Last weekend we were in Pennsylvania visiting family, and it was a challenge stopping every 2-3 hours on the way up and back to heat up my food, but I made the entire trip without cheating. I was happy with that. We also got our workouts in on a travel pass to the local Gold's Gym up there, so I stayed on track on all accounts.
The scale weight didn't really budge (just a few ounces) but the tape measure and BF% did, so I was happy with that week's progress overall. I'll do this week's comps on Sunday, but I can see where I have continued to lean out, especially in the area of my chest that women carry the most weight - that upper and outer area. My arms are leaning out, as my back (a little) and I am starting to see some shifting in the way my legs look. I still am carrying that baby sack in the stomach area and I always have lots to lose in the glute and hip area, but I am making small, incremental progress in those areas, too.
Here are my pics from last week. We were at the Gold's in Pa when we took them, so it's hard to compare because of the colored wall behind me and the fact that the capri-style pants automatically make me look leaner than the shorts I usually wear:
I am still gaining strength overall, which I love. I can see my chest coming in nicely and my arms and shoulders are starting to show more and more definition. I will probably have to lighten up on those areas as we progress, as a common issue at competition is coming in too defined in the upper body, especially in comparison to the lower body. I anticipate I will have to scale back on my upper body training as we get closer, and pick up on the lower body training. Although, I am happy to say that my quads are finally start to come in, too. That is as much about the fat loss as it is me gaining a little size, but I have definitely put on some lean muscle in the last few weeks.
Changes I am anticipating soon: I have been eating a slice of Ezekiel Bread and a slice of turkey bacon at breakfast. I will get to do that for about another week, and then I will cut those out. I also have been eating Feta cheese and black beans on a salad once a day, and I will probably cut those out in a week, too. I have been putting a little bit of almond milk in my coffee in the morning - I will cut that out in about a week, too. I will keep using the Stevia in my coffee for now, but will plan on phasing that out altogether by 8 weeks out, and I will stop using gum and other things with artificial sweeteners at about 8 weeks out. That is when the cravings for food will probably kick in. As of right now, I feel good and I really am not struggling much. I honestly can't remember when was the last time I had fast food, a soda, or even sweets. It's been over 8 weeks on all accounts, and longer on some (soda and fast food). This feels good.
JP just asked me if I am writing a novel, so I will wrap it up here. 13 weeks really isn't a lot of time, and I still have a long way to go. I am excited to see what can happen in that time period!
Have a great weekend!
Julie
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