8 Weeks and Counting...

I was sorely disappointed this week. I thought having tilapia at lunch and dinner, plus doing 50 minutes of cardio five times a week would definitely move my bodyfat -- not so much. I met with Jodi on Monday. She took a look at me in a bikini to see what she was working with and then we hit the scale and calipers. I lost 0.6 pounds and my bodyfat was pretty much flat (down 0.1%). It's hard to stay motivated when things aren't progressing.

Here are this week's changes:

Diet
- I have to eat breakfast before I workout. This is a huge change for me. I love breakfast; it's my favorite meal. Now I have to scarf my egg whites and oatmeal at 5am.
- My "morning snake" is now a shake + 3 strawberries after my workout, at around 7am. I have to say I'm soooo hungry by noon, with a five-hour span between meals.

Workout
- Between each set, I do 30 seconds of plyometrics
- Every day, I must do four sets of 15 reps of walking lunges and stiff-legged deadlifts
(This combo is awesome for perking up the butt.)
- Cardio is now 50 min. / 6x per week

To put things in perspective, I need to lose 10-12% bodyfat in 8 weeks. As Jodi says, now is "when the magic happens." I'm also beginning to start posing and practicing walking in my heels for 10-20 minutes each day. This is key to ensuring posing and walking are seamless on competition day. Last year, at the NPC show, I just had to do my poses and quarter turns. This time around, I must do what's called a "T-Walk." This involves walking to music and doing poses at different points. Needless to say, I need to figure out what music I want to use. Jodi recommends "whatever gets you pumped." I just need to make sure it doesn't make me dance, which most of my favorite music does.

As promised here is an update photo. I'm hitting the tanning salon this week, which always helps with looking leaner.

Motivation
 Lots of people ask how I stay motivated. Sometimes it's hard and I want to give in. But there are a few things I do:

• Posing practice -- helps to see how far I've gone and areas that still need improving
• New bikini -- checking out new bikinis always helps. I'm contemplating getting a new one.
• Old pics -- Looking at last year's photos helps remind me that I can do this and I can do better.

What keeps you motivated?

9 Weeks and Counting 'Til Fitness Competition Time

I'm all off schedule this week. I was supposed to meet with my trainer, Jodi, on Saturday. If you live in the Northeast, you got to enjoy the lovely blizzard we had to kickoff the weekend. With nearly a foot of snow on the ground, Premier Fitness in Nanuet, NY wouldn't be opening until 11am. Given my appointment was at 10:40am, I was out of luck. So I rescheduled for this past Monday. I was sooo nervous given my huge setback at my last meeting with Jodi.

I'm pleased to say that I lost bodyfat (20.2% -- woohoo!!!), but I gained some weight (139 lbs -- boo!!) Since it's that time of the month, Jodi chalked it up to bloating and water weight. But since I'm coming up on the last eight weeks before showtime, I need to buckle down!

Here are this week's changes:

• This weekend is my last cheat meal (wah!) When I prepped last year, she pulled the cheat meals at four weeks out. Since I have more than 10% bodyfat to lose, the dirty food has to go.

Diet
- My oatmeal is not 1/3 cup (vs. 1/2 cup)
- Lunch is now 6 oz. of tilapia

Workout
- Continue to do intervals on the stairmaster every other day.
- Cardio is now 5x week for 50 minutes

I broke out the 5-inch heels and competition bikini to give me a boost of motivation. I'm definitely starting to make progress, but I need to put my mojo into full gear if I want to do well at this show.

My next meeting with Jodi is Monday, February 18. I promise to post a picture to show my progress. First I need to schedule some tanning appointments.

Until next time, eat clean and train dirty!

10 Weeks to Go

I feel like I've been having a good run -- steadily losing weight and body fat. That is, until this week.

Sadly, my father-in-law passed away. He had been sick for a few weeks and we knew the inevitable was coming. It still doesn't prepare you. From trying to console my husband, to explaining it to our two children, having a dear family member pass away is an emotional, physical and spiritually draining event. Add the token unnecessary family drama, and you can probably tell how my check-in with Jodi went this week. I don't believe in excuses, but I do believe in cutting myself some slack.

Without further ado, I gained weight (1.2 lbs) and I gained body fat (1.7%). It made me sad to slide backwards, especially since it wasn't like I was dining on cake every night. I was trying really hard to be good. I did all of my workouts, but it just goes to show what stress and a not-so-tight diet can do in just a few days.

As she pinched me with the calipers, Jodi said "I can feel your stress. You're retaining water big-time." Back to the drawing board...

Here are this week's changes:

Diet
Lunch is now 4 oz. of sweet potato (weighed raw) instead of brown rice

Dinner is now 6 oz. of tilapia instead of chicken

Workout
Cardio is now 5 times per week for 45 minutes.

I think these changes will show drastic improvement. I'm just hoping it's enough to make up for last week and then some.

Cheat Meal
I felt so guilty about even having a cheat meal since I didn't lose. But I know the indulgences will go away in the next week or so.

- 3 Coronas (I can't even remember the last time I had beer. Needless to say, they tasted soooo good.)
- spinach & artichoke dips with tortilla chips
- flat iron steak with sauteed mushrooms
- 1/2 baked potato
- expresso milkshake (don't ask...)

It's so true that making changes to your body is 80% diet, 10% workout and 10% genetics. I could work out for hours a day and be perfectly happy. It's just so hard to control my hunger and cravings. I constantly need to be drinking, chewing or eating. I think that's why gum is such a crutch for me. I need to refocus on how great I looked and felt when I prepped for last year's show.

What's your trick to get (and stay) motivated???