9 Weeks Out

Saturday, July 30 and it's 9 weeks from my competition. I think I look leaner in person but in these pictures I cannot see a difference. My weight fluctuates a bit but I don't want it to drop fast, I don't have a lot to lose and I want to lose fat not muscle.

What I am doing is to let the diet do the work and not kill myself with cardio. The cardio look is not a good look. Yes, I still have to do cardio, but take a good look at the folks who do it a lot, they don't look so good do they?

Skinny, tired, bones poking out, no full muscles. Not going to make me or the judges happy!

I am doing cardio for 20 to 30 minutes, three days a week and it is typically the stair-mill or stair-stepper for 20 minutes and the Concept 2 rower for 10. If I use the rower too much my traps get big and that is not the look I want.

I also do my stairs and jump rope at lunch four days a week, but that really is more intervals, not steady state cardio.

If needed, I will start hitting the track across the street for sprints two times a week after work. But not yet. 

I think if you are taking steroids you can do a lot of cardio and not have the ravages show on your body so much. I guess that's what they are for right?

The idea is to reduce the starches a bit, make your body lose the fat and stay tight. Sounds easy, and it is, but not necessarily "pleasant" shall we say?

I honestly don't recall having such a large rear end before...I wonder what has happened? ha ha It will shrink, believe me! I am hoping that it just gained more muscle though, so right now continues to look a bit larger than usual, although I do definitely see the fat there. 

I just have to constantly remind myself that I SHOULDN'T be looking perfect yet, I shouldn't be completely lean and cut yet, I cannot be ready too early or I won't be able to sustain it.

This is the same issue anyone has when dieting, they want to see results fast, or they get discouraged. In my case, I won't get discouraged and quit, I will start to do more cardio or cut calories too low then it all backfires. I just have to constantly remind myself. Good thing David reminds me every single day too!

Tummy is flattening, but now I need to work on the concave aspect...some women are very good at this, some are not. I keep trying!

I had a wedding to attend on Saturday night, that was my last "non-approved" food for the next two months. Mark and Virginia were over on Sunday and Mark was trying to tempt me with sweet potato fries. I told him I couldn't eat them. "Not even sweet potatoes?" he exclaimed.

"Mark" I said. "They are FRIED"

Ah, he forgot that part, and then he wanted to know just what would tempt me and I told him "nothing, I have a show to do"

He looked a little confused, almost like it was an unusual thing to hear. And it might be from a regular person, but I am not a "regular person" am I?

Let the games begin!