Three and a Half Weeks…Drum Roll Please!

When the alarm trumpeted on Wednesday morning, September 24th, I was ready!  My clothes were shoehorned into a suitcase and all was well (assuming my plane didn’t crash-yes, I have FOF – fear of flying.)

Although I knew that I had a packed schedule from the minute I arrived in L.A. , I felt  more PREPARED than Ken’s Light Salad Dressing!

I have lots of fun stories to share from Los Angeles (I mean, it’s L.A.- of course it’s gonna have lots of stories) and hopefully some lessons about eating while far away from home and planning ahead.  But, I’ll save those lessons and stories for later this week… in the meantime:

I arrived just before noon and met with the beautiful and talented Book Promoter, Francesca Romero, owner of Authors Realm  which can be found at www.AuthorsRealm.com.  As we dined on salad with protein at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood , we found our stomachs rewarded and our minds refreshed!  We talked for hours about the best way to ensure that

My Mission: To Educate, Entertain and Inspire people to Healthier and More Content Lives 

would be fulfilled.  Options on the table were Wit and Fit™ book promotions and/or promoting  my keynote and wellness seminars .  We determined that speaking to large groups is the best way to achieve my goal of helping others and sharing my belief that everybody can do “it”!  After our meeting, we shot this photo in the first outfit that fit me…jeans and shirt…BOOM!

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Later that same night, we were welcomed by Celebrity Press for the fifth annual National Academy of Best-Selling Authors.  I wore a never before revealed on LeanDramaQueen  size 4 dress…I bought this the day before I left.  Because my “Plan A” red dress wasn’t going to happen  I’d  been combing the universe for the “Plan B” dress.    While ISO “B”, I had tried  this beautiful  one on in the store , but wanted to purchase it until the day before my trip to make absolutely sure that it fit when I bought it.  After two more strength training workouts, an interval cardio routine and continuing to batten down the nutrition hatches, it did!

Here I am in that dress with with my business family…these people are changing the world with their businesses and I’m blessed to be part of the group!

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Thursday was game on!  We heard an amazing speech from Peter Diamandis (here’s my Epic Fail Selfie):

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In case you were wondering that’s Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and Peter (Ha! As If  “First Name” basis) in the background and my eye and hair in the foreground…but, what’s really cool is the check that they’re holding.  It’s the same check that I’m holding below and it  represents the book sale proceeds that we contributed to the Global Learning X-Prize!  Education is the Key to Prosperity and I’m overjoyed to be part of making Education Better:

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Later that same night, I met with my  good friend, Mojan ,  and  we caught each other up on whatz up in our lives…if you are looking for someone who has the highest work ethic and best organizational and leadership skills -THIS is the gal you want to know!  She’s an actress and has been an assistant director…way cool!  I even received a Mojan 101 Rosetta Stone Twitter Lesson:

( #NoWeHadNotBeenDrinking )

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When the evening came to a close, it was time for the obligatory iPhone photo to show that I can mix and match my newly fitting clothes!

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After  20.275 winks  it was Friday…WOW, what a day!  Lots of awesome presenters teaching us how to be better

ENTREPRENEURS

( #IHaveToRunThatWordThroughSpellCheckEverySingleTime )

The day got off to an Odd Start when the Stitch Witchery I was using wouldn’t stick.  I literally showed up in a room full of incredible business owners with one leg overhemmed (too short) and the other underhemmed (too long).  I decided I would all out Goldilocks it by ripping that tape off…even though I was sitting at the front of the room and everyone could see me.  I honestly believe that

When You’re at the Best Selling Author Summit,    

   Nobody Sees You Unravel !

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Didn’t really  matter, since I don’t embarrass easily.  At this juncture, I cull a “teaching point”- I highly recommend that you turn embarrassing moments into an icebreaker.  If  you show others you aren’t afraid to point out your faults, it puts them  at ease right away.  And, I want to point out here that although it may seem like I’m joking, I’m actually being serious about this.

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Before I knew it the morning had slipped by and it was time for lunch.  I was blessed with a secluded lunch room just waiting for our lunch party to show up.  I dined with an amazing bunch of women who are really changing the world!  Trish McCarty, Esther Hatfield Miller,   Susan Delano Swim (oh, and One Awesome Man…ha!  Rock and Roll Famer Steve McCarty singer, songwriter, rock and roll star!)  I was able to wear this outfit with the back zipped all the way up! I was SO happy in that moment and proud that I stuck to my plan to get these pants to fit.  The Writing of the Food Journal, the 12 Days of Strength Traiing that I did 2 days a week of Interval Cardio Paid DIVIDENDS when I rocked a size two pant with a legendary rocker!  It was extremely rewarding to follow my very own fat loss program and reap the amazing results!

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After wrapping up the summit, it was time to get gussied up for the Golden Gala!  I shimmied into Plan B dress, and the rest of the night was a total blast!  Here are some of my favorite photos of the evening:

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Red Carpet with Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul Fame.

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A T-Rex attempts to High Five a Man with Long Levers (henceforth known as L² )

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My Red Carpet Interview with Adam Lewis Walker– I was SO excited to talk to HIM!

and a few more drinks in the Hollywood Roosevelt Ballroom with my good friend and mentor, “Pete”.  This is Coach Peter D’ArrudaTHE Pete that I actually know on a first name basis! (and I believe he’d even let me call him Petey if I wanted to have a nickname for him.)  Cheeky 😉

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and at “end the evening” at Teddy’s Bar (a by invitation only bar  where I saw my boy-crush Adam Levine).  This is what it’s like on Friday night there.

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What the heretic is happening in the photo above?  Let me tell you that this pose received a lotta laughs and imitations™.  How does something like this happen?  Well, at some point toward the end of the evening I  guess I got shy and  didn’t know how to socialize…that’s when I pretended to be passed out. It may seem like it was too much alcohol…but it wasn’t.  It’s probably because I ate this whole thing earlier in the evening and had some kind of sugar shock coma:

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In fact, I ate so much of my own,  I had to take this un-retouched photo of the dessert served to the man sitting next to me because mine was gone…”G.O.N.E.”!

Ultimately, the trip,  clothes to be worn and “leaning out” were successful and I feel really good about those successes.

Stay tuned for my next blog where I will fill in the blanks of other lessons learned (eating on the road and getting back on track when returning home)

Week Three is in the Rear View Mirror

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These Jeans are even looser than last week.  Why did I put this horrid side view?  Honesty.  Thanks to my mommyhood, I still have a marsupial pouch…and I guess I didn’t suck in on this photo.  I weighed 192.5 giving live birth twice and that’s too much excess to neatly fold back together.  I wear this pouch as a proud reminder of the two wonderful young men in my life.

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I don’t know about 300% better, but the dress definitely looks BETTER.  The funny thing is that I don’t love it,  and I may not wear it in Hollywood this week.  I have my eye on another dress at the store…what can I say, “girls are allowed to change their mind…”

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Above: Although the dreaded Muffin Top is still there, it’s much smaller and the jacket now  buttons closed.  I never dreamed that it would button since it began with a “mind the gap” sign when wrapped around my fat form ripe for chiseling.  Overall, the outfit fits much leaner.

Below:  Plan A dress which has been traded in for a newer model B dress.  I’m a little disappointed, but when I bought it, I didn’t realize it was 7″ off the mark.  I assumed that it was 3″ off, and I think I would have lost that in the timeframe.   I’ll still keep this dress because “you never know” and  I’m hoping to be invited to another ball so that I can  try it again, y’all !

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My Sour and Sweet Pork Roll

Life…doesn’t it sometimes just get in the way of you accomplishing any of your lofty goals?

I’ve found that having one husband, two sons, one cat and a minivan often lead me far away from the neatly written to-do list created the night before.

I guess it should teach us all to plan in pencil and to have a colossal eraser handy!

When I went to bed Tuesday night,

Wednesday’s to-do list was:

Train my awesome Barcroft clients

Figure out what RSS  (Really Simple Syndication) really does

Add RSS to this blog

Go to the Spanx store in hopes that they can chisel  3 3/4″ off my waist and not have those inches pop up above my dress line to look like an epic meeting between my leftover love handles and  double chin.

Look for Plan B Dress

Present Nutrition Seminar to my cat for practice and proficiency

Pick up old computer charger left at store last week

Bring my friend a thank you card

Workout

Eat

Etc.

How My Day Really Unfolded:

5:30 a.m. megahorn blow

Train awesome Barcroft Clients

Help my friend, Marianne Hobart, get out of her house (her house door lock was broken and she was stuck inside.  Unbelievable, I know, but you know  the  usual antics that you have with friends.  We call our special antics the Ethel and Loosey show)  Added bonus, I was able to hand her the thank you card !

Search Salvation Army, Treasure Trove, Goodwill, Antie Te’s, and Unique Thrift Added bonus, by helping Marianne, I was already close to three of these shops!

Pick up son #2 from school and take him to and from soccer.  Added bonus, I was able to drive to Antie Te’s and Unique Thrift while he practiced.

Pre-dinner client postponed workout.  Added bonus, I ate dinner and drove  to It’s All Good and FOUND PLAN B DRESS!

Get a manicure to make next week’s manicure more meaningful (I had bloody stumps on the end of my fingers because hang nails had gone rouge on me.)  Added bonus, see epilogue below.

Strength Training Workout (who cares that it was at 9:45 p.m.-I did it!)  Added bonus, my Bio Whey Nirvana Shake!

At the end of the day, I did feel  accomplished.  Ultimately, I achieved most of my “to dos” with a few added bonuses…including finding THE DRESS and NOT having to purchase SPANX!

Just because I didn’t move through the day in an expected pattern, I did achieve most of my goals and did the best that I could to have an awesome day.   I think there’s a lesson  in that:

Most days don’t flow in a straight line.  As card carrying members of the human race, we ALL get sidetracked by other priorities, crises and general “life circumstances”.  Do the best that you can to achieve your “to dos” by keeping your sight on your overall goal. In other words,

Make Your Goal Your Goal

and don’t stray too far from the most crucial action steps needed to achieve your overall goal. 

On the occasional days that you get kerfuffled, reset and re-aim the next day.

Epilogue:  You may be asking, why is this post called “My Sour and Sweet Pork Roll?”

Because I often have lots of illogic and chaos mixed in my day, and here’s how the overall day ended…Sour at First and Sweet at Last.

While trying on MANY Plan B  dresses, I realized very clearly and very disappointingly that I am NOT a size four or six.  Not for the first time in my life, I’ve underestimated my true size.  I guess I have become SO exuberant at my game plan, I think that I’m the smallest Russian Doll in the nest and that ain’t so (yet).

The “Perfect Dress” that I found was a size 10.  Size 10 would be great, but I’m 5 foot 2 1/2 inches tall, and size 10 seems a little too big for me to be after all of this hard work.  Since I’ve seen clients get discouraged and throw in the towel when they found out they weren’t the size they thought they were either,  I WON’T let that happen to me.  Alas, my actual clothing size Is What It Is…and my pork roll is still a little larger that I’d like. That felt a little sour.  But, what story is complete without a sweet ending?

Not mine!

Added bonus to the manicure stint?  When I walked in, the owner said, “you’ve lost a lot of weight and look really great”.  I’d seen her in the middle of the summer, and her comment made me realize size really doesn’t matter… The reality is that my new way of eating and exercising has given me purpose, has freed me from excess fat and has helped me in all things important to a healthy and content life!

 

 

 

End of Week Two…Fittingly Closer to My Clothes Wearing Goals

Though today’s entry is very “pat myself on my back”, I’m willing to do it here so that YOU can believe in yourself too.  I believe that being proud of your accomplishments is an important part of the success cycle.

When I began this new journey two weeks ago I was hoping to achieve great things with my workout program, but I never dreamed the results would be SO DRAMATIC so quickly.

To what do I attribute my lost inches ? I mentioned last week what I thought the first week’s results were directly related to, and this week  I think it’s a winning combination of a few things I’ve continued to do right:

1)  I’ve have written down everything that I’ve eaten.  EVERYsingleTHING.  Primarily, that means that I have NOT gone off track on my food ingestion.  In addition, over the last two weeks, I’ve stayed away from peanut butter…a HUGE “can’t eat just one tablespoon” food for me.  I honestly think I was eating a third of a jar of peanut butter before I began this program two weeks ago.

2)  I have Strength Trained three times a week and done 19 minute Interval Cardio Routines twice a week.  In total, I “exercised” about 3 hours and 40 minutes a week.  Not a huge time commitment compared to the 168 hours that we are all allotted per week.  It has honestly given me a fresh new energy and pepped up my emotional well being.  I have a purpose driven goal: 1)Leading by example to help others reach their fat loss goals and 2) Fitting into some pretty small clothes by September 24th.

Purpose driven living is the only way to live and to achieve your goals.  When you have a purpose, and it’s truly important to you, you will do WHATEVER it TAKES to reach your mission.  My mission both personally and professionally is clear to me:

To Educate, Entertain and Inspire others to a

 Healthy Weight and More Content Llife.

‘Nuff said…now onto the FUN STUFF!  After all, a picture’s worth a thousand words…

Week Two Results:

Jeans:

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 Black Dress:

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Black Pants:

Goodness me, this is NOT the look I’m “going for”…but, they zip.  I’ll keep working on ridding myself of the dreaded (and dreadfully awful looking) Muffin Top.  After all, toppling muffins is what I’m all about at Muffin Toppled Enterprises, Inc. !

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Red Dress:

Sigh. Is the right side ever to be joined in marriage to the left side of the zipper across the enormous abyss of MY back?  This one seems WAY out of reach without my undergoing a “ribectomy”…. three and three quarter inches to go… and NO elasticity. Still, lots of inches down, FOR SURE! Only time will tell, and I’m coming up with a Plan B Just in Case!

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Yay!  Week two down…Week three looms!  And I look forward to hearing and watching YOUR progress…YOU CAN DO THIS TOO!  Have a fantabulous week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What to Do When Things Don’t Go As Planned

September 11, 2014

As I sit here today, I reflect on what happened in New York and D.C. 13 years ago. Any anxiety I feel for my petty issues seems miniscule compared to the enormity of the loss on that day.

Today, all of us are 13 years older and we’ve been blessed with time to  gain perspective on the event. Determined terrorist tried to knock us down, and we resolutely stood back up.   Today, in D.C., the sky is not as blue and crisp and it’s far more humid.

I thank all of the people who have fought to keep our freedom over the last 13 years and beyond.  We are blessed as a nation to have opportunities that other people in other nations don’t have.

I really wanted to write today to talk about yesterday’s  “didn’t go as planned” day. I want to show that I really am  just like everybody else.  I really do have a hectic schedule, really can get off track on taking action toward achieving my goals, and really can get back on track with a little “oh well” and re-setting.  I want to show you how I do that so that you can apply the same principals if and when you get off track from achieving any of your goals.

Yesterday (Wednesday) began with the alarm blaring in my ear at 5:30 a.m.  UGGGHHHH!  Because I spent the prior evening recording my Muffin Toppled® AMUSE-ICAL™ Pre-Month One Even Day video with Elliott White of True Fitness and Nutrition, I had gone to sleep after midnight, and therefore I was exhausted all day Wednesday.  In addition, I was sidetracked all day attempting to retrieve my computer hardrive.  You see, last May my computer crashed.  Last week I realized that I had lost ALL of my videos during that crash.  The crash was so BAD it prevented the launch of www.witandfit.com cold in its tracks within days of launching.  I considered it a sign.

Getting back on my feet last week, after the kiddos went back to school, I realized that the videos that  I assumed Carbonite had backed up were not restored onto my new computer.  Unfortunately, Carbonite only backs up videos if you manually tell it to back those videos up.  Since I didn’t realize that you had to manually back them up on Carbonite, I never did the manual back up.  I’m digressing here here to save you from the same heartache.  Not only did I lose all of my business videos and testimonials, I lost four years worth of my kid’s concerts and milestone moments.  Unfortunately, I learned last night that my hardrive is unreadable and the next step will be mega recovery at mega expense.  I’ll sit on this info for a while until I decide what to do, and if you possess the magic powers to bring my hardrive back, I’d be thrilled to hear from you!

Meanwhile back to Wednesday: because of the Tuesday night’s activities, the blaring alarm, the emotional drain of losing those videos and the afterschool carting of a child from a hot soccer field, I fell asleep at 7:00 p.m.  Loyal fans, here’s how I fell asleep- propped up in a chair like an 82 year old.   Like Rip Van Winkle, my eyes stayed shut until  6:30 a.m. this morning.

That means that I didn’t get my strength training workout in on Wednesday as planned.  Oh no!

What did I do?

Even though I wanted to scream like a banshee and say a lot of naughty words, I chose to remain calm, reset and re-aim.

I changed my strength training workout to today and skip interval cardio.  By next week, I should be back on track with my M/W/F workouts.  If I had really not been able to perform the strength training workout today, I would have just done two this week and done the routine for 5 weeks, instead of four.  That’s the cool thing about the monthly workouts in the Muffin Toppled® AMUSE-ICAL Workout.  It’s adaptable to my schedule and YOUR schedule.  Each four week program is designed to be done over four weeks if performed three days a week.  However, they are adaptable to be completed over six weeks if you are on a two day a week strength training schedule.

I’ll follow tomorrow with the interval cardio routine planned for today and  finish off the week on Saturday with another strength training day.  That will still line me up for my strength training on Monday of next week (with Sunday as a rest day in between.)

Yay! I’m still undefeated because the flexibility built into my plan will still allow me to move forward toward my goal of fitting into those clothes by September 24, 2014.

 

Day One Of Week Two!

Monday September 8, 2014

When it comes to following my plan, I’m still raring to go!  I consider that a good sign because if I weren’t still totally into it, that would be difficult convincing others that this is a great way to lose fat.

I mean, really.

Can you imagine me saying to you today, “Muffin Toppled® the AMUSE-ICAL™ Workout System?  Uh, well, I found it boring and it’s too difficult to follow.  Oh,  but I still recommend that YOU continue on this program because you’ll see results  After all, you’re a better person than me…good luck!”

Pah-leeze!

Fortunately, I’m NOT going to say any such thing to you.  In fact, I’m excited to share my results from week one with youI

I’ll hold you in suspense while I spew forth the Weekend Roundup: Saturday and Sunday rolled by without any real items of note…I continued to measure portions and journal my food intake.  In my ever evolving journal, I’ve included spaces to check off:

water intake _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (each short line represents 8 oz of water)

vitamin/fish oil intake

coffee intake

I included those spaces because I just plain forget if I’ve done it and/or it’s a reminder to take a pill or sip some water.  It just makes it easier to check it off of a list.

In addition, I worked out on Saturday for about a half of an  hour- I did very light powerlifting moves-Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift to work on technique.   I did very low weight and high repetitions.  I want to be honest and tell you that I plan to do this to keep my powerlifting specific technique up to speed, but will not lift any sets/repetitions that will make a difference to my AMUSE-ICAL™ Workout results.  I recommend that you DON’T do this.

I think this week’s results are not typical.  I’ve never experienced results like this before, and I don’t expect them to occur every week.   I think I had a “perfect” storm week of getting everything right…hence the great results.

Ultimately, here’s why I believe I had such stunning results:

1) I believe that I gained some serious belly issues by eating AMFAP (as much food as possible) for 4 to 5 days before I began to eat clean last Monday.

2) I believe that on Sunday, August 31st when I captured the before photos, I was hormonally retaining fluid (did you need to know that-probably not, but it’s true).

3)  I believe that my stress level has decreased so much, the excess “weight” I’ve been trying to lose finally “let go”.

4)  I think that the change in workout routine (including the interval cardio) increased my metabolism.

5) I think that the NUMBER ONE thing I did right last week was to write EVERYTHING I ate in a journal.  I did not eat anything that wasn’t a protein, natural fat, or natural carbohydrate.

Here are this week’s photos:

Jeans UNBELIEVABLY ZIP

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Black Dress is Still Tighter Than I’d Like, But Zips:

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Black Pants Fit Very Differently Than Expected…They May Never Fit “Correctly”

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This Dress May Never Fit…My Carriage May Never Be This Small…I Didn’t Consider That My Internal Organs and Ribs Are Part of the Equation (bygones):

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Note to self-None of these clothes really fit well, and it’s possible that when I’ve lost the max fat, they may still not fit well.  That never occurred to me and in the future, buying clothes too small with the idea that I’ll eventually fit into them will only be for experimental purposes !

 

 

 

 

Week One…Nearly Done!

I’d like to recap the entire week, because the first week is always the most important week (caveat-I use this phrase abundantly because I feel that whatever I’m doing in the moment is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER.  Hence the title DRAMA QUEEN)

Incidentally, by “recap”, I don’t always mean short.  Brevity isn’t my strong suit.  I think it’s because I kissed the Blarney Stone in 1984.

Monday, September 1st 2014

I have a really good feeling about this journey!  Could it be that it’s really meant to be?  A newfound purpose that will allow me huge success?  I honestly believe it’s true.

To Boot, it’s Monday…first day of the week and it’s September 1st…1st day of the month.  You can’t ask for better alignment. Maybe the moon is in the seventh house and this is a new dawning for me!

I’ll be honest and tell you that I used to think that way.  I’d pick at a date,”1st of the month”, “1st of the year” or “starting Monday” to set my intention to lose weight and expect everything to just magically align and work out.  Inevitably, by the end of the first day I was often found with my head in the freezer grabbing the first half gallon of pistachio ice cream.  You know, I was going to take “just one bite”…and then another…until I was left with the carcass of a carton  with “just one bite left”.

No More Magical Thinking for me!

I’ve learned that setting a purposeful intention, committing to reaching that goal,  creating a plan, and exerting effort to execute that plan to achieve that goal are the keys to attaining and maintaining success.

Here are the Highlights of Today:

  • I weighed 142.5 ( I carb loaded -ate a lot of junk -over the weekend to take one for the team. Almost all of my clients do this before starting a “diet” and I wanted to keep it real.)
  • I ‘ll only eat foods listed in the WIT and FIT™FOOD CON-(trol)™ food journal 001
  • I’ll keep an HONEST journal -If an item slips past my gullet, I will write it down.

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  • I’ll measure portions for at least this week and keep track of calories (I don’t recommend this to clients, but because I need to lower my caloric intake from 2,000+ calories as a powerlifter, I need to get a handle on what 1,400 calories looks and tastes like.)
  • I’ll begin working out using the Muffin Toppled AMUSE-ical™ Workout System-today’s workout is specifically for Tone.

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By the end of the day, I did everything that I said I’d do.  Yep, that about sums it up!

 

Tuesday, September 2nd 2014

I’ve made a conscious decision NOT TO WEIGH.  I tell my clients not to weigh, and I wont’ either.  I’m going to be honest with you:  It WASN’T easy.  I’ve weighed nearly every day of my adult life, and this is one habit that is difficult to change.

Intellectually I know, and teach all of my clients, that the best indicator of fat loss is body shrinkage…hence the before photos of tight clothes.  I tell them that if I fit into a size 4 dress I don’t care if I weigh 394 pounds-ha!  Emotionally, I feel very drawn to weigh myself…and I feel the anxious pain of breaking this habit.  However, I will practice what I preach because  I’ve seen this habit derail even the sturdiest of clients when they reach a weight plateau and I want to discover how to coach them through breaking this habit.

Highlights of the Day:

  • No weigh in
  • I continued writing in my Journal…for myself and to create a systemized journal for my clients
  • Began using the Interval Cardio routine for Month One (I began two weeks earlier than I recommend most clients begin because I already had a base of strength and endurance.)
  • I met with Elliott White of True Fitness and Nutrition, to film my first workout instructional video!  Here’s a sample of the fun:  Muffin Toppled® AMUSE-ICAL™ Workout Trailer

Wednesday, September 3rd and Thursday, September 4th 2014

Not much more to report….same ole same ole. I continued to write in my journal and did a Strength Training workout and Interval Cardio workout.

Friday, September 5th, 2014

One slip up…I couldn’t stop myself from weighing today.  Because I used clothing as measurement of how well I’m doing, I freaked myself out Thursday night when my own regular jeans weren’t loose.  Even as I slipped off my clothes and even  before taking that fateful step onto the scale, I thought, “I shouldn’t do this”…but, I did. As a transgression, this is pretty small…but, I do regret it and will try to do better next time.

In addition, an unexpected blip in my workout plan panicked me briefly.  I was on my way to the gym when the phone rang.  My son called to tell me that his stomach hurt and that he needed to come home. I found myself heading to the school not the gym.  Family first…no problem…but I knew that I was performing Improv at the spot later and that I wouldn’t make it to the gym after my husband arrived home.  Once I picked up my son and cleared the cobwebs from my head, I realized that I could do my workout completely at home because I had all of the equipment necessary to perform it exactly as written…Booyah!

It’s been a great week and I’ve successfully executed my plan!

Overall Weekly Items of Note:

Valid Complaint: It’s a PAIN to remember to write in a food journal and even more painful to look up Calorie, Carb, Protein and Fat content in all the food I eat.  Valid Comeback-It sure is a pain.  BUT, I would say that this is the NUMBER ONE BEST THING that I did for myself all week.  I was shocked to see that eating properly normally doesn’t happen for me…even when I thought I was “careful”.  By writing everything down, it makes you more conscious of what your eating.

Valid Complaint:  I can’t tell if it’s making a difference, I want to weigh.  Valid Comeback-Don’t I know it, sista?  Be strong and if you really want to see how you’re doing, try on those tight clothes.  Remember, “good things come to those who wait.”

Valid Complaint:  The workout feels confusing and I’m sore.  Valid Comeback:  Do it anyway…you will get better as your brain and body adapt and you should only feel the soreness this week.  I promise, in a few weeks, you will be glad that you did your workouts as recommended in the AMUSE-ical™ Workout System. Those tight clothes will fit because you exerted this effort.

The End!

I almost forgot! For those of you willing to read all the way to the end, I have an answer!  Friday’s weight?  138.5 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye Old Treads…Hello New Threads!

 August 30 and 31, 2014 Labor Day Weekend (backdated for educational purposes)

I trashed my old powerlifting shoes (that once upon a time, actually got me noticed in this video:  my competitive first deadlift  

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I bought $147 worth of clothes from one of my favorite consignment stores It’s All Good in Arlington, Virginia.  I bought sizes that smaller than think I’ve ever been…we’ll see…I have a date in Hollywood in 3 and a half weeks.  It’s a goal, and a lofty one!

Outfit One-Voted most likely to fit (yes, it really is me!)

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Outfit Two-Voted most likely to look 300% better

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Outfit Three-Voted most bragging rights ever…I’ve never worn a size 2 pant  in my life (slight cheat in that they are boot cut. ) Doesn’t look so bad with a tight jacket…looks are decieveing…YOU KNOW THE REAL PICTURE!

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Outfit Four-To boldly attempt to wedge myself into a dress that looks akin to fitting the Hindenburg into a Volkswagon. When we took this photo,  we must have been in a real hurry…I didn’t capture the whole photo.  If I were to guess, my belly fat will stop pulling on this and my back will shrink some…I believe this could fit on September 27, 2014…

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Well worth the attempts!  And definitely exciting goals for me!

Who Needs Two Weeks? Not I

August 29, 2014 (backdated for educational purposes)

two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

I made a decision and it didn’t take me two weeks of grappling. That feels really good!

I’m letting go of the past (for now) and will turn and face my fears.

I’m going to use my AMUSE-ICAL™ workout program for at least the next 6 months and could go on for up to a year. I then plan to go back to powerlifting, fully restored. However, and this is IMPORTANT: THIS IS ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE at any given moment if I miss being part of Team Force too much.

Once delineated, the pros very clearly outweighed the cons on this one, and it was my emotion of fear that muddied the water.

Ultimately, by making this decision I believe everyone will win!

Me (air mask on first) and everyone purchasing my workout program.

Because I have committed fully to this pursuit, I’ve hired a master trainer to video coach me and give helpful hints to people using the AMUSE-ICAL™ Workout system. The video coaching will be day 11 and 12 for each month’s strength training days of my workout.

The trainer I’ve hand-picked for my journey is Elliott White, of True Fitness and Nutrition www.TrueFN.com . Located in McLean, Virginia, he and all of the personal trainers there  are some of the best in the D.C. area.  As I cut back on my client load to embark on this journey and to allow me more time to present wellness seminars, I whole-heartedly recommend them for those seeking the expert guidance from personal trainers.

Today:

  1. I’ll go for my measurement/body fat assessment at True Fitness and Nutrition .  To see what a body composition assessment is like-shock and horror- I share my experience here:  Body Fat Assessment (not for the faint of heart)

2) I’ll begin reading my book, Wit and Fit™ClancyCover and

3)  I’ll use my FOOD CON(trol)™ system from Wit and Fit™  to prepare a shopping list on page 155 and map out nutrition plan.

Logical vs. Emotional Decision Making – Courageously Looking at The Real Options

August 28, 2014 (backdated for educational purposes)

“Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” – Mark Twain

Today, I begin the process of facing my fears of changing my workout goals.

Here’s what I know: I’m not where I want to be and holding onto the past isn’t leading me into a dream future. 

Making a decision now about which path to take and committing to that path is the only way to achieve success.

Since I have two weeks to decide whether to change my goals I’d better get started in my quest of making the best informed decision.

My choices are as follows:

  1. Becoming the leanest and strongest powerlifter that I can be at the 100% Raw World Championship Powerlifting competition on October 30, 2014.

OR

2.  Following my newly designed workout plan to achieve the most toned body ever (and prove that it really can be done successfully in the real world if you just commit to it.)

As I teach my clients, I will begin by honestly looking at the PROS and CONS of each option.  I will do this with as little emotion as possible, to flesh out the best choice.

Powerlifting Protocol

Pros

Bragging rights-it’s awesome to tell people you squat 250lbs at 132 lbs

Lifting with like-minded, high work-ethic, teammates

Action/consequence enforces my training schedule, even if I don’t “feel” like going to the gym

Keeps my weight in check

Has been my identity and beacon for four years

 

Cons

I’m burned out to the max, in every area of my life-family and work-and physical overtraining is burning my brain and body

Did I mention that I hurt?

 

Fat Loss Protocol

Pros

Prove that my workout system works

Deload my weary body

It will allow me to have time and energy to focus on Muffin Toppled® Enterprise, Inc.’s growth

Inspire others through my bravery that the only way to change is to face your fears and commit

Be able to do exactly what I have my clients do (I normally can’t do the repetition range they do)

Be more congruous with my message

Start a blog about my journey and hope to help others through documenting my journey

Cons

I might get fat

I won’t be as proficient at powerlifting

I won’t be able to eat as many calories as I do training as a powerlifter

Will need to be more internally motivated

I’ll become a B Level Athlete…”back in my day”… NOT a phrase I ever want to utter

I will have to back out of my commitment to 100% Raw Worlds, which I feel obligated to do

I will let the “team” down and seem flaky

May be too much to commit to, with the blog and staying the course for the long haul

Lots to think about…