3 1/2 weeks no diet!

I broke my rib 3 ½ weeks ago, so what happened to me? Did I fall apart?

Well, maybe I did emotionally for a bit, but that didn’t last too long.

I immediately fell off the diet wagon, I was 5 or 6 weeks out from a competition, and looking pretty darn ripped, I wasn’t sure if I could try to compete. My doctor said “no, you cannot lift weights or exercise” so I came to the realization fairly soon that I couldn’t try and for my own mental health, I shouldn’t even let myself believe I could.

I then went back on my diet, but my regular off season diet, not a pre-competition diet. In other words, I stuck to a fairly healthy food plan with an occasional treat.

Those treats became more and more frequent, friends heard about the injury and all wanted to eat, drink, go out, and celebrate. I obliged, it was fun!

After a week the doctor said I could walk, so I started out on the treadmill, 60 minutes a day. When my rib wasn’t as painful, after about two weeks I moved to the stairmill, that’s the best cardio workout for me, sweat would drip from my body as I trudged up those stairs day after day, for 60 minutes every morning.

Once in a while someone would stop by and ask why I was up there, how come I wasn’t lifting? Word started to spread, I got very sympathetic looks every day, they knew I hated cardio and missed my weights.

All in all, how do I look after almost 4 weeks of no diet and no weight training? Pretty darn good actually!

I can really see the softness from the back now, although my shoulders are fairly non existent, you can still see the "tree" of my back, and as soon as I start in training, especially with the pull ups, my back will respond.

The glute area is looking way too soft  in my opinion, probably the worst I have ever seen on me!

Shoulders? My pride and joy have all but disappeared. Although I still look great, I am definitely not competition ready!

But I start lifting again on Wednesday, and Wednesday is shoulder day! Those puppies will be screaming for forgiveness on Thursday and Friday, and will come bouncing back to life soon.

 

So I will toss the suit in the closet for another week and a half, and see how I look after a week of training!

My Diet

I have mentioned several times how I have changed my diet. I thought I would explain a bit of what I have done.

I weigh my food year round, at least the protein and the starches. I don't weigh vegetables as you can eat as many of those as you like, provided you don't mistake one of the starchy vegetables which for diet purposes are considered "starches" for a "vegetable" (that would be things such as peas, corn, winter squashes).

So, I am always adhering to some "diet" although I relax it quite a bit when I am not in the cutting phase. I believe that this makes me more successful when I do need to drop the body fat as I never let myself get overweight, and I don't pig out for months at a time.

I have been reading some books that have inspired me to make a few changes, very slight ones and that is all I need as my diet is fairly dialed in year round anyway. I don't pack on 20 extra pounds in the winter just to have to lose it in the spring, I don't believe in that, and not many people do any longer, research has proven it is not necessary to gain a great deal of excess fat just to gain lean mass. If you eat properly, you will gain properly.

Here is an example of my lunch (meal #3) on Sunday:  3 ounces black beans, 1 cup mushrooms, one cup oven roasted cauliflower (with paprika), 1/2 cup Brussels sprouts and 4 ounces thin chicken breast with Mrs. Dash and some lemon. Very satisfying and filling! I eat a lot!

So what I have done is simple, following my past successes I have reduced my starches on meal 3 and 4 each by one ounce, and on meal 5 all together. 

I have replaced the starches in meal 5 with kabocha squash, or one extra cup of vegetables. I like kabocha squash as it is satisfying like a yam or potato, but without the carbs!

1 cup has 30 calories and 7 grams carbs, whereas if you had butternut squash you would be eating 82 calories and 22 grams of carbs!

I have also increased my overall vegetable intake by about 1/2 to 1 cup more at each meal, which means I am eating 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups of vegetables at a time. So - decreased starchy carbs, increased fiberous carbs.

I am not so hungry, I am getting carbs through vegetables but not the starchy variety that tends to be stored as fat.

I have also stopped eating brown rice, replacing it with beans or lentils. I have eaten rice on occasion, but not everyday as in the past.

In addition, I am eating 3 to 5 raw nuts (almond, cashew or macadamia) or 2 tsp oil (olive, flax, Udo's, CLA) prior to or with each each meal containing starch.

I am eating the nuts/oil just prior to each meal to reduce the insulin response for the meal. Eating the nuts or oils will help control the rate of entry of glucose into the bloodstream. So slower entry, less insulin is produced.

The reason why you do not want a rapid rise of insulin is it will cause too much glucose to be taken up by the cells, which results in low blood sugar, which in turn stimulates the appetite for more food!

I have also continued having a post training carb and protein drink, although it isn't a huge one like I might have when not cutting fat. I think this has helped me to hold onto the muscle and still look full and round, while losing the overall bodyfat. I don't have much more to lose, maybe 3 or 4 pounds at the most. It's hard to tell until I see it, but I will stick to the diet, and I won't be doing an insane amount of cardio, as I don't need to, I don't have a lot of fat to try to lose.

My post training drink has 26 grams carbs in it, I will probably stop that about 4 weeks out, and right there I should start to lose and tighten up more.

Vacation

The other day a friend asked why I started my diet so early when I can lose body fat in only 5 weeks. I do want to clarify that it was a past trainer who coined the name for me, based on her observations of my dieting skills. In addition, although I can lose the fat quickly, a fast loss is never the best way to go, it's far better to do it slowly. I thought I might explain a bit about the reason though.

So this is what I did on vacation.It all started on Friday evening before I even left town- I went to Henry's Hi-Life and had a martini, bar-b-qued ribs and wine.

Then the bar in the airport in Los Angeles between flights.

Then the plane from Los Angeles to Mexico, I was in first class, so that means all the free alcohol you want, and you know what happens when alcohol is free? You drink more! They served a hot croissant with ham and melted cheese, it was good.  Probably not the best quality, but the last time I had a croissant was in July of 2010 in Paris when I stayed with my brother.

By the time I got to Mexico I had already blown my diet for two days! ha ha



Chaise lounge, sun, sand, water and wine by my side, and a few really good books! All day long.

My only exercise was running on the sand for 20 to 30 minutes everyday, before anyone else was up. Or so I thought. One day a man walks by me and says "how was your run this morning?" Hmmm....THIS morning? Does that mean he has been watching EVERY morning? I wonder....

Yes, it was 10 weeks (or maybe 11) before a competition, but that is why I started a diet earlier than usual. I enjoyed myself, and when you are a competitive athlete in a physique based sport, it is often difficult to do this, you constantly feel you should be depriving yourself.

It really isn't healthy, emotionally speaking that is.

Anyone who competes knows why this is a huge deal, those who don't are thinking I have some major issues..I mean I have 10 or 11 weeks to lose a few pounds- isn't that almost three months?!

Yes it is, like two and a half actually. But, when you diet down to lose fat for a competition, you don't just lose weight to drop scale weight, you need to carefully lose the fat, retain the muscle, and still look healthy and firm.

All this while maintaining a full time job (for most of us) and training just as hard as usual, sometimes twice a day. Once the diet starts, you cannot go on weekend benders or it will show in your physique, you really have no where to hide the flaws when you are standing in stage under bright lights, almost naked to the world. And believe me, the world IS looking at you very, very carefully, scrutinizing everything, even your skin tone!

So while I had a great time, I still struggled to eat properly because I couldn't easily have the small meals with the complex carbohydrates, lean protein and massive amounts of fresh vegetables (plain) that I normally would, so I was hungry quite a bit, I mean trying to get by on 3 meals a day when I usually eat 6 is hard. And if I ate 6 meals at a restaurant, I would be rolling myself along the beach!

Whats a girl to do? TUNA!

Yes, I went to the store and bought several cans of tuna packed in water, and it had pull tops! Unfortunately my wine glasses tended to smell fishy afterward, but that's OK, I love fish!

Beach, sand, sun, water, red wine and tuna, a great combination. The tuna ensured I got the protein I needed, and I wasn't so hungry.

I brought some meal replacement bars, but those were emergency only since all of them, no matter what they tell you are really glorified candy bars with a hefty price tag. I ended up eating 2 only.

Me and David.

Check out the glutes! They are growing at a steady pace and soon will have a life of their own! I read an article where someone was discussing how your glutes grow and he made a very intelligent observation, when training the glute muscles, they will grow out (as in behind you), not sideways, and so many women are afraid to train them heavy as they think they will get big butts.

I am living proof that your butt will keep growing out behind, and stay slim on the sides if you lift right and eat properly, I mean it's almost comical in this picture!

Glory to the butt!

5 Weeks of my Diet

I bet you didn't think I would post pictures this week did you? I mean, I have actually NOT been dieting for a week, I have been indulging as a matter of fact.

I do think it is important to show you just how one week of eating and drinking like "regular folk" can damage a tight physique.

I took these pictures on Sunday morning, my first day back in the gym lifting weights in 9 days. All I did in those 9 days was run on the beach, anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes a day, that's it.

I ate though, and drank quite a bit, several glasses of wine a day and at least one margarita each day too (no beer, I don't care for it).

From the side my stomach looks fine, but in the first picture you can see It is soft, and round. Many women would be absolutely thrilled to have this, but I am not and it won't win any competitions, nor would I even dream of stepping on stage looking like this, it is not the best I can be.

Even if you do not compete, this is proof that you really can change your physique in a very short period of time, either in a positive way or a negative way!

You can even see it in my back, the fat is hanging over the back of my bra, when last week it was not.

So, I feel really good getting back to my usual. I haven't had any alcohol since the plane on Thursday, and I won't until May 7th. I may make one small concession and perhaps indulge in a glass of real champagne on April 11, that will be my 50th birthday. I will be sure to keep you posted though.

I have been eating well, I cooked up a huge amount of vegetables today (thanks to David for chopping them): asparagus, mixed peppers, zucchini, broccoli rabe, mushrooms. I also made two different soups which I froze in individual servings so I can eat them for dinner, I will be starting to go to the gym to do some cardio a few days a week after work now, back to the "two a days"

Proper Nutrition

My husband and son always laugh when I drink this right before bed, they say it looks like I am drinking melted butter.

It is actually amino acids.

I take a lot of amino acids and branched chain amino acids. They are the building blocks of muscle.

You will hear just about everyone say you need to eat a lot of protein to gain muscle, what you actually need is the amino acids that your body is able to pull out of the protein.

I eat the correct amount of protein, as prescribed by a nutritionist and I also drink a lot of amino acids.

Proper nutrition is a balanced diet, year round. You cannot go on a diet for a length of time, get ripped then go back to eating like the average Joe and expect to stay ripped.

Won't work, guaranteed.

You can relax your diet, but you can never give up the "clean" eating, not if you want to keep that gorgeous body.

Just like the human body adapts to training, requiring constant changes to keep from becoming stagnant and cease growing, the human body adapts to nutrition.

Eat the same old stuff day in and day out and soon you will suffer. You won't show gains, you may start having gastrointestinal issues, your body will rebel.

That is why it is imperative to eat seasonally. You need to include many different foods in your diet, one day you may have beans for your starch and one day brown rice (NEVER white). They have a different caloric value, and that is good, some days your calories are slightly higher than others. Keeps it guessing, just like in training.

Varying your foods is also good for your head- psychologically I mean.

I won't get into carb cycling, this is about a diet for life, not a diet for an event.

Include bright vegetables, greens, fresh fruit. If you choose what is in season (locally, not in Chile), then it will have the highest nutrient content, and you are sure to never get tired of the same foods as they will change with the seasons.

Cleaning up the diet

I started my "diet" on Monday, here I am on Tuesday. I am at 127 pounds and in my opinion, not carrying a great deal of fat. As you can see, my stomach is where it all is, and I have no problems with my hips or thighs, its all right there in the tummy.

I have to lose body fat for a May 7 competition.

I compete anywhere from 118 to 120 pounds, it all depends on how much lean body mass I have. I really worked hard this past winter to add muscle and keep off the fat, I think I did a really good job, but it won't really be evident until I drop down to about 4% body fat, where I get at competition time.

I get unusually low body fat, and yes, it has been verified with calipers and hydrostatic testing.
I have some friends who have gained quite a bit. They will have a harder time losing it. There was a time the school of thought was to "bulk up" and pack on all you can. Some people still hold on to this, but many have proven that you can successfully add mass and not a great deal of fat if you eat properly.

To gain muscle you need to ingest more calories than you expend. That's how you gain fat too. So how do you ensure you gain muscle and not a great deal of fat? You eat the right foods, not a bunch of crap. You also need to figure out how many calories you are expending and then eat more, don't just guess and keep loading up your plate!


Typically a competitor will start their diet 12 weeks out, that gives them time to slowly lose the fat at a safe rate to keep the skin tight and elastic and maintain muscle. Lose too fast and your skin gets saggy and loose, and the muscle drops off with the fat.

I am starting a bit early because I will be in Mexico on vacation for a week, and I am not sure if it will totally trash my preparation or not. I certainly don't plan to diet on vacation, but I will eat healthy as I do year round anyway.

I figure if I start a bit early, maybe vacation won't set me back too far.

So what do I mean by "cleaning up my diet"?

I stick to a good, clean diet year round. When I am not purposely eating to lose body fat (what most competitors like to refer to as the off-season. I don't care for that term, makes me think of a dog in heat), I will eat some things that I wouldn't normally, but not many.

For instance, when my son and husband have ribs, I will have a couple bites. When they are eating chips I might snag a couple as I walk by. I will eat bagels after training, and sandwiches occasionally.

I will eat some fruit, and a glass of wine on weekends.

But now, I won't do any of that. I will stop snagging bites and won't drink any alcohol. Bye bye fruit and bread.

I will adhere to my regular diet and portions, so it's the same thing basically without all the snacks in between. And that will make me drop body fat fairly quickly.

I will start doing a bit more cardio, but never much. For instance, today I walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes, it was all the time I had. If I can drop the fat without a lot of extra cardio, I will.

I still run my stairs and jump rope at lunch, but that is only 20 minutes and is necessary for my sanity, it's about the only time I get out of the office!

I will keep you posted with progress, you can count on me to have more pictures!

How to Eat Flow Chart

I am often asked "what should I do to look like you?", now they don't mean LOOK like me, they mean get nice full muscles with little body fat. I tell them they need to lift weights and eat right, it's the eating right that actually makes or breaks the deal.

You can lift weights for a long time and not look very good. But start eating properly and all of a sudden, a goddess (or god) emerges. It's all about the food, seriously.

I can have a couple glasses of wine and some of the fatty or sugary snacks everyone else is munching on and my body looks different for the next few days. It's not that I gained weight, it's just that putting crappy fuel into my system makes my engine miss and look like, well, crap.


Just like a database: Garbage in, Garbage out.

To expect your body to look healthy, tight, vibrant and strong without providing it with the necessary nutrients, and/or expecting it to function on inferior nutrition is ridiculous and you won't ever succeed.

So just what should you eat to look like me?


My friend posted this on facebook the other day and it really sums it up.

Darya Pino of Summer Tomato prepared this terrific flow chart to help navigate the supermarket.

 
 

After the Holiday

It's Monday and it feels good to get back to my routine. I am a creature of habit, I thrive on structure.

David and Cooper have two weeks off, one down, one to go. Last week I had half of Thursday and all of Friday off. This week I am off Thursday and Friday.

The holidays mess with my schedule so they mess with my head and my body. I stick to my training schedule when I can, meaning if I am at home, and the gym doesn't have special hours, I am on schedule. I could sleep in as late as I like on my days off, but I won't, I leave the alarm just as it always is (only I turn off David's side).

I know that sticking to a schedule makes me and others more successful, studies prove it. If you just decide to go to the gym 'whenever", that "whenever" may never come.  It makes it even that much easier to decide to stay up late and party, since you don't "have" to be at the gym at a certain time, and then it all snowballs.

Same with your food. Try to stick to your scheduled meals. Kim taught me to fill up on my scheduled meal, then if I really wanted something I shouldn't be eating, I am less likely to eat very much of it.

So this morning, I was at the gym at 5:00am when they opened, I hit the shoulders hard and threw in some extra cardio, I am jumping rope everyday this week, I am too jiggly around the middle to feel good. 10 minutes in the morning and 10 when I get home.

I ran up and down my 300 stairs just before lunch. Since I am at a University, usually there are lots of students hanging around the area I run, and a few always watch with dismay as I run up and down, over and over, huffing and puffing and sometimes singing to my music a little too loudly I think,  but it is winter break and no one is here, it's very very quiet.

I only had two observers this day. One apparently homeless man and one man in a wheelchair. I wondered what was going through their heads? Perhaps the homeless man was thinking that if he had enough to eat for a few days in a row, he may have energy and then he might be interested in running stairs with me. And the man in the wheelchair? He may have been wishing he was just able to walk and marveling at the thought of actually running up the stairs.

I felt very fortunate as I finished my stairs, fortunate that I have more than enough to eat, and I have my health. I will remember this as I choose my food and decide how to treat my body every moment of the day.

Surprising Hereos

Cooper- at my mother and father in laws house on Christmas evening.

We had a good day, Cooper was waiting patiently for round two of prime rib, he was in heaven!

Me? I enjoy it, but I feel a little apprehensive, I work hard all year long and eating a lot of fat or fried foods is not a good deal for my body, but sometimes, it's good for the soul.

I know it's not healthy for me to separate myself from the family so much, we eat different meals so many times, I do need to get in sync with them on occasion. The last two days were just that occasion.

It is important to remember that there are many "signs' of eating disorders, and one is removing yourself from family events, or gatherings with friends if it involves regular food.

Bodybuilders and Figure competitors  are fairly notorious for their eating disorders.

I always joke that "I don't have an eating disorder, I have disordered eating", but if you aren't careful, it's no longer a joke.

Now, if you are prepping for a competition, so you are on the 12 week span of "the diet", that's OK. If you aren't prepping, and just "worried about getting fat", maybe you need to think about this.

Keep that in mind, it's an important thing to remember. Don't fall into the trap.

A few regular meals may make you feel bloated or lethargic, but think of the time you are spending with the people around you. Choose the healthier items on the table, limit the garbage, you can do it.

We had two surprise visitors on Christmas evening. There is a young, strapping man who lives across the street from my in-laws, and he stopped by with a bag full of warm, just baked bread!

Solomon and his family bake bread at home and it smelled heavenly, he had several varieties including our favorite bollios for sandwiches. (And they were wonderful too!)

He had heard about us from David's father, but we had never met. We chatted a bit about weight training and he said goodbye and walked home, across the street.

Moments later the doorbell rang. It was Solomon's wife, Alicia. She wanted to meet the family.

Alicia was very exited to meet me because she had seen my competition pictures, but found it hard to believe someone who worked full time, had a child and husband could still look the way I do.

We talked about her newest challenge, she has entered a "biggest loser" challenge. I am not sure if it is a local or regional challenge, but it will be exciting either way.

I hope she keeps me posted, I can tell she will be quite successful!

We talked a bit about what aspect is the most difficult (eating right gets you where you want to be, that's the hardest part) and I gave her my card, told her to email if she had any questions.

The next day Alicia posted a comment on my blog, saying "You are an inspiration to me. I have seen you as a real person, now I know you really exist"

Alicia probably doesn't realize what an inspiration she was to me today. I am feeling a bit heavy, a bit jiggly, in fact, although I said I wouldn't exercise, I felt the need to do some track intervals when I returned home on Sunday.

We are all so fortunate to have people who aspire to be; and then people who are here to inspire. Remember, cherish the people who ask for help, who reach out, who are bold enough to ask the questions.

I gain the most inspiration from people who have an enthusiasm and drive that I see in myself, those who are not afraid to ask for help or advise and seek those who can help make them what they strive to become. These are my heroes.

Bigger and Bigger

I have been eating and lifting, lifting and eating.

You know what happens when you do that? You get big, real big. I have been fluctuating up and down a couple pounds, all depends on what I ate the days before.  I haven't yet hit the 130 mark though and I think it's a bit odd, seems I should have by now.

The heaviest I have been in recent years is 132 and that was December of 2009, exactly a year ago. I want to get as much muscle as I can, and to do so I need to lift heavy and eat enough calories to gain weight, but every time I see that back fat start hanging over my bra top, or a jiggle around the waist, I get a little skitterish and seem to back off.

Its a simple process, I tell others all the time "Embrace the process", "You must go through this to be successful", yet I have a difficult time listening to my own advice.

Sunday morning and I am standing in front of the fridge so you can see how big I have gotten.

The glutes look great still! I think the fact that I run up and down 300 stairs, 4 days a week helps, but then that is a form of cardio and that makes me burn more calories. I only spend a total of 20 minutes though, so not too much.

And the shorts? I love em! They are actually underwear, but when I wore them to the gym today, I got a "cute shorts" from one of the most conservative women there, so I know I am OK.

These are Under Armour Mesh Series Boyshorts, and I am going to get them in the other colors too. Blue, Black and red/white splash. Not only do I like the way they sit low on my hips, they are super thin and feel like wearing nothing!

So I realize these aren't very great pictures, or in fact, very complimentary at all. I guess after spending two and a half hours at the gym I could have taken a shower and put on some make up first, maybe even done something with my hair, but do you really care?  This is what I am looking like now, and what I will look like for a while as I try to get bigger and bigger for the next two and a half months.

Bottoms up!

10 Commandments of Getting Cut Part 1 of 3

I read this a while back and enjoyed it so I wanted to share it with you. Chris approaches fat loss with humor and solid, good information. Follow his advise and you will not go wrong, I guarantee it!

The article is long, so I am spacing it over the span of three days.


The 10 Commandments of Getting Cut
Losing Fat, Not Just Weight by Chris McClinch


Everywhere I go, people seem to be trying to lose weight. They're hitting the exercise bike, cutting fat out of their diets, and doing hundreds of sit-ups. Unfortunately, an awful lot of what they're doing isn't terribly productive, and some of it may actually be holding them back from reaching their goals. Losing fat isn't tough, but there's a lot of bad information out there. What follows isn't technologically advanced, and I don't have an infomercial or a 1-800 number for you to call and send me just $149.95, but it's solid information that will help you lose weight.

1. Thou shalt create a caloric deficit. Just like you need to take in more calories than you burn if you want to gain weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in if you want to lose it. You can adjust your caloric balance from both ends, of course: by eating fewer calories and by burning more. If you're not burning more calories than you're taking in, you're not losing weight. Period.


So far, so good, right? Wrong. Ever see what happens when people go on crash diets? They lose plenty of weight, but at least half of it is muscle. At best, they weigh less and have the exact same shape. At worst, their body fat percentage actually goes up. Because you're reading this, I'm positive you don't want to be one of those people. You want to lose as much fat as possible while holding onto the muscle.

2. Thou shalt not try to lose the weight too quickly.

The first thing you can do to make sure you hold on to your muscle mass is to make sure you're not losing more than two pounds a week. Unless you're obese, a loss of more than two pounds a week virtually guarantees that you're losing muscle as well as fat. Remember, you want to create a caloric deficit, but you don't want to create a deficit so large that your body mistakes it for starvation. If you're within 20 pounds of your ideal weight, shoot for a deficit of about 500 calories a day, which should mean a loss of a pound a week. If you're more than 20 pounds overweight, shoot for a deficit closer to 1000 calories a day, which will have you losing more like two pounds a week. As a rule of thumb, the more you have to lose, the quicker you can afford to lose it.


3. Thou shalt eat six meals a day. All too often, people try to lose weight by skipping breakfast, having a salad for lunch, and having a normal dinner. These people rarely look better after their diets, though. Don't become one of them. Every time you eat, your metabolism spikes for the next two hours or so while you digest the food. Given the exact same intake, split into two meals or six meals, you'll burn significantly more calories in digestion if you eat them as six smaller meals.

4. Thou shalt eat according to a plan.

Even when eating the right foods, eating at random is no good. You're less certain of creating a caloric deficit, you're less likely to get the right number of meals, and you'll frequently overdo it on the carbs, underdo it on the protein, or find that there's no real consistency from day to day. I can't recommend highly enough that you follow an eating plan.


Chris McClinch is an Arlington, VA-based bodybuilder and personal trainer. He won the middleweight title at the 2001 International Natural Bodybuilding Federation's collegiate national championships. As a trainer, he specializes in physique transformation and sport-specific strength training preparation, and is an active member of the IronOnline bulletin board.

Fighter Diet (Pauline Nordin)

I like to read Pauline Nordin's blog, she has a site called Fighter Diet. 

She seems very straight forward, certainly doesn't sugar coat anything, my kinda gal!

So many times people will come up to me and ask me how to "get rid of this", or "lose some weight",  or "get nice arms like yours".

I know they are well intentioned, and they want to know what to do, but it just isn't that easy! It certainly isn't a hallway conversation either! I have people who ask me what I eat. Now do I say "chicken, fish, rice and vegetable" which is only partially the truth, or do I say: "Everything is pre-cooked, weighed or measured into containers the day before. It is labeled and timed as to when it will be consumed. It is lean proteins, whole grains, complex carbohydrates, vegetables. I avoid sugar, fat, alcohol, fried foods, packaged things, most store bought items"?

I don't think they really want to know all that, but that is what it takes. 

So, a little about Pauline: First, her philosophy:

I fully believe in the theory that there is no absolutely true, perfect and flawless diet and workout concepts which work for everyone. I believe there are many roads that lead to the goal, you just need to choose a path you feel passionate about. 

Passion is of utmost importance. Why? Because you will need to stick to and be loyal to whatever you decide to go for in order to succeed. It´s like that with almost all desires in life, so nothing new under the sun.

I will never state that I have scientific proof or research backup on many theories of mine. I don´t lie so it´s pretty easy to say it´s only my very own philosophy. 

I don´t really care if something I believe in is bullet proof or makes perfect sense, as long as it works and it makes me happy I´m cool and content!

My passion lies in perfecting my physique and keep on building a strong mind with a superhero´s discipline, dedication, patience and willpower. I aim to keep on doing that and hopefully in my pursuit I will inspire people to follow.

In general, I am inclined to extremes, to ultimates, to fanatic strategies. it fascinates me, keeps me on the edge. And that´s where I love to be.

If you like feeling comfortable and not doing more than average and are happy with settling for average results, well, don´t read my rambles, I assume it will just annoy you.

All I want is to inspire, to stay inconvenient and always ask for more.

If this sounds like something you enjoy too: welcome to Fighter Diet.

Sounds TOTALLY like something I would enjoy!

So just the other day she posted this. You can see she is very black and white. I have always considered myself "black and white" , but reading this, I think I may have a little gray in my life too now.

I try to say this same thing in my blog, but I think she does a really great job right here, so why try to recreate it?

Everyone wants to be lean all the time, but very few succeed. The reasons to failure are several but it’s a mix between laziness, inconsistency, lack of insight and lack of true desire for it.

There is a huge difference between dreaming about something and actually doing it.

Getting shredded takes a lot of work, discipline and dedication, but since the getting shredded-project usually ends with a wedding, a show or a photo shoot, your pride is at stake and you need to follow through or everyone including yourself will call you a pussy.

If getting ready for a show took the soul out of you and turned you into a worn out dish cloth, then don’t even think about maintaining peak condition chronically. It’s a lot more demanding because you don’t have a deadline. Well, you do, the deadline is when you are no longer walking on earth!

Staying contest ready or super lean without turning to stupid performance enhancing drugs means:

you need to do cardio even though you cannot stand it.

you need to stop feeling deprived because you “are not allowed” to eat this or that.

you need to work on your mental toughness daily.

you need to train more than you want some times to burn calories.

you need to stay consistent with your food intake.

you need to get enough rest in order to recover.

you cannot afford getting drunk because it sets you back too far.

you cannot rely on caffeine because your body will get used to it and you need more and more, thus you will whip your adrenal glands to failure.

you cannot rely on motivation to take you through workouts because you won’t always be motivated.

you will feel lethargic and tired occasionally because you are burning more calories than your body gets from food.

You will feel awesome when you try on clothes in stores but you might drag the stairs at the shopping mall because your leg workouts are killing your energy.

your six pack won’t always feel like a treat to own daily.

You will need to dig deeper for motivation and inspiration more often than others.

Is it really worth it? yeah if you are that kind of person who loves and thrives off discipline and living on the edge energy wise. I do. It makes me creative.

It makes me feel alive. It makes me alert, hungry for life. And that’s why I love it. I hope you do too. If not, don’t try this at home;-).