Back on Track...Again.

This past week has been tough. I was having an emotional week to begin with that was compounded by a death in the family.  My husband and I also had several family obligations including a huge surprise retirement party for my husband's godfather, Easter brunch with his family, a wine club pick up and an Easter BBQ with my family. Plus the rosary and the funeral, burial and reception.

I really tried to eat well through this whole thing, but honestly reverted to habits of childhood and ate too much. And then there is the booze that everyone was using to celebrate and commiserate with.  There was a lot of food/tequila pushing and under the circumstances I couldn't say no to all of it. 

I've been trying to get my diet back on track slowly but surely. I did eat some Easter candy every night and finished up some wine that was opened on Monday on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today my diet has been stellar! Next week I have big plans to follow Tracy's older diet that I found on another blog http://laceysaddictions.blogspot.com/2011/04/tracys-older-diet.html.  This diet seems much less time consuming and less expensive that the Meta plan. I'll be upping the veggies and protein to make 1,200 calories per day. I will probably have 2 cheat meals per week because I have a life. ha! Let's hope I can stick with it and no more family emergencies come up.

Yesterday we tossed or froze the remaining Easter candy.  It is a relief to have it out of sight! Why is it so hard to throw away? I feel so guilty! I can't give it to my kids because a. there is a severe peanut allergy in their house and b. they have enough junk as it is.

I missed my workouts Sunday-Tuesday, but one of those days was my rest day, so really just missed two. The funeral/reception was Monday so I was gone all day. I should have worked out Tuesday but was hungover/bloated and had to work early. I mostly needed rest, hydration and a break from family. I think that's the longest stretch I've gone without a workout since November.  I did Hip Meta 5 Sequences 7-9 these past three days (W-F), DC 07 on Wednesday and Thursday plus walked with my little one. Today (as well as meta ms) I did DC 2 Sequences 1-5  plus the tutorials for 4 & 5. I think I've almost nailed #4 but #5 is super fast! I'll get it eventually! I really love DC 2. It's tough to learn but I fly around my living room to my own music and the time flies. Plus soooo much fairy dust when you can really perform the moves! I also did GOOP arms and V abs twice to make sure I worked off all that junk. ;)

Tomorrow should be super fun as I am taking my sister to Self Workout in the Park tomorrow and a birthday dinner afterwards. We are going to a Mediterranean place so I should be able to eat pretty healthy! Sunday my hubby and I are going to brunch for a date. The weather should be amazing and we will have views of the bay while we eat. We will most likely hit up the farmers market before hand and take a long walk afterwards. Hopefully all this extra fitness will help counter balance the extra food and help whip me into shape!

Here are two pictures I took last Friday after my workout. Super sweaty!

I feel like I am almost back to this point now and want to keep moving in that direction. I am frustrated that my progress keeps getting derailed. I have plans to be in a bikini on May 21st so hopefully that will help me along. Bikini's usually put the fear back in me!

And last, here are my cute Easter eggs I will be eating next week. Why can't all Easter treats be healthy?

I hope you are healthy, happy and loved! This week, though tough, did remind me of what is truly important. Even if my thighs aren't "perfect," I still have so much!

Cheers!

Counting My Blessings

Today, I woke up determined.

Determined to let yesterday fall away behind me and get my attitude adjusted! I weighed in at 129.6. (Down 1 pound, yayayaya!) I rocked out Hip Meta sequence 5 for the fifth time, which means...

I'M HALFWAY DONE!!!

Just 45 more workouts to go...I started on February 12, so it's taken me just under 10 weeks to get this far. So here's to 10 more weeks! Right in time for my family vacation to Lake Tahoe. My goal is to loose another 5-9 pounds and just feel more comfortable in a swim suit.

I put on DC2 and rocked out the first 3 sequences to LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening and then danced freestyle for an additional 6 or so minutes, just under 30 total. I really need to take the time to learn a few more of those combos because they are so FUN!

Diet is going well today. I did have a tiny dixie cup of coffee at Trader Joes, because it's free and makes shopping so much more fun. Plus a tiny candy from See's that they gave me as a sample. I was in there buying a gift and I couldn't resist "mocha kona chocolate." yum! I walked about a mile round trip to See's, so I figure I burned it off.

I must confess that last night I did open a very nice bottle of wine and had one very nice glass of it. I also had two pieces of sprouted grain bread with a smidgen of almond/flax butter and a handful of raw almonds. I have to say, it helped immensely. So did the back rub from my husband.

We received some sad news about a loved one passing away this morning. A very sweet man, whom I adored. He had such a kind and loving energy and knew how to make me feel special. He'd always dance with me at family functions and in his youth was a talented paso doble dancer.

So I've spent some time focusing on being grateful for what I have and stopping obsessing over why life isn't perfect all the time. I made a date with my mom tomorrow. She's coming into the city to meet me and go to the SFMOMA and then to have high tea at Neiman Marcus's Rotunda restaurant. Life is too short and there are too many fun things to do for me to sit around moping about.

I am not totally blowing off my diet. I will attempt to do extra cardio tomorrow and Saturday to make up for "high tea", but I won't sweat it. I've got a family function on Saturday night, plus two Easter celebrations to attend. I will do my very best, but right now my happiness is more of a priority than my ass. I promise to watch portion sizes and make the best choices possible however!

Cheers!

It was a dark and gloomy day that gave way to a little sunshine.

You know those mornings when you just know that no matter what you do, it's just going to suck. Well, that's how this morning started out. It is time for my monthly visitor and more often then not it's no big deal. I may have want a little chocolate or be a bit bloated or cranky. But sometimes I feel like I've taken crazy/sadness pills. Luckily for me (and my husband and anybody else around me really) it is rare.

I really just should have stayed in bed for another hour but Tracy was calling me and I like to do my workout before I eat. I weighed in at 130.6 again, which was both good and bad, since I didn't loose since yesterday but didn't gain because of period bloating. My husband (ran) left for work and I got started on day 4 Hip Meta, Sequence 5. OMG. It was so hard today. The last five minutes I was dripping sweat and begging for mercy. I managed 3 minutes of DC07 before I submitted to that fact that I'm a tiny bit of a mess today. It was a near tearful moment.

I contemplated opening an expensive bottle of wine, running to the corner store for chocolate and renting a really sad chick flick (in that order, all before breakfast,) when the tiny voice of reason in my head told me to EAT something.

So I did.

I made my super delicious strawberry applesauce. So much yummier than blueberry! I just mixed up about 4 or 5 strawberries with 1 cup store bought applesauce in my mini prep. Try it, you'll like it! Then here is my kefir and chia seeds. I'm weird and love this too. Plus my Gwen mug with green tea. I must say I was feeling a bit better after this.

However, I still wanted my wine, chocolate and tearful movie.

I knew I would be even more distraught if I caved so I put myself together and drove over to Whole Foods for more kale salad, since I was out. I had planned to walk but that idea went out the window with  the dancing.

I spent a long time looking at the cupcakes.

Then I moved into the bath and body isle and started smelling all the perfume samples. I tried and few on and picked up the items I needed. I am still smelling my wrists and I am now a believer in aromatherapy!
Also at the checkout line, some guys were rapping/beat boxing and filming a movie of themselves so that got a smile out of me!

Next I moved on to Walgreens, cause the stuff at Whole Foods is $$$$$$$$$. I got some new face wash/lotion and a foot scrubber.

I then went home and gave myself a pretty impressive pedicure with foot soak and everything. So I'm finally feeling a bit better. I really don't want to cave on my diet and hope to be up for cardio tomorrow.

Here is my "power juice" as well:

Looks gross but I love it!

So the moral of the story is ? I'm not sure, but I think it's "You can indulge yourself in ways that won't sabotage your overall goals," or something similar. Sorry for the rambling, but it feels good to get it off my chest. I hope you all were feeling better than I was this morning! I have to say I'm feeling MUCH better now.

I am off to make my protein soup for tonight and hopefully start positioning pictures on my vision board. I honestly feel like such a big baby when this happens. I know I need to be grateful for my many, many blessings but sometimes it's just tough and I'm all around proud of myself for doing my best today. 

Cheers!

Here we go again! Nutrient Boost to the Rescue!

After an pretty crazy weekend with tons of socializing and house guests, which translates to very little sleep and too much booze and pizza, I am really ready for some "detox" and down time. I've got the week off as the family I work for is on vacation so I've got some good "me time" activities planned.
I've decided to try and stick to Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis meal plan for awhile and see if the structure of the diet can help me loose these last 10 lbs. I've kept off about 5lbs for a couple months so I think it's about time to give another push towards my goal. This is my second attempt at the diet (3rd time on the "boost") so I'm changing and adding a few things to both simplify my life and also increase the calories to a level at which I can maintain my sanity and my workouts.

I'm wrapping up Day Two and have been feeling fantastic! I was lucky to have a few of the food items for this "nutrient boost" week frozen in my freezer from about a month ago. This really helped me ease in knowing I didn't have to make everything all at once. I pre-shopped last Friday to get all the other ingredients I need as well.

I weighed in at 130.6 today, which is about where I have been hovering, 129-131. I really would like to stay below 125. I'm 5'4.5" and I think that is totally doable.

What I've added is a cup of plain kefir with about 2 Tbs. of chia seeds stirred in and let to sit for at least 10 minutes. I really want to make sure I'm getting protein, probiotics, fiber and omega 3's, so I figured this knocks them all out. I am terrible at taking supplements so this works for me!

I also gave up the "power juice" because I am lazy. Instead I am eating some "purple goddess salad" and "kale seaweed salad" together. I figure, it's raw and full of nutrients and has kale and beets, so sort of the same. Plus I love the way they taste!

Tomorrow I run out of the blueberry applesauce so will need to make more and am cheating again. I just bought organic applesauce and am going to blend in some organic strawberries. They were cheaper than blueberries. I'm sure it's fine. :)

I know a lot of people are not fans of the gazpacho, but I LOVE it. It tastes so good to me! I love spicy food, so maybe that's why.

So even though my weekend was so nuts, I did fit in one mat workout with my friend at her house. It was so fun doing that DVD! How I missed it so! I have to say that it felt pretty easy compared to the intensity of  the Meta level 5 that I'm currently on.

Super nerdy pic my friend took of me! I did miss those arms especially. I had to use the 5lb weights as my friend was using the 3's. My arms were sore for 2 days! No cardio this weekend but I walked many a mile all over town, in heels and in flats. Plus I did extra dancing at a CSS concert Friday night.

No more going out and whooping it up for me for awhile, just some family functions that may give me some challenges with eating but feeling strong and determined, so far!

I spent yesterday doing a ton of laundry and dishes. I was still really tired so missed my workouts but stuck to the diet.

Today I got back on track with Meta Hip 5, #3. Wow! I love how this level kicks my ass, literally. I really feel it in my abs and arms too. Then I did a mix of dances from DC08. I've been using La Roux Pandora for both ms and dc and it has been working pretty well! Sometimes I have to skip a song but mostly great. I'm not really into mainstream music, but I will do some Lady Gaga Pandora too.

I took on a massive project of sorting my recipe collection this afternoon. It took forever but it's one of those projects that has been lurking in my mind for awhile. It'll be fun to get back to cooking when I get closer to my goal.

Lastly, I went looking around my neighborhood for the SELF magazine with Gwyneth Parltrow on the cover and had no luck. I did find a Vouge with Gwen Steffani though! She's totally my inspiration! My husband just called from Safeway on his way home from work and picked me up a copy of SELF so can't wait to check it out!

Now off to my protein soup and pudding!
Cheers!

Weekly Results!

Good news first! I lost 1.8 lbs this week and 1/4 " off my thigh, upper and lower abs as well as 1/2" off my butt. I rocked out Hip Meta Sequence 4, 5 times this week so far and a minimum of 30 minutes dance cardio as well. My diet was pretty awesome too!

 I've been trying out eating a decent sized breakfast full of complex carbs and protein. This was Friday's 2 eggs scrambled with a tsp. of homemade pesto mixed in over a sprouted grain bagel. This keeps me full until lunchtime. I think that since I workout in the morning I need to make sure and fuel myself adequetley or else I am starving all day!

Lunch has been a huge green salad, usually spinach, topped with more salad! This delicious kale salad I got from Whole Foods. A splurge again, but I split it up into 3 salads. Then I'll add a protein, organic baked chicken, organic roasted turkey meat, tuna...

                                                

Dinner is either more veggies and protein and a small portion of quinoa or other complex carb. I have been enjoying my kefir, ezekiel cereal and chia seeds for dinner as well. I've had a super busy week so that is a quick and easy dinner that leaves me full for awhile.

So on to the not so good news...I went out to a comedy show Thursday night and had a great time and probably 2 drinks too many. :( Then I didn't get home until midnight and just couldn't bare getting up at 5am to workout, especially since I had to go out again that night. I did get my workout in though!! I packed all my supplies and took them to work. When I got my little two year old down for her nap, I rocked out the mat work and danced for 30 minutes in the kitchen to BDC. It was my first time dancing on hard wood floors and I have to say I didn't see a huge difference compared to the carpeting we have in our apartment. I also made myself walk with the jog stroller 2 miles to the playground, uphill with some skipping tossed in, and jogged all the way home. I haven't ran since December so it felt great in a weird way.

On to that evening, I promised my best friend I'd be moral support for her as she was being auctioned off for a date to raise money for Team In Training, who raises money for Lymphoma and Leukemia. I was so tired after not getting enough sleep the night before, drinking and rocking out a jog! It was at this horrible club near Union Square. She was dead last in the auctioning so I was there for over 3 hours. I ended up having several beers, (at least they were "light beer!") When the whole thing was over we went to a Hookah Bar and smoked and drank wine and I got home finally at 2am. 

Okay, now that I have confessed my sins, I feel a little better. It is so hard living in the city and not drinking or staying out late. There is always something going on and I miss adult interaction during the week when I'm busy being a nanny.

I still got up at 8 today and did my ms and DC07. I am so sore today though! Not sure if it's from the run or sequence 4 but man my quads and butt are killing! I really want to work out tomorrow, even though Sunday is usually my rest day but I missed Monday last week and want to at least maintain my results.

My husband took pictures this morning of me in my bathing suit and I'm pretty horrified and embarrassed.  There is just a layer of fat over the top of my muscles that I need to loose! I'm hoping the photos will motivated me to stop self sabotaging myself with too many drinks and not getting enough rest. I am very proud of how I ate this week, so there's that...

I have brunch tomorrow and next Sunday as well as girls night next Friday. I'm not sure how I will ever get where I want with my social life being like it is. Next Friday's weigh in and measurements should be telling...