16.5 weeks out

The column of pictures (in the green and white striped bikini) are from 30 weeks out from competition (November 2011). The second column (in yellow and coral bikini) are from today, 16.5 weeks out from competition. The main differences to look at in the photos are one, my hips! In the first set I'm wider. In the second set, my hips are significantly more narrow. Next, look at my shoulders. You can't see it too well in the photos but I did not have a "shoulder cap" in the first set. It is now starting to become defined. Lastly, look my photos from behind. You can see that my waist from my behind looks more narrow and my butt is sitting up a little higher. I am also starting to develop some back muscles!

A lot of you have asked what I'm training for, what the difference is between figure and bodybuilding, why am I doing this, etc... In figure competitions the judges look for a few different things in particular. 1) A nice round shoulder cap-- definition between the shoulder and bicep. 2) A V shape from back to waist. Meaning, the shoulders should be like an upper V and the lower back should be tapered down like the bottom point of a V. 3) Glute/Hamstring tie in. The glute and hamstring to flow nicely, aka no butt cleavage.

I'm doing this for myself, and myself only! It is a goal that I set for myself and I am truly loving the journey. The diet and process has gotten a lot easier as time has gone on, which I've mentioned in several other blogs.

The photos are only a 3.5 lb difference! But I feel stronger and look a lot better! Common myth: muscle wears more than fat. Truth: 1 pound of muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat, it just takes up a heck of a lot less space and makes your body look a heck of a lot better!

I'm currently lifting 5 days a week. One day of all back, one day of all shoulders, one day of heavy legs, one day of shoulders and back and one day of hamstrings and glutes. I'm also doing 25 min. of cardio on the stepmill at the end of the day, 6 days a week. Yes, most days I'm going to the gym twice a day!

Update

It has been awhile since I've posted. I have been extremely busy!! I figured I would start off with several updates:

1. I currently weigh 124.2 lbs.
2. I feel leaner every week!
3. Working out twice a day and getting up really early in the morning have become habit.
4. One of the keys to staying on track is prepping your meals ahead of time.
5. Encouragement and an extra push is ALWAYS needed! I don't care who you are.

I believe the last time I blogged my weight was a tad higher. My trainer explained to me that we aren't too concerned with my weight just yet because I am getting stronger and we are seeing overall changes. However, the time will come when the pounds need to come off. Stage weight for my height is between 112-114! It's crazy to think that I could weigh 10-12 lbs less than I do now but I welcome the new muscle!

Between my trainer and my fiance, we have been taking pictures if not every week, every other week. I will post new pictures by the end of this week. This helps us to monitor my progress. When you compete, your body fat and weight do not get measured. It's all about how you look on stage!

In the beginning, I was only working out with my trainer one, maybe two days a week. I'm not going to lie, in the beginning, it was extremely hard to get up at 5:30am to get ready to meet my trainer. I currently lift with her three mornings a week, lift on my own two other days, and we just increased my cardio to 25 minutes on the stepmill six days a week. (Before, I was on the stepmill long enough to burn 250 calories, which took about 20 minutes). Due to intervals, I burn about 340 calories on the stepmill in 25 minutes. I typically weight train in the morning and do cardio at night. Honestly, most of the time I welcome the evening session. There is no better way to start and end your day then with a killer workout! It definitely takes time for all of this to become routine. For me, it took about 2-2.5 months! But I kept pushing through it and continue to love it!

Prepping your meals ahead of time and ALWAYS having healthy food in the fridge is KEY!! I honestly can't stress that enough. When you let yourself get to the point of starving, and nothing is ready to eat, that's when you start munching and crave unhealthy foods. Matt and I take about two nights a week to prep food (usually Sundays and one week night). I make sure we have plenty of cooked chicken, turkey balls, red meat balls (same as turkey balls but with lean ground beef or sirloin), rice, and green veggies. In the evening or in the morning I measure out all of my meals and put them in containers so I can easily have them on the go. I can eat all of the food hot or cold. (You become immune to the cold meat after awhile.) I also carry around a half gallon water jug. I drink a half gallon of water during my lifting session as well as another half gallon during my cardio. I then drink another gallon in between those workouts. I never thought I could drink so much water!! A few things have helped me with that...I add calorie free flavoring to the gallon I drink in the middle of the day and Figure Fuel (http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/man/figure-fuel.html) to my water when I'm lifting and doing cardio for that extra kick.

I tried training for one of these about three years ago, before I met Matt. Turns out, I  needed that extra push to really get things moving. I definitely have the self-motivation, dedication, and discipline to do this and to succeed but it is crazy the things your mind tries to tell you when you have five minutes of cardio left or 2-5 more reps of an exercise. Having a trainer with me on my heavy lifting days and having Matt at home and as my "food partner" helps tremendously!! I honestly wouldn't have it any other way!

Everyone has their idea of "beautiful". This is mine! And when I picture myself in a wedding dress,
I picture my back looking like this!!

                                                         

A Little Change of Plans...

So I was originally planning on competing in the Figure Competition in about 9 weeks, March 17th. However, after meeting with my trainer last week, we decided that it would be best to continue training and compete on June 9th instead. She informed me that she is sure that I can get lean enough for the show in March BUT to come in with a competitive edge it would be best to compete in June since I will have a lot more muscle on by then. Being that I  have been an athlete my whole life and am extremely competitive there was no hesitation to her advice! I want to feel 100% confident on that stage and I want to truly be a competitor and my goal is to place!!

This does not mean that I get to eat and drink whatever I want for a little while or lighten up on weights and cardio at the gym. This means that I continue to work my butt off and stay focused and dedicated! This should almost make it a tad easier since I will be able to move somewhat slowly through the next 20ish weeks instead of rushing to get my body prepped for the show that is 9 weeks out. I compare it to studying for a test...would you rather stress and cram (ie. do the March show) or have time to study, work on things, and truly understand what you're getting yourself into (ie. June show). I am a firm believer that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey!

I will be working out with my trainer Monday-Wednesday at World's Gym and working out on my own two other days. I will continue to do cardio 5 days a week for 20 minutes on the stairmaster as for me, this burns about 250 calories.

So here are a few pictures. The first picture is from right before I left down for Christmas. I had already been training for about 6 weeks prior to those photos. The one below it is from tonight...21 weeks out from the competition at The Scottish Rite Center in June. Here is the link to the rest: http://my.bodybuilding.com/photos/view/type/progress

                                                                 

9.5 weeks out!

I realize it has been awhile since I last posted so it's time to update!

I have been asked to post pictures...I will get some up this week.

I started this journey at 127 lbs. I currently weigh 123.8.

Matt and I were out of town for the last week so there was A LOT of prepping to do! I made about 40 turkey balls, packed rice cakes and baby food rice cereal, cucumbers and celery to munch on as snacks, lots of protein powder, BCAA powder, CLA pills, etc...Needless to say I toted a cooler and a carry on suitcase of JUST food and supplements on to the plane. TSA at the airport wasn't too pleased with this on the way out of San Diego. They took my suitcase apart and sent over a woman to "inquire" about what everything was. Do I really look like someone that would blatantly smuggle drugs on an airplane?! Apparently!! Luckily, we made it through security and on to the plane with everything I needed!

We did go out to eat a couple times while on vacation but I was able to order a veggie egg white omelet for breakfast and a filet or fish for with veggies for dinner. Matt and I also made it to the gym several times while in Pennsylvania. (It truly helps having a motivating gym partner!)

We arrived back home yesterday and now it's game time! 9.5 weeks out from competition and I'm sure the time is going to fly by!! I'm currently lifting 5 days a week and doing enough cardio on the treadmill to burn 350 calories each session, 5 days a week. I will be meeting with my trainer next Tuesday and we will start working more on posing for the show! Time to order some clear heels...yes, I'm serious! It's kind of funny if you think about it...you spend money and lots of time on training, you then spend A LOT on a suit for the show, you get a really really really dark tan, doll up your hair and face and then throw on some clear stripper heels...hey, why not?!

I will probably order my suit at some point next month. There are people that make the suits custom to your body. Suit can range from $150-$900+!! It all depends on how bedazzled you want it. Bedazzling is a MUST!! I'm pretty sure I'm going to order a plain suit and bedazzle it myself! I think this will give me something fun to do (in my infinite amount of spare time) as well as keep me focused. I'm also going to order a few different types of dark tanning solution and test them out because the tan for the show can normally cost upwards of $100+!! I think I got the tan covered!

As you can see, these shows aren't cheap! The workouts aren't easy! And the diet is tough! But as long as you stay focused and prepared, you can make it through!! I...will make it through!!

                                        
                                                                It's pretty simple...

                                      
                                 Our airplane snacks: Cass-Turkey Balls/Matt-Cinnamon Roll
                     

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!