2009 Monster Mash Recap

OMFG! What a wonderfully fantastic weekend!!! I will try to cover just my "side" of the story, since I know that Bec and Jes will probably want to post their own experiences. :)

Sooo.... as y'all know, I worked half a day Friday. I come home, change clothes, and LOW AND BEHOLD, I have freaking abs. I'm all excited. I snap a cell pic and text it to my Monster Mash buddies, as well as my friends Michele and Amber. They all know how I obsess about not having them. I also weighed a measley 111.8 that morning. Dr. Joe gave me more food, and I was filling out quite nicely. At the end of the night, I started to look smooth and the abs were disappearing. Bummer. I think I peaked a day early.

So, I lug my junk into the car and take off on my merry way. I'm anxious and excited. I'm wondering what Tasha, Bec, and Jes will be like in real life. I get there before anyone else, and check in, carry all of my crap to the second floor because this hotel has not had a renovation since the Civil War... LOL There are no elevators or anything, and everything just looks old. The room is hot and musty. It was clean, though, and that's all that matters, right?! Tasha arrives shortly after me... EEP!! <-- I think that is the sound I made when I answered the door. LOL! Jess and Becca arrived a little later, and we all squealed like girls, of course!! It was like we had all known each other for years!

I'm missing details, I am sure... oh yeah, we did early check in that evening. The people working the registration (expeditors? I don't know what to call them... let's just call them the "crew")... Anyways, the crew kept asking if I was Bikini all damn weekend long. I wanted to stomp and whine, "I'm FIGURE!!" LOL! It was getting on my nerves. Funny thing, they kept asking Becca if she was Figure.

That night the Bikini girls got to drink wine... I didn't want to be left out, so I did have a sip! Less than half an ounce. I weighed it. LOL!

The next day we were up bright and early. I went for a 15 minute walk around the hotel. It was freaking COLD! Then Bec painted us all... well, except Tasha. Duh! So, there were three naked girls sauntering from room to room. LMFAO. Oh to be a male fly on that wall. HA! I put my face paint on (LOL!) and forgot to moisturize first. Apparently I am drier around the mouth and on my forehead. Well, when I got done w/ my makeup and looked in the mirror in the natural light, the makeup had caked around my mouth and on my forehead. I looked like I had a 5 o'clock shadow. Damn. So, I just put moisturizer on over top of my makeup. Thankfully, it worked. No crisis... yet.

We get to the venue after numerous U-turns... Becca is the only driver I know who actually stops the car and pulls a U-y whenever the GPS asks her to! LOL! We get there, the meeting is slow, and then we go to the changing closet, I mean, dressing room. The room is tiny, CRAMPED, hot, ugh... there were exactly 100 competitors at the show... the majority female... and ONE TOILET! Oh lordy!

Anyways, we get through prejudging. I'm the last in my class, again. Sweet. I can dig it. The class is a monster, so I was happy to go out last so that I didn't have to stand out there as long! LOL! We do our presentation and quarter turns, I get confused somewhere along the way, and when we are asked to go back in line, I didn't know if that meant where we were standing or in the order we are currently standing. Yeah, oops. The audience got a chuckle and so did I. Why I don't get embarrassed over dumb crap like that, I do not know. Maybe I'm just used to being an idiot!

During pre-j, they call the top 5 out. I was the first one called in my little group. I walk up to the #5 spot. We all line up, then they move me first, again... straight to the #1 spot on the floor. I stand there in my dreaded relaxed pose (I hate this pose) while they shuffle people around me. We do quarter turns and I get called out for doing too much of a twist, only I don't realize they are talking to me. DOH! LOL! I stopped twisting once I figured it out. Thank goodness they don't penalize for stupidity.

Figure was after Bikini, so once I got off stage we were allowed to go. I try to nap because I am exhausted and have not slept in days... I have too much energy from the show, though, and can't sleep. I did lay there half asleep for about an hour, managed to drool on myself some, and when the alarm went off, I got up and started to fix the mess I made of myself. I pull my shirt off in the bathroom and my chest and neck are GREEN! GREEN!!!! Oops. I'm not panicking, though. I go off to the main section of the room and show off my green-ness. LOL! They confirmed. I was green. So, I take a damp wash cloth and lightly scrub the green off. I applied Dream Tan over the lighter areas to blend in it again. Another crisis dodged! I used Jan Tana Ultra 1 that morning, so I wasn't sure how it would look.

Night show ran so smooth. I was in mean mode, though, so I just sat there quietly. People were talking, and it was annoying me. Thankfully, misery had company and Becca was in mean mode, too. We just kept exchanging bitchy stares in the mirror. LOL! Bikini is up first and I hear Bec's name called out for second place. I moaned, "NOoooooo!", and then I realized I was in public. LOL! I just really had her pinned for 1st! I wanted her to take it all. She looked so great. I hear her class winner really worked the stage, though. Figure goes up and I'm waiting in line, apparently goofing off with the crew, because Jes calls me out on it. Oopsy. Oh well, it was fun. I just knew the night was almost over and I could shower and put on deodorant soon!

We do our business on stage again (not that kind of business), then the top five go out. I got first! I won my class! HOLY CRAP! It was a huge class! I couldn't believe it. The girl who got 3rd, I had her pinned for first! I got a SWORD!! Yeah baby! I can play ninja now. Seth says it's more of a He-Man sword, though. LOL I immediately am piss tested, and then I go back to the changing room to chill until overalls. It was pretty much just me and the Figure A winner back there. She was a lot of fun, and she got a kick out of my stupidity, so that helped, too. We laughed so much back there. I'm back there eating my candy trying to get harder thinking, "Dammit, there may be a chance. I better fill up and pump up!" Figure A tells me I should slow down... this was 6 pieces of candy corn in. I open a Reese's pumpkin and eat it happily, then try to kill my back and shoulders w/ the bands. We are both still laughing and cracking jokes all the way back to the line by the stage. I'm not really nervous at this point because, well, what are the odds? Figure B looked dynamite, and I thought she won it. We do our quarter turns. The judges have us up there FOREVER... maybe 10 minutes, seriously... the lights are hot. I am sweating... then, then they call out MY NUMBER for the Overall. I swear, I felt like I won Miss America or something. LMAO. I'm so lame, huh? I got a big ol' cup and a "letter" jacket!

I will try to get some pics up later today or later this week. :) I don't have any awards pics! *cries*

For now, you can find them here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133199&id=674740982&l=d35774a9c0&subject=2009 NPC Monster Mash - 10/31/09

Terrific Tuesday!

Hey party people!! I haven't check in in a while, so I a thought the least I could do was send you an update...

Last week was awful, just awful. I felt like I did all the right things, but instead of the scale rewarding me, it creeped up in the opposite direction. So, now I am rewarded with less food or more cardio. LOL! I'm on the fence as to which one I want to do.

Labor Day weekend was just okay. Sunday we went to a cookout/reunion at the in-laws. I brought my meals, and surprisingly, was not even tempted by the goodies they had! WOO HOO! Go me! Monday, however, I couldn't keep anything down. I think I ate something bad? Typical of me. I was eating on the same sweet potato for a week -- how sad is that?! LOL!

Anyways, that's my mini recap! I have a ton of stuff to catch up on here in the office. Later today I will probably check back in to add some placeholders for my "tabs" up at the top. :)

It's a new and SHORT week! Make today a TERRIFIC TUESDAY! I'm ready to make the scale my bitch again! :o)

LESS THAN 7 Weeks out from my first show! YIKES!

If at first you don't succeed

Try, try again!

This week has been mentally (and physically!) rough for me! It was bound to happen sooner or later, and I will just be thankful that it happened now, while I'm still slightly ahead. Do you ever have those days/weeks when you just want to eat everything in sight? This has been my week. Monday, ravenous. Tuesday, more ravenous. Wednesday (yesterday), I caved. My mental game slipped, and I succumbed to the almighty powers of the dry roasted almond. :o) It all started innocently enough. I scurried to the grocery store during lunch to pick up necessities: nuts and wraps for the hubby, romaine and cucumbers for me. I'm a mathemagician when it comes to subbing foods in and out of my meal plan, so I ate some almonds, as I counted them, so that I could plug in x and subtract y. I was still hungry. When I got home it was dinner time and I found my grubby little fingers in the almond jar again. Damn crack almonds. It was dinner time, and there was no way I could "fix" the numbers this time. I made my salad, and didn't weigh my lettuce, cukes, or salsa... weighed my chicken, though... I don't know what the logic there was! LOL! Later in the evening, still famished and feeling like the day was screwed, I had an extra scoop of protein powder.

Today, I am feeling the effects of eater's remorse! LOL! I totally made this term up... you have heard of buyer's remorse, right? Anyways, I had to come clean, to my coach, to you guys, and I HAVE to make today better. I'm having a bit of a time digging myself out of this mental hole. I also did not want to make this blog seem like all sunshine and rainbows, because, quite frankly, contest prep can't always be perfectly smooth. I can't really pinpoint why I was so stinking hungry this week. There are just too many factors. The good news is, I am NOT hungry today.

Here are my potential causes:

1. Stress - Wednesdays are always a high stress and high hunger day for me. Work is a bear on Wednesdays.

2. Hormonal - May be a little early for that, but the cravings and hunger felt awfully similar to PMS!

3. Fake sugar - The correlation between my increased no calorie sweetener intake and hunger levels is a little too uncanny to dismiss.

4. My body is simply mad at me for losing weight. LOL!

What am I gonna do about it? Fight tooth and nail to get back on track 110% today.

Alright folks. That's my bah humbug post of the day. It's time to fake it until I make it. Make today count!! :)

128.6 – Menu Planning Monday and More

Heya folks!! Shooo, this weekend was a busy one. I spent so much time organizing. FUN STUFF! I really do enjoy it, and boy oh boy did it wear me out.

First things first… Menu Planning Monday!

Monday: Chicken, broccoli, baked potato (me), fried mashed potato patties (DH) using leftover mashed potatoes and Italian bread crumbs… this is an experiment. LOL!

Tuesday: Crab Muffins (leftover from last week… I made ½ the recipe as crab cakes and half as muffins), salad

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes (on a whole grain English muffin for me, DH gets his beloved buns), green beans, baked beans (DH)

Thursday: Fish of the day (Mahi Mahi), baked potato, salad

Friday: Chicken, pasta salad (I may have another carb source), broccoli

Saturday: Pizza Night!! Homemade, of course. Choose your own toppings! J

Sunday: Taco night, using shredded pork. Served buffet style! Fun! (This also helps me prep veggies for the week, since I like to keep a salad tray filled for convenience.)

Weekly Recap

Last week was smooth sailing!

It really couldn't have gone any better! I hit quite a few PRs in the gym, survived the ranging hunger from hormonal bliss (ha!), and even dipped down to the lowest weight of this prep yet… albeit by .2 pounds. Yes that is POINT two pounds… 2/10, 1/5, whatever. It's still a milestone, even though there is no reason to celebrate just yet.

Week of 07-26-09 to 08-01-09

Weight Loss: 3.2 pounds

üWorkouts

üDiet

üGoals

Weekly Goals

I'm going to keep most of last week's goals rolling. They were just what I needed.

** Drink 150+ Ounces of Water Daily

** Abs 2x

** Diet and Training 100% on Point

** Two Scoops of Protein Powder Supps/Day Maximum

** Run/walk 3x (as part of triathlon training) NEW!

**Yoga 1x NEW!

**Pilates 1x NEW!

**At least 5:00 stretching after every lifting session NEW!

I've been thinking, not only do I suck at endurance, but my flexibility is L A C K I N G majorly! So, starting slow, I want to incorporate yoga, and I want to finish off each workout with AT LEAST five minutes of stretching. I always enjoy stretching, so dammit, I gotta just do it.

Motivation

For all you Virgos out there, here's today's horoscope. I get these in my inbox daily from www.tarot.com. I get a kick out of reading them, sometimes they are silly, sometimes they are eerily on point, but today I found this one highly motivating! That's why I'm posting it here. J

Monday, Aug 3rd, 2009 -- Your key planet Mercury is now at home in your sign, raising the bar on perfection even higher than usual. The messenger planet remains in critical Virgo until August 25, setting you up for success if you can achieve excellence. But you also can be disappointed in yourself if you fall short of your unrealistic expectations. For now, trusting both your perceptions and your logic will steer you in the right direction. Listen to more about today with Rick Levine's

Weekend "fun"

It is amazing how bare the cupboards and refrigerator looks once everything is organized! Sheesh! And yes, I keep junk food and packaged products in the house. Don't hate. hehe

The sad part? We JUST bought groceries. Wow. Seems so empty! I apologize for the crappy pic quality. I get a little pic happy w/ my cell phone! LOL!

What else did I do?!

I tried to tackle this monster. YIKES!

My dad was kind enough to dump a lot of boxes on us several weeks ago before he moved. I guess we will be having a yard sale soon. I don't know what to do with it all. This was our first weekend home, (for me… hubby has been on summer vacation), and this has all just been sitting in our basement… and weighing heavily on my mind. I hate messes like this!

See that big ol' mirror propped up against the wall? That little cubby is where I usually practice my posing and walk... but it's blocked right now... another reason why I gotta get the basement cleaned up! :)

Does anyone have any tips? I hope to finish organizing and cleaning it up by the end of next weekend. It is a bit overwhelming. A lot of it is childhood stuff that I hate to throw away/sell/donate… a lot of it is old décor that was my mom's stuff before she passed… it's sentimental stuff like that that I really don't know what to do with… Ideas?

Alrighty, I have rambled enough. Let's make today a great one!

PS - I promise this blog looks pretty when I hit preview, but when I "Publish" it all gets jacked up! Very very frustrating.

129.8 - 200g of carbs!

Hey folks!! Today is my high day, and boy oh boy am I looking forward to it. I'm waiting on the hubs to wake up. He said he wanted to go on a bike ride then run with me this morning. I've been waiting for over an hour... I may just do my cardio on the treaddie. :( We have to head out of here soon to travel across the state to visit my dad. He just bought a house, and he is SO excited! So am I! We're picking out curtains and rugs today.

Anyways, I just finished baking a batch of blueberry muffins. I think they will be a hit. I'll be sure to post the recipe up, if they are. There is no sweetener (not even calorie free sweetener) in this recipe! I hope it's good. :)

I am keeping this short and sweet!

Have a wonderful weekend all!!

130.4 - Not my morning!

Ugh. So far, it has not been a good morning.

I woke up too late for cardio.

I can't find my envelope that contains $30 of CVS Extra Care Bucks.

I rammed into a trash can pulling out of my driveway. (The garbage men have a knack for putting it directly in the blind spot. Hubby usually hits it first, but he is out of town, so I got to today.)

I was late for work because I had to move the trash can and inspect my car.

It's storming.

WTF BBQ! I'm determined to turn this day around. It should be a slow day in the office, so I'm gonna try to set some concrete goals for the next month or so... so I leave you with this quote:

Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives. - Viktor Frankl

Time to make my sunshine and rainbows! Happy Friday folks!

129.8 - Walking around myself

Phewie! Let's see, I did legs on Tuesday. I went HARD, even though my lifts were crummy due to being forced to hit squats last (the one and only squat rack was occupied) and the A/C being out. (Is that even legal? It seems like it would be some type of violation.) I suffered through and finished up with some low intensity (but lots of resistance) recumbant bike. Anyways, my legs are still paying for it. They are on Swole Patrol. Surrrriously. Even today my definition is lacking, and with every step I feel like I have to walk around myself. Uncomfy! and totally unattractive! LOL!

In other news, I DID get some sleep last night! I tried my tips, and still, by bedtime, I was wide awake. I took two Tylenol PM and went to bed an hour later. Even though this was the first time in my life I have ever taken Tylenol PM, I do NOT want to make it a habit. However, I must say that I feel much better today having got some rest!

Also, scale is up. Dunno what the deal is w/ that, but some fluctuation. I think I have at least a half pound of water around my thighs right now. Seriously. My legs are ridiculous today. I'll do some sumo deads and cardio this evening, and then see what happens from there. The torture -- I love it! LOL!

On to some fun stuff... *drumroll please*

CHIA SEEDS!!!

I received a sample of chia seeds a while back from Greens+ and finally tried it out. Well, I must say that I enjoyed the crunch, and these little nutrient packed seeds really are flavorless! They get a gelatinous "shell" around them when mixed with water, and that was totally fun! It's the little things like that that make me happy. My only complaint is the gel made the seeds stick to my blender! I will definitely be incorporating these little guys into my diet!

129.4 - Can't sleep!

Sheesh. It has been days/weeks/months (maybe? It has been over one month!) since I have had a nice long restful slumber. I spend most nights tossing and turning for hours (yes hours), my mind racing... I'm at my wit's end! (What the heck does that even mean, anyways? LOL) I've tried visualization, counting sheep, sleepy teas, melatonin, 5-htp, other supplements (Lean Dreams, Black Ops), different pre-bed meal combinations, the master bedroom is dark, I have a fan going to block out noise... last night, or should I say this morning, I resorted to taking one Nyquil capsule. I was afraid that taking two would make me too groggy this morning. I've been doing some research, and here are the tips I will try out tonight.

1. Take a hot bath or shower before bed.
2. Avoid caffeine (I'm not having any caffeine after 3PM today. This means no more NO Shotgun for now. *cries*)
3. Get to bed as early as possible.
4. Journal (My mind races like crazy. This seems to be the most logical tip I have found in regards to this.)

I am also going to get tomorrow's meals prepped as soon as I walk through the door this evening, which should be around 7:30 PM. There will be no running around like a chicken with its head cut off at 9:45 tonight trying to get my food packed for tomorrow's work day.

What are your sleepy time tips and tricks?

130.2 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Muffin

HEY GUYS!! :) Y'all must be my lucky charms because my weight went down. LOL! I'm actually feeling much better today, too.

Anyways, since sharing that protein brownie recipe with you yesterday, I wanted to share with you this unbelievably tasty Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Muffin. Unfortunately, I did not get any good pics of this... I just kind of threw it together thinking it would be a regular, subpar, muffin. These are SO GOOD! The texture is almost exactly like a real muffin! So, don't make the protein brownies, make this instead. LOL! It's so much tastier!

This is low carb. However, it is NOT low fat. To me, this is contest prep safe, but I'm not a stickler for super duper clean eats.

In a bowl, mix the following ingredients until smooth:

1 scoop Tight Curves chocolate protein powder (or 1 packet)*

1 tablespoon PB2

2 egg whites

10g coconut oil**

Pour into muffin sprayed muffin tin and bake approximately 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 350*.

Makes 1 muffin: 25g Protein, 6g Carbs, 15g Fat

*Note 1: Tight Curves protein powder is a soy casein blend. You will not get the same wonderful texture with wheys. From experience, casein blends tend to work best when cooking. You may have similar results with BSN Lean Dessert or Beverly International Ultra Size or Ultimate Muscle Provider, although I haven't tested it. ;)

** Note 2: This recipe does work with less oil, so feel free to use less if you need a lower fat muffin. The moistness and flavor from 10 grams of coconut oil was WONDERFUL, though, so if you can save up the fat grams for around 10 grams of coconut oil, I highly recommend it!

132.0 - What?!

I had a shocker of a weight drop this morning. WOO HOO! Bring it on! I wasn't expecting it at all... let's just say that I have been craving chocolate like a maniac! ;) Y'all know what I'm talking about.

Yesterday I had a GREAT leg workout. I think some PRs are coming up. I was really feeling it, and I could have done more, but I was working a new rep scheme, and those are hard to guess the right weights the first go 'round. I want to squat and SLDL 300 pounds. Back in the day (when I didn't know much about lifting... or dieting! haha), I could squat 305. I just did whatever weights the hubby was doing for legs, and I didn't even think twice about it. Nowadays, I think back and wonder how the EFF did I do that?!?! Well, my friends, I will get it back. Maybe not this year because of dieting, but I will get it back!

Today's agenda includes a veggie burger on a whole wheat English muffin... man, I am hungry! My real agenda for the day includes arms and cardio. I seemed to have tweaked something funky where the inner quad joins the knee area... you know that tear drop? It's swelling a little. I know this because I usually do not have an inner tear drop! LOL!

Have a great day folks! and lift heavy! :)

132.6 - On the way back down!

It's nice to see the scale moving in the right direction today!

I have been a bit of a mess, stressed out for several reasons today, and I don't want to dwell on it... so I don't have much to post... I just want to keep the daily weigh-ins going! LOL!

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!!

133.4 - Post Carb-Up Scale Increase

Shoooo. Today has been another busy one. One weekend I will sit on my ass and relax. There is always so much to do and take care of, though! Today was no exception. I woke up, weighed in (up a bit from the carb increase yesterday), and proceeded on with my to-do list... some of my more exciting accomplishments of the day included:

1. Watching the Hangover (all kinds of awesome!!)

2. Dropping a plate on my big toe today at the gym (not awesome!)

3. Cleaning out and organized our armoire in the living room. I now have an organized home filing system in there, along with storage for a personal business venture of mine. (YAY!) I have been stoning suits, so if you all need the hookup, just let me know. Some examples are below!






I'm getting ready to head out for a bike ride, then the hubby and I will sit back and watch the new True Blood before calling it a night. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

132.6 - Carb Up!

Hey guys! Just a quick post before we head out for the evening. Today has been GO GO GO, and yet, I still managed to get nothing on MY to-do list accomplished. I really dislike days like today... BUT, I gotta find my sunshine, so the good things are:

1. A whole pound drop today!
2. I got to enjoy 12 whole inches of Subway!! LOL! Thank you carb up!
3. I am about two to three shades darker thanks to the sun. I was looking ghostly and grey!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and enjoying this BEAUTIFUL weather! I tried, but as you can see, the pool was not cooperating!

134.2 - Day 1, Down the Hatch!

I made it through the first day with minimal hunger pangs. Today will be a bit more of a challenge, I can already tell! After eating my breakfast of egg whites, oats, raspberries, and Splenda (Muffins!!), I was still hungry! I am very much looking forward to my next meal.

The scale is already slowly creeping down... I think I will keep my weight in the front of the title of each post! It will be fun watching it change and seeing all of the numbers lined up in my sidebar.

One thing I didn't accomplish yesterday -- I didn't work out AT ALL! Work was exhausting yesterday, and I just came home and crashed. So, the plan for today is to hit it hard, weights and cardio!

And, just for fun, my eats for the day! Don't freak out if you see things that aren't in normal diets (like lowfat mayo... my current love affair is Kraft Mayonaisse w/ Olive Oil -- SO GOOD!)

M1: egg whites, oats, raspberries, Splenda (muffins)

M2: egg, egg whites, olive oil mayo, salt, pepper (egg salad); Wasa cracker, baby carrots

M3: multi-grain wrap, tempeh, tomatoes, red onions, peppers, cucumbers

M4: NO Shotgun

M5: chicken, baked potatoes, yellow squash... maybe some low carb ketchup to throw on the potatoes

M6: All the Whey protein powder (Cupcake Battter flavor), Skippy Natural (crunchy!), fish oil caps

Phew! I want to eat now!!! :)

And We're Off!!

Prep is here! Prep is here!!

Becca did make a crack at me for starting prep on a Wednesday this many weeks out, and I admit, it probably isn't a very normal start day, but WTF, I will roll with it.

I snapped up a couple of quick pics yesterday morning, weighing in at a whopping 135.4 -- that is TEN pounds more than the day before contest last show.

Let's do this shizz!! (I know. This is a short post without much substance, but I wanted to let y'all know that prep is OFFICIALLY here!)