Personal Health Intiative Training

Posts tagged ‘bodybuilding’

Bread Anyone?

I have been very skeptical of trying this “low carb” bread by Julian Bakery. It just sounded too good to be true. However; when you look at the ingredients, you can see that the macronutrients are in exact alignment with what is needed for a cutting diet. 6 grams of carbs total with 5 grams of insoluble fiber, so the bread contains only 1 gram of net carbs. The coconut bread by Julian Bakery only has 1 gram of fat and is just 35 calories per slice. When I saw this in Whole Foods today, I just had to try it. Part of the fun of doing my own diet is that I can be creative! I need to experiment on myself first before I make recommendations to other people.

Well the verdict is….I love it! It tastes good, makes me feel full, and helps me psychologically get through a VERY strict diet. This bread is very expensive but to me it is worth it. If you cannot eat bread because of a gluten allergy or are on a cutting diet, you should give this a shot. You will continue to lean out while eating it. There are many different versions of their bread but this is the one I tried.

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You have to keep it in the freezer, but you can thaw it out in the oven and make a wonderful slice of toast for breakfast. I ate this with my bison burger and zero carb noodles for lunch today. It was delightful.

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Better Than Ice Cream!

Today after my leg workout, I went to Whole Foods grocery. Whole Foods is not a store where I do my weekly shopping but if there is a special item that I want, they will usually have it. For example, they have those lovely machines that will grind up nuts for you to make your own nut butter without the added sugar. They also have some meat and really fresh, local seafood that you will not find at other chains. Today I picked up some salsa and other seasonings and found a different type of almond milk that I wanted to try. The milk is made by the “So Delicious” company and has 5 grams of protein in one cup. One cup is only 40 calories, contains 2 grams of fat, and 0 grams of sugar, and only 1 carb. It also only has 95 mg of sodium….some meat products contain more sodium than that! I will be using this up until the last week of competition prep because it is DELICIOUS in my protein shake. It is better than ice cream!

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Here is my recipe for a delicious vanilla protein shake that will have you licking the cup when you are finished. (That might just be me because just about everything tastes good at this point). 

  • 1 scoop of Gaspari Intrapro Vanilla flavored Whey Isolate
  • 1 cup of So Delicious Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 1 and 1 1/2 cups of ice

Blend for about 60-90 seconds. If you have a blender that has different settings, use the “milkshake” setting or one that mixes at a medium speed.

Enjoy! You will definitely be sad when the shake is gone!

195 calories, 5 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fat (Depends on the protein powder that you use).

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Sharing

I consider myself to be more of an introverted type of person in certain situations. I only share certain parts of my life with a small group of people. Some of this comes from previous experiences with criticism and negative comments about what I am doing from other people. However; recently I have found that the more I share what I am doing with bodybuilding, nutrition, and general fitness, the more successful I am. Yes, there are some who could care less, criticize or look to see you fail, but that is a very small percentage of people. You will be surprised at who you can inspire if you just share what you are doing. This does not mean being egotistical or judgmental of others. It only means to be proud of who you are, what you do, and the accomplishments you have made. 

I received a compliment in the gym today and it made me feel good. To know people recognize you are working hard and appreciate it, is a very good feeling.

7 weeks to go!

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Microwave Cake

Just made this recipe today. I wanted my wonderful chocolate protein powder but did not want to just have it with water. I decided to combine my usual serving of sweet potatoes with the protein. Here is the recipe:

You will need:
-100 grams of cooked sweet potato
-2 tablespoons of coconut flour
-1-3 tablespoons of liquid egg whites
-1 scoop of protein powder
-1 tablespoon of sugar free jam

Directions:
1. Take the sweet potato and mash it up in a bowl. I chose to leave the skin on.
2. Add the protein powder to the sweet potato.
3. Add the coconut flour to the bowl.
4. Add the liquid egg whites and a little bit of water.
5. Mix all ingredients together into a pudding like consistency and keep adding as much water as you need to for the mixture to be smooth.
6. Place the mixture in the microwave for 3-5 minutes.
7. Top with a tablespoon of sugar free jam.

Enjoy!!!
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Creative Snacks

It can be hard to get your meals in at work and it’s not always possible to sit down for 15-30 minutes to eat a full meal. Sometimes I eat my meals at my desk and fortunately I am able to step away to eat most of the time. However; today was really busy and I had to get my last snack in some way. I came up with an idea on the fly. I always strive to get a protein, carb, and fat source at each meal.  I decided to combine my protein and sweet potato into a pudding. I took 50 grams of cooked sweet potato, added one scoop of protein, and a little less than 1\4 cup of coffee in a styrafoam cup. I mixed these ingredients together and it came out to be the consistency of pudding. I love pudding but the instant mixes tend to have a lot of sodium. So this was a nice way to get what I like in a healthy way….and it was fast! Here are some ideas you can try for quick meals.

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-Pudding made with one scoop of protein and just enough almond milk stirred in. Great in the morning before your workout when you don’t have time to eat.
-1scoop of protein powder with 1\4 cup of dry oats. Add a little water and make a “goo.”
-Add fruit into a container of Greek yogurt. You can even add nuts for a complete meal.
-Mix cooked sweet potato in with protein powder and water and microwave for a few minutes….instant brownie!

These are just a few things I have done to make sure I sneak in a quick meal on the go. No excuses!

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Easy Chicken Competition Style

Preparing food for the week can be time consuming. I am down for anything that makes the process easier and this is where my handy dandy crock pot comes into play. I cook everything from turkey to chili to collard greens in the crockpot. I buy a lot of meat so I like to make cooking easy. Here is one of my favorite recipes.

Crock pot Chicken

2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of low sodium organic chicken broth
Garlic powder
Oregano
Onions
Lemon juice

Pour the broth into the crock pot.
Rinse off the chicken and place in the crock pot.
Add seasonings and lemon juice.
Set the crockpot on high for 6 hours.

It is best to do this in the morning and by the afternoon your chicken is ready and you can eat it for lunch or dinner all week.
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Encouraging Myself…And You!!!

I am 5 weeks into my prep and I am making very good progress. There have been moments that I get weary or a little worn out. Training alone can be difficult but you have to push through and keep going. You might not have anyone who motivates you and tells you to keep going. If you talk to a lot of competitors you will always hear them say that they had moments where they felt alone. One night I watched an interview with Kai Greene, one of the top bodybuilders in the country. He stated that people think his life is glamorous but don’t understand how lonely the path is. Yes, he does have training partners, sponsors, friends etc… But there are many times, he finds himself alone.

I say all this to encourage you if you  feel like you are alone. Don’t despair! You will be just fine if you don’t quit! Be a big girl or a big boy and just do it. Don’t wait for your friends or your spouse to push you because that may or may not happen.

Back to prep…I have lost 10 lbs, so I am at 138. The picture shows 139 because it was taken last week. My average is a 1.5 lb loss per week which is the healthy way to do it. I am meticulous about counting my macros and calories. I have something to prove here and though I may get tired, I am not quitting. I have about 10-12 more lbs to go depending on how I look.

11 weeks to go!
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Vegetables In My Waffles!!

So here is a recipe I created to add into my competition prep. Though the diet is restrictive, I like to play around with the food choices I do have and make different combinations. I absolutely love breakfast foods and could eat them all day. I’m cutting out the oatmeal for now so I need a new breakfast option. Waffles are the perfect replacement!

So here is my recipe for low-carb zucchini waffles.

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop of protein powder, I used Dymatize Elite XT Fudge Brownie.
  • 3 Large Egg Whites
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • 1\2 of shredded zucchini
  • Cooking spray

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Directions:

  • Shred your zucchini with a knife or in a blender
  • Mix the protein powder, egg whites, coconut flour, baking powder, oil, and zucchini in a bowl. Add as much water as you need for the desired consistency.
  • Turn your waffle iron on and spray. Let it heat up.
  • Pour mixture onto the iron and cook until done!
  • Voila! You have a tasty, low carb, high protein, healthy waffle.

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The Journey

Sometimes it takes years to learn a lesson. We either learn through joy or pain and most people learn through pain. I have twelve weeks left until the competition. For the first four weeks, I kept thinking…” Oh my God, I have this many weeks to go…” Then, I read an article of another competitor who said her coach told her to make the best of her prep time. She can either get through it begrudgingly, or enjoy the journey.

So I am taking one day at a time. But, I am enjoying the journey. I’m being creative with my food, and experimenting with my training. Rather than thinking about being alone, I think about being in control. I have lost 9 pounds which is awesome! And I don’t feel totally horrible. This prep is a part of my life but it does not control my life. That is the difference this time around.

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Week One Down Update/Food

The first week is always the hardest but if you make it through without cheating on your diet, going crazy at work, and being nice to your spouse…you should be good! Lol! It was a little rough because I had some major cravings. Each morning I got up to workout and realized I couldn’t have a granola bar, honey, or any of my usual pre-workout treats. I managed to get by with my chicken, tuna, sweet potatoes, oatmeal (YUMMY) and vegetables. 

I have found a new thermogenic that really helps control my cravings and provides enough energy throughout the day. (MHP Dopamite). My cardio is not full on yet so I’m not exhausted. Starting 16 weeks out allows me more time to lean out so I am not rushing the process. I have already lost 4 lbs which is great! I will weigh again in a few weeks….I am never doing every week again because I refuse to drive myself crazy. Plus the scale does not tell me what my bodyfat percentage is. When I go back to the YMCA, I will have them measure it.

This week’s meals include stewed chicken and tomatoes, tilapia, chocolate protein powder, coconut oil, coconut flour, spinach, kale, cucumbers, oatmeal, grapefruit and sweet potatoes.

Off to a great start!

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