Hi everyone!
I have been lurking around the forums for about 6 months now and have taken alot of motivation from alot of people's stories and accomplishments, so thank you!
I have just started (as of Monday 29th Sept) my journey towards becoming a sportsmodel - I guess it's the 'softest' form of body building. Before Monday I was weight training 4 times a week and gained almost 5kg of muscle in 4 months (with some hiccups in between) so at least now I have the basis of a hard body whereas before I was a skinny underweight fat chick... gross.
My comp is in April/May 09 so i have 7 months of hard work ahead. My first PT session was full on but I loved it :) I have another on Friday so I am really looking forward to it - I love weight training so much - as for cardio - not so much.

So here is my training program:

Monday
am - 40 mins MISS
pm - PT
Tuesday
pm - quads, chest, tris
Wednesday
am - 15 mins HIIT, 5 min cool down
Thursday
pm - hamstrings, biceps, shoulders
Friday
am - 40 mins MISS
pm - PT
Saturday
am - calves, back, 15 mins LISS
Sunday
off

My trainer is still working on my regime so this is sort of what it will look like. I will update once I have it all planned out.
I will post my diet tomorrow as I have run out of time! Basically it is between 1400 and 1800 calories a day with a 40p/30c/30f split most days with a few 50/15/35 in between. Wow how times flies when you're talking about yourself :)

Here are my before pics taken April this year and the last 2 are 3 months later. I cut my head off on the first pic cos i had the dumbest look on my face and also coloured in my bottoms because my undies were kinda seethough :o I will take more pics every month to track my progress.

A fellow Aussie!!

I looks like you know what you are doing so im sure you will get there!

Good luck!

Congrats on gaining 5 kg! Are you planning to keep building muscle? I'm not your trainer, obviously, but the cardio seems a little overkill if so. 45 mins of HIIT? :eek: :eek: :eek:

Good luck with your goals :).

Congrats on gaining 5 kg! Are you planning to keep building muscle? I'm not your trainer, obviously, but the cardio seems a little overkill if so. 45 mins of HIIT? :eek: :eek: :eek:

Good luck with your goals :).

Hi J_W!
Thanks! It sure makes a difference to your body shape - even though I gained weight its a good thing for once!
Yeah I am still aiming to build alot more muscle - and yes 45 mins of HIIT is impossible! Sorry just a typo, 15 mins of HIIT sounds more believable ;)
My trainer is reviewing my current regime this week so I dare say it will be all different come next week.
Thanks for stopping by!

Looks like a good base to work with, stick with the basic heavy compound lifts and you should achieve your goal quickly.:)

I just realised that after pics weren't very good and don't really show up the progress too well - I'll make sure my next ones are better.
So weights tonight after work - not really sure what i'll be doing since this week has been all over the place! I'll just decide when I get there. I was doing weights in the morning before work because there was hardly anyone there and you could actually get a machine which was nice :) between 5 and 8pm is just crazy town and there is alot of big armed, skinny legged guys handshaking, talking on mobiles, and bumming around so it's hard to even get a square metre of space sometimes! Anyway my trainer TOLD me i have to do cardio in the am and weights in the pm for better gains - which makes sense. Plus I get to sleep in now which is so good!

I had to resist temptation last night big time. I went to a Napoleon Perdis makeup party and they had all kinds of tasties... man I was drooling over the chocolate hedgehog slice, choc coated strawberries, muffins, chips and dip, wine, well pretty much everything. I had 2 water crackers, one square of cheese and water. Not very tasty but I feel really good about resisting. I was one of the models (I volunteered) and my makeup looked great, so I was talked in to buying the makup brush worth $68 :eek: sucker!

OK so here is my diet today:

M1 - 3 egg white, 1 yolk omelette with 20g mozzarella, mushrooms, capsicum, pepper
M2 - 100g natural yoghurt, 150g berries
M3 - coleslaw vegies with 150g tuna in springwater, flaxseed oil, 2 teaspoons sugar-free mayo
M4 - 40g shredded chicken breast, 1/4 avocado, tobasco
M5 - 30g whey PWO
M6 - 150g lean beef, grilled veges

1442 cal - 180p/65c/45f (52/18/30%)

Will post workout tonight :tu:

For what its worth:

" YOU are the only one that can make YOURSELF a sports model "

I will be watching :tucool:

You're starting to add some shape! Go you! Welcome to the journals forum! Sounds like you've done your homework. I'm assuming you read the stickies in the beginner's forum so there's not much that I can add. Kudos on the pictures as well. My only advice to you is don't be afraid to lift heavy. Now that you have a base to build upon, you will definitely be able to add some lean muscle fairly quickly.

Good luck! :tu:

I have just started (as of Monday 29th Sept) my journey towards becoming a sportsmodel - I guess it's the 'softest' form of body building. Before Monday I was weight training 4 times a week and gained almost 5kg of muscle in 4 months (with some hiccups in between) so at least now I have the basis of a hard body whereas before I was a skinny underweight fat chick... gross.
My comp is in April/May 09 so i have 7 months of hard work ahead.
7 months shouldn't be a problem. :cool: You can rock this thing. :guitar:

I don't feel that losing fat is the right direction for you to be moving in in order to make it as a figure contestant. Yes, those girls are lean, but they also have significantly more lean body mass than you do right now. Dieting down right now would take you less than 12 weeks to reach figure contestant body fat percentage levels, but I don't think you'd have enough base muscle.

Your body shape reminds me a lot of Maya's, and I know she said at one point after her competition that she regretted that she didn't bulk for longer.

What is your trainer's background? Is he/she aware of typical amounts of lean body mass of figure contestants?

I would suggest that you increase your calories to about 2000 to 2300 at least until Christmas, cut back on the cardio, and keep lifting hard with the weights. About 12 weeks from your competition date, you could switch to more of a fat-burning focus, aiming to compete maybe about the same weight you are right now, but at 12-14% body fat.

I see that you could add a lot of lean body mass to your frame, and that is what would make the most difference in having a chance at winning a figure competition. Winning (or at least placing in) a figure competition would be the most direct route to becoming a fitness model.

:gl:

Yeah! Put some muscle on dem bones! Good luck! :tucool:

I don't feel that losing fat is the right direction for you to be moving in in order to make it as a figure contestant. Yes, those girls are lean, but they also have significantly more lean body mass than you do right now. Dieting down right now would take you less than 12 weeks to reach figure contestant body fat percentage levels, but I don't think you'd have enough base muscle.

Your body shape reminds me a lot of Maya's, and I know she said at one point after her competition that she regretted that she didn't bulk for longer.

What is your trainer's background? Is he/she aware of typical amounts of lean body mass of figure contestants?


Thanks everyone for the encouragement and advice!
Tonight I will be talking to my trainer in depth about my plan of attack and my new program so I will post that tomorrow. She did say that I will be doing minial cardio and lots of heavy weights for at least another 3 to 4 months. The cardio wont really start until next year so I was happy about that :D I much prefer weights.

My trainer was a figure competitor so she is very aware of the expectations in a comp, and that was one of the main reasons I chose her too - she actually trained the Victorian sportsmodel winner last year so she's gotta be doing something right :tucool:

Ok so here's my workout from last night - it was really quick cos I had a pounding headache and weights do not mix well with that! And I think the headache was from eating low carb - carbs love me too much I think.

Abs
- 2 x 50 fitball crunches
- 2 x 25 leg raises
Biceps
- BB curl 15kg x 17, 12, 11
Calves
- Seated calf raises 75kg x 17, 83kg x 16, 91kg x 10, 83kg x 12

And this morning I did 40 mins MISS. Even though its really hard to get out of bed for morning workouts, I feel really good after and so much more energised throughout the day... mind you it was alot harder in winter when it was dark and freezing.

Diet for today:

M1 - 100g berries, 200ml low fat milk, 35g whey, 10ml flaxseed smoothie (tasty!)
M2 - 20g nuts
M3 - 150g turkey breast, vegies, 20g fetta
M4 - apple
M5 - 35g whey
M6 - 150g lean lamb, capsicum, zucchini, red onion kebabs

1600cal - 202p/89c/50f (46/28/26%)

I'm so glad it's Friday :claphigh: My BF and I just bought 2 sea kayak's so we are keen to try them out on the weekend!

Well I found out that I can have one day off a week from my eating plan so that was the best news ever :eat: but I decided that I wouldnt have a day off but rather just have a cheat meal - so I did! It was a greek spaghetti marinara and it was so damn good I wish I was eating it right now...
As for my weights program - well it's full on. I have PT tonight and we are doing legs so I know that I am gonna hurt big time :o here's what I'll be doing:

DB power lunges
DB step ups
Leg extension
Leg curls
Calf raises

I know - there are no squats or deadlifts here and I did ask about them and she said they will come later on.
I did 30 mins MISS this morning and man did not want to go! Daylight savings started here yesterday so I had to get up at (real time) 4.20am :eek:... very hard.

Here is the rest of my program:

Tues - Chest:
- Bench press
- Incline DB chest press
- SB DB flys
- SB DB overhead chest ext
- push ups

Wed - off

Thurs - Back:
- Chin ups (assisted)
- Lat pulldown
- Cable row
- DB rear deltoids

Fri - Shoulders (PT):
- DB shoulder press
- BB upright row
- DB forward and lateral raises
- Incline DB rear deltoids

Sat - Bicep + tricep:
- BB curls
- Incline DB hammer curls
- Preacher curls
- Tricep pushdown
- BB tricep press
- BB triceps ext
- Dips

Sun - off

And I do abs every day which consist of:
- Cable crunch
- Knees to chest (on the edge of a bench)
- SB side bends
- Pole twists (these are really for flexibility more I think)

And here's the diet for today:

M1 - 1 yolk 3 egg white omlette, mushrooms, capsicum, 20g mozarrella
M2 - 150g berries, 100g natural yoghurt
M3 - 1 tin tuna, coleslaw vegies, 2 teaspoons sugar free mayo
M4 - 40g shredded chicken, 1/4 avocado, tabasco (my new favourite flavour on everything!)
M5 - PWO whey shake
M6 - 150g lean beef, vegies
M7 - not really a meal, diet jelly for dessert :eat:

1450 cal - 180p/67c/45f (51/19/30%)

I am really looking forward to building alot more muscle - my feelings about weight training have changed significantly since I started a few months ago. I just shake my head at other women who pick up weights I didnt even start on and do 3 sets of nothing. They may as well stay in bed and save their membership fee.

1450 cal

I am really looking forward to building alot more muscle.
Do you have a goal weight in mind? It could be pretty difficult for you to build a lot more muscle on such a large calorie deficit.

Doing abs every day would kill me. You must be awfully tough! :D :flex:

No I haven't really thought about a goal weight? I weigh about 61kg ATM so I say I would weigh more than that - even with alot less BF.

BF I have been told I could compete between 10 - 15% depending on how I look.
In regards to the diet - my trainer advised me that this is just the initial stage of my program (approx. 6 weeks) and my calories will change as I go quite frequently. Since I am competing in a sportsmodel category of the comp I don't need to build as much muscle as much as say Maya did for hers and I will have a fair bit more BF that she did too. Not to say that I dont need to build up alot more muscle though because I do - I guess I just have to trust my trainer and go with it.

I really like ab work and have always had sort of strong abs for some reason? Maybe because I laugh so much :lol:

Since I am competing in a sportsmodel category of the comp I don't need to build as much muscle as much as say Maya did for hers and I will have a fair bit more BF that she did too. Ah, I see. I'm not familiar with that one.

I really like ab work and have always had sort of strong abs for some reason? Maybe because I laugh so much :lol::) That could explain it!

I am really looking forward to building alot more muscle - my feelings about weight training have changed significantly since I started a few months ago. I just shake my head at other women who pick up weights I didnt even start on and do 3 sets of nothing. They may as well stay in bed and save their membership fee.

Girl, I totally agree. I have a friend who does 30-something reps of one particular exercise x2 of a very small weight and she complains why her arms are puffy-looking and not "toned". :rolleyes:

Girl, I totally agree. I have a friend who does 30-something reps of one particular exercise x2 of a very small weight and she complains why her arms are puffy-looking and not "toned". :rolleyes:

There is one partucular girl at my gym who is there EVERY morning and does the exact same thing. She has not changed at all since I have been there and that's been over 4 months now... wow, make up girl!

Anyway what I thought was going to be a great leg workout last night with my PT turned out to be a cardio circuit session :o I was running at 11.5km and at 5% incline to WARM UP! It took me a good 18 mins to get my heart rate up to 150 though - but I think it was way off. I felt like I was higher than that and alot earlier. But I did feel good after and we did some boxing circuits which I love so it wasnt too bad. So i'll be doing my leg workout tonight :tu:
My BF just started the Stronglift 5x5 program so he is looking forward to some great gains there. I was so jealous he got oats and brown rice yesterday and now pasta tonight :drool:

Good story: A lady at work was feeling really down and was an emotional eater - so she was about 20kg overweight. I was talking to her about my new program when I was first starting out in June and she was really interested and motivated to do something about her weight and unhealthy eating habits. So I did up a diet plan (just smart eating - no junk) and a 20 min circuit workout she could do at home. Well in 5 months or so she has lost about 15kg and is feeling better than ever :claphigh: I am really happy that I helped her out and now she is really keen on going further with her fitness and is going to start riding on the weekends and swimming when its a bit warmer. It's really rewarding when you give someone advice, then it's put to good use and it actually makes a difference in their life. Yay, feel good story!

Sounds like a great workout. :bb::bb:

And how wonderful that your coworker took your advice and is making such great changes! Nice going for you and for her. :tucool:

A drop of encouragement can be a river of hope. You have probably changed this woman's life forever, and there is no feeling in the world that can compare to that. I'm so proud of you :D.

A drop of encouragement can be a river of hope. You have probably changed this woman's life forever, and there is no feeling in the world that can compare to that. I'm so proud of you :D.

Thanks Vicky! I was sort of proud of myself as well :cool: but more proud of her actually taking my advice and making the changes. It's hard to get out of that comfort zone I suppose of eating bad and carrying those extra kg's because you know that you will have to work hard, sweat a bit, and not eat those foods you love. But I tell you it wasnt even a full week before she came to me and said 'I cant believe how good I feel even after just a few days of eating healthily!' Good stuff.

I am really looking forward to doing weights tonight - I havent done any since Friday! Geez I'm having withdrawals... it's funny because I have told a few ladies in the office about my competition and that I lift heavy weights and they are ALL like 'oh you're going to get all bulky and muscly, yuck!' I just laugh and walk away - no point trying to tell them they have no idea what they are talking about. Plus if they really took notice of how I looked they would see I hardly look bulky or manly! And they tell me that fat will turn into muscle so that's why they dont want to do weights... :rolleyes:

Big props to you for giving someone the will and desire to change them selves!

Also good on her for doing it, allot of people "want" to change and lose weight but not many want to stop eating the garbage, lift heavy and do the cardio.

Keep up the good work!

Man I have been hungry lately. I had to have some brown rice and some nuts yesterday to stop the hunger pains... I am having some oats today too so hopefully that helps.
I had a good leg workout last night:

5kg DB walking lunges 3 x 24

Leg curls
- 20kg x 11, 9, 9, 7

7.5kg DB step ups 3 x 30

Calf raises
- 55kg x 12, 11
- 61kg x 10

Leg extension
- 55kg x 9, 9
- 62kg x 8

I am really looking forward to getting some hot calves going! I just love defined calves on women - and men for that matter. They are getting there though, slowly but surely.
I was thinking of doing a pump class tonight instead of 40 mins MISS but i'll see how I feel :D pump classes are full on and my trainer is the instructor and she is a hard arse :o but that's good I suppose.

The weather is going to be awesome this weekend so we are hitting the beach for the first time in months! I cant wait to just sit in the warm sun and read a magazine. I really love where we live - its about 300m back from the water and the waterfront is lined with cafe's and shops - and when its a nice day it is absolutely buzzing. Late breakfast on Sunday's are the best :tucool:
The weather down here is so weird though - its only 17 celcius today but it will be (apparently) 28 on Sunday... very random.

Diet for today:

M1 - 100g berries, 35g whey, 200ml lowfat milk, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, ice blended into smoothie (mmm :eat:)
M2 - 20g nuts, 1/2 cup oats
M3 - 150g turkey breast, salad vegies
M4 - apple
M5 - 35g whey
M6 - 150g lean lamb, capsicum, zucchini, and onion kebabs, BBQ corn

1759 cal - 148p/147c/62f (35/33/32%)

Well I did that pump class last night and it was pretty brutal - my shoulders were burning big time!
I'll be doing 20 mins of HIIT tonight so that will be fun, not.

I've decided to add 1/2 cup oats everyday to bring my calories up a bit because I was really way too hungry than I should have been.

Also, my trainer pointed out the fact that my shoulders are fairly uneven. If you look at this pic below (taken 2 months after starting weight training) you can see my right shoulder is lower than my left and has this sort of caving in thing going on! I know that its from lugging around my hugely oversized handbag all these years which was very bad of me :nono:
I have stopped carrying a handbag and if I need to I carry it on the other side but what else can I do to correct this, or at best make it not as bad. I cant stop looking at it now and feel like a lop sided weirdo :cry:

My legs were absolutely dead after my leg workout Tuesday and the pump class Wed night so I only did 10 mins warm up, 10 mins HIIT then 5 mins cool down on the stationary bike. My heart rate got up to 172 so I could have gone harder my legs legs just couldnt do it :( normally I can get my heart rate upto 189 or so... plus my iPod died just as I started so that was crap - its hard enough doing HIIT let alone without any motivational music!! :mad:

I did shoulders and abs this morning:

Military press
16kg x 12
20kg x 9, 7
16kg x 8

BB Upright row
15kg x 17
17.5kg x 11, 11, 10

DB Lateral raise
5kg DB x 16
6kg DB x 12, 10

Abs

Cable crunch
50kg x 21, 20, 17

Knees to chest
3 x 25

SB side bends
14, 14, 12

I felt stronger than normal this morning, even though I have weak shoulders :o but I'm working on it!
I had this crunching, dry sort of feeling in my right shoulder about a 6 weeks ago so I started on Glucosamine + Chondroitin and I think its just started to work because I cant normally do the BB upright row but today it felt really good and there was no crunchy feeling. Unless I was just having a good day??

I have PT tonight so I dare say we will be doing a full body workout - I really like having PT on Friday nights because it sort of finishes off the week strong rather than slacking off.

My BF and I are going to the speedway on Sat night with some friends - he LOVES it. I dont mind it, but 6 hours can get a little, ah repetitive? But it's his birthday next week so I thought I would go for him :nod:

Food for the day (and I'm not as hungry as I have been which is good!) I am having oats for breakfast everyday now so that must be helping:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup lowfat milk, 35g whey
M2 - apple and 20g cheese
M3 - 150g chicken breast, salad vegies, 1/4 avocado, tabasco
M4 - 100g lowfat natural yoghurt, 100g berries
M5 - carrot sticks
M6 - whey PWO
M7 - cheat meal - steamed chilli mussels :drool: oh yeah

1422cal - 141p/129c/38f (40/36/24%) this isnt including the cheat meal

I'll be hopefully taking some proper before pics this weekend so i'll post them when I can :o ... I'm scared! I guess it's embarrassing showing yourself to ppl you dont know - but its a good way to motivate yourself and track your improvement. I am really determined to change my body and stick something out which requires alot of hard work and a bit of harden the f*ck up. It's so great reading peoples journals and stories because it just shows how everyone is the same. We all have to eat right, work out, be consistent and jump over hurdles to achieve our goals :tu: well done us!

We had perfect weather here on the weekend :claphigh: a little windy but I didnt care, I just love the sun! Winter sux big time.
So we went kayaking on Saturday morning and holy ba-jesus my shoulders were killing me! I did shoulders Friday morning, then had PT Friday night and we did some shoulder work, THEN paddling for about 2 hours Sat... wow.
Saturday night we went to the speedway with some friends so that was alright - although I dont find it as fun as he does getting covered in mud and dust the whole time :)... I had safety glasses this time so at least I could see the sprint cars go past unlike last time where I got 3 kilos of dust and crud in my eyes.
Then Sunday we went to the beach and just relaxed... :cool: and it was still like 28 degress C at 8pm so we went for another walk out on the jetty and took some pics of Melbourne - beautiful.

So no real exercise related stuff to talk about yet as I have PT tonight which will be great :tu: and by great I mean hard, which is great after I'm done...

Diet today:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 35g whey
M2 - apple, 20g lowfat cheese - then 1/2 banana 1 hour later
M3 - Massive salad with 1 tin tuna
M4 - whey shake, 1 cup skim milk
M5 - 150g flake, vegies

1543 cal - 154p/150c/28f (42/41/17%)

Also, my BF and I have given ourselves personal challenges... he wants to be able to do 100 pushups on his first attempt and I want to be able to do 35 pushups (on toes) first attempt. When we can do it we get ourselves a little treat :D I have wanted this complete set of makeup brushes for ages but they are pretty pricey - but now they are in reach because that will be my treat :spaz: He wants some gadget which I care as much about as he does my brush set so it works out well :tu: I'm pretty sure my best pushup effort is 20 so I'm over half way there at least! Although I dont think I'll be increasing my PB very rapidly. Maybe 2 a week if i'm lucky!?

What about using a back pack or a messenger bag that you can alternate shoulders? I would think that might help.

Man I have been hungry lately. I had to have some brown rice and some nuts yesterday to stop the hunger pains... I am having some oats today too so hopefully that helps.
I had a good leg workout last night:

I was just thinking that your calories appear to be low, especially for your activity level, so I'm not that surprised that you're hungry. Have you considered increasing them slowly and bringing your metabolism back up to where it's supposed to be? I think you should be able to eat at least 2000 kcals to maintain. If you gain fat at that level of calories, then you've likely damaged your metabolism to the point that it's slowed down considerably. Just a tought.

Ooh kayaking sounds like a lot of fun. And good luck on the push-up challenge. You'll be doing 35 push-ups in no time. I bet you can even do them better than your boyfriend :p. It's great that you guys support each other's fitness goals.

I agree with JW. For your level of activity, you may not be eating enough, which may be why you're feeling hungry. I would suggest increasing your daily intake by 200 calories (or however many kcals that equals to) and see if you feel more satiated and energized.

I was just thinking that your calories appear to be low, especially for your activity level, so I'm not that surprised that you're hungry. Have you considered increasing them slowly and bringing your metabolism back up to where it's supposed to be? I think you should be able to eat at least 2000 kcals to maintain. If you gain fat at that level of calories, then you've likely damaged your metabolism to the point that it's slowed down considerably. Just a tought.

Thanks for the advice J_W. I have been thinking about increasing my calories as well by about 300 which would bring up my daily average to 1900 or so. I honestly believe that my body responds better to more food and I dont put on fat when I eat more good food at all, its just when its shit food it hinders my progress.
I am doing the grocery shopping tomorrow night (pay day as we only get paid once a month!) so I will re-do my diet and add more clean foods.
Thanks again for your help - I believe you are 100% right in what you are saying so I will take it on board and put it to good use :tucool:

It's funny because when I was little I didnt eat. I mean I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, maybe an iceblock at school and I would literally tip my lunchbox upside down in the bin, then have an apple and cheese and crackers for dinner, or maybe a peice of toast. Thats it from when I was aged about 5 to 11. Then I started growing up, as in tall. I'm 1cm off 6'' so my body craved food going through that growth spurt and boy did I make up for lost time! I couldnt get enough food from when I was about 12 - 17. I'm sure alot of ppl are the same when they are this age but I stayed the same size all through highschool (AUS size 8). After highschool I went up a size, which was alot more womanly, but kept eating lots and very often. Then when I started exercising I honestly couldn't believe how much food I needed - yet still maintained my healthy size 10, and even lost some BF. Good genes there I think. Except I'm not blessed with natural muscle which is more important to me now than being an ecto.
So my past, and also very recent past tells me that my metabolism is working, maybe I'm just not using it to my advantage right now?

On a good note, my trainer told me last night that she has never trained anyone before who doest whinge, and pushes themselves to the last rep. And I was like well I'm not here to complain - I'm the one who signed up for this! Another trainer came over to us and said oh I've been watching this girl for some time now and she is so dedicated to her workouts so I know she will do well. It was really nice to hear that :) I am so desperate to achieve my goals and work as hard as I can so I'm not there to look good or impress anyone, its all for me.

I once read that there is no such thing as hard gainers, only those who do not eat enough!

I once read that there is no such thing as hard gainers, only those who do not eat enough!

That sounds very true! This is such a new thing for me all this weight training and gaining muscle - I have never looked any different really so its kinda scary to think I may get 'bigger'. Although I really want to develop more muscle and be shapely and not be just a skinny-fat person, its hard to be comfortable with gaining size when you have been slim your whole life. I guess the media has poisoned my brain to make me believe that being skinny is attractive :doh:I think doing this competition will give me a massive wakeup call as to what is really attractive, but more importantly, appreciating a healthy lifestyle and living it forever.

That sounds very true! This is such a new thing for me all this weight training and gaining muscle - I have never looked any different really so its kinda scary to think I may get 'bigger'. Although I really want to develop more muscle and be shapely and not be just a skinny-fat person, its hard to be comfortable with gaining size when you have been slim your whole life. I guess the media has poisoned my brain to make me believe that being skinny is attractive :doh:I think doing this competition will give me a massive wakeup call as to what is really attractive, but more importantly, appreciating a healthy lifestyle and living it forever.

Everyone has different opinion on what is attractive.

In all seriousness I think if someone is comfortable with themselves, healthy and is a good person it goes allot further than a skanky skinny fat primadona (lol ill stop I could keep using bad words).

Society teaches us so many wrong things.

Reeducating yourself is really hard, especially when everyone is a expert...

Like arm chair nutritionists! "you need to eat more fruit", "are you eating the same thing again? you should mix it up a bit", "why don't you have a big salad instead of broccoli".....





Sorry ill stop ranting in your thread Avy!

Everyone has different opinion on what is attractive.

In all seriousness I think if someone is comfortable with themselves, healthy and is a good person it goes allot further than a skanky skinny fat primadona (lol ill stop I could keep using bad words).

Society teaches us so many wrong things.

Reeducating yourself is really hard, especially when everyone is a expert...

Like arm chair nutritionists! "you need to eat more fruit", "are you eating the same thing again? you should mix it up a bit", "why don't you have a big salad instead of broccoli".....





Sorry ill stop ranting in your thread Avy!

Nothing wrong with a good rant! :tu: I think I just have to go with my gut in regards to how much food I need, pardon the pun. From what I have read (and I've read ALOT) I really believe that eating more now then cutting down about 3 months out will work the best.

Ok so here's my diet for today:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk
M2 - 20g almonds, 20g macadamias
M3 - carrot sticks (not really a meal I know)
M4 - 150g chicken breast, salad, 1 tbsp sweet chilli
M5 - whey shake
M6 - 100g natural lowfat yoghurt, 100g berries
M7 - 150g lean beef stir fry with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sweet chilli

1754 cal - 161p/125c/69f (38/28/34%) A little too much fat there but I had extra nuts, and that sweet chilli probably added to it. But damn its tasty :eat:

I did 35 mins fasted LISS this morning and am doing legs tonight! YAY!

I'm glad you've decided to bump calories. Your workouts will thank you. You'll be able to do more and recover more quickly.

That sounds very true! This is such a new thing for me all this weight training and gaining muscle - I have never looked any different really so its kinda scary to think I may get 'bigger'. Although I really want to develop more muscle and be shapely and not be just a skinny-fat person, its hard to be comfortable with gaining size when you have been slim your whole life. I guess the media has poisoned my brain to make me believe that being skinny is attractive :doh:I think doing this competition will give me a massive wakeup call as to what is really attractive, but more importantly, appreciating a healthy lifestyle and living it forever.

I am 69 kg at the moment and trying to gain weight, but it's hard getting over that fear of bulking. Imagine having been fat in the past and then seeing the scale go up - I think that might even be worse than when you've been skinny all your life. I just remind myself that more muscle is better and I can get rid of any fat I gain later. If you eat clean food, monitor your macros and calories, and make adjustments based on progress (I'm trying to gain about 1 kg/2.2 lbs per month) your fat gain will not be excessive. I promise. :)

Also, unless you know that you're very carb sensitive, don't be afraid of eating healthy carbs (e.g. quinoa, potatoes, oats). You need the energy to build muscle. It's hard to build muscle without eating enough carbs. Time them around your workouts so as to put them to good use.

I'm glad you've decided to bump calories. Your workouts will thank you. You'll be able to do more and recover more quickly.
Also, unless you know that you're very carb sensitive, don't be afraid of eating healthy carbs (e.g. quinoa, potatoes, oats). You need the energy to build muscle. It's hard to build muscle without eating enough carbs. Time them around your workouts so as to put them to good use.

I dont think I'm carb sensitive so thats a good thing! I feel really good having moderate carbs - around 120 - 180g per day (I think thats moderate?) I have only seen quinoa flakes in certains health food shops over here and they are really expensive, like $12 for 400g or something? So I think i'll stick to brown rice, oats, and potatoes. So should I be eating carbs about 1 hour before a workout or straight after a workout?

******

I had a good leg workout last night - I was starting to get some serious doms in my hamstrings from Monday's PT session so I skipped the leg curls...

Standing calf raises
55kg x 17
61kg x 12, 11

Leg extension
55kg x 10
61kg x 9, 8, 8

Walking lunges
5kg DB x 24
7.5kg DB x 24, 24

Step ups
5kg DB x 20, 18, 18

Abs

Pole twists
50

SB side crunch
3 x 20 each side


Didnt have time to finish my last ab exercise so I did it this morning after chest:

Incline press
20kg x 18
27kg x 10, 8

SB DB flys
4kg x 18
5kg x 12, 12

Pushups
11 on toes (:o I should have done them first)
30, 25 on knees

Abs

The damn cable machine was taken for the whole time I was there! So I had to do these instead of my cable crunches :mad:

SB crunches
3 x 20

Steve (my BF) got asked to go to this survey night by our Private Health Insurance, and for his time he gets $80! Not bad, and its his birthday tomorrow too so he can buy himself a little treat :) we only have one car so thats why I cant go to the gym. I'm doing the food shopping tonight which I absolutely love :spaz: except I have to walk home like a pack horse - at least its only 1km away.

Diet for today :eat:

M1 - 100g berries, 35g whey, 1 cup skim milk, flaxseed oil shake
M2 - 20g nuts
M3 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk
M4 - 150g turkey breast, coleslaw with sugar free mayo
M5 - apple & carrot sticks
M6 - protein pancakes

1679 cal - 132p/170c/55f (32/40/28%)

I dont think I'm carb sensitive so thats a good thing! I feel really good having moderate carbs - around 120 - 180g per day (I think thats moderate?) I have only seen quinoa flakes in certains health food shops over here and they are really expensive, like $12 for 400g or something? So I think i'll stick to brown rice, oats, and potatoes. So should I be eating carbs about 1 hour before a workout or straight after a workout?

Quinoa is actually a grain and I cook it like rice (1 part quinoa, 2 parts water, simmer until the water has been absorbed). It's a great source of carbs and it's one of the few vegetable sources of complete protein. Brown rice, oats and potatoes are my other sources of carbs, so I think you'll do fine with them :D.

I have carbs an hour before my workout, then right after my workout along with a whey shake, and again about an hour after my PWO shake in form of a solid meal. By "carbs" I'm referring to starchy carbs, because I eat veggies throughout the whole day.

M1 - 100g berries, 35g whey, 1 cup skim milk, flaxseed oil shake
M2 - 20g nuts
M3 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk
M4 - 150g turkey breast, coleslaw with sugar free mayo
M5 - apple & carrot sticks
M6 - protein pancakes

I've got some suggestions if you're interested. I wouldn't eat carbs by themselves because if you ingest carbs without protein and particularly fat, the insulin spike is greater. The only time you want a quick insulin spike is right after your workout (though this is debatable). So unless it's right after your workout, I would suggest combining fat, protein and carbs in a meal, or at least protein/fat and carbs/fat. Right after your workout, you should have protein/carbs, like oats and whey. So for example I would add some nuts to M5 and some veggies or fruit to M2. :) Don't be afraid to eat fat. Fat is very important for you and your metabolism. I take 8g of fish oil a day in addition to other sources of healthy fatty acids (e.g. eggs, canola oil, nuts, meat, coconut oil, ....)

P.S. Happy birthday to your BF! :)

I've got some suggestions if you're interested. I wouldn't eat carbs by themselves because if you ingest carbs without protein and particularly fat, the insulin spike is greater. The only time you want a quick insulin spike is right after your workout (though this is debatable). So unless it's right after your workout, I would suggest combining fat, protein and carbs in a meal, or at least protein/fat and carbs/fat. Right after your workout, you should have protein/carbs, like oats and whey. So for example I would add some nuts to M5 and some veggies or fruit to M2. :) Don't be afraid to eat fat. Fat is very important for you and your metabolism. I take 8g of fish oil a day in addition to other sources of healthy fatty acids (e.g. eggs, canola oil, nuts, meat, coconut oil, ....)

P.S. Happy birthday to your BF! :)

Thanks for all your advice here J_W! I guess the hardest part is getting the diet finely tweaked to get maximum results. I will definitely add some vegies to M2 and maybe some avocado or PB to M5. I also take 1 tbsp flaxseed oil most days and fish oil caps - 2 a day so I think that is 4g total but I'll have to check that. Does it matter what time I take the fish oil caps? Thanks again for your help, i really appreciate it :)
And thanks for the birthday wishes!

I had the night off from the gym last night so I just made myself some protein pancakes and also had some beans and asparagus cos I was hungry :eat: Steve bought home KFC and I had 2 chips - oops :o

We got up and did 30 mins fasted MISS this morning... I actually dont mind it :eek: but my legs are still sore from Monday and Tuesday's workouts so I stopped a little early and gave them a good stretch and massage... they feel better but still cant sit down without bracing myself. Also getting some DOMS in my chest so thats nice too.
I'm doing biceps and triceps tonight but I may do them at home since it's Steve's birthday and we are going out for dinner. There's this organic burger place near us as they make some damn tasty burgers. 97% lean beef, salad and relish on brown buns. So I suppose that's half a cheat meal?? Ah well, I may as well enjoy these times when I can slip up a little because in a few months I wont be able to... I may even have some cake :spaz:
I tried on some of my summer clothes last night to see if they still fit - they do but not the same as they used to. They are tighter around the legs and butt, and only a tiny bit around the waist so I know that I have added some size to me. I was surprised that I didnt get upset because I would have if it were 6 months ago... but now I know that muscle is good and skinny fat is baaaad. My legs feel alot firmer and I am seeing more definition. My progress has sped up a little in the last few weeks so I'm happy about that. I guess the first few months were spent building a base, and now things are really starting to happen. I dont think I realised how long it actually takes for things to change and to see progress. I think a large reason why I never want to stop training is that I dont want to start from scratch again... that was hard. I remember my first bench press :lol: I just used the bar and could barely do anything. Amazing.

My kayak is so freakin cool :cool:
If your wondering why I have my legs hanging out is cos I'm trying to get some colour on those beaming white pegs - winter sux.

Whoaaa, that is a cool freakin' kayak! I'm jealous :(

Neat kayak! My dad kayaks in the summer and loves it. :)

Thanks for all your advice here J_W! I guess the hardest part is getting the diet finely tweaked to get maximum results. I will definitely add some vegies to M2 and maybe some avocado or PB to M5. I also take 1 tbsp flaxseed oil most days and fish oil caps - 2 a day so I think that is 4g total but I'll have to check that. Does it matter what time I take the fish oil caps? Thanks again for your help, i really appreciate it :)

You're very welcome. I'm happy to help. Keep in mind that all this advice stems from my own personal experience. In the end, you're going to have to experiment a little and find out what works best for you.

As for the fish oil, I take 2 capsules 4 times a day along with my meals.

Good job on your muscle-building progress! I find that clothes are a really excellent indicator of whether or not you're going in the right direction. :nod:

great pic!! awesome kayak. i'm extremely jealous!!

Everyone has different opinion on what is attractive.

In all seriousness I think if someone is comfortable with themselves, healthy and is a good person it goes allot further than a skanky skinny fat primadona (lol ill stop I could keep using bad words).


I laughed so hard at this comment that I spit out my water :lol:

Avy, I think you look great as you are; not sickly, just thin, but I have to agree with Phillyp...skinny-fat people are not very attractive (to me).

Neat kayak! My dad kayaks in the summer and loves it. :)



You're very welcome. I'm happy to help. Keep in mind that all this advice stems from my own personal experience. In the end, you're going to have to experiment a little and find out what works best for you.

As for the fish oil, I take 2 capsules 4 times a day along with my meals.

Good job on your muscle-building progress! I find that clothes are a really excellent indicator of whether or not you're going in the right direction. :nod:

Wow thats alot more than i'm taking?! Maybe I'm just not taking enough... i'll have to revisit the directions and RDI.

I will try to remember to take some progress pics this weekend and also do a BF test - I am feeling like I have lost a little fat, but we'll see.

******

I did biceps and triceps last night and back this morning:

Seated DB curls
6.5kg x 10, 9, 8 (each side)

Overhead tricep ext
9kg x 16, 12, 12, 11

Dips
35, 30, 30

Hammer curls
9kg x 7 (each side), 6, 6

BACK

Chin ups (assisted)
51kg x 13, 12, 12 - so weak here

Lat pulldown
35kg x 12, 11
41kg x 10

Seated row
35kg x 15
41kg x 8
41kg x 5 - drop set - 35kg x 12

Rear deltoid flys (I think thats what they're called?)
4kg x 13, 12, 12

My shoulders are kinda weak and I also had elbow surgery 7 years ago so I'm not really strong with exercises that expose the joints like this one - still felt it working though :tu:

Abs (same as always)

Got PT tonight - I think we'll be doing a cardio/boxing circuit :o I love punching the shit out of that bag, its just the sprints in between that suck!

My half cheat meal last night turned into a full blown cheat :doh:
We had Mexican instead of that burger place - I had chicken fajitas then a slice of chocolate mousse cake for dessert :drool: I dont feel bloated this morning though so thats a nice thing! Wasnt as hungry for my breakfast this morning but... I wonder why :confused::p

I also had my oats cold this morning with lowfat milk and a little bit of dried fruit - very tasty. Its getting too warm now to have them hot.

Diet for today:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, about 20g dried fruit (no whey because I forgot)
M2 - apple, 20g cheese
M3 - 150g chicken breast, large salad, 2 tbsp sweet chilli, 1/4 cup couscous
M4 - 35g whey, 1 cup skim milk
M5 - 150g chicken, roast vegies
M6 - 50g cottage cheese, 50g blueberries, 1 tbsp natural PB

1500 cal - 149p/141c/44f (40/35/25%)

Thought it would have added up to more cals that that? Ah well, I suppose it doesnt hurt to have a lower day since I pigged out last night :D

I'm going away with some girlfriends for the weekend to the city - I wont be cheating though since that boat sailed last night. I'll have some cold seafood for dinner (YUM :drool:), no alcohol, and no dessert :( but thems the breaks.

I am really frustrated with this chick at my gym. She is there every morning, goes straight to the same stationary bike, does the exact same time, speed, effort. Then hits the x trainer for 10 mins on the same setting, then does some machine work - I wouldnt even call it working out though. Light weight, low rep while watching the TV screens. Then comes the situps... but I dont really know what they are. She throws her arms back over her head, then throws them up as she sits up, and then about half way up she pulls herself the rest of the way from her knees :bang: I know its none of my business what other people choose to do, but I cant help to get annoyed by it and wish I could say 'hey, can I suggest something?'
Maybe these types of incorrect form result from poor inductions by the gym instructors? pfft anyway I just needed to vent that :)

Avy,

Good job on jumping right back on to your diet. I give people a lot of credit for falling off their diet one day and being able to get right back on the next. I had a little emotional eating tantrum just tonight, and boy am I paying for it. I feel super gassy right now, but you probably didn't need to know that :p. It's okay, back to normal tomorrow!

BTW, girls like the one mentioned above piss me off too! :mad: I just want to go over to them yell at them like a boot camp instructor so they can get their form right and do it hard enough to make themselves sweat.

How are you doing your dips? I'm assuming feet on a bench or something, if not, 35 is extremely high.

Hey Avy! Great journal you got here. Good luck with your goals your gonna do great. Keep working hard! I look forward to following your progress!

Avy,

Good job on jumping right back on to your diet. I give people a lot of credit for falling off their diet one day and being able to get right back on the next. I had a little emotional eating tantrum just tonight, and boy am I paying for it. I feel super gassy right now, but you probably didn't need to know that :p. It's okay, back to normal tomorrow!


I just read your journal entry and I know when I'm pissed off, eating something bad is like the first thing I wanna do! But yeah afterwards you normally pay for it with either bloat, overfull, or gassy as you seem to be :lol: (idea for new emoticon maybe?) But it does feel good to get back to your normal diet - cheat meals/naughty food seem so much better in your head than in your tummy dont you think!?

How are you doing your dips? I'm assuming feet on a bench or something, if not, 35 is extremely high.

Yeah I prolly should have explained that better - I just do them on a bench with my legs straight out. I dont think I could even do one hanging dip! I really wish I could do a chin up though (unassisted) but my elbow just isnt the same after I broke it twice :(

Hey Avy! Great journal you got here. Good luck with your goals your gonna do great. Keep working hard! I look forward to following your progress!

Hi jchantelau!
Thanks for stopping by! I have been follwing your journal too :tucool:

Hi Avy!

Girl! Eat more :D Seriously!

I quickly read through your journal and have couple comments:
I don't have enough muscle mass for a figure show, with my height I would have to be about 145-150 lb (dieted down) and about 160 off season to compete in figure.
For model I'm OK at 140lb (competition weight) and I was about 135 at the competition.

If I were you I would not worry about dieting and fat loss but I would build muscle. 61 kg is very light. It's about 134 lb.

You're the same height as me, maybe you're little taller.

For me to maintain I have to eat about 2400 cals. To gain about 2700 cals (yes)
During my strictest diet I was eating about 1800 and that was way too low when I look back. I should never dropped below 2000 cals.

My advice is to eat more carbs. 80 grams is nothing. When I eat about 200-300 g clean carbs I dont gain fat!

I know these numbers look high..but trust me, they are not.
And I started fatter then you. I was about 160 lb (72 kg)

Anyway.... sorry for the random rambling... it's late.

Good luck!!

Hi Avy!
Girl! Eat more :D Seriously!
I quickly read through your journal and have couple comments:
I don't have enough muscle mass for a figure show, with my height I would have to be about 145-150 lb (dieted down) and about 160 off season to compete in figure.
For model I'm OK at 140lb (competition weight) and I was about 135 at the competition.

If I were you I would not worry about dieting and fat loss but I would build muscle. 61 kg is very light. It's about 134 lb.

You're the same height as me, maybe you're little taller.

For me to maintain I have to eat about 2400 cals. To gain about 2700 cals (yes)
During my strictest diet I was eating about 1800 and that was way too low when I look back. I should never dropped below 2000 cals.

My advice is to eat more carbs. 80 grams is nothing. When I eat about 200-300 g clean carbs I dont gain fat!

I know these numbers look high..but trust me, they are not.
And I started fatter then you. I was about 160 lb (72 kg)

Anyway.... sorry for the random rambling... it's late.

Good luck!!

Hi Maya!
I know, everyone is pretty much saying the same thing - EAT EAT EAT :eat:
The thing is I just dont know what to do because my trainer has set me this diet and training program and wants me to stick to it for the first 6 weeks - so another 3 weeks. I havent had a proper converstation with her about my diet so I know I should really ask what the process will be because I suppose I am a little worried I wont get the results I am striving for. I am unsure whether this 6 week diet plan is just to start me off then my calories could increase until its time to cut? I guess all I need to do is ask :doh:

Thanks for your advice, every piece of info is really helpful - and considering you did a comp, well you have first hand experience so your input means alot :tucool:

******

So I had my weekend away with the girls and it was great fun! Went shopping all day Saturday and spent too much money :o
Dinner was so good, I had duck hotpot with greens and noodles and a cocktail to wash it down :drool: very tasty.
I didnt get much sleep Sat night so I am pretty tired this morning since I couldn't nap yesterday... Steve and I went shopping (again) so he could spend his birthday vouchers. He bought alot of clothes and some DVD's... I just walked around in a daze wishing I was in bed :sleep: ah well, back to the gym tonight for PT :blank: then I have to do the grocery shopping since I pretty much couldnt be f*cked yesterday. So a busy night ahead for me... great not.

I would listen to this Maya woman. She definitely knows what she's talking about. :tu:

I don't see cutting to be in your program anytime soon until you put on some significant gains. Let your PT know that your goal is to put on some lean body mass and you feel like you would like to increase your caloric intake. I'm sure he or she will understand.

Well I asked my trainer about my calories and how I felt they were too low for what I want to achieve - she just said trust me, I have it all worked out and things will be changed very soon. So I will just go with it and 'trust her'. She has trained heaps of girls for comps and they have all done really well, some have even won so she must know her stuff.

My PT session last night was full on as usual, but I wasnt feeling too well to start with so I didnt enjoy it as much as usual. But that doesnt mean I didnt work my ass off!
Here's my workout for last night - and I'm pretty sure some of the exercise names are wrong? Ah well:

Alternating lunges (on smith machine)
26kg x 12 (each leg)
36kg x 10
46kg x 10

Calf raises (on smith machine)
26kg x 10 straight toes, 10 toes inwards, 10 toes outwards
46kg x 10 (same as above)
56kg x 10 (same as above)

DB incline chest press
7.5kg DB x 12
10kg DB x 10
12.5kg DB x 8 (PB!! :bb:)

BB bentover rows
26kg x 12
31kg x 5 (too heavy :o)
26kg x 12

Overhead cable tricep extension
23kg x 15
27kg x 12, 12

Cable hammer curls (thats what I would call them anyway)
27kg x 15
31kg x 10
27kg x 12

Incline crunches
25
25 with 5kg DB

Pretty big workout but she doesnt stuff around - there was like 3 minutes to go in my hour so she grabbed the incline bench and made me do those last crunches! At least I get my moneys worth.

My trainer said she can already see a difference in my legs and arms so I was very pleased with that :D I forgot to take some progress pics but I will definitely do it this week.

Diet for today:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g dried fruit, 35g whey
M2 - 100g berries, 100g natural lowfat yoghurt
M3 - 1 tin tuna, large salad
M4 - protein pancake
M5 - 35g whey PWO
M6 - 150g lean beef, grilled vegies

1688cal - 167p/177c/37f (40/41/19%) :tucool: perfect

Well I asked my trainer about my calories and how I felt they were too low for what I want to achieve - she just said trust me, I have it all worked out and things will be changed very soon. So I will just go with it and 'trust her'. She has trained heaps of girls for comps and they have all done really well, some have even won so she must know her stuff.

My PT session last night was full on as usual, but I wasnt feeling too well to start with so I didnt enjoy it as much as usual. But that doesnt mean I didnt work my ass off!
Here's my workout for last night - and I'm pretty sure some of the exercise names are wrong? Ah well:

Alternating lunges (on smith machine)
26kg x 12 (each leg)
36kg x 10
46kg x 10

Calf raises (on smith machine)
26kg x 10 straight toes, 10 toes inwards, 10 toes outwards
46kg x 10 (same as above)
56kg x 10 (same as above)

DB incline chest press
7.5kg DB x 12
10kg DB x 10
12.5kg DB x 8 (PB!! :bb:)

BB bentover rows
26kg x 12
31kg x 5 (too heavy :o)
26kg x 12

Overhead cable tricep extension
23kg x 15
27kg x 12, 12

Cable hammer curls (thats what I would call them anyway)
27kg x 15
31kg x 10
27kg x 12

Incline crunches
25
25 with 5kg DB

Pretty big workout but she doesnt stuff around - there was like 3 minutes to go in my hour so she grabbed the incline bench and made me do those last crunches! At least I get my moneys worth.

My trainer said she can already see a difference in my legs and arms so I was very pleased with that :D I forgot to take some progress pics but I will definitely do it this week.

Diet for today:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g dried fruit, 35g whey
M2 - 100g berries, 100g natural lowfat yoghurt
M3 - 1 tin tuna, large salad
M4 - protein pancake
M5 - 35g whey PWO
M6 - 150g lean beef, grilled vegies

1688cal - 167p/177c/37f (40/41/19%) :tucool: perfect

Nice work Avy, keep working hard.

Nice work Avy, keep working hard.

Thanks jchantelau! I sure am!

So I didnt get to the gym yesterday :o I am pretty sure I got food poisoning on the weekend so I have been fighting it off. Plus Steve went to the chiro and had his back adjusted so he had to take it easy as well... so we went to the movies instead ;) we saw Wall-E and it was so cute and funny. I am a sucker for kids movies :lol: Nemo, Monsters inc, Lion King - all those ones I just love...

I did get up to do 30 mins of fasted MISS this morning and I will be doing biceps and triceps tonight :bb: so I'm back on track and feeling really motivated again. It sux when you're sick and you just know that you shouldnt (and cant) workout. I get really annoyed :mad:

Here's my foooooood for today :eat:

M1 - 100g berries, 1 cup skim milk, 35g whey, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil shake
M2 - 30g nuts, apple
M3 - 100g chicken, 1/4 avocado, 1 slice low fat cheese, salad on organic rye bread
M4 - protein pancake
M5 - 100g lean beef, roast vegies, 1/4 cup brown rice

1635cal - 133p/150c/62f (33/34/33%)

Thanks jchantelau! I sure am!

So I didnt get to the gym yesterday :o I am pretty sure I got food poisoning on the weekend so I have been fighting it off. Plus Steve went to the chiro and had his back adjusted so he had to take it easy as well... so we went to the movies instead ;) we saw Wall-E and it was so cute and funny. I am a sucker for kids movies :lol: Nemo, Monsters inc, Lion King - all those ones I just love...

I did get up to do 30 mins of fasted MISS this morning and I will be doing biceps and triceps tonight :bb: so I'm back on track and feeling really motivated again. It sux when you're sick and you just know that you shouldnt (and cant) workout. I get really annoyed :mad:

Here's my foooooood for today :eat:

M1 - 100g berries, 1 cup skim milk, 35g whey, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil shake
M2 - 30g nuts, apple
M3 - 100g chicken, 1/4 avocado, 1 slice low fat cheese, salad on organic rye bread
M4 - protein pancake
M5 - 100g lean beef, roast vegies, 1/4 cup brown rice

1635cal - 133p/150c/62f (33/34/33%)

Glad you're feeling better. Protein Pancake!:drool:

Glad you're feeling better. Protein Pancake!:drool:

Thanks - I was almost going to cancel my PT session Monday night but I didnt - instead she flogged me and I almost puked :lol: and I think everyone I went out for dinner with on the weekend got sick too. Wont be going back there anytime soon (insert vomit emoticon)

Yeah the protein pancake is so damn good I might even have one every day :D I got it from the recipies area on JSF - mmm I cant wait to eat it :drool:

Hmm.. what is this protein pancake you speak of? :eat: And where do I get some? Lol.

Hmm.. what is this protein pancake you speak of? :eat: And where do I get some? Lol.

Here's the link... enjoy! Also, I put in some splenda as well to make it a bit more sweet :tu:

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=44694

Found this not to bad site the other day.

www.figureathlete.com (http://www.figureathlete.com)

Where are you getting the calorie count on your foods? Curious. :tucool:

Here's the link... enjoy! Also, I put in some splenda as well to make it a bit more sweet :tu:

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=44694

Yeah I sprinkle the splenda on top after they're done!:drool: I add sugar-free jello to my mix. I think off that link there's a link off to youtube which is almost identical to my receipe.

Where are you getting the calorie count on your foods? Curious. :tucool:

Hi CA$ON! I get it off Fitday... its probably not exact because some of my foods arent customised yet.

******

I have no time to do anything but eat, sleep, go to work and go to the gym! I get up at 5.20am - go to the gym from 6 - 7am. Then get ready for work, start work at 8am finish at 5pm, go home and get changed for the gym, get home from the gym at 7pm, cook dinner, eat, cleanup, have a shower, then its close to 9pm and I'm stuffed... I dont even have kids and I have no time to do anything but the above! Mums and Dads are amazing :nod:

Anyway enough of me whinging - I had a really good bicep and tricep workout last night :bb:

BB curl
12.5kg x 18
15kg x 12, 10, 5

Hammer curls
7kg DB x 12
8kg DB x 9, 9

Tricep machine (?)
23kg x 16
27kg x 9 - drop set - 23kg x 9
23kg x 12

Tricep cable pushdown
23kg x 12, 11
30kg x 5 - drop set - 23kg x 7

Skullcrusher
10kg BB x 15
12.5kg x 10, 10

Abs

Didnt go to the gym this morning for cardio because I have some serious doms like everywhere and I didnt sleep very well :rolleyes: poor excuses I know... :spank: Ill have to do my leg workout plus some MISS afterwards tonight.

Man my job can get so frustrating sometimes - I'm the Systems Administrator for our whole company and sort of the helpdesk as well. Some of the things I hear and the problems people have just amaze me! For example:


Me: Ok dont double click that, it causes the screen to load twice and slows down the performance on your PC. If there is a little hand over the icon you only need to click once, but if there is the normal arrow then double click.

User: Oh I didnt know that, OK (user double clicks again on the same icon)

Me - No dont double click that remember?

User - Oh so not on this icon? Is that what the hand looks like? Ok I got it now.

Me - Ok now go to .... and select save

User - double clicks on an icon with a hand

Me - Hey! You dont double click that! See the hand. I cant help you if you're not listening.

User - Sorry I forgot to see if it was a hand.

Me - Just close it all down and start again.

User - Do I double click on the 'X'?

Me - :eek: :doh::mad: :bang:

And this is someone who has worked here for 4 years... riiiight.

Man my job can get so frustrating sometimes - I'm the Systems Administrator for our whole company and sort of the helpdesk as well. Some of the things I hear and the problems people have just amaze me! For example:


Me: Ok dont double click that, it causes the screen to load twice and slows down the performance on your PC. If there is a little hand over the icon you only need to click once, but if there is the normal arrow then double click.

User: Oh I didnt know that, OK (user double clicks again on the same icon)

Me - No dont double click that remember?

User - Oh so not on this icon? Is that what the hand looks like? Ok I got it now.

Me - Ok now go to .... and select save

User - double clicks on an icon with a hand

Me - Hey! You dont double click that! See the hand. I cant help you if you're not listening.

User - Sorry I forgot to see if it was a hand.

Me - Just close it all down and start again.

User - Do I double click on the 'X'?

Me - :eek: :doh::mad: :bang:

And this is someone who has worked here for 4 years... riiiight.

ID 10 T (idiots) error!!:lol:

or

PEBKAC - Problem exist between keyboard and chair

Oh the fun of IT Support!:lol:

ID 10 T (idiots) error!!:lol:
or
PEBKAC - Problem exist between keyboard and chair

Oh the fun of IT Support!:lol:


HAHA PEBKAC - i didnt realise this saying was global :lol:

I had another user send me a screen dump of an error which read simply 'Please press OK to accept or Cancel to close'. The user couldnt work for 2 hours because they had this error up - but didnt read it. When I asked them did they read it they just sent back, 'OK fixed'. WOW.

HAHA PEBKAC - i didnt realise this saying was global :lol:

I had another user send me a screen dump of an error which read simply 'Please press OK to accept or Cancel to close'. The user couldnt work for 2 hours because they had this error up - but didnt read it. When I asked them did they read it they just sent back, 'OK fixed'. WOW.

Or my favorite... RTFM... Read The F*&^ing Manual!

Hello Avy :neener:

I was asking because 100g of ground beef is pretty small no? If you want more maybe switch to ground turkey breast (Should get more food for the calories and more protein less fat). Fitday is what I use and love it.

Just my 2 cents. :tucool:

Lady at my work made this one for the new guy:

FLPOS = F*cking Lazy Piece Of Sh$t

Hello Avy :neener:

I was asking because 100g of ground beef is pretty small no? If you want more maybe switch to ground turkey breast (Should get more food for the calories and more protein less fat). Fitday is what I use and love it.

Just my 2 cents. :tucool:

Yeah it was pretty small actaully - normally I get 150g but even that isnt alot. I have searched high and low for ground turkey and I cant find it anywhere! We only have beef, chicken, and pork. I just go with the lean beef, unless pork or chicken would be better? I always get a bit warey of ground chicken? :confused: Thanks for the tip - more food with less fat is awesome :spaz:


Lady at my work made this one for the new guy:

FLPOS = F*cking Lazy Piece Of Sh$t

:lol: that is a great one! I wrekon half our employees could be branded a FLPOS!

I got one:

WAFD - What a f**ken dumbass

Man I am tired this morning :sleep:I had a really restless sleep last night because some jerk was driving around beeping their horn for over an hour at about 2am... I was so shitty but I couldnt really do anything so I tried to go back to sleep - I actually started dreaming about the gym :eek: weird. But I still managed to get up and do 35 mins MISS... Friday mornings are a cardio fest in there! I was lucky to get a treadmill!

I also had a lovely leg workout last night ;)

DB lunges
7.5kg x 15, 14, 14 (each leg)

Leg curl
20kg x 15, 10, 9

Leg extension
45kg x 10, 9, 8, 5 - drop set - 37kg x 8

Step ups
7.5 kg DB x 10, 10, 15 (each leg)

20 mins MISS

My calves are STILL sore from Mondays PT. I have never had DOMS this long before! :bb: I have PT tonight and we are doing a boxing circuit apparently so that will be a nice change. I almost punched her in the face last time :D

I cant believe its the weekend again already! Not that its a bad thing. Next weekend is the Melbourne Cup long weekend - for all you foreigners the Melbourne Cup is Australia's largest thoroughbred horse race and everyone in the Melbourne area gets the day off work and school - so that means me :tu: My girlfriend is having a 'hat day' at her place and we all have to wear a very OTT fancy hat - preferably home made. So I am going to Spotlight (craft/habadashery/homemaker centre) tomorrow to try and get some ideas for a hat because I am really stuck. Any ideas??

HAHA PEBKAC - i didnt realise this saying was global :lol:

I had another user send me a screen dump of an error which read simply 'Please press OK to accept or Cancel to close'. The user couldnt work for 2 hours because they had this error up - but didnt read it. When I asked them did they read it they just sent back, 'OK fixed'. WOW.

Oh yeah I've had that happen, just crazy. JUST READ THE F'IN SCREEN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD....:lol:

Well I made my races hat! It is so cool :cool: I will post some pics later. It only took me about an hour to do but about 6 hours to find all the stuff :mad: no one had a glue gun - not even the craft place?? WTF?

Diet was not so good on the weekend... but I have stocked up the fridge again with all my clean food so I am back on track 100% this week :D plus my BF and I are going away this weekend so I dare say I may have 2 cheats instead of one :o so I better be spot on with my diet this week.

Friday night PT was a killer. We did a cardio circuit and man I was close to spewing. My cheeks were red for about 2 hours after and I was still sweating after my shower! Very intense but very rewarding :nod:

Got up and did 35 mins MISS this morning and felt really good. I have PT tonight as well so I pray that we are doing weights because I much prefer the pain of lifting than the pain of cardio.

Food for today :eat:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g dried fruit
M2 - 20g cheese, apple
M3 - 150g chicken breast, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, salad vegies
M4 - 1/2 protein pancake
M5 - protein shake
M6 - 200g salmon steak, vegies, 1 tbsp harissa (mmm spicy)

Trying to get in at leat 2 litres of water a day... my trainer said I should have 3 but I really struggle to get even 2 in :o

There are some people at work who I have told about my competition and they are - lets say 90% supportive - but there are times when I think they just think I'm stupid or something. Like they will ask 'so did you go to the gym this morning?' Which I reply 'yes' and they just say 'you're crazy, you need to get a life.' Um, I do thanks - its called a healthy one. Steve told me I shouldnt tell anyone about it for that exact reason - but I couldnt help it, I'm excitied about it and wanted to share. Now I know why he suggested not to :rolleyes:

Well I made my races hat! It is so cool :cool: I will post some pics later. It only took me about an hour to do but about 6 hours to find all the stuff :mad: no one had a glue gun - not even the craft place?? WTF?

Diet was not so good on the weekend... but I have stocked up the fridge again with all my clean food so I am back on track 100% this week :D plus my BF and I are going away this weekend so I dare say I may have 2 cheats instead of one :o so I better be spot on with my diet this week.

Friday night PT was a killer. We did a cardio circuit and man I was close to spewing. My cheeks were red for about 2 hours after and I was still sweating after my shower! Very intense but very rewarding :nod:

Got up and did 35 mins MISS this morning and felt really good. I have PT tonight as well so I pray that we are doing weights because I much prefer the pain of lifting than the pain of cardio.

Food for today :eat:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g dried fruit
M2 - 20g cheese, apple
M3 - 150g chicken breast, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, salad vegies
M4 - 1/2 protein pancake
M5 - protein shake
M6 - 200g salmon steak, vegies, 1 tbsp harissa (mmm spicy)

Trying to get in at leat 2 litres of water a day... my trainer said I should have 3 but I really struggle to get even 2 in :o

There are some people at work who I have told about my competition and they are - lets say 90% supportive - but there are times when I think they just think I'm stupid or something. Like they will ask 'so did you go to the gym this morning?' Which I reply 'yes' and they just say 'you're crazy, you need to get a life.' Um, I do thanks - its called a healthy one. Steve told me I shouldnt tell anyone about it for that exact reason - but I couldnt help it, I'm excitied about it and wanted to share. Now I know why he suggested not to :rolleyes:

Ahh don't listen to them :p. They're just jealous cause you have more commitment than them to do something that they wished they could do, but won't put in the hard work to do it. I'm really proud of your diligence and hard work so far, and I only wish you the best of luck with your competition. And don't worry about the diet this weekend, I let myself go too. Everyone slips up sometimes. The most important thing is to get right back up after you fall and keep on going. Pick it up tomorrow, because I definitely will. :tu:

There are some people at work who I have told about my competition and they are - lets say 90% supportive - but there are times when I think they just think I'm stupid or something. Like they will ask 'so did you go to the gym this morning?' Which I reply 'yes' and they just say 'you're crazy, you need to get a life.' Um, I do thanks - its called a healthy one. Steve told me I shouldnt tell anyone about it for that exact reason - but I couldnt help it, I'm excitied about it and wanted to share. Now I know why he suggested not to :rolleyes:

I don't usually talk about my weight lifting endeavors, either. The reason I don't tell people is usually because I don't like having to explain what it involves and that, yes, women can lift weights and not look hyoooge. That's the most common reaction that I get when somebody finds out: "But you're not big at all!" Or: "But you're a woman!" :rolleyes:

I'm sure if people knew how dedicated I am to eating right and training I'd get similar reactions to yours. Just ignore them. If you were pursuing some other kind of goal that takes discipline and dedication, you'd probably get similar reactions. Many people can't deal with it when they see other people doing what they can't do themselvesj, and training hard and eating right is one of those things that many people fail at, for one reason or another. Seeing others who are "just like them" (as opposed to elite athletes that they watch on TV) achieve what they can't is often very intimidating, so they try to consciously or subconsciously sabotage our efforts. Don't let it get to you. Just keep doing what you're doing and if you're uncomfortable talking about it, then don't :).

I don't usually talk about my weight lifting endeavors, either. The reason I don't tell people is usually because I don't like having to explain what it involves and that, yes, women can lift weights and not look hyoooge. That's the most common reaction that I get when somebody finds out: "But you're not big at all!" Or: "But you're a woman!" :rolleyes:

I'm sure if people knew how dedicated I am to eating right and training I'd get similar reactions to yours. Just ignore them. If you were pursuing some other kind of goal that takes discipline and dedication, you'd probably get similar reactions. Many people can't deal with it when they see other people doing what they can't do themselvesj, and training hard and eating right is one of those things that many people fail at, for one reason or another. Seeing others who are "just like them" (as opposed to elite athletes that they watch on TV) achieve what they can't is often very intimidating, so they try to consciously or subconsciously sabotage our efforts. Don't let it get to you. Just keep doing what you're doing and if you're uncomfortable talking about it, then don't :).

I think you're right J_W :nod: my friend (who now lives in another state) emails me and asks 'hows the muscle bound freak going?' on a regular basis, and I just know that she is saying that because she could never do something that requires this much dedication - plus she loves her maccas and coke too much. I am only gonna talk about it with the people that I know are supportive and understand why I'm doing this.

******

PT was pretty good last night - did weights which was so much better than cardio :tucool: although, she still had me working hard!
Here's the workout:

Power lunges
5kg DB x 50 (non stop! :o)

Single leg extension
20kg x 12, 12, 10

Lateral raises
3kg x 25, 22, 22

Tricep extension
12.5kg BB x 14
15kg BB x 12, 12

Seated chest press
27kg x 14
35kg x 10
42kg x 5
35kg x 8

Preacher curls
12.5kg x 12, 12, 12 (my elbow is so weak from being broken twice)

Inverted row (?)
35kg x 12
41kg x 5
35kg x 8

35 mins MISS done this morning - I had a good 8 hours sleep last night so I didnt mind getting up at 5.20am today :)
I'll be doing chest tonight.

Also, I took some pics of my races hat - they turned out pretty good ;)

Ahh don't listen to them :p. They're just jealous cause you have more commitment than them to do something that they wished they could do, but won't put in the hard work to do it. I'm really proud of your diligence and hard work so far, and I only wish you the best of luck with your competition. And don't worry about the diet this weekend, I let myself go too. Everyone slips up sometimes. The most important thing is to get right back up after you fall and keep on going. Pick it up tomorrow, because I definitely will. :tu:

Thanks heaps Vicky :) although people's comments dont make me want to quit (not even in the slightest!) it still bothers me that people who are meant to be your friends put you down when they know its important to you. Good friends are so hard to find!

And I am 100% back on track with my diet so far :tu: hope you're doing well too!

That's a very colorful hat you got there, lol. And thanks, feels good to be back on track. :D

No gym last night :spank: Steve's back was really sore and I felt really sick in the stomach. Steve has the day off work today too cos he can barely walk around without crippling over in pain :(

Because I felt so guilty I got up early and did something for the first time ever - a spin class! Shit it was hard. The instuctor is crazy too, she is so small and ropey looking from doing 10 years of spin classes and her little legs go a million miles an hour while mine were finding it hard to keep up. I am going to do one class a week I think to keep my endurance up - it was like a 45 min HIIT session :o doing weights tonight too.
I have definitely noticed some changes in my body recently. My legs and arms are more defined, and bigger too. I will really have to take some more progress pics so I can compare them.

I ordered some Pro-tan yesterday cos my trainer suggested I should experiment with it so I get it looking perfect by comp time... i'm scared I'll look like an oompa loompa :scared:

Food for today :eat:

M1 - 100g berries, 1 cup skim milk, 35g whey, 1 tbsp flaxssed oil shake
M2 - 20g nuts, watermelon
M3 - 150g turkey breast, greek salad with red onion, capsicum, lowfat fetta, rocket, 1 tsp olive oil, pepper
M4 - apple, whey shake
M5 - 150g lean beef, vegies
M6 - 1/2 protein pancake

I would wear that hat! :p:cool:


Check it out CA$ON with the hat! lol----> :madpimp:

I would wear that hat! :p:cool:


Check it out CA$ON with the hat! lol----> :madpimp:

Who wouldnt want to wear it?! Its an Avy Original... :p

I've felt really weird this week and a bit down as well. I think I am just really stressed out about the competition and I think about it 24/7. I am really really hard on myself so I start thinking that I am not good enough and will look like shit and be laughed off the stage.

You know alot of people (almost all people actually) tell me that I'm so lucky cos I'm tall and slim and could be a model (I'm by no means model material I think they just say it cos I'm 5'11). But what people dont realise is that I have had seriously low self esteem since I can remember and have really struggled with it. They just cant get their heads around a skinny chick being depressed about the way she looks. I'm usually told to shutup and stop being ridiculous and thats it. Its like because I'm not overweight I dont have a right to get upset about how I look.
So I guess I finally got fed up with being upset about myself and decided to start serious weight training to change the way I looked. Recently I've started to feel better because I've noticed changes in my overall shape and physique for the first time ever, which is what I've longed for my whole life. It's not like I havent tried in the past either to make changes. I've joined at least 4 or 5 gyms in my life and they all go well for the first 3 or so months, then it sort of fizzles out and thats that. This time I want it to be different. I want to reach my goals so much and prove to myself that I can do it and I can achieve something which requires so much dedication and hard work. Even though I feel like I'm alone in this journey alot of the time, I'm doing it for me and no one else. I know that life is too short to stay upset and wallow in misery - which is what I've done for a long time. I just hope I'm strong enough to see it through.
Sorry for the emotional vomit there - sometimes this crap just builds up and has to erupt.

This time I want it to be different. I want to reach my goals so much and prove to myself that I can do it and I can achieve something which requires so much dedication and hard work. Even though I feel like I'm alone in this journey alot of the time, I'm doing it for me and no one else. I know that life is too short to stay upset and wallow in misery - which is what I've done for a long time. I just hope I'm strong enough to see it through.

Your dedication and motivation are fabulous and inspiring. Keep it up, Avy!

Avy, I check on your journal ALL the time and its nice to place a face with the journal! Your not alone! Theres a ton of us who are cheering you on thru the internet and the fact that your doing this for yourself will make all the difference. I know with me I was trying to get thin or shapely for everyone else that kept seeing me as the "fat mom". When I finally decided to make changes for myself and stop caring what everyone else thought my whole attitude changed and I became more successful. Giving 100% to yourself is a good thing. Keep up the great work and I look forward to watching/reading you reach your goals!!!

You are definitely not alone Avy. I'm absolutely sure almost everyone on here has felt that way. For me, I grew up being told by my own parents that I should've been thin because thin = beautiful (but we all know otherwise that just being thin doesn't cut it for some people ;)). Because I had struggled with self-esteem my whole life, everything I did to try to change the way I looked never turned out the way I wanted it to. It wasn't until I stopped stressing, looked myself in the mirror, and told myself that I was beautiful, did my attitude start to change. I feel so lucky that I came across this forum because there are so many people here that I am able to connect with. I soon realized that I didn't want to just be thin.. I wanted to be strong and give my body shape. And once my attitude about fitness and self-image had changed, so did my overall health and appearance.

Keep working hard girl. We're all rooting for you. If you continue to progress in your workouts and eat clean, it is impossible for you to not succeed.

modmaven, kree, and vicky - thanks so much for posting your comments. It really means alot to me that you read my journal and posted those kind words of encouragment :) I guess I'm just having 'one of those weeks'. I think the only way to move on is keep training and not to lose sight of my goals. Its so weird because the more I workout the better I feel so why do I find it so hard to go somedays? Stoopid... :doh:
I really feed off everyones motivation and progress on this site - its amazing how I can follow someones life even though I havent met them, and connect with them in some way. I have to say I read ALOT of journals on a daily basis and I gain so much from each and every one of them.

******

So I didnt go to the gym last night cos I had to get my hair done :D I went a bit blonder since its coming into Summer here and I'll prolly tan up a bit. The worst thing about being blonde is the regrowth... you cant leave it longer than 6 weeks otherwise its just embarrassing. I've gone brown a few times but always go back to blonde - and since I have curly (shit) hair the blonde really shows up the curl better. Ok - enough raving on about my hair! :o

I got up and did chest this morning and I'm so glad I dragged my arse out of bed cos it felt really good! And... I did 25 pushups on my toes! Only 10 away from my bet with Steve :tu:
Heres the workout:

Pushups
25 on toes, 12 on knees
12, 8
4, 6

Incline chest press
20kg x 16
27kg x 12
35kg x 5
27kg x 6

SB DB flys
5kg x 16
6kg x 12
6kg x 12

DB bench press
8kg x 14
9kg x 12
9kg x 12 - could have gone heavier but didnt have a spotter and I was wobbling all over the place

Abs

I have PT tonight so that will be a good way to finish off the week. Steve and I are going away for 2 days this weekend so that will be nice and relaxing. Although I am planning to go to the gym there and do a leg workout :D I'll post some pics up next week of our little trip - the island we are going to is a tourist attraction because of these little penguins that live there. We are doing one of the night watching tours so that will be really cute :) I'm a really big animal lover so I'm a sucker for these sorts of things.

Food for Friday:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 20g dried fruit, 1 cup skim milk
M2 - apple, 20g lowfat cheese
M3 - protein pancakes
M4 - yoghurt, berries, whey
M5 - salmon steak, steamed vegies, BBQ corn :drool:

Steve's having one of his new favourite meals tonight. I made it up a few weeks ago - Pan fry the salmon til its half cooked through, then I break it up and get it all crispy, then add in some cooked brown rice, soy sauce, and creamed corn and mix it all together - then place some steamed vegies on top. He LOVES it. I tried it and it is damn good. Doesnt sound very tasty but it really is :nod:

Please post pictures of your little get away. I love pictures!!! Your so lucky to see wild penguins. We only get them at the zoo:blank:

I have the SAME issues going on with the blonde hair. I was a natural blonde growing up but as I got older and after kids it turned dark (and now I have some gray:eek:) so yes I pay an arm and leg for highlights to wash the gray away and make me blonde.

Looks like you had a great workout! I'm in LOVE with protein pancakes. Maya introduced me to them a year or so ago. I make mine with 3 egg whites, 40 grams quaker oats, 113g of fat free cottage cheese and 3-4 splenda packets, cinnamon and vanilla. Blend in blender and make one giant pancake. I then put 1T of sugar free jelly on it. It makes me super happy each morning.

At night I usually will do 3 egg whites, 113 grams fat free cottage cheese, 3 splenda packets, cinnamon and vanilla to taste, blend and cook. I then put 1T of peanut butter on top and:drool: Thats usually my bedtime snack if I'm hungry.

Please post pictures of your little get away. I love pictures!!! Your so lucky to see wild penguins. We only get them at the zoo:blank:

Looks like you had a great workout! I'm in LOVE with protein pancakes. Maya introduced me to them a year or so ago. I make mine with 3 egg whites, 40 grams quaker oats, 113g of fat free cottage cheese and 3-4 splenda packets, cinnamon and vanilla. Blend in blender and make one giant pancake. I then put 1T of sugar free jelly on it. It makes me super happy each morning.

At night I usually will do 3 egg whites, 113 grams fat free cottage cheese, 3 splenda packets, cinnamon and vanilla to taste, blend and cook. I then put 1T of peanut butter on top and:drool: Thats usually my bedtime snack if I'm hungry.

Australia has some great wildlife but I dont think I've ever seen penguins in the wild before so it will be really cool :)

Me too! I got my recipie off here in the forum... I blend 1/2 banana, 50g cottage cheese, 20g oats, 1 tbsp self raising flour, 2 tbsp protein powder (I use triple chocolate), splenda, and 2 tbsp water together then cook. It is sooo good I am addicted to them at the moment! :drool: I'm having them for lunch because I cant stomach another chicken breast this week.

Have fun on your weekend trip, Avy.

OMG protein pancakes.. I must try this one day! :drool:

Well I'm back after my 4 day weekend :cool: Phillip Island was great and the Little Penguins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_penguin) were so cute :) we could get up really close to them so it was well worth waiting in the rain to see them. You werent allowed to take pics of them - which was understandable since there were about 300 people there! Although, a few tourists still took some and were trying to touch them. Steve and I yelled at them :D

The hotel we stayed at was really modern and had everything we needed. The restaurant was AWESOME - I had whole baby snapper with kipfler potatoes for dinner one night... and the buffet breakfast :drool: I didnt go overboard, even though I could have. I had my usual oats with dried fruit, then some scrambled eggs and one peice of bacon. The weather was quite warm too so we sat around the pool both afternoons just soaking up the sun :tucool: I wish we could have stayed longer...

I had PT Monday arvo so that kicked me into gear for the week. Oh And I had some measurements done last Friday night - I have lost a total of 7cm and put on 1kg in 3 weeks. She was really pleased with that so I guess so am i :) I have put on a total of 6kg since I started training in June so thats about 1kg a month... I think thats good? So apparently I'm about 19.5 - 20% BF as well. Everything seems to be going really well anyway which is good to know.
I did 35 mins of MISS this morning and I think i'm doing legs tonight... I have to make up a weights session this Saturday since I didnt go yesterday :o its hard to get motivated on a public holiday.

19.5%-20% BF? :confused:

No offense Avy but you definitely DO NOT look like you're BF is that high.

Glad you had a nice weekend. I love penguins!

19.5%-20% BF? :confused:

I actually think that looks about right :). Maybe a tad lower but not much.

So apparently I'm about 19.5 - 20% BF as well.
I'm with Vic...there's no way your bf is that high.

So apparently I'm about 19.5 - 20% BF as well.

Well I think I'll have to do my own caliper test to find out what I am... About 2 months or so ago I was 20.1% according to my calipers (7 point test) but I feel like I have lost a little more fat since then so maybe its more like 19 - 19.5%? Anyway i'll do a test to find out. I really have to take some progress pics as well! Why is it such a hassle to do, but its so worth it once you have? I'm an idiot.

I had a really good shoulder workout last night.

Lateral raises
4kg x 20
4kg x 20
5kg x 18

Upright row
12.5kg BB x 15
15kg x 14, 14

Shoulder press
6kg DB x 12
7kg x 10, 10

Rear lateral raise
4kg x 12, 10, 10

Abs

And as usual I got up and did 35 mins MISS this morning :tu:
I made a tasty looking salad today too...

70g smoked salmon
2 cup spinach leaves
30g lowfat fetta
1/4 avocado
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 lowfat semi dried tomatoes
:drool:

Man I'm sleepy and its only 9am :blank: maybe its cos I watched Talladega Nights last night on TV so it went for 1.5 hours longer than normal with all the ads in it. Still, its a funny movie!

I actually think that looks about right :). Maybe a tad lower but not much.

:nod: I agree with you, Christy, but should be coming slowly down with all the WEIGHTS workouts your are doing, Avy :tu:, muscle mass is definitely your friend :)

I actually think that looks about right :). Looks about right to me too. :tu:

Hmm.. I guess I haven't looked at enough bodies to be good at estimating BF%'s yet :lol:

Well, I did a BF test last night - actually 3 so I could be sure. First time it read 18.6%, then 19.8%, then 19.2%. So i'm gonna assume I'm about 19 - 19.5%. I'm happy with that - I still have 5 months until the comp so I have plenty of time to cut down. I have to say, I've been eating more than my trainer suggested but I feel confident that I've done the right thing. I havent gained any fat and have put on more lean mass so yay for me :claphigh: I also took some progress pics last night - which was probably a bad idea since it was after dinner and I felt a little bloated. On top of that I got my monthly friend yesterday so I was definitely a little on the puffy side. The last pic is my attempt at a stage pose :o yeah, I know you're laughing. I need practice... but its only like my 3rd attempt at it so yeah.

I did legs last night... I dont have my book with me so I dont know the weights I did :doh:

Leg press
Calf raises
Leg curl
Leg extension
Walking lunges

Abs

And I did biceps and triceps this morning.

BB curl
Tricep pushdown (cable)
Hammer curls
BB Tricep extension

My stomach was cramping up so bad I had to stop... I get wicked pain no matter what - every month. And my mum used to be the same. I've been checked for endometriosis and all that stuff but no, its just me. Mum said it went away after having me so all I gotta do is have a baby :eek:

I have PT tonight and were doing a cardio cicuit. Great not. Although I do feel good after cardio so its not all bad. I'll be doing chest tomorrow then going to my gf's race day party (and I get to wear my hat finally!) I wont be drinking though and I wont be having any of the cakes and pastries either. Maybe I'll make some protein pancakes and share them around :p

The cramping stopped for me but the periods go worse.:eek:


YEAH to lean body mass!:bb: Gotta love those weights!
Your looking strong AVY! Your stage pose is adorable!!!

The cramping stopped for me but the periods go worse.:eek:

YEAH to lean body mass!:bb: Gotta love those weights!
Your looking strong AVY! Your stage pose is adorable!!!

That sux :( we have to deal with alot of crap us women.

I feel alot stronger :bb: and looking at my before pics - man I was a stick. Skinny is so overrated. Although, my thigh looks kinda huge in my pose there :confused:
Haha my pose is hilarious more like it. But thanks for not making fun :)

Wow, you look great, Avy! I flipped back and forth between your first pics and these last ones. There is definitely much more development in your arms and your quads have really started to pop. You used to have skinny little legs, and now you're getting very nice proportions. And you also look really happy! Bravo, girl!

You look awesome, girl! Biceps, shoulders, and chest look great, and your legs.. holy cow, what growth! Your lean muscle gains are definitely noticeable compared to your first pics. You're on the right track, so keep working hard! :tu:

I think your stage pose is adorable as well :lol:.

ur definitely making progress. keep at it!! :tucool:

Heh Avy clear muscle development etween your two sets of photos:tu: your legs have developed amazingly! If you continue like this for five months, you are going to be knockout in that comp:)

Wow, amazing progress Avy, you are doing great!:claplow::bow:

Wow, thanks for the comments everyone :o Its nice to know that people can see a difference - so I know its not just me hoping for change...

So, Friday I had a full on cardio cicuit session with my trainer. Although I had alot more endurance this time around which was good. I was dripping wet by the end of it and my legs were jelly :tu: yeah! Saturday I had the race day party and wore my delicious pink hat I made :cool: it was a great day and we all had a ball. I didnt drink though (and I was the only one) so a few hours into it when things were funny to everyone except me, I knew it was time for me to leave. Steve and I went out for dinner and I had my weekly cheat meal/s... I had king prawn fettucini and half a peice of cookies and cream mud cake :drool::drool::drool: even though it was extremely tasty - I've been quite bloated ever since and only this morning I look a little less puffy, but still no where near normal. Happens every time yet I still have to indulge... why?! I'm am allowed a 'day off' from sticking to my eating plan but I decidied I just wanted to go out and have whatever I wanted instead of having half decent stuff all day. I dont know whats worse though?
Yesterday was a beautiful day but we had to do some housework then grocery shopping (for my new diet) and it cost $202 for 1 weeks worth of food for just Steve and I! 4 dozen eggs :eek: wow. Steve and I had a dozen just for breakfast this morning... just the whites though. Steve had decided to stick to the diet as well - mainly because its easier too rather than having something different to prepare. He's just having alot bigger portions than me of course.
I did 45 mins of MISS this morning and actually did a short run as well. Normally I dont like running - mainly because I'm not a natural runner but it felt really good. Only did 15 mins but its a start. I've got PT tonight and we'll be doing weights - YAY :claphigh:

I had a pretty shitty day yesterday so I was glad to get to the gym and forget all about it. I have somehow managed to take on 3 peoples full times jobs and its just getting too much. I really feel like I need a new career... :confused:
Anyway heres the workout I did last night:

Leg curls
Calf raises
BB overhead press
Cable crossovers
Cable overhead extension (?)
Cable crunches

45 mins of MISS done this morning and I'll be doing legs tonight :bb:

I watched Finding Nemo last night to try and cheer me up :p well it worked! Its such a cute movie. I also spoke to my friend up in Queensland who is 5 months pregnant about baby names - she hasnt even really thought about it yet :eek: I was surprised since it is her first and she knows its a boy? Anyway she really like Levi or James... i was going to suggest my favourite boys names but then I didnt - because i dont want her to use them! I know that might sound bad and who knows if i'll even have a boy (or kids for that matter) but still, i want to keep them under my belt just in case ;) I have been going a little crazy with buying presents for him too... the clothes are too adorable! Steve is worried I'll get all clucky when he is born and want to have a baby as well right away - but I'm not ready yet. I'm only 23 so still plenty of time for that.

Man it is hot here today - it was 24 C when we went to the gym at 6am this morning! And it will be around 33 today too... too nice of a day to be inside working thats for sure.
I did a pump class last night and my trainer was the instructor so she made me come up the front and made sure I had really heavy weights on my bar - holy shit I was exhausted by the end of it. She has me on this calorie cycling diet at the moment for 2 weeks so see how my body reacts to it. So heres how the days look:

Monday - Med (1600cal)
Tuesday - High (2000)
Wednesday - Low (1200)
Repeat

I was surprised how well I coped yesterday with the low day - and I was hungry on my high day! Weird... :confused: I've been having alot of cottage cheese and I actually dont mind it now. I've been having it on an open sandwich with cucumber, lettuce and turkey :tucool: I just love food :D We are going to this really nice restaurant on Saturday night since its pay day on Friday :spaz: we only get paid once a month so its pretty exciting when we do! I'm planning to have a gourmet pizza for the first time in about 3 months... yeah!

I have also been thinking about what's gonna happen after my comp in April. How should I train after that? Should I bulk? I am a little worried that after eating so little around the time of the comp that when I start eating normal again I will blow up and get all fat and gross. I never want to stop working though so I am just confused as to what road I should take... I guess I have alot of time to figure that out.

On another note - Steve and I are also talking about climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in 2010 :D I would absolutely love to do it. It would be so hard, but so rewarding. I saw a documentary about this couple that did it and it was so incredible that I cried - like balled my eyes out, just because I felt like I had conquered the mountain too. What an accomplishment. I have been looking into it for a few months now and I really think we will do it. Hopefully early 2010 :claphigh:

Monday - Med (1600cal)
Tuesday - High (2000)
Wednesday - Low (1200)
Repeat
I've been having alot of cottage cheese and I actually dont mind it now. I've been having it on an open sandwich with cucumber, lettuce and turkey :tucool: I just love food :D We are going to this really nice restaurant on Saturday night since its pay day on Friday :spaz: we only get paid once a month so its pretty exciting when we do! I'm planning to have a gourmet pizza for the first time in about 3 months... yeah!

If you have ever read Maya's journals she always carb cycled with...kind of reminded of the same thing with the calories.

I don't mind cottage cheese in my oatmeal/cottage cheese pancake things but to eat it straight up I get the gags!

I had an open face turkey sandwich for lunch too...next time I'm adding cucumbers. Thats a good idea!

Pizza:drool:

If you have ever read Maya's journals she always carb cycled with...kind of reminded of the same thing with the calories.

I don't mind cottage cheese in my oatmeal/cottage cheese pancake things but to eat it straight up I get the gags!

I had an open face turkey sandwich for lunch too...next time I'm adding cucumbers. Thats a good idea!

Pizza:drool:

Yeah I have read her journal and I know how well it worked for her so hopefully it is the same for me ;)

I have been having 6 egg whites for breakfast and I am so used to having something sweet that I couldnt stomach them savory this morning - so Steve whipped up a batch of pavlova pancakes :drool: he beat the egg whites until they were very fluffy - then added in some splenda and vanilla extract - pan fried it both sides for about 2 mins and OMG, they were delicious. I have never seen anything like them! I will have to take a photo of them tomorrow :) Great way to have egg whites if you are bored of a normal omelette/scrambled eggs.

I was surprised how well I coped yesterday with the low day - and I was hungry on my high day! Weird... :confused:

On another note - Steve and I are also talking about climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in 2010 :D

OMG, that happens with me too then I calorie-cycle. I never understood why.. My best guess is during a high day, the body anticipates the more loaded meals one will be having and will actually crave for it. I'm sure there's a science behind it though.

Mt. Kilimanjaro sounds AMAZING. I would LOVE to do some incredible feat like that. That is something that would definitely change your life forever. I would imagine it takes a tremendous amount of endurance and guts to attempt something like that, but I know you can do it. :tu:

Pavlova pancakes sounds delish! :drool:

Yay high carb/calorie day :spaz: and I had an awesome dinner last night - I cant believe this is called a diet. I call it a food fest.
Heres my diet from yesterday:

M1 - 6 egg whites, 2 slices organic rye, 200ml orange juice
M2 - banana, apple
M3 - open turkey sandwhich with cucumber, lettuce, cottage cheese on organic rye
M4 - banana, pear, 50g cottage cheese
M5 - PWO protein shake
M6 - 170g chicken breast (roasted), 2 small potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, show peas (vegies were done as a stiry fry with just chilli and garlic) :drool: OMG best dinner ever
mmm how good are potatoes! Shit they are tasty.

Today:

M1 - 6 egg whites, 2 slices rye, 200ml orange juice
M2 - protein shake (meant to be 1 tin tuna but I cant eat stomach it today)
M3 - 150g lean beef, 2 slices rye, vegies
M4 - apple, pear
M5 - PWO protein shake
M6 - 180g lean beef, 250g natural yoghurt, apple

Sooo many carbs... I'm in heaven :eat: I'm feeling a little leaner - I mean were talking only a little here but still, better than feeling bloated. I'm thinking I should split up meals 3 and 4 so they are a little more even with P/C/F? Just a thought.

I did weights this morning too - just because I have PT tonight and I believe we will be doing cardio :blank: I did a full body workout (almost full) because I have been pretty much doing them all week cos I have been a real slackarse. Back to my proper regime next week though. At least I have been working hard :nod:

This mornings workout:

Leg extension
48kg x 15
55kg x 10
62kg x 5 - drop set - 55kg x 8
55kg x 8

Bench press
26kg x 16 - warm up
30kg x 12, 10, 8

Standing calf raises
48kg x 15
55kg x 12
62kg x 11

Lateral raise
4kg x 20
5kg x 12, 10, 10

Lat pulldown
35kg x 15
43kg x 12
51kg x 8, 8

I didnt have alot of energy this morning either - maybe because I'm used to doing weights in the arvo now.

Its only 21 C today and raining as apposed to yesterdays 33 C and sunny! The weather here is crazy... :rolleyes:

I ended up having an awesome weights session Friday night! I was so happy it wasnt cardio :p I'm still feeling it though - she smashed my upper body... heres the workout:

Reverse DB lunges
Seated cable flys (? best explanation)
Row
BB shoulder press
Tricep press
BB curl
Cable crunches

I couldnt even bring my water bottle to my mouth after all that. I had to use both hands plus lean back! :lol:

My weekend was nice too - Steve and I went shopping in the city on Saturday and I got some clothes (not that I need more!). Then we went out for dinner that night for our cheat meal... I had king prawn risotto :drool: and Steve had a gourmet pizza. I know I was going to have one but the risotto sounded too good to pass up.
Then yesterday we went to the gym for some cardio, then did the grocery shopping. I swear this diet I am on is costing a fortune. Again it was $200 for one weeks worth of food! Gee-zus.

I couldnt really stomach my turkey sandwich today for lunch so I had a protein bar instead :o I know its not the best choice - but at least I ate something.
PT tonight - I wonder if it will be a dreaded cardio session? Man I hope not...

Also, I thought I might add that my weight has been so consistent in the last month. I have been 61.4 - 61.6kg in the mornings and 62 - 62.4kg at night. My trainer thinks its a good thing, but only really worries about the measurements and how I look. So do I :D I never thought I would be happy about gaining 6kg!

I forgot to mention that I did 30 pushups on my toes on Sunday!!! I'm only 5 away from getting my complete makeup brush set as per my bet with Steve :D He is up to 65 :eek: another 35 to go for him...

30 push-ups! You go, girl!

What does he get if he wins???:whistle:

What does he get if he wins???:whistle:

He should be sat-is-fied with how much :whistle: he gets! ;):lol:
He gets a GPS/Navman... boring. Boys and their toys hey.

******

Well, I had a cardio session last night :blank: My PT made me go out the back of our gym and run around this footy oval 6 times, then some power lunges, boxing, skipping, then finally ending up back in the gym for a sprint on the spin bike :o my legs were like jelly afterwards. I am looking forward to some weights tonight thats for sure! Plus its high calorie day so I get so much food :drool:
M1 - 6 egg whites, 2 slices rye, 200ml orange juice
M2 - 170g tuna, 1 slice rye, cucumber, lettuce
M3 - 170g salmon, green vegies, watermelon
M4 - Protein bar (260cal, 20g protein, 4g fat, 30g carbs)
M5 - banana, apple, whey shake
M6 - 170g chicken breast, 1 large potato, vegies

2136cal - 226p/195c/54f - 44/34/22%

And my weight was 62.1kg yesterday :tu: its not budging at all. Maybe I should eat more? :spaz:

Maybe I should eat more? :spaz:


MORE FOOD :drool:

He should be sat-is-fied with how much :whistle: he gets! ;):lol:
He gets a GPS/Navman... boring. Boys and their toys hey.


Hey! I'd take a GPS right now! I cannot stand constantly getting lost out here in the woods :lol:

Back to the subject, Avy, you are doing a kick-arse job!
I am going to be taking notes from your meal plans. Mine are boring...and now I feel like I'm at the point where I can actually try new things without falling off, so I will be using your list as a starting point.

Hope ya don't mind :)

BTW, you look FABULOUS!!!!

Avy, you are doing a kick-arse job!
I am going to be taking notes from your meal plans. Mine are boring...and now I feel like I'm at the point where I can actually try new things without falling off, so I will be using your list as a starting point.

Hope ya don't mind :)

BTW, you look FABULOUS!!!!

Thanks NY! I really cant stand eating boring food - and eating the same thing everyday. You're more than welcome to use my diet! Hey I'm flattered that it looks that appetising :lol:
And thanks for the compliment :) I am actually feeling a bit 'fat' today - and I did the worst thing I could have done... I took a waist and hip measurement (I am obsessed with measuring these areas). I was up almost an inch on my hips and almost half an inch on my waist:cry: I am only up 500g so thats not alot. I am just hoping its from the high cal/carb day yestersay... tomorrow will tell. So today is low low low cal/carb day.

Heres what the day looks like:

M1 - 3 egg whites, 1 slice rye, 200ml orange juice
M2 - 100g orange - whey shake
M3 - 80g cottage cheese, 1 slice rye, cucumber, lettuce
M4 - 100g orange, carrot sticks
M5 - Whey shake
M6 - 110g ww spaghetti, reduced salt tomato based sauce, 150g ground beef

1224cal - 125p/115c/30f (42/36/22%)

I had an awesome leg workout this morning - I decided to do weights this morning instead of cardio because I hate how busy the gym is at night :mad: I will be doing shoulders tonight too.

Leg workout:

Lunges
5kg x 12 each leg
7.5kg x 10
10kg x 10

Calf raises
41kg x 18
48kg x 12
55kg x 10

Leg extension
41kg x 12
48kg x 10
55kg x 10

Leg curls
14kg x 20
20kg x 10, 8

Abs

I am so weak on the leg curl - yet I can do alot of weight on the seated curl :confused: must just be the angle.
I am so not in a good mood today - I am really peeved about feeling and looking a little larger in the waist. I know its not much but to me it feels like 10kg. I just want to cry! :( Maybe my arse has grown?

I took a waist and hip measurement (I am obsessed with measuring these areas). I was up almost an inch on my hips and almost half an inch on my waist:cry: I am only up 500g so thats not alot. I am just hoping its from the high cal/carb day yestersay... tomorrow will tell. So today is low low low cal/carb day.


Avy, what are your goals exactly? I thought you were trying to add some muscle mass? You are looking great. If you're adding mass around your waist, then cut out your ab work. If you're adding fat, cut down on calories or carbs. It sounds like you're getting what you aimed for -- a more muscular build. Doing ab work will only add ab muscles and mass, so maybe the answer is to cut that out, as counterintuitive as that sounds.

^ +1

Modmaven read my mind :tu:

Avy, what are your goals exactly? I thought you were trying to add some muscle mass? You are looking great. If you're adding mass around your waist, then cut out your ab work. If you're adding fat, cut down on calories or carbs. It sounds like you're getting what you aimed for -- a more muscular build. Doing ab work will only add ab muscles and mass, so maybe the answer is to cut that out, as counterintuitive as that sounds.

I cant tell if its fat or muscle since I still have a layer of it around my middle... I'm thinking now it was just a hormonal bloat :rolleyes: Although, I do think my arse has gotten a little more rounded so that might be the answer? I am trying to add lean mass so hopefully that is happening. Ill be getting more meausrements done this week :tu:

******

Well the low cal day yesterday was tough. I was pretty hungry most of the day but managed to get to the gym for my shoulder workout, which turned out to be great :)

DB shoulder press
6kg x 15
7kg x 12, 10

DB Lateral raise
5kg x 20
6kg x 15
7kg x 8

Front DB raise (?)
5kg x 20, 15
6kg x 10

Upright row - smith machine
16kg x 12, 12, 10 (I make a really weird face when I do these?? Only on this exercise though! :lol:)

The guys who were using the smith before me left their 25kg, 15kg and 10kg weights on each side so I had to take them off :mad: Then they watched me do it without caring. Honestly, my gym is full of dick heads. I thought taking weights off was like 'gym code'? Most of the guys there in the arvo are just there to talk on their mobiles while leaning on a machine. Then they might smash out a few reps on their biceps and drop the weights so it makes a hige BANG and everyone looks up and thinks 'ohhh he is so strong'. Give me a break. Sorry to generalise - but majority wins here. I used to feel bad for using a machine when other guys are waiting to use it - because I felt like I was weak and didnt deserve to 'hog' equipement. Now... well, now I feel differently :evil:
Ok vent over - feeling better.

Had a solid 7 hours sleep last night so I was feeling really good this morning. I did 30 mins on the treadmill and 5 mins on the rower :o shit that thing ruins me. Doing chest tonight :tucool:

Med cal day today :eat:

M1 - 6 egg whites, 2 slices rye, 200ml orange juice
M2 - banana, pear
M3 - 1 slice rye, 150g cottage cheese, salad greens
M4 - apple, banana, protein shake
M5 - 1 cup cooked brown rice, 175g salmon, 1/2 cup onion, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1 whole egg
M6 - 100g natural yoghurt

1636cal - 131p/222c/29f (33/51/16%)

Only 4 weeks of work left then I'm off for 2 weeks :claphigh: Were driving up to Queensland to stay with my Mum for 7 days then coming home for new years. Steve wants to drive up in one day (20hr drive :eek:) but I'm not so sure. Plus we are going inland because its quicker so the scenery is b-o-r-i-n-g. But we have to drive because I have too many presenets :D I went a bit crazy this year but I was really organised and started getting them about 12 months ago (yes in the boxing day sales I was getting next years presents and cheap wrapping paper!) I have never been this organised in my life! Normally I am shopping xmas eve and buying whatever is left - but this year I have made a real effort to get things that people really want, and also buying a present a month you dont spend all your $$ at once and arent broke once its all over. This year is a bit more special because my mum has just finished building a house and alot of my family is coming who I havent spent xmas with in a few years so I got everyone a present - and I always spoil my mum so there are ALOT of presents :spaz: This might sound like a cliche but I just love giving presents. It makes me so excitied buying them, wrapping them up then seeing their face when they open it. Steve is pretty happy with that idea since he gets spoilt for birthday's, xmas, anniversary etc :nod: I really think everyone should be spoilt on their birthday expecially - no matter how old you are. I still get my Grandma heaps of stuff and she just thinks its the greatest thing ever and is so thankful for them. She even sent me a thankyou note last year because she liked her presents so much. Why not though if you can? You cant take it with you...

Why not though if you can? You cant take it with you...

for sure. great philosophy!

wow a 20 hour drive. that's insane. do you guys split the driving??

for sure. great philosophy!

wow a 20 hour drive. that's insane. do you guys split the driving??

Thanks! I have always believed in giving and being generous. And since now that we are pretty good wages - I think we should make the most of it and do what we can for our family and friends. I am even going to start donating to charity as of this xmas for as long as I have the money to :nod:

Yeah we will be for sure. Probably in like 3 hour stints... here's a link if you wanna check out how far it is :)
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&q=melbourne+to+brisbane+map&ie=UTF8&z=5

Lets just say I'm not looking forward to it...

I love Friday's :dreamy: everyone is a little more calm and relaxed at work - and plus its the wind down to xmas so we pretty much get to leave early every Friday from now on...

I did weights this morning because, well I wanted to :bb: cardio can kiss my arse.
I had a great back workout.

Chin ups wide grip (assisted)
55kg x 12, 10, 10 - ok dont laugh at how pathetically weak I am on these - I am really working on them :o

Seated row
35kg x 14
41kg x 10, 10

Hyperextension
2 x 20

Lat pulldown
35kg x 20
41kg x 12
47kg x 5 - drop set - 41kg x 8

BB goodmornings - havent done these before so I went light to be safe
10kg x 15
15kg x 12
17.5kg x 12 - will go heavier next time

Single leg calf raises
83kg x 12, 8, 6, 6

I've decided to work my calves every other day to force them to grow. I was reading on another thread (an old one) that calves can be worked quite often and HEAVY. I have the beginnings of good calves but I just want them to be really defined. I have always loved the look of well defined calves and want them for myself! They have definitely grown since I started weights and have become more visible, but I want more more more! :evil:
Some people have awesome calves and probably havent done a single calf raise in their life - makes me sick. And there is a lady here at work who has naturally defined calves and hates them and thinks they are ugly. I tell her she is crazy and that I hate her :lol:

I have PT tonight and am really looking forward to it! I am so fired up to do weights at the moment I cant get enough of them. I am also gonna talk to her about my diet and how I think it needs to be changed. I want to cut all the bread out and cut out alot of the fruit. I want to add in oats, brown rice and potato for my carb source instead of bread and fruit. I came up with this sample... any feedback on it would be much appreciated :)

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 3 egg whites, 35g whey
M2 - 100g cottage cheese, 1/2 cup blueberries
M3 - 150 turkey, green vegies, capsicum, cauli
M4 - 1/2 cup berries, 100g natural yoghurt
M5 - 1/2 cup oats, 35g whey, 1/2 tbsp flaxseed oil (PWO)
M6 - 150g lean beef, steamed greens

1900cal - 211p/160c/45f (45/34/21%)

Now that I have a bit of 'food history' and know how my body reacted to it - I know that I do better with more food. I have a fairly fast metabolism and can eat carbs without alot of problems. I do however know now that my body doesnt like bread and too much fruit. I had 4 slices of rye yesterday and felt so gross and bloated. My body just doesnt feel right at the moment. I will present this to her and see what happens... I might be looking for a new trainer if she doesnt take it well :o

Some people have awesome calves and probably havent done a single calf raise in their life - makes me sick. And there is a lady here at work who has naturally defined calves and hates them and thinks they are ugly. I tell her she is crazy and that I hate her :lol:

Sorry:o I completely fall into this catgeory. I avoid all direct calf work but running has made them even bigger :(


Now that I have a bit of 'food history' and know how my body reacted to it - I know that I do better with more food. I have a fairly fast metabolism and can eat carbs without alot of problems. I do however know now that my body doesnt like bread and too much fruit. I had 4 slices of rye yesterday and felt so gross and bloated. My body just doesnt feel right at the moment. I will present this to her and see what happens... I might be looking for a new trainer if she doesnt take it well :o

Its cool that you are getting this awereness, I think a few of us thought at the beginning of your journal you might do better on more cals :) Many people don't process grains that well (bread)... Hope your trainer remains open-minded, she sure should listen to a client like you who is logging, tracking and observing.

Although I go in slumps of writing down my food in my journal I love it when other people do. It gives me ideas and motivates me to continue to eat healthy so THANKS!

I must get better at recording what goes in my mouth in my journal!!!:nod:

Some people have awesome calves and probably havent done a single calf raise in their life - makes me sick. And there is a lady here at work who has naturally defined calves and hates them and thinks they are ugly. I tell her she is crazy and that I hate her :lol:

I've always had pretty defined calves, even when I didn't work on them. Sorry, hope you don't hate me :p

Some people have awesome calves and probably havent done a single calf raise in their life - makes me sick. And there is a lady here at work who has naturally defined calves and hates them and thinks they are ugly. I tell her she is crazy and that I hate her :lol:
I work with a girl who has AWESOME calves. I told her I love them, and she said she hates them!! They aren't feminine!! Whaaat??? I'd take them any day! :nod:

My calves may as well be concave. I'm surprised I can walk upright! :lol:

Sorry:o I completely fall into this catgeory. I avoid all direct calf work but running has made them even bigger :(.

Haha dont be sorry. But I envy you :evil: :lol:

Its cool that you are getting this awereness, I think a few of us thought at the beginning of your journal you might do better on more cals :) Many people don't process grains that well (bread)... Hope your trainer remains open-minded, she sure should listen to a client like you who is logging, tracking and observing.

Yeah i kinda got that vibe from everyone :) but I am still learning I suppose.

Although I go in slumps of writing down my food in my journal I love it when other people do. It gives me ideas and motivates me to continue to eat healthy so THANKS!

I love it when people do it too! I only do it so it forces me to add it up and actually have a log of my diet for future reference. But I will keep doing it for you as well now Kree :tu:

I've always had pretty defined calves, even when I didn't work on them. Sorry, hope you don't hate me :p

Sorry yes I hate you :p no of course I dont! Just dont say 'oh I hate them they are so ugly' because then I will get mad :evil: I would love to have naturally defined calves, but I guess I might have something someone else wants - whatever that might be?!

I work with a girl who has AWESOME calves. I told her I love them, and she said she hates them!! They aren't feminine!! Whaaat??? I'd take them any day! :nod:

My calves may as well be concave. I'm surprised I can walk upright! :lol:

Thats exactly what this chick at my work said. I'm like are you serious? Dont you realise they are hot and men and women adore them! Crazy woman.
:lol: that cracked me up! But from looking at your running pics LSC, you aint got no concave calf problem :tu:

Ok so Friday nights PT went great - she had me doing some heavy ass weights :o I ended up doing 76kg squats :eek: I still have DOMS in my hams... Here's the workout but some of the weights I cant remember:

Squats (smith machine)
36kgx 15
56kg x 12
76kg x 12

Bench press
26kg x 10
31kgx 10
33.5kg x 8

Shoulder circuit

Tricep cable pushdown

Cable bicep curls

We were doing quite heavy weights on all exercises so I have been really sore all weekend - but I was back into it again this morning and did biceps and triceps:

BB curls
12.5kg x 20
15kg x 12, 10

DB overhead extension
8kg x 15, 12
10kg x 10

Hammer curls
8kg x 10, 9, 9

Tricep cable pushdown
27kg x 12, 11, 9

Calves

I still had 2 more exercises to do but I ran out of time! I have PT again tonight so if we do weights I'm sure I will make them up then.

Ok - as for the diet I spoke to my PT about it and she was really understanding and said that I need to go with what works for me so she is doing me up another diet plan this week. I should get it on Friday but for now I am back onto my original diet which is higher protein and moderate carbs :eat:
Todays food:

M1 - 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 35g whey
M2 - 20g lowfat cheese, apple
M3 - 150g chicken and vegie stir fry (carrot, zucchini, cauli, broc, lots of chilli)
M4 - 1/2 protein pancake (whey, oats, cottage cheese)
M5 - whey shake, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, 1/4 cup oats shake PWO
M6 - 150g lean beef, steamed vegies (greens)

1673cal - 182p/146c/40f (44/34/22%)

Not alot of calories there but alot of food... ah well the new diet is on its way :)
I am also up almost 1kg so around 62.8 now. I also did a BF test and I was right on 19%. I didnt know but steve has been logging our measurements into this graph/spreadsheet which calculates LBM, fat %, caliper readings etc and it was great to see my progress over the months. Me caliper readings were all down except for one which was the same (tricep) and my LBM has gone up by about 5kg in 5 months. My trainer also took my measurements again and I have lost 1cm from each thigh and 1 cm off my hips (wtf?) and gained 1cm on my chest and almost an inch under my bust (my back has grown!).

Its my birthday next Saturday and I got all my presents in the mail this morning from my mum and aunty :spaz: Steve also bought me a pair of shoes on the weekend (that I picked out) so I got them early. I am also doing a makeup day course in December which was originally my present but somehow I got 2 more - oh well what a shame ;)
My girlfriends are taking me out for lunch Sat then Steve and I are going out for dinner that night - probably somewhere local so we can have a drink, or 7. I'll be the big 24... getting old now (i'll just wait and see how many comments that one gets :p)

What's your new diet going to look like?
I'm fiddling around the idea of trying something new, myself.

And...if I miss your birthday, as I may be traveling...

Happy BIRTHDAY!!

Squats
36kgx 15
56kg x 12
76kg x 12


:eek: damn woman you can do 12 reps at 76 kg!?!?!?! are you serious!!?? that's amazing!!! damn!!! way to go!! :tucool:

:eek: damn woman you can do 12 reps at 76 kg!?!?!?! are you serious!!?? that's amazing!!! damn!!! way to go!! :tucool:

It was on a smith machine :o sorry I forgot to mention that! I know it makes a difference (easier) I have ammended it in my post. It felt really really really heavy and I know that I wasnt getting down low enough either. Sorry to falsely make myself out to sound better than I am, honest mistake :D

What's your new diet going to look like?
I'm fiddling around the idea of trying something new, myself.

And...if I miss your birthday, as I may be traveling...

Happy BIRTHDAY!!

Hopefully it will look something like this...

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 3 egg whites, 35g whey
M2 - 100g cottage cheese, 1/2 cup blueberries
M3 - 150 turkey, green vegies, capsicum, cauli
M4 - 1/2 cup berries, 100g natural yoghurt
M5 - 1/2 cup oats, 35g whey, 1/2 tbsp flaxseed oil (PWO)
M6 - 150g lean beef, steamed greens

1900cal - 211p/160c/45f (45/34/21%)

This is the example I gave her and she really liked it!

And thanks for the very glamorous birthday wishes :)

Happy Birthday Avy.

It was on a smith machine :o sorry I forgot to mention that! I know it makes a difference (easier) I have ammended it in my post. It felt really really really heavy and I know that I wasnt getting down low enough either. Sorry to falsely make myself out to sound better than I am, honest mistake :D

that's still impressive!! no need to apologize for anything. that is still a kick ass squat!!! :tucool:

M3 - 150 turkey, green vegies, capsicum,


:dreamy: the word capsicum reminds me of my australian roommates!!

Happy Birthday Avy.

Thanks Cason :D

that's still impressive!! no need to apologize for anything. that is still a kick ass squat!!! :tucool:

:dreamy: the word capsicum reminds me of my australian roommates!! .

thanks deja - I was kinda surprised after I found out how heavy it was... maybe I could do it becuase I didnt know how heavy it was so my mind didnt sabotage my efforts? :confused:

:lol: I had to learn how to convert ounces to grams and pounds to kilos recently so I knew how much people were eating and lifting!

Lol...I have to use my converting skills every time I go on this site! :lol:


KG to LBS in my case.

Happy belated birthday, Avy! Sorry i'm late :p

Happy belated birthday, Avy! Sorry i'm late :p

Hey Vicky - your not late, it isnt until this coming Sat the 29th :p but thanks for the wishes!

******

Grrr - I ended up having a cardio session last night. Pfft I hate cardio so bad. Here's what the running part looked like:

3 mins warmup
3 mins 4% incline, 8.5km/h
3 mins 4%, 9km/h
3 mins 4%, 10km/h
2 mins 4%, 10.5km/h
1 min 4%, 11km/h
1 min 4%, 12km/h
4 min cool down

Ok so that might not sound difficult for someone who CAN run - but for me I was struggling big time! Especially since it was sort of uphill... funny thing is that around the 14 min mark I was feeling good. Takes me a while to get warmed up I think.
Then after that we did a boxing circuit and my trainer accidentally wacked me in the head with her pad :blank: actually it was kinda funny, cos then I accidentally kicked her in the shins :lol: I was pretty stuffed after an hour of running around and punching and kicking - but I didnt sleep well at all for some reason even though I was dead tired?? So we didnt end up going this morning for that reason. I will be doing legs tonight :spaz: and I suppose 15 mins MISS after :rolleyes:

My trainer wants me to go and pick out some comp shoes too. I am having trouble finding where to get them though so I will have to research that more. There are about 3 adult shops around my suburb so I might have to visit them...

Food I will consume today :eat:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 100g natural yoghurt, 150g berries
M3 - 1 tin tuna, coleslaw with 2 tbsp sugar free mayo
M4 - 40g chicken, tabasco
M5 - whey shake PWO
M6 - 150g lean beef mince, broc, carrot, snow peas, onion

1556cal - 154p/140c/43f (40/35/25%)

I just love oats with milk for breakfast, but I know milk will be gone soon :cry:

Today is going to be a beautiful day - such a shame I am stuck inside with no windows. I might walk down to the park and eat my lunch there for a change. I only live 1 km from work which is ideal, and we are right on the water across the bay from Melbourne - the main street along the water is lined with cafe's and boutiques, and in the other direction are banks, coles, post office, bottle shop, shoe shops :spaz:, homewares, and pretty much everything else we need is within 1km from our front door :tu: We have only been living here for 2 years because Steve got promoted and the position was down here - so we got moved down here all expenses paid so it was too good to pass up. I am missing Queensland more and more though... but we think we will be moving back there within 12 months - hopefully! It is too cold down here for me. Yesterday it was only 20 C and it will be summer in 2 weeks :blank: Brisbane is pretty much 25 - 30 C most of the year which is my kind of weather...

Grrr - I ended up having a cardio session last night. Pfft I hate cardio so bad. Here's what the running part looked like:


So did I...until I got past the pain of spinning. Now, I swear by it.

I envy the fact that you can run. I have two bad knees, so my cardio has to be uber low impact.

What do you make of your trainer? Do you like what she's doing so far?

So did I...until I got past the pain of spinning. Now, I swear by it.

What do you make of your trainer? Do you like what she's doing so far?

When I was doing HIIT 3 times a week my cardio endurance was awesome! But I stopped that because I want to save it for when I really need to shed the fat :tu: but as soon as I stopped my endurance went downhill fast. I have already committed though to doing 1 morning spin class a week... tomorrow is day 1 :o

I really like the way she trains me, she is really focused on good form and technique and isolating the muscles when I'm doing the exercises. She also doesnt slack off and pushes me harder than I could push myself. I am getting some great gaines so far with her.
Diet wise, well she is ok... as I've talked about I feel like I could eat more but I think she is just scared of that for some reason. I mean she is a bodybuilder herself and looks fabulous - so I really just have to trust her judgement and go with it. But in saying that - I did make some suggestions about my diet to her last week and she is working with them this week to form a new diet plan and we will go over it on Friday. She is my first PT so I dont have anyone to compare her with - but from her history, she has quite a resume :nod:

Food I will consume today :eat:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 100g natural yoghurt, 150g berries
M3 - 1 tin tuna, coleslaw with 2 tbsp sugar free mayo
M4 - 40g chicken, tabasco
M5 - whey shake PWO
M6 - 150g lean beef mince, broc, carrot, snow peas, onion

1556cal - 154p/140c/43f (40/35/25%)
.

:blank: man when you're not in the mood for tuna, it can be hard to choke down...

Are you hungry having 1550 cals a day?
God, I'm starving at 1800 cal/day :scared:

Are you hungry having 1550 cals a day?
God, I'm starving at 1800 cal/day :scared:

Yeah I get hungry all the time. I am pretty much hungry 10 minutes after each meal! But I am getting more food as of this Friday because my trainer realised that yes, I can eat and need more food :tu: I've worked out I am happy with about 1900 - 2100.

Yeah I get hungry all the time. I am pretty much hungry 10 minutes after each meal! But I am getting more food as of this Friday because my trainer realised that yes, I can eat and need more food :tu: I've worked out I am happy with about 1900 - 2100.

Oh thank God! I dieted for a show doing carb/calorie cycling from 1600 (2x week) up to 2100 (2 x week)..... and I got too lean :doh:

Oh thank God! I dieted for a show doing carb/calorie cycling from 1600 (2x week) up to 2100 (2 x week)..... and I got too lean :doh:

Its not a bad thing though being able to eat a decent amount of food and still lose fat :D but only combined with good, hard training.

Its not a bad thing though being able to eat a decent amount of food and still lose fat :D but only combined with good, hard training.


For sure. If I diet and dont weight train hard- I end up looking skinny-fat. Yuck.

For sure. If I diet and dont weight train hard- I end up looking skinny-fat. Yuck.

I am exactly the same - I cant understand how I ever thought that was attractive? Ewwe... avy + weight training = forever :love:

avy + weight training = forever :love:

:spaz: :tu:

I somehow got talked into doing an attack class last night - well I am pretty much wiped out this morning. It was so full on :eek: I liked it but it has wrecked me... I weighed in over a kilo lighter this morning so I musnt have gotten enough water afterwards :o I did legs this morning and it went ok:

Leg curls
weight? - 12, 12, 9

Leg extension
48kg x 12
55kg x 10
61kg x 10

Calf raises (on horizontal leg press)
68kg x 20
75kg x 15
82kg x 12, 10

Leg press
80kg x 12, 12, 12 (I could have done more but I was feeling kinda weak and spewy)

Abs

If I am still tired this arvo I will give the gym a miss and rest so I'm fresh to go tomorrow morning. I should have thrown a sickie today cos the weather is beautiful again! 27 C and sunny :dreamy:

Food for my belly :eat:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 25g nuts, apple
M3 - 120 turkey, greek salad (home made), 50g cottage cheese
M4 - protein bar or 1/2 cup oats + whey shake
M5 - whichever one I dont eat at M4
M6 - lean lamb kebabs with capsicum, spanish onion, zucchini, home made harrissa :drool:
1588cal - 126p/147c/51f (33/38/29%) Bit higher in fat cos of the delicious nuts. I could seriously eat about 10 handfuls without blinking!

I've decided to do my fat measurements every Saturday now - just to keep track. I cant wait to get my new diet this Friday either :claphigh:

I was talking to my mum last night and she is moving into her new house next Friday. It has been on the go for years now but it is finally almost finished. It is huge - 3 stories, but only 3 bedrooms and the main BR takes up the entire 3rd floor including their ensuite and walk in robe. I cant wait to see it finished at xmas! The only shame is the pool wont be in :( and its going to be a hot xmas up there (it always is). I will take lots pics and post them up when I get back :tucool:
I have organised with my GF up there to go to the gym with her - she got me free passes which is even better! I know that Christmas day I will be cheating, and I dare say New Years Eve too so I will keep up my exercise when I'm there so I dont take a giant step backwards with my progress. And its not like I can sit around for a week anymore and not workout - that would just be weird.

So I didnt go to the gym last night or this morning :spank: but I have an excuse... if there is one :o...

Last night a car alarm went off at about 1am or so - it would have been no more than a few hundred metres away from our unit so it was loud. It only lasted about 30 secs but I was wide awake after it. Then it went of again at around these times: 1.30, 2, 3, 5, 5.15, 5.30... :mad::mad::mad: For a minute there we thought it was our car but Steve went and grabbed the keys at one stage to check, but luckily it wasnt ours. So needless to say I am tired again from the interrupted sleep... hence the no gym this morning. Back into it tonight though and I will make up this mornings session on Sunday :bb: Then next week no excuses :evil:

Grub for today:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 100g natural yoghurt, 150g berries
M3 - 1 tin tuna, 1 cup brown rice, sweet chilli sauce, capsicum
M4 - whey shake, 25g nuts
M5 - apple, 20g lowfat cheese
M6 - 150g chicken breast, roast vegies (carrot, pumpkin, onion, potato)

1830cal - 156p/201c/46f (35/43/22%) mmm carbs :drool:

I have a problem - I have noticed that my left arm and left calf aren't as defined as my right side. I mean fairly noticable too. Should I add an extra set just for my left side or should I just go on as normal? I mean I dont have one giant arm and one piss weak looking calf - but if I told you to compare them you would notice. And plus the aesthetic side of it - for my own vanity and for the comp :o I might take some pics and post them up so everyone can make a judgement.

I have the same issue. Im a nail tech and I do lots of pedicures. I notice my right arm is a lot more fit than my left (from filing down everyone's damn big ass callouses) No one has ever given me a decent answer of how I can catch the other arm up. It's quite frustrating! :bang:

I think doing lots of dumbell work can help imbalances as with a barbell your strong side can still dominate, not so with a DB. I don't think I would do an extra set for the weak side :confused: but I am sure the experts will chip in.

I have the same issue. Im a nail tech and I do lots of pedicures. I notice my right arm is a lot more fit than my left (from filing down everyone's damn big ass callouses) No one has ever given me a decent answer of how I can catch the other arm up. It's quite frustrating! :bang:

When I used to get my nails done the girl who did them had the same problem! She tried using her other arm but it didnt work - It wasnt really noticable to me but she thought it was bad. I know I am frustrated with this as well!

I think doing lots of dumbell work can help imbalances as with a barbell your strong side can still dominate, not so with a DB. I don't think I would do an extra set for the weak side :confused: but I am sure the experts will chip in.

Thanks for the tip Jedi. I might replace some of my BB work with DB work. I dont really do any DB tricep exercises so I will start incorporating some next week :tu:

******

Well guess what I did last night... I did 35 pushups :claphigh: so I have now won my bet with Steve and get the makeup brush set that I have wanted for a long time! Steve was surprised how quickly I managed to work up to 35 - when I started I could only do 16. I was surpised too actually. So I will be getting it this weekend hopefully :spaz:

Did chest last night and 40 mins MISS this morning... heres the workout:

Pushups - on toes
35 :cool:
10, 10

Bench press
26kg x 12
31kg x 9, 10

Dips
-47kg x 10, 10, 8

Incline chest press
20kg x 10
27kg x 8, 8

Calf raises on leg press
100kg x 12, 12, 12

Abs

I was looking in the mirror last night when I was doing my ab stuff and I could really see some definition in my chest and shoulders ;) getting there slowly but surely.

I have PT tonight and I am hoping it is weights cos I am totally over cardio this week.

Food for today:

M1 - 150g berries, 35g whey, 1 cup skim milk, flaxseed oil shake
M2 - 25g nuts
M3 - 1 cup brown rice, 1 tin tuna, 2 tbsp salsa :drool:
M4 - 150g natural yoghurt, 100g berries
M5 - apple, 20g lowfat cheese
M6 - ? not sure yet :o

I bought frozen berries this week but they just arent the same as fresh ones :nope: alot cheaper though. 300g of fresh blueberries is $7!
I love doing food shopping and I love to see what other people have in their trolley. Ours is filled with vegies, meat, fish, oats, natural yoghurt, nuts, eggs and all that good stuff - and others are just filled with absolute shit. Packaged pizzas, sugary cereal, soft drink, chips, biscuits, doughnuts, and maybe some frozen peas :rolleyes: I just think to myself 'I wonder what is going on inside your body? It must hate you!' And its not like all that stuff is cheaper, I guess its just more convenient? Ah well, what can you do.

I am so not in the mood to be at work today - Its only 3 weeks til xmas holidays now and its all a bit laid back and slow. The days just draaaaaag...............

congratulations on winning the push-up contest! Pictures of your prize?

congrats on winning the bet!! i second jedi's advise to use dumbbells to try to even up the sides.

happy birthday!! i wish you a fantastic year. :cool:

Happy Birthday, Sportsmodel!

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a GREAT day!!!

Happy birthday! :)

congrats on winning the bet!! i second jedi's advise to use dumbbells to try to even up the sides.

happy birthday!! i wish you a fantastic year. :cool:

Happy Birthday, Sportsmodel!

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a GREAT day!!!

Happy birthday! :)

Thanks everyone :D I had such a nice day on Saturday. I had lunch with some gf's at a really nice Thai place, then lazed around that afternoon and watched the Sex and the City movie that Steve got me (while eating a box of chocolates :o) then went out for dinner to our fav Italian place and I had a small gourmet pizza :drool: I got spoilt big time, but it wasnt too hard to take ;) I also picked up my brush set that I won, but I came to a compromise and got the smaller one which was alot cheaper but still had the essential items so I was happy with that. I also decided to get a pinata for xmas this year! We had one last year when we were visitng Steve's family and it was great fun so I thought why not do it again.

I am over 1kg heavier this morning so my birthday binge is still hanging about... ah well :p
I got up and did a back workout this morning :blank: I was pretty tired but it turned out to be a reasonable workout... I have PT tonight which will be a nice kick in the butt.

Food for today is nice and clean :eat:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas, whey
M2 - 20g lowfat cheese, apple
M3 - 150g chicken breast, salad vegies, 1/4 avocado
M4 - 1 protein pancake (oats, banana, cottage cheese, whey)
M5 - salmon steak, steamed vegies (broc, cauli, carrot, beans)

1460cal - 146p/147c/38f (41/36/23%)

:mad::mad::mad:
There is a lady at my work who is extremely loud and very rude in the way she talks to people. She just barged into my office (who I share with my boss) and says at the top of her lungs 'can you eat this!?' and shoved a custard tart under my face, I reply 'no sorry I had a bad weekend - thanks anyway'. And she says back to me 'you are an idiot if you think one of these will make you fat!' and walks out. Nice...

.... Was she fat? :lol:

.... Was she fat? :lol:

:lol: that made me laugh...
She is overweight and really unhealthy. She walks around the office with no shoes on too which make me want to vomit :blank: She just popped her head in again before and yelled 'whats wrong with my screen!? I jumped because she scared me and then she goes 'oh stop being a baby and come fix my computer!" :mad: Maybe I will crunch her bare foot with my high heel at the computer... :confused:

Maybe I will crunch her bare foot with my high heel at the computer... :confused:

:lol: now ur talking!!!

:lol: that made me laugh...
She is overweight and really unhealthy. She walks around the office with no shoes on too which make me want to vomit :blank: She just popped her head in again before and yelled 'whats wrong with my screen!? I jumped because she scared me and then she goes 'oh stop being a baby and come fix my computer!" :mad: Maybe I will crunch her bare foot with my high heel at the computer... :confused:

I don't get how some people can honestly treat other people that way. Give her a knuckle sandwich.

:lol: that made me laugh...
She is overweight and really unhealthy. She walks around the office with no shoes on too which make me want to vomit :blank: She just popped her head in again before and yelled 'whats wrong with my screen!? I jumped because she scared me and then she goes 'oh stop being a baby and come fix my computer!" :mad: Maybe I will crunch her bare foot with my high heel at the computer... :confused:

Geez, I'd poison her coffee or something. Sadly, I am very bad at confrontation and avoid it at almost all costs, so it would have to be something devious and sneaky like that.

:wave:

I ate kangaroo for the first time this weekend and it was real tasty and sooo tender :drool:

You need to borrow LSC red heels and wear them to work one day.....OPPS, did I do that?:lol:

:wave:

I ate kangaroo for the first time this weekend and it was real tasty and sooo tender :drool:

Captain Kangaroo? Wow your a crazy and wild girl JEDI:lol: Ok, my mind is somewhere else today.

Geez, I'd poison her coffee or something. Sadly, I am very bad at confrontation and avoid it at almost all costs, so it would have to be something devious and sneaky like that.

why was my first thought poison too?!?! we're EVIL.

:lol: now ur talking!!!

I don't get how some people can honestly treat other people that way. Give her a knuckle sandwich.

I think that is just the way she is - very abrupt and in your face kinda person. She is really loud and so rude to her boss its not funny. I would love to give her a kickbox to the head :lol:

Geez, I'd poison her coffee or something. Sadly, I am very bad at confrontation and avoid it at almost all costs, so it would have to be something devious and sneaky like that.

So am I and if it eventually did come to that I know I would say things that I may regret... Oh I dream of doing something really sneaky and horrible :evil: But I think I am too chicken. I can swear like a trooper though so I have no problem calling people names ;)

I ate kangaroo for the first time this weekend and it was real tasty and sooo tender :drool: .
Glad to hear it was tasty! I have had kangaroo twice - the first time was on school camp and it was in a stew :blank: was tough as an old handbag. But the second time I had it was only a few months ago and it was divine :drool: very tender...
I am a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to animals and being a meat eater. I love animals and am more sad if a dog dies in a movie than if a person does. But I just love meat and couldnt be a vegetarian. I know thats kinda ignorant but, well yeah I'm ignorant then :lol:

******

So I didnt end up going to PT last night. All afternoon I felt really nauseous and kept tasting my chicken from lunch :o I went home and just lay on the couch for about an hour and it sort of settled down but then after dinner I felt it again. I hope I'm not getting a bug or something!! :mad: There are a few ppl at work who are sick but still come to work... geez dont get me started on work again!

This morning I got up and did a leg workout though cos I feel kinda guilty after my big weekend and missing PT. It turned out to be really good and I felt strong :bb: a little sick but meh...

Lunges
7.5kg DB x 15 (each leg)
10kg x 15, 15

Leg ext
48kg x 12
55kg x 9
61kg x 9 - feeling kidna dizzy and flushed here

Calf raises
55kg x 15, 15, 15

Hamstring curl
36kg x 18
41kg x 12
46kg x 9

I now weigh almost 63kg :) I will be doing my BF test this week to find out if its fat or not. I feel like my back is getting wider so hopefully that is the reason for the slight weight gain? Or still water retention from my bday weekend? Or I got fat...

Foooood :eat:

M1 - 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas, whey
M2 - 150g berries, 100g natural yoghurt
M3 - 1 cup brown rince, tin tuna, hot salsa
M4 - 40g chicken breast, 1/4 avocado
M5 - 20g nuts
M6 - 150g lean beef, grilled vegies

My fitday is playing up :mad: I'll edit it later.

I'll be doing an attack class tonight for a serious cardio workout. An hour of jumping around and star jumps, burpies, kicking, knees to chest, all that good aerobics stuff :tu:

wow, you work out a lot. Seems to be working for you. I hope you're not coming down with something awful. Rest and maybe it will pass.

Here's another way to deal with the bitch at work. I learned this from someone I worked with at a restaurant a long time ago. I asked him how he dealt with horrible customers. He said he just assumed the kind of composure so that whatever bad crap they tried to send at him just bounced off and went right back at them. That means not letting any of their crap absorb into your system. So when she says something vile to you, you could look at her blankly and say something like, "I don't understand why you just said that." Or just give no reaction and silently look straight into her eyes.

:mad::mad::mad:
There is a lady at my work who is extremely loud and very rude in the way she talks to people. She just barged into my office (who I share with my boss) and says at the top of her lungs 'can you eat this!?' and shoved a custard tart under my face, I reply 'no sorry I had a bad weekend - thanks anyway'. And she says back to me 'you are an idiot if you think one of these will make you fat!' and walks out. Nice...

She sounds like a jealous tart.

I find it very interesting that some people work extra hard to try to sabotage things for others.

:wave:

I ate kangaroo for the first time this weekend and it was real tasty and sooo tender :drool:Hmmm, I don't think we can get roo here in the states, but I'd give it a try :D

Hmmm, I don't think we can get roo here in the states, but I'd give it a try :DJedi is in France - they´ll eat anything.:p

Hope you feel better Avy!

Jedi is in France - they´ll eat anything.:p

:lol::lol::lol:

When I was young I often ate horse, but psychologically couldn't now:o I am buying half an organic lamb on Sunday. I am like Avy, a cry when an animal gets hurt in a movie but LOVE MEAT:drool: I am trying to eat more organic meat though as the killing of the animals is much more humane.

She sounds like a jealous tart.

I find it very interesting that some people work extra hard to try to sabotage things for others.

I know! People need to stop caring about what other people do and concentrate on their own lives... I had another run in today with the OB (office bitch) but its too draining to talk about :rolleyes:

Hmmm, I don't think we can get roo here in the states, but I'd give it a try :D

Its really quite tasty :D you just need to make sure its high quality and cooked right.

Hope you feel better Avy!
Thanks! I do feel better actually :tu:


When I was young I often ate horse, but psychologically couldn't now:o I am buying half an organic lamb on Sunday. I am like Avy, a cry when an animal gets hurt in a movie but LOVE MEAT:drool: I am trying to eat more organic meat though as the killing of the animals is much more humane.

Horse!!!??? OMG that scares me :eek: I have never heard of anyone eating horse before? I couldnt, I had 4 horses growing up! But I suppose if you're used to it and have grown up with it, its not weird... like kangaroo or emu for Aussies.

wow, you work out a lot. Seems to be working for you. I hope you're not coming down with something awful. Rest and maybe it will pass.

Here's another way to deal with the bitch at work. I learned this from someone I worked with at a restaurant a long time ago. I asked him how he dealt with horrible customers. He said he just assumed the kind of composure so that whatever bad crap they tried to send at him just bounced off and went right back at them. That means not letting any of their crap absorb into your system. So when she says something vile to you, you could look at her blankly and say something like, "I don't understand why you just said that." Or just give no reaction and silently look straight into her eyes.

Yeah I do, morning and night :o But I do rest when I know I need to. I am feeling good though, not run down at all.

That's a great way to deal with stupid people. I normally just shake my head and laugh it off really. But you know when you are at the end of your tether, then someone pushes you over the edge? Well, she seems to do that really well :evil: I dont lose sleep over it thats for sure, but it can make the working environment quite tense at times. Luckily they are moving offices soon to the other end of the building :spaz: no more screaming next door!

******

Combat class was great last night. Sweated like a pig and had red cheeks for hours after but it felt good. Its weird but I feel so energetic after the class? :blank:
I did 35 mins MISS this morning and am doing biceps and triceps tonight - well in an hour actually! I will be adding in some DB exercises too Jedi :tucool:
Well I think I have officially gained more weight! I am up to 63kg pretty consistently this week and last week but my BF is the same :claphigh: I really think my back is wider cos the top I have on today is chaffing my underarms and feels tight when I reach forward... Also my butt seems to have lifted a little and filled out :cool: yeah!

Food for Wednesday:

M1 - 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanans, whey
M2 - 30g nuts, apple
M3 - 1 tin tuna, 5 wholewheat crackers, 2 slices lowfat cheese, 1/4 avocado
M4 - protein bar
M5 - 100g natural yoghurt, whey
M6 - chicken breast in wholewheat wrap with, lettuce, onion, hot salsa :drool: the wrap is a once off - normally I would have potato but I wanted to try something different.

Cals = ? Dont have time to add them up sorry :( (if anyone cares)

I bought my GF the best xmas present off eBay before :spaz: a matching bra and undies (knickers) set from Pleasure State. They are tagged at $220 but I got them for $60. Bargain! She can barely afford to eat let alone buy herself nice underwear so she will love it.
I also bought Steve's sister a donation gift for xmas. You donate money to a charity, then give the donation card as a gift. Its a great idea and his sister is a big greeny and animal lover, so we did it for the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) :) Her dog was saved from the pound as well so this suits her perfectly. Plus it is good karma for us as well :D

I just got a call from the lady who I took over from at my work, and she told me about this IT job going that pays $100 an hour! Wow, I am looking into it as we speak... Its almost $10,000 a month in the hand :eek:

I just got a call from the lady who I took over from at my work, and she told me about this IT job going that pays $100 an hour! Wow, I am looking into it as we speak... Its almost $10,000 a month in the hand :eek:

:eek: Can I send my husband for 6 months?

Hmm roo, eh? I'm curious as to how that tastes. Deer is very popular in certain parts of the states but I haven't tried it yet either. All these animals that I never thought of ever eating :lol:

$100/hour?! Makes me wish I did IT in college :eek:

Hmm roo, eh? I'm curious as to how that tastes. Deer is very popular in certain parts of the states but I haven't tried it yet either. All these animals that I never thought of ever eating :lol:

$100/hour?! Makes me wish I did IT in college :eek:

Deer, aka venison, is a staple here in Wisconsin. I'm not a huge fan of the burgers, roasts, or steaks, but the venison jerkey and pepperoni is great. I don't hunt though. Just not in my nature. Seems like pretty much every guy and about 1/3 of the women do around here.

Although the other day I almost hit a f%ck*#g deer bounding across the highway. Had I had a rifle and it was legal I would've parked my car and shot it! They cause so many accidents.

Oh and I'm in IT too. Design websites. Feel free to send me more info. :whistle:

Oh and hi Avy. I read your journal every day. Big time stalker but not much of a poster lately. You are one dedicated woman! :tucool:

great work gaining some muscle. i'm thinking its time for some pics. :nod::D

:eek: Can I send my husband for 6 months?

I know! $10K per month is crazy $$$, for me anyway. I'm only 24 :eek:

Hmm roo, eh? I'm curious as to how that tastes. Deer is very popular in certain parts of the states but I haven't tried it yet either. All these animals that I never thought of ever eating :lol:

$100/hour?! Makes me wish I did IT in college :eek:

Kangaroo is farily popular is Australia, but not as much as seafood :drool: Yeah tell me about it... Jedi said she used to eat Mr Ed :lol:

Well I didnt even go to Univeristy, I sort of just fell into what I'm doing now. I started at this company as a data entry clerk then got promoted to a production officer, then supply chain officer, then systems administrator! There's lots of money to be made in IT thats for sure :nod:

Deer, aka venison, is a staple here in Wisconsin. I'm not a huge fan of the burgers, roasts, or steaks, but the venison jerkey and pepperoni is great. I don't hunt though. Just not in my nature. Seems like pretty much every guy and about 1/3 of the women do around here.

Venison is available over here but isnt that popular really. I have never tried it, nor have I ever had jerky :) I hear its pretty tasty though! I'm glad to hear you dont hunt :nod: I see no pleasure in killing animals for sport.

Although the other day I almost hit a f%ck*#g deer bounding across the highway. Had I had a rifle and it was legal I would've parked my car and shot it! They cause so many accidents.

Oh and I'm in IT too. Design websites. Feel free to send me more info. :whistle:

Oh and hi Avy. I read your journal every day. Big time stalker but not much of a poster lately. You are one dedicated woman! :tucool:

That's just like kangaroo's here - they cause alot of accidents and are a real pest in the outback.

Its a great offer isnt it! I am still looking into it - I cant even imagine earning that sort of money!

haha Hi, I read your journal too. Lovely, 2 more stalkers now become friendly posters :tucool:

great work gaining some muscle. i'm thinking its time for some pics. :nod::D

hmm maybe it is that time again - If I remember I will do some on the weekend and post them up. I was looking at my butt in the mirror this morning (as we woman do) and it looks kinda bigger, yet better. More lifted I suppose... about freakin time! Still got alot of work ahead of me, but progress is progress.

******

So I ventured to the gym by myself yesterday - Steve hurt his back doing overhead press. He's been doing the 5x5 program and has only just hit his wall now with that exercise. His back has always given him grief but since I made him go to the chiro its improved so much. He still gets these niggles though which annoys the crap out of him. But he is being sensible and resting up.
I did my shoulder workout instead of my bi and tri cos the gym was packed and I just couldnt be bothered hanging around for an hour waiting for equipment.

DB overhead press
7.5kg x 15, 15, 15
10kg x 8

Lateral raises
4kg x 15
5kg x 12, 12
6kg x 9

Upright row :rolleyes:
21kg x 12
23.5kg x 10, 10

Rear deltiod reverse flys (I know that cant be the right name :p)
4kg x 12, 12
5kg x 8

So here comes the bad part - we had an unplanned cheat last night :o Nando's chicken and chips (fries) then we shared a slice of cheesecake :spank: The chicken isnt that bad actually, its just the plate of chips which is terrible. Oh dear... I havent done that in ages. I think its cos its that time of the month so I get kinda weak on the food front, and I gave into temptation this time. I feel really bad, but I cant change it now. Food will be clean as today.

M1 - 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas, whey
M2 - 150g natural yoghurt, 100g berries
M3 - 100g berries, whey, 1 cup skim milk, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, blended into shake
M4 - 20g nuts, apple
M5 - whey PWO (lots of whey today!)
M6 - 150 chicken breast, roast pumpkin, carrots, potato, onion

1687cal - 167p/173c/39f (40/40/20%) look at that perfect split!

So bis and tris tonight then 20 mins MISS after that to make me feel better after cheating last night :o
I am also going to add in deadlifts and leg press into my leg workouts from now on - I feel I need more variety and my legs still need more work. So it will look like this now:

Lunges
Leg press
Deadlifts
Calves
And leg curl if I can handle it. Does this sound like a good combo?

Yay Friday :claphigh: Only 2 more weeks of work left! I cant wait for the break... its definitely due after all the crap I deal with day in day out.
I had a great bicep and tricep workout last night :bb:

Chin ups (assisted)
55kg x 15
46kg x 6 - drop set - 55kg x 8
46kg x 5 - drop set - 55kg x 8

Overhead extension supersetted with skull crushers (no break)
12.5kg BB x 20, 15
15kg x 12, 12

Incline DB curls
8kg x 15
8kg x 10 - drop set - 6kg x 8
8kg x 8 - drop set - 8kg x 8

Kickbacks
5kg x 15
6kg x 12, 12, 12

My arms were so tight after this and my forearms were on fire! Felt good though.
I did 35 mins MISS this morning and I have PT tonight. I have some wicked cramps today (bloody women :mad:) but i'll keep up the painkillers so I dont slack off tonight. I used to get them so bad I would faint, vomit for hours, get cold sweats, and couldnt move for at least 24 hours. I tried herbal remedies, tested for endemetriosis, all that stuff. I guess its just died down over the years but I still suffer from them every time. I remember when I was about 15 I was shopping with my mum, my boyfriend and his twin brother. I had pretty bad pain that morning but felt ok - then while we were walking around it just got worse and worse until I finally had to run to the bathroom to be sick. I fainted in the bathroom as well but came too after a few seconds. I had my head in that toilet for 2 hours while mum tried to rub my back and help me out, but nothing worked. Eventually mum had to call the security guard and they wheeled me in a wheelchair to our car because I couldnt walk :o all the time the boys were waiting outside not knowing what was going on :lol: oh man... that was a fun day.

Anyway, enough of the women's stories - here's my food for today :eat:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas, whey
M2 - 150g natural yoghurt, 120g berries
M3 - 1 cup brown rice, 1 tin tuna, 20g lowfat mozarella
M4 - 20g nuts, 100g grapes
M5 - whey shake PWO
M6 - out for dinner - no dessert or alcohol for me though :nope:

My trainer is taking out all her clients for dinner tonight so that will be nice. Its at this seafood restaurant so I am looking forward to that! I love seafood so much :drool:

I fainted in the bathroom as well but came too after a few seconds. I had my head in that toilet for 2 hours while mum tried to rub my back and help me out, but nothing worked.
OMG!! That's awful! I know that time of the month can be painful, but I never imagined that they could be so traumatic. :eek:

You poor dear!! Is there anything holistic that you can try?

wow avy, ur periods sound like they were horrible. i had a friend in highschool who had the same kind of thing. her period would really knock her on her ass and she'd puke at school regularly. it was really embarrassing for her. anyways... glad to hear they aren't as bad for you anymore.

enjoy the seafood!!!

Damn, I'm glad they're not that bad for you as they were before. One of the many downsides about being a woman :p

One of the many downsides about being a woman :p

You mean one of the few ;).

Just thought I would say hello to a fellow aussie! :claphigh:

OMG!! That's awful! I know that time of the month can be painful, but I never imagined that they could be so traumatic. :eek:

You poor dear!! Is there anything holistic that you can try?

I tried this herbal remedy which was made up especially for me and my symtpoms. I had to take it 3 times a day, every day. All it did was cost me lots of money. When I know I am due for it, I start painkillers a few days before and this seems to ease it quite alot. Also being on the pill made the biggest difference :tu:

wow avy, ur periods sound like they were horrible. i had a friend in highschool who had the same kind of thing. her period would really knock her on her ass and she'd puke at school regularly. it was really embarrassing for her. anyways... glad to hear they aren't as bad for you anymore.
enjoy the seafood!!!

That friend sounds like me! I would vomit pretty much every time I got them, and alot of times I was at school :o I am really lucky they arent like that anymore, otherwise I dont know if I would have a job! I would need 1 - 2 days off a month!

mmm I did :drool:

Damn, I'm glad they're not that bad for you as they were before. One of the many downsides about being a woman :p

Yeah us women have it tough sometimes :evil:

You mean one of the few ;).

;) yeah men are boring. Nothing exciting happens to them...

Just thought I would say hello to a fellow aussie! :claphigh:

Hey there mad! I read some of your journal and noticed you were an Aussie! There are a few of us around :)

******

Well Friday night was great - lots of tasty food, I even got a birthday cake which was a surprise :o But it was just nice to talk to different people and see everyone out of their gym clothes! Alot of the girls asked why I was doing the comp and I went through my explanation about 3 or 4 times... but they were all really interested so that was cool. My trainer gave me this nice card saying that she believed in me and she knows that I will make it - that was really great to hear :D The funny thing was - out of the 20 or so people who where there, I would say at least half of them smoked :blank: including a trainer. That has me amazed really...

Anyway - rest of the weekend was good. Steve serviced our car (the benefits of having a qualified mechanic as a BF ;)) Only cost us $100 in parts and oil. We needed it done before our long road trip to Queensland in 2 weeks so I'm glad its done now. Yesterday was a relaxed day just doing the grocery shopping, then getting some chocolates for the pinata :spaz: the shops were crazy town - lucky I didnt have to fight off the crowds to grab the last nintendo wii or something.

No gym this morning cos I have an extra long PT session tonight - weights then cardio :eek: but I am pumped for it and rearing to go.
I was daydreaming yesterday about working out in the gym. I just love doing weights so much and knowing that I have really worked hard - I just cant explain it. Its like an addiction really. I dont know why everyone doesnt do it...

Food for today :eat:

M1 - 1 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - apple, 20 cheese, whey
M3 - 150 chicken breast, 1/2 avocado, salad
M4 - protein pancake
M5 - whey shake
M6 - 170g salmon, steamed vegies (broc, cauli, zucchini)

1680cal - 181p/154c/40f (44/35/21%) :tu:

I have my work xmas party this Friday night and its at this Greek restaurant which has such awesome food :drool: Normally the party is at this boring yacht club and we have to stand around all dressed up and our customer is there too (all the bosses from our main client) and it is so stale and uncomfortable no one really goes to it. This year finally its something half decent.

Well my PT session was cut short last night - Steve had a back spasm which he gets sometimes. We are told it is caused by an old injury (actually a few that were caused when he was in the Army). Long story short he cant move for 3 days and is in alot of pain. He hurt it while he was doing squats last night so he pretty much grabbed me after that and said 'I need to get home'. So I only had 15 mins to go so it wasnt too bad and my trainer said she would make up that time next time. I didnt sleep much last night either cos Steve was really restless and moving around alot - so no gym this morning. I will do chest then an attack class tonight to make up for this mornings lost workout.

Food for today :eat:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 100g natural yoghurt, 150g berries
M3 - 1 cup brown rice, 1 tin tuna, hot salsa
M4 - 40g chicken, 2 tbsp avocado
M5 - whey shake PWO
M6 - 170g lean beef, grilled capsicum, zucchini, onion

1695cal - 166p/188c/35f (40/41/19%)

I'm having such a flat week. I am getting so many interruptions to my program lately I feel like I'm going nowhere with my progress. Maybe I am in just one of those poor me moods... I hate those. I have never been so close to looking the way I have wanted to look since I can remember, yet it is still so hard to reach. I just want to be proud of myself, but I'm not yet.

I'm having such a flat week. I am getting so many interruptions to my program lately I feel like I'm going nowhere with my progress. Maybe I am in just one of those poor me moods... I hate those. I have never been so close to looking the way I have wanted to look since I can remember, yet it is still so hard to reach. I just want to be proud of myself, but I'm not yet.

Hi Avy, Sounds like your going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment. Try to stay focused, we all have mental and physical set backs from time to time which often we cannot control. Winners are the ones that buckle down and battle through the challenging times. This is what sets you apart from everyone else. :tu:

Hopefully Steve's back settles down soon and you can get back into it.

Hi Avy, Sounds like your going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment. Try to stay focused, we all have mental and physical set backs from time to time which often we cannot control. Winners are the ones that buckle down and battle through the challenging times. This is what sets you apart from everyone else. :tu:

Hopefully Steve's back settles down soon and you can get back into it.

Thanks for the motivation Mad :) Its true as well, its people who move on and push through the crap who I really admire. And I actually think everyone has the ability to do that, its just if you have the heart as well.
I know I have the motivation, I just need to get my priorities in order I think. Sometimes I think my body hates me because the my muscle growth is so slow :mad: I guess its because I have a typical ectomorph body type (curse these muppet arms :cry:) its taking such a long time, combined with me never weight training in my life. Working up from scratch is a big task but I know I wont regret it.

Quote from AVY - "curse these Muppet arms" :lol::lol:


That was hilarious! Never give up and you will eventually get where you want.:tucool:


Muscle growth ......Please read my Signature.

From my understanding: To build muscle size lift HEAVY, Have PERFECT form and cadence, Go to FAILURE. Just my little 2 cents.

Quote from AVY - "curse these Muppet arms" :lol::lol:


That was hilarious! Never give up and you will eventually get where you want.:tucool:


Muscle growth ......Please read my Signature.

From my understanding: To build muscle size lift HEAVY, Have PERFECT form and cadence, Go to FAILURE. Just my little 2 cents.

That's what they were though, long, skinng, shapless muppet arms :p :lol:

I really have to push harder to get to that point I think. Sometimes I go until I literally cannot even do half a rep. And other times I could probably squeeze out another 1 or 2 :o I need a good kick up the butt. Thanks for your 2 cents Cason :)

hey girl. ur just going through a slight dip. things will be on the up in no time.

u've definitely made progress.

you should post a couple pics for comparison. i bet you've made more progress than ur eyes are allowing you to see. :nod:

that really sucks about steve's back. a guy i worked with had that same problem. he's be handicapped for a couple days with those things. the rest of the time he would bust his ass. hope he feels better shortly. especially for ur sleep!

anyways... ur getting stronger and i gaining lbm. you should be feeling happy and confident!! work on it!! ;)

Keep your head up Avy! We all go through this at one point or another. The results will come. Just stay diligent, and like Chris said, lift HEAVY and go to failure. And as for your growth, I don't think its slow at all. From your last progress pics, there was a significant change in muscle mass that wasn't there before, and you did it in a relatively short period of time. Keep going, you'll get there!

I'm so behind with your journal, as well as Vic's and so many others.
I am going to work my fanny off to catch up, but wanted to drop in to see how you were feeling.

hey girl. ur just going through a slight dip. things will be on the up in no time.

u've definitely made progress.

you should post a couple pics for comparison. i bet you've made more progress than ur eyes are allowing you to see. :nod:

that really sucks about steve's back. a guy i worked with had that same problem. he's be handicapped for a couple days with those things. the rest of the time he would bust his ass. hope he feels better shortly. especially for ur sleep!

anyways... ur getting stronger and i gaining lbm. you should be feeling happy and confident!! work on it!! ;)

I think alot of ppl would have days like this. I just have to pull myself out of it and refocus. Thanks so much deja. Your encouraging comments have really helped me along, and reading your journal gives me so much motivation as well. So :bow: to you!

Keep your head up Avy! We all go through this at one point or another. The results will come. Just stay diligent, and like Chris said, lift HEAVY and go to failure. And as for your growth, I don't think its slow at all. From your last progress pics, there was a significant change in muscle mass that wasn't there before, and you did it in a relatively short period of time. Keep going, you'll get there!

Thanks vicky - you always have something positive to say :) I really appreciate the kind words, and the fact people even read my journal let alone comment on it is awesome!

I'm so behind with your journal, as well as Vic's and so many others.
I am going to work my fanny off to catch up, but wanted to drop in to see how you were feeling.

I'm behind you as well NY! Your journal is great - everyone's is so different and thats what I love. Thanks for stopping by :)
:lol: fanny - that word means something else over here...

******

Well I took Casons advice and lifted heavy and to absolute failure last night :tu: I had a great chest workout.

Flat chest press machine
23kg x 20
28kg x 13
32kg x 8 - drop set - 28kg x 7 (I was weaker on this than on bench press? I would have done bench but I didnt have a spotter)

Incline DB press
7kg x 21
8kg x 13
9kg x 12 - could have gone heavier if I had a spotter :mad::rolleyes:

SB flys
6kg x 14, 12, 12

Pushups
16 on toes 14 on knees - no break
10, 15
8, 12

Standing calf raises
55kg x 16, 13, 12

1 hour attack class

I was pretty tired after all this and my legs were so worn out after the attack class - you spent the whole time jumping on your tippy toes like a boxer :o I have DOMS in my legs too from PT Monday night - I did 125kg leg press :spaz: my best ever.

Food for today :eat:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20 g sultanas
M2 - 20 nuts, apple
M3 - 100g berries, whey, flaxseed oil, water blended into shake
M4 - 120g natural yoghurt, 1/4 cup oats
M5 - whey shake PWO
M6 - 170g lean beef kebabs with red onion, zucchini, and capsicum :drool: i love this meal, I could have it every night! I should use chicken more often though but I love beef.

1522cal - 141p/154c/41f (37/39/24%)

My M1 is going to change soon - no milk and no sultanas with my oats, just water and whey :blank:

I'll be doing bis and tris tonight - this is really a love hate workout. I hate the burn in my forearms when doing these exercises, but I love what it does for my arms.
I just had a nice stretch at my desk and I am feeling some DOMS in my chest already :claphigh: I really pushed hard.

I didn't read your entire journal, but did the last bit. If you're considering HIT, make sure you get a good grasp of it before going right at it. Especially consider the fundamental element of "going to failure". I am lucky enough to have a Nautilus studio, so I'm using machines, and I'm not in as much danger of injury. It looks like you are using many free weight exercises. It's not impossible, but with free weights, without a spotter, it is very challenging to go to failure as psychologically you might be likely to stop the set before actually getting to failure for fear of injury, dropping the weight, etc. Most people believe they have gone to failure, but they haven't. For this reason, the intensity I mean, Ellington Darden (one of the few true HIT gurus, and one its pioneers) believes it's almost impossible to truly do HIT properly, without an HIT teacher present.

So, if you are going to do HIT, which I personally really like, make sure you read quality info (The New HIT for instance) before starting, rather than jumping right into it.

Just my 2 cents.

Best of luck!

Mike

HI:wave:Avy
I'm just catching up on everyone's journal...Lifting heavy! :bb: Thats when I saw some major changes! I have to have a spotter especially for chest and shoulders as I lift to the point I usually need someone to put it back on the rack. LOVE IT!!! Great job on your leg press:claphigh: Keep up the good work!

HI:wave:Avy
I'm just catching up on everyone's journal...Lifting heavy! :bb: Thats when I saw some major changes! I have to have a spotter especially for chest and shoulders as I lift to the point I usually need someone to put it back on the rack. LOVE IT!!! Great job on your leg press:claphigh: Keep up the good work!

Hey there kree!
Well I have been lifting heavy(er) this week and I feel great for it. I have DOMS pretty much everywhere I have worked so far :spaz: Normally Steve spots me in the gym but since he has been injured I have had to use more machines rather that a BB or DB.

******

I had a great shoulder workout last night :bb:

Shoulder press machine
16kg x 20
23kg x 9, 6
16kg x 9 - geez I burn out quick on these :o

Lateral raises
5kg x 18
6kg x 12, 12

Upright row (smith machine)
21kg x 18
26kg x 12
28.5kg x 9

Front DB raises
5kg x 10
6kg x 10, 9

And I dragged my butt out of bed and did 35 mins fasted cardio this morning. Legs tonight :spaz: I will be adding in leg press and SLDL's so I am looking forward to it!

I had a different sortof breakfast today, and damn it was good!

M1 - 120g natural yoghurt, 120g berries, 1/4 cup oats, whey
M2 - protein pancake
M3 - 1 cup brown rice, 1 tin tuna, hot salsa
M4 - apple, 30g almonds
M5 - whey, 1/2 cup oats PWO
M6 - 170g chicken breast, 1 potato, 1 cup pumpkin, 1 carrot, 1/2 onion

1875cal - 168p/208c/42f (36/44/20%)
More carbs than normal but I need them for my killer leg workout tonight.

I have my work xmas party tomorrow night so I dont have PT. I will have to make up that session on Sunday. Also from the 19th Dec to 19th Jan I wont have my trainer as she is going away for almost a month. I told Steve he has to concentrate on me for that month and pushing me HARD :evil: Also my free food day/cheat meal disappears as of January :( and my higher protein diet comes into play - crunch time!

. Also from the 19th Dec to 19th Jan I wont have my trainer as she is going away for almost a month. I told Steve he has to concentrate on me for that month and pushing me HARD :evil: Also my free food day/cheat meal disappears as of January :( and my higher protein diet comes into play - crunch time!
I doubt that you'll have any problem keeping your motivation up. You're doing such a good job and you're so diligent with your journal, documenting everything so well. :tucool:

I doubt that you'll have any problem keeping your motivation up. You're doing such a good job and you're so diligent with your journal, documenting everything so well. :tucool:

Thanks NY :) I am a bit obsessive with tracking my progress on here - but thats not a bad thing to be obsessed about I suppose :p

How was that protein pancake :drool: LOVE IT!!!!!

How was that protein pancake :drool: LOVE IT!!!!!

When are protein pancakes bad? :drool:

******

Had a decent leg workout last night - was feeling kinda spewy afterwards but that is pretty normal these days after legs :cool:

Hamstring curl
41kg x 16
48kg x 12
55kg x 8
41kg x 8

Leg press
80kg x 15, 8, 9
100kg x 8

Calf raises
68kg x 15, 12, 11, 6

Leg extension
48kg x 13
55kg x 9
61kg x 9

I didnt do any damn deadlifts cos there was no bars free the whole time I was working out :mad::mad::mad: Ill add them into Sundays workout though.

I had a high carb day yesterday yet I felt hungry alot?? And I'm feeling a little more trim as well in the mid section... my arms and legs though feel like they have beefed up a bit so thats good :tucool: My butt has changed alot as well, it doesnt spread out as much :lol:

Food :eat:

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, whey
M2 - 120g natural yoghurt, 120g berries, 1/4 cup oats
M3 - 150g chicken breast, salad
M4 - 30g almonds, apple
M5 - whey shake
M6 - work xmas party :dance:

I wont be having any (free) alochol tonight - I'm saving my drinking days for xmas and new years. I will be having the tasty Greek food though :drool:
I'm doing my makeup course tomorrow which I'm looking forward too. I wanted to make it my career when I left school, but I got the office job first and it payed better - so it won. But now I feel like its something I still love and could see myself doing as a profession. I wanted to do this day course to see inside the Academy and talk to some makeup artists about their career's and stuff. So we will see how it goes and whether I love it full time, or love it as a hobby. I am really interested in doing TV, film clips, catwalk etc and the place where I'm going tomorrow offers courses which get you into those places...

I'm doing my makeup course tomorrow which I'm looking forward too. I wanted to make it my career when I left school, but I got the office job first and it payed better - so it won. But now I feel like its something I still love and could see myself doing as a profession. I wanted to do this day course to see inside the Academy and talk to some makeup artists about their career's and stuff. So we will see how it goes and whether I love it full time, or love it as a hobby. I am really interested in doing TV, film clips, catwalk etc and the place where I'm going tomorrow offers courses which get you into those places...

awesome!!! that should be great for u to check out. i'm glad you didn't let that dream just fade away.

how was the work party??

awesome!!! that should be great for u to check out. i'm glad you didn't let that dream just fade away.

how was the work party??

It was great! I really enjoyed it and learnt alot - the academy is really impressive :nod:

Work party was good too, I was talking to the EGM about leg press and how I could do more than him :lol: It got a little messy afterwards when we all went out to a club :blank: not me, but the other employees are pretty embarrassed today... which means it was a normal xmas work party really! :p

******

So as I was saying to deja - my course was awesome. The time went way too quickly, I could have been there for another 6 hours! Picked up alot of good tips about skin prep, application, eyeshadows etc. A great girly day anyway. The Certificatte IV course was going on in the next room so I saw a little of what goes on and I also spoke to the coordinator about career's in makeup and she thought that I had a natural talent for it and she could tell that I was really interested in it too :D I bought a fair bit of makeup as well (as it was 25% off) so I stocked up with alot of products which I got to try throughout the day. I have to say that my makeup today looks fabulous :p:lol: Sorry if this is boring anyone - I have worn out Steve as well talking about it while he looks at me saying 'riiiiight, thats nice' :lol:

I finally finished my xmas shopping yesterday :dance: It was nuts at the shops but we got there early and managed to get a park without stalking anyone for hours. We bought an iPod touch which is really Steve's xmas present. He is a big gadget man and loves stuff like that so it was perfect for him. It is really cool actually, such amazing technology. I was playing with it a bit last night doing some brain training stuff. There are so many apps that you can download its incredible. $$$$$ :rolleyes:

Ok so back to fitness stuff, I did 35 mins interval training this morning, running on the treadmill for 1, 2, or 3 mins then 1 min recovery. Felt really good! I have PT tonight so I am not sure what we will be doing... hopefully weights.

Food for today:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 30g almonds
M3 - protein bar
M4 - 150g chicken, zucchini, capsicum, carrot, snow pea stir fry
M5 - apple, 20g cheese
M6 - 20g whey shake PWO
M7 - 170g salmon, steamed carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower

1707cal - 145p/162c/50f (35/38/27%)

P.s. work sux - everyone is on holidays now! But no, the IT administrator cant take holidays cos no one knows how to use their fuc*en computer! :mad:

P.s. work sux - everyone is on holidays now! But no, the IT administrator cant take holidays cos no one knows how to use their fuc*en computer! :mad:

:lol: I know the feeling, im in the same line of work. Grin and bear it, we get paid more than the rest of the monkeys.

:lol: I know the feeling, im in the same line of work. Grin and bear it, we get paid more than the rest of the monkeys.

True :D I get paid pretty well for my age.

******

I had PT last night and we did - ahh yes, the dreaded cardio circuit :rolleyes: I was breathing heavier than I have any other time so she really worked me. I went to bed at 9.15pm last night I was so wrecked :sleep:

I did biceps and triceps this morning - my left elbow was sort of 'twanging' when I did skull crushers and the pain shot all the way down to my hand. I did tricep press instead, and I also did some 21's - they were tough!

Not alot going on at the moment - Im a bit stressed out at the moment though. Work is crazy, my Mum is stressed about her new house and getting it done for xmas plus she is having money problems, some other family issues, and around the holidays every year is hard cos my Dad died 4 years ago and because he loved xmas carols whenever amazing grace or the likes is playing somehere, I lose it.
There is also this woman at my work (I have spoke about her before, I helped her lose 15kg). Well she has an extremely fcked up life to put it lightly. Bad marriage, self esteem issues, negativity, all that good stuff. I have been cheering her up for over a year now, almost everyday she is in my office either crying, or just venting and I have happily helped her out where I could. I bought her a book on happiness and taking control of your life and that - she hasnt read it and says she doesnt have time :blank: your welcome.
Anyway I was upset at my desk the other day cos I got an email from a family member and it was just hard to read. She comes in, clearly seeing me upset but continues to talk about herself and then leaves. Now I am a good person I think, I am generous, thoughtful, a good listener, but I am only human. I need some of that stuff too... Maybe i'm just emotional because of dad but I just need a break. People are just shitting me off atm and I'm not a stressed person normally - I hate feeling like this.

Ok now onto food:

M1 - 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 150g berries, 120g natural yoghurt
M3 - 1 tin tuna, 1 cup brown rice, salsa
M4 - 40g chicken breast, 1/4 avocado
M5 - whey shake
M6 - 170g lean beef, steamed vegies

sorry to hear about ur stress levels and about ur father. that must be really hard to deal with. hopefully you have lots of good memories.

sadly there are a lot of people in this world like that lady. they are super needy and then can't offer even an ear in return?? that drives me crazy. all you can do is not spend too much of ur time or worry on her, and realize she'll probably never be someone who can be a true friend and listen/understand ur problems. that's really too bad.

good call stopping the skull crushers after that pain. elbow injuries are no fun and often last quite long. better safe than sorry.

ur doing great on the workout front.

i'm sure ur already comfortable in a bikini... but u should at least hang out in the bikini thread a bit!! u can post ur pics to inspire us. especially with it being warm there. :tucool:

sorry to hear about ur stress levels and about ur father. that must be really hard to deal with. hopefully you have lots of good memories.

sadly there are a lot of people in this world like that lady. they are super needy and then can't offer even an ear in return?? that drives me crazy. all you can do is not spend too much of ur time or worry on her, and realize she'll probably never be someone who can be a true friend and listen/understand ur problems. that's really too bad.

good call stopping the skull crushers after that pain. elbow injuries are no fun and often last quite long. better safe than sorry.

ur doing great on the workout front.

i'm sure ur already comfortable in a bikini... but u should at least hang out in the bikini thread a bit!! u can post ur pics to inspire us. especially with it being warm there. :tucool:

Yeah I have alot of good memories and mostly I laugh or smile when I think of him. Holidays, birthdays etc are just harder.

It is really disappointing because she is a nice person, she just needs more help than I can offer - professional help which I have mentioned but she wont do it. I just need to take a step backwards.

I just paid my membership upgrade and had a peek at the thread - I feel kinda out of place because I wear a bikini all the time in summer :o I dont want to post anything to look like a show off or whatever... I dont have a great bikini body anyway, but I still wear one because I really dont care and you cant not wear one in Australia pretty much!

Thanks for the post deja - its funny how a stranger can listen more than some people you work with and see everyday? :)

I just paid my membership upgrade and had a peek at the thread - I feel kinda out of place because I wear a bikini all the time in summer :o I dont want to post anything to look like a show off or whatever... I dont have a great bikini body anyway, but I still wear one because I really dont care and you cant not wear one in Australia pretty much!


yeah i'm jealous!!

you should still hang out down there. :nod: and ur more than welcome to just join us to improve ur stats and put on muscle.

you should still hang out down there. :nod: and ur more than welcome to just join us to improve ur stats and put on muscle.:tu:

The more, the merrier, sportsmodel.

:tu:

The more, the merrier, sportsmodel.

Thanks Guava - and I'm determined to get to sporsmodel status!

******

I thought I would post a few pics of Steve and I since I now have a bit more room since my account upgrade :tu:

Welcome!I thought I would post a few pics of Steve and I since I now have a bit more room since my account upgrade :tu:
Is that your house? Love the bare brick wall; it's so cool and artsy. :cool:

You two make such a beautiful couple :dreamy:.

So we finally get to meet the push-up loser?:lol: (didn't you beat him and get the make-up brushes if I recall right?)

The two of you look very sweet together. How long have the two of you been together?

Welcome!
Is that your house? Love the bare brick wall; it's so cool and artsy. :cool:

I wish! Its actually this local cafe we go to at least twice a week. Is so cosy and has the best cakes ever :drool: Haha I only just realised that both pics were taken there :lol: we practically love there some weeks.

You two make such a beautiful couple :dreamy:.

Thanks JW :D I dont know if anyone could tell (I must be biased) but Steve is 12 years older than me. But it certainly doesnt feel that way to me :tu:

So we finally get to meet the push-up loser?:lol: (didn't you beat him and get the make-up brushes if I recall right?)

The two of you look very sweet together. How long have the two of you been together?

:lol: Yep he is the loser. But he did have to complete 100 pushups non stop where I only had to do 35 :o Still, I won :p

Thanks kree! Almost 3 years :dreamy: Its a really complicated, but funny story how we got together but I'll save that for another day :p

******

I only managed 30 mins of cardio last night. My calves are so sore from all this running I'm doing so luckily I have today off from the gym. I'm taking Wednesday's off now and going Saturday's instead. I also have to get my hair done tonight (blonde foils Kree!) so I'm glad to get that done before xmas. Although I'm not happy that it takes like over 2 hours to get my hair coloured and cut :blank: I never get them to dry it either cos it just boofs out like a bad 80's tease. I have to beg them to let me walk out with damp hair because its curly, it drys better that way.

I also weighed in at 62kg yesterday so i may have dropped a little weight. I have to do a BF test this weekend cos I havent done one in over a month :o Could just be dehydration, digestion, or something like that.

Food for today :eat:

M1 - 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 150g natural yoghurt, 100g berries
M3 - 1 slice organic rye, 120g chicken, salad
M4 - apple, 20g almonds
M5 - 180g chicken breast, salad, 1/2 cup brown rice

We have moved the road trip up to QLD a day earlier so we will be leaving on Sunday morning at 3am... pfft I cant believe were driving up in one day :crazy:

cute pics!!!



Thanks JW :D I dont know if anyone could tell (I must be biased) but Steve is 12 years older than me. But it certainly doesnt feel that way to me :tu:

that seems to work great for a lot of couples. probably evens out the maturity levels a bit.

We have moved the road trip up to QLD a day earlier so we will be leaving on Sunday morning at 3am... pfft I cant believe were driving up in one day :crazy:

yeah... that's gonna suck. at least the weather should be nice eh?? no snow!! :lol:

that seems to work great for a lot of couples. probably evens out the maturity levels a bit.

Definitely agree about the maturity part. One of my best friends is with a guy who is 11 years older than her and my dad was 13 years older than my mum so it does seem to work for alot of people.

yeah... that's gonna suck. at least the weather should be nice eh?? no snow!! :lol:

:lol: no, no snow for us. It is HOT in QLD, 30 celcius or more :D sun sun sun, beach beach beach.

I wish! Its actually this local cafe we go to at least twice a week. Is so cosy and has the best cakes ever :drool: Haha I only just realised that both pics were taken there :lol: we practically love there some weeks.

Was this a typo:confused: more pictures maybe ?

Was this a typo:confused: more pictures maybe ?

:madpimp: maybe downstairs I could post them...

:lol: yeah I meant live

******

2nd last day of work :spaz: Everyone is so highly strung its ridiculous... time for a holiday I think.
I had my hair done last night so no more vegemite strip (dark roots for all you foreigners... or am I the foreigner??) then we went shopping cos I had to pick up a lay-buy I forgot about and Steve wanted to get me another xmas present :D
It was so hard to get up this morning because it was raining I love sleeping in when its raining :dreamy: but I didnt... I got up and did 30 mins on the treadmill then did some ab work. Steve thinks he may have hurt his back a little again this morning :doh:he is extremely frustrated. Back pain is horrible and is so hard to treat as well. We will have a talk to his chiro about other options of treatment when were back from QLD.

I will be doing back and shoulders tonight which I'm looking forward to.

Food for today:

M1 - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - protein pancake
M3 - whey and berry shake
M4 - apple, 20g almonds
M5 - whey shake, 1/4 cup oats PWO
M6 - 150g lean lamb kebabs with onion, capsicum, zucchini

Lots of whey there but we are low of normal stuff... and I am too lazy to get any more since we are going away for almost 2 weeks :o Better than not eating.
We are having a work BBQ tomorrow but I will only be bringing my own chicken breast to cook :D I dont want any cheap, feral, fatty sausages (lips and arses) which everyone seems to drool over here... :barf: Some people here are so unhealthy I am surprised they are still alive. There is this one guy who gloats about how he goes through a carton of beer a week, has maccas, kfc, or the likes about twice a week or more, has 3 or 4 servings at dinner every night, chocolate bars at lunch, is 20kg overweight, and has a histroy of heart disease (his dad died when he was 47 of a heart attack - he is 45). When I say dont you wanna be healthy or something, his response is 'im here for a good time not a long time' :eek: you idiot. Tell your 4 kids that who are all under 15.

Ok touchy subject there for me :o

Great journal Avy! Your smile is infectious :D

Keep up the hard work.

BB

Hi Avy :wave: great journal!! sorry to hear about your office friend... I've known people like her, they usually (unfortunately) don't change:nope:

I hope you have a great holiday and enjoy the great weather ;)

where the Bikini challenge is concerned... I'm like you... I ALWAYS wear a Bikini, even when I have a bit more weight on me than I should :o I'm not in the challenge because of that.. I'm in the challenge to help me stay honest with my competition diet :p and so that I have a whole group of wonderful women working towards a common goal :tucool:

Great journal Avy! Your smile is infectious :D

Keep up the hard work.

BB

Thanks BB :D
Hi Avy :wave: great journal!! sorry to hear about your office friend... I've known people like her, they usually (unfortunately) don't change:nope:

I hope you have a great holiday and enjoy the great weather ;)

where the Bikini challenge is concerned... I'm like you... I ALWAYS wear a Bikini, even when I have a bit more weight on me than I should :o I'm not in the challenge because of that.. I'm in the challenge to help me stay honest with my competition diet :p and so that I have a whole group of wonderful women working towards a common goal :tucool:

Hi Chameleon :pillowfight:(i know you love that smiley)
I'm sort of in the challenge, but I plan to be bigger instead of smaller :nod: the unfair thing is that the challenge end date is after my comp so I'm sort of just in it to keep me honest - like you said! I cant wait to see everyone's progress over the coming months.

******

Last day of work!! :spaz::spaz::spaz:
Its bloody freezing here today - like 15 at the moment... I cant wait to get to the warm sun.
I had a very decent back and shoulder workout last night, then after that I had to go to the shops to exchange a dress I got (which was too big - then they didnt have a smaller size so I had to get something else which cost more :rolleyes:).

I dont have my book so I dont remember the weights I did...

Pull ups (assisted)
12, 7, 6

Shoulder press
15, 8, 8

Row
9,9,9

Lateral raises
12, 6-10 (drop set), 6-10

Cable cruch - I have almost maxed this out now :D
20, 20, 18

Its my cheat day today since its the last day of work, and I have dinner with friends tonight. Although I wont be eating that badly...

M1 - 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas
M2 - 120g natural yoghurt, 150g berries
M3 - BBQ at work (brought my own chicken breast to cook :tu:), 1 slice rye, salad, mini custard tart
M4 - apple, 20g almonds
M5 - whey shake, 1/4 cup oats PWO
M6 - italian restaurant :drool:

Between 1900 - 2500 cals today depending what I have for dinner.

I packed our bags last night for QLD - it took all of about 15 minutes since all I'll really need is bikini's, singlets, and shorts. My problem is really with my jewellery because I have way too much and I wear different stuff almost everyday. Fashion jewellery that is, not diamonds or anything! I make my own jewellery as well so I would have at least 50 - 80 necklaces and at least 50 pairs of earrings :o
I've had a few parties at friends places where I sold some of my stuff (I made almost $400 the first time :eek:) but I dont do it for the money, I just do it as a hobby really. I worked out I have about $1200 worth of beads... haha obssess much? I used to - well still do for a few ppl - give it away. I made some for xmas presents this year as well so I saved a little money there. I ususally go into a shop, see something I like then go home and make it for less than $10, sometimes less than $3! But since I have been going to the gym so much I dont get to make much anymore... :(

singlets, and shorts.

singlets!! :spaz: thanks to you i know what you mean!!

My problem is really with my jewellery because I have way too much and I wear different stuff almost everyday. Fashion jewellery that is, not diamonds or anything! I make my own jewellery as well so I would have at least 50 - 80 necklaces and at least 50 pairs of earrings :o
I've had a few parties at friends places where I sold some of my stuff (I made almost $400 the first time :eek:) but I dont do it for the money, I just do it as a hobby really. I worked out I have about $1200 worth of beads... haha obssess much? I used to - well still do for a few ppl - give it away. I made some for xmas presents this year as well so I saved a little money there. I ususally go into a shop, see something I like then go home and make it for less than $10, sometimes less than $3! But since I have been going to the gym so much I dont get to make much anymore... :(

god ur awesome!!

singlets!! :spaz: thanks to you i know what you mean!!

god ur awesome!!

;) Sometimes when I write a word or sentence on here, I wonder how many people are thinking 'wtf does that mean?'

right back at ya! :pillowfight:

;) Sometimes when I write a word or sentence on here, I wonder how many people are thinking 'wtf does that mean?'


i've lived with a couple australians..... but singlet for tank top was one term i'd never heard.

Avy, you and Steve look cute together :love:

Hope you have fun on your little vacay. Take plenty of pictures in your bikini! :lol:

I make my own jewellery as well
Handmade gifts are the BEST!
you'll have to post some pics of your jewelry soon :whistle:

Merry Christmas Avy!!! Hope you enjoy the holiday!

Happy New Year, Avy! :dance:

Happy New Year!

What's it like to ring in the new year in the summertime? And how's your summer? We in the frigid parts of the globe would love to know.

Happy new year everyone! Sorry I have been a slacker lately - but I had no computer access while I was on holidays... I'm going to catch up on some journals then post some summer xmas details/pics later on :D

Happy new year everyone! Sorry I have been a slacker lately - but I had no computer access while I was on holidays... I'm going to catch up on some journals then post some summer xmas details/pics later on :D
Happy New Year lady!
It's great to see ya back. How are things going?

Happy New Year!

What's it like to ring in the new year in the summertime? And how's your summer? We in the frigid parts of the globe would love to know.

Happy new year MM!

Well I suppose its normal for me to be hot and sticky on xmas day. I would love to experience a white xmas one year though :nod: I was handing out presents at 11am and I was sweating like a pig - the humidity is what gets you, it wasnt even that sunny. But I do love having an outdoor lunch with cold beers, then an afternoon of backyard cricket finished off by running through a sprinkler :D

Happy New Year lady!
It's great to see ya back. How are things going?

HI NY - its good to be back, sort of. Well in regards to catching up on this forum it is - work not so much. I'm flat out already and havent had time to catch up on journals at all :o I will though over the next few days. For now I will have to be selfish and update my own...

Christmas day was great, most of the family together for lunch and presents - and holy shit there were so many presents. Everyone got everyone 2 or 3 gifts and there was 22 of us :eek: plus I got Mum like 9 presents, my grandma 4, Steve 5, so yeah alot of wrapped goodies under mums tree this year. I will post pics tomorrow when I have my camera here. New years was spent sweating it out at a neighbours place with lots of wine. Not that exciting but I wasnt really in the mood for celebrating for some reason... the few days leading up to xmas were so frantic and all over the place I just wanted to relax and not do anything for a few days.

And the last 2 weeks were a little, well relaxed on the diet and exercise front. I went for 3 runs.............. and thats it. I ate pretty much what I wanted for a few days in there and was decent the rest of the time. Also being so hot I didnt feel like eating alot of the time so it was mainly fruit, salad, yoghurt, just cold stuff really. I weighed in at 62.3kg this morning at the gym. Its pretty much the same as before I left but I am guessing I have lost a small % of muscle and swapped it with FAT :rolleyes: Actually, I know thats what's happened. I did my BF test on Sunday morning and I was 19.5% so thats a gain of .5% in 2 weeks. Not too bad I suppose - still I went backwards... but I'm back on track as of this morning. 30 mins interval cardio this morning and it wasnt too bad either. Shoulders tonight.

Ok better go... lots of work to do. Thanks for not forgetting about me everyone :)

Well I suppose its normal for me to be hot and sticky on xmas day. I would love to experience a white xmas one year though :nod: I was handing out presents at 11am and I was sweating like a pig - the humidity is what gets you, it wasnt even that sunny. But I do love having an outdoor lunch with cold beers, then an afternoon of backyard cricket finished off by running through a sprinkler :D



heya girly.

sound like you had an awesome holiday! a cold beer and outdoor sports on christmas sounds dreamy.

do you guys have snowmen on ur christmas cards? or snow globes?

heya girly.

sound like you had an awesome holiday! a cold beer and outdoor sports on christmas sounds dreamy.

do you guys have snowmen on ur christmas cards? or snow globes?

Hey deja :wave:

Yeah it was nice, not long enough though as always. That is a perfect xmas day for me really... We did the exact same thing last year except at a golf course owned by Steve's cousin.

On my xmas cards this year I had penguins with scarves and beanies on :D We still get all the winter xmas stuff here - have never seen a card with a snow globe on it though? :confused:

Well I suppose its normal for me to be hot and sticky on xmas day. I would love to experience a white xmas one year though :nod: I was handing out presents at 11am and I was sweating like a pig - the humidity is what gets you, it wasnt even that sunny. But I do love having an outdoor lunch with cold beers, then an afternoon of backyard cricket finished off by running through a sprinkler :D
Do people over there tend to overeat a lot during the holidays like they do here? I wonder if knowing that you'll be in a swimsuit on christmas rather than an amorphous wool sweater changes anything. :confused:

Anyway, it does sound really neat. :nod:

Do people over there tend to overeat a lot during the holidays like they do here? I wonder if knowing that you'll be in a swimsuit on christmas rather than an amorphous wool sweater changes anything. :confused:

Anyway, it does sound really neat. :nod:

I think it probably does - but the main reason wouldn't be that you have to wear a bikini, but that it is just too hot to overindulge on hot food. One year for xmas we all went to my aunties place (out in the middle of no where) and it was at least 40 C. No air con, not even a fan. I wore my bikini all day, had my head in the freezer every chance I got and couldnt eat a thing :lol: good times.

I really enjoy our Australian Christmas' though - even if I am dripping wet and dont feel like eating the $100 ham.

I really enjoy our Australian Christmas' though - even if I am dripping wet and dont feel like eating the $100 ham.
:eek: $100 ham?? Hell, woman, that's not something you eat, that's something you tell the kids not to touch or they'll be dead meat, laying on the table next to it! Come to Texas, and I'll show you Christmas dinner for ten bucks cooked in a pit in the backyard! :lol:

I really enjoy our Australian Christmas' though - even if I am dripping wet and dont feel like eating the $100 ham.

I have always wanted to celebrate Christmas in Australia some day. :dreamy: I am not a fan of snow and ice at all. I'd also love to celebrate my birthday (November 1st) in warm weather.

:eek: $100 ham?? Hell, woman, that's not something you eat, that's something you tell the kids not to touch or they'll be dead meat, laying on the table next to it! Come to Texas, and I'll show you Christmas dinner for ten bucks cooked in a pit in the backyard! :lol:

:lol: Yep, the ham was $100. It was 8kg though? Not bad per kg I guess. We spent $200 on just the ham, turkey and lamb :eek: maybe we did overeat.
Your $10 backyeard pit lunch sounds delicious LSC!

I have always wanted to celebrate Christmas in Australia some day. :dreamy: I am not a fan of snow and ice at all. I'd also love to celebrate my birthday (November 1st) in warm weather.

I definitely love warmer weather - My bday is 29th Nov and it is always nice and hot :nod: Head anywhere north of Sydney and the weather is great 9 months of the year. And even Winter up north is like 22 C... even hotter at the top.

Sounds like alot of JSF'ers wouldnt mind experiencing a hot aussie xmas? So this year its xmas at my mums place - enough $100 ham for everyone!

Welcome back Avy! I agree with everyone.. a summer xmas and $100 ham definitely does not sound like a bad idea! :tu:

Welcome back Avy! I agree with everyone.. a summer xmas and $100 ham definitely does not sound like a bad idea! :tu:

Thanks Vicki :) It was soooo good too I wish I was eating it right now...

******

Diet has been spot on so far, yet I feel bloated? Maybe its cos its that time for me, or the holiday bloat is still hanging around? Whatever it is I hope it goes away soon.

Biceps and triceps done this morning, and Ill be doing HIIT tonight on the bike :scared: I havent done it for ages but I know it works and I have been holding off until now so I wouldnt cut too quickly. But alas it is cutting time... I dont get my new diet until the 19th so I'm glad I'm still on my current one, its not that bad at all.

Food for today:

M1 - 2/3 cup oats, 1 cup skim milk, 20g sultanas, whey
M2 - 120g natural yoghurt, 150g berries
M3 - 1 tin tuna, 3/4 cup brown rice, hot salsa
M4 - whey shake
M5 - 40g chicken
M6 - 150g lean beef, steamed vegies

Fitday is annoying me atm so I couldnt add it all up :rolleyes:

I watched Wolf Creek last night :eek: for anyone who doesnt know it, its an Australian horror set it the outback with this psycho country goon who kidnaps and tortures tourists... and it is damn scary! I cant stop thinking about it! I also saw Reservoir Dogs Dogs the other day and thought it was not that great. I like most of his stuff but this one didnt impress me at all.

Some pics of my xmas day:
- All the presents!
- my Mum opening her weights and fitness gear I got her (see where I get my muppet arms from)
- me whacking the pinata
- everyone scrambling for the chocs inside - the pinata is now beheaded and missing a limb :evil:

Looks like fun! Good lord, look at all those presents!! :eek: How many people were they all for?

great pics!!

u weren't kidding when you said u guys had a shitload of gifts. :eek::eek:

looks like fun. i'm so jealous you guys get to wear shorts to christmas. it would definitely be something worth experiencing. :nod:

wow ur mom looks YOUNG!! she's a hawtie!