11 Weeks Out From Atlantic Clasics
EEEEK! Last Saturday I was able to attend the Stage Ready Seminar (an early Valentine's gift from Jeff). It was AMAZING...and scary all at the same time. I loved being in the same room with a bunch of other people who are so passionate. I must admit I noticed myself comparing myself to some other ladies but I quickly pushed that out of my mind because I deserve to compete just as much as them. It was nice to see a bunch of newbies at the seminar...I definitely didn't feel alone. We went through a bunch of information (about the competition but as well about prep and food and vitamins and 'superfoods' etc.) as well as success stories and also were able to practice some posing (my first time ever!). I will tell you one thing - posing is a hell of a lot harder than I ever thought it would be mainly because the poses need to be held for several minutes. I also was able to get in touch with a posing coach in Fredericton - Julie Peterson. I'm super excited to work with her. She has accomplished a lot and continues to push her limits. She is officially a 'pro' and I believe the first ever pro in Fredericton!
The seminar also had a ton of door prizes (and honestly I was secretly sitting there wishing to win a prize). And guess what - I won and I feel that the tank I won from #rippedangel really suits me. It felt good to win something after a looooong exhausting day. Staying on track with food was a breeze since just about everyone had packed their lunch.
There was no changes in my meal plan this last week - and I was happy with that since I'm really enjoying everything I'm eating (in a way, the food I'm eating doesn't feel like 'prep' food since I eat the same food before prep even started). I did get some new protein powder (Beyond isolate) - chocolate mousse, maple syrup pancakes and cookie dough ice cream. The cookie dough ice cream is my favourite. It was like heaven on my lips - prepared the right way I find it tastes like a milkshake. The recipe that I use can be found here. The only other protein powder that comes close to tasting this great is the Beachbody Recover (it's one of my favs as well).
My workouts didn't change however 2 of my cardio sessions changed. They consist of 35 mins instead of 50 mins but I have 20 second 'bursts' and 40 seconds 'normal' speed with warm up and cool down. I ran these out and it felt good. I actually preferred it over the boring 50 minute cardio sessions.
Valentine's Day landed on Tuesday and I must admit I had some sadness that day since Jeff and I would have normally celebrated with an amazing supper and some even better chocolate. After Valentine's Day I did buy my first treat for after the show - Lindt chocolate hearts at 50% off WIN! Jeff did get me some bath bombs as an extra surprise (so I took a bath instead of stuffing my face) and he also got me some low carb Smart Cake chocolate and coconut cakes (instead of the usual chocolate which are absolutely AMAZING - he got them online from Low Carb Canada). It was still a nice day but in the past we always celebrate with food so it felt strange - instead we celebrated by playing ball hockey. I did make Jeff some Monster Cookie Dough Cupcakes (recipe can be found here) that he enjoyed! Let me tell you it took all my will power and mental strength to not eat them. I also got him a couple of board games, Roll for It and Forbidden Desert (since he is addicted to collecting board games now).
And soon enough another week was done and I was going into #10weeksout from competition. Can you believe it? 6 weeks complete already - time really is going by so quickly! As usual, my progress pictures are below. I am having a really hard time to see the changes in myself...yes, I see some but it's the same ones I have seen for weeks now and it's hard to just stay focused and on track when you're having a hard time to see the changes but I am doing it anyway and still staying positive. I know it's unrealistic to think I should see changes every single week and I know there is still plenty of time for change. I just need to TRUST THE PROCESS. My weigh in was 124.0 lb (a bit down from last week but not much down from where I first started - 127.3 lbs). I'm going to continue to push forward - I am doing my absolute best and that's all I could ever ask from myself. And truth be told, I am loving this process so far. The workouts are my thing and so is the food I am eating...what more could I ask for, right?
