Wow, today got busy! It was one of those days where I didn’t have a ton scheduled on my calendar, but it filled up quickly, and I was swamped.. but it was productive so I’m happy..
FITNESS
Wrapped in Plastic
I enjoyed your comments on the last, however brief, post..
Spot on:
“Its like some sort of show where no one is themselves for the time they are on stage BUT with that said, they work damn hard and are doing their best to show it off! you just have to believe in yourself and let the rest just happen!”
“is anything real? the muscles. that’s about it 
”
It is funny about physique competitions… you put crazy work into looking a certain way, and when it comes down to show day, as a couple people pointed out, half of the actual package people see is fake: hair, nails, tan, chest, jewelry. But to be honest, aside from the fact that it gets expensive to pay for all those things, I love going to the spa getting my nails & hair done.. and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little more confident with a tan (clothes just look better.. admit it!).. so those things really don’t bother me. Really, it’s no different from many people walking around on a daily basis. I think those activities are really just icing on the protein cake. You can’t hide a less than prepared physique with a new hairdo, but at the same time, if everyone looks amazing, having a suit that compliments your shape and features can help a tiny little bit to help set you apart.
Which brings me to a not previously mentioned topic, but I’d feel remiss if I didn’t address it. Unless you are a member of that 0.0001% of the population (and are likely Brazilian, hehe), you probably cannot have <8% body fat and still have a C+ sized chest.. boob are fat.. it just doesn’t work out.. so with that being said.. yup I have implants :p I actually got them years ago before I thought about doing competitions, and before I lived in Arizona (aka land of the tan, blond and implanted.. no offense to fellow Arizonians out there, but if you live in Scottsdale, you have to admit, it’s pretty much the standard). I got them for reasons I can go into in another post, but long story short, I know I did it for all the right reasons, and I’ve never regretted it for a moment.
Over time I’ve come to one conclusion that can be applied to so many aspects of life.. if you don’t like me, or judge me for that choice, then I probably don’t really want to be friends/associated with you anyway! It seems to me we shouldn’t be making assumptions about people based on any aspect of their physical appearance, whether that’s them being clinically obese or having obviously enhanced features. I guess they suit me, because for whatever reason, more than once, I’ve had someone go off about their negative opinion of people who have had plastic surgery, expecting me to agree.. I enjoy informing them of my opinion ;) At first I wasn’t sure about posting this, but it’s honest and I’m clearly not embarrassed. If you have any questions/concerns shoot me an email
As far as the relation to Fitness.. I don’t know specific numbers, but sufice to say they are very common. In Fitness, Figure & Bikini divisions, you are suppose to still have a feminine look. But as mentioned above, it’s hard to have very low body fat and have “womanly” curve, hence many people making the choice to get enhanced. At that point, I think the topic becomes much more of an ‘American standard of beauty’ issue, and that’s just a whole other can of worms.. that can be opened in a future post..
Workouts
Weights: Shoulders & Back.. I got dorkily (not a word, I realize :p) excited that I could see the muscle definition in my back better during pull-ups.. it’s the little things that keep me motivated :p
Cardio ended up being super lame today. I fell back asleep about 30 min. after posting that 3:30am blog and slept until 8am, just in time to get up, Shower and head out to meet my trainer. After various appointments I didn’t end up getting home until 12:30-ish, then proceeded to do desk work and client calls until 8pm. Thank goodness for apartment gyms!
Cardio: 45 min. SS Elliptical Resistance
NUTRITION
I mentioned last week that we changed up my macro ratios a bit to add carbs and cut down on protein.. and I must admit, I’m struggling a bit with it. I’m use to a high protein diet, so it’s taking me longer than usual these days to plan meals in order to make sure I’m coming in at the right ratios. And I’m hungry! haha I told my trainer that it’s like giving an alcoholic a sip of alcohol then telling him ‘no more.’ Even though I know this route might be better & healthier overall, it’s almost just easier for me not to have any carbs at all. Having some just makes me want more, and I’m so use to eating lots of protein, that I’m craving more protein than I’m able to eat right now. But enough of my whining..
A Protein Waffle with 1/4 serving Tofu Pudding..
Chocolate Oats (1/3 c Coach’s with 1 tbsp Unsweetened Special Dark Cocoa + 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract + Stevia mixed in at the end) with Slimmed PB Protein Ice Cream (made with 1/2 scoop MGN Peanut Butter Whey Isolate)..
Just a few minor adjustments..
Slimmed PB Protein Ice Cream
1/2 scoop MGN Ice Cream Sandwich OR Peanut Butter Protein Whey Isolate Powder (or Vanilla)
1 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
2 tbsp Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Syrup
8 drops Capella Peanut Butter drops
1/2 tsp Guar Gum
1/4 tsp Xantham Gum
Ice
Mix everything but Ice in the blender. Add Ice and blend until smooth.
*Note: I just really like the taste of PB.. but you could take out the syrup or the drops, or substitute for a different flavor too
A lovely Salad lunch with 3 oz Baby Spinach, Artichoke Hearts, 1/2 c no-salt-added Pinto Beans and Salsa..
I’ve also reconnected with an old love..
I forgot how fantastic this stuff is! You can find it at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Sunflower Market, etc..
Dinner was Spinach Pasta Slim with 1/2 c diced Tomatoes, 3.25 oz Tilapia, sprinkled with 1/2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast..
Protein Ice Cream and a Protein Cookie of course! Tonight’s version had 1 tbsp Unsweetened Special Dark Cocoa (guess I was craving chocolate today), and for the Cookie I used the usual Coconut Protein Cookie recipe, but used 1/2 tbsp Udo’s Oil instead of Coconut Oil..
Reviews
Recently I tried MGN Peanut Butter for the first time. I agree that the PB flavor by itself isn’t strong, but it’s pretty good when you had a Capella Drops in PB flavor or a tbsp of Sugar-Free PB Syrup.
Speaking of Capella drops, I tried both the Waffle and Chocolate Glazed Donut flavors… neither has me particularly impressed. I couldn’t taste the Waffle flavor at all, and for the Chocolate flavor I ended up adding Unsweetened Cocoa Powder anyway to get a good chocolate flavor, so there was really no point.
FUN
One of my very favorite Arizonians gave this to me, and I just LOVE it! I’m so fortunate & thankful to get to do what I love everyday
As always, would love to hear your thoughts on my various rantings today..
Fun Links
I too have that "all or nothing" thing with carbs. but try replacing for instance something like the tofu pudding with a sugar free pudding made from skim milk. its slightly higher in carbs, and still has protein, its a good compromise. Maybe just replacing some of the stuff you normally have., like soy milk instead of almond milk for the ice creams. anyhow, I;m really happy for you, I wanna see progress pics!
Unfortunately for me I can't blame being lean for no boobs LOL! I never have them. This past week when I was a full A…I hated them. I can't imagine having real ones.
This is where it's nice to be a non competitive in sports type of person. Sure i'd love to win but it doesn't bother me to lose. I do this for myself and to spend time with friends.
I have tried using more Xantham than guar and it turn out more ice creamy…if that's a word??
was that my comment?!?! I feel so honored! haha it is so true though! feeling fake or not, this is YOUR time to show wha tyou have worked so hard at. All those ladies work so damn hard and its amazing to see when they finally get to show it off!
i made tofu pudding!! i mixed some protein powder some blueberries and tofu and its so good! cant wait to try it on my oats and protein pancakes!! eden has some great tips! your body will adjust
keep up the hard work! oh and I love seeing my muscles hard at work too, although I am sure yours are working a bit harder
I love those capella drops. I use the Irish Cream flavor in my coffee protein shakes. Its like have a bailey's, haha.
I'm sure you looking lean and mean already!
LOL – I get dorkily excited too when I suddenly notice some definition! It's definitely the little things sometimes isn't it?! Love your honestly girl. And I agree – if someone doesn't like it, they can just lump it.
yep, the having boobs and not having boobs thing really sux- i also have implants and now they are wreaking havoc on my health!
SO, now i have to have them taken out….better to be healthy i guess but it sure does play on your self image! Glad you like yours! So true what you said tho…..
Thanks for your honesty in this post.
I too have breast implants and I too was nervous about divulging this on my blog–I have not received ONE negative comment though–and I doubt you will either. People shouldn't judge based off that type of thing!
i wish i was as creative as you are in the kitchen! i'm such a laze-ball. those protein cookies look so real i think i'm going to have to try to make it !
Pointing out that bewbs are fake isn't judging – I have to wear fake hair on stage because my hair is so fine that I get a sunburn when I go outside mid day. If I could afford it, I'd get implants too. My teeth? I have 6 veneers because I broke them when I went hiney over teakettle when I was 10 on a dirt bike. I'm super pale so I have to wear a tan. I have to wear press on nails because – well I don't like getting them done but they have to look good on stage. I hope it wasn't my comment that set this off – pointing something out isn't judging. Judging would be to decide that if someone has all these fake parts that it must lead to some sort of conclusion…and I don't think that's true.
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Oh eeck, I didn't at all mean to say you were judging! Not at all, I'm so sorry if it came off that way
I meant certain people in society overall.. oh and my front teeth are fake too, I knocked them out doing gymnastics :p
No worries – I think I'm one of those people that assumes anything negative must be all about me OR I take something that isn't negative at all and spin it into something negative and then direct it at myself. It's a very bad habit that I'm trying to break….but hey, when I admit it, it's half the battle right?
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Oh and I'm also queen of the pasty white people, hehe, I burn in 10 minutes and both my parents have had skin cancer.. so if I'm going to be tan, it's going to be a spray tan.. and my skin will look that much better in 20 years!
Interested to see how the macro change works out
Good luck!
I'm confused about why your diet was changed to reduce protein? Are you trying to lose muscle? Do you know the reasoning behind the change?
Oh, and I totally agree about all the "fake" stuff just being the icing on the protein cake.
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
I'm still eating what most people would consider at least 'moderate' protein and at what it takes to maintain muscle (~1g/lb body weight). I was just eating a lot more before. I'm playing with the adjustment, because for the first few weeks of carb-cycling I was dropping body fat but holding weight.. that's good in someways, but also likely means that I'm holding onto water, which doesn't help the look on stage. We'll see how measurements go this week.. I'm nervous, haha
oh coffee. i'm so glad you reconnected haha. now i'd like to connect with those pinto beans! i forgot how much i reallyyyy love pinto beans
they just give a mexi vibe to everything haha
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Not just coffee.. Teeccino!
It's caffeine free and comes in a few different flavors. Caffeine doesn't have much of an effect on me, but I love the taste and drinking hot beverages, so this is a great substitute once I've met my coffee quota for the day.
Thank you for your honesty about implants! I’ve always never had much of a chest, but since I’ve lowered my body fat now I have zero!! I was a B and now I’m an A. So sad!!
I’m trying to increase my carbs too. Its tough when we are used to our high protein!!
I'm glad you talked about the bewbs. I've been considering them and I don't plan on competing.
I was a C before losing weight. I was a small B afterwards. Then in the last 6 months I decided to lose 5 more lbs and I went to barely an A! I think it all came from my chest! I really want to get them, but Dan is opposed (even though his mom AND sister both have them).
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
I can relate. My boy at the time was opposed, and my parents were pretty unhappy about the choice, but in the end they respected that it was my decision, and were there for me when I had surgery.
Your spinach pasta looks awesome, as does the pinto bean salad – YUM!!
I think it is an interesting idea (real VS fake) and I think I’ve seen more fake back stage than real boobs. I have real boobs and have never had a judge tell me I need implants. I don’t mind if people have implants, I think some look absolutely great. Just a personal choice. I’d rather buy a new Mac computer than a set of boobs, but that is me. Real nails, real hair, real boobs, fake eyelashes (everyday) and fake tan.
When on stage I have a smaller butt too so the small boobs is kinda balanced
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
hehe.. yeah, none of it bothers me, and I don't even really notice until someone else points it out. It is a show after all, and like with fitness routines, I almost see the hair, makeup, nails (not boobs tho, haha) as part of the costume.
Is it better when competing to be natural (i.e., un-chesty) or to get the implants? I don't have any kind of moral opinion on it one way or the other–but do the top competitors basically NEED them? I've always wondered about it when looking through Oxygen…
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. There are top Fitness & Figure pros who are all-natural and others with implants, so you definitely don't need them. I would guess many of the models in magazine have them though..
Kudos to you for opening up about this!! Maybe it's just because knowing people's bodies is now my job, but I find it pretty easy to look at a person's body fat and tell whether their boobs are natural or not. It's almost impossible to lose body fat everywhere but in your chest
One reason why I don't want to get into an "athletic" body fat zone, because I'm down to an A cup and don't want to lose any more!!
Also really nice to hear from someone who has implants and is still happy about it. A good friend of mine had work done and the boost in confidence that came with it was amazing. It went beyond her just being unhappy with the shape of her breasts… Anyways, after that, I can never judge people for doing it. It's all about feeling good about yourself and being the healthiest you can be