Night Show Routine

2 more days!

Notes:

• Baking delicious treats!
• No work!
• Drinking at least 1.5 gallon of distilled water - more the better!
• Go through routine - 30minutes AM
• 45 minute light circuit - focus on shoulders/bi/tri
• Yesterday I weighed in at 93lbs
• 7-8hrs of sleep each night is what I need prior to competition
• No need to consume electrolyte capsules - cramping in foot arch isolated to feet only, no need to consume extra sodium, massage periodically

EATING SCHEDULE ----

Meal 1:

1/2 egg yolk

4 egg whites

1/4 cup oatmeal (prepared w/distilled water)

5 large strawberries

Cinnamon for taste

Meal 2:

1/2 jasmine white rice (prepared w/distilled water)

56g cooked chicken

Meal 3:

Elite whey protein - 20g

Creatine pre/post circuit

Dried Fruit

Meal 4:

3 egg whites

Dried Fruit

Meal 5:

4 egg whites

3 more days!

NOTES:

• Consuming at least 2 gallons distilled water - overhydrating the body, flushing extra sodium
• Preparing all foods with distilled water
• 45 minute cardio session (light)
• Lift - endurance lifting - not to failure
• Drinking teas with a diuretic effect is fine - counts as part of water consumption
• Bake delicious things!
• No work!

EATING SCHEDULE:

Meal 1:

1/2 cup oatmeal (prepared with distilled water)

4 large strawberries

Cinnamon for taste

3 egg whites

Meal 2: (post leg workout)

Elite whey protein

125g apple

Creatine pre/post workout

Meal 3:

1/2 cup jasmine white rice (prepared with distilled water)

4 egg whites

Meal 4:

1/2 cup jasmine white rice (prepared with distilled water)

4 egg whites

Meal 5:

4 egg whites

Sticky Buns

Surprised Lou with a sweet treat this morning...smells amazing! Light, flaky dough filled with brown sugar, toasted pecans, and sweet raisins!

My kitchen missed me while I was away - and I missed my kitchen!

Monday - 5 more days!

Back on track. I have many things to remember and do this week to help prepare me for Saturday. Started the day with a good hour of cycling and great chest workout. The creatine is really assisting with blood flow during my lifts. Good pump!

More to come...

Updates:

- 7% body fat

- 95lbs

- drinking lemon water, helping with bloating and digestion

- ate dried fruit today, good energy source (no fat in low GI fruits)

- staying away from veggies (especially carrots - full of fiber and makes me feel bloated)

- no negative side effects from eating more calories yesterday

- stomach looking flatter

- staying really low fat and upping the carb intake for week before competition

Travel Day - Returning Home - Mother's Day!

Travel day was a day of pleasure...despite my planning, my eating schedule was off and I did not factor the time difference. I ate most of my meals by early AM, and was starving by early afternoon. Nice. At least I got a good 35 minutes of cardio in before leaving for the airport.

Knowing that I was able to consume a little more calories (1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwhich when I got home) I indulged a little. Staying at a hotel with continental breakfast (ALL YOU CAN EAT) every morning is evil. I gave in and ate a small blueberry muffin. During my travel day I also ate a small cinnamon raisin bagel. When I got home I ate my 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwhich and to top off the night, we celebrating mother's day by having euphoria truffles. I had 1/2 a truffle. Delicious!

Here were the totals for day:

1510 Calories

49 Fat

173 Carb

97 Protein

Believe it or not - I was still at a negative 53 calories... so at least I didn't gain anything!

Updated Pic

Progress at 5-7-10 - 8 more days to go!

9 More Days!

Travel, work, diet, and training are going well...I make do with what I have and do my best to stay on track. It's all I can do! It's my 2nd day in Chicago and I was finally able to go to the grocery store...probably bought more food than I an consume, but at least I have what I need. Eggs, fresh raw green beans, carrots, and asparagus.

I packed way too much whey, but have a good amount of tuna/salmon packets to get me through the trip. Better to have more than not enough!

Travel Day:
781 Calories
12g fat
90 carb
86 protein
45 minutes of cardio - running
- I ate a luna bar for the 1st time in years...it was amazing and so delicious!

Work Day 1:
763 calories
13g fat
70 carb
96 protein
45 minutes of cardio - cycling
45 minute lift - shoulders/tri/bi/weighted abs


Updates:
-Able to feel a good pump when lifting - I think the creatine is assisting with blood flow and helps with the great pump!
- Feeling a little bloated today, but not going to stress about it

11 More Days!

Doing good - preparing and planning for my Chicago trip. Work decided to send me to Chicago last minute. Nice.

Took a trip to the grocery store and found 2.5oz of bagged tuna and smoked salmon. Stoked! Contacted TSA and it sounds like I can take my whey protein too! More smiles from me for sure!!!

Updates:

About 2 weeks out add-ins/changes

Started taking creatine 1x a day 4,000mg

-non lifting days I take 1 serving in the AM with some carb (preferably fruit or juice)

-lifting days 2,000mg before and after workout

-creatine works best with water (note to self: over drink water if possible)

-Taking pictures to track my progress now - picture w/out tanning products, pump, vasodilators, and bad lighting

-B/C I am on track with diet and progress - I get 1/2 a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich on Sunday - I will then monitor how I look and feel after I have consumed it, particularly the next AM

-will need to assess the tightest of my skin, bloating, etc... if I have good results I will do this day before competition

NOTE TO SELF:

- ate tofu yesterday for the first time in a while and felt very bloated, do not consume during competition diet

Good Day - Great Progress!

Two weeks from today I will have a VERY happy tummy. It will be full of bagels, cream cheese, lox, fruit, coffee cake, and american dream pizza.

Changed my music for my routine, but VERY happy about it. "Universalism" by Ancient Fusion. For the first time throughout my training I feel like my conditioning has paid off. I feel about 95% ready two weeks out. Exactly where I should be! Looking fairly ripped and I only have about 8 more seconds to my routine to put together.

Updates:

7% body fat, 95lbs

Riviera Egg Pie

I wanted to make a Spinach Ricotta Quiche for dinner, but ended up making this Riviera Egg Pie. Similar ingredients as a quiche except no cream. Added touches included sauted onions and a pie crust to top it off. I used a package of frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh chopped spinach because I had some left over and wanted to use it up. Turned out nice and fluffy! I served it with a side of fresh cut cucumber and Toby's Ranch Dressing drizzled on top.

Baking Adventures

I baked all these cookies (and cupcake) today and I can officially say I have my very own cookie to call my own. The Mint Chocolate White Chunk Cookie.

I baked:

Oat Lace Cookie

Chocolate Whirls

Chocolate Truffle Cookie

Mint Chocolate White Chunk Cookie

Coconut Macaroon

Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroon

Flower Cupcake

Gingersnap-Raspberry Sandwhiches

Lemon Bars

Shortbread

Yum!

I just came across "The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook" by Jaden Hair. I am totally inspired to cook Asian Cuisine in my own home! This makes me smile!

2 more weeks!

Two weeks from today I will be competing!

I am officially 95 lbs 2 weeks out and feeling fairly good about my progress. My stomach will still be the last place I lose fat. I guess we all have those areas that never seem to go away. Oh well. :)

Food Intake: Roller Coaster

Continuing to keep my fat and carb intake on a roller coaster to keep my body off balance. It's critical to do this so my body does not reach a plateau. This does not mean I get to consume as much fat or carb as I desire. I have to stay within my daily max.

Yesterday I consumed:
Calories: 713
Fat: 15g
Carb: 58g
Protein: 88g

Today:
Calories: 931
Fat: 11g
Carb: 110g
Protein: 91g

Today's fat should be lower, but I was not feeling well this morning and I had a few cheez-its. I thought a few crackers might help my tummy...

Counting down the days!

Feeling pretty exhausted today.... 8.75hrs of work plus a 45 cardio session at 4:45am and a heavy lift on back today. Looking forward to tomorrow. When I feel like this, I remind myself that I have worked so hard and come so far... and only 18 more days until competition!

Breakfast for Dinner

Paprika Home Fries & Eggs

Lou enjoys breakfast for dinner...instead of the usual orange buttermilk pancake breakfast I tried this potato and egg breakfast.

Risotto Dinner

Salmon & Green Risotto w/Panko

...it's all a learning process

I've been feeling VERY bloated over the past 2-3 weeks and I think I have figured out the cause. Lactaid. I have to take lactaid pills before eating dairy. I will be staying away from milk products until competition now. I am sad that I have to give up fat free nancy's yogurt and cottage cheese, but I'll be finding other protein sources to replace them.

My abs are not coming through and it is because of bloating...I am not going to let dairy keep me from placing 1st!

Note to self:

Purchase Low Fat Muscle Milk Lactose Free Whey Protein, most whey contains lactose

Foods for Pre-Competition Diet

My diet consists of the following foods:

Protein:
Egg Yolks
Egg Whites
Salmon
Tuna
Chicken Breasts
Whey Protein
Fat Free Cottage Cheese
Nancy's Non-Fat Yogurt
Laughing Cow Cheese

Carbohydrate: (I don't always get a fruit everyday, but I ALWAYS have oatmeal in the AM)
Apple
Strawberries
Oatmeal
Green Beans
Asparagus
Spinach
Red Leaf Lettuce
Carrots
Broccoli
Ketchup

Fat: (I get most of my fat from my protein/carb sources)
Egg Yolk
Whey Protein
Chicken Breast
Flaxseed oil
Salmon
Laughing Cow Cheese
Oatmeal

Flavor "boosters" with zero calories : (not used in excess)
Splenda
Cinnamon
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable or Meat Spices
I can't believe it's not butter!

Drinks: (most have zero to little calories)
Water, water, and more water (little less than 1 gallon)
Crystal Light (drank only on occasion)
Diet Soda (drank only on occasion)

baked sweet potato "fries"

next time I will be cutting the sweet potato in longer spears...

Busy Sunday!

Started the day with a 45min cardio session. Lou and I drove to Salem for his first meet of the season. He ran the 1500 t0day. Great job Lou! Headed to gym, had a good shoulder workout, then worked on posing/routine.

Reached my goal for the week! Put together about 1/2 of my routine and feeling good about it.

My goal for this coming week is putting the rest of my routine together, and of course eating and training smart every day. I am 3 weeks out!

Body Composition Update:

About 8-9% body fat

Weight 98lbs

Food Log for the day:

Calories: 651

Fat: 10g

Carb: 48g

Protein: 90g

More baking adventures...

Thumbprint Cookie

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bar

Busy Saturday

Woke up around 5:30am, went grocery shopping, ate breakfast, went to work for about an hour, and then headed to the gym. I am home now and getting ready for volunteer work in the garden.

Felt a bit emotional this morning...not to mention I have a big ol' zit on my forehead (first one in a couple months!) I've got to take each day one at a time. There's only so much you can accomplish in one day. Looking forward to baking new recipes :)

More later...

Pasta Dinner

Lemon Pasta with Mascarpone & Spinach

Baking with Ginger

ginger cookies

old-fashioned gingerbread

Tuesday - New Record!

Continuing to keep my body off balance - today I consumed 5g of fat! That's a new record!

Had a great leg workout and just finished my 45min cardio session.

Tomorrow is another low fat day.

Potato, Spinach and Tomato Soup

Made Louie some potato, spinach, and tomato soup tonight. Healthy soup with a wonderful smell!

Can't Forget These!

All 5 products are a must have for competition diet.

Goal for this week

Started the day with a 45 min cardio session at home at 4:45am. Plan on posing tonight and throwing in another 30min cardio session at the club tonight.

My Goal for this week:
Put together 4 poses for my routine

Note to self: on top of my weekly goals, I have to remember that training and eating right every day is a whole another goal in itself. It's a daily goal.

My 1st Cornbread Cooking Adventure

Cheddar Dill Cornbread

More Muffins ....

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffin

Pic Update

Bicep Shot

Tri-Berry Oven Pancake

a large oven pancake

Sunday Morning

Off to a good start. Woke up at 5:00am and got about 7hrs of sleep. Energy level is good. I've decided what I am going to bake today. For breakfast, I will be baking the tri-berry oven pancakes and this afternoon I will be bake blueberry coffee cake muffins.

Ordinarily I would not bake anything coffee cake related because that is one of the main foods I am craving, but at this point I am not going to have an issue with it. I am so close to my goal and nothing will get in the way! Thought about making challah bread, but I don't have the patience for it today...

I already cooked rice and prepared yum bowls for Lou - for the week, and of course ate breakfast at 6am. I've cleaned up the kitchen and now I am off to go let a friends dog out.

Looking forward to making the tri-berry oven pancakes for Lou. I hope they turn out lovely!

Double Digits

New Record: 98.6lbs (the perfect body temperature)

Glad my hard work is paying off... it's not about the weight when it comes to competition, but knowing my weight is dropping (and my strength is still up) is positive reinforcement. I'll take anything I can.

Changes I have seen in the past 2 weeks:

Pecs

Traps

Quads

Face

Abs

Shoulder striations

Dinner Party

Parmesan & Thyme Crackers

Baked Shrimp Scampi

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Garlic Ciabatta Bread

Baked Chocolate Pudding

Buttermilk Pepper Jack Biscuits

Another recipe from Barefoot Contessa. Recipe calls for cheddar cheese, but I used pepper jack. Light and fluffy biscuit!

Buttermilk and baking powder make for a good treat!

Lemon Bars

Barefoot Contessa Lemon Bar

1 Month Away!

It's exactly 4 more weeks until my competition! Every day I have to push myself that much harder to place 1st, but I will do it.

It's been a production morning. Lou had to open the club this morning, so he had to get up at 3:30am. I've been awake since 4am. Unable to go back to bed, I did some laundry and ironed clothes. It's almost breakfast, and boy let me tell you...I am looking forward to a slice of toast with my eggs.

Killer Orange Buttermilk Pancakes & Fruit Salad

Busy Wednesday

Started my day with a good 45 minute cardio session on the bike. Walked, played with the doggies, and ate breakfast. Headed to the gym, had a good back and bi lift. Added an extra 15 minutes of running. Worked and then came home. Mowed the lawn, cleaned house, and made Louie my orange buttermilk pancakes with a delicious fruit salad. Feeling pretty good, a little tired. Heading to bed soon - looking forward to another day closer to my competition.

Diet Adventure #4

Keeping my fats around 15g per day, and consuming all my carbs & fats in the first half of the day.

This should be a shock to my body. I am weighing in about 101lbs, with hopes to lose about another 5-6lbs of fat before competition. I have 1 month and 2 days before my competition... I am so close!

Every levels are a bit low this afternoon. Looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast!

Portobello Lasanga

Portobello Lasanga

with

Ricotta & Spinach

inspiration from Barefoot Contessa and Ellie Krieger

* made with homemade sauce

Another Monday...

Woke up feeling good. Took the doggies for a walk around the block. Had oatmeal, eggs n'ketchup, and crystal light for breakfast. Drank a cup of peppermint tea and half way through my 1st bottle of water. I have a slight headache, but not pounding.

This is what I have on tap for today:

Work 6.5hrs
30 min high intensity cardio session
30 min lift - chest
45 min low-intensity cardio session
30 min posing
Make portobello lasagna for my loving husband who deserves everything in the world!

Sunday Energy Level

Energy levels are good, but feeling tired and ready for bed. It's almost 8pm. Didn't do any cardio today, but walked and cleaned the house. I also posed for 10 minutes.

Low calorie day was not as bad as I anticipated. Had a hard time around 4-5pm.

Banana Crunch Muffin

Oh , the smell of baked muffins is wonderful. I am told these muffins are good, but not as delicious as the Cranberry Harvest Muffins.

We'll be sticking with the Cranberry Harvest Muffin!

Low Calorie Sunday

653 calorie day - good challenge today and I will conquer it! Took a Charge today. Hoping this will help keep my metabolism going while consuming little calories. I'll blog my energy levels later on.

11g fat

38g carb

91g protein

Making a trip to the store today & picking up ingredients for making new recipes this week.

Great Harvest Muffins

Inspired by Barefoot Contessa, my mom and I made these Cranberry Harvest Muffins. My husband says they are a "keeper recipe" and my mom says they are "delicious, and would taste great baked as muffin tops."

I am looking forward to baking & eating these after my diet!

It's all a learning process

About a month away from my competition, I am finally starting to figure out what works and doesn't work. It takes about a week for my body to adjust to a diet change, so it's crucial that I tweak my diet every week. I need to keep it off balance.

Sunday I plan on consuming as little calories as I can while keeping my protein intake at 90g.

Thursday

My awesome husband set up the indoor trainer at home so I don't have to drive all the way to the gym and back home at 5am before work. Now I can workout at home, get ready for work, eat... and of course take the doggies out.

Today's workouts:
42min cardio - bike
1hr lift - shoulders/arms/abs/posing
45min cardio - bike/run combo

No baking adventures tonight, out of flour. :(

Chocolate Buttermilk Pie

So you're probably wondering why I would make such a thing while being on a competition diet.

My answer: There's something very satisfying about making my husband something sweet & delicious. As for myself, since my taste buds can't enjoy it, I might as well stimulate my sense of smell. Oh it's good!

Wednesday

I can't believe it's already Wednesday...the days seem to fly by. Staying busy and working hard. Taking one day at a time, and looking forward to my show in a few weeks! Woo hoo!

Case of the Mondays

Woke up for early morning high intensity cardio session. Got my period today because I stopped taking my b.control pills a few days ago. Thought I wouldn't get my period until after competition, but I was wrong. Exhausted, I worked for a little and went back to the gym for a back/bi lift. It was okay. Worked for a couple more hours and then went home. Napped for 2hrs and have been home taking it easy. I needed a nap and a 1/2 a day of doing nothing!

Looking forward to my new workout schedule tomorrow. 7:00am cardio and lift.

Awesome Cardio/Chest/Tri Workout

Had an amazing workout this morning. Started off with a high intensity cardio session and ended with a heavy chest/tri lift. Exhausted after volunteering in the garden today, but doing okay. Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.

Saturday Morning

Had trouble sleeping last night. Bed around 9pm, woke up at 1am, and tossing and turning until 3:45. Decided to finally get up. I've got a lot on my mind and I have spent the early morning looking at bodybuilding routines and listening to music. Still deciding what song I will use for my routine. Looking forward to lox, egg whites, arugula, laughing cow cheese, and oatmeal at 6am.

FYI - Palindrome, it's 5:15am!

Pizza Adventure

My favorite food. Pizza. I am counting down the days until I can eat some!

Today I cooked my husband is favorite pizza, mushroom with olive. We really enjoy baking our own pizza made with whole wheat dough, homemade tomato sauce, and colby jack cheese. The combination of all three (with a topping of course) is like eating a bagel, cream cheese, and lox. The 3 flavors just go together!

Diet Adventure #3

Taking my diet to another level: 6 weeks out from competition. My daily food intake goal:

Calories: 900-1020

90g protein

20g fat

100-120g carb

Only 6 more weeks to go!

Clothes Adventure

You know you're losing weight when your size zero pants are slightly loose and the butt is all baggy. I should teach myself to sew, better yet start my own sewing business making temporary clothes for bodybuilders during their competition diet.

Tuesday

Today I set a new record. My calorie difference was a negative 796.

I woke up early today, if you think 4:30am is early. Decided to throw in my 30min high intensity cardio session at 5:00am. Came home, made breakfast, went to work, lifted heavy on chest, worked some more, fit in a 50min low intensity cardio session, posed, came home, and took dogs for a walk. Ending my day with good conversation with Lou and the dogs. It's bright and early tomorrow for another 5:00am cardio session.

FYI - palindrome, it's 7:57.

Monday

After consuming 9g of fat yesterday, my body feels a bit tired. Low energy, hard time concentrating & prioritizing tasks at work in the afternoon, and a headache at 3:30pm. I still managed to get a 45min circuit workout, walk the dogs 2x, clean the kitchen, and cook my husband warm orange buttermilk pancakes & potatoes, and of course cook and prepare my meals.

If you are going to lower your fat intake to less than 10g a day, be sure the next day is not filled with a list of "to-do's".

Fat Adventure

Trying something different today. My fat intake did a nose dive (in a good way!). Usually I consume about 30g of fat, but today I consumed 9g of fat. So maybe you are asking me, how did you feel? My answer: Pretty good. My fat came from oatmeal, whey protein, and salmon. I would highly recommend eating non-fat nancy's yogurt with a no-fat cereal. I like the Special-K Blueberry. It fills you up!

Taking my calories on a roller coaster is a great way for my body to stay off balance. The purpose: to keep my body from plateuing.

Cooking Adventure

Today I was inspired by Barefoot Contessa to make Irish Soda Bread. This bread is not in my competition diet, but at least I can enjoy the warm smell of fresh baked bread...my loyal husband will be enjoying every bite!

Lactaid Adventure

Avoiding milk products because I am lactose intolerant is not an option anymore. I bought a box of these lactaid fast acting chewables and like magic, my problem is solved! Despite a bit of gas, no bloating and diarrhea.

For those of you who are not familiar with lactose intolerance here it is: the inability or insufficient ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and milk products

Killer Buttermilk Pancake Recipe

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Orange Zest

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth.
2. Pour batter onto the griddle, to form 5 pancakes. Flip pancakes when edges appear to harden. Cook pancakes on other side for same amount of time until golden brown.

Diet Adventure #2

Tomorrow I embark on a new adventure - taking dieting to another level! My daily food intake goal.

Calories: 1300-1400

Fat: 30-40 g

Carb: 160-170g

Protein: 100 g

6:00-1:00pm - oatmeal, bread, fruit, variety of protein sources

1:00-7:00pm - vegetables, variety of protein sources, olive oil, almonds

Almond Adventure

Eating raw almonds are good, but they are fabulous when you roast them. No oil needed.

Buy bulk almonds and roast them at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes. A great source of fat and protein to complete a meal.

Salmon Adventure

I really enjoy trips to the fish market. Check out Newman's Fish Market located in Eugene, OR. They have fresh salmon for a good price. Typical diet meal for me consists of salmon, asparagus, and broccoli.

To those of you not on a diet, Newman's Fish Market is known for their delicious fish & chips. Check it out!

Pros/Cons of Competition Diet

Pros - muscle definition, self-satisfaction of achieving a personal challenge, reaching goal & placing 1st

Cons - feeling cold 24/7, decreased sex drive, baggy clothes, wedding ring too loose to wear

Track Adventure

Meet my husband, Lou. Sometimes I call him Louie. He is an avid sports fan. His love for track and internal drive to achieve goals has driven him to compete in a decathlon this year. Mad props to my man!

Meet Paige

It's her favorite spot!

Diet Adventure #1

Today is the first day of my competition diet. My daily food intake goal.

Calories: 1500

Fat: 30-40 g

Carb: 200 g

Protein: 100 g