Stats: 139.9; 13.1% Body Fat. (Last week: 140.8 and 13.85%)…..dropping good news on both measurements!
Diet: My calories dropped starting today from 2550 to 2100 and that will hold for two more weeks. I did a 2100-calorie refeed yesterday with white rice, oatmeal, egg whites, sweet potato, and chicken. The new diet drops out my 7th meal of the day, reduces from flax meal, and drops the higher-sugar veggie sweet potato from my line up. I LOVE sweet potatoes….won’t see those for a while!
Cardio: I was at 3 20-minute HIIT sessions on the step mill. I alternated 50 steps/minute for 2 mintues and then bumped it to 100 steps/minute for 45 seconds. They were short and sweet, yet challenging cardio sessions. Those step mills are great for glute work!
Lifting: I had a new lifting split this week. 5 days of back, legs, shoulders, chest, bi/tri….change is good!
Rest days: I had TWO rest days this week, Saturday and Sunday. I’m battling a cold, so it was good to take it down a notch. I watered up, slept until 10AM on Saturday (thank you family!), and let the muscles grow and recover!
This week I’m just adding this pic of me. The lighting was horrible when we shot, so it was hard to see the progress in the pictures (grrr, that frustrates me!). I’m seeing my center line on my abs come in more and the fat on the back of my hips start to disappear. That’s been there A LONG time, so it’s fighting me to leave easily, but with time, it will! Remember, where you have the most fat to lose you’ll lose the slowest, so stay the course!
If I can pass on one piece of advice in this journey, it’s to set up your systems and then WORK them hard! Your systems will carry you through to your goal. There are bad systems to overcome, but when you get a good system, a rhythm in your life, go with it and stay the plan. We prep our meals for the week every Sunday afternoon setting up an assembly line for the scoops, boiling the chicken and…..
enlisting the help of the kids to count out the almond stacks. They LOVE to help and we won’t tell them they’re working on their counting, too!
Another system is tracking all my lifting each workout. Often times my workouts repeat, so I need to look back to see where I ended with the weight and where to start and aim to improve. I write notes to myself and make sure I’m in the right mindset to give my all! I LOVE being in the gym. I rarely have days when I don’t want to be there, but it does take trial and error to figure out new exercises and really focus on my form. So many layers to getting this right…..strive for progress, not perfection, though!
Shoulder day and Back day! Every minute counts!
This week I drove about 1.5 hours one way with my 2 mini assistants to get my suit fitted at Suits By Amy. I wanted her to fit me in person since my surgery scar is so prominent from hip to hip. It appears most of it will be hidden and the tan will cover what might reveal. She was very helpful and my custom suit should be ready in about 4 weeks for me to try back on and figure out if there are enough jewels on it or if I need to add more. I kept it conservative and I’m keeping my final decision a secret!
Calorie drop this week, but the veggie load is still there. Broccoli and green beans offer filling fiber and low-glycemic feedback to my body. I eat 1 bag of broccoli at lunch and 3 bags of green beans at dinner, in addition to my other foods at that time. The steam-in-the-bag choices are the easiest (especially for someone who likes to multitask!). Using Fighter Diet’s Contest Prep, this plan gives me plenty of filling calories, protein, and carbs from the veggies and a bit from my AM oat bran. So far it’s getting results!
Saturday night was a trip out for Girls’ Night Out with my daughter and some other ladies. They had pizza and wine and I stayed the course, packed ahead, and ate in the car between our adventures. Again, work your systems for whatever plan you’re following. You don’t owe anyone an explanation why you choose to do what you do. Choose your food to properly fuel your body and get you the results you desire!
I know this is my first competition, but I’m taking it very seriously. If I’m going to sacrifice, put time and money into this, and devote a good portion of my waking hours to planning meals, getting to the gym, and visualizing my posing, walk, and time on stage, then I’m going to go big or go home! I’ve decided to also sign myself up for shows in my area June 1 in Anderson and June 8 in Indy and make the first 6 months of each year my “in season”. Off season (which I’m not really off of anything!), I’ll be working to eat at 25oo daily calories on the Fighter Diet plan, enjoy a cheat meal and a few treats each week, and work to lift heavy, grow my muscles and build this physique for the next season. Additionally, my husband and I are doing a Vegas trip May 9-12 with friends to celebrate a 40th birthday. Who in their right mind would go to Vegas three weeks before a show? Me! After having my first show under my belt by then, my body will be prepping to compete again and I’ll just keep working the plan. I can pack a good amount of my food, find workout facilities in the hotel or area, and focus on the fun and good times rather than what I’m NOT eating. Gotta keep the balance! I’ve made up my mind….I’ve got this!
