A figure competitor’s path

So just last week, I asked what a cheat was considered. Well I totally bombed my diet yesterday and I did it on purpose. I woke up, weighed myself and was down another pound - further than where I know Terry wants me to be right now, so I cheated. All day. I ate what I wanted to and enjoyed Christmas with my family but I never really went overboard. I ate what I wanted until I was full and then I stopped.

It’s funny though, you go through the diet always feeling sort of hungry and as soon as I ate like one extra carby thing, I felt so full and so bloated! But, when I got up this morning, I was only up a pound and back to the weigth I had been holding for 5 days before that anyway, so I think I’m ok. And I am right on the wagon today. Chicken and veggies baby!

But it was an awesome Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone - especially those with me trying to make it through the holidays with a goal in mind. You can do it!

 www.hardbodyfigure.com

So for lunch today, I was supposed to eat 86 grams of chicken, 160 grams of potato and 100 grams of veggies. Lunch was sponsored by work today and I had 86 grams of turkey breast, a small roll and green salad. To me, I don’t consider that a cheat. I think I was well within my calories. Shoudl I consider a cheat ANYTHING that isn’t on my diet exactly? Or do I consider a cheat when I have a cookie ro a piece of candy or God forbid a piece of pizza. Just curious what everyone else thinks a cheat is. Because I don’t view lunch as a cheat meal for me.

So I am 4 days into my diet, I’ve lost 3 lbs and I am going great guns on this. I have some high hopes set and some lofty goals for this season. But this morning, I was saying to my fiance how nervous I was about this season and how I want to do so well and he reminded me of something I had said after last season.

I had told him that from now on, winning wasn’t my main priority, I want to do this because I love to do it. Period. Win or lose. And it’s true… to an extent.

I love training and I love seeing the changes to my body, but I like to win too. And just once I would like to stand on stage and feel the sweet taste of victory. It may not be this season, I don’t have as much muscle as I know a lot of those women do on stage, I haven’t been doing this long enough. But maybe some season coming up.

Everyone gets on stage to win, right? That’s why you do this. And this season I have just decided that I am going to stick to my plan and do whatever it takes to get my body on stage in the best shape it can be. Then if I do lose to somebody who has more muscle or more experience, I don’t have to sit back and say what if. I don’t want to say "What if" this season at all.

So dieting over the holidays sucks. I have so many get togethers and people who want to go out and eat or do things and I just don’t want to. Now I do have a lot of support from my family and my fiance and even the people at work. We’re having our holiday luncheon on Friday and the woman in charge of it was trying to figure out where we could get food from, and do you know she actually asked me where I could eat from. I told her I could from the place she wanted to order even though I probably won’t. I can’t express how much it helps to have people want to help you like that though. I definitely don’t want work planning their meals around me though! Chicken, Broccoli and potatoes for all!

We’re trying to plan a lunch with 2 of my coworkers outside the office to exchange Christmas gifts and there isn’t really anywhere I can eat that stays within my ratios. We decided on Atlanta Bread Company which is good for salads and stuff, but still even if I get a salad with no dressing, it throws my ratios off - and you know there’s always something extra in that salad that you don’t want to eat.

 The good thing about training with the multiple girls that I am training with for this upcoming season is that I am super motivated. And if I know they’re not cheating, I am not going to cheat either. I gotta make it through this.

 I work in an advertising agency and all our clients send us treats and chocolates and everything at the holiday. I haven’t touched it. It is hard though to walk in the lunchroom and see all the chocolate sitting there and go for my chicken and broccoli instead. But it’s all going to be for the greater good. I have 16 lbs to lose in 16 weeks and I am going to do it damn it. I’ve already lost 2 in 4 days on the diet. Slow and sure I will get there. I just need to make it through the holiday season in one piece first…

So I started my diet a few days ago and the past few days my workouts have been a bit more cardio based. Wow - I forgot how hard cardio is when you don’t do it at all! My body is fighting me every step of the way. I know that it will take some time to ease into it, but wow! But… I do love the feeling of a good workout when it stays in your muscles all day long!

I started my diet yesterday. I forgot how hard it is to get everything prepared! It took me almost 3 hours to get everything cooked and weighed and measured and that was only 3 days worth of food!

My roommate actually asked me at one point "are you still cooking food?" And when I left the house this morning, I had to take everything for today and tomorrow since I live so far from the gym, I train Tuesday mornings so I stay at my mom and dad’s house - but I left this morning trying to remember all the food I will need for the next 2 days. If I didn’t have so much laundry - which I do at my parent’s house - I would definitely be going home tonight. I can’t do this every time I train in the morning - it’s just too much to remember and if I want to be solid on this diet, I can’t risk forgetting things.

So I sit at my desk choking down my egg whites and toast and I am getting ready for the next season. The next 4 months will be all about what to eat and when to eat it… oh yeah - and everything else I need to do for my wedding which is right after the shows!

www.hardbodyfigure.com

We rocked it out this past year. I was in the gym anywhere form 5-7 times a week and it has paid off! We figured out my numbers and I have gained just over 6 lbs of muscle in a year. Not too shabby I think! I’m pretty proud of myself! 1 week until diet!

 www.hardbodyfigure.com

We rocked it out this past year. I was in the gym anywhere form 5-7 times a week and it has paid off! We figured out my numbers and I have gained just over 6 lbs of muscle in a year. Not too shabby I think! I’m pretty proud of myself! 1 week until diet!

 www.hardbodyfigure.com

So Saturday we took weight and body fat measurements. In some ways, I’m excited and in some, I’m disappointed. I’ll be starting at 144lbs and 22.6% body fat. Not too bad – considering I was 150 lbs and 30% body fat when I first began 2 years ago, but all the girls around me are all anywhere from 16-18% body fat to start out so I feel like I have to play catch up from the beginning.

I know that I have at least 4 inches on them – I’m 5’9” as opposed to the other girls who are 5’4”, but it’s tough. Guess I am going to have to put my best foot forward. I have been working so hard this year to build so I guess I’ll have to just rock it out. I

 know I’m going to be bigger on stage, guess we just need to see what it all looks like underneath everything. Wish me luck! Diet starts in a week.