BrandyTKO - Competition Prep

[BrandyTKO]

Subbed! Love your workouts! Happy BDay!

Thanks and glad you visited!

[BrandyTKO]

I have got to figure out how to get rid of DOMs. I tried glutamine and glucosamine and advil, ibuprophen, the last one being the best solution, but I really try to stay away from meds. I've been getting a good deal of muscle twitches all over lately, esp in legs, maybe I need to take some potassium.

Also not feeling very well from post birthday celebrations. I had 1.5 glasses of wine and was practically seeing double. I lost 4 lbs since Monday on the Scivation diet, I'm sure the low cals (and with my lack of appetite I am certainly getting less than the daily 1200 cals) all week had a lot to do with that. Now not only do I hurt all over I have a vicious headache and can't drink enough water, I can already feel the bloat happening. Where's my potassium....

My son took me for my annual Dairy Queen Skor Blizzard on Weds. It was fantastic, except we both noticed part way through that we felt really jittery from the sugar. He eats pretty clean too. That feeling lasted several hours, with the added bonus of a gut ache. I should have had the small instead of the medium size, but its only once a year right? Just shows how badly sugar messes with your system.

Dragged myself to the gym yesterday and did my shoulders workout, but I think with everything going on in my non-gym life these days, I suddenly hit a wall. I could have fallen asleep at the shoulder press. I had to go home and lay down. Sort of post stress fatigue or something. So no cardio yesterday. I'll be making that up today to get rid of all the junk I've thrown down into my system, hopefully no headache by then. Ugh....

Did my first measurements for the cut which is officially on as of today. No more wine, Blizzards, grilled cheese sandwiches at 11 p.m. (oh, that happened last night too...rrrr...). I won't go into those details on measurements right now. "Oh sure", you're saying, "she goes on at length about all this other stuff, but won't give us the juicy details of first day cut measurements"). I'll post it later...really. I'll just say that at the weight I am today (slightly up from yesterday due to salty things eaten) my records show my measurements were exactly the same and I lost the flub for my comp in 7 weeks. I have a lot of time, 12 weeks, so I have some extra time to get my weight even lower this time. YAY! Now for the hard work.

Did a good shoulder workout, new (or re-visited) routine. Love the change.

- Shoulder Press Machine - 70# x 12 x 12 x 12 x 12
- 1 Arm Shoulder Press (for lagging left) - 30# x 10 x 8
- DB Lateral Raise with Front Raise - 10# x 10 x 10 x 8
- Upright Row (finding the right weight here) 40# x 12; 50 x 12; 60 x 12 x 12 (found it)
- DB Shrugs - 45# x 12 x 12 x 12 x 12
- Back Extension on Machine - 95# x 12; 115# x 15
- Rear Delt with Band - 2 sets of 12

Abs:
- Weighted Oblique twist on Decline Bench - 15# x 12 x 12 x 12
- Oblique Crunch with Leg Raise - 20, 15, 15 (hurts my lower back on left...hmmm)

No Cardio and bad diet in evening.... grumpy...
Getting on with it now though, serious cut time.

[annemarie_DJ]

Brandy, you are a ROCK!! My sympathies go to you and your family. I am sure that your dad knew how much you loved him and I'm sure he heard and felt your last kiss. I admire you very much for persevering and staying strong (right?). Sometimes it's the only way to make it through hard times.
I congratulate you on your decision to compete. Go for it!! Love the Scivation Cut Diet 1200 (Cal/day) WooHooo I was doing 1250. Doesn't seem like much !! Where is this comp? Vancouver? Keep us posted. We are here to see you through!

[dawndm]

Brandy, I'm so sorry to hear your news.....*hugs*!

It was lovely that you scattered his ashes into the sea where he spent so much of his time. What a lovely thought you gave your kids, that every time they put their hands into the sea they'll be shaking hands with grandpa!

Oh, and belated Happy Birthday congrats!

Good luck on your cut...is that about 1-2lbs a week you expect to lose?

Make sure you don't overdo it with your dieting, especially if your lack appetite is causing you to eat even less. You don't want to lose that hard earned muscle! It's so hard to put on but oh so easy to come off! Take care of number one at a time like this!

[BrandyTKO]

Brandy, you are a ROCK!! My sympathies go to you and your family. I am sure that your dad knew how much you loved him and I'm sure he heard and felt your last kiss. I admire you very much for persevering and staying strong (right?). Sometimes it's the only way to make it through hard times.
I congratulate you on your decision to compete. Go for it!! Love the Scivation Cut Diet 1200 (Cal/day) WooHooo I was doing 1250. Doesn't seem like much !! Where is this comp? Vancouver? Keep us posted. We are here to see you through!

Thanks Anne Marie. Yes my competition is in Vancouver, I haven't travelled for a show yet. If I end up doing the FAME World instead, it will be in Las Vegas. Its the same day as the Sandra Wickham though so its a matter of whether I want to travel or just stick around home. Would be really interesting to do a World though, but I think I'd enter into Figure instead of Bodybuilding as the international comps bring in some pretty big girls :O
Yes 1200 cal/day seems pretty meager, but luckily my appetite is the same way these days. I'm actually finding it too much food. I'm sure all that will change in time.

Brandy, I'm so sorry to hear your news.....*hugs*!

It was lovely that you scattered his ashes into the sea where he spent so much of his time. What a lovely thought you gave your kids, that every time they put their hands into the sea they'll be shaking hands with grandpa!

Oh, and belated Happy Birthday congrats!

Good luck on your cut...is that about 1-2lbs a week you expect to lose?

Make sure you don't overdo it with your dieting, especially if your lack appetite is causing you to eat even less. You don't want to lose that hard earned muscle! It's so hard to put on but oh so easy to come off! Take care of number one at a time like this!

Thanks Dawn. Kind of a weird birthday this year, very badly timed, LOL. Yes, I aim for 2 lbs a week. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way and I only get 1 lb, but if I adjust diet slightly or throw in some extra cardio usually I get the 2 lbs again the following week.

I just want to also say thanks to everyone for your kind words. I really haven't felt like doing much of anything lately and this morning when I woke up I felt like "why bother". You're words have given me a boost and I will get to my gym today and do a good workout, its probably what I need anyway. I just have zero energy, and I don't think that's calorie related, just emotionally burned out from everything. I think once my father's memorial is through, on Tuesday, I can get on with things. Right now I struggle to focus. Your encouragement and kindness have buoyed my spirits today. Never underestimate the value of words. Thanks so much everyone.

[BrandyTKO]

So far this week in training I have accomplished......nothing.

I just can't get into it this week, despite my last post. I ended up getting quite busy with other things and didn't do the gym at all, but I did get my other tasks done. One being a video tribute that I made for my Dad's memorial. My son showed me how to use the Gimp program and also Vegas Pro 8.0 and once I got into it I had a blast! Now I want to make other vids. That was really fulfilling and also I think I needed it. Anyway, the memorial is tomorrow and I think once that is past I can get on with the whole fitness thing. I need the cardio certainly as a stress reliever, though I haven't done much of it other than walking.

Saturday was a bit of a cluster-f**k day to say the least. I decided to walk to our local pub to meet up with my husband who was already there. Its only about a 15 min walk. On the way I lost my glasses, which I need for driving (he had the car, and seeing as I'm not drinking I'd be driving home) and realized it when I got there. So I walked back along the same route to see if I could find them. Of course they are the frameless kind and almost impossible to spot. On the way back one of my flip flops broke so I had to walk back barefoot and of course now that I had a broken shoe I'd have to go all the way home. When I got home of course I didn't have the house keys, why would I take those with me when my husband had a set for the car and as he has a bad hip and can't walk as fast as I can I left him at the pub...with the keys. So I put my broken flip flops on (those don't stay on very well when they're broken, BTW) and waded through the brambles in the back yard to find a way to break into the house. No such luck, luckily my husband had followed me in his slower gate and had the keys. Never did find my glasses. Walked back to the pub to get the car(rrrr...). At the time I was so mad at myself and angry over the whole situation with everything else going on I felt the devil was riding my back. Now it seems kind of funny. I kept thinking "I feel like Principal Skinner in the Ferris Bueller movie" all I need now is a dog to attack me....Bom, Bom...Oh yeah.....

Back at 'er for training later this week.

B

[XxLadyLuckxX]

Brandy Im so sorry for your loss!
My grandfather just died in the last couple months and I can relate I also didnt feel like doing anything, especially training, and I didnt for a while so good for you for getting back in action, I know it will help with the healing process!

[Buffycat3]

Hey there Brandy....You have my support in everythig that is GOOD
We get these stumbles, road-detours, obstacles....But we Can overcome them all!
They could be difficult, but not impossible.
You have my spiritual support *hugs*

Hang in there, think of the positives, be strong!


What an evening you had..geesh! One thing after another! But you survived it with a bit of humor <---Love this!


So both comps are in November?
I wish you much luck, and a bunch of support

I've heard good things about the Scivation Cut Diet...Enjoy...and happy training!

[dawndm]

What an evening of events you had....you did make me smile while I read it though. Isn't it strange how things all seem to happen at once? Don't ya just love flip flops?

Now Brandy...I don't want to see you slacking with your workouts. You get your as* off to that gym *rant over*.........just see it as a bit of encouragement.

[BrandyTKO]

Brandy Im so sorry for your loss!
My grandfather just died in the last couple months and I can relate I also didnt feel like doing anything, especially training, and I didnt for a while so good for you for getting back in action, I know it will help with the healing process!

Hey there Brandy....You have my support in everythig that is GOOD
We get these stumbles, road-detours, obstacles....But we Can overcome them all!
They could be difficult, but not impossible.
You have my spiritual support *hugs*

Hang in there, think of the positives, be strong!


What an evening you had..geesh! One thing after another! But you survived it with a bit of humor <---Love this!


So both comps are in November?
I wish you much luck, and a bunch of support

I've heard good things about the Scivation Cut Diet...Enjoy...and happy training!

What an evening of events you had....you did make me smile while I read it though. Isn't it strange how things all seem to happen at once? Don't ya just love flip flops?

Now Brandy...I don't want to see you slacking with your workouts. You get your as* off to that gym *rant over*.........just see it as a bit of encouragement.

THANKS LADIES!!! The diet has been pretty off, to say the least. Haven't done a weigh in so I have no idea what its effects have been. I've either been not eating at all (and certainly not every 2 - 3 hours) or when I do eat, its all wrong. Last night's example copious amounts of wine and an ice cream stand crawl...sort of like a pub crawl without the ale...with my youngest son. I think I know why I have a stomach ache today.

I'm pretty tired today, post memorial/travel everything. So I'm just laying low for the remainder of the day (at home now). I'll probably hit the hay early and see how I feel tomorrow for training. I really need to get back into everything, diet, training, focusing, drinking enough water....etc. Training will probably be the best thing, especially as a distraction, though I'm just not sure of my energy level.

Thanks again you guys.

[BrandyTKO]

Hi Brandy! Stumbled on your journal. I'm competing in my first show in November (16 weeks out today!), it's such a crazy process but I'm luvin it! Good luck and look forward to following your progress!

Yes crazy and fun. I'm about 11 weeks out (as of Saturday), I really have to get on with the cutting. Haven't been great about the diet and training the past 10 days or so, but I'm 10 lbs leaner this time at the start of my cut last week, so I'm hoping that will give me an advantage. Which competition are you going in. Hope you have a great time at it too!!!!

[annemarie_DJ]

Your post about your day of bad luck made me giggle. You may as well laugh, right? Sounded like you should have just had a pint at the pub after all that! I hope your spirits get better soon. Get yourself back in teh gym - even if you don't accomplish much - you'll feel better. Hang in there sister !

[BrandyTKO]

Your post about your day of bad luck made me giggle. You may as well laugh, right? Sounded like you should have just had a pint at the pub after all that! I hope your spirits get better soon. Get yourself back in teh gym - even if you don't accomplish much - you'll feel better. Hang in there sister !

It seems to be a whole string of bad luck lately, LOL. Thursday, the day of my father's memorial, my husband's laptop crashed. We were going to use it at the venue to present a video I made for Dad. So we ran over to the venue and luckily they had a spare, old but still working. Went back to the hotel to change and my husband realized he didn't have the pants to his suit. So the rest of us got ready to go and set up the video equip while my husband ran out to buy a new pair of pants to closely match his jacket and also have them hemmed an hour before the event. Did I mention the car started going on the fritz on our way to Victoria the previous day? .....Wow, I'm tired.....

Got out today for awhile and started talking to people...wow, people are out there...I think I need to get out and get away mentally from all this stuff...YEP, gym here I come...Thanks A-M. Hope you have a great weekend, sorry I don't think I'll be able to meet up with you, but if you are in my area over the weekend give me a call anyway. I'd love to hear from you.

[BrandyTKO]

My brother warned me about the little blue men. They were featured eons ago in the Twilight Zone. Not necessarily bad, but mischievous. You know when you put your keys on the counter and when you go back to get them they're not there, and then you look all over and come back to the counter where you thought you left them and there they are? That's the little blue men. I seem to have had a week of them. So from now on...a lot of things are getting blamed on them.

Well I FINALLY dragged myself into the gym, low energy, but slightly better mentally to face it. I thought it was chest day and thought I'd better take it easy when I realized that I never finished my usual routine days and still had arms to do. I sort of jumped for joy about that, one of my fave days and certainly less taxing than chest day. Did pretty good too. I ran out of steam near the end, but still squeezed in 30 mins of cardio, so all in all, YES! Progress. Hopefully back on track and ready to start this CUT and stick with it. Only 11 weeks left, ya know....before you know it its gonna be November (oh you didn't want to hear that did you?).

I am attempting the variation cycling routines that BuffyCat and Dawn use which is
1 week heavy
1 week light
1 week supersets

This is heavy week, but maybe could be heavier as I can get more than 6 reps out on some things.

Arms:
- Standing Bi Curls - 25# x 5 + 20# x 7 for 3 sets
- Neutral Grip chins - 3 and a half
- Incline Hammer Curl (arms slightly out) 20# x 4 + 15# x 4' 15# x 8 x 8
- Neutral Grip chins (again) - 3, dag nam it!!!
- Concentration Curls - 20# x 6 x 6 x 6
- CG Tri-Press with EZ Bar - 30# x 10; 35# x 10 x 10
- Tri Dips - BW x 12 x 11 x 10 (not my usual standard, but I killed them on the previous exercise)
- Elbow Extensions on Cable - 45# x 12; 50# x 9 x 8

Abs (a wild assortment of things):
- Plank pushups (toes on med ball, hands on bosu) ....well....1 set of 3 and 1 set just balancing as long as I could...sad.
- Good ol' planks - 2 sets of 1 min (there or about, counting in head)
- Reverse Crunch, toes to floor and up (bent knees) 2 sets of 20
- Decline Crunches - 3 sets of 12 (NOT going all the way to the top and CRUNCH those abs, crunch it, feel it, ow...does that hurt? Well then you're not doing it hard enough...CRUNCH, DAM IT!)

Cardio:
15 min HIIT on bike
15 min stepmill on semi-not-too-intense (level 5, slightly below midway on the stepmill scale of torture).

Diet:
Other than a small amount of skim in my coffee today (tsk!!!!) I have been good, except I didn't eat the green veg at lunch, just not hungry enough. Looking forward to eating some almonds later. Mmmmm!

Overall outcome...a sense of satisfaction, all considering. Just goes to show if you're having trouble getting back into your program the best thing to do is go out and do it. You may break that little mental barrier and start to get into it again.

Go DAWG!

[ninjinja]

Hey Brandy its been quite a while, but I thought I would check in on your journal... for some reason you popped into my head... Glad to see that you are overcoming these personal issues and back into the gym, I always do find the gym the best place to unwind from lifes stress!! Sorry for your loss!!

[dawndm]

Hey, it's so great that you're trying variation cycling....go Joan for that one! I'm loving it so far.

Hopefully your spate of bad luck has come to an end *crossing fingers*

You're so right that when you don't feel like it, just get out and do it! The gym is the one place where I can shut all thoughts out and just concentrate on my lifting. So many people ask why I do it, they can't see the sense. However it's so more than just trying to change my body. It does so much for my sense of well being and keeping a positive mind set. I just totally shut off at the gym no matter how bad I've been feeling that day. Pure concentration! My hubby always comes to the gym with me. That's a year and a half we've been going to this particular gym, we don't even speak to one another when we're there as we're so involved in our own space. I bet that half of the gym members don't even know we're together we get so caught up in our own wee worlds. Occasionally we'll spot one another but the gym is so big, usually he'll be at one end and me at the other.

I so know that I'll be lifting into old age!

[BrandyTKO]

Hey Brandy its been quite a while, but I thought I would check in on your journal... for some reason you popped into my head... Glad to see that you are overcoming these personal issues and back into the gym, I always do find the gym the best place to unwind from lifes stress!! Sorry for your loss!!

Thanks. Funny the planets must be aligned or something...I saw posters for Scatterheart a couple of days ago and was wondering how you are doing. Nice to hear from you again.

Hey, it's so great that you're trying variation cycling....go Joan for that one! I'm loving it so far.

Hopefully your spate of bad luck has come to an end *crossing fingers*

You're so right that when you don't feel like it, just get out and do it! The gym is the one place where I can shut all thoughts out and just concentrate on my lifting. So many people ask why I do it, they can't see the sense. However it's so more than just trying to change my body. It does so much for my sense of well being and keeping a positive mind set. I just totally shut off at the gym no matter how bad I've been feeling that day. Pure concentration! My hubby always comes to the gym with me. That's a year and a half we've been going to this particular gym, we don't even speak to one another when we're there as we're so involved in our own space. I bet that half of the gym members don't even know we're together we get so caught up in our own wee worlds. Occasionally we'll spot one another but the gym is so big, usually he'll be at one end and me at the other.

I so know that I'll be lifting into old age!

I certainly use lifting as a sanity saver, LOL! I'll be lifting for as long as I can as well. Wish I could get my husband interested in it, but perhaps when he has his hip replacement he'll feel more inclined to do that. I'm the same way, some people come up to me and say "you never smile, you look like you're angry" when I'm at the gym, I guess I'm just focusing, probably just listening to some angry music that makes me want to scream RAWR! and throw a 45 lb plate across the room. .....RAWR!!!! Great avi Dawn, showing some serious chest definition!!!

[BrandyTKO]

I really wanted to tear me some new biceps the other day, I've never had 2 day DOMs in my bi's before...wow, my arms feel like they are still pumped, hope they are busy growing!

Not sure that that affected my chest workout or whether it is sticking with the Scivation 1200 cal/day diet, but I was markedly weaker in my chest workout yesterday. Sort of frustrating seeing as this is supposed to be "heavy" week in the Variation Cycling Program. I'm a good 5 lbs lighter on most of my lifts and a pathetic 20 lbs lighter on the bench press, but maybe that's because it was put last on the list of exercises yesterday and everything was already burnt out. Either way I just wasn't feeling it yesterday, except for the DB and Cable Flies.

Abs:
- Weighted V-ups on Bench (holding plate) 25# x 20 x 15 x 15 (new to me but "LIKE"!)

Chest:
- Flat Bench DB Fly - wu: 25# x 15; 35# x 8 x 8 x 10 (normally I can do more reps)
- Incline Chest Press on Smith - 50# x 10; 70# x 5 x 6 x 5 (wow, sad...)
- Cable Fly - 30# x 12; 40# x 5; 40# x 2 + 30# x 10 (if there was a 35# on this machine it would have been perfect)
- Pathetic Bench Press - 50# x 5 x 7 x 7 (I was supposed to do a 4th set, but I was struggling with this and was afraid I might hurt myself so I just ended it. Last time I was doing 70# for 8 reps, hanging head in shame).

Cardio:
- 5 min warm up moderate pace
- 15 min fast walk at 4.0 on TM
- 5 min run at 5.8 on TM
I def need to get more cardio in.....

Diet:
Pretty good, except I think I'm still not getting in 1200 cals, some skipped meals/snacks. Now THAT will mess with your workouts.

Came across this video on BodyBuilding.com's 12-Week Training Program which sums up in pretty simple terms the difference on healthy eating and fat loss eating. It really helped me focus on what to avoid. I have yet to watch the whole program, but it looks quite good and lots of people have had success with it.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/12_w...iner_day32.htm

[Buffycat3]

A wise woman with a smart plan....Looks VERY Good!
I look forward in seeing your transformaion!
...thanks again for your help in my journal.

Have a great day!!

[BrandyTKO]

A wise woman with a smart plan....Looks VERY Good!
I look forward in seeing your transformaion!
...thanks again for your help in my journal.

Have a great day!!

Thanks. I enjoy your journal, best of luck to you, hope my comments are actually helpful and not annoying.

[BrandyTKO]

Go figure, I had a pathetic chest day, but a good back day. Maybe there were other factors involved in my chest day workout that made me weaker, some days just go that way.

I did pull a muscle in my abs doing T-Bar rows though, went heavier and could feel the pull, noticeable today that's for sure. Today is a rest day so at least I won't be straining it further with legs which is next up for training.

Sticking to the diet really well. I freaked out a bit when I got back from the memorial on Weds. as my weight hit 139 lbs, totally the wrong direction. Today I'm 135, whew, so the plan will be to drop another 2 lbs this coming week.

Chest Day (Heavy week1):

- Back Extension - 25# x 12 x 12 x 12 + 1 legged x 4
- Lat Pulldown - 110# x 12; 110# x 10 + 100# x 3; 110# x 7 + 100# x 5; 110# x 8 + 100# x 4 (o.k. this was all a tad lighter, but not bad)
- Seated Row - 140# x 5 (not great form here so went lighter); 130# x 7 x 6 x 6
- 1 Arm DB Row - 40# x 10; 50# x 7; 45# x 6 (50# was too heavy to give me proper range of movement, 45# was juuuuusssst right)
- Hammerstrength (low to high) - 70# x 7; 80# x 5 x 5
- T-Bar Row - 70# x 8; 80# x 5 x 5 (pulled ab muscle,dang, didn't hurt until much later)

Cardio:
- 5 min warm up
- 15 min HIIT on stat. bike.

Yes, I need to do more cardio than this, ran out of time and energy. Seems to be an issue with me when I get stressed, my energy level konks out. Hopefully that will come back soon.

Still undecided as to which category I want to enter for the comp. Figure or Bodybuilding...have to look at some pics online to see what the last year's competitors looked like, see if I have a chance.

[dawndm]

Great back workout Brandy and I can't believe how much you lift for those lat pulldowns and seated rows. Mighty strong young lady!

It must be so difficult deciding whether to go BB or figure........do you decide yourself or get someone to advise you and are you able to do both?

[BrandyTKO]

Great back workout Brandy and I can't believe how much you lift for those lat pulldowns and seated rows. Mighty strong young lady!

It must be so difficult deciding whether to go BB or figure........do you decide yourself or get someone to advise you and are you able to do both?

Thanks Dawn.

Last time my trainer decided for me and that's how he trained me for bodybuilding, so I gained a lot of muscle in a fairly short time (about 12 lbs in 9 months). Compared to the women who did bodybuilding in my competition (all 3 of us) I think I was the largest, but not the leanest. In this upcoming competition which IMO is a bit more serious, for lack of a better word, I think I'll run into some rather large muscular ladies, way more development and more years of lifting. I think I posted some links before to some of those ladies. So I think Figure may be the way to go for me, I'd have a better chance for placing/winning. I'll have to determine that closer to the date of the comp when I'm a bit leaner. Besides I won't have to do a routine...more work in an already busy time.

[BrandyTKO]

I'm going through a lot of hard things right now. Doesn't it seem that bad things all happen at once. I won't go into the details of everything other than to say that there have been more difficult things going on in my life than just the recent passing of my father.

I haven't been training at all since my back day as I have little or no energy, a constant headache and would really just rather not even get out of bed, but one has to carry on. My diet has been poor. Not full of junk food, but I'm not eating nearly enough. Yesterday I ate 2 eggs, 1/2 cup green beans and 6 almonds. I'm really not hungry from the stress. The good news is I'm losing weight still even without exercising, ha, ha. The bad news is I'm sure I'm destroying my metabolism in the process.

I'm not sure now whether I will compete and today have tried to turn over a new leaf and try to eat properly so as not to damage my metabolism. I am still sticking to the rules of the Scivation diet albiet lately not getting 1200 cals in. I am going to continue dieting as though cutting for the competition and try, try, try to get some energy and a better mental attitude to get my training done. I love it, I truly do, but right now enjoying anything is hard. If I get closer to mid-October and my situation improves and I can focus again on the competition in November then I'll go for it. Alternately, if everything is making it just too challenging to compete then I won't and I'll strive to stick to my guns, diet, training and aim to be spectacularly stellar at FAME's competition which is held here every year in March.

I was going to hit the gym today for legs....see I do have intentions to get 'er done, but something else has come up and I will have to put it aside for today.

Plug away, get your goals.

[annemarie_DJ]

Hey girl, sounds like you're having a hard time. Wish I could help. On one hand, you could try to focus on upcoming comp to help you through this difficult time, but that doesn't really seem to be working for you so far. So on the other hand, maybe you should just focus on trying to stay healthy, eat and workout - but not stress yourself about any upcoming comps. I think you just need more time, maybe lots of it. You'll be ok. This ain't easy. You have our support and we all want you to overcome your grief and continue towards your personal journey in fitness and in life in general.
Enjoy the weekend.

[BrandyTKO]

Hey girl, sounds like you're having a hard time. Wish I could help. On one hand, you could try to focus on upcoming comp to help you through this difficult time, but that doesn't really seem to be working for you so far. So on the other hand, maybe you should just focus on trying to stay healthy, eat and workout - but not stress yourself about any upcoming comps. I think you just need more time, maybe lots of it. You'll be ok. This ain't easy. You have our support and we all want you to overcome your grief and continue towards your personal journey in fitness and in life in general.
Enjoy the weekend.

Awwww thanks A-M. I'm not totally giving up on competing in Nov. but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen and I'm not going to stress myself out about that on top of everything else. I've got an itch to get back into the gym again though, so maybe tomorrow will be a fresh start. Looking forward to perhaps a weekend of making up lost time, some distractions and a bit of relaxin'.

Have a great weekend too!

[B-Neva]

i'm competing at the wickham too

[dawndm]

Brandy, at times like this, it's sometimes to better to focus on today rather than what's on tomorrow. I don't know what's up but whatever it is, getting to that gym will make you feel much better. Eating is important...I know I don't have to tell you this..but without adequate cals you'll feel even more louzy!

Nibble throughout the day if you can't face proper meals, if you can't face the gym or don't have the energy, get out for a walk at least. Fresh air and time to focus your thoughts............there's nothing better.

One day at a time! *hugs*

[Buffycat3]

Hi Brandy
I am in support in what ever you choose to do
Always have fun!

[BrandyTKO]

i'm competing at the wickham too

Hey, that is AWESOME! I'm meeting more and more people these days that are going into that comp. Hoping I can focus and get there too. You look amazing, best of luck and hopefully we'll see you at the show!

Brandy, at times like this, it's sometimes to better to focus on today rather than what's on tomorrow. I don't know what's up but whatever it is, getting to that gym will make you feel much better. Eating is important...I know I don't have to tell you this..but without adequate cals you'll feel even more louzy!

Nibble throughout the day if you can't face proper meals, if you can't face the gym or don't have the energy, get out for a walk at least. Fresh air and time to focus your thoughts............there's nothing better.

One day at a time! *hugs*

Thanks Dawn, eating has started back up again, I ate a huge dinner last night, kind of the wrong way around, usually its smaller than breakfast, but now I HAVE TO go burn it off. I sort of feel sick from it though today. Back to smaller more frequent meals, more water, more exercise, more of my favorite thing...hitting the iron. I'm getting back into the right mind set. Hopefully a whole long weekend of making up for lost time.

Hi Brandy
I am in support in what ever you choose to do
Always have fun!

Awww Joan, thanks for your support. I'm still going to aim for the competition in November, but if other things get in the way and I'm not ready for it when the time comes then I won't worry about it, in the meantime working on dropping weight (the right way, no more not eating) and keeping up with the training. I could use a few less pounds of body fat anyway, I hate that extra flub.

O.k....off to my gym for legs day...oh, it had to be legs day....a bit heavy duty for me as its usually such a major challenge, but maybe if I go hard and feel like I accomplished something it will be the best.