Giving Up Veganism

After being vegan for a year, about 6 weeks ago I decided to take a break. After looking at my diet and my goals, the vegan lifestyle was doing more harm to my health than good.

Here is how it came to this point....

While dieting for the Alamo Showdown Classic, I hit a serious weight loss plateau. I was eating about 1500 calories a day, and burning more than 1000 and the weight wasn't coming off. Now, I know what you're thinking, that I was building muscle, but no one builds muscle that fast! After being stressed out for weeks, I came across an article that talked about the dangers of eating to much soy. It can have some negative long term effects on your health, including thyroid issues and cancer. This was shocking to me! I was eating Tofu 4 times a day and the protein powder I was drinking was also soy based. All together, about 90 percent of my diet was made up of soy, or a soy based product. Once I read this, I knew I had to do something, so I immediately gave up soy and started to eat chicken, tuna and eggs. Almost immediately I started to feel better.

It's important to note that there is nothing wrong with eating soy. Eating it a few times a weeks isn't going to hurt you, but having it make up almost all of your diet (like I did) will. I would like to go back to the vegan lifestyle sometime soon, but I can't until I find a way to do it without eating soy for every meal.

Also, I decided to become a vegan for health reasons. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes all run in my family. Being vegan forced me to look closely at labels and scrutinize everything I put into my body. I've made huge lifestyle changes that have helped me become a healthy person, all thanks to being vegan!

Learning How To Compete.... By Competing

The INBF Alamo Showdown Classic was an amazing experience. I was the only fitness competitor and didn't place in bikini, but that's okay. I learned that I have to take my training to the next level if I ever want do well in the professional bodybuilding world. I've decided to take my time and train hard for my next competition. The girls that beat me in bikini were a lot leaner than me. They had abs and great arms.... things that I'm still working on. If I want to be competitive I need to put the time in at the gym. So that's what I plan to do!

Alamo Showdown Classic

I'm doing my second competition in October called the Alamo Showdown Classic. This competition will be bigger and badder than the one I did in July, because it's a pro qualifier. That means, the people that win there will get a pro card, which allows them to compete for money!

There are a dozen or so different divisions people can compete in, I'm entering the fitness and bikini categories. I have no idea how many people I'll be up against, but I'm sure it will be a lot more than last time (which was none)!

I'm still in pretty good shape from my last competition, so getting ready shouldn't be as stressful. But, my fitness routine needs to be jazzed up! So that's what I will be working on!

Wish me luck!

Girl in a Boys World

I love being the only girl lifting weights with the boys. Nothing makes me feel better than picking up a weight that's the same weight (or more) as the guy next to me. They look at me like I'm an alien! lol Most of the time when you see a girl in the gym they are there spotting their boyfriend on the bench press. Not me! When I hit the guy, I mean businesses.

With that being said. I wish more woman took going to the gym serious. There have been more times than I can count, where I see a woman come into the free weight room, pick up a weight, do a few reps and leave. There could be a lot of reasons for this, but I'm sure the main one is intimidation. It's hard to sit next to a guy that's 250 pounds and lift weights if your not confident in your skills.

My advice, look up different free weight exercises and practice them in the mirror. You might feel a little silly at first, but it can give you the confidence you need to lift with the best of them.

My First Competition!

I did it! I competed in my first fitness competition and loved it! I met so many amazing people and had a great time.

There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishing something you've worked hard for. This was 4 and a half months in the making. I worked out 2 hours a day, my diet was insane at time and I was sore for more days than I can count. But, I loved every minute of it!!!

I've already decided that I want to continue competing. I love lifting, I love the way it makes me feel. I love standing next to the "Big Boys" at the gym and lifting more than them! Eating healthy and working out is my new lifestyle and I can't wait to see where it takes me!


Here is a link to my Facebook page for work. I posted bunch of pictures from the competition, so make sure to check them out! :)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.193333177392861.47499.154152207977625&type=1

Almost There

It's hard to believe my Ms. Fitness competition is Saturday! I've worked so hard to get here and it's only a few days away. It's starting to sink in that I'm going to be on stage, in front of a group of strangers, who are going to criticize my every move. I'm a little freaked out, but ready. I've put in countless hours at the gym, closely watched my diet and pushed my body to the absolute limit. I'm so proud of everything I've done. Sure, there have been good days and bad days, but it's all about how you deal with them. I'm so grateful I was given this opportunity to train for this competition. The chance to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something new. I plan on doing more of these competitions in the future, because I want to see how far I can go. I want to earn my pro card and someday compete with the big dogs! :) Thanks to this competition, I now know I can do this and I'm ready to take it to the next level!

Wish me luck! I need it!

24 Days to Go!

I have come a long way from the person I was 4 months ago. I have lost 12 pounds of fat (at least) and gained a ton of muscle. I've learned just how much you can achieve with A LOT with hard work and dedication.

With that being said, I have hit a very serious plateau. Despite my best efforts, I have been at the same weight for the last 6 weeks! I have done everything I can think of to make the weight come off. I have changed my diet 5 times, upped the amount of weight I use and messed around with the supplements I take. It's starting to stress me out!

The good news is that I can tell a difference in my clothing. Almost everything I own is lose on me and a couple of things don't fit at all! Trying on clothing is fun again.... which is something I didn't like to do a few months ago.

My competition date is fast approaching (July 30th). I only have a little over 3 weeks left to get my body in the best shape possible. While I realize winning probably isn't going to happen, getting in the best shape of my life has made everything worth while. I have dropped 6 dress sizes, toned almost every part of my body, and have more energy than ever before. Even if I come in last, I wont care, because I have already gained a lot from this experience!

Powdered Peanut Butter

I found the best invention ever... powered peanut butter by PB2. The stuff is amazing. It taste great, is low calorie (45 calories for 2 tbps) has 5 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein. It's a dieter's dream!

How I found it you ask? I was shopping at Drug Emporium the other day, when I found the PB2 sitting on an endcap. Being the label reader that I am, I quickly turn it over to see the nutrition information. I was impressed. I thought, how bad can it be? and if I don't like it, I'm only out a few bucks.

So I take it home and mix it up with water and to my surprise, it's great! I put it on everything, bagels, oatmeal, apples and in my protein shake (for an added protein boost).

This is an incredible find for me. It not only helps me watch my calories, but also has a good amount of protein. This is going to make my last few weeks of dieting for my Ms. Fitness competition a whole lot easier!

Diet Pills

I HATE diet pill adds. There is no way any of the people in them got the body they did from popping pills. They all claim to give you the body you want in a fraction of the time, just by taking one (sometimes more) little pill. The truth is.... THEY DON'T WORK!!!

One of my favorite diet pill adds is the one for Hydroxycut. Loser 10 pounds in 2 months! Lose 20 pounds in 16 weeks. The sad part is, you can do that without popping a pill. If you lose 2 pounds a week (which is possible for just about everyone) you can lose 16 pounds in 3 months, too! maybe even more. All you need is a good diet and motivation!

Not to mention they are very expensive. I know some diet pills can cost $100+ and that's just for a month's supply. Save yourself some money and just lose weight the healthy way. I promise you.... you will fell better and have more energy, if you just lose weight through good diet and exercise.

I have included this picture as an example of how they trick you into thinking these pills work. Notice there is no time frame for how long it took him to lose the weight and he has muscle tone. You're not going to get muscle tone without hitting the weights.

Just think to yourself... how many people have you talked to that have lost weight from diet pills? I can't think of one.

I'm Not A Trainer

I get asked all the time if I have ever trained anyone. I guess people think that just because I am doing this Ms. Fitness competition, that I know what I'm doing. Well, I do, but to a certain extent. Over the last 2 and a half months I've done a lot of trail and error in the gym and with my diet. It's been very frustrating when it doesn't work and rewarding when it does. I've read a lot about meal plans and different workouts online to get an idea of what to do, but that's it. I've never taken a college class on nutrition, or even spent time with a personal trainer. So I know what works for me, but that's only because I've done my research. I have no idea what would work for you. But I bet you can find it online! :)

With that being said, don't let the fact that you can't afford a personal trainer hold you back from achieving your fitness goals. There have been a couple of people that I've told about my Ms. Fitness competition and when they asked me about using a trainer, they get this funny look on their face when I say no. They give me this look like there is no way you can do that on your own! But I can and I will. I will continue to hit the gym for two hours a day 6 days a week and continue with my very strict diet. And you know what?! On July 30th I will walk across that stage and feel great about my hard work, that I did all by myself!

If I can do it! You can too! Don't listen to what other people say!

Plateau

I've hit a plateau over the last 2 weeks, where I haven't lost or gained any weight. Normally, this would be very upsetting to me, but it's not. Even though the scale says I'm still the same weight I was 2 weeks ago, my clothes tell me otherwise.
When I get stressed out about my weight, I usually Google the question to see if other people have experienced the same problem. I found an interesting article about muscle gain and it helped put everything into perspective.


Here is a small piece of what I read.....

So if we take all of those factors into account, how much muscle can you realistically expect to gain over the course of a year?

Based on the research I've looked at, as well as my own personal experience, the average beginner will gain somewhere between 2 and 5 pounds of muscle per month in the first 2-3 months of training [5, 6].

However, you won't keep building muscle at the same rate forever, and gradually your rate of progress is going to slow down.

What this means is that over the course of a year you're looking at gaining somewhere between 20-25 pounds of muscle. This averages out at approximately 1.5-2 pounds of muscle per month.

Although I haven't seen many studies on muscle growth in women, my best guess is that gains in the "average" female are approximately half those seen in males.

As you probably know already, there are plenty of people running around trying to convince you that they have "the secret" — be it a training program or nutritional supplement — to gaining 50 pounds of muscle in [INSERT COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC TIME FRAME HERE].

And who knows, maybe a few of them are telling the truth. But I'm pretty sure that a lot of them are using anabolic steroids and passing off their results as "natural." Either that or they're simply making it all up.

Feeling Good And Looking Good

I just finished my 6th week of training and things are going great. I have lost 8 pounds of fat and gained tons of muscles. My arms, legs and shoulder are starting to transform and I'm loving it!

I can squat 100 pounds (hey! that's good for me. Plus, I'm also doing 3 sets of 10. Not just one!) and benching 65 pounds. I know that doesn't sound impressive, but it is for me. I started squatting the bar (45 pounds) 6 weeks ago and to think I can do 100 pounds is amazing.

Working out has become just another part of my life. After going through this experience of training for Ms. Fitness, I don't think I can every go back to the way I was (which wasn't bad, just not as hardcore). Hitting the gym has become one of my favorite things to do and I never thought I would say that!


FYI: I have been getting a lot of questions on when my Ms. Fitness competition is and it's July 2nd in Dallas.

Also that picture is of me. My skin is very light, so it's kind of hard to tell, but there is a good size muscles there! If you can believe that!

The Next Level

If your going to do any training of any kind, you need to have days were you shock your body. Day's where you do exercises that confuse your muscles. This past weekend, I did just that.

Normally, I spend 2 hours working out 6 times a week. I do an hour of cardio and a hour of weight training. Friday and Saturday (4/22-4/23) I doubled up my workout and did 4 hours of training each day. I did one in the morning and the other at night to give myself some time to relax and recover from each workout, but man was it hard. The first one was by far the worst. I remember being on the treadmill thinking, I have to come back here in a few hours and do all of this again. I was so tired and from everything I had just done and the thought of going back and repeating it sucked. But I did it!

After day one, I was feeling a little better about day two. Not only was I able to hit the gym for 4 hours in one day, I felt pretty good. Sure I was sore, but I didn't feel like I was going to die. Over all, day 2 went well. I tried to get my two workouts in early in the day, so I could enjoy the rest of the day and enjoy Sunday off. Oh yeah! I decided to use Sunday as my rest day. It gave me motivation to get through the Friday's and Saturday's workouts.

What I learned is that I am capable of doing something as crazy as working out 4 hours in one day. Sure it sucked, but I did it. And now I feel like I'm that much closer to achieving my goal of making it to my first Ms. Fitness competition.

Frustration!!!!

Diet frustration is setting in! I am working out more than 2 hours a day and the weight isn't coming off. My first week was great, I lost 3 pounds! As you can imagine, I was extremely excited. I was working hard and the scale was agreeing with me. Now, I'm killing myself at the gym and nothing! I guess I have hit a plateau, and my body doesn't want to let the weight go. While this is extremely discouraging, it's not going to stop me from pushing on. I know if I keep working hard, it has to payoff in the end.

There is some good news. I'm seeing some results, just not on the scale. My arms, waste, and stomach are all getting smaller, which is great. It gives me hope that the scale will catchup soon.

Update: I just tried on my jeans from college and they fit!!! They haven't fit me in a year and now I can wear them comfortable. I guess all my hard work is paying off.

The Next Challenge

I'm the type of person that needs a good challenge. Otherwise, I lose interest very quickly. This challenge came about one day, when I was talking to my husband about taking my health and fitness to the next level. So... I've decided to I'm going to compete in a Ms. Fitness competition!!

Okay, okay so I know what you're thinking, but it's not that at all. Ms. Fitness is a competition where women from all walks of life show how fit and healthy they can be. It's not an "oil you up and flex your muscles competition." I would never do anything like that. The women who compete in Ms. Fitness are so much more than that. They are strong, flexible, and in incredibly good shape. While I have done lots of endurance events like biking and running, I have never done anything like this before (or even thought about it).

So wish me luck! I have already started my weight training and I'm sore just about everyday. I'm a little nervous that I've bitten off more than I can chew, but that's also what makes it a good challenge.


Here is to new adventures and healthy living!!

What Did I Just Eat!

I really thought I was doing something good for my body by buying organic, but I will think twice before I do it again.

Let me tell you why! I am trying really hard to be healthy, which means picking options like salad, instead of junk food. I wanted to be as economical as I could, so I purchased everything I needed to make a great big salad, that I could eat for a few days. When I was at the store getting ready to buy the stuff I needed, I noticed the organic section and thought, why not! I go ahead and buy organic lettuce, organic spinach and all the toppings I need to make my very healthy and organic salad.

I get home and wash everything as good as I can. I even pulled the spinach apart, to get all the dirt in between the leaves. Then I cut everything up and place it in a large Tupperware bowl for easy mixing.

The next day I decided to have some of the wonderful organic salad I just made the day before. I make myself a huge bowl and take a big bite! Everything was going good, until I took the third bite. All the sudden I feel this gritty feeling between my teeth and then I taste dirt! A LOT of dirt. I quickly ran outside and spit it out. The worst part... it was brown! I had just taken a huge bite into a clump of dirt! I was so grossed out, that I couldn't finish my salad. So I wasted all that money and time preparing it, just to throw it away!

I don't know if I will ever make an organic salad again after this. I thought I did a good job washing everything, but I guess not. Oh well, I guess it will save me money in the long run by not buying organic.

Back At It Again

I'm finally back to working out like I should be. It's been a week and a half, and everything seems to be going great. The one big difference to my workout routine this time around is, I'm incorporating more weight lifting.

My husband sent me a very interesting article (well, more like a dozen articles) on how beneficial weight lifting can be. According to what I've read, your body is more likely to burn fat, if you have some muscles on you! This is something I've heard before, I just never really tried it. I'm the type of person that will workout, do their cardio, and go home. This might be to much information, but I sweat A LOT! Once I am done with my cardio for the day, the only thing I can think about it taking a shower!

Even though it's only been 10 days, I can already tell a difference. Before I started lifting, ten pound weights felt heavy to me, know they feel normal. I've increased the amount of reps I do for certain exercises and my jeans seems to fit better! If I feel this great now, I can't wait to see how I feel in a month from now.

Holidays and Junk Food.... Not a Problem!

The best part about being vegan, is not being able to eat all the junk food people bring in during the holidays. I was think the other day about all the calories I saved myself, by not eating all the birthday cake, cookies and chocolate people brought into work during the holiday season. Now, I'm not saying I don't like theses thing (because I do!!!), I just don't feel the need to eat it anymore. I am one of those people that will eat something just because it's there. That's how I gained all the weight in the first place.

As fir weight gain during the holidays, I think I did pretty well. I was really worried I would gain back all of the ten pounds I lost and I only gained back 4. I plan on getting back on track with my fitness plan ASAP, but I know it will be hard after all the time I took off.

I plan on doing a bike ride with my mom in June, so I will use that as motivation to get going again..... hopefully it works!