Here we go!!!!

[dmk777]

Hey girl glad your popped by!!

I get you with the strength loss it sucks but has to be done as you mentioned your health is far more imp,

Great job on still shedding the lbs chic that's great news ,
It will all be starting to feel so real now I bet .

I bet you can't wait chic mmmm chic cake sounds so appealing to me right now lol.

It's funny too your thinking bout how your going to after because when I first started my diet I was like I can't wait till after this comp so I can eat what I want but now 5 wks into diet my mind changed and I'm thinking no I'm keeping this diet and the definition and the abs lol. Maybe I might bulk over winter again not sure yet tho.

Anyway nice to have you back chic.

Donna ,

 

[figurechamp]

Atmosphere definitely contributes to effective training.

Traveled this weekend to visit with the in laws. Went to a gym that was formerly a golds many years ago but was then bought out by a private owner. I always love training here coz everyone is jacked. Everyone is either a BB, a powerlifter, a football player, or just someone who likes to work out. Even the silver sneaker types seem to have a clue.

Not in my hometown gym. Everyone there is a douchebag. There is no etiquette and there are few "meatheads" like myself. Some days, I realllllyyyy have to push myself to get through a workout there.

But this other gym...omg... This bodybuilding thing would be soooo much easier to do here. First, the equipment is awesome. I trained legs today and bis and tris yesterday. I am so sore already! And I got an amazing pump. I even didn't mind doing cardio coz the atmosphere itself was inspiring!!!

And there's so much help there! At my home gym, there are very few credible lifters to rely on. But at this place-- any question I might have on any given day could be answered by so many of these gym goers. And one guy made me feel great about my efforts! He asked me if I was going to compete-- that meant that he recognized how my body had changed since I last saw him at the gym over thanksgiving break. Then he told me I looked good. NO ONE has said that at my home gym. And it really mattered to me coming from him bc he is a bodybuilder and he's going to be competing in the same show that I am!!!

My husband and I wish we could train here everyday, but a three hour car trip seems a bit out of the question. I could train for hours at this gym!!! Just the smell of the place gets me fired up!!

 

[cangal]

Atmosphere definitely contributes to effective training.

Traveled this weekend to visit with the in laws. Went to a gym that was formerly a golds many years ago but was then bought out by a private owner. I always love training here coz everyone is jacked. Everyone is either a BB, a powerlifter, a football player, or just someone who likes to work out. Even the silver sneaker types seem to have a clue.

Not in my hometown gym. Everyone there is a douchebag. There is no etiquette and there are few "meatheads" like myself. Some days, I realllllyyyy have to push myself to get through a workout there.

But this other gym...omg... This bodybuilding thing would be soooo much easier to do here. First, the equipment is awesome. I trained legs today and bis and tris yesterday. I am so sore already! And I got an amazing pump. I even didn't mind doing cardio coz the atmosphere itself was inspiring!!!

And there's so much help there! At my home gym, there are very few credible lifters to rely on. But at this place-- any question I might have on any given day could be answered by so many of these gym goers. And one guy made me feel great about my efforts! He asked me if I was going to compete-- that meant that he recognized how my body had changed since I last saw him at the gym over thanksgiving break. Then he told me I looked good. NO ONE has said that at my home gym. And it really mattered to me coming from him bc he is a bodybuilder and he's going to be competing in the same show that I am!!!

My husband and I wish we could train here everyday, but a three hour car trip seems a bit out of the question. I could train for hours at this gym!!! Just the smell of the place gets me fired up!!

Hey FG - Good to hear that you got some positive comments and that all your hard work is paying off!!! Just your description of that gym sounds exciting!

My local gym is similar to yours, it's mostly business people with the odd BB thrown in the mix. On the weekend I actually drive about an hour to another gym that I adore. I usually do my leg day there because there are more BB'rs, it's inspiring and I feel like energy there makes my workout that much better!

Perhaps you and your hubby can pack up your food, and go for a nice 3 hr drive every few weeks? Maybe just mentally knowing that you'll be back there soon will make it easier for you to deal with all the douchebags at your main gym?

You should be proud that people are taking notice to your results! Great work chick!!

 

[RADAR]

I am friggin thrilled to pieces!!! Bodybuilding goals aside, I have gone from a size 12 to an 8 and I cannot tell you how good that makes me feel!!! I have never looked so good in my entire life!!!! And I don't mean to sound conceited, just really really happy. In the early weeks of dieting, I questioned if the perceived reward was worth it. I have decided: it is totally worth it!!!!!

Simply Fantastic,I know the feeling!

 

[figurechamp]

So much for positivity... I stepped back on that evil scale and found the most frightening news. I have gained two pounds!!! Eek!!!

I was away this past weekend and even though I packed my food, I might have overdone the carbs, maybe even cheated a little. I had some kashi cereal one night. A bagel one other night. And some oatmeal squares another. Oh... And a movie theatre pretzel. Oops. These aren't terrible things that I have done, but they might have contributed to that gain.

Conversely, my gyno screwed up my script for my birth control pill, so I was off of it for two weeks. I'm wondering if that contributed to my weight gain.

I mixed up my cardio this past week too, but my calorie burn was pretty similar to what it normally is so I'm not sure that's what turned me to a fatty. Lol.

So for this week, I'll experiment by reducing carbs. Gonna lessen the portion of my morning oats and end carbs for the day after my post workout shake. So now I'll do a vegetable at dinner instead of brown rice and maintain my "no carbs after 9:00 pm" rule.

I'm not happy about this, but reducing carbs was always likely to be in the picture. I just wish I could've held on to them for about another two weeks. Oh well.

 

[caligirl85]

Could be just some extra water weight from the additional carbs. Don't panic! It'll be gone in a few days.

 

[figurechamp]

Thank goodness it did come back off!!! Phew! But I decided to eliminate carbs after 5 anyway. Seems like its the right time to do that. 7 weeks out now.

I ordered my suit. And I'm getting more nervous now. I definitely don't practice posing enough. I'll get on that this week. And I gotta figure out how the last few weeks of diet, cardio, and lifting will go.

I have lost some muscle unfortunately. I looked at my pics from the 2nd or 3rd week into it and my upper back has def lost some size.

I've been told that I get cranky. I didn't notice so much but my husband tells me I am. Strength sucks. Really bad. And by mid week, I'm usually tired as hell. But I guess this is all par for the course.

I don't know if I'll do this again. I really like eating and the strictness of dieting has been very tough. I've been pretty good overall but there are probably some things I've done that might be considered "cheating". Like a bagel with peanut butter or a protein bar. Or only 3 days of cardio when I'm supposed to do 4. But the weight comes off. And overall I feel pretty good and look pretty good too.

So here it goes... The final weeks. Eek!!!

 

[cangal]

Glad it came off so easy!! 7 weeks, I bet you're getting excited!! I hope we get to see some photos as you get closer! . Way to stick with it and good luck on getting your posing in

 

[RADAR]

I'm not keeping up very well with my log! I'm terrible.

I'm still in the game, about 9 weeks out. I'm down to 162 (goal being 155 for stage). Strength is wayyyy down and I hate that coz I feel like a puss, but I know it's coz of the diet and it cant be helped. Plus I have to protect my body right now , so deadlifting 315 is totally out of the picture for now. In fact, yesterday, I could only get a measly 185 for 8 reps. Awful!!!

I haven't had to change the diet coz I've been dropping weight pretty regularly. Cardio is still the same too. But my body is making these crazy changes that are really super cool!

Fabric swatches came today for my suit, so the shit's about to get real! And I've been working on posing and I'm still no rock star with that.

And now I'm also starting to think about what happens after the show. How do I eat? I know that binging is bad. But I'm gonna binge that next night coz it will be my 40th birthday the day after. I've already requested a double chocolate cake!!! I cannot wait to turn 40, just for that cake!! But after that, then what? I'd actually like to stay around the weight I am now. I like having abs. so will the number of calories I'm eating now become my maintenance calories or do I add or what the heck do I do? I'd also like to be strong again.

And what about this tanning thing that I'll have to do for this show? Spray? Protan? Tanning bed? All of the above?

I'm going to go crazy!!!

Hey Doll! First thing you need to know is how to eat
I copied this as this was an interestinging Question


whats up radar? this is sometihng that came across my mind yesterday and was wondering if you know anything about this..

what different kinds of meats digest slower or faster? we use whey and casein at different times so i was thinking maybe the meat i eat when i wake up should be something faster digesting and something slower digesting before bed..
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Great Question

let us have some insight on how long it takes to digest from the moment we ingest food up to the last process of digestion. The chewing takes only few seconds as we try to broken up the food in the mouth, moistened with our saliva, and formed into a ball or bolus for easy swallowing. The amylase in our saliva is responsible now to break down the starches and simple sugars in our food before it travels down to the esophagus then down to the stomach. Please take note that the longer we chew, the faster the digestion would take place because the rate of digestion speeds up as the food is broken down and chewed properly.

Fish and Sea Food would be my pick of be more rapidly absorbed by the body while steak would be the slowest!
Meat may stay in the intestines for 24-72 hours and still depend on its type. Likewise, red meat in particular takes 1-3 days to complete the digestion process because of fat content and high protein,
Even the quick digesting foods have to wait until the slowest digesting food like meat leave the stomach. This process may take up to 6-8 hours. To be more exact on the digestive time of various proteins, egg yolk digestion time is around 30 minutes; the whole egg is approximately 45 minutes; fish which is less fatty like sole seafood, cod, flounder, and scrod takes 30 minutes to digest; while more fatty fish including salmon, herring, salmon trout can take 45-60 minutes to digest; the chicken without skin can take up 1 1/2 – 2 hours before it leaves the stomach (what more for chicken with skin?); the turkey without skin is much longer to digest because it can stay 2-2 1/4 hours of digestion; the most favorite beef and lamb can really stay 3-4 hours; lastly, the pork which is always part of the meal can take 4 1/2- 5 hours to digest.

Now, if the stomach is full, what happens to other foods ingested together with the meat like carbohydrates, starches, vegetables and fruits? While they are waiting for the stomach to be emptied, they undergo fermentation that produces acid, gas, and the most common indigestion problems.

So in Summary it's best to eat the faster ,waterly digesting foods before meat!

 

[figurechamp]

Holy shit!!! 5 weeks out. Now it's REAL serious! And I'm freaking out. Suit is ordered and paid for, but not getting made until this weekend. Good god I hope it fits. And I'm freaking out over tanning crap and what it's gonna be like backstage and what I'll do for a routine and how my posing will look and will I make an ass out of myself and oh my god I'm spending so much money fuck balls monkey shit I'm freaking out over here!!!!!!