I am sitting here with a distended belly full of donuts, lemon meringue pie, brownies, BBQ and Honey Cheetos and whatever I have felt like sticking in my mouth today. It has been quite nice to pop these things into my mouth without one of my children jumping on me an tackling me to the ground and prying food out of my fingers. I currently feel like crap. I do not like how I feel right now and that is a good thing.

I have soooo much to share, but where to start? I guess the beginning.

I got up at 4:30am. I got to eat oatmeal which was a treat after going the whole week with no carbs. That deserves some explanation…Starting on Monday, Mr. T had me eliminate all carbs. I did religiously. I had 6 egg whites for breakfast, and then the rest of the day, I grazed on tuna and chicken. I trained with Mr. T on Tues and Wednesday and by Wed. I was feeling pretty crappy. I did not train Thurs. or Fri. Friday at work I was seriously worried that I might become cannibal and chow down on one of the kids at school. I was at deaths door. I know I was. I was miserable, starving, grumpy, hungry, exhausted.

Friday night I got to eat some pasta. YuM! Just some spaghetti noodles with a little Italian spritzer. And then oatmeal Saturday morning.

We got to Tempe..the Embassy Suites at 7:30am. We were the 1st ones there…a bit early.

I took my own tall skinny mirror to have my own to pump up to and get ready with. That ended up being our entertainment until everyone else got there.

So, it was me, my two sisters (Katie and Amy) and my momma. Amy was standing with her arms resting over the top of the mirror and I was standing in front of her. This got us going and kept us laughing and entertained for 30 minutes posing with someone in front of the mirror and someones elses head on top of the mirror from behind. We used Amy’s camera, so unfortunately, I don’t have any of those pictures. I will get them though. They are hilarious. Having my family there was the best thing! We sat there and laughed and and made spectacles of ourselves. The laughing got my abs good and ready.

I checked in and got registered and then waited. And then got ready…

One of the nastiest things about this was the spray down with Pam. Yep, cooking spray. That’s what gives us all that oiled down and shiny look. This helps show all the definition in the muscles under the bright lights.

11:00 came prejudging took place. Very awkward.

I have some footage of that, but it needs some editing.

At 1:30, we left the hotel and went to Wendy’s. I could’ve had a burger and fries, since really all the judging was already done, but I had seen a commercial about their new berry, almond and chicken salad and I wanted to try it. YuM! Delicious!

The evening show started at 5. The hardest part about the whole thing was waiting for my turn. I just tried to keep a clear mind and stay calm, but it was nerve racking when all I wanted to do was get it over with.

I was terrified that I would roll my ankle on those 5″ stiletto’s, fall down while walking on stage and “superman” it across the floor. But I didn’t. It is tricky business to put on a tiny bikini and high heels and then strut your stuff in front of NOT ONLY an audience, but 6 judges. You have to look confident. You have to look like this is something that you do on a daily basis. You have to smile and have a look on your face that tells everyone that you are absolutely comfortable and loving every second of your time on stage. When inside you are on the verge of spewing oatmeal or berry almond salad everywhere. Inside you are thinking, “Holy Crap! Please don’t fall! I hope my butt is not jiggly, smile, don’t make strange faces while you are tightening every single muscle in your body.” Ya, lots of fun!

So, I did my routine. Out on the stage all by myself…

And that’s it. After the individual routines, they called the divisions up one at at time. There were 4 ladies in the division that I entered. Which was, Ms. Physique. This is when they handed out the trophy’s. I placed 2nd. WOW!! Not expected at all. I am soooo happy!

At the very end, they called all the 1st place winners back on stage so they could get their picture taken for next years poster. I asked one of the guys if it was ok if I left, he said, “Why don’t you go take your trophy and get your picture taken with the rest?” I told him I got 2nd place and he said that was ok. So I did.

While everyone was on stage, they handed out 3 more trophy’s for overall winners. A “Best Poser”, a “Most Muscular”, and “Most Symmetrical”. I got the “Most Symmetrical”!! Holy Crap!!

What an amazing day!

I had the most amazing support group ever! My momma, Amy, Katie, Kev and his bro, Kelly. Hahhhh! I am done counting down. I made it! I reached my goal. I am not done with this lifestyle. Now that it is over, I can see myself continuing with the diet and exercise. I hope to continue to tone up and lose body fat.

I love Mr. T and plan to dedicate my next blog to him, for without him, none of this would’ve been possible.

I loved the atmosphere yesterday. I met some amazing people. I have learned soooo much!

And now, I thought I would reminisce. I found these old before photos. I am not exactly sure of when these were taken, but Kev sent them to me a year ago.

There is proof that some serious changes took place here.

Don’t I look so happy?:)

Thanks for reading! Lots of Love to ALL! xoxo

What a ride this has been. These last 7+ weeks have been a roller coaster!

We went camping over Memorial weekend! A weekend meant for BBQ’ed burgers and potato chips, watermelon, desserts galore and what did I eat? Chicken. Slow cooked in green chilies. It was super hard to choke down chicken or salad or tuna when my kids are walking around eating Ding Dongs and Twinkies. Who’s fault is that? I know, I bought all the crap. For some reason, I thought it would get easier to avoid tempting foods. Actually, I think it did…a little bit.

This morning, the scale read 110. I really wish I could have reached my goal of 108, but I really should not complain. I am thrilled with my results.

As for my abs? I wouldn’t really call them abs. I do have some bumps. Far from chiseled or washboard, but again, huge improvement.

What’s on the agenda for today?

I need to be in Tempe by 8am for drug testing. (Gotta make sure I haven’t been using steroids).

At 11am is prejudging. I have searched and searched and am still not exactly sure what goes on during this time. Mr. T is not positive either. He said this is when I will show my posing by those 8 poses he’s had me practice every day. I don’t think I do the posing routine at this time.

Mr. T also said that after the prejudging, the contest is pretty much over, the judges have already made their decisions on who will win.

At 5pm, is the evening show. More posing and the routine. And then, finally, awards and trophy’s.

Then after that? FOOD!!

How sad that this huge day in front of me, something I have never done before and that I have worked so hard for and all I can think about is food.

I think it takes a very special person to be able to do this on a day to day basis and I have so much respect for all men and women who have made this sport their profession/passion.

We will see how I feel tonight after I have experienced it. Who knows, maybe this is my new passion. I am super excited for the experience.

My mom and two sisters got here this morning at 2am to come be my support and cheerleaders. Kev will be there too. How BLESSED am I.

Here I go…

Hallelujah!! I finally started! Now I feel like I can get my head back into this! Why do we have to be such slaves to our minds? And why do our minds have to be such slaves to our bodies? These last 22 days, we are going to test the theory “Mind over Matter”.

Mr. T. advised me on Thursday, to eat small portions of protein throughout the day instead of having meals…well, have breakfast and dinner, but then the rest of the day to keep blood sugars at a productive level, just graze on protein.

Yesterday, I bought a 10lb bag of chicken breasts at Sams. I have been slow cooking them about every other day in the slow cooker along with some canned peppers and their juices. I really like the flavor. I am curious how long that bag will last me. I got really tired of tuna, but you just can’t beat the convenience of popping off the lid and eating.

I have really debated posting progress pictures. That just makes it all soooo real. But for progress sake, I think it could be beneficial.

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Those are 4 of the eight poses I practice each morning.  :)

Yikes, there ya go.

So over the next 22 days, I have to really trim down. If you have ever seen women body builders or figure models, their skin is so thin. So the muscle is really defined and “cut”. You can see that my muscles all sort of blend together, there is not much definition. Especially on my legs and butt.

These pictures were taken at the 5 week out mark, so about two weeks ago. Before I started retaining all this water weight and feeling all bloated and discouraged.

I can’t bring myself to weigh and measure today. I know it will just bring me down, so I am going to give my body a week to get rid all all this excess “crap” and measure and weigh next Saturday.

Love to you all!

Uggg. Time is flying by. I have really been trying to put this off for as long as possible, but I think that it is actually helpful to log even when I am not doing so great. So, in this case, no news is bad news…
I am disappointed in myself and I don’t feel as great these last days. I think I know why. My cycle is messed up. Isn’t that such a great “catch all”? “I am so tired, it’s that time of the month.” “I am so cranky, it’s that time of the month.”
It all started in February. I went in to get some birth control that would prevent me from having a period for the month of March when Kev an I were in Cabo.
When we got home, I stopped taking them. That was around March 20th. It is now May 11th and I am not back on any type of a schedule. I skipped a period in April and my body is going through some of the beggining signs that warn me to start carrying around some protection…
It seems like weeks and I haven’t started yet.
Meanwhile, I am ravenous for ALL food. Especially chocolate.
Last time I weighed and measured, I was exactly the same, but my weight was all the way back up to 116!
You’d think I had spent a week at IHOP. I stuck to the diet the best I could and really, I can’t think of any other reason for the weight gain except for my messed up cycle. I am thinking stress is a contributing factor, too.
So that is my update.
On a high note, I got my Cinderella shoes. They are 5″ stilletto clear shoes. so cute. And I ordered my bikini. It should be here in about a week.
I am gonna win. I am gonna have at least a 4 pack. I’ve got a little over three weeks and I am confident I can push myself, my body through so that I am happy with the results.
Love to all who love and support me through this endevour.  :)

It’s 8 PM and I am beat and ready for bed. But I wanted to post my results from Saturday.
I lost 1/4″ on all my measurements (except my biceps). AND I lost a pound, which puts me at 113 and exactly on track to be 108 by June 4th.
It is amazing to me to think about all the countless hours I put into trying to get in shape.  I did P90X at least four times completely. My legs never looked this good, my arms never looked this good, and as for my abs? Ab Ripper X has got nothin’ on me.
The truth is, I had all the muscle there before…it was just covered up by a thick protective coating. Let me tell you, rabbit food gets rid of the protective coating. Horrible as it is…it’s working like I never believed it could.
I think my metabolism slowed to nearly to a halt after I had Anthony. After both Andre and Aliya, I hardly had to do anything…the weight just came off. I never had to worry about what I was eating either. I just burned it off. But all good things must come to an end. Grr.
Well, I found out today that eating two apples makes me gassy. I discovered that when I lick the peanut butter knife after I make the kids’ sandwiches in the morning, that I can actually regergitate it and enjoy it again before it goes completely down my throat. I know, despicable and disgusting! But these are my new joys in life, so I really have to make the best of them.  :)
And that’s it for tonight.

Today is a huge day in the history of my life to become a Figure contestant. I have a notebook that I have used to keep track of my progress since January 4, 2010. Back then I was in a contest with my sister to see who could get in the best shape by July 2010. I had been doing P90X on my own and I was quite happy with my progress.
So my first entry, these were my measurements…
(Before you read on, I do not want to list these numbers for any other reason than to show progress. The road I’ve been on for so long has been a lesson in nutrition more than anything and that is what I feel is the most important thing for anyone who reads to get out of this.)
Jan. 4 2010- Upper thigh- 22.5″ / Hips- 38″ / Waist- 31.5″ / Upper arm- 10.75″ / Weight 120lbs.
By Spring Break 2010, I had made really good progress. Some of those pages log that I had worked out two or three times a day. One day I had gotten all the way down to 110lbs. That was huge for me. Unfortunately, it only lasted one day. From there I went on a steady incline back up to 118
My sister won that contest. She did amazing…the way it is suppose to be done. Exercise AND diet. I guess I didn’t really know what dieting was until now. I just figured that if I worked out hard enough I could eat whatever I wanted. That one cost me a pair of Rock Rivival jeans from the Buckle.
Now to the good news!!!
Since January, 2011, I started keeping track of my progress while we prepared to go to Cabo. My starting measurements: thigh- 22″ / hips - 36″ /waist- 27.25″ / upper arm- 10.75″ / weight 115lbs. All this time ( I measure and weigh every Saturday ) and so far it had stayed exactly the same….Until today!!!
Thigh- 21.75″ /hips- 35.75″ / waist- 26.75″ / bicep-10.75 / weight 114lbs
Do you know what that means!!! My body is actually using that stored fat as energy. WOW!! Who
woulda’ thought!! I feel great!! If I hold my breath and concentrate really hard, I can see two
muscles on my abs! Again, the constipated look…not good, but it’s just so exciting! And I only work out an hour to an hour and a half a day. From now till June 4, it is 7 days a week. A few weeks ago I was only spending Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I don’t know what it will take to maintain after June. I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

I love popcorn!! I am sitting here eating air popped, unbuttered, unsalted popcorn and you would not believe how magical it tastes. And I can keep typing without having to wipe my buttery fingers off every time I take a handful and stuff it in my mouth

I had heard before that plain popcorn was alright to snack on, but I didn’t know that your body has to work really hard to digest it, so you actually burn calories when you eat it. Ha-ha! This is what is going to get me through the next 44 days with NO MORE cheat Sunday’s. That’s right, no more CHEAT days.

I had another 100% day today and I trained with Mr. T. Afterward, we went into the cycle room and I showed him how my poses where looking. The lighting in there is much different than the lighting in my bathroom. I could actually see some definition in my shoulders and triceps. YAY!! Much more than I could see even a week ago. So, does dieting work. I feel it is necessary to use a colorful expression - Hell, yes!!

I really had my heart set on one more cheat day. I thought to myself, Ugh, if I have to go through 7 weeks with never having tasteful food, I am going to die. I was feeling a lot of self pity. Plus we are going camping. You always get the BEST junk food for camping. And I had already decided that if I was able to cheat one last time, I would really do my best to make that day a day I could remember for 7 more weeks. You know what? That is an artificial pleasure. It’s brought on by eating foods that taste sooooo amazingly delicious, that I could literally eat and eat and eat. I would feel full for a few hours then I would go back and eat and eat and eat. All the while, my body is wrapping it up in cellophane and storing it in the areas of my body marked, “Food Storage: For use ONLY when body is starving” Realistically, if I keep feeling self pity for not being able to eat it, the road is only going to be that much harder.

K, but after seeing the progress I had made after a week…I saw a different light. A new light that I had never seen before. I actually felt a small bit of pride swelling in my heart. I grasped onto that with everything in me. This feeling is real. This feeling of happiness is something that I created…I made. Who knew? Mr. T. knew. All body builders know. Can I tell someone what this feels like? No. Like a lot of things in life, only the experience will make it clear.

Hopefully, I can keep this new light fresh on my mind. Today, I could actually see myself on the stage. Today was the first time I actually pictured myself getting up there and being serious competition for whoever else will be there. I am doing it!!!

I thought I would share a bit about why I decided to do this. Last year, Kev and I decided to take a vacation all by ourselves! We went to Cabo over Spring Break in March. What a blast! I’ll have to Blog about that another day.

Kev and I decided to each get our butts in gear and shed our winter weight and see if we could find our abs before we went.

So I joined Fitness 1 out here in Surprise, AZ. You know how when you join a club, they always set up that initial orientation to plan out what your goals are?  But really it’s just a ploy so they can talk you into getting a personal trainer. They ended up making me an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I started training. Wow! What a difference that makes. He took me around and showed me which machines to use and how to use them. That, I was so grateful for…One time I went to Mountainside Fitness with Kev and I walked up to a machine (like I knew exactly what I was doing) I didn’t look at the instructions (cuz that would give me away). I got on it…tried to work it, it was some kind of leg machine. When it felt really awkward, I broke down and looked at the directions. Ya, I was on it backwards..HAHAHA!

Mr. Trainer gave me a lesson on how to build muscle and stressed how important rest was too. Over training can be just as bad as not training at all.

After a few sessions, Mr. Trainer starts saying, “I would like to train you for a show.” I laughed the first 5 times and never thought seriously about it. Then one day I was like, “OK”. And here we are.

I feel I should be honest and let you know, I was planning on a show April 16th. The one I went to to observe, I should’ve been ready to compete in. But Mr. Trainer broke it to me very gently that I was not ready. FYI, I am still looking for my abs.

I am so excited to be really committed to this crazy notion. I think it is amazing that Mr. Trainer could see potential under 10+ years of unhealthy eating. I am thankful for my kids who are as committed as I am to see me succeed…WIN. A few times Aliya has physically pulled food out of my hand to keep me from tainting a 100% good day.

On days when I make it through the whole day without putting anything in my mouth that goes against my nutrition plan, I give myself 100%. Today was a 100% day. This weekend is Easter and Kev and I’s 18 year wedding anniversary. I am not sure if I get any more cheat days. I will see Mr. Trainer and ask. If I get one more cheat day, I will make sure I eat enough for 7 cheat days.

Today, I worked legs, back and biceps again. This time and from now on I am suppose to start with a weight I can lift/push just barely, do as many reps as I can and then lighten the weight, do as many as I can…and so on. Also, this week I am suppose to really watch my calorie intake and do extra cardio. Normally, I do 30-45 min of lifting and 20 min of cardio. I do this Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Friday. This week I will add 10 more minutes of cardio to the lifting days. And on Wed, Sat, and Sunday, do 45 min of cardio and 3 sets of crunches/sit ups.

This, along with the nutrition plan will start to melt away that stored fat that is crazy hard to get rid of. I can feel it when I pinch my arm. It’s working. I have a long way to go. Stubborn area…butt, is really holding on to those stored fat cells. I do see improvement there as well.

Well, I guess that’s it for tonight.