When it's close . . .

Many will start the journey with you, but few will finish it. Ones that start as your biggest supporters, sometimes turn against you. The words of encouragement turn to words of dismay, disgust - just to name a few. I know when I am close to my competition (ie: 4 weeks out or less) because of the remarks I get. At your weakest time, people abandon you. Sometimes because they can't stand that you've made such drastic changes while they've made none. Or because they can only be around people who drink or eat junk. While that's fun, you would really think a true friendship should have nothing to do with those things. People think you are 'too skinny', 'too muscle-y', unfeminine, just to name a few. You can feel so AWESOME about your body, your improvements, how far you've come, just for some selfish ignorant person to tear you down in a few seconds. At the time when you are most in your own head, full of nervousness and doubt. In our society people think this is ok, but you don't see us going around saying how 'fat you are, I don't think it's pretty, you look unhealthy, you should eat better..". I would never do such a thing, and I love helping people, but it's so amazing how the opposite seems to be acceptable, maybe because they think we can handle it. So the last few weeks, you pull back, concentrate on you, keeping yourself together and mentally focused and cling to the few around you who just GET IT. Who understand, and don't judge and help you keep your sanity.

 

  

12 Weeks out - Emerald Cup, May 3rd

Ok, So I am starting out at approximately 133lbs, and 19% Body Fat. I am adding my cardio back in(I had given up my bike in Cycle class so that more members could take my class) and cutting my cheats down. I have gotten tired of chicken so I am switching those 2 meals to 1) Salmon and 1) Tilapia. Because the Salmon also has fat, I will be cutting the fat serving(either almonds or avocado) out of that meal.

I just peeked at my new workout plan! I am now starting Month 5 of the Advanced Muscle Tone & Firm on the Workout Trainer by Muscle & Fitness. It is a LOT of stuff I do NOT do, which is also why I like it. It challenges me, teaches me and pushes me. This month there are Plyo's and Olympic Lifts. It looks like HEAVY on the legs(and other areas) because there are some SHORT sets of SHORT reps! My legs need it! My arms are pretty 'big' now, I'm happy with my shoulders...abs need to lose the fat a bit more over them...the legs are getting lines just want them to be a little fuller. I don't want to lean out and just look 'stringy' if that makes sense?

12 Weeks Out Emerald Cup - Diet

Ok, so here's my new diet. Mostly similar, just a few slight changes.

Meal #1 is the same: 1/2c Lana's Egg Whites, 1 whole egg, 1/2c Oatmeal, (I changed the fruit) 1/2 banana 4 frozen strawberries. I made a double-batch so I can use the whole banana, it has good consistency for the pancakes but wanted the strawberry flavor. It's actually a LITTLE more fruit but that's ok to me because I am working out a TON and I can burn that off in my AM workouts.

Meal #2 is my Post-workout shake. Still using my IsaLean Pro but now added in the 1 scoop(that's a half serving) of the Vitargo so that I can have a better carb:protein ration. (2:1).

Meal #3 is 4oz Salmon and 6oz Butternut Squash. I took out my fat serving(almonds/avocado) in lieu of having a fatty protein source. So I still have my carbs with the squash, and the fat and protein are in the salmon. I may change this with meal #5 depending on how my day is going.

 

Meal #4 I just swapped the chicken for Tilapia. 4oz Tilapia, 1/2c brown rice, 4 asparagus(they are fat), 10 almonds. (a lil les fat as the salmon had a bit more)

Meal #5 Is my IsaLean Shake with Ionix (for combatting the effects of stress). I like this meal here as I can down it in-between clients/class at night.

Meal #6 is the same. My omelet: 1c egg whites, spinach(2c or handfuls), 1/2 avocado.
  
If I feel like it either I need it mentally or I had a heavy workout day I will have my IsaDelight as a treat. It's a little chocolate square infused with green tea. That's not a daily thing though.

This is for my training days which are Mon - Fri. I lift 5 days a week and teach 8 classes, but don't do all the classes depending on their capacity. My plan is about 1933 calories: 51g fat, 177g protein, 187g carbs, 29g fiber. I aim to drink 1 gallon of water a day. I also added CLA with some of my meals each day.
 

Training Week 2 of 2013

I ended this week with a check-in: Down 3lbs from last check-in!(135lbs) NOT only that, but my body fat went down over 1%(20.6%). I was comparing my measurements with a few months back, when I was 135, and I am SMALLER! That means I gained muscle!(at... least 1lb back from before my hospital visit) Which confirms my readings. I am now 109lbs of Lean Body Mass, and my estimated comp weight for myself at 12%BF (IF i maintain the current muscle) would be 124. If I could get back down to 9%, like my first season, I would be 120 like i was last year, but MUCH leaner. ;)

This week I found some crazy ab cuts!

 

I am still on my diet, just have my Chili's Guiltless Grill 6oz Sirloin steak with broccoli on Sunday evenings with my mom(250cals, 38g protein, 8g fat). It fits in my plan. If I have a sweet tooth I have my Isagenix IsaDelights with green tea extract. That helps a lot. My body is responding like I am used to, really well. Last year it just wasn't. I have more lines and cuts than I am used to seeing even at 10lbs less, so I am really excited to see how I look as I lean out.
www.coachnict.isagenix.com

 

Training Week 1 of 2013

 

Here it is, January 4th, 2013. This is the first week of my Official Training. What does that mean? That means NO EXCUSES! No cheating, no missed workouts. GET IT DONE. I started my lifts on Monday, so today was my 4th lift, and 3rd DOD. (Day Of Diet). I am ON POINT!

I've posted my full meal plan. Now this is based on me, currently at 138lbs. This is also my plan for my TRAINING days(on these days I have 300-400cals extra). My food is logged in MyFitnessPal (CoachNicT).

 I lift (ideally) M-F, and teach 8 classes throughout the week. I am doing no extra cardio(7hrs is quite enough thank you, lol). If I miss a day during the week, I hit the gym Saturday(which will be this week). I will post when I have my off day. My 'cheat meals' are TBD. They will most likely not be a binge or junk of any sort, but like my lunch today(Chili's Lighter Choice 6oz sirloin & Broccoli, 250cals) - a healthier option I can choose and be able to have my dinner with family. Any real 'cheat' or 're-feed will be determined by my progress....and sanity ;)

My starting goal weight is 125lbs, 10% Body fat. I haven't been down to 10% in a while so I'm giving myself plenty of time. Our first show, Emerald Cup, is 17 weeks away. Typical leaning phase/prep starts 12 weeks out, but I'm heavier than usual and I don't want to worry at the end. And, if I need to do an earlier show to qualify, I'll have a shot at that as well. My birthday is also in between, and last year I did a show literally for my birthday. It was 4 days after, so ON my actual birthday, I was on my 3rd day of carb depletion. Then the show got sold out and my Dad and my Best Friend didn't even get to see me at Finals, or get my trophy. :( So, I really wanted to do something fun this year, lol. Maybe I can have a cheat meal lol. Looking good ROCKS, so there's that!




Meal 1: 1/2c oatmeal, 1/2c Lana's Egg Whites, 1 whole egg, 1/2c Pure Pumpkin, spices to taste
Picture 2: All ingredients, mixed & microwaved 2-3 mins for bread pudding/bread
Meal 2: Isagenix Isalean Pro w/Ionix Supreme(this is a high protein meal replacement shake I use for post workout.
Meal 3: 4 oz chicken breast, 4oz sweet potato, 15 almonds
Meal 4: Isagenix Isalean w/Want More Energy (this is a meal replacement shake.)
Meal 5: 3 oz chicken breast, 12c brown rice, 6 asparagus, 1/4 avocado
Meal 6: 1c Lana's Egg Whites, 2c Spinach, 1/2 avocado

November 2012 - Training

After coming back from the NPC Sac Show on the 3rd, I realized I was in one of my 'non-eating' phases. Basically I've always had a cycled eating pattern. I'll eat more for a few weeks, and then I'll basically have no cravings or desire to eat. So I decided to use that to my advantage. Even though I'm building right now, I just don't feel comfortable at this high of a weight. I was at my all time high of 144lbs. (My previous high was always 140). The stress and mess I had to deal with in the last few months took a toll on my eating and working out.

I decided to tighten up my diet and drop a few pounds. I didn't plot it out, I just modified what I was already eating by cutting my pre-workout PB&J in half, and replacing 2 of my meals for super clean ones: tilapia & asparagus, and salmon & asparagus. It ended up being high protein and low carb, about 105g carbs. I will also say I did have a few add-in items. Monday I had my friend's leftover bread pudding she had made from scratch for me. Tuesday night I had my 2 mini sliders leftover from Chili's. Small bites, made me happy. If i run out of food I throw in a Lean Cuisine at the end of the week. So, I'm down 3lbs. I would've liked another to be down to 140, but I'm pretty happy. I took my measurements and photos. I'm guessing I'm down about 1 lb of fat, and 2lbs of water. I feel better about how I look, though I definitely have a long way to go. But I'm happy to lose it slower and keep the muscle I am working SO hard to build. I most likely will bring the food back up this week to my 'maintenance' level and continue. I would like to do another drop week at the end of Nov/Beg December. I am guessing my competition weight will be around 125. We will see how much I can actually build and what that looks like when I lean out.

I am still using the M&F Trainer for my workouts and loving it! I lift 5 days/week. I don't do any 'cardio' per say, but I teach 2-Cycle classes and 5-Aqua classes per week, so it's there! ;)  Yesterday was legs & shoulders and my butt is definitely sore today! I really had to force myself through that workout last night. My basic diet for the last week, my drop week, is below. It's about 1400 cals. If I had sat down and figured it out the ratios would have been better, I just wanted to drop and didn't mind going strict, especially because I let myself keep my favorites.

 

Current stats: 141lbs, 22%BF (31lbs), 110lbs LBM.
 - I take this all with a grain of salt, because the BIA measurements fluctuate greatly, and unfortunately some fat caliper measurements you just can't take on your own. At the higher weight it read i was 112LBM, which I'm sad about because I was working to 115, but now looks like I'm back down to 110. We will see, I just HAVE to keep my lifts in, even though I am completely SLAMMED at work! 



 

Fridge Oatmeal - Courtesy of The Yummy Life ;)

A friend of mine shared this link with me and it looked like a great idea! I decided to try it right away. This is how I discovered Chia Seeds. There are MANY more recipes and ideas over at The Yummy Life blog and Facebook page, these are just the two that I tried.

Raspberry Vanilla Refridgerator Oatmeal
(this I changed to my favorite, Strawberries!)

Banana Peanut Butter Refridgerator Oatmeal

Check out The Yummy Life!
Check out The Yummy Life on Facebook!

Clean French Toast

2 Whole Eggs

2c Egg Whites (I use Lana's Egg Whites)

6sl Alvarado St. or Ezekiel Bread of your choice

* Originally I actually made this with Eggos. ;) Low Fat Whole Grain, sometimes the cinnamon or other flavors. 

Super quick & easy! Here I used Alvarado St. Sprouted Wheat Cinnamon Raisin. Because it has flavor, I didn't add anything to my eggs. If I use plain Ezekiel Bread or Alvarado St. I'll add sweetener, cinnamon or whatever spices I feel like that day.  

 

 When picking a Whole Grain bread there are a few things that are KEY. First, it should not list 'flour' as a major ingredient. Flour is overly processed. As you can see on the label above, this bread is made of whole grains. The LARGEST contributing ingredient is listed first and then in descending order. The main ingredient above is Organic Sprouted Whole Wheat Berries. I had fiber and protein, some breads have a little more protein. 

Here are the ingredients - very few. 

You have your carbs(bread), fat(yolk/coconut oil), and protein(egg whites). 

Just soak your bread in the mixture for a minute or two until soft.

I used coconut oil which has MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides/fats)

Brown on both sides as desired.

This made 3 servings for me, and one piece to try! ;D

Protein Crepe Almond Rolls

I made these the night before my fitness conference and they were great to eat on my way out the door!

1c Lana's Egg Whites
1/2c Oatmeal
*Cinnamon, Splenda, Pumkin Spice, dash of salt to taste
1T Almond Butter (BEST is FRESH ground from Whole Foods!)

Mix 1st 3 lines of ingredients together in Magic Bullet (or other blender). Pour in pan (I used coconut oil) Mades approx 2-3 crepes depending on your desired thickness. Lightly coat crepe with almond butter, roll, but in 1/2 and place in tupperware. Next morning just heat it up for approx 1 minute in the microwave and go! ;)

Protein Crepes (cleaner than pancakes)

 So I can't really take credit for some of these, they are things that get passed around. I would like to share how I have made these after my client told me how she made hers. These are great when you are eating cleaner and can't have protein powders or fruit. SUPER EASY! Here are the instructions for a quick and simple Single Serving.

1c Egg Whites
1/2c Oatmeal
cinnamon, pumpkin spice, Splenda to taste. (those were my choices, but you could add your own favorite sweetener, or cocoa powder, even a flavored Crystal Light or equivalent - I got lemon to try at a later date!)

Blend in a Magic Bullet (or other blender)

Lightly grease the pan with coconut oil. Like with the Protein Pancakes, once you see bubbles on top, it's time to flip. Should make 2 large crepes or 4 small crepes depending on the size pan you use.

IDEA: If you need your healthy fat at this meal, add Almond Butter into the crepes and roll! My favorite is the Fresh ground from the machine at Whole Foods. YUMM! :D