New Adventures...

I’ve come to realize that just about everyday in my life is an adventure in its own special way.  I may not be jumping out of an airplane, exploring a foreign city, climbing a mountain or even training for a bikini competition, but I’m getting by….. just making it one day at a time.  I'm an independent, homeowner, (somewhat) young, single female working and living in one of the biggest cities in the country.  That's a challenge and adventure in itself.  I am going to chose to make everyday an adventure.  There’s always something new to try, something new to learn or some way to push your comfort zone.  My goal is to find that something each and everyday.   I’m searching for some great things to combine to loves of my life: food, exercise, and adventure.

Here’s the plan for my new blog updates.  I’ve going to try out new trails and running routes around Atlanta and give my critiques and reports of each one.  This will allow me to explore new parts of the city…. While I’m hittin the streets I’ll also be checking out local restaurants and trying the most exciting items on the menus.  If they’re worthy, they’ll get a good review too. Think: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern meets Man vs. Food meets Atlanta Running Guide.  I'm still searching for a catchy, fun title.... maybe something like Dining, Dashing, and Daring.  Oh yeah, if anyone knows Andrew Zimmern, can you hook a girl up?  I'd love to meet him.

While going through the past eleven weeks of training for the bikini competition I realized that cooking isn’t so scary.  If I start simple, I can actually make some pretty good things without killing myself or any unsuspecting dinner guests.  I began searching for “quick, easy, simple, healthy” recipes.  I put together quite the collection to get things kicked off. 

I’m starting to train for the 13.1 Chicago Half Marathon in June so I decided to do some speed work on a track today so since I really didn’t explore any new neighborhoods on a run I guess I’m left to report the new beef taco recipe that I tried.  I found this recipe in an old Shape Magazine.  Basically this is a make over of the traditional ground beef taco and “lightening” it up with some quality ingredients. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch chunks (couldn't find red, so I used orange)

1 green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch chunks 

4 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

¼ cup of bulgur (this was a new one to me…. had to ask the nice man at Kroger where to find this one J)

8 ounces ground sirloin (Laura’s Lean Ground Beef 8% fat)

½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (couldn’t find this so I used my own combo of Mrs Dash no salt Southwest Chipotle and regular chili powder spices)

½ teaspoon ground cumin ( I used ground cumin seed…. Is there a difference?)

1 15 ounce can of low-sodium crushed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes)

¼ teaspoon salt

8 6 inch corn tortillas (I used Kroger Wheat Tortillas 96% Fat Free)

4 ounces crumbled feta (lowfat)

2 cups shredded romaine

So now it’s time for the action…. I donned my Piggly Wiggly apron and got down to business.  Yes, that’s right.  The Piggly Wiggly collection doesn’t stop at just t-shirts.  I also have an apron that my aunt and uncle found at a Piggly Wiggly on Hilton Head Island.  I started by chopping the peppers, scallions, and garlic.  Next, I heated the olive oil and added the peppers, white scallions, and garlic.  Cooked this for about 7 minutes until the peppers were crisp and tender.  Next step was adding the bulgur, then the beef, chili powder and cumin.  I cooked this until the beef was no longer pink.  Then I added the tomatoes and salt.  Once that started to boil I brought the mixture down to a simmer and covered for ten minutes. 

Here's the colorful pepper, garlic, onion, and beef combo.  I loved all the beautiful bright colors!

I’m a really messy cook.  Not my mother’s daughter…. She would have died in my kitchen tonight.  So I used this time to tidy up the kitchen.  The dinner was starting to smell fantastic…. I was so excited to taste my new creation!  I heated up two tortillas.  You can do this by holding them over a burner for a few seconds, or heat them up in the microwave/oven…. Whatever you prefer will work just fine. 

This is just half the mess.... somehow I flipped the spatula out of the pan and got this concoction all over the kitchen floor!

After ten minutes of simmering, your tacos are ready!  I scooped half a cup of taco filling in each tortilla and then topped them off with the shredded romaine, crumbled low fat feta, and green scallions. 

So I know this isn’t part of the recipe, but I poured myself a glass of red wine and set the table for a scrumptious dinner! I'm no wine connoisseur so I just picked a red that I got for Christmas and haven't been able to enjoy yet.  Maybe learning more about wine pairings would be a good addition to the food reports.....

Ta-da!!!!  Time to chow down!

Here’s the nutritional breakdown for two tacos (sans wine of course) 

399 calories, 15g of fat (34% of calories) 7g saturated fat, 44g carbs, 22g protein, 9g fiber, 224mg calcium, 4mg iron, and 672 mg of sodium. 

This is according to the Shape recipe and for the originally listed items, not the substitutes that I made…. But I still think it gives a pretty good snapshot of the meal.  This meal was delicious!  I really impressed myself.  I’m looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow J   At first I didn't think two tacos would be enough.  But, I was pleasantly surprised that this was the perfect serving size.  I felt full but not painfully Thanksgiving full.

Let me know if you try this recipe or if you have any suggestions for new combinations or variations.  I’m sure this would work well with grilled chicken strips too.  Or maybe ground turkey breast. 

Final Thoughts

Please keep your hands and feet inside the car until the ride has come to a complete stop.

I'd like to thank you all for sharing this roller coaster of a journey with me.  It has definitely had its fair share of ups and downs, shining moments and a few dark clouds.  Don't worry folks... there will be another great adventure in my near future and I hope you'll choose to follow along with me on that, not sure when or what it will be, but I hope it will be something fun that I can share with my friends and family just like this.  

Now that the competition is over and my daily life has returned to something that is beginning to resemble "normal", I've had a lot of time to reflect on the past eleven weeks and changes that have occurred in my life.  First thing I've realized is that I have a million blessings for which to be thankful.  I can't begin to list them all but my friends and family definitely top that list.  I never knew how much I was loved.  I'm not bragging or trying to be conceited, but I was completely overwhelmed by the love, support, and encouragement that came from so many people.... ranging from people that I see and talk to every day, once a month, once a year, and even people I haven't heard from in several years.  I was amazed at the number of people who took the time to follow my "adventure" and keep up with me.  Also, I'm so happy that my blog, tweets, and facebook posts have inspired people to take a look at their own lives.  I hope that many people have realized how rewarding it can be to make themselves a priority.  In our lives today, we are all so busy and always on the run with work/school, family, and all kinds of other obligations that we are quick to push aside the basic needs for ourselves.  Taking just a few minutes each day to do something nice for yourself can really change your entire life.  If you take a 20 minute walk in the morning you can plan out your day, clear you head of time management stresses, and decide on priorities and what NEEDS to be done today, compared to what you would like to do that day.  I think it's also important to realize that you don't have to do it all.  You can't do everything for everyone all the time.  Learning to say no is easier said than done, but if you can say no to others and yes to yourself, you'll find that you'll be a lot happier every day.  I'm no professional or anything but that's what I believe.  I've been fortunate to focus on myself during the past eleven weeks of training and I've become so much happier in every aspect of my life.  I've also started believing in the power of positive thinking... I guess a nearly no-carb diet will do that to you.  Why waste your time and energy on something negative that will bring you down? Just try to change your thoughts.  Have a positive outlook and make the conscience decision to be positive.  Don't worry, be happy!  It's your life, your head, your thoughts... take control of it and make it what you want it to be.

Another lesson learned is the power of a dedicated mind.  Seriously, if I can make up my mind to commit to this training and dieting, then anyone can do it!  Sure, it's hard work.  It's a constant battle, but wow.... look at what can happen when you do make a commitment.  I'm excited to see what I dream of next... The possibilities are limitless when you make up your mind to achieve a goal and stay committed to it no matter what challenges get in the way.

So now that this adventure has come to an end... what's next for me?

Pictures

Although most of you have probably seen all these pictures on facebook, I thought I'd post them here for my twitter fans and anyone else who randomly stumbles across this blog.

Here are some pictures from the big competition day.

Waiting backstage.... soooooo cold!!!

My training partner Marcia

Check out that homemade bling!  Jealous?

Me and Faye with the flowers from my girls!  My biggest fans and support group.

Super Hero pose.... just add a cape and I'm ready to save the world

I was a lot happier at the evening portion of the show.... I realized I didn't have to stand around in 5 in heels for several hours.  Barefoot = happy :)

Back view.... my hair is a hot mess, but my back looks good.

Johnny, best trainer and coach ever!  He also won two trophies.

Three amigos.... Midtown Athletic Club's finest.

Another shot of Marcia and me.  We couldn't have done this without each other!

And now the moment we've all been waiting for.... my first bite of mom's homemade brown with grandmommy's icing. H-E-A-V-E-N!!!

Post competition posing fun with Johnny.

I love my shoes!

One last skinny shot before we head to Marietta Diner to pig out!

Competition Day

This is it!  Finally… the day I had been waiting for since I made up my mind to enter this competition last August.  I tried to go to bed early on Friday… I think I actually closed my eyes around 10:00pm.  I woke up again at 11:30pm, 2:00am, and 4:00am.  I finally got up at 4:20am to finish packing, eat breakfast, make up my bed, and put curlers in my hair.  Yasmine was here at 5:00am to start my make up.  Marcia got here just a little later and Yasmine got us both all glammed up like beautiful Hollywood stars.  I felt like a million bucks!  I was so excited to get the day started and see how the competition would play out.  Marcia and I were out the door at 7:00am on the way to the Convention Center.  We had to be there by 7:30am to finalize check in.  We already registered in advance so that wasn’t a problem.  We had to confirm our height and be placed in the correct divisions.  Since I’m under 5’2, I’m in Class A and Marcia is under 5’4 so she’s in Class B. After they completed  all the category assignments we had a contestants’ meeting at 9:00am where the promoter and judges spoke to give us an idea of the day’s events.  This took forever!!!!  I was growing very impatient.  The prejuding was set to start at 10:30am and we only had about 30 minutes to get dressed and make final touches on hair and make-up.  After rushing through the beauty prep in a very crowded public restroom we rush to the backstage holding area.  This was a whole lotta hurry up and wait.  So we got there about 10:45 and didn’t get to the Bikini portion of the show until almost noon or 12:15!  So we’re all freezing cold back stage in our bikinis and our toes were about to go numb because we were standing in high heels for over an hour.  Most of the girls were chatting with friends and being really sociable.  Typically, I would be right in the mix of all this and having a blast getting to know everyone.  Unfortunately my mind was not focused on the competition today.

Right after arriving at the competition I got a terribly scary phone call with some really bad news.  It was Sean calling from Nepal.  Things weren’t going as planned in his trip.  His news had me shaken up and scared.  I was helpless because I couldn’t do anything for him

I’m so thankful that I have chosen to read the Purpose Driven Life for Lent.  This book has taught me so much in a few short days, but I was able to draw on these lessons to know that God is in charge.  When you let go of your wants and desires, and hand them over to God for His will to be done, then all will be ok.  It will be ok in His eyes and according to His plan….. which may be tough for us, but in the end, in eternity, it will bring us ultimate happiness.  It's God plan that really matters, not mine. I had to lift my worries up to God.  I had to give him 100% of my trust to be with Sean and this team in Nepal.  I prayed for God to be with Sean and to calm my nerves.  I tried to clear my head and stay positive for the competition.  It wasn’t working very well. 

A few hours later when I was waiting backstage I notice I had a missed call and new voicemail.  It was not the same number that Sean had called from earlier.  I was too afraid to listen to it.  I was scared it would be bad news and that I would have a terrible crying fit.  Haha, I paid too much money for this make up and I wasn’t about to ruin it over a situation I couldn’t change.  I just let it sit there until my portion of the competition was over.  As soon as I walked off the stage I turned to watch Marcia, once she was finished I rushed to my phone and listened to my message.  It was from Sean.  He was ok!!!  That’s when I lost it.  I sat on the floor and cried because I was so happy he was going to be safe and healthy.  I couldn’t hear the complete message, but I know he’s ok now.  What an amazing relief.  God is good!  I can now breath a little easier. 

I didn’t feel confident in my performance on stage this morning, but I had a new perspective on priorities and important things in my life.  The past few weeks have really changed my life, and a trophy didn’t seem to matter much anymore.

My afternoon rest didn’t seem long enough.  Pretty soon 5:00pm rolls around and it’s time to go back to the Convention Center for the finals.  Marcia picked me up at my house, then we met Johnny at the gym and the three of us headed down together.  At this point the real competition is over.  We were relaxed and feeling great.  No stress, nothing to worry.  We compared all of our candy, treats and post competition indulgences.  In my bag, I packed a peanut better & jelly sandwich, Somoas girl scout cookies, BBQ Pringles, Starburt jelly beans, chocolate turtle Chex mix and tons of chocolate candy that my mom and dad brought me.  Johnny had a bag that looked like he had just robbed a pack of trick-or-treating children…. But at this point I wouldn’t blame him.  We didn’t care where the goodies came from.  We were just happy to have them!

We arrived a little early for the participants’ meeting.  Of course, it was almost a half hour late starting and very unorganized.  I was beginning to hear rumbles from around the room.  Everyone was getting frustrated because nothing seemed to go according to plan or run smoothly today.  Anyway, we finally got started and it became a lot more fun.  I was lucky that they switched up the order of the show because the Bikini division wasn’t last.  We were actually 3^rd or 4^th but it all went so fast it was almost over before I knew it.  Literally.  I was in the crowd taking pictures of Johnny when my group was lining up.  Luckily one girl called me to line and I quickly put my heels on while Johnny sprayed me down with shiny spray stuff J

Here we go…. I was second in line for my group and I felt great.  READY TO ROCK!  I went out and strutted my stuff.  I did my best walk and poses ever!  I actually had fun and enjoyed it.  The music was pumping and it’s hard not to feel like a total badass when you have so many people cheering for you!  The decisions were already made so the group walked off stage and the top three were immediately called back up.  I stayed.  Oh well…. I didn’t expect to do well after my bombed performance this morning.  I waited to see how the top three finished and congratulated those three girls.  I also waited again to see Marcia.  She didn’t place either but we were both proud of ourselves and proud of each other.  I rushed back stage, threw off my shoes and grabbed my PB&J sandwich.  It was heavenly…. And so the feasting began!  After that I ate a few Samoas Girl Scout cookies.  By this time Johnny came and found me back stage to give me the judges critiques.  He told me that my physique was perfect.  I had 100% of the body and “look” that they wanted.  For the finals, I had the perfect walk and poses.  BUT, it was my showing during the prejudging that kept me from taking home a trophy.  If I had been 100% focused and relaxed and had my head in the game this morning, I would have won in the evening. Well damn.  What am I supposed to do with news like that?  Now I’ve always said “Never say never” so I don’t know if I’ll go back again and try my luck at a another competition.  I was sooooo close! I just don’t know… what would you do?  It’s like training for a marathon and finding there’s a boulder blocking mile 26.  There’s nothing you can do about it.  I know I can do the training, the dieting, the final showing, but how bad do I just want to take home a trophy?  I don’t know…. Where would I even put that silly thing?  Maybe it’s just one more piece of junk to collect dust.

I went back to find my parents in the crowd and continued my feasting.  I ate a little bit of everything that I packed along with Johnny’s hijacked trick-or-treating stash.  After the show was complete our group (Johnny, his wife Michelle, Marcia, her husband Matt, our friend Ryan, my parents and I) went to Marietta Diner.  This was the REAL celebration.  Of course my eyes were bigger than my stomach, or maybe even the whole table, but I ordered Motzerella Cheese Stix, a ½ lb bacon cheddar cheeseburger, and then baklava cheesecake….. with a Cherry Coke!  WOW!  This was exactly what I’ve been working so hard toward for such a long time.  Like the prejuding round, I was disappointed in my performance.  I only about a fourth of my burger, but I ponied up and got back in the game when my baklava cheesecake was served.  Marcia and I split this and still couldn’t finish the whole piece.  But I sure enjoyed trying.  It was like heaven in my mouth.  Johnny didn’t need any help in putting away his two cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate chip cheesecake.  He’s an old pro at this now!

I’m looking forward to a comfortable and restful night’s sleep, no alarm clock, and a peaceful day with my parents and Tini on Sunday.

I'll add more pictures when I get a chance.

Week 11 part 2

Thursday was my last normal day of training…. So close to the finish line I can smell it.  Thursday morning I got up super early so I could do extra cardio in the morning.  I added thirty minutes to my morning cardio so that I could leave thirty minutes earlier in the evening.  I never thought I’d survive the morning cardio….. I was exhausted.  I don’t think I have ever felt that tired in a long time.  I could barely move my body.  Somehow I powered through an hour and forty-five minutes of elliptical and arc trainer.  When I finally got to work I felt like a zombie.  I probably looked like the walking dead also.  Today is St. Patrick’s Day so of course that means every domesticated female in the office felt compelled to bake cupcakes.  Haha, usually I would be in love with this idea, but not today.  I was on the brink of a meltdown and all those yummy treats were about to kill me.  I couldn’t drink green tea today, like I have the past ten weeks, so the only way to survive the day was black coffee.  It was gross but I drank a cup.  Luckily, the caffeine pick me up worked and got me through the day.  As soon as 5:30pm hit I ran out the door, quickly completed my last training session and finished with forty-five minutes of cardio.  Marcia and I rushed over to Glo Tanning to meet Alex for our first spray tan. We were in such a hurry that we didn’t even realize that ALL of our training was finally over!  Haha... we actually may have been just too tired to celebrate.  So we got spray tanned and it looks amazing!  I can’t even tell you how different we look after one good tan.  The best part about it is we’re getting a second coat Friday morning so it’ll be 100% perfect for Saturday.  So I rounded out Thursday with a small dinner of ground turkey breast and spinach.  I was excited to go to bed before 11:00pm and not have to worry about packing a gym back for the morning or setting my alarm for 5:30am.  I just hope I can actually force my body to sleep, or at least rest, and not get up before the sun…. well, we shall see… 

Friday- Well, I guess despite my best efforts I was unable to convince my body to sleep in today.  I did enjoy an extra fifteen minutes of sleep, but at 5:45am I was wide-awake ready to start my day.  I laid in bed until about 6:30am just listening to music and cruising the internet…. Nothing exciting to share.  I finally got up, showered, watched TV and ate breakfast while planning out the rest of my day.  I was so excited to have oatmeal with my eggs for breakfast today.  My first taste of carbs in two weeks…. Yum!  Just half a cup of oatmeal felt like a Thanksgiving feast.  I can’t even imagine what Saturday night is going to taste like!!!  After breakfast I got dressed and went back to Glo to see Alex for my second coat of tan.  Seriously, this girl is fantastic!  She does tanning for all purposes, not just competitions, so if you want to avoid sun spots and aging, I highly recommend going to see her for a spray tan before your next big event.  I know I sure will!  She’s so sweet and will make you look even more beautiful than you already are. http://www.glowatl.com
After my tan I came home and ate lunch… more carbs! J YAY!  I had six ounces of ground turkey breast with a ¼ cup of white rice.  This was the first time I had ever cooked rice <queue gasp…. I know, I just don’t like it that much>  so needless to say I really effed it up!  It was burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan that’s for sure!  Oh well, I only had ¼ cup so I was determined to eat it all.  After lunch the true excitement of the day began!  I went to Kroger to buy some “normal” food and first eat treats!  I know I’ll probably get sick, but everything in the store looked delicious.  I think I’ll try to restrict my portions but still get a taste of it all.  I bought BBQ Pringles, Starburst jellybeans, Pretzel M&Ms (of course), and a Butterfinger.  I think I’ll probably make a PB&J sandwich too.  My mom and dad are coming in the morning and they’re bringing another bag of goodies.  After all that I also got a few things for Sunday brunch.  Oh yeah, and funfetti cupcakes because, well, why not! Just because I can!!!  Just for the fun of it, I looked to see if they still had Girl Scout Cookie ice cream and they didn’t so I’m sooooo glad I bought those three weeks ago!  I’d be kicking myself if I hadn’t.

After my shopping excursion I came home for my afternoon snack and rest, or attempt to rest.  I really thought today would be calm and uneventful but I don’t think I sat still longer than fifteen minutes to eat.  I really want to say thank you to all my friends who called, texted, or emailed me to wish me luck on the competition.  It really means the world to me to have so much encouragement and support.  I couldn't have made it this far without all of you and I hope to make you proud tomorrow.  All day my mind was racing a mile a minute.  I had to cook and prepare all the food that I may need to eat tomorrow…. More rice, I think I did better this time, cut a grapefruit, ground turkey breast, and sweet potato.  Now, it was time for my dinner.  I had to eat before 7:00pm because I’m restricting water after then. 

I made two lists (I love lists.... if I had a printer, I'd probably made an excel spreadsheet) of the things I would need for tomorrow… one list just for the beauty maintenance side of the competition and one list for the foods I need.  I have everything laid out and ready to go!  Now, it’s about 8:30pm and I’m going to attempt to force myself to go to bed.  The alarm is set for 4:30am to start the BIG DAY!  Wow… still can’t believe it’s so close.

I’ll post a final update and recap Sunday but until then, I’ll tweet updates tomorrow.  Follow me @katie1602.

Week 11 Part 1

Wow!  I can’t believe it…. This week has finally come.  I’m absolutely bursting with excitement.  I can’t wait to have my one shining moment on stage and proudly show off all that I have accomplished with hard work in the gym, disciplined dieting, and an immeasurable amount of willpower and dedication. 

Sunday was another great day like Saturday.  I woke up really early and decided to tackle this day head on.  I went to the gym at 8:00am, came home, quickly showered, and made it to Mass at 10:30am, then went tanning, and returned home for lunch before 1:00pm.  After lunch I began cleaning my house and preparing for my VIPs (Very Important Parents & Puppy) who would be visiting next weekend.  I’ve never been so excited to change sheets or scrub a bathroom.  Yes, sure I was excited about the competition, but words cannot describe the excitement I had to spend quality, relaxing time with my parents.  I miss being able to see friends and family.  We have a really close family so it’s pretty rare that a month goes by without some reason to gather together.  I guess it’s only been five weeks since I had dinner with mom and dad in Chattanooga but it seems like ages ago. 

After cleaning it was time to get to the gym again.  After our normal workout Marcia and I talked to Johnny about what to expect throughout the final week.  It was going to be standard operating procedures Sunday-Wednesday.  Only two small changes there…. No more grapefruit and no more almond snack in the afternoons.  No biggie, I can live with that… I hope!  Also, on Wednesday morning we were going to start taking a diuretic pill to help draw all the water out of our bodies.  I’ve never taken any of these before so I’m interested to see how it’s going to affect me.  Thursday was going to be limited to egg-whites for breakfast, ground turkey breast and one serving of a vegetable for both lunch and dinner.  The best news about Thursday was the fact that we could stop taking the protein drinks after our morning workout!  YES!  I’ll never miss those things.  Friday should be a great day because we’re adding carbs back into the diet.  So along with what we’ll have Thursday we’ll also be able to add a serving of oatmeal, white rice, and sweet potatoes. I can’t wait!!!!  It’ll be delicious I know!  And that takes us right into the big day…. Saturday, it’s show time!  The plan is to have a serving of rice first thing in the morning, then go check in and get ready for pre-judging.  We’ll probably have half a grapefruit in between check-in and pre-judging.  After pre-judging we’ll probably have time to come home, eat lunch, and rest for a few hours.  Then, around 4:30pm or 5:00pm we’ll go back to the convention center and get ready for the finals which start at 7:30pm.  We have no idea how long the finals will last, so we’re expecting to be there until at least 11:30pm or midnight.

Monday was great!  I felt fantastic… I was pumped up and ready to go.  I was still thriving off the excitement of the final week.  I don’t think I’ve felt this energetic and confident in weeks.  I think it was the fact that I was having a good hair day.  I was loving my new cut J I made it though our last leg workout and evening cardio just fine… my new positive attitude made all the difference in the world.

Then, Tuesday came along.  Tuesday might as well have been January 4^th.  I felt like the competition would never get here.  Four days seemed like eternity.  I think the cold, rainy, dreary weather had a lot to do with my outlook.  I tried not to dwell on it and just keep thinking positive thoughts. I’m getting so excited about everything from Saturday night on through reuniting with friends and food next week that I can’t seem to focus on getting through an hour of work.  I trudged through the day and then evening workouts as best as I could.  I had to… there was no other option.

Wednesday was a little bit better but also seemed to move slowly.  Wednesday was a scrambled day for me at work.  I had a conference call at 9:00am, another at 10:00am, mentor reading at 10:50am, then back to the office to eat lunch at my desk, then left for an eye exam at 1:45pm so I could barely get on track with a single project.  When I returned from the eye doctor my eyes were dilated so I couldn’t see anything close up… I was fine with distances but I couldn’t read my computer screen, files, or even my daily task list in my Franklin-Covey… that I adore!  Couldn’t live without that thing!  So after searching for something to do, I finally asked my boss if I could leave early and make up the hours next week. 

I was able to get my workout completed really early, which was a great treat.  I came home and started preparing my ground turkey breast for the next few days.  I cooked two pounds and then weighed individual servings then froze what I won’t need right away.  I didn’t quite have enough so I know I’ll need to get some more before Saturday. 

I think this last week has been just as difficult as the first.  It’s so weird because I expected this week to be fantastic.  I think I’m just drained.  Physically and emotionally drained at this point.  I told someone at work today that every M&M I see looks like a million dollars because I want to it so badly.  Being so close makes the end actually feel farther away.  I don’t know why that is, but it seems this week is moving at a snail’s pace. 

Now I’m ready to finish the rest of the week strong and come home with some shiny new hardware.  Wonder where I can put my new trophy?  Maybe in my office next to my Twinkies eating champion trophy?  Not many people can down 14 Twinkies in two minutes and then win a bikini competition…. At least I don’t think there’s been a precedent for that.

More updates to come to share how Thursday and Friday play out.   I’ll be tweeting each step of the way on Saturday.  Follow me on Twitter @katie1602.  I couldn’t have made it this far without my supportive friends and family so thank you for that…. But don’t bail on me now folks… I need it now more than ever.  Three days till it all comes to fruition…..  Is it too soon to countdown the hours? haha

Week 10

Sunday started out as a pretty normal day.  Unfortunately I forgot to turn my alarm clock off on Saturday night. So that meant that I woke up at 7:00am.  I tried to go back to sleep but around 7:30 I got up and started cleaning my house.  Boy was I in desperate need of a thorough house cleaning.  I started with just my bedroom… once that looked decent I decided to hit the gym and knock out my morning cardio.  After that I ventured to hell on earth (walmart) and bought my protein shots.  I have to go here because they’re much cheaper than Kroger.  While I was there I also picked up some ingredients for a homemade face scrub.  Thanks to my gym friend Sonny for sharing her “recipe”. 

I came home and had my grapefruit then showered and continued my cleaning spree.  I cleaned for hours… it seemed that I was getting nowhere.  There was so much to be done and I couldn’t really focus and prioritize the tasks on the list.  Pretty soon it was time for my eggs…. No oatmeal today.  Today starts my 13 days carb-free.  I’m trying hard to stay positive about this.  So after the oatmeal and hot tea I kept cleaning.  I even cleaned out my front closet and large closet in my guest room.  Next thing I know, it’s time for lunch.  I had grilled chicken and a double serving of spinach.  The plus side is I can replace the sweet potato for extra vegetables.  After lunch I tried to relax and enjoy my afternoon…. I caught up on a few shows saved on my DVR.  At 5:00pm I met up with Marcia to go through our weight circuit and cardio work out.  We also met with Johnny to practice walking and posing again.  This was fun because we get a small taste of what it will be like to be the center of attention and get on stage to show off all of our hard work.  After that we had to finish up our cardio…. I’m sticking to 75 mins this week.  I thought I would be back down to 60 minutes because I didn’t have and Sugar Free Pudding Snack Packs.  Not exactly… looks like 75 mins of cardio twice a day is here to stay.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on my outlook…. I didn’t get to finish 75 minutes of cardio because the gym closed at 8:00.  I did squeeze in 65 minutes before they kicked me out.  Who would have ever thought that I would be the last one to leave the gym on a Sunday night???

After the gym I went to Kroger to stock up on veggies.  My list consisted of green beans, asparagus, broccoli, and dishwasher detergent.  I made it out with all of those things PLUS Eddy’s Girl Scout Cookie ice cream J Oh yeah, Thin Mint and Samoas…. I had to get it because they’re limited edition and may not be there in two weeks.  They were also on sales so how was I supposed to walk away from that! So I just tossed those two pints in the freezer next to my other Girl Scout Cookies and locked them away until after March 19.

Monday was a great day.  I woke up and decided to create a great day.  I was determined to fill my head with positive thoughts and a motivated attitude.  Sure, I was scared a little bit about the no carb diet, but I couldn’t dwell on that.  Negative thoughts were only going to drag me down so I made the conscience decision to eliminate negativity for the next 12 days.  When breakfast came around I ate my eggs and had a cup of hot tea to fill the void of the oatmeal.  My green tea is soooo good.  It’s like a treat that I look forward to everyday.  So for lunch I came home and had my usual chicken and spinach.  Instead of having ¼ cup of baked sweet potato I substituted that with about ten asparagus spears.  Instead of thinking about lunch without sweet potato I thought of it as a double serving of the veggies I love!  Pretty simple.  We did our legs workout Monday night and it was killer!  We bumped up the weight on almost every exercise so I was really feeling the burn…. And I was loving it! 

Tuesday was much the same…. Great morning work out and very productive day at work.  I think the “eliminate the negative, accentuate the positive” is the best motto to get through any day, not just a training program.  On my lunch break Tuesday, my friend Annie and I went to Michael’s to check out the bedazzling supplies.  I got some fun pretty crystals to bling out my bikini.  I’m pretty excited to test my craft skills and see how this turn out.  Here’s the best part about my workout Tuesday…. Over the weekend I was doing some serious cleaning and found my old pink iPod mini from college.  OH BOY!  So I charged it up and took a 75 minute hill interval trip down memory lane Tuesday night.  OMG so much fun!  That was the best way to go through a cardio session  It was like being in Room 2 at 654 S. Milledge Ave all over again.  My arc trainer might as well been in the middle of Firehouse instead of Midtown Athletic Club.   I listened to 22 songs straight without having to skip a single bad one.    I can’t wait to get back there tomorrow and hear what else Bubba (my iPod’s name) has in store for me.

I hate to admit this, but  Wednesday was a little bit of a let down.  If you read my Special Update you learned about Mr. Man Thong.  Well, Wedneday he never showed up.  Bummer.  I went on with my normal morning  cardio then headed to work.  Wednesday was a nasty stormy day.  It must have been a long time since we’ve had rain like that…. I certainly don’t remember it recently, but then again, I hardly pay attention to the weather.  If it wasn’t for my crazy diet I wouldn’t be able to tell you what I had for dinner last night. 

I felt pretty good all day and didn’t think much about the competition.  Keeping busy at work is really helping postpone the nerves.  I don’t want to focus on March 19^th until March 18^th gets here.  I just wish I knew what to expect.  I have no clue how many girls will be there and how many will be in my division… I don’t even know what to really expect on the big day.   I just know it’s going to be a loooooong day. 

Wednesday was a pretty typical day with our evening work out.  We did the chest and shoulders circuits, then 75 mins on the step mill.  I was excited to get home and start my arts & crafts project.  I bought a few packages of crystals and some fabric glue and it was time to go to town on my competition suit.  I practiced a little bit on an old suit and decided I was ready to graduate to the real deal.  I started out simple…. Just the shoulder straps.  I glued crystals from the top of the cups all the way up to where the straps would tie behind my neck.  Here comes the hardest part.  I have to let the glue dry and set for 24 hours!  Another test of my will power and patience.  I really want to try it on!!!  But I know I’ll need to wait until Thursday night or it can all be ruined.  It’s kinda like the ice cream and cookies in my freezer… just sitting there testing me every minute of the day, but if I have one bite, the past ten weeks could be ruined.  I didn’t realize how strong mind of matter really could be.

So I’m about to get a little “churchy” here for a minute.  If that’s not your thing then skip this paragraph and pick up again on Thursday.  I’m not one for really “preaching it” but I just wanted to share another part of my daily life outside the gym.  Wednesday is Ash Wednesday.  It is the start of Lent, the Christian 40-day season of preparation for Easter.  It is a time of fasting and penance to bring us closer to God through our sacrifices. In the Catholic Church, it is normal to hear of people talk about what they “gave-up” for Lent.  In the past few years I’ve typically given up foods or drinks that I love: all meats, sodas, sweet tea, and even all candy/sweets last year.  Well, this year I had a new revelation.  I really couldn’t give up anything dietary because I wasn’t enjoying all these treats anyway due to the training program.  I started thinking that I would add something of meaning to my daily life instead of restricting something that I really love.  I realized that I had made the commitment and sacrifice to transform my body for a physical competition.  The training program was about 11 weeks, 77 days.  So why would I not want to transform my mind, soul, and relationship with God for eternal happiness?  I know how excited I am to see the physical changes and accomplishments that have come with this training…  now I was even more excited to see how the next 40 days would transform my heart.  I was going to use the 40 days of Lent to learn more about God’s purpose for me and follow His map to my happiness here on earth and eventually with Him in Heaven.   I can only be more excited to see how I can further develop my relationship with my Father. I’ve decided to read, study, and live The Purpose Driven Life over the next 40 days.  This book is divided into 40 days of lessons to help you realize God’s purpose for your life.  If I can spend three hours a day in the gym for my own gain, surely I can spend thirty minutes or so a day reflecting on why God created me, breathed life into me, and put me on this Earth.  What’s my real purpose here?  I’m pretty sure it’s not working 40 hours a week behind a desk, exercising, dieting, and wearing bikinis on stage.  There’s got to be more out there for all of us…. There’s go to be something that gives us hope, happiness, and peace.  In 40 days I think I’ll be just a little bit closer that answer or at least have a few pieces to that puzzle.  So all in all, I think it is important to respect yourself and take pride in your physical health, but know that there’s more to life than the physical.  God gave us life as a gift.  We should appreciate that gift and use it for the most good as possible.

Thursday was just another day in paradise.  Our countdown was now official in the single digits.  Only 9 days left and then it was time to shine!  Thursday morning I called the competition organizer to confirm that my registration had been received and correctly processed.  Yep, it was all there.  I was all set and ready to go for my first NPC Bikini Competition!  When I called, I thought that it might be nice to know how many other people were registered.  So I asked the man how many people were registered in my division.  Oh boy… bad idea.  His response was “No one ever asks that.  Why do you want to know?  The other people don’t matter.  Why? Are you scared of the competition?  It doesn’t matter who else shows up that day.  As long as you come at your best that’s all that you should be concerned about.”  I tried to explain that I was new at this… I just wanted to know what to expect on the day of the show… and then I said “Well, really, I just need to know how many boxes of tissues to bring for the losers!”

I was so tired Thursday afternoon…  I didn’t sleep well Wednesday night.  I couldn’t fall asleep until after midnight, then woke up around 4:30am and tossed and turned for another hour until I finally went to the gym.  I had a great morning at work and then went to pick up my suit bottoms from the alteration shop.  I feel a lot better knowing that’s complete now.  It wasn’t until after lunch, maybe about 3:00pm that the fatigue really hit me.  The lack of sleep combined with almost no carbs in four days, and the cold dreary weather just hit me like a brick wall.  I didn’t feel like working or going to the gym, or doing anything other than curling up in bed and sleeping for a week.

Thursday night I went through my legs workout on my own.  Marcia had to teach another class so she worked out earlier in the afternoon.  I had to dig deep and power through that terrible feeling.  Once I finished the weight training and got on the elliptical then I started feeling better and more energized.  This is when I realized that I’ve truly lost my mind…. After completing 35 minutes of cardio, I looked at the countdown clock and it read 40 minutes… my honest thought was “Yes, almost finished!”  Now that’s really crazy… 40 minutes is “almost” nothing. It’s longer than The Daily Show, it’s a long drive across town in traffic, it’s a dreadfully boring conference room meeting at work…. But at this point, to me, 40 minutes on the elliptical was almost done!

Holy cow!  Only seven more days of training.  We’re going to be finished next Thursday… Friday we’ll take off to rest and get prepped and then Saturday is the big day!

Here we go, about to start my last Friday work out… I was a little slow moving Friday morning... the end of the week is usually difficult because I’m so tired but this week was just a little harder than the past few.  I’m just not getting the sleep I need.  I don’t know why I can’t fall asleep at night.  I want to go to bed around 9:30pm but I’m not getting in bed and actually sleeping until close to midnight.  And even worse than the 5:30am alarm is the 2:30am bathroom break and being wide awake at 4:30am!!!  I haven’t had a solid night’s sleep all week. Other than that, Friday was an awesome day…. For me, not for Japan.  I felt great and energized once I got to work.  

I think the morning works outs actually make me more focused and productive at work.  This week has been awesome.  I feel like I’m getting so many things accomplished without feeling swamped with projects and overwhelmed by all the little tasks.  Friday evening was our short workout…. I worked out on my own because Marcia was late getting to the gym.  Somehow she tweaked her back and pulled a muscle so she was going to a massage therapist to get it checked out.  Friday was great because I was able to get in, do three circuits, ab training, and get on to cardio very quickly.  Although I know it sounds like forever, the 75 minutes of cardio is really starting to fly by.  I think it’s due to the newly found old school iPod.  Each song is like a 4-minute surprise party… who doesn’t love surprises AND parties combine into one big event!  Friday night I was able to get home pretty early, shower, and cook dinner before 8:30pm.  My plan was to force myself to go to bed early… well those sure were good intentions, but not happening in real life.  I continued to work on bedazzling my bikini… I think it looks really good.  I just hope everything actually stays on.  But, I have plenty of extra pieces and glue to take with me on the big day.  I’m sure I’ll be doing some last minute touch ups but that’s ok.  Then I got sucked in to my DVR and watched some shows I’ve missed dearly the past few weeks.  After that I decided to start reading a new book.  I told myself to put it away at 11:00, but I didn’t… I read until about 11:30 and then just laid in bed staring into the darkness….

Saturday was going to be a day for me… a day of nothing but rest and relaxation.  I started the day, after barely sleeping more than two or three hours straight, with my morning cardio.  Then I headed to Salon Next to get my haircut.  I went to the Junior League’s Nearly New Shop to drop off a donation of old clothes, shoes, and purses.  After that I went to hell on Howell Mill Rd.  Yes, that’s right.  Walmart.  I figured that I might as well stop in and pick up my protein drinks while I was there.  I has sooooo happy to buy my last supply of protein drinks.  These things are terrible and I’ll never drink another one again after Thursday.  After Walmart I went to the Cobb International Market to get some fresh veggies…. I  picked up some spinach, green beans, and asparagus.  For the rest of the day I’m just lying on my couch and watching TV.  I’m not doing anything but trying to catch up on sleep and rest.

Here are my week 10 update pictures…I’m pretty much done with the physical changes.  For the next week I just need to focus on staying on task and keep it on autopilot until the competition is over next Saturday.  I weighed 104.3 on Saturday morning.  I dropped 2.9 lbs this week and 15.3 lbs over all since the training started.

I’m planning to give daily thoughts and updates on Twitter next week.  Also, I’ll be tweeting updates every step of the way on the Big Day…  follow me @katie1602 to keep up with everything from the final steps of preparation to collecting my trophy and celebrating my victory next Saturday.

Special Update

This story is too extreme not to share and definitely too crazy for me to really make up.

Monday morning I was on the elliptical at 6:05am.  I was in the zone, just doing my thing, and minding my own business.  I noticed an older man on the stationary bike in front of me.  When he finished his workout, he bent over to pick up a magazine or newspaper or something like that.  I couldn’t believe my eyes…. I saw his lacey yellow thong!  OK I’m not making this up.  I thought I must have been daydreaming or hallucinating because this couldn’t really be happening.  I just brushed it off as an illusion and went about my day. 

Fast forward to Tuesday morning.  About the same time Tuesday morning I was on the step mill/stair master machine.  I noticed this same man coming up the stairs toward the cardio machines…. Lucky for me he picked the treadmill right in front of me….  Mind you, there is no one else around on this side of the room.  He stood on the treadmill and propped one leg up on the handrails to tie his shoe.  When he leaned over, I couldn’t help but sneak a peak…. No thong in sight.  I knew I was mistaken yesterday.  Left foot goes up for the shoe to be tied.  Strike two.  No thong.  Much relieved, I turn my attention back to the morning news (which by the way is dreadfully boring).  Then out of the corner of my eye, I see this man stretching.  He’s doing a side lunge to stretch his inner thigh and hamstrings.  His gray t-shirt is now pulled up to his mid-back and the black wind pants seem to have been sagged down a bit.  As he leans over this fancy lacey purple thong is peaking out to say “hello “to me.  At this point I look around to find the hidden camera.  This has to be a joke, right?  Here’s the real kicker.  After little miss Hanky Panky says good morning, the man moves to a different machine across the room…  and proceeds with his normal cardio workout.   I’m just flabbergasted.

So I finish my workout and go to the women’s locker room…. No, he isn’t in there.  I’m about to start drying my hair when I overhear two women discussing the same whale tail sighting.  We couldn’t believe it.  Apparently he has been flaunting his Secret around the gym.  Wow… nothing like this has ever happened before while I’ve been at the gym.

So I’m eager to see what could happen Wednesday morning….  I'll try to snap a picture on my phone if I can react quick enough.

Week 9

WOW!  I can’t believe how far I’ve come, and yet how far away the big day really is.  I was starting to think the finish line was just around the corner, but on Sunday, I realized 20 days is a really long time! 

Sunday morning I did my normal 60 minutes of cardio as soon as the gym opened.  I came home and enjoyed my standard breakfast… grapefruit, wait an hour, egg whites and oatmeal.  You know, a few weeks ago I hated the oatmeal.  It was the worst part of my day but now I love it!  I really look forward to it because it’s my biggest serving of carbs and gives me a good surge of energy to get through the day.

After a few hours of rest, I met up with Marcia and we went to the MAC counter to pick out some new make-up for the big competition.  I was going for a golden, sun-kissed look.  I wanted to look like I was really enjoying a day at the beach.  We met the beautiful Yasmine who stated that her goal was to make us look like Victoria’s Secret Angels…. Um, ok sure!  I’ll take that.  She was so sweet and so much fun.  We decided not to buy every piece available at the MAC counter…  it would be more cost efficient to just “rent” Yasmine’s expert service.  So, we hired her to do our make-up the morning of the competition. 

Here's an example of Yasmine's work.... what do you think?  Anything need to be added, changed, or adjusted?  I think it'll look a lot different with a good tan.  I also think I need a little something more to get the golden look I want.

Make-up play time was fun, but it was time to get to business… we headed back to the gym and finished out the training exercise of our current program.  After we finished our cardio, we met Johnny and went over the new exercise program.  This one was going to be a lot different, way more challenging! We were now switching over to circuit training.  We had three different programs… legs, chest and shoulders, and arms.  We’re going to do each circuit three times with short rests in between. 

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were beautiful spring days here in Atlanta…. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when it’s so pretty all around.  I really enjoyed the new circuit workouts because they only take 20-35 minutes…. It’s crazy what life is like when you actually have time to enjoy your evenings again.  Although I enjoy being home and having some normal time in my life, it is difficult because the longer I’m awake, the more I crave normal foods…. I need to force myself to go to bed early and try to ignore the hunger and cravings.  The food deprivation and lack of variety are the hardest parts of this whole program.  I focus on food 24/7 and can’t get it out of my head.  I dream of all the things that I’ll eat once this whole thing is over.  There are way too many options out there…. And I can’t wait to dig into them all J

The crazy thing is that I'm not craving fatty, unhealthy, junk foods.  I want yogurt, fruit, peanut butter, a turkey sandwich, a bowl of cereal, a cup of coffee, oh yeah, and Girl Scout cookies but basically I just want normal food again.

Here’s the downside of this week… apparently I goofed up pretty bad after my cheat meal Saturday evening.  I ate a Sugar Free Pudding Snack Pack for dessert…. Well guess what.  That isn’t allowed anymore.  So based on the extra 60 calories that I consumed that night, I was awarded 15 extra minutes of cardio in each morning and evening.  Can you believe that!!!  I mean seriously, can it really be that bad?  So now I’m getting up at 5:30 and starting cardio by 6:05… it may not seem like much, but loosing 15 minutes of sleep is really difficult.  I’ve been absolutely exhausted and struggling to keep my eyes open by 9:00pm.

Thursday was going to be a little bit rough… I was not looking forward to Thursday.  The alarm went off at 5:30… I went through my normal morning: cardio, protein, work, grapefruit, eggs, oatmeal…. I was only working Thursday morning.  I took the afternoon off so that I could take Sean to the airport.  He’s leaving for India and Nepal today and will be gone for 39 days.  Great, another countdown to begin.  I’m getting pretty accustomed to these now.  After our goodbye at the South Terminal of the Atlanta airport, I headed to the tanning bed for some relaxation.  I know how bad it is, but the tanning bed is like a lovely warm cozy cocoon.  It’s perfect for taking ten or fifteen minutes to breathe slowly and deeply and organize your thoughts.  After that I went to the gym, met with Marcia, and went through our leg circuits.  This is our longest of the three programs and it only takes about 30 minutes! 

After my workout I had a new voicemail from an unknown number…. Guess who didn’t make it on the flight to India?  Yep… it’s kinda a long crazy story, but Sean’s trip is now postponed and redirected.  Looks like he’s now leaving on Saturday afternoon. 

Friday started out as usual, morning cardio, then work, then workout again.  I was excited because tonight was going to be our quick workout.  At lunch Friday, I went to Michael’s craft store to check out my options to “bling” out my bikini.  I was looking for some crystals or rhinestones or something to make the suit stand out a little bit on stage.  I had no idea what I really wanted but I was a little bummed out that nothing really spoke to me.   Oh well…. Maybe I’ll try again next week.   Friday evening Marcia invited me to her house for dinner.  She and her husband just got a new grill and wanted to grill some steaks.  So we had some delicious fillets fresh off the grill and Marcia made fresh green beans with garlic.  I really enjoyed sharing a “diet” dinner like it was a normal Friday night.

Saturday was a yucky, cold, rainy day but a busy day…luckily it kept my mind off of being hungry and saying goodbye to Sean again.  Saturday morning I got up early to do cardio.  After that I had to go to an alterations shop to get my bikini bottoms altered a little bit.  Basically, they cover too much cheek.  I had to get about two inches taken in from each cheek.  Totally not what I would normally wear, but it’s for the competition.  After that I went to the tanning bed for some fake sun and a minute to breathe… I needed to relax and clear my thoughts.  I felt like there was so much to do and I needed to prioritize tasks and make a plan.  When you have a lot of things to do in one day, it’s hard to work around a diet with a strict eating schedule.  I had to plan to do things in short segments so that I could be home within two and half hours so I could eat my next meal.  After the tanning bed I came home breakfast, showered, and practiced how I wanted to do my hair for the competition.  I researched a lot of youtube videos and found a look that I think I can replicate on the big day.  It was already 2:00pm and I had to get Sean to the airport before 3:00pm.  So I hurried down to his house, loaded the car and headed to the airport.  I haven’t heard from him so I’m assuming that’s good news and he made it on the flight and to his destination.  So after I dropped him off I headed back home and got ready for my cheat meal dinner with Marcia.  Her husband was out of town so she had planned a fantastic cheat meal for the two of us.  What I thought was going to be a simple spaghetti and meatballs dinner ended up being a carb loaded feast!  Here’s what we had:  shrimp cocktail, salmon stuffed mushrooms, bruchetta, tomato, artichoke, and arugula salad, zucchini, bowtie pasta with peas, mushrooms, garlic, and chicken, two different types of ravioli, two types of French bread, and spaghetti with meat sauce.  HOLY COW!  We don't get to have a cheat meal next Saturday so we decided we had to make this one count for two weeks worth of dieting and training.  We both ate until we made ourselves sick.  It was so delicious I didn’t even care how bad I felt.  All I know is I slept like a little baby Saturday night.

Cheat meal extravaganza:

Here’s the worst part about Saturday.  I do my usual weekly weigh ins on Saturday morning…. This Saturday was devastating.  I only lost 0.2lb!  This is terrible.  I should be loosing at least one pound a week.  To hit a plateau like this so close to the competition is terrible.  Drastic times call for drastic measures.  The top half of my body is looking great, arms, back and abs.  But the bottom half, legs and calves really need to trim down.  Starting Sunday I’m completely cutting out carbs. I don’t eat a lot of carbs right now anyway but I’m cutting out my half cup of oatmeal with breakfast and also the ¼ cup of sweet potato at lunch.  I’m not gonna lie… I’m pretty scared about this.  I’ve only heard horror stories about zero carb diets.  I’m going to try as hard as possible to not be mean and bitchy to every one in my life for the next thirteen days.  If I am, please know that I don’t mean it and that the normal smiling happy Katie will be back in just a few days. 

Eyes on the prize… I’m 100% determined to win my division of this competition and I’m not going to let a few little carbs stand in my way! 

Week 9 updates... here are some pictures to show my progress, or lack there of, from this week.