After having a few days of treats, catching up with family and relaxing I feel awesome! 

This off season I will stay within 7-8lbs of contest weight. This will bring me up to a healthy, functional body fat percentage and will be very manageable. Trying to maintain a body fat percentage that is too low can result in different health problems, especially in females. A few issues of the many are hormonal imbalances, fertility issues possibly leading to infertility, emotional disorders and puts a huge stress on your immune system which can lead to so many other problems! 

I was expecting to gain the most weight right after the show (especially with all the food!) but I've only put on about 3lbs which is most likely water weight. This is good! It means my metabolism hasn't slowed too much from a more restricted meal plan.

My off season meal plan is to follow my metabolic type- Protein Type (Fast Oxidizer). This means a higher amount of protein and fat are required compared to the amount of carbohydrates that are consumed, Fast oxidizers "burn through" carbs very quickly and tend to need a higher amount of protein and fat to slow down the process, so heavier meats and more good fats are eaten. It does not mean that carbs are not needed. 

Here is an example of what a day of eating would look like this week: (calories are not very high as this is a "transition" week and the only training being done is light walking and very light weights to give everything a rest) 

breakfast:

- 1/3 cup of steel cut oats (measured before cooking)

- 4 oz. top sirloin steak

- lots of green veggies (spinach)

- 1 tbsp Udo's oil

meal 2: 4oz skinless/boneless chicken thigh

- baby carrots/spinach/cauliflower (about a small handful of each, with about 2 cups of spinach)

- 1 tbsp Fish oil

(meals would look like this being eaten every 2-3 hours, alternating meats between chicken legs, thighs, lean cuts of steak, lean ground beef.- organic meat and vegetables is always important especially when trying to balance your system out. If organic is not realistic go for Free Range (Hormone free). Your body will have a much easier time functioning and balancing out without having to deal with all of the other hormones, pesticides and a number of not so good things found in commercial food.

I'm back to the gym tomorrow! The first week back will be light cardio circuits and gradually getting back to weight training.

Training and meal plan updates soon!

I just got back from spending a nice couple days at my parent's after the show, AND indulging in some tasty treats :)  After each show I'll take a couple of days to eat some delicious not so good things for you and then get things together and follow a nice "off season" plan, still allowing flexibility with different food selections and more cheats than in season.

This show was amazing and one I feel I have learned the most from. From the start of the prep all the way through to the end there was so many different lessons. Show day was awesome, I got to spend it with the greatest people and has the best time. Appearance wise, it was kind of neat because for the first time progress pictures from the night before the show and in the morning were taken to see how things changed with losing water and carb/fat loading. This was the first time I've played around with my pre-show plan. I tried fat and carb loading (there's a higher risk of "spilling over" but if you get it right you can look even tighter and more full) I looked the tightest in the morning and I did "spill" a bit for the show (water being held between the skin instead of in the muscle). This has helped me learn a lot. In the morning there was  more muscle separation in the legs and my abs appeared tighter, less water.

This is such a funny sport. LIttle details are picked out and if you let it, it can really get to you. Don't let it, the training and dieting is taken seriously in the sense that you follow it, but don't let it wear you down emotionally. It's fun to see the changes you can make, see the progress from week to week, show to show and learn how your body responds to different things. Don't fault yourself, don't aim to be "perfect" compared to anyone else. Do your thing for you and for your own personal reasons and it can be the funnest, most challenging and valuable experience ever.

Tomorrow is the South Central Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding Championships in Mississauga! It's so hard to believe how close it is! I am very excited and it's gonna be awesome to see everyone there.

It's been a really great journey to the show and one I feel I may have learned the most from:)

The pre-show plan was adjusted slightly with the much appreciated help of Carter Schoffer from Precision Nutrition and IFBB Pro Stephanie Worsfold.

Here's the plan:

Wednesday: AM-cardio followed by 30g carbs from steel cut oats and tilapia(approx 30g/protein)

-keeping water intake really really high

-all other meals consisting of tilapia or chicken breast in the same portions/1 tbsp Udo's oil/asparagus

PM-weights/cardio(continuous circuit format-upper body as legs were trained for the last time before the show on Monday) followed by 30g/carbs from steel cut oats, tilapia

Thursday: AM- light cardio (30min on elyptical) followed by tilapia/asparagus/1 tbsp udo's oil

-maintain super high water intake

-all meals the same as meal 1, no weight training.

"carb depletion"

Friday: no training

-cut water at noon

-each meal will consist of:

2 rice cakes

1/3 bananas worth of homemade banana chips

1 tbsp natural peanut butter

75g chicken breast

small handfull of baby carrots

spinach and asparagus

-3-4 meals eaten throughout the day

Saturday: Show day!!!!

rice cakes with natural peanut butter and sodium free jam and small amounts of protein (chicken breast) throughout the day.

Watching that no sodium is being taken in is really important, the water cutting is very important as well as there is more of a risk of "spilling over" with fat loading ( spilling over: water under the skin instead of being held in the muscle, making you appear "smoothed over" instead of full with nice muscle separation)

We'll just have to see what happens!!

Looking back at previous measurements I just realized that I'd been using numbers from January instead of 12 weeks out, which were taken on Feb 25th, staying steady until 12 weeks out (Feb 28th). Whoops! So here's the actual 12 week out numbers and numbers now:

Feb 28th(12 weeks out)                          May 20th(3 days out)

Weight: 147lbs                                            Weight: 137lbs

Chest: 36.5"                                                Chest: 35"

Bicep: 12"                                                   Bicep: 11"

Waist: 28.5"                                                Waist: 26"

Hips: 38"                                                     Hips: 35.25"

Thigh: 22"                                                   Thigh: 20.75"

This is the final very little bit until the show! The last training session will be on Thursday (only cardio) and the very pre-contest meal plan switch up will begin:) Depending on the prep, the last few days to a week are changed up quite a bit from the regular routine.

As of now my meal plan is Complex carbohydrates and a serving of protein right after morning cardio, a serving of protein, a serving of veggies (asparagus/cucumber) and 1 tbsp of omega 3.6.9 oil every 2.5- 3 hours after that, after weight and cardio in the evening I also will have a serving of complex carbohydrates and protein. Drinking a lot of water, about 6L/day.

Wednesday: will be the same thing.

Thursday: There will only be one training session (cardio) and no carbohydrates will be taken in during the day (carb depletion). The last meal of the night will be a smaller serving of protein with 1/3 cup (measured before cooking) of steel cut oats.

Friday: the first meal of the day will be 1/3 cup of steel cut oats, smaller portion of protein

the rest of the meals will be with a medium baked white potato and a smaller portion of protein.

Water will be cut at 2PM

My nighttime meal is going to be the most fun :) A small piece of plain cheeeeeese cake, plain or chocolate marble, no fruity fillings or dressings (a little bit of fat loading/something that's gonna be pretty tasty).

Saturday: show day!!!! The first meal of the day will be a lighter protein like chicken or egg whites, natural peanut butter and a white potato.

Back stage will be jam and natural peanut butter on rice cakes Mmmmm.

The shoot with Grant went awesome:) We had a lot of fun and tried a lot of really different things out. When I receive more pictures they'll be posted in the gallery at reneeprimeau.com.

This weekend I'll be taking a little trip to Niagara Falls, ON to shoot with Grant Jones for Digiography. I did my first physique shoot in November with Grant and it was a great experience. He made me feel very comfortable and was very supportive of me bringing someone with me, he was even supportive of the fact that it was going to be my Dad. We've gone over some ideas that will be really exciting to try out, but the best part about Grant's work is that a lot of it just happens, or he just puts something together that's just amazing right off the top of his head. I'm excited!

Model and new photographer Jenna Lyons will be practicing and learning alongside Grant for this shoot. It will be great to meet her and hopefully we'll come up with something helpful for her portfolio as well.

An example of Grant's work is the picture on the main page of reneeprimeau.com. He is amazing and I'm really really excited!

I have not really kept up too much on progress pictures and am not really sure what everything will be like on contest day, but that doesn't even matter right now. I can't wait to get ready the night before with the crazy tan and all of the excitement about how the next day will be. All of the jewelry, heels, over-the-top makeup and awesome suits everywhere. It is a crazy sport, it is different, unique, wierd, extreme and I love it. Sometimes you wonder what the f you're doing all of this for, but that never lasts long and never matches the feeling of sharing this with the people who mean so much to you. I love everything I've learned about the the people in my life, the sport and myself, I am completely grateful for the new people I've gotten to know and the new experiences from the past couple of years and I can feel it only getting better! 

I know I have a long way to go and have so much to learn, and really feel sometimes like everything is so new but I also know I have learned a lot from this lifestyle, and from living in a way that feels so right. Through challenges that come from things I place on myself or from lessons that need to be learned, I am completely amazed at how great things can be. I'm learning to be patient, both with myself and other people, we don't all learn things at the same time, and sometimes you have to give it a few times to really get something and that's okay. I'm learning how much the state of your body can completely effect your mind and vice versa. I'm also learning the importance of listening ourselves and how to really let yourself do that. It is true that it's so much easier to see a needed balance when getting a plan set for another person (being on the outside looking in) but when it comes to getting things right for yourself, you need to take the time to step back and take on a little bit of a different approach. This is something I'm learning to take the time to do. It's also something that's helping me learn to be more patient.

Plans for after the show foodfest/awesome time is in the works! I can't wait and the thought of all of the delicious food makes my mouth water big time!

I've started putting a plan together following my metabolic type (protein type) for the off season and training will take on a different approach (for function and balance).

Right now is contest prep time and there will be a bit more to come nearing the show:) 

It's now less than 2 weeks from Mississauga! Here are my numbers from 12 weeks out and today: 

12 weeks out (Feb 23rd,2009)                         May 12th,2009

weight: 147lbs                                                    weight: 139lbs

Chest: 37"                                                           Chest: 35.75"

Waist:29"                                                            Waist:26"                                                                                                                                   

Hips: 38"                                                             Hips: 36"

Bicep: 11.5"                                                       Bicep: 11"

Thigh: 21.5"                                                        Thigh: 21"

It will be 2 weeks out in 2 days. It's still hard to believe how quickly it's creeping up!

 Here are some things that will be changed starting Saturday:

-distilled water 4-5L/day

-exclusivley water and green tea for liquids

-asparagus and cucumber with each meal

-no condiments (still using spices like curry, oregano and garlic to keep it delicious!)

-switch to meat for protein source after training instead of shakes.

-still maintain a serving of protein every 2.5-3 hours

-and a serving of fat (omega 3.6.9 oil) with everymeal besides post workout when I will have carbohydrates.

-still maintain complex carbs twice a day (sweet potatoes or steel cut oats), one serving after morning cardio and one serving after weights/cardio or if it's just a morning cardio and night cardio day, the second serving of carbs will be eaten with meal #2.

I'm getting more and more excited! It's been so great having such awesome people also prepping for the show. My friends Carl Cheung and Rachel Davis will be on stage too, and they are going to do great! 

I am not checking my weight or measurements right now and will just be going on how I look and feel. I am holding onto some extra water but that will go away. Right now it's just about focusing on each work out at a time and having a really awesome day coming really soon:)

The reason for the change in New York plans is something that's going to be really really fun:

On June 6th, 2009 is the Ontario Physique Association (OPA) Northern Cup Challenge Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Competition in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Come out to see the great competitors as well as guest poser Carl Cheung!!!! Sure to be an awesome performance!!!! Carl is a Light-Heavy Weight body builder with the Ontario Physique Association. He is a wealth of knowlege, extremely approachable and one of the greatest people ever. He'll be available armed with his priceless information on show preparation, his many years of experience in the sport and for any questions you may have.

At the promo booth I'll be discussing naturally preparing for fitness model and figure competitions, some factors to consider when following a plan, the transition to and importance of a well balanced off season and also anything you would like to discuss!

More information on a group oriented discussion for all competitors and spectators to be posted shortly! Feel free to message me with any questions at renee@reneeprimeau.com!