well, all over and done with! Placed 6th in my division, which was no surprise, I was in the same class as a couple of girls who have a list of achievements to their names. My goal was to make it on stage and hopefully look better than March, i made it up, in a well made bikini with great shoes, so that was a start. After all the training i have done, i am sure i had more muscle, not that it looked like it compared with the others!! I am not surprised or dissappointed with my results as i really got out what i had put in. The whole way through i doubted myself and sabotaged myself, i trained hard, but didn't diet as hard as i should have and it showed on the day. I didn't come in as lean and hard as March for whatever reason, and i must admit, something went wrong with my legs!! Strange as my hips are smaller than they have ever been, and yet i looked very bottom heavy! Must change my routine to "fat bottomed girls" next time! Anyway, i am glad i made it up on stage again, i did get a better feeling of what is needed to make it up there this time around, if i ever want to take home a trophey, i need to work at it and be consistent. I need clean food year round and no lapsing into former habits! saying that, finding it a challenge to stay lean and green with food at the moment, there is so much yummy stuff out there which i have not tasted for weeks! My current goal is to be more creative with food, if we have to live like this, then i need more variety and freedom with my food, it can't all be plain meat and veggies/salad. Made some great lamb kebabs last night, simple, easy and very tasty.... why haven't i done that before. So, whilst enjoying my new training program, designed to layer on the muscle, i am also going to enjoy the process of cooking and eating great tasting food and result to plain chicken/veggies only in an emergency. So if there are any good cooks out there with great recipes.........
 Finally they have arrived! Now for some practise, as pretty as they are, they are definately not the comfiest of shoes or easiest ones to walk in, especialy for someone who does not wear high heels! All i need now is a bikini.... still waiting on that one, I am pretty sure she was going to post it today at the latest, so fingers crossed for tomorrow. Hope it hurries up as i don't want to start tanning up if the bikini isn't going to get here in time!! Yesterday was a good day for me, both food wise and training wise, today i have hit a wall! so tired, but that is probably half due to staying up late playing with my new phone and half due to the bad sleep i had dreaming about competitions! In for an early night and a good sleep tonight i hope! My coach, Lisa is over in Palm Springs at the moment for the worlds Powerlifting comp. She lifts tomorrow, so best wishes to her and i hope she lifts many PB's and brings home some medals to show for it! GOOD LUCK LISA!!!!
 This time next week i should be pumped and just about to grace the stage! wow, it has come around quick now, although just a few weeks ago, it seemed like a life time away and far beyond my reach. Looking at my pictures, i look about the same as i did when i as on stage in March, i still have a week to go, with carb depletion/loading to come, so i know i will look okay on stage. I am about 2-3kg heavier this time around, yet body fat is about the same if not lower, so i have managed to put on some muscle in the past 6 months, hopefully with the tan and prep next week, these will come up well! My bikini should be made and decorated by now and i will get that either Monday or Tuesday, so i am very excited to see what a difference a correct fitting bikini can make. Shoes should also arrive next week as well, nothing like leaving it all until the last minute!! Posing and routine need more work, so will have to make sure i practise everyday this week, it is hard doing a routine with no mirrors around, so will have to just hope for the best! Tanning starts on wed/thurs, hair is booked for thursday, waxing is done, so all those little things are coming together as well, fun, fun, fun!! Head is okay at the moment, i actually believe i can do this again, i don't feel like i will be making a fool of myself on stage! I don't expect i will be coming home with Any trophy's, but i have made the journey to the stage and have done my best to look my best, and that is what counts. I am in better shape than i was in March which is what i set out to achieve. My other aim is to come out the other side of competition stable! I don't plan on eating everything in sight and will be aiming to stay at roughly this level of BF and not put on too much post comp weight. Will then have to start thinking about what to do next!! Until next time!
 Time to get serious and really pull up my socks now! Diet has to be 100% clean from here on, it is only 4 weeks and i can do this! The plan is to eat lean protein and green veggies from here on (with the exception of post workout foods) cardio has to be daily and weights pretty much daily as well. Bit of a challenge this week as Mike is away for 3 days, so will have to get creative with the workouts there! I also need to be very careful with food whilst he is away, as that is the time i tend to "let go" Photos from today were encouraging and i think i can make it! (correction, i KNOW i can!!) I had thought about doing a double comp, and competing on the Saturday as well as the Sunday, but have decided against that as logistically it is going to be too difficult and stressful with the travel, kids, shows etc. So to make life easier for all concerned, i am just going to compete with ANB on Sunday. Posing is coming along and i am sore today from a really good session yesterday at the workshop. Really enjoyed the workshop, the most wonderful Lindy Olsen was there who is most inspiring, she really hit a chord with me with her story, brought tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat, especially as she was close to tears herself. It is not very often you come across such a warm and generous person who is so passionate about what she does and how she got there. I had the biggest hug from her when i left and on the drive home i really believed that i could do anything. I was complemented on my posing by Janet Kane, who is a multiple title holder within the figure circles and i found that great; at one of the first workshops i went to she commented that i really had to do something about my legs (they just didn't look right no matter where i put them) so to receive a complement from her really made me feel like i have made huge progress! so motivation is on the up, i finally have the belief in myself again that i can look "stage worthy" in the next 4 weeks, i may not be a winner yet, but as long as i can hold my own and have improved since the last comp then i will have won in my mind!
Caught up with my posing coach on the weekend and realised how rusty i am! need to practise, practise,practise!! Also made it to see the "bikini lady" and have chosen the material and design of my bikini, all i need now is a body to put into it! New training program is good, it is a 6 day program now, so a bit more intense. Went to the gym yesterday, but was a half hearted attempt, i was so tired i felt i should be in bed instead but fought on figuring that something was better then nothing. Didn't enjoy it! The gym was busy, people were using the benches and weights i wanted and i was almost ready to give up and go home, it wasn't the "stress relieving" session it usually is. Anyway was home and in bed by 8.30 and had about 10 hours sleep!! Today am feeling better about the whole comp process, am feeling leaner today so that makes life seem a bit rosier! maybe there is hope out there. will just keep plodding!! Am going to slap on some dream tan this week and take some "tanned" pictures, see if i can see all those muscles popping under some colour!
 Met with Lisa for a training session this weekend, I managed 3 chin ups with minimal help, which was a vast improvement from the last time we trained together. I also had my skin folds taken, Lisa made my BF% 13.5!!!! I was amazed, my measurements put it at around 17% which is still a decrease for me and i have been putting on some lean muscle mass. So with those results in hand, I decided to finally commit 100% to competing in October. It is kind of a relief having made the decision, it means i can really knuckle down and concentrate on getting into the best form that i can be, there is no room for treats and errors on my diet now, and no more excuses. I had been debating Octobers comp for a long time, i am quite enjoying the process of putting on muscle and learning how my body reacts to different foods, how much exercise i need to maintain where i am, and just being generally happy with the way i look. When i competed in March, there was a huge goal, it was a weight loss journey for me, and i really wanted to look like i belonged on stage, not have people pity me being up there. It was way out of my comfort zone and made me work hard towards that goal. This time around, the urgency and "biggness" of it all isn't there. I know i can do it, i know i can get up on stage, but have i changed enough to make a difference, there is no point getting up there in October and looking the same as i did in march. I have put on more muscle this time around, and if i concentrate now, i will be able to get up on stage and be big and lean! who knows, i may even be able to bring home a trophy, now how cool would that be, first comp - most inspirational, second comp - a place! now that would be progress! Am up for a 6 day program for the next 4 weeks, with food being cycled on a 5day low: 1 day high arrangement. Supplements are all stocked up and food is organised for the next 4 days, so am starting the week off strong. Watch this space!!
If anyone wants to see some serious action, check out Lisa's blog (under my link of blogs to check out) and watch her videos from the Queensland power lifting champs a couple of weekends ago! This girls knows how to lift some serious weights. From memory, her PB squat is 120kg (she weighs just short of 60kg) and bench press is 75kg, and i was worried about her spotting me doing chin ups!!!! Lisa is my nutrition/training coach and so far has made a huge impact on my body shape and hormonal balance (she is still working on the mind LOL) If anyone needs help with weight loss/weight gain, hormonal balance, cravings issues, training etc etc I would highly recommend Lisa and the team at bodyworx. They are great and i look forward to seeing the body we have created up on stage in the near future! That being said, I have made an extra effort with cardio today and done a walk and a bike session, as well as weights so i am quite pleased with my efforts, now, just need to keep that up for another 8 weeks!!!
  wow, only 8 weeks until comp, time flies when you are not prepared!!! I took photos today in my posing suit that was made but not used last comp. This was under the instructions of my coach, not through my choosing! so i apologise for the poorly fitting bikini!! I was kind of pleasantly surprised when i compared them to the ones i took the day after comp, i am bigger and i think that is a good thing. Whilst i know i still have a long way to go with regards to body fat issues, i think i have managed to put on some good muscle on the upper body, i seem to be thicker than last time which is a good thing. Just need to work on getting rid of the fat so i can show off the muscles! can i do it in 8 weeks? well Lisa and Krista (coaches from Bodyworx) seem to think i can, and they are the experts, so watch this space and lets see what happens. I am going to look around and start organising my bikini this week, obviously a new one needs to be made, and i hope i can get a better fitting one this time around! I found my posing music last night and had a little practise, i thought i would have forgotten all the moves, but as soon as the music started i knew what to do (just didn't do it too well!) posing and routine now needs to become a focus. During last comp prep, i used to head to the aerobics room of my old gym, shut the door and practise where no one could see me, the problem is that gym closed! My other gyms don't have a private room and all will be able to see me practise (NO!!!!!) oh well, such is life. I am on a chin up challenge at the moment, Lisa wants me to be able to do 4 next time i see her (2 weeks) so i am the one at the gym who looks like a fool trying to do chin ups! so far i have managed 2!! so out of 3 sets of 10, i can do 2 and then i have to jump up for each chin up individually. must be an odd sight, but one day i will be able to jump up and crank out 10, how cool would that be!! well, food to be eaten before i waste away to nothing! Until next time Wendy
  Well, it must be about 11 or 12 weeks until comp (must find out for sure!!)
last Saturday I headed to Melbourne to watch the INBA all female classic which was awesome and very motivating. It was nice to be there to watch a couple of friends compete.
I met up with Lisa, my coach for some face to face chatting and a killer workout session, it took me about 4 days to recover from it, but it was a great experience, very nice to actually train with someone for a change, be pushed that little bit further and to have someone there to spot when things get too heavy.
The day itself was a great chance to meet up with some fellow bloggers and members of Lindy Olsen's forum, if anyone hasn't visited her forum, you should drop into www.lindyolsen.com it is one of the best places!! Lindy and all her crew and just wonderful. I was able to meet about 8 or so people off of the forum, we watched the prejudging show and then all went out for lunch, shopping, coffee, talking, coffee more show. I have never met some many wonderful "strangers" and felt so completely at ease!
AS for diet and training, Lisa has called in the big guns to help with my training Krista Schaus is a member of Bodyworx and she and Lisa have developed "an evil plan" to quote Lisa! Am into calorie cycling now and some heavy duty training. My new self talk is "I am HUGE" and I have to work on keeping that in my head whilst i am trying to push out the last reps of squats and try and do chin ups. My goal for the next 4 weeks is to be able to squat my bodyweight (will have to lose some weight to make it easier LOL) and to do 3 chinups minimum. so far i am about 10kg off on the squats and can just about manage 1.5chins. So watch this space.
Diet went well last week, but has fallen over the weekend due to a couple of bad decisions and lack of planning, hormones have probably had a negative effect aswell!!luckily for me Lisa is on the other end of cyberspace with encouraging words. I sent in my photos from this week, and apparently i have leaned out some since the last week (it always takes an outsider to see the changes!) so that helped.
will start posting photos here again so you can follow the progress. Please note: this is the start of the comp prep and great things are going to follow!!
until next week, eat well, live well, sleep well, love well and train hard
Wendy
Well, the count down starts again! We have just come back from a nice relaxing holiday in Tasmania, 1 week of sleep ins and no work! I mananaged to keep my food pretty clean whilst away, always had almonds and veggie sticks on hand in case of a food emergency and stayed away from bread and sugar as much as possible. Obviously old habits die hard and i did enjoy a couple of evenings playing games and snacking on chocolate, crackers and dip! we also enjoyed a brewery tour with tasting (don't really like beer, so didn't go over board on that one) but we did find a gormet hambuger place which was awesome! So, the end of the holiday has arrived, back at work, back to the gym and back to fresh clean eating. Unfortuantely my indulgences have left me a bit bloated around the belly, but nothing a week of veggies and meat can't sort out. I thought the 12 week countdown would start when i came home, so i was delighted to find out last night that it is actually 13 weeks! Gives me a week to recover before i hit hard again!. I am off to watch the All females BB comp on the weekend and will also be coming face to face with the wonderful Lisa who has taken control of my food! Actually she has given me control and helped me learn some interesting things about my body and what it can and cannot deal with! It is a good motivational tool this week as i need to be 100% on top of food so i can look my best on the weekend! We will also be training together which will be a novel experience for me as i always train alone! I will also be meeting Liz, who will be taking me through my paces the last 3 weeks of preperation whilst Lisa is overseas competing in the worlds Powerlifting comp (good luck Lisa!) so, that was a quick update of where i stand at the moment. I will be blogging more often as this is progress time again, and i will make sure there are plenty of photos aswell. Will let you know all about the weekend and my plans for future direction after it happens!!
Have finished my 2 weeks of greens and am allowed to introduce colour to my plate!! oh the world has opened up again. Do you know how much i enjoyed a tomato today? lovely refreshing salad of cucumber and tomato with my chicken, and then had mashed cauliflower with my tea, it was really good and very filling! maybe that is because it looked like mashed potato and therefore filled me up! Next week is going to be a full one as i am working extra days. Unfortunately it means i am going to have to do the gym after work which i don't really enjoy. I do alot of supersets and find it really annoying when people keep using my equipment!! (they probably feel the same way too) i like heading to the gym mid morning as there is generally no one there, perfect for me!! Am actually going to get back on the bike and do some cardio aswell, plan on starting that this week aswell, so some hard organising is going to be needed. Generally, am feeling really good, training is good and it is nice to be able to put in 100% again, the body is sore and i am loving it (most of the time!!) weight and body measurements have dropped over the past 2 weeks which is encouraging, it is nice to see everything coming together and heading in the right direction! Until next time Wendy
Well, i finally decided enough of the crap!!!! I have enlisted the help of a sports nutritionist and plan to use the next 3 months to work out what my body can handle in the way of food, and how i can get to a desired level of body fat and maintain it there without having to struggle. My next goal of competition is October and, although i didn't mind the pre comp diet too much, it was boring and thee should be more to life than chicken,tuna and veggies. I also want to come out the other side of competition with better emotions and eating habits, so i don't have to go through all this again. For the first 2 weeks of my plan, i am on a sugar detox, purging my body of sugar, yeast, bacteria you name it, it is out of here. Really simple diet, i can eat it if it: 1) flies 2) swims 3) runs 4) is a green veggies 5) is an essential fat. How hard can that be??? and one of the best parts of it, i am allowed to eat 1 tsp of nut butter, finally, i am allowed to eat peanut butter out of the jar and not feel bad about it!!! I have followed this protocol for 5 days so far and have decreased by 2kg which is great, i will do measurements at the end of the 2 weeks to see how much body fat has melted away with the sugar and other bad things! It has left me feeling cleaner, not only in body, but in mind aswell, i have more clarity and more energy and generally feel happier about myself which is great. I am pretty much healed from surgery now, i have been working out the past couple of weeks, but not hard, just a couple of full body workouts. This week i have been able to get back into training hard which has been great, it feels so much better to be able to walk into a gym and work hard, i am just not very good at doing "light" workouts! Mind you, the legs are really feeling the heat after yesturdays workout, and i am pretty sure the upper body will feel the same tomorrow! Yes, that feeling of being alive again, i think i have missed it!!! Now i am back in the swing of things with training, i will endeavour to blog more and keep up to date with goals and progress, who knows, may even get around to adding some photos every once in a while!!!! Wendy
Haven't blogged for a while, I am sure there is much to chat up on. Lets get the end of post comp out of the way first. We had a workshop a week ago, i planned to "shred" the two weeks before, yep, that lasted 4 days. How did i manage 12 weeks? It seems without the deadline of a competition date ahead, food is a problem, the switch in my head which stopped me from cheating on my plan was switched off and there was no way known that i could control what goes in my mouth. Not good for the mind, body or soul. In my head, all my problems with food/weight etc would be solved once i got on stage, for some reason, i thought that once i made it up there, i would be transformed into this "athlete" who no longer had any issues relating to food, i dreamt i would remain in good shape and not put on any fat, i would be perfect (in my mind). Well hello and welcome to the real world!! I am still Me!!! i still eat when i am bored, sad, lonely, hungry, PMT etc all the same reason why I ate before. The weeks post comp, i watched myself slip back into old habits and have watched my old body catch up to me again. Then the mind beating starts, I eat bad and feel bad about myself, because i feel bad about myself i eat more comfort foods and so the spiral begins. Interestingly, i can remember how great i felt pre competition with all the clean healthy food, how clear my mind was and how i enjoyed my body, but sadly even those thougts were not enough to pull me out of the spiral. The ANB workshop was a good eye opener for me, i nearly didn't go as i was too embarrassed by my lack of control and self doubts, but i am pleased i went. I was given nothing but positive feedback which was very encouraging and I left knowing that all my thoughs, feelings, cravings, dilemas etc were all normal and in fact were shared by a few other competitors there. The weight gain i have had over the weeks is to be congratulated (only 5kg for me, whereas others have put on 9+)and certainly noting to be ashamed about. I left feeling renewed! This week i have had breast surgery so am home recovering and getting used to the new profile! My plan for my two weeks home is to get moving more, increase the walking again (not hard to increase from nothing!!) and to eat well. On my fridge is a reminder that clean eating = faster healing this has worked well for the past 2 days with no desire to cheat and eat comfort foods which i am pleased about, just a simple change of words makes it easier, focusing on the positive side of clean food (faster healing) rather than the painful side of clean food (weight loss.. yes to our minds it is a loss which is a negative!) I have joined a new gym, which although is 15mins away, i think will be a very wise move for me, they have already offered my a sponsorship and training sessions to help me on the way to Octobers comp, so that is very positive. All i need to do is healed up quickly so i can get back into training!! Hope you will all still join me along my way, i will be adding a couple of links to other peoples blogs, so once you see those, please drop in, say hi and encourage other in their journeys! Wendy
feels good!!!!! This week i have felt like the old me! food is controlled and back on competition diet and exercise in on form! The "new" gym is actually working out quite well, we have a great set up at home, with cable crossover, smith machine, bench with leg attachments, dumbbells and barbells. It has taken a bit of juggling around to work out the best weights to use and which DB are which (mike has "heavy 10's" and "light 10's"!!!!)but they have worked in well with my new programs. I am really lucky actually, most of my lower body work involves lunges and squats so easily done at home. the only thing i don't have is a treadmill, i HAVE to do 15mins walking after 2 workouts and 10mins half way through the other 2 workouts. I do have a bike though, so that gets used if i am home alone with the kids and can't go out walking. Mike and I are contemplating opening a gym ourselves as there is a gap in the market here now, still very early stages at the moment, looking into costs etc , but who knows, could be a dream come true!! I am not looking for a new gym at the moment, i am happy to train at home now i have a routine and i am also booked in for a breast lift on MAy 6th which will pretty much put me out of training until about june, so no point spending money on a membership at the moment! I am currently on a 2 week shred,leading up to the first workshop post comp. There will probably be lots of newbies there, so i need to make sure that i still look the part in case i get to show off some posing!!! Had some new pre workout supplements to try today, TORNADO containing beta alanine which helps reduce the lactic acid build up in the muscles and lets you train harder for longer! tastes great and the workout was good, so we will have to see if this will become my new favourite!! Until next time!! Dream hard and aim high Wendy
Received my next training program on Monday and was very excited to get it, couldn't wait to hit the gym on Tuesday and try it out! Got to the gym on Tuesday morning to find the doors all locked and a sign on it saying it has been closed down effective immediately!!! How devastating, from a selfish point of view, my gym has been taken away from me, i loved that place, had a great atmosphere, i knew everyone there and felt really comfortable, i could use the creche out of hours, use the aerobics room in peace and enjoyed all my workouts there, from a staff point of view, so many have suddenly lost their jobs with no warning, everyone has bills to pay and houses to run, it is most unfair. Am unsure of the reasons behind the closures, we all received a letter saying it was being closed down due to ongoing issues with the building amenities, but who knows exactly what is happening. I am lucky that we have a pretty good set up at home as Mike does all his training at home so i am able to keep training, also luckily alot of my leg work is squats and lunges this time around!! My only problem is making time to workout whilst at home, i need to get myself into a routine of working out and keeping up with all the chores that need to be done (and don't need to be done) prioritising need to be practised! the floors can wait until later in the day if necessary, i need to focus on getting out to the gym first thing the same as i would if i was actually going to the gym, it is funny how many obstacles come up and distractions appear when your gym is in the garage (like now, i should be training!!) Well, enough of this, i have an upper body workout to do, so i must go and do that now before i am distracted anymore!!
It has been 2 weeks since competition now, life is pretty much back to normal. We went away for a week the day after which was nice, although the freedom to eat as i pleases was a bit too much! i can home from hols feeling quite bloated and ready to eat "normally" again. It is quite funny seeing how different types of food affect my body from all angles, moods, bloat, gas etc. Got back onto training again once we were home, time to start building some muscle and at least maintaining this level of body fat, if not reducing it slightly. It was nice to feel sore again after a weights session, even just a week off of exercising felt wrong!! Food is back on track mostly for me now back to my precompetition diet, but a little more relaxed, if i want to eat some bread or a cake, at least now i can. It is hard though to remain focused when there is no deadline at the end of it. it is too easy to "cheat" daily and i need to work on staying on track at least 6 days a week and then allowing myself the luxury of a cheat meal. I am happy with my weight and current shape/size i just need to be careful not to slip back into old habits and gain back my old body! Have just spoken to the head judge about the competition and the feedback was all positive and encouraging, he thinks i should do well in October and if i keep at it, i could be in good enough shape to be competitive at an Australian level next October.. how cool would that be! So, in the mean time i will be training hard, eating well and enjoying the new body and lifestyle that i have created for myself!
   All over and done with and i am exhausted both mentally and physically. The day was awesome, started early getting my hair done and then driving to Melbourne, but we arrived with plenty of time to spare which was good. I was very nervous as was to be expected, but everyone backstage was really helpful and encouraging. I had issues with my bikini though, the one i had made ended up not fitting well and no one backstage was happy with the way the top sat, they all agreed it did nothing for my body. Luckily for me, one of the helpers happened to bring her costumes with her (don't ask me why) and she insisted that i try her green one. It looked way too small but i tried anyway and everyone seemed to thing it was a better fit on the top than my purple one. Although the bottoms were slightly too small it was the overall consensus that this one was better, so after all the dramas of having a bikini made, i ended up wearing someone elses!(so i am in the green bikini in the pics!) On stage was nerve racking but actually great fun, i shook like a leaf, but apparently this wasn't obvious, i tried to smile and look confident and enjoy myself and that worked. I felt good! My routine went down really well, the daggy bits that i found hard to do the crowd loved which was awesome, i again relaxed and had fun! Overall i placed 6th out of my division and apparently 4,5 & 6th were very close and could have gone anyway, with a better fitting bikini, maybe i would have placed higher. I did take home most inspirational female though which made the journey all worth while. Speaking to one of the judges after i said that i really didn't care where in the line up i came as long as i didn't look out of place and he said i definitely didn't look out of place!!! We stopped at pancake parlour on the way home which was when i got my first look at the photos Mike had taken, i cried!!!!! I could not believe that was how i looked! Like i said, it has been a very emotional day and seeing my photos just brought home to me how far i have come. I was quite blown away with the support that i had, I had a table full of supporters which was great as bodybuilding can be quite a lonely sport. It was great to have so many friends come and watch and cheer me one, I have even inspired a couple of them to think about competing as well. It would be so great to enter the next comp with some fellow competitors that i know! If each one of us could inspire someone else to pick up heavy weights and train hard, we could rid the gym of girly weights,long cardio sessions and high rep/low weight routines!! I can rest easily on holiday next week and then will be coming back full force ready to build muscle, investigate bikinis and get ready to kick some butt in October. Watch stage... I am coming back!! I will post some of the professional photos next week once i receive them, so please remember to pop back in and check them out. T Thank you to everyone who has been following this journey, it has been wonderful and is the start of a great sporting career (well, i can dream!!!) Dream Hard and Aim High Wendy
the final day of preparation is here!!! Picked up the bikini last night and am really happy with it, i just need to make sure that i am well and truly tucked into the top so there is nothing poking out when i lift my arms up!!! The house is oddly quiet today as i dropped the dog off to his holiday home last night as well. Today is organising comp day and packing for holidays, it seemed like a good idea at the time to go on holiday the day after, but i don't know if i really need the extra running around and packing today!! The tan has come up quite well, i don't recognise myself in the mirror, way too brown/orange. it looks like i have pasted my head on someone else's body!!! i am sure by the time i have the hair done and blended the make up a little better it will all look good! Am actually quite excited now, there is nothing else that i can do exercise wise to make a difference to tomorrow,so i am just relaxing knowing that i have done the best i can this time around. I do need to do a full body workout and some posing practise this afternoon, but that is about it. I cheated on the distilled water, i found a brand of mineral water that has no sodium or any other added stuff, so have used that instead, i just couldn't bring myself to drink something that i would put in a car battery! Today is the dehydration day which so far i have coped with okay( it is 1130am!!) i think it is all in the mind that i would find today really hard, at least there are not so many trips to the bathroom!! One more coat of tan tonight if we can scrape enough out of the bottle and then that is it! This time tomorrow i will just be about ready to get on stage and then it is all over red rover. Until the next one!! I plan to post tomorrow when i come home to share in the delights of my first comp!! Until tomorrow W
only 2 days of preperation left. tonight i am orange! i have had my spray tan and started with contest colour which Mike (hubby) painted on with a roller for me. Not the worlds must glamourous job or best feeling being rolled with freezing paint, but hey, welcome to the world of bodybuilding. i do get to shower tomorrow and i hope some of the stain will come off ready for the next application and then we go through the whole process again atleast 2 more times. Today was my first 8L water day, another coming up tomorrow, only with distilled water instead (do you think that will taste different?) Food has been spot on, yet i feel bloated and crap (must be the water!!) sleep is broken, the last few nights i have woken and not been able to sleep, never had this problem before so it must be nerves!! Am about to hit some posing practise, i figured if i put on last years DVD and keep up with the competitors i should be able to do okay! Must put the kids to bed first and then hit the stage!! W
Can you beleive it is only 5 days now until I hit the stage!! Am i nervous???? well, naturally yes! I am worried i will look out of place, that i won't be able to walk in my heels, that i will forget my routine, that I will forget to suck my tummy in really tight!!! so many fears! I think ultimately it comes down to the fact that in my head i am still an "insecure fat chick" and have not come to terms with my new body yet. I think this experience on stage will be a chapter of my life closing and a new book being opened, finaly i will be able to put my insecurities behind me and work on being who i now am, a more confident person, happy within her own body. Once i get this weekend over with, it will be rest time for us, with a well deserved break for the whole family, it will be time for us to reconnect with each other and share food together. All of us have made sacrifices for this competition, my family have had to put up with alot of tiredness/grumpyness/low carbness (is that a word???)and i am truely thakfull for all their support and encouragement. The plan will be to get back into training when we get home and build on the base i now have. I need more muscle, so the diet will be changing so i can train and eat to build instead of reduce!! it will be interesting being able to train with food in my system again, i should be able to hit some all time personnal bests once i have some good energy back in the system. So, what is left for this week. Today is day 2 of carb depleting, only green veggies with my protein for me at the moment. Water is on about 4L so that is very do-able (actually i am struggling to stop at 4, but it ups to 6L tomorrow!!) Wednesday and Thursday are water loading days, thursday and friday i get to reintroduce sweet potato into the day (yeah!!!!!) so plenty of things happening this week to get me looking the best i can possibly be on saturday!! Oh yeah, i forgot, bikini still isn't quite right, i pick it up on thursday, hopefully by the it will be perfect!!!!
 Arghhhh, the middle of a heat wave, how am i supposed to train when it is 40 degrees outside and the air condition at the gym is broken??? Photo was taken about a week ago, the first time that i have tried on the bikini in all its glory, it still has a few adjustments to be made (nip and tuck here and there) we had a play around with hair and make up aswell, but in my opinion i just look like a drag queen, so more work needs to be done there, i just don't do "up and glamourous" i am plain and simple!!! Less than 2 weeks now, it is getting quite exciting, I have to plan around waxing, hair and tanning now. Next week i will start "painting" on the tan so am going to be pretty odd looking for a couple of days. Diet is getting hard and boring now, am pretty sick of chicken and egg whites and am looking forward to getting my teeth into something bad!!! Next comp i do definately won't be the week after Easter, it is too hard as every where you look there are chocolates and hot cross buns!!! We have a weeks holiday coming up after the comp,which will be nice to spend doing nothing, refocusing on the family and enjoying food. I am anxious as to what is going to happen after the comp, will i just binge on everything, will i be sensible, how much weight/fat will i put on? am i prepared for the changes my body will go through after? It is almost as bad a working towards the comp!!! I figure i take the week off, eat whatever and then get back into normal training when i get home. I know for a fact that i don't want to go back to where i was 12 weeks ago, i need to maintain this lean body and build on the muscle, the question is how? Well, kids to say good night to and a walk to do if it has cooled down enough (almost cooler outside than it is inside so it might be quite pleasant out there!!) Will blog again next week with an update on the last week of preperations. By the way, our computer died last week and i have lost everyones email addresses so if there are any family and friends out there who haven't emailed in the past week, can you please send me a quick line so i can update the address book again. Thanks
Day off from weights today which is nice, need to get in a walk after lunch though as i am working this evening. I had a tan done today ready for my bikini fitting and posing practise on friday, so it wil be interesting to see if it actually makes a difference to how i look in front of big mirrors and bright lights!! Not much else to report at the moment, have to go and whip up something tasty for lunch (let me think, oh yep, i have got it, how about chicken and veggies or chicken and salad!!!!!) Catch up after the bikini experience on Friday
Actually managed to drag myself out of bed a little earlier today and did 10mins interval training on the bike, i figure if i can fit in atleast 10mins before breakfast it can only help, and surely i won't miss 10mins of sleep!!! My body is actually quite sore at the moment, the legs have been hammered by 2 spinning sessions and a leg workout and the hammies are struggling to recover. My upper back is feeling yesturdays workout (sore in a good way!!!) so i chose to skip weights today (shoulders were scheduled)and walk instead. Weights can be done tomorrow, I have the day off,so should be able to do shoulders in the morning and legs in the evening (atleast that is the plan) I have been thinking today how much my mindset has changed the past year. It has been a long hard journey to get to where i am today, but the hardest part has been changing the way i think. One example is the thought of maintenance. About 3years ago, i signed up with an online trainer to try and complete 12 weeks body overhaul (yes tried, i only made it to about week 6) I remember querying what would happen at the end of the 12 weeks, what would i be eating and how would i be exercising to "maintain" the new body! Today I have a lifestyle, my diet will not change too much once the competition is over, it will not be as strict but it will be designed to improve my body, to help me get stronger at the gym, build more muscle and to be better than i am now in my next competition. There is no maintenance, only progression. If i do not progress i will be regressing and that is certainly not a place i want to go to! So progression is what i am aiming for, therefore, taking note of what i have said, tomorrows interval training will be 15mins!!!!
Well, the final count down is here, it feels like i have been at this for alot longer than 8 weeks, but the homeward straight is here and this is where the final exciting changes all happen (so i am told!!) it is my intention for the next 4 weeks to up the cardio side of things, mix it up with some long sessions and some shorter interval sessions and see what happens! I estimate that i will consume over the next 28 days: 280 egg whites 14kg chicken breasts 14x 450gm cans of tuna 112L water luckily i live near a chicken farm, so oversized eggs are sold off cheaply!!! I have approximately: 24 weight workouts 280mins of ab crunches 840 bicep curls atleast 840mins of walking. And of course there is the posing practise, routine practise, tanning practise and standing infromt of the mirror smiling practise. Somewhere in amngst all that are the temptations such as Easter (will be saving my eggs for the week after easter, then the only eggs on my menu will be the chocolate type!) For now, I have a drink to make and some relaxation time to enjoy!!
 Things are trotting along quite nicely, there are ups and downs as usual, but on the whole I am quite happy with my progress. I had a workshop today which was awesome. For the first time I actually felt like i had accomplished something and looked like i belonged at a workshop with the aim of getting on stage in a couple of weeks! For the first time ever, i have had baout as much body fat as everyone else and that is a moajor acheivement!! I was actually praised by my original coach, he is at every workshop (being head judge) and each time I go, i am eager to here some form of praise or compliment from him, today i received it!!! I flew home on the wings of joy! finally!!!!!!! I actually wore a crop top to the workshop today with the intention on taking off my t-shirt for posing! This is the first time ever a group of people has seen my middle!! I figured that if i didn't start now, i would be a nervous wreck by the time i have to put on the bikini! I was realy pleased i did, as the response was all positive. I have to say, it was one of the best workshops i have ever attended. So motivation is at an all time high, the end is in sight and i think i may just be able to pull this off.
must take some more photos!!! All is going well and to plan which is great. I had a meeting with my trainer last friday which was very encouraging, she is pleased with progress which really helps my mind!! I am struggling to overcome the mental battles associated with the competition at the moment, i often doubt my progress and can't see the little changes that happen, so it is very encouraging to have someone point them out to you. I have to work on appreciating my body and my changes, not to compare to others, after all, this is me getting ready for comp, with my body shape and muscle definition, not someone out of a magazine or who has already competed. Once i accept this, i think the journey will become easier. I found the perfect shoes last week, 75% off and white (okay so not so perfect there, but they have sprayed up well!!) so have been wearing them around the house, grocery shopping and even in the home gym!!! It is all about feeling confident in them!! I had a spray tan (faded now) which looked nice, shame they aren't permanent, I plan on having another before i meet with the trainer again as we are going to have a "dress rehersal" with hair, make up and bikini!!! then there will definately be new photos! I have been really tired the past week and have struggled to train, but i am forcing myself back into it this week, i only have 5 weeks left, so there is no time for sitting back doing nothing just because i don't feel like it, i have to really listen to my body, if it is truely tired i will rest, but if it is just being lazy.... well no more excuses!! Diet has changed for the next couple of weeks to allow some more fat to drop off and i have to be really careful with sodium, so i am now rinsing my tuna!!! have noticed changes in just the past couple of days on the new plan, so that is encouraging. Just need to keep the momentum. I definately won't be eating chicken, tuna or egg whites for a couple of days after the comp!!
Well, 6 weeks and 4 days left to go!!! Had a bikini fitting on sunday and it was much more encouraging than te first one!! The top was made out of my material so it was really nice to see what it is going to look like. I even had a slight tan thanks to a spray the day before which made things look alot better. Nutrition has been spot on, Friday was hard as I had my 6year old's birthday party with the best looking rocky road cake, and then tea at a friends house. tea was great, she cooked mexican, so I just took plain chicken and ate her salad, worked well, they all knew what I was doing aswell. I even took my posing music and did a quick routine at the end of the night, must practise in front of people as I get so nervous!!! Cardio was upped last week, but some of the weights seems to be a bit lacking (notably abs!!) so this week my challenge is to keep both cardio and weights up there on the best workout ever level! No photos yet this week, will sort those out towards the end of the week and post on the weekend. W
 One of my favourite poses today!!! Took all my phots this weekend, but wasn't really happy with my posing, somedays it all looks good, and others it just falls flat, lets hope by the time March 29th comes, I will be well practised in the art of posing and can hit a good one each time! I allowed myself a weak moment today, we went blackberry picking and for some reason I made blackberry & apple crumble for the rest of the family. It smelt too good so I indulged in a small bowl with yoghurt (chose to have yogurt instead of ice cream to make it healthier!!) Man was it tasty!!!! but now I realise why I am not to eat things like that. It has been really hard to stop there, it is like flood gates have been opened and now that I have cheated I have given myself permission to eat anything I fancy (tonight there is left over crumble and lollies in the house!)It is really hard to find the strength again to go back to my normal eating. However, it is fighting against this urge to eat everything that will ultimately make me stronger and teach me that foods can be enjoyed in moderation and there is no need to binge on everything in sight, have one reward and then move back into the healthy mode, afterall, this is to be my lifestyle after the competition, I am not going to revert back to old habits, otherwise the old body will soon follow! Have managed to increase my cardio efforts this week, although the ab work has fallen behind, so the plan for next week is to up both of them, the girls are back at school now so I have a couple of days back to myself to fit in longer sessions adn possibe multiple sessions. Hard work and fantastic eating for the next week as I have a bikini fitting on the weekend, am also going to try a spray tan (not too dark) so see how that helps the muscle definition. Watch this space!!!
Another week down, only 8 weeks to go and many people have said that is ages away yet, it seems so close to me!!! This week has been tough, I had my first fitting with the bikini on Tuesday and it looked terrible!!! It was made out of any material that was available, and was basically to give the seamstress an idea of what shape, size, coverage etc I needed. So put a too small bikini on a white, bloated body and the results are not great!!! I am assured that the real thing will be much better and I have a fitting for that in another week, maybe I need to work on the tan between now and then! Nutrition has been okay this week, although with it still being school hols, we have had later starts in the morning so i have only been fitting in 5 meals rather than 6, I have given into a cappacino craving this week, but sometimes at least I stopped there and didn't add the muffin! Diet coke has been popular this week aswell, so that is something I need to work on again. Exersice is plodding along, I am trying to get my cardio done, and have decided to mark on my white board the weeks worth, so I can see exactly how many times a week it is getting done, other than that no real news. Am planing on doing photos this weekend to compare to the last ones taken, and fingers crossed there is improvement, even if it is just in the way I hold the poses.
Time is flying by!!! Had a meeting with my trainer yesturday and she is very happy with my progress, she was very pleased with my photos and found it useful so she could adjust the way I pose to look better in photos, so that was really good. Unfortunately for me, she didn't tell me I was doing so well i could go and eat soemthing yummy!!!! She said I was doing so well, I can just keep doing it! I chose my material for the costume and met the lady who is going to make it and I go back to see her on Tuesday to try on the mock up bikini.It will be interesting to see how a bikini specially made for my body will look! Anyway, not too much to report, it is food time now and then I think I will head backto the gym to do cardio as it is too warm outside.
  All is going well with some great changes being evident in the photos We were without water the other afternoon due to a burst water mains near by and it really made me feel thankful for lifes little pleasures that we take for granted, I am so glad I live in a country where I am able to simply turn on the tap and have fresh, clean (most of the time) drinking water. That same night I had to x-ray a man who said to me "all i want to know is how much longer i have got" That also get me thinking (what a day that was!!) how much of our time is wasted, how long have we got and are we making the most of every single day? I plan on making sure that when I get on stage in March, I have taken advantage of everyday I have had to prepare, that way, no matter what the outcome on the day, I will know that I am the best that I can possibly be. Today has been a rest day for me, so I am enjoying the fact that I don't have to train tonight. Back into it tomorrow!!!
Another weekend down, Saturday was the ANB workshop in Melbourne which was interesting and I picked up some good advice with regards to supplements and training principles. I felt like I had been kept back a grade at school as everyone there were complete novices with no idea. Having attended all the workshops last year, I built a network of friends who started off as novices and ended up competing in October, I really got the feeling yesturday that I had been left behind, however on the upside of that, it was encouraging to see how far I have come from my first workshop and I hope I will be able to help, support and inspire those that continue to attend them this year. By the time I headed home, I was really craving something sweet and bad!!! I let in only to a bottle of diet coke, having said before, if that is what keeps me on the straight and narrow, then so be it!!! The urge to cheat was still strong at home last night, but I fought through it (after checking with my trainer that I was definately not allowed chocolate!!!) Today has been better but I have actually felt hungry for the first time since really starting this phase of preparing, I guess this is a natural response to the foods I am eating and a sign that my body is about to tap into fat reserves again having got used to the amount of food I have been shovelling away!! I worked out the other night that I am on approx 1600-1700 cals with around 55% protein, 20% carbs and 20% fats. The calories were a shock, I thought they were alot lower. Just goes to show you do actually have to eat to lose weight. Measurements this week have gone down again by about 1cm on each body part, so that is always encourging and a step in the right direction. Have called the "bikini lady" to organise getting one made, but missed her and then she missed me, so will try again next week, but atleast I have made the first step on that one, have also looked for some better shoes but with no luck as yet, will just have to keep practising on the stilettos (and cross my fingers that I find a new pair as I really don't want to be the only one on stage wobbling all over the show!)
Another week down and food wise it has been good, still no cheating which i am really happy about, but don't know how i am managing it! A friend of mine wrote to me congratulating me on the decision to compete and said not to beat myself up if i fall off the wagon, just get straight back on, i wrote back to say there would be no falling off as i know that as soon as i give into one temptation, that will be me gone. I have managed a meal out this week, thank goodness for Nandos!!!! Chicken breast and salad, same as i eat at home, but different, was nice to feel "normal" for a while; mind you, normal to me, now means taking tuna and salad to the movies if the show is around my meal time!!! I have a workshop to attend tomorrow so it will be nice to meet up with some fellow competitors past,resent and future and to have my goal reinforced, it is always very motivating attending the workshops. I have called a lady about a bikini today, and am waiting for her to call me back, so that is one more wheel set in motion, and boy, does that one get the butterflies stirring! If i get chance in the morning i will weigh and measure to see how this week has gone and i promise i will post photos this week. Wendy
Quick post to put in the latest measurements that were taking yesturday (monday 14th) Weight: 63.5kg Chest 93cm waist 73cm BB 93cm hips 94cm Thigh 53.5cm calf 34.5cm bicep 30cm gives me a total of around 2kg and 9cm lost in the past 2 weeks. Hopefully right on track and all going to plan. Struggling to fit everything in at the moment with a few late nights and early mornings, sleep still sounds better than getting up and training!!! A bit more planning is needed during school hols to be able to get to the gym! Food is going to plan though, still on the 100% compliance, am glad of the heat as i don't mind salads too much! i think by the time competition comes around i won't want to see another chicken breast or can of tuna!!
Well, i have survived my first week of shreding, with some great results i am pleased to say, it is good to see things working!! Food hasn't been too much of a problem, i haven't really been hungry or craving anything in particular adn it is quite amazing how you can find extra strength and will power when you need it. I have had a couple of challenges through the week, one was putting away grocery shopping, opeing packets of biscuits and things bought for the kids, previously i would have eaten atleast one or two things whilst putting shopping away, but this time i had none, i think i counted about 5 occassions where i would have snacked previously, is it any wonder i had not got the results i wanted. I have missed a couple of cardio sessions due to the heat we have been having at the moment but am hoping that 100% correct eating and weight training will overcome that! Abs are supposed to be done daily, and 2 sessions of those have vanished due to heat and pure fatigue!! Next week i will aim to make sure cardio and abs are done in the morning where possible because i know i struggle to do it later in the day. Today is my daughter, Abbey's 8th birthday, this was set up to be another challenge with making and decorating a cake, party bags, lollies, McDonalds etc etc , but i have survived. I bought a sponge cake so i didn't have to make one and eat the mixture, bought roll out icing rather than making butter cream and stayed away from all the lollies etc, i knew that if i ate one or just tasted a crumb of cake, that would be me done so i steered clear. We went to the movies this evening where i even snuck in my tupperware container full of salad and tuna burgers for my tea (don't think anyone notice!!) I think i have become a bodybuilder!!!! Well. abs to do, and food to prepare for tomorrow, a quick trip to Melbourne and then a BBQ lunch, so yet another day that requires thinking and planning, it is all worth it though, in 11 weeks i will be the proudest person out knowing that i have finally achieved something that i have put my mind to, regardless of whether i win a place or not, i know i will be a winner for having made it on stage. Will take photos tomorrow and record the stats for this week
 Well, i have now started the shredding section! My diet plan came through on Friday but i didn't get it until late due to being out all day, but i ate clean and low carb for the day to give myself a head start. The plan is simple and easy to follow, not much variation, but then how far can you change meat and salad/veggies!!! started it on Saturday and have been 100% on it since then (today is Monday evening) Sunday was hard, i had a huge headache due to the low carbs for a couple of days but have moved past that now which is good. I have had to drop the diet cokes and fizzy water which has been hard, although i am proud to say i have had 1/2 can of coke in 2 days, so i am quite pleased with that, i figure i need to wean myself off of the coke so am happy to indulge myself if i really have to this week (hey it is better than breaking the diet!!) Water consumption is up, i think i hit about 6 litres today!!! (have to say bathroom trips are up as well) and food has to be eaten every 2 1/2 - 3 hours so careful planning is needed for foods to be eaten at work. Today was good though with no problems, i was delayed at work but had a reserve pouch of salmon in my bag so i could have that to keep me going until i got home for tea!! Am pleased with the way i feel at the moment, it all seems possible now and my body feels good from eating the fresh, unprocessed food, it is the kind of feeling you need to bottle away and open in those times of weakness for "bad" foods, for some reason, the taste of chocolate always wins over the sensation my body has from eating good food. Anyway, this weeks photos is a side pose for symmetry rounds, i plan on posting at least one photo a week to see how things are shaping up, and once i work everything out, i may even chuck in a couple for comparison to see how far i have travelled.
Well, it is finally here, my first day of competition season. Met with my new trainer today to run through posing, routine, weights and diet. All going well on the posing and routine front, all i need now is the body to go with it!! My new training plan looks good on paper and it doesn't look like i will be at the gym for hours at a time either, cardio will now be 6 days a week of atleast 30mins walking so that should be managable, abs will be 10mins a day of crunches (don't like the sound of that too much!!!) and weight training on a 3 day split, aiming to do each body part twice a week. Hard work, but this is where it all counts now, no more messing around, this is the last 12 weeks until i realise my dream of wearing a glittery bikini and being on stage in front of hundreds of people... is that a dream or a nighhtmare?? Diet should be coming through tomorrow, but lets just say i have drank my last can of diet coke :( i will miss the bubbles, but i have a jug of cold tea in the fridge (sounds great doesn't it!!) from here on food is fuel for my body and not something to sit and enjoy at the table as a family meal,i need to be 100% compliant to my plan so i can look the best i possible can, i will be standing on stage knowing i put in 100% and short of cosmetic surgery, there is no way i could look any better. so, 12 weeks and 2 days to go, watch this space for big changes (they are to be expected) will post new photos along the way.... just not this week as there has been no change from the last photos!!!
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