Dragging Right Along

Days 11 - 18 (kind of) of Tracy Anderson's Bootcamp

  
Remember how I started off doing a program called, Tracy Anderson's 30-Day Bootcamp?  Well, somehow along the way, I kind of changed the program up a bit and am now doing a little something I like to call, Tracy Anderson's 45 Day (plus or minus a few) Bootcamp.  It has a ring to it, don't you think?

So, let me tell you what I have been up to...

WELL..

Right after finishing Sequence 1, I fell ill for a few days and chose rest over working out and making my TAM meals.  Then, after that temporary setback, I was feeling pretty lazy and sluggish...and....well...I just kind of acted like a lazy slug.  I laid around and ate unhealthy crapola for a couple of days.  Then, I decided, "Enough of this behavior", and I was back at it in full swing (with a slip here and there).  Somehow, I even managed to lose an additional 4.2 lbs during my slowly, but surely attempts at completing Sequence 2.


Woohoo for weight loss, but folks, I have to say, I absolutely hate (that's a strong word, but I really do mean it) Sequence 2 and I'm not exactly sure why.  The exercises are hard, but so were the exercises during Sequence 1.  So that's not it.  I think this little attitude problem I have gotten is the main reason why it is taking me absolutely FOREVER (it feels like forever) to get this bootcamp done.  Having said that though, I refuse to stop until I have done the full 30 days even if it takes me 45 days to do it.  I think it's the Leo in me that refuses to let me give up.  I will not fail, I will not fail! ROAR!!

I have probably said this before, but I think I'll repeat myself:  Blogging and talking with the TAM ladies on Facebook and on the TAM community page is the BEST part of bootcamp (Well, actually that's the best part AFTER the awesome & quick results).

However, for anyone wanting to try Bootcamp, I think I should share the worst parts of bootcamp with you.

THE WORST PARTS OF BOOTCAMP

• Time-consuming (Expect to spend several hours a day devoted to bootcamp.  It will take you a nice chunk of time not only to shop for all of the ingredients, but to prep and cook the 4 meals a day.  Plus, the workouts themselves are easily over 2 hours long each day, especially if you are the over-achiever like myself and like to get maximum reps for each exercise [40 reps legs, 80-100 reps abs on each side, 60-70 reps arms, 60 minutes cardio]. If you do the minimum, I guess it could take a little under 2 hours.)  

I thought I had more reasons than that, but....I don't.

Now that I have typed up that lengthy list of ONE complaint, I see why I have such an attitude lately.  I really want this process to not take up so much of my time. I LOVE that the workouts are difficult because I wouldn't respect a program that didn't challenge me (I'm not new to exercise) and I fully expect that not every meal will taste delightful.  So, really the only portion of this program that I HATE, HATE, HATE is how much time it takes.

If only there was a Tracy Anderson grocery store somewhere nearby that I could go to and say, "Hey, I'm on Week 1 of bootcamp" and then they pass me all 28 meals that I would need for that week fully prepared.  That would make a world of difference, save a boatload of time and prevent the ATTITUDES from showing their ugly, little heads.  A girl can dream can't she?

Now, granted, just the name BOOTCAMP implies difficulty and extremity, but SO WHAT!! *stomps foot*

*Smile* :o)

Hey, I can have one disapproving, complaining and irritated blog full of rants and criticisms, can't I?

Here's A Few TAM (and not so TAM) Meals for your Viewing Pleasure

Pear Apple Spice - (Pretty tasty if you like cinnamon flavored apple sauce.)

Sweet Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes - (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET!!! The little specks are flaxseeds. These were so disgusting that I could not eat them.  I would much rather just eat handfuls of flaxseeds and call it a day.  FYI - I HATE sweet potatoes so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it.  There's a lot of HATE going on in this blog. Sorry about that; I'll try to do better.)

Poached Salmon Tilapia Omelet - (I didn't have any salmon, so I used tilapia and it was MUY Delicioso!!!

Harvest Salad - (This little bowl of goodnes is NOT a TAM meal which is probably why it's so flipping fantastic.  Field greens, boursin cheese, figs, pumpkin seeds and of course, bacon. Bacon makes the world go round!)

Puree of Broccoli Soup - I like all of the ingredients in this soup on their own, but somehow this was still a bland and awful disaster.  If only I could have added a dash of salt and a some other tasty seasonings.

My Results of Sequence 1

Days 9 and 10 of Tracy Anderson's Bootcamp

I am happy to report that I have completed the last two days of Sequence 1 of the Tracy Anderson Method!  Woohooo!!  I have to say though that Days 9 and 10 seemed to go on and on and on and on.  I kept thinking, "Will this workout ever end!?"  It did in fact end though and I am very, very happy about it!

Before I continue, I guess I should explain a bit more about TAM's BC (Tracy Anderson Method Bootcamp) so that you understand what I mean by sequences. BC lasts 30 days and each day in addition to the food which has been one of the obsessions focuses of this blog, there are two exercise components to complete: dance cardio (DC) and muscular structure (MS).  Keep that in mind as I explain how each day works as it relates to exercise:

• Days 1 - 10 are DC and Sequence 1: MS
• Days 11 - 20 are DC and Sequence 2: MS
• Days 21 - 30 are DC and Sequence 3: MS

The idea behind switching up the muscular structure every 10 days is so that your muscles do not get bored and you do not start to plateau and let's face it, your muscles are not the only thing that gets bored when you are doing the same work out everyday.

Also, after each Sequence you are supposed to weigh-in, take pictures and re-measure to track your progress.  I did this (except for the photos which I'll take and not share later), but I feel like my progress has been sabotaged by my cycle because I have gained a few pounds back over the last couple of days.  Let's hope that's a temporary woman issue.  So, while I don't think my weight loss results are as good as they could be, I will share them with you anyway. *sad face*

So, here's what you REALLY want to know...

My Progress So Far

• Weight : -3.8 lbs (ANGRY RANT:  As much sleep I have lost cooking 4 meals from scratch a [okay, most days...] day and working out 2-2.5 hours a day, this had better because of my cycle!!)
• Chest : -1" (I sure hope this was just back fat...)
• Waist at Belly Button : -1.75"
• Natural Waist : -1"
• L Arm : -1"
• R Arm : -0.5"
• L Thigh : -0.5"
• R Thigh : -1.25"
• L Bikini : -2"
• R Bikini : -1"
• Hips : -3.25"

That's a total of 3.8 lbs (BOO!!) and 13.25" inches (EXCELLENT) down in just 10 day!!!

Take that Thunder Thighs!!

Oh and in case you wondered what the bikini measurement is, I'll tell you.  Imagine sticking your leg through the hole of a bikini bottom, the part that touches your leg where it meets your torso is your bikini measurement.  So basically you would wrap the measuring tape around the top part of your leg at an angle.  I think Tracy has you track this measurement to see how your butt is shaping up.  Literally, up!

Can you believe the hips measurements!?  No more screaming seams in these jeans! 

10 days down, 20 to go.

Winning!

 Something awesome happened the other day...

I was nominated for a Liebster blog award by a fellow TAMer over at My Unpublished Life (be sure to check out her blog as well).  Liebster means favorite in German and the award is intended for those "under the radar" blogs that have less than 200 followers, but deserve a bit more attention.  

To be honest, I never knew any such thing existed!  It's quite an honor though and is totally unexpected and appreciated.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

Also, thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my blog.  I appreciate your support, comments and your time very much!

In order to accept this award, I must share 5 things about myself that you may not know and also nominate 5 other blogs to receive the Liebster award.

So, without further ado, I would like to nominate the following blogs that I have had the pleasure of reading:

My Unpublished Life 

Run Style Run 

Year : Twenty Nine 

Mistress of the Method 

Metamorphosing Cindy 

Also, since I HAVE to, I suppose I can share 5 little facts about me that you may or may not know...

1.  I'm a Christian.  I love the Lord and believe He brings me to and takes me through everything in my life. 
2. I love dogs and have two of them.
3. I love to sing.
4. When I was younger, I wanted to be a screenwriter "when I grew up".
5. I'm just barely over 5' tall, but I used to be 5'2" and shrunk when I became a vegetarian at the age of 12. (Unless maybe I had thick-soled shoes on each time I got measured, but I choose to believe I was actually 62 inches tall at one point in my life!)

So there you have it folks!  Please be sure to check out all of the blogs I mentioned!  Most, but not all are about Tracy Anderson's Method though.


Thanks again for reading!

Cupcakes and No Hard Feelings

Day 8 of Tracy Anderson Bootcamp

When I first decided to create this blog, I was debating between two names:  "French Fries and Thunder Thighs" or "Cupcakes and Muffin Tops".  Ultimately, I decided not to go with the latter because I don't actually have a muffin top.  I do have a love for cupcakes though and they come in at a close second to the french fry.

Yesterday, I said I was going to do 2 things:  (a) workout early and (b) not flip out over a half pound or so gain.  A turned out to be much easier than B for me.  This morning, I had gained another 0.4 lbs!! That is almost a whole pound in 2 days.  I have to laugh at myself because it seems so small when I type it out, but I'm totally obsessed with the numbers on the scale.  Now mind you, I realize that had I not dibbled and dabbled in unhealthy foods, I would not have seen a gain, but STILL!!!!!!!! *stomps foot*

I at least managed to get up early before work and get most of my MS done so that when I got home all I needed to finish was the rest of my arm and ab set and the DC.  I even upped the reps to 40 today on the legs, 80 on the arms and abs and I managed to get in a full 60-minutes of cardio.  I had an awesome workout today, so cheerio to that!

I guess we have to talk about cupcakes now, huh?

Well...

There's this place called "The Cup" that has delicious cupcakes.  The feature for this month is The Graceland and it's banana cake with peanut butter buttercream icing.  I have some good news though, I split the cupcake with a lady at work so I didn't eat the whole thing.  Here's the bad news though, that was only after already having two cupcakes earlier that day by myself.  BUT WAIT, I saved some more good news for you...I totally do not feel bad about my BIG, FAT CHEAT at all.  Maybe I will when I see the scale in the morning, but not right now at this very instant.

Anywho, I feel I have had enough slip-ups for one Sequence so since this one is nearly up (Sequence 1 is Days 1 through 10), I will stick with the diet plan. *sad face*

On to the food...

Today's Menu:
Breakfast - Our Bloody Mary (Everyone has horror stories about this breakfast and no one I know has kept it down.  It's basically a puree of red pepper, tomato, fresh cilantro, fresh horseradish,celery, cayenne and black pepper and an apple.  So, I doctored this a little and added two apples instead of one and I pureed it with a splash of orange juice.  It wasn't fantastic by any means, but it wasn't bad.  I could totally tolerate it and it looked really pretty before I blended it all up which is always a plus.)
Lunch - Turkey Chicken Avocado Roll-Up (I ate as much as I could bare.  Subbing in grilled chicken for the turkey did make it taste better though)
Snack - Fresh Melon Compote (I made this, but I skipped it and ate cupcakes and a half instead.  I probably will not eat anymore honeydew as I'm allergic to it which was brought to my memory when my lips got swollen and my mouth started itching and burning when I ate it the other day.  This is not why I skipped it though. I just really wanted the cupcakes.)
Dinner - Stovetop Braised Red Snapper and Roasted Asparagus (I couldn't find red snapper, so I bought ocean perch instead, but didn't make it because I wasn't hungry. I did eat the asparagus though. Yummy!)

"Our Bloody Mary" - pre-blended

After

Happily Ever After?

Day 7 of Tracy Anderson's Bootcamp

Have you ever heard the joke about the salmon and the potato?  It goes like this:

"Salmon makes it to the kitchen first, but disappoints the chef by her (this salmon is a girl) scaly appearance.  In walks the potato with all of his puffed up fried bravado.  The two of them (salmon and potato) go at it because they both want to please the chef and join her for dinner. Only one of them can win..."

 So, have you heard that one before?  Yeah, me neither.  That's likely because I made it up, but let's just continue with the story, shall we? (Notice how it changed from a joke to a story. I couldn't think of a punchline...) 

" Once upon a time in a not so distant land called Tamville lived a modest chef named Jae-cee.  Chef Jae-cee and all the maidens of the land were under strict orders from the Queen to eat only what Her Highness had prescribed.  Jae-cee followed all of the queen's orders.  Well, nearly...

In anticipation for an upcoming meal, she went shopping at a local grocery in hopes of finding salmon.  It was Jae-cee's lucky day.  Salmon filets were on sale 10 for $10 in individually wrapped 4oz packages; a perfect portion size! 

The Day of Salmon was nearly upon her, so she took one little 4oz packet from the freezer to thaw.  After all, preparedness was key to Tamville survival.  So, after a grueling workout on Salmon Day, Jae-cee happily went to prepare her portion of salmon for the evening as this particular meal is by far a favorite of hers.  She opened the packet expecting to see 4oz of pink salmon flesh only to discover a SCALY grey and white animal that looked EXACTLY like A FISH!!

You should know that at "Chateau de Jae-cee", foods that LOOK like an actual animal are not allowed as they give the maiden an incurable disease called Heebie Jeebies.  This includes but is not limited to scales, feathers, fur, claws, eyes, frog legs, etc.  So, of course Jae-cee ran. 

After nearly twisting her ankle to get away from the THING in the sink, the determined chef maiden decided to not let the scales set her back.  With rubber gloves, she went to work to remove the skin from the animal so that the meat could be grilled. FAIL. At the end of what was a disastrous attempt to skin a fish, there was less than 2oz of shredded salmon left to grill.  What was Jae-cee to do?  Where was she to go? 

Exhausted from her workout and nearly starved after the great fish debacle, Jae-cee could only think of one thing to do and that was to call on her old, but trusty friend, Mr. Potato...

THE END "

Today was so very difficult for me to summon the will to workout.  I have no idea why unless it's because I GAINED 0.2 lbs since yesterday (Yep, you read that right and I'm not happy about it!) or that I waited until the absolute last minute of the day to do my workout.  I am not a morning person by far, but still, I struggle to get my TAM workouts in at night.  So, I'm planning to do a couple of things:  workout early morning before work and not stress over a half pound or so increase as its likely temporary (Fingers Crossed).

Lucky for me, my little sister (who is also doing TAM BC - she's on Day 15) provided me with a bit of motivation.  She posted an awesome picture on the TAM FB page (I included it below) and as it turns out, that was what I needed to pump out my MS work and 40 minutes of DC.  I couldn't manage a full 60 minutes of cardio last night though. Sue me.

I feel like I should give you a legend for all of the acronyms just in case you are unfamiliar with the lingo, so here ya go:

• TAM - Tracy Anderson Method
• BC - Bootcamp
• DC - Dance Cardio
• MS - Muscular Structure
• TA - Tracy Anderson
• FB - Facebook

 As for the food...


Today's Menu:
Breakfast - Mushroom Omelet Roll-Up (Yum! It tasted fabulous even though it was more like scrambled egg whites with mushrooms and spinach than an omelet)
Lunch - Baked Chicken with Broccoli (Double Yum!!)
Snack - Cucumber Mint Relish (I had my juiced version again)
Dinner - Grilled Salmon with Endive and Roasted Triple Carrots (I made the carrots, had an episode with the salmon and ended up eating McDonald's instead.)

Baked Chicken with Broccoli

Mushroom Omelet Roll-Up

Remember Me?

Days One Through Six of Tracy Anderson's Bootcamp

When I first learned about Tracy Anderson's Method, I did all kinds of online research because I wanted to be sure that there were LOTS AND LOTS of people who had completed her program with success.  What I found is that everyone who stuck with it for the duration, saw dramatic improvements to their health and body.  Key words being: for the duration.

I decided when I began (the first time, not this time) that this will NOT be one of those blogs where the author is absolutely amped about the program and then suddenly they stop posting. 

Forever.

I always assume one of two things has happened:  (1) they have quit the program completely and can no longer "face" their readers or (2) have gone into the witness protection program and must remain anonymous.   Who knows!?

I mention all of that to basically say....

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really did not want to completely BORE you by re-discussing the days that I had already blogged about thus the reason for my absence.  Sorry for the neglect, but I did have your attention span in mind. It won't happen again.

Let me tell you, I am not new to working out.  I have done a plethora of activities:  Yoga, Gym membership (Hi Gold's Gym - I miss you!), Insanity, P90X, The PussyCat Dolls Workout DVD, etc.  I haven't stuck with any of them consistently for one excuse reason or another: I did not see results quick enough, I got bored, I messed up and had to restart and lost my momentum on the restart, I got bulky muscles underneath the stubborn fat that never left, etc., etc.

So, for my Round Two with TAM Bootcamp, I made a few changes to help me out:

1. Going forward if I happen to mess up, I will just continue with the program as designed instead of restarting from the beginning.  I restarted P90X at least three or four times and never made it past Day 11 which made me feel like I wasn't progressing.  I could never finish this THIRTY DAY bootcamp if I continued on with that bad habit.
2. As far as the food plan goes, there are a few things that I absolutely refuse to eat: lamb, soy products and that NASTY, AWFUL, HORRID cucumber mint relish (I have a picture of my modified and much better tasting cucumber mint relish below).  So, I modified the plan a bit to exclude those things on my refusal list and I also set a goal for myself to stick with her diet 90 to 95% of the time.  This way I will still feel like I have a bit of FREEDOM.  The restrictiveness of the diet was really starting to make my claustrophobia flare up.  Now, I can breathe easy because I am not holding myself to impossible (for me, at least) standards.  I commend everyone that can follow every single rule to a T. You're a champ! Perhaps one day, I too will have that type of discipline...or maybe its dedication that I lack.  I'm not sure... 
3. Since this is my 2nd time beginning Sequence 1 (Days 1 through 10) of the Bootcamp,  I decided to modify the workout a bit too.  I stepped it up a notch by adding ankle weights for the leg exercises, increasing my ab and arm reps and also increasing my cardio to 60 minutes from 40. Whew, that's a 2-hour sweat storm each day.

I'm pretty sure AWESOMENESS awaits me at the end of Sequence 1.


I'll drink to that!! (Kale juice or water, of course!)

Here's a couple of pictures that you didn't get to see the first time I did Days 1 through 6:

Cucumber Mint "Relish" - I juiced the cucumber and added the mint and coconut water to that rather than eat the slimy, chunky mess from the way it was prepared before.

Shrimp Salad with Sugar Snap Peas - YUCK!!! Let me tell you, there was NO SUGAR left in those peas.  I could only manage to eat one snap pea. What a waste of shrimp. They were like rubbery lemon pellets.

Kale Juice - I had this for breakfast on Day 6 along with a hard-boiled egg. I LOVE kale juice and drink it regularly anyway, so this was a treat.

Roasted Mushrooms and Wilted Spinach - Yum!  I had this in place of the Steamed Veggie Plate for Lunch on Day 6.  I see no point in wasting perfectly good leftovers. Not even for Tracy!

Seared Peppered Tuna with Arugula Greens - I should tell you I'm not a fan of fish and after eating this, I'm still not.  >:-S Yuck face

Also, I completed Day 7 today, but I'll have to blog about it tomorrow. 8-)

Pause and Repeat

Day ?? of Tracy Anderson's Bootcamp

I fell off the wagon! 

Well, actually I kind of jumped off of it, while it was still moving...

I mean, really!  I didn't even make it a full week!

So sad. 

I tried to repeat Day 6 at least 3 times and never quite got it right.  So, I moved on to Day 7 and something about that day makes me really want a Large fry from McDonald's. 

So rather than sabotage my progress any further, I have made the executive decision to START OVER!!  I can do that, right? 

There is some good news here (Yes, I found some!) and it's that I fully know what to expect this time around.  There is no way that I can personally manage working out for 2 hours a day each night and still get a good night's rest without waking up late the next morning especially when I have to make four meals for the next day. 

When I do something, I really like to make sure that I have done it correctly.  I'm one of those people who beats herself up over making mistakes.  Nooooo, I do NOT want a 3.987 GPA, I want a 4.333 GPA!!!  I'm working on getting over that little issue...  In the meantime though, I'll just start over.

So, this next go-round I will have to make a few changes that will allow me to easier manage this program:

• Workout in the morning
• Prepare food for the entire week in advance (except the juicing which should be done the day of)
• Lucky for me I have plenty of leftovers that I froze from Week One and also plenty of produce left
• Don't cheat AT ALL!!
• Some folks may be able to cheat a little and then reel it back in, but not me.  All it took was for me to cheat that one day and then I ended up slacking the rest of the time.  I would eat the meals & then do half the workout or I would do all of the workout and only eat some of the meals.  
• EXCEPTIONS - I absolutely refuse to eat that cucumber mint relish again.  I will juice a cucumber and toss some mint leaves and coconut water in it instead, but the relish...I JUST CAN'T!!  Also, still no soy products or lamb. 
• Since this will be my second time around doing Sequence 1 (Days 1-10), and my body was starting to get used to the exercises, I am going to start on Day One with ankle weights and work up to 40 reps.  I had gotten up to 60 leg and 80 ab reps without the weights. I wouldn't recommend this if you are just starting out and your Day One is really your first day ever into TAM.

I have really enjoyed the workouts with this program and I absolutely loved the results that I was beginning to see (on the scale and in the way my clothes fit), but I allowed those quick results to sabotage my commitment. I'll be mindful not to pat myself on the back too soon and to be more prepared each day so that I resist all temptations to cheat. 

There are no more candy bars in my house this time!  Now if only there was a Potato-Eaters Anonymous group I could be a part of that would ban me from all venues that sell fries.  Not that I would join... :-)

Here's to my brand new Day One.

Wish me luck because I will certainly need it!