12weekhardbody’s BodyBlog

I am doing the abs challenge which requires me to do a minimum of 3 lifting session and a minimum of 3 30 minute cardio sessions.  In addition to the workouts I am only allowed one more cheat day from now until Xmas.  The clean eating is not a problem.  I have been slacking this week on the workouts.  I got in all three weight lifting sessions but only 2 cardio.  I doubled up Monday and Wednesday and did weights and cardio on those days.  I have NOT worked out since Wednesday, however .

So I have decided to mix my shit up so I can get leaner in time for Santa!!  I will do cardio 6 days a week and weights 6 days.  
Here’s the breakdown:

Monday- legs/abs 3 sets 15-25 reps for 5 supersets
Tuesday- back/chest 5 sets 15 reps for 3 supersets
Wed- arms/shoulders 4 sets 15 reps for 4 supersets
Thur- repeat Mon
Fri- repeat Tues
Sat (or Sun)- repeat Wed
Will do  1 hr cardio  (broken into 3 20 minute sessions throughout the day for 6 days)

I will continue to eat clean until Xmas Eve.  I am joining team scivation and am waiting for my plan from Derek.  So I will start his plan once it gets here.  Until then I’ll stick to this plan.

For over a week now I have been Debbie Downer (even though my name is Katie).  I have no desire to really do much of anything.  I am going to the gym at 5:30 in the morning and when I get home I don’t feel like doing anything.  One of my friends asked me what I am eating pre-workout.   She said that maybe i am not eating enough carbs before I exercise.  So this morning I ate some carbs, protein, and fat before I left.  I even went to the gym later than usual to give my food more time to digest.  I still felt tired.  Tired and sad.  

I really do not understand WTF is going on.  My life is good.  I have 2 great kids and a wonderful husband.  I have eaten clean for over a month so I am doing great on the abs challenge.  I LOVE Christmastime- I love the lights, the songs, finding the perfect presents.  My house is clean.  WTF is causing me to be depressed?  I do know that I have not been the greatest mom or wife lately due to negligence.  All I want to do is sit on my ass (albeit a nicer firmer ass).  I use what little energy i have to go to the gym and then I don’t really have the desire to do anything else.

I am sure this will pass soon.  I just need to see the positive side of everything instead of focusing on how tired I am.

It is usually hard to find a tasty AND clean dessert.  This one is super easy to make and too damn good.

Place a scoop of protein powder in a small bowl (I use chocolate).  Mix in a little water until it is moistened but still thick.  Add in a teaspoon (or more) of natural peanut butter.  Stir until combined.  Place in freezer for 3-5 minutes.  While it’s chilling cut an apple into slices.  Serve the "dip" with your apples. (This is similar to Scivation’s sludge recipe).

This shit is sooooo good.  It gets all gooey after it’s chilled and resembles carmel apple dip.  YUM DIGGITY DUM!!

"It’s NOT who you are that holds you back, it’s who you THINK you are"

So true. So true.  Yesterday I wrote about my 5 year old son and how he did not think he could ride a bike and therefore he did not ride it.  Well, I am thrilled to report that he has ridden it twice and will continue to ride it.  Shit, he even fell off of it twice and wanted to get back on it.

Wanna know what changed?  I showed him a shiny cool package and told him he could have it when he rode the bike for 20 days. He puts a sticker on a chart each day he rides it so we can keep track.  He has absolutely no clue what is inside it (truth be known it is something of mine…… I’m going to have to get something super fabulous within the next 18 days).  

He now has something to MOTIVATE him to ride the bike.  MORE IMPORTANTLY HE NOW BELIEVES THAT HE CAN RIDE IT!
He believes he can ride it and therefore he does ride it.  Look out, Lance Armstrong!!!

A lot of us want to lose weight.  A lot of us want to gain.  Generally speaking you have no damn clue what your body will look like (just like my son has no clue what’s in that bag).  But if you want to see what is in YOUR "package" then you need to believe that you will reach your goal!  Once you start to believe, then shit will get sooooo much easier.  You’ll think, "Why didn’t I think this way weeks (months or even years ago).  I could have already reached my goal"

NOW START RIDING THAT BIKE, BITCHES!

I believe this is week two of the abs challenge.  It seems as though some  are already not really competing (with yourselves….I know).  To say that you are cheating one day a week when the rules are only twice until Christmas is setting yourself up to lose this challenge. PERIOD.  You may already be out.

BTW the challenge is for THIS Christmas NOT next Christmas or one 10 years down the road.  

Why did you even enter the challenge then? You have already said to yourself that you cannot do this if you are bending/changing the rules.   If all you really wanted was support then why did you sign up for the challenge?  Why didn’t you join a support group?  Did you want someone to tell you that it would be okay if you ate/drank poorly? That you could still  get the results you want?  You are not going to get that from me.

When you already tell yourself that you CAN NOT do something then you are right. You WON’t DO it.  Consequently by telling yourself "I have got this shit in the ****ing bag" then guess what?  You HAVE got that shit in the ****ing bag.  Quit selling yourself short. Get into a winning mindset!!  

My older son is 5 and refuse to learn to ride a damn bike WITH training wheels.  He says he CAN’T do it and he is right.  Now my job as his mother is to help him overcome his fear of falling off the bike.  He may miss out on some great playtime and be laughed at because he can’t ride his bike when all his friends can ride theirs.  I know he is capable of doing this and intend to make sure he is not 12 years old riding a ****ing tricycle.

Perhaps some of you need to "learn to ride a bike"  Believe that you can compete this challenge the way it was intended to be played and you will do it.

YOU ARE EITHER PREGNANT OR YOU’RE NOT- you are either competing or you’re not.  Decide and then move on if you are deciding to fail.  Find a support group instead.

Personally I have stuck to this competition because I know I can do it.  I ****ing hate doing cardio but I am doing it.  My eating has never been better.  I switched to a different weight training routine.  In 2 lower body workouts I am seeing/ feeling a major difference.  Part of my drive for doing this is because I did not want others to see me fail.  I HAVE failed many times before at getting the body I want.  NOONE in my real life is doing anything good for their bodies.  I felt that by signing up for the abs challenge that I would finally have something in common with a bunch of people.  We would ALL want to win.  I’ll keep doing what I am doing because I DO NOT want to fail.  I also know that if I **** this up then I’ll never live it down because I have cursed so much about it.

My father-in-law introduce my husband to Dave Ramsey a few years ago.  Well technically neither has actually met him.  He has a syndicated talk show on the radio and now he has his own show on Fox Business.  Dave (or Brother Dave as some like to call him) was a millionaire by the time he was in his mid 20’s due to real estate investments.  He then lost it all (his bank sold out and the new bank called his notes).  Any way he made his millions back eventually by learning how to get OUT of debt.  He now teaches what he learned (he practiced what he now preaches). He has several books and even has online classes how to get out of debt and become wealthy.  Last month my husband and i became debt free using Bro Dave’s tactics. We only owe on our house and will pay it off completely within the next five years.

A lot of marriages fail because of financial woes.  I am proud to say that my marriage has never had this sort of trouble and hopefully never will.  I am able to stay at home with my kids, live in a huge house, drive a paid for car, etc because my husband and I work as a team.  We work off a budget and don’t live paycheck to paycheck.  We are able to have "blow" money (and no perves we don’t use it for bj’s) and we also help others who need it.  We are not greedy with our money and try to help others that are trying to help themselves. (I WILL NOT give shit to somebody who expects something from me.  I HATE ingrates.)  

Some people think that money makes people evil.  However, there are people who do not have money that are pieces of shit just like there are shitty people with money.  We are proof that you can be nice and wealthy.  

Just wanted to name drop (Dave Ramsey) to help out some people who may not see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Yet another fine day of eating clean

meal 1… rice cake, 1 t pb

meal 2… 3 egg whites, 1 egg, 1/2 c oats, 1 c berries

meal 3… EAS carb control drink, banana

meal 4… 1 1/2 scoop ON whey, 1 T pb, apple

meal 5…5 oz ground turkey breast, sweet potato, 1 1/2 c green beans

meal 6… 1 scoop ON whey, 1 T pb

I am going to Charlotte this weekend leaving Saturday and coming back Sunday.  I am eating clean and absolutely will NOT cheat this weekend. So I need some suggestions as to where I can get some great-tasting yet clean food.  Okay, it doesn’t even have to be tasty JUST clean.  If anybody can help me that would be awesome.

If you like fruity cobblers, here’s an easy recipe.  Just microwave some quick oats, frozen mixed berries, and water. Then, add splenda and some more mixed berries(it cools it off). You can add walnuts after its cooked.  Its a good crack fix.

My new favorite spice is apple pie spice.  GOOOOD on apples (duh) with cottage cheese.  GOOOD in protein pancakes.  GOOOOOD on sweet potatoes.  GOOOOOOD in shakes. Apple pie spice- it’s just damn GOOOOOD.
SO here’s my food for the day-

meal 1… 3 egg whites, 1 egg, 1/3 c oats, apple (the spice)

meal 2… EAS carb control shake

meal 3… 5 oz 96% lean ground beef, 1/4 c brown rice, a shit load of broccoli

meal 4… 1 T pb, 1 1/2 scoops whey pump, 1 c almond milk, 1 c frozen strawberries

meal 5… protein pancakes (with the spice), 1/4 c egg beaters

No lifting today but I did do cardio.

I haven’t done cardio on a regular basis in months.  However, I started last week getting 30 minutes in 3x per week because that is the rule for the abs challenge.  We got a new elliptical for our home gym last week.  So far, I have got a love-hate relationship with it.  It ****ing sucks because it is so much more challenging than the one at the gym.  I started my 30 minutes tonight and within minutes I am sweating like a dude in prison with soap-on-a-rope.  Whew!  I did not realize how damn long 30 minutes could seem.  I normally would give up and quit early.  However, I replied to the abs challenge thread last night and would feel like such a hypocrit if I didn’t stick to the rules (especially since I bitched about people not giving it their all.)

I would LOVE to someday be so in shape that all I had to do is eat clean and lift weights.  However, realistically (at least for now) I know that just is not going to happen.  To all you people who are fortunate enough to not have to do cardio and still maintain a low body fat kudos to you. (Do they still make those kudos chocolate bars?  If so, that’s not the kudos I’m talking about.)

Cardio sucks!

meal 1… rice cake, 1 t pb

meal 2… 1/2 c cottage cheese,apple

meal 3… white chicken chili, lettuce/tomato/onion/cucumber/balsamic vinegar/oil

meal 4… 5 oz ground turkey breast, 1 c broccoli/red pepper/water chestnuts

meal 5… turkey meatloaf, zucchini/onions/coconut oil,

meal 6… 1 T pb

The unwrap your abs by xmas challenge is going well.  I put on a pair of my pants today and I didn’t have any spillage of hip fat which i very exciting.  Looking smooth! I was extremely tired today but I still worked out this morning hard core.  Ate clean again today.  I put my sons’ Halloween candy back into its bag and didn’t even think about eating it.  F U snickers bars!

meal 1… ON whey with water

meal 2… 5 egg whites, 1/3 c oats, 1 c mixed berries, almonds

meal 3… air-popped popcorn, almonds, raisins

meal 4… 4 oz 4% ground beef, tomatoes/ onions

meal 5… 6 oz ground turkey breast, broccoli/red pepper/little carrot

meal 6… apple, 1 T pb, 3/4 c freaky high fiber cereal(only contains grains and nothing else),1/2 c almond milk  (FYI I felt hungry as a mofo tonight.  A lot of carbs but it is still clean)