This January I posted my very first bikini competition prep update post (you can also check out my last update here!).
Weekly updates will be a regular feature on the blog as I prepare to compete in The Diva Classic on May 5th, 2018 in Duluth, MN.
My personal trainer, Cindy wanted to compete in the figure division (she’s competed twice before), but it wasn’t in the cards for her this time around. ????
Not sure of the difference? Check out this mega post that breaks it all down for ya!
Read on to see how I fared over the last week and what’s coming up this week:
1 Week to Go
Being a fan of tangibly being able to measure my progress, here’s a snapshot of where I’m at in pictures:
Left: I take weekly progress photos with my Instax cameras by Fujifilm (plus my phone), so I can physically see my progress during competition prep.
Top Right: I use my Omron fat loss monitor to assess my body fat percentage each week. We also use calipers from time-to-time at the gym.
Bottom Right: I weigh myself weekly using an old digital scale from my days working for Jenny Craig (here’s a similar one) – I’ve always had a strong interest in health and fitness and helping others become their best selves.
Just 4 months ago…
I’ll be doing a full on before and after sequence soon, but I sent this picture (of a picture, lol) to Cindy last week showing her the difference between 1/4/18 and 4/28/18 – 16 weeks in the making.
It’s crazy, no?!
The quality isn’t the greatest (I’m sure you’re aware that I don’t know how to use Photoshop ????), but you can see a ton of progress in my back, shoulders, arms and lower back. I’m super pumped by the changes, and just a little disheartened about my clear denial back in January!
Do I really need to lose more weight?
The short answer? It’s debatable…
I’m shooting for 139 on the scale (I’m 5’9) and 15% body fat. I’m pretty much on track for the weight loss and have already achieved my body fat goal via the caliper measurement. The fat loss monitor shows that I’m not quite there, but I’m choosing to believe the calipers in this instance.
What happened over the last week:
To keep things nice and to the point, I’m going to offer up a list of highlights/lowlights bullet-point style:
- I lost almost three and a half POUNDS in the last week – that’s amazing, especially at this point “in the game.”
- My body fat percentage stayed the same via the fat loss monitor, but the calipers show it coming in in the 13% range – seeing my stomach, you’d probably agree that there’s nothing but skin over muscle there, so I’m going with the lower number!
- Cindy changed up my diet again – it’s similar, but basically there’s lots of white fish, chicken, asparagus, protein shakes, oatmeal for breakfast and some blueberries and peppers thrown in (which I’m a HUGE fan of!). Honestly, I need to force myself to eat at this point – who woulda thunk?!
- We’re in the wind down phase of working out – basically there’s not much one can do at this stage in the game to gain muscle and I’m where I need to be, so it’s more of a maintenance thing. It’s nice that they’re not as intense as my energy level is lower.
Pssst… Cindy and I are doing regular video updates via our Facebook page – check em out here!
What’s coming up this week:
It’e show week!!
I have some minor diet tweaks to make as show day gets closer, but otherwise it’s more of the same.
Spoiler alert, I got my hair dyed and extensions put in (we found some super cheap ones on Ebay that worked really well!) yesterday – it looks fabulous!
Thursday is going to be spent getting pampered – I have a massage, facial and mani/pedi scheduled. Can’t wait!
Then Friday it’s checkin, taking my lie detector test (so weird!) and getting my spray tan on. And then Saturday… it’s going down!
Check back for the full on recap in the next week or three!
Are you currently working towards a specific fitness goal? Tell us all about it in the comments, so we can cheer each other on!
