The clamp down begins
Posted at 21:12 in Uncategorised
Happy hump day bloggies!
Today, I really had a good think about my diet and what I hope to achieve in the 8 weeks running up to my first figure competition.
I spoke to the lovely fellas over on MyProtein who have offered some helpful suggestions regarding diet, supplements, etc and I have come to the decision that:
- I will resume my 40/30/30 macro split (P/C/F) and stick to it
- I will cut out sugars from my diet (I didn’t have many but added natural sugars such as maple & agave to my food)
- I will be consistent with my training plan
- I will re-start my CLA
- I will start using whey protein
I realised I got my best results when I stuck rigorously to my 40/30/30 split.
I’ve never had a sweet tooth but since I ditched the whey protein, I found I needed a little sweetener in my morning porridge, so used natural sweetener such as maple syrup or agave. However, in the next 8 weeks I will cut out sugars from my diet except for naturally occurring sugars in fruit, vegetables & dairy.
Consistency is going to be paramount now for the next 8 weeks, both with my diet and exercise. No slacking.
I did notice that my abs looked better last year when I was taking CLA regularly. Whether that was due to the CLA or because my diet and exercise was consistent, I don’t know. It can’t do any harm to add it back in.
I am going to re-start using whey protein. I am not in a position to be affording different types of protein at the moment, especially as the costs of the competition are mounting already. I’ve thought long and hard about re-starting whey and have decided that for 8 weeks, my results are the most important thing. I have to be strict and stick to my macros now and it’s proven extremely difficult lately to reach my desired protein intake without a supplement. Once I have finished the competition, I will re-assess and decide if I want to continue using it.
It’s typical that the whole family is going out for a meal on Saturday – eek! I have pre-warned them about my competition though and have said I will be sticking to steak and vegetables with water to drink. It’s only for 8 weeks and I have the reward of a leaner, fitter body at the end of it so I don’t feel deprived.
I’m just finished with my leg training and oh boy, I poured with sweat. I did a circuit comprising:
ATG squats, immediately followed by stiff leg deadlifts, immediately followed by Bulgarian split squats, immediately followed by good mornings. I repeated 3 times and finished off with 90 seconds of dumbbell swings.
ATG Squats – 12, 8, 10 – 25kg
SLDL – 12, 12, 12 – 25kg
BSS – 10+10, 8+8, 8+8 – 10kg
Good Mornings – 12, 12, 12 – 25kg
Dumbbell Swings – 90 seconds – 8.5kg
I really enjoyed doing my workout as a circuit rather than single sets – my heart was kept racing all the way through.
Food has been good today and on target :-)
Breakfast was porridge made with 50g oats, skimmed milk, Greek yoghurt, maple syrup & strawberries
Mid morning, I had a skimmed latte
Lunch was an omelette made with 2 eggs, 4 egg whites, mushrooms, red onion and chopped ham
Mid afternoon, I snacked on 100g Greek yoghurt with a sprinkle of protein powder – I forgot to take a picture though!
Dinner was plain but delicious. 2 chicken breasts, sprinkled with garlic and grilled, served with steamed broccoli & cabbage. Presentation sucks but I was ravenous!
Post workout, I drank a protein shake made with almond milk.
Nutritional breakdown:
Calories: 1593
Protein: 171g (43.5%)
Carbs: 106g (25.4%)
Fat: 54g (31.1%)
Fibre: 12.8g
F&V: 6
Drinks: Lots of water, 3 green tea, 1 skimmed latte
Exercise: Weights – legs, glutes & lower back
I’m so pleased that tomorrow is my last day at work – bring on the long weekend!
How many of you will be indulging in chocolate this Easter weekend?
Sorry but what is CLA?
I have just been introduced to this blog so I am reading your journey from the very start your progress is amazing to see and watch!!!
Very inspiring stuff thank you!
Hi Annie, from my FAQ:
CLA stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid. It has been shown in studies to have an effect on body fat in humans, particularly abdominal fat. I noticed when I started taking it that it made a big difference to my fat loss.
For those not wanting to supplement, natural sources of CLA are:
Kangaroo meat – the highest concentration of CLA of all dietary sources
Grass fed animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, bison, water buffalo and deer
Dairy from grass fed animals, as above, Eggs