Ready in 5 (weeks): 2 days out and looking good!

I took the two days off (Thursday and Friday) before my show. I am standing in my kitchen in the morning and feeling pretty darn good about everything.

Weight is good (121), bodyfat is low (2.7%) and I look better than ever.

I am sure lots of folks think there is nothing to it, you just show up and wham, bam, thank you ma'am it's over, but no, that's not quite how it goes.

There is actually a lot to do to prepare ahead of time. Let me start with how my diet changes today (Thursday).

Since Monday I have been on a modified diet, not a lot different than usual. I am a small person, I weigh 121 pounds right now and I don't need to make drastic changes, or rather I shouldn't as it could be disaster! Only small tweaks are needed at this point. First, I have been adding in more healthy fats. That means I am eating more flax or Udo's oil or peanut butter.

Since Sunday my diet has been this:

Meal #1 4:14 am 1/2 serving cream of rice, 3 ounces chicken breast
Meal #2 7:45 am 1 serving cream of rice, 4 ounces chicken breast
Meal #3 11:30 am 4 ounces brown rice, 4 ounces chicken breast, 1/2 cup asparagus, 1/2 cup mushrooms
Meal #4 3:00 pm 3 ounces brown rice, 4 ounces chicken breast, 1/2 cup asparagus, 1/2 cup mushrooms

Meal #5 6:30 pm 3 ounces brown rice, 5 ounces tilapia, 1 cup green beans

Meal # 6 8:45 pm 4 ounces chicken breast

Thursday it turned into this:

Meal #1 5:30 am 1/2 serving cream of rice, 2 ounces chicken breast
Meal #2 8:30 am 1 serving cream of rice, 3 ounces chicken breast
Meal #3 11:30 am 4 ounces brown rice, 3 ounces chicken breast, 1/2 cup asparagus, 1/2 cup mushrooms
Meal #4 3:00 pm 3 ounces brown rice, 3 ounces chicken breast, 1/2 cup asparagus, 1/2 cup mushrooms

Meal #5 5:30 pm 4 ounces brown rice, 3 ounces tilapia, 1 cup green beans

Meal # 6 8:45 pm 3 ounces chicken breast

What did I do? Cut protein by ONE OUNCE at each meal...and added ONE OUNCE starch at two meals.

You are thinking what the heck will that do? A lot, believe me!

Because I have carb cycled, my muscles needed to get more glycogen into them, and you do that with carbs. By cutting protein a bit, the glycogen is shuttled right into those depleted muscles, making them hold on to it and look full.

It is a fine line we walk, a little too much and you "spill over" and look flabby, a little short and you look like you have been on a hard diet, way too long.

The final change to the diet is Friday night, when meal # 5 will be:

3 ounces lean steak (really rare, only cause I like it that way)
1 whole plain baked potato (lemon and pepper added)

1 cup asparagus

1 slice of cheesecake

Here is the cake, I made it this morning at 6:00 am! My son woke to the smell of freshly baking lemony cheesecake.

I had to go grocery shopping and spent way too much, to make sure anything that I could possibly want was in the house when I got home Saturday night.

I was at Cosentino's picking up some PB2 for Deirdre (she will be at the Max Muscle booth Saturday, look for the hottie clutching two containers of PB2).

Frank wanted to chat, he works there and spent many years competing himself. He wanted to know what I take to get so lean. I told him L-Carnitine, CLA, Amino Acid Complex 4 times a day, BCAA's fish oil, cayenne and green tea. Not much.

He was happy, nothing bad, and the right stuff. He wanted to show me a bread I should be eating. I asked him about carrying Walden Farms calorie free peanut butter spread and he said he would check it out for me. I do really like the people there, they are more than willing to help me with any request I might have. We chatted for about a half hour, then he went off to work and I continued with my to-do list.

I have to stay in a hotel Friday night and it is not a good idea to rely on anyone else but yourself for food right now, they may have all sorts of sodium and garbage in it, it's too close to take a chance.

I will bring my steak dinner (cooked) and more food for the night and next day. Cooked chicken, steak, asparagus, rice and a small amount of sweet potato. I will have more cheesecake for breakfast too.

I cooked the asparagus and chicken Thursday, Friday I will cook the steak and sweet potatoes and baked potato.

I have requested a microwave and refrigerator in my room, they often run out, and if so, I know where the staff kitchen is!

The reason for the steak and cheesecake is that my body will be totally primed and receptive to anything I put into it, I should look hard, full and healthy Saturday, not thin, skinny and tired. By eating these foods I will look the way I need to.

I had to pack my things, bring dark sheets so I don't get tanning solution on the nice hotel sheets...I will be spray tanned there in a room Friday night, it is very messy stuff.

I had a manicure and a pedicure. It was a slow day I guess, almost surreal. Do you remember when Dorothy and her friends got to the the castle of the Wizard of Oz? They all had to go the the salon and be "groomed" and cleaned first before meeting the wizard. I felt like I was there with them! I was lounging in a huge reclining massage chair, one woman was working on my pedicure, one on the manicure on my left hand and a third on my right hand! The only part that made me realize I wasn't in Oz was the Bee-Gees on KBAY in the background......

My nails may be short, but they are neat and clean and nicely polished. I don't like the fake nails, they are a driving hazard! It is extremely difficult to drive down the freeway holding my can of champagne in one hand while trying to pry off the fake nails with the other!

I had to shave my entire body, and double check to make sure there are no stragglers. I used to get a body wax and besides being very painful and expensive, I found that my skin was just way too red and irritated by it.

I am not obsessed, I don't worry about shaving my back. I know men who need to, no women that I am aware of and if you are a woman that needs to shave your back, all I can say is, I am so very sorry about that!

Friday is time for a hair cut, Natalia is fantastic, she is at Atilier at Aveda in Santana Row. She will cut my hair and blow it out, so I don't have much to do the next day.

Pack up all my food and water in a cooler and off I go. I will check into the hotel, pull the bedding off the bed, put on my own blue sheets then unpack everything. When it is my appointment time, I will wander the halls looking for the Jan Tana room and then strip naked and get my spray tan, I will either have Kevin or Christina, they both do a great job.

Then it's back to my room where I will be sequestered all night. I have books and magazines, I don't enjoy TV and it's not like I can pop down and meet friends for a drink.

7:00 pm and water is cut off. Meaning, I can not longer suck down liters of it, I can only sip a tiny bit if thirsty. I will try not to drink much. The next day, I will do my best to make 12 ounces last all day. That's not much when you are used to drinking three liters. This is really important as fluids make you look smooth, you cannot see muscle definition. I want no part of smooth on Saturday, I want hard, ripped, definition showing everywhere.

Up early for feeding time, then I will put on way too much make-up, it is stage make-up and you need to have a lot on to be seen under the harsh lights.

I made the boys Costolette di Maiale ai due Vini (Pork chops braised with marsala and red wine) with some new potatoes and salad. They always get a little antsy about now, knowing that I will be back and ready to eat for a couple weeks before going back to my routine.