Menu
Spinach salad w/roasted brussel sprouts, califlower and squash
Sherry vinigrette w/roasted garlic
Pork tenderloin (on top o f veggies)
Coffee
Veg & Pea soup w/Kale and Roasted chicken
Carrot and Celery stick w/ PNB and Raisins
I've been roasting like crazy...squash, brussels, califlower, garlic, onions, meat, etc... I've been craving a stuffed bell pepper..maybe tomorrow!
Life is good, food is good.
Climbing the highest mountain, swimming the deepest sea, running a marathon....none of these things interest me much. I'm not training for any kind of competition, except the one I have with myself to be my best. And if my best is a woman that can swing a kettlebell over 1000 times in an hour, or a woman that eats 2 pints of ice cream and a bag of cookies in an hour, then that's the best I can do. We are all doing our best.
We are all doing our best, but we can decide to do better. Who do we want to be? What kind of life do we want for ourselves? We all have different circumstances that bring us to where we are, and at every moment we have the opportunity to chose our direction. My blogging isn't about comparing myself to anyone or anyone comparing themselves to me. We all have our own opininons and experiences. And if someone wants to climb the highest mountain, train for it, achieve it, and write about it then God Bless them! Maybe it will inspire some one else to do the same....to see the possibilities.
That's partially why I blog and the reason I read other blogs. To find examples of lifes possibilities, to see the best in others.....I'm not looking to make myself feel better by comparison, I already feel good! Success, whether it's my success or someone else's is all positive energy. We are all so lucky.
Someone recently asked me what I do, and after thinking a bit I said, "I'm in transition, I'm in the middle of my life, and it's changing." and they said, "Oh, so you've reached a peak?", and I looked straight at them and said, "NO. My peak will be the day that I die...because it's all uphill from here!" Or maybe I should of said "up-mountain"!
Monday AM weight 130.0
7:00am KB
6:00pm 1 hour walk
Warm up
40 2 hand swings, alternating clubbell rockets w/2 10lbs, 1 min. on, 1 min. rest, x 5 sets total = 10 min.
Work sets
12 snatch transfers w/16kg, 1 min. on, 1 min rest= 2 min
5, 2 hand swings, 5/5 snatch transfers, 5, 2 hand swings w/20kg, 1 min. on.
1 min. rest x 4 sets = 8 min.
5, 2 hand swings, 5 swing, snatch L, 5 swing snatch R, 5, 2 hand swings w/16kg, 1 min. on
1 min. rest x 4 sets = 8 min.
#1
40 transfers w/16kg, 1 min. on
1 min. rest
#2
20 transfers w/20kg, 30 sec. on
30 sec. rest
#3
24 clubbell 2 hand swings w/ 2 10's, 1 min on
30 sec. rest
I rotated these last three sets 4 x for a total time of 18 min.
Total workout 46 min.
My workout was a little short in time today, but heavy. I liked the clubbell rockets far more than the swings...the swings were a little too easy, but I'm just playing!
Yoga @ 6:30am in the morning, cooking, and then teaching KB in the afternoon @Girya.
Life is good, life is sweet. ;)
I collect vintage (sometimes antique) weight training and exercise stuff, like old dumbells, leather medicine balls, training manuals/magazines/posters, etc.. And one of the things I used to collect were "indian clubs", so when I saw these modern versions of indian clubs, I knew what they were, and basically how they were to be used. This training method has always interested me. So, I was excited and supportive when Mark mentioned his interest also.
I got up early this morning and started to watch the intructional DVD and Mark coached me on some of the basic moves this afternoon. I only practiced "back and forth" movements, saving the "side to side" stuff for another time, (I had to get to my yoga class!)
I'm not sure how this is going to fit into my training, but I can say that I really worked my glutes...maybe I will get that butt I've always wanted, lol.
I'll play around with it this week.....
Here is a picture of the Grad workout, Sunday, after 3 days of training and taking the instructors test with "real" victims! I think if you double click on the piture it will come up larger, maybe you'll spot someone you know!
There's Jen in the middle of this photo, (squatting!), she recently tested the SSST and snatched the 12kg for 319 reps in 10 minutes!
I had the pleasure of being introduced to Betsy (middle top photo, and bottom photo) from Durham NC, she may be almost as excited about KB's as I am!
As I was snatching the 16kg again today I couldn't help but think about the differences in how strength in ability has to be affected by bodyweight. I'm only about 130lbs. (I love saying that, by the way), and I know if I was even 10lbs heavier, the difference in being able to handle that weight would have to be recognizable...and 20lbs would be even greater!
We have a cement patio table in our backyard that comes apart in 2 pieces, a top and a pedestal, the top must weigh at least 200lbs. I used to be able to lift that, with the help of a friend (a male friend), when I was heavy, and after I lost my weight I attempted to try and move it again, like I had in the past, and was shocked when I couldn't! I mean, I seriously couldn't move that freakin' table top! It took me a while to realize why...it was because I just didn't have the size and strength I once had from weighing over 200lbs! Bodyweight matters!
It was a high calorie day for me today, so tomorrow I'll keep my calorie count low, I ended my day with a one hour 10 min walk. Tomorrow, swinging @ Girya and Bikram yoga.
My life is so stinkin' great. I'm so lucky.
Thursday AM weight 128.8
6:30am Bikram yoga
9:30am KB
Warm up/ 40 2 hand swings x 5 ses 1 min on 1 min rest = 10 min
Work sets
#1 (see video)
dbl swing, dbl snatch, dbl cl press ladder, 1/2/3/4/3/2/1 w/2, 8kg's, 2 min on
1 min rest
#2
6 dbl cl press, dbl cl squat w/2, 12kg's, 1 min on
1 min rest
Both sets alternated 5 x each = 5 min per rotation x 5 sets = 25 min.
#3 w/12kg
BU cl, cl press 6/6/6/6, 2 min. on, 1 min. rest x 3 sets = 9 min.
BU cl 10/10 w/16kg 1 min on 1 min rest x 3 sets = 6 min.
Total workout 50 min.
I had an afternoon class at Girya so I cut my workout a little short because I knew I would be swinging in class.....I had one of my students video me demonstrating a work set from my morning workout.
Typically with this twice a week class I'll swing along w/8kg, but I'll swing the entire 35-45 min, little or no rest!
Unexpectantly I ended the day with an hour long walk with my sister....damn, four workouts! It's been a while since I did that!
Life is good. It's good to be home.
Fawn and I did 40 sets, 15 sec. on, 15 sec. rest 8/8 reps w/12kg. Fawn dropped down to 7/7 reps on set 30, incredible for her first time training this way! This Max vo2 was done after teaching and swinging with her class at Gold's Gym.
Here are the ladies that survived my co-teaching and got a chance to swing "Tracy Reifkind Style"! Fawn can help remind me of their names!
Saturday morning Fawn and I got up extra early and went to the Downtown Farmers Market (pictures coming soon!) and then went over to Gold's Gym to teach a KB class at 9am. Her group of students stayed and watched Fawn and I snatch "I go, you go" style for our Max Vo2 workout, and slipped into the background for a picture! I had great fun sharing my swing combos, and Fawn and I collaborated on a swing/clean/squat combo, just for this group!
We then ran over to The Press Gym to co-teach anther KB class at 11:00! One of my former summer workout buds, Emily Murai, who lives there in MN, showed up for that class and after practicing form with a couple of other students for about an hour, I put her through a 35 min. intense swing combo workout, in which Fawn joined in the last 20 minutes of. 
Here I am, after over an hour of teaching and swinging, with Emily Murai.
We ate lunch, walked Elsa, took a nap, I got a gun safety lesson from Aaron that evening and then Fawn and I went out to Dinner at The Wood Fire Grill.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I didn't have a better one. On our way out to dinner.
Saturday was awesome, life is good in Minnesota. Life is good with the Fridays.
Elsa Friday, Aaron and Fawn's daughter, is a lucky dog! She gets to walk around this lovely lake, blocks from their home, most days, and this day she invited me....thanks Elsa!
Aaron Friday and I at the RKC grad workout.
Aaron coaches Tracy at the shooting range.
Fawn and I at the gun range after my first lesson in shooting.
OK, I have to be honest and say, when Aaron Friday suggested going shooting, that nothing thrilled me about the idea of going to a gun range and shooting a gun. I was, well, terrified. But something told me to open up to the experience, in fact, take advantage of the opportunity to expand. Not just the experience of shooting a gun, but the experience of learning, and doing something uncomfortable and scary and overcoming fear.
Aaron was an exceptional teacher. During my first "gun safety" lesson, I could see the excitement, passion and joy in the smile Aaron tried to repress as he explained in perfect, systematic detail the importance of taking the time to make sure I understood the seriousness of handling a gun. I am so lucky to have had someone like Aaron, who was so happy and caring to teach me not only how to shoot a gun, safely, but to have the confidence to learn something new, something that could only, really, benefit me in my life in so many ways. Aaron had complete confidence in my ability to do this, even though I didn't (secretly). (Which is exactly how I feel about many of my students!)
So on the plane trip home I started to reflect on this experience. There I was, totally resistant to this experience...at every moment hoping we wouldn't have time...hoping Aaron would forget the idea (!)....hoping something would happen to relieve me of having to face this fear. But I wasn't willing to be the one to back out....I was going to force myself to be uncomfortable because I knew had to do this. I had to do this not only because I knew it would be good for me to face the fear of guns and gunfire, but good for me to experience taking control, once again, chosing to take control even though I didn't feel like it!
I have been on "auto-pilot" in regards to my dieting and training for so long now that I don't have much resistance in that part of my life....it's easy for me most of the time, (relatively), but I know it's not easy for most. So I had to force myself to do something I know can benefit me in my life, empower me in a completely different way, and give me a new confidence. I knew nothing about guns...I had never held a gun, I had never even heard a gun being shot....so I was a complete beginner.
Forcing myself to do this meant forcing myself to overcome the fear at every step of this process. First, admitting this is going to be good for me and to take advantage of this opportunity....next, just showing up! Then, paying attention, serious attention to every detail, and caring to do it right. And finally, following through and giving it my best effort.
Gee, that can apply to many different areas in a persons life.
I am so lucky to be able to share my excitement and enthusiasm by teaching, and coaching, my students something that I am passionate about, but I am equally lucky to learn, to be a beginner and experience being taught and coached by an expert teacher, like Aaron Friday.
A gun is always loaded, until you verify that it's not.
PS I have tons of photos from my trip, and stay with the Fridays, Fawn and Aaron, lots more kettlebells and cooking to come!
Fawn and I pose for the camera after a killer swing class at The Press Gym Friday morning.
How stinkin' lucky am I? Fawn is a former professional chef! Did I die and go to heaven? Heaven on stinkin earth is Fawn's kitchen! She just "causually" whipped up Salmon cakes with homemade aoili....don't worry, I am taking notes and I can tell already my cooking will change, for the better, spending only one day watching Fawn.
We had the most perfect day! It started out at The Press Gym co-teaching a kettlebell class at 9:00am, then a strong cup of coffee and then a fast, walk around a beautiful lake in Fawn's neighborhood for about 45 min with her sweet dog Elsa. Fawn started lunch, roasting some squashes I had never cooked before ( I will post more pictures when I get home), and she showed me step by step her style of cooking as well as sharing food philosophies. What fun!
Then mid afternoon we went Thrift Store and Vintage Shop shopping, made a couple of purcahses, talked about dinner, stopped at this great specialty grocery for dinner supplies, bought our lottery tickets before heading home to nibble on gourmet cheeses and sip hot rum cider while I got, yet another, cooking lesson and crazy incredible dinner of squash stuffed with salmon, prawns, and chorizo....out comes the homemade aoli....AND....pork roast with red beans, beets, onions, and apple.
Two kettlebell classes tomorrow morning as well as our own Max Vo2 workout...crashing the RKC Sat. night dinner, and then shooting Sunday morning. The fun never stops around here!
Life is so great.
Top clockwise,
spinach, spaghetti squash and roasted tomatoes 100 cal.
Peet's coffee w/cream 45 cal.
celery/carrots/raisins (1/2c.) 260 cal.
broccoli salad w/chicken (4oz.) 440 cal. (extra dressing)
steel cut oats w/sugar 175 cal.
fugi apple 100 cal.
veg soup w/skirt steak (3oz.) 250 cal.
Total calories 1370
Add in morning coffee w/cream 80 cal. and 1 Reese's candy 100 cal., 1550
All I can say is, thank God for leftovers and the freezer! I'm leaving for my trip in the morning, and I'm hoping to get a workout in, early, before I go, and even though I made 6 quarts of chicken stock Monday night, I had no time to make soup. But, luckily I had at least 3 pre-portioned containers of soup (one of them had this skirt steak already included, yay!) and some leftover spaghetti squash w/roasted tomatoes to which I added some fresh spinach ....all will go together for one large meal.
I roasted 2 whole chickens, also on Monday, and some of that meat went into my salad. The broccoli salad took about 10 minutes and I made a little extra to take with me to the airport for lunch tomorrow. I'll also take with me 2 small containers of PNB and raisins, and plenty of celery and carrots, and 2 apples.
Fawn Friday and me at the April RKC....this is not such a great picture, but it's the only one I have!
Fawn Friday, (unbeknowst to her!) is my best bud! Fawn was on the team I was assisting last April at the RKC, and although she was, at first, resistent to any coaching from me, she came to her senses by the second day and lucky for me she likes me! Mark and I had dinner with Fawn and her husband Aaron, during the RKC, and since then we've been able to keep in touch via our blogs....what fun!
I'm traveling to MN tomorrow and will be lucky enough to enjoy the hospitality of the Fridays. Training, yoga, picture taking, cooking/eating, I doubt we'll have time for shopping..........and shooting? I'm just going to follow Fawns lead. And hopefully she'll still be my "best bud" after my visit, lol.
This is the team that I helped assist at the cert...I'm sorry that I've forgotten some names, but front to back, Geoff Neupert, Fawn, Karen, Justin, Tom,..?..,..?(Bill).., Christopher.....getting ready for their final test.
This is Fawn and her "victim".
I am so stinkin', freakin' lucky! Looking back at these pictures, from the April cert, I get excited all over again. I will not be "officially" attending the RKC, but I hope to see other RKC's, and many of the new potential RKC's as well as Pavel, John, Andrea, Brett, and Kenneth....how stinkin' exciting!
The Start
The Finish
Mark:
I had hoped to get the camera to record the entire ten minutes but it clicked off twice. I was keeping track with a calculator and pencil. I just have to say how incredibly proud I am of Tracy and how much she kicked ass in this, the first time taking the test with the 16 kg! The first time she even snatched the thing was in this past spring! I can't tell you enough how impressed I am with her athletic ability and incredible drive to improve.She wasnt even breathing hard and NOBODY can say a word about any of her lockouts.
Her goal was to go the ten minutes without putting it down and she did that and more. Next time she'll go faster and close in on 200 reps.!
Tracy:
Since my weight was up from 2 days of alcohol induced pig out's, I decided to not wait until Monday to test the 16kg 10 minute snatch. So when I got back from Santa Cruz, about 2pm, I just went for it...what the hell right?
My first goal was to not put the weight down the entire 10 minutes.....that was much more important than the number of reps. The strategy was to switch every 7 reps, because of my Max Vo2 training, I was comfortable with 7 reps. Also, I wanted to keep a steady pace and not run out of breath. Then, the rep goal I set in my mind was 180.
I accomplished, with ease, my first goal, I think at this slow pace I could've gone a lot longer, maybe 3-4 minutes more, I wasn't even close to oxygen debt. I didn't even tear up my hands because of the slower pace. I was able to get my 7 reps easily, next time I'll go for 8, and a little faster. How many reps can I do next time...really, it doesn't matter! I'm just thrilled that I did it! It was the first time, but not the last.
Life is good.
That's it....I'm quitting drinking!
I do not consider myself a drinker. We've had 2 bottles of champagne in our fridge for , oh, I don't know, 4 years or more. The only time I open a bottle of wine is to make risotto, and the same with any other alcohol...it's used for cooking. ( I have a recipe for a killer bourbon marinade) Not that I don't love red wine, I would just rather eat my calories than drink them...and really, that's the only reason.
So, I admit, I've been having a little too much fun lately. Every week for the past few weeks, I have gone out to dinner with family or friends and have enjoyed, not one glass, but sharing bottles of red wine during our meal! And, it's not the wine, but the I don't give a shit how much I eat attitude, that , once I feel a buzz, I get!
Usually it's just once a week, and I count that as my "high-calorie" day, but this last week, Friday night, I took my sister out to sushi...2 bottles of beer later, the plates were stacking up....and then a whole pint of ice cream once I got home at 9:00 pm! And then Saturday night, Mark and I decided it might be time to crack one of those bottles of champagne open....again, the food started flying. LOL.
So this morning I wanted to be in complete denial and not weigh myself....but being in denial doesn't change the number on the scale....I faced reality 133lbs of bloat.
Good time to take the Ultimate Secret Service Snatch Test...........
10:00am KB
Warm up
40 reps, 2 hand & 1 hand swings w/12kg, 1 min on, 1 min rest x 5 sets = 10 min.
Work sets
#1 w/2 12kg's
dbl clean, press, dbl cl pr squat, x 5, 1 min on
1 min rest
#2 w/16kg
clean, press R, 2 hand trans, squat, 2 hd tr, cl pr L, 2 hd tr, squat, repeat x 10, 2 min on,
1 min rest
#3 w/20kg
2 hand swing, 2 hd catch, squat x 9, 1 min on,
1 min rest
All three sets took 7 min to complete, I rotated them 5 x = 35 min.
swing/clean/press ladder 5 min.
9 R, 9 L, 7 R, 7 L, 5 R, 5 L, 3 R, 3 L, 1 R, 1 L
Total workout 50 min.
I knew I had extra swinging to do @ Girya with my 12:30pm class, so I resisted extending my workout longer. This is the last workout, before my SSST w/16kg, that I'll be handling anything heavier than the 12kg.
After packing my All Day Lunch, on Wed., I gave into the Halloween size Snickers at work (big time!). I still ate all of my good food, reluctently, but I'd rather eat the extra 500 calories of good nutritious food than feed my body nothing but empty calories of sugar.
I'm bumping up my protein and fat (BF 17.7%-19%), also I'm thinking about revisting the WD as I approach my 4 day vacation to St. Paul.
My training is good, my food is good, my life is good.
Turning a single serving of risotto into "risotto soup", by adding 2-3 c. veggie soup and 4 oz. chicken. (Risotto with radicchio, spinach, and carmelized onions)
Ok, so where was I? I suggested that perhaps instead of the carbs being the problem, it's the amount of carbs, or the amount of carbs in ratio to other foods in the diet.
So, can you lose weight and still eat carbs? Well here's an example of my list of foods yesterday,
coffee/cream (fat) 80 cal.
apple, lg fuji (carb) 100 cal.
rissotto soup w/chicken (veggie/carb/protein) 500 cal.
celery/carrots/dried fruit, prunes (4), 1/2c. raisins (veggie/carb) 400 cal.
steel cut oats, yogurt, milk, honey (carb, protein, carb) 425 cal.
Misc. 80 cal.
Total calories 1585
My Tues. AM weight 130.4....my Wed. AM weight 129.4...so I guess the answer is yes! You can lose weight and still eat carbs, IMO.
Now, admittedly, my carbs yesterday were, in fact, higher than normal...I chose not to make a large salad because of my work/yoga schedule, (I didn't want to be digesting alot of raw veggies all day) which is unusual. But, I drank plenty of water and kept my calorie count within range.
And Royce brought up a good point, which is that low carb dieting works for alot of people, including him. But I suggested, that pehaps it's the structure of dieting that works....and what is the definition of "works"?
In other words, no matter what style of dieting you chose, once you start a diet, you're taking in fewer calories, so you will lose weight. And dieting provides focus, planning, attention, thought...structure. After all it's the lack of these details that leads to overeating and eating the wrong foods. And figuring out what works for you is, of course, key to finding a way of permanently changing the way you consume the foods in your diet.
And that brings me to my last point....how you define "works". I define a "working diet" as one that you can stick to the rest of your life...the foods you eat everyday...and look forward to eating, enjoy eating, and peferring to eat! If you cannot stick with it, it doesn't work! The definition of diet isn't meant to be used to always describe weight loss, but everything you eat, everyday, no matter what your bodyweight goals may be, is considered your diet.
For me personally, I don't want to live my life in fear of "carbs". I want to experience all foods especially if I have opportunities to travel, I won't have the control over my foods the same way as if I were at home, and I can't live with the fear of leaving my home kitchen. When I eat carbs I stay with an appropriate serving size, and then add other foods into the meal. So for me, consuming carbs in proportion to veggies/protein/fat/calorie count, is the key to my diet.
I am not an expert in dieting...I'm only an expert in my diet! Become an expert in your diet...your diet for life....a good and healthy life!
6:freakin 15am KB heavy 2 hand workout
Warm up
40 2 hand swings w/12kg x 4 sets, 1 min on, 1 min rest = 8 min.
Work sets
#1 80 2 hand swings w/16kg, 2 min on,
1 min. rest
#2 2 hand swings, 10 w/16kg, 10 w/20kg, 10 w/16kg, 10 24kg, 1 min. on
1 min. rest
#3 80 transfers w/16kg, 2 min. on,
1 min. rest
I rotated these 3 sets in this order 5 x. All three sets took 8 min to complete x 5 = 40 min.
Total workout 48 min.
Video demonstrates set #2 (3rd rotation). Last week I did an uphill ladder w/10 reps per weight, but resting 15 sec. between each increment of weight. This week I did my ladder, increasing/decreasing the weight with no rest and then alternating the ladder set with 2 min swing sets.
Saturday AM weight 126.6
6:15 KB
9:00am & 1:30pm demo swings (40 min. total)
Menu
coffee/cream 80 cal.
carrots/celery raisins/PNB 350 cal.
jujube fruit 40 cal.
donut (lg) 400 cal. (the stinkin thing was FREE @ work)
mexican candy 4000 cal. (damn...I threw the rest away)
soup w/chicken and black beans 450 cal.
Total 1720
As I was adding up the days calories in my head....after the candy, before the soup....I kept reassuring myself that I was still within my range....and then it hit me.....but how did I do, for myself, nutritionally? My focus has been on calories and not nutrition!
I need to nourish my body, I've got a pretty serious training test coming up and I'm not doing myself any favors with empty calories. There's nothing wrong with sugar and sweets in, I HATE this but, moderation!
Good food, good food, good food.
Life is good, good food is life.
Time to "bank" those calories.
Friday AM weight 129.2 / PM weight 128.0 (8:00pm)
5:30am 30 min. walk
6:00 KB swings
11:00 beach walk (1 1/2 mi)
Menu
coffee/cream 80 cal.
12:00 salad w/spinach, tomatoes, roasted corn, chicken (4oz.), oil/red vinegar 500 cal.
12:30 mexican candy (I had to buy some!) small piece, 60 cal.
1:30 coffee/cream 70 cal.
3:30 the rest of my tomato/corn salad 100 cal.
5:30 carrots/celery/raisins/PNB 350 cal.
Total calories 1160
Pretty low, but like I said, "feast or famine". I was a bad girl the day before and I had to make up for it! Sometimes it just trips me out how I'm not even hungry the day after a high calorie day.
I did buy a very small amount of candy at the flea market...it's the only place I know to get it, at least that's my excuse. I'm not sure exactly what my plans are for it, lol.
KB Swings
Misc. warm up 4 min.
#1 10/10 x 3 (60 reps) w/12kg 1 hand swings, 1.5 min on
30 sec. rest
#2 10/10 w/16kg 1 hand swings, 30 sec. on
30 sec. rest
#3 10/10 w/20kg 1 hand swings, 30 sec. on
30 sec. rest
All three sets took 4 min. to complete, I rotated them in this order 6 times = 24 min.
Total workout 28 min.
Time to re-evaluate yoga...again...I think I need those 5:30am classes at the other studio, I just hate to have 2 memberships, both studios have pros and cons!
Well my weekend plans changed and I could come up with tons of excuses.....but the bottom line is that I tried to cut my calories too low....my stinkin' "all or nothing" , "feast ot famine" personality....and gave into the "all/feast" part. My weight was too low Thurs. (126.4), it caught up to me, (besides I looked horrid!), so I used that to give myself permission to pig out.
Thursday AM weight 126.4
12:30 demo swings
1:30 dbl clean/press/squat
Menu
coffee/cream
prunes (5)/PNB 180 cal.
grapes 240 cal
peanuts 200 cal.
risotto soup w/chicken 500 cal.
steel cut oats w/yogurt 225 + 200 cal.
more yogurt 200 cal.
(calories around 1800-2000, which was fine)
Here starts the bad part, I finished eating at 4:15 and the plan was to go to 7:00 yoga.....@ around 5:50 (notice that this time is before my 6pm cut off!) the ice cream (that I just bought for "Mark") was too much to resist,
1/2 pint Hagen Daz Strawberry ice cream mixed with
1 c. banana yogurt
Oh, it gets better!
2 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (this killed it!)
dark chocolate, 2 squares...why not, right?
Total calories, who cares!
Needless to say I didn't go to yoga, I didn't even go for a long walk...you know what I did???? I went to bed! Getting up between 3:30 - 4:00am catches up with you...late night yoga just isn't working out for me, (excuses?).
On the other hand, I have been really good about not buying things I know I'll end up eating (the ice cream technically was for Mark!). I actually made it out of Trader Joes with no junk food at about 5:30, and I'm going to the Flea this morning...we'll see if I can resist the Mexican Candy....of course I can!
I'll post my dbl cl/pr/sq workout later, if anyone is interested, but for now I'm going to go on a quick 20-30 min walk, 20-30 min., 16kg, 1 hand swing combo workout, and head to Santa Cruz.
Life is great.
Wednesday AM weight 128.0 (barely missed my goal of 127.?)
No exercise!
Menu (clockwise)
Peet's coffee /cream 35 cal.
spaghetti squash (1/2 of a 3lb. squash), roasted tomatoes, ground beef/italian sausage 400 cal.
leftover broccoli
1/2 bunch spinach, chicken 4oz. (for salad) 200 cal.
roasted corn, chinese long beans, yellow pear tomatoes (for salad) 150 cal.
lime/garlic dressing 150 cal.
carrots (2), raisins 1/4 c. 150 cal.
veg soup w/black beans 200 cal.
morning coffee w/misc. 100 cal.
Total calories 1385
Low calories, big volume....I'm trying to cut down on my nuts because they're so high calorie, time to add some back in!
Although I missed my goal of weighing in the 127's by the morning, I waited an hour and weighed myself again....127.8! Since I get out of bed around 4:15am, I find that I weigh a little lighter after 5:00am.
I've been strict about not eating after 6pm for the last 4 days.....eye on the prize!
Keeping a video blog has finally paid off big! I was able to go back (to June) and review some snatch workouts in preparation for my 10 min snatch test w/16kg in less than 2 weeks.
I can't really say exactly what my strategy is, because I don't know! Should I put the weight down....should I try and keep a steady pace, and try and go the whole 10 min....how many reps should I shoot for....etc. Since this is the first time I'll be testing it, I'm trying to relax and remember that this is only a baseline.
In the mean time, I've got 2 more press/squat workouts. I'm seriously thinking about switching squats for pistol training....my waist is just too thick! Diggin' the legs/hammies, but the gut has to go soon! Two, heavy, swing workouts, and 1 more MVo2, I think we're doing 50 sets next Monday. In addition to all of this I'm doing tons of demo/client workouts.
Secretly, I would love to test the 10 min snatch with the 12kg right after the 10 min/16kg test...call me crazy, but I would if Mark let me...what the hell, right? LOL
Tuesday AM weight 128.4
12:30 swing demos @ Girya (20-25 min continuous w/12kg)
7:00pm Bikram yoga
Menu
4:30-9:30 coffee w/cream 80 cal.
11:00 risotto soup 600 cal.
3:00 PNB, raisins, coconut, celery (5), carrot, 450 cal.
4:30 steel cut oats (1 1/2 serv.) 225 cal, 2% milk 1/2 c. 60 cal.
Misc. 100 cal.
Total calories 1515
Here's the video starting the beginning of my training to snatch the 16kg, 4 months ago.
In the next 3 weeks I have some special circumstances that I need to focus extra attention to be able to fully enjoy. In the last, almost, 3 years now I have rarely eaten out, in fact, up until the last couple of months, I had only eaten out in situations like being out of town and having to.
But, as I approach my 3 year anniversary from the day I started this amazing weight loss journey, (2 years of maintenance), I'm enjoying the freedom from fear (of making bad choices) because I've formed the habits needed to continue to keep my body lean and healthy. So, enjoying good food and wine out with friends and family is starting to become a more regular event.
Since I'm a believer in calorie counting, "banking" calories works well for me. Of course, scientifically it all evens out, (I've almost always been able to enjoy a "cheat day" once a week followed by a low calorie day), but mentally/phsycologically it works too. I'm never really hungry after a high calorie day and I've always had (kept) the motivation to get back to healthy choices quickly. Partly because of habit forming, but mostly because it just feels better to be lean and healthy, compared to sick and bloated.
So, over the next 3 weeks I have a birthday dinner this Saturday, in which case I've already aquired 3 bottles of Syrah wine for....my attempt to snatch the 16kg for 10 min. the following week....and the best part...I get to go to Minnesota during the Oct. RKC and stay with the Fridays (Aaron and Fawn) for 3 1/2 days!!!! WOO-HOO! Sooooo....
My diet has to stay tight and clean, I have to eat enough, as well as not too much. Today, being Tuesday, my goal is to get and keep my weight in the 127's by Wednesday morning and keep it there until Sat., I haven't done that in weeks. Next will be to get and keep my weight in the 128's pre snatch test with plenty of fats and protein, and just enough carbs. Then I need to get back down in the 127's for my trip, God only knows what I'll weigh when I get back!
So I'll be journaling my daily weight/food to keep accountable and on track, this will be the most serious of times...no bullshit. Enough but not too much. (enough is the hard part, it's easy to starve myself).
Monday AM weight 130.0
2:30pm weight 128.8
1:15 Max Vo2 KB
6:30pm 1 hour walk
Menu
coffee/cream 80 cal.
11:00 espresso/cream 35 cal.
12:30 3 stalks celery/PNB/raisins 200 cal
3:00 spaghetti squash/roasted tomatoes/chard 350 cal. + 4oz. ribeye 200 cal.
3:30 Grapenut cereal/milk 360 cal.
5:30 chinese long bean/tomato/roasted corn salad, w/lime/garlic dressing 400 cal.
Misc. 100 cal.
Total calories 1725
Keep my eye on the prize...keep my eye on the prize....if I don't buy it, I won't eat it....keep my eye on the prize!
Life is good.
1:15 Max Vo2
Misc. warm up 5-6 min.
Work sets
45 sets of 9 reps per cycle, 15 se on, 15 sec. off
Total time 22.5 min.
405 snatches
I could of done twice this amount! I stopped snatching the 16kg a couple of weeks ago AND I dropped my second snatch day (Sat.) altogether, in preparation to test the SSST w/16kg....which will be 2 weeks from today, or maybe I'll test on Sunday morning, which would be 2 weeks from yesterday.
Snatching the 12kg is so easy for me that the rest of my workout included 3 minute sets of snatch/transfers w/12kg, alternating with 1.5 min of snatch/transfers w/16kg,(this is the first time in a couple of weeks that I used the 16kg for snatches...no more until the test.)
Set #1
48 snatch, transfer w/12kg, 3 min. on
1 min. rest
Set#2
24 snatch, transfer w/16lg, 1.5 min on
1 min. rest
Alternating these two sets 4 x = 26 min. 288 snatches
Total workout 48.5 m
