Lift to live

I can’t believe it’s already here, in 10 days I will be stepping on stage for my first figure competition!  I put on my suit and shoes the other day to practice posing and I swear my heart started racing from the excitement (and a little bit of fear) of the coming event.  I haven’t taken any pictures lately because my camera was stolen, but I have been following my body measurements, weight, and BF% closely…and just this past week my love handles disappeared, my quads and triceps separated, and I found the bottom of my lats.  The only thing I wish is that I’d have quit the CKD earlier (I completely changed my diet 6 weeks out and have been playing catch-up) so that I would have been able to do a dry run of my peak last week to make sure everything goes well.  Now my big challenge is making sure I peak on Saturday!  Wish me luck!

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about water and salt depletion the week before competing…there seem to be so many different and contradicting ideas out there it’s overwhelming!  Some people swear by tapering down carbs, salt, and water as the week progresses, some people carb deplete while they overload on water then carb load while they cut salt and water later in the week.
What seems to work best for people so that they come in full and dry?

I know they say don’t let the scale determine your progress, but today I stepped on the scale and saw that I was up 3 lbs from last week and was SEVERELY disappointed that I’m not losing…but rather gaining.  I am 5 weeks out.  I’ve been sticking hard to my diet and have recently turned up the intensity of my workouts (started super sets 2 weeks ago) and added in two 45 minute cardio workouts (on top of the 2 30 minute and 1 HIIT I’m already doing)…so I don’t understand how could I possibly be gaining weight?  I absolutely have a 500+ calorie defecit every day, and I really don’t think I’m putting on muscle with a calorie defecit…doesn’t weight gain with a calorie defecit defy the laws of science?  The reason this is such a big deal to me is that I’d like to be taken seriously at this competition, and I need to stay on track and be losing about a lb every week to meet my goal weight and BF% by July 18.  Please let this be water weight.  Anyone, anything?

On a more positive note, I feel awesome after the stadium races Texas challenged me to yesterday.  Even though I lost a bet in the process (and have to wear an 80’s aerobics instructor outfit in the gym for the next week), it was euphoric running those stadium bleachers.  I think the stakes should be raised next time…and I’ll be sure to whoop his ass.

"Contest dates are subject to change without notice."  It says it on the home page, and I guess it holds true…the competition I’ve been getting ready for has been pushed back to August .  I was getting so excited-looking at suits, getting my tanning supplies in order, figuring out how to get dry the last week…now I have to wait an extra 4 1/2 months to actually do this.  I guess I’ve got to look on the bright side…now I’ve got extra time to diet and train.  Either that or find a different competition that’s a bit sooner and travel to it.  That’s always a decent option…it doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed though .

I’m so proud, I was able to keep my diet ABSOLUTELY perfect this week!  It meant turning down a few invitations to go out and eat with my girlfriends, but it’s well worth it (and I’m saving money!  Hooray!).  It’s gotten progressively easier over the past couple of weeks to ignore my sweet cravings and stick to being lean and green, which I wasn’t sure would ever happen (I’m a chocoholic…but what woman isn’t?). I’m really excited to get my measurements tomorrow after my workout and see how I’m progressing.  I had a 2 lb drop this week, which is a bit more than I shot for considering I only have a few lbs to lose and I don’t want to stall my metabolism by dropping my caloric intake too low, so if next week is another 2 lb week I’m going to need to eat more.  New progress pics tomorrow! Ciao!

Anybody ever woken up 2 days after a killer leg workout and not been able to bend your legs?  That was me today…thank you delayed-onset soreness! I’m definitely not complaining about the pain, but rather making a statement about the fact that I look like I’ve got Parkinsons the way I have to shuffle to get places!  For such an ass kicking hobby that we have, it’s funny how we wind up looking crippled sometimes.  So I took some progress pictures today and am happy to say I love my arms and shoulders!  My chest is coming along nicely (I bumped up my weights today) and despite the "each bodypart once a week" rule, I think I’m going to add in a second leg day at the end of my cycle to try and add a little more mass to my hams, quads, and glutes.  Now about my stomach…it needs major work, and from what I understand the magic happens in the kitchen.  As of last week I’m on a 60 20 20 ratio (protein/carbs/fat) diet right now…if that helps me lose fat over the next couple of weeks I won’t change quite yet.  School starts tomorrow, and so does midnight food preparation!

I decided yesterday that I was going to sign up for my first figure competition!  I’ve been lifting weights for a long time with no tangible goal besides keeping myself in good health…I think I’m ready to take the next step and train to compete.  My best friend Shannon, who has been my training buddy for a long time, may make this his first comp as well (ooh that would be so great)!  I understand how to train properly, but I’m still struggling with my nutrition.  I wish I had the money to hire a nutritionist, but I don’t, so I’m doing lots of reading and talking with people who have competed before to get a few strategies for figuring out macronutrient balance and timing as well as how to taper my calories and cardio towards the event.  Any advice?!