New Training Program

I Facebook follow this girl (and her group) at Sisters In Shape.  She has competed for 3 years and she looks fantastic.  In a FB post she answered questions about her plan to get on stage -- like 20 minutes tops of cardio and 30-40 of lifting for the 3 months before a show.  She also eats 1800-2000 calories a day.  The big thing for me is that she doesn't take a diuretic before the show -- the main reason the show wasn't the best experience for me.  I was so thirsty and dehydrated.  I felt awful.  I know there has to be a better way for me.  

Anyway, I like my workouts.  They are similar to this but she does more weight lifting.  I think I'm going to cut some cardio and do more weights.  This will be my new lifting program.  I'll change it up a little every week but this should give awesome results.  

For the warm-up I plan on doing 20 minutes of cardio (more on "cheat meal" days) using the same machine for one week, then switching for the next week.  

And PS, Tom is going to do it as well so it's not just a girl thing.

The Show

And now the post we've all been waiting for.  

It's over!  I did it.  I reached my goal to go from labor and delivery to bikini competition in under a year.    And I actually feel like I was ready for it (as opposed to just doing the competition).  

The breakdown of the week before the competition is this:

I was at my parents' house with my girls.  Jerry cut out my 2nd cardio workout of the day and I was so happy about that.  I didn't have to have them babysit twice a day!  So I was doing one 35 minute intervals session and lifting weights.  

The first part of the week I only got to eat 1/2 cup of oats and the rest of my calories were protein and fat.  It was awful.  I had zero energy.  Then he added back in a whole bunch of carbs and I was a much happier Kelli.

I started taking a diuretic (water pill) on Monday.  On Friday I cut out drinking water completely.  For like 10 minutes.  Then I just sucked on ice or sipped when I was thirsty.  I had to cut out as much water weight as I could so I looked more cut and my muscles popped.  

On Thursday I got my hair done.  I decided to go a little darker.  We picked Dark Blonde for the roots and Light Blonde for the ombre.  Dark Blonde is a little darker than planned.  I'm getting used to it now and I like it for fall.  

Before

After

I got a spray tan on Friday at noon.  Hilarious!  I got to this girl's home salon and she had a little tent.  First she gave me a shower cap I started putting it on.  She was like, "you want to take your clothes off first."  I was like, "all of them?"  "Yep."  "Ok."  So there I am all clothes-less in her tent and she's spraying me with dark brown/orange spray that reeks like... uh... spray tan.  Then she tells me to bend over because I had two little lines under my bum.  It was so awkward.  But I did.  Then I was all, "sorry if there's toilet paper..."  Hehehe.  There wasn't. 

At least my teeth are are ultra white.  

Two days earlier I actually looked like my kids.  Morgan was a little freaked out and wanted me to wash it off.

Show-Time

I woke up at 7 and had to be at Granger High School at 9:30.  It seems like a lot of time but it takes a while to prepare breakfast of 7 egg whites and a cup of oats.  By then I was I was so sick of egg whites.  I couldn't finish the breakfast.  Plus I was already so thirsty and not drinking.

The prejudging was running behind and bikini didn't get on stage until like 1:00.  I was dying of thirst and thinking of how much fun this wasn't.  Back stage stunk like BO and spray tan and everyone was orange.  It was like a stinky, good-looking Oompa Loompa village.

Then it was my turn to go on stage.  They were out of time so they just had us all go together.  I was standing there with a bunch of other girls thinking that I was going to die of dehydration and wondering what the crap I was doing to myself.  It sucked.  And the judges didn't even look at me.  I can honestly say that prejudging was not a good experience.  I didn't have fun.  I didn't feel good.  I may have looked okay but I stunk of spray tan and sweat, just like everyone else.

I drove back to my mother-in-law's house where my family was to hang out with them and take a nap before the night show.  I was pretty emotional because of the judging and feeling crappy and being tired.  I just cried on the drive.  I told Tom I was not going to do another show.  I mean, I'm into this thing a whole lot of money.  The least that could have happened is that the judges pretended to look at me too.  Maybe I didn't look like the top 5 but I promise I wasn't bad to look at.  My obliques alone were pretty awesome.

On the plus side, I did get to hang out with some pretty cool girls.  Everyone was nice.  I didn't experience any snobbiness.  And I was happy for everyone that won.  We all worked hard to be where we were.

The girls Jerry trained.  Me, Amanda, Leanne

The night show was more fun.  I got my own time on stage.  I really was happy for those who won.  Leanne took 3rd and 4th in novice and natural.  The thing is, almost everyone looked amazing.  It would be hard to judge.  Plus, everyone likes different things.

I am awarding myself with the most modest swimsuit award.  Tom told me after that my mom was so uncomfortable and that made him so so so uncomfortable.  Hahahaha!  He said many of the suits left little to the imagination.  So thank goodness for Target and Google so I could make my own suit with a little bigger bum.

Here is a video of my minute on stage.  Enjoy!

Then for the best part of the day... Cafe Rio with my parents, Tom, and my friends, Natalie and Caroline.  That pork burrito was worth it all.

I will have more pics of the show later.  I just wanted to post this now.

Life is Like a Friends Episode. Always.

I'm the girl who normally has spray paint on her hands instead of fingernail polish.  And chewed up Sophie crackers on her shirt instead of rhinestones.  

Not Saturday.  

And I'm getting ready.  

On a side note, I've done a lot of thinking through the years about which Friends character I'm most like.  I've always wanted to be more of a Rachel but that's just not me.  

I finally figured it out...

Just call me Dr. Rich.

T Minus 8 Days

The countdown is ON!  In only one week and one day I will be on stage!

Right now is crunch-time.

I'm already in Utah so I can finish training with Jerry and be there for height-check and weigh-in and get my hair done.  Every competitor has to check in in person the day before the show or we get DQ'd.  I'll also need to get a spray tan -- I'm going to look so unrealistically dark in real life but on stage it will be great.

I met with Jerry today to work on my back (lift).  He also checked my body fat for the first time since I moved.  A month ago I was 11% body fat and weighed 129.6-131 depending on when I weighed.  Now I am 9% body fat and weigh 129.6.  So I lost fat and gained muscle since I moved which is all I can ask for.  Plus, I hit my competition goal!  Jerry says I'm there.  It's a good thing since the competition is here.

This week is where I will do things to dramatically change my body.  And it's really the only unhealthy part of the whole process, which is why it's only for a week (actually 5 days).

To be on stage, you want to look as lean and cut as you can.  To do that, some (or most) competitors have to lose water weight that week.  I will be taking a diuretic and will probably lose 5 pounds of water.  Like I said, not healthy.  Not sustainable.  But only for 5 days.  And I will gain that weight back the night the show is over.

I have still been doing 3 days of lower carbs and a day of high carbs.  That is changing now.  For 2-3 days I'll be super low carbs and then no carbs for a couple of days.  A few days before the show I will carb load to bulge my muscles.  I honestly never knew that so much went into this.  It has been really neat to see what happens with different things.

If you don't follow me on Instagram (@losscausekelli), here is a before/after.  The before was taken 4 months ago.

Reach your goals!

Up 4 Pounds!

Well guess who decided to show up unannounced after almost 2 years.  That's right.  Aunt Flo and her boyfriend, 4 pounds of water retention.  I literally texted Jerry and asked if I should be freaking out.  The answer is no.  The good thing is that it is only water weight and that I'll lose it by show-time.  The bad news is that I'm all squishy now and that's not encouraging.

Let me just tell you that it's a good thing the show is in 2 weeks and 3 days.  Because. I. Am. Burnt. Out.  Or is it "burned" out?  Either way, I am.  I am done with 2-a-days and not being able to go out to eat with my family.   I am tired of horse-pill sized supplements.  But I'm not tired of looking the best I've ever looked.  That's fun.  I think mostly my family is ready for me to be able to go out with them again.  Morgan asks all the time if we can go to a restaurant and Tom can't wait to go on an actual date with me that includes both of us eating the restaurant food.  It's been 4 months.  Since June!

Of course I'm keeping the focus for the sprint to the finish line.  My whole goal was to go from the labor & delivery room to a bikini competition in 1 year (and look ready for it, obviously).  I'm going to make it, dang it!

Here is the flyer with the info for the show.  If I were you and coming to watch it, I'd probably go to the  night show.  It starts at 6pm at Granger High School on October 19th.  It's $30 to get in (kind of pricy, I know, but there will be some cool looking body builders there).  I would love to see people I know there but I'm not going to guilt anyone into coming.  Come if you want.  If you do come, find me after and say hi!