All I need

Posted | 2 comments

This is all the equipment my trainer says that I need to whip the bod into shape. A low body fat is awesome – it really is! Now I need some tone to these here muscles that you can now see :-)

I’ll let you in on my program after I do it for a bit!

4-Hour Body – 10 tips for Newbies

Posted | 43 comments

.

This is for my mom and my sister. After seeing me at my birthday party and how amazing I look (my Mom’s words – thank you mommers!), they have both decided to give the The 4-Hour Body way of eating a try. My mom needs more fiber than the average bear. My sister HATES beans and trying new things ;-) So I thought I would help them out a bit by telling them exactly what they needed, what they didn’t, how to cope, how to cheat, and in turn how to lose all the body fat they want! I thought some of you might be interested in this to so, now it’s a blog post…

1. The first step is to forget everything you know about diet and exercise and go get yourself a copy of the 4-Hour Body. Treat it like an experiment. One day at a time then one week at a time. It gets easier. I swear you will not miss some of those carbs by week two. Promise.

2. Let go of expectations from your own history, experience and even from what Tim says in 4HB. Just let it go and keep on with your new eating experiment. For women over 40 with children especially, know that the real progress may not happen until week 5 or 6 and it might not be able to be seen on the scale. Men, you lucky ducks, you’ll drop weight like you simply asked it to come off.

3. Speaking of scales, get your body fat measured by someone, somewhere. I took all my measurements except for that. I wish I had known what I was before starting because it would have made my 14.5% body fat EVEN sweeter. Chart your course, but please don’t obsess about it.

4. Pick a few meals, I think two days worth is the magic number and just eat those. Learn to make them so you love them. Trying to figure out what to eat a half hour before you are super hungry will not help you succeed.

This is our basic meal rotation:

.

Scrambled eggs with black beans and salsa

Salad with grilled chicken, cajun white fish, or tuna and chickpeas or pinto beans

Southwest Turkey Chili

Grilled chicken in bib lettuce sandwiches

Stir fry chicken or steak

Taco Salad &  Salsa Chicken

With all of these I make the meat a flavor that we love with tons of fresh veggies, then I add beans where I can for more protein. I need to LOVE my food, because well, I love food. This way of eating wouldn’t work if I didn’t find meals I really enjoyed.

5. To my sister the bean hater: the beans I find least offensive, because I’m not a huge fan either, are black beans, kidney and pinto beans. Start with those then add some more. I’m still trying to work on a recipe to use lentils. I do not love.

6. If you’re not used to eating beans – I wasn’t…get the beans in a can. Get organic if possible and remember to rinse before you eat them.

7. If you’re still hungry eat another meal, or grab a hard boiled egg. Don’t reach for peanuts or almonds. That was my downfall the first week or two and the reason I didn’t see more results.

8. Wait a bit to start exercising. See some results from just the diet first. I started on week four. I do kettlebell swings and lifts with 6 minute abs and the exercises he set out for Fleur on pg 168 – Flying dogs and glute raises. I also just started a yoga class 1x per week. That’s about it. I have an appointment with a personal trainer on Monday. She is designing a full body program for me that I can incorporate into my busy life, for life.

9. You don’t have eat until you get sick on cheat day! The first two cheat days were great. The next two made me feel sick. So I am not a binge kinda cheat day person. I just go back to the way I used to eat and eat the food I miss like bananas and egg sandwiches with cheese and pasta. Oh and cookies :-) But that’s just me. You may like a huge pig out.

10. You don’t have to do ALL of 4HB to get results. I am not a bachelor cooking for myself with no one else depending on me, not that there’s anything wrong with that ;-) But that is what Tim Ferris is and what many of the people experimenting with this way of eating are. I have three children and a husband, and I work from home part time. I also don’t do supplements because I am still nursing. I don’t have time for ice baths and such I can barely get a shower in most days :-)

Give it a go. Follow it to the letter, make adjustments, whatever. What have you got to lose – except some body fat that you didn’t really want anyway right? In a short six weeks or so you’re not going to believe the way your body looks.

What other tips do YOU have for them?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclosure: Amazon Affiliate Link above.

14.5%

Posted | 0 comments

Um, what’s that? 14.5% Body Fat?  Is that what she just said? Can you double check that?

She says it has a +/- 3.5% margin of error. Ok, so it could be 18 or it could be 11!
(She, is the personal trainer at our first appointment – my husband gave it to me as a present for my 40th. So you know I’m not making this shit up.)

Either way! Even if it’s 18% that’s still in the athlete type body fat percentage column. I haven’t been considered an athlete since I was a jayvee field hockey player. The next year I got cut from varsity if that tells you anything.

Holy hell!

This is where I tell all you 4-Hour Body people to measure your body fat percentage before you start. I didn’t. So I don’t know what the actual fat loss percentage is. But what I do know is that I have had 3 babies in 5 years and barely a stitch of exercise so there’s no way I started at 14.5%.

No possible way.

So I ask you…I have 5 more pounds I’d love to lose. Strange I know. But I don’t think lowering my body fat any more is healthy.

Should I continue the 4HB way of eating? Modify it and amp up the exercise?

What have you done when you’ve reached your goal weight or percentage?

Oh and big hugs Tim Ferriss. Mwah.

Some Like it Hot – Spicy Taco Salad

Posted | 0 comments

My husband is someone that likes it hot. Probably why he married a feisty southern Italian with an Irish temper. I do all the cooking so I try to get some hot stuff in there every once and a while just for him. Turns out though, I love this too!

Taco Salad

This recipe is for two people with leftovers. That’s how we roll.
Adjust to suit your needs and taste.  Also, I use mostly ingredients from Trader Joe’s. You use whatever you like.

1 tbsp oil

1 medium onion diced

2 clove garlic crushed

1 lb organic ground beef

2 tbsp taco seasoning

salt and pepper

Trader Joe’s organic fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles
(use a cup of regular diced tomatoes to lesson the fire in your mouth – or not)

1 can organic pinto beans

iceberg lettuce

1 avocado sliced or guacamole

In a large frying pan heat up oil.  Add the diced onions and garlic until soft. Add ground beef. Use taco seasoning to taste.
When the beef is browned, add tomatoes and pinto beans. simmer for 15 min. Let cool for 15 min.

Serve over chopped iceberg lettuce topped with guacamole or slice avocado

You’re welcome :-)

His ‘n Hers

Posted | 0 comments

Hubs made us some kettlebells over the weekend to kick off Month 2 of the 4-Hour Body. I am a full foot shorter than him, hence the drastically different sizes. We need a couple more plates for him and we’re good to go!

His n Hers homemade kettlebells.

Here’s how he made them.

The first video is the swing and the second is making your own kettlebells. You can get all the stuff at the hardware store.

20 Days

Posted | 0 comments

There are 20 days until I’m 40 years old.

I took to the internet a couple of weeks ago and let you all in on some goals and simple ways of being I’d like to create before I turn 40. You know, try to be a grown up.

So do you want to know how I’m doing??

First thing is I am back to my pre-baby weight!  Well my pre 2nd & 3rd baby weight.  If it was first baby weight, that would bring me back to 2005 and that would be my wedding weight.  I’m not even sure I want to be all the way there again, but I’ll see.  I owe it all to the 4-Hour Body.  It’s been a small sacrifice to change the way I eat for a while, and the numbers don’t lie. I didn’t participate in much of the exercise part of my first post because that wasn’t a part of the 4-Hour body regimen.  I do Jillian’s 6 pack ab or Shred 2 times per week and Tim Ferriss’ 6 minute abs. Already seeing some definition! Hubs is going to make us some kettle bells this weekend.

Getting our financial house in order has meant ditching Bank of America.  We are now in a more local bank. The kids have passbook savings -how cute is that. Teaching my kids about money, that’s grown up  right? I have gotten into the meat of Mint.com to get a better handle on our finances.  We will be paying down our debt AND saving for Disney.  How bout them apples?

We had a Sunday Dinner and it was lovely.

The friend thing has not gone as well. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own life and my own day that I forget to reach out beyond these four walls and this screen. I did have a date with the BFF but I bailed because my kids have crazy nap time schedules and on that particular day they were opposite.  The we got the stomach flu and I didn’t want to go near anybody for weeks. So…I do have a girls night scheduled for next week to talk more about our 40th Birthday Party extravaganza (that’s another post :-)

The schedule is taking shape.  The baby is a bit more predictable these days, two naps at regular times. Big boy and I have come up with lessons for the afternoon. I think he needs his time scheduled more like preschool, so he knows what to expect. It would probably help me too. AND potty training. Hallelujah! Potty training Bunny is going really well.  She actually told me yesterday she needed to go and high tailed it to the potty. Awesome!  I can almost see the light at the end of the 2 in cloth diapers tunnel.

My husband actually wrote me a love letter for Valentine’s Day – I didn’t think he would remember.  But HE DID!  We went out on a date night too.  So that’s a start.

There you have it. Things are going well.

A fully realized grown up I am not.

Maybe someday…

Nah.