Limited Internet Access

Sorry if i'm quiet at the moment as I have limited time on the internet due to some changes.
I should be back to normal soon, I have enough time to check on Lia (first preference), and my emails etc.
Soon as it's fixed I will visit!
Deb

Overwhelmed!

Thank you to everyone who left comments for me :-) It is so touching to have such a wonderful support group that I consider my friends and who I can count on.
It's all good as I have come out of this on top and happy with my direction and progress. This really isn't just about my weigh in on Sunday, it's about my self-esteem and my perception of myself that stems back most of my life which i know many of us understand.

Looking in the mirror now I think I am finally seeing the real image and not the exaggerated, imagined fat areas that continuously haunt me. I have also been getting better at not comparing myself to comp condition too. Comp condition is exactly that "Comp Condition"!

I have no excuse anymore for seeing myself as "fat" as it dawned on me after seeing my progress pictures (real eye-opener) that I eat good, healthy, nutritious, muscle growing food 24/7. I just don't eat junk, I don't care for it anymore and haven't for quite some time now since becoming a competitor. I do indulge a little on the weekends and have wine and nuts but this is earned by a great week of eating and training!
So how can I be fat if I live on veges, lean meats, fish, grains, nuts etc? I am know longer limiting my body of the nutrition it needs to gain lean muscle, and no longer doing loads of cardio to try and stay lean. I am now force feeding my muscles good food to help them grow and not doing any cardio and boy am I getting a response! The first month was rapid and should now taper down a little.






I am in my second week of strength training and it is fantastic. I love being trained and pushed to my limits. Michael's new program is very challenging but it is exactly what I need. He really knows how to mentally prepare me for the big lifts, getting my head around being able to lift the weight and not be afraid of it.
We are also working on my weak areas, i really want to bring up my shoulders, I want big shoulder boulders lol. I always thought my shoulders would never improve but they have a little so it gives me hope that if I continue to slam them then they will grow.
Not doing cardio is getting easier as I am completely smashed after a training session now. All I do now is finish my training, throw down a protein shake with add carbs then walk on the tready (slow pace) for around 15 minutes, just to walk it out a bit, and that's it!! Hard to believe.
What motivates me now is that I feel i'm prepping for the comp next year, only in a different phase of the prep. I don't lose focus of what I want to look like when I stand on stage again, it's exciting. The best thing I could have done was to have this year off, it just feels so right for me now!

Thanks again sooooooo much for the comments, it really put me on a high reading everyone of them :-)

Deb xxx

A momentary lapse of reason

Yesterday was a huge learning curve for me. I completely let my emotions take over and I over re-acted to something that I thought I had control of - the scales!

As you must know by now I was always one not to weigh myself unless i was prepping as i found i could handle it due to the reduction in weight from weigh in to weigh in.

I stood on the scales yesterday in order to see where i'm at in relation to my nutrition intake which has been improved and because I have started some freaky strength training and my goal is to get big.
So when i saw that I had gained 3kgs in 4 weeks I freaked out, even knowing that that is my goal!

What went through my mind was "this is fast", the weight gain is really fast in just four weeks. Then I thought about the last time I weighed that much and it was two years ago just before my first comp prep (my before photos) and I thought I looked like that because the scales told me so.

Anyway, after speaking with Michael and Lisa they both set me straight. I have been eating a low caloric diet for a long time and doing loads of cardio so a month ago when I corrected all this my body was very much in need of all this extra nutrition and was taking it all in. It should actually slow right down now as I continue on the same path.

I have decided to turn this into a positive, it is a positive as I want to grow. So I started today at the gym by telling everyone I had gained the 3kgs in 4 weeks and that I was proud of it lol. If I feel good about it, it will work in my favor.

Lia hit the nail on the head by saying i let my emotions take over my brain! To true and I now need to take charge of that!

The good news is my measurements (I took them later that day) were good and showed an improvement.

I have added comparison pictures, they are two years apart and it is of me at the same weight, the difference blew me away and it is proof again that the scales measure more then fat!!!

A Couple Of Pictures Of Me

These pictures were taken this morning, my Mac was the photographer! Better then nothing as I always promise pictures and never deliver, until today anyway :-)

I took them this week because it is the beginning of my strength training with Michael and I hope to have comparisons in a few weeks time to see how much I grow.

I have had two sessions with him, yesterday and today and I am very sore but happy and loving the challenge even though it's early days.

Also spare a thought for my poor Hubby, last night when he was cooking he cut his little finger as severed his tendons - Ouch! He has to have surgery this Friday.
This has thrown our world out of sync now and we just have to work around this somehow. Life goes on regardless :-(

Deb xxx

Well Done Ladies - All females

Congrats to everyone that competed on the weekend, you all did so well with your improvements and I can't wait to see more pictures.

Tomorrow I officially start strength training with my coach, i'm looking forward to this, having him train me at the gym and push me to my limits will be exciting.

I have been on Lisa's nutrition guidance now for 3 weeks and am happy with the way everything is going. I am so relaxed about eating now and it is a stress free environment in that regard. I don't question everything I put into my mouth anymore. I know exactly what I am doing and have an understanding of how to eat, when, what and how much.

Lisa has also put me onto a tonic that has been priceless for me, I call it "happy juice" lol, it makes me energetic and very happy!! hee hee.

I have decided I would weigh myself once a month just as a guide to see what is happening with the added food intake and the strength training. I will also take measurements for the same reasons. So this Sunday will be the day for that, I will keep you posted.

I feel bigger, I know I have put on some weight but i'm not phased by it at all. It's mostly fluid at the moment (TTOTM), but the carbs have filled out my muscles more and that makes me feel heavier too.

I also know my metabolism as cranked up and it feels amazing as I thought it wasn't possible for that to happen to me, but it has and I am going to bed with a noisy gut and that's after eating dinner a few hours earlier and a protein shake - what the? How can it be growling lol.

So Lisa has helped me in many ways but the most important way she helped me was mentally! I was stressed and lost and not coping at all, I was pretty much trying to live off a comp diet and regime. Silly! I am trying to get big here and thanks to Lisa and Michael, I will grow! :-)

Picasso and His Collections

I am a lucky gal!! I saw Picasso and his collection exhibition and loved it. They had many great artists painting there , those who he influenced and vice versa including some of his own paintings and collections.
It's amazing to have stood right in front of this great artists paintings, he is one of my favorite artists as I love surrealism so it was a real treat.
A few of Renoir's painting were there (another favorite), it was a huge exhibition and it runs through till Sept in Brisbane.

Friday was a great day.

Giselle

Last Friday night I went to the theatre to see the Giselle. What a completely magical experience that was. I felt like I was dreaming watching these beautiful, elegant, graceful ballerina's on stage in a superb tragic love story.

I have such an appreciation for how much work these dancers have to put in to be so flexible, balanced and just naturally gifted!

If you have a chance, go and see Giselle, you won't be disappointed at all :-)

All Females

With only days to go I know all the girls competing at the All Females this weekend would be feeling excited! I really wish I could be there to cheer you all on but there is no way I can get away. I guess not all is lost as many of you will be coming up to the Gold Coast for the Nationals and I can see you then woohoo!!



International Protein is one of the sponsors of the All Females and will have a stall set up on the day so be sure to go up and say hi to Christine Enval and Troy as they would love to hear from you!

Deb xxx

Patience Is A Virtue

My coach has gone away on a well deserved holiday with his lovely partner today for 10 days. This means I don't start strength training until he returns so I must continue to do my own thing until then.
I am counting down the days to start the program with him because he is going to smash me in the gym with training techniques I have never done before.

In the mean time I have implemented Lisa's nutrition plan and am in the second week of it already. Lisa is wonderful and caring and I am glad to be on board with her.
My daily nutrition is easy to follow and implement and I am enjoying it. I really need to get my carb timing right, now that it's right I can already see the difference it's making to my muscles :-)

So once I have the two going together (Lisa's Nutrition and Michael's hardcore training program) I think I will be well on the way to making some gains!

Also with Michael physically training me at the gym I will be able to get some pictures taken so I can update throughout the coming months of my bulking season.

Deb x

P.s. Don't forget the WNBF Bodybuilding Academy is on this Saturday from 12pm 2.30pm at the Southport Beachhouse (Shark's Club). Hope to see some of you there!