Day 51: Week 7

Today was an exciting day for me for many reasons. First of all, I have narrowed down my posing suit to a beautiful sparkly purple with crystals and a cut-out side strap. So pretty!! Those of you who know me well, know I like sparkly pretty things, so it shouldn't be a surprise=0) I sent my measurements in to the seamstress just before starting on this blog entry. All I need now are my clear platform heels!! Googling now. Second, I have finally reached below 16% in body fat. I am currently at 15.8% YAY!! I have been working really hard so it is nice to see the fat melting away. Lastly, I have dropped to below 125 lbs. I was up to 130 lbs after my bulk up but now I'm down to a very comfortable 123.4 lbs. Also, I just looked over my calendar and the next quarter of school doesn't start until after the competition, so when I get back from my stateside trip I will have nothing standing in the way of my workouts!!

The pictures you see today are of the suit I think I'm going to wear for the bikini portion of the competition. Not entirely sure yet. I have a little pink one I'm also considering. I spent about 2 hrs after my 3 hr workout working on posing. Teaching myself how to contract every muscle at the same time while still looking posed is very challenging. I took some video footage today that I will share with you all. No laughing=0) I nearly fell over a dozen times and by the time I got to the video idea I was pretty pooped. The lighting is not great but I don't have a real video camera just my digital camera with video option.




Now many of you know that I was not huge to begin with. I was and still am a size 2. The whole point of this competition is to A) challenge myself, B) refine my body, and C) prove to myself that I have what it takes to be confident in a bikini! I'm feeling pretty firm these days but that still doesn't mean I want to get up in front of a bunch of military dudes in a tiny bikini!

51 days ago to now...
-12 lbs
-5.1% body fat
-7.5 inches

Update: July 21, 2011

So, it is 8 weeks until the hardbody competition and I have officially started the cutting phase. There is a lot going on in preparation besides the workouts and diet. I am narrowing down the details for my posing suit and last night I trailed my tanning agent. I'm feeling very bronze today LOL. No pictures this week, since I am swamped with midterms.

Thankfully my diet is pretty clean going into the cutting phase which will make the transition much smoother. From week 8 to week 4 my daily diet will be packed full of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. I actually get to eat more than I normally do!! It is amazing how much food you can eat if you make the right selections!! For example this morning for breakfast I had 4 slices of turkey bacon, 6 egg white scramble with spinach, bell peppers and mushrooms and 1/3 c oatmeal with soy milk...all under 400 calories!! I had a hard time finishing all my food and I rarely ever feel hungry since I eat every few hours.

Daily intake looks something like this...
Calories: 1200-1500 (this will change 4 weeks out to around 1000)
Fat: 20-30 (all healthy fats- no junk)
Protein: 125-150g
Carbs: 130-160g (fruits, starchy vegetables, and true whole grains)
Fiber: 35g (this is a tough one for me)
Water: min 1 gallon (this will change to 2-3 gallons 10 days before the BIG DAY)
*I try to make every calorie count - no empty calories*
*I also am trying to hangout with people who are supportive of my goals, which is difficult because Navy folk like to drink and eat a hell of a lot - and while I have willpower, I can only take so much before I cave.*

Now, there are so many different theories on how to cut, but I think the trick is to find what works for you. A lot of women think that in order to lose body fat you have to do hours of cardio...not entirely true. High intensity training has proved to burn more calories over a longer period of time while keeping muscle mass. Go ahead and google it...I've read plenty of articles backing it. My 30 mins high intensity interval training on the treadmill trumps 60 mins low intensity any day. So my workouts consist of tri-sets (like super-sets but 3 instead of 2), interval training, and high intensity cardio. I do also do some low intensity cardio to burn extra fat on my off days, plus I can read my textbooks while walking=) Gotta run...literally!

July 10, 2011 - Week 6

Going into week 6 I feel confident that I will be able to reach my goals for this competition. I'd like to enter the Hardbody Competition at 10% body fat and under 120 lbs. So far in the last 5 weeks I have been able to lose 10 pounds, 6.7% body fat and 6.5 inches. This puts me at 125 lbs and 14% body fat. I have roughly 2 months left before the competition which should be plenty of time to cut down to where I want to be. My biggest challenge is going to be maintaining and not losing progress while in the states on vacation for 3 weeks right before the competition. I will have about a week from the time I get back until competition time and I'm a little nervous about plumping up while on vacation and not being able to control my workouts and nutrition as much as I do while at home. I'm going to have to be well disciplined for this to work like I want it too.

July 8, 2011 - Quick Update

Well school has started again so I am swamped with homework, but wanted to give you all a quick update on what has been going on in my fitness world.

The gains of week 3 were basically lost due to the hip (psoas) problem I've mentioned before. I took four days off to rest and in turn lost the progress made the previous week, but the rest paid off and the hip pain has calmed down to a manageable level.

The last week I've been yo-yo-ing between 124 lbs and 127 lbs, but my weight has seemed to settle just around 125 for the last couple days which is great for me. The last 5 lbs will be the hardest but I'm determined to make it happen before I leave to go back to the states in mid-August.

I'm very pleased that I'm starting to see the third row of ab muscles form and I hope with hardwork I can have a complete 8 pack for the competition. Time will tell.

I still hit the gym once a week for an extreme leg workout, maxing out on the leg press at 360 lbs!! Other than that just calithetics, cardio, weights, and restistance bands. You don't need a gym to be in great shape!!

Weight: 125
Body Fat: 14.5%