25 Days to Go - Like Baking a Cake

There are hundreds of different ways to make a cake, and for each of those methods there are at least a dozen completely different recipes. If you've never made a cake before, you can either follow the recipe to the letter or you can combine your favorite elements from different ones. No matter what you do, you will not know if your creation was a success until it is baked, cooled, frosted, served and finally tasted.

That is exactly how this competition is. There are a hundred different diets and exercise regimes which could all lead to incredible results but it is impossible to know which one is best for me. The last month of training some people go high fat and protein with no carbs, some stick to balanced macronutrients, while others may cut out fats and increase their protein and carb intake. For instance, Alex's diet involves a burger and fries followed by ice scream for dessert and it works for her.

This is my first time going through this competition and I am trying very hard to listen to just one person, but sometimes things just don't feel right to me. For example, right now I am eating very low calories and I am dropping an insane amount of weight. Last week I dropped 3 lbs and I don't know if that is muscle or fat. I don't know if I will drop again next week or if I will maintain. Should I do 30 minutes of cardio a day or only a few times a week? What others have advised me to do, and what I should do is stick to the recipe originally designed for me. The baking process is almost done and I won't know the result of my hard work until I am tanned, frosted, and on stage.

Speaking of cake, let me tell you what my mind has been on for the last 3 days, my post-competition meal. I am going to head straight to the Cheesecake Factory, order a small salad with chicken, then ask for the dessert menu. I will order a coffee and three of my favorite chocolate cakes; the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake, the Black-Out Cake, and the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake. When I literally can't have anymore because I am physically ill, I will let others try them. I am so excited I could die. Can you say sugar hiiiigh!

27 Days to Go - Booked My Hotel

I believe you are not officially competing until you have booked your hotel room. I still need to register, but I can do that on-site. In the last month there are a lot of changes. For one, I have less time to relax between two workouts, showers, getting to different gyms, and running my business.

So my morning starts off between 4:30 am and 5:30 am, even on the weekends, with a mug of warm water and 1/2 a tbsp of flax seed oil (because I could not find hemp seed oil). After I get ready for the day, I get my breakfast ready, half a yam and 8 egg whites (about 263 calories), and enjoy it with a fresh cup of coffee. I usually train about two clients in the morning and then do 30 minutes of HIT cardio at 8 am. Afterwards, I eat another meal of egg whites and yam.

 After a shower I train a few more clients, then head back to the gym around noon. For my afternoon workout, I warm up by practicing my walk and poses in my new five inch heels. After the first day I had huge blisters on my big toes. To break them in, I have been bandaging my toes then wearing them around the house while I do chores. They need to be so comfortable I can run in them. Once a week I meet with Alex Navarro to go over the walk and fine tune the poses.

I follow my stage walk with with hypertrophy training (heavy weight, low reps, high sets) on specific muscle groups for about an hour. I end with stretching; all the leg presses, lunges, and cardio have made my hips incredibly tight which makes it difficult to walk. As soon as I am done with my workout, I eat another high protein meal.

 

I go home, shower, then head to the tanning bed. For now, I tan  3 times a week, but it will drop to twice a week the last two weeks. When I get back, I usually train a couple more clients and then head home for my last meal of the day. My favorite last meal is spinach and chicken, a lot of spinach. I use the whole bag. My friends look at me like I am crazy, but one bag is less than 80 calories. If I were to eat less, I wouldn't get the nutrients or fiber I need for the day.

Throughout the day, my goal is to drink a gallon of water. To make it easier on my, I count out 7 24-oz bottles. Today I have already had 3, only 4 more to chug. It's not easy, especially because of the frequent bathroom breaks.

Right before bed I finish with 20 minutes of abs every other night. I drink 8 oz of ginger or chamomile tea and go to bed. I am physically and emotionally drained.

The good thing is that I weight less than I have in years and fit amazingly well in my old clothes. The bad news is I am losing muscle fast. It is too late for me to change my game plan, so I need to take it one day at a time, trust my coaches and the process and see my way to the end.

Today, I had a fitness shoot with Skimble, the number one free fitness app for Android,  which was really fun. I am excited for more to come. I will post pictures as soon as I get them.

I won't be posting anymore pictures of myself until after the competition, just in case some of my peers are checking this out, but I will keep you up to date on my week to week progress. I miss chocolate.

30 Days to Go

I am in the last 30 days of training and I am exhausted. Every morning, after breakfast, I perform 30 minutes of cardio and every afternoon I do 1 hour of heavy weight training. In addition to that, I spend 30 minutes a day practicing my routine. You would be suprised at how hard it is to walk in those heels.

I have videos and photos, but I have not had time to sit an upload them. I have so much I want to share, so hopefully tomorrow I can give you some details on supplements, the amazing Alex Navarro, how my diet is changing, and how much weight I have actually lost this week.

I am so excited this is almost over!