I Woke Up This Morning with ABS?

Less than 7 weeks to go and I am getting PUMPED!

Yesterday, I decided to omit fruit from my diet as a test just to see what would happen.  Instead of having berries on my oatmeal and my one apple before lunch, I put chocolate UMP and PB2 in my oatmeal and omitted the apple.  This morning I woke up and was shocked when I looked into the mirror.  WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  

Now it may not seem too impressive to most people, but if you've ever heard me complain about my physique my biggest complaint is that I gain fat in the stomach area, not the lower body like most women.  Some women think that's awesome because my legs are constantly lean.  However, if I do gain weight my body not only looks extremely out of proportion but fat gain in the abdominal region is linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes.  So even if it is a small amount, seeing the definition in this region is a huge stride for me.

Throughout this prep, I have noticed not only difference in my physique, but also differences in my attitude.  More recently, I have just been happy and positive constantly.  I don't get stressed as easily and I don't yell quite as much as I used to.  This seems strange considering the diet limitations, but honestly, the diet is not so bad anymore.  I am used to the way I eat now and I think I am just getting excited about tackling the upcoming challenge of my show. 

Although I am concerned that I am not muscular enough or that my glutes and shoulders are just too small compared to most figure girls, these thoughts are not my focus.  My focus currently has shifted into realizing that I am pushing myself harder than I have ever pushed and doing something I never imagined I could achieve.  I am going to represent the best ME when I step on that stage and no matter what that looks like and what place it gets me, I am a winner.

Here's a relaxed photo - Once the diet gets a little more fierce I know that abdominal area will tighten up more.  Need to work on glutes and shoulders still.  Hitting those twice a week.

Just to leave you with something DELICIOUS.  Today I made some protein packed chocolate peanut butter pancakes.  Here's the recipe:

1 cup egg whites

1 scoop UMP chocolate protein powder (or other protein powder)

cinnamon to taste

nutmeg (optional)

Spray your pan with PAM, stir up the ingredients in a bowl and bake it like a pancake, flipping once.

Cover in 1 tbsp natural peanut butter or almond butter.

SO DELICIOUS and extremely low calorie, esp if you use almond butter rather than pb.  :)

That's all I've got for now.  More after this weekend at the Arnold and MWFF. 

I can't wait to have my friends and family cheering me on in less than 7 weeks.  Love you all and God Bless!

8 Weeks Out!

Wow, 8 weeks.

I am currently addicted to flavored teas, Pinterest, and DIY home decorating projects.  All taking place of my nightly binging that I used to do.

I am feeling motivated and excited.  I am full of energy in the mornings and hungry and tired by mid-afternoon.  Coffee picks me up about mid-evening and then I am ready for bed at night.  I am still in love with my breakfast and I miss it all evening.  Isn't it beautiful?  :)

Lunch is usually pretty decent as well...for now.  At this point I can still use 1 tbsp of lite balsamic vinaigrette.  Yay!

I also enjoy 1/4 cup of almonds and milled flax seed for my healthy fats (along with vinegrette or olive oil).

Dinner stinks.  I'm so sick of chicken, fish, and green veggies.  I'm still eating a piece of fruit with my second meal (right before lunch) and that's a fun time as well.  Needless to say the earlier in the day the better I am feeling.  That's why it has been important for me to try and work out earlier rather than later.

Unfortunately, my carbohydrates are being reduced more and more and pushed back earlier and earlier.  This is why I am so in love with my oatmeal (which by the way will never leave until pretty much the last couple of days).  

I was always one of those people who could not have a bag of chips around the house or I'd binge out on it.  Well, now I have found that is how I am with rice cakes, peanut butter, granola, and honey during contest prep. I cut granola out a couple weeks ago because I knew I couldn't handle having it around.  Now rice cakes are gone and the natural peanut butter is up on a high shelf that I can't reach.  Hopefully I won't be too tempted to dig into it once I restock on PB2 - an AMAZING product that you can find here:

http://www.bellplantation.com

 One thing I am very worried about is posing.  I am so unsure of my posing and other than watching videos and reading articles online, I'm not sure where to go for help.  I believe I am making progress, but I won't really be able to tell until I lean out a little more to see all of the muscle.  

I'm excited to be taking a little "Fit Trip" on the weekend of March 2nd-4th with some friends and coworkers.  We are hitting up the Arnold Sports Festival to catch the International Figure Prejudging, the Strong Man competition, some Crossfit demos, and to meet some of the women who have been inspiring me through this.  After that we are going to the Midwest Fit Fest conference for two days of working out and learning about our field.  So excited!  There will be plenty of photos once that weekend comes. 

God bless!

9 Weeks To Go!

Today marks 9 weeks out from the show!

I re-evaluated my workouts last night and made some changes including some interval training days and longer cardio on the days that I do cardio.

My diet now stinks.  I ran out of stevia today and I'm thinking about not getting anymore.  Stevia has been an awesome sugar substitute during this process, but I began using it more and more every day.  I used to only put it in my oats in the morning to give them some flavor.  Then, I found myself adding stevia to my tea, coffee, and shakes.  It reminds me so much of sugar that I am beginning to crave it all the time.  I think I am going to back off the stevia for awhile and try and eat my oatmeal and drink my tea without it.  Besides, I am going to add berries into my oatmeal every morning up until competition.  I know some competitors are afraid of fruits because of the amount of sugar contained in them.  I am limiting myself to my fruit in the morning as the contest gets closer, but I will not cut it out until a few days before the show.  The things competitors should be avoiding are the "sugar free" foods that contain substances like aspartame.  Aspartame has been linked to memory loss, MS, various cancers, birth defects, hormonal problems, epilepsy, and emotional disorders.  Just google it.

Last night I spent a lot of time in prayer.  This last 9 weeks will probably be one of the most difficult mind games I've ever been through.  I just need to remember what is at the end of the road.  I've been training and eating pretty clean for over 3 months.  There is no turning back now.

I'm not the biggest fan of taking progress photos, but I do know that it is extremely helpful in motivating people through the last push of their on-season.  So, here's me at 9 weeks out.  I still have a long way to go and I am getting very nervous.  I know big changes will start happening as I get closer to the competition.  I just need to KEEP. PUSHING. ON.

Superbowl Sunday Snacks

Last football season (as well as many of the ones before), it was beer and greasy food. Obviously, that is not an option right now. 

Tomorrow Michael and I have been invited to a friend's place to join some other coworkers and friends to watch the Superbowl. I've decided to take a few snacks of my own along that are Figure Prep friendly and hopefully delicious.  I have not yet made these recipes but I thought I would post them beforehand in case anyone else would like a some healthy snack ideas for tomorrow's festivities!

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch slices

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

other optional seasonings:

1/4 tsp Mrs Dash extra spicy seasoning (you can also use cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, nutmeg)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine all seasonings with oil in a bowl.
3. Add sliced sweet potatoes. Toss to coat the potatoes well.
4. On baking sheets, lay sweet potato slices in a single layer.
5. On lower rack, bake for 10-12 minutes, then turn all potato slices over.
6. Continue baking until golden brown, about 10 more minutes

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
2 cups of brown rice
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves of garlic (diced)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
4 bell peppers, rinsed, seeded, tops removed
1 pound of ground turkey
2 zucchini (diced)
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Cook brown rice
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until brown (about 5 minutes)
3. Add the ground turkey into the onion and garlic mixture and continue to sauté until the
4. meat is fully cooked and brown (about 7-10 minutes)
5. Remove the meat mixture from the pan and place into a separate bowl
6. Add the additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and sauté the zucchini and
7. tomatoes until the zucchini is soft and brighter in color (about 5 minutes)
8. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
9. At the same time, blanche the peppers in boiling hot water for 3 minutes
10. Add the zucchini and tomato mixture to the meat
11. Add the brown rice to the zucchini, tomatoes, and meat, mix thoroughly
12. Stuff the peppers with the mixture and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes

Cucumber "crackers" with Tuna or Chicken Salad

(http://www.eatcleandiet.com/the_kitchen_table/recipe/recipe.aspx?id=214)

• One cucumber, sliced thin
• optional grape tomatoes (sliced)

Tuna salad:

• 2.5 oz. water-packed tuna
• 1 tbls. Greek yogurt
• 1 tbls. sugar-free Dijon mustard

Chicken salad:

• chicken breast (canned or baked)
• 1/4 cup light mayo
• grapes
• 1 apple
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/8 cup raisins
• 2 green onions
• pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients for either chicken or tuna salad. Top each cucumber slice with salad.  Top with sliced grape tomato (optional)

I will also be bringing along some diet cranberry juice and mixing a little sparkling water with it in case I get a craving for something bubbly :)

Enjoy your Superbowl Sunday! :)