2 Weeks In, Total Beast Mode.

Some of the ladies competing in 2011 with TWNB

I am officially 2 weeks into my contest diet and guess what? So far so good! For those of you who haven't been keeping up, I have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, a genetic autoimmune disease that was triggered about 5 years ago due to very traumatic events in my life. Although it's genetic, Celiacs can differ in terms of when and how it effects them. Some are active as soon as childhood, some not til their 20's, some in their 50's, and a few never feel it's effects. About 7% of the population has it, but only about 2% is ever diagnosed. Since then I have had to eliminate wheat, barely, oats, rye, malt and all their sneaky little byproducts out of my diet, cosmetics, personal care items, and detergents. And this isn't my first run at a contest diet, it's my third attempt since December 1st, and my third season in a row. In early February I blogged about my many previous dieting setbacks due to my Celiac Disease, please take a look at it to learn more about my journey up to this point.


Before I started this diet I was on a steady calorie level of about 1200 per day. I had already been dieting on and off for so long and having so many health complications interrupting my progress, the last thing I wanted to do was gain at all, and backtrack on what progress I had.  About once every 5-7 days I'd have a high carb day of about 1500 calories or a cheat meal, but for the most part I kept them low. Once I really sat down and looked at it, I realized how early in my diet it was for my calories to be so low. So for two days I went up to about 1600cals and about 200 carbs. I was sick of eating by the end of the second day.  The next day I started on a 6 day cycle of 1 day at 1600, 2 days at 1300 calories and 3 days at 1200 calories. Each one also having varying level of protein, carbs and fats.

When I started the diet 14 days ago I was 128.8, this morning I weighed in at 124.0, and I'm only on my second moderate day, I've got my fingers crossed for another 6/10 or more this week before I start a new cycle.  For those of you who haven't done carb cycling before, typically in the day or two immediately proceeding your highest calorie day [Day 1] you are the heaviest. From the extra food in your belly, from the excess water those carbs are suspended in, etc. And for many people their lowest weight is on one of the latter low days [Days 5 or 6], and sometimes first thing in the morning before they start back at the high calorie day.

IFPA Pro Corynne Pero and Myself 3/13/11

My workouts this week have been very good.  I started a new German Volume Training program we just came up with - we always use ourselves as guinea pigs before distributing it to any clients. This one is brutal, not in terms of difficulty as by now I am a pretty seasoned lifter, but more in it's after effects. I feel as if I spent the week being pummeled with dodgeballs from a 4th grade gym class. Super Duper. It's a 2On/1Off/3On/1Off Schedule. The last three days are all 4-6 reps.  This is my happy place. Give me a rep range higher than 12 and I feel like I'm just warming up, I live to powerlift. For so long having the lesions in my stomach inhibited my ability to go so heavy, and bear down or block with my midsection, so it's good to start chipping away at those personal records again. On my chest day I was able to hit a personal record on the Incline Dumbbell Press of 45x5. Yesterday on back day I hit a pound for pound personal record on the deadlift of 165x4 at a bodyweight of 124.  I do have videos of both, however technology has failed me and they upload sideways. I'll have to save it for next week, at which point hopefully I'll be on the 50's and deadlifting 175.:)

So far I do not have a solid plan of action for which shows I'll do. It's driving my husband and my good friend Corynne nuts - they're my two biggest fans, and two great shoulders to lean on on the hard days.  It's not so much that I'm procrastinating, I do fully intend to compete this year.  It's just that with everything I've been through with my Celiac, and trying and failing over and over again to prep, I am sick of changing plans. For the next few weeks I just want to focus on dieting and training like the show is always just a few weeks away, and in a month or so I will choose and announce which shows I'm doing. Til then, I'm enjoying the high calories, the heavy lifting, and will continue to make new personal records weekly. This will be the year I am the best possible version of myself. All I want to do is step on stage knowing I am the best I could be for that show. If I place well, if I win, or - if hell freezes over- and I win a pro card, that will be all the more redeeming. But my focus is on bettering myself, not worrying about the competition.