12 Weeks Out-

Keeping the Fiber Intake Up

Since the inception of this blog I have lost 4 lbs.  My goal with this figure competition is not a certain number on the scale, because I do not know exactly what that number will be.  I am losing weight steadily though this week has hovered at 144 pounds.  Tomorrow is my weigh-in with my nutrition and cardio coach so we shall see what his thoughts are.  This past week after not having much weight loss, my macronutrients stayed the same but rather than 2 rest days, Paul had me add in a 20 minute cardio session of low intensity steady state which I completed on Thursday.  Today is my refeed day, which I do on leg days.  This day I get to take in a considerable larger amount of carbs but my protein and fat intake are lower.  I just had my 3rd meal and I am still hungry, it is funny how a refeed day I feel more ravenous, but I worked some big muscles today with leg day.  I have been working on getting my fiber intake to over 25 grams per day.  I purchased a box of Fiber One cereal and it was pretty tasty.

 The benefit to fiber is you feel fuller and helps you to crave less when the goal is to lose weight, especially at breakfast, studies show this in an article through webmd.com http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-health-benefits-11/fiber-weight-control?page=2.  Some great sources of fiber are beans, I personally love chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), I also eat whole grain breads (including tortillas, taco shells, waffles and bagels) high in fiber (>5 grams per serving).  When you eat the skin on an item such as an apple or potato, that helps to provide a higher intake of fiber. 

I had a good week overall this week, I had my posing session on Tuesday and now just need to work on the details.  Flaring my lateral back muscles is something I really need to work on so tomorrow being my rest day, I will be focusing on that.  I purchased a mirror so I can see my back through my other mirror and work on that.  I am thankful to God in blessing me with this opportunity and I pray that He will show me ways I can in turn help others.  I will be in touch soon in the coming days.  May God bless you.

The importance of support

Today marks 13 weeks out from the show.  I wanted to mention that without the amazing support network of people in my life, this dream of mine would not be possible.  If you have a large goal and want to really succeed, I believe it takes a team of people and in my case, my "team" has grown through this process.  Many people in this group may not even be aware that I consider them part of my team, but I do my best to show them gratitude in how they have helped me along the way.  I am thankful first and foremost to my husband who when I made my case that this competition and the timing of it was very important gave me the thumbs up to go for it, without his support, this would be a much more challenging feat, and his support means so much to me because he believes in me. 

 I have two trainers, Daphne Mills who has been a mentor and teacher to me, she is now my posing coach and trainer for my lower body, but she was there guiding me in 2009 when I was perplexed in why I wasn't able to lose those stubborn 30 pounds of baby weight before my 20 year reunion.  Because of Daphne's direction, I succeeded in reaching that goal and attended that reunion with gusto. 

 Another amazing person on my team is Bill Haskins, he is my trainer for my shoulders and arms, he is a great friend and mentor.  Since I have known him for over 2 years, he has been an encourager to me and has shown me what friendship is really about, we always share a good laugh, which is important, the process of keeping a strict diet regimen and exercise routine can be intense, but my weekly session with Bill keeps things in perspective.

 The next group of people who are on my team are my children are a reminder that this competition is not an all-consuming event.  They keep me present in my life, they help me to stay balanced in my schedule and show me how to live life with zeal and joy. 

 My chiropractors, Dr. Sean Toner, who has helped me through what I thought was going to be a chronic case of tennis elbow has taught me to listen better to my body, how to better train myself during exercise and this injury has blessed me to become a better trainer to my clients.  Dr.  Heidi Westra, is my chiropractor who enables me to keep my immune system up with weekly adjustments.  With the heavy weight I lift for my legs, she keeps me in sound alignment especially through my sacrum which likes to frequently get out of whack. 

 I have mentioned my nutrition and cardio coach, Paul Revelia of Pro Physique, he has been an awesome asset to my team. He answers my email questions promptly and as I have said before, I trust my diet and nutrition to him and am excited to see how the coming weeks unfold.

 Lastly, I cannot meet this amazing goal without my faith in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Without God, none of this would be possible, He has lifted me up and given me wings to soar.  There have been days (and I am sure there will be more in the coming weeks) where I will have self-doubt, fear and anxiety, but I rest on His assurance through His word.  My church family, though some aren't even aware of my participation in this competition, have been a great source of strength and support through my spiritual growth. The teens who I work with in the youth group are so amazing, this is the critical generation of our church and knowing that makes this world quite a bit brighter for me and many others. 

Here is the scripture I have focused on through my workouts this week:

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:3,4 


Though I am 13 weeks out from my show, I feel like I have already won, I know that may sound strange and premature, but the process of seeing how God's thread is woven into my life has shown me how He brings people into my life at just the right time and makes my life  such a masterpiece to unveil.  I hope that this blog entry can show you how people in your own life have made an impact, even those who you find may be a negative in your life are there to teach you something about yourself, so look at those moments as something to learn from. 

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of people who have made this an amazing journey so far, many of my training clients and friends are the best cheerleaders I could have ever asked for!
I'll be in touch soon with my progress.

We are in the midst of 14 weeks from my competition as of last Friday.  The best thing I have done is hire a nutrition/supplement and cardio coach.  His name is Paul Revelia, owner of Pro Physique.  He is a natural Pro bodybuilder and has worked with some great people including Layne Norton who trained Paul for his bodybuilding shows.  I like Paul's philosophy in that he won't drop my calories super low and have me do a ton of cardio to drop body fat.  I asked him A LOT of questions before I determined if he was a good fit and I have absolutely no regrets and will keep my faith in his guidance now until the show on April 19th (and a few weeks after to avoid post-competition rebound).  I started with Paul last Monday and I lost 4 lbs over the period of 4 days.  I could tell from my photos I sent him between the beginning and end of the week that I lost most of the weight right below my bustline.  That is typically where the weight comes off first, I don't have as much "back fat" which is a plus.  I can see more definition in my lats from this.  Last week, I felt satitated as Paul was instructing me to eat every 4-5 hours.  The funny thing is this week, I am STARVING! I don't know why, I will ask him later in the week, so I am going to drink more water, herbal tea and keep drinking my BCAA's (Branch Chain Amino Acids) which will helps with protein synthesis and keeps my appetite at bay.  I just ate my pre-workout and I feel I could eat more, but I need to stay within my macros, today is a refeed day and I am going to go hit legs then follow it up with 30 minutes of low-intensity steady state cardio.  I am curious to see what progress I make this week.  I sent Paul my progress photos and my scale weight and he instructed me to continue on the same macro plan as last week.  It is just interesting how my body is really hungry, maybe it is my metabolism churning and burning, we shall see.  I am thrilled that one of my friends is competing in the same show with me so she and I are going to work with a mutual friend who has her Pro card and help us with posing.  I refer to my friend and I as the Dream Team.  She and I are keeping in touch each Friday and sharing our weight loss updates via text, which I love.  One more source of accountability, at this stage of the game, that is of the upmost importance, the more support I can give and recieve, the better.  I will update in a couple of days my progress.  

Today is an exciting day, I am revealing to the world (though some are already aware) that I am competing in my first figure bodybuilding competition.  I registered for this competition in November, knowing that this would keep me committed so here I go!  I have toyed with the idea of competing since losing my last 30 lbs of baby weight in 2009, I have even been approached by figure competitors, but my answer was, I don't have enough time, my kids are still young, I have school to finish, well they were valid excuses, but really what my real excuse was, I was scared.  It is not about the teeny, tiny suit that I will be wearing as I confidently walk across the stage for all to see, it is the changes, the discipline, the focus on so many aspects (balancing family, nutrition, training, my business, my faith) all at one time.  Well, I will tell you one thing that comes first in this journey and that is my trust in God.  That is why I decided to take this journey.  I have read that only a very small percentage of people embark on this type of challenge and I can see why.  It is a matter of the mind, to take a finite amount of time and sculpt your body into the condition that many people can dream of.  I have a tendency towards anxiety and I am aware that this competition will push me to my limits in so many ways, but rather than being self-reliant and freak out, I am going to let God shine in this and He will be glorified through the process, I can feel it!

So first, I decided before anything else that I needed to prepare my mind for the next 15 weeks.  I have already gotten in the habit of getting up early and having a cup of coffee with God, it is before anyone else in my house is awake (if you don't count the black and tan dachshund in my lap).  After the holiday, I knew I needed to get myself in gear mentally for this show (I know that 16 weeks seems like a long time, but it goes by lightning fast, and there is not a lot of time to waste when you want to drop 10% body fat!) I was feeling a bit anxious, like a whirlwind was going on in my head and I knew that needed to stop ASAP.  I decided to take that early morning time with God and focus it on what I wanted to strengthen in my life.  This week, the focus is on COURAGE.  So beginning yesterday, I went to my bible, and searched for scriptures about courage.  The first scripture that came up was in Psalms 31:24 which reads:  Be strong, be courageous, all you that hope in the Lord.   I decided to write down my verses on an index card and focus on that verse for the day.  Each day this week until next Sunday, I will locate another verse on courage, write it down and pray it over my life for the day and keep it with me throughout the day.  I will keep you posted on my progress over the course of the next 15 weeks.  Thanks for tuning in, God bless you!

-Kristin