Week 1 cutting

While taking these, cropping them, saving them on my computer, all I have thought about was deleting them.  I keep telling myself that if I can't "keep it real" here on a place where people read about my journey through creating my perfect body and fitness level, then what am I doing it for.  These pics are hard for me to look at.  Yes, I know I have been bulking for 12 weeks and I am heavier than I have ever been in my life other than when being pregnant, but it is still tough to post these in an open forum.  Clearly I have lots of shedding to do. 

These are my 1st week of cutting pics.  I plan to post at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks and for the grand finale at 8 weeks.  The goal is once I hit the 8 week mark to maintain through summer and decide if I am going to complete another bulking round in the fall/winter.......seeing what I am seeing now that is more than a possibility.

These were taken in the morning upon waking up, no food or water.

It's what was for my 2nd meal today and updates

Today for my 2nd meal of the day I had a tuna, broccoli, and avocado salad........ummmm....ummmmmm good!  Now for all you foodie blogers out there please do not make fun of my pathetic picture taking skills.  :)  I know they are bad, trust me.

For the updates portion, I will be one week into my cutting cycle Thursday and I am planning on taking pics to post, hopefully they will be better than today!  (You know each day brings something new in the grand dieting scheme)  My plan is to cut for 8 weeks and see where that puts me.  No cheats for 2 solid weeks then a cheat meal will be scheduled hopefully each week thereafter depending on how I am responding.  I am still trying to decide if I will turn this phase over to Harley or not.  I am just enjoying it too much right now.

After the 12 weeks of training like I did I was supposed to take off for a week.......well I can not stay out of the gym for a week....so I am PLAYING everyday this week.  I don't design my workout till later in the day and it involves some cardio, some legs, and a little of whatever else I feel.  Loving it!! 

Last, but not least, DON'T wait till Monday to start a new program......  Monday will never come!  It never does.  Last week on Wednesday night I decided I was tired of bulking even though I still had 4 official days left.  I went shopping picked up some different foods and started cutting that night.  Don't put it off, don't make excuses, don't say you would have to go buy a complete list of groceries, do what you have to do and get it done already!

I leave you with a thought:

What if you saw this on the beach this summer?

Wouldn't you rather look like this

Than this



Now what's stopping you!

Kale Chips

If you have not tried, you might like. 

I bought a little bunch of kale the other day because I could have sworn I saw a post about kale chips and wanted to try them. 



Baked Kale - Potato Chip Substitute Recipe

Submitted by cfedor

Makes 1 serving

Healthy, low calorie alternative to potato chips. When baked, Kale tastes like plain chips.

Ingredients

1	cup Fresh Kale
1	tsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
   
2. Wash then pull leafy part of kale away from stalk
   
3. Place kale on baking sheet
   
4. Lightly drizzle olive oil on kale
   
5. Bake in oven for approx. 10 minutes or until the edges of the leaf are crispy
   
6. Eat plain or sprinkle 1 tbsp of your favorite seasoning on the kale for different flavor
   

Categories

Appetizers, Snacks, Super Bowl, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 71.5g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 73 Calories from Fat  44

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.9g 8%

Saturated Fat 0.6g 3%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 29mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 6.7g 2%

Dietary Fiber 1.3g 5%

Protein 2.2g

Vitamin A 206% • Vitamin C 134% Calcium 9% • Iron 6%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet Nutritional details are an estimate and should only be used as a guide for approximation.

Legend

Fat
Protein
Carbs
Alcohol
Other

Calorie Breakdown (?)

The only thing I did differently was I poured a tablespoon or so of olive oil on to my cooking tin and swirled it all around the sheet, then spread my kale out, sprinkled it with salt, 1/2 I seasoned with Mrs. Dash onion and herb, and the other 1/2 I seasoned with crushed red pepper.  Sprayed it lightly with olive oil cooking spray.  Baked it for about 20ish minutes till crispy.  I LOVE it!  It is definitely like eating chips.  It disintegrates in your mouth, like cotton candy, but just not sweet.  A perfect salty treat! 



Who posted the recipe for Kale Chips?

Please send me your link.....I have been desperately trying to remember who posted this!  Thank you SOOOOO much!!

A little Arnold for your weekend motivation

I LOVE LOVE this video.  His rules are ones that stand the test of time.  They worked for him in the 60's and 70's and they still hold true today.  Hard work and dedication can accomplish so much, you just have to believe in yourself and be willing to go the extra mile. 

THEN, on a purely feminine note, OMG, what a B-E-A-U-tiful chest.  Stunning even now compared to all the current day bodybuilders.  I guess there is a reason he was my 1st crush.

Work hard, play harder!  Make this life one you would want to read about.

Have a wonderful weekend guy!

P.S.  I did my very last workout of my 12 week bulking cycle today.  Finished with a gorgeous heavy back routine.  Sooo looking forward to next week and having a little PLAY time in the gym!  I did get ahead of myself this week and started my cutting diet a few days early, but I just couldn't take it anymore.  Ready to see what lies under this excess weight!!!!! 

Some random thoughts

Lots of things going through my mind for the past couple of days.  So I thought I would share these that speak to me.

What do you do when you don't know how to handle a situation that you know you must confront?  

No pictures needed

This afternoon as I unloaded my dishwasher for the 3rd time, it hit me that I enjoy the days where I unload the dishwasher 3 times the most.  Not the loading and unloading, but what that means as far as the amount of dishes I have used that day and why.  Sometimes on Sundays, my mom, sister, bro-in-law, and nephew come over to eat.  Generally that means a ton of prep work for me because I like my house to be cleaner than normal, everything to be ready when they get here.  This morning I was up at 6:30 just so that when they all got here I would be able to sit down with them and just enjoy our time.  Both of my daughters were home and Harley was here so I had a full house and heart.  My bro-in-law made us homemade pizza and I made two different types of chicken plus dessert.  Sounds bad, but all the dishes were fairly healthy and since it was our carb up day, really not to bad at all.  The food was delicious, and the company was just what I needed.  Life often gets so busy, that I forget to stop and make time for those who are most important to me, my family.  Today was all about making time for them and I LOVED it.  I am so blessed to have the best daughters in the world, a sweet boyfriend, the best sister ever, a mom who loves me unconditionally, a very uncharacteristic talkative nephew, and as I have always said a bro-in-law who takes the cake.  :)  I love them all!

Thank you God for a great day, it was just what I needed!

Is your butt your 2nd face?

I bought the March/April Muscle and Fitness Hers yesterday.  There is an article in there on page 67 about Glute Exercises.  Yea, nothing new there......BUT what caught my attention and what I woke up with on my mind this morning was one little phrase, "I call the butt the second face of a woman". 

I can see where some may find that offensive, but when you continue to read his explanation, it just clicks, at least for me it did.  "A firm, toned behind tells a lot about your character as a strong, confident, and powerful woman who takes great care of her body."  Think about all the rear ends you see, do they not tell a lot about that person just like their face does?  Umm, maybe it was just meant for me.

Probably the best article I have read and will share in a while

This is a MUST read 1st, but 2nd it is a must share article.  So many times I (we) have all heard people say they want to lose weight, tone up, get in shape, go on a diet, etc......UGH!  One quit talking and do it!  BUT MOST OF ALL do not think you are going to go from eating McD's at lunch every day and ice cream every night, go straight into a contest style diet, and make it last.  It takes baby steps, it is because of those baby steps that this lifestyle will work for you in the long run and not end up being something on your long list of "I've tried's".

Here is Pauline Nordin's Keep It Real from the Muscle & Fitness Hers site.

Week 11 Legs

Loving that I am at the end of this 12 week cycle.  Thank you Neil Hill for developing the Y3T.  I have enjoyed it and what it has done to my body. 
Because I am having so much shoulder pain I decided to do legs instead of shoulders today...... 

Here is the leg routine for today: 
Leg Ext 1X warmup 4 X 12
Leg Press 1 X warmup 4 X 12
Hack Sq 4 X 12
BB stiff leg DL 4 X 12
Seated leg curl 4 X 12
Lying leg curl 3 X 12 last set with 15 partials
Followed by 10 minutes on the step mill.

 

It's Friday!!!

And I am so ready to get my fitness on..........

It has been a long, stressful week and I need a little R & R....

With DB's that is.......

Have a great weekend!

Sunday's musings posted on Monday

 Alright guys, I am starting week 10 of my 12 week training cycle.  Really itching to be cutting right now.  Harley and I did 30 minutes of cardio this morning and I honestly miss it.  When you can say you miss cardio, IT IS TIME!  (Only 3 more weeks)  My clothes are definitely fitting snug, way more snug than I like, but I am keeping my eye on the end result...................which if you haven't read my last posts, I am on a mission to add more muscle mass.  Have I?  Well what I can see, yes.  My back is much thicker than ever before.  My quads have a better sweep, my arms, well my arms build easier than any other part, my booty....we will see when the cutting begins.  Abs, of course will be right as rain as soon as I shed a little water weight.


Last week I had to lay off the cross fit classes in the evenings as my workouts are designed to lift as heavy as possible with rep ranges of 12-18.  I was fatiguing too quickly, so I ditched the classes.  For this week I think I am going to try to do 1-2 yoga classes and only 1 cross fit class.  I want to concentrate on giving these last 3 weeks of workouts everything I have to reap the absolute most from them.

Enjoy:

Have a great week!