2 Weeks In & 10 Pounds Down with Tracy Anderson

In 2 weeks of Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis exercise and diet, I have lost 9.6 pounds! According to my weight scale’s body fat estimate, about 5 of those pounds have been fat loss (the remainder likely water weight, bloat I’m just as happy to lose). I also reduced my waist by 1.5 inches, my thighs by 1.5 inches, my chest by 2 inches, my hips by 2 inches, and my arms by 0.5 inches each. I’m very happy with the results!

I hear most people say the diet is the hardest part, but the exercise has been hardest for me. My energy is still pretty low. Which is not to say the diet was easy – there were times I didn’t want to eat the same pureed carrots as yesterday and times when I wanted to indulge in extra chocolate. I was able to remind myself of my goals, though, and there was no rationalizing an unhealthy decision. Now that I’ve decided to go off the Tracy Anderson diet, it’s even more difficult to resist those temptations. I already had two bowls of mangos and pistachios.

The Tracy Anderson program definitely works, but I’m not sure at what cost… besides which, I worry this is yet another “crash diet” that will only result in regained weight “and then some.” Still, I’m committed to being healthy so I’m hopeful.

50 Ways to Soothe Yourself (100% in 1% Book Summary)

Many people are taught to mindlessly distract themselves to self-soothe. These temporary solutions like emotional eating can become the source of distress. For this reason, I just finished the audiobook for 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers (who also wrote EatQ, the first book I summarized in my 100% in 1% series). Although I’m familiar with many of the techniques described in this book, I found it very helpful to have them listed together with practical advice.  

Albers states we learned self-soothing from our primary caregivers and others early on. Interestingly then, if you did not get hugs when you were younger, a hug now may not help. You also may not have been taught how to talk yourself down. Or perhaps you taught yourself through trial and error. According to attachment theory, you can strengthen these skills at any point in your life.

Practice healthier coping mechanisms so you’re good at them by the time you need them.

At first, you don’t have to change your behaviour, just mindfully observe your eating patterns for at least a week. Go at your own pace. Pay attention to your feelings, observing urges. Take baby steps. Shape your behaviour by rewarding gradual steps. You don’t have to do anything perfectly, just do something close to the desired behaviour. When you’re ready, fully engage in the behaviour to get familiar and habituated.

Take an inventory of your most successful soothing techniques to leverage your strengths. Every morning, check in with yourself and make a self-soothing forecast to prepare accordingly. Check before eating if you have emotional or physical hunger.

If you don’t know what to do in an emotional emergency, choose one technique from each of the five areas below to cover all needs. Try techniques more than once because they may be more helpful in different circumstances.

Mindfulness Meditation

1. Create mindful moments. Stop and mindfully smell the roses, noticing sensations. Try a mindful walk.

2. Practice meditating. There are many meditation styles to help clear your mind. The relaxation response reverses the fight-or-flight response.

3. Breathe. Mindful breathing draws your attention away from stressful thoughts. Talk to yourself about how to breathe well.

4. Strengthen your endurance to counter stress eating. Slow down and make conscious choices. Create a 5-10 minute gap between feeling an urge to eat and responding to it.

An Introvert’s Advice for Making it Without Faking it

On the one hand, making yourself smile, laugh, and stand in confident posture has been shown to make you feel and act happier and more confident. Action breeds action, practice makes perfect, and all that.

On the other hand, acting in a way contrary to your true feelings is draining and doesn’t feel very authentic. Besides which, most people can spot a phony smile. 

I think the best approach is to start on the inside, understand yourself, so your actions can be aligned with who you are in a positive way, even if the actions feel uncomfortable at first.

For instance, any introvert in the Western extrovert world can attest to the pressure to act outgoing, speak up, and spend a lot of time with other people. There are situations where I force myself to act this way to network and represent my employer. Though I have learned most situations don’t require me to act like a different person, I’ve had to find a way to behave appropriately when I don’t feel like it.

What I do is think about the person I want to be and why. I want to be friendly and considerate of others because those are characters I value highly. This way, I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone toward a better skilled, more successful version of myself – not a desperate version of someone else.

Tracy Anderson Method Day 11

Today marks the last of 10 days on the first level of Tracy Anderson’s Metamorphosis muscular structure workout. I pushed myself to do all the reps without pausing! I’m proud I achieved that goal. You do each level 10 times, so tomorrow I’m up to level two. 

However… I didn’t do the cardio workout. I walked about 10,000 steps instead. I didn’t even want to dance my own dance or listen to music at all today; I was not feeling it. So today also marks my first real rebellion on this program. I’m a bit nervous because Tracy warns all three components must be done together. On the other hand, I don’t want to do the cardio dance for a long time haha. I think I’ll push myself to do the two more days at least.

It’s also tough eating the same thing for the past four days. I’m not looking forward to another three days of these meals and I’m considering tweaking them just to get through… I plan to transition into an intuitive eating approach, but I may plan out the first day to not be radically different. There shall be no puree, of this I am certain!

My mood has been lower today with feelings of apathy and depression. I nearly didn’t workout at all and wanted desperately to have a bowl of mangos instead of a bowl of soup. I didn’t even feel like writing a blog post but knew I’d feel better once I did. And I do. 

How to Be Happy at Work for Life (WE Book Summary)

I just read We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement but, unlike my usual approach, I didn’t take notes. Still, I was inspired to write a summary. Work not only takes time from other areas of our lives; it also induces emotions influencing all areas: relationships, health, and happiness. The more engaged you are in your work, the happier you will be at work and in life overall. Employers and managers can only create an environment facilitating positive emotions; the rest is up to each individual employee.

• Go for a work-life blend, not balance. The idea they’re separate isn’t true anyway.
• Find your purpose and passion. If you can’t fit it into your job yet, find a hobby to give you meaning aligned with your personal passions.
• Understand the role you play. By seeing how your work impacts others and the organization overall, you can feel part of a team with a common goal.
• Grow your own career. In HR, we see time and time again how important career development is to an employee’s satisfaction and engagement.
• Build relationships. You’re with these people a lot, and they can make your life a lot easier if you have a rapport.
• Set small goals. Build positive habits. You’ll get small wins contributing to big results. Use your strengths and learn new things for maximum effect.
• Take on accountability. Commit publicly. You’ll show initiative, leadership, and responsibleness, plus you’ll be more motivated.
• If you just don’t fit the culture, find a new team or organization. It’s worth it.