Temptation Everywhere!!

WOW! Could I have seriously picked a harder time to train for a figure competition?!! I have the ultimate sweet tooth so the holidays are probably the hardest time for me to be training for this. But like my dad says, "You've always accomplished everything you've set on your mind and heart on!" Therefore...I will do this!

Round 1- Christmas party last week at our house: There was a plethora of goodies including cookies, pumpkin cream cheese roll, spiked eggnog and cider, lots and lots of wine, cheese, cupcakes etc... I must say...I was pretty darn good! I had a couple sips of the eggnog and cider to make sure I made it right and I also nibbled on a piece of cheese or two and some salami. Other than that, I was pretty good!

Round 2- Christmas Dinner with friends this Sunday: This one shouldn't be too bad as it is a small group of us and I'm sure there will be some healthy options. Plus, with my boyfriend's motivation, we will have a killer leg workout followed by some extra cardio on Christmas Eve as well as a run on the Convention Center stairs on Christmas Day!

Round 3- New Year's Eve: I plan on making the main dish for this potluck therefore I will be sure to get in my protein and veggies. However, it will be a little hard not drinking and managing to stay up until midnight! Ever  since I started this venture, my eyes don't stay open much past 9 or 10pm anymore. But you better betcha that I will ring in the New Year with a strawberry protein shake before bed!

I look at pictures of strong figure models every single day! They didn't invent the phrase, "Keep your eye on the prize!" for nothin'! My dad's words of encouragement, as well as weekly check ins, have pushed me harder. My boyfriend's enthusiastic encouragement, grocery store teammate, cooking helper, weekend gym partner (and late night weekday gym partner) have been nothing short of amazing! I am so thankful that he is so supportive of this lifestyle! The last thing a woman needs to hear from their significant other is, "You're getting too skinny! Muscles are gross on girls! Leave me alone at the gym! etc..." He could easily say these things but he doesn't...he loves it and that makes me feel special!

                                 
                                                     

Pushing Yourself

When training for a figure competition, there is no room for excuses! Do you know how many I could think of just in the last few days alone??

1.It's too cold, my muscles will cramp.
2.By the time I get done, it's going to be late and I'm not going to be able to fall asleep.
3.I was just at the gym less than 12 hours ago.
4.I'll go later (later turns into never).
5.I'll make up for it tomorrow.

And the list goes on and on and on... with the motivation that I have to be able to walk up on a stage confidently and strut my stuff, I have not used a single one of these! I bundle up in the morning, or in the evening, and walk my butt to the gym! Luckily, my gym is nicely heated! Once I start back at World's Gym in PB next week, I unfortunately can't say the same. However, looking at all the amazing bodies there will be enough to "warm me up"!

                                

Turkey Balls!

I came across this amazingly delicious recipe on my trainer's blog and altered it just a tad. It is a great alternative to chicken! I caught myself craving my next meal all day as I ate these for all three larger meals today!

-Package of Lean Turkey
-1 green pepper
-1 cup of onions
-3 egg whites
-Seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc...)
*Mix all ingredients together. Place in muffin pan.
*Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes
*Makes exactly 12 turkey balls.
The best part is they are only 60 calories each! 12g protein, 4g carbs, .5g fat
Two balls is equivalent to the protein I need but increase if needed.

Everyday I have had at least one friend, if not more, tell me they are following my blog and and that is has motivated them. This feels so good and in turn, really motivates me!!

My update for week 5: I still have yet to shed any weight which can be truly disheartening. However, like I mentioned in my last post, I am seeing bodily changes and that feels good! Right now, I'm working on putting on muscle and I will eventually lean out more. This is proof that the scale is NOT your friend and it's really hard to judge your progress based on what the scale tells you. I can honestly say that I've never felt better internally and physically. I'm happy with my physique right now and I am still extremely anxious about more changes. So even though the scale isn't budging, my mindset and body are and THAT is motivating! So get off the scale and do what makes YOU feel good!

                               

Motivation

When I first started this blog, it was mostly for selfish reasons...my own diary I originally referred to it as. A way for me to track my progress. Over the last 4 weeks or so I have realized that it has become more than that. I have friends that have been telling me that they've been following my blog and that feels good! Today was a little different...a good friend of mine came up to me at the gym this morning and told me that she was hesitant to go to the gym this morning BUT she read my blog and watched a YouTube video (I'll share later) and it got her out of bed and to a 7am spin class!! I can't even express how good that felt to hear! When you feel like you are your only fan...look around!...yes, you are ultimately creating change for yourself, no one else matters, however, people are watching! If that's not motivating to kick butt each and every day...I don't know what is!

Here is the link to the YouTube video my friend shared with me this morning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UizlkbS61mQ  It is extremely motivating!!

Below are two pictures. The first one is of my breakfast this morning which turned out delicious!!
Clean Pancakes:
1/2 cup Oats
5 Egg Whites + 1 Whole Egg
Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar Splenda
Topped with 1 Tbsp Real Peanut Butter
Sliced Banana (not shown)

The other pictures is dinner from last night:
4 oz Mahi topped with seasoning
4 oz Yams topped with cinnamon
Cauliflower

   

Jump Start the Week

Nothing like a trip to the grocery store to load up on protein at the end of a long weekend! Matt and I worked out together this morning for "legs day". WOW...we are both already feeling the soreness! I made sure to take two servings of glutamine today! It's great to workout with a trainer or just someone else sometimes because it REALLY pushes you!! On my third set of leg presses, I was able to press 180lbs 15 times!! Then on my fourth set I was only able to do about 10 at that weight and finish the last 5 at 135lbs. We wrapped up our crazy leg workout with 200 lunges. The number 200 doesn't seem that high when you think of it but just ask Matt...it was a lot!

We bought 5 cartons of eggs, a ton of chicken, peppers and asparagus and the crockpot will be locked and loaded come tomorrow morning.

I'm already seeing definition in my arms and abs and my legs and butt are starting to feel nice and tight. It's an amazing feel to watch yourself in the mirror as you lift and see a new line of definition. NOTHING is more rewarding than that!!

This week I WILL see more change! I WILL create the change!

                                      

Why Lie?!

So I was hesitant to get on the scale...especially after a week of having family in town and the most indulgent holiday of the year...Thanksgiving!! But I did this morning and to my dismay I put on the 2 lbs I had originally lost...gosh darn it &$^#*(@( I thought to myself! Now I have to text my trainer and tell her. Nothing like accountability gives you a kick in the ass! All she said was, "It's ok, just stay back on it...add 5 more min to cardio." Although that was encouraging and made me feel slightly better...you know what I wanted to do...get on that spin bike and ride...ride like heck through the weekend!! But I know that that is no easy fix and it will ultimately only put me back because I need to be careful about the cardio and amount of it that I'm doing. I've been back on track since our family left and I will continue to push hard and power through! I look at photos of girls in Figure everyday and it is so incredibly motivating to know that I will eventually look like that too!