Week 5 of Adventures in Competing-How to select which show you want to do!!!

So here is my week 5 vlog on Youtube!!! This past week I had a LOT of trouble with energy and motivation! I think I threw too much at myself all at once! I chat about that a little in my vlog as well! To re-energize myself, I had a mega treat meal on Saturday! Myself, Husband and BABY went to AUCE Sushi and I TOTALLY refuelled! :) I was feeling much better when Monday came around and I'm ready to get back at it!!!!!

One of the other aspects that got me down this week were the progress pics I took on Friday! They were a month after my last pics, and I've been working my ARSE off since then! I've been eating in a calorie surplus and have been feeling great while doing my exercises. Looking at my quads while doing squats, I was SO IMPRESSED with the development I was seeing!! .....

This was until I saw my pics last week :( I don't see a change AT ALL and it really got me down :( I REALLY didn't want to share this pic with you all, but I figure, I shouldn't only be showing the successes...I should show the struggles too!!! So be kind ;)

ANYWAY, here is my vlog describing how I've decided so far which federations I wanted to compete with and why! I'm gonna keep on trucking....and I got some good advice from Erica Willick.....I have to pick a STRONG "WHY" for the reason I'm competing this time. It can't be to get my body back anymore because I've already surpassed that goal! I need a different motivation this time! Other than visiting with AMAZING friends in Ontario and wanting to look my best for that visit.....I'm not quite sure what my WHY is yet! I have to put my thinking cap on, HAHA

Adventures in Competing-Month1 Week 4 (fitting it all into your lifestyle)

So here is Week 4!!! I have started a cardio plan already since I have to give myself more time to lean out this time :( I HATE cardio, but it's gotta be done, and before you know it, the big day will be here and I'll be able to slowly wean myself off again! HAHA It's a bit of give and take when it comes to competition prep...you're not gonna love every aspect and that's why not EVERYONE is doing it! It takes a lot of focus, and yes, sometimes sacrifice!!! In my opinion though, it gives back 10fold! The experience is amazing, the friendships are inspiring, and what can I say, the whole process pushes you farther than you ever though possible which is AWESOME knowledge to have about yourself!

Whatever you put your mind to, if you stay focused, have a great plan AND hopefully support, you WILL accomplish! :)

Diet starts tomorrow for me, so we'll be talking about that a little more in upcoming episodes! I'm also going to be starting to take progress pics again. I'm scared to see what I look like now as compared to my last competition....but hopefully I managed to put on a LITTLE muscle mass. My measurements are saying, YES, I have!!! :) I've gained 4 lbs since my last competition, which isn't too shabby!!

So here it is!!! Week 4 :)

Adventures in Competing Month 1 Week 3-Exercise

Welcome to week 3 everyone!!! So far so good on the prep!!! This past couple of weeks have been amazing and really scary for me at the same time! I'm a typical female who HATES seeing the scale go up!!! It has been my goal to put on some lean mass in this last month before I start cutting 8 weeks out and I'm achieving it!!! I was super bummed when I saw the scale going up even though that was my goal......but when I got the calipers out and I was still measuring the same I was SUPER stoked!!! This is just what I want!!! Proof that you really have to let that number on the scale go!! I KNOW I KNOW, it's so hard to do!!! ;)

I hope you guys are really enjoying the other girls vlogs so far! I know I am!!! :) Erica is a little behind but will be posting two this week and I will link you to them here! She took some video at the gym so I'm excited to see what she came up with!!!!

Here's my exercise vlog for this week

He is a link to Rose's vlog this week....Coming Soon




Here is a link to Erica's vlog this week....Coming Soon!!!


Enjoy all the new info, and please share and comment if you have anything to add!!!

Steph :)

Adventures in Competing! Month 1 Week 2 (Nutrition)

Here's Month 1 Week 2 of MY episodes in "Adventures in Competing"!!! This week I discuss some of my current nutrition :) Everything I'm doing all in one episode would be WAY TOO long, so you'll have to wait till next month week 2 for the rest of the deets!! ;) I was also taking a road trip in the Semi-Truck and talk about how I stayed on tract!!! Make sure to check out Erica and Rose's blogs as well!!!

Next week I'll be discussing my workouts for this month and last....and maybe a little about what I'm doing for workout supplementation if there's time!! ;) I hope you enjoy!! Please share and comment!!!

Adventures in Competing Vlog #1 12 Weeks Out

Hey all!!! So I know I have been a little quiet lately, but I'm ready to start prep for my next competition, and that means MORE BLOGGING!!! Woop Woop!! I'm currently 12 Weeks out from UFE Halloween Mayhem in Hamilton Ontario. It's October 26th, 2013 :)

This competition will be a lot more fun for me, as I'm going to be entering along side a couple other girls from "sisters in shape"www.sisinshape.com. It's the first time out of three competitions that I won't basically be alone back stage :) I'm seeing it as more of a "girls weekend" rather than a huge competition! Myself and about 10 others are also doing a photoshoot with Paul Buceta www.paulbuceta.com the day before the competition which will be a BLAST!!!!

I'm going to be staying in a surplus (nutrition wise) for another 4 weeks as a last effort to build some muscle...then I will start to lean out at 8 weeks out!!! Wish me luck!!!

ANYWAY....for the next 12 weeks, myself, Erica Willick and Rose Blackman from sisters in shape, will be doing weekly vlogs about our prep!!! We'd LOVE for you all to follow our journey describing our plans....and notice how different each of us prepare!!! I'm aiming to have each vlog up before Wednesday of each week!! If you don't see it here, check it out on my facebook page www.facebook.com/operationcompetitionlean

Here is my first VLOG, I hope you enjoy!!!

First Fitness Competition Recap! :)

Sorry for the delay on my recap!!! I've been waiting to get some pictures to share along with my blog!! :) I'm still waiting...so I think I'll just go ahead an post before too much time goes by!

Well deserved treat
at our favorite restaurant!

Now that I've been able to add cottage cheese and greek yogurt back into my diet, and replaced fish with chicken, I'm a SUPER happy camper....and it's SO NICE to not have to hold my breath while peeing anymore! HAHA (if you've ever eaten large amounts of asparagus, you'll know what I mean!)....I've had a couple weeks on a more lax diet, but still super clean. No need to get those sugar cravings back after taking so long to kick them to the curb! I had a giant AUCE sushi meal after my competition, and headed to the grocery store after to get more clean food and start prepping for the following week! One free meal was certainly enough for me! Now, I'm three weeks out POSSIBLY, from my next competition. I haven't signed up yet, but I'm 99.99% sure I'm going to go ahead with it! If money wasn't a factor, I would be going full steam ahead! I loved the experience and I'm DEFINITELY hooked.

Peak Week went really well for me, but I THINK it could have gone better. Now to figure out how to change it up for the next one!!! I did two days of low carb, with High Water intake, Followed by two days of high carb paired with low water intake before the competition. The day of, I really didn't have any water...I didn't want to have to pee once I had my suit and tan all done anyway! HAHA On the day of the competition, water depleted and all, I was 110lbs...Monday morning after water and cheats I was 111.8 and now, a week later I was 113, now this morning back to 11.8. I'm pretty happy with the minimal rebound! I thought it would be much worse! This is what makes me thing I could have done better with my depletion. I figured I would lose a lot more than two lbs of water??! Who knows I guess! :)

The entire week was SO BUSY! Getting the last workouts in, posing practice, fitting cardio in between hair, nails, and tan...and all those things you need to do, but have to wait till the last minute to do it, like hair, makeup and touch ups! It kinda leaves you in limbo, like the calm before the storm, and there isn't anything you can do to make it easier! My husband was out of town for work so I was doing all this with a 10mth old in tow, which is always fun!!! I was SO LUCKY to have a good friend arrive on the Thursday from my hometown to watch the competition! She was SO HELPFUL watching Haley while I had my tanning appts and athletes meeting, practiced my posing, etc! THANKYOU CHANTALE!!!!

Athlete's meeting, number 76!! Woop Woop

Hair and Makeup Complete!

My biggest stress was the tan! ARGH I'm not looking forward to doing this part again! I had to get one tan on Friday, and another on Saturday! After the Saturday tan, I wasn't allowed to shower again, and I was TOTALLY stressed out about messing it up, getting it wet, etc. The following morning my husband and I were up at 4am putting the dream tan (kinda like thick tan color paint) on top...deciding whether to wear the suit, and cover it in saran wrap, putting on the tan and waiting for the suit till later...etc seemed like the biggest decision ever! I decided to wear my suit, and won't do that again! I don't think!?? LOL We just finished on time for my hair and makeup artist to arrive. (she did an AMAZING JOB, I was SO happy with her work https://www.facebook.com/ArtistryByBobi  No time to eat..ARGH again! HAHA, Should have woke earlier!

I got to the show, what I thought was early, but the rooms provided to prepare were already PACKED! The girls were awesome though, and made room for me immediately. I was still stressed about my tan, and that went tenfold when I put the muscle sheen on! It seemed to smudge my tan so I stopped after one leg and was worried that it would show when I was on stage but it didn't! Thank goodness!! I don't think I'd use the muscle sheen again, but we'll see I guess! I expected to feel like I was sitting backstage for hours, twiddling my thumbs waiting to get on stage but that was SO NOT the case! The organization was impeccable and since I was in two categories (bikini model and fitness model) I was basically called up to get in lineups backstage within 30 minutes of arriving!!!  We were standing in our lineups for a long time in our heels though. Now that I know how long we were waiting in line, I'd leave the shoes off for a while! Once I was off stage from the first category, I got straight into lineups for the next category! It was total amazing craziness!! HAHA I was running back and forth to my change room to stuff sweet potatoes down the shoot when I could, but I'll have to have a better plan in place next time for meals so my muscles are looking as full as possible! I don't know if this is why so many fitness competitors bring junk food to snack on as their carbs, but it makes total sense to me now!! There just wasn't time to have carb meals at this event. I would have been much better off to grab a couple handfuls of ju-jubes and enjoy them while standing in line rather than stuffing my face! HAHA

My mirror Buddies

First Time on Stage

In regard to the competition, it went awesome! I felt fairly relaxed until I had to walk pass that curtain, at which point I started shaking like a leaf!! (apparently that wasn't visible from the audience either, but I find that hard to believe) There were 12 girls in fitness class and 14 in bikini so we got a LOT of time on stage :) After all the concern of not achieving the amount of muscle I had wanted, I ended up placing second in the fitness model category which was awesome!!!!! The stage was smaller than I expected so I had to do a lot of improvisation at the last minute, but everything worked out in the long run, and I had a blast!!! I wasn't thinking straight when I went up for bikini, and rather than relaxing, I was flexed the whole time, which I think hurt my placing! I ended up with 7th place in Bikini Model.

2nd Place!! With Papa and Baby Haley, Love you guys!

What's next....well, that's for another post because this one has been getting a little longer than I like!!! I'll be writing up my goals for the summer and fall soon, and will definitely be sharing with you all!

Thankyou again for all the support, I couldn't have stayed as focused without feeling accountable to all of you! ;) YOU ROCK!!!!

FINAL WEEK!!

Well, this final week ha FINALLY arrived!!!! I CAN'T WAIT to get on stage....

This past week, I have been on track with diet, water, weights and cardio....I was dragging my arse a couple of the days, but for the most part, I was super motivated, and keeping my mind on the final goal. I even had two REALLY good cheat meals throughout the week so I haven't felt too deprived!!! I'm looking forward to nixing the fish....don't care to ever see it again...but other than that I'm enjoying everything! :) As I had posted on my page, I used my cheat meals this week to see how my body would react to a load up on carbs, and the results were super cool! Before the meal, I looked flat and average...30 minutes after, I could see my six pack no problem! It's really interesting to REALLY see how food affects you at this point! :) Since this is my first competition, I obviously won't be able to judge exactly how much and over how many meals would be best, but I know what I did made me look better, so that's a start!

Even though I'm happy with my progress, and I'm not having much trouble sticking to the EXTREMELY clean diet, I have definitely been cranky. I feel sorry for my husband, and I'm sure he'll be happy when I can get back to the way I was eating a month ago. Am I going to go back to eating like crap....HECK NO!!! At least we will be able to go out for dinner once in a while though. I know he really misses that.

Posing is going great....My Bikini T-Walk is looking much more energetic, and my lats are showing ALMOST every time for my fitness model posing! HAHA. I'm hoping for the best this week, and that by at least Wednesday they show up EVERYTIME!!!

This week is going to be super busy, hair needs to be dyed, extensions tightened, manicure and pedicure, the all important shaving/waxing...haha. Get my bag packed (dark clothing, sewing kit, dixiecups, bikinibite, muscle sheen, dreamtan, a pillow or something to sit on, towel, bikini, shoes and extra shoes, pastic gloves, clothes for afterwards, business cards if they are ready on time, ipod and headphones, camera, phone and charger, photoshoot clothing for the afternoon, FOOD!!....hmmm, that's all I can think of right now ;) All my appointments have been confirmed so that's ready to go!!!

The plan with diet and exercise this week isn't going to be too drastic. A little manipulation of water and carb levels, no hocus pocus!!! Monday and Tuesday will be the same diet as usual, Wednesday High Carb, Thursday Low carb, then I'll decide from there based on how I'm looking! :) Water will stay the same till the day before I think?? Ahhh, not too sure what to do really! LOL I'm happy with how I'm looking, so I don't think I'll change much. No point in coming in looking worse :) I'll be working out hard till Thursday and taking Friday and Saturday off to rest up....and as to not ruin my tan with sweat! Probably sit in the house on Saturday with the AC pumping since this warmer weather is bloating me! Me and heat DON'T MIX!!!

Here are the pics for this week!

2 Weeks Out

Hmmmm, I'm trying to think of what I have to say about this past week!!! Everything is still going to plan...I'm still getting leaner, the diet is still working, so I'm sticking with it!

Am I confident that I will be where I need to be in two weeks??? NOT AT ALL!!! What I do know, is that I've been doing everything in my power to bring my best package, I've stuck to my plan 100% (whether my plan was the best it could be I have no idea) and I think this week was the calm before the storm! I can also tell you, that I CAN'T WAIT to get fish OUT OF MY DIET for a while! Last week, I determined that my body doesn't like rice, so my carbs have only been oatmeal and sweet potatoes. My fats, avocado and coconut oil. Other than that, lots of spinach, cucumber and asparagus, which I think I mentioned last week. AND of course, 6 litres of water a day like usual...of course, I'm starting to get my daughters cold....any praying I catch it before it puts me out of commission! ARGH

This week, I spent some time getting in contact with tanning, hair and makeup etc, to confirm appointments....I also finally bit the bullet and paid for the crossover fee to FITNESS MODEL Category! I know my body isn't where it needs to be for this, but while I'm there, why not get more experience right??? Who know's what the future will bring and whether I'll get up there again! I may as well enjoy it while I'm there!

I got my 5 cardio sessions in, bootcamp style. I couldn't be more bored with regular cardio! I can't wait to get back to building phases so I don't have to do it anymore! HAHA

I've been practicing posing a lot, and my bikini T-Walk and posing are going great! I JUST recently started practicing Fitness Model Posing and was having a hard time finding my lats....but as of Monday, surprise surprise, they decided to show up!!! Now its a matter of getting them to appear EVERYTIME, so I don't end up on stage with nothing to show....for some reason, when they ARE flexed, and when I THINK they are flexed, feels the same?? I really think that stage presence and posing is the hardest part of this whole journey! I told my husband he should come early and get a seat right behind the judges, and bring with him our full length mirror so I can see myself! HAHAHAHAHA I've come a long way, because when I first put on these shoes I was in so much pain I thought there was NO WAY I'd be able to go through with it. Now I'm completely comfortable in them, and I THINK, looking pretty good! :)

As for next week, I'm going to be doing the same as this week...don't want to change anything too much at this point! Diet will be the same, workouts will be weights 4x/week and 5x/45 min Cardio sessions....This will be the plan for the beginning of the week anyway, and we'll see how it goes! Along with this, I will be doing lots of posing practice!!!

Next week, I'm also going to start putting a post competition plan on paper. I've been reading lots about reverse dieting, adding more carbs back to the diet slowly, and tapering off on cardio weekly as well. I'm going to be REALLY careful not to have a huge rebound. I don't think this will be too much of a problem since I'm still not craving anything unhealthy....but who knows! It's always good to have a plan on paper as to not leave anything to chance!

Up till now, I'm not stressing too much! I've done all I could, I'm proud of myself, and I'm excited to get up there! We'll see how this attitude changes as the big day gets nearer! :) I've been feeling kinda tired, and just dragged myself to the gym today....BUT I left with a whole bunch of motivation because I was pretty darned happy with how I looked :) once again, pics really suck...I'm excited to show you how I look all tanned up and in my show bikini. It's all coming together!.....

P.S Make sure you enter the MostFit Giveaway by visiting the post previous to this one!!! Who wouldn't want to be able to take their workouts ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!!!! :)

3 Weeks Out!

Last week went REALLY well. I still don't notice the changes in pictures, but I definitely see changes in the mirror. I weigh in on Monday, and by Friday I had already lost 1.6Lbs. The my diet was 6 meals a day..a small amount of carbs in my first three meals (I workout in the morning) and only veggies with my protein for my last three meals. One evening meal had avacado added, and my morning oatmeal had a TBSP of coconut oil. Veggies consisted of cucumber, asparagus and spinach. I replaced chicken with white fish and flank steak. My calories have also been increased to 1750/day. By Friday, I had lost enough.  I've also been in a deficit for a LONG LONG time, so I had a great cheat meal Saturday night! :) Hubby, baby and I went to our favorite all you can eat sushi restaurant for dinner. My husband was pretty happy about this. He's SUPER supportive of my goals, but it has sucked for him that I won't go out to eat as frequently :) We used to do that ALL THE TIME!! In addition to all of these changes, I started adding cardio to my regime, and my knees are actually feeling OK!!! I did three bootcamps, and 2 Steady state cardio sessions for the week. It's nice to sweat again, even though I HATE cardio. LOL

I've been working hard on posing. My Bikini T-Walk posing is looking good, but I have to work on ENERGY!! I think it will be better with music, so I'm trying to track down what songs they are going to be using....no response yet. For fun, and extra experience on stage, I've been debating all along to enter the fitness model category as well. I'm having a lot of trouble learning how to flex and do their manadory poses though!! Just last night, I FINALLY figured out how to get my lats to flex....but now I have to do it without a mirror. To me, it doesn't feel any different, so I may be on stage, not flexed at all, and not even know it! HAHA....This entry is still up in the air.

I DID pick up my suit this week! It looks great in my opinion, still a little snug. I can get alterations at anytime though, which is the great part about hiring a local suit maker. All I had asked her was that my abnormally long bum crack be covered, and that my c-section scar be covered. I was a little worried that it may look funny but the bottoms are perfect and everything is covered! Maybe at the beginning of PEAK WEEK, I'll give you a sneak peak ;) It's nothing crazy! Simple and feminine. I may bling it up myself for my next competition.

As for next week, it's simple! I'm sticking to the plan! :) Here are my pics from this week!

4 Weeks Out!! It's ON!!

This past week, I kept the same plan as last week. Low Carb all week 40/20/40 with a high carb day near the end of the week 20/75/5. I added a couple hundred calories more than my carb up day last week (I took a pic pre and post carb, but really didn't see much of a change) Hmmmm, not sure what to do about this??? I was drinking about a gallon and a half a day of water, and still exercising with weights 5 days/week. I've been doing minimal reps, as HEAVY as I can, trying to preserve as much muscle as possible. I completed a couple of days of steady state cardio for 30 minutes, with no knee problems so it may be time to step this up!!! Results this week are............................

I practiced posing three times this week, for about 25-30 minutes, and it's coming together. I still think I look funny, but it's coming together. I've found a little posing help at a local private gym. I had a 30 minute session on Saturday with a few other girls. It was a little scattered since we were all competing in different federations and categories, but it was still nice just to get up in the bathing suit in front of a few other people!! I better get used to it, because in 4 weeks, I'm going to be in front of 500 people!!! (the tickets are almost sold out!) Strangers I'm ok with, but it's the friends and family that make me nervous ;)

Speaking of posing!! I saw my suit today!!! WOHOO!! It's pretty! Looks very ICY ;) (that's the hint for now) I think she was hoping to send it home with me today, but the bottoms are HUGE, so I'm going to pick it up on Thursday :) I'm a little concerned....I asked for her to be SURE to cover my abnormally long bumb crack.(hahaha, yeah, long bumb crack, it's really weird! I feel like it's half way up my back! LOL)..and to have enough coverage in the front to cover my c-section scar. Well....it's REALLY close..if I cover my crack, I can see my scar...if I cover my scar, I can see my crack...haha. We'll see when it fits properly, but she may have more work on her hands!! I REALLY hope I look better with a tan! ;)

If you follow my facebook page, I wasn't feeling to confident at the beginning of this past week! Time is going SO FAST, and I wasn't feeling as if there was any chance I'd be ready on time. After meeting with the posing coach this weekend I feel a lot more confident! She gave me a good pep talk and it was just what I needed. I'm still thinking about maybe doing bikini model AND fitness model categories just for more experience on stage (EVEN though at the beginning of this week I was feeling so down I had decided against it...lol) I'll see how I lean out over the next couple of weeks. It's one thing to get more time on stage, and it's another to completely embarrass myself right?? I'm definitely going back and forth on this decision on a daily basis. Thank goodness I can leave that second registration till last minute!!

ANYWAY, these past few weeks, these pics have been more of accountability pics rather than progress pics! I'm not much change if anything at all, but I'm keeping at it!!! This week, I'm going to be adding in cardio to see if things speed up a bit!! I have a bootcamp planned for Monday and Saturday, and hopefully I'll be able to make it to a couple spin classes in between. (easier on my knees) Adding the little cardio I have recently, has made me feel a lot better (I like getting a little sweat on) But I also don't want to be in toooo much of a deficit, so I'm going to add back a little in my diet. I'm addition to a few more carbs, I'm also adding some fish to change it up a bit!!

Here are the progress pics for this week...I'm debating this being the last pictures I post till the end so I can really concentrate on my training and diet,....and hopefully have a REALLY good progress pic to show after a few week ;) and in my suit!!! I'm still deciding on that too!

 

5 Weeks Out!!!

Sorry for not posting pics and progress for 6 Weeks out, but it was such a whirlwind with the FEM Camp weekend, that I didn't really have a super consistent diet and exercise regime going. I did eat perfectly clean and workout, but it wasn't my normal planned schedule! FEM Camp was a blast by the way, I will write a blog about it later this week with some pics. I'm really happy with my photoshoot pics, but I have to admit, I'm a little too critical of myself and I still have a lot of work to do re: appreciating how far I've come! Instead of looking at the pics and thinking wow, I just had a baby, and look how great I look.....my first thought was, "OH NO, I'm no where near ready to compete!" I was picking away at the few body parts that I'm still not happy with instead of loving this body I haven't seen since highschool! When you're surrounded by SO MANY beautiful, inspirational, fit women, it's hard not to feel like you have a lot more work to do. By the end of the weekend though, I had a rejuvenated energy in my being to go hard till the end, and I can't wait to get on stage! I've made so many new fitness friends who are cheering me on too, which is GREAT!!

SO, for the past two weeks I've been steadily losing weight and BF. Things are going great, and I have been able to add cardio VIA Walking on and Incline of 12 at a rate of 3.0 for 30minutes, or walking on the stair mill for 20-30 minutes without my knees causing my any problems. Come Saturday this week, (so two more days before progress pics) I had already lost 1.4lbs, so I think I will cut down on that cardio anyway! I have still been working out 5 days/week HEAVY HEAVY, adding little bits of Cardio and practicing posing in my heels whenever the small gym with mirrors is available!!! In the next few weeks, I'll try to get my husband to take a video of me so I can REALLY see how I look!! :) I've been eating LOW carb (high fat and protein) all week and carb loading on the weekend. While I was at FEM Camp I ate high carb on the weekend, but I don't think I ate enough calories to make a difference, so this week I upped the calories on my carb load day and.....still not enough!!! Good think I started this trial and error early!!! I'll try some more calories next weekend!!.I've been drinking lots of water as usual :)

Here are my pics for this week!! (It has become evident to me after FEM Camp that I look MUCH better in proper lighting and in heels but I'll keep taking pics like this so it's easy to compare up to the end.)

Since I'm still seeing progress, I'm not going to change anything for this week, but I AM planning to do a trial peak week at three weeks out to see how my body reacts to what I have planned....since I'm competing in Bikini, I don't think I have to worry too too much about PEAKING per se, (I'm not supposed to be TOO lean) but I have registered for Fitness Model too just for more experience on stage. I don't think I'll be ready for that at all, (lack of muscle build in the off season) but why not right? I'm there anyway, may as well rock the stage twice!!!! LOL

Keep it healthy this week ladies and gentlemen!! :)

7 Weeks out, and Prep for Photoshoot next week!

This week, I did low carb Monday-Saturday and included a high carb and higher calorie day on Sunday. Last week pictures were looking so flat that I was hoping the carb load on Sunday would make for better pics this week, and it appears it worked!! I am much happier with these pics...progress is still humming along! I'm still panicked that I won't get lean enough on time, but I'm continuing to go strong! My knees have been treating me pretty good this week during cardio, and long as I keep it really low impact, so I'll continue with that next week too! I've been working so hard in the gym, I've had a couple of "why am I doing this again?" moments...but there have been more good days than bad! I'm determined to stay motivated!

My plan for this week is the same as I've been doing the last couple of weeks! I'm going to be eating low carb till Saturday where I will start to introduce carbs back into my diet. This will HOPEFULLY fill out my muscles nicely by the time I have the photoshoot on Sunday. The beginning of the week, I'll be ingesting AT LEAST a gallon of water/day. Come saturday I'll be just drinking what I need, and after dinner on Saturday I'll just be sipping water when really needed! After tomorrow I won't be working legs for the rest of the week, it's said to retain water when you work legs...(I'll go easy on myself when we are doing legs at FEM Camp) I'm going to be going lighter on the weights, higher reps. Taking a bit of a break you could say.

There's lots to do this week!! I have to start making a diet plan so that I can prep all my food for the trip by Thursday. (I booked a hotel with a kitchen, so that's eased my mind a little about prep!) I have to pick out some outfits for the shoot, get a manicure and pedicure, figure out what I want to do with my hair, etc...I have no idea what I want to do there, I'm a ponytail girl! I have a spray tanned booked in Toronto to hopefully make those muscles pop a bit more too...not to mention hide my cellulite ;) I'm pretty darned EXCITED about FEM CAMP!! I wish it was closer to competition time so my body would have looked better, but what can ya do!!! I'm ACTUALLY getting to meet a few people there, that I have only chatted with so far through my page. They have helped me so much along the way! I can't wait! Oh, and I guess Monica Brant is kinda a big deal too ;) ;)

Anyway, I will be kinda MIA over the weekend, but will be taking LOTS of pictures to post when I get back!!! Wish my husband luck with the baby by himself for 4 days!!!! AHHHHHH LOL

9 Weeks Out and WBFF Workshop

FINALLY, I saw some progress in the midsection in the pics today!! WOHOO! This week I was still eating 1600 Calories, but the changes I made nutritionally were, 2 Gallons of water a day and I removed complex carbs other than my oatmeal in the morning. All other carbs during the day came from my veggie intake. I also added 3x15 minute Steady State (SS) cardio sessions to test out my knees. Apparently, cardio still isn't working for me. I don't know what is wrong with my left knee, but I will have to go get it checked out soon! Since I won't be able to burn too many calories through cardio at this low impact, my goal of not going below a 1600 Calorie intake up to competition will have to be adjusted. Here is my progress pic for this week!!

This week, since there are only two weeks left till my photoshoot, I'm changing it up quite a bit! I'm going to be cutting calories, and doing a carb cycle. My high carb days will be the days before large muscle groups to fuel those workouts more (legs and back) I'm even cutting out oatmeal "Goodbye my LOVE" I started this on Sunday. Two days in, and so far so good. :) Other than that, I'm still doing my best to get 2 Gallons of water, lots of good rest, and I'll try to keep up with little bouts of cardio if my knees can handle it. It's hard enough to practice in these 5 inch heels as it is, I don't want to add a limp to my stage walk! HAHA

On Sunday I attended to WBFF Workshop for the June 29th Athletes. I'm not competing with this organization at this point in time, but you can never learn enough right!!!? I figured I'd attend and learn as much as I can for my posing, T-Walk, and marketing myself (if I decide to go in that direction one day) It was definitly worth my time! I learned quite a bit when it came to stage presentation, and got some more practice time. They snagged a picture that they posted on FB and I was pleasantly suprised how I'm looking. I know I shouldn't be comparing myself to others (I'm my only competition) but it's really hard to know where you stand when you're seeing everyone else posing, and not really able to see yourself!! (We weren't facing a mirror) When the workshop started and I looked around, I REALLY felt like I was in over my head, but once it was over I was feeling more confident.

I'm the girl in the top left, back row (blue top, black wunderunders)

This was also the first time I left my daughter for an afternoon with anyone other than her dad! The greatgrandparents came over to care for her and it went really well. I'm glad I finally caved! Maybe I won't be as tied down to home now that I know she's ok without us ;)

So until next week fellow aspiring fitness peeps!!! :)

10 Weeks Out and NPAA Workshop

This past week went REALLY well!! I replaced my post workout banana with 2 rice cakes for less sugar...and I also replaced my sweet potatoes with veggies. My macro breakdown was 40p/30c/30f again and was eating 1600 calories. I still wasn't doing any cardio and stuck with my 5 days of weights with active rests. One thing I worked REALLY hard on was more water. Most days I ended up with 2 gallons of water...a couple days I only made it to 1.5....but always more than I've been used to. I also cut out coffee and replaced with tea.(not for diet reasons. It was something that was suggested to me at my iridology appt. My body is very acidic, and coffee doesn't help that matter) Here is the link if you would like to read more about my iridology appt! :) http://operationcompetitionlean.blogspot.ca/2013/03/IridologyExperience.html

 

Sunday, I KINDA had a cheat day which was recommended. I'm a sugar ADDICT, so I didn't want to go too crazy. I've finally cut the cravings, so why would I want to revisit that right!? I ended up upping my calories to maintenance and allowing myself the few things that I already cut from my diet that I miss. (Banana, Sweet Potato...and my treat was Airpopped Popcorn with a bit too much Kernels Popcorn Spice! LOL)

 

My bodyfat and weight is still on a slow downward trend which is awesome. Technically I don't really have to change things at all since I'm still seeing progress, but I'm actually CRAVING some cardio! So, here are my progress pics for this week, followed by my goals for next week :)

 

 

 

 

This week, I'm keeping my calories at 1600, and sticking to the lower sugar intake I was doing last week! I'm also trying to intake 2 gallons of water/day. I'm still going to do the 5 day split with active rests....but I'm going to add three days of steady state cardio, just for 15 minutes. We'll see how my knees hadle that!!

 

This past Saturday, I went to the workshop for the NPAA. www.npaa.ca Organization!! It was a huge turnout!! So big, that they are doing another workshop later this month because there wasn't room for everyone!There are going to be a lot more competitors than I was expecting, which is kinda scary. I'm lucky I'm starting in Novice ;)  I learnt a lot about posing, but now I have to put it to practice! I want this to be second nature when my brain blanks out on stage, because we all know that's a huge possibility! HAHA I'm already having nightmares about it! LOL I have to work on my style, and being myself so that I don't have to think about it much, just go out there and have FUN!!!

Looking around the room, I certainly don't think I'm the best, but I think I'll be competitive. It's hard to know which category to go in?? There were a lot of girls practicing for fitness, who looked to have less muscle than me?? I may enter both categories, just to get more experience on stage and see where the judges place me (if at all) so I will know for next time. I KNOW that in a bigger event I would be in bikini. You can't help but compare yourself with others at these things...and it looks like my upper body is ok....but my lowerbody needs LOTS of help!!! Here are a couple pics from my phone.

 

 

 

In other words, the non diet goals this week, is lots of lower body work, a little cardio should help (I'll probably do some climbing on the excalator) AND last but no least, get those shoes out and practice for REAL, now that I know what is expected!!

 

After the workshop, I also got my tan booked (no need to stress about doing it myself for the first competition) and booked a meeting with a local suit maker (tooooo exciting) Hair and Make-Up is also booked :) WOHOO, things are coming together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 Weeks Out/ 4 Weeks till FEM Camp

Here are my progress pics for this week!! This past week I was eating 1600 Calories/day with a 30%Pro/40%Carb/30%Fat Macro Split. I did Week 8 of the James Wilson Body Earned Program, which is circuit training. Like Usual, no cardio! I'm saving the cardio for a last resort! Just like the previous week, I lost another LB and a tiny bit of Bodyfat, which is awesome! I'm glad that the losses are happening, but at a super slow pace! I do feel weaker since lowering my calories a few weeks ago, so I want this weight loss to be as slow as possible! I'm hoping to maintain as much muscle as I can through this process!

For this week, the plan is pretty similar! No need to cut anymore calories since I'm still seeing a downward trend! YAY. I will be making a few changes though. I'm doing week 9 of the Body Earned program, and from next week on, I think I'll go back to lifting as heavy as I can, one body part/day. I had a great chat with a friend who used to compete, and she suggested I start replacing my post breakfast carbs with more veggies. I WILL keep my sanity by having my Favorite meal of the day....OATMEAL, but after breakfast, i'll be replacing complex carbs with vegetables. Along with that, I'm going to TRY to get my water intake even higher! I've been drinking a gallon/day, but I'm going to try and add a litre extra for a few days...then add another hopefully!! Bring on the bathroom breaks! HAHA I'm increasing my protein a little, and decreasing my carbs...fat will stay the same. (40/30/30)

I'm toying with the idea of a cheat day...my friend suggested just trying a cheat meal since it's scaring the crap out of me! HAHA...guess there's no hurt in trying it for a couple of weeks just to see what happens! Not sure if I'll follow thru with that or not....I have been craving popcorn like nobodies business(no butter)...that's a farely safe cheat no?? HAHA

Anyway, here are my progress/accountability pics for this week!! Until Next Monday my fitness Friends!!....Well, I may actually post about my iridology experience tomorrow!! :) I can't wait!!

12 Weeks out/5 Weeks till Photo Shoot

Well, this past week, I had my calorie intake at 1700 Cals/day, and my P,C,F Macronutrient Breakdown was 30/40/30. Once again, just under a LB lost, and VERY little BF....not even worth mentioning.. sooooo, not too sure what I should do this week!!! I'm thinking my diet's going to be at a calorie intake of 1600 and same macronutrient breakdown. I'm going back to the James Wilson Body Earned program which has active rests to keep my heart rate a little higher. I'm going to start at week 8, because that's the point where I found it got pretty challenging last time. I'm currently at 121.6 Lbs...for as long as I can remember, this has always been the point my body doesn't want to pass!!! It just wants to STAY PUT when I get to the 120 range. This is going to be a mind over matter period, and it's going to be really challenging! I'm am determined to see this through!!! :)

Since it's only 5 weeks till my photoshoot at F.E.M Camp in Toronto, I've decided to do a "Trial" lean out period. The next two weeks are going to be pretty similar gym wise, but for the last three weeks, I'm planning on adding three HITT Cardio workouts/week as well (we'll see how my knees do after nine months off cardio! HAHA) I will probably do some manipulation on complex carb intake and fat intake as well, but I still have to do a little more research on this aspect first!!! I have a lot of reading to do in the next couple of weeks!! I've had company from out of town here for the past two weeks, so as of tomorrow night, I'll have a lot more time for that kinda stuff :) I love having visitors, but it's nice to get back in the groove too!!!

I think F.E.M Camp is coming at the perfect time...I will be able to do a little trial and error on leaning out...if it works well, I'll be ready in plenty of time for my competition, and if it doesn't I'll still have a month to try something else!!! I'm hoping for the former, but I'm sure there will be tweaking required regardless!!

Anyway, here are my accountability pics for this week!!! I really hope to see some leaning out soon!! 12 Weeks!!! It's getting REAL now!!

13 Weeks Out

Well, this was a weird week!! Two weeks ago I was at 2000 calories/day and losing....really slowly, but I was losing! The following week I lowered my intake to 1900/day and was still losing....This past week I was at 1800 calories/week. I'm basically trying to get myself to a point where I'm losing a pound/week consistently. When I weighed myself in today I was all of a sudden up 2lbs, and 3mm's in my belly caliper measurement!! Not sure exactly where that came from!!??

So, the plan this week is going to change up the macros a little. I WAS doing 40/40/30 (P,C,F). This week I'm going to change that to 30/40/30. I have already determined I don't do great with High Carbs, so I'm going to try Higher Fat and see what happens!! I haven't decided as of yet whether I'm going to drop to 1700 Calories or remain at 1800??

On a brighter note, my workouts have been DA BOMB...and I'm happy with how my hamstrings are looking!!! I can see the definition a little in my abs again, my suit gets looser and looser every week, and I still have energy to spare! Even though I've hit a little setback, I know I have lots I can do...I have a lot more calories I can cut (just don't want to do it too fast, for fear of losing VERY HARD EARNED muscle) and I'm saving the cardio that I can add at some point. It's been 9 months now that I haven't done any cardio. The proof is right there that proper diet is 80% of the game. I just have to figure out the little tweaks in my diet needed to keep things running smoothly!! :)

I'm still doing a 5day split workout from Fitness RX Magazine. I still can't sit down after the leg workouts...and it's the third week!

Until Next week,
I hope I have some good news to share after some extra yummy fat this week ;)

Keep up the good work everyone and thanks for helping motivate me!!~Steph

14 Weeks out!!!

I missed progress pics last week since I was so sick and didn't work out. I'm was feeling MUCH better this week, and I was working REALLY hard at the gym!! I'm noticing that I have to focus a lot more on my triceps. My diet this past week was 1900 Calories and a 40/40/20 Macro Split. I've noticed just looking in the mirror at the gym that I'm looking better, but these pics don't really reflect that?? I seem to have lost all definition in my abs (could be as simple as what I ate yesterday I guess) And I had to take the pics by myself this morning because my photographer is out of town ;) Did a lot of running back and forth from the camera to my spot trying to get the positioning as close to the last pics as possible!!

I spent a lot of time this week emailing Hair/MakeUp for quotes, and shopping around for tanning! I think I've settled on using Cherry Dolls for my Tan (they seem to be the most hassle free) and I'm pretty sure I've pick my hair and makeup professional as well :) I was originally planning on doing all this stuff myself, but I see myself being SO NERVOUS that I want to have as little to worry about as possible.  For future competitions (if there's a future competition) I will be more comfortable trying to do these things on my own!

I haven't been practicing posing, but I HAVE been walking all over the place in my heels just getting used to them!! They are slowly but surely getting more comfortable! THANK GOODNESS!!! HAHA I have a couple of workshops coming up, and hopefully I'll get tips there to REALLY start practicing my posing routine!

I have to get even MORE focused on the food intake this week. I'm going to do 1800 Cals a day and stick with my 40/40/20. I just realized that I do have a photoshoot the first week of April, so I should be counting that as my focus for now!!! This means, I have half the time I thought I did!! HAHA I want to look a little more "Natural" for the photoshoot though, so it should be good timing!!

Until Next week's Progress Pics!!! Have a great Week!!!

Week 23, 16 Weeks to Go!!!

This past week, I changed up my program a bit, just to spice things up a little. It was a 5 day split from Fitness RX Magazine. There weren't any active rests so my total caloric burn for the week was less than normal....the only day I got a CRAZY burn was the lowerbody circuit on Saturday!! I burned double what I normally do, and felt for the first time in a long time, that I had to barf! HAHA It's now Monday and I still can't sit down without pain! LOL

As for pics and weigh in today I gained a bit :( Which means, I'm gonna change my diet again this week. 100 calories less per day. So my plan this week will be to eat 2000 calories a day and stick with this 5 day split for another week. We will see what happens next Monday and work from there!! I'm not crazy concerned that things aren't going in a downward trend just yet. I will get really focused on that 10-12 weeks out! I'm sure you are getting sick of collage after collage of pics that look pretty much exactly the same, but I'm going to keep posting for accountability!! LOL

I'm going to be playing a bit of catch up too, as I'm REALLY feeling under the weather today, so I stayed home from the gym today. My daughter had the flu shot on Friday, and has a runny nose and such, so I'm assuming I'm getting something from her :(

Happy Workouts and Clean Eating Everyone!!! Keep up the hard work!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

 

I was SO spoiled this year for my big 32!!! Usually I keep quiet and hope that everyone around me just forgets and lets it pass!!! Bah humbug, I don't like celebrating getting older:) I still didn't want a big celebration as I'm not keen on being centre of attention, but this year was the best I've ever felt! I have so much to be thankful for. I'm in the best shape of my life (despite having just had my daughter and being sleep deprived), my family is happy and healthy, I have an awesome support system of friends, we are paying the bills, planning for the future, and I've found such a great group of people online through my blog, facebook, twitter, pinterest, and instagram!!! (YAY #mompowerteam) The opportunities for 2013 are endless. Not to mention I'm on my way to completing my goal of competing in May....something I've wanted to do since my early 20's but never followed through with! I've never been so focused on my goals!!!

 

I ALWAYS say I don't want anything for my birthday....I'd rather spend the money doing something with my husband and daughter, like going on a family trip, etc. For the most part my husband listens to me, but this year he outdid himself!! He remembered me complimenting someone on their ring over xmas, (more than once) and he got me one similar with my daughter's birthstone in it. Such a thoughtful gift and this picture doesn't give it justice~!! I just got home from picking it up from being sized :)

 

 

Not only this, but he also insists that I go to the Monica Brant F.E.M Camp that I've been wanting to go to. (Either Kelowna or Toronto, we have to figure out childcare) This isn't necessarily my bday gift, as we will both be paying for it, but it makes me feel really special that he thinks I deserve it and wants to make it happen for me! He's in a band that has a big concert all weekend during the Kelowna Camp and he was willing to cancel just so I could go! (which I obviously won't let him do, but we will figure something out) I can't WAIT for this Camp, I think it will be the experience of a lifetime, I'll meet some awesome ladies and learn so much!!!

 

Immediately after I decided to go to this, Erica at sisinshape.com was contacted by THE Monica Brant and given a spot at the F.E.M Camp to #mompowerteam to giveaway!!! I'd LOVE IT if one of you won, and I could spend the weekend getting to know someone I've met through social media! It really is amazing!!! 

 

See Below for Details

 

 

 

 

Fit Power Moms have teamed up to giveaway the fitness experience of a lifetime…entry to one of Monica Brant’s 3-day F.E.M. Camp™ in 2013 ($650 value)!! Get social with us to enter...

Visit
http://www.sisinshape.com/#!power-mom-fem-camp-giveaway-2013/c1df0 for details about the camp, or to enter

You can also enter by going to my facebook page
www.facebook.com/operationcompetitionlean.com and clicking on the giveaway icon!!!

Good luck everyone, it would be AWESOME to see you there!!!!!!!!