jcorbett’s BodyBlog

I talked to my former trainer and he asked me what was the problem. When I said I needed to lose the butt, his response was, "you’ve dieted before…" I whined, "but I don’t want to be hungry:)," and I was reluctant to commit to another figure comp. b/c I didn’t want to give up certain foods. In fact I was very nonsensical about dieting, fantasizing that fat burners & cardio were enough to drop 10 lbs., but I’ve got to cut calories if I want to hit the stage again.
I realize calorie reduction requires a strong and made up mind and I’ve been able to limit my to  1500-1600 in the past 5 days and haven’t fainted. Additionally, I had to go back to keeping a food log that helps me monitor my calorie intake. I’m looking leaner already–at least to myself:)

Training is fine. I started riding my bike because I have knee pain so I can’t run. I also do the stair climber–it’s great for keeping the glutes high & tight.

BTW another gym member said I looked perfect–while I know it’s not true, it was a nice up beat way to end my training.

Happy lifting to all!

I don’t want to make my tween daughter super self-conscious, but she just hit puberty and won’t grow much taller. She is at the 80 percentile in weight and is not very active. I try to provide one balanced meal per day plus a good breakfast, but she likes snacks such as chips, cookies, cheese crackers, more than extra servings of vegetables & fruit (can’t blame her). Unfortunately, there isn’t enough during the week for sports so she is going to have to develop better eating habits. She asks about calories, she reads food labels (like mom), and is aware of the results of a high sugar high fat diet. But given the choice, junk food wins. I need to be able to suggest tasty snack alternatives that are satisfying.
My 8 year old son, on the other hand, is underweight, and needs to eat more food (he’s a grazer). He doesn’t like to eat much for breakfast (fruit & a granola bar), but is hungry by 9 a.m. I like to encourage him to eat extra crackers or chips so he can have the extra calories. He eats one balanced meal a day and likes green beans, collard greens, various fruits, french bread along with chips, cheese crackers, etc. He will also eat sunflower seeds and pistachios. I need to fill his lunch box with quality food that has good fat & calories.

Any suggestions? Recipes welcome:)

I realized during vacation that I am not a foodie so all the restaurants & hot spots for good tapas, didn’t really matter to me. Most of the tapas (kind of like appetizers) offered with drinks are fried or some other food that is high in fat and low in nutrition. Additionally, I don’t drink cerveza (beer) and only drink a little wine (no more than a glass). Therefore, I just ate what I could find. The kids & I never really got into the flow of having a large meal during mid day when most Spaniards have the largest meal. Breakfast was toastas & cafe con leche (white roll toasted with coffee & milk)-a far cry from my egg whites & oatmeal. For lunch I attempted to eat menu de la dia, trying to eat local dishes, but I don’t eat pork or beef and my Spanish is limited so I had to order dishes of which I knew the ingredients and most dishes had fries (of course I ate a few b/c I was hungry). Good food finds were easier in southern Spain than in Madrid, but no veggies (only iceburg lettuce). I bought a bag of watercress one day just to get a little green in the system. I also purchased a few cans of tuna to up the protein intake, which was significantly lower than my usual daily intake. I refused to pack any protein and decided I’d have to go with the flow.  I only had one melt down which was on the return flight–I ate a croissant b/c I didn’t buy enough food for the plane ride and got hungry. I even had half a muffin, and a little chocolate cake.
I need to detox and get back to nutritional basics. I’m not sure if I’ll compete this fall, but I’m going to begin dieting next week. My current weight is 147 lbs., but I need to lose some fat in the thigh area–quads like to show the cellulite. I was considering doing body building instead of figure, but I’m not sure if I can get my weight down and get ripped enough by Nov. Additionally, don’t know if I can put together a 3 minute routine. It may be a goal for next year.

A friend shared some contemporary soul/house music with me. It’s refreshing and the perfect tempo for the cardio burn. I’ve been out of town for two weeks, my diet has been compromised, I still feel a little bloated from restaurant food, but I have new found hope–the music inspires me and I work harder. It will probably take a week to detox from being out of my element, rest broken, and taking in a few toxins (e.g. tequila shot, bbq chicken, 1 T mac & cheese, 1 T potato salad). I was talking to my former trainer yesterday saying, I’m not sure if I’ll lose the pounds necessary to compete. I’ve lost inches, but my weight keeps fluxuating–need to cut more calories, but I’m sooooooooo hungry. Anyhow, still training like champ (LOL).

The suit has been ordered so I really need to get back on track and drop 8 more lbs., and 1/2" off the hips, 1/2" off the thighs, and 1" off the waist. There’s still hope:), but I’ve got so much work to do………

Thank goodness for photos and old blogs. They serve as a reference point and a source to keep me going. I have lost about a 1/2" thighs, 1/2 hips, and 1/4" in the waist, but the scales are not showing much difference. It’s time to give up dairy–I don’t do much anyway so it’s not a big sacrifice. I’ll have to drop the unsalted mixed nuts sooner than later–I didn’t give them (salted) up last time until 2 weeks out. I’m going to Nashville, then Ohio so my daily food intake will suffer some, but not a great deal, b/c I will have a car and be able to buy most of my food from the grocery store–I hope.

Training is going well since I dumped the split schedule. I was able to get in a split on Thurs., but for the most part I am trying to get a sufficient amount of sleep (6.5 to 7 hrs). I’ll be able to train at the hotel in Nashville and will buy a week long pass in Ohio. Someone stopped me at the gym last week. She said she saw me compete last year and was inspired to lose weight. She was 200 lbs and lost a great deal of weight since Nov. It was quite a heartwarming experience. Now that I am aware folks are watching me I can’t give up and must accomplish my next goal.

As I hit the snooze button @ 4:55 a.m. and thought, "ah just sleep in", I awaken shortly after thinking of Kai Greene’s success story–congrats. His words to me, "be encouraged" and "you can do it" flowed through my mind and provided the much needed inspiration to get up for a 6 a.m. cardio session. I decided a.m. cardio is the best for fat burning and suits my schedule (even though it’s a great sacrafice to get up, like many of you).  This afternoon I did shoulders and quads. I have changed to a 4 day workout routine that hits legs  and shoulders twice weekly. I will do arms with chest and back.

My diet hasn’t changed drastically, but I have to stop the extra after dinner carbs (i.e. cereal or peanut butter).

It’s hard to believe that I am dieting once again, but I am feigning for a leaner body–my pants are starting to get tight around the thighs (LOL). Looking forward to seeing a "better me".

Friends and family are beginning to ask for help with nutritional changes and suggested exercises for toning. This may be my segway into personal training. I need a side gig and was thinking about getting my license to practice individual therapy, but decided that I don’t want to do "talk therapy anymore". Personal trainers seem to be like hair dressers in that they are privy to personal info about their clients and can be great listeners during a training session. I considered the idea last year, but don’t have time when school is in session. I’ve checked out some of the certification requirements and looked for jobs at the local gyms, but don’t want anything attached to sales and need a limited amount of hours. I have a few marketing ideas, but really need to develop a business plan.

Does the type of certification matter?

In this unstable economic climate how are personal trainers doing?

How does one begin her career as a personal trainer? Any organizational recommendations?

*BTW I’ve gained 1 pound of muscle in the past 2 weeks:)

You know the saying, "sometimes less is more"….? Well, this new routine has me sweating and I usually don’t sweat no matter how hard I work. I did legs mid week last week: leg curls (100, 110 @ 120lbs) 3 sets of 10; leg press (290lbs) feet 12" apart–really hit the quads; deep squats w/ barbell, narrow stance (low weight); & good mornings (low weight)–new exercise for me; along with 20 min. stair master level 6 & 10. I was sore from Wed. to Sat. Fri. I did back: assisted chin ups, still @ 80lbs assist; reverse pull downs (70/80/90 lbs) 3 sets 8 - 12; seated cable rows (80/90/100 lbs) 3 sets 8 - 12; deadlifts (low weight–25lbs plates)–new exercise for me; standing barbell curls, reverse curls; and 20 min. stair master level 6 & 10. Today was chest and upper back; incline barbell press (low weight), dumbell press (20 lbs dumbbells); barbell upright rows to shoulders (no weight); upright rows to chin 35#s; skull crushers 35#’s & standing calve raises (120 lbs).

Still trying my best to chuck down extra protein, but have to make a conscious effort. I will begin cutting next month–12 weeks out, which should give me adequate time to firm up and lose 2" of hips. If anyone has a favorite cutting diet, please share.

My son who just turned 8 yesterday asked me this morning, "Mommy, why do you have to be so strong?" I think I was preparing my food for the day or something. My response was, "I like looking strong and fit, it makes me feel good". He seemed to be okay with that, I guess I need to probe a little more to find out why he asked that question. 

Question of the week: Why do you want to look & be so strong?

Just when I was about to give up on this mass building plan, my friend sends me a new training program and notes that I need to "raise my protein index". I already feel like I have protein oozing out of my pores and that my kidneys will rebel at any given moment. I am not much of a fan of chicken and I don’t eat pork or beef. I drink 2 protein shakes per day, eat four egg whites, 4 to 6 oz fish (lunch), 4 to 6 oz fish (dinner), and could probably add 1/2 cup lentils or black beans to one of my meals, unless any of you have a better suggestions.

The weight training du jour primarily consist of compound moves w/o the "foo foo" isolation moves (his words, not mine).  I will shoot for five to ten pounds more weight with eight to ten reps, this should be doable.

Last week’s training was somewhat crappy due time constraints and a head cold, but I did get three days in. The semester started so I’m back to work full swing and will have to juggle training around my work schedule, the kids’ school and extra curricular activity schedule and my social calendar (oh, I forgot–I don’t have one).

It’s homework time!

Last week I was off and able to train four days, M–hamstring, quads & calves; T–chest & traps; Th–Back (ouch); S–shoulders. I learned that I need to gradually increase the weight and when I can achieve at least 10 to 12 reps, then increase the weight.  Therefore, I didn’t break any new records, but I did 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps, depending on the exercise. I also started taking Creatine again last week and I have to increase my water intake b/c I had a couple of days that I felt blah after taking it, but as soon as I downed 20 oz. of water I felt okay.

Today I was able to use the Smith machine for squats and used 45lbs plates for the first time. This week I have to work a couple of days so I will do a three day routine focusing on legs, back & shoulders.

I’ve gained a half inch on my arms and my weight is 148 lbs.–9 lbs heavier than contest weight. I hope that at least 5 of those pounds is muscle.  I took a couple photos last week to see if I can notice any physical changes and compared to my contest prep photos. My back is showing some improvement and my arms are slightly bigger, but my delts look about the same.

I decided to go to the Arnold Classics to see how the pros do it.