and get my workout done, but this post isn't really about me this time. 

I have lately (and previously) read both a lot of hate and praise for Tracy Anderson and her method. Just thought I would write things that are commonly said and state my opinions on the subject as intelligently as possible.

1. Tracy's diet is dangerous/unhealthy/etc.

Well, in a lot of ways, yes it is, especially for the long term.  In her defense, she does say that this is not how to eat for life.  However, I disagree with her saying how her way of eating is the only way.  MANY people have done her method eating healthfully making their own choices and had great results. On Tracy's Facebook page recently, someone asked if the diet plan was absolutely necessary and they replied that it is optional and that many have achieved results with their own eating plans. (This was said after people came out of the woodwork and shared results)

2. Her method injures people.

In my opinion, I think this is a fairly weak statement against the method IF you are paying attention to your body and doing the moves correctly in the sense that ANY exercise can result in injury. Even walking can cause injury (look at me and my poor ankle for example).   You hear about athletes getting hurt ALL the time. Any exercise done in bad form can also cause injury. It's not TAM specific, it's common sense and fact.

3. Her method is not for people with a lot to lose.

Are you kidding me? I know people who have lost 60-70 pounds doing the method and eating reasonably.  ANY type of movement, when done consistently will cause weight loss especially in conjunction with eating right. However, everyone's body IS different and responds to different workouts accordingly. Which leads me to my next one...

4. Tracy's claims that other workouts make us bulk up are bullshit.

Well, back to the whole "everyone is different" statement, I can attest to the contrary- I have tried a lot of workouts in the past.  Notably, I tried to do P90X at one point. Guess what happened? NO weight loss, seemingly NO fat loss, I was just a heavier, more "solid" version of my previously and still obese self.   Some of us DO bulk from certain exercises, some of us do not.  To quote one of my professors, there are no rules, recipes, or regulations when it comes to human beings.

5. Tracy's fans are all a bunch of crazy cult people who are brainwashed by her "teeny tiny" decree.

Well, I do know a lot of people who are big fans of the method and I have yet to meet a "brainwashed" one in the bunch.  Hell, some of you may even think I'M brainwashed too. Your opinion.   Most of the people I know who do TAM do not fully buy into her "teeny tiny" and "perfection" claims, myself included. I call this blog my Teeny Tiny Quest as a play on her words, and perhaps maybe one day I will be close to teeny tiny with hard work and dedication.   As always, I am sure there ARE some who are brainwashed. 

6. Tracy should not be making videos, she is not a certified personal trainer.

Yeah, Tracy and SO many other "trainers" you may be familiar with- to my knowledge, Tony Horton (p90x), Jillian Michaels (Yep, THAT Jillan from the Biggest Loser), Possibly Billy Blanks (the Tae Bo guy) and many more (Kim Kardashian, anyone?)  ARE NOT CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINERS!!!! Shocker!  (If I am incorrect in saying that any of these people are not certified, I apologize. I searched and found no evidence that they have any certs) And yet, people still trust in them to change their bodies and their lives. 

In short, I believe Tracy can do things for ME, but as far as everyone else, they need to make that choice on their own.  I, for one find it difficult for me to stick with anything that I do not enjoy, ESPECIALLY working out.  I finally feel like I have found something I actually do not want to curl into the fetal position and die at the thought of doing. 

Disclaimer- these are MY opinions. If you read this and think I'm an idiot, cool. If you think I'm brilliant, why thank you.  I am not a certified trainer/dietician/etc, just a girl with an opinion.

Breaking old habits one day at a time

Hello everyone!




I am going to be starting Metamorphosis this coming Monday, my workout buddy and I have agreed to this, she is currently ill with the flu and my work schedule this week is super hectic and tiresome.




However, I did do well giving up grains today. Got offered cookies (again) but politely turned it down.  With my monthly friend on the way this week (yes, I have been having cravings like crazy) I turned them down and drank some water.  It sucked, but the need for cookies did eventually go away.

Pictured: Those little evil temptresses known as Golden Oreos~!

It's still not easy for me, mentally most of all!  Maybe if I was a bit younger this would be easier to change my habits. 


Have any of you had to make a HUGE change? A little change? How was the process for you? Post below!

3/1/12

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe it's March already! Time flies, doesn't it?  Sadly, today is not as nice of a day outside as yesterday was but I will still be walking today. I am at work right now, I also plan on doing my Meta when I come home, complete with DC.  For lunch today, I brought a salad with a cut up egg and some cut up tofu with balsamic vinegar to put on top. Tonight I am having another salad for dinner, but also going shopping for food.

Do you guys have any plans for March? Post in the comments below!

Abcentric Day 1

Hello everyone!




Quick post before I go to bed-




Had my "Manic Monday" (work + class) and despite that and being tired as hell, I got my workout done!




I did Ab level 1 day 1 and 30 minutes walking.




Now, time to pass out.  Good night everyone!

Last workout-free day for a while

Hello everyone!




Today is the last day before I start Meta tomorrow, and I made sure I enjoyed it, haha. 


First, I went to my local MAC counter and they did a full face of makeup for me, and I bought a new shadow quad and lipgloss. (I have a beauty blog- www.obeybeauty.blogspot.com and I will elaborate there) Then, I went and got a mani-pedi.  I figured I might as well do something nice for my poor callused feet before they start taking daily DC poundings. Now they're soft, smooth, and French manicured. 


Tonight I am going to give myself a full facial at home, cleansing, toning, moisture, and even do a mask this time before bed.


Now my next dilemma is- when am I going to work out tomorrow?


I am leaving the house about 7 am and coming home about 8:30 pm and I am considering the following-


1. Wake up early, do my MS, come home and do  my DC


2. Try to knock both out at once, hoping to get it done and be able to shower before I go to work.  


Also keep in mind that I only have to do it this way on Mondays and Fridays.  What would you do? Do all of it, or split it up?


Hope you all had a great weekend!

Bootcamp postponed until 2/3/12

Hello everyone!




Sadly, I need to postpone my boot camp workouts until this Friday.  Certain personal issues have come up and they require my time until then.  I TECHNICALLY started on Friday but then I ended up taking the whole weekend off.  I feel weird restarting today and then taking MORE days off.  I find when I take time off from TAM, when I get back to it I have to do it at the level I began at anyway.  Suckage!


If I am able to start sooner, I will post! I am still keeping a food journal so I am not using this time off as an excuse to pig out. :)


Still working on videos. 




Have a great day!

For Sale- 14 Day Supply Wellness Shake

Hello everyone!!!


Before, as you may know, I ordered a month's supply of Tracy's shake to review it.  It came with 2 jars for a month, I only finished one so far.


While I do like the taste of the shake and how it makes me feel, I am selling the remaining jar for someone else who would like to try it without paying full price for it. 


I am selling an unopened, still sealed jar of the chocolate shake for 55$ plus shipping (which shouldn't be much, I will let the purchaser know how much it costs to send it and charge what the post office or UPS would. I am not profiting off of this.) Retail price on Tracy's site is 68.99 plus shipping so you save a little buying it through me.  If interested, comment below!




I am still laid up with a busted ankle. I have been doing some thinking about stuff too and I am realizing I might be being a little mentally hard on myself.  Making too rigid of workout plans and all that. Lately I have been thinking of taking a break from meta and do some old school stuff- bootcamp, Mat, Perfect Design, etc. I feel like I want to do a cycle of each of these for 10 days each and then return to meta hopefully stronger. Also I want to learn the combination dances because quite frankly, the meta cardio is kinda boring to me. :P


I hope to be back working out soon. I feel a little better today so that's a good sign.


Have a great day!

Abcentric Metamorphosis Day 9

Hello everyone!!




I am done with 9 days of level 1, meaning later today will be my last day of level 1. I am SO happy about that for a couple reasons-


1. I can take measurements
2. I have done the hell out of level 1. SOOO many times that it's really not that challenging anymore if I have enough energy.




For day 9 I had almost no energy to do anything by the time I got home (about 11:20 pm... YUCK.) so I BARELY cranked out 20 reps of level 1. No cardio. Past couple days have been cardio-less because I felt so blah and lethargic- either a long day or having a small bout with a cold.  I am really hoping level 2 is better. 




Now the next topic... Tomorrow in the US it's Thanksgiving day- apparently the average american will consume about 4,500 calories tomorrow at dinner. 


So what do we do when we're trying to lose weight?  Well, you don't have to deprive yourself. Have a little of everything. MAYBE seconds if you're still hungry. DO NOT do thirds.   If you weigh yourself often, you might see yourself having gained a few more pounds after dinner. THIS IS NOT FAT. Your body probably hasn't digested all the food yet, and is also retaining some water from the salts you had (you might feel a little bloated too). Remember- it takes 3,500 extra calories to gain a pound of fat, after burning off the calories you burn from existing, exercising, etc.


All you have to do is go back to your normal eating habits the next day and keep on doing the good work you were doing.  If you are able to/willing to, go ahead, throw in a workout on Thanksgiving day too. I'm going to. Why can't you? 

Dieting has begun!

Hello everyone!

While I am still waiting to get my workout space set up, I did start changing my eating habits again yesterday.  I am trying to eat healthy and avoid fake sugars (my weakness). I figure since 90% of weight loss is diet, I might as well get started on that part while I wait.

I took my weight (not my measurements yet)- on 9/27, I weighed 289.4 lb.

Here's what I had yesterday-

Breakfast-

A sandwich consisting of 2 slices of toast, an egg, some lettuce and a little smidge of mayo.

A cup of green tea

 

Lunch- 

Slim fast shake (I know, no good but I was rushing out the door)

Snacks-

1 apple

1 bottle of Lipton Pureleaf Green Tea with Honey

2 bottles of SoBe Lean green tea (sweetened with Stevia)

Dinner-

6 ounces of deli roast beef

Lettuce

Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will have my workout area set up so that I can start getting on that ball too!

Also- I just got an email that  my first 90 day round of Abcentric continuity shipped! I'm behind, yes, but can't wait to give it a watch!

I'm almost back...

Hello everyone!

I have been really busy since I last blogged, I helped someone move and I have been trying my best to recuperate my sprained ankle. 

What I hate about my ankle is that it will feel good, even improved for a while, then it will swell up again and hurt a little. It's really annoying me.  

I also have 2 quizzes this week to study for among other things.  I will be back to my workouts soon, I promise!  

I just wanted to check in with you guys to let everyone know I'm ok and I haven't officially quit, this is just a short hiatus. 

Have a wonderful week and I hope to be back soon!

Ankle update and a huge item on my wish list

Hello everyone!

I haven't been working out like I'd have liked, a lot is going on in my personal life, really stressed and time crunched. (Raising a puppy is a big one on this list!)

My ankle is also on the mend- I can walk and stuff on it without pain, the pain mostly comes with rainy weather.

Lately I have been looking into rebounder workouts again. Like this:

I do have a rebounder but as I discovered earlier this year when I tried to use it, it's sort of loud and squeaky and I am paranoid that the thing will bust under my weight.  It has a weight limit of 300 pounds but I still don't trust it too much.

That said I want to start saving up for a ReboundAIR.

www.reboundair.com

These are expensive, about 300-400 dollars, however they have a lifetime warranty, as well as lifetime wear and tear coverage. Meaning- I break a spring, my mat starts to wear out, I get a replacement.  Also their quarter-fold rebounders hold up to 400 pounds.

I probably will start rebounding just doing a simple bounce for a while to strengthen up, then move on to the dancey moves. 

Also I really really REALLY need to start cleaning up my diet and going back to being a low carb vegetarian.  That was helping me a LOT. 

Have a great weekend guys, get your workouts in for me!

Meh. Short post.

Hello everyone!!

Day 2 went like shit. Total shit.  

I totally went WAY over my points yesterday (eating most of my flex points too) and really had no excuse for this.  I am going to cut myself a little slack because I am getting used to the amounts of food I can have on weight watchers.

Also a lovely friend of mine sent me this book:  The Eat Clean Diet Recharged!

I want to start implementing her rules of eating (except maybe the 6 small meals thing, which to be honest is a little impractical to me. I want to train myself to eat when actually hungry.) while keeping within my weight watchers points and exercising.

As for exercising, I did go for another painful walk last night. No DVD this time, just a brisk walk.  But what matters is my heart rate did go up and I did sweat. 

That's it for today (gotta head to work). Hoping the next day is better!

Beginning the Clean Program!

Hello everyone!!!

I have decided that as of August 1, I will be starting Dr. Junger's Clean Program.  A friend of mine was kind and very generous enough to send me the kit (Again THANK YOU!) and I might as well use it and it would be in my best interest to do so.

I looked through my cabinets and found some approved items:

Dry chickpeas

Dry Cannellinis

Dry Lentils

Canned Black Beans

Canned Kidney Beans

Red Rice

Brown Rice

Miso paste

Tea

Olive oil

Sesame oil

Almond Milk

Frozen asparagus

Frozen green beans

Frozen snap peas

Organic Gala apples (not sure if they're still good)

Kimchi (Made with cabbage, onion, garlic, sea salt, and chili pepper, which is OK IF you know you are not allergic to nightshades. I do not think I am.)

My friend and I took a ride to whole foods and I picked up some more:

Low-sodium organic Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)

Quinoa (really cheap in bulk)

Organic walnuts

Almond butter (for eating with apples or celery)

Rice pasta

Quinoa/Amaranth/Rice pasta
Brown Rice Syrup

I forgot to pick up nutritional yeast (for that cheesy flavor) and sea salt.  We might go back to the store and I might pick up some teff flatbreads so I can make sandwiches.  

Another thing I noticed- You cannot have any form of beef on this cleanse but you CAN have Buffalo.  My friend told me that she had buffalo before, and it tastes just like steak.  Next time we go shopping I might pick up a few Buffalo steaks to freeze/use.

Really excited about this, this will challenge me and really help me expand my culinary horizons in a way.  Anyone else doing this, or going gluten free?  Any tips/tricks for a newbie?

Have a great weekend!

Another rant...

Hello everyone~


I am really feeling like crap. Mentally and physically. 


Mentally: Because I didn't get my ass moving yesterday and do my workout, mainly because it's really really HOT outside (as it has been all week) and yes, that is sort of valid but at the same time is sort of an excuse.   I am feeling really failish. Working out isn't supposed to be “comfortable” yet whenever the environment isn't, I give myself all sorts of reasons NOT to work out. I really need to be slapped sometimes.   I always get all determined, plan out a bunch of stuff with good intentions and then screw up. I missed two workouts already and feel really bad about it. I hate that the thing about weight loss is it's easier said than done. 




Physically: I did eat well yesterday, or so I thought.  Here's a layout of what I ate.


Breakfast: A bowl of oatmeal
Lunch: 1 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of edamame and some miso soup
Dinner: Soba noodles (cold) with dipping sauce. 


¾ of a gallon of water (3 liters)


And all was well until today. (TMI alert) Today I have been having a really hard time in the digestion department.  I feel like I am clogged up and I think it's all the grain I have been eating.  Also the heat is making me feel mildly nauseous. 




In short, I really need a good ass kicking. No, really. I do. I hope those of you in the US who are experiencing this horrible heat wave are staying cool and hydrated. 

I know this is SORT of random but it's also SORT of relevant.

Hey everyone.

It's about 1:30 in the morning on Sunday and I have been doing a lot of thinking, especially when it comes to my diet.  I am both nervous and excited to take the dive into veganism.  Excited because I hope this will help this bastard weight to come off, nervous and scared that like all the other times before, I am going to start strong and then totally f*** myself into oblivion later by cheating day after day.

Yesterday, I took the time to go through my cupboards and fridge and find all the vegan stuff, and write down what I have and how much. I also put it all in a special area in the cupboard/fridge for them.  Unfortunately I cannot throw out all the food, living with someone else makes that rather inconsiderate of them.  I live with someone who eats junk, meat, and all the stuff I am going to kick. 

Although my ultimate goal is to be grain free, I think that has to be a weaning process.  I have 2 canisters of steel cut oatmeal to eat, a bag of brown rice, and a box of whole grain pasta.  Waste not want not, also these items do have fiber and given my digestive state, could be helpful at first.  However I am not going to eat grain with every meal.  Breakfast and lunch at the most, with a light dinner.  I know they say eat 5 times a day or whatever but I just don't have an appetite that often and I feel like it will inadvertently give my mind the feeling that I have a "license" to indulge.

Speaking of indulging, I just found out that one of my favorite coffee drinks, Starbucks frappucinos, can now be made vegan by asking for soy. 

As for drinks on a regular basis, my goal is to drink a gallon (4 liters) of water a day, with tea when I want something else.  I have plenty of good Japanese green tea in the cupboard and it's not going to drink itself.  Water intake has always been one of my weak points, usually not drinking enough and rather going for the gatorade, soda pop, etc. 

I really hope I can go through with this, I really am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and overweight. 

As for working out, I really need to stop being such a lazy ass.  Sometimes there are times I know I have all the time in the world to get my workout in, but I don't and end up having to cram it in later all inconvenientlike. I need to get in the habit of getting it done and overwith so I don't have to deal with it later.

Random post, I know, but when I am up late, sometimes things like this fill my  mind and won't let me sleep!  Really looking forward to start meta Monday and I am taking updated measurements later today.

Boot Camp Day 5

Day 5:

Exercise: I did 30 reps of all of the MS moves!  I love how I am getting stronger! I also did 20 minutes of step touch cardio dripping with sweat.  Feels amazing!

Breakfast: Tropical Fruit Salad- My version has honeydew (leftover from the other day) with kiwi slices in it. Yum! 9/10.

Lunch: Roasted Root Vegetables- Parsnips, and Carrots seasoned with cayenne and lemon juice. AMAZING. 11/10!

Snack: Kiwi Dessert: Instead of orange juice to mix with it, I used remaining juice from cutting the honeydew and it was really good. 9/10

Dinner: Grilled Tofu with Kale and Snap Peas- Not bad, I actually kind of like kale, this is  my first time having it. A little bland, but pretty good. 7/10.

Boot Camp Day 4

Hello everyone! 

I have completed days 4 and 5 over the weekend! 

Day 4- 

Exercise: I unfortunately hardly did any today. I was really busy but I did get 25 reps of arms and abs in. 

Breakfast: 

Mushroom egg wrap- An egg white omelet filled with mushrooms and spinach and seasoned with chives.  Taste- 9/10

Lunch: Tofu vegetable soup: Tastes a lot like the puree broccoli soup without the blending. 9/10.

Snack: Choco Chestnut Pudding- Out of this world for diet food. REAL chocolate! (I already took a bite before taking the picture) 11/10!

Dinner: Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes.  Eggplant was good, tomatoes... Not so much. Too liquidy when pureed. Maybe I did something wrong here. 7/10.

I hope you all had a great weekend and keep stopping by!

New Appliances! YAY!

Hello everyone!

Today was a horribly tiring day, I was asked to come in 4 hours early to work (more money yes, but tiring just the same) and work got totally insane especially toward the end of the day.

However, I came home to 2 new friends on the doorstep!  Mr. Blender and Mr. Juicer! I tiredly, yet excitedly carried them up to my apartment.   I only got so far as taking the two boxes out of the main shipping box because I have to make room on the counter to put them (Damn you, small kitchen!)   I also got myself a few more things for Boot Camp- an 8x8 baking pan for my lasagna (the only baking pan I had was a huge turkey/roast sized roaster) , some olive oil spray, and a couple of jars of organic pasta sauce. Couldn't find sugar-free pasta sauce, but this is at least organic and it was on sale too. Organic cane sugar was one of the last ingredients, (Compared to other brands when it was like, the second or third ingredient!) so I feel a little better about my choice.

I will take pretty pictures of my 2 new friends when I open them up and give them some nice counter space. 

I hope you all had a great Friday (Some of you might have gotten paid- Lucky ducks!) and have a great weekend!