3 Weeks 'Til Figure Competition -- Yikes!

We're getting down to the wire and I'm happy to report this week's results:

Bodyfat
14.9% (down 1.3%)

Weight
129.2 lbs. (down 5.0 lbs.)

Diet Changes
Morning snack is now 3 oz. chicken and 2 oz. sweet potato

Workout Changes
Cardio 65 min. 7x per week
Keep 45 seconds of plyometrics between sets

Here's what my diet now looks like:

Current Daily Diet

Breakfast (eaten before workout at 4:45am)- 5 egg whites, 4 oz. sweet potato

Post-workout (approx. 7am): - 3 oz. chicken, 2 oz. sweet potato

Lunch (noon-ish) - 6 oz. tilapia, 1 cup green veggies, 4 oz. sweet potato

Afternoon snack (3:30ish) - 3 oz. chicken, 12 almonds

Dinner (6pm)- 6 oz. tilapia, 8 oz. (2 cups) asparagus

Evening snack (9pm) - 4 oz. tilapia

I submitted my entry forms and fees for the April 27th show, and I'll finish the April 13th paperwork this weekend. Now it's starting to feel real.

After I even out my tan lines from my tanning booth mishap, I promise to post some pics. Until then, eat clean and train dirty!

4 Weeks and Counting...

I just realized that I never posted this week. Ooops!!! Work was a bit crazy, so my apologies.

I made some progress, but not as much as I'd hoped. While I was visualizing 15%, my measurements came in at:

• Bodyfat -- 16.2% (down 0.9%)
• Weight -- 134.2 lbs (up 1.2 lbs.)

Jodi was nervous that I hadn't lost more with just four weeks to go, but then she took a look at me. For some reason I'm carrying the extra bodyfat differently. I should be at 12-13% right now. She wants to focus less on the numbers (easier said than done for me) and more on how I look.

With that, here are this week's changes:

Diet
Lunch -- 1 cup green beans
Dinner -- 8oz. (2 cups) asparagus

Workout
60 min. 7x per week
45 seconds plyometrics between sets

Other things I need to focus on this week are:

• Get comfortable in my new bikini -- I provided a sneak peek of my new posing suit. I'm a little self-conscious of my butt in it. There's a lot less fabric than my other suit. Luckily, I'm glued in!
  
• Practice posing and t-walk -- I think I've picked the song I want to use, which is Nicki Minaj's Starships. Not sure why, but that tune just makes me happy.
  
• Tanning -- I accidentally fried myself this week. In trying to even out my color, I went in a more powerful stand-up booth. I'm fried from my armpits to my butt cheeks. Oops!
  
• Nail appt. -- I had a Groupon for a mani/pedi, so I scheduled it the day before my first show.
  
• Hair & Make-up -- I'm going to do my own hair and make-up (*gulp*). I have a good idea from last year on how I need to look. I also chopped my hair, so there's not much styling to do, other than flat-ironing the heck out of it.
  
• Need to submit entry forms -- I consulted with Jodi on which categories I should enter -- essentially, all of them. She said the more categories, the more chances to win. So I'll be entering Novice, Masters and Open for both shows.

Until next time -- eat clean and train dirty! ;)

5 Weeks to the Tri-Cities Figure Competition

I'm still chugging along as the time winds down. This week my bodyfat was 17.1% (down 0.8%) and my weight 133lbs. (up 0.6). While I'm always secretly wishing for at least a drop of 2%, I'm just glad that I'm going down.

To come in at around 9-10% bodyfat, I still have a good 7+% to go! EEK! I should also note that I'm bigtime PMSing. Jodi thinks I'm retaining water, which is why my weight is slightly up. It could also be why I didn't drop more bodyfat. With that, here are this week's changes:

Diet
My evening snack is now 4 oz. of tilapia, and the nuts are gone. (My only source of fat now are the almonds during my afternoon snack.)

Workout
Weight training stays the same. Still doing plyometrics between sets.

Cardio is now 55 min., 7 days a week. Still doing walk/run intervals. Currently, I run 4.0 mph and then 8.0 mph. If I start to drag, I change the 8.0 mph to 7.0 mph.

I also ordered a new posing bikini, which should be arriving any day. I'm very excited!! It's emerald green and has more bling than my current suit.

I began tanning this week, too. It helps to get a solid base tan before they make you super-dark before the show.

This week, I'm going to be gathering forms, practice posing, finalizing my music for the T-walk, and nailing down the T-walk. It's been awhile since I've sported those 5-inch heels, so I need to get comfortable walking around in those again.

While I'll be doing the 2013 Tri-Cities Bodybuilding, Figure & Bikini Competition on April 13, 2103 in West Nyack, NY, I'm also planning on doing another show two weeks later. The OCB Jersey Natural Open is being held in Burlington, NJ on April 27th. I figure if I can get even leaner by that time -- all the better! This show is also a IFPA Pro & Masters Qualifier. Woohoo!

Stay tuned for next week's update. I'm hoping to post a pic of my new suit!

6 Weeks to Competition Time

Tonight was judgment night -- another reason to hate Mondays. Only kidding, I actually had a great meeting with Jodi. I'm making progress, but just wish it was a bit faster.

I'm now 132.4lbs. (down 1.5 from last week) and my bodyfat is now 17.9% (down 1.3%). This is all great news, however when I prepped for my last contest, I was at 14% six weeks out. I can either let it get me down, or I can let it get me fired up and fight even harder. I'm choosing the later.

Needless to say, to keep things moving, this week brings lots of changes to both diet and workout:

Diet

• Breakfast is now 4 oz. sweet potato (instead of oatmeal)
• Afternoon snack is now 3 oz. chicken and 12 almonds (instead of protein shake)
• No more berries with shake

Workout

• Cardio -- 50 min. 7x/ week (I talked Jodi out of 55 min. 6x/week...which will probably be next week)
• No more steady state cardio -- interval running everyday (0 incline, 1 min. hard/ 1 min. easy)

I also need to start tanning. As a refresher (and to help me keep it straight), here's my daily diet:

Current Daily Diet

Breakfast (eaten before workout at 5am)- 5 egg whites, 4 oz. sweet potato

Post-workout (approx. 7am): - protein shake

Lunch (noon-ish) - 6 oz. tilapia, 1 cup green veggies, 4 oz. sweet potato

Afternoon snack (3pm) - 3 oz. chicken, 12 almonds


Dinner (6pm)- 6 oz. tilapia, 2.5 cups green veggies

Evening snack (9pm) - protein shake, 12 almonds

I think all of these changes will really start moving the bodyfat. Now I need to focus on getting a new bikini, picking my music and practicing my T-walk.

Have any tips or tricks you'd like to add? I'm all ears!! :)

7 Weeks to Go & My First CrossFit Workout

Late is better than never, which is what this update is. It was a crazy week, but here I am!

I met with Jodi on Monday. Somehow I dropped down to 133.8 lbs and 19.2% bodyfat. I lost 4.6 pounds and 0.9% fat! I wish it was lost one pound and dropped 4.6% bodyfat. But losing is losing and I'll take it.

That said, Jodi is concerned that I may be burning through muscle with such a large weight loss. Minimal changes for this week:

Diet
Begin taking a fat burner again. I've been using Oxyelite. I also switched back to Jack3D from 1MR. Every few days, the 1MR gave me a weird diaper rash on my face and neck (great look) and made my skin crawl.

Workout
No changes -- keep cardio at 50 minutes 5x, plyos between sets, etc.

I've added shirataki noodles to my diet on the weekends. If you haven't tried the "Miracle Noodle" yet, I highly recommend it. It has no calories and essentially takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in. Follow me on Pinterest (allisonrjackson) for some great recipes, including chocolate cookies that are only 10 calories each. I have to forewarn you that since shirataki noodles are plant-based, it could upset your belly.

My First CrossFit Workout
I absolutely love trying new exercise classes. On my New Year's Resolution list this year was to take a CrossFit class (an aerial yoga class is on there, too). I finally got my chance today...and I loved it!!!

My Fit Mom friend (I should say ripped Mom friend) joined me for this new adventure. We trekked over to CrossFit Ignite in Park Ridge to try their 9:30am Saturday class. From the coaches to the others in class, this place rocked!! The workout was intense, but a welcomed change:

100 sit-ups
 5 burpees
10 kettlebell swings
20 kettlebell thrusters
30 lunges w/ plate overhead
40 down unders (jump rope double-time)
30 lunges w/ plate overhead
20 kettlebell thrusters
10 kettlebell swings
5 burpees
400 meter run

As I'm sitting here at 9pm, I can begin to feel my muscles ache. Love that! The great part about this "box" (CrossFit lingo for their gym) is how no frills it is. There is literally nothing shiny and new. It's as if you're working out in someone's garage. Music blaring "Highway to Hell," you have this awesome coach pushing you to lift more, dig deeper and move yourself further.

Here's a sample:


I definitely think I'll be making more visits to CrossFit Ignite, but not before I check out the other nearest CrossFit location to me, which is CrossFit (201). I'm interested to see if there is the same camaraderie and community. Regardless, now I finally know what the fuss and muss is about. Good stuff!!

I'm meeting with Jodi on Monday. In the mean time, I really need to pick a song for this T-Walk (the 90-second strut and pose) and see if a new bikini is in my future. Stay tuned...

Have you tried CrossFit? What did you think? (Give me your likes and dislikes.)