8/23/2013

Hello everyone!

Today is a sad day (for me) and that's because well, I slipped up. At least I thought I slipped up.

I felt very sleepy and tired today (my first day off all week) and I ended up eating not-so-good foods.  The day started off alright but then went straight to hell (or so I think).

Breakfast:

Breakfast burritos made with a corn tortilla, eggs, sausage and veggies

Lunch:

Japanese curry (no rice with it but it had vegetables in it and beef)

Dinner (where it gets hairy) 

1 can of baked beans

1 can of butternut bisque soup (which was really good by the way)

The real part where shit hit the fan: My roommate brought home food and got me some. 

Wendy's double stack burger (I ate this bunless) and chili cheese fries.

It tasted amazing but I felt really mentally guilty after. I know it is okay to slip up time to time but even so, I felt really bad after eating it, like I did something "wrong".

I also didn't really move around much aside from running some errands and cleaning my bathroom.

I know everyone has days like this but they are still not fun even though they're common. 

8/22/2013

Hello everyone!


Today I was feeling a little under the weather, a little bloaty for reasons unknown so I ate a little lighter today.


Breakfast:

Sugar Free with Cream Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts
3 hard boiled eggs


Lunch:

2 hard boiled eggs
1 medium peach

Dinner:

4 pieces of mozzarella string cheese
Canned black beans that I added some hot sauce to (I didn't measure because I drained the can first)

I also took a nap today that I sorely needed, I feel like my body isn't quite used to doing double duty school and work. 

I also took a nice walk in the woods with my dog because the weather was decent and I had time.  I am going to get back to Tracy Anderson soon!

8/21/2013

Hello everyone!


I hate to say it, but I have had to eat some carbohydrates (due to various reasons) so unfortunately, I haven't been eating my best. 


So, this being a busy Wednesday for me (I have class Mondays and Wednesdays this semester), I had to eat and drink what I could.  


Breakfast:

Sugar free coffee with cream from Dunkin Donuts
1 order of hash brown potatoes from Dunkin Donuts
3 hard boiled eggs

Lunch:

3 hard boiled eggs
4 ounces of roast beef brought from home
1 can of Starbucks Vanilla doubleshot coffee

Dinner: 

6 ounces of grilled steak
2 ounces of roast beef
Green beans
Mashed potatoes topped with bacon


Exercise: I didn't have much time to work out today, but I did take a stroll around campus for about 30 minutes between work and class. I was also very very tired, hence the coffee.  Sadly, it also has sugar in it which I know I shouldn't be eating. 

How do you eat well when time and money are a constraint? Post below!

8/20/2013

Hello everyone!

Yesterday was a terribly busy day for me, I didn't work out but I did eat pretty decently. (Again, I did not count calories and may have been a little under but I did choose low carbohydrate food)

Oh also-
I forgot to mention yesterday but my week 1 results are in!

I am down 6.4 pounds (about 3 kg) since last August 12, 2013~  I have a lot more to go, but that's pretty good to start!

Today, I again did the low carb route, and I feel even better when I don't even have the potatoes anymore.  I have also learned to embrace the low carb, low cost power of eggs.

Eggie-weggs! Cheap, nutritious and low carb! 

Breakfast:

3 hard boiled eggs
Black coffee

Lunch:
3 hard boiled eggs
4 slices of roast beef

Snack:
4 pieces of mozzarella string cheese (not low-fat or anything, just regular string cheese)

Dinner:

I went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and got soft (corn, not flour) tacos.  They  had steak, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream on them.  I ate everything but the tortillas and I have NO idea the calorie count of that, but I am pretty sure that's pretty low in carbs too.

I also decided to take a different approach to my TAM for beginners.  Instead of building up by counting reps, I decided to do as many as I can on whatever given day, even if it means doing 5 reps on one leg and 12 on the other. 

Why?

The point of the beginner DVD is to build strength.  To  me, the best way to do that is do as much as I can, however much that is, as long as it takes, until I am able to breeze through it.  When I am able to breeze through it, THEN I will start counting reps in Metamorphosis so that everything slims down and gets strong in a balanced way.  

There are definitely some movements that are easier for certain legs.  My goal is to work at it until the movement is easy for BOTH legs. 

Also, I think I will be labeling my blog entries by date instead, it's much easier to keep track of than day 1 2 3 etc because unlike Metamorphosis, there is no set amount of time that I have to work by.

Lastly, I am starting to see changes, especially in my waistline.  Since giving up grains, I am starting to see some wrinkly old man skin and some flattening happening from de-puffing.  I think this is going to take me a while to get used to  because I keep touching it, haha.

I hope everyone had a great day today, and check back tomorrow!

First Day Back to TAM

Hello everyone!


I did my Tracy Anderson workout again today, and I actually really missed it.  I cannot reiterate how much I love the beginner workout.  It really has helped me have a better attitude toward working out because it is a workout that I like, and a workout that I can actually DO while still being challenged. 

Today, I went back to 5 reps per leg because I am still not feeling 100% okay (more like 90%) 

Also, I am going to go a lot lower carb starting tomorrow. Less potatoes and starch, gluten or no.  I feel like I do better on a very low carb diet.

Today I didn't eat very much for a variety of reasons- not feeling great and I slept in.

Breakfast:

Skipped. I slept until noon.

Lunch:

A bowl of miso soup I made
Canned corn

Dinner:

A veggie omelet made with 2 whole eggs and peppers/onion/mushroom


Tomorrow I may not work out but my low carb diet will still be in effect.  I am also working on eating more calories as it seems that I do not eat that many. (I haven't been too concerned with counting them but now that I am aware of it, I will pay more mind. My main focus now is carbs.)


I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Let's start our new week off right (and I will have an updated weight number!)

Back to Business~

Hello everyone! 

I'm feeling a bit better today, which is always a good thing!

Today, I took my dog out to the forest for a nice long walk. We walked for about an hour, which really tired me out but he loved it. 

Tomorrow- Back to Tracy - with 7 reps for my leg work!

I ate a bit lighter today because I didn't feel too hungry and I felt like I was a bit calorie-heavy the past couple of days.

Breakfast:

Scrambled egg whites with peppers and onions mixed in, cooked in butter. (Margarine is crap!) 

Lunch:

Homemade miso soup with shiitake mushrooms and tofu in it

Dinner:

Same as lunch, I made a decent sized pot so I could make a couple of meals out of it.

I am going to start to be having something new come up- beginning August 19, I will be back in school.  This means VERY long Mondays.  I won't be coming home on Mondays until late.

Ah, school... How I have missed you, haha

This means I am going to try my hardest to wake up early and get my Tracy in.  If I don't, or not able to, then that will just have to be my workout rest day.  Six days a week is still pretty good! (WAY better than what I used to do, which was like NO days a week)

Hello everyone!

Again, I have not been able to work out today, or yesterday, I haven't been feeling too good.

However, I am still eating grain free, I am at least doing that much and as a result, the scale is still doing a very slow, steady journey down. (I weigh daily but only in the morning and I do not let that number bother me too much unless it keeps going up and up).

What I ate yesterday (I both write this down in a paper journal and log it on MyFitnessPal.)

Breakfast:

They had a breakfast thing at work I didn't expect.

4 slices of turkey bacon
1 turkey sausage patty
4 mini hash browns
1/2 of a large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts (I grabbed it on the way to work)

Lunch: (this I did bring from home)

4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
Fage 2% Greek yogurt (always plain unless I say otherwise)

Dinner:

Jersey  Mike's Roast Beef Salad (Sub in a Tub)
Sun dried tomatoes
1 potato pancake 


What I ate today:

Breakfast:

2 Potato pancakes (leftovers)
Fage 2% Yogurt

Lunch:

Pork shish kabob (NO pita bread)
Salad 

Dinner:

A few pieces of Irish cheddar cheese 


I should be back to the workout grind in the next couple of days (I HOPE! Let's see how I feel!) 

Tracy Anderson Method for Beginners Day 3

Hello everyone!


Today would have been my third day of doing the DVD, but it instead became a rest day.  I had planned on doing it after work, but things got busy and before I knew it, it was already 10 pm. 

However, I did still eat well and I'll tell everyone about that!

Breakfast:

Fage 2% yogurt
1 hash brown from McDonalds
1 bottle of Mocha Light Starbucks Frappucino

Lunch:

3.5 ounces of bacon jerky
2 slices of sharp cheddar cheese

Snack:

Potato chips (gluten free with rosemary and olive oil) 1 ounce

Dinner:

12 ounces of sirloin steak (lean)
1 cup of steamed broccoli without salt


Still no grains, still not THAT many carbs, still gluten-free that I am aware.

I do plan on doing my workout tomorrow. 

Tracy Anderson Method for Beginners Day 2

Hello everyone!


I have finished my second day of... I don't even know how many days. Until I am good at it.

So, today I did do my cardio- this time I DID add wrist weights. Gave my arms a nice burn without being TOO difficult (but still very challenging).  Ankle weights are something for later.  I'm starting to get the hang of the movements and the combination, but oh man does it make me sweat.


As for my MS work-  Yesterday I did 5 reps per leg in the leg section, today I did six.  Tomorrow seven, etc until I can do twenty.  Also dripping in sweat.


I will tell you that now that they have a slightly toned down TAM workout, I can do the workouts one after the other like I am supposed to instead of finishing something too advanced for me then needing a longer rest, or just skipping entirely.

I also am starting to see small changes in how I look. My arms mostly. I am noticing them looking a teensy bit leaner.  Very motivating!


As for food:   Here's today's menu!



Breakfast:

Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt
Black coffee
Pure Almond Almond/Coconut milk blend (has a very nice real-milk mouthfeel and tastes great despite being unsweetened!)

Lunch:

4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
7 ounces of very lean roast beef (I felt like I really needed an iron boost because I have felt anemic lately)

Dinner:

Big bowl of miso soup with shiitake mushrooms and tofu


To drink:  Unsweetened iced tea and water throughout the day.


So, gluten and lactose free again, and I do feel better especially digestion-wise. 


So, how was your day? Did you get your workout in?

Tracy Anderson Method For Beginners- Day 1

Hello everyone! 


Today was my first day of my plan that I came up with!   Knowing how my body handled it before, I was able to make proper changes and have a decent workout at the same time.


Workout 1:

I did this workout with full reps of the chair legs (It's only 8 and they're not difficult, more like a stretch) and I did the dance cardio with NO weights on.  For weighted arms I did use the 3 lb weights.

Workout 2:

Instead of doing 10 reps like before (which wrecked my body) I only did five. Tomorrow I will do six. The goal is to hit twenty and have it become EASY.  Once I am able to do twenty, I will keep going until it's easy. 

Food:  Pretty low calorie today but I wasn't even really counting, just eating stuff that was healthy(ish).  I do not know how many calories I ate today (so please no OMG YOU'RE STARVING! Posts.).


Breakfast:

Black coffee
Greek yogurt with honeyed apricots

Lunch:

3 hard boiled eggs
Hummus with roasted red pepper

Dinner:

Homemade miso soup with tofu and shiitake mushrooms in it (a really big bowl and I used a lot of mushrooms, so my tummy was full of love!)


I also drank a lot of water. I do not know how much.  

Also, I did not take my body size measurements, I will not do that until I hit Metamorphosis, as I am treating the Method for Beginners DVD as a pre-conditioning, not a full on workout to freak out about results over.   I AM, however, monitoring my weight.

Today's weight: 298.5 pounds/ 135.7 kg. I weigh daily on my Wii Fit, and every week I may post a picture of the little graph it makes as my weight changes. 

Now That I Know How the Method for Beginners Is...

Hello everyone!



A few days ago, I had finally received Tracy Anderson's Method for Beginners (after waiting for what seemed an eternity!) and I did try it out- 

For the review click here- http://teenytinyquest.blogspot.com/2013/08/tracy-anderson-method-for-beginners_8.html

Now that I know what to expect, I now have a plan of attack in mind (and after healing up over the weekend from overdoing trying it).

I am going to do the DVD as much as I can (Goal: 6 times a week, Tracy even says in the video that it's okay to do every day) and even more importantly: Follow a healthy diet! For me that means MAINLY low carb.  Definitely gluten free.  

So, I will take my measurements and weight tomorrow and see how it goes. I am back to work tomorrow after a short vacation (I didn't go anywhere, they just told me to take time off).

I also am going to start with NO ankle/wrist weights for workout 1 until I can do that easily. (It will be a while, I think)


Anyone else starting the Beginner's version? How are you liking it?  

Tried Something New- Hiking!

Hello everyone!

I am still a little sore from my workout with Tracy the other day, so I thought to go to my local forest and walk around this morning.

I was walking along the paved trail they have and came across a more rugged looking path that met with the one I was walking on.  I thought I had nothing to lose, and decided to follow that trail instead. Turns out, it was a hiking trail I had found.

The trail was narrower, had hills and things and it wore me out a lot faster than walking on the designated walking path.

This is not the actual trail I took but it looked a lot like this.

Turns out hiking is just as good as walking, and because the terrain is unstable, burns more calories.

How much more?

In one hour walking on a flat surface at 3 miles per hour, a 180 pound person can expect to burn 270 calories.

In an hour of hiking/climbing hills (carrying less than 9 pounds of weight like I was) that same 180 pound person would burn 490 calories.  The calorie burn is higher if you are carrying weight.

In the end, yes, I definitely felt more winded in less time but I think I would want to do it again with better shoes on. 

Have any of you been hiking?  Would you like to?

Tracy Anderson Method for Beginners- A More In-Depth Review

Hello everyone!


I did my first workout from the Method for Beginners and I will go into a little more detail how it went here.

Workout 1: This is the dance cardio portion of the workout.  You are supposed to do both this and workout 2.  Tracy starts out with some stretching (with modifications if you have bad knees, etc) and some standing leg work using the chair.  She only has you doing 8 reps of these, as they are more for loosening up.  Then, there is a small choreographed combination. There is NO jumping whatsoever in the workout.  Tracy says to wear 1.5 pound wrist weights and 2.5 lb ankle weights while doing this dancing but if you are just starting out, you do not need to.   She also says that many of her best celebrity clients started out this basic, so do not judge yourself or feel bad if you are struggling with it.  

My workout: I did this while wearing only wrist weights during the cardio, because I do not have ankle weights. However, I felt the workout plenty without them for now. 


Workout 2:  This is the muscular structure portion of the workout.  Tracy starts you off again with a little warm up, then comes the arm section.  For it being a beginner workout, the arms were doable but they did burn.  Don't worry- she goes plenty slow and gives detailed instructions on how you should be doing them.  She does both free arms and weighted arms with 3 pound weights.  After that, a few moves on each leg using a chair.  She wants you to work up to twenty reps per leg.  Lastly, she takes you through a standing abs section where she really teaches you how to move your ribs and how it should feel.  There is NO floor work. No work on all fours or laying down abs. (Which makes sense since that's what I kept injuring myself doing)

My workout: I barely was able to do 10 reps of the leg moves.  The arms were also very challenging. 


My take- I really love this DVD.  I did it yesterday and I could not walk easily after and I am sore and tired today. This is a good thing.   It's very basic and beginner but it DOES kick ass.  I also love the encouragement and modifications she offers. 

Tracy Anderson Method for Beginners! A Quick Review!

Hello everyone!


I have officially received the TA For Beginners video and I've done it!


So, what does it entail?

I am pleased to say that both MS AND DC are included. Yes, Beginner (very basic) dance cardio moves that are done with wrist and ankle weights.  It looks easy but it actually burns. Especially if you are out of shape like me!  

Section 1: The afforementioned dance cardio- Starts you off with about 10 minutes of stretching and 20 minutes of basic dance moves while wearing weights. There is NO jumping so all you ladies with knee issues, give this a shot!

Section 2: MS work.  It is ALL standing. You will need a chair and dumbbells.  I noticed there are no floor abs and no floor butt work.  This is interesting considering that the past few times I injured myself were by doing the floor abs before I am ready.


She also DOES talk a lot, lots of instruction and encouragement.  

I strongly STRONGLY suggest this DVD to anyone who is either injured, very overweight, or just starting out.  I was drenched in sweat and I sit here sore as I write. Well worth the money!

Detox Diets- Are they really worth it?

Hello everyone!


A really hot topic these days in the diet world is detoxing. Everyone and their mother is on  some kind of detox diet.  Many people claim weight loss, skin improvement, and more benefits.  

So, are these detox diets worth it?  Here's the deal!


Most scientists and doctors would say that a detox diet is NOT needed. 

Why?

The body has many mechanisms in which it removes toxins on its own.   

If that's the case, why do detox diets seem to work? There are a couple reasons.

1. Eating fresh food like most detox diets require already does a LOT for the body. 

2. A lot of detox diets are also starvation diets- the weight lost is mostly water, which comes right back when you start eating again.

In theory, one could get the benefits of a detox every day if they only ate fresh foods, and cut out all the garbage (processed/fast food, soda, etc) instead of spending ridiculous amounts of money (Gwyneth Paltrow's site GOOP sells a cleanse that costs $500).

The Clean Program- one of many expensive detox kits

So the end of the story is- doing a detox diet is really up to the individual.  There won't be much harm if you do one, yet they are not needed.

Have any of you or someone you know done a detox? How'd it go?