DAY 22 - Do Somethin'

Ok so I need to clear something up... I was confusing some of Britney's greatest hits. LOL

Earlier when I referenced Gimme More I was actually thinking of this gem. Both have special places in my heart. The Do Somethin' video was the video my girlfriends and I would watch in college before going out and laugh at the interior LV Murakami Cherry Blossom in the "car scene" (which was subsequently removed because BS did not have rights to it - HA!). The Gimme More performance was something that my gf's and I would "recreate" when out dancing at night.... Good for some serious chuckles :) And yes, both of these classics can be found on my muscle work playlists, because they make me smile.

Now that that's settled!! Day 22 - Yowza!! I am feeling super inspired today. Maybe bc I am so close to the finish line? Or maybe I am just on crack because I've been up for so long and only slept for 5 hours... and I still have a longggg way to go before I am home for the night.... On the positive side - tonight I am starting a GMAT course, which was also one of my new year’s resolutions :) While I am totally strapped for time right now, it will be great to get the ball rolling with this endeavor!! Stephanie Stahl... Here I come!!!

I was pretty sore this morning. Significantly more so than I was with Seq 1 and 2. Love it :) Holding strong and steady at 109.5 (damn half pound...). Apparently my bitchy body likes this weight. Grrrrrr. A few months before doing TAM, I was researching the Dukan diet, which is essentially a new-age version of the Atkins diet (all meat, no cheese, some veg). I don't really subscribe to this type of diet but it has been getting tons of press bc Kate Middleton's mom and a few other celebs are on it. Anyways.... on Dukan's website, there is a calculator of what your "real" weight is based on your highest weight, lowest weight, current weight, height, activity level, etc. My "real weight" according to Dr. Dukan was 109. At the time, I was like I know I can get there.... someday. Well folks, tomorrow is that day!! (I really hope hahahahaa). I joke about the numbers, bc I know it really doesn't matter, but I am a numbers person.... so I tend to always go back to the cold, hard numbers. On the plus side, I did feel like I looked smaller this morning (right before I weighed myself). So... that was a plus. I also got a pretty awesome compliment yesterday which also made me feel fitter. But I'm really hoping for some meaningful shifting in the coming week... especially in some newly extra skin on my stomach... what’s up with that??
Come on TAM.... I think I can. I think I can. I think I can!

So the workout - day 2 of sequence 3, complete!! Despite my best efforts, I was only able to accomplish 30 reps legs/abs, 40 reps arms and 30 mins of cardio this AM. But, I felt strong and surprisingly capable. The moves just take me a long time... I hope because I am doing them extra right! LOL

Not sure if I mentioned this before but I got the Perfect Design Series last week! Woo! So I am ready for the contingency plan - I have the mat workout, PD1, PD2, PD3 and then will likely get hipcentirc metamorphosis... I am SO curious to see what people have to say about it!! One girl posted this on TAM's facebook page:

Hipcentric day one complete, OMG I can barely walk! And here I though "oh, only 30 mins of MS work, this will be SO much easier!" haha, NOT!

That cracked me up!! And I'm sure could not be further from the truth! TA doesn't mess around.

Alrighty peeps... It's been a long day, but I still have a lot goin' on! Tomorrow - back at it! Up-ing to 35 reps legs/arms, 40 (or more) arms, 40 mins cardio. Will likely take me 2:30 :( but have to power through... I am so close!!!!!!

Xo
Kerri

PS - Is there is seriously more snow coming into Boston?? whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy??!?!?!!??! :(

DAY 21 - 1, 2 Step

Hey y'all! This is going to be a quick update tonight... It's 11 o'clock and I'm wrapping up cooking my lunch for Tuesday. Yes, today is Sunday - tomorrow is going to be a longgggg day!!

BUT... I survived Sequence 3 today!! Woohoo!! 30 reps legs/abs, 40 reps arms. Sequence 3 is very very difficult but in a very very good way. You can really feel each move working. It took me 1:48 for the muscle work (today was a "learning" day) followed by 40 mins cardio. Felt great after! We'll see what manana brings!!

I surprisingly loved tonight's dinner - tofu, corn, tomato, arugula salad. So much in fact... it may make another appearance in my post-BC life :)

Today was pretty hectic, but overall standard Sunday - workout, grocery shop, cook, cook, cook! Oh, AND I bought a juicer!! So basically, to date, I have been blending my kale juice and straining it... This is an insanely tedious process and since I will be having kale juice 2x/day for days 26-30, I decided it was a necessity!! I went for a pretty low level juicer... But fingers crossed!! The reviews are decent, and I wasn't willing to splurge on a great one @ this point. Also, I tried to see if there was a juice bar in Boston where I could just order said juice, or bring in my ingredients and beg someone to juice them for me... and - There is NOT a juice bar in Boston!!! I can't believe it. This city struggles sometimes... it is missing some serious culinary and cultural necessities... good/authentic latin food, bars/restaurants that serve food and are open past 2, a juice bar, a TAM studio... I mean - come on!!! LOL

OK I really need to get some sleep. Alarm will go off at 5AM tomorrow.... and you know how I feel about waking up that close to 4!

Good night peeps. Cheers to another TAMtastic week ahead!!

Xo
Kerri

PS - to those of you wrapping up BC this week..... You're almost there!!! ROCK IT!!!!

DAY 20 - You're a Fireworkkkkk

2/3 down!!! Can you believe it???
Today was a pretty good day. I completed Sequence 2!!! And, it didn't kill me :)
40 reps abs/legs, 50 reps arms + 40 mins cardio... And it took 2 hrs 20 mins! Imagine that!

So today was a busy today... and I missed breakfast :-/ there just was no time!! Does this count as cheating?? I certainly hope not!! Lunch was tofu/kale soup which was great. I love eating the soups much more than I enjoy making them... After the photo shoot today I was running around trying to find 4 oz to-go containers when it occurred to me that I was starving!!! So... I literally ate my snack in my car. LOL What have I come to?? Luckily for me, I had my apple and peanut butter in tow. I ate the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with a plastic spoon, and then had the apple literally while I was driving. And let me tell you... I hate when people EAT when they drive! Especially sandwiches... not sure why but it just really bugs me. Anyways, moving on...

Tonight, I had a dinner guest to enjoy TA's veggie burgers over romaine. While I enjoyed the turkey burger much more, this was not bad - despite being a much messier version. My TAMtastic dinner date - Kristie - has been serving as my sounding board throughout my TAM journey. She was so sweet as to pretend that the veggie burger was a. fulfilling, and b. delish... She even "rocked out" to PD1 today!! Gooo Kristie :) Special shout out/thanks BC!! Baby, you're a fireworkkkkk... this blog's for you!

Looking forward to the new sequence tomorrow, and thankful that I can start it on a weekend so I can really focus on perfecting each move without the time restraints. Only 5 more days until the CLEANSE and only 10 more days until I am finito!


20 days down...
10 days to go!!!
Bring is sequence 3!!!!

That's all for now...
I hope everyone's having a TAMtastic weekend :)

Xo
Kerri

DAY 19 - My milkshake brings all the...

HAHAHA jk!! I heard this song today during my arm work and honestly had forgotten how much I loved Kelliis... What ever happened to her?? La La, La La La....

Today was another doozie... But I won't spend too much time telling you about how I struggle with sequence 2 because... tomorrow is the last day!!!!! I will be excited for now, and hopefully kick its butt tomorrow, only to sacrifice myself to sequence 3 on Sunday. But HEY - I've come this far, haven't I??? Also, today I did 40 reps legs/abs and 50 reps arms.

Day 2 on the kefir - this time Mango smoothie... 1 c unsweetened/unflavored w. 1/2 c mango. It was awesome.
Lunch was tuna (from the can LOL) with roasted cauliflower and fennel
Snack was SHOT-CAKES... for everyone except for me.... sigh.... Seriously!! Every month, my office has a "birthday party" for all of the employees with birthdays in said month. On the last Friday of each month there is a dessert themed bash/snack attack at 4 pm. And today, there were shot-cakes... aka cupcakes filled with ice cream!! Whaaaaat?! I mean, come onnnnnnn. I have never actually had these decadent delights, but MAN they looked good!! I have really not felt deprived at all during this whole ordeal. But please, click the link and see what I missed!! Yowza. Also, there was a gigantic bowl of tortilla chips in the kitchen by my desk all day!! 2 things I LOVE - ice cream and tortilla chips.
Ok, now that I have sounded like a serious fat kid - I did not, in fact, indulge in any of these SNACKS. Instead, I had my beet/orange/basil mini-salad and chugged lemon water.
Got home, powered through 40 mins cardio and made my shrimp/snap pea/palm/pepper delight for dinner, watched The Best Thing I Ever Ate - Sugar (whyyyy??) and here I am!

Tomorrow is DAY 20 people!! I can hardly believe it!! Time is really flying by. A lot of people told me that I looked tired today... and to be honest, I am feeling a bit drained. Tomorrow (sat.) is unfortunately not an "off" day for me, so I will be up early, cranking out my last go around with Sequence 2 AND doing 40 mins cardio before heading off to do a photo shoot for the day!

So, Nicole Richie is TA's new galpal... NR is literally at the TA studio every single day, drinking pressed juices. Remember this (I guess she's come a longgg way from being extremely ana) or this... yikes! And seriously, I'm not knocking Nicole... I really respect the fact that shes been able to turn her life around. I'm just curious if anyone knows her motivation behind this new healthy/fit lifestyle? Or if she has publicly spoken about it?


On another note, I cannot believe that I forgot a "title" for yesterday's blog... My sincerest apologies!! What a slacker. Hopefully today's made up for it ;)

OK I'm rambling... I will leave you all with a little inspiration in the form of white Emilio Pucci..

AH-MAZINGGGG

19 down...
11 to go....
Xo
Kerri

DAY 18

Another snowy day in Boston! Talk about a drag on motivation!!

This morning - 40 reps legs/abs (again really focused on perfection - channelling slimmer thighs) and 50 reps of arms which took me 1:40. Willl do 40 min cardio tonight after work. While I don't love breaking it up... at this point it really is the only option (because waking up at 4:30 am is not an option).

The good news - only two more days of sequence 2!! I literally cannot believe it!! Despite basically complaining every day about it, it has flown by. And while there are parts of sequence 2 that I love, there is a lot that I don't... Particularly move #2. Funny... I didnt like move #2 of sequence 1 either... hmmm.....

So I forgot to mention yesterday that I was holding strong at 109.5. Today up to 110.5. Not sure why? Maybe still had a belly full of kale? No rationalizations... I'm just going with it... We will see what tomorrow brings.

Breakfast today was a lovely tropical fruit salad (kiwi, pineapple, honeydew, papaya). Loved it.
Lunch - turkey kale soup. Delish!! Took a while to make... A lot of work on a weeknight for one little cup of soup, but I think this would be a great recipe to make on a Sunday for lunch a few days.
Snack - Choco Blueberry pudding. Ya'll know my thoughts here. At least no more chocolate untile the CLEANSE (only a week away!)
Dinner - Orange glazed salmon with roasted mushrooms
Overall, great eating day!!

My Perfect Design Series (1, 2, 3) is arriving today!! Woooo!! Just in time to start it right after BC!! I am so excited to move past BC, just to go back to cardio outside of my living room!! I miss my gym, I miss my gym buddy, my favorite instructors, different moves and really just everything about it! I feel truly happy to have found the TAM method, and I look forward to incorporating it and maintaining/improving upon my BC results for as long as Tracy keeps at it! Up next is PDS then the original Mat Workout (which I also got for Christmas!) and then I will definitely order Metamorphisis... clearly hipcentric... I mean, she is actually building in sustainability! How cool is that?? Ok, obviously I am obsessed with Tracy but I also find TAM's new CEO, Stephanie Stahl*, inspirational from a professional standpoint. Post-business school, I would LOVE to follow the this career path. Look out, Tracy! You won't know what hit you ;)

* Stephanie graduated from Stanford undergrad and Harvard Business School. She worked at Boston Consulting Group where she was a Partner, and then as Chief Marketing Officer of Revlon until 2006. Stephanie recently joined TAM to bring the business to the next level. So far, I think the changes to the business are amazing!! See a recent interview Stephanie gave here.

Ok peeps, keeping it short and sweet today!

Happy TAMing,
Xo
Kerri

Day 17 - Makes Me Wanna Pray

Ok, so obviously I like to title my blogs after songs... except for the occasional rhyming title or something like "got kale?" HAHAHA. Today, I switched up my playlist and put on my "Run Girl Run!" playlist from the half marathon. When Christina Aguilera "Makes Me Wanna Pray" came on I pretty much laughed out loud. Because in that moment I was really battling with myself, and I thought - how appropriate!! LOL I also listen to songs like Mercy by Duffy, Clumsy by Fergie, Knock you Down by Keri Hilson and other ironically titled tunes. Maybe one of these days I will post my playlists. But then y'all will really think I'm nuts!! HAHA I listen to everything from Bent to Bieber to T.I. Really, I'm all over the map.

So last night I ate the lamb. I was very very uncertain about this, but Tracy realllll hasn't steered us wrong yet in the eating dept (besides the cucumber mint thing which I just don't understand) , so I figured what the heck... Since lamb tenderloin is pretty much impossible to find, I settled for a 4 oz lamb steak with virtually no fat. And I have to admit it TA... It was not too shabby. I loved the brussel sprouts (obv), and really didn't mind the lamb.

A quick note on the choco pudding from yesterday and then we will move on to today. It has come to my attention that this pudding is approximately 750 calories... Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?! Don't get me wrong... I did not think that TA had invented calorie free pudding by any means, but seriously... What the??? The 1/2 c of semisweet choco chips represents 500 cals and the remaining ingredients come in around 250. Why Tracy whyyyyy??? I really just don't see why that is necessary. The ONLY thing I can come up with is that she's training our bodies not to be completely restricted, and not to be "shocked" when we do indulge (post-BC) in a cookie, or some vodka, or a french fry, or whatever your "thing" may be... Anyone else have any theories? AND tomorrow is choco blueberry "pudding".... 1/2 c choc chips + 1 cup blueberries = approx 650? Interesting.... Personally, I'd rather have a little extra protein at dinner, but thats just me.

So... After measuring my hips and investigating my body for "changes" last night, I decided that I should be seeing more dramatic results in the hip/leg area. After all, I have been doing extreme leg/butt work every single day for approx 1 hr for 17 days straight now... thats 17 hours of work!! And they have barely budged! So this morning, I dedicated myself to shrinking my butt and legs with every single move. I upped my reps to 40 (legs/abs) and 45 (arms). I moved slowly and methodically through each move - REALLY pushing, really extending, really "thinking in my butt". I went above and beyond today. And while it was great, and I felt really great after (even though it sucked during). It took me one hour and forty freaking minutes... YIKES!!!! So I finished up after work today - rocking out 40 mins of TAM cardio. I cannot wait to get back to other cardio dance routines and classes (especially when taught by Ms. Hefez!!).

OK, so I decided this morning that I would take some pics of my "progress"... Here's a couple TAM arms on day 17!

Arms only at this point... The rest will likely never see the light of day. But good to track progress regardless!!

Food today:

Breakfast - Sweet Potato Silver Dollar "Pancakes"?

Now... I have not made many pancakes in my life. But I'm pretty certain they are not  supposed to look like this! HAHAHA. But they were awesome!! 1 steamed sweet potato + 1 tbsp kefir (not flavored) + 1 tbsp flax + 1 egg white, a little EVOO spray and voila! You (are supposed to) have pancakes!! These were in better shape until they were crushed in their tin foil pack on my way into work :( oh well... Also, the Yacon Syrup really took them to another level!! Now,  I am not a maple syrup girl... at ALL! In fact, I have strong negative feelings towards it.  But yacon... now we're talking!!

Lunch - greek salad! LOVE :) I will say, could have done without the feta (gasp!). It's amazing what not eating dairy for 17 days does to a cheese and salt loving lady like myself... Imagine that!!

Snack - Pear Apple sauce w nutmeg and cinammon. Delish, will add this to the post-TAM repitoire

Dinner - Steamed Turkey with kale and raisins. LOVE!! Last time I made this dish, I clearly didnt use enough kale because it was more like a soup. As we all know, I have an abundance of said vegetable so tonight the kale was a-plenty! Although the recipe called for "1 bunch" of kale... I knew this did not apply to my garganchuan kale bunches, so I went with a little less than half, which was still very sufficient.

As it is wayyyy past my bedtime, I have to hit the hay... Sweet dreams peeps!

17 down, 13 to go... All by the book!!!
(Feb 8th is right around the corner!!)

Xo
Kerri

DAY 16 - Got Kale??

As you know, Sunday is my grocery shopping day. I make my extensive list and head to Whole Foods to stalk up on all the fruit, veggies, and protein they have to offer. This past Sunday, I was trolling around the produce department in search of kale. I literally could not find it anywhere!! So I had to ask the produce guy (hate having to do that...). To my dismay he told me that they were actually out of kale!! Literally, they sold out! What the....?

Is everyone in the city of Boston on TAM boot camp? Or are the people in Cambridge just also obsessed with the leafy green? I could NOT get over this. The lovely produce man explained that the kale shortage was due to people "stocking up" on groceries over the weekend because of the impending cold and snow. Seriously? I have a hard time believing that!!

So, main squeeze to the rescue... yet again!! There is a farmers market/store right by his office so I asked him to pick up 3 bunches of kale (kale filled week we have this time around....). Now, the "bunches" at Whole Foods are pretty modest in size... appropriately so. I could NOT believe my eyes when I opened the fridge and saw an entire kale farm taking up like a quarter of the space in my refrigerator!! Got kale anyone??

This shelf normally stores a case of 1 liter water bottles... Just sayin'. I now have enough kale to last me for the rest of BC. LOL If only it lasted that long....

So here we are, day 16 with a fridge full of kale and a belly full of kefir*. Yup, first day on the kefir! I didn't mind it... at all!! I opted for the blueberry varietal. Tasted to me a lot like Dannon yogurt. I am not really a big fan of Dannon mostly because I think its watery and not particularly satisfying. But compared to what I expected the kefir to taste like... It was dreamy! LOL I could get used to this.

*Kefir is a cultured probiotic "beverage" (I ate it with a spoon) similar in taste and texture to drinkable yogurt, and made from milk fermented with kefir cultures. Originating over 2000 years ago in the Caucasus Mountains-where many people live well over 100 years-kefir has been collecting a long list of health benefits. These include potential benefits such as: enhancing the immune system, stimulating digestion, easing lactose intolerance, lowering cholesterol and controlling the growth of harmful yeast overgrowth. Probiotics, which literally mean "beneficial to life," are live cultures that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Kefir is gluten and lactose free.  Elie Metchnikoff, a Nobel prize winner, was the first to extensively study kefir and its links to longevity, documenting how kefir is an extremely effective natural ingredient that combats intestinal infections.

Not too shabby!! Note - unlike most other yogurts, there were no visible blueberry pieces in the yogurt. Bummer.

Moving on... I was -0.5 lbs this morning!! When I woke up, I was pleased by the appearance of my stomach which is something I never thought I would EVER say (to myself or in a public forum).... However, right after my workout, I checked it out again and I didn't really have the same pleasant feelings towards its appearance.  Hopefully, it will learn - over time - to stay looking lean all day long... Not just right when I get out of bed :-/ LOL

The muscle work today was mentally challenging. I just felt tired. But I powered through 35 reps legs/abs and 40 reps arms. Followed by 30 mins cardio... Lame, I know... but I really didn't have enough time for the 4th set. Ughhh. But in all seriousness, I think that 2 hours is really all I can commit to on weekday mornings which should be enough for muscle work + 40 mins cardio. I want to up my reps to 40 but am nervous I won't have enough time... Maybe I will try tomorrow and hope for the best. I feel a strong day coming on!! What I did really ROCK today were the push up arabesque attitude series and MAN could I feel it in my back (scapula area) after... felt GREAT!!

Lunch was a baked sweet potato. Yum-o!! Pre-TAM I didn't eat many sweet potatoes, as this was really on the "carb" list for me. But I actually really liked the plain sweet potato - no butter, no salt, no cinnamon, no nada - just sweet potato au natural. Mighty fine lunch if I say so myself!! I baked it last night, cut into cubes and re-heated in the microwave... It still didn't dry out!! Amazing, really.

Choco chestnut pudding for snack today... Yay! However I had to make a modification. I opened up my jar of chestnuts to find that they were moldy.... Whaaaaat?! Grosssss, I couldn't believe it! How is that even possible? Apparently they should have gone in the fridge... who knew?? So anyways... I basically used dates in place of chestnuts and dried cranberries instead of dates... The book said you could use dried blueberries... but cranberries is what I had. Sorry Tracy, please forgive me!  Still delicious and nutritious! (Being a stickler for the rules, I really hated having to "modify" this recipe. Just wanted to state that for the record. I will be sure to never make that mistake again.)

Wrapping some things up and then I'm off to an event this evening (in the snow!!) followed by a night full of prepping tomorrow's meals and (hopefully) going to bed e-a-r-l-y!!

Oh, and here's a pic of my tofu/romaine salad from yesterday... Jealous??

Lastly, thanks to you all for reading and for all the comments - they mean so much to me and really help keep the motivation going!! ...In TAM we trust ;)

Have a great night peeps!!

Xo
Kerri

PS - I apologize if I came off haughty yesterday by noting what my doctor told me about "ideal" weights. Obviously, this doesn't apply to everyone because all body types are different! I really hope that no one took offense by that. Also this should NOT be used as a gold standard because A. I am not an expert and B. it was not TA-approved hahaha. Lastly, I know that personally I have a longggg way to go - regardless of anyone's ideals or what the scale says!

DAY 15 - Jai Ho!!!

Wowwie wow wow!! 15 days. I can hardly believe it!!!

In 15 days - I have followed the TAM boot camp by the book. I have eaten 4 CLEAN meals a day, exercised for 30+ hours (damn!), lost 6.5 lbs, shrunken my waist by approximately 1.5" (measurements to follow... maybe tomorrow), and begun a serious journey towards achieving the body that I have always wanted. Now, don't get me wrong... I am not there yet and there is still a longggg way to go, but I am feeling accomplished. 15 days of cheat-free, by the book commitment.

I believe that the key to success is organization - whether that's at work, in school, in life, or in TAM (lol). This past weekend I was unorganized and clearly... a mess!! But then this morning, my alarm went off at 5:30 am, and I jumped right up and got going. I found a workout outfit, weighed myself, moved around some furniture, prepared my music/mat/mirror/chair, put out my waters and got to it. I pounded out 35 reps of legs/abs and 40 reps arms AND 40 mins of cardio! In 2 hours and 2 minutes!!! How do you like them apples?? I mean seriously. I woke up, KNOWING that I had to be 100% complete by 8:00 on the dot, and I did it. 2 solid hours of hard work. The key for me is the strict schedule and the organization of the events of the day. I knew in my mind that I had to be at work by 9, I knew that my meals were made and that I was awake for one reason and one reason only - to ROCK IT OUT. My mission for next weekend is to organize the chaos better than I did this weekend. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

So... for the sake of full disclosure... on day 2 (because as you know day 1 was seriously a 3 sigma event on the scale and not an accurate portrayal of my starting point) I weighed 116.5. Prior to TAM my weight generally ranged from 113 ("summer skinny") to 117 (a little extra holidays chub). Today, I weighed 110.0. I am pleased with that number and pretty much hope to never top 110 again in my life. I am 5'2" and a petite (yet curvy) gal... My fabulous doctor once told me that 110 is the "ideal" weight for someone my height. She said she considered 100 lbs ideal for someone who is 5'0", and to add 5 lbs for each additional inch. So 5'2" - 110, 5'4" - 120, 5'6" - 130, and so on. This may be her standard, and I am completely happy weighing 110 lbs however there is still a little too much jiggle for my comfort level :) I am dedicating the next 15 days to getting rid of that jiggle.

I titled the name of today's blog Jai Ho! because that is the best part of my workout... every day. Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) by A.R. Rahman & the Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger motivates me - without fail - every single time! For the past 15 days, every time I hear it I jump a little higher, reach a little further, and (try to) shake it even bigger. So, if you are TAMing, or otherwise just are always looking for a great song to add to a workout mix, I cannot recommend this enough. It is the song from Slumdog Millionaire where are the end, the entire cast dances in the train station (hahaha - so corny!).

Today, I am grateful for some fruit and vegetables. I did not think there was enough yesterday. Pretty standard TAMtastic menu today: strawberries/mint for breakfast, romaine with tofu for lunch, beet/orange/basil mini-salad for snack, and orange glazed salmon w/ corn and peppers for dinner. I am so excited for dinner! (For salmon, imagine that! lol)

I apologize to my followers for being such a Negative Nancy the past few days. I was feeling a little overwhelmed and like I was on an island (read: not a tropical one.... in fact a very very bitter cold one... it is -2º.... seriously???). But I am powering through, and feel much better today.

The key is organizing the chaos...

15 (almost) down...
15 to g0...

BY THE BOOK!!
Xo
Kerri

DAY 14 - Just Dance

Wow... tomorrow is kind of huge, half way there!!

Today I was really TIRED. Like from the moment I woke up until now (about to go to sleep). I even took a nice little nap! Hoping tomorrow will be better.

I timed it out, and it seems that each section of sequence 2 is taking me 25 minutes... Right leg - 25, left leg - 25, abs - 25 (including the push up/attitude arabesque), arms - 25 = 1:25 total. I did 35 reps abs/legs and 40 arms. I really only had 2 hours to give to the workout today, so I maxed out at 30 mins of cardio. It was a bit of a battle today... Some days are just harder and today was one of them. I was fighting myself the entire time. However - I did it!

Breakfast was mixed berries with pomegranate seeds.  Lunch lemon Dijon tilapia (very delicious). Snack kiwi puree. Dinner - cod with olives. I was so excited for the olives! Yummm. Glad I don't have to have the kiwi dessert again this week, it kind of hurts my tongue... This normally happens after I have 2 kiwi (which I sometimes had as a snack pre-TAM) so you can imagine how much worse it is from the FOUR we puree for TAM's kiwi "dessert." Ouch! lol too tangy I think... or possible allergy?

Anyways, sooo not ready to get back to work tomorrow. But... c'est la vie!!

Going to be another busy week. But I will do some measurements tomorrow to commemorate my mid-way point... Woohoo!!

Oh, and -0.5 today!!

Good night!!

Xo
Kerri

DAY 13 - Keeps Gettin' Better

Day 13... Wow. This is seriously flying by!

Today was a really stressful day. I had to go to RI this afternoon/evening for a fashion show, which left very little time for everything else (TAMing, cooking, and all the other things life throws at us). But... I made it (but not without help)!

Breakfast was the delish veggie omelet with quinoa. I really love this dish (note - I do not puree the mushrooms and spinach... not really sure why you would unless you dislike mushrooms or spinach... I happen to love both).

Then, I had to make lunch, snack and dinner for the day, and followed it up by powering through 30 reps legs/abs, 40 reps arms and 20 mins of cardio. While 20 mins isn't ideal, it was really all I had time for today. In total, this took me around 1:45 if I am remembering correctly. Tomorrow, I will up my reps (I actually kind of like sequence 2!) and do at least 40 mins if not more cardio. I will say, however, that sequence 2 takes a long time for me to complete... even when I am ROCKING it, like I did today. On another note, I am significantly more sore with this sequence than sequence 1.... Anyone else??

I really botched lunch today. Carrot ginger soup... More like GINGER overload puree. OMG. Now, I love ginger. I drink ginger tea, love it with sushi, and have had carrot ginger soup in the past. I don't know if there was a typo in the book but 2 tablespoons of ginger is really like 6X more than is needed. I found it completely inedible. My tongue was burning after 2 bites, and I was clearly in a rush, so I just gave up and threw it away. I had the blueberry applesauce (delish!!) for "lunch" and then ate dinner around 10 pm when I got home from RI... Not a big eating day. However I will say that tonight's dinner was delicious!! Dijon flank steak (4oz) w string beans and spinach... Loved it!!  And it was like the perfect amount of food.

I was surprised how hungry I was NOT today considering I skipped lunch and ate dinner so late... Probably because I was running around like a crazy lady all day, but... it worked itself out and I am now home, in my warm comfy bed... :) Nothing on the agenda tomorrow except for TAM-related activities.... Work out, grocery shop, cook... Should be a nice little Sunday.

Special shout out to my main squeeze for literally being my hero today :) I wouldn't have survived the day (without a serious meltdown) without his help.

Good night y'all... Can't believe I'm almost half way there!!

Xo
Kerri

PS - Oh! -0.5 today :) back to a whole number... which you know makes me happy! -5.5 in total. Not too shabby!

DAY 12 - Another day, another dollar

Hey y'all!! It's been a longggg day!

5:45 am - muscle work. 30 reps legs/abs, 40 reps arms... One note - SERIOUSLY with those crunch with diagonal leg kick/twist?? yowza!
 Took me 1:30 againnn, so I put off cardio until after work for the second day in a row. While I loved it yesterday, today I was sooo tired. I will not make a habit of splitting them up.

Today was by far the worst eating day to date.
Breakfast - poached salmon omelet. Honestly, was worse in theory than in actuality. But not one of my favs. Although I will say, tons of protein!
Lunch - roasted vegetables. Really a disappointing lunch, and not a big fan of the chili powder.
Snack - the glorious cucumber mint concoction... lol
Cardio - busted out 40 solid minutes! (after an accidental post work nap... oops!)
Dinner - poached cod w braised leeks. Ehh..

Anyways, following this epic day I had a great night out w my girlfriends. Being a sober sister isn't so bad after all ;)

-1 lb this morning... 5 in total. Not too shabby, hopefully I can keep moving in this direction!

Feeling a little unmotivated today; tomorrow - WEEKEND at last!! I will be back to business :)

I have pics of bfast and lunch today... will post tomorrow. For now I really need to get some sleep!!

12 down
18 to go
By the book!

Xo
Kerri

DAY 11 - Boom Boom Pow

Hola peeps! Today marks the beginning of sequence 2. Wow. This morning was an interesting one. Nothing like pre-dawn chair acrobatics... or something like that!

I didn't "study" before beginning this sequence like I did before sequence 1, so I felt a little unprepared. While learning each move - I busted out 30 reps legs/abs, 40 reps arms. I will study some more tonight so that tomorrow I can really focus and up my reps. I also found it challenging to see myself in the mirror since every move is in a different direction/side of chair/upside down, etc. I will work on these but wanted to note it for the first day. It took me an hour and a half, so I put off cardio until after work. I really wanted to have the time to give the cardio my ALL today. I am actually shocked that today is the first day that I have "put off" any piece of my TA work. I am the queen of saving things til the last minute, putting things off, etc. So... bravo self :) LOL

Breakfast today - citrus salad part 2 (Had to do a little switch-a-roo... I am having poached salmon omelet tomorrow instead. BTW - Thanks to Jessica for the salmon tip!!!* Lifesaver!) Also, I got these 9.5 oz "small bowls" made by Ziploc seen in photo. These are great for TAM meals since most are 8oz servings!! The top even twists and locks on making it virtually spill proof. Woo hoo!
* Salmon tip: Jessica (a follower from Alaska... so cool!!) told me to cook the salmon first and then the skin would PEEL right off... imagine that?!! LOL



Lunch - Spinach salad w/ fennel, chicken, dried cranberries. I was sooo excited for the dried cran! yum-o!! My tongue is a little burnt from some REALLY hot mint tea last night... so my taste buds are a little off today, but lunch was very good.

Snack - Blueberry chocolate pudding. So since yesterday was so crazy, I made all of my meals for today on Tuesday. I think that was a little long for the "pudding." Still, pretty tasty! Chocolate and blueberry is an excellent combo - who knew!! But I agree with Jen, it was a bit much, and very rich. I did however, eat it all (8 oz) muahahaha!

Ok, so a few notes on hunger. I am a hungry girl. And as I have mentioned before, I eat healthy and have for quite sometime. But I also LOVE food. All types of food. And I have a sweet tooth. And I don't mind splurging. To add insult to injury, last May I ran a 1/2 marathon. And during my training I was literally starving allll day long. I always tried to make healthy options with eating, but literally nothing made the epic hunger stop. After the race, I continued working out around 4 days a week - weight training, cardio, and more recently a lot of barre method and some zumba. The hunger would NOT persist.... I promise I have a point here.... It occurred to me today that I am never really THAT hungry anymore. And I definitely am not craving anything. It's amazing that a week and a half of good, clean, organized/scheduled eating has seriously improved my "hunger" and "craving" situation. Today there was a gorgeous box of chocolates (ones that I know I like) in the kitchen at work - I didn't blink twice. I grabbed a fork for my citrus salad, and moved on. Love that!

I am trying to think of ways that I can up the ante here... I know that I need to kick this puppy into overdrive to see the results I really want... For now, all I can think of is to "give" more to the cardio piece. Don't get me wrong... I jump around like nobody's business... But maybe if I reach harder, point more, jump higher... I can see some more significant changes in the coming days (hoping for better measurements on day 15).

OK, off to bust out 40 SOLID minutes of heart pumping cardio... AND since its not sooo early I can rock it outLOUD! Woooo :) Boom Boom Powwwww

Lastly, back down -0.5 today... that damn half pound is haunting me!! LOL. Leave it to MY body to play mind games with me.... Seriously! LOL

We will see what tomorrow brings! BY THE BOOK!!!

Xo
Kerri

PS - for your viewing pleasure, here are some food photos I hadn't uploaded:
 

"Bloody Mary"

 Broccoli Puree Soup (pretty ey??)

 Mushroom Omelet (yum!!) with Kombucha (lol)

 Turkey Burgers... yummmm!

 Orange & Beet mini-salad (with basil this time!!)

 

DAY 10 - Alrighty then!!!

Ok, really crazy day - but just wanted to throw together a few quick notes on DAY 10!! The first big mile marker. That's 1/3 through peeps!!

10 days of by the book muscle work, cardio, food, etc. No coffee, no vino, no tortilla chips with fresh guacamole (seriously, both of those things have been in my house the whole time). Good thing I'm a stickler for the rules :) One summer (in college... don't judge), I played a lot of drinking games... I was referred to as "NYPD RULES" for the entire summer. hahaha
Ok so a few reflections...

I wish I had lost another pound or two before reporting. I was back up +0.5 this morning... maybe because my body didn't have time to digest ALL that turkey and broccoli? (only rationalization I could come up with...). I guess I should have been more clear in my plea yesterday that I wanted to lose half of a pound... not gain half of a pound... oh well, lesson learned. This is net weight loss of 3.5 pounds.

Now onto some good news. I am getting stronger. In the beginning, my arms got really tired from holding myself up during the endless repetitions of leg lifts (front/side/back/you name it!). That is the LEAST of my problems these days. LOL. (note: upper body strength is not my strong point) Secondly, my calves are starting to get really defined - in both the front and the back. I notice this during said endless leg lifts...
My stomach is feeling "slimmer," tight workout tops are falling nicer, and my hip bones are making an appearance again (woo!). My shoulders clearly have more definition. I need to continue working them, but they're coming along nicely... I have noticed that my left arm (bicep) is not as defined as the right. I will continue "thinking about" my left arm during the arm reps, and I have been carrying around my purse in my LEFT arm to try and create more strength there... HAHAHA I am serious! But I think it works. We will see.

Measurements were OK. Little loss here, little loss there. Inch here, half inch there. Not sure when you are supposed to measure (time of day? pre-workout? post-workout?)... but I don't think post-workout is the right choice. My biceps increased 1/2 an inch each... really? This clearly was due to having just held myself up for an hour... right? LOL

I am hoping day 15 will yield better measuring results. I will post a table at the end with: Day 2 (first time I measure), 10, 15, 20, (maybe 25), 30 to show progression... but not just yet.

Lastly, a musing on weight loss.... OK. So muscle weighs more than fat, right? Mathematically speaking, I am losing lbs (fat) yet physically speaking, I am gaining strength (muscle). Where are the lbs going? Contrary to what you might think... there is not a lot of hyperactive digestion going on.... Just sayin'.

We'll see what tomorrow brings!! Bring it Sequence 2!!

ALL BY THE BOOK.
Hope you all have a TAMtastic day!
Xo
Kerri

PS - A few of you have mentioned having difficulty leaving me messages (have I mentioned I love messages??). Have you tried "following" the blog?? I promise not to SPAM you ;) Pretty sure you can do this using gmail or yahoo accounts. Let me know if anyone continues having trouble with this.

DAY 9 - Dancing in the Dark

Hola peeps! That was me today… back to dancing in the dark… literally!! Up at 5:30 – pitch black. Muscle work done – still pitch black. As I was dancing, it went from black black to greyyyyy. Nice little covering of snow piling up outside. Ick!!

Day 9… wow! 21 days to go and 1 more day of series 1. I am ready to change things up!

Some moves from this series I will miss, and others I will probably never think about again. I was thinking today (during my workout) that I would love to do some of my favorite moves every day, and that maybe at the end I could “cherry pick” all of my favs and have the ideal workout…. EHHHH! WRONG!! Silly internal soundtrack really got ahead of itself on that one. I would for sure have a misaligned and unevenly toned bod. I am sure that the moves I loathe are in fact the ones pulling in my “softness” and turning that extra love into muscle… Fingers crossed!

All in, it took me 2:10 today. 40 reps + 40 mins cardio (I did not miss the extra 20 mins!). Back to dark, iPod, space heater…. Already looking forward to Saturday!! Lol  Based on my findings, the extra tiempo is likely due to two things:

1) I move much slower in the morning. Especially without my normal jolt of hazelnut bliss (i.e. COFFEE)…. Surprisingly I do not miss this nearly as much as I thought I would. A few years ago, I gave up coffee for lent and honestly thought I would dieeeeeee. I guess TA was right – the method energizes you! If not, I would surely be a sight for sore eyes, aka dead girl walking.

2) I did have to stretch a few times between moves. My hip flexors/IT bands were pretty tight/sore during some moves. This is something I am acutely aware of so felt it was worth a few extra minutes to do a figure 4 stretch or 2 along the way.

Down 1 lb on the scale this morning… Woohoo! However I have been stuck on a ½ lb for a while now… pretty much since the beginning. I would really like to ditch the 0.5 for a nice, round number… So here goes….

Dear body,

You reallllllly don’t need that little bitty half pound. I promise you will not miss it! I will be indefinitely grateful to weigh a whole number, and promise to not gain it back on day 31. LOL.

Thanks!

Love,

Kerri

Let’s hope mind over matter wins this battle :)

Food today:

Breakfast – Berry Compote – aka blueberries and blackberries with some orange squeezed over it. Not sure what constitutes this dish as compote*… but it was good. I would have rathered just the berries sans juice.

*In case you're interested.... Compote (French for "mixture") is a dessert originating from 17th century France made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are immersed in water and with sugar and spices added to the dish, over gentle heat. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves, ground almonds, grated coconut, candied fruit, or raisins. The compote is then served either warm or chilled arranged in a large fruit bowl or single-serve bowl for individual presentation. The dessert may be topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, or vanilla sugar. (YUMMMMM!!)

Lunch – pureed broccoli soup – thank god I love brocoli… Just sayin’! The soup was actually nice for a cold, snowy day like today. But was an odd orangey/green color. People probably wondered what the hell I was eating... I guess this is how Jennifer Aniston got the bad rep' for eating baby food ;) lol... More on JA later.

Snack – Orange/beet mini salad (4oz). Im kind of over this non-salad. This wouldn’t be half bad served over some greens, but solo is just kind of odd. Actually, the first time I made this, I missed adding the basil (completely flaked when making it). The basil did make it more acceptable... Ok. I'm rambling.


Dinner - Roasted turkey with steamed broccoli.  Yum-o!! I missed steamed broccoli!! Soooo much. God I love that vegetable. Clearly I have issues. But seriously dinner was great. And 8-12 oz of turkey?! I was stuffed! I think I had 8 or 9 ounces... for the record.


Now for some good news. As most of you know, I consult to/help out a fashion designer in my "spare" time. We have an event on Saturday, and I have been dying over this dress. The sample did not fit me, so I had her make me one in my size, with a slight color variation... When I went for my fitting today, the one she made for me was HUGE!! I actually fit into the sample that merely weeks ago literally could not zip. I am hoping its a tad less snug on Saturday... But I am confident that I will tighten up a bit more by then! As I didn't end up going out last Saturday night, I have not yet tried the jeans test... I will work on that soon... promise.


Tomorrow is the big day - DAY 10!! Seriously, this is flyyyying by! I have an event tomorrow evening so I am not sure I will be able to blog, but I will try my best (maybe a quickie from work). I will obviously weigh myself, and will try and measure if time permits... Otherwise I'll do it Thurs am. I love accounting for each day, and having the option to go back and review. Officially exhausted, and need to be up ROCKING it in 7 hours (yes, I like to go to sleep early).

2/3 left.... BY THE BOOK!!


Good night y'all!!


Xo
Kerri

DAY 8 - Pump It

Hey y'all! 8 days down. Woo!! Happy to report - I rocked it today :)

40 reps + 60 mins cardio... done and done!!

It's funny all the things that go through your mind during the workouts... I wish I could somehow record them lol. 2+ hours of my internal soundtrack would be pretty entertaining I think. A few reflections from today's... I figured out the difference in workout length. It's all about the "transition," similar to in a triathlon. During the muscle work there are 25 moves overall (7 legs X 2 + 9 abs & arms). If you power through from one to the next, you can finish the muscle sequence in an hour. If you stretch, drink water, lay down and feel sorry for yourself (as we know I have done a time or two...), it can literally go on forever (as it did for me on Friday - day 5). So 8 days in... I got it. Not really a far fetched concept when you think about it. For example... When your in a class at the gym, the instructor never says "Ok, now take 1 minute to recoup." He/she says "we're moving on, take a quick sip of water if you need it because we're not going to stop."

On that note, I think I have done a pretty good job at being my own "instructor." I focus on each move, cross checking with the book and the dvd, and think about where I am feeling it. I am a bit of a perfectionist... so when I say cross check I really mean it - I study the moves, I follow the moves, and I "perform" each one. I wonder what Tracy would say if I was in her class (this topic would likely come up a dozen times on today's internal soundtrack). I wonder if I'm working as hard as she would make me work, or if I'm pointing my toes hard enough, or reaching far enough.... So I try to give it my all... because one day, I truly hope to be in TA's studio, and I want her to say "good form, Kerri. You're a rock star!" Not "you've been doing it like this for how long???" LOL. I don't really think this would ever happen, but she did call Kelly Ripa a rock star on a segment of Regis & Kelly once... hey - a girl can dream!!

One last thing, I read somewhere that Madonna (before she dropped TA) did 100 reps of all of the muscle work moves. Are you kidding me!?!? 100 reps? Even if I had all the time in the world, which clearly Madonna has an abundance of, why??? Why would anyone want to do that?? Yowza.

Food today:

Breakfast - "Bloody Mary" - I had a really hard time thinking of this as a bloody Mary. Even if there was vodka in it... it wouldn't even come close!! Don't get me wrong... I didn't hate it - at all. I just thought of it as a veggie smoothie... because bloody Mary it was not. (mmmm.... vodka....) lol

Lunch - Turkey lettuce wrap - This is the second time this recipe appeared on the menu. Last week, I used chicken because the Whole Foods I went to didn't have turkey breast. Today, I made it with turkey and it was awesome!! Seriously, I loved it. Kind of brilliant actually. For those who may be a little bored with straight up grilled chicken on their lunchtime salads... consider this:

• 3oz of turkey breast seasoned liberally with fresh cracked pepper + 3/4 cup of chicken broth + 1/2 a bay leaf. Simmer in a small covered pot for about 6-10 mins. Slice thin, and enjoy!

Seriously, it is so good, quick and easy! Ok... moving on

Snack - cucumber mint relish - ugh. again, not one of my favs. But this was payback for missing it yesterday. Thank God for the edamame!

Dinner - Braised Tilapia (WF did not have snapper) with roasted asparagus

So, pretty good day overall. Back to waking up pre-dawn tomorrow... but thankful for the 3 day weekend :)

Another weight-loss free day. I'm on my third day holding steady... We will see what tomorrow brings. However - As one of my followers (and also bff/gym buddy) pointed out, I should note a few things, especially for you other TAMers reading (aka do not be deterred by my stand still status!). I am not a large person by any means. I am 5'2" and petite; I am curvy, but overall pretty small. My TAM goals are to get leaner, more defined, and hopefully one day see serious ab definition. I have always wanted killer abs, but unfortunately that's not really the stomach God gave me. I am hoping that Tracy's method will defy genetics for me in this one way. So - there is my disclaimer. But for me, achieving these goals likely requires the scale to go down another 6-8 pounds (3 down so far) and I think this a realistic goal for these 30 days. I just keep reminding myself... slow and steady wins the race! I will do it... 30 days... By the book... and I will see the results!

I hope everyone had a TAMtastic weekend!! Only 2 more days of Muscle Series 1 :) That much closer to being 1/3 through... WOW. Time flies when you're having fun ;-) hahahaha

Xo
Kerri

DAY 7 - One Step at a Time

Well... week one down! And, I made it!!!

Today was a good day. No weight loss, but still feeling pretty good :) I "cheated" a little, and took a few quick measurements... I was in need of a little positive reinforcement... and the results were promising. Holding off reporting until day 10. But things look good peeps!

I think one of the main reasons I am lagging some of the other TAMers in week one is that I think a big part of the initial weight loss comes from the "shock" of eating a very low carb diet. This is something I have been practicing for over 3 years. I could be wrong... or reaching... but that is my theory. LOL.

Had a nice day today. Woke up around 9 (woo!):
Breakfast - Mushroom omelet (great), and tried Tracy's beloved kombucha*. While it wasn't my favorite drink in the world, I didn't hate it. Given all of its health benefits I'm willing to have a glass every now and again:

*Kombucha is a fermented tea that is often drunk for medicinal purposes. Kombucha has been shown to be antimicrobial, anticancer, to have liver protective qualities, and to be antioxidative. Proponents also commonly claim kombucha increases energy, sharpens eyesight, aids joint recovery, improves skin elasticity, aids digestion, and improves experience with foods that 'stick' going down such as rice or pasta although these claims are unverified.

After breakfast, and some chores I Worked IT OUT - 40 reps + 60 mins cardio - Took about 2:30. Not sure if I was moving especially slow (the abs did feel like it went on foreverrr) or if I miscounted yesterday... Hmmm.... Anyways! It's done. I have been following the video, by playing it on "slow" which tends to coordinate nicely with how long it takes me to do each series. I also keep the book open to the coordinating page (which is sometimes tricky bc they don't always match up... tisk tisk Team TA!) anyways... every day I have a few Ah-ha! moments, where I realize I can actually improve my form. Today, while trying to perfect one of my least favorite moves - "frog cross leg lift" - I actually found a way to make it even more challenging... sigh... but I did it! Happy that there are only 3 more days of this series.... on another note, I am pretty sick of the cardio sequences. Not good, only 7 days in. 23 more to go. But they are soooo repetitive!! I think its especially tough when doing 60 mins, and essentially doing the same 10 min sequence over 6X. Anyone else?? But - BY THE BOOK means cardio BY THE BOOK. I will not stray.

Lunch today baked chicken (4oz) with broccoli. It was good, but honestly I was still hungry when I finished :( That hasn't really happened to me yet. I am finding the food very sufficient in fact. So I had my snack immediately after lunch. LOL  I actually didn't have enough cucumber, so I made a melon snack intended (intended for for tomorrow)... SO tomorrow I will choke down the cucumber mint delight (sarcasm anyone?)

Went grocery shopping tonight, and actually made it out of the grocery store spending wayyy less money in way less time! Woo! I'm learning :) Or... I forgot tons of stuff. LOL Thank God for Whole Foods. That's all :)
 
Dinner was the salmon/endive salad, which is pretty good (although will not likely make it on the post-BC menu), and some carrots. Not my fav overall, but a very satiating meal.

I am clearly distracted while writing this blog tonight. Trying to plan some vaca, and watching the Golden Globes and sizing up everyones arms (seriously?!) and the dresses!! So far, loving Anne Hathaway (killer look compliments of Ms Zoe), Angelina (I'm sorry to say, but that green is AH-MAZING on her), and Claire Danes (not a fan of her... just the dress).

Thankful tomorrow is a holiday, really loving this relaxing 3 day weekend. Just the rejuvenation I need before an insane week ahead. Good night y'all!

1 week down, 23 days remaining... Let's do this!

Xo
Kerri

PS - I'm still feeling a little "snappy".... No meltdowns post-chicken fiasco... But just noting my own snappiness.

DAY 6 - I Got A New Attitude

Ok, so remember the other day when I said TAMing shouldn't be called rocking or rocking it out because its not... its actually just hard work? Well peeps... Today I ROCKED IT OUT! Seriously. 40 reps of all the muscle work + 60 mins cardio! I did not lay down and feel bad for my self once! I powered through each and every move, and kept on keeping on til the very end. Now, the most impressive part of all of this is that I completed it in 2 hours. Yes. So basically, I wasted 40 mins yesterday by moving slow, pausing, and generally just being miserable. After a relaxing evening (with a delicious shrimp/snap pea/hearts of palm/pepper salad dinner) and a good night sleep, I was ready today!
Scale -1 lb today. Again, not earth shattering but moving in the right direction. I seem to be on a -0.5, -1, -0.5, -1 pattern. Really, I am realizing more and more that I really like eating clean. For me the biggest "shift" in my daily intake has been not utilizing olive oil. Tracy replaces this with either one second spray of EVOO spray or vegetable/chicken stock. I dig it :) I am confident I will continue to add many of these meals to my general repertoire.

I think my mid-section feels flatter (still needs some serious work), and am looking forward to measuring on Wednesday to see my progress. I'll probably wear jeans tonight, which is always a good "test." Wish me luck!!

I find reading the TAM facebook page helps - so many other girls are doing the method, have great questions, and really provide a nice, cyber-support system to the method. Yes, it is hard work. But yes, it works. Dedication and determination are key... I can do this :)

Tonight, going to my first social obligation on the challenge. When I started, I said to myself - I will drink coffee and have a glass of wine if I really want. But otherwise, will do it by the book. Well my friends, my tune has changed. I'm doing this thing LITERALLY by the book. No wine, no how. :) How's that for dedication??

Obviously, today is Saturday - which makes the whole thing way easier. Having to cram the workout in before work, only to come home and cook all night is not really tons of fun. But the weekends are much better :)  Below are some pics I have had on back log... Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend!

Xo
Kerri

Chicken Protein Soup

 Kiwi Dessert - Not a huge fan

 The TAM Zone (equipped with space heater)

Day 5 – Staying alive!!

So, last night after I tried (and failed) to post my blog… The real fun began!

Dinner (chicken with mango and tomato) was seriously delicious. I loved it and felt satisfied. This is where the trouble begins…. After my meal (which was wayyyy late because of an evening meeting) I went back to the kitchen to prep today’s meals… only to find out that lunch included chicken prepared the EXACT same way I had just made my din… Ugh!! To top it off I realize I don’t have any chicken that isn’t frozen!! So I take the chicken out of the freezer (I tend to freeze chicken because I have a totally unreasonable fear that chicken will poison me if consumed ON the expiration date, so I tend to freeze it a few days before… just in case) and try putting it in a bowl of warm water – still frozen, try again – still frozen… you get the point. So I put it in the microwave on defrost (ugh!). Of course… it cooked the edges, which makes me nauseous. The temper tantrum begins. I grill the over-defrosted/partially cooked/now disgusting (and in my opinion completely inedible chicken), all the while pouting and spewing venom everywhere…. Burnt. Ruined. Horrible. Oops. Thank God there are some sane people in this world. My main squeeze swept me up and brought me to the grocery store––literally minutes before it closed––so that I could try again with unfrozen, non-poison (all-natural), brand new chicken. So I stayed up wayyy past my bedtime grilling chicken––for the 3^rd time…

My sincere apologies to all of those who may have been affected by that mean chicken-induced Satan lady! L

Finally, my breakfast/lunch/snack was packed. Next thing I know it – the alarm goes off. Ugh!! Hit snooze. Immediately the guilt sets in and I get up before the alarm goes off again. Step on the scale, -0.5… ehh could be better. Onto the workout – 40 reps – here I come........ kicking and screaming!

Today was a battle. Don’t get me wrong… I did it – every last leg lift, arm circle, and crunch… but I was NOT happy about it. Several times, I actually laid down on my stomach, rested my head on my hands, and just thought about how sorry I felt for myself. Like… really?? Get it together girl! I guess some days you just don’t have it…. It took me forever and I didn’t have time for the 40 min cardio… I had 2 choices – end this now, on this bad note and continue to feel sorry for myself for the rest of the day, only to come home and do more… OR power through 20 mins (all I could afford time-wise), and make it up this weekend. The skinny bitch inside be prevailed, and I literally ROCKED IT OUT to 20 mins of cardio. I event did extra jumping to make up for lost time!

I guess the moral of the story is… you win some, you lose some. But you have to keep going!! I will make up the cardio this weekend – 3 day weekend = 3 days of 60 min cardio sessions! And I will not lay down like a little baby feeling sorry for myself.

I CAN DO THIS.

More on meals (I have pics!) and such later

Xo

Kerri

DAY 4 - Gimme Gimme More!

Forgot to post this last night.... But here you go!

I know that the name of this post is asking for trouble... But I have that ridiculous Britney Spears song circa 2005 stuck in my head, and I think I could take it.... 40 reps tomorrow my friends!! ;)

After my sleep filled day yesterday, I woke up ready to WORK! It's kind of not fair calling it "ready to rock" or "rocking out" because literally, there is very little rocking involved. Anyways! 35 reps of booty/abs work, 40 reps arms followed by my worst cardio effort to date. Don't get me wrong... I did it! All 40 mins, but I was a little sick of the same old same old jumping routine. I was dragging a bit. I even wore a cute outfit to keep myself motivated! Oh well, I powered through! Even with the additional heat generated by my space heater (thanks PP!!). Since I don't turn the heat up allllll the way to 80 (in order not to disturb the slumber of my main squeeze who would not be pleased to wake up dripping sweat), I decided turning the heat up a little, and adding the space heater was a pretty good compromise. Our next place will have to have a climate controlled 2nd bedroom with wall to wall mirrors and mounted speakers for the sole purpose of TAMing.... Guests will wonder what has happened to my taste lol but... its worth it!! Consider it my version of a "man town"... I shall call it TAM town... the home of the teeny tiny ;)

I also decided that weekends I would up the cardio to 60 minutes. I honestly do not have time to add the additional 20 mins on weekday mornings at this point. I think 2 hours and 15 minutes is plenty of time to dedicate to pre-work TAMing... but who knows. This could change.

Food Glorious Food....

Breakfast was a cup of mixed berries - strawberries, blueberries and pomegranate seeds. Pretty good, except I got a pomegranate seed stuck in my tooth! Grrrrrr
Lunch - Chicken Protein Soup. I think it is a stretch to refer to this as protein soup as I'm sure the protein in the 2oz of chicken wasn't thaaaaat significant. But it was not bad! A little bland, but I've had worse :)
Snack - Kiwi Dessert. Ohhhh kiwi dessert, I had such high hopes for you. And while it tasted fine and satisfied my hunger pang, it kind of looked like slime... and I had just hoped for so much more from it. Oh well.

I am finding the food sufficient. Many other TAMers are struggling with this... These other TAMers are also radically losing weight, having flu like symptoms, having a difficult time walking around and shrinking my the minute... I, on the other hand, am not. I am doing this by the book, down to every last detail. I have not so much as licked my finger when prepping my meals for the next day, or skipped one frog leg move because my entire body hurts. Don't get me wrong... I am not deterred!! Still remaining hopeful that my weigh in Monday morning and day 10 re-measuring will produce satisfying results. (scale read -1 today).

I did, however, have a dream last night that I almost cheated. By having a Dunkin Donuts coffee with 1 cream. Really? Of all the things I could dream of... my subconscious chose sub-par coffee? Anyways, even in my dream after ordering it I was so overtaken by guilt I said "I will have a lemon water instead." THAT is how committed I am. I don't even cheat in my dreams. HAHAHA. Yes, I am insane... I totally know this!

Off to make dinner (chicken w/ mango & tomato) and my meals for manana...

I am doing this... BY THE BOOK... Day 4 down. 26 to go.
Bring it Tracy!

Xo
Kerri

PS - did anyone see Khloe Kardashian leaving TA studio with Nicole Richie??? Now those would be interesting results!!... No way she makes it through 30 days tho... Sorry Khlo.

DAY 3 - Accountability!!

So I have found that I end up thinking and talking about my blog a lot. HAHAHA which is completely ridiculous! Thanks to everyone who is reading it :) (followers and passers by!) It makes me happy knowing that there are people out there checking in... and holding me ACCOUNTABLE! That's the whole reason I started the blog - accountability. If I had to report it - I would do it! And so here we go.

Day 3 - Snow Day!!! I woke up at 5:30 took one look outside and said NO way NO how!!
Not only was I not feeling like beating myself up for 2+ hours, but I definitely wasn't trudging through the foot of snow to get to the office... thank God for the ability to work from home!! Back to bed I went - hallelujah! I really needed the extra Zzzz's. I slept for a few more hours and then got to it! 35 reps abs/ass, 40 arms (the 3 A's) lol. YOWZA. Today was tough. I took several mini-breaks mid-sequence to feel sorry for myself, buttttttt I made it through. Cardio was great today - 40 mins of good clean solid fun. Since it was not still dark out, I played my music out loud (as opposed to wearing an ipod which is what I have done on day 1 and day 2). So much better with loud music. Looking forward to the upcoming 3 day weekend of sleeping in and rocking it outLOUD!

So since I got a late start, I waited to eat breakfast (which today involved a chicken lettuce wrap and steamed spinach) until about noon... Which is the appropriate time to eat said meal. This really threw off the rest of my eating for the day. I know I need the calories for my workout tomorrow morning, so I chocked down half of my salmon/endive/cucumber salad (not to shabby considering I am not a salmon fan) after a mid-afternoon nap (awesome) and then had dinner later (salmon... again!) and my "snack" (blueberry applesauce) will be dessert. One more comment on salmon, and then I promise I'll stop... How the heck are you supposed to de-skin it? I think I lost a couple ounces of my 6 oz dinner because I was soooo bad at it! ugh!

All-in-all, not a bad day! I was very tired, but have yet to feel the flu like symptoms so many other TAMers have experienced. Watch - tomorrow I will wake up feeling like I got hit by a bus. But I think the combination of eating low carb and making mostly healthy choices combined with TAM-like exercise as part of my normal repertoire has really helped lessen the miserable symptoms. The tiredness I will attribute to being coffee-free, woo! Like I have said... famous last words, but we shall see!!

In other news, I can actually feel pain in my "accessory" muscles*!!!! For those of you who know me know that I think that muscle soreness is the best kind of pain!! 

I completely forgot to take pics today, sorry peeps. Also I was -0.5 lbs on the scale today. Huh. While this isn't a show stopping number, I would be ok with losing 0.5 lbs even every other day during this challenge, so no complaints.

Eddie tells me he is going to write a new blog... What's its like living with TAM. LOL. I don't think he is enjoying this just as much as I am! But he is such a good sport, even pretending to like the bland meals I'm making him for dinner (don't worry, not straight off TAM menu... but definitely not great bc a. I'm so sick of cooking by the time I get to our dinner, and b. my inability to "taste" and appropriately season what I am serving him). LOL

OK, 3 days down... 1/10th of the way through. Yes, one-tenth. I like to quantify things. LOL. Everyone says the first 5 days are the hardest, and if so - I can definitely do this!! Off to enjoy my blueberry applesauce before catching some (more) Zzzzz's and doing it all again!! 35 reps again tomorrow.

Xo
Kerri

*Accessory muscles (for all you non TAMers) are the smaller muscles that Tracy works. They are not the main muscles - e.g., biceps, quadriceps - but the smaller, supporting muscles. This is the core of her method, exhausting the large overdeveloped muscles to work the supporting cast.

DAY 2 - Made it through!!

Hola amigos! 2 days down, 28 to go!

Good news - I slept really well last night! Must have been food coma (haha yeah right!) from my poached tilapia w roasted asparagus. I will say, so far the food has been great. Very delicious, and just feels so "clean". As I've mentioned before, I tend to eat pretty healthy but for some reason, I'm kind of digging the no processed foods thing... like a ton :) +10 points Tracy!

This morning I was not quite as peppy as I was yesterday. I pressed "snooze" on my alarm only to immediately regret it. I got out of bed before the 2nd alarm even went off... freak. Pleased to report that I was -2.5 on the scale this morning, which I pretty much expected. I normally "bounce back" from weekend eating on Tuesdays. So now, my weight is what I consider "normal" for me. I will likely consider today's weight my starting weight so as not to over exaggerate any ultimate weight loss.

I upped my reps to 30 (40 for arms). Today the work felt significantly harder. Maybe because my muscles were tired from yesterday? Maybe because it was before 6am? Maybe I'm just doing them right?... Ah ha! (Side note - I inquired about the doubling up of right/left ab work... turns out I was right. one right + one left = 1 rep... Thanks to all of the TAM enthusiasts who answered me so quickly!!)  And then came cardio. Now, I love cardio. I grew up a dancer, which is one of the reasons why I became so invested in the TA method - it's all based on TA's dancing background. So for me, cardio is like the dessert portion of the workout. But today I pretty much stomped through the first series bc I was cranky and tired. BUT - I pushed through the wall, and by the third series I was literally rocking it out. I made it through all 40 mins. I imagine next week I'll up it to 50 mins (5 series).

One of the funny things about working out in your home is that it really doesn't matter what you look like. I literally roll out of bed, throw on whatever workout clothes in my dark drawer touch my hands first and get to it. Today's outfit was particularly entertaining. I normally like to match. My fitness wardrobe is mainly comprised of black and pink... But today I was wearing all sorts of mismatching colors. Thankfully Tracy did not seem to mind ;-) She kicked my (light purple) booty just the same. I will say this kept me mildly entertained for the 2 hours and 10 mins it took me to work it out.

I will up my reps again tomorrow - woo! I'm just hoping it doesn't add much more time to the repertoire. I honestly don't know how much earlier I can get up!! I'm pretty much leaving just enough time as it is to get in the 2 hours and get to the office before 9. I'm not exactly what one would consider a "morning person".... but I am trying!! 5:30 wake ups + no coffee... I'm pretty much turning into one of those pre-dawn overachievers!! *sigh*

Onto the FOOD! Breakfast was an egg "wrap" (2 egg whites) with mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and 2 tbsp of quinoa (one of my favs!). The book said you could make this the night before for busy mornings... which I tend to have. When I opened the container with a cold fomelet (read: fake-omelet) I was less than impressed. But I must say... it wasn't half bad! And much more filling than yesterday's chopped strawberries. Next time, I would make it right before eating... But loved the idea of adding quinoa. See pic below (half eaten... oops)!

Lunch was a delish little ensalada. Spinach, tomatoes, chestnuts, chopped red onion and a hard boiled egg. Really Tracy? I could have done without the raw onion... I felt like my breath was kickin' all day! Sorry co-workers :-/ Anyways, I would def repeat this... The balsamic/djion dressing was delish, but why did I have to make an entire cup of the dressing? Maybe that will be a staple in the future?

So I've been wondering - what is up with the chestnuts?? Chestnut pudding, chestnuts in salads. I don't really think I've ever eaten this many chestnuts in my life!! So here it is - kind of genius, really.

Nutritional Value of Chestnut: chestnuts which crumble in the mouth to give a sweet flavour, unlike other nuts, are low in fat. Being low in fat, it is often compared to grains. It also has good amount of dietary fiber.

Chestnuts are enriched with large amounts of Manganese, Potassium, Copper, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Iron. Zinc and Calcium are also present in small amounts. These nuts are a power house of Vitamin C. Vitamin B6, Thiamin, Folate and Riboflavin are the other nutrients which chestnuts are enriched with. Good amounts of Niacin and Pantothenic Acid are present. Traces of Vitamin A are also found.

Health Benefits of Chestnut: Like all other nuts, chestnuts prevent heart risks, provides energy, are very low in cholesterol and mainly are good to include in diet as other grains. Preventing common cold and enhancing fertility in men are the health benefits which comes with the presence of Vitamin C.

Snack was a large serving of cucumbers with edamame and mint. Seriously... this was a LOT of cucumber. 

 

Dinner was poached chicken (in lieu of turkey breast) with kale, carrot, celery, golden raisins in a vegetable broth. Kind of like a soup... Not too shabby!! I obviously forgot to take a pic but was left feeling satisfied :)

I am TIRED tonight. I am praying for a snow day from work so I can catch a few extra Zzzzzz's!! Fingers crossed New Englanders! If not, I will rise and shine before the break of dawn and make it work. Day 3 here I come!! Hopefully a little lighter, a little stronger, and one step closer to my 30 day goal!!

Here is a little tidbit from an interview Tracy recently did for Contact Music.... Another reason I love her is bc she says it like it is. "Everyone knows you need exercise to be healthy, but health is not enough. I have seen that vanity is the most powerful motivator, because once these women see what my method does for their looks, that's it. Then, because they see their bodies changing, their mind-set changes. They're in a better mood. Focused. They learn to love to sweat, to detoxify. They crave it."

Here's to vanity! LOL

Xo

Kerri

PS - Rumor has it JLo will be debuting a new bod by Tracy Anderson in American Idol's Jan 19th debut! I wonder if she is on the 30 day BC?