Preparing for my first two contests this summer!

[iKoniConSciencE]

It's safe to say that contest prep is undoubtedly the most physically AND emotionally taxing thing I've ever done. Every day, I remind myself that I am working towards the goals of looking great on stage, taking home trophies, and most importantly, even if I DO NOT win or place, I am STILL busting my butt to become a hotter, more confident version of myself.

Saturday (6/20) will make it four weeks from my first competition and 10 weeks from my second. I did not think I would be ready to compete in the first one, until I consulted with a trainer 8 weeks out who told me I could "get into contest shape with no problem." I nervously took her advice and haven't looked back.

So far, since that day (5/23), I've gone from 17% body fat to 14.5%, from 135 pounds to 130, and even though I don't see too many changes (I still constantly think about being in CONTEST SHAPE), I know they've occured because I can fit clothes I could barely squeeze into when I weighed 120-125 before. (I'm 5'6", by the way.)

What I'm doing (besides sniffing other people's food, dreaming about ice cream every night, trying not to eat whole jars of peanut butter, and contemplating how many restaurants I can visit in one night after my contests are over) is this:

Monday-Tuesday: 1,250 calories
Wednesday-Thursday: 1,550 calories
Friday-Saturday: 1,250
Sunday: 1,550
Monday-Wednesday(next week): 1,250
Thursday: 1,550
Friday: 1,250

Then, I am going to switch it up again, but I am posting that later.

I only eat my complex carbs before and after my workout, which involves training each body part once a week:
Chest/back/abs (no cardio)
Legs (and cardio)
Cardio/HIIT only
Shoulders/Traps (and cardio)
Triceps/Biceps/Abs (no cardio)
Cardio/HIIT only
Repeat.

I doing cardio/HIIT (2:1 split) either on the tredmill (rotating between 5 and 8 MPH, then 6 and 9) or stair stepper for 45 minutes 5 times a week, and doing slow/moderate cardio for 1 hour 3 times a week. I may also throw some long bike rides into the mix, if the weather permits. I enjoy those and do not consider them to be workouts; the calorie burning is just a benefit. I only do long bike rides on days where I am doing cardio only (2 days out of the week.)

My macros are: 50% protein, 25% fat, 25% carbs.

Supps I'm taking:
Multi-vitamin
Creatine
Glutamine
L-Carnitine
CLA
Hot Rox
and
EstraCort (which I will say a little more about below):

Sometimes, I get the urge to binge eat when stressed, tired, anxious, or just plain hungry. This urge usually happens at night, when estrogen and cortisol levels are at their peak. Estracort is supposed to help control and surpress these urges. I will post more about whether it does or not. I tried my first two pills two days ago (you just take 2 at night... really easy) and so far, I have not experienced the desire to raid my fridge, but that desire also does not happen every day.

I am well aware that my BIGGEST changes will occur during the last two weeks, but I'm trying to fight as much fat as possible right now with the little amount of time I have. I'm honestly not expecting to win or place in my first contest, but there is certainly hope for my second. It would be LOVELY if I did, but I am trying to mix optimism with realism and subtract delusion from the equation.

I may post progress pictures on Saturday.

[Tiffany_P]

Best of luck to you! I will follow along to see how you do. That plan sounds intense.

[bufchk]

What I'm doing (besides sniffing other people's food, dreaming about ice cream every night, trying not to eat whole jars of peanut butter, and contemplating how many restaurants I can visit in one night after my contests are over) is this:

That sounds just like me when doing shows, I get so obsessed about food, it's rediculous!! I wish you the best luck and you will be so proud of yourself when you've reached the end!

[iKoniConSciencE]

TiffanyP: you have amazing abs. And I'm envious of all your veins... they make you look EXTRA cut
My abs are always the last to show... but it's no different than some other woman's trouble spot being her butt or thighs... if my body fat is low enough, I'll have the deep cuts I want.
Do you compete at all? If not, do you plan on it?

bufchk - I think we all get food obsessed when doing shows... I mean... we have to eat frequently, we have to eat specifically, we plan our diets out to the very last calorie/protein gram/fat gram/carb, we have to make sure everything we eat serves a purpose in losing fat/keeping muscle, aaaaaand... all the treats we may have once upon a time eaten, say, twice a week or so, are now PROHIBITED.

Of course we're drooling all over our pillows (or maybe that was just me dreaming of that hot fudge sundae last night!)

The night before, I dreamt about eating a Twix bar. And the night before that, it was that peanut butter & jelly spread stuff right out of the jar. I don't recall a SINGLE NIGHT when I have NOT dreamt about eating junk food! Funny thing is, I never thought I ate junk THAT much before contest prep (I'd have ice cream, like, twice a week and that was about it usually), but now that I can't have it, I eat it in my dreams.

[Tiffany_P]

I'll trade you my stomach for your lower body Honestly though, I was very dehydrated in my avatar from taking oxy-powder. I looked awesome but felt like crap. And, as difficult as it is to imagine, I still had cellulite. Oh well.

I don't compete, and I don't think I ever will. I'm already too body-obsessed. Plus, I want to get pregnant soon. I enjoy watching the rest of you torture yourselves though

[jaim91]

I'm excited to see your pics!!

What shows are you doing? How do you feel about having to hold your peak for 6 weeks?

[punxnotdead309]

That's aweosme! Your diet/workout regime looks very convoluded. I'm sure it is. I don't think I'd have it in me to eat so little calories in a day. I'm a hog.
If I ever get cravings, I just snack on my fat/sugar free ice cream. It tastes so much like the real stuff.
Anywyas, good luck on your contest and I'm sure you'll do very well.

[iKoniConSciencE]

*LOL* Tiffany, I got a huge kick out of "I enjoy watching the rest of you torture yourselves, though " ...seriously... I just laughed REALLY HARD out loud, which made one of the guys in the warehouse behind the office open the door to ask me what was so funny...
What do you do for your lower body right now?
Perhaps if you work extra hard, you can get killer legs... and in the meantime, I will work extra hard to get killer abs! I'm honestly not sure which one the contest judges place the most value on... as far as my torture regime goes.
oxy-powder? excuse my ignorance, but what IS that? It sounds... like it could be phenom! (though it would make me grouchy and tired for sure)

jaim - I'll actually be leaning out even more for my second contest because I'll have six weeks... I see those six weeks as time to improve... I really wanted to be 8% on stage and think I'll be able to make it by my second contest... it would take a MIRACLE to get there for the first.

Shows:
Ancient City (St Augustine) and Greater Gainesville (yup, you guessed it, Gainesville -- I live here and I want to take home the trophy for my town! haha)

punxnotdead - no ice cream for me at all... I miss it SO much! it's my FAVORITE! but you can't get the shredded/paper thin skin look while consuming dairy... heck, I'm not even going to have any more protein shakes after tomorrow (and I gave up protein bars awhile ago... I only have the shakes pre and post workout)

If you want to kick @$$ at your contests, you will be AMAZED at what your mind can make your body do. I never thought I had the willpower to actually give up all the things I've given up, but here I am doing it. If I'm hungry, I'll just picture myself all shredded up on stage... and think, "Maybe my competition isn't as strong-willed as I am!" Bwahaha!

[jaim91]

Oooh awesome! I'll be in FLA from Sept - Jan (in orlando), and I'd love to hit 1 - 2 NPC shows if they have them...

[Emma-Leigh]

Hello, welcome and best of luck with things....

[iKoniConSciencE]

Emma-Leigh: Thanks! (and nice back!)

jaim: www.floridanpc.org -- this lists all the Florida NPC shows. That would be AWESOME if you went to compete down here! I'd totally go and we could hang out!

[punxnotdead309]

punxnotdead - no ice cream for me at all... I miss it SO much! it's my FAVORITE! but you can't get the shredded/paper thin skin look while consuming dairy... heck, I'm not even going to have any more protein shakes after tomorrow (and I gave up protein bars awhile ago... I only have the shakes pre and post workout)

If you want to kick @$$ at your contests, you will be AMAZED at what your mind can make your body do. I never thought I had the willpower to actually give up all the things I've given up, but here I am doing it. If I'm hungry, I'll just picture myself all shredded up on stage... and think, "Maybe my competition isn't as strong-willed as I am!" Bwahaha!

:O No way! None at all? I'd die without my dairy. My protein bars also help fill the void. As for the shakes, they never really sustain me for that long, so I never really drink alot of them.

I've given up almost every form of junk food and now all I eat that's sweet is fat/sugar free yogurt and ice cream, as well as protein bars.
Other than that, veggies, a few carbs (2 - 3 daily) and lots of meat (65%)

[jaim91]

Lol! We could hang out anyway! I don't know how far away Orlando is from Gainesville though...

[push_it]

Good luck with your shows. I'm sure with your hard work and dedication you will do great.

I'm also going to be taking Estracort... just waiting for it to arrive.

[iKoniConSciencE]

punx - Baby steps first, no? That's wonderful that you've given all that up! If you are not preparing for a contest, dairy is fine and often beneficial to your overall health. It's just that dairy consumption makes you hold a small subcutaneous layer of fat that you don't want to have on competition stage. It isn't much, but it makes a difference, and in bodybuilding, you need ALL the help you can GET!

My contest prep diet is quite a bit different from my offseason. I eat primarily clean in offseason, but I still allow myself dairy, wheat bread, wheat flour, and a liiiiiiittle bit of dessert food if I really want it... once or twice a week. Basically, I eat more carbs and then eat more all around

jaim - Orlando is around 2 hours from Gainesville. I'm not opposed to driving over there; it's a heck of a lot more exciting there than it is here! I drive all over Florida anyway. I do not mind driving like a lot of people do... I can chalk that one up to being without a vehicle for SO long... I owned 5 nice bicycles but no vehicle... crazy huh? Eventually I broke down after all this icky Florida evening rain and bought a truck. It would be so cool if we hung out... you know how many female bodybuilders I know in real life? ZERO! haha

push_it - cool! We'll be doing Estracort together! That's awesome. I see you are 3 weeks out from your first figure competition... I bet you feel just like me... excited and nervous and EXCITED! no?

[iKoniConSciencE]

Tomorrow marks four weeks out, but I'm starting to think like it's four weeks out today. I have to get SERIOUS. I had a couple days these past two weeks where I ate more food than I was supposed to eat. It was all clean food, though, and it wasn't complete binging. One of those times, I corrected the mistake by doing a CRAPLOAD of cardio to make sure I compensated for my slip up and then some, the other time, I let it slide, gave myself a pat on the back, and said, "Alright, tomorrow is another day." My body is doing EVERYTHING it CAN to fight the fact that I want to bring my fat down to abnormal/uncomfortable levels. I used to walk past the bakery at Publix, sniff the pastries, and be happy. NOW?! I don't even walk into that direction for fear of punching out the baker, cursing out the "normal" people who get to eat that crap, and robbing the whole section.

I once heard something like, "Train like your competition, but harder and smarter. Eat like your competition, but cleaner. Pose like your competition, but with more time practicing execution. And win like your competition... wait... no... they don't win, nevermind!"

All of you who have prepared for contests before can probably identify with my whining.

So, here are a few progress pictures. I will probably post better ones soon, as these are ones I took literally after I woke up... and ate breakfast... I try to practice posing pre-workout, and thought, "Alright, I guess I'll take a few pictures." (They should be attached)

[jaim91]

Abs look awesome and guns are

Wow...

The way I've been taught is that technically, you're 3 weeks out tomorrow. See, peak week doesn't really count because it's all about final touches...it shouldn't be about freaking out, and trying to do everything you can to lose that last little bit in 6 days. The way you look the week before the show should be ROUGHLY the way you look the day of the show minus 3-4 lbs of water...

But you're doing great babe! KEEP IT UP!!

[iKoniConSciencE]

Awwww... your positive feedback just put a HUGE grin on my face and totally made my day!! Thank you for that!!

I like that little piece of advice and will keep it in mind... I would rather NOT freak out during peak week... those last two weeks will be hard enough as it is! hehe I posted little notes all over my cupboards and refrigerator... so any time I get cravings, I will read them first and run away! *lol*

I have magazine cutouts of gorgeous female bodybuilders in my kitchen now too... anything to stay motivated, right?

On the topic of freaking out, I think one of the reasons I have been such a neurotic stressball lately is because I am putting SOOOOOO much emphasis on contest prep... now, I need to keep that focus, but I need to start doing some of the fun stuff I love...which happens to also be active: mountain biking, MMA, hiking... I haven't done any of that in awhile... just weights, cardio, and more weights...then more cardio.

Also this week, I am helping with a youth group community service camp for teenagers... I am bringing all my food and sneaking away to train on the days I am there

[jaim91]

Concentrate on the otherbforms of activity afterwards. The next 4 weeks are SO important, and there's a reason that bbers often neglect other aspects of theirblivesbduring prep. We can't focus on too many things, or we lose sight of the priority...COMPETING!!!

Gladbyoure smilin today!

[push_it]

Lookin incredible! And just think what the nest couple of weeks will do!

I like your idea with the notes. I dont have trouble with cravings but I keep a poster of my show hung in my office at work... just as a little reminder. I also sometimes write encouraging things at the top of my workout notebook. Things like 'dont let anyone outwork you' or 'get it done'
Awsome with the other enjoyable activities. As much time and energy as contest prep is you still need to take time to enjoy other things. Keeps a person sane lol

[Tiffany_P]

I'm currently running the Ultimate Diet 2.0 by Lyle McDonald. It only has 4 really tough days out of the week instead of 7. If my legs don't lean out after 8 weeks, I may try some of his stubborn fat loss protocols. You're lucky that you carry your fat in your midsection. I guess the grass is always greener.

Oxy-powder is a colon cleanser. I was suffering from perpetual constipation, and even though I knew colon cleansers were complete BS, I decided to give it a try. After several days of constant diarrhea and discomfort, I looked totally ripped in the areas where I was pretty lean. I'm sure there are less painful ways to dry out though.

There's a lot of conflicting advice about dairy. Do most of you competitors completely eliminate it during contest prep?

[iKoniConSciencE]

Do most of you competitors completely eliminate it during contest prep?

I do. I heard that thing about the subcutaneous fat and ran away from it IMMEDIATELY *LOL* some competitors give it up from the start. Me, I gave it up around 8 weeks in (or 14 weeks... from my next one). Some competitors eat it up until the last week or two. I suppose it depends on the person. I just don't want to risk anything.

Oxy-Powder sounds painful. I have to admit I have thought about getting a colonic sometime before contest, just to get rid of any bloating and "bad chemicals" that my body could be retaining. It could be a crock of $hit, though! (awful joke, yup)

Oh, and uh, when I glanced over at what you said about the Ultimate Diet 2.0 with Lyle McDonald, I thought you said, "I'm ultimately eating McDonalds" and went, "WAIT WHAT?" until I read it again. I am pretty sure your legs WILL lean out... lose enough fat and you'll be lean even in your stubborn bits... we are also all our own worst critics... remember that... YOU might hate your legs, BUT someone else might envy them!

push_it - WOW you don't get cravings? I... didn't get them for awhile, BUT these last couple weeks have been making me want ALL kinds of things! Nut butters are a culprit for me... and any carb (even the healthy ones) can be things I want to overindulge on, also... so I have to keep my diet in check and remember What's Important Now.

[push_it]

I want things I guess. But not bad. Like if I see some dessert I might think 'yum that would be good' but I can sit there and watch people eat it without a problem.
Nut butter are delicious. And I love my morning oatmeal... dont get me wrong. I just know what I gotta do to get things done and not fall behind

[trance__dreamer]

best of luck to you! =) i'm enjoying your posts in the other threads. knock 'em dead! i wanna try doing my 1st show after halloween/around christmas or shortly after n.y.e., 'cause this summer...errr...yea. no. definately not. in all honesty, i would've if i hadn't of gained 20'ish lbs (2 pant sizes) this past winter. oops. ... ah, well. thus is life.

keep going! stay strong! & it's all gunna be over before you know it.

[norinicole]

I'm so in!!

Looks like you've got your plan dialed in, and you're looking great! I'm loving the colour of your suit too.

Your diet looks a lot like mine did 4 weeks out. This is so exciting!! In case you're bored and have some spare time (HA!) you can check out my prep journal from the comp I did in November: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=110573451

I'm excited to be following along! Hope your weekend is off to a great start

[punxnotdead309]

punx - Baby steps first, no? That's wonderful that you've given all that up! If you are not preparing for a contest, dairy is fine and often beneficial to your overall health. It's just that dairy consumption makes you hold a small subcutaneous layer of fat that you don't want to have on competition stage. It isn't much, but it makes a difference, and in bodybuilding, you need ALL the help you can GET!

My contest prep diet is quite a bit different from my offseason. I eat primarily clean in offseason, but I still allow myself dairy, wheat bread, wheat flour, and a liiiiiiittle bit of dessert food if I really want it... once or twice a week. Basically, I eat more carbs and then eat more all around

Ooo yeah, wow, I didn't know that. I don't think I'll ever compete, as I'll be going to med school soon as well as trying to make enough money to support my "habit"

Speaking of deserts, it was horrible what I was coaxed to eat last night...
Extra creamy triple fudge cheese cake.

[iKoniConSciencE]

I've been kicking butt at my diet/training the last few days, but that's to be expected if I'm four weeks out from a competition!

This week, I am helping out with a community service camp for high school kids and therefore won't be getting much sleep. I am not home very much right now, as work, training, and community service stuff will be taking up all my time. I'll still write here, though -- during most of my job, I am at a computer and it gets boring in there I'm actually very glad to be doing this, as such a hectic schedule will not give me any time to cheat on my diet in ANY possible way even if I wanted to! Ironically, the challenge is actually eating everything I'm supposed to eat/never skipping meals due to all the time constraints.

I made everyone lasagna yesterday (it was the kids' first day) and I had tuna on spinach with lots of spices and some almonds on top. Everyone looked at my plate like I was such a freakin' weirdo and I just smiled More amusingly, after our meal, we went to Publix. Each kid got a $5 gift card for three days worth of meals, and they all combined 'em to buy as much cheap food as possible (the theme is living in solidarity with the poor... so yeah... minimum wage families only get $5 for three days). The two managers at Publix looked extremely annoyed at us (well, there was a large group of loud teenagers... I don't blame 'em really) and kept giving dirty looks until I rolled up my sleeves. Then, I kid you not, they walked away and never looked at us again.

Nori -- I'm off to read your journal now

punx - ACK, med school? Kudos to you for that. I would never have the perserverence. What type of doctor do you plan on being? Don't feel horrible about the cheesecake... I am a firm believer that it's okay to live a little and food is one of life's simple pleasures... indulging every now and then won't hurt you, UNLESS you are preparing for a contest. I allow myself a treat once or twice a week in my off season and I eat it shamelessly.

trance__dreamer - it's so easy to gain weight during the winter time. I remember I flew into Virginia to visit my family on Christmas at 125 pounds. I arrived back here in Florida at 145 Then, a week after, I was down to 130. It's amazing how much water weight I retained by eating so badly.. it sure was fun, though! I ate endless amounts of everything bad and hardly exercised the entire time I was there.

[twinnett]

Hi there. I've been following along and just wanted to offer my support! You have a lot on your plate! I commend you for volunteering your time to help with community service. NOt enough people do that! Pics are looking good..can't wait to see the changes in the next month!

[push_it]

hey - Seen any differences from using Estracort?

[iKoniConSciencE]

HELLO! I've been busy with all my volunteer work and have not had time to post much here, BUT I am all done with that now and GLAD to be back!

**ESTRACORT UPDATE**
I got my time of the month yesterday and I noticed something different. I think EstraCort may be to blame! (In a GOOD way, of course, read on...) See, I normally get FIERCE, STRONG, almost UNSTOPPABLE cravings when Aunt Flo comes to visit. That b-itch just sits in my uterus and bakes chocolate cookies all day long, taunting me with the prospect of eating them. I have not had those awful cravings this time around!! I also was under extreme stress today (knew I would be, too, work-related crap) and took one extra EstraCort this morning and I did not feel as much tension and anxiety as I normally feel under such situations. I didn't know if EstraCort had made much of a change or not up to this point, but now it CLEARLY HAS.

I have acquired a bit of a recent obsession with taking pictures of my abs. See, I can liken it to a teenage boy who just started having sex: he never HAD sex before, so he's SO excited. He's incredibly horny and wants to do it ALL THE TIME. He even gropes his girlfriend in public because he's SO EXCITED that he actually HAS one! He feels like a kid in a candy store whenever she's around; he just wants to unwrap her and reveal his own package.

That's me, but with my abs. My stomach (along with love handles region) has always been my #1 fat storage spot. I will have bulging biceps lightly wrapped with outlines of veins, "show ready" thighs, anatomy chart-style calves, and obvious pecs before I lose the jiggle on my stomach. This is quite frustrating, really - I will see these chicks on here at 17-19% body fat with killer abs (they usually don't have the other things I mentioned, but they still have KILLER ABS) and think, "HEY! That's NOT FAIR!" For me, obtaining abs is something that requires A LOT of hard work. If I eat one little morsel of non clean food or go over my calories, I might as well watch my abs get washed away by the fat waterfall. I'm almost scared to eat crap food after my contests are done because I want the abs to stay. *LOL* I'm now picturing myself eating one bite of cheesecake and then running for an hour on the tredmill like those crazy valley girls.

In other contest dieting-related news, I am trying as hard as I can to avoid social events. I went to my friend's 21st birthday party the other night and stayed out until 2 (weeknight... man, I was tired). I'm not sure what was worse: being stone cold sober while everyone else was plastered out of their minds, watching everyone eat cake and ice cream as I drank water, or driving drunks home and having one throw up on the side of my truck. Parties are tough for me these days, and I have to constantly remind myself that people who drink and eat "party food" while preparing for a contest usually are not the ones who win! ;-)

Seeing junk food causes this agitated sensation to arrive within. It's hard to explain, but I get the sudden urge to curse it, along with whoever made it, whoever eats it, and whoever even stares at it. I didn't even eat junk much before competing (most of it does not taste that great, it's loaded with odd chemicals when I've always tried to eat clean, and massive greasy stuff + my stomach = little girls' room ) but we always tend to want what we can't have.

I attached a couple updated pics of my abs and will be taking more pics this weekend. OH!!! I have a photo shoot next Saturday!! (NOT the 4th, but the one after ) I have not done any of those in awhile because, well, after I bulked, I was NOT looking photo-ready.