Put the phone down...and no one will get hurt

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted a new entry!  How is everybody doing!!!  Weather is getting better which makes everyone a lot happier at least I know I am.  I've been a little MIA from posting on here, fb ect mainly because I am honestly trying to take a breather from social media.

When I competed I was all about posting and stalking every one's status on how they were doing and how everyone was looking.  Nowadays I honestly find it a bit overwhelming...between selfies, post a pic of my bum hump days, throwback Thursdays...good lord!!! I am not a hater by any means and totally applaud people for their hard work BUT ...it wouldn't hurt anyone to take a step back from social media a tad bit.  It's funny I am posting this because a year ago I was probably bombarding your fb walls with all things comp prep, food, how hard I am going in the gym.

 Social media, for me at least, has become an addiction. Instead of living in the moments as we are experiencing them...we are trying to take pics (retake pics to make sure we look good) posting them, tagging them...oy vey.  Have you ever looked around a group hang out...everyone is on their damn phones....

I went away for Memorial Day with my bf, best friend and her boyfriend and I think I picked up my phone twice the whole weekend!  It was soooo nice just being with friends and enjoying our time together rather than snapping and posting pics every second of our weekend. Anyways....alls I'm saying here ...put the phone down for a hot second and appreciate life and life before instragran, twitter, fb..

I have a had a few social events lately, weddings, going away and I have a lot of people ask me about competing and if I am still doing shows.  I have only done two shows but I guess when you make it your life for two years that is all people really associate you with.  I kindly say no, not right now...and my spiel about saving money and living life without agonizing whether or not I should at a cookie.  It is pretty great though...not stressing about every little thing.  I didn't work out at all Memorial Day weekend...had a crazy week leading up to our friends wedding last weekend.  I went out to dinner once during the week, had their rehearsal dinner then a birthday party.  This would have probably caused a complete meltdown a year ago but I was totally fine.  I know how to make healthy choices.  I know that the gym will be their tomorrow.  Amidst all the craziness the past two weeks of being off my routine I hadn't gained a single pound.  I am working out at least 5 days a week sometimes more sometimes less.  I workout for about an hour total and do 20 mins of cardio after each workout.  I am keeping my overall carbohydrates on the lower side but I feel great!

Learning to live life again with balance is an amazing feeling :)

here's some pics...i've lost about 7 lbs since January.  Trying to get off a few more but def not stressing about it.  Plans are to enjoy my summer, do a lot of exercise outdoors, grill, have ice cream and just enjoy life

Food Prep Made Easy

Now that I have tried all my ordered meals I am ready to dish.....

As an avid food prepper, I have nailed down a routine that will guarantee 9 meals in about an hour.  Food prepping can be very inexpensive dependent upon the options you select but it's more the time allotted for cooking, packing and cleaning up that is more of the pain in the butt. 

I have been seeing more and more food service companies popping up via Facebook and the thought of having meals prepped for me is very enticing!  The weekends are short enough as it is never mind the food prep, laundry, grocery shopping and workouts.  The first meal prep company I tried was New Vision Nutrition http://www.newvisionbody.com/.  The company sponsors athletes ect and you have probably seen them via FB and Instagram.  I placed an order for 11 meals (the full portion) and it was a little over $100.   I will run through my pros and cons:

Pros:

• website: I liked being able to pick and chose protein/starch/veggies options for each meal. The website was easy to use and navigate.
• Nutrition facts: for all of you calorie/macro counters this made it really easy to account for the my meals in MFP and know exactly what I was eating.  They have all of their macro breakdowns for each of the meals they offer on their website.
• Home delivery: this is a pro/con for me.  I had placed my order on a Saturday and received the meals the following Friday.  Their website indicates what days they cook and ship out meals so it's best to place your order around their cooking days.  I had taken that Friday off so luckily I was home when the delivery man came at 9:30 AM BUT typically I am gone all day so I wouldn't be thrilled to have my order sitting on my stoop all day.  The meals are protected by water bottle ice packets ect but I am really anal about food being non-refrigerated so it makes me hesitant to order again. 
• The meals I most enjoyed were the speciality meals:
• Turkey Chili - YUM this was really delicious but the half serving did not fill me up and ended going back to eat the other half :/
• Texan

Cons:

• Minimum orders.  I HATE minimum orders.  I totally understand the concept behind them for the company but for the consumer this is a pain.  I didn't necessarily want to order 11 meals but I was set on trying it so I just coughed up the extra cash.  I would say this would impact me from ordering again. The cost for the meals are inexpensive by themselves but having to place the minimum order can add up!
• Chicken: I am really weird about chicken.  If it cuts weird or looks weird I want nothing to do with it.  I found it odd because the diced chicken in the regular meals was fine but I found the chicken in a (plain chicken) order was weird.  I am not really sure how to describe it...it's not like it wasn't edible but it just was kind of slimy. 

Overall, if I were in peak week or a situation where I was dead tired and had to have the basics...sweet potato, rice, veggies I would potentially order again.

The next food service I ordered was from Cole's Clean Cuisine. 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/colescleancuisine12 

I found her through my coach and some of the other women on Body Ambition.  She cooks out of her home in Peabody, MA and pretty much can custom make anything you want.  She has a standard menu that you can order off of or custom meal planning.

The custom meal planning was too expensive for me but I did order two of her large dishes from the menu below which serves 4 to 6 each and together totalled $100.  I drove to Peabody on Saturday which would be impossible during the week but it was around a 35 minute drive.  My navigating skills are not the sharpest in the shed so I think it could have been faster.

I have to say.....her meals may be more expensive but you can taste the difference!  My meatloaf and cauliflower mashed potatoes were really delicious!  It felt like I was eating something bad and you can tell she's a legit cook because the mash was actually a mash and not soup like the one's I make!

I asked her to put the mayo on the side which came in a cute mason jar.  The chicken salad was awesome! Crunchy, sweet and a bit tangy with the homemade mayo. 

I didn't want to love it as much as I did since it was more expensive and a ride but it was good people and I recommend checking her out!!! The only down side is not having my macro facts to log into MFP but I can make it work. 

My Pants Fit Again..HOLLERRR!

I think I will always be in pursuit of my happy medium..does anyone feel like that?  Since about the first week in January I have been really good with my workouts/cardio/nutrition and I am seeing some great changes in my body. 

I was planning on doing a show since about a few weeks ago so I had to be my A-game but since I made the decision to not compete I have still tried to keep my workouts/food ect on track.  Weekends as I am sure most people will agree are the hardest for me.  In attempts to save money, my boyfriend and I have stayed in a lot and made dinner at home or will go out for dinner every other weekend.  I have been sticking to one drink a weekend which is kind of challenging with the work weeks I have been having.  My weekend dinners have been better than a normal week night but I am still trying to keep them pretty clean and not go overboard on portions.  So far...this little plan has been working for me. 

In terms of my workouts I have actually switched this up too.  Building is great but I had planned on doing my show to lean out and now with not doing a show I am stuck in this in between space where I had lost inches ect but I am still bulkier than I want to be.  As of right now I don't have a show planned so I don't really want to build.  I would like find a medium where I at the leanness I want (w still incorporating treats, alc) and still hold on to my muscle. 

I switched over to the lifestyle plan on my Body Ambition team which will focus on a split of HIIT based cardio that includes light weights and then a second session of lifting moderate weight at higher reps.  It's definitely a change since I was trying to lift heavy with more sets and lower reps.  I've only been on this plan for about a week but I am enjoying it thus far.  Even though the HIIT circuits are short and sweet I feel like I get a really good burn in the short amount of time.  Plus I hate machines so it's really nice having cardio that is not a treadmill or elliptical. 

For anyone who is interested in Body Ambition Lifestyle plan, Janie Soehl is your girl!  She sends me my own personal HIIT cardio 4 days a week, a special workout for Saturday Smackdown and personalized lifting plan along with macros for a reasonable monthly cost :)

Overall, I am starting to lean out and fit into my pants again LOL...and I am being dead serious.  I got to the point where nothing fit me in my closet and I was feeling like a line backer.  So I am sure you are curious about these changes since it has been a few months since I posted progress pics. 

Here's where I started....to where I am today.  I am pretty proud of my progress for only a little over 2.5 months.  I have been working hard and the scale may not necessarily show you this but pictures are a great tool to remind us to KEEP GOING!

 

Today: 3/14/2014

Being an Adult Sucks!

Where to begin.....

I would like to first apologize to anyone who has texted me in the past two weeks because I have been totally MIA.  I have been absolutely manic at work and with lifting and cardio - I am literally eating dinner, showering and going to bed.

Whether anyone actually reads my blog or not I wanted to update everyone on my current status.  I am at the age where I am on the cusp of a lot of new and exciting chapters.  A lot of my friends are getting engaged, buying houses, starting families ect.  I am not quite there yet but these new chapters are expensive.  Being financially responsible has totally taken a backseat with my last two shows and I was spending money like it was going out of style.  I had to take a step back and look at what I am spending on shows and what that money can be going towards.  Competing for me is a hobby and something I enjoy but it's not my life.  I want to buy a house and get married ect and I am at the stage where I have the opportunity to be putting a lot of money away towards these goals. 

Cue....being an adult sucks.  Making sacrifices for the greater good and therefore I will not be competing at the moment. 

I want to give my 100% at my job, with my boyfriend, family, friends and SAVING money.  Adding a show into the mix messes with all of this for me.  I am not saying that it cannot be done but for me...at what cost?  Do I want to be down to the penny before my paycheck....not really.  Between how busy I am at work and a show diet....do I want to kill someone....not really.  I had to look at the whole picture and all facets and it's the most responsible decision.

Soo...to my team, I am so very sorry I will not be on stage with you this Spring.  I was really looking forward to the show and sharing the experience with everyone. 

With all of this said...summer is still coming ya'll and I am working my ass off to lean out.  I worked for months to put on some muscle and now it's a real bitch to get this fluff off!  I am seeing some great changes I will say!  I will post some before and after pics within the next month or so to show my progress....but....I can see some abs again....there is a god!

Halloween on Slutty Steriods....The Dreaded Theme Wear

Lets talk theme wear.....the exciting yet dreaded theme wear.  To come up with something "unique" and "different" is a real pain in the ass.  Something bigger and better than last year's.....UGH...

Parts of me love theme wear because I am a creative person and like researching ideas but at the same time it's super stressful...like Halloween on slutty steroids.

Now, I am not an expert, coach or suit designer so what do I know about creating theme wear?!  Good question....nothing really lol I just have a type A personality and love researching ideas.  My them wear for 2013 panned out pretty well so if you think I may be of help...keep reading...otherwise X out and go back to Esty.

The initial drawing board can be the hardest part.  My best suggestion is to look through pictures of Fitness America, WBFF theme wear rounds or VS fashion shows.  Now I am not telling you to carbon copy a theme wear you like but if take some screen shots of aspects of costumes that you like and find interesting. Gather all of these ideas together and then start brainstorming of what this theme wear can be.....no one said your theme wear has to be real....you can be whatever you want! The last time I checked The Phantom of the Opera did not have on a strappy bikini!

I loved my theme wear for Fitness New England this past year.  After combing through endless pictures of shows I knew I wanted a cape and a strappy bikini.  I am sure the Phantom idea has been done plenty of times but they key is to make it your own. 

Once you have your idea down, start putting together a rough draft of what you imagine it looking like.  This will 100% probably change from what the end result is but it's good to get the ideas out of your head and on paper.  When you go to a suit designer you want to have a concrete idea of what you want...otherwise you'll stare at one another and they willl probably give you ideas you don't like and it will be a never ending circle.

A big aspect of theme wear is a prop..ugh..i find this the worst part!  They key to having a successful prop is something that you can operate with ease but still exciting to an audience.  I wanted a cape because it's something that was attached to me and can't fall off plus my mask was attached to the cape so it made life a million times easier.  I didn't want to wear a mask and hide my money maker (LOL JK) but I also didn't want to hold the mask and still have to operate the cape...that is just asking for trouble.  After some brainstorming...the mask was now attached to the cape and it worked out awesome!

There are a few options if you are having your them wear made by a professional.  My theme wear was compiled of different items all from different vendors which in the long run made it a bit cheaper. 

Cape: Etsy (i asked for specific colors for my cape rather than opting for the colors shown on her page)

Suit: Natalya Toporova  ...also an Etsy find.  I sent her my own fabric/sizes and asked if she could make it in the design of one of her own suits

Flower: I googled and found a website with clips pre-glued and bedazzled myself

Mask: Michael's and adhered myself (this was tricky)

Alterations: Local suit designer, Christine Summers, scrunched my butt and addded some sparkle

end product......Whallllaaaa

Oh no she didn't.....

A post and progress pics after the holidays.....oh no she didn't....yes, yes unfortunately I did and I am damn proud of them! Have I gained weight...you betcha..do I know how much...Nope. Is the back side plumper..you betcha....have I got up a size possibly 2...yes sir. Am I sitting at home crying about it? Listen ladies...In order to gain some muscle things might get uncomfortable..things are going to get ...plumper...but I'm owning it and if you don't like it than that's not my problem.

A smidge has changed since my last post and I hope people don't think I am contradicting myself but I am a firm believer in doing what you want and following your heart. I have moments where competing again looks daunting and wonder if I am up for the challenge but I have taken a long break since my last show and I think I am ready to get back in the game for 2014.

Things will be different this time around seeing that I have A LOT less discretionary income to spend on bikinis and butt glue. I've been able to put a stash away that will help pay for some of the must haves (registration, hair and makeup) but this will be a true test to how much a girl can ball on a budget.

You may be asking yourself ...after all the happy medium posts...you are seriously going to compete again? UGH ...I know, I know...parts of me are slapping myself in the face for a reality check but deep rooted in the pit of my stomach is the urge to get on stage. I have been working really hard on building muscle and I am itching to see what is underneath the fluff. I was legit....cringing at the thought of 1. Putting on a bikini this morning...and 2. Photographing this traumatic event.

To my surprise....I didn't hate. I mean it's the week after Christmas...cut a girl some slack but I was actually pretty excited to see some of my progress over the past 8 months. Sure..there's no abs at the moment but that oblique is under there somewhere. I don't hate my body at the moment at all and I am not competing to lose weight..so don't get that twisted. I am happy with my body and self-control and that is ultimately where I wanted to be before I decided to get on stage again.

If you are wondering if I weighed myself than keep a wonderin cause that ain't going to happen.

Here is my pic from today.....

Here is a comparison from today and Jul.  Yes, I am fluffier today but I can see some growth in my arms and leg muscles.

 

Looking your best vs Feeling your best...

Oh hello everybody! It's been awhile hasn't it?! I used to have exciting stories about stripper shorts I was bedazzling and the adventures of a bikini queen but life has been pretty quiet.

The upside of not being in any sort of contest prep is eating more and lifting heavier. I am continuously seeing gains in my lifting and it has been really fun. I've answered a few questions lately about competing and I'd like to share them with you. Before I ever got into this lifestyle I was pretty in-shape... nothing out of the ordinary. I would look up diets and fad excuses to drop a few pounds to be happy with a number on the scale. What isn't alluring about seeing these "inspirational" bumper stickers with a hot chick rocking a six pack in her sports bra and booty shorts with the slogan Train insane or remain the same. What does that even mean? Honestly, be active, eat in moderation, go for a freaking walk! My god, if i am not going insane in the gym and jumping through hoops in a sweat suit, does that mean I am not going to look like the girl in the picture!?

Knowing what I know now...I think it's a crock of shit. I am not saying these women on Oxygen and bumper stickers don't eat clean or work their asses off but reality is we are portraying an image to people that is highly manipulated by dehydration, specific food groups and long bouts of cardio. To those women like a Lori Harder who can rock that shit all year long...DAMN! YOU GO GIRL but to the average hard worker who eats clean in the gym and works out religiously… People don’t just step on the set and look that way. All I am getting at here is that these depictions that we are bombarded with everyday are not REAL. They are amazing and note-worthy but giving people false hope.

I've learned to accept the fact that a six pack is not going to happen unless I take extreme measures. Extreme meaning, absolutely on point with my diet, cardio, water intake ect and honestly...I just don't want to do that! There is no better feeling then Friday night sitting with my boo with a glass of wine watching TV. I had to give that up for a while and little moments like that mean a lot to me. Going out to eat with family or friends and being able to order what I want..knowing I've busted my butt in the gym all week. I am not saying I am perfectly happy with my body but it's nice feeling like there is no deadline. I have each new day to improve or regress but it's up to me!

So here's what post comp to now looks like:  It's been almost 7 months. I work out 4 to 5 or 6 days depending on the week. Cardio around 2 to 3 days for no more than 20 minutes. Prep all my meals for Mon - Fri and 50% 50% on the weekends. Am I perfect? No one is. Am I happy with my body, yes but there's always room for improvement.

Top left starting from April 2013  right before my show and last photo on the second row to the right this past weekend. Not really excited about posting these but it's to show what being SUPER strict and balls to the wall looks like vs moderate treats keeping active and minimal cardio.  I know which one I think looks the best in but I also know which one I feel the best in.  You be the judge....