Although my weight and measurements won't change too much in the beginning I will record them from start and check back as the prep goes on. It's important to not depend too much on the scale or body fat %, in the sense that body fat % can vary from method to method and none is completely 100% accurate. Also, do not compare your weight to that of someone else. We are built completely differently and weight can be drastically different from person to person! Do not focus too much on how much the scale is changing, especially at the start of a new program. As your body changes you may be putting on more lean mass (muscle) which, like you've heard,  is a lot denser than fat.  Knowing your starting point for yourself, while keeping these things in mind can be a fun way to track progress, but an even better personal way is to pay attention to the mirror and how your clothes fit!

Okay! My weight seems to fluctuate a little bit from show to show but here are my "stage ready" numbers from the last show:

weight: 135lbs

measurements:: 35.5/27/36

bodyfat: the same method of measuring said 13.5%- I don't believe this is accurate, but it gives an idea!

As of now my numbers are:

weight: 147lbs

Measurements in Inches:

Chest: 37

Waist: 29

Hips: 38

bicep: 11.5

Thigh: 21.5

bodyfat: 18%

Comparing myself to last off season:

My bodyfat % is slightly less using the same method than it was and I weigh 2lbs more.

I have put on size in my upper and lower body and my waist is smaller.

Going by how my clothes fit?......Tight!

Got some work to do :)

Here is a basic sample of my day of eating:

 meal 1: carb: 1/2 cup oats (measured before cooking, about 1 cup cooked)

1 cup mixed berries

protein: 1 cup egg whites (add spinach, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley to make an omelette)

 meal 2: carb : medium baked sweet potato

protein: 6 oz chicken breast (baked with curry powder and parsley)

lots of  veggies especially green

fat: 1 tbsp omega 3.6.9 oil

 meal 3: carb: 1/4 cup of brown rice( measured before cooking) 

protein: 6oz.chicken breast or 6oz grilled lean cut of steak

lots of veggies especially green

meal 4: carb: medium baked sweet potato

protein: 6 oz  grilled salmon

lots of veggies especially green

 meal 5: (post workout meal)

protein: 1 scoop whey protein powder

carb (fruit after weight training) : 1 cup of mixed berries

 meal 6: (bedtime meal)

protein: 1 scoop whey protein powder

fat: 1 tbsp omega 3.6.9 oil

lots of veggies especially green

 This is a pretty basic day but there's so many different ways to get creative in preparing the meals and it's really fun to learn. Feel free to ask! There's also sooooo many more types of food to choose from.

This seems to be the best meal plan that works for me for my current goals, but everyone is so different. Sometimes it takes trying new things to find out what does and doesn't work for you. Keeping a food journal and also writing down how you feel after you've eaten each meal is a great place to start. Never hesitate to seek help in figuring things out for yourself. Especially to get things going in the beginning!

Renée Primeau

With busy lives, eating more frequent smaller meals, making better eating choices and all around just taking better care of ourselves seems like it could be difficult, but like any change you get used to it and soon enough it's just a part of your every day life. Then it would be hard to not live that way! Things like work (even shift work), having children and all of the busy tasks in life are more than possible while eating well when you plan. Who wouldn't want to have more energy to spend time with their family, be more efficient at work, at home and just all around be happier and healthier?

With eating every 2-3 hours you will have consistent energy levels throughout the day, you'll be less likely to reach for the not so good food choices, your metabolism will pick up like crazy, it'll be easier to burn fat, you'll limit the likelihood of gaining fat and did I mention you'll feel awesome?  

Try cooking a large amount of food at once and freeze it or refrigerate it in containers after pre-portioning it. This way you always have good choices ready and on hand if you need to run out, get called into work, are busy with the kids, or life happens in some other way.

When shopping for food always go for fresh produce and meat staying away from processed food and go organic whenever possible!

If completely changing your way of eating seems like a giant overwhelming change remember that small changes a little bit at a time all lead to big improvements! Keep track of your choices, how you feel and, most importantly, your goals. This will help keep you on track, help make needs for improvement visible, and then you can watch yourself progress!

Renée Primeau

Hi! With a little bit of time left until contest prep begins, I am at the end of the offseason. Here is what things look like :)

Goals: The appearance of the fantastique "x frame" (small waist with shapely legs and nice v-taper with rounded shoulders) This presents a bit of a challenge being built differently in the mid section with pretty much straight hips but it's awesome because training on and off season as well as ways to prep can be manipulated to try and make the best of this!

Training: Weights are done in a 5 day split with legs being done over 2 days. I try and switch things up by changing exercises each workout and changing the split around every 4-6 weeks, sometimes sooner.

Training split right now:

day 1: back/tris

day 2: Heavy quads/light hams/calves

day 3: chest/bis/cardio

day 4: day off (cardio/abs)

day 5: heavy hams/light quads/calves

day 6: shoulders/abs

day 7: day off(cardio)

Rest days can vary depending on the week.

I took a bit of a cardio break to see if it would make a difference with gains in my legs and I do believe it has a little bit....buuut  I miss it. So cardio will continue to be 3-4 times a week (duration depends on the type, but usually about 30-45 minutes)

Eating is awesome and I feel great! This time I am having more carbs throughout the day and rebounding (putting on a lot of post contest weight) hasn't been a big issue. I still have not so good stuff once in a while or a lot of cleaner foods (like more oats, or fruit or both!)

Each meal is 2-3 hours apart with protein (chicken, egg whites, lean steak, salmon, white fish or whey) at every meal and a carb (sweet potatoes. brown rice or oats). The only meal that does not include a carb is at bedtime meal. Fruit (usually mixed berries) is eaten with 2 or 3 meals (with breakfast for sure, maybe with one other meal earlier in the day and always after weights) fats (usually Oil Smart by Renewlife) are eaten twice a day, one with meal 2 and one with bedtime meal. Fresh veggies (spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, etc) are with every meal except post workout.

Supplements and vitamins/minerals are kept pretty much the same throughout the year:

Northcoast Naturals Greens 1

Extendavol by PVL (grape or orange are both good)

Iso-Gold extra natural chocolate by PVL

Glutamine Maxx by Maxx Essentials

Oil Smart by Renewlife (3.6.9)

DigestMore HCl by Renewlife

Multi Vitmamin for Active Women by Progressive

C complex by Progressive

Calcium/Magnesium by Natural Factors

B-Complex by Natural Factors

Alpha Lipoic Acid by Organika

It'll be fun to see what a difference some of these changes will make and how things will need to be changed come prep time!

Renée Primeau