I'm Baaaaack!!!!

After a long hiatus, I'm finally back! I originally thought I was going to do another show in October, but I flaked out for a few reasons: my heart wasn't into it, my brother's wedding and one Tough Mudder. I didn't feel like I could give 100%. But after so much time and a diet that's gone awry, I'm ready to train for another competition, and I'll be, once again, outlining my journey here. It will be interesting to compare notes to my first go-round compared to this one.

I met with Jodi today and I was bummed to learn that I'm back to square one. In Feb. 2011, I started out at 138 lbs and 25.1% bodyfat. Today she measured me at 138 lbs. and 24.9% bodyfat. Clearly the ice cream I've become accustomed to as my nighttime snack has caught up with me.

Here is my kickoff diet:

Breakfast
1/2 cup oatmeal
5 egg whites
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Morning Snack
1 small banana (approx. 6 inches)
Protein shake using 1 scoop of protein powder

Lunch
4 oz. chicken
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup broccoli*

Afternoon Snack
Protein shake using 1 scoop of protein powder 

Dinner
4 oz. chicken
2 1/2 cups broccoli*

Evening Snack
6 oz fat-free, plain Greek yogurt
12 almonds

*Any green veggie, including green beans, cauliflower, spinach, zucchini.
Free foods = lettuce, cucumber, celery, peppers, salsa

Workout
Cardio -- 4x/week, 30 min., steady state (keep heart rate around 130, no intervals)
Weights -- 3 exercises per bodypart, 3 sets of 10 reps, heavy as possible


I'll have a cheat meal on Xmas Day where I'll be able to indulge in our annual tradition of eating Xmas cookies for breakfast. My next weigh and measure will be on Sat., Dec. 29.

The show is April 13, 2013, so I have 16 weeks to get my butt in gear.

Tomorrow the journey begins. Stay tuned for more updates. I'll also post a before pic compared to when I started out last year. That should be interesting...

One-Month Post Competition Update

It's hard to believe it's been a month since the competition! Where does the time -- and the summer -- go?!

I'm still working out almost every day, mind you not with the same intensity as when I was preparing for the contest. I'm trying to do at least 30-40 minutes of cardio and weight train 1-2 body parts each day (3-4 exercises, 8-10 reps).

The diet is a different story. I'm eating clean 90% of the time. It's amazing how much can change so quickly. It took me 7 weeks to lose 7% bodyfat. While it's taken me just two weeks to put it back on. Ouch! I've only gained 4 pounds since the contest and I feel good. But I do feel "softer."

I'm so used to focusing on achieving a goal, it's a struggle to know what to do with myself. I was on the fence about whether or not to do another show in October. Part of me wants to do it so badly so I can be completely focused and driven. The other (more rational) part of me keeps reminding myself that I have my brother's wedding and the Tough Mudder in Oct. I don't want to spread myself too thin and do poorly at both, instead of kicking ass at one.

With that, there are plenty of competitions next year...so we'll see what 2013 brings. Who knows, by then I may be onto another fitness-related goal...

Update: One Week Post Figure Competition

It seems like it was a month ago that I competed. With the July 4th holiday immediately after the show, I had all kinds of food and temptations! I'm trying hard to stay focused, but it's hard not giving in to all the yummy treats I had to turn away for the past three months. I've been eating more ice cream than normal, and enjoyed some amazing BBQ food at a party.

After eating so clean for 14 weeks, I have noticed that I'm drawn to eating clean, to really reading labels and watching the carbs, sugar and processed products in the foods I buy. I've become much more interested in cooking and baking (much to the surprise of my husband).

That said, I've decided to go back to the beginning of the competition diet to see if I can try to maintain my lower body fat and hold onto the muscle (hopefully gain some in the process).

I'm due to get my period this week, that will be a tell-tale sign of if I'm in a healthier body fat range. I can already feel my breasts getting fuller and my stomach beginning to bloat. I'm hoping those are PMS signs and not weight gain signs. LOL! My weight is currently at 133.5. I'd love to try and maintain 135.

My workouts have resumed. I went running outside twice this week, took a Core Barre class with my mom, and did a weight DVD today for shoulders and arms. It felt good to lift again. I'm hoping to figure out the right amount of cardio to keep the body fat at bay since 90 minutes a day just isn't going to happen.

I'm so happy that I ended up getting the photographer after the show. I received the rest of the photos and love how they came out. If you need a reasonable, creative and very personable photographer, be sure to check out http://www.ktraficantephoto.com/. Here are some of the other photos she took:

I DID IT!!!! Official Figure Competitor Here :)

Three Days of This...

For obvious reasons, I was MIA this week. It was laser-focus time as everything was coming together, and getting stricter. Let's see if I can remember what on earth I did the last week leading up to the big day.

I met with Jodi on Tues. and my green beans switched to 8 thin asparagus spears. At that point all "free" foods (celery, cucumbers, salsa, etc.) were stopped, as well as all condiments and spices. Welcome to Bland City. Actually, it really wasn't that bad. I felt like my taste buds were hyper-sensitive. It's amazing how good plain chicken and asparagus could taste. I began taking the diuretics on Wed. and was only allowed to drink one gallon of distilled water per day from Wed. through Friday. I thought these last three days would be torture, but my period week was still the worst during this whole journey. I'm just glad my period wasn't due during contest week. Yikes.

Backstage, ready to go on

Drinking my coffee black was tough. More than anything, I just wanted a piece of gum. Gum are like my cigarettes. I chew it after eating, after coffee, when I'm hungry, when I'm bored. I think I would've picked gum over food during those final days. LOL!

I met with Jodi on Fri. to get my tan applied and get weighed and measure. My final measurements were 8.8% bodyfat (I still can't register that) and 129.4 lbs. (I guarantee I dropped another 3-4 pounds from the sodium depletion and dehydration.) The tan looked sooooo unnaturally dark, but once I got to the show, I was in good company.

As of Friday evening, I was not allowed to drink anything...not even coffee in the morning. Now, that was tough. I live on at least three cups of coffee a day. Luckily, I was busy running around Sat. morning and made sure to pack Excedrin to help alleviate any headaches. From hair and make-up, to check-in and then it was time to get ready. Jodi glued me into my bikini, applied my posing gel and had me pump up to make sure I was stage-ready. I froze when I realized I had to stand in the middle of a stage by myself and pose. AAAAHHHH!! It's like getting ready to go on a scary roller coaster -- excitement, dread and exhilaration all at once. But I did it and felt good. The other girls looked amazing. You could tell who had been training for years and who had a little "help" getting big.

Very happy to take 4th place

I hired a photographer to take some shots in between pre-judging and finals. I'll post some once I get them. But I created quite a scene in the street clad in a sparkly bikini and stripper heels. I was waiting for the cops to show up. LOL!

I relaxed at home for a few hours before heading back for more of the same. The wait was hot and borderline painful. I wavered between dizziness, thirst and impatience. I was ready to get on stage just to be done standing around in 5-inch heels using bands to pump up.

While I didn't place in the Open category, I did get 4th place in the Masters Division. I was just happy to get a little trophy. :)

The girls I spoke to say that I would get hooked and I'm seriously considering doing a show in October. I thought if I placed in the top 3, I would want to go on. Getting 4th has made me more determined to place in the top 3.

I would be remiss if I didn't outline exactly what I ate after the show. After running backstage to chug two bottles of water and scarf all the dark chocolate I brought, my BFF and her husband, my husband and my parents headed to Outback for the steak I was craving all week. Here's the celebration meal:

- Watermelon margarita (2)
- Bloomin' Onion
- Spinach & Artichoke Dip
- Pecan, blue cheese chopped salad
- 9 oz. sirloin with blue cheese crumble
- Sweet potato fries
- Sinful sundae (vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted coconut) on top of a hot brownie, whipped cream and strawberries
- Coffee

While I thought I would be sick after having all that food, I actually felt great...just tired and in dire need of a shower.

Stay tuned. We may go another round...

Final Week: 5 Days Until Show Time

I'm in the home stretch and can barely believe it!! I met with Jodi on Sat. and I'm at 9.5% bodyfat, and my weight is130.8 lbs. WOW!! I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be in the single digits for bodyfat. I feel completely transformed.

Here are the diet changes, which will be modified again on Tues. and Fri.

Breakfast
- 4 egg whites
- 1 whole egg
- 4 oz. sweet potato
(I have an awesome, clean sweet potato pancake recipe you can check out at the end of this post...YUM!)

AM Snack
- Small green apple

Lunch
- 4 oz. chicken
- 1 cup green beans

PM Snack
- 3 oz chicken
- 4 oz. sweet potato

Dinner
- 4 oz. chicken
- 1 cup green beans

Evening Snack
- 3 oz. chicken

Workout
Cardio is now 90 minutes every day until Wed. (last workout of the week)

Since I'm done working out Wed., I worked out today (Sun.), my normal rest day. I'm feeling a little more rundown than usual. I can't figure out how I'm working out for 2 hours on such a small amount of calories.

Here is the update photo for this week:

I've been getting lots of requests for contest info. If you're interested in attending the show, you can visit www.tarrytownmusichall.org for all the info. Pre-judging is 11:30am and the final show is 6pm. My understanding is that this is a big show (unlike the one I attended a few weeks ago). I'm soooo excited/nervous. If anything, it will be an incredible experience. :)

Here's the sweet potato pancake recipe that little 'ol me came up with on my own (very big deal since I don't even cook. LOL!):

Clean Sweet Potato Pancake (makes one serving)
- 4 oz. sweet potato (or one small sweet potato)
- 1 tsp sweetner (I prefer Truvia, but you can use Splenda, honey or whatever you prefer)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp oatmeal

Microwave the sweet potato until soft. Mix everything together in a small bowl. Heat a small skillet, spray with cooking spray. Spoon mixture to make one giant pancake and flatten it out. Cook, flip to other side and cook (approx. 30-45 seconds each side). Enjoy!!! I don't think I'll ever eat a regular pancake after having this!!! YUM!!!!

Let me know how it turns out and if you like it! :)