Geez.. it's been two weeks..where do I start?! My modeling gig, new coach/diet/training plan, lack of sleep....

Hi all! Sorry it's been so long!  It has been a reDONKulously busy last two weeks, last week especially.  But it was awesomely busy...

Let's start with my video shoot in Chicago!!   I was asked to be a model in a video shoot in Chicago!  It was for a company called Lifeline USA, which make  fitness equipment.  The other model was figure Pro Chaya Boone! So I got to pick her brain a little about competing, etc.  It was a very neat experience, and I'm so glad I was able to make it work to be able to go.  

First of all, I HATE interstates, and I have never really driven anywhere far away on my own (other than Kentucky to see family, and even still I've only made that trip totally alone maybe once or twice).  And I lucked out that weather was good, and we worked it out with Kaleb, etc...because Steve is awesome like that.  He just told me to go for it, and not pass it up, and we'd make it work!  (Or maybe he wanted to be able to say he's dating a model HAHA!) Here's some pics from that...

I hated my hair slicked down, but other than that, it was awesome! 

So yes, I'm very glad I did it, BUT it did make for a huge loss of sleep, that I'm just really finally caught up on (and now back to work tonight!).  So I took off work Wed night, and drove up to Steve's parents in Renssalaer that night, since it's halfway ...this is after my car broke down, had to stay in the shop for days, couldn't get a rental car, found this out at 6pm and was planning to leave @ 7-8pm, and the friend that has a loaner vehicle we hoped to borrow was unavailable because she was in Vermont with both sets of keys! :) (Love you Jen!) Luckily another good friend was able to come over and sit with the kiddos so Steve and I could drive up and get his sister's extra car, and I took the Blazer to Chicago.  (Love you Amanda, and Julie & Steph...thank you again!!)  Anyways, got to sleep @ Midnight, up at 4am, drove to Chicago to be there by 7am (left super early to make sure I had time, not knowing where I'm going or what to expect w/morning Chicago traffic!), shoot was til 4pm, drove home, got home at 9pm our time, changed clothes, spent a few minutes with Kaleb before putting him to bed, and then straight into work until 7am. :/  

Friday is my morning to take Kaleb to school too, so I ended up being awake for @ 29 hours, slept for 5 hours, up to get Kaleb from school, teach BodyCombat, and back to work til 1am, hit the grocery store, bed at 2am, up at 7am to meet with my new coach (tell ya about that in a minute!), and then up to Renssalaer to visit with family all day. I did take a nap for about an hour when we got up there. I was exhausted.  Thank God I had a Spark with me...that help tremendously!  I felt ok after that.  Kids stayed the night up there, since Steve and I both had to teach the next morning.  Steve taught my triple (Pump/Combat/CX) for me so I could launch the new BodyAttack at JCC. I did get about 6 hours sleep that night I think... 

Launch was fun, as always!  Luckily Brandy brought me a Muscle Fuel though because I was totally out!!   Here I am w/Dori & Stef...always gotta get a bicep pic!

I loved how on FB someone commented something about the "guy" in the middle kicking his ass... wasn't sure whether or not to be offended!  (Not offended btw, but thanks Kevin!)


It was back to work Monday night, and got my usual 4-5 hours sleep... I just feel like these last couple weeks, it's just been 3-4 hours, maybe 4-5 if I'm lucky. And I know I need more sleep, especially right now!   So I'm working ont that....  FINALLY got a chance to sleep in this morning tho...til 9AM!!!!  I got like 9 hours sleep, AND took a 2 hour nap today!  Woo hoo!!

Ok, so I did find a coach, and have started my new diet/training program on Monday.  Her name is Laura Marenco, and she is actually competing in Figure at the Arnold this weekend!  She's been very successful in the field, and I'm very glad to have my ass in her hands.  And I mean that for real...my ass is in her hands, and my ass is what she is most worried about!  So Saturday when I met with her, she had me strip down to a bikini and she's standing there looking me up and down, front and back, pinching my thigh...looking. And then says "I'm worried about your ass".  (She might have said "butt" but still, I couldn't help but laugh) I just replied "I'm always worried about my ass!). 

She was concerned w/8 weeks not being enough for me, for as lean as I need to be for Physique, and even suggested I do a later show, or switch to figure instead.  But I am committed and determined, and if I can make as much progress as I have on my own, in 6 weeks, I'm confident that with her help, I can get where I need to be. Ideally, if we had more time, she would want to reverse-diet me, and get my calories up, so that I wouldn't have to go into such a big diet deficit than what I am now, but it is what it is, and she agreed to help me. She wants to get me to maintain at @ 2500 calories in the off-season, and not have to lower to less than 1800 calories week of show ... this is assuming I do more shows! ;)  

But for now, I'm at @ 1340 cals a day on non-training days (that means non-lifting so, so a "non-training" day is a day that I teach classes!), and 1460 on lifting days (sometimes teaching class as well as lifting), and 1650 refeed days (@ every 6-7 days, on leg day+teaching class usually).  I have very specific macros set for all five meals that I have spent hours creating my meal plans to fit those macros as closely as I can!  It's a lot of work, but I know it will pay off!  And the workouts this week kicked my ass too... I'm sore all over.  I love it!

Had my 2nd posing practice too. Abby is very excited for me, and even let me borrow a suit to practice in, and can wear for show if I want!  I really had my heart set on red, but to save $200-300, it may just have to work! What do you think? (ignore my face...i'm not practicing smiling yet!)

And I look much more tan in person than in these pics!  Yikes... 

So, I'm down to 142.0!!! Finally broke thru my 145 plateau after getting a full nights sleep and a refeed day!  That's down 20.2 lbs since Jan 1!  Bodyfat is somewhere between 13-14%.  I am now aiming for closer to 8-9% instead of the 10% I was going for.  It's not about the numbers, though, I know...it's how I look. But I still have quite a ways to go to lean my legs out.

Here are some progress pics from this past week...thought it'd be interesting to compare abs progress from a month ago to now... I def see a difference...now if I could just get it to come off of the lower half of my body like that!!!

More progress...

I've been getting a LOT of awesome compliments from people, which definitely helps keep me motivated!!!  Even strangers!  Especially when I get asked if I'm a bodybuilder!  I'm like, "kinda!"  Haha   

I'm doing ok on the lower calories so far.  I do get hungry at times, but that's to be expected, and just part of it at this point.  I'm eating ever 2-3 hours though, so I do enjoy that!  And if I need something in between, I just munch on bell peppers.  I have to plan each day's food the night before and make sure I hit my macros, and time everything to my workouts for that day.  Luckily I have the knowledge already to do this... I don't have to have someone tell me exactly what to eat and when, I can still eat what I've been eating, just changing the quantities and timing, and being more structured with my plan.  

There is a such a science to this, and it all makes sense now. After all the research I have done, the books I've read, and then having the personal experience of having done it myself (I mean, I lost 80lbs after having my son, yes, but I didn't understand the science of it then, and WHY what i was doing was working... I just did what the book told me to do). Now, I actually GET IT!  It's working because I know what I'm doing (well, a lot more than I did back then...there is always more to learn!).  Yes, I need a coach now for my show to help me go from lean to SUPER lean for show, and I'm excited to gain that much more knowledge as well. 

But I know enough now that I'm ready to help OTHERS achieve their goals too!  So I've felt this ... pull for quite some time now, something that is urging me to pursue my passion for health and fitness, more than just teaching Les Mills.  It hit me like a ton of bricks one day in the shower...I just broke down crying because it was so abundantly clear to me. Not just to pursue my dream and to help people, but also to be home more with Kaleb. To be home with my family and not working/sleeping ALL the time. I don't get this time back with Kaleb, and I just can't keep going at this pace anymore.  

Steve is working full time now, and this is my chance. I've always worked a steady full time job (customer service...from Wal-Mart for five years, to Sirva (trucking co. call center) for six years, to medical office for 5 years now), and I think the thought of not having that full-time stable income scares me to death, financially.  But I also am working several part-time jobs, doing things I love to do and want to be doing.  My "real" job is solely for money and benefits, and I've been thinking for some time now, that if I can make more money teaching/training, etc. and be able to at least drop to part-time at the hospital, I would do it.  

Plus, I know I have the opportunity to make a LOT more money with Advocare if I had the time to put more effort into it.  I mean, I made $750 my first month, and am averaging @ $300 every two weeks, plus earned the $500 rookie bonus!  And that is with me not having any extra time!  So thankful to have Advocare enter my life ... and with perfect timing too!  That $500 bought groceries today, and will pay for my unexpected car repairs!  Not to mention the products, that are helping me keep my sanity during my training, and I feel great, even tho sleep-deprived! And I also have been getting to help others get healthy. :)  But...

I just feel like I'm half-assing everything right now.  And I'm not a half-asser!! 

So a part-time unit secretary position, WITH benefits, came open in the ED department, and third shift still (which I need for our schedule with the kiddos) ....and so I decided to just do it! I applied, and am waiting now to see if I get it. It will definitely be more up my alley as far as the type of work... being busier, multi-tasking, more challenging... more of what I have done for the last 10+ years. As much as having the down-time now to study choreography, working on my meal plan, paying my bills, surfing the internet, etc... it's nice sometimes, but this position is far from challenging for me. 

If I'm going to stay here at the hospital (for now), I might as well be doing something that challenges me a little more, and plus this sitting for 12-hours and sleeping all day... I just can't keep doing it.  This new position is still in at 7pm, but is 8-hour shifts, 3 days a week, so I'd get off at 3:30am, could get a few hours sleep before getting kiddos off to school, go back to sleep if I need, or meet/train clients or teach if I have something scheduled... and not have to sleep til 2pm, rush to get kids, get ready, go teach, go straight to work, and do it all over again, without seeing Kaleb for more than a few minutes at a time.  That's most days right now it seems like. 

Ok, I'm rambling now..  anywho, if you are looking for help getting healthy, weight-loss, energy, personal training, nutrition guidance (I'm not a nutritionist and don't claim to be, btw, but I can guide based on personal knowledge and experience... I will not provide a "meal plan" per se, however) ... or if you know someone looking, send them my way! My FB page is here! 

Ok, last request... I keep having thoughts of cutting my hair short again!  So for my show, long or short??  I kinda wanna cut it shorter as to not cover up my traps and shoulders, cuz I don't wanna wear it up and it's not really gonna be long enough to bring it off to the side... suggestions?

For those of you who only see me at the gym, here's my hair down...

I'm thinking just below chin since my bangs are long now, tapered in back, like before.  Yes, I know it'll be Dana Linn-ish, but hey, she looks amazing, so why not... See?

Whatta ya think...cut? Grow??

Ok, I'm outta here for now.  I'll try not to wait two weeks to post again.  

Wish me luck!!!! 

Beating myself up over Super Bowl Sunday, but still made progress! + Show info...mark your calendars!

So, yeah I splurged on Super Bowl Sunday.  I used it as an excuse and told myself "You have 10 weeks left, last chance ...enjoy...you have time!"  Well, I did enjoy that jar (and part of a 2nd) of Apple Pie Moonshine!  But with alcohol comes bad decisions... luckily there wasn't a whole kitchen full of bad foods, but I did manage to eat a little bag of M&M's and a little bag of cookies that Kaleb had in his room from Christmas, some Ritz crackers with PB, and graham crackers w/Nutella. Yeah, I've done a lot worse, but still, I am committed and just the fact that I allowed myself to give in to temptation, and then go overboard.  Just was (am still) disappointed ... and then getting back on the scale the next day and seeing that 150 again, after finally hitting 145, which was a milestone.  Yes, most of it was water (I didn't "gain" 5 lbs in one evening, I know this). Yes, I'll work it off... but I just felt like I undid a whole week's worth of progress.  And I've been working so hard.... Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe I was craving carbs (or calories in general). More than likely it was my addictive, compulsive over-eating brain just being stupid.  BUT... it's over.And I did learn from it too... NO MORE CHEATING!  I learned my lesson.

New day. New week.  Consider it a refeed. Moving on.

I AM glad to be able to say, however, that I still managed to drop a percentage of body fat (0.99% actually)! I'll take it.  I had my goal for this week set for 14.5%, and I am at 14.68, so with the Sunday Setback, I'm happy with that.  And I lost another inch from my waist, so total of 3 inches off my waist since Jan 1, and down 5.31% body fat!  It still seems crazy to me that I can say that I lost 16 pounds last month!
 
As my (possibly soon-to-be) new online coach will remind me, it's not all about the numbers.  Body fat, no matter how it's measured, is never exact (even the Bod Pod), and it's more important how I look, feel, etc ... I know that no one is going to come out on stage and measure my body fat. And that it's not necessarily the person with the lowest body fat that wins.  And on that note, I don't even need to win... I just want to do it, look good doing it, and be proud of my accomplishment, and not have people think "why is she up there?"  So yeah, my weekly body fat and measurements are more of an accountability tool and just help me gauge things so I know how to adjust.  But still, it's definitely more about the accountability.

Between the refeeds I've had (@ 2100-2300 calories, except Sunday was more than that!) I did actually manage to gain some lean body mass and still decrease fat!  (Who says recomposition is difficult/impossible? Maybe moonshine is the trick!)  I'm making my decision about who to use as my nutrition/training coach by this Friday... the one guy is in NC, but I really like his philosophies and that he wants to design a program that is suited to work for me and my lifestyle, and the amount of time he invests in each client and high level of availability/communication ... and he seems very knowledgeable, and has already given me some advice, although he didn't have to.  He told me that he thought 1500-1600 seemed low for me, to still be 10 weeks out, and apparently he was right, seeing as how I raided my son's room for M&M's & cookies!  

My other options are either 1) a local trainer that I know is a successful trainer and bodybuilder himself, I know some people that have used him/are using him, but I have mixed feelings about some of the advice he's given them...  or 2) Point Blank Nutrition has coaching available as well, but I don't know much about them yet until I have my free consultation this week.  I know NC guy is most expensive, but if Point Blank is going to put my numbers, etc into a computer program and have it spit out a diet and training program, and check in weekly or biweekly ... I'm looking for a little more personalization than that. 

The reason I'm turning to a coach now is because I'm coming up on my 8-week mark...CRUNCH TIME!  Even though I'm still making progress, I am a newbie and I don't know exactly where I should be each week, what my calories/macros should be, I don't know all the "tricks" to do towards the end, etc.  Not to mention my weird third shift job and crazy schedule with the kids, 4 jobs, and teaching classes, and really only having 3 days a week to devote to my lifting.  I'm going to have to get creative, and honestly I would rather pay someone that knows what they're doing to figure it out for me and tell me exactly what to do.  My brain hurts, and I don't have the time to do it anymore.  Unless Point Blank has some seriously educated/experienced trainers that can take my schedule, etc and personalize a program that fits me and only me, than NC guy it is.  Oh wait...I do have an option 3) too... girl that used to do shows and now is a trainer and I just remembered that I have her number.... ok I have some homework to do this week...... I'll decide by Friday! 

Until Coach sets my new calories/macros for me, I'm going to be between 1500-1700 cals/day, with one refeed this week.  Each day is different for me depending on work/lifting/classes/kids/sleep, so that's why there's a range there. Some days might even hit 1800.  I eat every 2-3 hours when I am hungry. I'm only eating lean protein (chicken/egg whites/lean steak/powder), fibrous veggies (spinach/asparagus/broccoli/carrots/bell peppers), occasional starchy carbs (oatmeal/sweet potatoes) around training, and healthy fats (avocados/almonds) and I do still have a Quest bar as pre-workout if needed.  The only fruits or dairy I have is my cottage cheese and pineapple, and very occasionally a banana @ a workout if I need the carbs.  My macros have consistently been in range (40-50% protein/25-30% carbs / 25-30% fat). But I listen to my body... Yesterday I did cardio, lifted heavy, and taught Combat & CX.  I needed more carbs...I could just tell. My calories were actually under goal, but carbs were higher. Because that's what I needed.  And I need a coach that understands that, so we'll see what happens!


Not a huge drop from last week to this week, but progress nonetheless.  Here are 9-week out progress pics.  I threw in a pic from May (my birthday party on Cinco de Mayo) and I guess since I have been taking so many recent pics so often, I didn't realize the dramatic difference from then until now until I look at some older pics!

 

I can't seem to get a good shoulder pic... oh well.  Next week I will have pics of me actually doing my poses (and hopefully a lot better than the first ones!)  Starting to get my routine put together too!  Woo hoo!

Alright folks...wish me luck this week and Monday especially.  I work 7p-7a Sunday-Monday, take kids to school at 8, teach BodyPump at 9:30a, lunch with girls at 11, posing practice at 12:30 ... I'll be awake for roughly 24-hours, but I've done it before I suppose.  

Also, I want to thank all the people that have complimented/commented/thanked me for this blog, and just voiced their appreciation for what I'm doing.  I feel stupid every time I click the "Publish" button thinking all kinds of things that people may be thinking about why I'm doing what I'm doing... but then I get  very welcoming feedback and appreciation from y'all that makes me so glad that I'm sharing this experience with you, and that you are inspired and motivated from my willingness to put myself out there.  So thank you!


Last thing....anyone interested in attending the show, here's the info!  

Saturday April 12th
Beech Grove High School ~ 5330 Hornet Ave ~ Beech Grove, IN 46107
Finals will take place at 5pm (doors open 30 minutes prior)
Tickets $20 each, cash-only at the door (advance tickets call 317-538-9662)
(Pre-judging is at 10am for $10 also)

We WILL be partying afterwards!