Bi-Weekly Check-in (4/21/15) and Thoughts on The Pill (hormonal birth control and fitness).

If you remember from my last check in, I made some diet/training changes in hopes of stopping this trend of dropping weight that I seem to have found myself on... The verdict is in, and I am down another pound.  Not what I was hoping to see, to be honest, BUT when I took my measurements I was pleasantly surprised.

Calf: 15 inches

Quad: 22.25 inches

Hips: 35.5 inches

Waist: 26 inches

Forearm: 11 inches

Bicep: 13.5 inches

Weight: 129.8

4/20

Previous check in (4/7):

4/7

Unfortunately, I lost another quarter inch around my quad.  BUT I was actually able to put a quarter inch on my bicep and half an inch on my calves!  The growth in my calves is huge for me - I have been battling sesamoiditis in my left foot for over 6 months, and have not been able to do any typical "calf-isolating" exercises.  Luckily, this is just proof that you don't necessarily have to isolate calves in order to see improvement - my heavy squats seem to be taking care of that for me!  Now, some people (especially if your calves are a lagging bodypart) will find that isolating them specifically during training will be a huge help, luckily my calves have always been a genetic strength of mine, so I can get by without isolating them.

I also lost half an inch around my waist, which you will not hear me complain about!  This is the smallest my waist has been in 2 years (since my last show) - and I have to say I'm shocked.  Overall this is the leanest I have ever been without being in active show prep - and to be honest I haven't really been trying very hard.  I watch what I eat (for the most part), do minimal cardio, and lift heavy...  

Really, the only thing I can credit this to, besides 6 years of training, is finally getting off "the Pill".  Since I got off the Pill in January of last year, I have noticed incredible changes not only to my body, but to my hair (I had previously been losing a LOT of hair on a daily basis, which some people attribute to the hormones in birth control), and my mental health (the excess estrogen from the Pill was literally making me bat shit crazy).  I am not a doctor (obviously), but I can tell you from personal experience that coming off hormonal birth control and switching to an IUD was the best decision I have ever made.  If you are having issues that can be attributed to the Pill, it may be worth having a talk with your doctor about other options.

I'm sure there are many women in the situation I was in last year when I made the switch - if this is something you'd be interested in, I could absolutely dedicate a post to my experiences, and the changes I have noticed since switching to an IUD.

Anyway, now that I have gone off on a tangent, back to the subject at hand...

I do not plan on making any changes to my diet just yet - we will be taking a long weekend trip to see John's parents this weekend so I'm sure I will make up for some of my weight loss while we're there - but after that I am going to really take a look at my meal plan and training schedule to narrow down where I need to make some changes to meet my goals.  

I have been tossing around the idea of competing in just under 12 weeks - so I need to make a decision on that as well, because if that's the case it will obviously effect what changes I make to my diet and training schedule.  I am seriously considering doing the NPC GA in July - it's been a very long 2 years since the last time I got on stage, and I am really itching to get back up there.

My leanest 'off-season' ever!

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Thoughts on Alcohol

Black & Blue Margarita - Longhorn Steakhouse

That pretty little thing above was my dinner last night - well, scratch that - 2 of them were my dinner last night.  And coming in at a whopping 410 calories EACH (820 total), they just barely 'fit my macros'.  Actually, I take that back, they didn't fit my macros at all, because my macros don't account for alcohol.  And that's what I'd like to discuss today...

People want to lose weight, and get in really great shape - they know they need to watch what they eat and exercise more, but what many of them fail to realize is they also have to watch what they drink.  And I'm not just talking about alcohol here - but sugary soft drinks, fancy flavored coffees, even things you would typically consider healthy like juices.  The problem with liquid calories is more often than not you drink them, but they do not leave you feeling satiated - so you end up getting a bunch of extra calories from your beverage choices, that really aren't doing you any good.

Today, however, I just want to briefly touch on alcohol and not all the rest, because alcohol seems to be a pretty hot topic especially for all the 20-somethings (and 30, 40, 50-somethings).  So, do you have to stop drinking to get healthy?

Yes.

And no.

I drink very rarely - those 2 margaritas were unplanned (and absolutely incredible) - before that the last time I drank alcohol was on my birthday - and I only had 4 beers over the course of the entire day.  Prior to my birthday? Well, I honestly don't remember - maybe New Years? Or Thanksgiving? Whenever it was, my point is I don't drink often.  And when I'm prepping for a show - I don't drink at all.  I know people that do, but personally if I am limiting my calories I would prefer to get the few I'm allowed to have as FOOD than liquid.  I like food, a lot.  Offseason I allow myself some drinks here and there - and I don't see anything wrong with it.  So I do allow my clients to do the same - I think it should be limited though - alcohol is dangerous for a whole slew of reasons I won't go into on here and therefore should not be treated lightly.

In the world of flexible dieting, macro-nutrients are key - and knowing your specific macro breakdowns is necessary.  So for those macro-counters (and those who are just curious) a little summary:

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories.

As you can see, each gram of alcohol has nearly twice the calories of a gram of fat or protein - the problem is all of these calories are empty, alcohol has NO nutritional value.  To make matters worse, alcohol actually slows your metabolism - when you drink alcohol, your body makes it the top priority, working to process it before any other macro-nutrient.  When you drink alcohol, your liver process the alcohol first which can lead to a build up of fatty acids (leftover from whatever other calories you may have consumed) which can lead to weight gain.  Not only that, but drinking is proven to lower inhibitions, which can lead to diet sabotage when, after that second or third drink, unhealthy food becomes much more difficult to turn down.

If you enjoy drinking, that is completely fine and a choice that is for you to make personally, but if you are really serious about not only losing weight, but getting healthy - you may want to think those drinks through.  If you are interested in reading more on the topic, this is a fantastic article that I would highly recommend: http://www.builtlean.com/2012/11/26/alcohol-weight-loss/

Starting a Fitness Journey...

I know there are a lot of people out there just starting their fitness journeys, and it may seem like way too much to handle all at once, that’s why today I wanted to share some tips and tricks to successfully starting (and continuing) a fitness journey.

First and most importantly is simply starting.  Everyone starts somewhere and no matter where you start from, you can’t make any progress without starting.  Don’t be intimidated by how far you have to go, hell don’t even think about it at first, just START!  Put one foot in front of the other, take it one meal and one workout at a time, and just focus on now.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew – I know it’s easy to get over ambitious and start out doing a lot more than you can handle – the problem is, if you are trying to change too much too quickly you are more likely to burn out and quit sooner.  Start your exercise program slowly and really give your body a chance to get used to it – give yourself plenty of rest days and don’t try to kill yourself with every workout.  Over time, it will get easier and your body will adapt as you add intensity… Give it time, no good change happens over night.

Ask questions!  And do your research – really take the time to learn about what you are doing and why, don’t just go through the motions.  WHY are you eating more protein? WHAT is the difference between a front squat and a hack squat? HOW MUCH cardio is enough and how much is too much?  By learning these things, you are really setting yourself up for your future success.

Realize you are not perfect – everyone has bad days, and that is OK.  Don’t beat yourself up over it, just accept it and move on.  On the other hand, if you seem to be having a LOT of bad days, try to figure out the cause – are you stressed with work/relationships/life in general? Is the diet not realistic (i.e. foods you hate/constantly starving/etc…)? Are you trying to do too much too quickly?  Or are you just not finding yourself motivated enough to tackle it all?  No matter what the reason may be – identify it, and try to fix it.  But don’t beat yourself up over it.

Focus on you, and what you want.  This is a lifestyle change and it is important that you realize that from the beginning – and also that the people that matter  in your life realize that too.  Having a strong support system is key to your success, whether it be from family, friends, workout partners, or a trainer.  Somedays are harder than others, and at some point you may need a little extra motivation or support from someone else – if you have someone in your life that wants to start a fitness journey with you, that is great!  You can offer eachother motivation and accountability which definitely helps to make things a little easier – a trainer can help with this as well.

And last, but certainly not least: if you’re sick of starting over – STOP GIVING UP.  This is your life, and your goal, and if it’s truly important to you, find a way to make it work.  People with far less time/money/resources/etc… are doing it. You can too!

Condiments That Won't Ruin Your Diet

John gave me the idea for this post – so you can thank him if you find it useful!

When it comes to dieting and eating healthy, there is one big thing that can really affect your meals that you may not even think about: condiments.  Dressings, sauces, oils, even some seasonings can add unnecessary calories to your meals and you may not even realize it.  Take salads, for example: (I am using Applebee’s because we just ate there and I have them on the brain): a standard House Salad is 230 calories without dressing (15 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbs, and 13 grams of protein) – add any of their available dressings and you add anywhere from 170-250 calories and 10-32 grams of fat – just in the dressing!  That salad that you thought was a healthy choice can quickly become not-so healthy.  And that’s just a House Salad – their entrée salads vary anywhere from 180 calories (half portion grilled chicken caesar salad without dressing) to 1390 calories (regular sized oriental chicken salad) – that’s a huge difference!

There are a lot of choices out there that may seem healthy but secretly aren’t – and some that may not sound healthy but actually are!  This is why being able to read and understand a nutrition label is incredibly important – it can help you navigate through all of the choices out there so you can make healthier decisions!  Always make sure when looking at nutrition labels you are focusing on key factors:

•        Serving size
•        Calories per serving
•         Fat per serving
•         Carbs per serving – and how many of those carbs are sugar
•         Sodium per serving – if you are watching your sodium intake
•        Also, take a look at the ingredients – if you are concerned about overly-processed foods, this is important – check for the number of ingredients and for large words that don’t sound like real food – google ingredients you don’t recognize!
•         Don’t fall for keywords like ‘low-fat,’ ‘light,’ ‘low-calorie,’ without checking the nutrition label first – these labels can be deceiving.

Here are some of my tried and true favorites, broken up into categories. This list is in no way inclusive, just some things I have come to rely on over the years.. If there is something you don’t see on this list, or something you are unsure of – feel free to email me and let me know!  

Salad Dressings – with these, it is a good rule of thumb to stick to vinegar based dressings, creamy dressings tend to have higher calorie counts (even the ‘light’ versions):

•        Kraft offers a lot of really great low calorie and reduced fat options, some of my favorites are: Zesty Lite Italian, Balsamic Vinaigrette Lite & Roasted Red Pepper Italian (this one is a good example – nothing on the bottle or in the name suggests that it is low calorie or low fat – but it is one of the best choices!  Per 2 TBSP serving there are only 30 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 4 grams of carbs).
•       Bolthouse Farms also has a line of low calorie salad dressings (including the creamy ones!) and they are made with healthy ingredients like yogurt and greek yogurt – these are a great option and worth looking into!
•         Another option is to make your own – using high quality olive oil or coconut oil, your choice of vinegar, and spices – that way you know exactly what is in it, and you can make it to meet your macros.

Marinades – a lot of people think that when you are dieting all of your food has to be bland, and you have to eat plain, boiled chicken – this is not the case!  I love marinating my protein sources, here are some good options:

•         Dales Seasoning is really good!  But it has a pretty strong flavor, so make sure you taste-test it first and go easy on it – a little goes a long way!  It is good with pretty much anything you can think of.
•         Worcestershire sauce is another great option – I like this on red meat but I know some people like it on chicken too.
•        Use salad dressing as a marinade – the examples I gave above would all work great to marinade meat, just be sure to check those serving sizes.
•         Make your own – just like with the salad dressing, by making your own you know exactly what is in it and can customize for your diet.

Sauces – these can get really tricky!  Red sauces, cream sauces, barbeque sauce, etc… are all pretty high on the calorie chart – Prego offers a line of reduced calorie options and Stubb’s Original Barbeque Sauce is a really good option for BBQ – depending on how strict your diet is though, these may or may not be an option for you. 

Spices/Seasonings/Rubs – most spices and herbs are a perfectly fine choice for seasoning your food – just be careful with rubs as they tend to have added sugars in them.

Vinegars – Vinegar is pretty much a ‘free-food’ meaning you can use essentially as much as you want, as often as you want.  Some people will disagree with that, but I have found it to be a great choice for lots of flavor with minimal calories – red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and balsamic are great options.

Other Condiments – I didn’t know where else to group these, so they get their very own ‘misc.’ category:

•        Heinz reduced sugar ketchup is amazing!  Tastes identical to regular ketchup with a fraction of the calories and carbs.
•        Mustard – generally speaking, most mustards are fair game.  Watch out for honey mustard but regular yellow mustard, spicy mustard, and most other variations are a great choice.
•         Red hot – and other vinegar based hot sauces are also a great choice – like the commercials say – I put that shit on everything!
•         Spray butter – this one you need to be careful with – watch your sprays!  Spray butter is a great option as long as you don’t overdo it – it is still butter and if you use more than is recommended you are getting more calories than you think.
•        Sriracha Sauce – I LOVE this stuff, but you need to be careful with it too – check your serving sizes.
•        Salsa – I love using salsa to flavor dishes – most salsa comes in around 30-60 calories per ¼ cup serving and is naturally low in fat.
•         Walden Farms – I am sure many of you have heard of the miracle “zero-calorie” line of products.  I have to advise caution here – it is up to you if you want to try these out, I honestly never have, but I do know some people that swear by them.  They scare me a little (lots of fake stuff) but that decision is entirely up to you.

**If you are watching your sodium, please opt for reduced sodium versions as many of the options I listed are NOT reduced sodium, but many can be found with reduced sodium options – a great brand to look into is Mrs. Dash.  Sodium is incredibly important in bodybuilding and in strength training in general, but if you have been told by your doctor to limit your sodium please, please do so.**

My Daily Supplements

A supplement is defined as:
· a thing added to something else in order to complete or enhance it.
· a substance taken to remedy the deficiencies in a person's diet

Supplements are not “magic pills” by any means, but when added to a proper diet and exercise program, they help to fill in the holes that even a good diet can miss – and help to give you an advantage over your health and fitness goals.



I take quite a few supplements – ranging from a general health viewpoint to bodybuilding goals to things like hair and skin health, I wanted to give you a look at what I take everyday, and what the purpose behind each supplement is.



Every morning I take 2 things – the first is Yohimbe, I take this on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, Yohimbe is shown to support fat loss, increase blood flow in the body, and support energy levels. The second thing I take is a multi-vitamin, in this case, One a Day Women’s Active Metabolism – I take this with my first meal of the day – it has an assortment of vitamins and minerals necessary for active women.



Every night I take a larger assortment of pills – I tend to take a majority of my supplements at night as it is said that by taking them at night you are giving your body a better chance to fully absorb them, I’m not sure if that’s true or not but I have stuck by it for years!

-Fish Oil is an Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) – one of the biggest benefits found in supplementing with EFA’s is heart health, but other benefits include: nervous system health, brain, eye, and joint health.

-Acidophilus is a probiotic which is ‘healthy bacteria’ found in your intestines and aids in digestion and the proper absorbtion of nutrients from the food you eat – I highly recommend this especially for those on higher protein diets, your insides will thank you!

-Calcium Magnesium & Zinc – this is a great product that gives you 3 incredible minerals together (you can buy them all separately too): Calcium promotes bone health, Magnesium aids in the contraction and relaxation of muscles, and Zinc is essential for protein and carbohydrate metabolism as well as immune system health.

-Biotin plays a key role in the growth and maintenance of hair, skin, mails, and bone tissue and also aids in the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

-Osteo Bi-Flex (or any blend of glucosamine and chondroitin) is, in my opinion, essential for anyone training with weights. Weight training can take a toll on your joints and this is a great product that may help save your joints!



I need to take a second here to mention my current favorite fat burner; Commander by 1st Phorm – this is a great product if you are trying to lose some extra weight – it helps to lessen your cravings and gives great energy without feeling jittery – and there is no crash! If you have taken fat burners before, you know how bad the crash can be – I have tried a lot of different fat burners over the past few years and this one in my new favorite!



I cannot express enough the importance of a good protein supplement – these are great for when you are running a little short on your protein goals for the day, or for immediately after a workout – I will always promote whole food over protein powder, but we have to be realistic and know that sometimes all you have time for (or all you really want, for that matter) is a shake.. I can’t tell you how many times I haven’t had an appetite, but knew I needed to get more calories in – shakes are perfect for this. They are also a great option to add to a meal like oatmeal to get some extra protein. I go through phases with protein (as you can see), but everything shown is fantastic and highly recommended!

I love a good preworkout too – after working all day I don’t get a chance to workout until sometime around 6 PM, and by then I need a little extra kick to get me going – everything pictured is great (I go through a lot of these too – obviously) – and as for the caffeine pills, I will take one of these before a lift if I am out of pre-workout, or whenever I need a little oomph during the day!



That’s everything for today – a look at my pill-habit ;-)

If there is anything you guys want to hear more about please feel free to let me know, I am always up for suggestions!

Meal Prep Sundays

Meal prep Sunday is a fairly common trend in the fitness world - essentially it is the act of setting aside a few hours one day a week to prep all (or most) of your meals for the upcoming week - it doesn't have to be on Sunday by any means, but it seems like that is when most people choose to do it.  By setting aside a few hours one day a week, you make it much easier on yourself when it comes to sticking to healthy eating throughout the week - your meals are already prepped and ready and all you have to do is grab them and go.

 Today I want to give you a look at my Sunday meal prep and give you some ideas for healthy meals you can make for yourself during the week.  When I prep my meals, I only actually pre-make the meals I take to work - as I outlined in this post, I eat roughly 4 meals a day, only 2 of those are eaten at work so the other 2, that I eat at home, I make at home.  I enjoy sitting down and eating my meals at home on a plate (not in tupperware) and since I have the time, I make them fresh.  For the meals I prep for work, I use the following:

For the chicken, I actually make it on Saturday night - I put 4-5 pounds in the crockpot with 2 packets of Italian dressing mix and enough water to fully cover the chicken - I cook it either on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 - it is my absolute favorite way to make my chicken.  I usually have to do this twice, once Saturday night and one more time Sunday - we go through a lot of chicken in our house!

I buy microwavable brown rice because it is super easy to prep - I weigh each portion in it's own tupperware and cook it in the microwave prior to adding my veggies and proteins:

I weigh everything, I have a slight OCD about portion size and I am terrible at estimating..

After my rice is cooked, I weigh out my portions of veggies and proteins for each meal, and add 1-2 servings of my absolute favorite dressing (Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian) to flavor it all - this is everything that goes in one of my favorite meals of the week:

After all is said and done, my fridge looks something like this:

All of this usually takes about an hour and a half every Sunday morning, I can't emphasize enough how much help the crockpot is, and how convenient things like microwavable rice and canned tuna are - and believe it or not, my meals are good!  Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring, or hard - experiment a little, find things that you enjoy and that make your life easier.  It may seem like a lot of work at first, but doing it all at once saves you so much time during the week, you can literally just grab and go - no more excuses to go get "fast-food" - this is your fast food, and it is much healthier than the alternative!

My remaining meals during the week vary - I love my 'egg-pizza' that I make and eat as soon as I get home from work - and my post workout poptarts ;-) Dinner usually consists of sweet potatoes and either chicken or red meat (red meat is super beneficial when trying to gain lean muscle mass).

That's all I have for today - I hope you all give meal prep a shot - you will be amazed how easy healthy eating can be with a little effort!

So, what do you eat?

Whatcha eating over there??

People always ask me: what do you eat to look like that?  I think this is a pretty loaded question, I think it is crazy to assume that if you eat the exact same things as someone else you will look just like that person – BUT I know it’s a pretty common question and people are curious, so I wanted to share a little.

My diet consists of typical bodybuilding staples: chicken, brown rice, white rice, tuna, eggs, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans etc… I have “cheat” or “treat” meals fairly often – and am able to do so by following an IIFYM (if it fits your macros) protocol – basically, I know a general breakdown of macronutrients that I need every day (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) – as well as a general calorie count – and if I am craving Ben & Jerry’s (always) and it fits in my macros, I eat it.

My current macros are as follows: 85 grams of fat, 225 grams of carbs, and 300 grams of protein – this comes out to roughly 2865 calories, but is not set in stone – I have days where I eat more, and days where I eat less.

I eat on a modified fasting schedule (12 hour fast, 12 hour feed) – this is just a fancy way to say I eat my last meal around 9:30 PM, and don’t eat my first meal of the day until 9:30 AM.  During that time, I eat every 4 hours – plus I have a protein shake after my workout – so 4 meals and a shake. I have done Intermittent Fasting in the past (16 hour fast, 8 hour feed – go to Lean Gains to check it out – or ask e if you want some more info!) and it worked really well for me, unfortunately I can’t really gain or maintain my weight that way, but it is a great tool when I want to lose some fat while maintaining muscle mass.

This is one of my FAVORITE proteins - Corperformance 'Cor-fetti Cake Batter' - so good!

 I do meal prep for the week every weekend – it makes my life so much easier during the week so I can just grab my meals and go – I plan on doing an entire post dedicated to meal prep to give you some tips and show you how I cook some of my foods in bulk, and just to give you a better look at what I eat on a regular basis.

#tupperwarelife

That’s really all I have for today – If you have any questions about Macro-based dieting, or anything at all, feel free to contact me.  I have a lot of topics I want to cover, but if there is anything you want to hear more about let me know!

And one more Lily picture, because she is the ultimate foodie!  Don't worry, she's 21 ;-)

Personalized Training Programs vs Cookie-Cutter Programs

Hi! 
I still can’t quite figure out my way around this whole starting out a blog post thing.. How am I supposed to start here? Hey, how’s it going? Yes, no? Help!

Since I can’t quite figure it out, I’m just going to jump right in – maybe someday I can make my opening a little more seamless…  I wanted to touch on something today that I feel is very important, and that is personalized training!

To anyone new to the world of fitness (and even some veterans), it can all be a bit intimidating at times; there are so many training plans out there, and more diets than I can count.  Everywhere you look you see a new workout routine, a new way to lose 5 pounds fast, some new miracle diet – and you can quickly become consumed with them all – which is the best, which works the fastest, which one will give me a butt like hers?  Here is the problem, they all work – well, most of them anyway.  But they won’t all work for YOU – in order for anything to work well, it has to be tailored to each individual based on that person and their goals.  You can achieve whatever end result you want, you just need to change your habits to reach that goal.  A lot of people start their health & fitness journey by getting some cookie-cutter training and meal plan – this may work for awhile, but eventually you will stop seeing results and may end up doing more harm than good – this is because you are using a plan made for someone else, not for you.  Your body is different than anyone else’s, and in order to get a result (no matter what that result may be) you have to know what your body needs.

My goal is to help people learn about their bodies and make plans based on them, that are realistic and they can follow and continue to see results for the long term.  I want to help people change the way they see health and fitness and guide them towards a healthy lifestyle, not just a month long crash diet.  Will a month long crash diet work, absolutely, but what happens when it’s over?  What happens after the diet when you go back to old habits?  You lose all of the progress you've made, and probably end up with a crashed metabolism to match the crash diet… But if you adopt a healthy lifestyle, you can continue good habits, and continue to see progress – and once you reach your final goal, it is maintainable – you have changed your habits and are able to keep the body you want with less effort, because it is a lifestyle.  I struggled with this for a long time, especially when I was competing – I would “bulk up” to 150+ pounds in my off-season, only to turn around and cut down to 115 on stage.  It was a constant rollercoaster, and although I looked good on the outside my health was in shambles.  But when I finally stepped back from the stage and focused on my health as a lifestyle, I was able to maintain the body I wanted, all year – not just when I was prepping for a show.  And now – it is second nature, it comes so easy that it doesn’t even feel like work anymore.  

If you are ready to start your own journey to a healthy lifestyle, let me know, and I will be glad to offer a helping hand.  I am not going to send out mass training and diet plans because that’s not what I believe in – I want to get to know you individually, and personalize a plan for you.  I want to help you reach your goals, and become the best you possible.

Before I go, I  wanted to share this awesome article I found on Bodybuilding.com yesterday – ladies, this is a good read for any of you, whether you are just starting out or if you have been around awhile - there is a ton of great information:
The Female Training Bible

That’s it for today, but keep checking back – I am just getting started, and I have a lot to share! :-)

-Nicole