Competition Prep Update: Day 13

Starting point (25%) & where I need to get to -- 15%

Without further ado, let me share my progress for this week. I gained two pounds of muscle and dropped 1% bodyfat. While it's hard to watch the scale go up, knowing how well I've been doing on my diet makes me realize it's a good thing. My clothes are definitely looser and I need to grab size 4s versus size 6s when I try on clothes. I'm not complaining at all!

I started my journey on Tuesday, February 28, which means today is luck day #13. So far so good. I've learned a lot things about my relationship with food (or should I say obsession with food?) Here are a few:

• Unconscious eating -- I never realized how often I would pick from my children's plates while cleaning up dinner. It's become so obvious since I'm very limited in what I can eat and at what time. No more picking a noodle hear or there.
• Eating out of boredom -- I actually have to really think about whether I'm hungry, bored or thirsty. More often than not, it's usually not actual hunger. The only time I do get hungry is when it's time to eat, so every 3-4 hours.
• Eating out of convenience -- After taking my daughter to a friend's birthday, I was offered pizza and birthday cake. In the past, I would have gladly scarfed a slice of pizza and cake without a second thought. Again, being incredibly meticulous and cautious of everything I put in my mouth, I had to make an effort to decline.
• I'm surrounded by "fat heads." -- A fat head is a person who pushes food on you, even after you'd said no at least once. Beware of fat heads!!! They're everywhere, and they want you enjoy food with them! I used to be a fat head. If I was enjoying something tasty or fattening, I always wanted company. You're not a bad person if you decline food.
• Eating right takes effort. -- It's definitely not torture to eat clean, but it takes a concerted, dedicated effort. If I wasn't training for a fitness competition, I'm not sure I could be this committed or focused.

I met with my trainer, Jodi, on Saturday (and will keep meeting with her weekly). She was very happy with my progress. I'm sticking with the same diet and workout for one more week, and then she'll start changing things up depending upon what my body does. Fingers crossed for dropping another percentage or more of bodyfat. Stay tuned...