Last Friday (May 4, at precisely 3:37 : ) I made a decision to pull out of the competition. This was an agonizing for me, but at 116 pounds & 12.5% body fat I wasn’t prepared to shed anymore fat & sadly this body is not stage ready. For the next 7 weeks I needed to reduce carb intake to less than 50g on 6 of 7 days and i wasn’t comfortable doing that.

I learned a great deal about myself & what motivates me.  In the end, the process of presenting myself on stage didn’t feel right to me.  I’m more of a “meat and potatoes” kinda girl if you know what i mean?  lol

I wouldn’t change the experience for anything & I accomplished some amazing stuff — even surprised myself on a couple of occasions.  I think I’m a better trainer and a better person for having started this journey.

I’d like to give a special mention to Shelley Hindle (wonderful trainer & Friend) and Amazing Di (Diane Merpaw) for their support and encouragement along the way.

I cut pictures out of video that was taken at the posing practice session on Apr 29.

In closing I’ll leave you with this:

• Competition Shoes $50 (they’re not the ones on my feet BTW)
• Competition Suit $300
• Training Sessions $1500+
• OPA membership $80
• Competition Fee $150

•  Finding out who you are…. priceless

Don’t get me wrong:  They are both good for you and I consume them regularly, but you need to know how to eat beans and nuts for the right purpose for health and fat-loss.

Beans = Fibrous Carbs.

Check out the label for black beans

One serving contains 41g of Carbohydrate and only 15 g of protein — twice as much carbs as protein.  However, it’s a great source of fiber with 15g from the carbohydrate component.

To get an adequate amount of protein from these beans (20-25 g), you’d have to consume 2 servings which will raise your carbohydrate intake to 82 grams.  Doubling the serving to get enough protein will make you overload on carbohydrates.  This will impede your fat loss.

Nuts and Nut Butters = Healthy Fat

This label for 2 tbsp of peanut butter is 180 calories for 8 g of protein,  remember fats yield 9 calories per gram, where protein and carbs have only 4 calories per gram.   You’d need 3 servings to get enough protein and then you’d get too many calories.   Three servings equates to 540 (3 x 180) calories and this is going to make weight loss difficult.

Don’t get me wrong, I probably eat peanut butter most days of the week, but I use it as a healthy fat not as a protein.

Cottage Cheese

On the other hand, cottage cheese is a complete protein with 28 g of protein, 6g of carbs and 163 calories per serving.  It’s high in amino acids which will help you build and maintain your muscle and is clearly an example of a superior choice for protein intake.

Adequate amounts of protein

Getting adequate amounts of protein every day will help you lose weight.  At least 30% of your daily caloric intake should be from protein.  While the beans and nuts will give you some of that, don’t use it as your main protein source. Try to include a complete protein in every meal, sources include:

• Eggs
• Dairy
• Cottage Cheese
• Yogurt
• Fish
• Meat
• Poultry
• Tofu
• Supplements (protein powders)

Here’s to you being happy, healthy, lean and fit!!

A 30-minute session of moderate-intensity exercise can help ease distress, depression, tension and anger, says Michael Bracko, an exercise physiologist in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and a spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine.  These benefits are present because 30 minutes of exercise releases the “feel good” endorphin hormones. These are the same chemicals that our brain manufactures when we are in love or when we eat chocolate.

Exercising costs energy, but it gives you energy — and tons of it!  Even if you’re tired when you start, you’ll quickly get a rush of endorphins that will boost your energy levels.

So how do you schedule 30 minutes three times a week when you’re already over worked, stressed and busy with life’s demands?

Prioritize

Find time to exercise now or find time to be sick later — you chose!

Schedule it

If you don’t schedule your exercise, it wont happen.  Write it in your calendar and make the appointment non-negotiable: phone calls, emails and other interruptions will need to wait.  On Sunday, I schedule and block off time for all of the training sessions for the week.  I may have to say NO to other projects or requests for my time, but if exercise is your priority the other demands will take a back seat.

Make it fun

Play a sport you love, take up a dance class or group exercise class, or do a quick workout at home.  You don’t have to spend hours at the gym — in fact, it’s not good for you.  If you work out at the gym or at home, pick lots of full body movements like squats, lunges, push-ups, pull ups and burpees.  Go for a walk and stop at the park, run or walk up and down the bleachers, do pull-ups (or just hang) on the monkey bars.  Get out there and move.

Evaluate your time

Look for stuff you do that is less important than your health:  watching TV, shopping, going to restaurants then swap out this time for exercise.  If the president can find time to exercise…

Apply a positive mindset

Whether you think you can exercise or whether you think you can’t,  you’re right!

Make it fun and part of your daily life and I guarantee you’ll thank yourself later.

Recipe from

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (1 1/2-pound) center-cut salmon fillet

Preparation

1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on either side of charcoal grate, leaving an empty space in the middle.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients, stirring until well blended. Spread mustard mixture over fish; let stand 15 minutes.
3. Carefully remove grill rack. Place a disposable aluminum foil pan on unheated part of grill. Carefully return grill rack to grill. Place fish, skin side down, on grill rack over unheated part. Close lid; grill 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from grill by inserting a spatula between skin and fish. Discard skin.

I’ve come to realize there are 4 very key mental components you need to command in order to reach your goal.

Set Goals

• This seems obvious, yes?
• But “lose weight” is not a goal.  You need to be very specific – the more details, the better.  How much weight?, and by when?, do a reality check — is your goal realistic?.
• A goal properly set is half way reached – Abraham Lincoln.
• Goals serves as the road map and give a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Find your Motivation

• This is a big one!  Finding a powerful reason “why” is how you can break through the urge to stop your exercise program and nutrition plan.
• You have to know why you want to reach your goal.  If you don’t, you’ll never commit 100%.
• You need to dig deep, fitting into your skinny jeans isn’t always reason enough.
• Determine why it’s important for you to lose fat and tone up.  Ask yourself these questions:
• When you reach your goals, in what ways will life be different?
• What benefits are most important to you?
• On a scale of 1-10, (1 being not important at all, 10 being top priority), how important is it for you to make those changes right now?
• How will you feel when your goal is reached?  Can you inspire friends and family?

Have a plan

• You need to plan your nutrition and exercise.
• Schedule your exercise sessions and make these engagements non-negotiable.
• It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment; 10-15 minutes a day can improve your state of mind, your overall health and your life expectancy.
• Check out this related blog: http://www.janetfougere.com/wordpress/?p=1074
• Plan your meals for the week — it also makes grocery shopping easier.
• Pack and prepare everything you need for the day so that you don’t revert to a quick fix that will sabotage your hard work.

Have accountability

• In order to be successful you must hold yourself accountable to certain tasks.
• Let everyone know what your goals are — Ok yeah I know:  there are negative people in the world (don’t tell them).  Surround yourself with people who support you and your goals.   Every time you bump into them they’ll ask you how it’s going.

Once you have a goal and you push through the tough workout or you pass up the cake you’re dying to have – NOTHING will stop you.

Check out these folks from the Boston marathon.  Watch to see how one contestant gets across the finish line after shear exhaustion & physical failure.   Amazing!

click here for the full article

Dietary fat has six major roles, which are to:

• Provide an energy source,
• Manufacture and balance hormones,
• Form our cell membranes,
• Form your brain and nervous system.
• Transport fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), and
• Help you feel full.

Healthy fats won’t influence blood sugar levels or increase insulin in the body.  Adding small amounts to your meals prevents hunger from creeping in later.

Great sources for cooking include olive oil and coconut oil.  Other sources of healthy fats include animal food, nuts, flax seeds, avocado, fish oil, flax oil.  Spread them throughout the day but make sure to add them into your diet.

My top two favorite oils to add to your recipes are:

• Olive oil
• Coconut Oil

These are two of my favs because they have a very high smoking point, so they are easy to cook with.

Olive oil is well known to be one of the most ‘heart-friendly’ oils around and coconut oil contains triglycerides which can actually be utilized by the muscles for energy instantly (whereas all other fats can’t).  If you had to choose just two oils to be including in your diet regularly, these would definitely top the list of the best ones to choose both for their health benefits and their fat loss powers.

I add 1tbsp of olive oil & 1tsp of vinegar to my salads instead of using purchased dressings that can be high in fat and/or sugar and contain lots of preservatives.

So the April date didn’t materialize, the competition will be held on Jun 16 (about 9 weeks away).

If there’s one think I’d like to share with folks: tell as many people about your goal as you can, it’ll help you stick to it when it gets tough.  Honestly, if I hadn’t told so many people I was doing this, I would of quit & had a glass of wine!

For me, the process has it’s up and down.  I love the training, the diet is OK — i feel energized most of the time but look forward to the day when I can have a cappuccino and a muffin.

It’s hard work preparing for this & more difficult than I expected it to be.

I had reached a plateau with fat loss and broke it with a rapid fat loss diet & increasing the intensity of my training.  I’m at about 13% body fat, my weight fluctuates quite a bit but hangs around 117 lbs.  I’ve had the competition suit on twice in as many weeks.    Every time I put it on, I’m terrified by 1) how much work I still have to do and 2) the fact that I present myself on stage in this thing…..  & how much I’d like a frikin’ muffin!

You can do a simple test at home, reach down and attempt to touch your toes while keeping the legs straight.  if you aren’t able to touch, start executing the leg lowering stretch to help improve mobility.

Begin lying on your back and one leg raised to 90 degrees against either a wall, a table or suspended by a partner.

Your hands should be placed by your side with palms facing up & your head flat.  Contract your abdominal and keep your lower back against the floor.

Maintain the position of the raised leg and your back against the floor, while you lift and lower the opposite leg.

Maintain flat lower back and keep toes pointing on the moving leg.  Lower the leg only to the point you feel an arch in the back.

The Top 3 contenders happen to be my personal favorites….  I didn’t make the list though! : )

1st place:  Almonds

160 calories 14 g fat per 1/4 cup
Almonds are high in vitamin E (which protects against stroke and cancer) and have more magnesium than most nuts. A quarter cup of whole almonds (about the same as a 1 oz. serving size) has nearly the amount of calcium as a quarter cup of milk.

Over 35% of your daily requirement of vitamin E, over 30% for manganese, and almost 20% for riboflavin and magnesium.

2nd Place: Walnuts

190 calories 18 g fat per 1/4 cup
Walnuts are unique among nuts because they’re loaded with the same heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids in salmon (but these taste better with chocolate). In more good fat news, walnuts also have an abundance of polyunsaturated fat, which may protect against type 2 diabetes.

Walnuts are the only nut with alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. They also have vitamin E and magnesium.

The World’s Healthiest Foods reports that walnuts have special anti-inflammatory benefits because they contain tannins tellimagrandin, the flavonol morin, and quinone juglone (which is found in almost no other food).

3rd Place: Peanuts

170 calories 14 g fat per 1/4 cup
Research finds that these legumes (they’re not actually nuts) are a good choice for keeping cholesterol levels at bay. These impostors also provide more protein (7 grams per serving) than true nuts do.

Almost 20% of your daily value of niacin and 10% of folate and vitamin E.

A word of Caution

Get raw when possible.  Roasted nuts have most of the healthy fat benefits destroyed from the heat of the roasting process and typically have a bunch of hidden salt and chemicals.