A Tale of Two Moves & Two Jobs

It's been a while, right? Well, there's a reason for that. My regularly scheduled life has been upended. It's a good thing. Trey and I moved out of our house a couple weekends ago. We rented it to a nice family from Houston with two teenage daughters. We're sure they will enjoy and take care of our home.

Now Trey and I are living temporarily with his parents until Trey graduates on May 21 -- six weeks. A couple days later he'll take the radiologic tech registry and we'll be off to Austin to find a job(s) and a place to live.

Another thing I've had to adjust to are my new jobs. Yep, that's jobs -- as in plural. I'm the page layout wizardess behind a local crime paper. I put together the 16-page paper every week now. It's great because I do my work in bed in front of the TV whenever I want.

And I'm also a personal trainer now! I work for a well-known chain of gyms in my area and in a matter of a week and a half I've gotten five clients. I expect I'll have another couple come on board by next Wednesday, which is awesome because I only get clients if I can sell them on training with me. I feel like I'm doing great! My hourly pay is unbelievable. If I'd have known about this 10 years ago ... :)

So that's about it for now. I'm biding my time as the countdown to Austin begins. Until then I'm planning a weekend trip to New Orleans and I'm learning a lot as a trainer. Basically, I'm happy that I've gotten my two work opportunities, but I'm brimming with excitement for our big move. Eeep!

Weight Loss Progress

Friday morning I measured myself and found that I'd lost 7.75 inches, a fact that made my day or maybe even my week. It could only be made better by the fact that today I woke up and was sure that I was even smaller. I've followed the "Slow Carb Diet" from the book "4-Hour Body" for the past five days and have seen pretty great results. Today is my "binge" day, during which I can eat anything in whatever quantity I want.

My dog Lulu is my shadow. She follows me everywhere, as evidenced by these photos.

So this morning Trey and I went to IHOP where I was exceedingly excited to have a Belgian waffle with cinnamon apples and whipped cream along with a side of hash browns. On any given day I would never have a waffle AND  hash browns. So sinful. Later, Trey and I plan to have soft-serve yogurt with copious toppings and maybe even some gourmet pizza. It's like dying and going to heaven. Really. Seriously.

Another thing making my day slightly uncommon is the semi winter-wonderland effect we've gotten here in Louisiana. When we woke, and throughout the day, there have been icicles and sheets of ice covering everything. Just last week I could have been comfortable wearing shorts outside.

I'll Tell You a Secret

Mine and Trey's birthday celebration for him involved these little babies. Trey had the one on the left.

Despite continuing to work out harder and more consistently than I ever have in my life, I have eaten complete and utter crap for the past couple of weeks. I won't lie and say it wasn't fun, but it's time to get back to clean eating. Plus, I'm starting a 1,500 cal. diet to really boost my progress.

Trey and I made homemade peanut butter cups for our families for Christmas. We had a few bites. They were phenomenal. Want to learn to make them? Click this link.

My big secret
So why am I doing all of this working out and dieting? Most people would say I don't have any or much weight to lose. Remember when I withheld a super, awesome secret? Here it is: I'm studying to be a personal trainer. I've completed 14 chapters in my course, with four left to go. After I complete the course, I'll review, put it all to memory and take the certification exam.

I plan to get started training people within the next three months and also plan to give my notice at work in a month's time. This is all in preparation for moving, getting a tenant in our house and starting my "new life," all of which I'm looking forward to.

 This is the third step in the process -- filling the cups with whipped and sugared peanut butter. Yum!

This is what the cups looked like before they were hardened in the freezer. You have to eat them fast, because they return to this gooey state pretty quickly.

A word about diets
In most cases I don't advocate "diets." Instead, I believe lifestyle changes are the only way to go when it comes to making lasting changes: balanced meals, fresh foods, greatly reduced consumption of processed foods and regular exercise.

However, for people with medical conditions like high blood pressure or other deadly issues, it is a great idea to get on the fast track to health with a "diet." And for those who like me are already committed to a healthy lifestyle, a quick (a few weeks to one month) diet to lower body fat and let those hard-earned muscles show is a bonus.

Healthy vs. Junk Foods
So if I've inspired you to exercise and eat right yet tempted you with these gorgeous treats in the photos, my apologies. Just remember that even "healthy" people can have treats once in a while. A good rule of thumb is to eat healthfully 90 percent of the time and treat yourself the other 10 percent. Trey and I eat healthy for six days and on the sixth day we *savor* something truly decadent, yet we eat reasonable portions. No heaping slices, mega scoops or seconds!

Plans to Move and Workout Results

A healthy breakfast or snack. Add plain yogurt, blueberries and/or banana.

"It's all happening," -- a line from one of my favorite movies, "Almost Famous." And it's true. It is all happening, and suddenly, I might add. The reality of moving to Austin is setting in and Trey and I are making preparations. This week we had a Realtor visit the house to measure and assess its market value. He has suggested that we put it up for sale in either January or February if we plan to move in May, which we do.

In about a week we should have a conclusion about our asking price and when we will put it on the market.  In the meantime, I'm further paring down my belongings to make the move easier. (I got rid of a busload of stuff a few months ago.) As someone who aspires to be a moderate minimalist, this is nothing but a good thing.

 Photo from Austin Monthly of Boudoir Queen's work.

Coincidentally, at work yesterday I happened upon a box full of free magazines -- Austin Monthly and Austin Home magazines. There were 10 in total. Trey and I have been poring over them, trying to get an inkling as to what our life might be like when we finally arrive. It's making us tres excited. Obviously we know what a cool city Austin is and that there's lots to do, but actually seeing from month to month what the city has to offer is great.

A view from my kitchen window.

In other news, I wanted to do an update on the Tracy Anderson workout post. I've been working out almost every day since that post (I've missed two sessions). It's been nearly a month now. So, yes, I'm sticking with it. However, I've gone rogue on Tracy Anderson's plan. It was too static for my taste, so I've been following the workout plans on BodyRock.TV. These workouts are killer intense and I love it.

My workout progress, measurements 
Since day one I've lost 2.5 inches from my stomach, gained an inch of muscle on my arms, a half inch on my thighs and lost 1.25 inches from my bust. These figures are encouraging, and I plan to take this lifestyle the distance. I can't wait to see what changes I'll make in another month, six months and a year from now.

I'm continuing to eat based on the Primal Blueprint, but once in a while (once a week) I treat myself to something really yummy like a cupcake or some other sugary, bread-like confection. This lifestyle is totally doable, and I recommend it for anyone who wants to lose weight and have more energy.

Following Tracy Anderson's 30-Day Method

So, I have this two-part goal, and only one of those goals can be revealed at the moment. Although, since no one reads this blog, there is actually no one to withhold these tidbits from. Nevertheless, any time I speak about a major goal it seems to get futzed up, so by keeping it to myself, I feel it is most likely to happen. That said, my first goal is to get into the best shape of my life. This will help me to accomplish Goal No. 2, written in caps to denote its awesome importance.

Finally, I have bought something from celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson rather than skating by on her freebie workouts. Today I purchased her book, "30-Day Method," and put myself through the riggers of her challenging, first 10 days strength-training workout, plus 40 minutes of her cardio routine. All told, I worked out for about an hour and a half (plus about 20 minutes of Anderson's YouTube video exercises this morning).

The strength training was KILLER. Then again, I don't often test myself in that manner. I've been known to put in a 45 minute walk every now and again, but lately that's all I've been doing.

  Um, yep, that's the kind of body I'm sweating my ass off to have.

Anyway, the "Method" entails 30 days of working out for 45 minutes to an hour and a half. There are no rest days. It sounds (and as of now is) brutal, but this woman and her clients (Jennifer Aniston, Molly Sims, Gweneth Paltrow, Madonna, etc.) look amazing. They are muscular, yet lean, not bulky. Obviously this is ideal, and it's what I'm aiming for.

Although I'm going out of town for Thanksgiving, I plan to follow this regimen as closely as possible. Anderson gives a menu for weight loss, but as I only have five pounds or less to shed, I'll eat as per usual. Trey and I have followed the Primal Blueprint diet for more than a month and have noticeably slimmed without counting calories or working out excessively. I have a feeling the combo of eating Primal and working out like Tracy Anderson will give me serious results.

I'll post my results here after the first 10 days are up. Ciao!