Laser Focus

[shesprints]

So I met Rachel's parents (and her identical twin sister... yeah that was mildly disorienting, but they don't actually look identical and have different hair and mannerisms) and it went well. WHEW. We went to a small, casual Italian restaurant and I ordered something quite healthy/small--mussels in broth. There's little to no fat that actually adheres to the mussels and they're pure protein so I ate them as a kind of predinner snack then had some more food at home to hit my macros. So it wasn't weird at all and I'm so glad I went. Her family seems great. Plus I got to spend time with her the day before her marathon.


My workout today was the usual open mat at jiu jitsu. The upper belts are so helpful! So many of them gave me great tips. It's such a supportive atmosphere there... I love it. It makes me want to do well in the tournament not only for myself but so I can live up to their expectations and reward all the help they've given me.

BJJ--2 hours
Level 1 gi
Clinch to knee reap w hand: take underhook hand and cross it to block knee while pulling them toward overhook side keeping sleeve grip.
Closed guard to arm bar
Keep hips high and make sure to get a good cross grip with fingers in not thumb! Bite knee in deep. Put other knee over their head if they try to posture up
If they pull out arm try triangle

Open mat
8-9 x 5 min rounds
Worked x guard to double x and actually got it a few times but need to work on not kicking them away. Keep control. Worked on back takes as well. A purple belt reminded me to hold the choke longer in competition as they won't want to tap. Got wing choke and also RNC and one triangle though that was clumsy. Worked on smash passing. Need to work more on freeing leg from half guard. Decent session overall and while I feel somewhat under the weather it isn't as bad as yesterday.


Food...

Breakfast 8:30am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
7 oz broc****
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
4 oz pineapple
4.16 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Intraworkout snack 11:30am
6 oz potato w/ salt (yes I ate this between jiu jitsu class and the open mat lol it worked I felt really great, will prob repeat this again!)

Lunch 2:30pm
15.4 oz cauliflower rice
4 oz onion
5.3 oz 99% lean turkey
3 oz avocado
2 cups vegetable soup

Dinner out 7:30pm
about 25 mussels steamed in tomato broth

Post-dinner dinner 10:30pm
11.29 oz cucumber
4 oz 2% cottage cheese
3 oz avocado
2 x wasa crackers
9.8 oz strawberries
400mg magnesium

1840 cal, 230C/131P/55F


I purposefully ate a big lunch so I wouldn't be hungry while out and feel compelled to eat a full meal out where I couldn't measure and control what I was consuming. I know restaurants add a ton of oil and sugar and etc. Mussels felt like a super safe bet, though, especially since they're cooked in the shell so like what's gonna happen you know? They're also low in calories and high in protein.

Hm, I think I'm going to make those myself for me and Rachel. Thing is last time I cooked mussels it was for my ex. But whatever, it's been enough time.

[shesprints]

Weights today so my body can get some movement variety. I switched deadlifts with high pulls due to my trainer's advice not to do the super heavy lifts in these 2 precompetition weeks. Also feeling mad beat up. Did extra stretching today as well as some extra headstand and handstand practice. I'm also glad I get today to recover from some of the bruising on my shins--for some reason I keep getting horrible shin bruises like ???? this is BJJ not muay thai, not sure where they come from. Hooks maybe, since I'm playing more x guard, but not sure. Could be people kicking at my shins when I try to pass maybe.

Weights
5 min jog (.6 miles, 10:00-6:00 pace)
foam roll
stick overpass, alter overpass
frog stretch
overhead squat on upside down bosu

Snatch high pull 50, 55, 65, 70, 75 x 5 each
OHP 45, 50, 55, 60 x 10 each

BB reverse lunge 65 x 2, 75 5 x 4
DB incline press 20, 22.5, 27.5, 32.5 x 8 each

Back extension 4 x 10
Tricep extension 20, 20, 25, 30 x 12 each

Assisted pullups -70 4 x 10
Handstand walkouts out from and into wall 3 x 3

Prehab:
1-leg calf raises 3 x 10
IYT 3 x 10
TKE 3 x 20

Abs:
Toe touch 3 x 20
Reverse crunch 3 x 20
Plank 3 x 45

Headstand 3 x 20 seconds
Bridge 2 x 45 seconds

Stretch 10 min

That all took awhile but whatever, I'm trapped in my house by the NYC marathon. Soon I'll head to the finish line to meet Rachel, who is on pace for a sub-5:00 marathon like she wanted. I think she'd have preferred to be a bit closer to 4:00, but given her stress fracture quite recently, her goal is just to finish in one piece. She is a lot saner than I am even though she's similarly into ridiculous amounts of activity (her soccer league has championships this Wednesday... three days after her marathon).

Will post food later but it's pretty much the same as it's been for the past month lol

ETA food

Breakfast 7:30am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
7 oz kale
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
4 oz fat free Greek yogurt
4 oz pineapple
3.39 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Preworkout snack 10:30am
4 oz cottage cheese
6 oz potato

Lunch 1:30pm
4 oz onion
5.3 oz 99% lean turkey
2 oz avocado
2 x wasa crackers
2 cups vegetable soup

Dinner 9:30pm
13.5 oz cauliflower rice
4.3 oz green beans
5.5 oz cod
3.7 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1850 cal, 230C/147P/49F


Will likely eat more tomorrow due to BJJ for 3 hours. More potatoes intraworkout probably. The women in the locker room approve so hey!

[shesprints]

Well, didn't turn out to be able to do the private lesson today. Drilled anyhow, it was good. Just basic stuff, no time to practice anything fancy for the comps but guard pulling is always good to put more time into with IBJJF rules.

I'm feel really too run down and exhausted, and I can't keep up this pace... likely weights are going to go on hold or severely cut between now and competition. I am supposed to meet with the trainer tomorrow but requested light on legs because my legs are so dead. I'm also probably just drained... in training today all of the huge male upper belts seemed to give me a beat down, which is as it should be to prepare for competition but still painful when I'm this fatigued. I dunno.

I took two advil and drank extra coffee before training, too, so now my stomach is also killing me.

BJJ--2 hours
Drill session
Guard pull to tripod sweep
Grip breaks
Showed partner how to anaconda choke

Advanced 1 gi
Leg press partner x 30
Guard pass after Granby roll drill
Regular training 7-8 x 5 min
Got smashed by upper belts a lot
And yelled at by the instructor when I started to take a break because I have a competition soon
I like that so I'm happy I put in a lot of effort
But I am very physically drained especially my legs.

The good news is my one roll with a blue belt guy closer to my size felt really easy in comparison to the rest lol

Food... am also going to try to actually pack a snack of cucumber and mixed nuts for later as I don't get home until 9:30. I'm just so headachy and exhausted.

Breakfast 8:25am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
5.15 oz kale
4.4 oz green beans
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
5 oz pineapple
4 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Preworkout snack 10:25am
4 oz cottage cheese
6 oz potato

Postworkout meal/lunch 3:25pm
2 cups vegetable soup
3 oz chicken breast, 2 oz chicken thigh
6 oz apple


Weird but true fact: I think of apples as "junk food" because they are so sweet and not, to me, particularly satiating. They seem to make me want to eat more. Anyway, though, today I had a craving for one and had a small one cut up. I figured some more carbs postworkout weren't a terrible idea.

[phoenix4444]

I got a good chuckle about the apple while I am presently eating oreo's.

[shesprints]

I got a good chuckle about the apple while I am presently eating oreo's.

Geez, I haven't had an oreo in... a long time! I remember not liking the filling much. The cookie part is the best. I also find it so interesting that oreos are black because of an error with early cocoa processing that they tried to correct, but then people enjoyed the dark color so much they kept it.

I can sympathize with your stomach issues today, too, though mine are likely because I have some sort of sickness. I feel so lousy... no wonder I wanted to sit out a round at BJJ. I'm not well. Stomach hurts like heck, head hurts, throat hurts, feel hot and tired. Hope I don't throw up. I did eat dinner but kind of regret it.

Dinner 8:05pm
4 oz chicken breast
5 oz broc****
3 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
5.25 oz blackberries
400mg magnesium
15mg zinc

1790 cal, 229C/140P/46F

Only ate dinner so I could sleep through the night... I can't sleep if my blood sugar is too low, it wakes me up. But I feel so gross. Lying flat on my back with a cup of tea right now and my laptop on my stomach generating warmth.

I feel so bad. no wonder I got smashed today and next time I go I'm going to prove my energy to the instructor. He's hard on the competitors and I want to live up to it so badly. So frustrated rn. I have an absolutely chit immune system and i DO NOT KNOW WHY.

[thehobbes]

Weird but true fact: I think of apples as "junk food" because they are so sweet and not, to me, particularly satiating. They seem to make me want to eat more. Anyway, though, today I had a craving for one and had a small one cut up. I figured some more carbs postworkout weren't a terrible idea.

Rule of thumb... junk food is weak and breaks easily if you hit someone with it - chips, cookies, pie. Healthy food is strong and solid AND a good weapon - apples, a watermelon, a Cornish hen, a sack of oatmeal. The government made a hypothetical pyramid regarding this, the healthy stuff is on the bottom solidly holding everything else up.

[shesprints]

Rule of thumb... junk food is weak and breaks easily if you hit someone with it - chips, cookies, pie. Healthy food is strong and solid AND a good weapon - apples, a watermelon, a Cornish hen, a sack of oatmeal. The government made a hypothetical pyramid regarding this, the healthy stuff is on the bottom solidly holding everything else up.

I'm not sure about that. Have you ever attempted assault with frisee lettuce? Not all that effective. Whereas pie is actually quite a traditional projectile.
'
Good theory though.

[shesprints]

DAY OFF today as I still felt sick. Food was a bit off from usual as my stomach was bothering me most of the early part of the day. Feeling somewhat better now! WHEW.

Had a nice 6-month anniversary with the GF. Low-key. She gave me a beautiful red rose bouquet and some coffee beans from the coffee place where we had our first date (I'm so touched omg) and I gave her the butterfly wing necklace I bought last week. She found it hilarious that my first comment on it was "it died of natural causes." (The butterfly, that is). I wound up eating after I got home. Just easier to prep food myself and she doesn't mind that we don't eat dinner together.

Breakfast 8:30am
8 oz fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
20g unsalted mixed nuts
4.3 oz pineapple
4 oz unsweetened almond milk

Lunch 2:55pm
2 cups vegetable soup
4 oz chicken thigh
3 x light rye cracker

Snack before date 4:55pm
4 oz 2% cottage cheese
9 oz apple

Dinner 11:15pm
14.7 oz cauliflower
6 oz cod
4 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium
15mg zinc

1755 cal, 210C/128P/57F

Feel somewhat better now... will see if I feel up to training tomorrow.

Good news is I found a place I can train on Saturday in Ithaca so that's nailed down. We have nice weekend plans! I'm happy.

[LunaLifts]

... I refuse, however, to get bottled lemon juice. Ew. Sticking with the real fruit. Fun fact: back in the day before we knew what vitamins were and only knew that something in lemons or limes prevented scurvy, the British decided to be more economical and store not fresh limes but lime juice in copper pipes on their ships. Guess what happened? Scurvy came back. lol. I'm in no danger of scurvy as obviously I eat a ton of fresh food, but still!

It's definitely not as good for use in cooking, but it does well enough to keep my avocados green. Works in a pinch since my options suck, lol.

SO GUYS BIG NEWS
I decided to compete at the New York Open IBJJF tournament November 17-18. So I'm going to be doing that! My nutritionist weighed me and said that I'm well under the limit for the medium heavy class, so I registered for that. I won't have to cut water or anything.
Part of the reason I registered is a friend of mine from the academy, a brown belt, heavily hinted that they want to give me my blue belt next promo so I should compete as a white belt now. I'm not sure about that--I feel like maybe 4 stripe white belt fits better--but idk, we'll see. Either way it's good for me to compete.

That's so awesome! I'm sure you'll kick ass and have an awesome time. I think it's like PL competing in that you may as well jump right in, enjoy the experience, meet new people (and beat them up), etc. No downsides.

DAY OFF today. Really needed, because I'm very exhausted and honestly slept in between work, could barely drag myself off the couch. I may take my nutritionist's note to eat a bit more on heavy training days, because I do feel so drained. Feel a bit better now but by no means 100%. We'll see.

I didn't think you had those.
I'm only kidding a little, as active as you are, it's hard to imagine you taking some (well earned) rest. lol

So I met Rachel's parents (and her identical twin sister... yeah that was mildly disorienting, but they don't actually look identical and have different hair and mannerisms) and it went well. WHEW. We went to a small, casual Italian restaurant and I ordered something quite healthy/small--mussels in broth. There's little to no fat that actually adheres to the mussels and they're pure protein so I ate them as a kind of predinner snack then had some more food at home to hit my macros. So it wasn't weird at all and I'm so glad I went. Her family seems great. Plus I got to spend time with her the day before her marathon.

Congrats! That's quite the step! I'm glad it went well.

Ew to mussels though, I can't deal with bivalves they're like boogers. Good source of low calorie protein, but so slimy.

[shesprints]

It's definitely not as good for use in cooking, but it does well enough to keep my avocados green. Works in a pinch since my options suck, lol.

That's so awesome! I'm sure you'll kick ass and have an awesome time. I think it's like PL competing in that you may as well jump right in, enjoy the experience, meet new people (and beat them up), etc. No downsides.

Well, one potential downside is that I could break my elbow and be out of training for three months, which happened to one girl I talked to... but I'm not letting that happen. I'll tap even if it hurts my pride.

I didn't think you had those.
I'm only kidding a little, as active as you are, it's hard to imagine you taking some (well earned) rest. lol

Congrats! That's quite the step! I'm glad it went well.

Ew to mussels though, I can't deal with bivalves they're like boogers. Good source of low calorie protein, but so slimy.

LOL I don't know what kind of mussels you've been eating, but the kind I eat are NOT slimy. Only raw oysters and so on are actually slimy. Mussels have a pleasantly dense texture, like hard-boiled eggs. Slimy, hmph.

I actually took two whole rest days counting today. I mean, I did some basic stretching, mobility, and accessory stuff at home just because my shoulders were getting achy and I wanted to move.


Random stuff at home--
IYT 3 x 10
Band pullaparts palms up 3 x 20
Single leg balance to tree to warrior three, 3 x 3
Bridge and reach x 10
Leg walk overhead
Headstands x 3
Stretching


Food... just three meals, not a huge appetite. A bit better than yesterday though.

Breakfast 9:25am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
3.8 oz onion
6 oz green beans
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
4 oz pineapple
4 oz unsweetened almond milk
15mg zing
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Lunch 2:00pm
2 cups vegetable soup
4 oz onion
5.3 oz 99% lean turkey
25g unsalted mixed nuts

Dinner 8:15pm
16 oz cauliflower puree/soup w/ ICBINB and buttermilk
4 oz green beans
4 oz asparagus
1/2 tsp olive oil
8 oz cooked polenta
1 T teriyaki
6 oz Chilean sea bass
400mg magnesium
5.5 oz pineapple

1720 cal, 205C/141P/44F

My appetite is definitely a lot lower, that's the bright side of this sickness. However, I would prefer not to be sick. I HOPE HOPE HOPE I get better tomorrow and can trainnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

[Fiction2Fitness]

Been meaning to comment for a while, so easy to fall behind since you post so often. Glad things worked out with meeting the peeps and with the 6 month anniversary. The necklace sounded perfect.

It it interesting how are you are of the body and how the different foods affect you. I could eat 1000 calories or 2000 and work out either way with not much of a difference. I don't notice any changes for when eating carbs or fats of anything like that. Wish I had more of that in tune ability.

Hope you feel better soon.

[phoenix4444]

Yah to two days off to rest. It is odd that you get sick so often. Has that always been the case or a more recent development?

[LunaLifts]

Well, one potential downside is that I could break my elbow and be out of training for three months, which happened to one girl I talked to... but I'm not letting that happen. I'll tap even if it hurts my pride.

Well, you got me there, that is quite the downside. I'm sure that you know well enough to know how to be safe, and when to tap out. You'll probably just get some bruises.

LOL I don't know what kind of mussels you've been eating, but the kind I eat are NOT slimy. Only raw oysters and so on are actually slimy. Mussels have a pleasantly dense texture, like hard-boiled eggs. Slimy, hmph.

Tbh, I haven't eaten them. I'd seen people eat various things out of shells, and it looks like someone slurping snot. I never had an issue with boiled eggs though, and mussels are technically vegan (bivalves have no nervous system/pain, and no sentience, so there's no harm done). Maybe I'll give them a go sometime, but like in a soup or something so I can eat around them if I hate them, lol.

[shesprints]

Been meaning to comment for a while, so easy to fall behind since you post so often. Glad things worked out with meeting the peeps and with the 6 month anniversary. The necklace sounded perfect.

It it interesting how are you are of the body and how the different foods affect you. I could eat 1000 calories or 2000 and work out either way with not much of a difference. I don't notice any changes for when eating carbs or fats of anything like that. Wish I had more of that in tune ability.

Hope you feel better soon.

Yeah dude, no need to post in here all the time. I just like to keep a log of all my food right now so I can look back and see how I feel... that's part of how I develop the awareness you're talking about. As for my "in tune ability," I think in part I engage in such regular hard cardio in BJJ that I'm sensitive to levels of glycogen depletion, especially while in a deficit, because I feel it in how I recover and perform daily. Your exercise seems to be lower-intensity cardio and then heavy weights with decent rest time, so you likely don't deplete your glycogen as much. It's just different training modalities. Your way is probably better for easy fat loss, whereas I'm always struggling with either energy levels or hunger. But that's OK; I like training intensely so to me, it's worth it. I actually wonder if the intensity of my training creates a depletion effect similar to fasting... something I've wondered since thinking about phoenix's OMAD routine.

Yah to two days off to rest. It is odd that you get sick so often. Has that always been the case or a more recent development?

I dunno. I hope it isn't boring to read about me constantly whining about being sick. It's been at least a few years of struggling with this seemingly poor immune system. It might have something to do with my job, since I'm around teenagers all the time and might pick up their germs, but I should have acclimated by now. It could just be that I have a weak immune system no matter what I do. And, like, I eat pretty perfectly and get enough sleep, so I'm not sure what more I can do except perhaps cut down on my workouts somewhat, as I have always had a tendency to overtrain.

Well, you got me there, that is quite the downside. I'm sure that you know well enough to know how to be safe, and when to tap out. You'll probably just get some bruises.


Tbh, I haven't eaten them. I'd seen people eat various things out of shells, and it looks like someone slurping snot. I never had an issue with boiled eggs though, and mussels are technically vegan (bivalves have no nervous system/pain, and no sentience, so there's no harm done). Maybe I'll give them a go sometime, but like in a soup or something so I can eat around them if I hate them, lol.

:P I had a feeling you hadn't tried them when you described them as "slimy." Only raw bivalves/mollusks are slimy, and mussels are not traditionally eaten raw. I don't like raw oysters myself; I find them gross! My brother likes them, though. But yeah, cooked for me, all the way. And don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Smoked mussels are also pretty gd delicious. Clam chowder is pretty good too, and not slimy either.

Yeah, the instructor I talked to said to treat competition like a roll with one of my class rivals and not to be too nervous or elevate it into something too major. It's just one fight, after all, and not life or death. I'm only so anxious because it's my first one, but I'll try to be zen day-of. I always fought nerves on race days as well. But once I settled in I was okay.


Level 2 gi
Side control to arm bar: collect same side to pant and use it to push their hip over. Get up on your toes and shove their arm up with your hip. Knee on belly and then capture far wrist and swing leg over. Swing other leg over their head and sit back with their arm for arm bar.
OR triangle from top if their head comes up: swing leg all the way around and shin over head. Pass their arm and either triangle from top or roll to back to finish.

2 x 3 min start from side control
4 x 5 min regular training
Partnered with a newer guy about my dad's size and age and completely destroyed him. Very satisfying. Swept him a lot, took the back, took mount etc. Rolled with another white belt, 1 blue, 2 purple. Need to work on moving more slowly and thoughtfully and establishing position even if I'm nervous. (As happens with larger much higher belts). The large purple belt I rolled with said I was like a kid with toys--I'd get to a position, then get tired of it and throw it away moving on to the next. That's really something I do more with the large guys because I think to myself "they can just get out of this any time." Ah well. In general, training is going well, still good feedback, but it remains to be seen if it'll translate to the competition.

Note: part of the reason I was so happy to be able to beat the guy my dad's age and size is that my dad really got on my nerves last night talking about how trans people don't deserve the focus they're getting right now, they only get murdered and enter sex work because of their own bad choices, and LGBTQ+ people haven't been discriminated against for many years and gay marriage wasn't a big deal because his friends have been together 30 years without getting married! UGH. Then he said "You and Rachel aren't married anyway." But that isn't the point; I feel like my relationship is more legitimate because we live in a world where that is possible. I was really pissed off. So, yeah, I took that out on my sparring partner. :P


Food so far (haven't had lunch yet)

Breakfast 7:30am
1 egg
3 egg whites
6 oz asparagus
4 oz pineapple
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
4 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Preworkout snack 10:30am
4 oz cottage cheese
6 oz potato

ETA Lunch 2:35pm
2 cups vegetable soup
6 oz cod
2.5 oz avocado
2 x wasa crackers



Also ETA that I just learned belt ceremonies are December 5th. God I'm so scared.

[thehobbes]

Also ETA that I just learned belt ceremonies are December 5th. God I'm so scared.

You got this. Any time I'm nervous about stuff like that I think back to that deodorant commercial with the guy in the bathroom straightening his tie getting ready to go into a presentation. He's got his deodorant on and he's ready to KILL IT. Very relatable as most of my endeavors are very sweaty. Anyways that badass music plays and he's like fuk yeah motherfukkers I got this! And he dominates it. Find your inner deodorant guy and be that guy, HELL YEAH MO-FOS!!

[shesprints]

You got this. Any time I'm nervous about stuff like that I think back to that deodorant commercial with the guy in the bathroom straightening his tie getting ready to go into a presentation. He's got his deodorant on and he's ready to KILL IT. Very relatable as most of my endeavors are very sweaty. Anyways that badass music plays and he's like fuk yeah motherfukkers I got this! And he dominates it. Find your inner deodorant guy and be that guy, HELL YEAH MO-FOS!!

LOL bro you may not understand what belt ceremony is. I don't have to do anything. It's just a bunch of us sitting around until they award us our stripes or the next belt up. I don't have any expectations going into this one. I did for last time and I was disappointed because I just got one stripe, and this time I'm trying to be zen about it.

Been watching some Flograppling coverage of our academy and I'm so proud to train there. A belt from where I train is worth a lot--even a stripe is--so whatever happens I'll be grateful this time.

Also, Matheus Diniz is fighting Gordon Ryan this weekend and I'm excited to watch, because I have quite a lot of money riding on it (paying for a private lesson at my friend's academy if I lose).

Other crazy news: Marcelo might be going back to competition. This is amazing since he's been retired for 6 years. Whaaaaat. He hasn't specified when though.


.... also, dinner.

Dinner 8:25pm
14 oz cauliflower rice
4 oz avocado
2.5 oz sea bass
5.7 oz cod
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1860 cal, 209C/161P/53F

A little high in protein because I had a random amount of leftover sea bass but that's OK.

[shesprints]

Heading up to Ithaca in a minute. Going to prelog dinner since it's all packed anyway.

Breakfast 8:25am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
6 oz broc****
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
4.1 oz pineapple
4.2 oz unsweetened almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Preworkout snack 10:30am
4 oz cottage cheese
6 oz potato

Postworkout meal/lunch 2:00pm
3.5 oz onion
4.4 oz broc****
4.4 oz egg whites
1.2 oz chicken thigh
1.75 oz chicken breast
2 cups vegetable soup

Dinner prelog
12.28 oz cucumber
6 oz turkey
3.17 oz whole wheat sourdough bread
1.5 oz lettuce
2.5 oz tomato
4 oz avocado
400mg magnesium

Yeah that sandwich is 100% going to fall apart. But that's OK.
that should leave me with 1880 cal, 217C/162P/47F
which is fine


Workout today was better... I feel a bit more recovered, which is great news. Throat still a little sore but my energy is higher.

BJJ--1 hour
Level 2 nogi
Double leg x from:
1. Butterfly hooks to sweep overhead and come in underneath to get their foot over your shoulder and hand over knee then extend feet for x
2. From half guard knee shield, underhook leg and swim arm in under their armpit then hip escape out behind and get in feet for x.
To finish, grab far posted wrist and come up to side control.
OR if you lose their wrist kick their leg away to get weight off you and come up with head UP and hands above their knee on the captured leg. Drive to finish.
OR if they take hands off the mat switch to wider legs and sweep them backwards.

2 min positional start
3 x 5 min regular training
Passed guard a bit and took the back twice but also let 2 people take my back (one a high level brown belt and one a white belt I let get a jump on me as I wasn't expecting her to go all out--next round I got back on top w her so that's good)
I escaped an arm bar! Whew
I also got to the x guard position we practiced in class yay
Decent training but didn't get any submissions so I feel a bit meh
Always prefer to get at least one submission
Otherwise it's like sex where nobody comes


I'm 100% srs on that last part, don't look at me :P
But I am glad we worked on double leg X, it's something I'd been struggling to nail and the entry from knee shield half guard was VERY useful. Going to try that out ASAP.

Ok bye!

[shesprints]

In Ithaca! This means I am not measuring food quantities exactly, because I'm with my girlfriend staying at her parents' house and that would be weird. However, I am pretty good at eyeballing and my estimations are probably fairly accurate.

Breakfast 8:30am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
onion, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
about 6 oz potatoes (microwaved plain)
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
2 x fish oil
1 x multi (brought these with me)

Lunch/postworkout 2:45pm (from Farmer's Market!)
5ish oz grass fed chuck
1.5 cups romanesco cauliflower/broc****
onions and mushrooms cooked in 1 tsp butter + 1 tsp oil (for the whole pan, I had about 1/3)
16ish oz butternut squash plain baked

Snack out at nut festival 4:00pm
2 roasted chestnuts, 1 hickory nut

Dinner at sushi place 7:30pm
3 cups steamed mixed vegetables
1 cup plain brown rice
3ish oz mackerel
3ish oz tuna (ordered appetizer portions of these)
about 2 TBSP ponzu sauce (not the sugary kind, just soy with vinegar)

~1880 cal, 238C/131P/52F

Pretty much what I normally get

Jiu jitsu went great too. There were only two people at the gym (!) the purple belt instructor for the day and his blue belt girlfriend. His lesson was really good, actually, clear and easy to understand. And I got to roll with each of them twice.

BJJ--1 hour
BJJ at SAS Ithaca
Coyote guard (half guard sweeps; start by coming up and grabbing far pant leg low down elbow tucked. If they whizzer go to grab pant at knee and sweep. If they post hands go back and come up to take back. If they stand, dive under to deep half.)
Key is to stay on elbow and not immediately go deep half. Look up Lucas Leite.
Also tip for knee cut: grab their pant with palm up and also grab belt or pant on other side. Head pressure, walk legs around as they sit through, and pressure them over to side control.

Free rolls 4 x 5 min
2 with blue belt woman (took back and triangled her, took side control, generally dominated) and 2 with purple belt man who gave me good resistance but didn't crush me and let me work some single to double x.

Okay now off to watch Kasai pro with the GF!

[thehobbes]

LOL bro you may not understand what belt ceremony is. I don't have to do anything. It's just a bunch of us sitting around until they award us our stripes or the next belt up. I don't have any expectations going into this one. I did for last time and I was disappointed because I just got one stripe, and this time I'm trying to be zen about it.

LMAO I legit thought it was some fighting event where like 5 guys dropped out of the ceiling and you had to battle them all. Now that you mention that about the first one I remember. You'll be alright. I have no experience being zen about anything lol but I'm sure you'll be fine.

Have fun in Ithaca!

[shesprints]

LMAO I legit thought it was some fighting event where like 5 guys dropped out of the ceiling and you had to battle them all. Now that you mention that about the first one I remember. You'll be alright. I have no experience being zen about anything lol but I'm sure you'll be fine.

Have fun in Ithaca!

We had a lot of fun! Went hiking, apple picking, watched Kasai last night which was SO COOL our guy won overall and another guy from our gym won a superfight so basically was amazing and I understood SO MUCH MORE of what was going on, and so did Rachel since I've taught her stuff it was neato. She says she'll have fun spectating my fight too.

Food was again a bit haphazard because we had brunch out with her mom and little brother at this tiny diner that had few options. My carb was whole wheat toast and I had a few pieces of bacon because why not.

Brunch 10:30am
about 6 oz egg whites
about 3/4 cup of vegetables in the omelet
plus about 1 TBSP oil to cook them
3 pieces bacon
2 small pieces whole wheat toast plain

Snack/apple picking 12:30
random bites of apples, maybe 12 oz total being generous?
3 oz of raspberries we found growing late along the path

Lunch 3:30pm
half a bell pepper and 3/4 of a raw cucumber
about 5 oz chicken breast
leftover quarter cup of mushrooms and onions
about 5-6 oz romanesco cauliflower
about 12 oz butternut squash

Dinner after got back to NYC 10:45pm
5.5 oz canned pink salmon
2 oz avocado
2 x wasa crackers
2 cups vegetable soup
400mg magnesium

1880 cals (approx), 226C/138P/58F

Satisfied that my eating is on track despite the lack of measuring for a few meals. Again, I consider my big "cheat" eating bites of apples in a nonstructured way while apple picking. I wasn't overly hungry (I did wake up hungry on Sunday but it was fine) and I stayed on track with my whole foods concept.

Feel pretty good, not too much appetite due to all the travel but did get some movement in with the hike and the apple picking. It was not a tough hike as Rachel's still recovering from the marathon last weekend but it was fun anyway, saw a cool waterfall.

I'm glad we got along so well on the trip. I like traveling with her, she's a great planner and very laid back and easy about changing plans on the fly too, which is a fantastic trait. We're talking about going to Italy next summer. That means I'll get to find jiu jitsu there.

Back to the grind tomorrow, ready to hit it hard.

[shesprints]

Good training day today. Hit it hard with three hours of BJJ and as the nutritionist requested ate about 200 extra calories (she wanted me to eat even more than that but shhhhhh). Worked on takedowns in the gi and feel moderately confident, I think, that I have several options ready to go on the day of.

BJJ--3 hours
Private lesson
Triangle review (to set up close legs behind shoulder! Then grab shin. Keep their head down and collar tie with arm on opposite side of the side your feet will cross. Also block their other arm from coming up. Then to finish hook under arm and grab own knee. Heels down.)
Standup: swing single. Do this if you can bring elbow down over theirs and force them to step their left leg forward. Drop and spin BACKWARDS and come up on single to treetop (that means getting their ankle instead of their knee to really put them off balance) then use forearm/elbow to twist their knee and finish the takedown.
If they rush you drop to double leg.
If they stiff arm and keep distance then pull guard foot on hip first and spin other way. Pull them into guard or triangle.
10 min live training some standup some from closed guard

Level 2 nogi
Guard pull w two on one
To single leg x
To come up on single leg
If they push forward fall back and kick their butt so they go overhead then spin either around outside or inside to come up on leg.

6 x 2 min positional, 2 x 5 min regular training

Advanced 1 gi
Side control to far side arm bar
Or if they roll into you spin around them fast and seatbelt then pull them up to sitting and put in hooks

5 x 5 min rolls
Got some good sweeps including balloon sweep or reap or whatever the alternative to tripod is w one foot on hip and other swinging backwards behind heel. No one seems to know the name of this move at my gym, lol. Definitely good option to have up my sleeve. I worked a lot on grips and position as well and tried to be more thoughtful about those, which worked. Almost locked a triangle but not quite, and also almost but not quite finished some chokes on one blue belt guy... I'm going to continue working on steadier, increasing pressure with my chokes so they can really sink.


Food was interesting due to extra activity...

Breakfast 8:30am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
5.3 oz tomato
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
4 oz fat free Greek yogurt
5.5 oz pineapple
4 oz unsweetened almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Intraworkout AND postworkout (12:30 and 2:30)
12 oz salted boiled potatoes [ate about half at the earlier time and half after but not sure exactly. This seriously helped me not crash after the workout likewhoa]

Lunch/postworkout meal 3:45pm
6.14 oz t-bone steak
2 cups vegetable soup

Dinner 10:00pm
13.6 oz cauliflower rice
6 oz cod
4 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
9 oz apple
400mg magnesium

1990 cal, 243C/155P/53F


The most I've eaten in awhile, but I have to fuel for my training--that's top priority right now given the comp. I also don't want to get sick again. I think my gf may be coming down with what I had last week and I'm afraid I might not be able to see her this week. Fingers crossed she doesn't get sick and is just sleepy. Buuuut being sleepy was my first symptom, too, so... oh no.

[Plateauplower]

Glad you got over the short illness. I woke up congested today with a bit of a sore throat I find running my protein higher seems to help keep me from getting sick. I find apples make me more hungry too, not sure why, so does gum The tournament sounds exciting, I'm sure you will do well, you have certainly been putting in the work. I have bruises everywhere when we wrestle, not sure where they come from, shins, knees, arms, etc. Sounds like you had a great time meeting your girlfriend's family, that's awesome too! I remember you were a little nervous about it.

[shesprints]

Glad you got over the short illness. I woke up congested today with a bit of a sore throat I find running my protein higher seems to help keep me from getting sick. I find apples make me more hungry too, not sure why, so does gum The tournament sounds exciting, I'm sure you will do well, you have certainly been putting in the work. I have bruises everywhere when we wrestle, not sure where they come from, shins, knees, arms, etc. Sounds like you had a great time meeting your girlfriend's family, that's awesome too! I remember you were a little nervous about it.

Good news, then, because my protein has been really high lately! So maybe'll that'll help.

I think my reaction to some foods, like apples, partly depends on how carb-depleted I am walking around. If I'm walking around low on glycogen, my body gets one taste of something like an apple and just wants more. If I'm in a relatively replete state, like right after a meal and not in too high of a deficit, I can eat an apple and be OK. Not sure, though, just a theory. Gum, however, is notorious for making you hungry. It primes your body to expect food because of the chewing and sweet taste. I pretty much only chew a stick of gum to freshen my breath, no more than 1 piece a day. Somtimes before I roll so I don't have bad breath, or before I see a student.

Aw and yeah thanks! I was really nervous but it went well, I turned on the charm. Her mom used to be a competitive swimmer and triathlete so we bonded over that a bit too. Plus I did alllll the dishes while we visited.

Yep, I'm still covered in bruises. However, at least no one has been holding me down with sticks. :P


GREAT training today. MG himself pulled me over and asked me to roll with this visiting blue belt woman, and I rocked her--x-guard to double leg x sweep several times, passed her guard, arm triangled her, arm barred her (she tapped twice), just generally did well. I even asked during the roll if I was using my weight too much--she was a weight class below me I'd say--but she said, no, I was just using technique (and to be fair I did set out to do that... started on bottom, etc.). So that felt pretty darn awesome. I also did well against a number of guys that are usually more of a struggle. I had a crazy intense scramble with one that ended with me on top in side control after we rolled head over feet several times with him threatening the arm bar.

So yeah...

BJJ--2 hours
Level 2 gi
Strength drills (deadlift partner with them hanging in closed guard x 10 plus 10 seconds hold, 10 x leg press partner, row partner holding gi sleeves x 10 w 10 hold--my partner was a man exactly my weight, nice bonus, and I didn't find these too hard to complete. In fact he was sweating from it more than I was when he took his turn.)
Same as yesterday but with gi (pull guard and grab leg then kick overhead when they push forward to pass)

4 x 3:00 positional start, 5 min regular training
Got one submission (Ezequiel) and held closed guard a lot. Passed guard some.

Advanced 1 nogi
Marcelo lesson!
Guillotine from side control if they turn into you
Jam your arm around/under their neck and sit back onto your hip. Connect hands fast. Swing one leg over their arm to tighten for finish. If they roll back follow into mount and finish guillotine from mount w your head on the mat and elbow over shoulder.

6 x 5 min rounds
Arm triangled and arm barred a visiting blue belt girl. Also swept backwards with x guard, single x swept, generally doing well w sweeps!




Food pretty same, hungry today because duh, I've trained 5 hours of jiu jitsu in the past two days lol

Breakfast 8:25am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
7 oz broc****
5 oz pineapple
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
4.16 oz unsweetened almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Intraworkout/postworkout snack splut up between 11:20am and 2:20pm
11.18 oz potato

Lunch 3:20pm
2 cups vegetable soup
6 oz t-bone steak

ETA snack 5:50pm
10 oz cucumber
18g mixed nuts

Will go up into the 1900s for the day again. I'm not as focused on being in a deficit this week with the comp coming up. I'm already at weight so it's not that important for this one. I'm sure I AM in a deficit, though. I'm very hungry and tired and my throat is a bit sore, though probably just vestigially as my energy's a lot better. Also from teaching/talking/etc.

ETA 2 Dinner 11:05pm
14.7 oz cauliflower
5 oz cod
3 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1945 cal, 224C/151P/59F

So yeah, about what I thought but at least I didn't feel like I was dying of hunger all day. Just part of the day. Meeting with the nutritionist tomorrow morning as well.

[shesprints]

WOOT! Met with the nutritionist and weighed in holding my gi (so that, plus regular clothes). I had also already had breakfast and drunk a large (16-oz) coffee and some water, just as I would on comp day. I was still safely under the 163.5lb mark I need to meet for competition. That's a weight off my mind, pun intended.

She advised me to eat closer to 2,000 calories all this week leading up to the comp because she doesn't want me to come in too depleted. That was my instinct as well, but I feared it was an "excuse." It's nice to know that she considers it a good idea as well. So, that's my new calorie target up from 1800-1900. Funny how it seems like so much more.

Training today was GREAT. Probably the best training session I've had in recent memory. Just did one hour, may do two tomorrow to sharpen up for comp, and then Friday is OFF. Resting. Getting ready. Etc.

BJJ-1 hour
Note: before class I drilled a little bit with a brown belt woman who was working on sweeps from bottom half guard. I started off working on this reversal from the bottom of a knee cut pass. She showed me an even better version: grab the far sleeve, grab the gi lapel through their legs, and use those to flip them either forward or backward. I wound up using that on a blue belt guy during rolls and it worked on him, and he was impressed.
Advanced 1 gi
No technique just roll
6 x 7 min rolls
Defended well against brown belt and purple belt women, recovered guard a lot. Submitted two bigger (180+-pound) white belt guys: on one of them I retained mount for a solid 3 minutes and attempted several different chokes before transitioning to take back after he tried to hip bump sweep but left an opening. I Ezequiel choked from the back. Almost finished an arm bar but he ripped out after using some leg defense that was good. Also rolled with a blue belt guy a bit smaller than me and reversed him when he was trying to knee cut pass by using a move a brown belt showed me before class: grab the near lapel and pass it through their legs to grab with underhook arm, then grab the far sleeve and roll them over. It worked well. Also worked double leg x on him and swept him backwards with it 1 time. He got me with double leg x a lot so it was retaliation I need to continue to work on x guard defense from top.

After class I heard one of the bigger white belt guys had told my friend (a guy who saw him in the locker room) "Wow, Sam is getting a lot better!" That was cool. He also said he can't take it easy on me now, which is cool because he's a big strong dude.

So yeah, basically I just feel strong and confident in a variety of positions, ready to keep attacking, have a good number of submissions to try... we'll see, but I feel like I've done my very best to prepare for this competition.


Food... oddly low appetite today? Good energy though.

Breakfast 8:55am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
7 oz broc****
4.3 oz pineapple
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz unsweetened almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Lunch/postworkout 2:45pm
2 cups vegetable soup
5.7 oz shrimp
19 g unsalted mixed nuts
12 oz apple

ETA

Dinner 8:30pm
15.4 oz cauliflower
4.5 oz asparagus
5.2 oz cod
4.75 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
4.5 oz pear
400mg magnesium

1850 cal, 235C/138P/53F

I had the option to eat more today but I wasn't terribly hungry. My throat is also still a bit sore, but since my energy is good I'm trying not to worry about that.

[phoenix4444]

Oh yeah eat and be on fire with super woman energy and strength and crunch thy opponents!

[shesprints]

Oh yeah eat and be on fire with super woman energy and strength and crunch thy opponents!

Thanks lady! Yeah, I had a whole 7.5 oz steak for lunch today... mmmmm. Hope it goes straight to the muscles. Definitely satiating. I'm also done with training so I'm as ready as I will be for the comp--tomorrow, I rest.

Last day of training in the books:

BJJ--2 hours
Level 2 gi
Break closed guard by grabbing pants w straight arm and standing then stepping back. Knee them in the butt if needed. Then keep forearms inside legs or grab pant leg to circle pass while smashing leg to ground.
Lasso guard pass: pass in the direction of the lasso guard or they can sweep. Hand on far pant leg but make sure to dislodge their foot. Other hand on belt but let go as you circle toward their head.

5 x 5 min training from guard pull
More tired today so some retaliation from the guys I fought yesterday. Humbling. Did OK though. Took back some and went for more sweeps.

Advanced 1 nogi
Free drill--I did overtie to sweep single takedowns.
7 x 5 min regular training
Managed to swiftly transition from mount with arm bar attempt to an arm triangle. Also got anaconda choke for the first time in a live roll. Finished RNC on someone after taking back from s mount. Mount retention is definitely improving and I'm using double leg x more too. I really need to be mindful of sweeps as those can cost points in comp.


One of the instructors came over to us women who are competing and emphasized that we should just have fun out there--says that's his attitude--which from what I'm aware is very true. He's one of those who just loves fighting and has great energy. So I'll try to be like that, go into it for the enjoyment, and of course hope to win but just fight my hardest and trust my training.

Food... woke up hungry maybe because I did only eat that 1850 yesterday. Ah well.

Breakfast 7:50am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
4.3 oz onion
3.3 oz broc****
5.4 oz asparagus
4.3 oz pineapple
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3.67 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Pre/postworkout 11:15 and 2:45
12 oz potato

Lunch 3:45pm
7.5 oz shell steak
2 cups vegetable soup


Dinner looks to be the usual, not messing with what works. Definitely not going to try anything new tomorrow or Saturday either.

Well, as my old running coach used to say, "The hay is in the barn." A silly metaphor for a New Yorker, but there you go.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Probably good idea, to not give the stomach any surprises leading up to the comp just in case.

Good luck!

[shesprints]

Probably good idea, to not give the stomach any surprises leading up to the comp just in case.

Good luck!

Yeah exactly.

UGH GUYS JUST AFTER I WAS ALL oh yeah I'm ready I find out the comp is SUNDAY. I may go in for an hour tomorrow just... 'cause? I'll die of anxiety if I don't? I DON'T KNOWWWWW.

Anyway.

Dinner 8:30pm
17.7 oz cauliflower
3.2 oz avocado
5.5 oz cod
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1970 cal, 225C/167P/54F

High protein sure is satiating. I was barely hungry at all today apart from right before I had my preworkout potato.

[thehobbes]

UGH GUYS JUST AFTER I WAS ALL oh yeah I'm ready I find out the comp is SUNDAY. I may go in for an hour tomorrow just... 'cause? I'll die of anxiety if I don't? I DON'T KNOWWWWW.

Sunday, WAHOO! You got this.

High protein sure is satiating. I was barely hungry at all today apart from right before I had my preworkout potato.

"Preworkout potato" sounds hilarious, should be a band name.

[phoenix4444]

Nice, a 7 oz piece of steak. Does a body good and it does go directly into muscle like a lightning bolt, it's science