amrn65’s bodyblog

My nutrition sucked last week. I will just call it as i see it…it sucked. I can give you a boat load of legitimate excuses for the sucky week, but in the end, it will still be an excuse. I did not plan my meals….and even though I did not PLAN TO FAIL, bottom line is I FAILED TO PLAN…which lead to the disaterous nutrition week I had. But, that is water under the bridge, huh?

I am back on track now incorporating the expert advice of my friend Thebodyguard who has graciously offerred to help me fine tune my nutrition plan. This guy is brilliant, well read and experienced and I feel so lucky to have his help. I am also a fan of John Beradi’s Precision Nutrition and Thomas (Thebodyguard) supports his principles as well. So, I have a great thing going. Thomas gave me a detailed nutrition plan and is holding me highly accountable to the plan. My first day was yesterday and I thought I did relatively well for my first day. I shared my nutrition with him only to find that I messed up already….lol. So, today is my chance to do it right. He does not take…almost right….lol. Thanks Thomas. I need somebody like you to hold me accountable.

Weight training is going well. I will begin teaching kickboxing in a few weeks, so we will really need to monitor progress with the incorporation of this demanding class. I teach it twice a week and we burn tons of calories in that hour class. I don’t want to put myself in too much of a catabolic state with the increase in cardio. We will really have to keep an eye on my nutrition.

I plan to take progress pics within the next 4-6 weeks into this new nutrition phase. I am counting on seeing some progress.

I am having some personal challenges at this time, so I must really work hard to stay focused…but I will!! &^

Have you ever been in a position where things just seem to be perfect and you are striding down the road with a big smile on your face feeling good and unbenounced (excuse the poor word choice) to you, you fall face first after stepping in a small pit hole in the road? That happened to me today….but I have choices. I can wallow in the pain of that pit or I can get up, wipe the dust off, repair whats broken and move on. Well, most people who know me….the latter is my choice. I may bend in the midst of a storm, but I don’t break. I am having a bit of a personal crisis right now, but I am going to use this crisis as an opportunity to be a better Annette. I am going to keep on going….keep working on my 3 fitness goals and get better and better. I will post some progress pics end of September…..and they will be better yet.^(

</a>” /></a>” /></a>” />This weekend I had the awesome opportunity to reunite with classmates that I had not seen for 28 years. I went to the class of 83 Whiteford High School Reunion. I left Whiteford after my Freshman year of school due to a move. I lost contact with all of my classmates until about a year ago when one of my classmates stumbled onto my myspace webpage. She told me about the reunion and I was excited about just showing up. After all, I was with this group of friends from kindergarten through 9th grade. So it had been 28 years since I seen them. The reunion started on Friday outside on the docks in down town Toledo on the river. I was soooo nervous, not knowing what to expect. I rounded the corner where the get together was and just stood there hoping that I would recognize someone or they would recognize me. The first person i saw was one of my best friends through school. It was amazing….and then there was the next, then the next…and so on. I recognized a few but did not recognize many. They felt the same about me, but I was a bit more easy to figure out cuz there were very few blacks that attended Whiteford.

My classmates just could not believe it was me. In school, I was the one of those girls who was not popular. I did well in school, was in the band, and for the most part, hung around the less popular crowd, but was liked by everyone. We were like a family growing up. There were the pretty popular girls, then there were girls like me….the nice girls.

Well suffice it to say…I grew up and am no longer that awkward looking girl they remembered. It was nice to go back in great shape, with confidence, and many accomplishments that I have achieved throughout my life and career. My hubby was with me and just watched the interaction from afar with a smile on his face. He kinda made a few comments about the attention I got from some of the guys…lol. But it was all good. I had a great time reconnecting. It was fabulous. A great weekend. Now…back to the grind!!

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I was sitting at the table a few days ago talking with my hubby as I enjoyed my cup of coffee. He was viewing my bodyspace and noticed some of my favorite vids that I uploaded. He was somewhat dismayed by my new found interest in muscle guys. He reminded me of past conversations of my dislike of the heavy muscular look. Ahhhhh…I remember those conversations and yes indeed, I was never attracted to the big muscle guys…..before. Then I discovered bodyspace and started looking at different profiles. I would look at physiques like Houseshaker and Bigsean with curiosity. How in the heck can anybody achieve such ridiculously massive size!! Of course, the first thing I thought was…steroids. I was like many who wanted to explain their size away to steroid use. Well, I don’t know what Houseshaker or Bigsean uses for supplementation, but there is one thing that I did learn. They got to that massive size through hard training, good nutrition, and proper recovery. I also learned alot about steroids too, and steroids are not as bad as the media has them hyped to be.

As I learn the discipline of bodybuilding, I have a profound new respect for the commitment, discipline, and drive to transform the body. I admire the natural bodybuilders as well as the assumed steroid using bodybuilders. Bodybuilding is simply hard work no matter which way you look at it.

So now, I must admit…I drool at the pictures of big muscles……on guys that is. I am attracted to more than the physical look of big muscles ( lean look), I am attracted to their commitment and discipline to the art of bodybuilding. You see, I know the challenges of eating clean in a fast pace fast food world. The sheer preparation to eat clean and eat every 2-3 hours is challenging. Making time to train in between work, kids, and other obligations is difficult. Preparing for a contest is a MAJOR commitment. I am learning about all this. So yes……I LOVE MUSCLE GUYS…..and all people that are taking the plunge to transform their bodies and are DOING IT!! No excuses…just doing it.

Now look at me….I have been struggling with the same 3 goals forever…1) eating every 3 hours 2) sleeping 7-8 hours 3) drinking a gallon of water a day. I have been at this since April and have not truly hardwired those 3 important things. I get really pissed at myself….but I keep trying, and trying, and trying. I even started a blog page this week just blogging on those 3 freeking goals. I will master them cuz I will not give up. I try not to beat myself up too bad when I fall short. For instance, yesterday….I had a chocolate attack. I ate 5-6 pieces of snack size candybars. I felt really bad about that…but I also congratulated myself for not succumbing to the thought that I messed up…so I might as well start over tomorrow syndrome and continue into my chocolate frenzy. Six months ago, I would have kept going. Two months ago, I would have counted it as my cheat day and splurged on MacDonalds and Dairy Queen. Now, I get back on track immediately….so I am "failing forward." But for all those guys and girls that have the discipline to do what needs to be done day in and day out…and for contest prep…I salute you.

So, bring on the muscles!! They are sexy in many more ways than just physical. I LOVE MUSCLES!!! LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN…I LOVE MUSCLES….I LOVE MUSCLES….I LOVE MUSCLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@%

Okay….I saw a few people that I have not seen since October of last year and they were astonished with my transformation since they last saw me. Of course they asked, what did you do to lose the weight. I told them my usual honest speel…I eat clean and I explain what clean eating is, I lift weights 4 times a week, hitting each body part once a week, and I decreased my cardio a ton. High protein, moderate to low carbs and fat…that’s what I do. I try to eat every 3 hours and drink a gallon of water a day and I work in a few cheat meals a week. I was telling them all of this while at a BBQ, my plate loaded with a hamburger, pasta, fruit, and 2 rather large pieces of cake. Oh yeah…and a regular pepsi. I told them that this was my cheat meal…haha…and that I don’t make it a habit of eating like this.

Then they ask me, have you taken any fat burners or stuff like that? I said, yeah…but currently I am not on any fat burners. I took fat burners for 5 weeks a few months back. I told them that I do drink protein shakes and am taking creatine. To non-bodybuilding females, they see creatine as this super duper muscle building product for guys only. But the conversation always returns to the fat burners, and they get their pen and paper out to write it down so that they can go get some. You see, people really don’t want to hear that my progress came from clean eating, weight lifting, and sheer discipline. They hear…Annette took Lipo 6…that is what did it, it had to be the Lipo 6. And then they ask about my training. That is all you do??? Really??? And you do cardio just a few days a week??? I say yeah….and they look at me in disbelief like I am hiding something from them. These ladies wrote down my protein supplements that I take, the lipo 6, and both of them were not interested in the creatine at all…lol. They asked me where I got it, and I told them bodybuilding.com  and off they went with a plan to purchase the magic potion. Most people aren’t interested in hearing that it takes HEAVY lifting, disciplined eating, and plenty commitment to truly transform you body. I felt I was talking to them til I was blue in the face about the nutrition and training part to no avail. They will purchase the products, and start using them and they will not see the same changes that I see. What a freeking waste of money. And the worst thing about is this….they will look at me and think I am hiding something from them.

Hey folks, sad as it is, I have lost friends since I started taking care of myself. I have been accused of things such as "annette thinks she is all that now" she is too good to hang with us….she only likes her bodybuilding friends. That makes me so sad, cuz it is not true. What IS TRUE IS…..I DO SURROUND MYSELF WITH PEOPLE WITH LIKE GOALS…. No longer do I hang out at my friends on the weekends drinking margaritas and eating potato chips. What I do is…hang out with the same friends drinking ice water and lemon and saying no to their chips and dip. This generally offends them or makes them take a hard look at their bad habits. Now Annette is no longer fun…she is stuck up….she thinks she is better than us. Slowly but surely, I don’t get the invites to their house…and then they blame it on me!!! Grrrrrr….anybody out there feeling me???!!!!

So, guess who I do start hanging out with?? People that have the same goals as me. It is not that I dumped my friends, they dumped me!! Then they talk about me like a dog. Haters!!!!!

Not to mention the few friends that heard about my bodyspace!!!! Oh MY God!!! Did you see Annette parading her pictures online for the whole world to see??? Oh the shame of it!! I try really hard to keep my bodyspace profile on the down low…not that I am ashamed of anything that I post, but because it does cause people to talk…often negatively.

But then, I have another bunch of bodyspace friends who support my efforts…who cheer me on…who motivate me. I love this world. On the otherhand….I get the same old negative response from my myspace friends who feel somewhat abandoned cuz I am not on the site more than once a week. I had several people that have deleted me from their myspace friends. Sigh………….

Guess what!! My hubby has a bodyspace account now…hehehehe. I am happy about that. I will encourage him to post some pics and get on board. The funny thing is this, as I started looking better, he started looking into my world of bodyspace. He even requested that I remove a few of my sexier poses off the site. I did remove them and I am just happy to see that he cared…haha. He never paid attention before…but now I have his attention. I like that!!!!!

I am starting to motivate my husband, my kids, my brother and sister and my mom. How cool is that!! They are looking and listening. What I really want to do is take one of my current friends or family members, be their coach, teach them everything that I am learning, and watch them transform before their eyes. I really want to be part of that transformation. I will find that one person who wants to truly take that plunge with me…not just talk, but action. Perhaps it will be my hubby, or one of my children, or my brother or sister, or my mom.

You wanna know what is really cool? My kids are proud of me. This was not always the case. They did not want to see mom change. They liked mom just as I was. They were a bit threatened to the new and improved panty sportin mom. They all thought I was going through a mid life crisis. They would tell me that all the time. Not no more. Now I hear…mom you look amazing and I am so proud when you come to my games. Mom, my friends can’t believe you are 43. Mom, you’re the hottest mom in the gym. Mom, I am proud of you. Mom, I want to be just like you. Mom, my boyfriend thinks you are pretty and told me, I will be pretty too when I reach that age. Mom, you have more energy than me. Mom, I am going to deck some of my friends (my son)…but he does not use such nice language…sorry to say. Mom, you were right, you do look better.

I did not take any magic potions to get this far. It was determination to reach MY GOALS…not what you wanted me to be. It was disciplined training and nutrition the majority of my days. It was surviving the ridicule of family members and friends, it was learning to accept that I would lose some friends, it was about sacrifice…especially my sweets, it was about listening to my trainer. It was about journaling, it was about reading and learning and asking alot of questions

I have a long ways to go. I am currently 22% bodyfat. That is nowhere close to contest lean. I have tons of work!! I plan to work hard and make my goal of 18% by Jan 1, 2009. Then my next goal will be 14%. I will always strive to be better. %^

Wow….I am just worn out! Started yesterday while working with my trainer. It was stadium day and the typical stadium workout consists of sprinting the straights of the track and walking the curves X8, then Sprinting 50 yards X8, then running the stairs of the stadium. I am in great cardiovascular shape, so this workout is challenging but not anything too bad. It makes some of his clients throw-up…but not me. Well, we started working out and I noticed that I was getting fatigued very early into the workout. I thought to myself…WTF??? But I pushed through it. Half way into the workout I felt like throwing up….I thought to myself…WTF??? I pushed through it and then I finally told my trainer how I was feeling. He was easier than usual with my sprints up the stadium steps, but I was still exhausted!! Unbelievably fatigued. I made it through the workout and went home, ate, and went to work. Work went ok and I finished my day as usual and went to sleep by 11:30pm….which is early for me. Woke up at 5am and could not go back to sleep. So I enjoyed some coffee and computer time….then went to my 7:30 training. We trained shoulders and triceps and all I can say is….I am totally exhausted. I did manage to take some progress pictures today and then went to work. It is 8:15pm as I write this and I am spent!! I think that my problem is lack of sleep. It is finally catching up with me!! Every muscle in my body aches. I trained very hard this week.

I studied my progress pics that I took today. I am somewhat disappointed with my upperbody progress….looks the same as a few weeks back. I am leaning out however, and weighing more so I am making the assumption that I am putting on muscle. The superpump is not pumping me up as much as it did in the beginning. It is amazing how the body adapts and balances itself out. I no longer have major issues with bloating either. I like taking the creatine and think it is helping alot with my muscle gain.

I am too tired to write more…..see ya later. @&

I am walking in the mall minding my own business enjoying my time to myself. Of course the phone guys try to stop you to checkout their phone plan, then there are the hair people that stop you and want to curl your hair with their coolest gadget of the season and then there are The Dead Sea Mall Stalkers….you know them….trying to sell you their products from the dead sea for your nail and hands. I must have sucker plastered all over my head….cuz the phone guys, hair girls, and the dead sea people just gravitate to me like a freeking magnet. They let other people pass….but no…not annette…EVEN WHEN I TRY TO SHOO THEM OFF. But inevitably, I stop and listen to their speel everytime. I have all the dead sea products…lol…SUCKER…alot of it not even opened. So let me tell you about my latest Dead Sea Mall Stalker encounter. He stops me….takes a look at my pitiful nails and my calloused hands and gets a great big smile on his face. I hate to do my nails…and often times I forget my gloves when I go to the gym…so I have a few callouses. Also, I am an RN and wash my hands alot at work….so my hands need help. But what they don’t seem to understand is….I DON’T CARE ABOUT MY ROUGH HANDS!! I AM OKAY WITH THE CALLOUSES!! LEAVE ME THE HECK ALONE!! Well anyway….I got this really cute Dead Sea Mall Stalker…and he asked me  to try his products. I told him that I already had them. He did not believe me,  so I proceeded to tell him the cost  of each product  and yada,yada,yada.  I convinced him  I  did  indeed  have  the products. So, he said…ok so what….let me do your hands anyway and I said ok…but I am not buying a thing. OMG….let me tell you this….he gave me the most awesome hand massage I have ever had and I will never forget that guy!!! Unbelievable. When he was done….I stood there…well speechless….and he just smiled and I walked away quietly. How sexy was that!!! I will never forget that. What an impression that guy left. So, I went home…..gave each one of my kids a hand massage….and they said wow….that is awesome. So, I went to work and gave a few of the nurses a hand massage….they said wow.

You might be thinking….so why is she telling me this story? Well, what I would like you to take home from this story is this….first impressions are critical and how you interact with a stranger or an acquaintance can leave a lasting impression…so make it a good impression.

Now about my mood…..I am in a great mood today!! Yesterday was unusual….I am rarely in a bad mood. My workout this morning with my trainer was mediocre…I did not get that pumped up euphoric feeling that I usually get…but It was a decent workout. Hit my chest, back and Biceps today.

Eating…having alot of shakes cuz I am teaching an 8 hour Cardiac Advance Life Support Class and I don’t get many breaks…so I am drinking my meals. All is well and good in my world.*$

I am in a bad mood for no specific reason. Everything is irritating me today. Ever get that way? Thank God i don’t have these moods often…but I am in a mood today. I need go home and start the day over.

I had a killer leg workout this morning….killer workout. Everything is going great at work. All is well with the family. I am happy with my training progress. I have my health. All is well and I am still in a bad mood. Grrrrr…. For everyones sake….please don’t let something bad happen….I might just flip!!!

Blah!!!!!! #(

It is hump day and so far I am meeting most of my goals. I did not meet my sleep goal last night, but other than that, I am kicking butt with my 3 goals…you know 1) eating 2-3 hours 2) 2-3 L of water 3) sleep 7-8 hours.

I am out of town the rest of the week at more training stuff at work. I am prepared and am eating every 2-3 hours….I may look weird….especially chomping on my snacks during the training…and if anyone questions me…i will just say…I need to eat to maintain my blood sugar levels…..and let them think what they want. I even eat in church…hahahaha…cuz our service sometimes runs into my meal time if I attend Sunday School.

Hope to have a great workout tonite! %^

I feel that it is very important to journal (blog) and write short-term and long-term goals. I always put my weekly short-term goals on profile page. This helps keep me accountable to myself. My goals for last week were:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours
2. Drink 2-3 liters of water every day
3. Sleep 7-8 hours

If I get a 90% I consider the goal met

1. Goal#1 Did not meet
2. Goal#2 Did not meet
3. Goal#3 Did not meet

So, these goals still stand for this week too. In an effort to do better, I created a form to document my progress on as well. I plan to do much better this week.

I am taking my superpump and sizeon and I am liking those products. As my body adjust, I am not quite as bloated with the creatine. I am making it happen in the gym. I am lifting heavy and intense. I don’t go to the gym to socialize….I am there to train cuz my long-term goal is to have my body in the leanest, sexiest, most curvaceous state that I can sustain year round.

If my progress continues as planned, I should realize my goal by March 1, 2009. Then it will be all about maintaining and fine tuning my goal according to my needs. If I compete, I will focus on that. But, I have quite a ways to go. I am at 22% BF and that is not lean….but it is way better than the 35-36% bodyfat  I was in Jan of this year.

Now…back to last week goals. Why didn’t I meet them? Let me see….First of all I am in transition with my nutrition. I am changing to John Barardi’s Precision Nutrition Plan…and with the change….I became overwhelmed and just out of sorts. I continued to eat clean, but not every 2-3 hours like I planned. Now I have read his stuff, went grocery shopping and am better on track now for this week.
Now…why did I not get my water in. Well, partly because I was so overwhelmed with the new nutrition, and also because I kept forgetting to put my bottled water in the fridge and it was warm…YUK! So….I bought one of those water doodads where you just put 5 gallons of water on top and presto you have cold water at a touch of a button.

Sleep…why did I not sleep. Well, to be honest, I was working on a work project as well as reading my Precision nutrition and asking my incredibly knowledgeable friend Thebodyguard…all kinds of questions. He is a walking wealth of wisdom and he knows this fitness crap like nobody else that I have met on this site…or any other to be exact. I am driving him crazy with my questions I am sure. Whenever I want to change something up….he is my mentor. He tells me just what he thinks….and he is not always nice about it. But I appreciate his honesty and his brilliance. His knowledge is nothing less than amazing. Thanks Thomas!!! MUAH!!!!!!!!

I have an inner circle of friends that cheer me on…they know who they are and I appreciate them so much. We all need somebody to be accountable to.

I have been busier then heck at work….insane busy….so I have not been on bodyspace as much as I like.

Let me tell you a few other things…..

BSN Dessert Protein Shake is simply amazing…I am hooked on that stuff. When mixed with my lactose free skimmed milk…it taste just as good as a regular shake. It tastes good in water too.

I made these amazing protein pancakes….I need variation so here is what I made:

5 egg whites/1/2 cup of old fashion oats/1/2 cup of pumpkin pie filling/ 1/4 cup of splenda

Mix ingredients in a blender…spray with pam cooking spray…..and eat! I will break down the macros for you tomorrow…I have to put the ingredients in my recipe builder. @^