I’m so excited for the Tracy Anderson Method, I just can’t hide it. So I’m sharing. A lot. I’m doing the meal plan from Tracey’s 30-day bootcamp book with the cardio and toning from her hip-centric metamorphosis set. I wrestled with this decision because most of what I read about bingeing is to avoid dieting. But “normal” healthy eating is much harder for me and I believe getting started with new recipes and a plan already set will really help get in that habit as well as retrain my hunger cues and taste buds.
Yesterday was too busy to stock up on groceries, so I hopped to the store this morning for breakfast ingredients. Then later I trudged through the rain for a larger haul from a different grocery store. Unfortunately, I haven’t been too lucky in the availability of required ingredients. 
So I’m substituting. A lot.
To start, strawberries in the morning were delicious with cilantro and honey (because I couldn’t find the mint and agave called for in the recipe). And for me, it was satisfying. I love sweetness way more than fatty foods so this plan fits my tastes better than diets like Paleo.
A tomato kale soup for lunch smelled and tasted yummy, too. Again, I substituted dried oregano 
for fresh basil, among other things, and it still turned out well. It was filling, too, in part from the sweet potato and broth. I commented more than once that it was a lot of soup before checking the recipe which says one portion is 8 ounces compared to the many (6?) cups I had in front of me. I guess I’ll save it for later, in case another recipe doesn’t work out?
Another majorly modified meal was a sweet treat. It was supposed to be a pudding with dates and coconut… I ended up just mixing the 
chocolate chips with old goji berries and twice the amount of ground chestnuts. Sooooo tasty. It even felt like too much chocolate to be eating while on a diet, I was satisfied with half and saved the second half for after dinner. And then as I was enjoying scoops after dinner, I realized this recipe calls for more than one portion too! That annoyed me because it’s clearly an individual making the recipe. Plus, the portion size is measured in ounces and I don’t have a weight scale for that.
Finally, dinner was halibut and asparagus. This is a meal I’m familiar with making. The differences were including broth, garlic, spices, and cooking the lemon. I actually 
didn’t like the cooked lemon, I suspect it tainted the taste. It was tough to finish, especially since I’m trying not to watch TV or read while I eat so I get as much possible out of these meals. I was quite full and didn’t need extra chocolate – I only had some because I thought it was part of the plan, so I’m a bit disappointed. (I realize the photo looks like a smiley face – unintended but appreciated.)
Having all the ingredients on hand will make it much easier, so I’m focused on preparing that for the remainder of the week, and weekly thereafter more in advance than this time. And of course, I’m going to be much more careful about proper portions. I don’t expect I’ll be perfect for the full 30 days, especially with social obligations, but I’m good following direction and I’m really motivated to do this program fully.
The workouts are hard, very hard. An example of the Tracey Anderson Method follows:
For the first 15 minutes of cardio, I jumped all over the place as best I could following Tracey’s lead on the TV. For the remaining 14 minutes… I step touched. As best I could. Next was 28 1/2 minutes of excruciating “muscular structure” toning. I feared falling a few times. I needed breaks, too many, and missed a significant amount of reps.
My exercise focus is to improve form and be able to do all the reps without stopping by Day 5. The workouts change every 10 days so I hope to master each before I move to the next. Tomorrow, I will add a minute of cardio so I work up to the full 29 by Day 15.
All in all, I’m happy with the first day of this bootcamp. The food was fantastic, albeit a bit more work than I’m used to in preparation and unclear in portioning. I wasn’t overly hungry all day and had enough energy, relatively speaking. I’m nervous about the work ahead of me, but excited and hopeful.
Conscientious Introvert 