Okay, mea culpa...I know I haven't written since May.
I never even posted how I finished in my competition! Ugh! Well, I'll
let you in on a little secret. I'm pretty sure I've avoided posting
because I was less than thrilled with how I placed. In other words, I
didn't place. It was incredibly frustrating to train for a competition
and know I wasn't delivering the best package I could.
Compared to my two prior shows, I was way too soft to be on stage. That said, it was good practice to go through the dieting down, tanning, posing, etc. Although, it always sucks to eat humble pie. The competition was fierce. The other girls were in amazing shape! But I learned a valuable lesson: compete when you're ready and your trainer tells you you're ready. Do not prep for a date, thinking you're somehow going to miraculously lose 10 pounds in eight weeks.
Compared to my two prior shows, I was way too soft to be on stage. That said, it was good practice to go through the dieting down, tanning, posing, etc. Although, it always sucks to eat humble pie. The competition was fierce. The other girls were in amazing shape! But I learned a valuable lesson: compete when you're ready and your trainer tells you you're ready. Do not prep for a date, thinking you're somehow going to miraculously lose 10 pounds in eight weeks.
This was how I learned to train for the past two years. Cut calories + increase cardio = bodyfat in the single digits while simultaneously destroying your metabolism.
Here you can see the difference over my past shows:
 |
| June 2012 |
 |
| April 2013 |
 |
| June 2014 |
Since
January 2014, I have been working with a new trainer (Team Franco). I'm
following a new, healthier diet plan. It's commonly known as If It Fits
Your Macros (IIFYM) or flexible dieting. Google it and you'll find loads of information.
Essentially, I'm given a certain number of grams of carbohydrates, fats
and protein. As long as I meet my numbers or macros, I can eat what I
want. Obviously, the healthier and cleaner the food, the more I can eat. For
example, one cup of steamed broccoli has approx. 30 calories, 2g carbs,
0g fat, 3 g protein. If I need 30g of protein during a meal, I can get
it from 10 cups of broccoli or 1oz. of potato chips, which also had added fat. You get the idea.
So
I competed, I sucked, now what? It's currently off-season time, otherwise known
as time to build muscle. I've increased my calories (approx. 1,600) and
macros (carbs 170g, fat 40g, protein 140g) and eliminated cardio. My cardio was
just introduced (after at least 8 weeks of being off) to see
what happens. Surprisingly I gained weight. I didn't realize
reintroducing cardio could cause water retention. I'm trying really hard
to not become obsessed with the scale, especially since I'm trying to
gain muscle.
For now, I'm trying to eat as clean as I can and hit the weights hard and heavy.
The 30-Day Experiment
You'll
see some interesting posts soon as I test different things for 30 days,
such as no dairy, no sugar, no processed food, no meat, Paleo, Fighter Diet, meditating, yoga, etc. I want to see how
my body responds...all while staying within those precious macros. I'll provide a weekly update. The first experiment is no sugar or artificial sweeteners for 30 days. This will not include supplements (protein powder, pre-workout, etc.) or natural sweeteners like Stevia. It means not eating or drinking anything that includes sugar as an ingredient.
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