Power Brekky!

This morning's breakfast:
Sandwich Skinny bun
2 eggs
Greek yogurt
Garlic powder
Yellow peppers

Delicious and energizing!

Julie, Julia and Carlene

There are some movies I just should not be allowed to watch, especially alone, with no one available to pull me back down from the clouds.  Included in the very long list of such films is Julie & Julia.  If you haven't seen it, it's a wonderful flick, full of humor, passion and lessons on when to give it your all and when to let go.

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/julieandjulia/

The first time I watched this movie, I was still fat and had no fear of trying to cook the rich, heavy foods with all their sauces and reductions.  I learned that I love to be in the kitchen, it's a creative outlet for me.  

I identify with so many of the quirks that each of the main characters contributes to the plot.  Particularly, Julie Powell, the younger gal in the movie that finally "finishes something" for the first time in her life.

As I sat tonight, enjoying Julie & Julia tonight (for probably at least the 10th time) I realized that right now, I'm working toward something similar to Julie committing to tackle all the recipes in Julia's cookbook.  This something, is my figure competition.  And while the date may have been moved, I'm still going to "complete my project", one day at a time.

I got 5.34 miles in this morning, with Lily in the jogging stroller.  It felt great!  I walked at a brisk pace, no running yet, but I did have to push her thru some pretty crazy "terrain", the sidewalks here are CRAP!  Kept my heart rate between 65% and 70% to make sure I didn't burn any precious muscle.

I ate my normal stuff throughout the day but Julie & Julia motivated me to do something a little special for dinner.  I threw a little Safflower oil in a pan and tossed in some onions, grape tomatoes, diced avocado and Garlic and Herb Mrs. Dash.  I sauteed all that together and then topped it with lemon juice and a dollop of greek yogurt .  I toasted one of my multi-grain "Sandwich Skinnys" buns and sprayed it with Earth Balance cooking spray and sprinkled it with garlic powder.  My protein was a few ounces of seitan.  It was delicious and energizing, below is a pic of the finished product.

Bon appe'tit!

Just Sayin'

;)

Where Do I Start???

Hmmm... it's been a while.  Hi there!  In one of the last blogs I wrote, I told you that I had changes happening so fast I could hardly see straight.  Well, things have slowed down a bit and the fog is beginning to lift.  Of course, summer vaca has started for the kids so there is less chaos in that arena.  We received wonderful news that my son's turn has finally come up on the waiting list of the school we've been dying to have him attend, finally!  We've been waiting three years for him to get his shot at attending one of the top ten schools in the state.  In the fall, all three kiddos will be at the same school and we couldn't be happier about this.


So, "that's all happy stuff and should make you feel more organized and on top of the world so where the hell have you been?", you're probably asking yourself.  In a nutshell, my hubby got a new job that took him out of the country for no less than one year.  We will be able to see each other twice during this year, for a few days each time, and that's it.  We thought very hard and long about this and decided that, in the end, it is the best decision for our family.  While I can't discuss where he is or what he's doing, the new job did include a promotion which will help us to be a little more financially stable.  


However, it also leaves me to raise three kids on my own for the next year.  Thank God, we have great neighbors who watch out for us and have offered to help out however they can.  One of the neighbors even told me one evening after I'd been gone a few hours that someone had parked in my driveway and "knocked on my door".  Tee hee!  Good thing I'm not up to any "funny business", she'd for sure know it if I was!  LOL!


Anyway, I've been pretty darned depressed over the last 3 months or so and pretty much gave up on everything I'd been working so hard for fitness wise.  I ate a bunch of crap, stopped working out (pretty much right after my last post) and wallowed in self pity for a while.  I love my hubby, he's my bestest friend in the whole wide world and I miss him terribly. 

BUT I HAVE TO PERSEVERE!

So I am now going to look at my situation as an opportunity.  I have time to work on building the physique I know I can have.  When we agreed that he'd take this new position, I knew it meant canceling my competition I was going to do in July.  It's always been a dream of mine to compete and to do it without him would absolutely ruin it for me.  Besides that, I've never gone thru contest prep before and I'm not sure I can do it on my own with three kids!  LOL!   So, for the next year, I'll be in a "building phase".  I have one year to GROW.  Then at the end of that year, I will begin contest prep and hopefully compete in October 2013.

Here's to opportunities, new beginnings and all that life has to offer!

I'm still here!

Hi all!  It's been a long time since I've blogged, I know.  I've been missing it and I've noticed that my brain has been a little "bogged down" without the mental release that blogging provides me.

Unfortunately, this post will not be too cathartic as it has to be a quickie.

I recieved a comment a couple of days ago asking how my training is progressing and where I've been.  I want to let that person know how very much I appreciate they're checking in on me.  Thank you!

To answer this question, I'll tell you this: I have MAJOR change coming down the pipline at lightening speed!  My life has basically been turned upside-down and currently, I am zooming thru some unknown blackhole.  Ummm... yeah, that pretty much describes it.

As far as my training goes, have no fear, I'm still at it!  Actually, I have some happy news to report on the subject of my training that I can't wait to share with you.

I'm planning a post to fill you in on all the details but right now, I have to go.  Life is happening at a ridiculous pace all around me and if I relax for too long, there's gonna be trouble.

Thank you again, to the sweet reader who messaged me.  Your thoughts are appreciated! 

My Theme Song(s)

It's no secret that music moves the soul.  It motivates.  It empowers.  It rocks!

Today FitFluential invited us to share our favorite theme song.  Well... I gotta a few cause cause that's just how I roll. 

Face the Pain by Stemme is my favorite weight lifting song.  When you're throwing weights and putting tears in your muscle fibers, IT HURTS!  It's PAINful.  So each time I hear "No escape can you step to this" I think "Hecks yea I can!"  Plus the beat is ridiculous!  I can't hear it and not work my ass off!  (tee hee!  gotta luv a double negative!)

Face the Pain - Stemme

Face the pain, no escape can you step to this
Face the pain, Face the pain, It's ripping me into pieces
Face the pain, no escape can you step to this
Face the pain, Face the pain, It's ripping me into pieces

(For full lyrics, please click the link on the video) 

Now I gotta show my girl Kelly Clarkson some love too.  Her song, Stronger is my ultimate motivator when I'm doing my HIIT (high intensity interval training).  I have a tendancy to play this one when I have to do pullups too.  It gets me thru just about anything.

So, I have one more song up my sleeve.  It's the song I use for my visulization, my cool downs and sometimes I put it on repeat play and listen to it over and over because it resonates so strongly with me. Came to Win by Nicki Minaj featuring Rhianna.

Do you have a theme song?  What tune plays in your head when you need it most? 

Makin' it Happen - One Meal and One Workout at a Time

Powerful.  Strong.  Driven.  Motivated.  Grateful.  Clear headed.  Bad ass.

These are the words that come to mind when I examine how I feel about my journey in fitness. The road I'm traveling has become straight and I can see a long way down the road. The side streets have disappeared, there are no forks or obstacles in the road.  These things (obstacles, etc.) do not exist for me.  I do not accept them nor will I acknowledge them.  Oh, I know they are there.  Obstacles are like the guy in the grocery store that stares you down while you are shopping; you know he is there but he just is not important enough to warrant you expending any of your precious energy on his dorkiness.  

For the next 20.5 weeks I will be a machine, perfectly tuned and maintained for optimum performance.  I will not eat anything or do anything that will not move me closer to my goal of bringing my best to my first figure competition.  I will take one step at a time because I know that if I skip a step and try to run, I will trip and fall.  

I've had an amazing workout (today's is still to come), my food is prepped for the week and I am rested and energized.

Healthy ingredients ready to fuel my success!  YUM!

Happy Tuesday, dear reader!

    

Final Case Study Recap - Week Twelve is Complete

That's a wrap, folks!

I made it!  I successfully completed the 12 week Recipe For Fitness Case Study!  It was a fantastic experience and I can't thank Chelle and Tab enough for the things they taught me and they support they gave me.  It was truly a life changing experience.  You can read my final journal entry here:  http://www.recipeforfitness.com/transformation/carleneH.html.  Just scroll down to the bottom of the page, the entries are in chronological order.  Here are my progress pics and final stats:

    Final Stats:

• Chest:  34.5
• Waist:  27.5
• Quad:  18
• Bicep:  10.25
• Calf:  12
• Hips:  30

I realized very quickly that I needed to have a talk with myself and remember who I'm really doing this whole thing for.  Ultimately, it's for me.  I had completely shifted my drive and ambition to pleasing my trainer and nutritionist and took it off myself.  It was so much easier that way, it took the focus off me and it became like having a dream job.  I had a responsibility to uphold and nothing was going to stop me.  In my opinion, that doesn't really require a lot of self discipline.  It's really just about doing what's right.  Now that I'm back to doing it just for me, I have to practice self discipline.  If this is what I want (to compete) there are certain nonnegotiable things I must do to get it.  


And so here I go!  For the next seven weeks I will:

• consume 1800 calories per day at a macro ratio of 40/30/30
• do NO cardio
• continue to build a strong foundation suitable for stage
• tell myself every morning that there is a method to the madness
• be grateful for my health and strive to be an example to those who want to get healthy too
• work on blogging more often and share my journey with all of you

See you soon!

Happy Wednesday, dear reader!

 

Nutritional supplement know how: A series on supplements to educate and inform

Nutritional supplement know how: A series on supplements to educate and inform

Fitness Case Study - Week Eleven Recap

What Doesn't Kill Me Makes me Stronger!

I have one more week to soak up all the knowledge I can in this Fitness Case Study.  One more week.  What an incredible experience this has been.  What an honor to have been chosen, what a victory to have survived.  I made it!  I completely changed my life, the way I train, the way I eat, the way I think... in three months!  I am not the same woman I was when I started this adventure.  I am braver, stronger and better because of the journey I have been on.

You know, a lot of times, when people make a drastic life change, we hear things like, "Never look back" or "That's all in the past" but I'm not so sure that's how I feel.  I want to look back.  I want to remember where I was just one year ago.  I was fat, unhappy and hopeless.  It's true that those things are in my past but they are also an important part of who I am now.  I can't shut away the girl I used to be, she's a part of who I am.  She's evolved into a strong, confident woman who knows what she wants and is willing to work hard to get it.  

I have never worked so hard for anything in my life.  I have gone from being someone who could barely get out of bed to take her kiddos to school, to someone who gets up at 3:20am, eats her first meal, showers & dresses and gets to the gym by 4:30am so she can get her workout finished before her kiddos even wake up in the morning.  I've graduated from diet Mtn. Dew and chocolate and moved on to whole foods and whey for my sustenance.

I still get teary when I think about this being my last week with the girls.  But you know what? They've done such an awesome job with me that, even though I'm sad, I know I'm gonna' be alright.  I can figure macros, I can do a workout plan, I can do this.  This is what it was all about... the transformation.  I've been molded into a fitness machine.  I've been taught well and now it's time for me to spread my wings and leave the nest.  Besides, I know that if I fall, they'll be right there to pick me up and set me right.  

I want to leave you today with some lyrics from one of my favorite songs on my workout playlist.  They're from Stronger by Kelly Clarkson.  In reality, the song is about a romantic relationship coming to an end.  However, if I remove the anger and the romance, a lot of the sentiment in this song holds true for where I'm at in my life right now.  It's a time of transition, time for me to do it on my own.  This will not kill me... it will only make me stronger.  Better. A winner.  A CHAMPION!

 What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

stand a little tallerdoesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
What doesn't kill you makes a fighterFootsteps even lighterdoesn't mean I'm over cause your gone.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, strongerJust me, myself and IWhat doesn't kill you makes you strongerStand a little taller Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing startedThanks to you I'm not the broken heartedThanks to you I'm finally thinking 'bout me

What doesn't kill you makes you strongerStand a little tallerDoesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighterFootsteps even lighter....

Stand a little tallerDoesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.

Read more: KELLY CLARKSON - STRONGER LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/stronger-lyrics-kelly-clarkson.html#ixzz1lc6nUPkm 

Copied from MetroLyrics.com    

Happy Monday, dear reader!  

Fitness Case Study - Week Ten Recap (PS I CHEATED!)

On Wednesday of Week 10, I got in trouble!  It was my day to Skype with Tab and Chelle. During our Skype sessions we go over work outs, how I'm doing with my meal plan and how I'm feeling about the case study.  I was told that I'm "failing".  Guess what I'm failing at????  Get ready for it: I'M FAILING AT CHEATING!!!  Imagine the relief I felt when they told me what I was failing at!  LOL!  However, they still wanted it delt with.  I was to fix it pronto and fix it good! My instructions were to cheat by the end of the weekend and to cheat a lot!

Really?  You can't possibly understand how excited I got that I was going to get to eat an entire meal of whatever I wanted without feeling the least bit guilty!  Oh the JOY! :D  I asked them what I should eat, I thought they'd die ROFL!  They said, "Just eat!  Eat whatever you want! CHEAT for goodness sake!"  Have I told you lately that I love Tab and Chelle????  I really do. They MADE me cheat!  YIPEEEEEEE!

I decided my cheat meal would happen Saturday night.  I thought about it and pondered it constantly for the next two and a half days.  I debated whether I'd eat ice cream (my absolute favorite naughty thing) or whether I'd eat something else that was carb-y and fatty but still healthy.  

After MUCH deliberation...... I chose to do both!  The hubby was sweet enough to prep it for me, he's a closet chef.  My menu for the main part of my meal included:  

French toast, fruit salad and grapefruit!  YUM!

• French Toast made w/ Ezekiel Cinnamon bread.  I drizzled it with honey and sprinkled it with my protein powder.  (Yes - I asked him to keep the yolks in the batter!)  YUM!
• 1/2 a grapefruit
• Fruit Salad (homemade)

Then, so as not to disappoint my trainer and nutritionist, I HAD DESSERT!  I had:  

Ok, ok!  Yes, I did put protein powder on my cake and ice cream.  It was good!
And I didn't want to miss out on the muscle building protein!

• A baby size Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream
• a small slice of chocolate cream cake

Oh, the GRubBage!  You guys, it was soooo good!  And I felt great the next day!  I had soo much energy and was quite productive.  I may continue this "cheat thing".  I think I'd keep it a clean cheat though and just have the "meal" part of the cheat and nix the dessert.  No one needs that crap every week.  

In general, week ten was successful.  I increased some of my weights again and feel like I may have leaned out a little bit.  We adjusted my cardio some and it really feels great.

Here's to another successful week!

Happy Monday, dear reader!

LET IT SNOW!

This is what it looks like outside my house right now!  
Gonna' be an empty free weight room at 4:30 am, friends!  
Wha-hoooooooo!

Happy Sunday, dear reader!

H2O Overflow!

Who's drinking their water today???  My eyeballs are floatin'!

Upped my water intake to 1 gallon / day!  
H20, H2O - It's to the potty I go...

Happy Tuesday, dear reader!

Fitness Case Study - Week Nine Recap

Circuits and cardio and a calorie drop, OH MY!  

The best way I can describe week nine is to say that I got my arse handed to me on a platter! I've started the "leaning out" phase and suffice it to say, "It ain't no joke!". I've been doing circuits thru the whole study, but these seem to be harder.  You see, Tab, aka the World's Greatest Trainer, knows just what order to put exercises in so that something that would ordinarily be easy as pie becomes nearly impossible.  Notice the "nearly" in that sentence? Everything required can always be done, you just have to have your head in the game.

I also got to start doing cardio this last week.  It felt great to do it again.  I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it.  Right now, I have two days of HIIT and three days of Steady State cardio.  I think I might even be seeing some results already!  I seem to be getting a waist where there was none before!  For a while now, I've been shaped like a brick!  Just straight up and down. It's really exciting to see a curve!

Calories, smalories...  uh, yeah, WHATEVER!!!  They're important little things, those calories! Remember in a previous post, when I said I'm running on racing fuel?  Well, I'm still running on racing fuel, it just feels more like fumes than actual fuel!  LOL!  Basically, I still eat mostly the same foods I was eating before but in a little bit smaller portions.  My caloric drop, on average, seems to be only about 200 calories per day but man, am I feelin' it!  So that teaches us something:  it is so important to know just how many calories you require in order to meet your fitness goal.  Otherwise, you won't be functioning at optimum levels.  Your training will suffer and you will not meet your goal!  It really is very scientific, there's not a lot of guess work.  Of course, everyone's body is different and tweaks will have to be made here and there for every individual.  But the basic mathematical formulas lay great ground work for figuring out just how many calories you need to consume in accordance with your training style to meet your goal. 

To wrap it up, I'm a little tired but SUPER MOTIVATED!  I feel like my body is responding to the training and meal plan.  I can't wait to see what changes are coming in the next few weeks!

Borrowed from Pinetrest.com

Happy Monday, dear reader!

Ladies & Gents, We Have a Date!

OOOOOOOHHHHHH... I'm SO excited!!!!  The date for my very first Figure Competition has been announced!  On Saturday, July 14th 2012 I will be crossing the stage for the first time as a NPC Figure Competitor in the Nicole Wilkins Fitness, Figure & Bikini Classic!  


Believe it or not, I've already ordered fabric swatches so that I can start thinking about what color suit I'll wear!  Oh and there will be BLING, lots and lots of BLING!  I'm a girly girl so sparkle is all part of the fun for me.  I'm also a crafty critter so I'm really toying with the idea of adding the BLING myself!  I might even make my own jewelry.  I've made a couple pieces previously and I really enjoy it.  I have plenty of time if I start now!  My mind is just whirling!  The possibilities are endless....

But - before I get lost in dream land, I have some more sweating to do.  Did cardio this morning, have to do weights tonight.  Must earn that pretty posing suit and all that sparkle!  

Happy Thursday, dear reader!

  

   

Fitness Case Study - Week Eight Recap

I am morphing.  Changing into something that I have never been before. When I enter the locker room at the gym, I feel like Clark Kent entering his phone booth!  My breath comes faster and my heart starts to pound as I think about the task at hand.  There is a cloud of mystery around me during each and every workout as I push harder and harder.  


In the back of my mind, a little voice repeats "Are you sure about this?  Can you really do this? What if you hurt yourself?".  But - in the forefront of my mind, there is another voice (oh boy, I wonder if I should be telling you all this.  I'll probably end up in a straight jacket!  LOL!  I hear voices...", a much louder voice that says, "Go girl!  Push it!  Is that all you're gonna' do?  Go hard or go home!".  


Whooo hoooo!  This is when you know you're alive!  When you get to do something that literally, without fail, pushes you closer to your goal every single time you do it!
  

During week eight, I stuck to my guns about NOT allowing perfectionism to come to the gym with me.  I left it behind and instead of quitting when my strength started to waiver, I pushed on, sometimes shaking, sometimes growling but all the time knowing that it was the right thing to do and the real way to train.  I welcomed the "new fatigue" that I experienced with this extra effort, knowing that it's how I'm supposed to feel.  

Week eight also marked the end of my "growing phase" for the case study.  That's not to say that I'm done growing my muscles!  I still have LOTS of work to do in that department.  The girls just want me to experience what it's like to sort of "lean out" for competition.   The biggest change to my program is that I get to do cardio again.  That's exciting to me, I've been missing it.  In addition, my calories are a little bit lower but still plenty high to maintain the muscle I've developed thus far.  When I finish the case study, my calories will probably go back up and I'll probably stop doing cardio for a while.  This is so that I can focus on muscle growth and development again.  Then later, closer to my show date, I'll drop the calories, reintroduce the cardio and do a real competition prep.  

There's a new journal entry, progress picture and measurements on the Recipe For Fitness website.  Just scroll to the bottom of the page to find the pic.  I'm fairly pleased with the progress I see, especially when I remind myself that I've only been at it for eight weeks!

Happy Tuesday, dear reader!

The Iron - y of it All

In case you weren't aware, I live in Michigan.  On the east side of the state, where I live, we're experiencing our first snowfall of the year.  I am originally from the west side of the state which receives much more snow so the snow over here hasn't slowed me down yet.  It's like comparing an avalanche to a light dusting, really.


One of the things that I enjoy about living where I do now is that when it snows at all it actually slows a lot of people down and our road crews take really good care to clean off our roads well.  Love it!  


There is a point to all this, promise!  ;)  I got to the gym this morning and the freeweight room was E - M - P - T - Y!  Party time!  Oh, but wait.... my workout wasn't in the freeweight room today.  "WH WH WHAT????  Ok, oh well, everybody's just running late because of the snow.  It'll fill up soon, you're not missing anything, Carlene."  A hour later, I went back to the freeweight room to grab an attachment I needed for my next exercise.  "WHAT THE H - E - DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS???  There's still nobody in here!  Grrrrr!  Now I'm mad!"  I returned to the room I was using, finished my workout and went back to the freeweight room to return the attachment I'd borrowed.  One little, old man was in there by himself, doing therapeutic exercises for his rotator cuff.  Bless his heart.  I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been in my way.  


How ironic!  A completely empty freeweight room on a day that I don't need it.  I'm sorry, lonely freeweight room, I promise to come back soon!      

I's Gettin' Skooled!

So much to learn, soooo little time!  I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Recipe For Fitness Case Study.  I had no idea when I applied that I was going to grow so much emotionally as well as physically!  What an amazing process.  What a painful process, what a healthy process.  WHAT A NECESSARY PROCESS!  I's really gettin' skooled! 

Here's the deal:  being a former carbohydrate addict is not the only skeleton I have in my closet.  I am also a perfectionist and I'm not recovered from that... yet.    Perfectionism effects pretty much everything I do.  It also "slows down" (actually, I should say, I allow it to slow down) everything I do.  I discovered on Tuesday that I am allowing it to slow down my progress on the Case Study!  This is how I allowed perfectionism a foothold in my work: one of the things that the girls have stressed to us thru the program is how imperative it is to maintain good form on our exercises.  You know, to prevent injury, so that we work the area the exercise is supposed to work etc.  In a nutshell, what we were told was that if we could no longer complete a rep with good form, we were done with that set.  Guess what, folks!  There is a BIG difference between PERFECT form and what the last repetition of a set should look like!  The last rep is not supposed to look as good as the first!  It can be slow, it can be shaky, most times you probably won't be able to complete it.  I took their direction to mean that when my reps started to "look yucky" I was to stop.  DUH!!!  They were just trying to keep me from killing myself by telling me that if I was starting to cheat on the rep, swing the weight, use other muscle groups to help me, I was to be finished with that exercise!  See how I let that perfectionism creep in there?  I let myself think that because my last reps weren't as pretty as my first I should quit.  Ugh!  So while I was working hard and THOUGHT I was doing as much as I THOUGHT I could, I was slowing down my progress by not allowing myself to experience true, POSITIVE failure!  It just wasn't clicking in this "perfect" little brain of mine.  SO, Carlene one... Perfectionism zero!

Here's the second way I almost allowed perfectionism to have control over my life:  in a previous post I announced that I plan to do two figure competitions this year.  I also said that I was going into the first competition with the attitude that I would "just do it for the experience and to learn" but that I would "win" the second competition I did.  Talk about trying to protect myself from failure again!  I was so afraid that I would feel like a fool at my first show that I was just going to show up with the attitude that I was just "doing it for fun"!  But that isn't what's in my heart and if I continue to have that attitude I'm going to seriously cheat myself out of some of the best and worst nuances of competition.  Considering the fact that deep, deep inside I really would like to go PRO (I'm totally serious about this, its been a hidden dream of mine since high school.  I used to have posters of Mia Finnegan and Monica Brant all over my walls!), that's pretty damn stupid!  Why would I do that to myself?  BECAUSE I'M NOT GIVING MYSELF THE RESPECT I DESERVE!  I am limiting my opportunities and life experiences with my fear of failure!  NOT ANYMORE!  I'm all done with that now.  So, look out anybody doing those two shows here in Michigan, cause I might just win 'em both!

I may not know what my future holds,
but I'm jumping in with both feet!

I owe Tab and Chelle a great big "thank you" for their honesty and concern for me during our Skype session Tuesday night.  It was a major wake up call. Tab, your blog post today drove it home.  I took everything you said to heart and am a better, stronger person because of it.   

Happy Thursday, dear reader!

Fitness Case Study - Week Seven Recap

What do chocolate and salted caramel ice cream with brownie, Kit Kat and graham cracker crust mix ins have to do with this post?  LOTS!  I ate them!

At Cold Stone Cream Creamery totally enjoying
 my first and last treat / cheat of the case study.

 In case you're wondering, I didn't break any rules by indulging in this magnificent deliciousness.  Tab and Chelle actually allow us one treat / cheat meal per week.  This was just the only time that I wanted (make that was WILLING) to cheat.  There have been lots of times I've WANTED to cheat, just a bite won't hurt me, right, but I have chosen not to.  I've actually been planning this little treat party for a while now and it happened this weekend for a reason.  The goal thru the program so far has been for me to build as much muscle as possible.  Trust me when I tell you that this happens at a much slower rate than fat loss and the body makes very specific demands regarding what type of nutrition it's willing to work with in order to build said muscle.  If I had been living it up, having a treat meal every week, that would have been seven meals of muscle building fuel that my body would have missed out on!  Seven whole meals!  That's a lot of fuel to give up!  Now for the second part of my formula: why I chose this particular week to have my treat.  Next week, if I understood  the bosses correctly, I begin my leaning out phase.  That's when the fat burning happens and my little baby muscles (I say baby muscles with a lot of affection, I'm excited about them) will start to show.  This is just my opinion, based on research I've done, take it or leave it - anytime you eat clean for a while and then have a treat, your metabolism gets "shocked".  It's kind of like waking up a sleeping dragon, give it a nudge and it starts to breath fire.  Now you might be asking, "Why didn't you wait until you're actual leaning out phase to do it then?"  Because I knew I was going to eat c-r-a-p!  I didn't want to give my body unnecessary, empty, useless calories to have to burn up when the point of my training will be to burn the fat I've already got right now. 

So, that's my soapbox speech on treats.  Now on to more important things, like the case study!  

I'm explaining to the Cold Stone gal that participating in
the case study and that this is the first treat I've had since the end of summer.  Can you tell how excited I am? 

Week seven was full of the usual: weights, food and love.  I'm loving going to the gym at 4:30 am and having the place almost to myself.  No one's in my way, I don't have to share equipment and I can grunt and groan as loud as I wanna!  Oh the joy!!!  I got to try a couple new exercises too: "cross over lunges" and the "iron cross".  Zowie!  They're both tough and I have a feeling they're also very effective.  

As my workouts get harder and I'm more tired toward the end I find myself thinking, "What if this is the last time I get to do this exercise?  What if Tab doesn't put it on a later program?  Have I given it everything I have?  Used it to it's full potential?"  I'm really trying to focus on the fact that every single rep counts.  The ones in the beginning when I feel the strongest, they count.  But the ones at the end that feel impossible, the ones I barely squeak out?  Those count the most!

This week, I wish you peace and success in all you do.  MAKE EVERY REP COUNT!

Happy Monday, dear reader!                

The Me I Used to Be (FAT PICS INCLUDED)

I didn't discover blogging until my fitness journey was well under way.  I realized a couple of days ago that none of you know where I'm really coming from, what I've been thru or what my story is.  So I've decided to share some personal history to enlighten you.  I won't bore those of who have read my transformation bio with the same story.  If you haven't read it, click on the link and check it out.  You might find a sense of comforting familiarity there.


I am a fully recovered carbohydrate addict.  I am genetically predisposed to addiction (my dad is an alcoholic) and I chose carbs as my crutch.  Suffice it to say, I would eat multiple bags of candy per day and could easily eat an entire loaf of freshly baked french bread.  Here are the results of that behavior:

This is me in July of 2010!  Nope, I wasn't pregnant!

By the time this pic was taken my youngest was already 14 months old.

I want everyone who is struggling with getting healthy to know that I HAVE BEEN THERE!  I understand the depression and difficulties that come with being overweight.  I understand wanting to break every mirror in your house so you don't have to look at the person in the reflection one more time.  I understand the self loathing that comes from letting yourself get like that.  I know what it feels like to get "the look" from your doctor.  I was there, I know.

Christmas 2010.  I look mad.
Someone had probably eaten my chocolate.

Christmas 2010.  Obviously, not my best angle.

It was actually these Christmas pictures that brought to my attention just how big I had gotten.  (I didn't find the picture from the family reunion until the other day.)  It still took another two months for me to commit to making a change.  I had to straighten out my brain before I could fix my body.  In March of 2011, I discovered a book called Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.  This book started the pendulum swinging and it hasn't stopped since.  I applied what I learned from this book and recovered from my carbohydrate addiction.  Then I began to work on my body.  By May 2011, I had dropped my first 20 lbs and by July 2011, I had made goal weight.  Total, I lost approximately 40 lbs to hit my goal.  I wish I had pictures of me while I was dropping the weight to post but we didn't take that many and the ones we did take are of me in my undies.  Not gonna happen!  ;)  You can thank me later.  LOL!  

It wasn't all flowers and sunshine when I made goal weight, either.  I was floppy and baggy and skinny and icky all over!  Not at all how I wanted to look.  I began searching for my next goal.  BUT--- this is sooooo important --- I didn't stop doing what I had been doing while I tried to decide what I wanted to do next!  I kept going thru the plateau.  I didn't let the fact that I didn't look how I wanted to stop me and I didn't quit because I didn't know what to do next.  I just kept doing what I knew to do.  By this time, I had found Chelle's blog (I thank God often for Chelle) and soon after that she announced her Case Study for Recipe For Fitness.  I knew that this was my answer, that participating could  push me into the next level of fitness.  I applied and I waited and I waited and I waited to hear whether I had been accepted.  BUT --- while I waited I kept going!  I kept doing what I knew how to do.  Then FINALLY ;)  they made the announcement and guess what!  I wasn't selected.  So what did I do?  I kept going, kept doing what I knew how to do.  I read some more Oxygen and some more Fitness Rx and Muscle and Fitness Hers.  I learned more and decided on a routine to follow and I got started.  You have to move past the obstacles, people.  When you want something bad enough, that is what you do.  You just keep going, NO MATTER WHAT!  Just three days after I made the commitment to begin my own program, Tabitha and Chelle  (read their blog posts about the whole thing here) contacted me to let me know that due to unforeseen circumstances of one of the participants, they'd had to drop out and... wait for it... I WAS NEXT IN THE LINE UP!  I WAS IN!  I WAS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE!  I do not care that I wasn't one of the original eight and I do not care that I got in by default!  I'm here now and I am giving this program everything I have day in and day out!  I will not bow, I will not break, I will shut the world away... (Breaking Benjamin song)!  

This is me three weeks ago.
New pic goes on the RFF website next week.

 I hope this give you a little insight into where I've come from.  I invite you to join me as I train for my first Figure Competition!  My goal is to do two shows this year, one in July and one in October.  My plan is to participate in the July show to learn and gain experience.  My plan for the October show is to WIN!!  Stay tuned.    

Happy Friday, dear reader!  

Traveling Blueprints

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I was really freaked out around the holidays because I had to travel and I couldn't imagine how I'd maintain the same level of training and uphold the integrity of my nutritional plan while away from home.


There are many things that go into being able to stay consistent while on the road.  I picked up tricks from some of you, did some research and also learned from experience during my trip.  I won't bore you with all of the details but I'll give you a few highlights.  Maybe there will be something that can help you the next time you have to be out and about!

• TRIP ITINERARY:  study it!  You can plan your meals much more easily if you know when you'll be in the air and when you'll be on the ground.  
• AIRLINE REQUIREMENTS:  go to your airline's website to find out what they'll allow (liquids & so forth) you to carry on the plane.  Also see www.tsa.gov for additional tips.
• WORKOUT FACILITIES:  know where you're going to workout and what equipment they have.  The resort we stayed at advertised that they had a workout facility.  If I had just taken that at face value, I would have arrived and discovered that they had some cardio machines and a swiss ball!  Call workout facilities ahead of time and ask about their policy on guests, I had to call 4 gyms before I found one that would allow me to come in without a member escort!  Find out whether they have lockers available (will you need a lock?) and what their hours are.  Also, get directions before you ever leave home and there will be a lot less chaos to contend with.
• NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:  plan every meal you are going to consume before you ever leave home.  Know where it will come from and how you will eat it (cold or hot, plastic fork or spoon, on a plane, in a car, standing on your head?)  You must be prepared for anything.
• LISTS:  make your grocery list before you leave for your trip and know what store you will shop at and how to get there.  The more organized you are before you leave home, the easier the whole process will be. 
• LOVED ONES:  let those you are visiting know in advance that you will be continuing your meal plan / training while on the road.  If they have time to mentally prepare for this it won't come as such a shock to them when you don't eat the meal they prepared or have to leave early to go workout.

Your personal minute by minute blueprint is the key to your success!

Once I got my brain wrapped around the idea of continuing my routine in a different location, it wasn't really such a big deal.  I was prepared and therefore, I succeeded!

I hope these ideas can help you be more prepared the next time you have to travel!

Happy Wednesday, dear reader!