That Time of the Month

As you can tell by my last post, I wasn't feeling my usual self at the end of last week. I felt like I was retaining water and was frustrated at my lack of definition. I felt down in the dumps, a bit teary and got irritable at the smallest things. I wanted to eat chocolate. My hips ached and I had no energy. Normally a few of those signs would immediately let me know what to expect, but I was just putting it all down to competition preparation - except the water retention, which really had me stumped. Yesterday my body suddenly seemed to change, my mood improved and so did my energy levels. And today I know why...doh!

3 weeks!!!

Welcome to my rollercoaster. For my last show I lost fat fast, started looking a bit skinny and ended up having to increase my carbs in the couple of weeks beforehand to maintain my weight. This year I've been eating a little more throughout my preparation, so I'm looking bigger (which is a good thing) but I've been worried that my body fat isn't going to come down enough in time. It's a bit stressful after cruising in last year. I'm trying not to think about it too much as I don't want my cortisol levels to rise and stimulate body fat storage. I can see a few changes after dropping my carbs and increasing my cardio this week, so hopefully a few more tweaks each week will have me in the right place by show day.

Weight: 54kg. Most of this week's weight loss seems to have come off my butt, thank goodness.

Food: Cooking is definitely easier at the moment, but my food is starting to get a little monotonous since I don't have as many choices and can't add sauces etc. Luckily it's not forever.

Training: I'm beginning to hate my circuits. I'm absolutely exhausted by the end of them. I'm hanging to do straight sets again, with no supersets, giant sets or circuits. I am enjoying doing some plyos, but my calves are really starting to feel it. ***Note to self - I'd like to fit in some yoga in the off season.***

Cardio: Will increase to one hour a day from Monday. My legs are starting to feel really tired from all the exercise they're getting from the circuits and the cardio, but I feel like it's worth it after the change in my butt this week.

To do this week: Keep working on my posing and routine

My bikini has arrived!

Yay! It's just what I wanted, thanks Jo!

It's all starting to feel much more real now.

Another thing to do this week: find a bracelet and ring to go with my bikini.

4 weeks to go!

This is probably the best I've felt physically and mentally this close to a show. I know it's only going to get harder from here, but having had a fairly good time of it so far means I can head into the next four weeks with a positive attitude. I had a back massage on Friday night and had the best sleep afterwards, so am feeling nice and relaxed now.

Weight: 55.4kg.

Food: As of today carb rotation is droppping to two carb meals on the first day, one on the second, none on the third, then repeat. Dairy is now out, so is any processed food (sauces etc), and my protein powder is going to be used sparingly. Still going to have one serve of low-GI fruit a day, probably an apple on weight-training days and berries other days.

Drink: At least 4L a day, preferably 5L. My aim is to get through a 1L bottle before each meal.

Training: The circuits are killers but I'm doing a different one each week so I'm getting plenty of variety in my workouts. At least it's fairly quiet in the gym at 6.30am so I can go from one exercise to another without worrying too much about anyone being on the equipment I want to use.

Cardio: Increasing to 6 x 50 minutes.

Posing: Ahem. Here I was thinking I was doing fine, posing in front of the mirror, but snap a pic of me and I can see plenty of things wrong. Will have to start doing the poses then looking in the mirror to see if I got it right. It's not like I'm going to have a mirror when I'm on stage, LOL.

To do this week: Register for show

4.5 weeks to go

Am feeling much better this week. Apparently my body was just getting used to the adjustment of the loss of carbs. I've had lots of work on lately, so I'm feeling a bit tired but am aiming to catch up on my sleep and practice my routine this week. Have noticed I've been doing a few ditzy things on my low-carb days: starting to do something then forgetting what it was, and being clumsy (or more so than usual). I'm also really feeling the cold at the moment. Have gone to bed fully clothed with my beanie on the last couple of nights, very sexy - not! Have had the odd feeling of 'am I going to be ready in time' as I usually do about this far out, but I know lots of changes start happening about the 4-week mark so am not stressing about it too much.

Weight: 55.8kg. Not much change in this department. My body is playing its usual tricks.

Food: Have learnt an important lesson in balancing my macros. When planning my day's meals, I plug the meals I want into my Excel spreadsheet. One of the meals usually includes egg whites. If my macros for the day are over, I now take an egg white out, if they are under, I add one in - simple! I don't miss an egg white or two, and it's much easier than trying to fiddle round with grams of chicken here and there.

Drink: The volume of water I'm drinking per day is slowly creeping closer to the 4L a day I'm supposed to be having. Doing the extra bit of cardio is making me thirstier.

Supplements: Have added in a calcium supplement as I'm probably not getting enough through my diet at the moment.

Training: Last show I did splits until the week before my show, but as of Monday I started doing full body programmes 3 x per week, circuit style. Will be interesting to see if that helps me with my energy.

Cardio: Still 4 x 40min per week. Will do on the days I don't do weights.

To do this week:
1.Practice routine!
2.Take progress and posing pics

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

10.5 weeks to go

Weight: 58kg

Food: Five meals per day, currently on a rotating calorie-based plan. Eg, low day (low protein, carbs and fat), medium day (med protein, carbs and fat), high day (high protein, carbs and fat), then repeat.

Drink: 4L of water per day. I really struggle with this. If you see me, remind me to drink some water! No alcohol.

Supplements: Dymatize Elite protein powder and Berocca Performance effervescent tablets.

Training: 5 weight workouts per week, split into Chest, Quads, Shoulders & Arms, Hamstrings & Abs, Back. I usually train Monday to Friday, currently in the mornings.

Cardio: 4 30min sessions per week, usually following weights workouts.

To do this week: Order bikini

Recipes

These recipes are ones I've posted elsewhere on my blog. Some are adapted from recipe books and others I've made up myself. Enjoy!

Breakfast
Bircher Muesli
Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal
Chocolate Muesli
Hi-Fibre Vanilla Porridge with Pear & Papaya
Lemon-scented polenta porridge
Quinoa Bircher Muesli
Quinoa, Yoghurt and Berry Parfait
Strawberry Bagel
Raw Choc Cherry Oats
Rice Pudding for Breakfast

Beans (Legumes)
Lentil Salad with Beets & Feta
South African Bean Curry

Beef
Barbecue Garlic Beef Fillet

Chicken
Chicken, Pear and Spinach Salad
Chilli Pistachio Chicken
Garlic Chicken
Huntsman's Chicken
Tandoori Chicken Salad
Winter One Pot

Eggs
Frittata
Favourite Frittata

Fish
Gluten-free Fish & Chips

Lamb
Braised Lamb Shanks with Polenta
Rosemary & Garlic Rack of Lamb with Roasted Vegetables

Pork
Pork, eggplant and pea curry

Salads
Beetroot, Spinach and Broccoli salad
Pumpkin Salad
Red and Green Cabbage Salad
Skinny Green Tacos (and other kale recipes)

Smoothies
Banana Blueberry Smoothie (contains dairy)
Banana & Peach Smoothie (contains dairy)
Liquid Polymeal (contains protein)
Mandarin Breakfast Smoothie
Pear & Greens Smoothie
Purple Protein Smoothie (contains protein)

Sweets
Chocolate-Banana Tofu Pudding
Cottage cheese, cocoa, stevia and peanut butter
Homemade Protein Bars
Raw Vegan Brownies
Ultimate Chocolate Mousse

Misc
Almond Milk
Flax Oil Salsa
Gluten-Free Hot-Cross Buns
Healthy Pizza
Refried Beans
Valerie's Chocolate Berrilicious Sauce

Comp History

2008
*7th place figure intermediate - INBA Vic Titles, Melbourne, Australia
*unplaced figure novice - ANB Vic Titles, Melbourne, Australia

2007
*4th place figure novice - INBA Vic Titles, Melbourne, Australia

2006
*3rd place figure novice - NABBA North Harbour Championships, Auckland, NZ
*3rd place figure novice - INBA All Female Muscle & Fitness, Auckland, NZ