The Road to my First NPC Bikini Show – Week 8

Greetings from North Carolina friends! Man did I enjoy this week! I took advantage of all the free time I had since time on a beach is always time well spent! I obviously still had to workout each and every day and prep but I still had a great time. I am letting you know that it is possible to vacation and keep up with prep life. I am writing this a little late since I wanted to enjoy every minute of my vacation. It is Friday, so the next section is mainly going to cover how my vacation was, workouts and activities, how I ate, and obstacles I overcame and succumbed to.

Unfortunately I didn’t have my photos taken this week or my measurements done but I did weigh myself the day I left which was last Saturday. I dropped to 120.6lbs! A new low weight! Another .8 lbs off! SCORE. I reset my macros and dropped them a little more than last weeks so I’m planning on dropping .4lbs this week during vacation! Earlier this week I was really feeling the pressure to not mess up my diet, not put back on any weight, and stay in a deficit. A week later and not knowing my measurements or weight I am feeling a bit worried. Travel always puts on water weight for me and usually makes my stomach uneasy. I guess later tonight when I get home I will know how my measurements and weight change! Lets hope for the best!

We left Saturday at noon and planned on getting to the beach house late night Saturday/Sunday morning. I knew that I would be traveling all day and decided to pack my 6 pack bag full of meals and snacks for that full day of eating and the following morning breakfast. Saturdays drive went well and we arrived in NC at 1:30 am.

That morning I woke up, poured myself a coffee and prepared my packed hard boiled egg whites and oatmeal. After that we picked up my friend from the airport in Wilmington and decided to go get brunch. Here, I was faced with my first challenge of what to eat for meal 2. I did not have a prepped meal to eat yet! We went to a diner for a brunch and instead of going with my first instinct of chicken and waffles, (YUM, that’s when you know your in the south) I got 4 egg whites, 3 pieces of bacon, and an English muffin. I asked my eggs to be cooked without butter or oil and my bacon to be turkey and crispy! If ya’ll didn’t know, English muffins are a great substitution for bagels or toast with only approx. 120 cal and 5P/1F/24C.

We went clothes shopping and then went to the grocery store. I knew that I wanted to buy enough food to last me for 6 days including food for my last travel day back (which is today). I brought with me a couple protein bars, protein powder, and my supplements. Here is a list of the food that I bought for all under 50$.

The best way to start your morning!

Protein:

• Chicken breast 3lbs
• Ground Turkey 1lb
• Cottage Cheese (big tub)
• Greek Yogurt ( 4 / 80 calorie pack)
• Eggs (3 dozen)

Carbs:

• Brown Rice
• Sweet Potatoes (2)
• Oatmeal
• Pita bread (80 cal whole wheat)
• Broccoli (1 head)
• Zuchinni (3 small)
• Green Beans (1 lb)
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Apples (3 small)
• Salsa

Fats:

• Hummus
• Avacado (2)
• Almonds

After shopping we enjoyed a few hours on the beach. I decided to go on a run for my first cardio workout. I did a 20 minute HITT inspired workout that kicked my butt. That night I meal prepped all of my food and made myself a delicious dinner. I went 4 full weeks without one alcoholic beverage and decided that I finally earned a big glass of red wine. I mean what is vacation without a little cheating!

The next 4 days were all structured pretty similarly. I woke up every morning, made coffee and ate breakfast then headed down to the beach with my bestie to stretch and have a fun yoga session. Waking up this way all week was so fun and relaxing.  I wish that I could incorporate a 20 minute stretching/yoga session into my everyday routine. I believe that this extra daily activity I normally don’t incorporate will negate any small food mishaps I might have encountered through the trip.

As I said above, Sunday I just did a HITT running workout around the neighborhood. On Monday I found a small gym located only a couple miles away and bought a week pass. That day I did a full back and bi workout. They were also testing everyone to see how long they could hold a plank so naturally I joined in. I went for 3:05 minutes and then my abs couldn’t take anymore torture. Tuesday I went to workout later in the day and was feeling a bit tired from the sun, yoga, and playing on the beach. I ended up working out my shoulders, abs, and tris. Wednesday I tackled leg day and man was it hard. After doing yoga three mornings straight, running and working out wish different equipment, my body was starting to feel the pain. For my leg workout I ended up doing hang cleans to front squats, sumo squats, split squats, leg curls, and leg extensions. After that I felt like I could not walk! Yesterday I was so sore so I decided to just stretch, do a short 20 minute yoga session, and relax on the beach all day long! When I get home tonight I am going to do a one hour long steady state cardio at about 3.5mph and 5% incline. If any of you travel and drive you know how badly your body aches after 12 hours.  I am walking to get all the kinks out and loosen my body up.

Overall I am pretty proud of myself and the discipline that I displayed during my vacation but it was not easy. After I took my trip to the store and made all my healthy meals my family went grocery shopping. Of course they came back with pie, cake, cookies, donuts, ice cream, chips, and more. Talk about a tease. My rule of thumb has always been to NOT buy anything that would tempt me into cheating. I don’t know about you, but if I know there is a sweet treat sitting in my cabinet, it will be the only thing I will think about. Take my advise and just save yourself the heartache and do NOT buy it. After all the taunting, I ended up eating a piece of home made key lime pie and a cookie. Thank God for flexible dieting!

Another obstacle I faced was when we went out on family dinners. I have always had a large appetite so eating before and hoping I don’t eat out does not work for me. Believe me, I have tried this approach. So Monday we went to a restaurant that we always visit and it is known for their amazing hush puppies. Out to eat fail #1- I ate like 10 hushpuppies. It was like I couldn’t control my mind anymore once I saw the fried bread I could not stop myself from picking up another one. After that I decided NO MORE going out to eat until the last dinner, which was at a fancy and delicious Italian restaurant. Here I showed my self control and ate 1 slice of bread, a garden salad with on dressing, and grilled salmon over steamed veggies. I had to create my own meal but I have noticed if you tell the waiter what your diet restrictions are they really help you work around them to still get a delicious meal. So for you all that get stuck in my situation  and have to go out to eat during your diet, pick a lean protein, have it grilled with no added oil or butter, and then for you side pick a steamed veggie with no added butter or oil. If you have the option for a salad get it without croutons and cheese and if you need a dressing, pick a low-fat or fat free dressing. It is as easy as that!

I had an amazing time in NC! As you know I am part mermaid so I miss my home when I don’t get to visit the ocean for a while! After a week in paradise, I have to say that I am excited to get back to my structured prepped-food lifestyle. I also missed my dog and human a lot! Starting Monday I only have 6 weeks left  and it is now time to kick it into high gear. Next week I will be changing my macros once more and probably adding more cardio into my weekly routine depending on how I am feeling!

Goals

• Practice posing and walking daily.
• Set up a posing class.
• Buy jewelry for my outfit.
• Look into other items I need to purchase.
• Buy an NPC card and apply for the show.

Alright friends, thanks for reading! I will be back next week with my normal routine, physique update, and details about my diet and workouts!