Hello! A few more things have been adjusted to assist everything in coming together further:

-began using distilled water- It is argued to be more effective at ridding the body of water held between the skin and muscle since it is free of minerals including sodium. I have noticed a difference when it has been used in previous preps.

-drop any veggies that could cause bloat (eg: broccoli, brussel sprouts) and increase intake of veggies that have a diuretic effect (asparagus, cucumber).

-alternate white fish with daily meals. It's super light and may further increase fat loss while helping to decrease any bloat.

-Proper "wind down" time after training will help you fall into a more restful sleep, allowing for a more adequate recovery. Since extra cardio (stair sprints) are being done post resistance training, sessions are started earlier to ensure more time before bed.

At this point it is common to not feel the strongest. When you keep reminding yourself that it's just that point in prep and the adjustments doing their job (the beginning of carb depleting), it avoids any unnecessary frustration about a decline in performance levels. Focusing on each rep and each movement at a time as opposed to thinking about the whole workout at once allows for more energy to be saved while also helping  you to make the most of the workout.

Congratulations to Melissa McQuillen and Jada Avon who placed 1st and 2nd in the Muscular Fitness Model categories at Fitness Star Toronto!! They both looked absolutely incredible. You guys rock! Check out pictures from the show at:

http://www.fitnessstarnetwork.com/photo/albums/fitness-star-2010-toronto

Hi there! I am so grateful for the comments, words of encouragement and questions in regards to these blogs. It also makes me feel a little concerned that these methods used for prep may be mistaken for healthy training/nutrition advice. They are not. It's important for it to be understood that some of these meal plan changes as well as a lot of the training methods used during contest preparation are not necessary for making lifestyle changes and/or meeting fitness goals. They should be thought of as "sport specific" and not for long term results. Different and more enjoyable methods for training/meal plans would be very helpful so you can both look and feel great. 

As women, we are meant to carry at least some body fat both for aesthetics and for function. We can maintain a lean, fit physique but do not need to engage in drastic training and contest type meal plans to achieve that. We also do not need to walk around under 10% body fat year round. What we do need is to function and be healthy. Strive to meet your goals keeping thoughts for the long term in mind and you will learn amazing things while seeing incredible results.

Today is Fitness Star Toronto with both Male and Female Muscular and Athletic Fitness Model categories. It's an awesome event which is really well run and filled with a lot of great physiques. Jada Avon and Melissa McQuillen are both competing in Musclular Fitness Model. They look incredible and will do amazingly well. Pictures will be up soon!

Measurements and weight have not been checked more than every couple of weeks until now. Things have begun changing so rapidly that I really want to keep track of this last little bit of prep for future reference and out of curiosity. At 3 weeks out weight was checked and it was 138lbs and now 1 week later is 135lbs. This is very light for me (weight number compared to structure has always been high from a young age). We had written down a goal weight of 134lbs and I didn't even really think about it, just focusing on making improvements from the last show. That goal weight seemed a little drastic at the time, considering it hasn't been that low in the past 2 shows. Now it looks like it may be surpassed:)

Every morning things seem different and it's so exciting :) The best part is; energy and moods are so much better than they have been in any other show prep at this point. It may feel a little bit different shortly since carbs have just been cut back, but it won't be anything that cannot be managed.

The reassurance from Steph that too much muscle is not being lost is very helpful at this point.  

The aim with training changes (stair sprints and higher repetitions in addition to the supersets for legs) was to bring quad size down and tighten them up more. Since beginning the stair sprints about a week ago, they have come down in both skin fold measurement and girth.

Here are the measurements and weight from 11 weeks out and from this morning at 2 weeks out:  

11 weeks out (Jan23/10)      2weeks out(March27/10) 

Weight: 145lbs                        Weight: 135lbs                      

Chest:  36.5"                           Chest:   34.25"

Bicep:  11.5"                            Bicep:  10.75"

Waist:  27.25"                          Waist:  25.5"

 Hips:   36.5"                             Hips:   34.5"

Thigh:  21.5"                            Thigh:  20.5"

It's so much fun learning from this prep while still feeling functional. This is amazing :)

Hi!

Some changes that will take place starting Saturday are a slight decrease in carbohydrates and an increase in water intake. Stevia is also being removed and use of condiments will be cut down (which is pretty much just mustard at this time).

Every serving of carbs will be cut down slightly. eg: 1/2 cup of oats becomes 1/3 of a cup, 4 tbsp of cream of wheat becomes 3. This is meant to begin the process of depleting glycogen stores in preparation for carb loading. The idea behind carb depleting/loading is that once the muscle is depleted of glycogen (stored carbohydrates) it will store even more glycogen once replenished (carb loading). This is meant to give the muscle a more "full and hard" appearance.

The water increase and condiment(sodium) decrease is to begin getting rid of any extra water held between the skin and the muscle (water retention) and to get the body used to a really high intake of water. This is beneficial for cutting water before the show.

There are many different ways people go about their final bit pre-contest prep. Some may sodium load and some may decrease sodium. Decreasing sodium is just what I feel comfortable with, unless another method were to be monitored.

Water intake will be about 6-7L/day from approx. 4-5L/day (a more accurate intake will be figured out as we get closer to water cutting time).  

The idea behind removing the Stevia is another thing I'm just sort of playing with. Some people remove artificial sweeteners and feel it makes a difference in how things appear. I'm really not sure if the same may go for Stevia but I guess we'll see!

My suit came in yesterday :) Karen did an awesome job and I am very excited about it. To see some of Karen Philips wicked posing suits check out www.khpdesigns.com 

Above is a picture by Bill for Bill Cresswell Photography. He is a great photographer shooting in both London and Sarnia, Ontario areas. I've never had a photoshoot done while training and did feel a little awkward at first. Bill being so fun and professional made a huge difference. 

Steph and I met to go over progress and see any changes to training and nutrition that may need to take place. She said she is really happy with the way things are going and that was great to hear :) No changes to nutrition will take place until Saturday.

Changes in training include stair sprints after each resistance training session. The goal behind this is to further increase fat loss (especially in the quad region). The stairs at Fitness Forum are sprinted 15-20 times which takes around 15-20 minutes.

I've had a lot more energy during training sessions than I did last week. My moods are a lot better too. This most likely has a lot to do with another sweet gift from mother nature. Periods may not be something most care to talk about or read about but they are a very important part of any goal for changing your physique, as a female. It's also helpful for family, friends and/or partners to understand. Symptoms may feel a lot more intense during contest prep, including cravings for certain things, you may feel like you're "hitting a wall," and/or experience emotional changes. It's an amazing time to improve self control and gain a deeper understanding of how to keep your self moving forward. The few days to even a week before menstruation can be pretty low energy but soon after, there is an improvement in energy, moods, etc. Everyone is different in how they are affected during this, opposite of awesome, time but as long as you know this is what is going on, it's manageable. It can be difficult to map out since PMS symptoms and monthly cycles can be different during prep time, but you learn more and become a little bit better at detecting it and handling it every time. Including a meal or two with red meat and larger amounts of veggies (green) may help big time. I have large cravings for sweets and chocolate around that time and without the protein powder or fruit it feels like those cravings are a little bit hard to satisfy. Mustard, Stevia and Omega 3.6.9 oil on top of chicken and veggies for the meals that include fats sounds wierd but is actually really good and has helped a lot.

My suit should be here today or tomorrow which is so exciting! Time is flying!

At four weeks out the changes that will be taking place are:

-No more protein shakes- this is just something I'm sort of experimenting with. Some people will use shakes right up until the show, some cut them out a short time before and some won't use them for prep at all. There a few arguments for doing this, some being: your body expends more energy (calories) by taking in whole foods over processed, your body functions more optimally on whole foods, and it's more filling. We'll just have to see!

-Post workout fruit is replaced with a complex carbohydrate to remove any simple carbohydrates. Since spiking insulin levels post workout is not a major focus right now (which would be the goal post workout to promote muscle growth/recovery), and we are focusing strictly on fat loss/recovery, the slower acting carbs are thought to be best at this point. 

-Increase BCAA/glutamine intake. To replace the amino acids and glutamine lost from the whey isolate protein powder no longer being used.

It seems like everything is going well. My clothes are getting bigger and bigger, I am getting more vascular and everything else seems to be coming along.

Measurements and weight are not being checked this week, the signs that things are changing are good enough for me until next week. I know it's common to take pictures frequently, weigh and measure at this point, which may work amazingly for some competitors to maintain focus and to make sure things are changing. For me personally I just don't find it helpful to do it more than every couple of weeks. I know things will be fine whether I'm checking more often or not...and I'm a little worried about stressing myself out too!

My clothes range from off season, halfway through prep clothes to the it's almost show day clothes. The halfway clothes are big and the little clothes are just "tightish" so that's a good sign! Steph and I meet in one week to see how everything is going and to make more adjustments.

It is 4 and a half weeks from show day :) I'm becoming more and more excited. Sizing updates were given to my suit designer for this year, Karen Phillips of KHP Designs. She is amazing and I can't wait to see what it looks like!

It's hard to believe things are getting so close. 

I feel a difference in brain function for sure and sleep is not quite as restful. Being organized becomes increasingly important when beginning to feel less than energetic. Life is still going to happen, there are still going to be things that come up unexpectedly and if you're organized, then the likelihood of feeling overwhelmed or being thrown off schedule decreases. Some things that really help are:

-Daily to do lists (even of things that you swear won't be forgotten because we all know that can happen! "What was that thing I was supposed to do again?")

-Post-It Notes

-Organizing your time! Write out a daily schedule if you need to eg: Appointments, phone calls, e-mails, Meal times, errands, training, quiet time, etc. Things may not go 100% to your plan all the time but you'll have a pretty good layout to follow.

-Save your energy! Boost efficiency by focusing on the tasks at hand. When you feel your mind wander (which can happen if you're feeling scatterbrained) don't get lost in your thoughts just bring your focus back to what you're doing.

Avoid energy zapping people. It's amazing how much of our energy can be taken away if we choose to focus on the negative. If there are people who are less than supportive of your efforts or are draining, choose not to put your focus there. Focus on the people who do want the best for you and remember how important your own belief in yourself is.

New changes are going to start this weekend at the four week point which I will update!

The meal plan has only been slightly changed. Every other weight training day the second carb of the day will be dropped. That's it! :) It still seems really awesome and crazy to me that so much food is being taken in at this point.

I think my metabolism must be through the roof right now because I am hungry a lot! There aren't any really strong cravings, but I do want those meals right away. At this point having no cheats, besides the extra oats and pb protein powder at 8 weeks out feels really good. Getting closer to the shows you just don't even want to risk anything extra. It's easy to stick to the meal plan knowing how close everything is coming.

Around this time some may jack up the stimulant intake to compensate for decreased energy levels and in an attempt to increase fat loss. This may lead to increased anxiety, cravings (especially at night time), among many other things you may have to deal with later on (fatigue, increased weight gain, etc). Your cravings may be curbed during the day with the extra crutch, then when you crash at night time they can be pretty powerful. Everything will work out just fine from this point on without messing with things like that.