Week 1 MMA Update.

 Yeah, always wrap your hands before punching stuff....

 I think the above pictures speak for themselves.  I feel like a bruised peach, but I guess that's normal.  At least we can tell where my strikes/kicks land.  Considering I feel like an uncoordinated goof during class, I'm at least hitting the right parts of my body to the bag.  Haha! 
This past week has been such a challenge both mentally and physically.  Besides my 9:30am class Merrick is having me add additional workouts in to get completed before class.  I am making it work(think alarms set at 0'dark thirty) and if I'm not working out I'm soaking in hot showers and Epsom salt baths and rubbing muscle relaxing creams on. 

My meal plan has drastically changed.
 Most days I eat eggs and meat for breakfast, meat and salad/veggies for lunch and meat and veggies for dinner.  No snacks, nothing fermented(condiments, dressings, yogurt, etc.), dried fruit, rice cakes, protein shakes and bananas are all on the NOT-TO-EAT list. 
2xs a week I am eating what Merrick calls a Warrior Day.  It consists of mostly seeds, nuts and berries.  No strawberries (I just feed those delicious juicy things to the kids) and I drink 2 gallons of water (to help with muscle recovery) that day, followed my a LONG slowish walk on the treadmill for 2-3hrs.  I set my portable DVD player up and pick out a long movie to watch.  It still gets boring pretty quick and my legs are toast by the end.
 But I'm doing it and sticking to it!  I want to see results more than I want to eat strawberries and peanut butter by the spoonfuls on the couch.  And that's a whole lot at this point!
 Merrick assures me there is a method to this madness and I have put all my trust in his abilities.  He's a smart guy that knows crazy weird stuff and has eaten bugs in Japan(long story).  So he's legit.  And he's probably wondering why he took me on as a client.  I email him all of the time with at least 15 questions a day.  This is just such a new journey for me and I tend to struggle with perfectionism.  Yeah, he laughs at that. 
Anyway, here's to week 2 of MMA training!

PS
It's actually been a lot of fun.

Turkish Getups.

On my extra workouts I have a section that I have to complete as fast as possible.  I have a new workout in that mix called the Turkish Getup.  Let's just say, it's a lot harder than it looks.  My first 2 workouts I could not even complete 2.  I have 20 each workout.  Pathetic.  Merrick had me practice holding a string.  Not a weighted string.  Just a string.  And it couldn't leave my arm.  To say that I was struggling was an understatement.  But hey, I didn't give up and kept trying.  Good news- on Saturday's workout I completed ALL 20.  With weight.  I can't even tell you how excited I was.  I might or might not have down a fist pump in the middle of the workout floor.  Here's a video on how-to-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK-L2P56zjU

A lot is changing.

Tuesday I had my weigh in and it was probably the most discouraging day yet.  I have not budged.  I weighed in at 23.6% body fat and 146lbs.  I actually cried in front of my trainer right then and there.  I just couldn't help it.  6 days a week for 6 weeks straight, no cheating and no progress is exhausting.  I just don't get it.  We finished up our workout and I went home feeling defeated.  That afternoon I went home, cried some more and called my trainer back.  After our conversation I felt more lost than ever with no plan on what to change or what to do differently.  After several conversations with my sister and husband I decided to talk to someone else at lifetime and get a different perspective. 
Wednesday I missed my workout and made a call to the club to talk to a manager/department head.  I ended up talking to Nik and we scheduled a meeting for Thursday after Mathias' swimming lesson.
Thursday morning I headed up to the fitness floor and sat down with Nik for about an hour to brainstorm solutions.  We decided that it was up to me but he suggested I go with a program more specifically designed for shredding body fat that just "getting in shape".  Because, although I have gotten stronger, my numbers and weekly photos don't reflect progress towards my goals.  Later that afternoon, I emailed Nik back that I had decided, that even though my trainer is awesome his specialty is not necessarily to shred body fat past where I currently am- he is very good at things like TEAM weight loss. 
Friday morning, Eric had his MMA class and was approached afterwards by Merrick, his trainer, about my situation.  He had talked to Nik previously and they both agreed that his program would be a better fit to attain my goals. 
Later that morning, I went to talk with Merrick about my goals and frustrations.  His job is to get people down to fight weight/shape and he is also well educated in nutrition.  We agreed for me to join his class starting Tuesday and he will monitor my nutrition for the next 6 weeks.  He said it will be difficult, especially since our time is cut in half but he thinks we can reach my 17% body fat goal and get me nice and lean and strong. 
So, long story short, both Eric and I will be in MMA training.  Boom!

Around my kitchen.

 The above picture are two natural remedies I've been surviving off of with my torqued shoulder and consistently sore muscles.  They are awesome, especially when I want to avoid meds.  The below picture is a product I just got in the mail today.... we will see how it works.  I have my doubts.

 I have a supplement station set up on my counter right now for quick access and so I don't forget to take my vitamins.  I know some are prenatal (no I'm not prego) but they are just so good for women in general- so I take them anyway. 

 Here's a peek at the very messy top shelf of my fridge right now.  These are my only grains, shy of oatmeal, that I am eating right now, along with eggs, pumpkin seed for my salads and fizzy water since water is my only beverage right now.  Seriously, I have been in LOVE with this stuff with all of my pregnancies and it's crazy fizzy- which I love.  Other items in my fridge include lots of almond milk, even more veggies, leftovers and when I am up to it a Tupperware of fully cooked/seasoned chicken for quick meals. 

.8%

So I had another weigh in this morning.  I've been busting my butt this week, eating clean and I was down another .8% in body fat.  Not where I wanted to be but at least we are still headed in the right direction.
 Yesterday, I totally torqued my neck and was laid up on the couch hardly able to move.  Today, I had my workout with Cord.  Totally opposite ends of the spectrum as far as activity is concerned.  Luckily, we only worked lower body for the most part (hamstrings, glutes, and core).  My rear is going to hurt for a few days- it already does!  My neck hurts something terrible right now too.  Anyway, Cord said that on average most people lose about 1-2% body fat a month and since that's my weekly total I guess I'm doing okay.  He thinks I should up my fiber intake a bit.
 My diet still consists of mostly protein and veggies, some fruit and a little more carbs like brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal.  Still no wheat or dairy.  My favorite snack has been a plain rice cake w/ 1 Tbl pbutter and a small green apple with some herbal tea. 
Tomorrow is 5:50am cycle class and Bis/Tris day. 

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/11/19/550-rep-fat-massacre/ This looks like an awesome home workout for those days I can't get the kids out of the house.  (Brielle is teething and daylight savings time has really thrown a wrench into our normal cycle of things)

Sore.

Since my devastating results on Thursday, I have literally been working my booty off and eating very strict.  I'll post below what my diet looks like and what my workouts have been like as well.  Today I met with my trainer Cord and had another weigh in.  Praise the Lord, I'm back down to around 22.8%.  Obviously, not where I want to be but at least the numbers are going in the right direction this time.  It was very eye opening to see how MUCH it's important to be super consistent and strict with my eating in these 90 days especially.  Once this is done I will be okay with ordering takeout once a month or so but not when I'm under a timeline with very specific results.  Every time I was tempted by an off-plan food I just kept reminding myself of how terrible it was to lose ground and that my weigh in was today.  That was all the motivation I needed. 
Sunday was heavy leg day before church.  And even though Eric was still out of town we made it!
Monday I got my rear up at 4:45am for early cycle class and a quick (but intense) Bicep/triceps workout.
Today I met with Cord and we did shoulders and back.  I told him I wasn't sore after my last workout with him on Thursday and I think that made him kick my butt even more.  Which I prefer. 
I have no idea how I will be able to get out of bed tomorrow for early morning cycle/core/glutes.  I am so sore- everywhere.  But my goal this week is to get to 20% body fat.  We will see next Tuesday when I weigh in and have another session with my trainer.

Meal Plan Example:
Depends on my workout schedule but here's a rough idea of what I eat on a daily basis-
Chocolate Protein shake w 2tsp PB2 and almond milk
1/2 banana (if we have them)
cycle class
(sometimes it's hard to eat/drink so early in the morning, so I will eat/drink half before class and then finish the rest right after class before I head home)
Breakfast- 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, large amount of steamed broccoli (around 2-3cups), herbal tea- no sugar
Lunch- grilled chicken on top of a large salad w/veggies, 1/2 avocado, nuts, seeds, etc. Balsamic vinegar dressing
Snack around 3pm- protein shake or smoothie.  Sometimes green juice and some nuts.  Apple and pbutter is a fav too.  Just whatever is quick and easy.
Dinner 6:30pm. This varies but it could be meatballs with veggies and some quinoa.  Stir fry w/brn rice.  Lettuce wraps.  Soup.  Pot roast. 
Before bedtime snack is most often pbutter on an apple/celery.  A smoothie or some nuts, tea and fruit.  Just enough to hold me over until bed time. 
I also try to take my vitamins every day which include calcium/magnesium, multi, fish oil.
No wheat, dairy, fried or heavily processed food.  I will sometimes have gluten free Udi's bread for some toast or a sandwich when I am feeling unusually empty. 

My workout schedule also varies depending on how heavy I lift, how sore I am or what I feel needs to be worked.  But here is a rough idea.

Sunday: Heavy legs (start the week off strong)
Monday: Cycle/treadmill, Bis/Tris
Tuesday: Session with Cord
Wednesday: Cycle, Shoulders
Thursday: Legs, glutes, core
Friday:  Off day (this is our library day)
Saturday: Shoulders, core

I also like to sit in the dry sauna after each workout if I have time and stretch.  I foam roll and sit in the hot tub when I am really sore (which I will do tomorrow after my strength training). 

So, there you have it.  It's tough, but I have goals and these 90 days are flying by fast.