One Week Of Dieting (changes)

I just hopped off the treadmill, it's 7:30 on Tuesday night and I am noticing that the fat seems to be quickly melting away.

I walked out in the kitchen and there were three men, Cooper, Alec and David all enjoying a HUGE bowl of linguine Carbonara. David asked if I wanted a piece of pancetta....Yes I do but really I cannot. My last meal was a salad with shrimp at 4:00 and I wouldn't get to eat again until 8:00.  Not too much later I would hit the sack, 4 am comes early.

Then I thought I would show you a comparison between this week and last!

          

Sometimes it is necessary to see pictures side by side to really notice a difference. Here I am day 1 of my diet (on the left) and then on day 7 (on the right). While you may not have noticed a difference with the other pictures, I think you can easily see it here.

Stomach has come in, upper abs show more, definition in quads shows more, chest is clearly cut, face is leaner. I do look a bit "flat", not as full in the day 7 pictures, but I am not eating starches after 10:00 am everyday, so I fill out early, then slowly deflate. It's a temporary condition, only for the diet.

                     

The back actually shows definition all over compared to day 1, I notice especially the spinal erectors (my favorite part of the back). The glute ham tie in is smoother and tighter.

If I can do this in a week, imagine what I can do in 9 more!

Imagine what you could do if you tried too!

Week 9 to Competition (week one of diet)

What a difference a week makes! I feel so good I am cocky!


I have 9 weeks until my competition, the diet has been going well, I am down 1 1 /2 pounds in one week, I now weigh 125 (as of Sunday). I can easily see the changes, although they are subtle, and depending on how keen of an eye you have, you may or you may not see them also.

I can see the waist is already coming in, and look, look look! I have some quads starting to show! Roy and I have been working on my stubborn quads for ages, and I think this time round we will prove to be successful in our endeavors.

The abs are starting to look better, I can see the sides running up and down my torso starting to come in, the lower abs will be the last to respond on me. 

Not much change in the back yet, but I haven't changed my back training yet, I start this week and I will tell you all about it later. There is slightly more definition as some fat is gone.

The delts need work, the medial delts just aren't round or prominent enough, but we can fix that, we have 9 more weeks. 

I am happy- can you tell? I think so, it shows on my face. It's good to see some progress the first week, otherwise it's easy to get discouraged. 

Woo hoo! I am ready to party! (Water and lemon for me)

Monday Morning Motivation

"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it."

~ Margaret Thatcher

"The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."

~ Charles DuBois

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."

 ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

"The will to win means nothing if you haven't the will to prepare."

~ Juma Ikangaa

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine."

~ Mike Murdock

"Don't play for safety. It's the most dangerous thing in the world."

~ Hugh Walpole

The Diet

It's been one week (exactly) that I have been on my diet when I took this picture. I am pleased, to say the least, that this might be a good diet for me!


It is not an easy one, the calories are lower than I am used to and the timing is very exact, so it's not "convenient", but I am getting used to it.


I am down to 125, so I have lost 1 1/2 pounds in 7 days. I always marvel at how different my body looks with an extra pound added or taken away, it amazes me every single time.


My diet is ranging from 1500 to 1700 calories a day, I typically eat over 2000. The calories will vary mainly because I am varying the protein source, so a shrimp meal will have fewer calories than a very lean beef meal. I am drinking 1 gallon of water or more a day. The macro nutrient breakdown is as follows:


Carb 30%
Protein 45%
Fat 25%


It suites me, it really does. I love protein, I love fat, starches I enjoy but of the three- protein is my favorite.


What has been on the diet?


Protein:
Chicken breast
Tilapia
Shrimp
Lean beef
Egg whites
Whey protein


Starches:
Yams
Brown Rice
Oatmeal


Non Starchy Carbs:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Asparagus
Banana
Spinach
Salad Greens
Onions
Tomatoes
Mushrooms


Fats:
CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
Fish Oil
Olive Oil
Almonds
Peanut Butter


Depending on my training split I am eating at the following times:


Training in the morning on my own:

4:30 am
5:00 am to 6:15 am lift
7:00 am (shake with banana & Peanut Butter)
10:00 am
1:00 pm
4:00 pm
8:00 pm





Training at night with Roy after work:
4:30 am
7:00 am (I split my 4:30 am meal into these two meals and save my shake for after lifting)
10:00 am
1:00 pm
4:00 pm
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm lift
6:45 pm (shake with banana & Peanut Butter)
8:00 pm


I must say I have been hungry all the time, except when I am so busy my mind forgets about the hunger, like when I am totally slammed at work or when I am training. It is subsiding though. At first it is all I can think about, then I get used to it, used to the sort of gnawing feeling in my stomach. 


I could feel the fat coming off right away, and I know other competitors can relate and know exactly what I am saying. I told Roy I thought it was too low for me, I should not lose this fast because I don't have a lot to lose, and I tend to lose too much fat anyway, but then I realized it would be easy to manipulate it a bit be adding more beef and less fish (I have had beef only once this past week) if I needed to.


Each meal has fat- almonds, CLA and fish oil, olive oil or peanut butter.


My last starchy carb meal is at 10:00. I have told that to several people and they all look a bit wide eyed, 10:00? That's the last? Yes indeed.


It looks like it's working don't you think?

First Pro Women's Physique

This past weekend was the 2012 Desert Muscle Classic, which included the first "Pro" Women's Physique competition. 


There is a great deal of controversy in the "Bodybuilding" community about the results, a lot of people have taken it very personally.


Women's Physique (WP) is the brand new division that I decided I wanted to move to this year, and not too long ago I decided I would hold off another year, to see how things progressed. Based on what I saw at this show, I may never move into that division, but it is still young and changes will definitely be seen.


For now, I am staying in Figure, but my eye is still on WP to see what the future holds. 


What I like about WP is the fact that there is a routine to music, it requires more from the competitor than just standing around looking good. It also commands more muscle, I like a more muscular look. Plus, you don't have to wear the ridiculous 5 inch Lucite heels (Yes, they are required in Figure!)


Dana Linn Bailey was the first woman to win her pro card in WP. I have always admired her physique, it is what I strive for, I like her look and conditioning.


Dana has never placed well in Figure, yet she never wavered and always stayed true to her own goals. When WP came along, she was exactly right, winning the first pro card issued, hands down.


At the latest show though, she came in 4th! Above is a picture of the winners. As you look at it, Dana Linn Bailey is on the left (4th); next to her is Jillian Reville (3rd); Karina Nascimento (1st); and Marilena Echohawk (2nd).


In looking at this picture, I think the 4th and 3rd place physiques are without a doubt better than the 1st and 2nd, but obviously the judges did not agree. In my opinion, the top two look like Bodybuilders. For some reason, I didn't think they were looking to award Bodybuilders - I mean we already have a Bodybuilding division, so I am confused. 


According to the judges, Dana Linn Bailey was "too hard and showed too much conditioning" for the look they are after.  For those of you who are not sure what this means - she was too ripped. "Hard" is the look of tight skin over full muscle, no layer of fat between, rippling muscle. "Conditioning" is the overall look of low bodyfat, striations, separation of muscle groups, dehydration, in other words, how much you have worked to get to this amazing "condition".


I have always been told my conditioning was perfect- except in one show, and honestly, my conditioning was the same as it always had been, so I didn't take that comment  seriously. I pride myself in my ability to get into top condition, to lose the fat, and not retain any water, it's not easy. 


Although I am disappointed, I just have to sit back and watch how things progress, and I know there will be changes. When they first introduced the Bikini division, it took the judges about a year to actually come to a solid decision on what "the look" was, and it is definitely not the same as Figure, there is a clear delineation. I want to be able to see a clear delineation between Figure and WP too.


In the mean time, I will keep on training and aiming to be as hard and conditioned as possible. 

Goals

What is it? What does it take? Why are some people successful while others are not? These are some questions that run through my head, and through others all the time. Who has the answers?


I think that we can all be successful, but success is determined by perception. 


Perception is reality.


What I think is success may not be what another person believes is success. 


My perceptions are not the same as other's perceptions.


My husband and my son say I have a skewed vision of what a person should look like, in other words, I am very hard on myself, I have very high expectations of myself and those around me. 


We all need to set our minds on a goal. It should be realistic and based on what we want, not what we think other people want, or what someone else wants. Many people spend their lives trying to live up to others expectations, why?


Just because I expect to have the physique of a woman half my age doesn't mean that everyone else around me should have the same expectations of themselves. Nor does it mean that I would be disappointed in them if they didn't have those expectations. 


I do enjoy the fact that I have a lot pf people come to me and ask advise. Those people range from very young (my son's friends) to old (my father). People of all ages in between have asked about diet, nutrition, weight lifting, weight loss, alcohol consumption, clothes for the gym, shoes, make-up, you name it, I have been asked about it and how I make it all work for me.


One thing I have learned is what works for one may not work for another. So it is good to listen, heed the advise and then contemplate how it may work for you, in your situation and then adjust. There is no set way of doing anything in life, really.


Even diets, we all need to start with one and monitor how we progress, what works for us and what doesn't, it's all a learning cycle.


The same goes for exercise. What I love may not hold any interest to someone else. I love chin ups, kettlebells, push ups, squats, sleds (to name a few things), I know other people who detest this stuff and they love 'body pump" class, aerobics, the elliptical machine, the "inny and outy" leg machine (totally useless!!! ha ha ha).


But if you try to do what you don't enjoy, you wont stick with it, so you need to find something that your heart is in!


There are many ways to achieve fitness goals, but you must first have a clear understanding of exactly what your goal is. Have you written it down? If someone asks you "what is your goal?" can you explain it? 


I remember back quite some time ago, almost a year ago when I emailed Roy (my trainer), before we ever met in person and I explained my goals. He must have thought I was an absolute nut case! I sent a huge email (full of typos- I forgot my glasses and my contacts), and told him exactly where I was, where I do not want to be and where I want to go in respect to my training. 


I needed someone who believed in me, valued what I wanted and understood my goals. I needed someone who would support me every step of the way. Had I been unable to explain all of this to him, who knows where I would be today. Would we have continued? Would I have quit due to frustration?


Luckily, I knew exactly how to express my goals, and Roy has been right there pushing me every inch of the way closer and closer.


I you are feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, unsuccessful, like you haven't made any progress or anything  along these lines, give this all some thought. Do YOU know where you are going? Do you have a map or directions or are you just driving along as a passenger, looking out the window of life?


Write them down, be specific, hold them near and dear to your heart and don't let anyone get in your way. 

You can do it.

Inspiration

We are all inspired by many different things, and what inspires me is seeing beautiful bodies. When I see others I know that I can improve and only get better.


Makes no difference whether the bodies are men or women, they both have their individual beauty.


We can all have beautiful bodies, but we need to make efforts to do so. Seeing other bodies that I find attractive helps to motivate me to be the best I can be.


Something I find interesting is that so many women feel the need to surgically alter their body, to turn it into something that it was not designed to be. I don't particularly care for the "barbie doll" look, yet so many women strive for that, I just don't get it. And don't get me started in on the "duck lips" I am seeing more and more of!


I love an athletic look, on both men and women, more of an androgynous look I suppose.


Who's inspiring me right now? Tim Howard. Makes me want to learn to play soccer- maybe I could play with him!

I have never liked the Bodybuilder look, and I never will. I know that sounds odd as people think that's my thing, but it's not. Take a look at this body, I would say perfection in every way (at least what I can see of it), I can't see the back!


Tim doesn't achieve this look with Bodybuilding, he is an Athlete. That should help steer you in the right direction, you need to train for the look you want.


So.....standing on a stairmill all day long will make you....skinny like a cardio queen. I cannot recommend this form of exercise (exclusively cardio) for anyone on earth, anyone. Unless of course you want to be skinny, emaciated, without muscle and sort of an anorexic look (unfortunately there are thousands of people who strive for this look, and all I can say is perhaps a psychologist can help in that department). 


Weight training only will make you look like a Bodybuilder (I won't say Jay Cutler because I am convinced his look is quite a bit more than weight training). You still need to incorporate some kind of "energy system" to burn excess calories and remove the subcutaneous fat. 


Power lifting....big and bulky. Strong, but big..I guess you can eat a lot huh?


You get the idea right?


To achieve an athletic body you need to vary your training with a combination of weights and conditioning. 

Another look...I will be working extra hard this week!