Going Public: Competition Nutrition - Part II

     Personally, I feel the main obstacle between me and achieving my goal physique is in the issue of food intake. Poor nutrition has taken its toll on my mental, physical, and even spiritual health in the past so I intend on mastering this aspect of my life. I am getting better daily and improving my food quality and variety daily while eating the amounts necessary to achieve my goal weight. However, I feel we can all attest to the sometimes almost overwhelming desire we might feel to eat. Boy did I feel that this past week! I am learning that eating for health and controlling food intake is absolutely possible, though I am still working out the kinks in my strategy. Check out my food diary to see how I've been doing!

CURRENT MEAL GUIDELINES

 
     Meal #1: 1 serving protein, 1 serving carbs

     Meal #2-5: 1 serving protein, 1 serving carbs

     Meal #6: 1 serving protein, 1/2oz almonds, no carbs

• Unlimited vegetables (mostly non-starchy) & leafy greens
• Broccoli / Cauliflower
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus 
• Green Beans 
• Bell Peppers 
• Celery 
• Zucchini 
• Cucumber 
• Squash
• Dark Greens - Leafy 
• etc...

• Proteins
• 4oz Chicken Breast 
• 4oz Turkey Breast 
• 4oz Lean Ground Turkey Breast 
• 5oz white fish
• 5oz Tuna
• 4oz Lean Ground Beef 
• 4oz Venison
• 4 Egg Whites and  1 whole egg
• 4oz Filet Mignon 
• 4oz NY strip 
• 30g whey/Casein protein shake
• 1 cup: Greek yogurt, Cottage Cheese, skim milk

• Carbs
• 4oz baked Potato 
• 4oz sweet Potato 
• 1/2c oatmeal
• 1/2c steamed white/brown rice 
• 4oz quinoa cooked
• fruits (pre/post workout only)

• Healthy Fats (1-2T/day)
• coconut
• canola
• olive

• Allowed Condiments, Etc.
• salt-based sauces
• lemon juices
• vinegars
• stevia, splenda
• hot sauces
• pretty much anything low kcal

SUPPLEMENTS

• EFA’s (essential fatty acids) 1000mg three times per day
• CLA’s 4000mg at bedtime 
• BCAA’s serving AM/ PM or postworkout
• 2000mg vit C per day
• 800IU vit E per day
• 2 multivitamins per day
• 5g glutamine AM/PM or postworkout

    This might appear limited but its important to note these foods have proven incredibly effective for bodybuilding competitors historically and have worked for the clients of my coaches. My eating in centered primarily around sustaining my muscle while fueling my workouts and cutting fat. 

CREATING MY WEEKLY MENU
I have learned over the past few months some awesome recipes that will fit perfectly into these dietary guidelines with a bit of tweaking. Here are a few I found, but there are definitely more that I'll think up before my Sunday meal prep.

Jaime Eason's Turkey Muffins
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/video-jamie-eason-turkey-meatloaf-muffins.htm

Loaded Turkey burgers
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/low-calorie-summer-recipes/

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/allis-slim-pickins/low-carb-strawberry-roll-ups/

Ratatouille
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-essence-of-emeril/ratatouille-recipe/index.html

Sweet Potato Strudel
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/allis-slim-pickins/sweet-potato-strudel/

Cauliflower Mash
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/38913984253754450/

Cinnamon Rasin Protein Bread
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/allis-slim-pickins/gluten-free-cinna-raisin-protein-bread/

Pumpkin Fried Rice (sub soy for egg)
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/allis-slim-pickins/pumpkin-fried-rice/

Veggie Loaf
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/allis-slim-pickins/veggie-loaf-cake/

Surf N' Turf Kabobs
http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/allis-slim-pickins/surf-n-turf-kabobs/

MYFITNESSPAL

    For greatest transparency, I made my MyfitnessPal progress public, which you can view here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/adrianniestephp

     I log all my workouts, food, and water intake on the site as well as notes to myself for improvement. Everything is as accurate as possible with the exception of the weight I inputed to allow me to create an account. I will be weighing myself during the last stages of prep to ensure the best monitoring of my progress for my purposes. I highly recommend the use of MFP for tracking workouts, nutrition, and notes on progress! 

Going Public: Body Fat %, Nutrition, Workouts, and Photos - Part I

BODY FAT % RESULTS: A HELPFUL TOOL IN BODYBUILDING 

NOTE: I made a commitment to post on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the blog to keep it consistent. Please follow me as I document my journey on my upcoming competition prep! Note that my body fat %, nutrition, workouts,  and progress photos will be made PUBLIC and VIEWABLE to all my followers for the best transparency of my preparation process. Please subscribe by inserting your email on the top right or by RSS feed.

USEFULNESS OF SKINFOLD BODY FAT TESTS
     This type of body fat measurement can be particularly accurate if the technician is trained correctly and the caliper is of professional quality (1). Note that the results produced are an estimate based on the principle that the amount of subcutaneous fat is proportional to the total amount of body fat. This proportion will vary with age, sex, and ethnicity. Therefore, regression equations and population statistics are used to predict the total body fat from the testing results using programs such as the LWW Total Fitness Assessments Body fat Measuring Program. Consistency of tester and pressure exerted on the tissue have considerable impact on testing accuracy.

SKINFOLD BODY FAT TESTING: 13 WEEKS OUT
    Here are the results of my latest 7-point body fat % test to give me my current body fat standing as  analyzed using the LWW Total Fitness Assessments Body Fat Measuring Program.

PUTTING RESULTS IN CONTEXT
     My measurements now indicate I am within "female athlete" body fat percentage according to the ACE, though the ranges vary by organization. This information was used by my bikini coaches to formulate a detailed diet and workout regimen that will get me in contest-ready shape. I hope to use these test results to track my progress in about 2 months and see how and where my fat stores have changed over the competition prep process.

    Given my consistency with strength training, diet, and cardio, I am really pleased to see the results indicate I have put on significant muscle mass and leaned out since the beginning of competition training. My first test results gave me an estimate of 38%BF less than a year ago, so I am definitely headed in the right direction. However, I see that I have some fat stores around my lower body and hard work remains to be done. Typically, female bikini competitors step on the stage at 8.5-14% BF, just to put these numbers in perspective (2). This means there is more work to do so off to do some sprints... :)

(1) ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th Edition p.312-314

(2) http://www.muscleandbodymag.com/features/whats-the-deal-with-bikini-contests/

2013 NPC Nationals: Reflections

     This past Thanksgiving break has been the best yet! I attended NPC nationals with my sister Kim and what an experience it was. I got to see and meet an array of highly competitive NPC athletes from around the country and see them  strut their stuff onstage. I even got to meet Ms. Arnold Bikini International champion, India Paulino, about advice she might have for a first time competitor.

     Originally, I planned for this weekend to be my debut into the competition circuit, but I had a few hiccups along the way. Firstly, I had issues with my first bikini coach. In addition to communication problems via email and phone I felt she was unable to stand by the methods she had created for my plan. For example, there was ten days within the my training in which I had 700kcal to expend on fruits and veggies alone. I might add that I was doing about 1.5 hours of cardio and 45 min of circuit training on those days. When I asked the after about the reasoning behind the diet there was little explanation and as I pressed for future diets I got little response.  In a nutshell, I felt that was the tone of our relationship as coach/client. Looking back I felt I required more time and attention from a coach as well as better planning and reliability.

     Most importantly, I took my eyes of my goals and saw the challenges. As I missed my second weight loss milestone and had issues with my coach I chose to focus on the obstacles ahead of me rather than my mission. "What if I don't hit my goals? What if I am not working hard enough? Is this even possible anymore?" The aspect that I find is most difficult in competing is the continuous mental challenges you face daily.  I am sure many competitors have thought the same thoughts, but the only way they made it was to continue despite that fact. Looking back I might have been able to get an alternative coach earlier and continued my progression more steadily. Though I learned that by focusing on the next step at hand and choosing to continue you will see progress. Thats precisely what I feel I'm doing now.
   
      By far, the highlight of my bikini escapades this break was meeting my coaches, Chris and Allison. They were supporting two of their clients at NPC nationals and are incredibly involved with the athletes they train. I am hoping their insight as competitors, NPC judges, and years as bodybuilding coaches help me on my path. However, what is necessary from me is sticking to the diet and plan they taylor for me. It is up to me to make the choices necessary to succeed when I don't want to eat on plan, exercise, or do cardio. But I gotta restart somewhere....till next time!

Hanging with my bikini coaches, Chris and Allison

Ms. Arnold Bikini International Champion, India Paulino, and I

Overall Winners of Men's Physique