Saturday, January 15, 2011

Competition Shoes Friday!

Late night after battling a bit of insomnia, I wrote a note to myself which I will look back on as I continue towards competition. Although I will not share at this point, perhaps I will after I win. :) But the main point, is that I am THE formidable foe. And my competition doesn't even know what is coming for them.

And guess who got their competition shoes?!

Shoes By Ellie
They fit perfect and stay on perfect when I walk around in them. Like they should! They are a half size small which makes them stay on perfectly.
Friday's Wish: Just to make it through. :)

Today's workout: 30 mins stairclimber at 5am
10 mins treadmill for wu, 35 mins lower body:
Walking Dumbell Lunge 1@ 60x12, 2@ 65x12
Assisted Dumbell Lunge 3@ 60x12, 1@ 70x5
Machine Leg Press 3@ 260x12
Calf Raise 3@ 260x12
Machine Leg Extension 3@ 100x12, 1@ 110x4
Machine Leg Curl 3@ 40x12
Incline Reverse Crunch 3@ 20
& 10 mins stairclimber cardio post weights

Eats:
415: 2 Lipo 6x Black Hers
600: 1 scp whey isolate post workout
700: 1/2 c oatmeal, 2 egg whies, 1 egg, green tea (w/2 mv, 1 fo, & 1 gluc)
1000: 2 oz turkey, yogurt, 12 almonds, banana (w/1 fo, 1 gluc, & Iron)
1300: 2 oz turkey, 10 baby carrots w/1/4 c hummus (w/vit-D & vit-C)
1500: 1 Lipo & 2 Essential Electrolytes
1700: 1 scp whey isolate
1830: 2 oz chicken, 10 asparagus spears (w/1 fo & Vit-E)
2000: 1 scp casein

Total: 1399 calories, 165g protein, 87g carbs, 45g fat

Friday, January 14, 2011

Insomnia Thursday

I did not sleep a WINK last night! For the love of sweet baby Jesus on Christmas morning, stress needs to take a hike! (and so do the constant thoughts of competition)



Thursday's Wish: NO emotionally tired eating. Many times if I'm over-tired, I will comfort eat in hopes that it will ease how tired I am. This is an education in self. I'm quite aware that competition prep brings out a LOT of food issues that a person has inside of them. And "tired" eating is one of mine which I am learning to fight through. My goals do not stop just because I'm tired.

This is a point to all my ladies considering competition, think about it right now before you start competition diet... Think about WHEN you eat aside from your normal meals and outside of your pre-outlined diet. I recently got over "punish" eating. When I feel like I've eaten bad, I'll "punish" myself by eating too little. Lesson learned: Do bad. Move on and do good right now. No penance needed.

Workout: I had planned on AM cardio, but since I got no sleep I stayed in bed trying for some extra Z's until 6. But I did make it to hot yoga at 4pm, which actually is an amazing feat considering how exhausted I was. But I needed to flush through my organs, and focus on welcoming rest into my body. I had a fantastic class with a lot of energy, and not only did my man have dinner waiting, but a bath drawn. I was in bed and fast asleep by 730... which gives one much energy to get up at 4 for am cardio. :)

Eats:
700: 1/2 c oatmeal, 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, coffee w/cream (w/2 mv, 1 fo, & 1 gluc)
1300: 2 oz chicken, 1 oz sweet potato, 1 c lettuce, 1 c cherry tomatoes, 1/4 c shredded cheddar, 6 black olives, and 2 tbsp light ranch (w/1 gluc, vit-D, & vit-C)
1000: 1 oz turkey, 12 almonds (just wasn't that hungry...) (w/1 fo, 1 gluc, & iron)
1500: 1 Lipo & 2 Essential Electrolytes pre-yoga
1730: 36 oz of coconut water
1830: 1 large chicken wrap with veggies and cilantro cream cheese... I also added 1 tbsp olive oil mayo (w/1 fo & vit-E)

Total: 1455calories, 138g protein, 110g carbs, 48g fat

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Wednesday is Snowy and Dreamy

Today, although I had full intentions of doing some AM cardio...

Not so much. It was snowing and I was tired. So I slept till 7 (which caused me to be an hour and a half late for work...)... And I came to work to this:

Coworkers added the weeks counting down to my competition! :)

Anyway! My wish wish wish for today is: Not go over my calories even after my cheat meal.

Workout: Upper body w/dumbells & 30 mins stair climber post-weights
Upper body w/o consisting of:   SETS         REPS       WEIGHT
(Hehe! Stealing from Chouka!)
Incline Dumbell Fly                     1                12                 12
                                                  2                12                12.5
                                                  1                5                   15
Lying Triceps Extension              3                12                 30
Bent-Over Row                         3                12                  35
Shoulder Press                           3                12                17.5
                                                  1                3                    20
Lateral Raise                              3                12                  10
                                                  1                 5                   12
Lying Pullover                            3                 12                  30
Biceps Curl                                3                 12                12.5
                                                 1                  5                   15
(I did 3 sets of each exercise, then added a fourth only for the body parts in this group I'm looking to develop... In this group it was shoulders and biceps. Overall, I'm looking to develop my shoulders, biceps, lats, and bum. :) )

Eats:
900: (Spoiler alert: cheat meal!) 1/2 c scrambled eggs, 1 pc sausage, 3 potato wedges, gravy and coffee. I feel like I deserved this as I haven't had a cheat in 5 days or so and having exercised a ton in the last few days... (w/2 mv, 1 fo, & 1 gluc)
1100: 1 oz chicken, yogurt, and 12 almonds (w/1 fo, 1 gluc & Iron)
1330: 2 oz chicken, 12 carrots (w/1 gluc, vit-D, vit-C)
1445: 2 Lipo
1700: 2 scps whey isolate
1830: 2 oz turkey & 1 c green beans (w/1 fo & vit-E)
2100: 1 scp casein

Total: 1398 Calories, 151g protein, 78g carbs, 53g fat.

Although I feel like I deserved my cheat meal, I feel kinda bad about it. I'm always afraid that I'm back tracking on the work I do when I have my cheat meals. I guess I won't have to worry about that in a few weeks! lol

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tuesday's Chaos Theory

Watched a movie this weekend with the yummy Ryan Reynolds in it called Chaos Theory.


While it was an amazing film, in it his character said something that struck me "What is your wish today?"

What is your wish today?

I love this. I have things that I know I need to do everyday... Like eat right, take my supplements, drink enough water, make my lunch for tomorrow, make it to cardio, do chores etc etc etc. But I never really and truly make 1 goal for my day. I have decided to start using this. And, daily.

Today my wish is: To just GO FOR IT!
I was thinking about my plyo workout from last week when I thought about this. Last week I had to stop quite a few times during my workout (since my lungs were still rather raw from being sick), and today I just went for it!
Workout:
AM: 45 mins stair stepper (this was SO hard for me) and will feel it in the bootay tomorrow!
PM: 10 mins running on the tread and _ mins plyometrics:
40 bench step ups
20 box jumps
20 bunny hops
30 lateral hops over cone
4 gym lengths speed bounds
20 traveling jump squats
20 forward/backward hops over cone
20 table kicks
20 squat-thrust (burpees)
20 alpine climbers
10 lunge jumps
4 gym lengths speed bounds
I wanted to repeat all twice, but my back was hurting from my core workout from the day before, but I figured 45 mins of stair stepping in the AM was probably a good addition to my plyos... so I went home and packed as plans have changed and we are moving this Satruday.

Eats:
430-2 Lipo 6x Black Hers :)
600-1 scp whey isolate
700-1/2 c oatmeal, 2 egg whites, 1 egg, tea  (w/2 mv, 1 fish oil, & 1 glucosamine)
1000-Yogurt, 12 almonds, 2 oz chicken (w/1 fo, 1 gluc, & iron)
1300-1/2 banana, 3 oz chicken, 1 oz sweet potato, 8 baby carrots (w/1 gluc, vit-D, & vit-c)
1445-2 Lipo
(Forgot my post-wo shake.. grr)
1630-6 oz turkey burritos in 2- 6" Whole Wheat low carb tortillas w/pico de gallo, 2 tbsp green taco sauce, and 12 black olives
w/1 fo & vit-E

Totals: 1380 calories, 168g protein, 99g carbs, 28g fat

Feeling very in control today. Again, I love knowing that I control my body... My body and cravings do NOT control me. And that is my ultimate wish. :)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

This Week's Schedule and Monday Journal

My week this week should be interesting as I am counting down 14 weeks to competition. My schedule this week will be:

Monday- AM- 20 mins HIIT on elliptical, 25 mins steady rate cardio on treadmill
PM-Upper body with machines
Tuesday-AM-45 mins steady rate cardio on treadmill
PM-Plyometrics
Wednesday-AM-20 mins HIIT on elliptical, 25 mins steady rate cardio on treadmill
PM-Bikram Yoga
Thursday-AM-45 mins steady rate cardio on treadmill
PM-Upper body with dumbells
Friday-AM-45 mins steady rate cardio on treadmill
PM-Lower body
Saturday- 20 mins HIIT on elliptical, 25 mins steady rate cardio on treadmill (I want to work up to a nice HIIT on treadmill but I just literally can't keep my breath on that yet)... and I'm making this day optional.
Sunday-REST!

Goals for this week:
1-Slight carb cycling diet, 2 cheats this week: 1-Saturday night dinner, 2-Sunday night stew
2-Make it to AM cardio 5x this week
3-Make the switch to tea during the week (I'm having a hard time kicking real cream in my coffee..)
4-Look for some jewelry for competition!

Monday's Journal-
AM- My darling love really helped me wake up early this morning. I made it to the gym by 5 and got in some good pre-breakfast cardio. I tried to do some HIIT cardio on the treadmill but my lungs and breath just aren't back yet, plus I forgot that I took my classical music playlist off my iPhone (I can only run to classical... helps me keep my breathing calm). Ended up with about 20 mins on the tread then finished with some good HIIT on the elliptical for another 25 mins.
PM-10 mins running on the tread for warm up. Upper body w/machines in circuit was:
Incline barbell bench- 2 @ 50 x 12 (I'm having a hard time upping my weight on this, note to self: find a spotter)
Lat Pulldown- 3 @ 80x12
Cable Row-3@ 80x
Decline twisting ab crunch- 1 @ 12x20 & 2 @ 12x10 (12 lb medicine ball)
Machine Shoulder Press- 3 @ 50x12
Chair Dip- 3 @ 20
Bench Leg Raise- 1 @ 20 & 1 @ 10
Cable Triceps Overhead Extension-2 @ 40 x12
Cable Biceps Curl- 2 @ 60x12
Total of 35 mins upper body & abs.

Eats:
2 Lipo 6x Black Hers pre-cardio
0600: 1 scp whey isolate (post cardio)
0730: 1/2 c oatmeal, 2 egg whites, 1 egg, and an americano w/2tbsp cream (I know...)
w/2 womens active Multi-vitamins, 1 fish oil, & 1 glucosamine
1000: yogurt, 12 almonds, small banana, and 1 oz chicken
w/1 fish oil, 1 gluc, & iron
1300: 1 oz sweet potato, 2 oz chicken, 10 baby carrots
w/1 gluc, Vit-D, & Vit-C
1700: 1 scp whey isolate (post workout) w/1 Essential Electrolyte
1830: PB & Jelly crepe & 1/2 c pure oj.
w/1 fish oil & Vit-E

Total: 1398 calories, 145g protein, 103g carbs, 39g fat

Weight today: 120.8 lbs. Saw this today at the gym and it made me giggle. I love it because so many women do define themselves through their weight. It really made me smile. :)


Feelin good today! :) Only thought about cheating on my diet once, and did... but it was just coffee w/cream.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Back At 'Em

It takes self control. Self control that I have.
I spent much of Monday reflecting. Reflecting upon myself and how this whole process got started. When I first started I:
-Tracked my food through healthy eating on weight watchers
-Walked everywhere
-Did about an hour of cardio every day
-Did no weights
-Did yoga 2-3x a week.

Now I:
-Track my food on my iPhone and moderate everything: Calories, protein, carbs, and fat. Hard and awesome.
-I now own a car, so I don't walk much anymore
-Only about an hour of cardio spread throughout a week
-About an hour of weights daily
-Do yoga almost never.

As one continues through a journey, I think it is important to always go back to basics. Maybe not for my eating, which I consider pretty close to perfect, but definitely for my workouts. When I first started, 2 lbs a week or 10 lbs a month was not unheard of.
So, I am moving back into shorter weight sets, longer cardio (will try for am cardio once I get back into a steady routine... gotta be realistic about getting up at 415...), and more yoga. I really truly notice how the yoga helps flush out everything bad to make room for the good stuff.  And expecting to lose a good 8 lbs of fat in January is not a far fetched goal! One I plan to hit. I'd be happy with 5-8 lbs, which would be 5-8% body fat.

Monday was well played.
Although I was still feeling sick (well, mostly just raw lungs), I made it to the gym. I hit cardio for a full 50 minutes on the elliptical, and did about 28 minutes of an upper body circuit. Day after, my traps and lats are really sore... watching form on Lat pulldown and row really do wonders. :)
Eats were perfect with a switch to only 10% carbs (so that is literally only one serving): 1346 calories, 164g protein, 126g carbs and 25g fat.
Weighed in at 123.5 lbs. Considering the holidays just happened, my weight is perfect. I did not gain at all. :)

Tuesday was FUN!
Plyometrics. Dang. Kicked my bootay.
Eats again were perfecto! Another day without coffee and drinking green tea. I was pretty hungry throughout the day, so I may need to switch up where I put in my fruit and where I put in my carb on certain days. Tomorrow will be a yoga day, in which I will allow for a second carb for extra power, I hate the dizzy feeling during yoga. Anyway! Today was 1375 calories, 160g protein, 109g carbs, and 34g fat.

Wednesday was needed. :)
Today I admitted something so... monumental. I admitted that my life is better and brighter without my ex-husband. Today I feel like my life is starting. What an incredible feeling.
Workout today is Hot Yoga at 4pm. :) I'm excited to see my yoga buddies and flush out some toxins and excess water. I'm extremely sore from my plyo workout yesterday. All through my lower body and abs. I'm pretty sure if I'm doing plyos, I don't even need to do an ab workout. Days later my abs are still sore. And holy hell! So are my feet!
Diet ended up pretty good. I had a carb night to prep myself for a lower carb day. 1500 Calories, 115g protein, 168g carbs, and37g fat!
... And for those of you who know, Yoga teacher training possibility is back in the mix for possibilities this year. My heart keeps going back to it, so it is obvious that I need to do it. Considering fall 2011. :)

Thursday made me proud.
Today I was hungry like the wolf. I ended up throwing in a noon meal of a salad... Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and balsamic vinegarette. Curbed the appetite pretty well and I moved my 1pm meal to 130 and removed the veggie from it.. Ended up with 1332 calories, 128g protein, 123g carbs, and 53g fat.
Workout today ended up with a good upper body circuit in a total of 30 minutes. Will list next week what I've done. Along with 50 mins of cardio.
I feel proud of my eats today. It was hard and my mouth wanted to eat much more than I actually did. I have to give myself major props for that.
I am so excited! I got my food scale today and my new workout journal (which I'm not totally certain how much I like it)! AND bought some vanilla casein powder, along with a chocolate coconut whey isolate, so I can start making protein pancakes and muffins and crepes.  Momentum is rushing back!!!

Friday
I weighed today and am down to 120! With 20.6% body fat! However, I'm suddenly feeling the competition anxiety.
Met with a girlfriend virtually who is a trainer and she's going to take a look through my diet and help me with this... as I am probably not going to hire a trainer. I am weary about saying that but I don't feel I need one. I know my body and I have fantastic friends who are trainers and serious lifters which is enough for me. Those are the ladies that really keep me motivated anyway. :)
Workout was great. Ended up with 35 mins elliptical and 30 mins lower body... I used my normal schedule but added in some bulgarian split squats to really work the bum! ;) <--- My fav body part to work!
Eats were a medium carb day. Totaled: 1333 calories, 141g protein, 135g carbs, and 25g fat.

Also, I bought my competition shoes today! Just need some jewelry, bikini tape, and ma hair did! ;)

I'm taking Saturday as my rest day and having my cheat meal tonight along with some lazer tag haha... I've done well keeping up my protein so far today to give myself some room for my cheat meal tonight... Mexican. ;)

These next two weeks will be interesting. I'm at 15 weeks out to competition today. Next week will carb cycle again then I will be taking another break. I'll break it down more on Monday.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Deadly Sins: Vanity and Anger

I have deadly sins. Deadly to fat. lol
I read something tonight that was rather inspirational to me. My girlfriend who also has been going the distance in her weight loss goals said, "...identifying what's great about me is something completely new." And I think we are much the same. I began to think about what about me is good... And I just remember back when I was a kid, I would pride myself in being athletic or fit or pretty. My mother, the cockiness hunter, would quickly reprimand me, "Quit looking at yourself in the mirror!"

But part of me has found that being vain, isn't that bad... Especially when it is only half vanity. Yes I look and fix, no I don't think I'm perfect. And especially when you see the fault, and work to fix it. Nothing can be wrong about that.

As I lay here thinking about it, the more I get angry about trying to get passed this wall. Usually, if this happens, I begin to lose my motivation. Lose my determination.

But this time, as laying around here goes, you wind up watching reality tv. Somehow, I've gotten into Dog: The Bounty Hunter. I'm sure everyone has seen this guy, but he is very eccentric. And he can be aggressive, fierce, determined, and serious about catching these wanted fugitives. The more I watch this guy, the madder I get about wanting what I want. Lord, I want that feeling of accomplishment in reaching my goals. And not two minutes ago, as I lay here getting mad, Dog was sitting in a stake-out and said something very pertinent to my cause: "The sitting around bothers me. Even though you're sitting, your adrenaline is at this edge of peaking. (vibrating noise) You know because you're just trying to guess every possibility of what could happen."
Woah. Could he really have said into words exactly what I was feeling? How timely.

However. The longer I sit here, the more I get a righteous anger. Angry enough to find a fierce determination. Mad enough to try new things. Pissed enough to let it sink in. And I feel like the longer I can let this anger sit in, the more in control I can be and the longer this motivation will last once I go.

I finished out the week feeling better. I never went over my calories this week, and by Wednesday my calories and protein were back to normal. I ended up getting in 2 workouts.. P90x and 2 sets of cardio. I ordered a food scale for meticulous meal tracking, a pre-filled workout journal, and a blank journal to use as my workout journal in case I don't like the pre-filled ones. I am going to try some new protein powder flavors just to mix things up for me and treat this new round of working out like this whole deal is brand new.

If this is something I really want, this has to be my mindset all the time. I'm finding all sorts of motivation for it. My friend who is a trainer, said today, "Sometimes I get cocky and say 'I'm too strong for my puny weights.'" This is exactly how I need to be thinking. All the time. I think it is feasible to use my deadly sins to crush my goals. And I think it is acceptable to embrace this side of me to get what I want, when I want.

So I think I'll embrace my vanity and anger.