The Best Laid Plans....

The end of week 3 of 6.  If you will recall at the beginning of the week I had set a very lofty goal of 3-4 pounds this week.  (Buzzer sounds... Wrong!).

I have experienced the 'Biggest Loser Week 2 Curse' in my week 3.  No weight loss this week at all.  Well, okay, the scale says down (.2).

Disappointing? Yes. Fully Explainable? Not really.  I had one of the best week's (and weekENDS) of clean eating ever.  I exercised in line with the previous two weeks.  And.... (drum roll please).... the scale didn't budge.

Am I going to let this discourage me?  HELL NO!  I've been here before.  I have seen my clients be here before.  And, I have seen those damn Biggest Loser contestants here before.

When I look back on the week, there are a couple of things that happened that made me wonder half way through the week what today's self-weigh-in was going to be like.  First, on Tuesday I woke up extremely puffy and bloated.  I had about 5 painful pimples trying to come out on my face (the kind that hurt really bad).  I also had phantom cramping pains (I say phantom cuz I don't have a uterus anymore).  Oh, and I felt like a raging lunatic emotionally!!  Yes, I was totally in full blown PMS! 

Me and my lone ovary go through this every other month.  I suppose I should be thankful it was now and now three weeks from now.  And, I am.  I think my body just needed to deal with that.

So, I am moving on.  My plan for the upcoming week will not change.  I will continue working hard and have another stellar weekend in hopes of making up for 'not lost' time :)  This will be a fun weekend at that.  Tonight I have dinner at Moxie Grill with one of my clients and his girlfriend.  It is our celebration dinner from our last biggest loser competition together.  He's buying...need I say who won that one?  Hehe.  Then on Saturday... I have boot camp in the a.m., my niece Mara is having her first communion party in the afternoon, and then Frank's brother is having his 50th birthday celebration at Traditions!  Lots to celebrate.  On Sunday I will be spending the entire day at SUNY taking my AFAA Practical Yoga Instructor Training.  My friend and colleague, Kelsey, has inspired me through our yoga practice (going on 3 years now) to venture out into the yogi world.  I am very excited about this.

The Best Laid Plans...

If I think about what I would like you to take away from today's blog, it would be to realize that just because something doesn't work out the way you 'planned' it, doesn't mean it is not worth working toward or continuing to work toward.  We all hit roadblocks in our quest for a healthy life.  There is something to learn from those roadblocks.  You have to figure out what it is.  For me, it's patience.  I strive for greater patience every day.  Often we just have to See, Stop, Let it Be, Let it Go. 

Hope all is well.  I would love to hear your comments and questions on my blogs, so feel free to leave them when you want to.  I promise to answer.  I would love to be able to hear about your own successes and trials.

Until Later.... Today I Will Give Everything I Have :)
Traci

Power Smoothies

Hi !

Protein Smoothies make great snacks or meal replacements!  In addition, the sky is the limit!  Start with the following basic smoothie recipe and add whatever you like (just be sure to add in the calories)

Base Protein Smoothie:
8 oz water or skim milk (0 - 90 Calories)
1 scoop of your favorite whey protein powder (100-150 calories) (I like GNC 100% Whey Protein) (you may also sub soy protein powder)

To this you can add any combination of countless items, fresh or frozen!  Such as Banana, Strawberries, Any Berries, Mangos, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Milk 1%, Oatmeal, Flaxseed & Wheat Germ, Carrot Juice, Coffee!  You can even do vegetable smoothies.  Check out http://www.smoothieweb.com/ for ideas.  if you have an iphone you can also download the app for your phone.

Happy Smoothies to ya!
Traci

Happy to Live in The Sinus Valley!

Ugh!  If you haven't detected my sarcasm in the title, let me tell you, I am being sarcastic.  Yesterday and today have been HELL with allergies.  I have vertigo and my head feels as if it may explode.  Oh, and not to mention that I have PMS.  Haha!  And all I have left is one lone ovary!  Days like this make me appreciate the many many days that I feel healthy and happy.

More tomorrow when it doesn't feel like my eyeballs will pop outta my head every time I am on the computer....

3rd Monday :)

Good Morning! 

A little more than two weeks into my biggest loser challenge with 'The Boys', and I am feeling fantastic!  The best thing about this particular Monday is that I made it through an entire weekend without a 'cheat day'.  What does this mean?  Well, first of all, waking up this morning without a bloated belly felt SO GOOD.  And, second, I think this will end up being a stellar week of weight loss.  My goal is 3 pounds, but we'll see what happens.  I may surprise myself and take off 4 because of my great weekend.

Averages:

From Saturday, April 17th to Friday, April 23rd these were my averages and my workouts:

Average Daily Calories: 1602
Average Calories from Fat: 25%
Average Calories from Carbs: 39%
Average Calories from Protein: 34%
Average Calories from Alcohol: 3%

Workouts -
Sat/Sun Off - in Philly for wedding
Monday: 1 hr spinning
Tues: 1 hr spinning; 1 hr weight training; 1 hr yoga
Wed: 1 hr spinning
Thurs: 1 hr spinning (am); 1 hr weight training; 1 hr spinning (pm); 1 1/2 hr hot yoga
Fri: 1 1/2 hr hot yoga

Have a fantastic week my friends!  I will post again soon :)
Until Later...
Trace

Week 2 of 6 Week Transformation --- The Results are in!!

Hopefully none of 'The Boys' are reading my blog to see how great I am doing.  I would like to keep it a surprise...haha.  I told two of them this morning that I gained weight since we started.  Of course, they didn't believe me for a second.

So, Week 2.  I weighed myself in this morning at 148.6!  I am down 5 pounds in 2 weeks.  Right on schedule for a 15-18 pound loss over 6 weeks.  I had a cheat day over the weekend and still lost 2 pounds this week.  There is NO pizza (my favorite food) in my plan for this weekend, so Week 3 goal is 3 pounds.

Finding your perfect formula --> So here is the deal... I have been doing this a long time, that is figuring my perfect formula of losing or maintaining my weight.  For almost a year, as I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, I have been maintaining a healthy weight within a 5 pound range.  Based on trial and error for many years, I found what worked best for me.  On the flipside, I also know exactly what kinds of foods and how much food in combination with how much exercise that I need to lose x amount of pounds in a week.  Pretty much, I wake up on Fridays, and before I get on the scale I am pretty sure about what number will pop up.  It is pretty simple science actually, calories in/calories out.  My FitDay program really helps with that in the Overview section where it shows my past week on a graph of calories in versus calories out.  3500 calories equals a pound.  So if you want to lose 2 pounds in a week you have to have an intake deficit of 7000 calories over your calories burned.  On a day to day basis that means over a 7 day period to lose 2 pounds, you have to burn 1000 more calories a day than you take in!  It's that simple!  And, it works.

So, how do you do this?  It takes a little work to figure yourself out.  The only sure-fire way I have found to learn this about yourself is to JOURNAL your food intake and exercise.  I can't say it enough.  No one said this was going to be easy. 

The truth is that our food industry wants us to believe that we need so much more food in a day than we actually do.  Go to any restaurant and just look at those gigantic portions swimming in butter and/or oil.  We have to EDUCATE ourselves as to what we are putting in our mouths and how much.  Start paying attention today!  It's never too late.

Today I will give everything I have...
Traci

Today's Lunch... Black'n'Bleu Salad w/ Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Black'n'Bleu Salad (379 Cal); Side of Mashed Sweet (45 Cal)

2-3 cups butter lettuce (20 cal)
5 oz Grilled Organic, Grain-fed filet of beef (from Wegmans) (200 cal - only 7g fat)
1/4 cup crumbly Bleu Cheese (119 cal)
balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil (40 cal)

1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes (Ore-Ida steam'n'mash - avail at wegmans in freezer by icky french fries) (Cal 45)

Total lunch calories : 424 - ate at 11:30 am - only took me 15 minutes to prepare!

My lunch on days like today is higher in calories because of my work/exercise schedule from 12-9 pm tonight.  I will have about 3 more 'snack' meals to keep in line with eating every 3 hours rest of day. 

So, really you could make this for dinner and have an under 500 calorie dinner that leaves you extremely satisfied!

Enjoy!!

Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe

Grilled Chicken Salad with Feta Cheese & Fresh Strawberries

3 cups of Baby Lettuce  (baby spinach also a nice substitute)
4-6 ounces of Grilled Chicken Breast
1/4 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese (full-fat please)
1 cup of diced fresh Strawberries
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp-1 TBL of (four leaf) Balsamic Vinegar

Total Calories ~ 390

You can use a TBL of balsamic vinagriette dressing instead of the oil and vinegar for a little more flavor.  Just know you are probably getting anywhere from 20-80 calories more.

Also, if you grill your chicken in any oil, be sure to add the calories.  I like to prepare it on the grill outside or on the stove in a fry-pay with Pam.

This is very yummy!  Try it! 

The 'Busy'-ness of Life...

Hello!  I haven't forgot about my blog!  One of my facebook friends says she misses it, which means I have been slacking....

Busy weekend away and then I just got hurled back into training first thing Monday morning.  This was a busy Tuesday as well.  Oh, and guess what, tomorrow is a busy Wednesday.  No break in sight until Friday, my day off.  Ahh.  I am so fortunate to be able to do what I do, which is... what I LOVE! 

Training is such a dream job to me.  I put my whole heart and soul into it almost 99.9% of the time (...that .01% is when I decide I need another fitness conference to spice things up!).

And, yet, even though it is a dream job, it is still a job that takes up time and energy ( alot of energy at that).  I find myself exhausted by week's end.  How many of you feel the same exact way?

The 'Busy-ness' of Life.

We will always have the 'I'm too busy' response to why we haven't started exercising, why we haven't stuck to our clean-eating plan (which is the ONLY way to eat as far as I am concerned), why we haven't taken that moment for us in each 24 hours of each day.

If you have been like me at a time in your life when you find yourself saying that you are too busy to _______ (fill in the blank), and you know that this (blank) is good for your body and good for your health, then remember that in the same way we make time for our dogs, our kids, our spouse, our grocery shopping, our television shows, our whatever, YOU have to make time for your health. 

A wise person once said, "If you can't make time for exercise now, you will have to make time for sickness later".  Enough said.

Until Later... Today YOU Gave Everything You Had!

Traci

2nd Monday!

So the second week begins.  I have a little making up to do for the weekend, but see myself on schedule for this Friday to be down 2-3 pounds.

Busy, busy day, so not much time right now... off to see a client!

Until later,
Traci

Right on schedule!

Well, good morning, my friends! 

I am happy to report that it is 1 week since my biggest loser weigh-in with 'The Boys', and I am right on point to hit my goal of 15 pounds! 

Today, I my weight is 150.4, a weight loss of 3.2 pounds!  Yippee!

I feel fantastic. 

Summary of my week:
Diet - 4 of the 7 days my dietary intake was spot-on, perfectly in line with the Clean Eating way of life; 2 of the 7 days it was almost perfectly spot-on, however those days my calorie intake was probably 500-900 calories higher than the 'perfectly spot-on' 4 days.  1 of the 7 days (last Saturday) was my cheat day, the day we went to Rosalies in Skaneatles.  I even had dessert that night!

Average Calories? --> Typically 'spot-on' is between 1300 & 1700 per day; Give 1000-1500 more for a cheat day; And, the in betweens are usually about 1800-2200 (SEE BELOW FOR IMPORANT INFO ON EXERCISE COMBINATION)

Exercise:
Fri: OFF
Sat: Boot Camp (although I was pathetically hungover from previous night)
Sun: Hot Yoga
Mon: Spin a.m., Spin p.m.
Tues: Strength Training (30 min), Vinyasa Yoga
Wed: Spin p.m.
Thurs: Spin pm., Hot Yoga

**In terms of calorie expenditure taking exercise and diet into consideration, everyone is different.  I am fortunately able to have 2-3 higher calorie days because of the level of activity, both in # of workouts per week and high intensity level.  Everyone has to figure out what works for them.  The ONLY way to find that out is to track your calories and your exercise.  Check out http://www.fitday.com/ .  I have used this program (the downloaded version that is $29.95) for years now.  It is a great way to see your correlation between food intake and exercise among many other things. :)

Until later...
This week I gave everything I had!
Traci

As I sit here eating lunch...

As I sit here eating my lunch, a Baby Spinach Salad with blueberries, chicken breast and french balsamic vinagriete, I thought  I would post the basics of clean eating and give you the info on how to find out more. 

Eating clean is a life saver.  There seriously in my eyes, is no other way to eat food.  It teaches you to re-learn or maybe for the first time learn, how to enjoy the taste of REAL FOOD!  It doesn't mean that you won't enjoy a sloppy burger every once in a while, but I will tell you that eating this way as your lifestyle will make those sloppy burgers much lower on your totem-pole of food choices as they will make you feel sick to your stomach when you do indulge.

And, by the way, it hasn't even been a week and I am already down 3 pounds.  Watch out Boys...

Trace

Eating Clean Information...

Here is an outline of the healthy principles that The Eat-Clean Diet is based on:


•Eat whole foods. Stop buying and eating the stuff that is in the pretty packages on the shelf, that processed food that is filled with refined sugar, added sodium, unhealthy fats, white flour, as well as additives and preservatives. Yes, I know it makes the “food” (dead food in my opinion) taste good, but you’d be surprised how good real food tastes once you kick the processed stuff.

•Eat smaller meals throughout the day every 2-3 hours. Space out your meals and eat smaller amounts at each sitting. This will keep your blood-sugar levels even and keep your metabolism up. The book includes 2 weeks worth of sample meals so that you learn how to put your meals together the way that Tosca eats.

•Exercise portion control. Eating clean isn’t enough, you also need to use portion control because if you overeat on whole foods, you either won’t lose or you will maintain your weight.

•Drink plenty of water. Tosca recommends 8 full glasses each day. I’ve learned to drink 100oz each day. However you measure it, be sure to get in that water.

•Drop the sodas. Sodas are filled with either refined sugars or artificial sweeteners. Either way they don’t help you lose weight or maintain good teeth. They can also get in the way of you drinking your fill of water, which you do need to keep your body in tip-top working order!

•Exercise regularly. Not only cardio, the type of exercise that keeps you in your target heart rate for at least 30 minutes (I like fast-paced walking), but also strength building exercises. You can use weights like Tosca does, or resistance bands like I do.

•Stop Dieting and Make it Your Lifestyle. I mentioned this above so this is just a reminder that short-term dieting isn’t going to help you keep that weight off. When you make clean eating your way of life and incorporate regular exercise, you won’t have to worry about the weight coming back.
 
from http://www.thefitshack.com/2007/12/18/eating-clean-getting-fit-with-tosca-reno-the-eat-clean-diet/
 
to get the book, "The Eat-Clean Diet - Recharged" by Tosca Reno --> http://www.eatcleandiet.com/

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Breathe!

I put this pic of Maggie in this post because whenever I look at her or think of her, I am in such awe.  I stop what I am doing and take a big breath.  She is one of the special things in life that make us stop in our tracks, forget about the stressors of our daily lives, forget the to-do list that keeps on piling up, and basically makes us find humor in what makes us wanna throw computers and printers out the window!

Today had been a very stressful day.  Two things actually helped me keep my sanity.  Her, and counting how many times I threw the frisbee and she brought it back without taking a breath because there is nothing more fun for her on earth... how simple is that?, and Eating Clean... Yes, eating clean.  In today's case, control over what I put in my body soothed the stress of all the other crap, like mailing deadlines and pretentious pc's.  I ended up having one of my BEST days of eating, whereas it could have easily gone the other way.

This brings me to my realization of the day. 

Every day we have an attitude choice.  My first choice was a pretty poor one.  I noticed that with that first wave of negative attitude came a tornado of what I call the typical 'if it could go wrong, it's gonna' kind of day.  However, that damn precious awesome dog of mine was determined to put a smile on my face, make me realize that none of the other crap 'really matters', and to snap me out of my pity party.

Make the right choice.  Every day is a gift.  And, sometimes, you just have to accept that the addresses are NOT always going to line up right on the label paper.  It doesn't mean the world is crumbling down around you. 

Until next time...

Today I Gave Everything I Had :)

Trace

When Things Go %#$#%@#$%....

It's not even 10 am and it feels like one of those days where everything that can go wrong will....  and, why is it (even though I have not) that one of the first things we want to do is hit the frig??  Why, why, why?  So far so good in that dept, but I really wanna scream and wave the white flag...

more later, hopefully happier...
Trace

1st Monday... Success!

End of the work day.  Getting dinner ready, a grilled chicken breast on fresh bed of lettuce, 1/4 cup of feta and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Yummy.  Long day.  Perfect day.  Not like many of my previous Mondays.  Today I loved my Monday.

Until tomorrow,
Trace

The 1st Monday...

So I pose the question... what is it about Mondays?  Why is it that every Sunday evening I have the best intentions to accomplish the most on Mondays.  A new week.  A 'fresh' start following a weekend of 'non-routine' events (like 3 dinners out!).  Perhaps because I am so stereotypically a Virgo by nature and in love with the NEW's, the START OVER'S, the CLEAN SLATE's, that I set such high expectations of that first day of each new week, the Monday, setting myself up for defeat? 

Come on, seriously, my friends, tell me you don't KNOW what I am talking about.  Isn't Monday the proverbial "start the new diet day"?  Haven't we all started our diets on Monday a thousand, million times?  How many times does it end up after all that insane weekend effort designating Monday as "THE DAY"... looking just like Friday and Saturday and Sunday?  Oh I think more times than we care to count or admit.

So, why is this Monday, what I am calling the '1st Monday' going to be any different than all the other Mondays in my dieting life?  Good question.  I guess the day will tell the tale.  So, far so good.  It's 11 am.  I have done my first workout (at 5:50 am), spinning.  I have had an egg white with mushroom omelet for a late breakfast.  Oh, at 5:30 am it was a banana, followed at 6:50 by a protein shake (pre/post workout fuel).  I have had 24 ounces of water and I am feeling pretty darn good about my efforts thus far (putting aside the sinus crap).

Up until right now, this moment, I have been feeling like I have taken on a mountain with this new quest of mine.  especially against "The Boys".  But, if I break it down in terms of it is just another day of the week and I must take each one of them 'one step at a time', then I conclude that limitations are self-perceived.  I am a warrior.  I am a woman.  Hear me roar, boys....

Today I Will Give Everything I Have,
:) Traci

6 Week Transformation!

Hi there folks!  This is Traci Meier, coming to you from Vestal, NY

I am looking forward to bringing you day to day information on my 6 week journey.  That's me on the left (in case you didn't know... haha, along with my friends, Renee & Natasha).  I weighed in with the 'big boys' on Friday at 153.6.  This is a little more than 3 pounds higher than I have been maintaining for almost a year now!  In January of 2009 I was 176 pounds.  This is the longest I have kept my weight in a very healthy range for me (between 148 & 152) since my college years. 

So, I decided that it was time to take it to the next level.  My goal is to lose 15 pounds in my 6 week Biggest Loser contest against (we'll call them 'The Boys' from now on).  I have my work cut out for me.  They are pretty serious this time around, even though I still stand firm that I will win.  So, hopefully you will be routing me on!  And, maybe learning a few things to benefit your own journey to your own optimal fitness.

Please join my blog and follow up daily as I post my workout progress, diet progress and  overall contest progress.  I look forward to sharing this experience with you, my family, my friends & my clients.

Today I Will Give Everything I Have...

Until next time,

Traci