Crunch Time

Well, here I am two weeks out from the Texas Shredder. I never thought that I would get to where I am right now. I have never been this low in weight, body fat or in general ability to control my hunger pains in my life. Don't worry, you would be shocked to see how much food I eat daily. It's just that it's so clean and my body fat is so low that I actually break out into a sweat when I start feeding. It's a crazy feeling! I also have begun to experience interruptions in my sleep which my nutritionist had suspected I would encounter and has me on supplements to ease my body's stress hormones.

All in all, this has been a very eye opening and amazing experience. I can only imagine how my next two weeks will go- water loading, cutting sodium, carb loading, etc. I am patiently awaiting a huge stack of wheat pancakes and an ice cream sundae. I am very anxious for the show to get here as all this preparation has me on the edge of my seat as far as how I will measure up to the other competitors. However it does go, I have made some great friends along this journey and I'm excited to experience the fruits of our labor on April 14th. I will be back at my nutritionist on Monday to get a body fat update but here are pics from my last visit where I was in the 8% range.

Headgames

I have always considered myself to be a tough minded person. I never back down from a challenge and I have managed to achieve every goal I've ever set for myself. The choice to commit to my first NPC show was just another goal on my bucket list. I knew it was going to be difficult as I had experienced in my previous contest- the link between sanity and food is shockingly obvious. Don't believe me? Try restricting types and amounts of food and see if you aren't both hungry and moderately crazed. I have a whole new take on road rage, the inability to deal with barking dogs and impatience for grocery store lines.I am getting into the last month of my contest prep and it has started to really become difficult both mentally and physically. This past week was by far the most mentally challenging week of my life. Juggling a full time job that's in the midst of tax season along with 4AM cardio (every.single.day) and a full schedule of personal training clients and I am stretched to my limit. Diet and exercise changes are the icing to the cake that's cooking in my internal oven. It is in times like these that having people in your life who are facing similar challenges is very important. The commitment that has to be made to this diet and exercise regimen can cause life to become isolating in these last few weeks as taking part in regular social activities puts undue stress on a competitor who is hanging by a thread both physically and mentally. Friends in the competitive world are your sanity. Laughing about a near-binge or about how tired you are with someone who understands is comforting and full of hope.

I have but 5 more weeks before the big show and I am fairly certain that my week of hell is now behind me. I have made it through the past 7 grueling days and now have a different attitude and expectation for the remainder of my prep. It's now or never, all-in or fail. Judges' decisions aside, I will take the stage looking better than I have at any point in my life and that's a good feeling. I also have joys to look forward to after my competition- photo shoots, time with family and friends and working on my business. I can also spend some time with my husband and pay him back for all the stress I've put him under during this time. I see lots of back scratches in the near future :)

Here are the most recently updated pics of my progess- they weren't taken at my last check-in with my nutritionist (I told you it was a bad week)so all I can tell you is that I am in the 9% body fat range. Wish me luck, just a few more weeks to go!!!


"Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one. " - Bobby Knight