4 weeks to go!

It's been several weeks since I did a show update.  I've been working away.  We made diet changes doing a Keto/traditional split cycle.. almost like extreme carb cycling, 2 weeks low following by 2 weeks moderate/high.  I just finished the first week of moderate/high carbs. I missed my carbs.  I'm avoiding breads/pastas, sticking with oats, sweet potato, corn, and green things (green beans, celery, cucumbers etc)

The hardest part by far is getting enough sleep.  I didn't realize how important sleep was and it's SO SO hard for me to get everything done and still get 8 hours. As I type this I have about 30 minutes to get to sleep to get 8 and I don't have my food planned out for tomorrow at all!  I pride myself on being pretty organized and getting everything done. This process will test you mentally, physically and emotionally.  It's stressful.  There are a LOT of things to do. I have a busy life already and this adds a lot to it.  I really enjoy pushing myself in the gym.  I think the most difficult part for me is really planning all the food. Planning it all and prepping all my meals, it's time consuming. It's absolutely worth it, but I think I need to have a little less variety.  Some is nice but too much is just more work.

Continued.. When I typed the above it was almost a week ago. Juggling contest prep and family is no easy task. I'm sure I will get the hang of it with each additional show but for now it's pretty tough. This takes a lot of commitment. I will say though, going through this process has proved to me that you CAN do anything you set your mind to.  A few years ago I "couldn't" find time to get in a workout or prep a meal. I lived off fast food and watched TV for hours a day. This has truly showed me that it's all about choices and priorities. I've come a long way.. I have a long way to go. But I'm getting closer everyday.  4 weeks to show 1.. 6 weeks to show 2.  It's going to get harder from here, but I'm ready to soak it all in.  

5 week out posing practice 

What I ate today. Ketogenic.

Hi there #fitfam .. Just over 5 weeks out O_O .. About to wrap up 2 weeks in keto and go back to a "traditional" 40/40/20 bodybuilding split. I've kind of gotten the hang of keto. Still sometimes have a hard time getting all the fat without many carbs or the protein level I was used to. I took pics of all my food yesterday so you could see what keto is looking like. 

So here's everything I ate and a total from myfitnesspal on macros for the day. 

2 pieces of bacon, egg white and cheese omelet 

Homemade keto "mounds" bar.. I skimped on the "chocolate" a bit :). And mozz stick 

Chicken and asparagus. (Probably the least keto of all my meals) 

OMG these were delish! I have a bad sweet tooth and these hit the spot. 

Mini mocha cappuccino cheesecake and a mozz stick 

Green bell pepper with some ground beef and cheese. 

My carbs are a bit high.. About half come from fat sources though so it's not like I'm eating startchy things. Still figuring it all out. After 2 weeks on 40-40-20 I get to try my hand at keto again.  Will be looking up some recipes and things getting ready. 

7 weeks out and Diet info

Hello everyone!

It's been a while.. where does the time go??  I've been super busy working and hitting the gym. We've been doing a lot of decision making.  So I posted about a month back that we decided to delay our original "debut" show date.  We hoped the extra time would help with my conditioning (leaning out for the stage)  It's still been REALLY slow coming on the fat loss and progress.  We have been carb cycling but I still haven't had much success.  This week we are starting a keto diet. Half way through Day 1.. I'm not as hungry as I thought I'd be. However, my meals have been pretty interesting. Switching from high protein to high fat has really been difficult.  I think I'm getting a better handle on it. I even found some flax meal muffin and pizza crust recipes I'm going to try out. (will post them if they are edible!) :)

So, I wanted to post a little bit more about my diet. Now keep in mind if you're not cutting for a show you probably don't have to be SO strict but I've had a lot of people comment on how lean I'm getting and ask me what I've been doing.  So carb cycling. The last several weeks we have been carb cycling. I started with 6 low and 1 high day, and we moved to 3 low days, 1 high, 2 low, 1 high rotation. I prepare 99% of my own food. Even on my high carb days I rarely went out to eat because you really can't be sure what you're getting. I think I had some decent progress doing carb cycling. I count all carbs (even veggies) I guess a lot of people don't.. I'm not sure if it would have been more effective to get more starchy carbs and feed my metabolism that way?? BUT...

We are getting into super crunch time here and my legs especially have a way to go. We are going Keto.  I also started tracking my macros and water more diligently with my weight fluctuations so we can track changes more effectively.  This whole process is a lot of trial and error. There is no right or wrong way to do this.. ok, there are probably a LOT of wrong ways, but different things work for different people. This is the first time we are doing this so it going to be a HUGE learning experience. I've already learned a lot and we still have so far to go.  I'm going to post below a few examples of what I ate on different low and high carb days.  You can follow me on myfitnesspal (Username: Jennibeanxo ) to see what I'm eating everyday.  (but please don't follow it blindly, it's based on my height, weight, goals and activity level)  I've also started to track ALL my cardio with my Polar watch too. Because those machines and even the myfitnesspal estimates are not accurate to each individual.

Low carb day 

High carb day:

Just a note.. I kept my fats relatively low and protein high. This isn't typically how carb cycling works. Protein stays consistent and fats and carbs cycle (one high, the other low). This might be why I didn't see the results I hoped for. I think when I try again in the future I'll have a better handle on the process. It's all a lot of trial and error. The key is to stick with it and continue to make adjustments. 

BCAA gummy recipe

Happy Monday everyone. 

So I'll post this update with more details in another post but we've switched shows and I am just under 11 weeks out from the stage! That means 11 more weeks of prep and reduced calories.. actually 13.. but again that's another post.  So last week I messed with my meal times.. It was a horrible idea! I was saving carbs for post workout (I had been carb loading in the morning previously).  So I stretched out the time between my meals earlier in the day and there were a few days were I was STARVING between meals.  

One day I ate a handful of giant mints.. which turned out to be about 30g of carbs total! yikes! So I decided to look around for some alternatives for snacking between meals. (besides gum which also has sugars and piece after piece can add up during the day) 

So I had seen a few posts about BCAA gummies. So I looked into them a little more. I really had no idea they had no added sugar and it was just gelatin which is protein.  I used watermelon flavored BCAA powder and they are yummy! They were pretty easy to make too. I have plastic molds so I dusted them with cornstarch but still had to fight a bit to get the gummies out. I think I will use silicone next time as I think it's a little easier.  I don't have small silicone molds but I think I can just dice up the gummies into pieces once they have set.  So here's the recipe

Ingredients:
1 scoop BCAAs ( I used watermelon Rescue)

1/2 cup water

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 tablespoons)

Procedures:

Mix the above ingredients together and let sit a few minutes

Heat mixture until gelatin is dissolved.

Pour into molds 

Freeze for 20 minutes

This made a lot of gummies. I didn't do a macro breakdown per gummy cause they weren't the same size (because my molds were different) but for the entire recipe the macros are:

Fat: Zero

Carbs: Zero

Protein: 24g 

Casein protein truffles

Hi Everyone,

I am seriously the worst at keeping up with things! Really I am an accountant first (that's what pays the bills) and we are in the midst of busy season. Meaning I Work, Eat, Train, Sleep. I am having trouble finding time for much else. Of course EAT is one of the things I MUST do.. And I really enjoy that too. :)  So of course with eating comes cooking/preparing.  So I have a couple recipes I've tried that I want to share.  The one today is Casein protein truffles.  

If you are like me, you love chocolate.  Does anyone not love chocolate?! But clearly having a box of Russell Stovers or a bag of mini Reece's PB cups is not in the plan right now. Sooooooooooo.. I improvise.  Luckily there are some genious people in the world who create and share recipes for those of us that are a bit challenged in the kitchen. And this one is adapted from Proteinpow.com is already a favorite.  I've made them twice this week.  (and drooled over her website for days and days)  

So first these are a snap to make.. if you can mix, and roll "dough" you've got the necessary skills. Did I mention I am challenged in the kitchen? :) If I can make it, a 5 year old can.. but seriously, you could make the kids make these for you.. if you trust they won't eat them. 

Ingredients: 

1 scoop Casein Protein (I used chocolate of course but any flavor would work)

1/2 tablespoon of coconut flour (I might have used a touch more)

2-4 tablespoons of almond milk (or milk of choice)  

about a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder for coating the truffles

(at Proteinpow.com they dip these in dark chocolate.. so that's an option too)

I started with 2 tablespoons of milk, mixed and then added a bit more until you get a consistency which will form a ball but isn't TOO wet. (if you add too much milk, add a little more Casein or coconut flour) 

Procedure:

1. Add dry ingredients to a bowl

2. Add almond milk

3. Mix

4. Form into 4-5 balls. I did 4 as you can see below

5. Roll the balls in cocoa powder

6. Chill in the fridge 20 minutes or so.

7. Enjoy the deliciousness!

(if you wanted to dip these in chocolate, I would chill after step 4, melt the chocolate, then dip and chill again to set the chocolate)

I made these before work and brought them as my afternoon snack/pre-workout so my plating is phenomenal.   Ninja turtle containers, hell yeah!!  (Yay 80s kids!!) .. But for the record my husband bought these ok. :) 

Macros for the WHOLE recipe using cocoa powder

Calories: 160

Fat: 2.5g

Carbs: 10g (2.5g of fiber, 5g of sugar)

Protein: 25g

Do you want to get fit?

It occurs to me that although I'm not a dietitian or certified trainer, and some people don't want advice from me, I do have experience gaining and losing weight. I've tried countless diets, yo-yoing a bit with my weight and struggling to find something that works.  I know what it's like to be at rock bottom and really want (and really need) to change.  That's why I put myself out there. I share pictures of myself, my food, my workouts. The good the bad and the ugly. (ok we all try to limit the bad and the ugly) I get a lot of questions which I want to start to answer more in depth in this blog.  I try to answer all the questions I get on instagram but I also can't write a TON on there, which is one reason I started this blog.  A question I get often is, How did you start?  I know there are a lot of people out there who want to make a change but they don't really know how.  It's not hard really, but it is confusing. There is a lot of information out on the web. A lot of it is free. Who do you listen to? Who has the right answers?  That's the tricky part.  There is no right way to lose weight.  There is NO magic food(s).  Believe me when I say I tried almost everything to lose weight. Meal replacement shakes, cleanses, calorie counting, severe calorie cutting, working out but failing to control my diet... Sometimes I would have a little bit of success. But the weight almost always came back, often I gained more. I've learned a lot over the years and I am still learning. I failed a lot but I also succeeded.

I'm going to share with you what I would do if I had to do it all over (with the knowledge I have now). If tomorrow morning I found myself at a morbidly obese 249 pounds again.

1. Calculate my maintenance calories and cut 500 calories from that number/figure out macros.

I have no idea where the "magic" 1200 calorie diet came from. But that little number sure did get around everywhere. Matter of fact at 249 lbs I was eating closer to 1000 calories a day. And I lost NOTHING. It's really really important that you don't drop calories too severely. It's a common mistake to think that the less you eat the more you'll lose. Sadly it doesn't work like that.  You'll just suffer, put your body into panic/starvation mode and probably binge your way to a higher weight. So determine a reasonable caloric intake for your current height, weight, activity level and start eating a balanced diet. I use the calculator at iifym.com Good nutrition, in my opinion, the key to being successful.  I personally LOVE counting macros, and though it takes some getting used to. It really makes the difference in a "diet" and a lifestyle change.

2. Start resistance training 3 times a week.

Assuming you're not working out right now, you don't want to over do it.  I actually started doing a Jillian Michaels DVD 30 day shred
http://www.amazon.com/Jillian-Michaels-30-Day-Shred/dp/B00127RAJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424464248&sr=8-1&keywords=30+day+shred
and I committed to doing it for 30 days. I did it. But I'm not sure I was really ready to do 30 days of exercise with no rest.  I never got off level 1 in that time frame either. Over doing your workouts is a sure fire way to exhaust yourself and get burnt out.  So start slow.  Make a commitment and stick with it. You don't have to join a gym. There are plenty of DVDs and online videos so that you can start at home. (Body weight is resistance, you don't have to add weights right off the bat) I personally wasn't all that comfortable in a gym. However, I do want to say I never ever heard one negative comment toward me or anyone else at the gym. I'm not going to guarantee you won't run into some asshole that says something stupid, they are out there, but for the most part I have found all fitness levels at the gym are pretty accepting of everyone else. Remember that most people at the gym are just there to workout and they could care less what you are doing. So just go and do your thing.

3. Do cardio twice a week.

I hate cardio. I have always hated running. I'm slow. It's just not my thing. But I feel like I could've had better fat loss had I not skimped on the cardio. It doesn't have to be running. You can walk, jog, do intervals of walking/jogging, elliptical, stair master.  Whatever you do.. just get that heart rate up for 30-45 minutes.  Don't start off doing too much or when you need to increase your cardio.. you'll be doing a LOT.

4. Join some fitness groups or find friends who are interested in making a change.

This is hard to do and going it alone, while totally possible, can be tough. I started my instagram as a way to stay accountable to my workouts. I posted every single time I worked out. And even the support of complete strangers was a form of motivation. I've also met some amazing people through instagram. Never underestimate the power of a social media as a way to keep motivated and accountable.  There are a ton of amazing transformations out there. I found it very motivating during my journey, and I still do!  I also joined some facebook challenges. When I did that I saw great results because I was more motivated to make a noticeable change. (And a prize isn't bad motivation either)

5. Be patient!

I maybe should have included this as point number 2. Because I think next to good nutrition, this is very important. You're not going to lose 10 pounds a week.  That would be awesome. But it's not realistic, healthy or safe. Weight loss that rapid often results in a rebound. Aim for 1-2 pounds a week for healthy, maintainable results. Not to mention, losing weight at a rapid pace will likely leave you with skin hanging off your bones. (Another really popular question I get is about loose skin) Although it was frustrating to take so long to lose my weight (2.5 years to lose 100 pounds). I am thankful that my slow, steady weight loss allowed my skin to bounce back pretty well.  I do have stretch marks and some excess skin but it's really minimal and easily covered by pretty much all my clothing. I can even wear a bikini and not be too self conscious. It's a difficult journey physically and mentally and you want to end up feeling good in your skin again, so don't rush it!

So this got long fast, so I'll wrap it up.  I will elaborate on some of these topics in additional individual posts. I you have comments or suggestions, please leave them below. I plan on blogging as close to daily as possible so I will be responding to comments timely and using suggestions/questions for post topics.  Thank you all for your support it really means a lot. And I love hearing from you about weight loss or weight lifting success!

Chest Day

Upper body training for girls is miserable.  At least at first it is.  I was a gymnast.. not a great one.. but still I used to be pretty fit once upon a time (and I'm working on getting back there)  But even in my peak physical condition. I never had a ton of upper body strength. I'd like to think I am decently strong per my weight, but I remember when I first started really lifting weights, I couldn't lift a lot. Especially doing chest, or arm exercises.  I train chest at least once a week. (Only once a week in my current training regimen) and below are some of the key exercises I think all girls should do.  Also keep in mind when doing most of these exercises you should really push the chest out in order to isolate it. My trainer is happy to stop me and make me reset when my form gets sloppy and my shoulders start helping out. It's really a bit awkward, but the form is important to work the target muscle!

A little info (from my trainer) the pectoralis major is only 1 muscle. So hitting it from different angles doesn't hit different "parts" of the Pec. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do different angles. Just be aware, it's just a different way to work the same muscle.

So what are my go to exercises? I've included these below. I usually to some variations of these every chest day (pictures are from Jefit an app I use for exercise ideas if I want to switch things up) 

1. Push up 

These are great for beginners or advanced athletes. You can vary these to your fitness level (from knees on the ground to elevated feet or plyo push ups) just be sure your body remains in a straight line. I do anywhere from 2-4 sets of 10 usually. 

2. Bench press 

Really this is getting to become one of my favorite lifts. I don't think you can do these and not feel like a beast. If you don't have a spotter you can do these with dumb bells or on a smith machine. Or just know your limit (I never really use a spotter and I go last set pretty much to failure.) just use good sense when lifting. I do 4 sets of 10-12.  

3. Chest flies 

These are one of my favorite too cause I love the stretch you get while you do them. I do these flat and inclined. I do 4 sets of 15. 

4. Pec Dec 

Ok. This picture calls this butterfly. It's similar to the chest fly but it's on a machine vs free weight. Remember to press those shoulder blades back and stick that chest out. I usually do 4 sets of 12-15 and I often "super set" 5 half reps at the end of each set for a torturous burn!! 

5. Cable cross over

This is another one I really feel the burn on. And another I have to really focus on keeping the chest out so I isolate my pecs. I usually do 3-4 sets of 15-20 

So there you have some essential chest exercises (in my opinion) I do each of these at least every other week if not weekly. 

A couple tips. Weights should challenge you while still allowing good form. Those last few reps should burn and ideally you should pretty much fail if you tried 1 more rep. I generally add weight to each set. 

Happy lifting.  

Still at it..

Yikes. Where have I been? It's been weeks since I posted! I've been hard at work. (Literally) I am in public accounting and it's busy season. I've still been hitting the gym, counting macros, meal prepping. All that fun stuff! So let's see. Here's we are, closing in on 9 weeks out from my target. We just did progress measurements and well.. There wasn't much progress. *heavy sigh*. This isn't easy. For anyone. I consider myself a pretty hardworking and dedicated person. I'm not going to say I've never cheated or missed my macros but I follow that 90/10 rule. I lift heavy. And yet my body fat seems like it really wants to stick around. I'm frustrated. I'm even a little pissed off. (Can you be pissed off at your own body fat??) 

We are making some adjustments to my diet and training. If we don't see some major change in the next 4 weeks.. Well my first planned show will no longer be an option. It's painful to admit that. In part I feel like I am failing. But you never really fail until you give up. And that's just not happening. This is important to me and I will compete this year. I'll also be a little better at posting in here. I wanted to document this journey.. So I better do that! The good the bad and the ugly. If it happens, it shall be written. I'm going to post up some of my recent pictures. I've still been taking progress shots weekly. I've selected a bikini to use so it will make them more easily comparable now. I've dated the pictures instead of using weeks since my show date is a big uncertain. If you have things you want to know or see during this process leave a comment. I'll be doing some short videos and recipes on my Instagram (and maybe longer videos if I can post here). I may eventually get a youtube.. We will see

Will post again on Saturday after I take my next set of pictures and talk about my new diet and training. If not sooner. I'm going to try to get in here more often and jot down my thoughts as I go through this process. 

 

Q&A Sexy Arm workouts

I get a lot of questions on Instagram about my arms.

 I think every woman wants to feel comfortable showing off lean sexy arms. But a lot of us suffer from the dreaded arm "wing."  I have good news and bad news related to ridding yourself of the wing. The bad news is, you can't spot reduce fat. I can't choose to focus on my arms and lose fat JUST from there. To reduce fat you need to have good nutrition and reduce overall body fat and it should get to your trouble area (eventually). 

The good news is, weight lifting and targeting your shoulders, biceps and triceps will give your arms a sexy shape and they are much less likely to be flabby weak spaghetti arms. 

So what types of exercises should you do to get lean sexy arms?  Here's some examples of some exercises I do for my arms. 

If you have any questions on these you can check out bodybuilding.com or even YouTube for examples. Form is important when lifting to avoid injury, so take care to make sure you're lifting properly. 

Biceps:

1. Cable curl - I use a straight bar to do mine. 

2. Alternating Dumb Bell curl - I prefer alternating as I feel I am more controlled

3. Dumb bell hammer curls - can be done on the cable machine using the rope too. 

4. Dumb bell incline curls - great stretch and range of motion on these!! 

Triceps:

1. Barbell skull crusher - keep your elbows in close 

2. Rope push down - push your arms all the way straight with each rep 

3. Lying dumb bell extension - I do these each arm individually for better control

4. Dips - can be modified for any fitness level.

Shoulders: 

1. Dumb bell shoulder press - basic but effective. This is one I do almost every shoulder day. 

2. Rear delt fly - controlled movements, no swinging weights 

3. Lateral raise - again don't swing the weights 

4. Cable high row - pull toward your face which targets the back part of the shoulder

For ALL of these exercises you should choose a weight where the last few weights burn and you are close to failure with the last rep. You want to change your body, you must challenge yourself.  And of course follow a good nutrition plan to lose that layer of fat and show off those sexy sculpted arms. 

Happy lifting.