Two Weeks to Go, and T-2 Days until VEGAS!

Ahhhhh!!! I can’t believe there are less than TWO WEEKS until I hit the stage at my first bikini competition! Time has really been flying by, and I know the next few days will be a blur too. After last week’s update, Layne increased my carbs, and as a result, I was up in weight this week (cue hyperventilating!). Seems I’m panicking more than Layne, though, and I have to trust his advice, especially these last two weeks. I was kind of expecting (and almost hoping) for a drastic diet change this week to really kick my butt into gear for the comp, but I’m keeping on the same path as of now. Next week (termed peak week by those prepping for competitions) will be different, however, and I cannot wait to see the changes that happen over that last week!

This week is going to be so full of good stress, I almost can’t stand it! Tomorrow, I’m getting my hair and nails done, and Wednesday, I’m leaving for VEGAS after work! I’ll arrive late (for me), and the next morning, I have a photo shoot bright and early at 10! And then another one at 3! (These are other reasons I’m a little panicky; I want to look my BEST for these shoots!) And then it’s OLYMPIA time! I know I’m going to be all smiles and nerves at the expo on Friday and Saturday, meeting all of my fitness idols (and Layne!). I’m excited to see the bikini competitors and see how I stack up against them! (And I’m beyond excited to watch my first bikini competition on Friday night! Then, I’ll know what to expect at my show!)

This week, I’ve been hearing one comment that is frankly starting to make me quite angry (even though I know it's not intended to make me mad). I’m hearing a LOT of people say “I couldn’t do it. I don’t have your discipline, and I love food too much.” While maybe meant to even be a compliment (yes, I exercise willpower and self-control with respect to food), there’s nothing special about dieting down for a competition. Anyone can do it if he or she really wants to; the fact is, most people don’t want to (and this is not just in regards to competition dieting; most people are unwilling to change their unhealthy habits in general). It’s not a matter of discipline; it’s a matter of wanting something and working toward it. I’m neither training an insane amount (30-90 minutes every day) nor am I starving myself or on an extreme diet. And the “I love food” comment has always irked me. I’m human too, so of course I also enjoy food. But healthy foods can and do taste delicious when prepared and spiced the right way. I have no desire to stuff my face with cake (we had an office pot luck last week, and people were so convinced that I was dying to eat corn dogs and sugar-laden desserts), and that’s not just because I’m on my contest-prep diet. Of course, in the off-season (when I’m not training and dieting to increase muscle and not lose fat), I’m sure I’ll have the odd indulgence, but I refuse to let food control me, not just for my physique’s sake, but for my own health.

Sorry for the ranting in today’s post, but it’s something I really had to get off my chest. If I can make these changes in my diet, anyone can!

I’ll end with links to two articles that I found really powerful about self-discipline. They’re written by Pauline Nordin, the inventor of the Fighter Diet (which is not a “diet” but a way of eating) who is one of the few women able to stay in competition-ready shape year-round. If you’re into these articles, I highly recommend her ebook Fat Loss by Mind Power. (Her other ebooks are also great, but I think the diet is a bit too extreme for many people.) I love her tough-love approach and how she doesn’t sugar-coat anything for anyone!

http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/blogs/pauline-nordin/it-takes-discipline
http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/blogs/pauline-nordin/master-your-mind

(And if anyone’s interested in hearing my advice about sticking to a healthy diet, let me know. I’d love to blog about it!)

I can’t wait to write my next post, which will be all about VEGAS!!! (And there will probably be some bonus blog posts too in the days leading up to the big event!)

The Fear

I wanted to blog about something different today: my greatest fear (with regards to this competition). My greatest fear isn’t stepping on stage in my bikini or having an uneven tan (although that is a worry!); it’s the weight gain that will happen after the competition. I keep reading more and more about how a lot of people binge after a show and how in the days immediately after the show, their bodies simply bloat up regardless of what they eat. As far as post-show binging is concerned, I’m not overly concerned about this. I’m planning on working with Layne for two months post-show to help get me on a good off-season diet, and although I’m looking forward to enjoying some Christmas baking without worrying or calculating the macros, even my contest-prep diet has been so flexible that there aren’t many foods I’m seriously craving (although I'm extremely excited to eat at a restaurant or at friends’ houses and not need to know every ingredient and measurement!), but I am worried about this post-show bloat I keep reading about. I know Layne doesn’t cut water like most coaches do the week before the competition (thankfully!), so I don’t necessarily think my body will immediately retain any water and sodium, but I can’t really know for sure until the days after the competition. Not knowing what to expect is extremely unsettling, especially after spending weeks controlling everything that’s happening to my body.

The other thing that is rather terrifying to me is not knowing what my goal will be in the off-season, weight- and size-wise. I definitely do want to pack on more muscle (after leaning out, I’m finding that I’m far less muscular than I had always thought!), but the idea of gaining back those 20 lb I’ve worked so hard to lose makes me cringe (even though I thought I looked good back when I started!). As I’m shrinking, I’m becoming increasingly comfortable with my body. I feel like this is what I should naturally look like (I don’t think I’m becoming very bony; I think this light weight actually suits my frame), and it feels great to not have to worry about a muffin top and be able to walk without my thighs rubbing together! (Especially when my husband and I went hiking the last two weekends, it was wonderful to wear shorts and not have any chafing going on!)

I think I’m going to have to approach the off-season like I’m approaching the competition: I have to completely trust my coach and just follow his plan. Eventually, I will be able to find a balance (a weekly cheat/treat meal will definitely be in order), and with his mini-cuts (every 4-8 weeks, he’ll diet for 1-2 weeks to ensure he is making clean—i.e., muscle and not fat—gains), I'll find a size that will be maintainable for me. Easier said than done, of course, but it makes me far less anxious knowing that I’ll have a plan for the off-season. Failing to plan is planning to fail (but it's still scary!)

One week until Vegas, and under 3 weeks until the competition! Wonderful (and also scary!) things are coming my way!

Four Weeks to Go and Exciting Announcements!

Today, I’m 26 days out from the competition! Where does the time go?? This past week has flown by, especially since I suddenly became super busy at work (which is both a blessing and a curse!). Now, hopefully, things will settle down a little, because it’s time to kick things into high gear! Time to start booking all those little details (like tanning, waxing, hair, and eyelashes) and really buckle down and concentrate on my posing! (I worked through a lot of lunch breaks last week, so I haven’t even put my posing shoes on in what feels like ages!)

On the plus side, my body seems to have finally adapted to my diet. Even though it’s changing every so often (Layne’s been upping my carbs every couple of weeks to slow down the weight loss and keep my metabolism stoked), I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m not as hungry anymore! There have even been a few days when it’s felt like I’ve had to almost force down my last meal of the day. I’ve even actually felt really full after a few meals, which is even more exciting! As long as this doesn’t mean my metabolism is slowing down, I’m all for it! It will make the last few weeks of dieting so much more enjoyable!

Speaking of the last few weeks…after seeing my progress pictures last Saturday, Layne informed me that I’m about 2-3 lb away from being stage-ready! After having lost 18 lb since I started 8 weeks ago, this definitely sounds like a very attainable goal! And since my bikini and competition jewelry arrived on Friday, I’m definitely starting to feel more ready! (PS. Everything looks great!!! My suit is going to look fantastic onstage!)

I also have some other exciting announcements to make! Since there are a few, I think I’ll have to list them!

1. I just found out tickets for the Muscle Beach Fall Classic (my first competition) are on sale and can be found at the Winspear Centre website! They are $27 each for the morning show at 9:00 and $42-65 for the evening show at 6:00, if anyone is interested in coming to cheer me on (or heckle me)!

2. I think I will be competing in the WBFF competition in Edmonton on October 13 (exactly a week later). I am not registered yet, but since I’ve come all this way, what’s another week? I hear this show is bigger and more light-hearted, so if anyone wants to see me there, it’s being held at the Citadel, and tickets can be found on their website ($41.98 per ticket for prejudging at 10:30 and $73.50 for the evening show at 6:00). This WBFF show has an evening gown component and (if I do the Fitness Model category as well) a themewear round!

3.  I booked my flight to Las Vegas for Olympia weekend! This is one of the biggest expos and competitions in fitness and bodybuilding, so I’m very excited to take it all in, watch my first bikini competition, and meet all of my fitness idols (including my coach!)! It will take place a week before my first competition, so it will definitely give me some excellent motivation to push through the last week!

4. I have a few photo shoots booked with some awesome photographers, both in Vegas and in Edmonton! I decided when I began that I’m either in or I’m out, so I jumped in with both feet! And if I decide that competing isn’t for me, I want to at least have some really fabulous pictures to show for it!

So many exciting things are coming up way too quickly! It will be a whirlwind month for sure, so I’ll have to make sure I slow down and really appreciate and enjoy each experience!

My comparison pictures from 12 weeks out to 8 weeks out to 4 weeks out (the next comparison pictures will include my final stage look!):

Let Them Eat (Diet-Friendly, Sugar-Free) Cake!

Since today is my birthday, I’m going to leave this post rather light so I can spend time relaxing and baking my birthday cake! That’s right, at 4.5 weeks until showtime, I’m eating cake on my birthday! Granted,it’s not full of sugar and fat, but it’s darn tasty and diet-friendly! So today’s post will be the recipe to my birthday cake (I usually bake it like a brownie, but it’s fluffy enough to pass as cake, especially if you spread some ). I know it’s not organic, and it does involve some artificial sugars, but we can’t have everything! Enjoy! (Iknow I’ll be enjoying a few slices later tonight!)

Preheat oven to 400ºF, and spray an 11"x7" Pyrex baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:
1 cup oats, ground in a food processor or coffee grinder
2 scoops milk chocolate Gaspari Myofusion protein powder (or any other chocolate protein powder, but I find that Myofusion is the most delicious!)
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup stevia
1/2 tsp baking powder (I use one that is sodium-free)

In a separate bowl, whisk/blend the following ingredients:
2 oz. nut butter (I use a cashew almond butter)
1/2 cup egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 cup Walden Farms chocolate syrup
1/2 cup water

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix. Pour the batter into the baking dish, and bake for 30-40 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Best diet-friendly brownies ever!

(This recipe is adapted from Ava Cowan's recipe at http://www.gasparinutrition.com/TeamGaspari/ViewAthleteBlog.aspx?id=62&postid=4919.)

The nutritional information, if anyone is interested, is as follows:

Per 1/16 of the recipe (but I usually cut a whole pan into 8 pieces because I like BIG pieces!)
65.44 cal
2.75 g fat
5.75 g carbs
5.44 g protein
20.38 mg sodium
1.19 g fibre
0.44 g sugar