COMPETE 2 WIN!!!!

I dragged myself to the gym today.  Although I have a runny nose, eyes that won’t stop tearing, and a cough, I felt like I needed to do something….especially since I knew I’d be eating really good in a few hours!  I realized once I got to the gym I really wasn’t feeling well.   I managed to get in a good shoulder workout but I skipped my usual hour of cardio.  Would you believe there were only 3 people in the gym….me being the 3rd person!! No wonder this dayum country is so obese!!  Well, I encourage everyone to do some cardio tomorrow, Lord knows I’ll be on the treadmill!! I had a delicious meal (Thank God my cold didn’t effect my taste buds!!) with a great friend and I truly appreciate him inviting me over! I think he took pitty on me since I had to work and would be unable to go home to see my family.  His mother made the absolute best candied yams, some banging collard greens, the turkey was awesome (and I rarely eat turkey even on Tday), great stuffing/gravy, potatoe salad, the BOMB Mac & Cheese, and did I say candied yams?? Put it this way, the yams were so good I didn’t have to eat dessert!!  Thanks JB!!  The meal had me in heaven and guess what?? I don’t regret a bite! However i’ll be back on the diet tomorrow! See ya in the gym!!

Rarely do I look at horoscopes.  But, for some reason today I looked at the horoscope for Aquarius and was pleasantly surprised, b/c I feel like I have been going through some changes. 

This is my horoscope for today:

The good news is that your confidence is expanding — the bad news is that some people might think that it is expanding too much! Today you need to decide for yourself whether you want to live your life your own way, or change according to what other people may think. Reputation is important, but is it worth compromising your sense of self? This is a very hard concept to deal with, and one that will take time to sort through. Consider talking to an older relative to get some insight.

***THIS WAS POSTED BY MY MYSPACE FRIEND DIANE DOMENICA

Throw Away Your Scale!!!!

“Health is not a numerical concept and cannot be defined using statistics. Human beings, however, tend to want to quantify well-being into easily understandable figures. We feel compelled to ascribe numbers to every aspect of wellness, from the qualities of our food to our fitness levels to the physical space we occupy. As a consequence of social pressures, we turn our attention away from health and focus instead on the most contentious of these figures-weight-checking our scales to see how we measure up to our peers and role models. Yet each of us is equipped to gauge our relative healthfulness without any equipment whatsoever. When we have achieved a state of wellness, we feel buoyant and energetic. Some of us are naturally slim, while others will always be curvy. No matter what our weight, we can use the cues we receive from our physical and mental selves to judge how healthy we really are.

When you throw away your scale, you commit to a lifestyle that honors the innate wisdom that comes from within your body and within your mind. It is logical to examine how you feel while considering your health-a strong, fit, and well-nourished individual will seldom feel heavy, bloated, or fatigued. If you have concerns regarding your weight, remind yourself that at its proper weight, your body will feel buoyant and agile. Movement becomes a source of joy. Sitting, standing, walking, and bending are all easy to do because your joints and organs are functioning as they were meant to. When you are physically healthy, your mind will also typically occupy a place of well-being. Mental clarity and an ability to focus are two natural traits of whole-self health. Surprisingly, promoting this type of easy-to-discern wellness within yourself takes no special effort outside of satisfying your hunger with nourishing, wholesome foods and moving your body.

The numbers you see on the scale, while nominally informative, can prevent you from reaching your healthful eating goals by giving you a false indicator of health. You will know when you have achieved true health because every fiber of your being will send you signals of wellness. When you choose to listen to these signals instead of relying on the scale, your definition of well-being will be uniquely adapted to the needs of your body and of your mind.”

- DailyOM

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My Commentary:

Ok, so I know you all probably aren’t  ready to throw your scales out.  But really, just as age is just a number, so is weight.  I can understand using the scale on a weekly (screw that, MONTHLY!!!  or in my case, bi-annually!  ) basis to help monitor progress, but not to use it as defining who/what you are.  A lot of people are discouraged when they step on the scale & see a number that they don’t like.  Stop that!  Many do not remember that that number is the total weight of your WHOLE BODY — skin, bones, muscle, water, boobies, whatever!!!!  lol.  And of course fat.  It is everything, but it is NOT what makes you who you are.

Think about something that makes you passionate & happy.  Take notice to how good you feel on the inside.  Love yourself, throw away all negative thoughts, & you can’t help but to see positive changes on the outside.  Everything will fall into place as it should.

Even when you have a bad day & slip up with that second helping of home-made pasta, that 4th fried cheese stick, that 2nd dinner roll, & extra scoop of ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery (Dear Lord that place is HEAVENLY!) all in the same day, do not beat yourself up & feel guilty.  What’s the point?  Think about it.  If you think negative thoughts, IT WILL ONLY BE WORSE.  Hell, the damage was done, so instead, think, “Wow, that was so worth it.  I know I am not making a habit out of this, & it’s back to the gym tomorrow for a fresh start!  All this extra energy will only fuel my workouts!’  Your mind is a lot more powerful thank you think.  You know those girls who think they are getting pregnant & start to form a belly, when really they are not pregnant at all?….

And let’s be real, an occasional slip up will not make you fat.  Bloated maybe, but not fat.

Guilt is a negative emotion.  Let it go, & if you are going to give in & eat a little something junky, eat it slowly & savor every bite of it.  Enjoy it all.  Life is too short to be feeling bad about the 3 Hershey’s Kisses you snuck in after lunch.  I’m sorry, but when I am on my death bed, hell yeah I am going to say “Thank God I ate that scrumptious piece of strawberry pie with moose tracks ice cream from Round The Clock Diner!  That shit was bangin’!!!!!”  (Special Side Note:  Brownie points to those who take me there the night after a competition )

Don’t get me wrong, I am an advocate of healthy eating.  But I am also an advocate of a healthy well-being.  I don’t believe in deprivation.  Be aware of your emotions, for they are a measurement of where you stand at any given moment.  I am not saying that it is smart for a person to go on a full blown out binge because "Diane said it was ok!"  No.  I am just saying NOT to beat yourself up over those times that you give in to your weakness, because there is no point.  Why waste your life on negativity when there are so many positive things around you?

And I’m still feeling great!!! My mental status is so much better than it was this time 8 years ago!!  The last 7 days have been great.  I don’t feel fat and I don’t feel depressed. I’m most happy that I’ve controlled my eating and I still have that hard earned 6 pack!!!  I’ve allowed myself a few cheat meals (2 to be exact), but I’ve been back in the gym since Monday hiting the iron and doing 60-90 minutes of cardio depending on how I feel daily.  Now I definitely feel weak with the weights and I’ve really had to push myself to get through my workouts.  I’m hoping that I’ll feel better next week with the added carbs I’m now allowed to eat.

I’ve gained about 5 pounds which I’m very pleased with.  A lot of competitors literally gorge themselves to death and between all the grease and sodium easily gain 10-20 pounds in a matter of days after the show.   I was one of them 8 years ago!!!  So my main goal is to stay within 5-10 pounds of my competition weight. 

In my last blog I was so busy giving you all the details of the show, I forgot to thank the people who assisted me in getting ready for the stage!! First, I have to give a HUGE shout out to my trainer and friend Malcolm Marshall who assisted me with my diet and re-programmed my training mentality.  LOL, he told me that I was training w/men, lifting like men, and was looking like a man! He really worked with me as far as training for figure vs. bodybuilding.  I definitely would say that I would not have made it if it weren’t for Mr. Malcolm Marshall.  You can check him out at www.houseshaka.com. 

Second, I would like to thank my posing coach Quincy Roberts who was also the promoter of the show.  It’s a shame that figure competitors will go through all the hard work of diet/cardio/weight training, but b/c of lack of posing instruction are unable to present their physique to the judges.  Quincy did an excellent job of showing me the poses and what worked best for my physique.  Big thanks to you!! 

Third, I’d like to thank my workout partner JB aka Johnny Brown!  JB is a great guy who put up with my mood swings and was nice enough to stay and do cardio w/ me until the gym closed!! Also a big thanks to JB for his monetary gift which was spent on my beautiful custom made 1-piece suit as well as for a few of my posing session…which were expensive, but well worth it!! 

Last but not least!!! I have to thank my parents and brother for being so understanding.  I didn’t go home at all during my 13 weeks of training b/c out of my environment means I’d cheat on my diet!!  Thanks fam for being sooooo supportive!! I truly love them!! I’d like to thank my 2nd family, MY DIVA sistas (NNNNNNNNNNNNNNC  DDDDDDDDDDDIVAS www.ncdivasmc.com , www.myspace.com/ncdivasmc) for being patient with me and respecting my decision to compete.  I know I haven’t been around that much to ride those 2s or fellowship around the table like we love to do!!  I also want to thank my best friend Trina who was supportive as well in her own way.  I kind of kept her in the dark b/c she felt I was getting too skinny.  When I finally told her everything I went through….there was a sponsor right there!! She was so proud of all my hard work and yelled at me for not asking for help!!  She has her own business and is willing to Sponsor me for the 08 season.  She’s always looking for a tax write off so I’ll be more than happy to assist her!  I also have to give her a few training sessions, lol. When I go to Fayetteville I have to train her and she says she go’n 2 come up here 2x a month to train..(we’ll see if that happens!!)

I’d like to thank everyone who has stopped through MY SPACE  & Bodyspace and left such positive feedback!! When I set out on this journey it was never to inspire anyone, but to hold myself accountable to doing what I said I would do!! A goal that I wrote back in January of this year was to be on stage competing at the Elite Muscle Classic on Nov. 3, 2007…and that is what I did!  I’m a firm believer that when you write your goals down for all to see, you can’t make a fool out of yourself and not do it!!  I posted pics so that people could see that I was doing what I said I would do!  It’s icing on the cake to know that I’ve inspired others to jump on the band wagon and get into shape.  I love my African American community..but sometimes we get THICK PHAT confused and we’re actually FAT and/or OBESE.  So, it’s a true blessing that I’ve been able to inspire ppl to get their bodies in shape regardless of their race!

 Well, that’s all for now!! Take care and much love to you all!!!   

Today is competition day!!!! Finally, it’s here!  Here it is 6:00AM.  I’m eating my first meal of the day, 7 egg whites and 2 low-sodium rice cakes w/ strawberry preserves (yummy)….that’s the 1st sugar I’ve had in 13 weeks!! Here are my finally stats as of 5:30AM:

114.50 pounds                   
                                                                              

Breast 31.50 in. (started at 36.50in)

Waist 24.50 in (very proud of this measurement, started at 29.75in)

Hips 32 in. ( started at 36.50in)

Quad 19.50 (started at 21.25in.)

Bicep 10.75 (started at 12.75in.)

Calf 12.75 (started at 13.75in.)

Forearm 9 (started 9.25in.)

Shoulders 39. 25 (started at 44in.)

I would have never believed that I would loose over 18inches of BF off my body! This go around I didn’t get my BF percentage taken.  My trainer thinks I’m sitting at approx 8-10%. 

Last evening I checked-in.  Surprisingly, I’m in the Class B rather than A. I told the guy I was 5′2″ but my hair was high.  You would think he’d see that…needless to say, he had me at 5′2 1/2″ putting me in Class B.  Doesn’t matter, I’m competing against whomever I have to!!! 

So, I’m ready. Have to be at the venue by 9:30AM for the competitors meeting.  For the next few hours I’ll apply another layer of color, do my make-up, and run to my hairstylist so she can do a touch up to my hair.

Once again, thanks to all of you for your support!! Stay posted for the results!!!

Here I am, the day before my show!  Well, all my preparation and hard work is really showing!! I think my body is as lean as it can possibly get for 13 weeks of dieting and training.  I’m weighing between 115-117.  My waist is 24 3/4 in. which is excellent.  I wanted my waist as small as possible.  A very small waist gives you great lines and symmetry on stage.

The last 2 days have been beauty days.  Wednesday was an all day affair!! It started Tuesday evening with me taking out my micros, which took all night.  I don’t have a perm, so Wednesday AM I had to get my hair washed and pressed.  Then I went to have my micros which took another 8 hrs.  My day didn’t end until 12:30AM Thursday!!  On yesterday I had all my waxing done and a manicure/pedicure.  I also went to see my trainer and posing coach for a session.  Both felt I’ve peaked right on time and as long as I don’t change anything I’ll be hard to beat.  This sport is very subjective, so I just hope the jugdes like my presentation enough to give me the WIN.  

Today will be spent apply my color, posing, and resting.  I applied my first layer of color last evening.  I’ll continue to add a layer of color every 3-4 hours until I get the color I want.  This evening I’ll check-in for the show and I’ll be good to go!!!

I’ve gotten addicted to blogging.  I remember back in 4th grade they use to make us write journals and absolutely hated it.  But blogging has allowed me to really be accountable with my goals…and plus it just keeps me focused.  You are just more likely to do something when you write it down for the whole world to see.  Well, stay tuned, I’ll probably post another blog on my pre-judging experience Saturday afternoon!! Be safe this weekend!!