Sunday, October 27, 2013

7 Weeks Out: Dealing With Meanies

Why, hello!
I'm sorry it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted. Or maybe no one is really reading this and therefore I'm apologizing to myself. In any event, I will want to look back on this time in my life and see how this whole nutty experience went down. So for that, I need to make sure I keep up on this blog!
As far as my diet and workouts go, the calories have decreased and the workload has increased. 
So saying that training for a bikini competition is hard is probably the biggest understatement ever. 
It's a constant, 24/7 challenge. If I'm not physically prepping my food, I'm thinking about my next meal or my next day's numbers. If I'm not working out at the moment, I'm planning out what my next day's workout is going to be. There really isn't a moment in my day that does not revolve around planning food, prepping food or working out. The only time I'm really not doing any of those things is when I'm sleeping. I would say that I'm not doing those things while I'm at work...but since that's where I eat a bulk of my meals, I don't really get a break from it there either. 
As much as I'm complaining, I did know it would be like this and I did sign up for it. 
So... every day I put my big girl panties on, grab my packed lunch and gym bag and I push through.

What I didn't expect are the negative reactions I have gotten from some people. 
I want to be clear. For the most part, I have gotten nothing but overwhelming support from my friends, family and of course my amazing boyfriend. I especially love all of my fellow Train Insane gym peeps. They definitely help keep me going!
But what's funny is that there are some people who have gone the opposite way. 
Whether it's making fun of my food, making comments about how dumb this whole thing is, or making it a point to literally shove bad food in my face to taunt me with it....I'll never understand why they think that's okay. 
Jealousy? Insecurity? Maybe both, perhaps? 
All I know is that I have enough of my own challenges to face, so dealing with people like that is exhausting.



Anyhoo, that's my rant for the week. 
And for all of the positive people in my life, I just want to say how I much I appreciate you! All of the encouragement and support- you have no idea how much it helps! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!

Ok, enough talking. On to progress photos!
So, A.B. and I have had the most difficult time trying to get consistent lighting in our house. So today, I gave up and took some poorly lit, slightly blurry pics in my mirror. And since my first progress photos were taken this way, I thought it only fitting to compare the two. 

So, here they are- 15 Weeks Out versus my current picture at 7 Weeks Out. I'm happy that my waist is shrinking, stomach is flattening out and also happy that I'm building up my booty! Thank GOODness this is working.




That's all for now. I'll be ordering my bikini next week! Yikes! I can't believe we're almost into November and I'm starting to see the finish line. So crazy!

Bye for now! 



Sunday, October 13, 2013

9 Weeks Out: Carb OBSESSED!

Hi folks! I'm back again with another progress report. I'm sorry I've been a little M.I.A. the past couple weeks. I was sick and then I was out of town..blah..blah..blah. 
But, I never slacked.... not even a little bit!

I was recently asked by a gym member, "So, how are things going? Is it getting easier?" 
It's weird. When I first started this process, I thought the food was the hardest part. I was sad on the weekends because I couldn't eat this or couldn't eat that. Boo-hoo...poor me! Haha! 
But now? Now I feel like the training is the hardest part! 
Our work has drastically increased and it is so hard for me to fit it all in on top of my full time job. 
So, I told her, "No...it's definitely getting harder."
And as far as my current diet goes, we have started the dreaded "carb cycling". So, Day #1 is no carbs, high protein, high fat. Day #2 is half of my normal carbs, high protein, high fat. Day #3 is high carbs, high protein, low fat....and I keep cycling that pattern for now. 
It's all more specific than that, but that's a general overview.
Let me tell you...not only are carbs fun to eat...they actually make you happy and make you feel better. My workouts feel so much harder lately. I am easily winded and I don't feel as strong. It sucks. And I find myself always thinking about the next carbs I get to eat. For example, yesterday was a no carb day and I told A.B. last night, "I can't wait to go to bed, because when I wake up, I get to have oatmeal!!!"

Yep...this is what I have been reduced to.




And what's even worse...this too will get harder. Pretty soon our calories will be cut down and my "no carb" days may increase as well. Oh..and if all that isn't enough to kill my spirit, I'm positive my workouts will increase. 
But..I have to constantly remind myself that I signed up for this. I knew it was going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's also going to be SO worth it in the end!

So here are some progress photos. I decided to post some comparison shots. Aside from the fact that I desperately need a tan in order to see any sort of muscle tone, I'm pretty happy that I'm slimming down!!!




 It's important for me to see progress.  On a day to day basis, I just go, go, go..and I don't pay attention to how my body is looking, When I get to see that it's actually paying off, it really helps keep me motivated! :)

So that's it for now. I think I should be seeing more drastic results over the next few weeks now that our carb cycling has begun. I can't wait to see what version of hell my coach has in store for us. :)

Bye for now!