If you’re wondering if I’m still doing this bikini thing, the answer is “YES!” Apparently, I’ve been destined for it since I was 2-years-old.
I mean, come on! The cap, the cape. If I could wear that cape, I would not be worried about this competition. A nice little cover-up is all I need.
I promised a “before” picture. Yes, I realize this is from waaaaay before!
A more recent “before” will follow with my “after” photos! Stay tuned for the journey……
So, here’s what’s been happening the past seven weeks. I’ve been hungry.
The first week, all I could think about was how hungry I was and what I couldn’t eat. Same for week two. Then my hunger lessened as my food boredom increased. It’s hard to win here.
You may wonder what I am eating. Well, I’ve been trying to figure that out as well.
Before I launch into my menu, I want to make sure everyone is clear that I am NOT recommending that this is how you should eat on the regular. I’m basically performing a science experiment on my body. My calories are low and I’m being very restrictive.
With that said, I am striving to make extremely healthy choices! I’m not using supplements or protein powders, I’m just eating good ol’ old fashioned food. And when I say old fashioned, I just mean real food, from back before we processed everything!
I’m cooking, a.k.a. preparing, all my food. We’ve been having a never-ending heat wave, so the last thing I want to do is heat up my apartment with cooking. But, I’ve found some hacks that I will definitely carry over into my PBCL, post-bikini-competition-life. More on those in a future post, so come back. Or better yet, sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss it!
Because I’m trying to lose weight and fat, my calories are on the lower side than what I would normally recommend for someone working out as much as I am. I am also trying to nail my macros of 40% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 30% protein. These percentages are my daily goals of each based on my caloric intake, which is 1300-1400 calories per day. However, I may be increasing my protein.
The macros have been the hardest part for me to master. I’ve been fine on the calories, but my fat is always too high. They’re mostly healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, etc.) and wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if I was just trying to eat healthy. But, I have a bikini to wear. On stage. In front of judges. Under the lights. In 13 weeks.
This week I finally nailed my macros!!! Hallelujah!
I’m using the Fat Secret app to track everything I eat. I enter all my food and it calculates my macros based on the calories I eat. It also allows me to enter recipes which is super-helpful! I eat a lot of the same things over and over again.
Foods I’m loving: My favorite breakfast is 145 grams of 0% Fat Greek Yogurt, 15 grams of Trader Joe’s “Super Seed & Ancient Grain Blend” (if you haven’t had this, get it NOW), 1 gram of raw cacao powder (for magnesium and deliciousness) and 50 grams of Trader Joe’s Wild Organic Blueberries. This breakfast is chock full of protein and healthy stuff and makes me happy! Here’s what it looked like today, not beautiful, but yummy and satisfying:
For lunch and dinner I usually have 6 ounces of cooked chicken breast or ground beef over 2 cups (85 grams) of arugula with peppers, 2 ounces of pickled onions (find that recipe here) and a variety of other veggies. I usually don’t have salad dressing, but will use lemon juice and a tiny splash of olive oil. I’ve also been using Ezekiel Bread Sprouted Grain Tortillas. Instead of a salad, I’ll stuff the same things in a tortilla. Variety is the spice of life! Speaking of spice, use them! They add flavor variety to your food.
So, you noticed I’m measuring most thing in grams, huh? At first it was a little tedious, but it’s become second nature and I’ve learned A LOT by measuring my food. I learned that when I eyeball things, I’m not very accurate at all. Measuring has helped me understand appropriate portion sizes. I’ve tried several food scales, but this is the only one that’s been worth the money! I highly recommend having a kitchen scale. It’s also great to have when you need accurate measurements for baking. Or for making single cup pour over coffee in the morning!
Trader Joe’s Organic, Shade Grown, Fair Trade, Ethiopian Coffee: 26 grams
Just-under-boiling filtered water: 468 grams
(Filtered water makes a difference and this water filter system, while on the slightly pricier side, has been worth every single penny!)
Hario Glass Dripper (my favorite dripper!) and Filter
Oh look, there are those seeds!
In addition to my diet, I’m working out a lot! I’m lifting weights four days a week, aiming for cardio two additional days and doing lots of mobility work to keep my body healthy and to allow me to work out this much without getting injured!
I also got a DXA Body Scan done so I would know what my body composition was to start. It was a shocker!
I’ll talk more about my workouts, the body scan and my favorite kitchen hack in my next post!
Here are my stats so far:
- Weeks out from competition: 13
- Pounds lost: 6.4 (these were hard-fought!)
- Inches lost:
- Bust: 1/2 inch (Great. I wish I could just shift everything from the bottom up to here)
- Waist: 1 inch
- Hips: 3/4 inch
- Thighs: 3/4 inch each
And here are my competition shoes:
Yowza! Learning to walk in these five-inch torture chambers and not fall down may be the most challenging thing about this whole competition yet!
I’m looking for ideas for high-protein healthy breakfasts. Post your favorite one below. I’d love to try it!
Missed the first bikini post? Here it is:
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