Behind-the-scenes commentary you’ve been waiting for.
November 03, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
i'm in rehearsals for an opera at the moment and had a fitting about 10 days ago...after being measured by the costumer about 2 1/2 weeks before that...and, well, needless to say, nothing fits. 
i warned the costumer that I'd most likely be dropping inches, but who can predict these things?! i'm swimming in the costume to the point of tripping over the skirt (which was sliding down my hips...), and i think it will be held together by safety pins by the end of the show's run!!
still, i'm pretty excited to have this "problem", tripping onstage and all...
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October 25, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
So, tomorrow is the big day -- we're having a birthday party for my daughter, who turned ONE YEAR OLD last week(!!!!!!). We've been madly (and I do mean *madly*) trying to get our apartment in order, because even though we've been in our new digs for about 6 weeks, the pace of our unpacking efforts has been glacial at best -- Erik has been extremely busy with work (rehearsals for two operas at the same time, ack!), plus I've also been in rehearsals for my first post-partum opera production. In the midst of all this craziness, it has definitely been more difficult than ever to find my "me" time, so I've had to get a little creative...for example, when I'm out doing errands, I always try to take the long way so that I can sneak in 5 or 10 extra minutes of walking per errand. After the party tomorrow, life will get a little less hectic, and I can concentrate more on practicing & memorizing my music...and I can hopefully even find time for the mommy & me yoga class I've been eyeing at the local YMCA/YWCA!!
But first, I have to survive the party tomorrow. Don't worry -- my hubby and I have already decided that healthy is the way to go with the party menu...it's going to be one big G-Broil/360 Grill fest for our guests!! Frida is going to have a grand ol time with her turkey burger, and yes, of course, she'll also have cake (which I'll be baking first thing tomorrow morning - but I promise not to sample the goods....well, maybe just a teeny bite 
). Speaking of baking, though, I had to actually unpack two more kitchen boxes tonight to find our baking pans -- we haven't even used the oven since we moved into our new apartment, because everything we cook is on the Foreman Grill!! That may not sound crazy to some of you, but for those of you who know me, you know that almost every single dinner I made involved baking something (chicken, pork chops, etc.). Wow, has life changed....and I must say, it's feeling really good.
Happy birthday, baby girl!!
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September 22, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
Well, I suppose it was inevitable. With all of the craziness and stress in my life over the past month or so (I mean even *crazier* and more stressful than usual...lol, it seems stress is a big theme in these blogs, huh?) -- I guess it had to happen. I had to get a cold. Ugh.
I absolutely hate being sick. But, at least my immune system had the decency to wait until *AFTER* our big recital yesterday (though, to be honest, I think I felt this coming on since Friday...) This is my first cold since becoming a mom...and it's tough to figure out how to take care of myself while I'm busy taking care of someone else! eek....thank goodness Frida's immune system seems to be putting mine to shame (she is perfectly healthy and is showing no signs of sharing mommy's cold, knock on wood...). Meanwhile though, my wonderful let's-knock-the-fat-out-together hubby is making it a little tough for me to stay focused....he is a firm believer in "starve a fever, feed a cold" and has gotten me a couple of *cough* comfort food items (I'm not going to go into too much detail, but let's just say it involves a delicious frozen dairy treat that used to be MY DOWNFALL pre-KOTF....
). Let's hope this cold passes quickly so that I can get back on my feet and away from the ice cream container!! 
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September 10, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
I only have a few minutes to write because I'm madly trying to learn a new piece for an audition at the end of the week (and I have to take advantage of Frida's naptime to do it! :)) -- but I just had to post because, well, I'm SHOCKED!! I just got in from buying myself a new nursing bra (hard to believe, but I've been wearing the same old nursing bras for almost 11 months, YIKES!)....and not to be TMI or anything, but can I just tell you that I was completely SHOCKED by how much smaller my bra band size is!! When I was 39 weeks pregnant and about to pop, I measured at a size 46 band....not anymore, ladies and gents!! I'm currently about 60 pounds lighter, give or take, than I was at my most pregnant, and I have in my grubby little hands a size THIRTY-EIGHT band...almost a full 10 sizes smaller. Holy cow.....oh and did I mention that I gave away my beloved maternity clothes that I've been hiding in for so long--and instead of size 22 pants, I'm now wearing 18s again...except that they're BAGGY!! H-O-L-Y C-O-W. In a few more pounds/inches, I'll be entering size 16 territory, which I haven't seen since about junior year in college....!!!
Ok, enough shock...off to work. Oh but I have to just give a quick shout out to Derek -- thank you so much for your kind words, my sweet. I know we all hit bumps in the road, but the point is to keep picking ourselves up, dusting our (thinner!) butts off, and move forward....
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September 06, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
Well, I know it's been a while since my last blog entry (not as long as it looks though -- it seems that this site gobbled up my last blog entry from about a week or so ago....too bad, it was about the amazing experience I had at the gym FINALLY!!....) -- as with the other contenders, life just keeps getting crazier and crazier it seems! A little too much to go into here -- but to give you a brief idea of what I'm talking about...we just got back from about a 2 week visit to California, where we performed two concerts (my first post-partum ones, yaaaay!) and also used the time to pack up our entire (former) household - we've been subletting a furnished apartment in NYC for the last 5 months -- and we loaded it alllllll onto a big moving van which is now being driven across the country to be delivered to us back here in NYC. The only problem with that is that the place we had lined up has unexpectedly fallen through, so as you might imagine, it's a *BIT* of a stressful situation...a young couple with a 10 month old baby, looking for an apartment in NYC effect IMMEDIATELY. ACK!! I have definitely known calmer times... :-/
My husband is, as always, my complete rock and support and frankly -- he keeps me sane! -- through all of this...and he even keeps me fairly well on the KOTF program...(and as a side note -- thanks goodness for the G-Broil grill! It has saved us quite a few times when it would have been easy to just call out for a hamburger....not with the G-Broil around though! It's so fast that it doesn't make sense to call out!). Anyway, the one thing I wanted to point out (I seem to be blathering on a bit, LOL, chalk it up to lack of sleep/stress overload...) -- is that I'm a little concerned that -- are you ready for this? -- *I MIGHT NOT BE EATING ENOUGH!* I never thought I'd say that, because in the past, stress has led me to want to eat bad things and/or overeat...but I've noticed the past week or so that I've been really bad about getting my between-meals-snacks in, and I know for sure I'm not drinking nearly enough water.....ugh....So with this new week I am going to try to be better about feeding and hydrating myself -- I know that the quickest way to plateau-ville is to make my body think it's in "starvation" mode!! NOOOOOO!!! I've been working too hard for that to happen, folks!! So if anyone out there has any super quick, super easy (think very few ingredients) recipes for the grill, please do post -- my hubby and I will thank ya for it!
Oh, and in the meantime, stay tuned for updates as we continue to try to sort out our housing crisis (did I mention that work is starting to heat up again too? I did my first audition of the season a couple of days ago, and on Friday our little family flies to Chicago so that daddy - that's my hubby :) - can do an audition there.....YIKES!!).
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August 21, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
Just a quick note to say we made it! My parents were SOOOOO happy to see their beautiful granddaughter, whom they haven't seen since April -- and they were amazed at how different *I* look from the last time they saw me. My mom kept commenting about how big my clothes are on me, and my dad said it looked like "my face had melted off", LOL....
Speaking of my dad -- he's such a sweetie! He went and stocked up on some fish, ground turkey, lots of fresh fruit & veggies in anticipation of our arrival -- he and my mom are so 100% behind this KOTF journey, it's so great! They even investigated a temporary gym pass at a local fitness center, which I'm going to check out later today (my mom is more than happy to take Frida off my hands so I can have an hour at the gym, yaaay!).
More updates to follow -- but now it's off to rehearsal....
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August 16, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
Well, another crazy week has passed and I must admit, life is getting pretty stressful -- we're getting ready to go to California so I can perform in my first post-partum recital; prepping to move out of our apartment sublet (yaaay!! we won't miss this TEEEEEEENY place and it's TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENY kitchen!!); not having an apartment to come back to when we return from California (until October); and Erik just got some interesting potential performance opportunities that could completely change our plans for the next couple of years....or not! Can you say AAAAAAGH!!! It's a wonder I haven't just given up and started hanging out at the ice cream parlor up the street ("hit me with another milkshake, wouldya?" )....but I am so lucky to have such wonderful support around me - my husband, my beautiful daughter (who is now full speed ahead into solid foods and is constantly wanting a bite of what *I'm* eating....now *THAT* will make you more mindful of what you put in your body, lemme tell ya!), my parents in California, and my brother-in-law Chris, who has been here visiting NY for the last week. We haven't seen him in over a year and it's been great to have him here (Frida finally got to meet her uncle in person!) - he's 100% behind my KOTF program and has been great about going for walks with me in the Cloisters (and yes, I've even been a little competitive about keeping pace with him...he's a little younger than me and an Army Major, so uh...he's in pretty good shape, LOL).
Food-wise we've been doing much better about not letting our refrigerator get too empty -- it's funny because I'm actually starting to crave things I didn't really think were "craveable" (if that's a word??)....like GREEEEEENS!!! At any given time, I like to have baby spinach, mixed greens and arugula in the refrigerator so that I can either throw some greens on a lunch sandwich, or grill up something delicious on the G-Broil (ooh chicken? fish? red peppers?) and make a nice dinner salad. Oh and of course I have to have berries for a little something sweet after dinner (what can I say? I like a complete dinner...and dinner isn't complete without dessert! )
I will admit that I'm a little apprehensive about the upcoming weeks -- our lives are going to be even more crazy in terms of travel than they usually are, so meal planning might get a little more complicated....but after today's taping (about which I'd LOOOOVE to tell you...but I can't 
) I do feel more confident that I can stay active even in a place like California where I won't be able to walk nearly as much as I am able to here in the city. Heck, I have to! This competition is getting fierce....Troy, Derek & Yannick are all looking fantastic, and so I have to keep serious to stay in the game...
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August 09, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
So I'm happy to say that after a couple of brushes with "falling off the wagon" so to speak, I think this past week was actually a fairly successful one, in terms of staying on track. But I know that the challenges that lie ahead in the next few weeks are just going to make it more and more challenging....my brother-in-law is coming to town on Monday and will be staying with us for about a week (he's been stationed in Europe for a year and hasn't yet met his niece in real-life...we're SOOOOO excited to see him!!). But of course along with my excitement, I will admit that I'm a little apprehensive that I'm going to want to be a little more lax about my diet -- I mean, NYC is such an incredible place to sightsee....and to EAT! Soooo many wonderful restaurants, eateries, delis, bakeries, etc etc etc....and when company comes in from out of town, it's tempting to want to eat out. Luckily, my brother-in-law is super cool and is totally 100% supportive of our KOTF program, so I think he's perfectly happy to look forward to a menu of G-Broil-prepared dinners (or at least so he says!).
I am still very faithful to my walking regime -- and in an effort to fight the inevitable "plateau" that Lawson & Michael have warned us about, I've increased the distance that I walk by doing a bit of walking before and after I meet my mommy's walking group (and this past week I noticed that it's taking me a lot less time to do the longer, more hill-intensive circuit...that's gotta be a good sign!). I use the extra walk time to mentally go through my music and memorize my texts for the recital that is faaaaast approaching -- and if Frida is awake, I'll even sing a bit to her, making silly funny faces and using an exaggerated gait to bounce her to and fro....she loves it and squeals and gigles with all her might. She is quickly approaching 10 months of age, and it's really amazing to see what a wonderful person she's already becoming. I feel so lucky to have so much time to spend with her (even if she *does* drive me crazy with her daredevil antics of trying to scale EVERYTHING and EVERYONE...and of course she also loves trying to vault herself over the footboard of our bed. ACK!)
The next step is still to come -- because of all that has been going on and in light of our upcoming trip to California and subsequent move here in NYC, we've postponed joining a gym for the time being. I still try to squeeze in my morning yoga and I've even taken to sneaking in a few isometric squats when I'm pushing Frida on the swings (yes, I get LOTS of strange looks on the playground, but I'm used to it -- people are already looking at me strangely because I'm always wearing Frida in a wrap ). Sometime soon though, I look forward to taking an hour to myself and GETTING BACK INTO A STEP CLASS!! OOOOOWEEEE!! I can't wait! In the meantime though, it's walking, yoga, isometrics, and of course always ALWAYS taking the stairs. 
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August 01, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
Well, I'm sorry to say that this blog entry is going to be a bit of a bad news report. So if you're looking for sunshine and rainbows...well, you may want to just read right past this entry! 
As Michael has already pointed out in a few of his blog entries, the thing that makes Knock Out The Fat with George a unique weight-loss competition is that...well, we have to compete while we're living our lives! We're not sequestered in a house with a chef or a personal trainer, or even a scale for that matter! Each of the four of us - Yannick, Derek, Troy & yours truly - is trying to make lifestyle changes that will encourage and enable healthier eating and an active life. However, sometimes life can get a little bit...well, overwhelming!!
We are in a mad search for an apartment in the city since we have to move at the end of this month....I mean, apartment hunting is ALWAYS stressful, as anyone who has done so in NYC can attest. But of course it is compounded by the fact that my husband and I are rehearsing for a recital that we will be performing in California in *JUST THREE WEEKS*...ack, and it's all I can do to grab a minute or two to myself each day to work on learning new songs & texts. Frida is a bundle of energy (and joy!) these days, so she is keeping me on my toes for sure -- but I do wish that there were maybe 2 extra hours each day for me to just have some focused alone time to work. Oh, and one more thing to add to the pot of life's craziness....when Erik, Frida & I are back in California, we are going to have less than a week to finish packing up the belongings we left there when we moved back to NYC about 4 months ago -- plus we'll be selling a bunch of furniture, baby items, etc. that we no longer need. ACK!! I am a *leeeeettle* bit stressed out by all of this, as you might imagine...
The problem is that what is tending to suffer from all of this hecticness and stress is - you guessed it - our diet. This past week we have ordered take out or bought lunch out about 4 times...that is probably 100% more than how many times we ordered out the first two weeks of the KOTW program. *sigh* We're trying to be as "good" as we can be about what dishes we order, but let's face it -- the portions are probably too big and we don't know EXACTLY what goes into these dishes that are being delivered to our door. I'm trying not to get discouraged, but it is a little disheartening to think that when I next see Michael, Lawson & the other contenders, I will have either plateaued or reversed course, ACK!!
Tomorrow we're going to close the bad take-out chapter and start fresh. Frida has her music class in the morning, but after it's finished, we'll grab a quick snack and head to our beloved Farmers Market for a slew of fresh veggies and fruits..and maybe we'll even grab some more delicious fish, who knows? Either way -- I may have not had the best week ever, but I'm NOT GIVING UP!! We're still in this, and I'm ready to fight through the stress and fatigue to be good to my body....Please keep sending your tips and notes of encouragement. Every little bit helps!
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July 28, 2008
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posted by: Caprice
So today at my mommy's walking group (yay, the heatwave is passed, hallelujah!! ), a mom who I hadn't seen for two weeks was back joining us for our walk. Before I could wave hello, she came up to me and looked at me with incredulity and said, "Oh my god, have you lost weight!!" (No question mark -- it was definitely an exclamation point!) I was so taken aback...I totally forgot that I hadn't seen her in two weeks, and in those two weeks I've been Knockin Out The Fat full-speed ahead! It made me feel really proud that she noticed -- I was after all wearing my sweatpants and an old, well-worn T shirt (both items are much baggier on me these days)....oh yes, and of course my 20 lb. workout secret weapon Frida was hanging out on my left hip in a rebozo carry. :)
Anyway, all is going well and strong after last week's taping. I have had a few more social outings which certainly provide challenges when it comes to sticking to the KOTF diet plan (there's no room for mindless snacking on finger foods while chatting with old friends over a glass of wine, now is there??), but all in all I'm pretty happy with how I've been doing. I still have not found my "gym time" yet, and it's beginning to weigh heavily on my mind because I'm really starting to feel the itch to get into the gym and get good & sweaty...and pumped!! So my hubby and I have resolved to sign up for a gym by month's end...and hopefully I can start going to one step class a week. Oh MY would that be a treat!! I absolutely love step class...I used to step religiously pre-pregnancy (ok, more like pre-marriage!), and I have so much fun in class that I really can't wait to get back....
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