4 weeks out photo

So far so good. I have almost been perfect. Almost meaning I am still putting a little creamer in my coffee. I just wanted to post a pic at 4 weeks out.

Finally seeing that fat come off the waistline. Looking good except for the lines on my rear from sitting on the toilet. LOL OOPS! Lord knows I didn't sit for long; I am a mom and everyone knows we don't go to the bathroom by ourselves.

In this picture you can see my obliques peeking through. I have neglected them for 6 months now because they tend to overtake my physique. Apparently, those bad boys don't want to hide.

4 Weeks Out and 137 lbs lighter.

I had a great week with my family on vacation. It was a much needed break from the monotony of this diet and even working out. I was a bit concerned that my body fat would go up, but muscle is my friend, and it didn't. I stayed the same at 13%. Whoooh! That's over with and now I have to refocus and look towards the finish line. My trainer has set the goal of dropping to the next bracket at 11.7% for next week. This is where everything counts. When I want to take a bite of that cake or have a chip, I just think to myself, This could be the difference between first and second. It's all business now.
  My workouts are much of the same, I focus a bit more on abs and butt without sacrificing my current workout. In other words, I do extra. I have also added in 15 minutes of cardio (moderate) after my workout. I will increase that to 20 minutes this week. Since I missed 4 days last week, I am working out everyday this weekend and probably Saturday of next week.
  This is the time when I have to start bringing everything together. I still haven't seen my suit. I have to meet the lady about my hair extensions, and make an appointment to get my hair highlighted. Oh, and I still have to get the t-shirts made that I wanted to sell. I mailed off my registration for the show today and am needing to find someone to do my hair in the New Orleans area. The humidity will be high and my hair does not do well under those conditions, so I am just going to pay someone to style it. I have to step up my posing practice now. I will practice at home everyday, and at the gym once a week now. So much to do. It will come together, it always does.
  I did end a year long friendship with someone which was a bit stressful this week. I was hoping to end things amicably, but it didn't happen. I so wish I would have just sent an email, but I was trying to do the right thing and chose to call instead. She quickly became defensive and offensive and that was all she wrote. I became defensive then offensive also. Nothing got accomplished. This is one reason we could not remain friends. Anytime I wanted to address an issue that upset me or if I thought she was being inconsiderate, she would go on the offensive and never hear what I was saying. Imagine a marriage like that. Divorce would surely be in the cards, Well, friendships are the same way. You have to be willing to hear the other person out. She quickly deleted me as her friend on facebook and preceded to write a self serving message to gain pity from her "facebook" friends. All the while knowing she had not deleted my friends or my husband. Are we in the 6th grade? She even sent my husband a message on facebook.
   Here is some advice to those of you who have wronged someone. I"M SORRY goes a long way. If you have too much pride to admit you have hurt or put your selfish desires and needs in front of someone else's, then you too will end up with nothing more than a handful of make believe friends on facebook. We cannot choose our families, but thank the Lord above we can choose our friends. A toxic friend is like a diabetic sore on the toe. If you want to save the foot, you've got to cut off the toe.

5 Weeks Out!

  What a week. I have been so busy. My body fat was 13% this week, so I am back on track. I had the opportunity to pass out trophies at the Optimum Classic in Shreveport this weekend. Prince Harrison puts on a well run show and it moves along quickly. There is nothing more painful than a show that doesn't start on time and drags on. I got to witness my first bikini Pro show. Wow! I have no idea how they judge them. They are all seriously "IN IT to WIN IT! At the same time, and surprisingly, I think I could obtain that. Well, that is if I hurry. I am not getting any younger and gravity does not take a day off.
  I have been mentally drained this week. I have a friend my age who's breast cancer has now spread to her lungs and liver. The last I knew she was in remission. I have been in tears over this. She has two children my boys ages plus one that is around two. I can't even look at my children without tearing up. She lives 4 hours away and does not like to share this stuff with many people. I spend a lot of time "wondering" how she is.
  I also got negative news regarding my boys school. They have declined us for any financial assistance this year. Not sure why....I am praying it is a mistake. I have cried about having to pull my boys from their school. Bottom line is I can't afford $12,000/year. I know God lead me to this school. I will just wait and see how God works out this miracle. He is in control and I am just giving it to him.
  I have also struggled with another situation that is bothersome to me. I am determined to simplify my life. That may mean severing relationships. If a friendship is "work", then cut em loose.

I am obviously ready to start a new week. I will be on a little trip with my husband and boys for four days. I am so looking forward to time with my family. I went to the gym today and will have to go in Friday, Sat, and Sun. I will plan to stay on my diet. If I go out, I will eat fish or chicken dry. I will allow myself one dinner (within reason) and a bite of dessert. I can do it. I am pretty focused right now.

My pics are pretty good this week. My abs are looking good, but for some reason my skin looks loose on my stomach. That sometimes happens after I lose some weight and should tighten. I hope so anyway.

Still waiting for that fat to leave my waist. Rear looking good. I do have a little cellulite on the right leg. Not noticeable to most, but I see it.

 

6 Weeks Out

Sorry, I am late updating my progress. Thursday went OK I guess. I came in at 14.3%...just a bit higher than I wanted. I will have to have my body fat checked again this week before I go to Galveston. I took my cheat meal today because we are celebrating my two boys graduating from Pre-K and Kindergarten.....and because Chuy's opened today.

I think I am happy with my progress. I'm not sure. I am starting to have the 6 weeks out blues. I always get them. I usually panic because I think things are not happening fast enough and then I want to quit. My husband has to constantly keep saying, "you are looking exactly like you are supposed to right now".  I always become very insecure at this point. I need constant reassurance.

I met with the lady who will be making my hair extensions and got the hair purchased. Then I called her back because I was second guessing whether or not we got the hair long enough. I am not sure about anything right now.

I will pick my suit up this weekend at the Optimum Classic in Shreveport. I will be passing out trophies at the finals Saturday night. Lord, I hope I love the suit. I don't need doubts about anything else right now.

Back fat is better on my upper back, but more to lose, especially around the waist.

CARDIO VS. WEIGHT TRAINING

  I thought I would blog about one of the biggest debates in the fitness industry. Regardless if you are competing or not, this will be of interest. The biggest question I get is "How much cardio do you do?" The answer may be surprising to you. Let's first look at cardio and weight training side by side.
  If you were to put cardio and weight training side by side and compare at the same intensity and time...cardio would win out. You will burn more calories in that time frame doing cardio. However, for the most EPOC (this is the post exercise oxygen consumption) weight training will win out. I have seen different reports as to how long you continue to burn calories, but this is what I have found the most. Cardio continues to burn a few hours after you stop exercising and weight training (some report) up to 48 hours. So in the end, weight training wins out. I learned thru my personal training certification thru NCSF that you can burn anywhere from 60 -80 calories more a day (doing nothing) for every pound of muscle you put on. So why wouldn't you want to build muscle?
  If you look at the physique of those individuals who run a lot or do some type of cardio (a lot) they are typically thin with very little muscle tone. So you have to decide what you want. Do you just want to be thin, or do you want to be thin and tone? I have heard a lot of people say to me. "Cardio works for me, if I miss for a week, I put weight on". Is that REALLY working? I can miss for a couple of weeks and not gain weight. Long periods of cardio "eat" the muscle. The less muscle you have, the lower your metabolic rate.
   Research is coming out and the first thing you should know is that the experts say do your cardio after your weight training session. You will burn more fat. So how much?
  Well, let me tell you what I do. I don't do cardio unless I am training for a show and I only start that at 6 weeks out. I will do 15-30 minutes at 70-75% of my max heart rate (where you can still carry on a conversation) after my weight training session. I should probably do that when I am not training, but I tend to plateau quickly when I add cardio, so I don't.
  What type of cardio should I do? Well, any kind will do. You can even do the high intensity type training as cardio. I like to go with the bike so I can work my legs. Typically, I don't recommend this to clients because any exercise where you are sitting on your behind is less effective than other alternatives.
  MY CONCLUSION: BOTH More weight training and less cardio. While cardio is great for the heart, I believe if your weight training sessions are intense enough, it is enough for your heart. My resting heart rate went from 76 to mid 60's with just weight training.
  Despite reading this, many of you will get back on that treadmill and start walking. If it is all you do, then great. But, if you have access to weights, then you need to start lifting. People can argue about the lack of cardio in my training routine, but take a look at my picture on stage again. I obtained that, and didn't have to do 2 hours of cardio like the other girls. Enough said.

Getting There!

 
  Another week down, and only 7 more to go. I must say, this go around, time is flying by. Appetite has been well controlled but I did have a curve ball thrown to me this week. My husband and I had the opportunity to take the boys to a private party at Six Flags. Couldn't pass it up. I have been dreading taking a 6 and a 4 year old and standing in long lines. So the obvious choice was to go at a time when there would be no lines. So we did. I ate a normal breakfast, snack, and lunch at 11am before they opened. I took 2 Special K bars in with me for snacks. That's not on my diet, but better than a thousand other things I could put in my mouth. When lunch time came around I had a small slice of pizza and ate every one's left over pizza crust. I figured that would be a better choice than another slice loaded with cheese and pepperoni. I think I went wrong by drinking soda throughout the day. To be honest, paying 3.50 for a bottled water was not what I wanted to do, so I drank from my husbands refillable cup all day. Not a good thing. That evening I had a quarter of my husbands omelet from Denny's and 1 and a half pancakes. Yes, they were huge. I enjoyed it too. So as you can see, I took a bit of a cheat day. I am still far enough out where this could be allowed....even though I typically only take one every two weeks.
  I am not one of those people who say, " Oh I ate so and so, that means I need to get on the treadmill a bit longer". That ain't gonna work. Remember, 3200cal = 1 pound. So I have to get rid of whatever extra (meaning the extra calories I took in) over a period of time. I went rollerblading on Friday and did an extra workout on Saturday. It may help a little, but I probably need to do a bit of extra stuff over the next week to see a difference. Of course when I got home that night I started thinking about the damage I had done and how I probably set myself back. So this is what I came up with. If my body fat this week shows 13.5% or less, then no problem. If it is 13.9% I am still OK with that. Any higher than that, I will probably start to freak out. Not because I can't reach my goal, because I will still be ahead of where I need to be. It's because at 4.5 weeks out from the show, I am taking a family trip to Galveston for 3 nights....and I need some cushion going into that vacation. I'll let you know how that pans out.
  UPDATE PHOTOS:
I posted some pictures (in my heels) this week of me in my new suit. This is not my competition suit. As I mentioned this past week, it is really too small for me, but I think I am keeping it. Motivation to stay small. LOL Please forgive me for not brushing my hair or putting on make-up. I was in a bit of a hurry.



Above: My glutes are coming in nicely. They will be lifted and tight for show. Still have a crease, but that should be gone by showtime. I still have a lot of fat on my waist and back. That's gotta go!



I don't know why I do this pose. This is a figure pose and not a very good one. Guess I just like it.

I Love My Body, I Hate My Body!

This has been a tough week. Not for my diet, just mentally. I have been somewhat depressed, which is not normal for me. I think I am deficient in some important vitamins and minerals and most importantly Vit D. I am a horrible patient and hate to take pills. Yes, I am non-compliant in this area. I need to get back on my fish oil, vit D, probiotics, Vit C, and something else I can't remember. That's another thing that is bugging me. I can't seem to remember anything, plus I think my vision is going bad. I woke up with horrible allergies or a cold, not sure which yet, and an ulcer in my mouth. My immunity is down. If you read any of my first blogs, you may remember me talking about how being on high animal protein diets can cause your body to be acidic....which decreases your immunity. I mentioned that I usually get sick at least once during training and not in my off season. I have to take care of myself....and not just my muscles. It's hard to battle all this plus be a normal mom and wife. I am hard to be around right now, but I am trying to do better.
  I mentioned this being a tough week....yes I know, its only Wednesday. I have had a few animal crackers and gold fish, but didn't go crazy. I did have my husband fix me half of a "whatever you got in there" martini last night. I had been working on my report on a visit to one of my consumers and wouldn't you know it; I accidentally deleted the whole darn thing. I was pissed to say the least. Half a drink and I finished up the new report and that was that. No binging or anything, which is something I would have done if I wasn't on this diet.
  I got my new summer swimsuit in and I love it. Reality is, their small fits me like a XS and that just don't look right.( Yes, I know that is incorrect grammar). So now, do I send it back and go a size up, or wait till I am smaller and wear it. I don't think I have ever ordered anything on-line and it come in and fit. I am determined to have some kind of success at this on- line shopping. Nonetheless, I tried it on and I looked so bloated. I am hoping that I am just retaining water because I haven't been drinking enough today. I was on the road and don't like to make a lot of stops. All I know, I loved the way I looked on Monday and hate it today. It is a Love Hate Relationship that I have with my body....that's for sure.

8 Weeks out photos

Had a good week all in all. Friday night I had Mexican food. I ordered a big plate and was only able to eat about half. Even though I did enjoy the cheat, it was not quite as satisfying as I had hoped. Maybe the food was not great, or maybe my taste buds are less impressed. I was hoping for more of a euphoric experience. Perhaps at this point in my life I control food and not the other way around. That would make it harder to get all excited about a meal. Later that night I did have a Smirnoff Ice. I drank it in a martini glass, so I felt as if I had 3 drinks instead of one. Silly I know. I also had some Easter candy from the boy’s baskets. I think I enjoyed the chocolate most of all. That probably has more to do with the fact it's that time of the month.
  Yesterday was a break down. Not because of my diet, I don't think. I am so busy and always feel as if nothing got done and more was added to my list for the day. My boys are not minding and I am on the brink of insanity. On MWF I go to the gym, train a couple of clients, then go see a consumer at my other job. I then have to be back at the school at 1pm to pick them up. On Tuesday and Thursdays, my youngest has refused to go into the nursery at the gym, so I have to train clients on Tuesday with him in the hallway outside the weight room. Then during my workout, I have to listen to Mommy, Mommy the whole time.  This is just one more thing to add stress to an already stressed out woman. My workout is my time and now I have to share it for two days. UGGGH! I will get thru this for sure. I guess in the scheme of things it’s not that big of a deal. It just feels like it at that moment.
  Today is another day and I have had a better attitude. Going to church is always uplifting for me and it brings me back to where my focus should be.
  I did post pictures. I posted again the ones at 12 weeks out too. I think you can see a remarkable difference in my upper body and I am starting to see some changes in my legs. My shoulders are way uneven in the pictures, which means I have a tight lat. I need to get back to my ballet and stretching. I always have problems with tight lats and that will result in pain in the shoulders if I let it persist. Starting at 6 -7 weeks out, I will take photos in my heels. This will give me a better idea of where I am. Every woman looks better standing in heels.....especially 5 inch heels. LOL Wish I could where heels like that by the pool.

The first 3 photos are from this week at 8 weeks out.

The next 2 photos are 4 weeks ago at 12 weeks out.