Journal of Progress

[Mossley]

I have just started up a journal under the topic "Workout Journal" so that I have to answer to all of you which will hopefully in turn motivate me to keep going. I'm 11 weeks out from comp and decided I needed to hear from people who were going through the same thing.

I noticed that so far I'm the only female that has posted a journal?! I haven't put any pics on, but will when I next take some.

Anyone else willing to share their diets/workouts each day?

Please post it, it's nice to see that others struggle through the same things and how they manage to overcome obstacles!

[carma]

Hey Mossley

We are definately a minority round here.

I am hoping to do a comp this year but it wont be til October.

I have been spending the last 2 months chopping and changing my diet.

I think i'm finally starting to get it right. But i'll let you know if thats true when i do my B/F test next Saturday.

I weight train four days per week:

Chest & shoulders

Back& biceps

Off

Triceps & calves

Legs

off

off

For cardio:

I walk/jog 30min every morning and i do either steady pace or HIIT on the exercycle six days per week.

I know its a lot of cardio but i'm too scared to cut it down because i think my body is used to it.

My daily food:

Meal1: 30gm oats, 6 egg whites, cinnamon.

Meal2: Shake = 3scoops WPC, essence, water

Meal3: Chicken breast 5oz before cooking, 2cups salad, 20gm potato flakes.

Meal4: Pancake = 3 scoop WPC, 2 egg whites, 30gm oats.

Meal5: Chicken breast or steak 5oz, 2 1/2 cups stirfry veges.

Meal6: Shake as above and 50gm cottage cheese.

I take 2-3 serves of flaxseed oil per day.

water = 4-5 litres per day

[Mossley]

Thanks heaps for that. I'll try and keep mine updated each day.

I was doing heaps of cardio but I was told to stop running so I could define my legs more. I've still continued to lose weight so I wouldn't worry too much about cutting back. The good thing is if you cut back now, when you do start changing your diet (less carbs etc) and increasing your cardio again, you'll notice some big changes.

I've cut out my 3 x 30mins runs per week to 4 x 1 hour walks/stepper/crosstrainer and this seems to have worked. Any weeks I put on, I'm trying to add in one more 30min cardio session but leave the diet as I don't want to change too much at once.

Have you got any pics?

I'll try and get some this weekend to post.

[deegee]

I weight train four days per week:

Chest & shoulders

Back& biceps

Off

Triceps & calves

Legs

off

off

You work a similar training split to myself at the moment. I dont like the chest and shoulders together though. How is this routine working for you?

I like the amount of rest, in the past I have been guilty of overtraing.

[carma]

I find this routine is working well for me.

I'm keeping my reps quite high at the moment.

My weights are going up all the time so i think i'll stick with this one for a while. I dont mind chest and shoulders together. I should be doing legs today but it will have to be tomorrow now coz i'm not going to have enough time to make it to the gym, I'm not too keen on weight training in the weekend, especially legs.

[Rach]

Hey Mossley! Hi, my name's Rach and I havent been on this site for a while so just noticed your message re the comp you're gearing up for soon. Im guessing thats Welly in May right? What class are you doin? Im doing my first one in May too and MAN im so excited! :dancing:

Howz all your diet and stuff going? Are you finding it a piece-a-cake to shed BF? Seems to be a bit of a mish for some of us :grin:

[Mossley]

Yip, the May comp in WLG. Bodyfat seems like it's taking forever to come off but that's probably because I only know what it was before I started. My PT is against going by numbers so he wants me to stop worrying about weight and told me he won't be doing any BF tests. How about you?

I post a journal daily so that people can give me advice on how to lose more etc. Maybe you could do the same so we can compare? I'm a bit worried about the nutrition so always interesting to know what other people are eating?

Where do you train?

[Mossley]

Hey Rachel

You wouldn't be the same Rachel that trains at Uptown in Upper Hutt would you? That knows Megan???

:think:

[Rach]

Yep that is me :nod:

Im guessing you know Megan then, she mentioned one of her mates is competing in May too. Howz it coming along? Hope its going well. Its quite scarey doing something like this the first time ay, you want to look your best but you've never put your body through it before so theres quite a bit of risk along the way re diet/training etc.

Only 10 weeks left AWSUM!!

[Mossley]

Yeah I had a talk to Megan about my nutrition because I felt that I wasn't losing the way I was meant to and she told me about Deb. But I think it may well just be me being impatient and also maybe I need to be a bit stricter on myself. I've been known to cheat!

Things are happening slowly. I'll take some more pics in a couple of weeks. I've posted some in the "Post your Pics" page, so I'll update these soon.

You're doing Figure aren't you?

I'll be in the Novice Figure Tall category. May even be next to you back stage pumping up!

[Rach]

Im doing Physique, not Figure. I had quite a period of trying to choose between the two but think Im better suited, and more comfortable, with Physique.

Yeah I think that's right what you said about being patient for the results. I was quizzing Debz about that last night and she said last time round (she took about 6 ladies thru to October comp last year) it all happened for them in the last 6 weeks. Its just a matter of putting in the hard yards, doing the time and coaxing your body into fat loss. Eventually it starts to accelerate. Actually I was reading 'Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle' today and the guy talks in that about how your body has to be coaxed into losing fat, it takes a little while before it begins to shed. But it will happen.

Do you enjoy what you're eating diet-wise? I think that's really important especially cos its 3 months worth of being strict. If you can flavour food nicely but still healthily then it makes such a difference.

I'll look out for you backstage!

[Mossley]

I'm not finding the food too bad. Just kind of monotonous, cutting so much out doesn't leave room for variety. I've tried different things though. Sometime we make kebabs or salad, or just different spices over the veges and meat.

I can guarantee I won't eat Tuna by choice for a long time after this! I really enjoy chicken so that has been a lot of my main meals, we do have steak aswell which I look forward to after all that white meat. I'm not a huge fish fan, but try to have this 2 or 3 times a week aswell.

I found dairy the hardest thing to give up and after a wee bit of cheating I think it's going to be the hardest thing to bring back in. The stomach didnt agree when I did have a bit of milk so I'll just have to be careful.

I've heard horror stories about getting really puffy afterwards so I want to be prepared to diet a bit longer than just up until the comp.

Are there any Figure girls competing in May from Uptown?

[Rach]

Theres a couple of other ladies doing Figure, both of them have competed before. A couple of us are doing Physique - different classes though - and one chic is doing Fitness. Not too many in May, most are waiting till October.

Yeah tuna is a hard one to get around ay. I can handle it with balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing and lots of salad to disguise it. I reckon sandwich tuna is WAY easier to eat than chunky style. (Thats a recent discovery LOL)

Chicken is definitely my fav too.

Have you tried adding tofu to stuff? Its pretty nice in a protein shake cos it makes the texture really smooth like if youd added yoghurt and its a great protein source. Nice in omelettes too, and stir frys.

Hey I had a look at your pics, I think you're looking great - nothing to worry about!

[Mossley]

Never thought of tofu actually. I might start adding that to stirfrys to pad them out a bit. Does tofu have many carbs?

I was too ashamed to show much leg in the photos, they seem to be lagging behind a bit, but they are the main focus and I'll make sure I include them in the next lot of pics.

People have suggested Hill Lunges, Cycling and heaps of stepping so these are the main focus.

After practicing my posing a bit more I don't think I have much more fat to lose (just the legs) so I'm relatively happy with my progress.

I get the first half of my routine tomorrow night so that will get me excited again. I'm kinda sick of practicing the same poses all the time!

[Rach]

Nope tofu has bugger all carbs - its mostly protein. I forget the %s but just check the packs. The firm one is best for stirfrys and omelettes and the soft one is the best for adding to shakes. mmm.

A really nice omelette is 4 whites, 1 yolk, spinach, tofu, mushroom, red pepper, spring onion. You could add salmon or chicken for a bit more flavour/protein too = YUM!

I agree, you dont look like you need to drop much more bodyfat, particularly around the upper body. Its a pain that you cant dictate to your body where to burn the fat from ay. That would be so helpful!

Yeah from what Ive heard the old stepper is one of the best tools for legs. I dont struggle with legs but I wish my abs were visible NOW! Patience......

[Mossley]

I'm gonna try this tofu. Sounds like it would make me feel full without the carbs and the calories. Actually an omelette is something I haven't had in ages. It's funny how you just get into a routine. I'm over having salad and veges all the time, so omelettes will be the way to go I think.

I still have a bit around my abs they're not as defined as they need to be but I'm hoping they might come out a bit more with the carb deplete and load stage.

I seem to spend a lot of time looking forward to the next 'diet' stage. I think I see changes each time I try something new but then I get impatient for the next stage. How have your energy levels been?

I tend to get a bit lethargic around midday but then come right after work. Probably not even diet related it's all in the mind!

[Rach]

My energy is drained in the mornings, till about 10am, after Ive had a coffee and my second meal. I tend to get low again in the early evenings but I pick up after training.

I know what you mean, I keep looking forward to the next stage too. Its gonna fly by from here I reckon. Only 9 weeks this weekend!

I just bought some fresh smoked salmon to add to my omelette for tomorrow - with spinach and tofu = YUM!!

[Mossley]

Are you able to tell me when I'm meant to give up the coffee? My PT has told me to cut out dairy but I still have a bit of milk and truth be known a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee.

Would it be better if I replaced the sugar with artificial sweetner? I figure that the 20ml of milk I have in one cup of coffee a day wouldn't make any difference at all but let me know if it could be hindering anything.

Yip, tofu is definitely on the menu this weekend. Have you got any recipes for anything that you could share? I'm so sick of eating the same old thing over and over but there must be ways around things.

My partner made a potato baed quiche the other day was really nice with chunks of chicken in it. Basically it was several egg whites (depends on the size quiche dish you have) and two whole eggs, then he mixed in a few spices, chicken, capsicum, onion, carrot, anything vege-like really andlined the bottom with a 2 potatoes cut up really thinly and then baked it in the oven. It was such a nice change but really something I can only have for lunch.

What's the deal with fruit? I have my apple in the morning (with a paste I make from protein powder, fixes the choc cravings!) and sometimes I'll add apple or pineapple pieces to my salads?

:think:

[carma]

Hey Mossley

I would definately swap the tsp of sugar in the coffee for artificial sweetner, but that's just my opinion.

That potato based quiche sounds really yummy, i must give it a try.

[Cornfed]

Hey Mossley

I would definately swap the tsp of sugar in the coffee for artificial sweetner, but that's just my opinion.

Try drinking coffee without the sweetner or sugar. After a month or so, you will probably be used to it for life.

[Tammy]

the potato based quiche is really yummy i used to make it with tuna as it makes it a nice change to putting tuna on rice wafers