The Brit V The Belly

So I suppose somewhat inevitably I’m starting a log of my training and diet.

Up until a week ago I was preparing for my third NGA Figure show on September 18th. After some serious soul searching however, I have decided that I need to be honest and put my competition plans on hold until the family’s financial situation has improved.

I’ve spent a week mourning and trying to find a place mentally where this is all ok for me and I can still commit to the diet (my nemesis). I had a blow out of epic proportions this weekend and felt so unwell that I think I can now settle down to this new longer term goal and show some restraint in the kitchen again.

About me: 32, 5’4.5" (yes I AM including that half inch!) currently 132lbs, bf unknown, probably around 14%. Mother of two under 7, married 10 years. Husband works out of state between 6 days a week to 3 weeks at a time. I stay sane by training hard.

2 years ago I was knocking on 200lbs. I was comfort eating and regularly ate two bags of Dove chocolate in a day. I walked a lot with the kids and therefore justified my gluttony somehow. In essence I was 30 and miserable. One day I walked up our stairs and was out of breath before I reached the top. That and popping the button off my size 16 trousers was the final straw.

I was watching tv late one night crying because I was so unhappy. I saw an infomercial for ‘Yoga Booty, Ballet’ which for some reason appealed to me. I ordered it on an impulse whilst thinking in the back of my head I’d never do it, but when it arrived, I did try it and discovered I liked it enough to carry on. At that point I quit chocolate and sweets cold turkey and almost immediately lost close to 10lbs. I began slimfast and along with the mild exercise I started to feel better about myself and the weight continued to drop off. Eventually I hit 145lbs and my husband and I decided we’d move up to p90x. I’m not sure why, but it never occured to me to join the gym at that point. Fear of embarassment possibly.

We did p90x religiously for 6 months at which time it became obvious it wasn’t going to be enough. I was hooked on weights and the clean eating, but mostly on feeling strong and lean. I joined a local gym February 2009 and within a month the gym manager approached me and asked if I’d be willing to compete and represent the gym for free training. I had no idea what that meant but jumped at the chance. I’ve been training and dieting for a figure show ever since either on or off season. I love this life. It has given me the kind of confidence I have never experienced before. I’m still working on my self image…mostly self acceptance.

I’m going to use this log as a way to motivate myself while I have this long term goal. Typically I do much better with more immediate goals, but needs must.


See back left of the picture, long dark hair, short sleeved pink shirt and horrific khaki (elasticated waist ugh) long skirt…that’s me; about 190lbs at my boys 1st birthday party. It’s the only one I could find of me at that time…I deliberately stayed away from cameras.

glad your starting your own log FM, your story is an inspiration to many.

ahhhh, I was just thinking how awesome it would be for you to start a thread! YIPPEE!!!

I’m so JEALOUS that you were ‘discovered,’ that way…I WISH!


I think I had been doing p90x for maybe a month at this point

Thank’s chickies :slight_smile:


This was right before joining the gym.

N is right, you are an inspiration to many, including me.
And self acceptance seems to be the biggest struggle with training, but there’s enough support here to hopefully keep you from being in that mentality for long.

I look forward to following your log, Love.

what is p90x?

My competition pics are in my photos…I’m bored of uploading lol.

I train using Dorian Yates’ model…essentially, 4 to 6 warm up sets progressively getting closer to working weight. One working set to failure often with forced reps and every other week with rest pause.

I’ll just record my working sets to cut out the gumpf…after all, we all know I have issues with brevity as it is :S

So today:

Fasted a.m. cardio at home: bike x 30 mins

Breakfast: 1c egg white scrambled with 2c spinach + mustard.
0.5c wheat bran with 22g blueberries and 1tsp splenda.

Training:

10 mins w/u on tread 5 incline 3.2mph

DB Incline Chest Press, 50lb x 16
Seated Pec Fly Machine, 130lb x 12 rest/pause 10 secs + 4
Flat BB Bench, 115lb x 12 rest/pause 10 secs 4 negatives. (Flat bench at the end of chest is a true ego squasher)
BB Bicep curl,50lb x 14 rest pause 10 secs + 5
Incline DB curl, 15lb x 12 (also an ego crusher)
Preacher curl, 50lb x 16 rest pause 10 sec + 6

20 mins pwo cardio, incline 8 @ 3.2mph.

PWO meal: 1.25 scoop Protein powder, one small banana

Got home and rediscovered the chewy choc cookies I made yesterday on my weekend of food debauchery :frowning: Ah well.

1615 4.5oz chicken breast and 2 cups sauteed celery with Braggs amino acids (like soy sauce)

1900 4.5oz shrimp and 2 cups red cabbage stir fried with same amino acid soy stuff.

I’ll fill in the rest of my meals later…hope you’re not dying of the mundaness of it all yet :wink:

[quote]nlmain wrote:
what is p90x?[/quote]

:slight_smile:

Ahh, p90x. I’m familiar with it. It’s a prescribed workout system that is purchased and done at home. A combo of strengthening and plyometrics and stretches, I believe.

Inspiring story, FM. Are you cancelling your show because of the associated costs? How much does it cost to participate in one of those shows, BTW?

Wow! Nice work here. Thanks for sharing your journey. I really need to update my log. :frowning:

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Ahh, p90x. I’m familiar with it. It’s a prescribed workout system that is purchased and done at home. A combo of strengthening and plyometrics and stretches, I believe.

Inspiring story, FM. Are you cancelling your show because of the associated costs? How much does it cost to participate in one of those shows, BTW?
[/quote]

Well, it depends. My suits have cost $200 and $250 each so far and they were moderately stoned. My shoes were $35, the jewellery is all cheap costume stuff from Claire’s or similar, and of course how much you spend depends on your tastes. An NGA membership card last time cost me $35 but I believe they’re now around $45. Each federation costs a little differently. The entry fee varies from show to show too, but my last one was $100 plus another $45 for the pathology test. Then you figure in the full body waxing, the hair, nails and spray tanning…or at least the paint products and you have yourself a pretty penny. I also have a posing coach Leah@fitleah.com who usually charges me $100 for around 6, 20 minutes sessions. The last two shows I was able to save up over time, but this show would have been only 19 weeks from the last one, at which my husband and I both competed, so it was really pushing it, even to recycle shoes and suits and jewellery. Ah well, a lesson in character growth. We’ll see how badly I want to stay lean in this long off season. :slight_smile:

[quote]figuremuscle wrote:
This was right before joining the gym.[/quote]

i really, really wish i could pull off hats more often.

bitch.

Woof.

I have a life long hate affair with my hair…hats for better or worse are my salvation…and I’ve seen your hair, so you can zip it lady.

mine is in a bun at least 6 days a week. its one of the reasons i like it long. do something nice if the mood strikes, bun for everything else.

you woofed at me.

[quote]CBear84 wrote:
mine is in a bun at least 6 days a week. its one of the reasons i like it long. do something nice if the mood strikes, bun for everything else.

you woofed at me. [/quote]

Ya bitches woof. I can own it :wink:

SO, last meal is a triumph of laziness and cookie weakened resolve.

1c fat free cottage cheese with 3 tbsp of mini man’s crushed pineapple.

Carb timing in the toilet, but meh after the cookie debauchery earlier this will be a chalk it up to experience and hit it harder tomorrow day. Nothing a little lemon water and cardio won’t fix…yes, I AM trying to convince myself, thank you. But now I’m feeling reconciled to waiting on the competition and using the time to bring up lagging glutes, quads, hams, calves and lats. My, my it’s going to be a busy and very painful few months eh?

Bon nuit.

Looking at your photos, it’s hard to imagine you being over 200lbs. Amazing story. Carry on…

Do you wake up before the kiddies to do your cardio?