45 Days to Go!

After today, there will be only seven Transformation Tuesdays left in my first-time fitness journey toward the NPC Brooklyn Grand Prix. As show day creeps closer, I’m facing new challenges and changes in my nutrition and training programs.

I’ll start with my diet, since that still generates the most questions. I continue to eat five meals a day and while the food options haven’t really changed, I did make one switch that has been a game changer. I’m now eating almond butter because I can actually eat the prescribed serving size of one tablespoon and put the lid back on the jar. You may recall peanut butter became my kryptonite starting around week four. I simply couldn’t resist the temptation of having multiple spoonfuls. Now in addition to my breakfast portion, my coach moved a second almond butter serving to pre-bedtime. On such a restrictive diet, having a “treat” to look forward to at the end of a long day has made a world of difference for my mind!

There are other minor adjustments to some portion sizes to reduce my overall calorie intake. Here’s what this week looks like:

Monday / Thursday (Glute / Leg Days)

Breakfast (still my favorite meal of the day!):

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 3/4 egg whites
• Cinnamon

Meal 2:

• 4 oz (weighed raw) chicken breast
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup greens (spinach, broccoli, arugula or other leafy greens are my go-tos)

Meal 3:

• 4 oz 99% lean turkey
• 5 oz sweet potato
• 1 cup greens

Meal 4:

• 4 oz (weighed raw) chicken breast
• 1/4 cup brown rice
• 1 cup greens

Meal 5:

• 4 oz tilapia (or sometimes, I’ll have egg whites again)
• 1/2 cup brown rice or quinoa
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup greens

Bedtime: 1 tbsp. almond butter (YAY!)

Tuesday / Friday (Upper Body) / Saturday (Lower Body)

These days are basically the same as above. However, my second meal includes only a half-cup of brown rice and the third includes four ounces of a sweet potato instead of five. Everything else is a carbon copy – including the bedtime almond butter treat!

Wednesday (Active Recovery Day) / Sunday (Total Rest Day) :

Since these are my low activity days, they are also my lowest calorie days. Breakfast never changes (thank goodness!), but the carb intake does. I’ll have a half-cup of brown rice as part of meals two and three, but meal four consists of just four ounces of chicken or turkey with as much spinach or leafy greens as my heart desires. For the last meal of the day, I’ll eat tilapia (or egg whites), a tablespoon of olive oil and a cup of greens. (And yes, I still get the almond butter for “dessert.”)

This No-Salt Seasoning Goes on Almost Everything I Prepare.

As to my gym time, while I’m happy to report I’ve got my groove back in the weight room, the amount of cardio has steadily increased. On the first Tuesday of this contest-prep training back in May, I spent 20 minutes on the treadmill for low-intensity steady-state cardio. Today, I’ll walk uphill with an incline of 10 at a speed of three miles per hour for 50 minutes. At this stage in the game, each upper body or lower body workout takes approximately 90 to 110 minutes from foam rolling to finish and the cardio sessions on either the treadmill or stair master are an additional three hours and ten minutes spread out over six days.

The grind continues for another 45 days. I know there will be more challenges, but I’m feeling more excited than ever to make it to the main event. I never could have made it this far without the overwhelming support I’ve received on so many levels. Thanks for sticking with me through one crazy summer and here’s to what lies ahead on all our journeys to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!