Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Change Your Body with KB's

Yes, I admit I weigh about 8lbs more than this time last year, but last year I didn't have an ass! Oh, I had plenty of ass when I weighed over 200lbs., but dieting and exercising down to 17-19% bodyfat left me with little 'junk in my trunk', LOL!


The only complaint I have about weighing more these days is my little 'muffin top', and my size 6 jeans being snug, but other than that there are more benefits to carrying around a little more weight. First of all, I can eat more! But also, I like more fat on my face, (ladies over the age of 40 can appreciate this), and I like being curvier....I love having an ass, lol!


I've got more muscle too, because of my training, and just carrying around the extra bodyweight 24/7 makes me stronger! In yoga I can feel the extra weight, especially in the two poses that require you to squat down ....slowly...to the count of 10....but I know when this weight comes off I'll be that much stronger because of having to practice as if I have a 8lb backpack on!


I don't know why, but I'm always surprised when I look in the mirror and really like the way my body looks, it's only when I put on clothes that feel tight that I feel....well, I don't want to say "bad", but not my best!


My KB training has been miracle in changing my body. A miracle because I just 'show up' and do the workouts, I wasn't trying to make physical changes, actual body shape changes. I just do the work, consistently, and my body follows, how lucky am I?




Picture at left was taken almost 2 years ago, at about a 2lb. bodyweight difference. I definitely have more muscle now....and a bigger butt...in a good way, lol!







Posted on Food and Thought 06/24/08

"The Taste of Summer"



Now that I make chicken stock by the buckets in my pressure cooker, I'm able to make all kinds of vegetable soups that are high in nutrition, super low in calories, and few, very few, i
Posted ngredients...oh yes, and fresh, fresh, fresh!

I'm sure I'll be sick of zucchini by the middle of summer, but the light green pattypan squash that I brought home from Waynes garden was the best of the 4 squash soups I experimented with. I purposely used only one type of squash for each soup, hoping to taste flavor differences. The differences were noticeable when tasted side by side, but so slight otherwise that in the future I'll throw them all in the same pot. The picture above, from L to R, is yellow, green pattypan, and zucchini squash soup.

The other veggies are the ones I picked up from the farmers market on Sunday. Leeks and fennel for Marks quiche, fresh corn for some corn chowder and to add to the squash soup, broccoli and radishes for salads, carrots for more soup, onions, and celery to have on stock....you can never have too many onions, because if you have nothing else in the house, you still have...well...onions! Remember, onions are a vegetable too!


I bought 8lbs. of squash from Wayne, (all of the squash in the picture above!),and although I'm tempted to go and buy some more today, I've got plenty of food in the fridge and freezer, including ready made squash soup. I get my CSA box tomorrow night, and Mark and I are going to Minnesota on Thursday for the Level 2 Cert and will be gone for a few days, so I don't need anything.

Squash soup

onion
garlic
squash
stock

Saute onion in oil or butter (1-2 tbl.) until translucent 5-10 min, added crushed garlic in the last minute of cooking. Add squash, cut into large chunks and barely cover with stock, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer (slightly covered) until soft, 15-20 min.. Puree in soup pot, using an immersion blender, or when cool enough to handle, puree in blender. Season with S&P.

I have so much soup that I haven't had a salad in days! I'm still in love with the cauliflower soup, I made more carrot, and I've been adding all sorts of stuff to my squash soup, including roasted corn, greens (of course) and chicken. Somehow I think jalapenos will eventually end up in the squash soup too!

Soup is good.
Life is good, my life is good,

26 comments:

Rita Nemeth, RKC said...

Tracy, you look fantastic - and here I mean not only being pretty but also healthy and shining joy of life from inside :-) Yes, you are lucky and you deserve it! And what's more, you can appreciate it. The contentment and joy reflected in your posts is really great and motivating! :D

Tori said...

You look great Tracy and so does your butt! :) I have never had a problem in that area, but can appreciate women not wanting a flat ass! I relate to the extra weight...I like you, don't mind how I look, it's the tight fitting clothes that I don't like! If we could only put our fat where we wanted it...

Jo said...

Hi Tracy, I started reading your blog recently when I started on kettlebells. Like you, i just participated in the biggest loser at work so i really want to win!

thanks so much for all your inspiration!

Aaron Friday said...

The butt is a highly underrated ASSet. As I work my own glutes, my mental clarity and ability to reason improve.

How did you manage a butt increase with only 2 extra pounds of bodyweight? That's incredible!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Rita,

Thank you so much for the compliments, I do feel lucky and appreciative of the life I have.

PS, I'll have to try those see-saw presses sometime, lol!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Tori,

I was not gifted in the ass department....my mom's hispanic...talk about a flat ass! (sorry mom, lol!)

But here's a funny story....

I was at my favorite store during the 'twice a year 50% off sale' (Lucky Brand Store), and I wanted to get another pair of my favorite jeans, but I didn't want to get the next size up....but 50% discount? I still couldn't think of it! But I accidentally brought size 29, instead of 28 into the dressing room with me and I just gave in and tried them on. It killed me that they just slipped right up over my thighs and hips, so I had to buy them....ugg...

When I got home I confessed to Mark that I bought a bigger size jean....at that moment, I remembered in that particular style my old favorite pair WAS a 29, not a 28! So I had bought the same size anyway, and they fit! I was so stinkin' happy!

Tracy Reifkind said...

hey jo....did you win?

I think I scored $700 bucks! Whatever motivates...it would of been worth it for no money and just 'bragging rights', lol!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Aaron,

Try a hundred bazillion, quadrillion freakin' swings in a couple of years....that might do it! (oh, and a few cookie binges)

Aaron Friday said...

Ah yes, the swings and cookies program for glute-enhancement.

Jo said...

Hey Tracy, the contest is still going on actually. We're in week 2, with 8 more weeks to go! Woohoo!

Jennifer said...

Amazing how numbers jack with our heads, isn't it? Just amazing...

With regard to the trunk's junk...I think the extra 8 pounds looks great on you. Just as good on as it does off. But there's definitely something to what kb's do for the rearview. This is the first time in my life I actually have a little bit of "bubble" to my butt.

Tracy Reifkind said...

jo,

You gotta give me more details, lol! This is exciting! Who's your competition, what's your strategy, what are your goals, and a little bit of history, how long or how many times have you weighed more than you wanted to? Etc....if you don't mind sharing!

Tracy Reifkind said...

jennifer,

love the 'bubble', lol! Because of my small backside, I used to joke with my friends that the perfect pair of jeans had to be the kind that could 'lift and seperate', lol!

Jo said...

Tracy, I have 11 other people competing in my department. Most of us have been sedentary and i think i am probably the 4th or 5th most unfit/overweight at the start of the competition. Post-highschool, I've pretty much gained weight steadily until now, 10 years later at 200 lbs. The competition came in a timely manner and i've lost 5 pounds in the first week! My goal is 30 lbs for the competition but 60 lbs for the year. Strategy: counting calories, exercising 6 times a week at least including boot camp and kb.
more details here: http://becomingthebiggestloser.blogspot.com/

:)

sheryl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sheryl said...

YAY K-bells! From one formerly flat Butted girl to another. lol. ;-]

Tori said...

Yeah 29! What is your favorite style? I may buy some online since they are on sale!!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Jo,

This brings back so many memories...good ones! I lost 5 lbs each week for 4 weeks straight, losing 50 pounds in the 3 month contest, averaging about 3.5lbs per week total. And that was before the introduction of KB's! Calorie counting and walking my ass off...literally!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Sheryl,

Now that I'm back on track and losing this extra weight, it'll be interesting to see how much of this new ass I can keep!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Tori,

I like Lucky Brand "Sweet Dream" (I think that's the name), it's low waisted....ok, I know that's going out of style, but I don't care....and the flared bottm is also going out of style, but now the're making it with a stright leg, so I'll have to get a pair of those.

Tori said...

Who cares if low rise is going out of style!! If they look good on you, wear em! I personally can't stand high waisted stuff...it rubs my belly button ring. I ordered a pair of the Sunset Sweet Dreams. Thanks for the idea!

Russ Beye said...

Tracy,

OMG! I never thought of the extra weight as a training tool! Once again you open my eyes! I'm getting back on track with my blog for the RKC course in Budapest, Hungary in October. It shall be my journal to rediscovering myself... For a second time! LOL! It should be fun, rewarding, and tough. You look great too!

Russ

Jordan Vezina said...

I was informed yesterday by a trainer at the gym that I have a 'booty'. I'm not sure how manly that sounds, so I'll switch to 'ass' as well. It's definitely all those swings and snatches.

Gabi said...

Tracy,

an ass built by "a hundred bazillion, quadrillion freakin' swings" must be persistent, it simply _must_!! :)

Anonymous said...

Tracy

I too weigh 8 lbs more than I did at this time last year and my mom is also hispanic.. how freaky is that?

I got to say, thanks for sharing this, I definitely prefer to have my curves than a flat ass! at 37 and 166 my ass is higher and tighter than in my 20s thanks to them swings, and squats and lunges with the kbs! LOL!!

I am temp working in a manufacturing plant and there are very few women, but my ass has been rated in the top 10.. LOL I am not supposed to know that but I think its a riot!

Anonymous said...

They would rate yours number 1! LOL