Slow and Steady Wins the Race

It has been one month since my last post and while not much has changed with my macros I have lost body fat and gained some muscle! I am still hovering around 2,100 calories a day with cardio 5 times a week and weights 6 times.

I do not feel burned out from the exercise program and really enjoy receiving the new workouts which helps keep me motivated and excited to get into the gym.

Currently I am sitting at 10.4% body fat at 7 weeks out from my show in Montana. I feel so happy that I do not feel rushed or scared if I will have enough time to be show ready or not. This means I will have more time to work on myself in areas I could improve on.

Last week I was so excited because the suit I ordered arrived! I drove all the way home on my lunch just to try it on. I am in LOVE with this bikini. I ordered from an online store name Angel Competition Bikinis, it is a cranberry color with blue crystals and while it may not be as "blinged" out as some other bikinis it is my suit and I am proud to wear it to show off all my hard work!

One area I am currently working on is my posing which is a big  aspect of what you are judged on. Standing up tall, flexed and making transitions is NOT easy by any means. I am actually sore the next day after posing class, haha.

Before I entered this competition I had no idea how much practice would need to go into perfecting the pose that is right for your body. There is no cookie cutter way because everyone is shaped differently and you want to highlight your best features.

A phrase that I recently heard and am trying to live by came from a Ted Talk video. "Fake it till you become it." I have been really using this to my advantage. When I do pose I feel silly because I have never done anything like this before but you know what? I am going to fake being the MOST confident person until I really become it and as each week goes by I am truly believing in myself more than I did in prior weeks.

I can't to see where I am in a few more weeks but for now I am going to keep on keeping on staying strong and focused!

What's on Your Plate

One of the questions I get asked the most often is in relation to my diet. A lot of people have the misconception that I eat bird food all day or that because I stick to healthy foods they are automatically boring. 

Yes, I do stick to healthy foods because I am not just concerned with the aesthetic look of my body, I also want to treat the inside of my body well too. I am asked on a daily basis from my coworkers, "What are you eating? That smells so good!"  I am here to show you it is all in how you prepare your food and finding your inner food creativity!

BEFORE MOVING ON: Please know that just because this is working for me it DOES NOT mean it will work for you. All of our bodies react differently than one another and most people would gain weight on the diet I follow.

Meal #1: 8:00 am

Peanut Butter Banana Strawberry Smoothie. Yes, I do drink all of it. Yes, I know it is a lot, 40 ounces to be exact.

What's in it?

Almond milk, frozen strawberries, peanut butter banana protein powder and almond butter.

I accompany this with some green tea!

Meal #2: 10:00 am

I am obsessed with this stuffed sweet potato, if I could eat this for every meal I would! 

What's in it?

Sweet Potato, Chicken, Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing and sometimes topped with cheddar cheese! I also like to add Mrs. Dash southwest chipotle seasoning, yum!

       Meal #3: 12:00 pm

 

This is my oatmeal creation from the heavens, I know it may look unappealing to some but don't judge a book by its cover! It tastes like a dessert and is sweetened naturally with bananas so no need to add sugar.

What's in it?

Oatmeal, vanilla whey protein isolate, unsweetened cocoa powder, almond butter, bananas.

Meal #4: 3:00 pm

 

Chicken Salad! 

What's in it? Salad, chicken, tomatoes, baby bella mushrooms, cucumbers, avocado and cilantro avocado yogurt dressing.

Meal #5: 5:30 pm

What's in it?

Chicken, broccoli and sweet potato. I season this with the Mrs. Dash no salt seasoning, usually a  southwest chipotle or garlic and herb seasoning.

In addition to my meals I drink throughout the day 1 gallon of water. It may be annoying to pee all the time but I would rather be hydrated.

Try and see what creations you can make with healthy and nutritious foods, your body will thank you!

Trusting the Process

As I write this post I can say that I am still as motivated as I have been since day 1. This journey for sure has had its ups and downs such as missing out on drinking with friends on New Years, having the freedom to go out and eat at a restaurant as well as being very disciplined at parties where there is alcohol and food temptations. Overall though I am happy I have stuck with this.

Last week we checked my body fat again and I was sitting at 12% but this time I had actually lost a little bit of muscle along with fat.

Here is a side by side of two weeks apart. Not too much of a difference execpt I was able to try on an actual competition suit, helllooo bootay! The suit is TINY, I felt naked 😳.

My trainer told me that since we are sitting at more than 13 weeks out from my first competition he wanted to keep me where I was at and "build me up some more" which means I get to eat more!!!!

I had always heard the phrase "trust the process" but never really knew what it meant until I was in the situation of having to actually trust the process.

I will admit when I heard the words, "We are going to increase your carbs to 220 grams a day and your fat to 60 grams a day" I was scared shitless, I was being told to eat 2,140 calories a day which I never thought was possible for me. I was excited to eat more but had an extreme amount of anxiety because I was now out of my comfort zone.

I come from a childhood of being bullied for my weight and although I am working on letting those taunting memories go it is still an insecurity of mine, I am very sensitive about that aspect in my life and I know a lot of other girls/women can relate.

I even had to reach out to one of my best friends to tell me how rediculous I was being with being worried about eating more. With her support and strong/honest words (ha-ha) I placed my faith in what my coach advised me and went with the new diet outline.

This past week I refrained from weighing myself as often as I was because I knew that with the higher intake of carbs/food the scale would naturally read higher. Within in a couple of days I could tell I had more energy, my muscles looked fuller and I felt stronger both mentally and physically.

Here is a photo of me this morning sporting some abs!

This is me eating over 2,000 calories a day, working out 5 days a week with only 30 minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of weight training, proof that you do not have to kill yourself with endless hours in the gym if you are sticking to whole healthy foods and moderate amounts of exercise.

After only 6 weeks of this journey I have made the following realizations:

1. I am more appreciative of my body than ever and I love myself more than I did on day 1 of this journey. My body is incredible for what it does and I am grateful for being me.
2. The people in your life who truly support you will understand if you cannot go out to a restaurant or a night on the town. They will find other avenues of entertainment to hang out with you because they are your TRUE friends. Shout out to my girls Becky, Brigitta and Tara for being there for me and rooting me along. 
3. Do not be afraid to trust your coach or the "process". My coach actually cares about my  health which is why he doesn't have me on a low calories starvation diet. I am lucky to have found Jeremiah and be part of Team Fit Physique and will now embrace being told to eat more. 

Well, that closes my thoughts on the previous two weeks. Monday I will have more progress photos as well as a body fat percentage update. Adios!

Finding The Balance

Its been two whole weeks since my last post and a lot of exciting things have happened on my fitness adventure.  

First, I want to talk about how hard the Holidays are and trying to stay away from all of the goodies people have been laying out at my work. Whoever set out those cookies, almond bark and cake... 



Moving on... I have been falling into a much better routine the past two weeks. I wake up at 4:30 am hit the gym for cardio and lift weights on my lunch hour.

Thanks to my Coach Jeremiah I was recommended a preworkout made by Metabolic Nutrition named E.S.P. I never knew I could perform so well at 5 am and the best part is I don't "crash" or feel sick when I take it. I was also recommended to start taking a daily multivitamin. I take 1 Animal Pak and a Vitamin C tablet everyday. I choke down these babies every morning, it takes a good 5 minutes, haha!

 

Getting on a routine I mentally feel so much better, I don't experience the anxiety during the day dreading the long workout I have to look forward after work. I am also sleeping better and am generally in a better mood.

 

As far as progress, the pictures below speak for themselves. I was given great news tonight that not only did I lose fat, I also gained muscle! Currently I am at a rate of losing 1% body fat per week.

 

Here I am sitting at 12.4% body fat! I FEEL AMAZING. No I am no starving myself I eat almost every 3 hours, yes I do watch what I eat and exercise consistently but most importantly I am happy and enjoy my healthy lifestyle. I lost inches off my waist, hips/butt and thighs/calves all thanks to a motivational coach and hard work.

I have 109 days (April 16th, 2016) until my first show in Missoula, MT. All I can say right now is BRING IT!

Day 10 into my new Adventure

It has been 10 days since I started eating clean and incorporating my new workout plan. The new variety has been nice and I am more eager to workout now since I know it wont be the same thing I have been doing for the past 2 years!

A couple Sunday's back I took my Bikini Posing Intro 101 with some of the other girls on my team. I have to say my teammates are some hotties and I am honored to be going through this with other supportive women.

While posing you have to tilt your hips out and I had no idea how sore my lower back would be, but BOY OH BOY was I hobbling around like an old lady for the next couple of days.

Before my workout tonight, (I train with my coach every Monday) we took my measurements again. This time is was more accurate as I was back to normal from my period and the water weight gain that occured over Thanksgiving.

I had my roommate take some progress photos of me and here I am, accurately measured at 14% body fat! My dog Roxie even wanted to show off her physique too!

I also had my second one on one training with my coach tonight. It was leg/booty day and I was eager to learn some new moves and techniques. To keep it short, he kicked my butt, it was AWESOME!

This previous week I was feeling a bit anxious about taking on too many projects at once. I work 2 jobs, workout 6 days a week, started volunteering for a local hospice company, try to maintain a social life and also take care of my 3 puppies. It is overwhelming sometimes but I will not create any excuses for myself.  I have found that making a schedule has calmed my nerves and actually shown me that I do still have free time to hang out with friends and relax. I even had time during the week to go on a fun photo shoot with my dear friend Becky. Here I am all glammed up, a nice change from my sweaty posing pictures!

 So, if I can achieve my goals just remember you can too! Don't ever give up because at the end of the day you will always be with yourself and loving who you are and feeling good is what life is about!