5.5 weeks to go

Wow, the time is just whizzing by! After saying I was feeling better healthwise last week, I felt exhausted on Sunday and now have swollen glands. I always get a sore throat when I start to cut my carbs down. Hunger has been manageable though. Guess it's just a reminder to listen to my body and get more sleep. Hard at the moment cause I am really busy with work.

Weight: 55.2kg

Food: Have cut my fruit down to one piece per day as of today, so the amount of green veggies will be going up. No diet coke from now on!

Training: Still going well, though I am conscious of hogging some of the equipment at the gym when I'm doing my supersets, LOL.

Cardio: Has been nonexistant for the first couple of days this week so I don't get too run down. Will make up for it later in the week when I'm feeling better.

To do this week:
1. practise routine!
2. see if I can get the video part of my camera working to check my posing and stage presentation.

6.5 weeks to go

Weight: 55.9kg.

*Note to self: I like how I look at this weight. My post-show goal will be for my off-season weight to be a max of 56kg (instead of 60kg as it was this year).*

I've been a bit slack with measurements this year and am mostly relying on pics to check my progress. I'm not as lean as I was this far out before my last show, but am feeling a lot better healthwise this time, and I think it's because I'm losing weight a bit more slowly. Am making a few adjustments as from tomorrow to kick things up a notch.

Food: Will be decreasing my carb grams slightly from tomorrow.

Have had a few chocolate cravings this week so bought a box of 99% fat-free Jarrah chocolatte sachets and have one of those in the evening if I feel like something sweet. I don't like to use them too much though as they are full of processed ingredients. The last couple of evenings I've made up a pudding with chocolate protein powder and water instead.

Cooking in our house can be a bit of a challenge, what with my competition diet and my husband's gluten-free diet. I've been enjoying adapting some of the recipes out of the Australian Women's Weekly 50 Fast Chicken Fillets book: garlic chicken stir-fry with bok choy; thai-steamed chicken; yakitori chicken; cajun chicken with mango salad; sweet paprika chicken with chickpea salad; tandoori chicken; chicken with salsa verde...

Training: I like training as I get leaner as I'm able to do more bodyweight exercises. Looking forward to being able to do pull ups for reps again. Can only manage about three or four at the moment. Have also been trying to squeeze in a round of symmetry and compulsory poses at the end of each workout.

Cardio: Did my first lot of sprints on Monday. It was also a low-carb day so my body was working overtime with little fuel for the rest of the day, and I was hungier on Tuesday than I've been for a while. Normally I just start to feel hungry when the 2.5- to 3-hour mark rolls around but on Tuesday I was checking the time closer to 2 hours and filling up on water while I was waiting for my next meal time. Will be increasing my cardio to 4 x 40min per week as from tomorrow.

To do this week:
1. order tanning products
2. pick out hair style
3. choose make-up colours
4. have pics taken of my posing so I can check my technique

It's all getting very exciting!

7.5 weeks to go

Weight: 56.7kg - about the same as last week. My weight tends to be stable for a while, then come off in a big drop, rather than in small, regular amounts. I can see a little more definition starting to appear, which is nice.

Food: Had my last cheat meal on Friday last week. I ate lightly during the day as I wasn't sure where we'd be going or what we'd be eating. Ended up at Walters Wine Bar at Southbank. I ordered kingfish, which came with couscous and a rich-sounding sauce. I asked to swap the couscous for a garden salad and was really pleased when my meal came out since it was just the fish and salad, nothing else. Sounds bizarre that I was pleased with a plain meal, but it meant I could have a dessert! I have a sweet tooth, so am happy to forgo carbs with my meal if I can have a desert instead. It was a rum and raisin parfait with caramel sauce. Yum! I had it with a skinny flat white. I also had a couple of glasses of NZ sauvignon blanc with my meal, which was a bit naughty as I'm not supposed to be having any alcohol. No more from now on.

Was feeling pretty tired and grumpy on Sunday and Monday. I forgot how low carbs does that to me. It's not enough to make me want to stop, but reminds me how much better I feel when I can eat carbs regularly.

I've already figured out what I want for a treat after my show. I was reading an article in the Epicure section of the Age a couple of weeks ago about desserts. This description caught my eye...

'Sibley at Circa, however, has created a monster with her Circa Snickers bar. Diners make dessert-only bookings to indulge in the $24 treat, and about 50 per cent of diners order it. Here's why: "It's a salted peanut meringue base with a frozen caramel parfait glace, like a semifreddo-style mousse, then a really thin chocolate plaque on top of that, then three quenelles of milk chocolate mousse, which is really high in cocoa solids, and gooey salted peanut caramel in between the three quenelles, and then another chocolate plaque on top. It's pretty yummy," she says. No kidding.'

Training: Going pretty well, although I notice I don't have the same amount of energy as usual. I'm definitely training to failure now.

Cardio: Still doing 4 30 min sessions a week. Have been trying to mix it up a bit by doing a different type of exercise each time, but as I'm getting fitter now I'm going to have to start going a bit harder to keep the intensity up. Intervals here I come...

To do this week: Finalise music choice and start thinking about choreography.

8.5 weeks to go

Weight: 56.4kg. I've lost about 1.5kg in the last two weeks. It's come off my back first, as usual, but also my butt, which makes a pleasant change, LOL. Usually it all comes off my upper body first and I get leaner and leaner up top while waiting for my lower body to catch up.



Food: new diet is going well and am enjoying trying out a few different things.



Berry Protein Pancakes (makes 2)



6 egg whites

1 serve berry protein powder

100g frozen berries, defrosted in microwave



Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then beat in 1/2 serve protein powder. Cook in nonstick pan in 2 batches. Put first pancake on plate and top with half of the berries. Put next pancake on top. Mix the other 1/2 serve protein powder into a syrup with water, and pour on top of pancakes. Top with remaining berries.



Breadless French Toast

5 egg whites

1 whole egg

cinnamon, to taste

Splenda, to taste

Sugar-free maple syrup, to taste



Beat egg whites, whole egg, cinnamon and Splenda with an electic beater until fluffy then pour into a nonstick pan. Cook until it's lightly browned on both sides and set in the middle, then turn onto a plate and top with syrup.




Training: am enjoying my new programme: chest and shoulders on Monday; back and arms on Tuesday; rest on Wednesday; legs on Thursday; rest on Friday; full body on Saturday; rest on Sunday. Lots of supersets, so am getting through it all superquick!

Cardio: 4 30min sessions per week, after weights on Monday and Tuesday, and on my Wednesday and Friday rest days. I usually do cardio straight after weights but can't see myself doing it after legs or a full body workout!

Supplements: Energy levels are good but throat has been feeling a bit scratchy the last couple of days so have added some vitamin C powder to my supplements. I tend to like things that dissolve in water as it gives me a reason to drink more.

To do this week: start practising compulsory poses and think about music for routine.

Done: bikini order placed with Jo Rogers at Style on Stage

9.5 weeks to go

Weight: not measured - scales need new batteries. Don't think it's changed much since last week though.


Food: have changed my diet as of today. Still keeping my dairy and fruit in but am now having six small meals per day, on a rotating carbohydrate plan. Protein and fat amounts are the same each day, but a low day has one carb meal (after training), a medium day has two, and a high day has three. This method works well for me so I'm hoping for a few changes over the next week or two.


Training: I'll be starting a new programme next week so am looking forward to that. I'm enjoying training first thing in the morning. I usually get up at six, have a smoothie with protein powder, water and fruit, then walk to the gym, do my weights and cardio, walk home for a quick breakfast with my husband and then walk him to the train station. After that my body gets to rest for most of the day while I'm working.

Cardio: Still keeping it at 4 30min sessions per week - am trying to let the diet do the work for me.

To do this week: Order bikini