fitnessprincess’s BodyBlog

One of the best things you can do for yourself is drink plenty of water. Your body is about 98% water. Water is essential for just about every physiological process that takes place in your body. Water has been shown to support weight loss. It’s filling, satisfying, and simply good for you! LOL! With all of that, I am amazed at how little water most women consume on a daily basis. When we talk about it, these women often tell me that “water is boring” or “it has to have flavor.” If you are one of these women, let me share with you a great “trick” for increasing your water consumption: Sun Tea.

Another solid weekend:) So that’s three solid weeks with no mistakes.  I am happier than I can say because it looks like my mom is a beneficiary of the changes I have made, too.  She told me today that she has lost 4 pounds on my new diet!  I care for her on the weekends so she eats what I eat.  Yes!!! I couldn’t be happier.   My mom is a colon cancer survivor and has a number of ongoing health challenges most diet and lifestyle related - high blood pressure, partially occluded carotid artery, nonfunctioning thyroid (exception) being the most significant.  So this is such a blessing! 

I am back to warm up my cold journal here. I apologize for not posting regularly recently but it is the end of the first summer semester at school. I have had four undergraduates working with me so it has been a busy couple of weeks as they always tend to get serious near the end and I gotta run around like crazy helping them make measurements. Also, my youngest sister Suzanne and her husband Steve were up here visiting from SC. I wasn’t too sure how things would go with so much happening but it’s been a very good couple of weeks. As I posted earlier I am now working with Noel Clark of Maximum Fitness Consulting. I have been doing great so far. Over two perfect weeks of eating - a couple of meal modifications but no eating off program and NO binging. Take that “Dr.” Joe Klemczewski!My mother loves my new nutrition plan as does my kitty. Both of them love meat and fish so it’s no surprise everyone’s happy. I am eating chicken, ground beef, and fish. I think kitty is beginning to think that everyday is his Bday! LOL! My mom also likes bread, nuts and cheese and these are all on my new plan. My mom also noticed right away that I can take a cheat meal. I gotta a real kick out of this. She asked me if I could take it on the weekend with her. I am really happy that mom likes my food as I take care of her on the weekend and she eats whatever I prep.

Two weeks ago at my WW meeting, our leader Tanya led us in a discussion about saving money and food.   Recently I stopped buying the local paper because the daily had gone up to $1 on weekdays and $3.50 on the weekend.  Coffee has always been my "sacred" untouchable vice.  On an average day I would get a medium DD coffee on the way to work, then a Starbucks tall caffe americano before and then another after teaching my morning class.   My final cup another medium DD coffee would come after teaching my afternoon class around 2 pm.  That’s about $10/day.  I never realized how much I was spending on coffee and don’t get me wrong I am certainly not rich!  So, I decided to cut back to one cup.  I didn’t think I could do it but a week has passed and so far so good

Warning: This is a rant about breasts and symmetry. All I hear about these days are figureladies being told that they lack symmetry because their breasts are too small. Some are being told outright to get bigger breasts or to stuff their tops. Excuse me? I get even more irritated when I hear that this is coming from a so-called “natural” competition. LOL! Natural, my foot! Did you know that all implants are forbidden except breast implants? and this is natural? I am confused. Biologically, breasts are primarily fat. You diet and guess what you lose fat - from everywhere and this includes your breasts. For many women, myself included, when they lose weight the breasts are the first thing to go. So this leaves me with a question if it is natural/normal to not have huge floppy boobs and this is a natural thing then the standards being used for symmetry are wrong and unnatural. So, how can women be downgraded in a figure competition in a so-called natural federation for being/looking exactly the way nature intended? If these groups are going to apply non-natural standards for symmetry then why should they get to call themselves natural? What’s more natural taking steroids or getting breast implants? Neither is natural.

Usually when I start a new diet, I receive a cool response from friends and family. Makes sense. From their vantage point it means I am eating more weird/healthy food. Well, this is a first because my cat Nikki is quite excited about the new diet. I am eating organic chicken, 96% ff ground beef, fresh fish. LOL! It’s a cat’s dream apparently! I think my biggest challenge so far is fending off Nikki. Nah. We share everything so I always give him a piece of whatever I am eating. Hey! It hasn’t hurt him any. Nikki just celebrated his 20th birthday Saturday.  Below at left is a photo from his 20th Bday party.

I am now officially working with Noel Clark of Maximum Fitness (http://www.maximumfitnessconsulting.com/).  Many of you know Noel.  She’s a national level NPC figure competitor.  She’s also a member of the Bodybuilding.com community:  http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/AUTiger13/ and was amateur fitness competitor of the week a while back.  See URL:  http://www.bodybuilders.com/noelc.htm  She’s also a mom   Amazing!  And now she has started her own personal training business, Maximum Fitness!  Woo! Hoo!   I have admired her for a while (LOL! clearly!) so I am really excited to have the chance to work with and learn from her. 

I have only just begun but already learned a lot.  Noel asked me to take a week off from the gym and I just about jumped out of my skin.  A question she asked on her questionnaire though had already had me thinking.  She had asked when I had last taken time off and well I haven’t in at least 2 years.  I was a bit leery as I have put on - sigh! - quite a bit of weight since my last competition and I am terrified of gaining any more.   I knew I was tired though - no, let’s be honest - bone tired, beat.  So I agreed and it has been a terrific week.  I can’t remember when my body didn’t hurt.  I also can’t remember when I slept -really slept well.  I think this has been a wake up call to me.  I am an A+++ personality and tend to be extreme when I tackle things - it’s all or nothing.  It’s clear to me now that a break every once in a while won’t hurt and may in fact give my body the time it needs to heal.

Change is afoot! LOL!  Yesterday I officially started my diet.  That’s going to be quite different for me, too.  First, Noel is having me eat at maintenance for 2 weeks.  I have been dieting for too long.  Hmmm… a theme here.  Since I know what I had been doing wasn’t working (I have been struggling with binging), making this change is a "no-brainer."  That said eating at maintenance is another challenge for me as inside me someone is screaming:  Don’t eat! Don’t eat! You will get fat."  I know that’s not true intellectually but that doesn’t of course change how I feel inside (afraid).   Second, Noel does it all for you.  She gives you literally a roadmap in terms of what to eat and how much to eat meal-by-meal.  Very different from what I am used to.  My last two coaches gave you macros and then you decided what you wanted to eat.  I believe this new approach may help me in two ways:  First, show me how to properly design a meal - I already have the sense from my emails with Noel that my food choices haven’t been what I will call A-list foods.  My last coach had absolutely no interest in what I ate and I never received any feedback concerning my food choices.  I have agreed to change my wicked vegetarian ways with Noel and am going to eat meat and see whether that gets me where I want to go body-wise/health-wise.  Second, I have a tendency to do things at the last minute - not a planner.  So, my meals are typically thrown together based on what I have and how I feel at the moment and I get the idea that may have led me to make poor food choices that clearly haven’t helped me health and fitness-wise.  Third, the other thing I have already noticed is my plan is rich in healthy oils - nuts, nut butter, and fish oil.  I have been fat-phobic for I don’t know how long.  I love nuts so I am super happy about this. 

I hope you can sense my excitement!  Can’t wait to see what she has planned for me in terms of workouts!  I want legs and abs and shoulders and arms like Noel’s  

Post script:  I was quite excited when I started but my experience with Noel was extremely disappointing.  I do NOT recommend her.  If you are looking to work with her better to work with Erik Ledin of Lean Bodies Consulting, who taught her what she knows.