Fit4Figure’s BodyBlog

I can’t believe I have waited this long to post a blog.  Been tied up with clients and last weeks competition! 

Just returned home from Laredo, Texas where I competed in my third show of the year.  (NPC Rock Fitness Extravaganza).  It was a great show and a perfect re-entry point for me.  Bernadette Galvin and Anthony De La Garza where incredible and were so great to every competitor!  Such a warm and relaxed environment!

I placed first in Figure Masters and took 2nd in Figure B!  It was a smaller show and so getting feedback from the judges to use for the following show was so so great!  It was fun to hang out with all the other competitors and get to know everyone!

My advice from the judges to work on some posing and bring down the tush!    It felt good not to hear the "Stringy" comments I got last time!  I have worked so hard to put on some mass and still keep the body fat % down! 

Will start depletion process again on Sunday and I am really excited to do this show!  I am nervous because I really really (did I say really?) want to achieve my goal of placing in my height class as this show is a NQ show and would qualify me for the next two years for Jr Nationals!

I doubt that even by next year I will be ready to actually use my qualification but the motivation to reach this goal has driven me all year!    Cross your fingers for me!

So… got my bodycomp back yesterday and although the progress is still going well… it seems we have hit  a bit of a holding spot in regards to fat loss.  I lost about .5% of overall bodyfat which is progress but with only 5 weeks to go, things need to get a move on!

Trainer thinks that stress is a major issue for me.  This last week I had to deal with both posing suits being ruined, a minor injury and lack of sleep.  So he decided to pull my resistance training from me this week and switch my cardio to an hour of high intervals on the elpitical 7x a week and also added a cheat day and major downtime this weekend.  My instinct is to trust him… always have always will… but wow it is a mental workout to think that I am doing the OPPOSITE of what one would consider productive steps to fat loss.

Anyway, if anyone has gone through this, would love to hear about it. 

Thanks
Sondra

Ok… so just a quick update.  Been following the CKD (Keto) for about three weeks now.  Here is how it has gone:

Week 1 & 2 -

Started pulling carbs on Sunday but it took me DAYS usually around thursday to hit Ketosis and then Fridays I started loading again.

Lost a little weight, never felt tired etc but this is supposed to be a much more intense diet… should have felt weaker in they gym etc.  None of the issues were a concern…just not hitting me like the books say it should.

So this week it hit me.  It makes no sense to load so early if you are adding all this fat (any where from 35 - 40% fat calories are at about 1300 - 1500 with cardio each am on an empty stomach and resistance training 4 - 5 days a week) into your diet.  So since ketosis signals fat burning, I decided to forgo the carb load this weekend and let my body really fall heavily into ketosis and burn some serious fat and reload my carbs next week.

This morning was the first time I hit a moderate level of ketosis and finally dropped below 150!!! So seems to be working.

Wish me luck… have a feeling all the things I have read about in regards to training in the absence of glycogen storage will be an interesting experience.

Making A Switch

Ok, so I am making the switch from Figure to Bodybuilding!  At least I should say I am going to give Bodybuilding a try!  I have been intrigued by a few of the women I have seen at a recent shows and I want to give it a shot.  Putting this in my blog "cements" my decision and will serve as a kick in the butt to get going on my training.

I liked that these women were still very much feminine yet strong.  I am sad to see so few competitors in Bodybuilding (women’s) and yet soooo many figure competitors.  I think if more women came in still looking feminine we might be able to revamp the sport for women.  I am not knocking women that put on a lot of mass … I have so much respect for the dedication it takes to do so.  I just think that it can be intimidating to so many women and the sport suffers because we don’t see more varied bodytypes.  I think there is room for growth and certainly room for all types of bodybuilders…. we just need to carve a nitch. 

I am scared to death that I am biting off more than I can chew with this.  I know I have A LOT of work to do.  I got a lot of responses from judges this year at Figure competitions that indicated I was "stringy" and needed to put size on, so if I was not big enough for Figure I certainly am going to have to fight to be big enough for Bodybuilding.    Thank god for Light Wieghts.

Anyway, wish me luck and lets hope I don’t embarrass myself!

Ok… so things have been going well on the new "diet" although it seems so wierd to try and reach the fat % goal in my meal plans each day!  Having a hard time adjusting my thinking.  Meals are no longer restricted to every two hours.. although I am so NOT hungry due to the fat included at each meal.

After years of low fat / high protein / low glycemic meal planning, this is a whole new world.  So far I have found it easy to stick to and being social is much more doable as steak is readily available.  Need to find out more about OKC supplementation and fine tune my carb up days.

Energy levels are great and since the main "heavy" training days are on Monday and Tuesday (following my carb up days) my training intensity seems to remain in tact.

After a few more weeks I will get a body comp done to monitor my bf % and make any adjustments needed.    Lost about 3 pounds and so far so good.

If you want to know more about it… you can google Body Opus (Dan Duchaine) or ready up on Lyle McDonald. 

Starting the CKD diet tomorrow.. hubby is none too pleased.  Having a hard time understanding how to make it all work with my schedule and how to make it work for women??? Any help would be so appreciated.

Sondra

http://fitlifestudio.clubready.com/clients/myfoodtracker_fl.asp

http://fitlifestudio.clubready.com/clients/myfoodtracker_fl.asp

Ok… so I last competed on April 19th and it has been about 6 weeks into the "off season" and it SUCKS!  I am really struggling.  I lost my trainer/nutritionist (its his competitive season) until July and I thought I would be able to handle it as I have WEEKS of meal plans to pull from (from precontest training) and have all my notes from my previous training sessions.  BUT… it is obvious that I am no good without help!  I lack motivation to push through the tough points in training and my discipline in eating clean has been void or at best half assed.

My weight has climbed to an embarrassing 145 from 128 and I feel exhausted constantly and just frankly unfit.  I struggle with needing to pull it together for my clients but all I want to do is either hide from society or focus solely on "fixing" my situation … which leads to frustration because then I am only slapped with the reality that I CAN NOT DO THIS ALONE!

Since my trainer/nutritionist is my husband it is a sore subject if I broach the idea of hiring someone to help me get through this time while he competes - so I feel stuck and he thinks I am selfish.

Has anyone else gone through this?  I don"t compete again until Nov but at this rate I will be lucky if I step on stage next year!  I am so bummed.

Wondering if finding a training partner would help?

You know you’re a figure/fitness/bodybuilding competitor when…. 1) For a few days each year your toilet seat is brown and this time it aint the husbands fault.
2) You can honestly say you have spent more on a bathing suit than your wedding dress
3) Six inch clear hooker heels is your footwear of choice in your own home (and not just in the bedroom)
4) Someone asks about the man in your life and you tell them that Gym is fine!
5) You have two sections in your wardrobe. Contest and Offseason. And they arent mix and match.
6) Your top three priorities on any given day
1. Workout
2. Eat Clean
3. Check the fitness forum board
Not necessarily in that order..
7) You can name any pro figure competitor by seeing her butt alone.
When someone wants to take your picture, you immediately spread your lats, tighten every muscle in your body, point your fingers and SMILE!
9) You take more pills daily than your 80 year old grandmother
10) Your idea of dressing up is taking your hair out of the ponytail its been in for a week.
11) If you have had someone close to you, hide food from you in your own house.
12) An easy day is lifting and only 1 cardio session.
13) Instead of carrying a Gucci purse you accessorize with a Coleman cooler.
14) Waking up so sore you can barely move puts a smile on your face.
15) You cant do any work because you are to busy counting down the seconds until your next meal!!!!!!!!!
16)The faint smell of Jantana gets your heart pumping faster than you man’s cologne
17). You leave a little trail of Splenda packets, tupperware, and empty water bottles everywhere you go.
18). Your hubby makes you pee in the guest bathroom because every meal includes asparagus.
19). You consider Beano an essential part of your supplement regimen
20) Your jaws are sore because you can’t stop chewing sugar free gum!
21). You spend at least 5 minutes grilling your server at a restaurant, and another five minutes re-writing the menu until you’ve got a meal that meets your diet’s specifications…and then you devour it in less than 60 seconds flat!!
22) You consider a day when you only have to make ONE trip to the gym a luxury!
23) You think about having "relaxed hands" and sticking your butt out while standing in line at the grocery store. (Hey, a girl’s gotta practice her posing!!!)
24). You consider condiments and diet coke taboo!!!
25). And, for my fellow fitness girlies…your neighbors start gossiping that youve had lipo cause there is no way a girl could get that fit in 12 weeks!