Dealing with being pregnant and wanting to be in shape

So much for my 12 week transformation into super sexy, ripped, fitness model.  I would have done it too if I didn't go and get pregnant! LOL.  Now my 12 weeks of thinning and ripping out have turned into abs that have disappeared into the abyss of my pregnant belly, boobs that are protruding so far out that I can't see my growing bump and a warped sense of who I really am.  Every day I "deal" with looking unhappily at myself in the mirror.  3 months, thats I'll I needed to be my idea of perfection, now I need to start all over again with 2 kids running around my legs as I squat jump my ass back up to where it was.
Please don't get me wrong, I am beyond grateful and blessed that we have been given an unstressful attempt at pregnancy (it took us a year, lots of tears and stress with Liliana) but as my pregnancies would have it, I need to take it easy before this little bean decides to show its head early like my first born.  But I need to be honest with you guys, this is really really hard.
Running and working out was my ONLY form of stress relief.  I'd put on my ipod with some kick ass tunes and run away from the dirty dishes, piling laundry and crying baby for 30 minutes.  Thats all I needed to regenerate and come back with a clear head and a nice sweaty back.  I can't do that now and I really feel shitty.  Yoga doesn't do it for me, I'll barf if I meditate, I am not a slow, calm, listen to the ocean type of person.  The way I calm down is blasting music and sweating my ass off.
So not only can I not release stress the way I need to, I am also struggling with my body image.  I know that sounds bananas because I personally think pregnant women are gorgeous, but it has taken me years of disastrous eating habits, gym habits and self destructive patterns to really learn to love myself.  And that was starting to happen this year!  Now every little bump, lump and cellulite blob that are appearing on my almost perfect body (again, almost perfect for me) is making me mental.  I am going to have to work twice as hard with twice as many kids with twice as little time in the day to do it.  This mom gig is hard!
I know so many moms who do it, and I am so proud of you.  Especially the moms at my bootcamp classes.  They come out and they bust ass and it shows.  They work so hard, even when they are pooped and I am beyond proud of them.  I know that when this baby comes the balancing act of 2 kids, a husband, a house, my bootcamp class and myself might crumble, but it should all come back together, right?
I eat healthy, I know what I need to do to get back into shape, and hopefully I can get my ass in gear right away and be one of those statistics "mom loses 40lbs in 2 months eating right and taking time for herself!"

Ah well, sorry for the rant, but I feel better.  Maybe this will be my new stress reliever.  Writing about how I am stressed.  Does that even make any sense?

Oh lordy.

12 week transformation.... Change takes a challenge.

My body has hit a bit of a slump.  I workout 6 days a week, teach bootcamp twice a week and stroller fit 3 times a week in addition to my HITT workouts.  The changes are happening in my body, but not fast enough for my liking, and in my world - if I don't see change soon after starting a program, I will quit or try something different.  I hardly ever give a program a solid run.  I have been told my many "professionals" that I give up right before the changes are to occur.  

I am happy with my body, don't get me wrong.  It has taken a lot of blood, sweat, tears and bad days to get to where I am now after having Liliana, but I am craving more!  I know I don't work hard enough, I know I can push harder and challenge myself, I just tend to take the easy way out on more days than I should.

So this is what I have decided to do.  My 29th birthday is October 11.  That is a few days more than 12 weeks.  12 weeks seems to be the most responsible time frame for a transformation, so that's what my goal date is.

So here is what I am going to do:

1. Continue working out the same way I am now

         - I have killer workouts, they will make you hurt for days

2. Intermittent Fasting - start my eating at 2pm

          - this seems to work the best for me.  If I have a time frame for doing things, I tend to stick with it.  So alarm to eat is set at 2pm and alarm to stop eating is set for 7pm.  The only thing outside of that time frame is espresso (obviously) water and tea.  For more info on this check out Sara Solomons blog:

http://www.drsarasolomon.com/a-healthy-approach-to-food-selection/

3. Add green smoothies into my diet

       - this is a big one for me.  I have kept a food journal for the past week and realized that the only vegetable I eat is salad.  Ya, exactly.  I know that I need WAY more veggies in my diet and the best way to get the most bang for my buck is a daily green smoothie.

4.  Say no

          - coming from a BIG italian family saying no to something someone cooked is disrespectful, rude and downright wrong.  So I reluctantly say yes, and eat my zias cakes or my mother in laws pasta and have 2 or 3 servings just to make them happy.  Well, this will not happen again!  My family is crazy.  They offer you unhealthy foods, but question why your bulging out of your pants.  Well Zia, if you didn't force me to eat 5 helpings of whatever fried, carb loaded, cheese filled thingy you concocted, I wouldn't be unbuttoning my pants right now!!!

5.  Limit Carbs

          - an obvious one.

Ok so for now, these are my 5 fairly simple rules.  I will be adding more as I go along.  My current weight is 154.7 lbs pant size is a comfortable 10 or a tight 7/8 and I will take my measurements tomorrow morning and post them.  Ya thats right - I just posted my weight, go ahead and judge me.  You should do the same.  Make yourself accountable to the whole facebook world.  Maybe then, change will happen.  Do I look that much?  Do I look heavier, lighter, fine? Weight is just a number, I am not even looking to lose a certain number of lbs.  I want to look like a fitness model 365 days a year and I don't care what the number says.  I mean sure, every pound I loose I'll be thrilled with, but that only means that I am cutting and getting closer to my vision of myself.  I was 130 something before I got married and 20 something pounds added on after baby, I still fit into the same size pants.  Figure that one out.  

If you want to do this 12 week transformation with me, email me at Daniela@LaFace.ca or msg me on facebook and we can go through it together!!!!!!!!!!

What we really do at Stroller Fit

Stroller Fit is not what you think.  At least my class isn't.

We meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 am at the Lebovic Centre and walk over to Byers Pond.  we WALK over.  Its a pretty fast paced walk, but any stroller can handle it.  We get to the park and meet up with all the other mommies.  We goo and gaa over the babies and then start stretching.  The class is mom focused and because everyone there has children (some as young as a few months) there is no judging if you need to stop because your baby needs a bottle and no dirty looks if you can't complete an exercise.  My daughter comes along for the ride as well - she is 15 months (well technically 18 months, but that story is in an earlier post) and she usually needs about a row of crackers to keep her nice and calm while we work out.



But sometimes things don't always go as planned.  Sometimes the babies run the workout.

When the kids start getting a little antsy being parked in the stroller for long enough, usually about 10 - 15 minutes, they all simultaneously start crying.  So we power walk.  Up and around the pond, we make laps until they are all calm (some have even fallen asleep!)  Don't kid yourself, pushing a stroller at a fast paced walk up and down the "hills" of the track around the pond is a workout in its self.  Then we come back to our workout spot on the grass and continue.

You don't need to be fit to join this class, you don't need a fancy stroller, you don't even need to have ever worked out before in your life!  All you need is a desire to be healthy for yourself and your child.  You will meet other moms, set up playdates, get advice on sleep and have a good time.  I promise.

The best thing is that you don't have to commit either.  I have been to other stroller fit classes and have had to commit to 8 weeks or 12 weeks every X day at X time and with a baby as off the wall as mine, between appointments, naps, lack of naps and visitors, I think I maybe made it to half the classes.  To me, it was a waste of money and just made me feel guilty.  You pay by the class with our Stroller Fit classes.  Can't make it?  No problem.  Munchkin didn't sleep all night and your wiped?  No worries!  There will be another class. Try it out.  Try to do something healthy each day.  Getting outside and breathing in the fresh air, working up a sweat and feeling good about yourself is priceless.  It will change your life.

STROLLER FIT!!!! what what!

Hello my lovely peeps!

I am beyond excited to announce that I, Daniela LaFace, am starting my very own Stroller Fit and bootcamp in Stouffville!!!  whooo whooo!!!

As you can tell I am super pumped to meet other moms with babes who want to look good, feel good and take their babies along for the ride.  I can't wait!  In case you are interested, here is the info!!

No commitment necessary, Pay by the class!
(I did that because babies are super unpredictable and who wants to pay for a bunch of classes you never go to!)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for roughly 60-75 minutes starting this monday.$5 a class or $50 a monthWe will meet by the library parking lot at 9:45am and work our way to Bryers Pond and workout there.
Classes will be tailored to each individuals fitness level so if you are a beginner or have been working out this whole time, you'll fit right in.

Let me know if you have any questions, or if you'd like to join send me your email address and I just need you to fill out a quick form.Classes will be tailored to each individuals fitness level so if you are a beginner or have been working out this whole time, you'll fit right in.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if you'd like to join send me your email address and I just need you to fill out a quick form.

Daniela@LaFace.ca

And join my Facebook Page too!!!

Working out at Home is FUN!!!

If you don't mind... take this survey.

I have decided to compile a list of all of the questions and problems you are having and reach out to my resources to help you figure out how to solve them.  Without my support team there is no way that I could have become (and still in the process of becoming) the happy person I am today.  There have been a lot of dark days where I felt like sh*t and was having a hard time pulling myself out of the hole, but I created the hole and I can change it.  I want to be your support team.  

Click here to take survey

One step at a time 

Perception is WAY off.

I have kept a journal since I was old enough to write.  I have notebook after notebook of my thoughts, my crushes and my feelings about life.  More importantly I have kept a separate green notebook of my weight, measurements and feelings on that day - this one I have kept for 7 years.  I have monthly obsessive measurements of each of the important parts of my body (chest, waist, hips, bum and legs) and weight along with whether I felt skinny, bloated, had my period or was late (eekk!!).  Like a robot I weighed in each month, and wrote it down.  Sometimes I felt great, looking back I lost half an inch from last month!  or I would feel like crap when I gained a few pounds.  Regardless, I wasn't happy with myself for more than a few days a month.  It was there, in black and white, my fears (weight gain) and triumphs (yay, I had the flu for a week and lost 5lbs!).
Getting married, leaving a job, living like a gypsy, trying to get pregnant, getting pregnant, having a baby early, spending 4 months in a hospital and then finally trying to make our new family and new house a home - meant a weight gain of over 50lbs.  I am, from deep deep down in my soul, an emotional eater.  I eat my feelings, and lord knows I had A LOT of feelings over the past 3 years.
Through all of that, I still wrote in my little green notebook.  And I was sad.  Looking back at the years  when I was 134lbs and unhappy was heartbreaking.  Thanks to Facebook - I can go back to virtually the same days I wrote my weight and look at pictures of myself and see how dam good I look!  Its amazing that when your in it, you think the worst - Im so fat, im so unhealthy, im ugly and then when you have the chance to look back on it, you think wow - THATS my goal.  Pictures of myself are posted on my wall as inspiration to get back to.  How insane is that?!?!?!  One minute 134lbs makes me so sad and fat, and 5 years later its my goal!

Bananas.

So, whats my point.  My point is that you should be happy with what you are now.  If its not what you want, work on it everyday (im not talking obsessively) until it is what you are happy with.  We should feel comfortable and happy with ourselves everyday.  As I am sure most of you have already seen the Dove commercial where someone sketches women based on their descriptions of themselves and then another portrait based on descriptions of others views of them.  and what do you get??  2 completely different portraits - a happy one (what others saw) and an unhappy one (what the person saw).  how sad is that.  The world is looking and you and thinks your gorgeous.  You look at yourself and think the world sees you as ugly, frumpy and old.
I am working on feeling confident in myself every day.  I don't have 100% confidence yet, but I am actively working on getting it everyday.  My goal is to exude confidence and be happy with myself at whatever weight is the healthiest for me.  I want to feel good in my clothes - not worry about what size they are.  I want my daughter to look up to me as a role model.  I don't want her to be picked on for not looking a certain way, not being skinny enough, not being tall enough, not being pretty enough.  I am taking the steps to make myself feel good.  I think you should too.  I think you stand in front of a full length mirror in your funderware (aka fun underware ;) ) and pick out all the things you "think" are wrong or need work.  Do it, just once.  Write it down and then make the decision to work on making yourself happy with them rather than dwelling on them.  You can't complain if you don't do anything about it.  For every negative comment you give yourself, find a way to make it positive.  My hips have widened since I had shorty and the shape of my body isn't the hourglass it was.  I don't like it, but you know what?  I can hold Liliana up on my hips for way longer than some skinny moms can, and for that I am happy with the size of my hips.  My hips hold up my daughter long enough for me to dance with her in the kitchen.

This was a little bit of emotional writing for me to keep my fingers busy rather than reaching for the Tositios.  Its been one of those weeks where Im just feeling like ass on a stick - but I know tomorrow will be better.  As my husband always says - failure is not an option - and I can't fail.  I won't fail.  I worked hard today, but I'll work harder tomorrow.

:)

WOW video from Sara Solomon!!!

AAAHHHH!!!!!!

I am so honored, blessed and fricken estatic to have Dr. Sara Solomon feature ME in her WOW video of the week.  I can't even believe it!
If you haven't read the info, click here
If you want to watch the video, looky here!

I have always wanted to be a fitness professional - for as long as I can remember.  I took courses (I am a certified Personal Trainer through CanFit Pro, and a certified Pre and Post natal trainer as well) but never stuck to my own training regimen.  I would make plans for my brother and sister.  Nutrition plans for my parents and friends, but never fully practiced what I preached until now.  I would get trainers at the gym, pay them big bucks, only for them to tell me what I already knew.  Sometimes I even corrected them!!!  what a waste. I am finally listening to my own advice (and of course, Saras!) and have done my research on the best training and nutrition for me.  Thats the key difference now.  I am not doing a "fad" diet (Ive done them all and they aren't sustainable).  I'm not doing a crazy workout that can't be maintained for life.  I am doing what works with my extremely busy and limited lifestyle.  I have a 1 year old who needs extra attention and help who only naps once a day if im lucky, and don't have access to a gym or a car most of the time.  I do my workouts at home in my foyer or basement and use what time and equipment I have.
I have been doing Saras workouts that you can find here:

they are quick, intense and fun.  Something that I need and can do on a daily basis.  I am also training for my first 5k run in September!  I have a bet going with my brother in law and cousin that I can kick their asses!  My cousin Rob did the 5k last year and his time was 24 minutes.  I am going to whoop his a$$ this year!!!

If you are just starting on your weightloss journey, you have come to the right blog!  I am in the middle of mine and would be happy to share all my information on how I got here and where I am going, with you.  The torch has been passed to me so send me some questions in the comment section below or on Facebook and I would love to help you come up with a plan that works for you and your lifestyle!!!!!

AAHHHH im still so excited :D

Almost Done the Plan!

This Plan has got me all wigged out.  I love it, don't get me wrong, but its been a tough, lonely road filled with Kale, Spinach and Flax, flax and more flax.  I am getting tired of this non italian way of eating, and no where in her 20 days does she introduce Lasagna.  Technically I have passed the 20 days, but I have been reactive to cheese (gain of 1.5lbs) and bread (gain of 2 fricken lbs!) so that set me back a couple days.  Once you show that you are reactive to something, you need to take a rest day to loose the weight and then you can start testing again.  It took about 4 days for the bread to go away and about 3 for the cheese.  It was really hard and discouraging really, to see the numbers on the scale go up.  I don't know why because I knew I had these allergies, and she flat out says dont get discouraged when your weight goes up because it will come back down.  Whatever.  I was happy the numbers were going down and didn't want to deal with the shitty higher numbers. 
It made me realize a lot though.  I am most definetly an emotional eater.  150%.  In my warpped brain it made sense to me that I gained 2lbs therefore I should eat a pack of cookies because I was upset.  I didn't eat them, but just the thought of the thought of eating it made me so angry.  I am stronger than that!  (I keep telling myself that in the hopes that I will actually believe it one day)  I decided to go for a walk.  A 3 hour walk.  I just packed up shorty in the stroller and went.  I came back and was in a better mindset to eat my dinner of sauteed kale, the smallest piece of chicken and some salad. 
I haven't read further than the days that I currently am on, but I think I am going to read ahead and see how to test foods myself. I have to be honest and say I am a little worried that my weight is going to go back up.  I am working out again but not as intensly, so once the 20 days are officially over, I'll get back into my Tabata, Combat and Insanity.  But in the mean time me and shortstuff are just walking and jogging outside.  It is so refreshing, it really can do wonders to your mood, especially during "Dragon Week".  You know, that week where anything and everything someone says to you either makes you cry or scream?  Ya, it wasn't that bad this month!!!! :)

So my homework for you.....
Get outside and breathe some fresh air.  Take big long deeeeeeep breaths and enjoy the cool air in your lungs.  breathe out and let all the shitty thoughts, weight gain, bad days and chocolate cake breath out with it.

<3

How to Sautee Vegetables The Plan Style

The cleanse - your questions answered!

I took a diary of how I felt, what I ate and what it made me want to do during the 3 day cleanse.  Here are my notes....

Day before Day 1
- I am super excited to start something that finally makes total sense to me.  No counting anything.  No adding points.  Just blindly listen to someone else who has successfully made other people feel good.  Its like a psychologist for your stomach.  I bought everything I need for the next 3 days, looks a little daunting as none of this food I have ever cooked like this before.  The coconut milk is probably the scariest to me as I completely despise ANYTHING that tastes like coconut shavings.  barf.

Day 1
Wake up excited
Weigh myself
Not so excited anymore
Drink 16 oz of lemon water
Drink Dandelion Tea
Eat 1 cup of homemade granola (which really isn't granola as there is no oats in it)  It is just Flaxseeds baked with raisins and 1/2 cup of blueberries.  I am too scared to add the coconut milk, so I eat it dry - meh, not bad
this is my routine for the next 10 days.  Exact same, every morning.

Lunch
Carrot Ginger Soup with sunflower seeds
Steamed Broccoli with some lemon juice
Salad with 1/2 pear (what a tease) and some pumpkin seeds
On the salad,Oil, garlic, pepper and you can't put vinegar so I substituted with lemon juice.
Not bad, but for me thats a lot of food to eat...

Snack
an apple

Dinner
im effing starving
Sauteed Kale with Mushrooms (mushrooms should be banished from this earth because they are so gross, so I didnt add them)
with Spicy Coco sauce (this was delicious!!  coconut milk with ginger, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, onion and reduced for 20 min... YUM!!!!!)
Beet and Carrot Salad - barf.

I drank 2.2 liters of water - which wasn't that hard for me as I was drink 3 liters before.  I have to stop drinking at 7:30 which is going to be a bitch.

9pm, im tired, irritable, cranky and want chocolate and a coffee - did I mention I went off coffee?!.  This better be worth it tomorrow. (video of my day 1 in previous post below)

Day 2

Wake up exhausted, Frankie needs to push me out of bed
Weigh myself
YAY 2 LBS LOST!!!!
skip downstairs :D
Drink 16 oz of lemon water
Drink Dandelion Tea
Eat 1 cup of homemade "granola" Flaxseeds baked with raisins and 1/2 cup of blueberries.  I am STILL too scared to add the coconut milk, so I eat it dry

Lunch
Carrot Ginger Soup
Salad with 1/2 apple and 1/4 avocado
Leftover broccoli with lemon

STARVING

Snack
1/2 pear (ugh whats the point)
almonds (this is the first test)

*I feel like the worst PMS mixed with the Flu - I have neither at this moment.

Dinner
Sauteed Kale from yesterday
1 cup of brown rice (yay!)
Pumpkin Seeds
Beet and Carrot Salad (barf)

Drank all my water, found it super hard to do it today, I still have a massive headache from the detoxifying and lack of caffeine.

Day 3

Wake up feeling better
Weigh myself
what what another 1.5lb down!
Drink 16 oz of lemon water
Drink Dandelion Tea
Eat 1 cup of homemade "granola" Flaxseeds baked with raisins and 1/2 cup of blueberries.  I am ok with Almonds (meaning I didn't gain any weight today from eating them yesterday) so I add unsweetened original almond milk - aahh so much better!!

Lunch
Baby Romaine Lettuce with 1/4 avocado, pumpkin seeds and carrots
Spicy Vegetarian Soup (yum!)

Snack
10-12 almonds

Dinner
2-3 oz of chicken!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!
Salad
1 cup of Roasted Italian Winter Veggies - omg, I didn't want to stop at 1 cup - so good!!
This was the best dinner so far.

Drank all my water, no worries.  Headache gonzo!

So thats the cleanse ladies and gentlemen.  Not too hard, but just different than what I am used to.  I think I would have punched someone in the face for a coffee, which scared me to feel so dependent on something.  I drank coffee again on the 4th day, which is when you introduce coffee, goat cheese, chocolate and RED WINE!  yes, all 4 in one day.  I told you the cleanse was worth it!!!!
I was so excited, giddy even, to make the espresso in the morning.  Everything down to the crema on top was perfection.  I took my first sip and nearly barfed.  I was so sad.  I got an instant headache and couldn't finish the cup.  Thats a sign that it is a trigger food for me - but I can't do it.  I don't care if I had to give it up to loose 10lbs, it ain't gonna happen.
The other thing that I am sure most people would be happy with is no exercise!  You need to reserve all of your bodys energy for repair.  Yay for you!

If you can dig deep enough and make this change for just the 3 initial days, the rest will be a breeze.  It feels so good to loose weight and feel good inside.  I think in the past 3 days my mom, dad, brother, his gf, and my best friend (almost... common jos!!) have started the diet.  They all feel like shit.  But today, my parents lost 2lbs each and that makes it worth it.  The ebook link is below if your ready to start!  If you do, comment or msg me on facebook so we can follow along together!
I am also making a list of questions I have along the way in the hopes of emailing the author to ask her, like... when I REALLY need a snack, what can I have?!  Is there a certain time of day that is best to have a bad food? on and on... so msg me your questions too.

7 lbs lost and I never want to find them again

I am on day 6 of The Plan and it is unbelievable to feel the transformation of my insides.  I am not going to lie, the first 3 days were hell inside of hell.  I never had the food that I was eating, the tastes were beyond foreign to me and a little scary.  I couldn't snack, making me want to snack even more.  And lets just say, it was the wrong time of the month for me to start a crazy diet.  Nonetheless, I made it through the 3 days and successfully lost 4 lbs.  That made it all worth it.  Seeing the numbers FINALLY budge after hard work made me feel so fulfilled and worth the exhaustion, aches, pains, migraines, irritability and bitchiness (sorry family).
I am now happily on day 6 and feel so full of energy and excitement.  Something that I haven't felt from the inside in a very very long time.  I say inside because to me, thats the most important.  I have the energy to workout, I have the energy to clean the house, I have the energy to run after my daughter and at 9pm I still have the energy to write this blog.  I am sleeping better, I am not feeling bloated and I've only worked out once.
My parents started it today and my mom is finding it really hard - same reasons as me, but add in the fact that she drinks maybe a sip of water a day.  On this diet, and generally for good health, you should be drinking half your body weight in oz a day.  I am at a little more than 2 litres a day, and for me, thats no biggie.  For my mom, she would rather eat dirt than drink a glass of water, let alone 2 litres.  My dad is making it happen, in his usual style.  Its a scientific way of looking at your body and at food, and for my dad that is right up his alley.
Day after day, I am so interested in this diet because it is teaching me about myself.  Teaching me to expand my food repertoire as well as why the heck I have been eating "healthy" foods and gaining weight and feeling like crap.  I am excited to continue and see what the rest of the tests have in store for me.

The Plan Diet - Day 1

I know I said that i was doing the intermittent fasting for thirty days, but something has happened that  has made me change my course.  My horrible tummy aches and lack of "elimination" for the past four days has led me to believe something I am eating that I think is healthy is making me feel like shit.  Enter: The Plan: Eliminate the Surprising "Healthy" Foods That Are Making You Fat--and Lose Weight Fast.
A book based on eating the right foods for YOU.  Eating whatever foods, be it chips, popcorn or chocolate, you want and not get fat.  Sounds too good to be true, and I'm only on day 1 so I have a smidge of faith in it, but it is opening my eyes to a world I didn't need to pay a dietician, alergist, nutritionsit and GP for.  I can test these foods myself and feel the results within minutes. 

To buy the book click here....

Here is my video diary of day 1. ....

 

The "lifestyle change" aka -I'm trying to make diet sound cool

Diets, ugh, what an ugly word.  If I actually put down on paper the different diets my mom and my mother in law have been on since I have been alive, there wouldn't be enough paper or ink.  I just thought it was a way of life, growing up with my mom always looking at herself like she wasn't happy.  Always ahead of the game getting the inside scoop of the latest diet fad - Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Dr. Poon, Dr. Bernstein  Weight Watchers again, and the variety of nonsense from Dr. Oz.  She tried them all.  They always "failed" her because she never kept it going long enough, she never made a serious commitment for her health - it was always for a quick 10lb weight loss that seldom happened because she didn't stick to it long enough.  I feel like this is typical for a lot of women in my circles.  Always on a diet, always wanting to get back to pre pregnancy, pre married, pre whatever state they were in when they felt the best.  Unless a life change is made, they will never get there.  Ok, maybe with a lot of work they might get there, but they won't stay there for long.  

Food has so many attachments to emotions.  When im sad, I need to eat something, when im happy I need to celebrate with something, When I am bored... oh my lanta, thats the worst.  I haven't found the trick yet, but I feel like I am close.  I am trying to train my brain to look at food as fuel, as numbers, as a science and not as comfort and tasty.  That is the hardest thing for me, especially being Italian and being married to an Italian.  Food is the center of our universe.  That is the reason we go to my mother in laws for dinner, or my moms for Sunday Lunch.  We go to sit around a 10 foot table so full of food it could feed another 25 people, and talk, debate, laugh, cry, yell, discuss our day, our children, our goals.  So many conversations over the dinner table have created bonds between me and my family that wouldn't have existed if there wasn't a fresh baked loaf of bread to split.

I have to push the plate away.  I have to bring it to the sink and wash it out.  I can't sit there with an empty plate and a table full of food.  The fourth serving of pasta is calling my name.  

I have been inputting every single thing I eat into this app on my phone called Calorie Counter - its online as well.  There are a ton... loseit is another great one.  You type in what you are eating and the portion size. It has a huge database of foods and brand names and it automatically puts together a daily total of calories, fats, sodium, carbs, protein, fibre, you name it!  It is a great way to see how much of what you are eating.  For me it was eye opening because I always thought I ate healthy - and I do - but what it showed me was that I was nowhere near the amount of protein and fats for my body and I was WAY over my carbs - but interesting enough, my calories were always low.  This should mean I am thin, but what I have learned is that it is the right combination of fats, carbs, and protein to equal the right amount of calories that will allow me to lose the weight.  This online calculator can figure out what works best for you... IF Calculator

So I have committed to 30 days of this and to be honest, am already finding it tiresome to input everything, but I am doing it.  I have faith that this will work, and if not - then at least I have learned a sh#tload about myself and my bodys needs vs wants.

Tabata Training, amazeballs and so much fun

The past few months quite a few people have been talking about HITT training, specifically Tabata training.  I had NO clue what this word meant until last week when I was looking at Dr. Sara Solomons webpage for inspiration and workout ideas and came accross it.  According to TabataTraining.com....

"Tabata was founded in Japan by Izumi Tabata. He conducted tests on two groups of athletes; comparing moderate high intensity training with high intensity interval training.  The results were that the athletes training in high intensity interval training improved their aerobic systems as well as their anaerobic system. The athletes who did the moderate high intensity training only improved their aerobic system and had little to no increase in their anaerobic system."

What this means for us normal, non athlete people is WEIGHT LOSS! You are burning more calories in a smaller amount of time however you are working stupid hard for a good chunk of it. There are a bunch of different things you can do for your Tabata training.


- For your 20 seconds of |GO GO GO GO|

     -run like a lion is chasing you

     -jumping jacks like a starfish

     -hyper marching band leader (see my video)

     -dance party like a 5 year old (see my video)

For your 10 seconds of |zzzzzzz......|

     - stop moving (not ideal if a lion is chasing you)

     - bounce lightly up and down

     - bounce side to side

     - march on the spot

basically you are doing anything that is giving you a second (well actually 10 seconds) to catch your breathe before your loose it again for the next 20 seconds.

As far as I have researched, it doesn't really matter the timing 20 seconds/ 10 seconds or 30 seconds/ 15 seconds or 1 minute / 30 seconds.  As long as your GO GO GO GO period is longer than your zzzzzzz..... period.  This can be your workout (so a few circuits of this for 10-15 minutes) or if you have no time you can do this for 4 minutes (or 1 song) as soon as you wake up and it will keep your metabolism going in high drive all day long.  Its fun, its easy, you need NOTHING - which for me is most important because I don't have anything :)

Some good songs to Tabata to...

Bruno Mars - Locked out of Heaven

Rihanna - Jump

LMFAO - Party Rock

Sean Paul - Get Busy

Justin Bieber (i know i know) - Beauty and a Beast

Madonna - Give me all your lovin

Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire

Try it out, at least once this weekend and you'll see how much fun it can be.  Alrighty kids - im off for the day!!!!!

Plyometrics all the way!!

Today was plyometrics day, which means my knees hurt :)
Plyometrics is an AMAZING high intensity workout that works your whole body, especially your legs and bum. You sweat like crazy and feel so amazing. Its short, intense and makes the biggest difference in your body shape if done multiple times a week.

Food....my frenemy

Me and food have had a long time tumultuous relationship with each other.  We break up, we make up, over and over again for the past 20 something years.

Now that I think I finally have a handle on my eating habits I feel like I can share what has worked and not worked for me.  I think I have tried every diet for at least 30 days in the past 10 years and have lost, gained, lost and gained all kinds of poundage.  Right now, this is what I am doing:



Intermittent Fasting

- it usually ends up being about 17 hours of no eating... roughly 7:30pm - Noon ish
- from Noonish until 7:30pm I eat healthy foods, doesn't matter when, or how much at each sitting
- I input everything into a Calorie Counter on my phone to make sure I am meeting my Recommended Daily Intake so that way im not over in Calories, Carbs or Fats and that I ate enough of the right stuff.
- I drink anywhere from 3-4 litres of water plus tea and of course espresso all day long.
- I chew gum and brush my teeth like 14 times a day to get the taste of food out of my mouth and subsequently out of my brain


HITT workouts

- so now I am on a Les Mills Combat kick, I do it 5 times a week and on the weekend I do my own concoction of things.  Everyday its only 20-30 minutes but its the most intense, sweaty 20 minutes of the day.  Sweat is fat crying!!!
- I was a gym rat, but I just can't manage it right now.  Maybe when shorty goes to school in 3 years it might happen, but as for now - my time is hers.  All my workouts are done at home in my foyer (don't drive by my house around 10am - you'll see me jumping up and down like a maniac).  I have my weights, weighted gloves, bands and runners in my front closet.  I was working out in the basement, but its dark and sometimes spooky, so I can't do it anymore.
- the thing about HITT workouts is that you need to give 'er the whole time.  Its HIGH INTENSITY so you need to be out of breath the whole time.  I mean don't pass out or anything, but you should be right there.  You will get the BEST results in the shortest amount of time if you really push.  You always have more you can give, take a BIG DEEP breath, let it out and keep going.  You will feel so amazing afterwards!!!!!!

Let me know if you have any questions for me - I don't know if I covered everything.  Or if you want my trainer friends to answer anything either.  Lemme know!

Some websites you need to go to for more information!

- Dr. Sara Solomon http://www.drsarasolomon.com/
... look at her body, she is amazing and an inspiration.  Her blog and videos have so much information in them and she is proof that this works.
- IF calculator http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/
.... this is the calculator I used to come up with my RDI.  Its super complex, but super easy so read the definitions and learn about what works for you!
- Beachbody Les Mills Combat
....this is the workout I am doing right now.

Sexy Hamstrings

Killer Legs

Today was leg and butt kicking day.  Those are some big muscles to work out, but we did it.  Legs are like my second most important hot body component.  First is my abs / muffin top - even with gorgeous gambes, a muffin top can kill them instantly.  My legs are full of cellulite, psoriasis, eczema  and more often than i'd like...hair but they are strong and will be lean for the summer time.  I don't think the cellulite will ever go away, and to be 100% honest, I don't really mind.  Everyone has it, even super models, so why are we all hiding it away from each other?  Who wants to be in pants in 30 degree weather??!!  I am proud of my legs and I always have been - especially when they are tanned!!!  they have always been the body part I work out the most and have successfully stayed relatively the same post baby.  They are the easiest to work out - walks with the baby, squats, lunges, taking the stairs up and down in the hospital (yes we did that for 4 months) - every move you make involves your legs so make it worth it.  Even if they don't change shape, just moving them makes me feel more confident in them - and really really, isnt that what this is all about?  Feeling confident in what you have and working your ass (or legs, or abs or arms) off until your happy with it?  You have to live in your body, not anyone else - so make it your own, make it strong, make it what you want it to be.

I've had quite a few questions and comments on my diet - so im gonna work on posting exactly what i'm doing later on tonight.  so check back alright?!

Day 3 - ab-tastic

Ab-tasticle!

I did abs today.  I don't have abs, I have flabs, but when I do this workout, I can feel something deep inside my tummy burning (and no, its not the spicy food I ate yesterday).  They say "abs are made in the kitchen" yes, well I would like the recipe because im always in the kitchen and never make these abs you speak of!
I know something is working because it still hurts, 8 hours later, but its such a great pain.  Like tweezing your eyebrows - nobody will admit it, but ladies - that pull of the hair brings us a little bit of joy, no?

I hope you said yes, because now I look like a weirdo.  Well, even more than what I already am.

So the diet has been going great, it's 11 and i'm starving.  Sounds about right for the third day.  I actually hit all my goals today so that's pretty bonus.  I weighed myself and went up a whopping .4 lbs!  who cares.  Lets see what happens tomorrow after I did my ab workout and crazy Tabata training as well.  What is this Tabata you speak of Daniela?? Well, check out my friend Dr. Sara and she'll explain it way better than I can, also her body alone will motivate you to get off your mum bum and get moving.  Check er out... 

Another thing I just want to mention, I am not obsessed with the numbers on the scale and I don't ever think anyone should be.  Don't have a goal weight, have a goal size.  I am 20lbs heavier post baby but fit in my pre baby jeans (hooray for spandex!).  Nobody told me my hips were going to widen and stay that way.  Nobody told me what happens to your boobs after breastfeeding (or in my case pumping 10 times a day).  And I didn't even go full term!  bah!  I can't imagine what another 3 and a half months would have done to my ass.
I want to be smaller than my pre baby jeans because I was fatter than my pre married pants (thanks to my mother-in-laws cheesey/buttery/oily/salty/tasty cooking.  Oh Ang, thanks for always tasting the rapini first :P) and my moms larger than life "small" dinners.  Since when is Cordon Bleu, Pasta Alfredo, Tossed Salad and something au gratin a tuesday night meal?
(sidenote... my mom wrote an amazing cookbook based on my Nonna's reciepes... the Antipasto section is on sale for you ebook readers... check it out!

Needless to say, once I got married and had to finally cook for myself, nothing changed.  I could make what I wanted, so I made pasta.  All the time.  And my cousin showed me how to make popcorn on the stove - so much more healthy than the microwave, but I would eat a whole pot full.  with butter. and salt.

I have changed the way we eat since we got home with le babay.  We always eat good, healthy food and the pasta is kept only for my hubby or guests.  I was on a Gluten Free kick for a while, but just because its gluten free doesn't mean its fat free or that you can have it every other night.  I kicked it to the snowy curb and said goodbye pasta, hello egg whites! I want my daughter to grow up thinking pasta is a treat, not a staple. I want her to know that there is a whole world of veggies and fruits and she should eat them everyday, all day.  Most importantly I want her to look at food differently that I did.  I want her to look at it as nourishment  not comfort.  More on this another day......

so im off now to get my "8" hours, which by the way, ended up being about 4 last night because the little miss thought that it would be fun to wake up at 2:30 and not go back to sleep until 5am then start her day at 7am.  ah, life with a baby.

Alrighty, me and my abs are outta here.

My vlog on my first arm day!

Check out my video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/lWAAvaeKaA4

So I thought it might be fun to add in some videos of my workouts, my thoughts and my frizz.  Today s workout was all about ARMS.  Mine are burning still, but it feels so good to know that I am actually ripping apart muscle fibres to rebuild killer pipes.  The diet today wasn't that bad.  I ate WAY too much once I could start eating ... Which ended up being about 12:30 after Shorty's physiotherapist left.  I scarfed down peas, rice, a protein shake with bananas and mangoes and entered it all in my calorie counter.  It was a whopping 745 calories!!!!!  Apparently that's ok though because for the rest of the time I made sure to meet my recommended daily intake of foods and actually came up short on my protein intake, but perfect on my fats and carbs.  Not to shabby!  Calorie wise though I over did it by 500 calories.  I gotta ask someone to see if  that's correct though. I ended up eating 1837 calories for the whole day, one website I looked at said for me to eat 1300-1400 a day.  Ya, I don't know about that.  I think if I just meet my day RDI (recommended daily intake) I should be fine.  It will end up being about 1800 calories anyways.  

So, now it's 10:30pm and my husband is bingeing on grapes, cereal, baked feta cheese with Italian spices on it and I am not.  Ugh.  I know it will benefit me, but I'm so flipping hungry tonight!  I went through a whole pack of gum and like 2more litres of water.  It's ok, half an hour until bedtime and then we start all over again.  Noon big fat sandwich here I come!!!!!

ARMageddon!

So, As you can see from my picture below... I have what my husband likes to call, "Pipecleaners".  I'll show him Pipecleaners!  By the time I'm done, I'll be cleaning with these pipes!!!  (uh, ya that makes no sense).

Although it might look like I have a bit of a bump
 - that's my baby carrying arm!

So, I have been "fasting" since about 7:30 last night, its 10:42am and really really, im not as hungry as I thought I would be.  My usual morning routine was wake up with shorty, have a protein shake (Magnum Quattro in Chocolate! yum!) and obviously an espresso.  I would work out during her nap and then have something more substantial afterwards which usually is about this time (depending on how long it takes me to put her down or if she actually sleeps).  So really really, this morning wasn't hard.  Last night on the other hand... oh lordy.  I wasn't hungry, I know I wasn't but I really wanted to eat - I think it was because I knew that I "couldn't".  I drank so much water!  At least 2 liters of it - which then broke up my 8 hour sleeping for washroom breaks.  so, note to self - stop drinking so much water before bed!

I'm all done my workout, which was the fastest most intense 20 minutes of arms I have done.  I love it.  The music is so loud you can't even hear the guy, and it doesn't hurt that he has a stupid hot body.  So thats it - thats the formula - fast for 16 hours, eat for 8 and workout like a nutcase for 20ish minutes.

Ok, so shorty just woke up, Hooray for a 40 minute nap!  I'll post my videos soon!

Day 1... Again

Today I embark on a very familiar journey.
One that I have danced on my whole life, getting into shape.
I have always been active, always in the gym, always playing sports, but never have I ever been in the body I imagined for myself.  I'm talking fitness model, proud bikini sporting, head turning body.  I am determined to make it my goal for this year.  I am not making excuses, but the only catch is now, I have a little bean who has taken all of my me time, that I never appreciated before baby, and steals it for her feedings, her poopy diapers, her oatmeal baths and her giggles.  I love her to bits, but sleep already so I can get my workout done!  :)
As most of you know, she was born super early - I was 25 weeks pregnant. Yes, you read that right, 6 months - I just started to show my bump (before that it was just fat.. cuz you know, im pregnant so I can scarf down a Costco size bag of Smartfood) and never felt her kick.  It was a shock to say the least and after 112 days in 3 different hospitals, multiple surgeries, and more blood transfusions than I would like to count - we brought out little bean (she was 1lb 3 oz when she was born) home.  Life has been very stressful with doctor visits, follow up appointments and a wide variety of therapists (physio, nutritional, occupational, speech, early intervention) in and out of our home, it seems that working out, wasn't working out.  It has seemed to calm down a bit and shorty seems to be falling into a routine and I have faith that I can start kicking my ass (I can probably reach it with my foot as I now have mom bum from sitting so much!)

so this is it.

I spent the past 4 days researching all of the popular diets and workouts, all of the unconventional ones and have made the decision to do the Les Mills Combat 5 times a week (Monday to Friday) and my own HITT workout on Saturdays with Sunday as my catch my breath day.  I know that sounds like a lot of workout, but I have been doing Insanity on and off for the past 2 months and I really need something short (the videos are like 20 min) and effective (they say High Intensity Interval Training is the best!)
In terms of nutrition, I have a ton of allergies that I don't listen to (Gluten, Dairy, Wheat....) and I am going to listen to my body and stop eating what I know is bad for me.  I eat fairly healthy - no more smartfood for me! but I need a bit of a kickstart into this new me.  I researched @SaraSolomon - go check her out, shes stupid amazing and she preaches a Intermittent Fasting program where you fast for 16 hours a day and eat your specific required caloric intake during the other 8 hours.  The idea is that your body produces HGH (Human Growth Hormone) when fasting, and combined with healthy eating meeting all of the nutrients you need for a workout like mine, it becomes super effective.

I have always wanted the quick fix, the fat burners, the raspberry keytones, all the sh#t TV tries to convince you will make you loose 5 lbs in 1 week.  It never worked, I hated myself on it, and it just made me more upset in myself for "failing" yet again and falling into another trap.  This time its different.  This time I have declared it to the world that I am making these changes.  Its gonna happen.  I will be the body I want to be by the end of the year.  Im starting with 30 days (which brings me to March 18th) and will reevaluate the program and make the necessary changes.  I'll keep you posted.

Now im off to get my 8 hours of sleep (ha ha ha, I have a baby with Bronchilaitis right now, who the heck is sleeping longer than 45 min :S) and ive started fasting at 8 (so im "cranky" says my husband) - not to eat until 2 hours after my workout so that brings us to Noon tomorrow.  sounds hard, but hey, I've been faced with harder challenges this past year - I can go a few hours with no food if it means im going to look like a rock star.  Alrighty kids - lets kick some mum bum!