Cutting, the beginning

Well, if you have read thus far on my blog you know I am competing in a physique competition in May.  I have been going through what is called a "bulk" for the last 4 months to increase my muscle mass and now it is time to CUT!  Cutting is basically the process of reducing the about of body fat one has in order to show off the muscles that were hiding behind it.  I am on a 20 week cut and so far my macros have gone from around:

Protein 145
Carbs 210
Fat 65

to

Protein 145
Carbs 165
Fat 42

To say the least it is a lot less food and I am hungry!  The first week was actually easier than the second week has been.  I think I was so focused on getting it right that the transition didn't phase me too much.  This week, I basically want to make out with a family size bag of potato chips.  Sooooo....with that being said I am trying to switch my foods up a little to keep my cravings at bay.  Some staples in my food are protein pancakes with butter (gotta have them everyday!), arctic zero "ice cream", and of course lots of veggies, eggs and chicken.  Luckily with a macronutrient diet I can fit in treats here and there.

So far my weight has dropped from the start of my cut.  I was 146 at the start of my cut and I am down to 142ish.  My coach is awesome and she too is going through competition prep so we are having many of the same feels right now.  I'll check back again soon to continue documenting the process, but so far, it's slow and steady.

xo

Here goes nothing, I'm competing!

The following is a letter that I sent to some of my family and friends today to let them know I was committing to do a fitness competition...I plan to blog about my journey and post on Facebook.  I so often find inspiration from my friends and family and will need your support over the next several months.  I would love to have you follow along on my journey with me.

I wanted to write this letter to explain to you my goal for the next 9-11 months.  I am planning on competing in a fitness competition in the bikini category.  What this means is I am going to be working very hard for the next 9 months or so on building my physique to compete with other women in my age group and will be judged on my muscularity and body shape.  

I am asking for your support in this journey.  I have been considering doing it for a couple of years now and I finally feel like I am at a place where my fear of failure isn’t going to take over my desire to challenge myself.  I realize you may have a lot of questions in regards to my choice to do this and you may wonder why I would want to put myself through such a challenge.  Here is what I can tell you.  I love lifting weights, I am good at it.  There are very few things that I have for myself these days as I am raising two small kids and taking care of our home (which I wouldn’t trade for anything) and the feeling of empowerment that I get from working hard in the gym gives me a special kind of confidence and not to mention energy to keep up with the little ones.  I have always had a competitive spirit and there isn’t much competition when raising kiddos (thank goodness), so lifting weights  allows me an avenue to challenge myself.  I feel excited about pushing myself and having something to work towards and I ask that you would feel that excitement with me.  

Here are somethings to expect while I am on my journey.  I will be restricted with my food and drinks.  I will be able to have some flexibility with what I eat but that will get more restricted the closer I get to my show.  This will be the hardest part of my journey.  I love food…junk food, mexican food, pizza etc.  I will want these things and as I mentioned, in the beginning I will have more flexibility to fit certain things into my diet but as my show approaches I will have to fight the urge to have most of them.  This is a huge mental challenge but I am up for it.  This does not mean I am asking you to not eat these things in front of me or talk about the wonderful meals you had, I just want to make you aware that I can not have them (especially closer to the competition).  Please don’t offer me sweets or things you know I can not have during this time.  Saying something like “just have one piece of cake, it wont hurt you that much” or “you look hungry, have a french fry” is only going to make it harder for me. Another thing to note is that I will not be doing this competition in an unhealthy way.  I will be following flexible dieting, I won’t allow myself to become dehydrated, or malnourished as many competitors do.  I have hired a coach to help me with all of this, from the physical to the mental and she will help keep me in check.  There will come a point where I will get extremely lean close to competition but I assure you this will be done very strategically and is not a place I plan to stay for a long period of time.  My body fat will be low but it is temporary.  I am not going to turn into a body builder.  I repeat, I AM NOT GOING TO TURN INTO A BODY BUILDER.  I will not look like a man, I will not get “too bulky”, “too muscular” or “be un-lady like”.  Please do not be afraid of what you do not know.  If you want to see some pictures of bikini competitors please check out this website www.npctexas.org and remember it is the bikini division.  Again, I know this might seem foreign to some of you and I don’t expect you to understand why I want to do this but I am asking you to talk to me about it and I will answer any questions you have, but please be supportive.  

There will most likely come a time, or many times that I will get discouraged, doubt myself and not feel like I am making progress, please push me to keep going.  Help me to remember that this is a long journey and not something that happens overnight.  I will need lots of prayers for mental strength and I will be asking God to be at my side, holding my hand through this, and giving me the push I need everyday.  

Tyler and I have discussed this at length and I have his 100% support.  He will also have trials throughout my journey since he will be facing me on a restricted diet (“hangry" Ali is no fun).  Be sure to give him a high-five every now and again as he will endure a lot too.  I am so lucky to have him.  He has told me how proud he is of me and that he will do anything to help me reach my goal.  He has offered to cook my meals for me and eat what I eat to keep me on track.  Thanks babe, you are my rock in this and with you by my side I can conquer anything!  

I start my program on August 17th.  So for the next 9 months or so I will be asking for your support and encouragement. I have sent this email to you because you are my closest family and friends.  You will be my support system and I will need you in this process!  Thank you in advance for being there for me. have no idea where this might lead, or if I will do it again but I am excited to give it a try.  If nothing else I can say I did it and I won’t regret never trying.  I love you all!

Ali    

Definition of Bikini competition: 

Bikini competition was created as a category with much less emphasis on muscularity to accommodate even more women into the world of physique competitions. Rapidly growing, bikini category looks for lean and firm physique and "competitors are scored on proportion, symmetry, balance, shape and skin tone”.^[1]  

Binger?

I've been pretty healthy most of my life and haven't really struggled with having massive amounts of weight to lose but i do struggle with having a love/hate relationship with food. And by love/hate i mostly mean LOVE.   For me, food has always been a "treat". Have a bad day at work..."treat" yourself with something you shouldn't eat. Have a fight with someone you love...eat your feelings. Feeling bad about yourself...one/ten more oreos will make it better.  

I'm not sure how this mind set came about for me. I grew up with lots of "food=comfort" type experiences. I am certainly not blaming  anyone for giving me food issues because I really do believe that you can cook up a big batch of love in the kitchen for someone and it can make them feel better. My mom's fried chicken strips mended many o' teenage heartbreaks in my life. However, the reality is that the act of caring for the hurting person is really the cure for the heartache not the totally delicious bowl of homeade "eat this, you'll feel so much better" soup. 

I have tried for a while now to change the way I see food, but the reality is I still have times in my life where food is not just fuel for my body but a way to escape or cover up a feeling of inadequecy, sorrow, shame or even hopelessness.  The crazy thing about this is I should really know better at this point. I have had binges, I know what they feel like. They NEVER make me feel better or make the underlying feelings disappear, so how can I stop this destruction of my body and mind.  Is there ever a cure for just wanting to eat the whole box of cereal vs a regular portion?  Strangely enough for me the only thing that has helped me is by counting my macros, weighing and tracking what goes in my mouth. It is a sense of control and more than that I have learned so much about how to fuel my body with what I eat. I dont deprive myself of the things I want but I am smart about how I fit them into my daily intake. Like I said before I have never been in the position of needing to lose a lot of weight, but I am in the position of wanting to change my body composition.  I think many people out there are in this boat. Dont have abs, want them.  No booty, want one. Stong arms, gotta have 'em. I never understood the extreme importance of the specific foods we need to achieve these goals and the length of time it takes to achieve them.  Many hours of reading and learning have finally got my mind set in a better place. Am I free of my feelings of needing to binge? No.  But every day I am learning a way to control it and it is happening less and less. If I can encourage you to do one thing to change your life it would be to pay attention to what you put in your mouth. You may find that you aren't eating enough.  Or maybe you didnt realize how much you were eating. Either way I think that while my issues with food often come from emotion and usually you have to takle the emotion first and find the root cause, for me has worked the opposite way.  Start with the actual act of eating and see the power you have to change your body and well being, then you can gain the confidence to change whats happening on the inside.   

Disclaimer: this post was written on my iphone. Please dont judge me by my lack of perfect grammar or spelling. 

  

The Girlfriend Workout

I'm a mom.  I get busy.  I don’t always have enough time for my friends, but when the time comes for a girls weekend I immediately get excited and nervous at the same time.  I know there will be laughs, fun, food, drinks, drinks and drinks…yes that is drinks, said three times.  SO, with that being said, how can you get in a sweat when going on a vacation with your friends?  Just do it together!  You might have to drag someone to do it with you or they might have to drag you, but hold each other accountable to get a little exercise before you go and make memories that, in my case, you don’t always fully remember.  The idea is to enjoy your life, without being to caught up on having a piece of pizza or a margarita every now and again.  Don’t over do it and don’t miss out on life because you are too tight about your diet.  That’s the great thing about macros, you can make it fit and have fun at the same time. 

This weekend we all traveled to the DC area to visit our friend Val, who actually didn’t know we were coming, so, thanks for having us Val, even though you had no choice in the matter.  Thanks also to my amazingly strong friends Kimmie and Jordan for joining me in the pics.  Most of all I have to thank sweet Carson, Val’s son, for joining in on all the fun and getting in some wheelbarrows and planks with us.  

Here is the workout we did.  Do it with your friends, spouse, kids…whatever, just do it!  We did ours around a high school track, but you could certainly do it in a park or just someones yard.  Have fun y’all!

xo

Warm up:

Walk 1/4 lap (lap, not mile)

Jog 3/4 lap

Sprint 1/4 lap- effort 7

Partner Plank with Hand Slap (30)

Rest 30 sec

Sprint 1/4 lap-effort 7

Partner back to back (wall) sit (60 sec)

Rest 30 sec

Sprint 1/4 lap-effort 7

Partner leg push downs (20 each person)

Rest 30 sec

Sprint 1/4 lap-effort 9

Rest 90 seconds

1/4 lap walking lunges

Rest 60 sec

1/4 lap wheelbarrows (half way each person)

Rest 30 sec

1/4 lap Sprint effort-10 

Rest 90 sec

Abs circuit

30 knees up

20 toe taps (knees bent)

30 leg raises

60 sec plank

30 opposite knee (15 each)

20 cycling crunches

30 ankle taps

20 supermans

Cool Down- 1 lap around track

Things I Eat (CHEESE)

I have had a lot of questions on what I eat on a daily basis.  The idea of eating a macro nutrient diet is that you can eat pretty much what you want as long as it lines up with your required number of fats, proteins and carbs within your allowed calories.  Now, with that being said, you could blow your entire macros on one trip to a fast food joint, or in my case one sitting with some chips and queso, but the point is to live a healthier life, and that just won’t get it done. 

First thing I do is cook a big batch of chicken breast over the weekend so I have it prepped and ready to go in the fridge for the week (my kids love it too, so that is a bonus).  I happen to love chicken, but if you prefer something else, like ground turkey, or flank steak, etc, by all means go with what you like (if it fits).  I cook about 8-10 chicken breasts by marinating them in a fajita type seasoning (try low sodium) and 2TBSP of olive oil.  I put all of it in a Ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge anywhere from 30 min to 24 hours before grilling it. Here are a few of my go to meals that I eat on a weekly basis.

Alison’s Favorite Salad

Organic Romaine Hearts, 4 oz (about 2 cups)

Diced Tomato, 4 oz

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, 5.3 oz

Monterrey Jack Shredded Cheese, 1/4 cup (28g)

Baked Blue Corn Chips, crushed, 1 oz (28g/about 19 chips)

Sour Cream-Fat Free, 2 tbsp

Hass Avocado, 1 oz.

Mix lettuce, tomato, chicken, cheese and crushed tortilla chips.  In a separate bowl mash the avocado and mix with sour cream.  Toss salad in with the sour cream/avocado mixture.  Enjoy.

Here are your macros: 

Calories 508

Carbs 34g

Fat 21.7g

Protein 47g

Southwest Chicken Mix-up

Black Beans , 1/4 cup

Whole Kernel Sweet Corn (I used canned because it’s easy), 1/2 cup

Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 1/4 cup (28 grams)

Grilled Chicken Breast, 150 g

Microwave Organic Brown Rice, 0.5 cup

Mix black beans and corn together and heat in microwave.  Add rice, cheese (can y'all tell I like cheese?) and chicken.  Eat it up!

**Salsa would be a good addition to this if you can fit it in your macros. 

Here are your macros:

Cal 551

Carbs 40g

Fat 17.7g

Protein 62g 

My current daily macros are

1745 Cal
175g Carbs
175g P
39g F

Again, it’s about eating what you like as long as you can make it fit.  Don't stress about it, take small steps and try to get within 5% of your numbers.  If you need more help with things to eat, check out one of the websites I love, www.rippedrecipes.com (thanks to my dear friend Abby for sharing it with me).  I will post my daily food diary soon to give you an idea of what I eat through out the day.  Good luck y’all and let me know how I can help you.

xo,

Alison

A Journey to Find My Fitness

This is my fitness journey.  I’d like to start by saying I am not an expert.  I have done a lot of research and I follow the advice of my trainer.  I only know what has worked for me and I hope that it can inspire just one person to live the life they want with the health and body composition they have always dreamed of having.  

Being fit has a different meaning for most everyone.  For me it is an outlet, something I find great joy in and have fun doing.  It wasn’t until recently I had a desire to challenge myself to transform the way my body looks and feels.  I have never had hamstrings in my life and I decided I wasn't going any further without getting some!  Something in my mindset changed.  I decided that if I wanted something, with some hard work and dedication I could get it , and I believe anyone else can as well.  DISCLAIMER: Before you go thinking that I have a body image problem, please Y’all, withhold your negative thoughts.  I simply wanted to change MY level of fitness.  This is my journey, I don’t judge other people for how they want to live their lives and would ask that if you plan on judging me, just stop reading now.

With that being said, I am here to tell you what has worked for me.  The lifestyle I follow has been the only thing that I can say has made a difference in how my body looks and feels.  It isn’t magic, and it isn’t easy, but I can’t say it is difficult either.  I have tried numerous things in the past to try to change my body.  I have tried, low carb, no carb, low calorie, high protein, only fruit, juicing, swimming, cycling, triathlons, running (P.S. I HATE RUNNING), lifting weights and many other things.  I wish I had known then what I know now!  I started researching different ways to “get fit” after I had my second baby and came across something called IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) also known as Flexible Dieting.  It’s a way of eating that is composed of a certain number of calories broken out into Fat, Carbs and Proteins.  Y’all, let me scream it from the mountain tops…IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE!  If you are interested in how to start eating within a macronutrient diet here are my must haves to help you get started.  

1.  Download the My Fitness Pal app on your phone/computer.  It has a food diary where you can log your meals as well as a chart that tells you how your are doing on your daily breakdowns (Fat, Protein, Carbs and Calories).  I use this everyday, it is a must.

2.  Now, you need to calculate your macros.  This can be a bit tricky and there is some estimating involved.  Do your best to be honest with your calculations and you can always adjust as needed.  Here is one of my favorite websites for calculating your macros, and many other things about the IIFYM lifestyle…

      

             http://www.healthylivingheavylifting.com/how-to-calculate-macros-for-cutting/

(Again, let me state, I am not the expert, I have done a lot of research on this for myself, but I don’t claim to have all the answers).  Once you have your calculation, plug it into the app and start logging away.  If you have a better app for this, great.  This is just the one I prefer.  Feel free to "friend' me in the My Fitness Pal app under alisonboob.

3.  A food scale.  Nothing fancy, Y’all, just a regular ole’ food scale.  Mine was $10 at the grocery store. 

4.  Start an exercise routine.  If I were to pick one thing, I would suggest weights.  However, you need to follow the advice of a professional when starting any kind of fitness regime.  I currently lift weights about 5 times per week and do 20 minute HIIT cardio 2-3 times a week (My go to is the elliptical).  

5. Prep your food.  This isn’t necessary, but it's a definite way to get you ahead of the game.  I do this a couple times a week and often log my meals the night before so I can be sure I am getting my proper breakdowns (Fat, Protein, Carbs).  This will take some getting used to, but after a couple of weeks, it will be second nature.  The food you choose needs to fit your daily intake for Fat, Protein and Carbs within your allowed calories.  I will be posting my food diary at a later date to give you an idea of what I eat.  I will tell you I am never starving and I eat delicious foods.

6.   If you can hire a trainer to help you with the process, I would suggest it.  However, let me assure you this can be done without the help of a trainer.  I repeat, YOU CAN DO THIS ON YOUR OWN!  I started this process on my own and have just recently hired a trainer to help me get to the next level and he is teaching me a lot.  

I hope you will enjoy following along with me on this adventure.  I have a long way to go with a lot to learn, so if you want to jump on the train with me, please do.  I am happy to answer any questions you may have, or give you the encouragement to get started.  Just leave me a comment and I will do my best to get back with you. I am so thankful for the people in my life that motivate and encourage me everyday, so I understand just how important a support system is.  Here’s to living a healthy life and feeling great with the body you want!

xo-Alison