The GREATEST Transformation ANYONE Has EVER Seen!

[LyssieDoll88]

You read that right!!

This is my goal: To have the greatest and most shocking transformation anyone has ever seen.

I started a journal previously to document my first contest prep which was the most AMAZING experience. I am doing this one because I'm on a journey, not just going to one destination. I want to share that journey.

A bit of background:

27 years young
Originally from Chicago Illinois, currently in Scottsdale Arizona.

I had ALWAYS been fat my whole entire life. At 21 years old I was 350 pounds and had a "click" moment when I didn't fit into an airplane seat. I knew I had to change. I had bariatric surgery in 2010, I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on to learn about food, nutrition, cooking, weight lifting and fell in love with bodybuilding.

Fast forward to June 2015 and I WON my first Women's Physique Competition with the UFE.

So what's next??

February 20th I will be getting on the OCB stage here in Arizona in the Women's Physique Division. The ULTIMATE goal is to get on the WBFF stage at the Worlds in the Transformation Division and blow everyone's MINDS.

I've been working REALLY hard for this prep. I'm a bit behind I think with where I am now. I will post more at another time since I'm sure you are on Lyss overload by now.

Thank you SO much for following. Please feel free to offer any guidance, advice or suggestions!

Welcome on the journey... it's not going to be pretty...but it'll be a ****ing blast!

[BB-archeologist]

First off, congratulations on your transformation! It's been outright amazing to see how far you've come. Very, very inspiring indeed.

I will be following along. Keep up the awesome work.

[jaredmus]

Great stuff super motivating stuff!

[LyssieDoll88]

Thank you both SO much!!! I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement!

Today marks 59 days until I get on stage. First, I am NOT happy about where my physique stands right now. Saturday was my 9 week photos and I absolutely fell apart. Quitting is NOT an option. Against my better judgment I listened to a coach regarding diet changes and I made them. After two weeks my body made NO progress and I had to slap myself and remind myself that IIIII am the only one who knows my body. IIIII am the only one who knows what my body responds to the best in terms of diet.

That's the weirdness about going from bariatric surgery to bodybuilding. Doctors know everything about the surgery but nothing about bodybuilding. Coaches know everything there is to know about bodybuilding but know nothing about my surgery... so what's the answer? ME! I'M the one who has to bridge the gap.

I made the decision to go back to what I KNOW my body responds to:

Current Macros:
1,300 calories
170 grams protein
60 grams of fat
15 grams of carbs

Most of my protein sources come from chicken, fish, ground turkey and eggs
Fats are mostly almonds, olive and coconut oil and egg yolks OH and of COURSE peanut butter! DUH!
Carbs are from the greens I eat with lunch and dinner (mostly kale and broccoli)

Current split:
Day 1- Chest / Arms
Day 2- Legs
Day 3- Back and Bis
Day 4- Shoulders and Tris
Day 5- Legs
Day 6- Back / Shoulders
Day 7- REST

Current Cardio:
1 Hour fasted every AM - Switching off between intervals one day and steady state the other day
20 minutes of intervals or stairs after my lifts.

I bought a sauna suit... holy sweaty butt crack Batman!!!

Below is the progress from my 12 week check-in to my 9 week check-in. The right is at 12 weeks the left is this past Saturday.



Below is the difference between last prep and this prep. The RIGHT is 9 weeks out for my first prep. The LEFT is this past Saturday. This was the picture that crushed me. I am SO much leaner in the right photo. I am DETERMINED to bust a gut as HARD and as LONG as I can to get to a leaner physique than I was at the last show. I don't care HOW much I have to suffer, HOW uncomfortable I am or HOW hard it is going to be... is it sick that I'm actually looking forward to it?! I know I can do this.



OH and just to make my life even MORE exciting, my family and I are going on an all inclusive Mexico vacation from January 1st-9th. DON'T WORRY!!! I called ahead (being in the hotel industry myself, I pulled a few strings). They are putting a fridge and microwave in our suite, their gym is open 24 hours but if I need to use a different gym, the concierge is a power lifter and offered to take me to his gym close to the resort. Since it is all inclusive I have adjusted my diet to include mostly chicken, fish and eggs. I'm bringing ALL of my supplements. Maybe my body NEEDS this vacation. All I have to worry about is cardio, training, eating and listening to the ocean with my trashy romance novel.

59 days... not stopping and not even CLOSE to slowing down. NOW is when the hard work happens.

[LoganBrown]

Crazy good transformation Lyss. It's clear that you're on your way to doing big things in the industry with that kind of attitude and work ethic. I saw in your first post that you live in Scottsdale, Arizona? I was there a couple weekends ago for a rugby tournament! Small world. Will definitely be following along.

[LyssieDoll88]

Crazy good transformation Lyss. It's clear that you're on your way to doing big things in the industry with that kind of attitude and work ethic. I saw in your first post that you live in Scottsdale, Arizona? I was there a couple weekends ago for a rugby tournament! Small world. Will definitely be following along.

Thank you SO much LoganBrown!!! Did you love Scottsdale??? If you come back let's get a lift in!!!!

[chrismac365]

Great Log - very motivational. best of luck and I'll be following along!

[LyssieDoll88]

TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE--- HAPPY MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!! To those who don't... Happy Thursday!!!

Feeling GREAT this morning!!! Did 1 Hour on the treadmill this morning incline 15 and MPH 4.3

Today is back day after work. Gotta get it in before 2pm when the gym closes

NOT ONE SINGLE GYM IN ARIZONA IS OPEN TOMORROW!!!!!! WHAT THE EFF?!??!!? Doesn't Arizona KNOW that I am prepping for a show and don't take no stinkin off day?!???! Park workout it is!

Last night was a KILLER shoulder workout... meaning my shoulders wanted to KILL me

5 x 20 on EVERYTHING

DB Lateral Raises
DB Front Raises
DB Bent over Rear Delt Raises
Cross Crosses on Cables
Tricep Extensions
DB Shoulder Press
Smith Military Press (Behind head)
Machine Shoulder Press
Pec Dec Rear Delts
DB Tricep Extensions
Skull Crushers
Cable Lateral Raises
Trunk Twists
Rope Pull Downs (abs)
Plate Front Raises
Plate Upright Rows
Dips 3 x 100

practiced posing and headed home

Happy Holidays all!!!

[LyssieDoll88]

HAPPY HUMP DAY TO ALL!!!!!!!- Hope everyone started celebrating this morning with a little AM cardio *wink* *wink*

so a few things... follow me on this one....

1.) I decided to do a later show
2.) I am doing an INBA/ PNBA show on March 19, 2016 in Sierra Vista Arizona (Cooper Classic)
3.) Since in the INBA Women's Physique is forced to wear heels since it's more "feminine"...I'm doing Women's Bodybuilding! *GASP*
4.) I need a new plan. What I am currently doing is NOT working. I'm a bit lost and not quite sure how to fix the problem .

Below are the progress photos I took Saturday, December 26th that made me decide to switch to a later show.... compared to last weeks photos... I think I am just looking worse.





I am currently 80 days out, 12 weeks from this show. Putting in the work is NOT the issue. I give 120% of every ounce I have to this because I love it.

If there are some experts out there who could maybe offer some suggestions I would really love to hear them.

I think I might try doing a carb cycle type diet and do a small reefed on Saturday or sunday when it's leg day

Not defeated... just bummed and disappointed in myself and my body.

Thinking I NEED this vacation to regroup and come up with a brand new plan and hit the ground chuck-Norris round house kicking *shake it off... keep on pushing*


On that depressing note... happy new year people!

[NaturalPursuit]

Subbed!

I saw your thread and replied and sent you a PM

[LyssieDoll88]

GUESS WHO IS BAAAACK!!!!!!!

That's right people... I'm back in the United States... although not by choice. I tell ya... those all inclusive resorts are the WAY TO GO! We spent SEVEN days at the Hard Rock Resort in Riviera Maya and holy sweet baby Jesus on a biscuit did we ALL need it! Not just to get away from work but to just... get away. You know? Away from phone calls and voice mails and your creepy neighbor who apparently is allergic to picking up their dog's poop. I needed this vacation more than I realized.

My mind needed and my body for SURE needed it!

I needed to reboot and reset my plan, my attitude, my motivation... everything just needed a break and a fresh start. My plan going into this vacation was to LISTEN to my body and do what I KNOW my body responds to instead of thinking I know better or something I read on some generic bodybuilding post was better than what my body is capable of. I'm SO glad I decided to take this approach.

Every morning I did my cardio but increased the intensity and shortened the duration. Instead of plodding for 1 hour on the treadmill I did HIIT really BUSTING A NUT and doing 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off for 20 minutes and I also changed up the cardio sources: I ran on the beach, I swam in the water, I ran on the treadmill, bike, rowing machine... EVERYTHING I could do to keep it varied I did.

We had a GOOD breakfast every morning of eggs and fresh veggies and fresh avocado and smoked salmon. I ate GOOD wholesome food. I ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was satisfied. I found myself eating a little bit every 1.5-2 hours and my metabolism was just SUPERCHARGED.

I lifted every afternoon and kept those workouts short and intense as well. Sets of 4 x 15-20 with moderate-heavy weight and no more than 30 seconds of rest in between sets. I finally felt sore again! This was amazing!

Now.... my whole prep plan has changed.... I have NO idea if it will work but what I was doing before WASN'T and it wasn't going to magically start with the addition of a fat burner or some magic food so I decided to change it drastically.

Diet is back to paleo like I did last prep. Good, wholesome foods that are nutrient dense. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm satisfied and keep track of the food I eat during the whole day and just eat that food when I need to during the day. I stopped taking all unnecessary supplements that I wasn't even sure why I was taking to begin with, I stopped taking the fat burners and garcinia cambogia and green tea extract and just stuck to my vitamins and BCAAs. My body NEEDED the caffeine detox something fierce! If I'm going to be detoxing from caffeine... I wanted to do it in a beautiful place lol

Cardio is HIIT- short, intense and I have added 1-2 days of Insanity DVDs in there just to mix things up a little bit. On my off days from lifting (which I didn't take last prep... so this is new to me) I will use these days for yoga or zumba or OTHER forms of activity that won't totally tax my body but still are fun and active. Active rest if you will.

My split has TOTALLY changed. I decided to do more of a Push/Pull split and so far... I LOVE IT! I NEVER felt sore before no matter how heavy or how much volume I did...

The split is:
Push A
Pull A
Legs A
OFF
Push B
Pull B
Legs B
OFF

Cardio is every day 20-30 minutes of HIIT fasted in the morning and 20-30 minutes switching off between HIIT and steady state after my lift.

At the end of the day my body FEELS good. I don't know if this will be the key to a successful prep but it was what my body needed to get out of the funk I drove it into at the beginning of this prep. I feel STRONG, I feel ENERGIZED and motivated.

Here I am sitting at 9 weeks out. 65 days... I KNOW I can do this. Figuring out HOW is just part of the fun!

I took a little ab shot yesterday but progress pictures will be coming on Saturday when I am 8 weeks out and able to get them taken- I ALWAYS feel okay when I look in the mirror and then I see my progress pictures and end up totally disappointed so I need to get better at taking progress pictures to keep my mind and eye honest. (PHOTOS COMING IN LATER POST)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!!!

[LyssieDoll88]

Not TOO shabby for being on vacation for a week... and eating my own body weight in guacamole!



I mean... who would want to LEAVE this place!



Fun fact... scuba diving burns 750 calories ON AVERAGE per hour! We did TWO one hour dives.... BOOYA!



oh yeah... we ABSOLUTELY ate that shizz. That beast put up one HELL of a fight!

[glound123]

Damn that is impressive. Good job!

[NaturalPursuit]

Loving all the pictures from the trip!

[Kelpnis]

I'm really inspired reading about your journey. I'm a total novice to lifting but my hunch would be that your results are stagnating because you're doing to much and not getting recovery time. What about 1-2 rest days that are really restful with maybe just a stroll in the park to still feel active? I think you are onto something with keeping workouts brief but heavy/intense as possible. 3x100 dips??? Focus on pushing yourself to do fewer reps in something that's really challenging your body. I'm excited to see the results, you certainly have the drive.

[LyssieDoll88]

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!!!!

First, thank you ALL so much for your feedback and encouragement! I REALLY appreciate all of the amazing responses. I respect each and everyone's time and willingness to help me along the way! I have posted a few different times in the forum question and have been told that it would be good to back out of the show, reevaluate and pick a later date. Like I said, I respect EVERYONE and their input and I HAVE reevaluated...however...quitting is NOT an option. I have committed and I have set my mind to it and come hell or high water I WILL get on that stage and give it every single ounce of energy and effort I have to get there. SO... with that said! How about a few updates?

Cardio has been MUCH shorter but intense... I'm doing up to 30 minutes in the mornings of HIIT.

Lifts have been sticking to the Push/Pull/Legs routine and my body has NEVER been so sore before. I think the change up of different body parts and different movements that I'm not used to performing is really helping make a difference. Calories have also slowly climbed up to 1500 and that is where they will stay for the next two weeks. Weight has been down which is awesome!

I've been scared to do progress pictures in all honesty. ALL I know is that I'm busting my ass as HARD as I can. EVERY single cardio, EVERY single lift is done until I have nothing left. When I get on that stage even if I don't look my absolute BEST.... I will know that I gave it everything I have.

59 Days to go!

A LOT can happen in 59 days. MAGIC can happen in 59 days... people meet, fall in love and get MARRIED in 59 days! I still believe that NOTHING is impossible... I know that I am capable of incredible things... just because something might be TOUGH and REALLY HARD and I might suffer and cry and yell and throw a big old big girl hissy fit...it's NOT impossible...

Anyone can quit. That's the easy part. I've already moved my show date... I'm NOT quitting.

Yesterday was LEGS! They were AWESOME!

Squats (ASS TO GRASS) 4 x 8 @185#
superset alternate Bulgarian split squats 4 x 12 pulses @20# DBs

Leg Press 4 x 8 @ 225#
superset sumo squats 4 x 15 @ 45# plate

SL DL 4 x 8 @ 135#

Step Ups ALT 4 x 12 each @25# DB

Laying Leg Curls 4 x 12 (iso hold at the top-4 count on the way down) @ 70#

Leg Ext 4 x 8 @ 90#
superset leg ext 4 x 20 @30#
(INSANE PUMP)

Standing Calf Raises 4 x 8 @130#
superset standing calf raises 4 x 15 @ 90#

Heavy Rope Pull Downs (abs) 4 x 15 @80# (hold at bottom- full range of motion)

Glute Bridges on leg ext 4 x 20 w hold @50#

Posing practice after- with doing Women's Bodybuilding this show, I have to learn more traditional bodybuilding poses and I LOVE them! I have a LOT of work to do on posing but I love that I can watch people like Tom Platz and Frank Zane and learn from their incredible posing skills. (NO OPEN HANDS! YAY!)

Practiced a little more back posing yesterday at home- I've never been able to really see my lats before---they are starting to look okay I think!




Have a magical day!

[NaturalPursuit]

Glad to see you posting again!

In terms of the HIIT, if your doing it properly you shouldn't able to do 30 mins…have you ever tried a windgate type sprint? By FAR one of the more superior ways to do HIIT cardio.

On that back double bicep, try flaring your lats out more and pushing your scapulas OUTWARD. Detail is coming in!

[LyssieDoll88]

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!! AKA 57 DAYS!!!

Thank you SO much for the tip Alex!!! I'm not too familiar with the Wingate Method but it's worth a google so I'm going to look into that. I'm still getting used to this HIIT thing... as we all know as a former fatty I'm not very fast so even though my heart rate is sky high and I'm busting a gut with all of my effort it may not be as fast as other people go during HIIT. If there is a more efficient way to do it though... I'll try anything!

Joined a new gym here in Phoenix- Metroflex YES!!!! my old gym had no bodybuilding culture or community at all and I think it will help being in a gym with others who also compete. Since I don't really know too many people here in Arizona it'll give me a few extra pairs of eyes during posing and dear GOD I hope someone who can take my progress pictures!!!

Yesterday was technically an OFF day from lifting but I still did SOME stuff.

NO AM fasted cardio - the extra hour of sleep was AMAZING

30 minutes Stairs after work- 2 minute intervals of:
Hard, intense @ level 11
Glute Kick Backs
Side Steps
Calf Raises
started the cycle again

Then 2 mile jog on the treadmill- I've NEVER been good at running (side story- when I was in Middle School they would make us run a mile EVERY Wednesday and of course I was always the LAST one and the teacher wouldn't let us go back inside until EVERYONE was done running... so here I am waddling my way to the finish line and everyone is PISSED at me and laughing at me because I've made them all late to change for their next class. A few times my teacher made me stay until the NEXT class came just to finish the mile.) Needless to say that was traumatizing so I don't run unless I HAVE to. This prep, I've been a LOT more open minded to different types of cardio- running, rowing, stairmill, bike... I'm kind of enjoying the variety. PLUS I've included the Insanity Max 30 DVDs a few days a week for my fasted cardio and those are BANANAS! My body feels awesome after doing one of those.

After cardio I did bench press and incline press

Bench Press 2 x 20 warm up w/ bar
4 x 8 @ 95# wide grip
4 x 4 @120# wide grip
4 x 8 @ 95# wide grip
2 x 20 warm up close grip
4 x 8 @ 65# close grip

Incline Bench
4 x 20 with just the bar- FAST
4 x 8 @ 65#
1 x until failure- 45 reps with just the bar


ended up popping a blood vessel at some point during this workout... or it could have been the bathroom later... who knows...HAHA sick

Feeling great this morning! Saturday is EIGHT WEEKS OUT! I know I am a little behind but I'm going to do this. I was talking to one of the big super heavyweight dudes yesterday at the gym and he was asking about this show and why this one was different. I told him because NOW I'm a competitor and NOW I am HUNGRY to win. I didn't even realize that until the words came out of my mouth. I know what victory tastes like. I want to WIN this show. I don't want to just get on stage "oh look at me, look how much weight I lost I'm so awesome and please give me an effort trophy." NO! I'm an effing ATHLETE. I'm a competitor and I'm going to bring it.

Hopefully progress pictures this weekend even if I have to ask a homeless man!

[LyssieDoll88]

53 DAYS!!!!!! 53 DAYS PEOPLE!!!!!! DID YOU HEAR ME?!??!??!!?!?

Okay, I'm nervous to say it... BUT.... even though I'm a little bit behind... in my GUT I REALLY think I can do this! The momentum is going and it's not stopping. I have to stay CONSISTENT.

30 Minutes Fasted this morning- I've been doing the Insanity Max 30 program in the mornings. Say what you want about it but it gets my heart rate up, I sweat like a Tahitian whore in church and I don't get bored like I do plodding away on the treadmill. PLUS I love all the different movements, most of them I never even knew my body could do.

Yesterday was Push A

Bench Press
Incline Press
Decline Press
Military Press
Arnold Press
Standing Lateral Raise
John Meadows 6 Ways
Bent Over rear delts
Laying Flys
superset chest press
Chest Press Machine


Today is Pull A - weight is holding steady at 150.

Calories / Macros
1,500
190 Grams protein
75 grams fat
18 g carbs

[LyssieDoll88]

HAPPY SATURDAY... AKA 7 weeks AKA 49 days!!!!

Did a posing practice this morning at my gym and I have a LOT of work to do on posing.

It was one of those days today where I feel bloated and uncomfortable and flabby and gross. I'm sure you ALL know those days. I just don't know if I will be able to get as shredded as I need to for this show. I'm staying consistent, diet is on point, I have my last cheat meal today and maybe I just need a REALLY good poop, cheat meal (strike that...reverse it...) meal, poop and a REALLY good night of sleep.

I'm tired of blaming my job for why I'm so tired during the day. I've been working 6 day weeks, 12 hour days. Up at 5AM for fasted cardio, work all day...I try to stay standing or get up every hour to take a walk so I'm not sitting on my ass all day. Then gym by 9pm for a lift home by 11-11:30, last meal, shower and posing practice if I'm not falling asleep, crash and start all over again.

Do any other full time workers run into this during prep? How do you rework your schedule? I'd LOVE to hear your feedback! and any suggestions.

THANK YOU!!!

[Kise92]

Insane transformation - This motivates me alot! Keep up the good work, I will be following.

[NaturalPursuit]

Honestly working a full time job PLUS prep is hard..no other way around it. I don't think many others are going to be able to change their schedule, its typically just grinding it out haha

7 weeks! Excited for the final result!

[LyssieDoll88]

Yesterday was the EPIC melt down.

It was my last cheat meal and I ended up doing posing practice after I did cardio after that cheat meal and I just lost it.

I really don't know if I'm going to be ready for this show. My body is just not making progress. I went back to my prep log from last show and I was pretty much in this exact same boat during last prep but this time... I KNOW what my body is capable of. You learn something with EVERY prep and this prep... I REALLY screwed it up. It wasn't until I went on VACATION that I made the most progress...this is when people usually lose it. My body is just wired SO differently from the surgery that I don't know what to do for myself sometimes and I don't know who to reach out to. NO ONE has done this before with my specific surgery and I just figured I could do a normal diet and normal prep like everyone else and just eat smaller portions and yadda yadda... but that's not the case.

I had a VERY ugly cry last night- felt sorry for myself and today is a BRAND new day! Did 50 minutes on the stairs in my sauna suit + 20 minutes of intervals on the treadmill 15 seconds at 7.5 MPH and 30 seconds at 4.5MPH. did abs after that and then practiced poses with my sauna suit and sweats on and just held EVERY pose for 30 seconds. I'll keep increasing week by week.

47 days is NOT a long time at all

I was reading something VERY interesting about the bible and the significance of 40 days

Question: "What is the significance of ‘40 days’ in the Bible?"

Answer: The number 40 shows up often in the Bible. Because 40 appears so often in contexts dealing with judgment or testing, many scholars understand it to be the number of “probation” or “trial.” This doesn’t mean that 40 is entirely symbolic; it still has a literal meaning in Scripture. “Forty days” means “forty days,” but it does seem that God has chosen this number to help emphasize times of trouble and hardship.

I'm a big ole Jew so I don't know much about my homie Jesus but that seemed like a very interesting comment "help emphasize times of trouble and hardship."

The next 7 weeks are going to be TOUGH....

I've increased cardio to 60 minutes in the morning (40 on the stairs and 20 HIIT) and 30 minutes HIIT after my lifts

Macros are at
170 G. Protein
75 G. fat
25 g. carbs

I'm going to follow a similar training schedule to Jim Steppani's 6 week shortcut to shred and incorporate the cardio acceleration theory into my training.

I'm IN this... I'm behind, I DON'T know what the end result will look like.. but I WILL see this through. I'm taking it ONE DAY AT A TIME! If every single day is PERFECT for the next 47 days.... then that's all I can do.

[LyssieDoll88]

44 DAYS!!!!!!! Saturday will mark SIX WEEKS until the show!!!!

These past few days have been REALLY tough. I'm exhausted, my body is exhausted but I can honestly say that I have NEVER. EVER pushed myself like this before. I mean, my last prep was tough but these past two weeks have been the toughest I have ever faced before. Maybe it's because I know I'm behind. Maybe it's because I don't want to embarrass myself when I get on stage and maybe it's because I KNOW what I'm capable of. I was spreading myself WAY too thin at the beginning and I KNOW that I really screwed up this prep. All I can do is KEEP this momentum going, KEEP this dedication and perfect performance and strict EVERYTHING and do every single thing I possibly can moving forward. Learn from my mistakes, vow to never make them again and keep on moving forward. Weight has been down, I feel like I am looking leaner, but then again my eyes are not to be trusted. Posing has been going really well. After I do the stairs in the morning I get into the posing room and go through 3-4 rounds of posing in my sauna suit and sweats and hold each pose (mandatories and quarter turns) for 15-20 seconds. I have been increasing by a little bit every morning. I need to condition myself WAY better than I was last time to really be able to hold these poses. Since bodybuilding requires different poses I need to be very particular about each pose.

I'm exhausted but I'm REALLY proud of myself. This may not have been a perfect prep but it's not over yet. I still have 44 days to make magic happen.

Today is back/biceps and 30 minutes HIIT afterwards.

I'll have pictures up this Saturday after posing practice and I just HOPE that my body is making progress because damn it I'm really busting it.

[Vytis]

You're still in this. Be proud of yourself!

[sarasayshi]

I just saw your thread here and then started following you on Instagram. You are truly amazing and I am so encouraged by you. I just started doing HIIT workouts after realizing that just lifting heavy weights and eating low carb isn't helping me lost fat consistently. I absolutely hate HIIT but at this point, I am willing to do anything I can. I turn 40 in May and my goal was to get in the best possible shape by then. Well, I am not near my goal but I still have time to make a difference. Following your thread now!

[LyssieDoll88]

I just saw your thread here and then started following you on Instagram. You are truly amazing and I am so encouraged by you. I just started doing HIIT workouts after realizing that just lifting heavy weights and eating low carb isn't helping me lost fat consistently. I absolutely hate HIIT but at this point, I am willing to do anything I can. I turn 40 in May and my goal was to get in the best possible shape by then. Well, I am not near my goal but I still have time to make a difference. Following your thread now!

Thank you SO much for following along Sara and for your incredible words! HIIT feels like that love/hate relationship doesn't it?!?! I HATE it while I'm doing it and BEFORE I do it... I seriously am more excited about a colonoscopy prep than HIIT but after... GAH! my body feels SO good and I feel so proud and my heart, lungs and body feels so much better for doing it! It's a sick twisted relationship hahahaaaaa you look AMAZING!!! You are closer to your goal than you think! Keep kicking your ass!

[LyssieDoll88]

You're still in this. Be proud of yourself!

THANK YOU!!!!!

I'm SO glad you found this new journal! Your support and encouragement through my last prep was amazing and I am really grateful for everything you said to me along the way!

[LyssieDoll88]

That's right!!!

I updated my blog yesterday as well

http://www.fitnfabulyss.com/

I talked a LOT about self-reflection. Give it a gander and let me know what you think!

I'm feeling pretty good. Body is tired, I'm tired and hungry but I'm starting to see the changes in my physique! Things are WORKING! I think the FOCUS and INTENTION on every single workout has made the difference.

Diet has been ON POINT! Thursday, I was a little behind on my meals (I got a talking to at work about how my foods smell- egg whites, broccoli so now I have to eat my meals in my car). I can't always step away from my desk so I've been making it work. I was a bit behind on Thursday but caught up in the afternoon. No cheat meals this weekend or for the rest of prep but I DID have one serving of trailmix after legs yesterday.

I have been having NO swelling issues like last prep in my feet/ankles. I haven't cut out salt at all so that might be making the difference. Water is still 1.5-2 gallons per day. I am not taking the Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite this prep because I'm not 100% sure if it is Kosher. I checked all of the ingredients and compared them to the WADA list and it didn't look like anything was banned but you never know.

I've been taking Green Tea Extract, Caffeine and Yohimbine in the mornings and afternoons and I don't have ANY tummy issues like I do when I take the droxy.

Yesterday was Legs
Did 1 hour of cardio in the morning (I did TWO of the insanity max 30 DVDs one right after the other...HOLY sweaty crack batman)
Then I had posing practice
then 30 minutes on the bike
5 minute warm up
20 minutes of Tabata style intervals- 20 seconds balls to the wall/10 seconds slow recovery
5 minute cool down

Legs
- Laying leg curls (3 slow controlled reps- 3 quick pumps)
- Vertical Leg Press
- Squats
- Standing Calf Raises
- Abductors
- Adductors
- Leg Extensions
- Walking Lunges
- Farmer Walks carrying 45s

Today I had to work all morning so I did Tabata Max 30 this morning
after work will be Chest/Arms and 1 hour on the treadmill at an incline and 3.8 MPH (squeezing my butt cheeks for extra OOMPH!)
THEN!!! I'm being featured on a TV show on ******** about my transformation!

If you can, please tune in! It will be GREAT!!!

https://blab.im/jeremy-reid-fitness-...-special-guest



Below is the progression of prep....
From far left- Right (16 weeks out, 10 weeks out, 7 weeks out, 6 weeks out)

[NaturalPursuit]

Bring it home!

Post show focus on a SLOOOW reverse and you'll bd golden! Staying at a lower bf% overtime will help tightening up some lose skin and will make your next prep easier.