it. is. finished! days 29 & 30

It's Day 30.
And I'm faced with perplexity.
You see, I'm sick.
Achy body, sore throat, sneezing, stuffy head, fever, I was in bed asleep at 8 pm last night, sick.


I blame the kids. 
{i usually do.} 
You know, the ones who have been calling me "bobby" rather than "mommy" for the last two weeks because they themselves have been sick.


I did everything I could.
I took all my vitamins and supplements, got extra sleep and rest...
ate the way Adama & Eve must've eaten....
and yet, here I am.
On the last day, sick.


I found myself tortured at 4 am this morning trying to decide what I was going to do.
Finish the day?  
Push myself to do a workout that my body is telling me isn't in the works...just so I can say I did it?
Do I not finish the day, but say I did, so as not to let anyone down?
Or do I take all the lessons I've spent the last 30 days learning about myself and my body and apply them once and for all?


I started these 30 days to complete them.
Yes.
I started these 30 days for results.
Absolutely.
But in 30 days I have begun to understand my body in ways I never did before, 
and today my body is telling me to rest.


And it's just not in me to be anything but honest here, 
because I'm NOT perfect, 
{lest anyone thought i was, lol!}
and sometimes life throws a curve ball.
This is my real life.
And on the 30th day, real life happened.


Now, I'm the FURTHEST thing from God and all, 
but even HE rested on the 7th day.
Today is my 7th day, and I am resting.


I will not sacrifice the results I've accomplished, both physically & mentally, just to say I completed 30 days.
THAT'S how much I've grown.

Besides, in my heart, I HAVE completed The 30 Day Method, and not only did I follow every single mother freaking rule she laid out for me, I also followed every single rule I laid out for myself!


I tried EVERY SINGLE recipe, even if I thought I'd hate it.
{except for lamb...poor little lamb}
I took my supplements and vitamins EVERY SINGLE MORNING.
I worked out every single day, 
and I did not eat ONE SINGLE THING that wasn't on the approved 30 Day Method Menu.
I didn't even take A SIP of soda, diet or otherwise....
and I even managed to blog about IT ALL.

I started these 30 days not fully confident I would be able to accomplish all that Tracy had set up for me.

I had all the excuses...

two kids, the inability to cook, finances, picky tastes....

and yet I was STILL able to MAKE IT WORK.
{snap, snap, snap.}

And as each day passed, my confidence (as well as my cooking AND time management skills) grew and I began to see myself differently than I ever had.  

It was SO much more than physical...way beyond numbers and measurements.

I began to know myself....and understand myself, and I learned....

I learned self control.  

I learned that I was stronger, mentally AND physically, than I ever believed.

I overcame cravings and weaknesses that I was convinced were a part of me, things that would just never change.

I realized that I liked fish.

I also realized that I most definitely DO NOT like beets.

But, I learned always to try.

To give things a shot that seem impossible, because if I don't try, how will I ever know what I am capable of?

I know now that if you want good things for yourself, it takes hard work.

I know now that it's about the process, and that I have to EMBRACE and TRUST the process, taking it day by day....

sometimes moment by moment.

And I know that I could never have done it alone...
because we are meant for support, 
and if it weren't for the support on my blog, along with my husband and best friends...
I would have totally been that girl with a pizza on her lap come Day 5.

Most of all, I have a sense of balance I've never before possessed.

And a sense of trust....

In myself.

And the icing on the cake...

{not to bring up cake or anything}

is that I went from a tight size 8 to a comfortable size 2/4 (depending on the pants) in just 30 days!
{i'm 5'6, and no idea on weight since it's been over 3 months since i've stepped on a scale!}

{to see all the result pictures, join my 30 Day Method Facebook page}

If I can say just ONE thing to you guys....

It's that the impossible IS possible.

You just have to DIG DEEP and find some determination within yourself.

Surround yourself with support and accountability...

and pray.

A lot.
I tend to be the prayin' kind, and I totally must give credit where credit is due...
and all the strength I have, completely came from Him.

Okay, that was more than one thing, but nevertheless...all important things.


30 days doesn't end today.
Today, I'm resting, yes...
But I've learned a new way of health, and I'm excited to pick up and perfect all that I've been taught.


Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking this journey with me.
Your love, support, comments, and emails have brought me to tears, filling me with incredible determination and strength...
and love.
For a BUNCH of women I have yet, but hope to meet.


You have been Mah-jah.
And I mean that in a total Rachel Zoe kind of way.


Cheers, (with water cause I'm sick), to Tracy and to her AMAZEBALLS 30 Day Method!


When I feel better, I'll finish and post the Tips n Tricks for completing the 30 Day Method...
Have questions you want included?
Email away!!!

{p.s. day 29 update:  40 reps of everything, 40 minutes of cardio...and come Monday, if the sickness has faded, I'll absolutely finish the 10th workout of Sequence 3 before moving on to the Perfect Design Series....which I'll do until Metamorphosis arrives.}


{pssssss....to follow the ENTIRE 30 Day Journey, click here}

© 2011 "Le Musings of Moi"

i got the bug... days 27 & 28

This just can't be happening.

I am not well.

And I'm not talking about in the head...

although...

no, we'll save that for another post.

So it started with Chloe snotting all over the world about a week ago, and I was praying that it would stay the heck away from my immune system.

But then Taylor started snotting as well, which was definitely NOT good, partly because that meant I was doomed but mostly because when he's sick, he's a MONSTER.

{my monster}

And then yesterday during my workout I started feeling weak and blah, and it had nothing to do with the fact that the plank move was absolute insanity.

This morning sealed the deal when I woke up stuffy and even after going to bed at 9:30 I was still tired.

What the?!?

Seriously, I have two days after today.

TWO DAYS!!!

{and this is how i feel about that!}

How will I ever finish with a bang when my immune system wants to quit on me?

So not cool.

Ya know, I never had "flu type symptoms" so maybe that's what this is?

I'm going to press on...after all, I'm still in the beginning stages...and I can beat this.

I will beat this.

{you'd think i was talking about cancer, geez}

I doubled up on my probiotics and vitamin c so the healing effects are just minutes away from kicking in, I can feel it.

Or am about to feel it.

So today, I'm carrying on with the plan...and the workout....and we'll see where tomorrow takes me.

Update:

Yesterday, for the most part, went well.

I stayed on track with the cleanse and felt mostly satisfied all day.

I did 35 reps of the legs (these moves are KILLING my lower back!), 40 of abs and 10 minutes of arms.

Then I followed up with 35 minutes of trampoline dancing....but with the bug I've caught, that about took all I had.

Not to mention, my ankles and shins were never meant to dance for 30 days straight...so thank goodness rebounders exist!

My plan for today is to stick to the same reps as yesterday, and attempt to do 40 minutes of cardio dance on the ground.

We'll see though...might need to drink a Guru Lite first.

or two.

The diet hasn't been too hard, although, I'm a little bummed because with Taylor being the mood monster that he is, (we had a showdown at 7:30 this morning), I ate my emotions chocolate for the day before 11.

That's never a good sign when you need chocolate before 12.

But, I will complete this.

I have to.

I haven't come this far to let a cold knock me out.

There is always Monday for rest....even if that means someone has to BRING me my doughnut in bed.

See how I said DOUGHNUT and not DOUGHNUTS???

That's a new me people, that's a new me!

{ahem, honey are you reading this?!?  just checkin' to see if you got the doughnut in bed part...}

Speaking of doughnuts...

You know what's crazy?

After working SO hard and seeing SUCH results, I am actually more determined than ever to stick to a healthy diet beyond the 30 days.

While I will definitely continue the everything in moderation rule, I don't see myself going back to the "eat everything as though it was my last chance to eat" rule that I had over the holidays.

I know myself so much better now.

I know that I CAN say NO to my cravings and I won't actually DIE!

I may feel like it, but so far, I'm still here.

On the other hand, certain foods DO make me happy, and I don't believe in a life that doesn't include happy foods.

So there will still be our family pizza night, and I will still enjoy a sweet treat every now and then.

I've learned balance....

and I'm pretty sure I can take that and be a big girl all on my own come Monday morning.

After the doughnut.

Wish me luck today...

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"

tips on surviving the cleanse, day 26

First of all...I have AMAZING news.

This morning I tried on a pair of pants for "fun" that I have NEVER been able to wear and they so totally buttoned.

Now they were still a tad tight, but whatever, what's important is they buttoned!!!

My hope is now that on Sunday they'll fit the way they should and I'll be able to bust out a Monday Muse photo shoot in them feeling all sorts proud.

{and no, I'm still not nor will I ever be a size 0, no matter what my iphone pictures show you}

{on another note, get an iphone and take pictures of yourself....it can totally make things appear smaller than they are!}

I can't believe I have gone down 3-4 sizes in a month.

Tracy is SO my new best friend.

And if I was the kind that married girls, I might just propose to her.

But, I'm not...

So instead I'll just stalk her and tell her how much I love her and how I think her hair is oh so pretty, and oh ya, does she want to see pictures of my hipbone again?

That's not weird, right?

I mean, cause if it is, I'm totally kidding.

Now let's get to the update, because things just got kind of weird.

Menu:

So I made it through the first day of the cleanse, no problem!, which means I will TOTALLY make it another 4 days.

Which also means that in 4 days, I will have completed The 30 Day Method to the letter!

Now because the "cleanse" can be WAY intimidating and kind of off putting (i mean who really is a fan of pureed food anyway?), I came up with a way to make it work and still play by the rules.

Seriously, I was SCARED TO DEATH (in a non dramatic way) that I wasn't going to be able to accomplish this part...it's almost what kept me from doing the whole 30 days in the first place.

And now, the expert cleanser that I am after one day, I realize I was making a MUCH bigger deal out of nothing.

Kind of like I did with kale.

And kind of like I did with fish.

And kind of like I did with beans....

And kind of like I did with beets. 

(although i was actually right about the last one} 

Come to think of it, almost HALF of what was on the menu for the 30 days freaked me out a little, to be completely honest.

And yet, when it came time to eat it, most of the time it wasn't all that bad after all.

Word to yo mutha!

YOU TOO CAN DO THIS!

If I can go from being a child like eater, all picky and wanting everything plain...

to now enjoying fish and kale and dijon...

than ANYONE can do it.

Now let's get to business on the "How to Survive the Cleanse" tips:

First, lets take a look at the foods and which are tolerable (for me) and which are SO NOT.

{trust me, i tasted each and every one made the way it was intended to before I made a final decision about it!  gotta stay true to my own rules!}

Yummy:

Blueberry Applesauce

Kiwi Dessert

Choco Chestnut Pudding

Chicken Protein Soup

Kale Juice

Not so yummy:

Edamame and Carrot w/ Cayenne {will never like cayenne}

Sweet Potato Corn Pudding

Tomato Gazpacho

Kale Spinach Beet Juice {will never like beets, blech!}

Now, just to be clear, while that seems like a lot of food for a cleanse, remember it's only 4 oz. a day of each recipe.

And to make things even more simple for you, each recipe makes about two 4 oz. servings, so when you make each recipe it will last you two days.

Okay, so those are the facts.

Now here's what I'm doing to make the not so yummy foods work.

DON'T PUREE THEM.

For the Edamame/Carrot puree, simply make the recipe but keep things raw and divide up the final recipe into two containers.  There.  You now have two 4 oz. servings, and it won't make you gag.

If for some reason you can't handle the taste of edamame, I would think that the cauliflower/tuna recipe is pretty similar (vegetable & protein) so you could always make that, and once again, divide up the recipe for two 4 oz. servings.

Now with the Sweet Potato Corn Pudding (unless it's chocolate, not sure anything else should be called pudding...it's very misleading), I steamed the potato and boiled the corn, put them all together and then divided the serving in half....and I DIDN'T puree them.  

And, in my opinion, it tasted MUCH better that way.  

{again, this may be just me, but puree = gag}

You can also do the same thing with the Tomato Gazpacho.  And if eating it whole and raw still makes you retch, I would think the Tomato Minestrone recipe is somewhat similar, although I think that recipe makes a total three 4 oz. servings.  

Lastly, you all know how I feel about beets.

Gag me with a spoon.

Instead, I went to Jimbos (a health food store) and had them make me two servings of the Kale Juice for the day.  My plan is to go in every morning getting my two for the day until the cleanse is over. 

And the great thing is it's only $2 each day. 

I chose to do it this way because I don't have a juicer, and I don't think I'm quite ready to shell out a few hundred for one....so spending $10 for the week is a much better alternative.  

Now get this!

I actually LOVE the cleanse.

I love having so many options and being able to eat little portions all throughout my day.

I DIE over getting choco chestnut pudding every day.

And it's kind of major that I don't have to cook today, because yesterdays cooking covered both today and tomorrow.

Also, I'm the kind of girl who doesn't mind eating the same thing every day, especially when the food is yummers, so it's comforting already knowing what each days menu will bring.

And surprisingly, I didn't feel hungry at all!  

In fact, I almost feel like I got MORE to eat than normal because there were so many different options throughout the day.

I'm thinkin' I'll check the calorie content on dailyburn.com to see what's going on....

{i'll report back when i do...}

Workout:

Today went awesome.

I had energy, and I totally stayed focused.

I busted out 35 reps of legs, 40 of abs, and ten full minutes of arms.

And then I rocked out 40 minutes of rebounder dancing, and my word, was I was a sweaty betty.

4 days till I look like this:

What?
A girl can dream.

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"

get yourself a sponsor, days 24 & 25

Can I just say that I am freaking tired?

Not like fall into bed tired, but like....

Get these kids to bed, get me out of the kitchen, and let me sit on the couch BY MYSELF, and please don't touch me, because I just want to watch reality tv, kind of tired.

Did I just say, "get me out of the kitchen?!?"

Woah, that was weird.

Who am I anymore?

Being that I'm not feeling all witty and pretty and bright....let's just get to business.

My couch and tv need me.

And I need them.

Workouts:

This routine is by FAR my favorite but by far THE HARDEST!

{which means it must work the best!}  

Just today was I able to up my reps to 35 and I'm thinking tomorrow may be the same.  

{I've been doing 40 of abs, and twice through the arms.}

As for cardio, both yesterday and today I did 45 minutes of dance cardio...but since my 30 something year old ankles are starting to hurt, I'll be back to the rebounder tomorrow.

Yawn.

This update is boring even me.

Sorry guys.

They can't all be winners.

Menu:

Is it bad that I can't even remember what I ate yesterday?

Or even really today?

It's all just starting to blend together at this point.

I DO know that it was exactly what was on the menu, exact portions, exact food.  

It's starting to get boring by the rules, huh?

No surprises, no shock value....just plain ol' whatever Mama Tracy says Lil' Summer does.

Yeeeeeee-awn.

So, tomorrow begins the cleanse...and I'm fully prepared.

In fact, I just spent two effing amazing hours in the kitchen making everything and separating it out into little containers of 4 oz each.

You should have seen my mad skills.  

I was all making this, and making that, and doing a bunch of recipes ALL AT ONCE.

I could almost have my own cooking show.

SummaTime in the Kitch.

{still a working title}

Or!

I think I have it all figured out and I now have NO DOUBTS that I'll make it through all five days.
{I mean, hello?!?  I'll have 5 DAYS OF CHOCOLATE!!!!  I. DIE!}

And if certain recipes (edamame/carrot, blech!) become gagalicious, I have a backup plan, which I'll share with you guys tomorrow.  I figure everyone should know how to make the cleanse work, in case you ever attempt it and get the case of the gaggles as well.

One last thing, and then I promise not to make you endure this lame post any longer....

If any of you guys think that The 30 Day Method is something you want to do, 

please know that I am TOTALLY 100% there for you.

You can email me (click contact me under  my header) anytime for anything.

The key to success is support, and after all you guys have given me, it's the least I can do to pay it forward!

In fact, consider me your "sponsor."

I will talk you through it, answer your questions, talk you OUT OF CHEATING, and into working out when you're just not in the mood.

just call on me....and I'll be there....

{Sing with me....}

Okay, that's about it for today.

Thanks for hangin' in there...and I promise I'll be back to myself tomorrow.

{unless my kids wake up before the sun again, and then, i can't make any promises.}

OH!

I updated my result pictures on my TAM facebook page.

{which are set to private unless you friend request me...there are just some things my high school teachers don't need to see.}

I wanted to document the day before the cleanse so I could see the changes in the last five days.

No more pictures until Sunday, the LAST DAY!!!

k, heading to my couch...

come back tomorrow for the exciting "surviving the cleanse" tips.

Because, you know, I'll be on day 1, which totally makes me the expert.

© 2011 "Le Musings of Moi"

home tour: living room & hallway

We are most definitely taking our time with the changes we are making with the house.  

Usually when I move into a new place, I want it ALL DONE NOW!

But now that this is home is OURS for keeps for ever and ever, I want to make sure we take our time and do it right.  

Room by room.

Of course we started with the living room/entry way, since that's the core of our home...where we spend most of our time.

I wanted to create a space that was happy...
so I took risks, and attempted things (and colors) that popped and added some interest.
It may not be everybody's taste...but I'm finding that this eclectic vintage style suits me just fine!

{sorry, i'm a terrible home or any kind of photographer...}

living room:

couch, mirror, gold chair, entry way table ~ thrifted

credenza, cheetah chair, coffee table (which i plan to replace for something longer) ~ craigslist

rug (also already wanting to replace w/a pattern much like my background on the blog ~ walmart.com

black pillows ~ ikea

chair pillows ~ etsy

deer head ~ z gallerie

chalkboard ~ DIY w/chair rail, nails, and chalkboard paint

And then we moved to the hallway....

frames: ikea, thrifted {i plan on matting the kids art and adding more to that wall, in time}
hand print canvas: redenvelope.com
stripes: chalkboard paint w/chair rail border {still need to paint the border to cover nails}

I'm hoping this coming weekend I can get to the kids (which is also the main bathroom), and then my plan is to tackle our master bedroom AND bathroom after that....and then the kids room after that.

Maybe, just maybe by summer, we'll be done enough to enjoy it before I start changing things again.  

{Jimmy may have just had a mini heart attack!}

© 2011 "Le Musings of Moi"

a case of the monday muse, thrifted!

This dress seemed like a good idea:

Until the wind blew:

And then it just became cute for a photo sesh:

{boy look at those roots!  one week till i get that lil issue fixed...wait did you think i was naturally blonde?!?}

So, almost all of my outfit is thrifted....love that!

dress: mossimo, but was $1 at my thrift store.  swoon!

jacket: apple bottom jeans, $10 thrifted!

necklace: birthday gift, world market

ring: f21

socks: target {$3 in the little girls section!  got them in purple too.}

boots: thrifted, and lysoled those babies ova and ova 

sunnies: dziner eyes

Also.
We finally finished the hallway and one other little DIY project!
Getting those pictures ready to share for tomorrow!

Have a GREAT Monday....
Mwa!

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"

gotta get "things" movin'! day 23

If you know me well, you know that I'm not at all embarrassed to talk about bodily functions...

so let's just dive right into it, shall we?

Okay, so the first two weeks of these 30 days, let me tell you, there wasn't enough toilet paper in the world...

Now?  

I would give anything to use toilet paper like that again.

Oh. My. Word.

In fact, today, during cardio (if you can even call it that), I had to stop every ten minutes from the "tease."  

The teasing rumbles.  

Excitedly I'd think, THIS IS IT!

And then, it wasn't. 

And so I'd come back to cardio for another 10 minutes, then back to being hopeful, then not so, and on and on it went until I gave up and fell a heaping rumbling mess on the couch.

It's now 6pm, and still nada.  

Nothin.

I may, in fact, be gaining weight by the moment because of this issue.

I know you're probably thinking, "oh you're full of sh*#!"

And to that I'd say, "YOU'RE TOTALLY RIGHT!"

Are you uncomfortable yet?

I know, so am I.

Lit-rally.

Anyway....

moving on?

{wish things were "moving on"...}

So, I survived the weekend.

I did all the supposed to eating (even the beans, though they didn't their job AT ALL!), all the mat work, and all the cardio.

This sequence is KILLING me.

In fact, I may die.

And if that happens, who wants my tracy stuff?

Seriously, look at this picture I took when I thought it might be my last:

If I make it....

then only 7 days left.

Here's my plan for the cleanse...

I'm going to make all the stuff, and Wednesday I'm going to attempt it all.

If I'm gagging and losing my lunch, then I'll reassess and possibly find alternates to those which make me retch.

But, I started this month off by promising that I would TRY everything, and TRY everything I will.

Finish everything, I may not.

We shall see.

And with the end of the month coming up....my thoughts have turned towards the "after care" plan.

{think i watch too much celebrity rehab?  perhaps?}

While there have been some MAH-JAH changes, I still have a ways to go to recover from the damage I did over the holidays.

I think the fat has successfully been pushed to the surface, and while that's all lovely and stuff, I'm more the type that would LOVE if that fat would all together disappear.

I have a feeling it won't happen in 7 days, cleanse or no cleanse.

So.

I plan on taking Monday the 31st off and driving first thing to Winchell's for my fave doughnut ever and a bagel for Bethany, and then head back home to NOT WORKOUT all day long.

I'm thinking maybe a massage somewhere in that not working out time would be quite swell actually...

And I may or may not order a pizza for the family and indulge in my very own TWO pieces.  

Or three.

I won't count.

{don't judge...}

And then.

{annnnnnd dennnnnnn.....}

Tuesday it's back to business.

I'm hoping to have the Metamorphosis dvd's by then, so I'll dive right into that 5-6 days a week.

I'll watch my calories during the week and continue to eat clean, but allow a moderate free day on Saturdays.

I think the last bit o'change may take some time, and I'm totally okay with that.

{or so i'm telling myself}

Who needs flat abs right away anyway, right?

{me?!?}

On another note, I'm getting together a "tips and tricks" post for those of you that may want to start The 30 Day Method in the future.

So, if any of you guys have questions about the method, about tracy, about how I did this, or you just want to know more about bodily functions, I'll be happy to include those with my answers in that same post.

This is kind of a big deal, so the more support and knowledge out there, the better we are at being successful.

Speaking of successful, 

wish me luck tonight.

{wink, wink}

Ew.

Not THAT "she said" kind of successful!!!

The other kind.

The other ew kind of successful.

Ya, I've just made things REALLY uncomfortable now.

{please come back tomorrow!}

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"

ive lost that lovin' feeling, days 21 & 22

It's the weekend.
And let me tell you, the weekends are the WORST for me.  

And I think I have short timers syndrome.

You know when you give your two weeks notice at a job, and then feel like slacking because you're almost done anyways?

That's me.

I feel like slacking.

I HAVEN'T, but I FEEL like it.

I have ALL kinds of justifications running through my mind.....and during the week it's no problem to shoo those away.  

During the weekend?

I need bolted doors.

I'm not a fan of beans either, and most of my day consists of them.

So that's not helping in the slightest.

Not to mention I have the looming "cleanse" coming up, and I'm still on the fence as to what to do about that.

Having tried each recipe once before and gagging into the first bite of most, I wonder how I'll make it through 5 days.

But, I can't help but wonder if my taste buds have changed enough to be able to tolerate it now.

And then I wonder if I NEED to do the cleanse, being that I'm in my pants now.
{even though my front butt has a LONG way to go...not even sure Tracy can solve that ab separation problem....might have to save up for surgery}  

I mean, maybe I only need a 25 day boot camp, and Tracy just doesn't know because she doesn't know me and my body.

Maybe she'd actually tell me to eat in moderation and keep up with the workouts then continue to be amazed.

Maybe.....

But then there's the whole "obeying ALL of Tracy's 30 Day Method RULES" goal that I set in the beginning, and how un-proud would mama tracy be if I failed now?

Although, is it really failing if I make it 25 days?

And what if I do the 30 full days of the workout, but not the full 30 of the diet?

Or what if I skip the cleanse but do the first week's menu again instead?

Would everyone be so bummed by me?

Would I be weak?

{would I be classified as a major DRAMA queen right about now?!?}

Do you see this???

Are you seeing the thought torture I am going through?

Talk me through this.  I need you guys and your wisdom now. =)

{don't be afraid of the comment section, this is the time to USE it!}

Now, let's get this update out of the way....

Food:

It's fine.  Most of it anyway.  Still NO CHEATING and no going off the menu!  21 days clean. 

And while I'm tired of having to eat what I'm told, surprisingly I'm not craving junk food.  

I just miss eating what I "feel" like eating.

ya know?

I know, I'll work it out in therapy. 

Workout:

Started the LAST sequence yesterday (30 reps of everything, and twice through arms) and oh ma word!!!
It was torture and amazing all at once.
I couldn't believe how insanely hard it was after having worked out out for 21 days straight!  

Amazingly, I was energized for 40 minutes of the 2008 Cardio afterwards, which I LOVE!  

I could never get sick of that video.

Then this morning I realized what Tracy meant when she said this would be the sequence that would BOLT all your muscles together.

I literally felt BOLTED!

While the diet part is still a struggle for me, showing up and doing the workouts is something I love and never dread.  I am addicted to that kind of a challenge, and I love the pain.

Tracy is right, you start to crave it a bit.

Ya ya ya, Tracy is right.

Also, I started my own facebook page dedicated simply for the 30 Day Method boot camp updates and progress....where I'll be posting result pictures that all the world doesn't need to see on le blog.

here's a glimpse of today's results:



Be back tomorrow with some clarity, I hope!
Off to bolt those muscles!!!

{just a passing thought...do we tend to be harder on ourselves when we're more in shape than when we're softer and rounder?  i feel like I'm scrutinizing WAY more than a few months ago....i can only imagine what i'd be doing if i was on the scale!}

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"

tracy andersons 30 day method, day 20!!!

I canNOT believe that I have 10 days left.  A week and a half.  Two more weekends....

wait, that last one doesn't make me feel better.

{the weekends can SUCK it right now.}

But a week and a half?!?  

I can so TOTALLY do that.

What's crazy is that I thought for sure this whole deal would be in the bag for me by now.  

Ya.  Nnnnnot really.

Can I tell you how many times I've wanted to quit?

Actually too many to count.

Do you have any idea how many times I've thought, "eh, it's good enough....who needs to be ALL the way to their goals anyway?"

Waaaaaaaaay too many, that's how many.

But, thankfully I have Jimmy & Bethany on my team, because they are always there to keep me from throwing in the towel.

{my 30 day partner in crime}

{my hottie husband, who keeps me from running after the pizza guy}

Once I saw this show on Dateline or something, that was about a young morbidly obese girl who had a syndrome that caused her to NEVER feel full....and they showed this scene of an ice cream truck going by, and then panned to her front door which had BOLT after BOLT after BOLT on it....and then they quickly zoomed in to her going absolutely BANANAS because she couldn't get to the ice cream she so desperately needed.

It was amazing and sad and years later I still can't get that scene out of my head.

Know why?

Oh, I don't know....maybe because I AM THAT GIRL?!?

And actually I WAS THAT GIRL last weekend when I was in the throws of PMS, and if there had been a pizza delivery truck driving by, Lord help me.

Jimmy told me today that I was out of control.

I was.

I wanted to go BANANAS just like my sister in food on Dateline.

Oprah God Moment in 5, 4, 3, 2, .....

I overcame the insane urge to eat like a mad woman, and while I wasn't happy about it AT ALL in the moment....the next morning I was feeling all kinds of powerful, you have NO idea.

Instead of that icky feeling of "oh why did i just eat that, i'm so weak, what's wrong with me?" stuff we put ourselves through, I was all, "oh i am SO glad i didn't go eat that, i'm so human, and well....obviously there's something wrong with me..."

{duh}

My point is.

When you have a goal, diet or otherwise, BOLT YOUR DOORS to keep you from failing.

Or get a husband (just run and grab one really quick, it's only for 30 days) or a friend that will be willing to SIT ON YOU to keep you from failing.

OR get BOLTS, A HUSBAND, and a FRIEND....then you'll be sure to have success.

And success, you guys, is where you find your inner fierce.

{we're always searching for the inner fierce in our fam....}

Don't you worry, I'm saving up all my pretty little tips for the end where you can find them all in one place.  I like to keep my wisdom organized.  

So let's ~update~ shall we?

Meals:

Today went great.  

Loved the spinach omelet, especially because of all the love my sweet Bethany put into it.  

It was 'specially yummy this morning.  

Just another thing I am loving about these 30 days?  

My morning healthy breakfasts sitting at Bethany's table chatting.  

With her crazy life with 3 boys, and my INSANE last year with 2 kids + foster child.....we've not had the bonding time I've been missing.  

So this DEFINITELY makes up for it.  

And I love her.  

And her omelets.  

Snack was an apple with peanut butter, which was almost like chocolate.  Ah-mah-zing.  

My kale tofu chicken soup was good but bland, but that was my fault for forgetting to spice it up with cracked pepper.  

What's really weird is that I get a little giddy about Kale.

That's weird, right?

I'm even excited to start making Kale Chips.

And the Kale juice for tomorrow....makes. my. mouth. water.

I've lost it, I know.

It used to be about shoes (is still is!) and fashion (later tomorrow!) and home decor (right before this post!)...and as I recall a lot about why did I want to parent again.....and now I'm talking about kale.

yawn, right?

And then yawn some more cause I have to finish the update.

Veggie Burgers

was what it was SUPPOSED to look like.  

And in fact, did look like, until you tried to pick them up.  

And then all you had was a bunch of ingredients. 

But, sticking to the rules and all, I was going to get those blasted things down.

Enter the Romaine Hearts.  

Opened up those babies, scooped some "burger" inside, and WA LA!

You have a lettuce wrap that reminded me of something I'd eat at PF Changs.  

It was kind of amazing actually.

{this is what kind of amazing actually looks like}

Workouts: 

Finished the second sequence with a bang.

A bang that did NOT involve ankle weights.

Seriously, that was the one workout that kept on giving!

The better I became at it, the more unique places I'd find that would end up sore.

But 40 reps I did, and then followed with 40 min of trampoline dancing OUTSIDE in 80 degree weather!

SoCal rocks.

{back to real dancing tomorrow...just needed a change}

Tomorrow, I begin the final sequence that will BOLT all my muscles together...

Fabulous, Tracy, looking forward to the bolting....

Let day 21 begin!

{to follow along the whole fun journey from day 1: click here}

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"

organizing le closet & junk drawer

With it being the new year and all, I have had BIG goals to get organized once and for all.

The hall closet (our only storage in the WHOLE house basically) was a huge eye sore for me every time it had to be opened.  I had such good intentions to do something about it, and yet, I haven't.

Until today.

I loaded up both kids and headed to Target to get some bins and drawer organizers and got busy the second I got home.  I gave myself 30 minutes to get whatever I could done....

What started out looking like this:

Ended up like this:

{almost finished with the stripes!  just have to put up the border to top it off!}

And the junk drawer that looked like this:

Ended up like this:

I still have a little bit of editing to do with the stuff, but as it is, I am SO much happier and lighter with just getting this amount done.

{wicker baskets & tags: michaels; plastic baskets, black/white bins & drawer organizer: target}

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"

2 sizes & sweet potato pancakes, day 19!

I found new motivation this morning when the bloat from PMS finally took a hike! 

What is that bloat all about anyway???  

And what is in those monthly hormones that FORCE you to eat a few extra chocolate chips on top of the already chocolatey dessert you're making???

Seriously, I was forced.  

I protested and tried to run, and yet they STILL found their way into my mouth.

But, like Bethany reminded me....it WAS on the menu, and Tracy DOESN'T control portions....so....

She's a good friend, my Bethany.  

Always speaking the truth in love.

And since we're talking of PMS and all that it brings....

You should know that I've always been an emotional eater...so this change of eating has been kind of an awakening in that I have all these emotions that I have to actually FACE and SOLVE, rather than simply SOLVING by STUFFING my FACE!

Weird stuff how this diet is making me grow up in all kinds of ways I didn't expect.

Anyway, all that is behind me (not the growing up part)....

PMS is dead and done for another 15ish days, and it is now absolutely clear to me that I am not about to birth a child in a few weeks!!!

Jimmy even did a double take last night and exclaimed, 

"Woah! I can REALLY tell a difference with your stomach!  Now that you're not pms'ing, it's TOTALLY gone down.  You're tiny!"

Thanks babe.

{just wondering how he'd feel if I said that, say...about something on his anatomy.  just sayin'}

I'm even noticing that my skin tone is even getting better on the tum tum, bum bum, and my arm arms!!!  {sorry, no cute word for arm}

I'm super happy so far with the results EVEN without knowing my weight or weight loss.

I know I have gone down almost two sizes in two and a half weeks, I know that I am eating healthier than I have ever been in my life, and I'm even cooking....that is truly enough for me!

~update~

Workout:

Still going strong with not ONE day off.  

One more day after day for this second sequence, and I'm still feeling the burn with 40 reps!
Crazy how this is the sequence that just keeps on giving....
Maybe tomorrow I'll add ankle weights to go out with a bang!

For cardio I've been doing a solid 40 minutes of DANCING with no shin pain!!!

{did "research" on how to solve shin splints that WORK!  I'll share tomorrow.}

Menu:

19 days, and not a morsel off the menu.  

I have had to switch a couple of things....such as the lamb meal, and anything with beets or tofu.  

If it has beets, I simply drop out the beets and eat the rest.  

If it has tofu, I replace with chicken.  

Other than that, NO CHANGES and NO CHEATING!!!  

Not even a cup of coffee.

Although, don't praise me.

I never drink coffee.

BUT.

I did drink Diet Heaven Coke, and I'm 19 days clean of that, so that deserves a gift certificate to go shopping I'd say.

I'm still trying to decide what to do about the cleanse....Zoe, from the facebook page, suggested not pureeing the foods and simply eating them whole instead.  

I may do that if buying a food scale doesn't break the bank, since I'd then have to weigh out the food.

It's only for a few days....I'm sure it'll be fine.

Now the BIG question.

Do I weigh in when all is said and done and 30 days are over?

~~~~~~~

Anyway, my sisters sister in law (you follow?) wanted to give those sweet potato pancakes a shot, so I wanted to share the recipe in case there was anyone else that was brave enough to attempt heaven.  

{remember that I have been eating clean for 19 days, so heaven to me may be different to you.}

Sweet Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes

1 egg white, whisked

2 tablespoons kefir (found in health food aisle)

2 tablespoons flaxseeds

1 steamed sweet potato, mashed and cooled

Olive oil spray

3 tablespoons of yacon syrup (i couldn't find this, but you can substitute with honey or agave)

{heather, you will love this since you don't like maple syrup!}

Mix the egg white, kefir, and flaxseeds with the potato.  Using a tablespoon, form the mixture into small pancakes.  Coat a griddle with olive oil spray and set it over medium heat; place the pancakes on the griddle.  Cook for approximately 1 minute on each side, flipping with a spatula.  Pay attention when making these, as they can burn easily!  They're best when served immediately.  Serve with the syrup.

Enjoy!!!

© 2010 "Le Musings of Moi"