This is the end, my friend.

So much has been happening, but here it is past midnight AGAIN. I wanted to make sure I did a post before the big day. After 7 months of intense eating and training.....it's almost over! I still need to re-pack my bag tonight and research what to eat right before going on stage. I have what my trainers have said....I just want to verify it so I can feel good about it. Because what they have said goes against everything I have done these last few months. I get to eat carbs, sugar and fats a few hours before I go on stage. Anything easily digestable - no fiber or fibrous veggies. I'm thinking egg whites and sweet potatoes for breakfast - salmon for lunch and subway for my next meal but two hours before I hit stage. Then I have rice cakes, banana, peanut butter, almonds, granola bars and a protein shake while I'm there.

I went to the gym with my friend Melonnie and she video taped me posing and doing the T-walk. Here are some snapshots of that day.

 

I met with Nanette just the other day, which was super helpful. She made some necessary tweaks to my posing and it will look much better. Front pose especially. NOT liking the picture. The tweaked pose is much nicer looking. I was kinda stoked about my back - I never get to see it so I'm glad it's coming along.

 

I had my first 'salon coat' tan done yesterday night and my first 'competition tan' done tonight. I look dark. Note to self: I can't do dishes anymore. My tan comes off with water. Better watch how I pee. Ha ha.

 

It's funny how my nervousness is. I am nervous, but there's a little bit of a 'whatever' feeling because it is what it is at this point. I pushed myself so hard every workout. I can count on one hand how many workouts I missed in 7 months of training and I was stellar on my food. So it really is what it is. I also realize genetics play a HUGE role in it. I can defy my genetics - which I am doing by building. But some people just grow muscle like it's nothing.

 

I'm pretty bummed - John had to go out of town for work and will miss my competition. It's sad because obviously he's my husband and I want him there....but because he was my workout partner, he had to see first hand the sacrifices made, the achievements gained....etc. BUT on the flip side - I have been SO SO blown away at all the friends and family that are coming to support me in this. I'm amazed.

 

One of the top questions I've been asked is: "What is going to be the first thing you eat?" The first thing I am going to eat....will be cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. What I am most looking forward to? - is waking up Saturday morning and eating a bowl of Fruit Loops. Okay, more like 3 bowls AND I am NOT going to measure it! ha ha.

 

It's been a busy week being a single mom and this week has had a ridiculous amount of events happen. So I am off to pack my bag and get some much needed sleep. These 4-5 hours a night are killing me.

All people hear is blah, blah, blah....

I think I am ready for this to be over already. I am tired of it being on my mind 24/7....I'm pretty sure my hubby and my friends are sick of it too. I'm not going to lie - it's been really cool to see the changes in my body, especially while cutting. Veins and muscles are popping out everywhere! BUT I sure miss the ignorant days of eating whatever I was in the mood for without KNOWING what was in them. There are some foods that I will never be able to look at the same again. ha ha. BUT I do love the satisfaction of knowing that I am giving my body what it needs and that I am eating real food so I'm healthy and doing it right - the way we should be doing it - before processed foods became the norm. Not to say I don't love me some pizza and cereal - but it's a treat when I have it.

I actually went to see Reid last Monday and I decided to cut even harder than I had intended to on my last post. He said when he cuts he goes down to 50g of carbs a day! Wow. So that's what I have been doing. I do 2 days of carb cutting and 1 day back to my 2300 calorie carb and protein packed diet. I have had 2 rotations of it already and holy crap I am leaning up FAST! Some days were ok and others were really hard. I've been trying a few different recipes like protein pancakes and these egg/spinach muffins. John called them Leprachaun poop. ha ha. They did look a little...interesting. I liked the pancakes and they only had 4g of carbs and 54g of protein! Then I put my no sugar syrup on them and it puts them at 11g of carbs. But they are really filling and I still stayed under 45g of carbs for the day.

 

This is my friend Naomi that helped me bling my suit. We did this over 3 days so the glue could dry and it's a bit time consuming adding hundreds - yes hundreds, of little crystals.

This is the end result. I LOVE it! It sparkles like no tomorrow. The pattern is perfect for me - it's just.... me!

 



I've been really bad about taking progress pictures. Here's one my daughter took on a whim. The lighting isn't great - but this was two and half weeks out.

Oh man! I hope I'm ready! I am really nervous....and I know this because I have already started packing my bag....and I'm a procrastinator!

This last week I took the poly graph test and passed - whew! ha ha. I got my NGA card and registered for the competition. I really only have one and a half weeks left because then the tanning starts and things start to happen! Two maybe three more sessions of carb cutting and then I will go back to my regular food until competition to help the glycogen storage in my muscles keep full. Ahhhh -

Death by Spring Break

As much as I don't like routine....I need it. I knew we were leaving out of town and I wouldn't be able to get my workouts in very well. I really wanted to lift early in the morning before we left - but that didn't happen.( Something to do with being up until 2:00am doing laundry.) When we were at my Dads house - I did 300 bench dips and hope that counted for a bit of a tricep workout. So - no workout on Tuesday, kind of a workout on Wed and John and I did a great leg workout on Thursday late at night after I got home and unpacked. Friday night we went to a friends house spontaneously for a movie night....so I did a quick shoulder workout. It was good but definitely not long enough - I was sore the next day which is good though. Then Saturday we went on a hike and did the preparation Easter thing and .....you guessed it. No workout. Tonight, needless to say, we hit it hard. I can type, but only if I move my fingers and no part of my arms. Haha ha. I have 4 weeks left! Ahhh! It's getting so close. I sat down today and planned my food out for my cutting phase. I feel like I did good the last 2 weeks - and got results which is good - but I think a few tweaks and I'll have even better progress. I'll cut dairy out on those days - so, no cottage cheese meal. Which I really like. But I'll substitute it out for tuna fish. For breakfast I'll have a starchy carb to relieve my body from it's fasting mode during the night with a protein shake of course. Then I'll have another starchy carb with my protein before my workout and another after my workout. Other than that - my carbs will be fibrous carbs combined with my protein on the other meals. I inputed what I would be eating and my ratios are AWESOME! I should lean up pretty quick.- I hope. I would rather be lean for a few weeks before I compete rather than wishing I had a few more weeks to get leaner. AND no matter what progress I make, I will always wish I had more time to get bigger muscles. Such is the name of the game for me.

Dropping

I have been doing my sprint workouts now for almost 2 weeks and in those 2 weeks I have done 3 low carb days. And by low carb I'm not talking about 20-40 grams that I hear a lot of competitors do. Oh no, low carb for me is like 180 grams. Crazy right? Well, actually the first low carb day I did was 88 grams. But my calories were way too low so we kicked them up a bit. With both things combined - it worked. I lost 1% body fat in 2 weeks. I still want more. I am low carbing it again today. It's actually not too hard to low carb it for me. It's (almost) easier. I think my body doesn't want to eat as much as I have been. I find it harder everyday to just keep eating. It's like a full time job making sure I am getting all my food in. So, low carbing it, is actually a break for me. Totally backwards for most competitors, I know. Regardless, it's a challenge for both types. Just different types of challenges. 

I found out today that all figure competitors (except the Pro) are competing on a different day than EVERYONE else. Pretty bummed about it. I want those people who are coming to see me compete be able to enjoy in all the fun. not just figure girl after figure girl. Not to mention all that estrogen in the back stage ALL competing for exactly the same thing with no one else to mix it up. Blah.

Figure suit is ALMOST done! It looks so stinkin' cute! I love it. We only have the back left. Which is a little challenging with the rouching it has, but we'll figure something out.

Oh, my aching shins

Today marked one week of cardio - I keep hearing, just watch your body and see how it responds. Problem is, I must not be that in tuned to the small changes. I just don't see changes happen really. For me, one day I'll be like "whoa, I've gotten bigger in this area of my shoulders or legs..." Or "dang, I'm starting to get cut." I don't think cardio is going to be the make or break in my process to getting ripped down. I think it'll all have to come from food. So today I started my cut down. I'll cut down for two days and then go back to my normal again. Then repeat and 'see' if I start seeing results. If not enough, I'll do it more frequently until it does happen. I ate just as much protein today as I always do on a 2300 calorie day - 197g protein, 34g of fat and 88g of carbs. It totalled only 1430 calories. My macros were 55% Proteins, 24% Carbs and 21% Fats I talked to Nan and she wants me to kick it up to be at least around 1700. So, tomorrow....more carbs. I did okay on it today - I definitely didn't feel charged like I usually do. A little sluggish. But I attribute that to early mornings and my body is beat from this week. I took today off of lifting. Mostly because it's been a CRAZY day and it was leg day and to tell you the truth, I just didn't think I had it in me to do an adequate leg workout. Plus, John wasn't home tonight to workout with me and that would have been the second time he's missed leg day. Well, we can't have that! ha ha. Tomorrow is our day off of sprints - ya-hoo! My shins are KILLING me. Can't even lift my toes up!

The 80's thong is BACK!

I think I'm sure I'm going to compete in the Novice this competition. I guess I figure it's the only time I will be able to do it - so why not?

I started my cardio on Saturday. We for sure slept in and so we didn't go until 10:00am - which was nice. My other friend Jen came with us. It was like old times when we were all training for Zeitgeist half marathon. I look back on pictures and I was s.k.i.n.n.y. Which in my book isn't a good thing. I was running so much then I couldn't keep any muscle. We only ran 3 miles - but it was enough. All those memories of the aches and pains of running came flooding back. But it still feels good.

 My girlfriend Naomi came over today to help me bling my suit (we couldn't wait until Tues - ha ha) It's nice to have her here and bounce ideas off of her and get a second opinion or reassurance about how it's all going down. I need more stones! I breezed through the 3 gross I got. I'm going to order another 2. I will post pictures when it's done. I did try on my bottoms...you know the ones that barely cover my crack!? I had Naomi take a picture and we sent it to Nanette to see if she thought it was 'normal'. I got a call back less than 10 min later! I instantly thought 'Oh, she's worried!" ha ha. But actually she said it looked normal to her. She told me to get the bikini bite and then we'd apply it and she'll see then (in person) if it'll be fine. Naomi laughed....she laughed and said "I would have so much anxiety over having to wear that" I said "me too! The nervousness factor just went up 10 notches!" Maybe with the bikini bite keeping it out of my crack, will make it better.
 Oh look! It's my suit! AND NO this is NOT me. Just thought I'd give you a visual of what my suit feels like it looks.

Thrown into the fiery brimstone....

Novice or Open? That is the question. Novice is for first time competitors or those who haven't placed before. Kind of an intro. I think it would be a ton less stressful to compete as a novice for my first show. Then if I make any mistakes, I'm not being judged against the 8th year seasoned competitor. BUT the downfall is that I won't get to truly see how I measure up against everyone else. I wish they would let you compete in Novice and then if you place, you can compete against the Open group. I guess they used to do it that way, but not anymore. Reid (my trainer) says if I compete in Novice he thinks I'd win it.... I'm thinking place. The more I think about it, the more I think I should compete in Novice for the experience and I always have the next competition to compete in the Open. Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions.

My suit....(or lack thereof)....IS ready for pickup!

I picked up my suit and of course tried it on.....I LOVE it! But it's soooo tiny! A few things. I obviously had to have padding in it and when I tried them all out, I found the one I liked. When I got home and put the suit on again (because it all seems a bit surreal) I noticed the pads were upside down. Ha ha - not upside down. I tried them on upside down! I still like the way it fits though...lucky lucky. I have a feeling bikini bite is going to be my best friend. I'm going to glue those puppies in. As for the bottoms of the suit....Oh man! The back covers my crack - that's it! I texted my posing coach and I'm having her measure the widest part on her suit just to make sure it's really suppose to be THAT little. I decided that I am most definitely going to cut some body fat for this competition. There was a little debate on if I should considering I'm pretty lean already and figure doesn't want to see muscle striations - and my shoulders which tend to be the leanest....show striations easily. But, for butts sake, I'm cutting.
I also got my stones from Nicol (the lady who made my suit) from NGearWear and I picked up the glue today and Tuesday my girlfriend Naomi is going to help me 'bling' this thing! My suit from start to finish has cost me $150. Not too shabby considering they average around $400 or more and can go up to over a thousand!

Back to cutting....I met with my trainer - I have two, Reid Merrill, who I ask about nutrition and training tips and Nanette Talbot who is my posing coach but has helped me with training and nutrition as well as the ins and outs of the competition and what to expect. Reid and I went over what I am going to do to start cutting. He was a little shocked that I consume 2300 calories a day and I'm as lean as I am and he was happy that my average protein intake is 180-200 grams a day. I love that I get to do this competition the healthy way and not have to put my body under so much stress with the extreme dieting a lot of contestants do. He says that I have a lot of room to play with to cut body fat. We're taking the easiest no brainer approach and adding cardio in but keeping my calories the same. He wants me to do this for 2 weeks and see where we are at. I get to run again....I think that's a good thing. I honestly didn't know when I was going to add that in, but it looks like Naomi and maybe my husband will go with me at 6:30am. It only needs to be about a half hour cardio - so this should work out great. Just in time to come home and get the kids up and ready for school.

That girl is on FIRE....



This is the bling pattern I am thinking I am going to try to duplicate. My suit is flashy pink though, not green. I love the cascading bling! And a total bonus....no patterns to try to keep looking identical. I am hoping it's going to be as easy as what I'm thinking it will be - fingers crossed. I still have to email it to Nicol for her to check out and give me an estimate on how many gross of crystals I will need. That could affect how blinged out my suit will be. They can add up pretty fast. I am going to bling it myself to put my sweat equity into it. It should save me around $150. Not too shabby. Still, four little triangles of fabric is quite pricey! ha ha. I can't wait to have it though!

 

In the eye of the beholder...

I felt like I needed a progress picture to be able to 'see' the difference in how my body is changing. So, here's the coulda woulda - I wish I would have taken them when I started! Gaining muscle is SO hard for my body type. I lift REALLY heavy and keep the reps low. I am still a little on the fence about which way I need to lift. I have been told that I need to stress the muscle and so I need to go for the burn and failure. But my research has told me that with my body type (Ectomorph, all the way) I go into catabolic state really quick. Which in lamans terms means that my body eats my muscle for fuel fast when it goes too long in burn mode. Meh. Do you see my dilemma. Obviously muscle builds under stress - but my muscle eats itself when put under too much stress. So there in lies my problem for building muscle. My solution: I have been trying to lift heavy enough that I feel the burn and the stress in a short amount of time. Since shoulders are my area that I want to build the most - I have been lifting them twice in a rotation. My days look like this. Chest and shoulders day, tricep and bicep day, back and shoulders, and then leg day.

 

These pictures were actually taken on Feb 5th. After looking at these pictures - I really need to remember to keep my heels together! ha ha. I have also had another posing session with Nan since then as well and have fixed some of my quirks :) I definitely think the first one is my favorite.

 

I have also decided that my first competition will be the NGA in April and then maybe another in May. Then I will keep working at it and do the Fall NGA competition. Hopefully with some tools that I gained from experience on the first one.

 



 

 

Another Reality Check

Another Reality Check....

I say 'another' because I just did this 2 weeks ago. A few days ago I got my body fat tested again and measurements done. My body fat dropped .5% and I was a little surprised because as of two weeks ago, I increased my calorie intake by 300 a day. I was expecting my body fat to go up! Well, after sitting down and cross referencing my calories burned to calories consumed I was only getting 60-90 calories over. I am aiming for about 200 over. I about lost it. I was crying, blah blah blah. A lot because of the pressure I'm feeling with my deadline being 8 weeks out (only it could be 6 or 7 but who knows since they haven't posted the competition date yet) and part because I CAN NOT possibly eat any more food! I feel like my whole day is consumed with food. I am beginning to resent food. I need to be consuming anywhere from 2200-2300 calories a day and when your eating clean, that a TON of food. I get 180+ grams of protein a day and I try to keep my macros around a 40-40-20.  Looong emo story short - I am going to take a weight gainer supplement or Ensure everyday. We talked about having a once a day cheat meal of pizza - but then I worry about sabotaging my bodies ability (or lack of ability) to build the muscle I need. So, I think I'm opting for the weight gainer supplement or Ensure. I just need something to give me a few more calories that I won't have to eat and get more full on. Being full is one of the worst feelings to me. Thanksgiving is totally overrated. For me, it's all about the company and less about the mass amounts of food.. ha ha. With that, I'm also going to start taking progress pictures. I'll post some soon. I only wish I would have started earlier to truly appreciate how far I've had to come.

All for the sake of documentation....

I saw a gal who (from the beginning) has been documenting her journey to get ready for her first Figure Competition. What a great idea! Then, if I ever thought about competing again, I could just re-read this blog and see the insanity and hopefully re-think it! ha ha. No really, I thought it would be neat to see the progress and better share it with those around me. I have already done and gone through so much getting ready to this point - I wish I would have known to do this 8 weeks ago. Better late than never though....right? Just bear with me through the roller coaster ride of 'I'm feeling good and confident about this. How cool it this going to be?' to 'What am I thinking, I'm not ready, I'm not big enough, I hate this.' And that's just what goes on daily in my head. ha ha.  I have 8ish weeks until my first competition. I say 'ish' because they haven't officially posted the dates yet for it. Maybe you have to call them to get it - I don't know.That one is the AFBB Idaho Gold Cup BodyBuilding, Fitness, Figure, Bikini Championships. But I would assume from the previous years that is will be at the end of the month. Then I plan on competing again 4 weeks after that on April 27th in the NGA Northwest National BodyBuilding and Figure Championships. We shall see....