Fit + Flabuless!

Okay, let's both try to lose 10 pounds by Blues Fest. I know we can do it! Because after my first session with Tracy the wonder trainer I have some of the secrets. I will share them with you:

1. Thou shalt weight train three times a week. It is not an option not to do this.

2. On those weight-training days, thou shalt weight train before thou does cardio.

3. On days thou does cardio alone, thou shalt do it before eating (otherwise thou shalt only burn up the food, not the fat stores thou wants to deplete.)

4. Thou shalt refrain from eating starchy foods after lunch.

5. Thou shalt drink a gallon of water per day.

6. Thou shalt write down what thou eats including portion sizes.

So, there you have it. Numbers 1, 3, 4 and 5 are biggies, says Tracy.

My session was good. I feel renewed.

I got fat calipered, the unpleasant experience of getting pinched in all kinds of places that in order to be reached, I had to remove articles of clothing. I was pleased to discover that my bust and waist measurements are smaller than they once were; I kind of have the sense I'd like them to be more like 36", 28" rather than 39.5", 33.5". Also I officially weigh 164.8 lbs (after a cup of coffee) and have 30% body fat, which apparently should really fall somewhere between 18% and 25%. It is good to have a clear picture of these things so I can see where my journey begins and where I need to go.

I'll be working with Tracy twice a week for 6 weeks and doing my own weight training once a week on top of my PT sessions with herself. I'll keep running 3 times a week and dancing and mixing in some cardio machines at the gym and maybe a spin class or two.

I'm also back in town with the Thin Commandments principles, and so far so good. I'm managing to eat a whole lot less without feeling deprived. I've figured out it's better if I don't try to count calories because if I discover (or believe) the numbers to be low, I try to catch up quick with fudgsicles (don't get me started with the whip cream--which I've banned from my supermarket trolley) and any number of other sweet things like fruit which can be just as bad as anything else sweet and delicious if you eat enough of them (which I have a tendency to do).

A typical day looks like this:

for breakfast: coffee with soy creamer, an omelette of one egg plus three egg whites and fat free cheese and veggies, a couple of strawberries

for lunch: a couple of GGs with two laughing cows, an apple, a low-carb yogurt --or-- an Amy's frozen entree

afternoon snack: skim latte

dinner: my favorite tilapia with lots of veggies and salad with fruit and/or fudgsicle for dessert --or-- instead of the fish I have a three smart dogs with sauerkraut and mustard (the German in me comes out--I can eat mustard straight from the jar, and I discovered in the midst of many Guinness after many Old Styles last weekend that my dad does the same thing when given the chance).

Not so much food, really, and relatively low-carb in comparison to what I'm used to scarfing down; but honestly, it's quite satisfying (unless my emotions get in the way--of course I'm working on sitting with my loneliness and that helps and hurts at the same time) especially when I drink all the water I should. I think it's a good idea to drink as much water as possible without drowning first thing in the morning--at least that's what Tracy says. I love Tracy. Tracy loves U2 and just returned from a semiannual trip to Las Vegas--she's going to make a list of the hotels we should stay at. She also said there's something about Las Vegas that makes you not need sleep. Sounds good, no?

Also, I've imposed the rule that I will not eat in front of the TV, whether film or bullshit sitcoms. This dramatically reduces my snacking impulse and removes the mindless eating habit for the most part.

So, these are my tips and pointers for the day. I'm feeling a renewed sense of pupose on the quest to be fit and flabuless; I hope it transmits in tact to you via our bloggy-blog.

I encourage you to take the gym up on the 15 minutes of PT time--the extra motivation always helps! I am so happy to add Tracy the trainer to my team of experts that include: Dr. Rosenbaum the Jewish chiropractor, Pam the buddhist therapist, Dr. Wang the Chinese Dermatologist, Terry the fabulous hairstylist. It's good having people on your side in the name of self-improvement and (at some point) maintenance. I feel totally privileged.

Who, besides me, can you get on your side, dahlink?

I say today is the day we look at ourselves, as we are, and say this is it: the moment is now. There is no yesterday, there is no tomorrow. There is only making good choices about our health and our lives right NOW.

Whaddayasayhey?